Middle East Conflict

Two books by two renowned psychologists I read long ago have been haunting me the more and more focused I become on the tragic dynamics of the Israelis and Palestinians. I am also more and more mindful of how this toxic dynamic is endangering the entire world.

One book was written by Eric Berne, Games People Play, in which he sets forth his theory of Transactional Analysis. Berne contends that human beings relate to one another from three basic ego states: the Parent, the Adult, the Child. Some people stay locked into one ego state more than others. Sometimes one ego state invites a counterpoint ego state, for example, a scolding parent voice might evoke a submissive, childlike response or, on the other hand, a rebellious, childlike one.

I won't linger on his general theory, though it is very rich reading. What was most provocative in his approach for me then and now, is a subgroup of the child ego state Berne labels the "pig parent". The "pig parent" pretends to be "parent", but is really an immature, primitive, narcissistic child ego state masquerading as the "caretaking" parent. I did a blog a while ago in which I cited John McCain as slipping into a "pig parent" ego state when he was running for president. The way he often forcefully and paternally scolded the country for not doing the right thing. The "pig parent" voice can really enthrall certain citizens -- maybe citizens who were raised by "pig parent state" parents?

I am of the opinion that the Israeli government and many Jewish citizens right now are locked into the "pig parent" ego state in relating to the Palestinians. The Gazan War at the end of 2008 and the Freedom Flotilla Slaughter on May 31st were caused by a murderous "pig parent" child ego state, the participants of which enabled, authorized and/or perpetrated such inhumane and merciless, irresponsible behavior.

Now, soon after the violence, as a primitive, irresponsible, immature child, Israel is posturing as the "parent" of Gaza, expecting not only Gaza but other countries looking on to buy it, but it is really the "pig parent", still punishing and not in the caretaker role at all.

Last night I attended another Gazan Freedom Flotilla Slaughter event at All Souls Church on Lexington Ave., with featured speaker, a survivor of the attack, Ann Wright. Adam Shapiro, co-founder of the International Solidarity Movement, also spoke and pointed out something seemingly significant I will share up top in this blog:

The WH’s official description of Helen Thomas’ recent and admittedly harsh remarks about Israel used the word “reprehensible”. The WH’s official description of the Gazan Freedom Flotilla slaughter in international waters which resulted in 9 tragic deaths, the bodies penetrated by a total of 30 bullets -- one victim a high-school aged American born citizen -- along with the serious wounding of 50 others, used the word “regrettable.”

Hmmmmm. “REPREHENSIBLE!” remarks from Helen, “regrettable” deadly and internationally illegal behavior of the Israeli military. That, in the language of diplomacy, would be a clear “tell” of “allegiance” vs. “not so much” from our Israel-cronied, “pragmatically” apathetic-to-assaults-on-human-rights administration.

Ann Wright held an audience of approximately 300 concerned New Yorkers spell bound on Wednesday night. Ms. Wright, a very down to earth and engaging speaker, holds an amazing resume. She is a retired U.S. Army colonel. After retirement she became very active in the diplomatic service. In 2003, when George Bush invaded Iraq, Wright resigned from the U.S. State Dept. in public protest of the illegality of that war. Since then she has been profoundly and effectively active in the anti-war movement.

So who are you going to believe, America?

Forensic evidence, the eye witness accounts of 700+ humanitarians and your own lying eyes (as Groucho Marx once quipped) OR the earnest and pre-emptive Israeli propagandists, admittedly plentiful, within the U.S. media, administration, Congress and citizenry?

Robert Booth writing in the Guardian Friday, June 4th:

Nine Turkish men on board the Mavi Marmara were shot a total of 30 times and five were killed by gunshot wounds to the head, according to the vice-chairman of the Turkish council of forensic medicine, which carried out the autopsies for the Turkish ministry of justice today.

The results revealed that a 60-year-old man, Ibrahim Bilgen, was shot four times in the temple, chest, hip and back. A 19-year-old, named as Fulkan Dogan, who also has US citizenship, was shot five times from less that 45cm, in the face, in the back of the head, twice in the leg and once in the back. Two other men were shot four times, and five of the victims were shot either in the back of the head or in the back, said Yalcin Buyuk, vice-chairman of the council of forensic medicine.

The findings emerged as more survivors gave their accounts of the raids. Ismail Patel, the chairman of Leicester-based pro-Palestinian group Friends of al-Aqsa, who returned to Britain today, told how he witnessed some of the fatal shootings and claimed that Israel had operated a "shoot to kill policy".

He calculated that during the bloodiest part of the assault, Israeli commandos shot one person every minute. One man was fatally shot in the back of the head just two feet in front him and another was shot once between the eyes. He added that as well as the fatally wounded, 48 others were suffering from gunshot wounds and six activists remained missing, suggesting the death toll may increase.

Last Wednesday I posted a blog entitled "Israel to Peace Activists: We Shoot to Kill … and nyahh nyaaah … Obama and the US Congress Have Our Anti-Humanity Back!" It was inspired by my horror, anger and heartache over the Gazan Flotilla Slaughter, my participation in two days of NYC protests, as well as a very insightful "emergency forum" Tuesday night, June 1, at Revolution Books on W. 26th St.

At the end of this post is a collection of youtube links with excerpted statements of the panelists. As I wrote in the blog: "Not one of the speakers pulled any punches. Hungry for 'truth to power'? This was 3 hours of industrial strength 'truth to power' which these brave men have been speaking, apparently, for a good, long time."

The panel of speakers for the highly provocative, riveting 3-hour exploratory forum included:

Alan Goodman, writer for Revolution newspaper

Chris Hedges, author, "Empire of Illusion: The End of Literacy and the Triumph of Spectacle"

Abdeen Jabara, past-president of the American-Arab Anti Discrimination Committee

Joel Kovel, author of "Overcoming Zionism: Creating a Single Democratic State in Israel/Palestine"

Adam Shapiro, human rights activist and co-founder of the International Solidarity Movement

Craig Murray was a member of the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office for over 20 years. He served in 5 countries and took part in 13 formal international negotiations. As a result he declares:

I have in consequence a great many friends among ex-colleagues in both British and foregin [sic] diplomatic services, security services and militaries.

I lost very few friends when I left the FCO over torture and rendition. In fact I seemed to gain several degrees of warmth with a great many acquantances [sic] still on the inside. And I have become known as a reliable outlet for grumbles, who as an ex-insider knows how to handle a discreet and unintercepted conversation.

Mr. Murray asserts that NATO is terribly unhappy with what is happening, not only with Israel and the United States concerning the Gazan flotilla attack, but also with the U.S. in Afghanistan.

First the Israeli issue:

What I was being told last night was very interesting indeed. NATO HQ in Brussels is today a very unhappy place. There is a strong understanding among the various national militaries that an attack by Israel on a NATO member flagged ship in international waters is an event to which NATO is obliged - legally obliged, as a matter of treaty - to react.

Last night I went to an emergency forum about the Gazan Flotilla slaughter. Not one of the speakers pulled any punches. Hungry for “truth to power”? This was 3 hours of industrial strength “truth to power” which these brave men have been speaking, apparently, for a good, long time.

Joel Kovel confided at one point that Obama was probably peeing in his pants worried about how to publicly acknowledge the Gazan Flotilla slaughter without “pissing off” Zionism-super-crony Senator Chuck Schumer.

Chris Hedges declared that if Israel wanted to neutralize the crowded humanitarian-aid-bearing ships, it could have used something like CS Gas which burns the skin and causes temporary blindness but does not result in deaths. Hedges had once appreciated its properties first hand. These deaths of the nine or more peace activists and the injuries to dozens of others, Hedges insisted, were intentional and premeditated by Israeli leadership to offer the most violent message possible to discourage further peace promoting actions.

Alan Goodman bluntly explained at one point the Iran sanctions being pushed so hard by our Secretary of State Clinton: “That just means that more old people, sick people and children are going to die.”

Adam Shapiro revealed that his wife had been aboard one of the Gazan flotilla ships and had been seriously roughed up by a commando. She’s okay, he assured the large, mesmerized audience that filled the long, bright and colorful NYC bookstore, an audience spilling out onto W. 26th Street. Shapiro adding proudly about his wife, “She is the toughest person in the world.”

Glenn Greenwald supplies a comprehensive background of the Gazan flotilla slaughter:

Late last night, Israel attacked a flotilla of ships in international waters carrying food, medicine and other aid to Gaza, killing at least 10 civilians on board and injuring at least 30 more (many reports now put the numbers at 19 dead and 60 injured). The Israeli Defense Forces is claiming that its soldiers were attacked with clubs, knives and "handguns" when they boarded the ship without permission, but none of the Israeli soldiers were killed while two are reported injured. Those on the ships emphatically state that the IDF came on board shooting.... An IDF spokesman said: "Our initial findings show that at least 10 convoy participants were killed."

The six-ship flotilla was carrying 10,000 tons of humanitarian aid along with 600 people, all civilians, which included 1976 Nobel Peace Prize laureate Mairead Corrigan Maguire of Northern Ireland and European legislators; an elderly Holocaust survivor, Hedy Epstein, 85, was scheduled to be among those on the ship but remained in Cyprus. In December, 2008, Israel, citing rocket attacks from Hamas, launched a 22-day, barbaric attack on Gaza, bombarding a trapped population, killing hundreds of innocent civilians (1,400 Palestinians and 13 Israelis were killed), and devastating Gazan society. A U.N. report released earlier this month documented that, as a result of the blockade imposed on Gaza by Israel and Egypt (the two largest recipients of U.S. aid), "[m]ost of the property and infrastructure damaged . . . was still unrepaired 12 months later."

The flotilla attacked by Israel last night was carrying materials such as cement, water purifiers, and other building materials, much of which Israel refuses to let pass into Gaza. At the end of 2009, a U.N. report found that "insufficient food and medicine is reaching Gazans, producing a further deterioration of the mental and physical health of the entire civilian population since Israel launched Operation Cast Lead against the territory," and also "blamed the blockade for continued breakdowns of the electricity and sanitation systems due to the Israeli refusal to let spare parts needed for repair get through the crossings."

The "flotilla video": Israeli troops storm boat with aid supplies bound for Gaza Strip

In the news today, worldwide controversy around an Israeli commando attack on a "Free Gaza Movement" flotilla carrying aid supplies to the blockaded Gaza strip. NYT story here. Varying reports on how many were killed: 10 according to Israel, and 19 or more according to the activists and some news organizations. Some 600 people were aboard the flotilla including a Nobel Peace Prize recipient and an 85-year-old Holocaust survivor.

The attacked ship was some 100km (70 miles) off the coast, in international waters.

Both General Petraeus and Secretary of State Clinton used the mild-mannered adjective “unhelpful” in statements regarding Israel during the past year or so. Yes, in different contexts, but I couldn’t help being startled by the repetition.

Clinton’s use of that, in her case, “reined in” word concerned the 3/2009 demolition of dozens of Palestinian homes in East Jerusalem. She said it was “unhelpful” to peace efforts . I thought at the time it was an incredibly lightweight word – ironically minimal considering the reality of dozens of homes being razed which was, also, as I understand it, the breaking of international law. She, as the United States Secretary of State, was registering a public objection.

But it was made regarding Israel, so, soon after, I read that she was actually being quite brave -- as brave and careful as she could be. To give credit where credit is due, she also called for a partial lifting of the Israeli blockade of Gaza.

From Susie Madrak of Crooks & Liars:

Juan Cole warns that Clinton will be attacked by the far-right-wing Israel crowd, and urged people to support her speaking out - in fact, to urge her to use even stronger language the next time.