Israeli journalist and politician Uri Avnery defines himself as a "post-Zionist." He is the founder of the Peace Bloc (Gush Shalom) and an advocate for the "two-state solution." In a lengthy op-ed, widely echoed by the world left-wing media, he came out in favor of NATO’s intervention in Libya and declared to support the new US-Israeli military apparatus in the Middle East. Philosopher Domenico Losurdo responds to Avnery’s remarks.

- Icon of the Israeli radical left, Uri Avnery would like to salvage the Zionist project while limiting the suffering of the Palestinians. On the other hand, he supports the colonization of Libya, provided it’s done under a humanitarian cover.
Albeit with some halfhearted reservations, the 2 November edition of Il Manifesto devoted a full page to an article written by Uri Avnery. The title and sub-title deftly summary the content:
" ’No’ to US intervention in Vietnam, Afghanistan and Iraq, but ’yes’ to NATO’s intervention in Kosovo and Libya.
I say to you: ’May NATO be blessed’."
I do not wish to raise arguments that I have already dwelled on several times in the past. It is not worth getting involved in a controversy with a "democrat" who, by legitimizing the war against Yugoslavia (carried out without any UN mandate), upholds in effect the international dictatorship of the United States and NATO.
Is it even worth noting that among the humanitarian interventions considered legitimate, this author does not include the one that, sticking to the same humanitarian logic, could be demanded against Israel, responsible for the endless martyrdom imposed on the Palestinian people?
What is impossible, however, is to avoid mentioning a gem from Uri Avnery: "I oppose the death penalty in all its forms. I abhor executions, be they in Texas or in China." It is a pity that he makes no reference to the extrajudicial executions committed by Israel and the United States on a daily basis and that for years continue to target, in particular, all Palestinians vaguely suspected of being "terrorists" or, in any case, of resisting against the occupation.
"The death penalty in all its forms" is labeled as "disgusting."
Indeed, in all its forms except the most heinous: that prescribed outside of any court or trial, which often includes "collateral damage" and takes the lives of parents and friends (including women and children) of those sentenced to death without trial.
History of philosophy professor at Urbino University (Italy). Since 1988, he has directed the Internationale Gesellschaft Hegel-Marx für Dialektisches Denken and is founding member of the Associazione Marx XXIesimo. His last published work in Italian is La non-violenza, Una storia fuori dal mito (Laterza, 2010); in English is Liberalism: A Counter-History (Verso Books, 2011).
Article licensed under Creative Commons
The articles on Voltaire Network may be freely reproduced provided the source is cited, their integrity is respected and they are not used for commercial purposes (license CC BY-NC-ND).
Source : “Uri Avnery between US international dictatorship and Israel’s extra judicial killings”, by Domenico Losurdo, Voltaire Network, 18 November 2011, www.voltairenet.org/a171915
You visit this website to seek quality analysis that enables you to forge your own understanding of today’s world. In order to continue our work, we need you to support our efforts.
Help us by making a contribution.
How to participate in Voltaire Network?
The members of our team are all volunteers.
Authors : diplomats, economists, geographers, historians, journalists, military servicemen, philosophers, sociologists. You can send us your article proposals.
Professional-level mother-tongue translators: you can help us by translating our articles.
-

-

-

-

-

-
العناوين الرئيسية للأسبوع
الجولة الرابعة من الحوار الاستراتيجي الاقتصادي بين الصين والولايات المتحدةأمريكا تبيع مصارفها للصين, وترفع قيمة الديوان
بقلم ألفردو خليفة رحمة -

-


























































































