Poli-Ed Study Group
Session Three: Whites, Jews, and Us
Book cover of Whites, Jews, and Us
Please join us for the third session of our study group series on Zionism! Everyone is welcome. Send us your email, and we will send you a link to the Jitsi video meeting.
When: Sunday, April 20 at 1:30PM ET
Materials:
Whites, Jews, and Us by Houria Bouteldja
PDF (Sections: pages 42-46, 66-72, & 122-126)
Discussion Questions:
You, the Whites (pg. 42-46)
On pg. 43, Bouteldja introduces the concept of “the white immune system.” Have you encountered a “Zionist immune system” in your organizing? If so, what does it consist of?
On pg. 45-46, Bouteldja outlines the “deal” between the white bourgeoisie and white proletariat that is the foundation of whiteness itself. What “deal” is at the heart of Zionism? What various Jewish groups are parties to this deal?
How might the coalition built by the Zionist “deal” break apart? What contradictions exist within it?
You, the Jews (pg. 66-72)
On pg. 66, Bouteldja predicts that what will sway most Jewish people definitively away from Zionism is “self-love.” How has Zionism historically weaponized the human desire for “self-love”? How can the anti-Zionist movement honor that same basic need in a positive way?
Pg. 67 - In what ways is Israel “disappointing the empire?” Can you think of any ways those disappointments could be leveraged to benefit the Palestinian liberation movement?
Pg. 69 - Bouteldja calls Israel an “open air prison.” Do you agree with her analysis? Why or why not? If we think about Israel as a prison, does that open any possibilities in our organizing?
Pg. 70 - What are some features of the “infernal cycle in which Zionism and antisemitism feed off each other endlessly?” What are some points where we can break that cycle?
We, Indigenous People (pg. 122-126)
Pg. 122 - Bouteldja calls for “an international division of activist labor.” Do you see something like this forming today? Where do you feel JAWS fits or should fit into this division of labor?
Pg. 124 - “The development of a decolonial force will reinforce the most racist and reactionary fringes.” Are we seeing evidence of this today? How do we resist and prepare for it?
Overall
Why do you think Bouteldja decided to break up her book into various sections addressing various audiences directly (Whites, Jews, Indigenous Women, and Indigenous People)? Do you think this is an effective way to communicate a political message and vision? What are the benefits/drawbacks? Any lessons from this approach we could apply in our organizing?
Session Two: PFLP’s Strategy for the Liberation of Palestine
In the mountains east of the Jordan River, a patrol from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine punctuates a battle hymn with Soviet, Czechoslovak (vz. 58), and (top left) Egyptian weapons. Early 1969.
Please join us for the second session of our study group series on Zionism! Everyone is welcome. Send us your email, and we will send you a link to the Jitsi video meeting.
When: Sunday, April 6 at 1:30PM ET
Materials:
Two sections from Strategy for the Liberation of Palestine by the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine: “Founding Document” and “Who Are Our Enemies?”
Discussion Questions:
Founding Document, 12–19
1. On page 15, the document says that “The armed resistance is the only effective method that must be used by the popular masses in dealing with the Zionist enemy and all of its interests and its presence, the masses are the authority, the guide, and the resistance leadership from which victory will be achieved in the end.” How does this differ from the way we are accustomed to hearing armed resistance discussed?
2. The PFLP resulted from the union of multiple different resistance groups who joined forced and also maintained degrees of autonomy in their action and messaging. What can we learn from this? What conflicts might arise and what benefits might this incur?
3. On page 17, the document says “armed struggle is not known to have limits and the armed resistance should not be confined to the militants, but also embrace all parts and sectors of the Palestinian resistance against the enemy at every level, dealing with the enemy militarily, but also a total boycott of all economic, civil and political institutions of the enemy and a rejection of all ties.” Is this describing economic, civil, and political boycotts as forms of armed resistance? Is this advocating for armed resistance against anybody who participates in the economic, civil, or political institutions of the enemy (which includes global imperialism)? How do we enact this call in our environments?
4. Page 18 references the resistance’s “determination to reject humility and humiliation and settlements.” What is the role of humiliation in the Zionist colonization of Palestine, as it is referenced here and elsewhere in the text?
Who are our enemies?, 27–33 (or –41)
5. Page 28 describes the emotional perspective on revolution which clouds the judgement and strategy of revolutionaries. Have you seen this experience within yourself or within the organizing spaces you participate in? (may be Palestine related or otherwise)
6. Page 29 states that “Israel is in reality an integral part of the world Zionist movement—indeed, it is an offshoot of this movement.” What do you think about that analysis?
7. Page 29 describes the World Zionist Movement as “not confined to moral backing: it is really and basically a material support that provides Israel with more people, more money, more arms, more technical knowhow and more alliances concluded by the movement by virtue of its influence, in addition to its support through publicity and propaganda in every part of the world.” How do we remove ourselves from material support for the World Zionist Movement? How do we combat this material support?
8. How do we materially (not ideologically) combat American imperialism from within the United States?
9. This document lists Arab reaction, Arabs who may nominally support the liberation of Palestine but who are materially aligned with capitalism and extraction, as the fourth enemy of the Palestinian people. What do we take away from this analysis and how can we draw parallels in our own environments?
General Remarks, 105–109
10. What is the significance of having a “scientific” approach to revolution?
Session One
Session one of our series on Zionism
Please join us for our public reading discussion group! Everyone is welcome. Fill out this form, and we will send you a link and an agenda to the Jitsi video meeting.
When: Sunday, March 16, 1:30PM ET
Materials:
“Israel’s Worldwide Role in Repression” by IJAN (pamphlet)
Discussion Questions:
Why does the text describe Israel as a “junior partner” in the U.S.-allied strategy for control of the SWANA region’s resources? What evidence does the text provide to back up this argument?
How does the Israeli occupation serve as a “laboratory” for the imperialist U.S. and other oppressive states around the world?
What do you think of IJAN’s definition of Zionism (found on page 5)? Is there anything you would add or change to the definition?
Why do you think it is important for social movements to consider the ways Israel contributes to violence and repression around the world?
Besides profit, what motivates Israel to sell technologies of repression to states and political actors around the world?
According to the text, what was/is the role of the Histadrut (the state of Israel’s “labor federation”) in maintaining the interests of the Israeli state globally?
What images from the text stood out to you as being particularly powerful?
How do the facts presented in the text serve to push back against conspiracy theories of “Jewish control of the world” by showing the actual role of the state of Israel in the imperialist order? How could understanding and sharing these facts help to combat actual antisemitic sentiment?
The text states that “Israel’s racism is rooted in centuries of European colonialism.” What are some ways that centuries of European colonialism and racism manifest in the Zionist project today?
What can people in the imperial core combat Israel’s role in repression and to support organizing to end it?