What doth the Lord require of thee but to do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with thy G_d ? … Micah 6:8
Justice, Justice, shalt thou pursue… Deuteronomy 16:20
But the stranger that dwells with you shall be to you as one born among you, and you shall love him as yourself; for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God… Leviticus 19:34
Dear SJP, Students for Justice in Palestine:
While you are receiving this correspondence yourselves, I hope you don’t mind that it will be shared with many others as well. So let me begin…
Let’s be honest. That begins with the very name of your organization.
It’s not “justice” you seek, but victory.
Students For Victory In Palestine better characterizes your raison d’etre–along with others aligned with you.
The opening quotes are from the Hebrew Bible, written some twenty-six centuries ago in the land you claim Jews have no ties to. It was called Israel and later, by Greeks and Romans, Iudaea–Judaea. Not until Hadrian ended the costlysecond major revolt of the Jews for freedom in 135 C.E. was the land renamedSyria Palaestina–Palestine–with hopes to end the Jews’ struggle once and for all.
Judaea (as in land of the Judaeans–Jews) was thus renamed for the Hebrews’ historic enemies, the “Sea People” from Crete–non-Semitic, let alone non-Arab, Philistines. Open http://q4j-middle-east.com to see a Judaea Capta coin Rome issued after the first major revolt. Judaea Capta–not Palaestina Capta. Tacitus, Pliny, Dio Cassius, and Josephus were just some of the ancient Roman-sponsored historians who recorded these events.
Those quotes are just some examples of the subject of justice found in the sacred writings of the Jews. And they go far in explaining the difference between the Arab (for example, “Palestinian”) and Jewish approaches to this concept…especially with regards to others.
In reality, there can’t be justice in any conflict unless the needs and legitimate aspirations of all parties are taken into consideration. But, again, justice is not what SJP seeks. The so-called “justice” demanded is for Arabs only. Forget about “the other” in this vision…