The Anti-Zionist Left In Israel; ICE In Rural America w/ Iddo Elam, Emma Janssen | MR Live
Quick Read
Summary
Takeaways
- ❖The Israeli anti-Zionist left, though small, is seeing growing protest numbers against the war and discriminatory laws, facing significant police repression.
- ❖A new Israeli capital punishment law, de facto targeting Palestinians, passed despite opposition from 'centrists' who prefer quiet extrajudicial killings.
- ❖ICE agents, after leaving Minneapolis, relocated to rural Minnesota, exploiting 'news deserts' to target immigrant workers in specific industries.
- ❖Rural communities in Minnesota developed sophisticated mutual aid networks to protect immigrants from ICE, adapting tactics to avoid direct confrontation due to lack of media presence.
- ❖US hawkish figures advocate for seizing Kharg Island and 'total warfare' against Iran, dismissing historical failures of limited engagements.
Bottom Line
The host posits that once ground troops are committed in a conflict, the 'blob' (military-industrial complex and bureaucracy) takes over, ensuring prolonged engagement regardless of initial limited objectives.
This suggests that even seemingly small military interventions carry a high risk of mission creep and extended, costly wars, making initial commitment decisions critically important.
Advocates can use this 'blob' concept to argue against any initial deployment of ground forces, emphasizing the historical tendency for escalation beyond stated goals.
ICE shifted its tactics in rural Minnesota from confrontational to more subtle due to the absence of media cameras, highlighting how media presence can deter overt brutality.
This indicates that state enforcement agencies adapt their behavior based on public visibility, making 'news deserts' particularly vulnerable to less accountable actions.
Grassroots organizations can prioritize documenting and disseminating information from rural areas to increase visibility and potentially influence enforcement tactics, even without mainstream media attention.
Some conservative individuals in rural Minnesota, initially supportive of immigration enforcement, provided local support against ICE when actions directly impacted their friends or community members, even if their broader political views remained unchanged.
Direct, personal impact can sometimes override ideological stances, fostering unexpected alliances and local resistance.
Activists can focus on building local relationships and highlighting the tangible, negative community impacts of enforcement actions to potentially sway local sentiment and support, even in politically conservative areas.
Lessons
- Support the anti-Zionist left in Israel by amplifying their voices and contributing to organizations like Local Call, which provide alternative narratives amidst censorship and repression.
- Pressure US elected officials to halt military aid to Israel and to de-escalate tensions with Iran, particularly by opposing any ground troop deployments or actions like seizing Kharg Island.
- Support mutual aid networks and immigrant advocacy groups in rural 'news deserts' affected by ICE operations, helping to provide resources, document incidents, and protect vulnerable communities.
Notable Moments
The podcast opens with a satirical April Fools' Day segment, setting the show in a dystopian 2026 where President Trump is engaged in an illegal war with Iran, attempting to end birthright citizenship, and defunding public broadcasting.
This segment serves as a stark, albeit humorous, warning about potential future political trajectories and the escalation of authoritarian tendencies and military conflicts.
Israeli MK Mickey Levy, a 'centrist' opposition figure, openly admitted to ordering the shooting of a cuffed terrorist in the head, arguing against the new capital punishment law primarily because it makes a 'show' of killing rather than doing it quietly.
This moment reveals the disturbing normalization of extrajudicial killings within mainstream Israeli politics and highlights that opposition to extreme laws can stem from tactical rather than moral objections.
The host promotes Molly Crabapple's book, 'Here Where We Live Is Our Country,' which details the history of the Jewish Bund, an anti-Zionist Jewish socialist movement.
This promotion underscores the historical existence of a robust anti-Zionist Jewish ideology, directly challenging the contemporary conflation of anti-Zionism with antisemitism.
Quotes
"I chased terrorists in Judea and Samaria and I gave the order to shoot at the head of a cuffed terrorist unlike everyone sitting here."
"I am tired of not sleeping for a month. I'm tired of being scared of rockets. I'm tired of my Jewish people committing genocide and committing imperialism all the time. Stop letting us do that. Let us live."
Q&A
Recent Questions
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