Kategorie: English

Preface

Note: The English version is the original text and in some places contains a sharper analysis than the German translation. If things seem unclear to you, feel free to read also the english version.

For seven long months, we have been watching an intensification of absolutely horrific carnage, death, and destruction in Palestine. The region has turned into a stage on which genocidal rhetoric and practice, the indiscriminate killing of civilians, do not only take place, but also stream live the abyss of human civilization to the whole world. In the meantime a deeply problematic discourse about these events, their historical roots, and even efforts of legitimization around the world unveil itself; in particular in Germany.

For seven long months, we, Perspektive Selbstverwaltung, an anarchist organization in Berlin, have been silent about this. With this statement, we want to end this silence, which many of us have seen as complicity in an unfolding genocide in Gaza. We would like to clarify at the beginning, that the Palestinian and the Israeli societies are, like all societies, heterogeneous, full of internal contradictions and (conflicting) movements with different perspectives, which are important to learn about and take into account, to gain a deeper understanding of the region, its history and the ideologies at work.

This being our organization’s first statement on the matter, the aim will not be to provide an in-depth analysis of the matter but a clarification of where we stand. There are many organizations and individuals who have deeper knowledge, experience and analysis on many aspects of this topic than we do.{{To name some: 972 Magazine, Standing Together, Palästina Spricht, Jüdische Stimme für gerechten Frieden in Nahost, Jewish Bund, Azadeh Sobout, Sara Roy, Edward Said, Ella Habiba Shohat, Iris Hefets, Naomi Klein, Judith Butler, Ilan Pappe}}

In the following text, we will clarify our positions on the German discourse, the historical roots of the current situation and the conflict, the 7th of October and the ongoing genocidal war in Gaza, additionally we will provide a self-criticism regarding our silence. We welcome constructive criticism and solidarity-based discourse. „On Palestine and Israel“ weiterlesen