First Round

We Have
Ladies'

ea

Say No More

I

"What it shows is the danger of
unchecked power and unchecked
occupation," he said. "There's noth-
srael is always wrong.
ing particularly demented about
That was the overriding theme
Palestinians or Lebanese that they
at the event that introduced the
turn to violence in the face of occupa-
Detroit chapter of the Jewish Voices for
tion."
Peace held at Southfield Public Library
Bacon also had a beef about the way
on Aug. 8.
Israel withdrew from Gaza.
Once David Lippman, "The World's
"It's a mistake to unilaterally with-
Most Dangerous Musical Satirist,"
draw," he said, "Israel can evade its
finished entertaining the crowd of
responsibilities while still looking like
75 mostly non-Jews, Jesse Bacon, a
it's always in control. You don't want to
JVP member from Chicago, shared
hand the P.A. [Palestinian Authority]
his views on how, not what to think
victory by withdrawing from Gaza, so
about any military action: Is it moral,
you do it unilaterally. You don't give
is it proportional and will the goal be
them anything that they
worse than the problem?
can point to as a victory.
The answer to the first
You don't demonstrate
question became clear to
that negotiations can
Bacon when he was talking
lead to anything; you just
to his synagogue during
pull out. The same thing
Tisha b'Av.
happened in Lebanon in
"One of the stories we
2000',' he said.
tell about why this horrible
It's about at this point
thing happened to us was
that I walked out of the
because we were practic-
event — past the table
ing baseless hatred toward
Selling the "Free Palestine"
each other," he said of the
T-shirts, offering the
destruction of the Second
"Women in Black" fliers
Temple. "There was a sort of
and the invitation to the "End the
intra-community feud going on, and
Occupation" conference in Dearborn.
thus we were weak and vulnerable.
I pondered the JVP's contradictions:
That really brought home to me the
Israel was wrong to both occupy the
immorality to foment a civil war on a
territories and leave the territories.
people the second time around."
Israel's leaders were chicken hawks
Proportionate response is a "trendy
because they didn't make a name for
concept of international law but it's
also a deep Jewish value," he said. "The themselves in the military by killing
civilians.
punishment has to fit the crime:' he
According to Cecilie Surasky, the
said, citing the "fewer than five total
national JVP communication direc-
soldiers abducted as the justification
, focus remains on ending the
tor,"Our
for all of this."
occupation, including ending human
If the goal of the war in Lebanon
rights violations, rather than arguing
was to limit Hezbollah's influence,
ideological points, which tend to bog
Israel got that wrong, too, he said.
groups like ours down.
"There are obvious things not to
"We welcome people with a variety
like about Hezbollah, especially if
of opinions about Zionism. We have
you're the Israeli government:' he
members who are Zionists, others who
said. "What do we think the effect
identify as cultural Zionists, others yet
will be if they are seen holding their
who identify as non- or post-Zionists,"
own against the fifth most-powerful
she said. "We have very specific guide-
military in the world — and, in the
lines to make sure that our actions,
meantime, the military is bombing
words and materials focus on human
civilian targets?
rights violations, including ending the
"We can speculate on why Israel
would do something so obviously self- occupation, but not on either lambast-
ing Zionists or anti-Zionists."
defeating," he continued."There's a lot
I wonder if she could have given me
of speculation about their chicken-
the same statement had she been in
hawk leadership — no real combat
Southfield, sitting next to me in that
leadership. It's kind of a no-no in
auditorium. Li
Israeli politics to not have a proven
war record, which in a lot of cases
Harry Kirsbaum's e-mail address is
means a record of killing Arab civil-
hkirsbaurn@thejewishnews.com .
ians.

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August 24 0 2006

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