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| M.J. Rosenberg |
This recent Tikkun Daily blog post by M.J. Rosenberg, “Mondoweiss & Is Anti-Semitism Dead?,” drew a sharp rebuke from Tikkun’s editor Michael Lerner. (Please be reminded that views presented on this blog are not official positions of Partners for Progressive Israel unless stated as such.) Rosenberg went on to do a few more posts at the Tikkun blog, written in his usual feisty manner, as these web-linked titles indicate:
• Lobby Fights To Boycott, Sanction & Divest From Free Speech
• The Official Goal Of BDS Is Ending Israel, Not Just The ’67 Occupation
• Palestinian Unity Will Be A Big Step On Path To Peace
• Kerry Peace Plan Insults Palestinians & Israeli Peace Camp
By the end of April, feeling discomforted by Lerner’s defense of Mondoweiss, Rosenberg has mostly sent out his writings independently, including this on the surprise primary defeat of Eric Cantor: “Cantor’s Defeat Is Great News On Iran & Israel“
We share the following recent piece of his in its entirety:
When Anti-Zionism Crosses To The Dark Side
Readers keep asking me if my views on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict have changed over the past year. They haven’t. As always, I favor negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians (including Hamas) leading to an end to the occupation and the establishment of two fully sovereign states, one Israeli and one Palestinian, with a shared capital: Jerusalem.
Note the language in that paragraph. Israel is a fetid corpse that is “stinking up the joint.” This is nothing compared to BDS leader Ali Abunimah but Weiss is a Harvard educated Jew so he is more subtle. Also, he is not a hater. But come on.
“Let it go.” Where? Who knows? Just gone, like the stinking corpse it is.
Imagine if Jews talked that way about Palestine or Palestinians. But, of course, some do. Far right settlers. Kahanists. Pam Geller. Crazies and haters.But Weiss is neither a crazy or a hater. He is a liberal, tolerant man. Except on the subject of Israel and Jews who think it should exist.
Welcome to the world of “anti-Zionism” (and the movement it spawned: BDS).
Wait, so not only are you happily attacking Mondoweiss here, but, not satisfed with that, you’re also throwing in a potshot at Michael Lerner and Tikkun?
“But by the end of April, he felt sufficiently uncomfortable with the narrow-minded confines of debate within Tikkun that he chose to end his relationship there.”
And I guess in contrast the debate on Partners for Progressive Israel is broad-minded and edifying? So much so that few people even notice it exists? (sorry, but that’s the truth)
Ted
This is not the first time we’ve committed this “sin” of criticizing Mondoweiss. Nor have we always gone along with Lerner and Tikkun. (How dare we?)
It’s a good thing Ted’s around to set us straight. And it’s nice to see Ted care about how broadly our blog gets circulated.
Lerner is a well-meaning guy but simple.
Weiss is just mean mean.
I can (sorta) tolerate Tikkun but Mondonweiss is just butt ugly.