Thursday, October 8, 2009
How annoying. But she and her co-signers of a letter to The New York Review of Books concerning the Toronto Film Festival gets quite a bit right: Israel critic Vanessa Redgrave slams Toronto Film Fest boycott
British actress Vanessa Redgrave - a well-known critic of Israel - has joined the controversy surrounding the Toronto Film Festival's decision to showcase Tel Aviv, according to the Jewish Chronicle.
Only this time, she is on Israel's side.
In a letter to the New York Review of Books co-signed by artist Julian Schnabel and playwright Martin Sherman, Redgrave defends the festival's choice to spotlight Tel Aviv and denounces those who have called for a boycott.
"We oppose the current Israeli government, but it is a government," Redgrave and her co-signatories wrote in their letter, "Freely elected. Not a regime. Words matter."
Redgrave and her co-signatories went on to say in their letter that the films being showcase in Toronto deserved applause and encouragment, precisely because they were created by Israeli troubled by their own government's actions..
Well of course she says that. But she's right. The vigorous exercise of free expression in Israel does highlight what's right about Israel. If that ever actually bought them anything, people like me might not be so turned off to it. Instead the other side simply eats the self-criticism and demands more. ("See? We said you were evil.") If that didn't happen, things might be different.
Here's the letter. In which, another good point (ugg):
...In their letter the protesters say that "Tel Aviv is built on destroyed Palestinian villages." True. [Well,that's not true, but read on. They rescue the point.] Just as much of America is built on obliterated Indian property. Are they implying that Tel Aviv should not exist? At least not in its present form? Which would mean that the State of Israel (the original State of Israel, not including the occupied territories) should not exist. Thousands of Palestinians have died through the years because the Israeli government, military, and part of the population fervently believe that the Arab states and, indeed, much of the world do not want Israel to exist. How then are we halting this never-ending cycle of violence by promoting the very fears that cause it?...
That's right! That's exactly it. And just imagine, if instead of building a terror infrastructure, Palestinians had taught their kids coexistence and built a state? What if their Arab neighbors had engaged with Israel rather than constantly threatening and launching wars? How would history have been different? Maybe some of us "right wingers" wouldn't hew to the positions we do. Maybe much of all this would have all been irrelevant.
What if busy-body idiot activists abroad had, instead of constantly agitating under the sub-text of removing the Zionist Project and ushering in the great Socialist Worker's Utopia, actually and sincerely pressed for a peaceful resolution?
What if Vanessa Redgrave actually has a point...somewhere...in there...that we can unearth? The mind boggles.
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A broken clock is correct twice a day.
Who would have thought that a Leftist would find that Jews can exist? I thought they wanted them all dead
Apart from the above comments about Leftists, ahem:), I am somewhat in shock about Vanessa Redgraves' recently acquired wisdom.
I remember being equally shocked during the Lebanese Civil War when she came out so vehemently against Israel. I felt at the time that her understanding of the situation was dreadfully shallow.
Only one set of victims was seen - apparently it was ok to murder Christian Lebanese and "right wingers" and of course Israelis and the role of the Soviets and Syria and Iran and major Western powers weren't understood at all - least of all of course that of the Palestinians.
Regardless it started cascades of ugliness against Israel.
Maybe others will grow up too? Hopefully not too late?
"acquired wisdom."
Whoa, let's not get carried away. There is no evidence this letter was even actually written by her. She just signed it (along with two others, but I'm not familiar with them).
This letter makes a couple of OK points, but she has a lot of ground to make up.
I agree, Solomon. I'm deeply suspicious of Redgrave's motives in signing this letter.
"but it is a government," Redgrave and her co-signatories wrote in their letter, "Freely elected. Not a regime. Words matter."
Is this the only difference between a government and a regime? Weren't the Hamas also "freely elected"? See how it could be used next?
Besides, the letter gets Tel Aviv wrong, too, as is explained here:
http://modernityblog.wordpress.com/2009/10/08/will-they-boycott-antibiotics/
I will start believing in Redgrave once she lends that mellifluous voice of hers to describe the suffering of and danger to Israeli kids under the terrorist threats and incitement of Hamas.
Agreed, the comment about Tel Aviv is flat out historically wrong.
I don't know how people can continue making bald faced lies that are easy to disprove.
Either they actually believe this stuff or they figure the rest of the world is so ignorant they might as well run it up the flagpole and see if it flies.
Either way it's upsetting.
I think that it's time to accept that the discrepancy in attitude to the world's suffering millions and that to the "Palestinians" is because the Jews are involved.
Had the Arab states and the Western World truly wanted peace this conflict would have been resolved years ago.
I think so too.
BTW The Guardian "accidentally" left three names off their published list of Nobel Peace Prize recipients.
GUESS WHO THEY WERE?
It's been fixed now and blamed on a "clerical error".
RIGHT.
http://www.hurryupharry.org/2009/10/09/who-is-missing-from-this-list/
PS OK so we are paranoid. But The Guardian doesn't even pretend to be objective and fair with regard to Israel. It's hard to excuse mistakes like this when it's part of a pattern of bias.
"I think that it's time to accept that the discrepancy in attitude to the world's suffering millions and that to the "Palestinians" is because the Jews are involved."
____________
Mahmoud Darwish:
“Do you know why we Palestinians are famous? Because you are our enemy. The interest in us stems from the interest in the Jewish issue. The interest is in you, not in me. So we have the misfortune of having Israel as an enemy, because it enjoys unlimited support. And we have the good fortune of having Israel as our enemy, because the Jews are the center of attention. You’ve brought us defeat and renown.”
http://blog.z-word.com/2008/08/the-candour-of-mahmoud-darwish/
I remember back in the late 1970s or sometime in the 1980s, when she said that she wouldn't rest until Israel was destroyed. Hmmmmmm.
May redgrave fail in her plans for Israel.
However her plans to destroy Britain are moving along quite well.