Re: [Marxism-Thaxis] Albert Einstein, Paul Robeson and Israel
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Declaration_of_Independence_(Israel) Eleven minutes after the Declaration of Independence was signed, President Truman de facto recognized the State of Israel, followed by Iran (which had voted against the UN partition plan), Guatemala, Iceland, Nicaragua, Romania and Uruguay. The Soviet Union was the first nation to recognize Israel de jure on 17 May 1948, followed by Poland, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, Ireland and South Africa.[11] The United States extended official recognition on 31 January 1949.[12] The declaration was followed by an invasion of the new state by troops from Egypt, Iraq, Lebanon and Syria, starting the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, known in Israel as the War of Independence (Hebrew: מלחמת העצמאות, Milhamat HaAtzma'ut). Although a truce began on 11 June, fighting resumed on 8 July and stopped again on 18 July, before restarting in mid-October and finally ending on 24 July 1949 with the signing of the armistice agreement with Syria. By then Israel had retained its independence and increased its land area by almost 50% compared to the partition plan. http://www.al-awda.org/zionists2.html The British role was significant in facilitating the Zionist project. Chaim Weizmann, the architect of the Zionist-British relationship, got acquainted with C. P. Scott, the editor of the Manchester Guardian. On 12 November 1914, Weizman wrote a letter to Scott stating, "…should Palestine fall within the British sphere of influence, and should Britain encourage a Jewish settlement there, as a British dependency, we could have in twenty to thirty years a million Jews out there, perhaps more. They would develop the country, bring back civilization to it and form a very effective guard for the Suez Canal". According to Weizmann, Herbert H. Asquith, then British Prime Minister, wrote the following in his diary on January 28, 1915. "I received from Herbert Samuel (who was later appointed as the first British High Commissioner for Palestine) a memorandum headed 'The Future of Palestine'. He goes on to argue at considerable length and with some vehemence in favor of the British annexation of Palestine… He thinks we might plant in this not very promising territory about three or four million European Jews and that this would have a good effect on those who are left behind… I confess I am not attracted to this proposed addition to our responsibilities…" Asquith later added, "Curiously enough, the only other partisan of this proposal is Lloyd George. And I need not say he does not care a damn for the Jews or their past or their future, but thinks it will be an outrage to let the Holy Places pass into the possession or under the protectorate of 'agnostic and atheistic' France". (A detailed account of the Zionist activities and contacts leading to the Balfour Declaration was given in: Chaim Weizmann, Trial and Error, Chapters 7-18, pp. 93-208) The Balfour Declaration, promising support for a "Jewish National Home in Palestine", which was issued on 2 November 1917, resuscitated the "Zionist Dream" and launched a state of cooperation between the World Zionist Organization and the Imperialist powers. This close cooperation was enhanced following WWII under U.S. patronage. U.S. relationship with the Zionist-Arab conflict started as early as WWI. Its position began as a neutral power interested in the application of self-determination to all ethnic groups as advocated by President Woodrow Wilson. This relationship developed into supporting Britain in its designs for control and hegemony in the Middle East as a result of the discovery of oil in the area. It was further developed into supporting Zionist plans in Palestine that gradually enhanced into a strategic alliance between the U.S. and Israel.. Palestine was not an empty land waiting for the Zionists to build up their contemplated state. Dispossessing the Palestinian Arabs of their lands and driving them out of their country provoked the inevitable reaction of a people attached to their land. The Palestinians realized the implications of the combined Zionist-Imperialist invasion and began a long and unrelenting resistance against the colonial settlers and their Imperialist supporters. ___ Marxism-Thaxis mailing list Marxism-Thaxis@lists.econ.utah.edu To change your options or unsubscribe go to: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/marxism-thaxis
Re: [Marxism-Thaxis] Albert Einstein, Paul Robeson and Israel
See also http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2008/921/ee2.htm excerpt: After Czechoslovakia, now the Czech Republic and Slovakia, was liberated from the Nazis by the Red Army, it became a socialist republic, and its relations with the Middle East lurched in an even stranger direction. In 1948 Stalin ordered it to sell arms to the new state of Israel, a policy which was lauded by David Ben-Gurion himself as key to Israel's survival. At the time the West was refusing to send arms to either the Jews or the Arabs, hoping to force them to settle the issue of dividing Palestine peacefully. This fateful aid to Israel 60 years ago is also being celebrated this year with an exhibit, curated by the Israeli historian Shosh Dagan, at the Military Museum in Prague. Ironically, given charges against the Communists for airbrushing inconvenient events out of pictures, Dagan admits she is also doing some airbrushing. It is no longer acceptable to acknowledge that it was Stalin who ordered the help, or that the Czech government was not acting on its own initiative. The war planes and arms which the Czechs provided played a very important role in halting the Egyptian army's advance south of Ashdod, at a place now called the Ad Halom Junction. Even less to cheer Egyptians in this historical reminder. When Israel turned to the West, shunning the socialist bloc, Czechoslovakia embraced the Arab, in particular, Egyptian cause. A watershed event in Middle East history was when Czech arms arrived in Egypt in September 1955, which allowed Egypt to stare down the British and French during the nationalisation of the Suez Canal. Following the Arab defeat of 1967, Czechoslovakia again came to Egypt's aid. This period was the high point in Czech-Egyptian relations according to Czech Cultural Attaché Andrea Kucerova. The stunning Czech Embassy is a legacy of this, with its handsome architecture and beautiful gardens. Though relations cooled when President Anwar El-Sadat ended friendship agreements with the socialist bloc in the 1970s, he was nonetheless beholden to those countries for military aid that let Egypt defeat Israel in the 1973 War. Kucerova admitted that Czech-Egyptian relations hit a low point after that, but was happy to say they are "flourishing today". After more than 40 years when historical events were filtered through a pro-Soviet lens, it is natural that events of the past would be given a fresh perspective. As the three events mentioned here show, there is not much yet which might spark Egyptians' interest. Perhaps Marhoul might want to reflect on how his hero, Johnny Lieberman, probably slipped away from the Czech army when it was stationed in Palestine in 1942, joined the Irgun as a terrorist, and then became a pilot of one of the Czech planes in 1948, killing and driving hundreds of thousands of Arabs into exile. "Living under the shadow of the Holocaust" took on a whole different meaning for the Palestinians and Egyptians when Czech arms helped defeat them in that decisive year. In any case, Kucerova insisted that the republic no longer exports arms to anyone here. At least that page in Czech history is closed. And Marhoul, for all his apparent lack of awareness of Arab sensitivities, was clearly motivated by a deep antipathy to war, commenting in the discussion: "One day you may be a hero and the next a coward. I tried to show the horror of war, how the poor soldiers were mostly waiting -- waiting for death." Cairenes can visit the embassy near the Urman Gardens in Giza for concerts throughout the year and the annual Czech film festival in March. Let's hope that as the republic rediscovers more lost pages in its history, it will be able to celebrate Czech support for Egypt and the Middle East in their struggle to achieve a worthy place among the family of nations. ___ Marxism-Thaxis mailing list Marxism-Thaxis@lists.econ.utah.edu To change your options or unsubscribe go to: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/marxism-thaxis
Re: [Marxism-Thaxis] Albert Einstein, Paul Robeson and Israel
> I think the Soviet material support came in the early 1950s, to better > arm and get ready for even more fighting Better correct myself on that. For example, see this (the site even has a photo of a Messerschmidt that went to Israel). It seems like a fairly pro-Israeli source at that. The aid was cut off by 1953. http://www.tamilnation.org/books/International/israel_soviet.htm >From Chapter 3: Czechoslovakia and the First Arms Agreement ISRAEL'S declaration of independence on May 14, 1948, was a spontaneous and emotional commitment made in the midst of international diplomatic maneuvering and fruitless negotiations. In fact, the war had begun many months before. As early as November 30, 1947, the day following the momentous partition resolution in the United Nations, armed Arab bands were active all over Palestine. Despite the presence of 100,000 British troops and the fact that a Jewish state would not come into existence for another six months, the widespread terrorist attacks on Jewish settlements reinforced the convictions held by David Ben-Gurion and the majority of Palestinian Jewish leaders that a full-scale invasion by six well-armed Arab armies was inevitable. The inescapable odds in population were 65o,000 Jews against 40,000,000 Arabs.' An immediate campaign was initiated to bring the Haganah, the Jewish underground army, to fighting capacity to unify the various political factions it contained, and to augment its dismally small and antiquated supply of arms and munitions. In 1947 Ben-Gurion had made a thorough investigation of the Haganah's total underground arsenal, and found the following: 10,073 rifles (8,72o in the settlements for local defense; 336 in reserve; 656 with the Palmach Brigade; 361 with the field force) 1. An unofficial estimate placed the military strength of the Arab League armies at over 120,000 men, with Egypt alone allocating $72,000,000 for defense. Arab News Bulletin (Washington, D.C.), no. 13 (September 27, 1947), p. 2. 1,90o submachine guns (785 in the settlements; 424 with the field force; 13o with Palmach; 561 in reserve) 186 machine guns (31 in the settlements; 35 with the field force; 5 with Palmach; 115 in reserve) 444 light machine guns (338 in the settlements; 37 with the field force; 33 with Palmach; 46 in reserve) There was not a single cannon, and only one heavy machine gun. There was no anti-tank weapon, or anti-aircraft gun, no armored car, and nothing at all for naval or air combat. There was no communications equipment.2 As if the situation were not dismal enough, the Palestinian Jews were well aware that the six major Arab states were heavily equipped with modern weapons and were busily obtaining more, both on the open market and through the sympathy of the several British military commanders in the Middle East. It became imperative to the very survival of the as-yet-unborn state to secure the arms—from any available source and at any cost—necessary to repel the imminent invasion. As chairman of the Jewish Agency executive body, Ben-Gurion turned to the dedicated and experienced Haganah to obtain the weapons. The Haganah grew out of the early pioneer settlements in Palestine and expanded with the periodic influx of refugees as the only Jewish defense force against roaming Arab bands. Declared illegal under the British Mandate, the Haganah continued to protect Jewish settlers... Ben-Gurion dispatched dozens of special Haganah agents all over the world to buy anything they could—obsolete aircraft, machine guns, rifles that were barely usable, damaged tanks, and anything else that was for sale. The major problem revolved around the fact that the Jewish Agency represented an underground army and not a legitimate government. The FBI and British authorities, therefore, maintained steady pressure on these emissaries and made frequent arrests—a problem that did not face Arab buyers of military equipment. The young Haganah agents invented all kinds of stratagems to get their purchases out of the country of origin and to hide them in various places in Europe, ready to be dispatched to Palestine. In the United States, for example, the Schwimmer Aviation Company of Burbank, California, Service Airways, Inc. in New York, and an airline of Panamanian registry called Lineas Aereas de Panama, were used as cover organizations for purchasing planes and flying them to Latin America, from where they could be dismantled and smuggled into Palestine. In England, a legitimate film company was persuaded to make a war documentary in order that disguised Haganah pilots could obtain permission for a number of their planes to take off—planes which did not land again in England. The Haganah agents involved in the film company and their British accomplices were later tried and convicted for their parts in the illegal export of aircraft and arms to Israel, as well as a complicated side-issue involving the death of a Jewish car dealer and the disposition of his body. [S
Re: [Marxism-Thaxis] Albert Einstein, Paul Robeson and Israel
>> It was soviet guns and support that made Israel a reality. Mostly, indirectly via Czechoslovakia. The Soviet Union, however, did much to make the creation of Israel possible. They had backed the 1947 plan for the partition of Palestine. They early on recognized the new state when it was created in 1948. Stalin, I believe, did allow a limited number of Jewish veterans from the Red Army to come to Israel to assist the IDF.<< That makes sense because the Czechs had long been the center of European arms industry, supplying Germany and then the Soviet Union , as the political map was re-written. I think the Soviet material support came in the early 1950s, to better arm and get ready for even more fighting. BTW, revisionist historians now emphasize the duplicitous role the British played in all this. While the British might have hated the terrorist types of zionists who had plagued them so much between the wars, they also proved rather passive in allowing the zionists to get organized to fight prior to 1948. Perhaps they thought that by acquiescing to the zionists, it would eliminate the problem--the zionists would get their chunk of Palestine and allow Britain a late colonial role of influence in the region (an influence they were still trying to assert while helping Israel by the time of the Suez conflict). And of course the British had other problems to worry about, such as the independence of India and the final collapse of their empire. By 1948 in effect you had two well organized and well armed forces ready to square off: the zionists and those parts of the British-Arab army that did fight in WW II and was still intact. CJ ___ Marxism-Thaxis mailing list Marxism-Thaxis@lists.econ.utah.edu To change your options or unsubscribe go to: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/marxism-thaxis
[Marxism-Thaxis] Albert Einstein, Paul Robeson and Israel
http://lists.econ.utah.edu/pipermail/marxism-thaxis/2002-May/017666.html Marxism-Thaxis] Albert Einstein, Paul Robeson and Israel Jim Farmelant Sat May 11 08:58:49 MDT 2002 Previous message: [Marxism-Thaxis] Albert Einstein, Paul Robeson and Israel Next message: [Marxism-Thaxis] Old Thaxis topic Messages sorted by: [ date ] [ thread ] [ subject ] [ author ] Actually, Einstein did call himself a Zionist but his brand of Zionism which was shared with such people like Martin Buber, Hannah Arendt, and Hebrew University founder Judah Magnes embraced the notion of a secular bi-national state in which Jews and Arabs would be equals. Einstein feared that if Palestine was partitioned (as the UN proposed in 1948 into separate Jewish and Arab states) then the resulting Jewish state would fall prey to a narrow chauvinist nationalism which would betray fundamental Jewis ideals. I'd dare say that history has vindicated Einstein on these points. Now a days when someone like Noam Chomsky embraces what was essentially the position of Einstein, Arendt, Buber etc., he gets slammed as an "anti-Semite" and a "self-hating Jew". On Fri, 10 May 2002 09:45:09 -0400 "Charles Brown" writes: > Albert Einstein, Paul Robeson and Israel > > By William Loren Katz > > At a moment when so much of the world decries the shockingly > senseless, destructive militarism of the Israeli state and > demands protection of the sacred human rights of Palestinian > people, the historic relationship between Jewish people and > Zionism requires re-examination. Even when most popular > immediately after World War II, Zionist ideas never enjoyed > unanimous support from the world Jewish community. In the > United States where he had taken refuge from Hitlers Germany, > the greatest scientific genius of the century and noted world > philosopher, Dr. Albert Einstein, favored not a Zionist state > but one in which Jews and Arabs shared political power. > > As the most admired Jewish American of the day, Einstein did > not hesitate to express his political views. On the > contrary, he tended to be an outspoken foe of fascism and > racial discrimination, and he had struck up a friendship > with Paul Robeson, African American peace and justice > advocate and activist, a foe of fascism and anti-Semitism. > In 1946 Robeson and Einstein served as co-chairs of a > nationwide anti-lynching petition campaign, and Robeson > delivered their collected petitions to President Harry Truman > at the White House. Two years later Einstein and Robeson > united to support Henry Wallace's Progressive party that > opposed US government cold war policies that tolerated > violations of civil liberties and repression of dissenters. > Master of more than a dozen languages, Robesons musical > concerts and records celebrated the gallant contributions of > African Americans and other minorities, the heroism of union > organizers such as Joe Hill, and paid homage to those who > bravely fought fascism -- as in his powerful Yiddish rendition > of the Song of the Warsaw Ghetto. > > In 1948 Einstein publicly announced his political preference > for a socialist over capitalist system in the United States.* > By then Robeson had been the worlds most admired American for > more than ten years, surpassing even President Franklin D. > Roosevelt. But in 1952 though the fanatical anti-Communists > of the McCarthy era hesitated to challenge Einstein, they > waged a war against Robeson. His career was upended by > government-sponsored hysteria: he was blacklisted, denied > concert appearances, his income fell by 90%, the state > department lifted his passport so he could neither leave the > country nor make a living abroad, FBI agents tracked him > and vacuumed his life. > > In a stinging public rebuke to this Cold War era mentality, > in October, 1952 Dr. Albert Einstein asked his old friend to > visit him at Princeton University. Robeson brought along a > young friend, writer Lloyd Brown, who vividly remembers the > meeting.** It was a momentous time for Einstein because he > had been invited to serve as president for the new state of > Israel. The request weighed heavily on his mind when Robeson > and Brown sat down to talk at his home. Einstein told them > that while he had seen some merit in Zionism and wished the > new state good luck, he had long opposed a Zionist state. > > Instead, he had always favored a reasonable agreement > between Palestinians and Jews to share power in any state > carved out of British-controlled Palestine. He brought out > his book, Out of My Later Years [New York: Philosophical >
Re: [Marxism-Thaxis] Albert Einstein, Paul Robeson and Israel
Actually, Einstein did call himself a Zionist but his brand of Zionism which was shared with such people like Martin Buber, Hannah Arendt, and Hebrew University founder Judah Magnes embraced the notion of a secular bi-national state in which Jews and Arabs would be equals. Einstein feared that if Palestine was partitioned (as the UN proposed in 1948 into separate Jewish and Arab states) then the resulting Jewish state would fall prey to a narrow chauvinist nationalism which would betray fundamental Jewis ideals. I'd dare say that history has vindicated Einstein on these points. Now a days when someone like Noam Chomsky embraces what was essentially the position of Einstein, Arendt, Buber etc., he gets slammed as an "anti-Semite" and a "self-hating Jew". On Fri, 10 May 2002 09:45:09 -0400 "Charles Brown" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes: > Albert Einstein, Paul Robeson and Israel > > By William Loren Katz > > At a moment when so much of the world decries the shockingly > senseless, destructive militarism of the Israeli state and > demands protection of the sacred human rights of Palestinian > people, the historic relationship between Jewish people and > Zionism requires re-examination. Even when most popular > immediately after World War II, Zionist ideas never enjoyed > unanimous support from the world Jewish community. In the > United States where he had taken refuge from Hitlers Germany, > the greatest scientific genius of the century and noted world > philosopher, Dr. Albert Einstein, favored not a Zionist state > but one in which Jews and Arabs shared political power. > > As the most admired Jewish American of the day, Einstein did > not hesitate to express his political views. On the > contrary, he tended to be an outspoken foe of fascism and > racial discrimination, and he had struck up a friendship > with Paul Robeson, African American peace and justice > advocate and activist, a foe of fascism and anti-Semitism. > In 1946 Robeson and Einstein served as co-chairs of a > nationwide anti-lynching petition campaign, and Robeson > delivered their collected petitions to President Harry Truman > at the White House. Two years later Einstein and Robeson > united to support Henry Wallace's Progressive party that > opposed US government cold war policies that tolerated > violations of civil liberties and repression of dissenters. > Master of more than a dozen languages, Robesons musical > concerts and records celebrated the gallant contributions of > African Americans and other minorities, the heroism of union > organizers such as Joe Hill, and paid homage to those who > bravely fought fascism -- as in his powerful Yiddish rendition > of the Song of the Warsaw Ghetto. > > In 1948 Einstein publicly announced his political preference > for a socialist over capitalist system in the United States.* > By then Robeson had been the worlds most admired American for > more than ten years, surpassing even President Franklin D. > Roosevelt. But in 1952 though the fanatical anti-Communists > of the McCarthy era hesitated to challenge Einstein, they > waged a war against Robeson. His career was upended by > government-sponsored hysteria: he was blacklisted, denied > concert appearances, his income fell by 90%, the state > department lifted his passport so he could neither leave the > country nor make a living abroad, FBI agents tracked him > and vacuumed his life. > > In a stinging public rebuke to this Cold War era mentality, > in October, 1952 Dr. Albert Einstein asked his old friend to > visit him at Princeton University. Robeson brought along a > young friend, writer Lloyd Brown, who vividly remembers the > meeting.** It was a momentous time for Einstein because he > had been invited to serve as president for the new state of > Israel. The request weighed heavily on his mind when Robeson > and Brown sat down to talk at his home. Einstein told them > that while he had seen some merit in Zionism and wished the > new state good luck, he had long opposed a Zionist state. > > Instead, he had always favored a reasonable agreement > between Palestinians and Jews to share power in any state > carved out of British-controlled Palestine. He brought out > his book, Out of My Later Years [New York: Philosophical > Library, 1950] and read aloud from an article he wrote in 1938 > that asked that power be divided between the two peoples. > Einstein was worried that once in their own state his people, > like others, would abandon their idealism and spirituality, > slavishly follow a narrow nationalism, and capitulate to a > state apparatus concerned with its borders, building an army, > demanding conformity and exerting repressive power. He > could not encourage this course, so Einstein denied the new > state his enormous prestige and declined its presidential > office. > > In the course of the conversation Einstein told Robeson he > would love to attend any co
[Marxism-Thaxis] Albert Einstein, Paul Robeson and Israel
Albert Einstein, Paul Robeson and Israel By William Loren Katz At a moment when so much of the world decries the shockingly senseless, destructive militarism of the Israeli state and demands protection of the sacred human rights of Palestinian people, the historic relationship between Jewish people and Zionism requires re-examination. Even when most popular immediately after World War II, Zionist ideas never enjoyed unanimous support from the world Jewish community. In the United States where he had taken refuge from Hitlers Germany, the greatest scientific genius of the century and noted world philosopher, Dr. Albert Einstein, favored not a Zionist state but one in which Jews and Arabs shared political power. As the most admired Jewish American of the day, Einstein did not hesitate to express his political views. On the contrary, he tended to be an outspoken foe of fascism and racial discrimination, and he had struck up a friendship with Paul Robeson, African American peace and justice advocate and activist, a foe of fascism and anti-Semitism. In 1946 Robeson and Einstein served as co-chairs of a nationwide anti-lynching petition campaign, and Robeson delivered their collected petitions to President Harry Truman at the White House. Two years later Einstein and Robeson united to support Henry Wallace's Progressive party that opposed US government cold war policies that tolerated violations of civil liberties and repression of dissenters. Master of more than a dozen languages, Robesons musical concerts and records celebrated the gallant contributions of African Americans and other minorities, the heroism of union organizers such as Joe Hill, and paid homage to those who bravely fought fascism -- as in his powerful Yiddish rendition of the Song of the Warsaw Ghetto. In 1948 Einstein publicly announced his political preference for a socialist over capitalist system in the United States.* By then Robeson had been the worlds most admired American for more than ten years, surpassing even President Franklin D. Roosevelt. But in 1952 though the fanatical anti-Communists of the McCarthy era hesitated to challenge Einstein, they waged a war against Robeson. His career was upended by government-sponsored hysteria: he was blacklisted, denied concert appearances, his income fell by 90%, the state department lifted his passport so he could neither leave the country nor make a living abroad, FBI agents tracked him and vacuumed his life. In a stinging public rebuke to this Cold War era mentality, in October, 1952 Dr. Albert Einstein asked his old friend to visit him at Princeton University. Robeson brought along a young friend, writer Lloyd Brown, who vividly remembers the meeting.** It was a momentous time for Einstein because he had been invited to serve as president for the new state of Israel. The request weighed heavily on his mind when Robeson and Brown sat down to talk at his home. Einstein told them that while he had seen some merit in Zionism and wished the new state good luck, he had long opposed a Zionist state. Instead, he had always favored a reasonable agreement between Palestinians and Jews to share power in any state carved out of British-controlled Palestine. He brought out his book, Out of My Later Years [New York: Philosophical Library, 1950] and read aloud from an article he wrote in 1938 that asked that power be divided between the two peoples. Einstein was worried that once in their own state his people, like others, would abandon their idealism and spirituality, slavishly follow a narrow nationalism, and capitulate to a state apparatus concerned with its borders, building an army, demanding conformity and exerting repressive power. He could not encourage this course, so Einstein denied the new state his enormous prestige and declined its presidential office. In the course of the conversation Einstein told Robeson he would love to attend any concert he gave near Princeton. Brown pointed out that Robeson was getting few concert invitations, and the last time he sang in Boston police officers took down the license plates of attendees. That wont bother us, Einstein said with a twinkle, We dont have a car. When Robeson briefly left the room, Brown told Einstein it was an honor to meet a great man. Einstein sharply fired back, You came here with a great man. Einstein died in 1955 the sage of Princeton, committed to his people, still skeptical of the state of Israel, and like Robeson, still an advocate of justice and peace for the worlds people. Robeson died in 1975, still hounded by the FBI and other government agencies, and remains known to the world largely through his recordings, movie roles and a few books. One can only speculate about how Albert Einstein, who feared an aggressiveness Jewish state, would have reacted to the Israeli occupation and invasion of Palestinian territories in violation of United Natio
