01 April 2008 - Collective suffering, collective guilt.

An appropriate entry for April 1st.

Several days ago, just before the traditionally silly Jewish holiday of Purim, Breaking the Silence offered a recap of their exhibit at Harvard. As if their message hadn't been made clear by the "minders" and the distorted captions, they insist:

"The Occupation is first and foremost the story of the subjugation of the Palestinian people under military control. It is collective, regardless of weather or not the specific Palestinian was involved in an act against Israel. . . . Israel is the one deciding to pay that moral price. We were not the victims. We were, and our society still is, a victimizing society."

There you have it. Collective suffering, collective guilt. The guilty and the innocent identified in advance, based on their identities and independent of their individual actions. Human rights and basic concepts of justice? April Fools!