Gilad Atzmon is a jazz & world music artist, a novelist and an author focusing on ID politics.
Welcome to Gilad Atzmon's webpage. This site provides information about Gilad's musical and intellectual activity.
4th and last part of the interview with Rinaldo Francesca dealing with issues to do with Freedom of expression, KKK vs IDF, deniers vs historians, temporality, ethics and more.
ps. Sorry for saying the 'F word' twice. Interview took place in my dinning room and as it seems, I must have felt at home..
An intensive 2 hours interview with Dutch radio (19/5/ 2011)
I basically speak about everything: Jewish Collectivism, Israel criminality, AIPAC, Global Intifada erc'..
and its supporters around the world.
A film by Stefan Verstappen
Thanks to Gerry Hiles who informed me about the documentary.
Below you will find an embarrassing 'call for action' circulated (selectively) by Naomi Wimborne-Idrissi, a prominent UK Jewish ‘anti Zionist’ and one of the founders of 'J- Big', an exclusive Jewish cell, advocating the boycott of Israeli goods.
Wimborne-Idrissi's intentions are ambitious: she wants to form an 'Anti Atzmon party' or, in her words- “We are organising a meeting to discuss this developing situation (Atzmon’s popularity), and to arrive we hope at an agreed strategy for countering it.” You may as well notice that this Judeo-centric sectarian attempt is taking place at a time Palestinians seem to be united.
Wimborne-Idrissi’s argument is staggering -- on the one hand she is criticising me for suggesting that "Jewishness is a tendency towards segregation" -- and yet, her call for action ends with the following sentence: “this invitation is not intended for wider circulation.” It is obviously clear that instead of a ‘wider and open Palestinian solidarity discourse’, the Jewish ethnic campaigner actually prefers to operate within small segregated cells as I suggested above.
Wimborne-Idrissi is devastated by the success of our May 3rd Panel Event, "Zionism, Jewishness and Israel". While our panel discussion was a public event, open to all, Wimborne-Idrissi and her half a dozen Jewish ‘comrades’ seem to prefer to operate 'underground', in a clandestine mode.
It is obvious to all that their defeat is colossal. I wonder, why don’t they just admit it and move on?
It somehow manages to dig out the best kosher quotes ever.
The following was reportedly said by Dominique Strauss-Kahn in 1991 during the Gulf War
"Every Diaspora Jew, wherever he is, and this includes France, must help Israel. This is the reason why it is important for Jews to take political responsibilities. In my position and in my daily life, I modestly try to help to build Israel."
I suspect that Dominique Strauss-Kahn may have exhausted his chances to become the next French President. However, bearing in mind his loyalty to Israel and his reported libidinal enthusiasm, he may as well consider running for the Israeli office.
World-renowned Israeli-born jazz saxophonist Gilad Atzmon brought his ensemble to the United States on his third annual North America Jazz tour 4-15 May, crisscrossing the country from New York, to Chicago, Dallas and San Francisco, finishing up in Colorado. The concerts' theme was "Music for Palestinians' Resistance", and the tour was used to raise awareness and fundraise for various humanitarian causes concerning Palestine.
Atzmon described his multi-city tour as giving him an opportunity to "talk about Israel, Palestine and the power of beauty". His tour included a stop in Oakland to attend a benefit for the Bay Area's flotilla passengers set to embark on the US-flagged Audacity of Hope in June to break Israel's illegal naval blockade of Gaza. The novelist, political activist and writer, who now makes his home in England, said he began visiting the US four years ago and comes once a year for two weeks. He said he has a lot of fans in the US and believes the exchange of ideas is crucial.
"I visit as many cities as I can, I meet a lot of people, I give interviews. I believe that true spiritual and intellectual exchange can lead towards a shift of consciousness. It is crucial for me to unveil the spirit and ideology that drives the Jewish state and Zionists around the world," Atzmon told Al-Ahram Weekly. "I believe that we are dealing with a unique ideology and practice and I am also aware that due to self censorship, not many people can discuss openly some of the topics I touch on, such as the fact that Zionism is a continuation of Jewish ideology."
My visit to America was once again a great educational adventure: I had the chance to meet with so many interesting people. The Palestinians and the solidarity activists I met seem more determined than ever. I also met some Jewish spiritual and political leaders who, for the first time, were courageous enough to debate my thoughts. It is more than clear that the message and call for justice is more and more appealing, more and more urgent, and more powerful.
In NYC I gave a talk about music and ethics, and debated with journalists and Jewish political activists. One of the leaders of JVP summarised our meeting saying, “we agree on very many things, and we disagree on a few,” which is a statement I consider to be a constructive and optimistic way to look at things. That said, it is also true that some healthy dispute adds inspiration, and can only be beneficial to our debate and discourse -- when I asked a Jewish activist whether it is at all possible to fight the ‘Jews Only State’ while operating within just another ‘Jews only club,’ the activist agreed with me that such a discrepancy is indeed a reason for a concern. "However" the Jewish activist said, “Gilad you have to accept it; you are engaged in an intellectual discourse, whilst we are running a campaign here.” And I guess that is an acceptable answer. I do not know much about campaigns: I have been subject to many smear campaigns, but I have never run one myself.
In Chicago I gave a talk at Columbia College. June Terpstra wrote an excellent report of the event.
Identity without Supremacy
http://www.gilad.co.uk/writings/dr-june-c-terpstra-identity-without-supremacy.html
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| Palestinian Bouazizi |
”The old will die and the young will forget (Nakba).” David Ben Gurion, first Zionist prime minister said in 1948, 35 years before the birth of Hassan Hijazi, the Palestinian Bouazizi.
Unlike the Tunisian revolution icon, Hassan, was a clerk at Syrian ministry of education, though, he as all uprooted palestinians in Syria enjoyed the same civil right of the granted to Syrians, his dream was to return to Yafa, where his father and grandfather were born. . It was a dream that come true, Hassan Hijazi, 28, one of hundreds uprooted Palestinian who crossed the the mined Wadi Al-sarkhat, and several military fence seperating occupied Majdal Shams from Syria, he took a public bus to Jaffa in search of what his parents' former house. My friend Dr. Franklin Lamb, hope the Nakba day may pave the way for "making some basic civil rights for Lebanon's refugees in Lebanon.
The Israeli media described Hasssan as a "Syrian" civil servent and called him an "infiltrator", no surprise, Golda denied the existance of Palestinians. ‘Only Jews have the right to infiltrate Arab lands’
For more click here
3rd part of the interview with Rinaldo Francesca dealing with Anti Semitism, Racism, NO Jewish Conspiracy, Lord Levy, David Aarovitch, Nick Cohen, JAC & self censorship.
“There will be no return-- time has come to tell Palestinian refugees they will not be returning to the State of Israel,” writes Nahum Barnea, a prominent Israeli ‘liberal’ columnist.
It is becoming clear that Israel lacks the means to cope with Palestinian resilience. Despite Israeli barbarism; despite sixty-three years of oppression, racial discrimination and mass murderous tactics-- including the usage of WMD-- the Palestinian people have remained determined to return to their land.
This week they reminded the Israelis, world Jewry and the rest of the world that the Palestinian cause is not going to fade away. If anything, in 2011, Palestinians seem more decisive, firm and united than their parents’ or grandparents’ generations.
"The old will die and the young will forget." This was the prediction of the first Israeli Prime Minister David Ben Gurion. 63 years later, I still wonder what made him think so. Would the Jewish masses - or indeed any of the other groups of people - that suffered the Holocaust ever forget?
As far as I know, having lived in a refugee camp for most of my life, there has always been much space in the tiny alleys of the camp for the collective memory of Israeli massacres, systematic displacement and ethnic cleansing. These images have been printed in the minds of Palestinian refugees both young and old.
I never forget that 2003 Spring when my grandmother and I “went back” to our destroyed village Beit Jibrin. We managed to get there despite the checkpoints and high level of security. It isn’t easy although the actual distance that separates my refugee camp from the village is less than an hour’s drive. I’d been there a few times before but never with her. This was the first time. I walked behind her climbing up a hill in the village. She seemed much stronger and able to walk faster than I remembered. She knew where exactly we were going as if she was there yesterday.
Under a fig tree we sat and my grandmother smiled
What we see today is a clear message to the Jewish State, the Israelis and Zionists around the world. Palestine is not an academic notion; it is actually a vibrant struggle for justice. The right of return is not just an ethical concept; it is now put into practice.
The days of the Jewish State are numbered.