Meeting held on Monday 16th October 2023
Nine people were present. Two gave their apologies.
Almost the entire meeting was spent discussing the appalling situation in Israel/Palestine where the massacre of hundreds of Israeli civilians has been followed by massive Israeli bombing of Gaza, cutting off all vital supplies, and preparations to send in troops.
Is it possible to view the situation objectively, we wondered, feeling nevertheless that it was important to try to be aware of one’s own biases. We rehearsed the historical context of this violence, arising from the oppression of Palestinians by Israel since its inception after WWII, when Palestinians were forced out of their homes. More recently, the illegal establishment of Israeli settlements (encouraged by their government) in Palestine makes it impossible, we felt, to see how Israelis and Palestinians could live together peacefully.
We were struck by the power attached to claims of antisemitism and how this has been used to secure Israel’s advantage. It seems increasingly to be taken that any support of Palestine is viewed as antisemitic. How did this power arise? At the same time, leaders of both main parties talk of supporting Israel but do not even refer to the appalling suffering of many more innocent Palestinians over the years. It was suggested that Al Jazeera presents a more balanced view of events there. It has been claimed that the origins of Hamas were funded from Israeli sources, on the basis that they did not favour a two state solution (unlike Fatah and PLO), which suited Israel’s political interests.
There is some expectation that Palestinian refugees will flee to Egypt. But it is unrealistic to expect Egypt to absorb a million or so refugees, for it would become like Lebanon, where current inhabitants are largely made up of refugees from the early stages of Israel’s formation.
We considered the extent to which the Jewish diaspora – particularly in USA and UK – support or oppose Israel’s policies. In UK, Jewish Voice for Labour (which the party leadership opposes) supports Palestine, but the situation is always presented as if all Jews support Israeli interests. Similarly in USA where Jewish Voice for Peace campaigns to support Palestine.
We also wondered how Hamas could have breeched the Israeli secure defensive wall without the Israeli military noticing. Was there some secret plot? Indeed, how much of events in the region are manipulated by the intelligence organisations of various parties?
Brief comments about the Labour Party conference confirmed that was an orderly affair, the left of the party having been effectively expunged by the leadership. Notably present were a large contingent of corporate interests.
The next meeting of What’s Left will be on 20th November.