ON THE NATURE OF ZIONISM

By Lyubov PRIBYTKOV, Russia

I found on a website an article by Vladimir Andreyev entitled "The Truth about Zionism." I was happy, because that destructive role played by Zionism in the modern world, little is written about it by the Communists and this is unforgivable. And here we have the truth about Zionism. I thought, finally a Communist, a member of the RCWP (Russian Communist Workers’ Party), calling a spade a spade.
This is all the more necessary, because ZIONISM as the state ideology and policy of Israel, in equity should be again as in 1975, condemned by UN General Assembly as aggressive racism and a form of racial discrimination. For 60 years Israel has occupied Palestine and maintains a policy of state terrorism on the suffering of Arab land, exactly resembling Germany's fascism.
Although placing hopes on the UN is naive, because in 1991 it had abolished its decision. In recent decades, the credibility of this international organization has fallen sharply. The UN has become a handheld appliance for the U.S.A., the world imperialist gendarme. It got to the point that during the visit of the UN Secretary General to the Middle East on March 21, 2010, Israeli President Shimon Peres scolded Ban Ki-moon like a little boy for the allegedly loyal attitude of the UN towards "troublemaker" Iranian President Ahmadinejad ...
After reading the article my disappointment knew no bounds. Andreyev set out to - in whatever form he took to DEFEND ZIONISM. At first he warned readers not to believe the paraphrase from an article from the Large Soviet Encyclopedia, which says that "Zionism is a reactionary chauvinist ideology and policy of the Jewish bourgeoisie," and named "the characteristic features of Zionism as being militant chauvinism, racism, anti-Sovietism. He has reduced these assessments of Zionism to ordinary "horror stories", though they are the absolute truth.
Then he introduced us to the wise sayings of the first Israeli ambassador to the USSR, then Prime Minister Golda Meir. Do not forget to remember the good father of Zionism, Vladimir Jabotinsky, who Mussolini affectionately called a "Jewish fascist", and Ben Gurion dubbed him as "Vladimir Hitler." He sang the praises to the Israeli kibbutzim, “agricultural communes”, in which labour is perfectly organized, unlike the Soviet communes, in which "thick commies like to work less and get more ...”
The author even dragged Ber Borohov here, who headed in Poltava in the beginning of the XX century the Jewish "Marxist" organization Po'alei Zion "("Workforce"). And he dreamt, how the Jewish proletariat would move to an empty land (?) free from people, to create a "Jewish national enclave" and implement "socialist ideals". That’s why Zionism was initially alleged to be "socialist".
The magic of words played a cruel joke on the author. It saved him the necessity to analyze and dig to the bottom of the terrible phenomenon called "ZIONISM."
Hitler also headed the WORKER’S National Socialist Party. Was its program really desirable to the interests of the working class of Germany? Thus the Jewish "Bund" broke away from the RSDLP (Russian Social Democratic Labour Party) in early XX century, and the Poltavian “Po'alei Zion” bore no relation to Marxism and did not serve the interests of the working class. It would not hurt the author-"communist" to get acquainted with Lenin's assessment of the pro-Zionist position of the Bundists.
True, very often latter-day "communists" do not feel the need for studying dialectical materialist logic. They do not study the classics of Marxism. They say that "they are obsolete" to cover up their political ignorance and laziness of the mind. They restrict themselves to sketches of surface phenomena and do not examine events in the concrete historical context. The class approach is not considered a major methodological tool in understanding social phenomena.
Marx and Engels are sometimes quoted, but their outstanding discoveries - the materialist conception of history, are not understood. But they prefer, mainly what is in vogue, being the idealistic treatises of Western "thinkers" and the beautifully speaking speakers of bourgeois publicists. And they are even proud of such an eclectic mishmash of ideas in their heads.
So it turns out these articles, where instead of the truth about Zionism, are its solid apologetics. Andreev in the article refers to statements of "good" Zionists. And they do not bother to think about the thoughts of Lenin on the false and reactionary Zionist ideas about "special Jewish people" and "the need for Jewish separateness", which are harmful and contrary to the interests of the proletariat, including the Jewish proletariat. (PSS., v. 8, p. . 74).
In his work "Critical Remarks on the National Question", Lenin insisted on the need for "an uncompromising struggle against the contamination of the proletariat with bourgeois nationalism, even the most refined. (PSS., v. 24, pp. 124) He writes: "Marxism is irreconcilable with nationalism, be it the most "fair", "clean", refined and civilized. Marxism advances in place of nationalism - internationalism, the merging of all nations in higher unity "(p.131).
Not useful for the author also is the article by Karl Marx "On the Jewish Question", where indeed the social ESSENCE OF ZIONISM is revealed.
Arguing with Bruno Bauer on the question of emancipation of Jews in Germany, Karl Marx wrote: "What is the secular basis of Judaism? Practical need, selfishness. What is the worldly cult of the Jew? Haggling. Who is his worldly God? Money. But in this case, the emancipation from haggling and money - hence, from practical, real Jewry - would be self-emancipation of our time. The organization of society, which would have the prerequisites of commercialism, and, consequently, the possibility of haggling eliminated – such organization of society would make the Jew impossible ... Thus, we find in Judaism a contemporary manifestation of the modern-day anti-social element, led to its current stage of historical development in which the Jews took in this bad direction, zealous participation. This element has reached a high stage of development at which it must necessarily disintegrate. The emancipation of the Jews in the endvalue is the emancipation of mankind from Jewry" (K. Marx and F. Engels, Collected Works, Vol. V. 1, pp. 408. Russian lang.)
Marx, one of the first, spoke of the significant impact of the Jews throughout the world. He cites the arguments of Bruno Bauer from the book "The Jewish question": "A Jew, who in Vienna is only tolerated, determines by his monetary authority, the fate of the whole empire. A Jew who may be disenfranchised in a small German state, decides the fate of Europe." And commenting on this passage with the words: "And this is not an isolated fact. The Jew emancipated himself in the Jewish manner, he emancipated himself not only because he had arrogated to himself the power of money, but also so that through him, MONEY has become a world power, and the practical Jewish spirit has become the practical spirit of Christian nations" (ibid., pp. 409).
Marx drew attention to the transformation of Judaism into the ideology of the Jewish bourgeoisie. "Jewishness could not develop further as a religion, because the world-view of practical demands, by its nature is limited and confined to a few strokes." "What is in itself the foundation of the Jewish religion? Practical need, egoism." "MONEY IS THE JEALOUS GOD OF ISRAEL, before whom there should be no other god. Money deprecates all the gods of Man from the heights, and turns them into commodities.” "The god of the Jews was made secular, became the world's god. The promissory note is the true god of the Jew. His god is just an illusory bill of exchange "(ibid., pp. 410).
In his work, "The Sacred Family, or Critique of Critical Criticism", Marx stresses that in the XIX century, the Jewish bourgeoisie began to occupy key positions in the capitalist world. "The fate of France is determined not in the offices of the Tuileries, not under the arches of the House of Peers, not even under the arches of the Chamber of Deputies, but on the Paris Stock Exchange. The real ministers are not Guizot and Gishatel, but Rothschild, Fould and other bankers. They control the Ministry and the Ministry is concerned about only those people who are loyal to the regime and those who benefit by it running in elections."
People would be better to understand state bodies of power do not have the reins of power in capitalist countries. True power is not with the politicians, but with CAPITAL. The capitalist buys the politicians in the same way as journalists and lawyers, villas on the Mediterranean coast or fashionable European yacht clubs are bought...
Of course, not every person finds it so easy to understand what Zionism really is. Under the conditions of imperialist globalization, international Jewish capital holds in its hands not only most of the transnational corporations, but most of the media. Any criticism of the ideology of Zionism and Zionist policy qualifies as ANTI-SEMITISM.
Fear of possible accusations of anti-Semitism makes even the other "bashful" (or cowardly) communist leaders say that the aggressive policies of Israel against the Palestinian Arab people, reminiscent of a genocide – is a topic which few Russian citizens (or British ones –K.C.) believe to be vibrant." When it comes to citizens-philistines, what can be taken from them? Besides their own stomachs, nothing ever interests them.
If the GENOCIDE which the Israeli racists have been subjecting the indigenous population of Palestine to for the past 60 years is not perceived by the Communists as their pain, then how can they be Communists. Communists – are internationalists.
Do we really not have the highest example of proletarian internationalism? The founder of the International Workingmen's Association, Karl Marx, held under the scrutiny the revolutionary situation in France in 1848 and kept in touch with the Paris Commune in 1871. After its defeat, it was at his house that many Communards found shelter.
For many years he had connections with the Russian revolutionaries Herman Lopatin and Vera Zasulich. He followed articles by Chernyshevsky and Flerovsky. In 1879 he intently studied Narodnik Danielson’s report sent to him on Russian financial policy for fifteen years. In his personal library were 115 titles of Russian books. Herzen read "Prisons and exile” in Russian in the original. He did not consider Russia to be "far far away" country ...
It was not from the Communist position, but an ordinary common sense position that made even former U.S. President Jimmy Carter describe Israel's policies as an "APARTHEID system, where two peoples occupy a land, but are separated from each other, and where the Israelis completely dominate and suppress by violence, depriving Palestinians of their basic human rights.”
Zionism is a terrible destructive force. In it are all the dogmas - false, unfounded and reactionary.
Who sees the “inextricable link of the Jews throughout the world"? None. Jews living in Russia, speak in Russian, many do not know any Hebrew or Yiddish. Jews in the U.S. are Americans. They speak English. French Jews do not utter a word of Hebrew. Assimilation has done its work. The Jews have no common territory, or single language.
Who today in his right mind accepts that "all Jews are brothers?” All Jews who are capitalists are enemies of the Jewish working people, like capitalists of any nationality are enemies of working people throughout the world. And this the ABC of Marxism.
Who, except the Zionists can accept the idea that Jews have some special "historical rights" to the "land of the Jewish ancestors? Yes, 700 years BC, that is almost 3,000 years ago there was a small kingdom of Judah, which then disappeared ... And now, when so much water has flowed, is there an Arab who has reconciled with the fact that he was forced to flee from the land where his ancestors lived, where he was born and raised?
So, what is Zionism? In the words of a Swedish journalist, a former Moroccan officer, Ahmed Rami - the voice of millions of Muslims all over the world. "ZIONISM is racism ... It is COLONIALISM ... It is IMPERIALISM ... It is the policy of repression and arrogance, as Zionist Israel has systematically violated all the principles and resolutions of the UN ... Zionism in its practice is strikingly similar to APARTHEID "... (Http://radioislam.org/russ/rami/5.htm)
Communists have nothing against this assessment, though Ahmed Rami is far from the ideas of communism. He did not understand any of Marxism, nor the socialist revolution of 1917 in Russia.
The leader of theoretical and practical Zionism, Ze'ev (Vladimir) Jabotinsky's position of racism and colonialism openly deemed it NECESSARY to create a "national home" for Jews in Zion. He devoted his whole life to the development of Zionism, its defence and implementation. He did not accept the revolution in Russia in 1917. He advocated the "private economy", "private initiative” and private property. He rejected the class struggle, appealing for class peace and harmony. He believed the worker and the entrepreneur play the same role in the development of society. Whoever fights against private capital, is an enemy of the nation. He categorically disagreed with the slogan of the Communists - "Workers of all countries, unite!" The national was above the class.
He traveled to dozens of countries. In Russia and Poland, America and Germany, Britain and France - everywhere he campaigned passionately for Jews to leave everything and go to the "ancestral homeland". On the planet, everyone, Jews and non-Jews should understand that Eretz Yisrael (Israel) should be a Jewish state. The idea of a "Jewish majority" in the Promised Land was the motive of his life.
He preached the dogma - "EVERYTHING IS MINE", not agreeing even to admit that Arabs belong to at least three-quarters of the earth. "The Arabs must accept the situation as it is: the territory of Eretz Israel on both sides of the Jordan is intended for the Jewish state with a Jewish majority" - he said. (Joseph Nedava. Vladimir Jabotinsky: Milestones in life. Per. In Hebrew. Rostov-on-Don. 1998).
Back in 1908, he wrote that the creation of a Jewish state is the COLONIZATION of Arab lands. And it will lead to antagonism with the locals. History shows that the colonialists have never been met with open arms. The natives fiercely resisted in America, and will resist here. We must prepare for this. "Our country will be freed only by the sword" - he said.
The racist attitude of modern Israel is here in the words of Jabotinsky: "The settlement can only develop with the use of force, independent of the local population, protected by an iron wall that local people can not break ... We should not be afraid of the possibility that 900,000 people will leave the country "
Already in 1919 he created the organization of Jewish immigrants "Khagani" to "ensure the protection of settlers from the arbitrariness of the natives," as he called the indigenous Palestinian Arabs.
Later, speaking to young “Beitar”nationalists, he urged them to be "relentless", sung the praises of the "power of the fist" stood for "military training". "Learning to shoot" - he believed was a historical necessity. And did not cease to rejoice that he had saved the youth from the "red plague".
Later, out of the ranks of "Betar", the brainchild of Jabotinsky, rose bandit groups Etzel and Lehi, which after the adoption by the UN of the fateful decision to create the Jewish state of Israel in December 1947, began by terror to implement it.
They, 1 April 1948, in the village of Dir Yassin, massacred 245 unarmed Palestinians - men, women and children. The bodies were taken to a quarry and burned. Similar atrocities were committed in other towns. In 1948 alone, the Zionists had killed 100,000 Palestinians, both inside the country and abroad. The strangulation of the indigenous population of Gaza by continuing bombardments, blockades and starvation is still ongoing.
I do not know whether there was a Jewish Holocaust, but the Arabic holocaust today is there to see.
The ideas MILITARISM have become the driving spring of the aggressive policies of Israel. And terror has become its state policy.
The ideology and politics of Zionism naturally gives rise not only among Arabs but also among all freedom-loving humanity a feeling of protest and hatred of Israel, the occupiers and invaders.
Unfortunately, there is still no force that would be able to destroy Israeli fascism, as did the Red Army in World War II in the fight against German fascism. The Arab world is split. The international communist and workers' movement is riddled by opportunism and appeasement. There is no Communist International. The Communist Party of Israel is silent. Critical remarks by sane Jewish intellectuals in Europe and America in addressing Israeli barbarism are heard only neighbours on the couch by the TV ...
The military and political power of the Israeli and international Zionism can be withstood only by military and political force. Under the domination of the global imperialism, the only hope is for a global, well organized, national liberation and communist protest. The victory of the people in the liberation struggle in South Africa and the collapse of the apartheid regime inspires faith in the victory of the Palestinian people in the Middle East.
Lyubov PRIBYTKOVA, from Irkutsk, Russia
March 2010