Category — Darfur

Because I don’t live there and because I am not a citizen there, I try not to dictate too many policies to the State of Israel. Not everyone agrees. Like, say, Sophie Glass over at the Lilith blog.

Ms. Glass writes,

I believe that it is important for Israel to accept the Sudanese refugees and that any housing, educational and health-care issues can be overcome by true political will. These refugees would not have been displaced had the international community intervened before the conflict mounted to its current humanitarian crisis. Many countries, namely the United States, have spoken-out against genocide in Darfur, but have not committed military forces due to political and logistical reasons. Actively accepting some of the 2.5 million Darfurian refugees is a non-military display of commitment to the lives of Darfurians.

I don’t speak for Israel, but I don’t think Ms. Glass does either. Israel has limited resources, and limited land. Absorbing “some” refugees could force them to end up grappling with pressure to absorb many, many more.

This is Holocaustism. Israel must not be pressured by Holocaustians to do any such thing. This is “tikkun olam� out of control. This won’t tikkun a damn thing.

You know who is on the floor laughing? The far-right. Comments I have read on a race realist site (hint: the smartest large one) include the following,

“Israel will suffer the same fate as Europe and the United States but in a faster process. The same Jewish Organizations that advocate for “open borders� in every Western country are now engineering the end of their “homeland�.

“Considering the last names of so many of the attorneys and civil rights activists who are responsible for the invasion of hispanic, muslim and african third worlders into this country all I can say is:

What goes around comes around.�

“Israel should welcome the cultural enrichment of the Africans. They should encourage third worlders to storm their borders because “diversity� is such a strength.�

“The Israelis will open their hearts to these poor unfortunate brothers from oppressed countries. I for one hope that Israel opens their borders and allows the downtrodden to come and share the land. There should be no borders in Israel. We are all a part of the human race.” [editor's note: This comment was meant sardonically. Trust me.]

“Considering the role played by the Anti-Defamation League of B’nai B’rith and Morris Seligman Dees’s SPLC (as well as the large numbers of “ordinaryâ€? American Jews who contribute to these groups financially) in supporting Third World immigration into the USA and doing everything in their power to cripple, demoralize and break White America, I think this is wonderful! Wonderful beyond measure!”

It reminds me of an old, terrible joke. Three elderly communist women were sitting playing Mahjon, talking about their sons’ success.

1st Jewish woman: My son is helping to build a workers’ paradise in Russia.

2nd Jewish woman: My son is helping to build a workers’ paradise in Cuba.

3rd Jewish woman: My son is in the export business in Israel.

First two Jewish women: And he isn’t building a workers’ paradise?

3rd Jewish woman: What, in our own country?

My point is, Jewish insanity about saving the world needs to be…directed. As I have explained elsewhere, the whole point of Darfur is not only about Darfur itself, but for some, about why Islam sucks. If you make the issue about why Israel is the problem, then the mainstream Jewish community will feel pressure to back off Darfur. Of course, I was opposed to this mission from the start. I worried it would bite us in the ass somehow.

It will probably get much worse, in the off chance that the social-Left Jews aren’t able to solve Africa’s problems. But don’t worry, at least we tried. And hey, that’s what counts guys! Look at all the goodwill the Neocons got us for backing Bush’s Democracy for the Middle East plan! Okay, so maybe it didn’t quite work out as planned. Well, no big whoop. But anyway, what could possibly go wrong here? Solving an African civil war…how hard can that be?

But remember, my tikkun olam social-left friends…not in our own country!

The root of the conflict in Darfur appears to be fueled by the thirst for oil. Racism is certainly a factor, but oil is apparently a major economic factor for the longevity and intensity of the conflict, even if a speculative one.

On the Save Darfur Coalition page about this conflict, there is nothing about the role of oil.

Why does the Coalition not care to emphasize this issue? Do they believe this is not a factor as others claim it is? The coalition notes that the attacks are coming from “government-backed militias.� But what about the issue of a corporate backed government? What of the lure for the profits for those controlling the oil reserves? Though some feel it is important to note that much of the oil is speculative, that is not apparently whether there is a significant amount of oil, but exactly how much.

Has the coalition forgotten the economic root of the brutality in Sierra Leone? The root cause of diamonds had to be addressed for any guarantee of long-term stability.

Why is Darfur any different?

The Jewish Week reports on “a proposal to put the umbrella Jewish group in line behind efforts to impose divestment on Sudan because of the genocide in Darfur.�

Let us be clear – if successful, this proposal will accomplish nothing in terms of stopping the bloodshed. But it will successfully put a big sign up that yids with glass houses like to throw stones.

Fortunately, this time there is resistance.

Doug Chandler reports,

“The proposal, which comes up for a vote next week at JCPA’s annual four-day plenum, is drawing its critics, who fear that an economic boycott of any country could be used against Israel, itself the target of divestment efforts.�

So who are the realists? This is where it gets interesting.

“Hadassah’s leaders also discussed the issue, despite “a hard and fast policy� of not endorsing any economic boycott, said Ellyn Lyons, chairwoman of the organization’s Israel, Zionist and International Affairs Department. Although all of them clearly believe that Darfur is an “extraordinary situation,� she said, they also believe that any boycott could be a “slippery slope,� with unintended consequences for Israel.

Both Hadassah and the Philadelphia JCRC have been in the forefront of protesting the slaughter in Darfur, meeting with elected officials on the issue and sending large contingents to “Save Darfur� rallies.�

However we understand Darfur, I think we should all agree that there is no sense in promoting a policy which accomplishes nothing AND puts Israel at risk.