2/9/16

Skit: Building bridges?

In my opinion a right wing Israeli government supporting organization was invited to have a reception at Creating Change, A Wider Brigde. (which shouldn't have happened) The event was protested pretty heavily. I have always been of the mind that you can't tell the oppressed how to civilly disobey, as long as it's non violent. The prosters were loud, maybe a bit aggressive, but non violent. They did stop people from attending the event and they did chant some anti Israel chants. I am fine with all of that.  I believe that the Israeli government is oppressing Palestinians.  I don't care how Queer friendly the Israeli government claims to be I'm not a fan of the Israeli government.  Now my queer Jewish friends are all hurt and upset, saying that the reception was suppose to foster dialogue with pepole who are already on some common ground. That common ground being that they are both queer. But the oppressed don't want to talk,  they want thier demands met, they want the Israeli government dismantled, they want thier country back, and they want to stop being occupied. It's not like everyone on this planet doesn't know what Palestine wants. They don't need dialogue we need change.  Why my queer Jewish friends don't understand that is beyond me.  I don't have a single Palestinian friend who hates or even dislikes jews. My Palestinian friends don't like Israel there is a difference. I don't think it a Jewish person's place to tell a Palestinian how to protest the Israeli government. I don't think they have the right to be hurt or offended either. They aren't protesting the religion they are protesting the government there is a difference, or at least thier should be.   If it would have been a different organization that had it's stakes in Judaism and not the government I think things would have turned out differently.  You would have had one culture talking to another about politics. Like Muslims talking NAACP about the the American government. That would be fine. But I don't think Muslim would want to have a dialogue with the black republican caucus about the American government. Too right wing and not staked in culture.  We need to understand that as a queer community we won't always agree and sometimes we will be bitterly divided. But to understand that with love and compassion for our fellow queer becuase we do share that shred of common ground. We need to disagree to learn and grow. Growing is uncomfortable. So I'm taking issues with my queer Jewish friends for throwing a tantrum instead of listening and trying to understand there fellow oppressed queers. ( which the should have done If they really wanted dialogue to begin with)

No comments: