Palestinians and Confederates
By Palestinian and Knesset member Ahmad Tibi takes Republicans to task for using increasing inflamed rhetoric against his people. He takes on Eric Cantor in an interesting way:
A man living in a glass home ought not to throw such stones. Cantor’s remarks ignored the fact that Americans engaged in genocidal violence and enslavement when establishing the United States of America. He vilifies a Palestinian “culture of resentment and hatred” yet says not a word about his own Richmond neighborhoods that still extol the virtues of Confederate leaders who fought to uphold slavery.
His words are clearly hypocritical and the hysterical vitriol of a man frightened by the fact that Palestinians are edging closer to freedom as more of the world begins to understand the cruelty of Israel’s subjugation of the Palestinians. His words do nothing to advance peace, and they allow too many Israelis to think they can use $3 billion annually in American taxpayers’ money to steal Palestinian land through military might.
Of course, Tibi could say the same for Gingrich and so many other southern Republicans. Given Cantor’s vocal support for Tea Party-supported nullification, he’s particularly vulnerable.
In the end, I’m not sure how useful comparisons of Israel to the Confederacy are, but southern politicians have a long history of supporting the subjugation of brown people to the advantages of whites. It still plays well with their base in 2011, whether we are talking about blacks or Muslims.