Being Intellectually Dishonest and Frighteningly Unsophisticated
Fred - I think the point wasn’t to pull you into the debate on Gaza (I agree it’s a no win proposition) but rather to suggest that the conflict’s lack of clarity makes it all the more important to avoid the easy tropes “I’m not on either side,” etc. I think someone like Jeffrey Goldberg nails how, I imagine, many of us are feeling:
Gaza is where dreams of reconciliation go to die. Gaza is where the dream of Palestinian statehood goes to die; Gaza is where the Zionist dream might yet die. Or, more to the point, might be murdered. I’m not a J Street moral-equivalence sort of guy. Yes, Israel makes constant mistakes, which I note rather frequently, but this conflict reminds me once again that Israel is up against an implacable force, namely, an interpretation of Islam that disallows the idea of Jewish national equality.
My paralysis isn’t an analytical paralysis. It’s the paralysis that comes from thinking that maybe there’s no way out. Not out of Gaza, out of the whole thing.
What’s happening is Gaza is a tragedy that is difficult to understand and on which it is an enormous challenge to form any sort of real opinion. I read your blog and find it informative and insightful. “Intellectually dishonest” and “frighteningly unsophisticated,” might have been a bit harsh, but I just thought the post was a bit too breezy on a subject that cannot (should not?) be so easily addressed.
I am not going to get pulled into a debate about what’s going on in Gaza. That’s a no win proposition. But Adam, let me be clear, I do know what’s going on, I’ve read those two links and about everything else that I’ve come across on the topic. How can you not pay attention to what’s going on in Gaza? It’s a terrible tragedy on many levels for both sides. And it’s not as crystal clear as you paint it. That’s as far as I am going to go on this topic.
we saw Waltz With Bashir last night at Landmark Sunshine on the lower east side. very hard not to view in the context of what’s happening in Gaza. i’m not on either side to be honest, but I don’t like war. and this movie showcases one of the awful sides of war. the animation is amazing too.I’m usually a big Fred Wilson fan but “I’m not on either side to be honest,” suggests that Fred either doesn’t have a clue what’s going on in Gaza, hasn’t thought it through (the statement is frighteningly unsophisticated), or is being intellectually dishonest.
This is a multi-dimensional conflict and it’s not entirely apparent what the sides are (Hamas, Israel, ordinary Palestinians) but one thing certain - no clear-headed person supports or excuses Hamas. It’s fair and wise to question Israel’s actions - Can bombing and re-occupying Gaza really re-establish Israel’s deterrent capacity? End the rocket attacks against Sderot and south Israel? Really serve Israel and the world’s long-term interest in a peaceful Middle East? Morally justifiable in light of the suffering of the Palestinian people? etc… But Fred doesn’t do those things. Instead he’s breezily non-committal and unaware…
