The Palestine Papers and Us

by Gilad Atzmon / January 28th, 2011

I have a rule — I never intervene in Palestinian political matters. I never comment on Palestinian internal debate. I do not think that I have the right to do so: I am an ex-Israeli and an ex-Jew, and I write about Israel, Jewish Identity politics, and Zionism.

For me, the leaked Palestinian Papers provide us with a valuable glimpse into Israeli politics and Western complicity in the crimes carried out against the Palestinian people.  I do realise that most Palestinian commentators agree that the leaked papers have “damaged whatever little credibility the Ramallah-based authority still enjoyed among Palestinians”; yet, more than anything else, the Papers prove beyond doubt that Israel is  not a partner for peace.  In spite of the weaknesses that have been shown by the PA since the 1990’s, Israel has failed to secure a peace deal, and has consistently failed to show any will to bring the conflict to an end. In short — Israel has always wanted more.

The Papers have also clearly shown that whilst Israel likes to present an image of ‘political pluralism’, that is little more than a deception. There is not much difference at all between Tzipi Livni and Avigdor Lieberman. Both are Zionist enthusiasts, and both are interested in a ‘Jews only state’ — Indeed, just like Lieberman, Livni too, offered to “transfer Israeli Arabs.”

Yesterday, we learned that as far back as 2004, the British MI6 was assisting the PA in the war against Hamas.  According to The Guardian “The Palestinian Authority’s security strategy to crush Hamas and other armed groups on the West Bank was originally drawn up by Britain’s intelligence service, MI6”.

So at the time that the British Government was supposedly advocating “democracy” in Palestine, the reality was quite different. British ‘James Bonds’ were investing enormous effort in trying to destroy the rising political power in Palestine. One may wonder what kind of ‘British interests’ was the MI6 serving in doing so?  It is far from being a secret that  in 2004 Tony Blair  was primarily funded by Labour Friends of Israel.  His Number 1 fundraiser was Lord Levy.

The Palestinian  people will liberate themselves eventually — but it is also about time we all liberate ourselves from the grip of Israeli and Jewish lobbies.?

Gilad Atzmon, now living in London, was born in Israel and served in the Israeli military. He is the author of The Wandering Who and Being in Time and is one of the most accomplished jazz saxophonists in Europe. He can be reached via his website. Read other articles by Gilad, or visit Gilad's website.

This article was posted on Friday, January 28th, 2011 at 8:00am and is filed under Israel, United Kingdom.

5 comments on this article so far ...

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  1. bozh said on January 28th, 2011 at 9:12am #

    so, finally, i, as a nonjew, can talk with gilad, another nonjew!! this is good news.
    i, as a nonjew, cld never talk to any ‘jew’.
    i vowed i’d never trust any human being who refuses to reveal his bilogical roots while at the same time avers s/he/s a catholic, muslim, ‘jew’, bahaai, buddhist, whitch, sorcerer, wizard, doctor, professor, journalist, expert, politician, et al.

    i, too, don’t get involved with narrow politics among pal’ns. to illustrate the tenet, i at times say, i am a peasant, but from croatia or to be more exact, dalmatia.
    as such, i tend to be biased towards dalmatian croats more than towards other croats.
    biologicly, i come from a slavic, illyrian, hun, avar, celtic, gothish genenetic pool.

    now back to palestina. i never doubted that pal’ns of whatever culto-political inclination wld sign away an inch of pal’n lands.
    hundred yrs later, and no sign of such a [mis]deed! tnx

  2. Ismail Zayid said on January 28th, 2011 at 1:20pm #

    Gilad Atzmon’s analysis of the Zionist designs, and the policies of Israel’s political leaders, so-called Right and Left, on Palestine and the Palestinians, are unchanging. These policies are determined to deny the Palestinians any rights in their homeland, and continue to procrastinate in these so-called negotiations, so as to complete theirpre-planned policy of ethnic cleansing and dispossession.

    However, unlike him, as a Palestinian, I find the practices of Mr. Abbas and his team, as revealed in the recent Palestine Papers and before that, are a shameful sell-out of the Palestine cause and the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people.

  3. kalidasa said on January 28th, 2011 at 2:53pm #

    “I am an ex-Israeli and an ex-Jew”

    Good enough for me.
    Also proof enough for me that Jews are NOT a race but are a sect.

    Gilad Atzmon-human being.
    Has a real nice ring to it.

  4. jayn0t said on January 28th, 2011 at 5:46pm #

    This is a bit off-topic, but it’s important – from Alison Weir:
    http://www.cnionline.org/senator-rand-paul-calls-for-end-of-aid-to-israel
    A Republican senator calls for an end to aid to Israel. The Tea Party have outflanked the left again!

  5. GM said on January 28th, 2011 at 9:30pm #

    Excellent stuff here.

    Atzmon’s writing and his critique just gets better and better. I really is about time he collected these articles into a book.