"The difference between science and politics
Is the question of whether Zionism or the State of Israel has colonial traits permissible - and sensible? Here a distinction should be made between scientific discourse and political debate. From a scientific perspective, comparing Israel with various forms of colonial rule, with segregation and apartheid regimes, with projects of settler colonialism can contribute to better understanding and analytical sharpness. From the pioneers of Zionism like Theodor Herzl ("For Europe we would form a part of the wall against Asia, we would provide the outpost service of culture against barbarism") to pioneers like Ze'ev Jabotinsky to Menachem Begin and Benjamin Netanyahu There were repeated statements that explicitly identified the “Zionist idea” as “colonial.”
That doesn't make Israel a prototype of "colonialism" - that doesn't exist anyway. Colonial power relations differed from place to place and varied over time. Even in the short-lived German colonial empire - in whose African provinces school attendance was limited to a few years, while the Germans founded a university in Tsingtao, China - the differences were considerable. The reconstruction of colonial dimensions of Palestine's history is productive when it highlights similarities with colonial rule, but also differences. For a precise understanding of the genesis of the current conflict, open-ended discussions in the scientific field are essential.
However, when it comes to the political debate about the future of the Middle East, references to colonialism can stand in the way of a constructive solution. This is particularly true of the paradigm of “settler colonialism” that was developed in the Australian case. The approach is based on a fundamental logic of elimination: settler colonies always result in the expulsion and ultimately annihilation of the indigenous population - regardless of the intentions of the immigrant settlers. However, this approach has no eye for alternatives, does not want to know anything about negotiations, leaves no room for politics - and makes a conversation aimed at the future difficult." [1]
Right. It is difficult to look at many thousands of killed Palestinian children and think about their future. These children do not have a future. Israeli settlers are taking their place. Elimination? What elimination? How dare you?
1. Anklage eines Ansatzes: In den postkolonialen Forschungen war Israel lange marginal. Warum gelten sie jetzt weithin als antisemitisch? Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (online) Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung GmbH. Feb 13, 2024.
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