Will that end the occupation? Terry Gross asked sharply. It can’t be done overnight, Shavit said, and besides, the occupation is not the root of the conflict: 1948 is, the existence of a Jewish state on ethnically-cleansed land. That is the “tragedy” of Shavit’s title, and the one achievement of his emergence in the U.S.: he is mainstreaming the idea that the conflict is not over settlements but justice, he is mainstreaming the beginnings of a Nakba narrative. Ilan Pappe couldn’t do it, Ghada Karmi couldn’t do it, Ussama Makdisi couldn’t do it. But an elite Zionist can. Because elite media here will listen to him say “Israel was created at the expense of Palestinians who lived there.”
Posted on: Wed, 20 Nov 2013 00:10:51 +0000