Skip to content or view mobile version

Home | Mobile | Editorial | Mission | Privacy | About | Contact | Help | Security | Support

A network of individuals, independent and alternative media activists and organisations, offering grassroots, non-corporate, non-commercial coverage of important social and political issues.

Antagonistic identifications in the Middle East conflict

Peter Ullrich, Germany | 14.09.2004 15:08 | Analysis | Anti-racism | London

Why does the German and the British left deal so differently with the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians? Are they internally structured nationally? A new study wants to find out more.

German "Antideutsche" marching pro Israel I
German "Antideutsche" marching pro Israel I

German "Antideutsche" marching pro Israel II
German "Antideutsche" marching pro Israel II


In demonstrations against the war on Iraq there was a second very important issue – the occupied Palestinian territories. The whole movement, which was and still is a broad coalition, seemed to agree in their views and action against the Israeli occupation and the so-called Apartheid wall. In this sense the British left is united with movements across the world. Some discussions indicating differences started (and could be read on indymedia) when some gay activists accused Israel for the Occupation and the Palestinian National Authority for being homophobic. The unity against Israel seemed to be to strong to stand the fact that “the good side”, the Palestinians are an ambiguous case, too.
The situation is completely different in Germany. There is one camp of the German left, which appeared over the last 10-15 years which although still often calling itself “left wing” gave up crucial and uniting left positions. They supported the war on Iraq, and they strongly identify with Israel, often with the tendency to neglect the crimes committed to the Palestinians. The disagreement between them, the so-called “Antideutsche” (Anti-Germans) and their opponents led to hard disputes and even affrays. “Communists” of both sides for example have completely antagonistic policies.
Obviously these views have their bases in special implications of the German history. But why can the left with its general aims be so different in estimating one special conflict? Is the way the movements deal with the Palestinian issue determined not by certain ideologies, but by the own national context?
To find that out, a German activist, journalist and sociologist (by the way: he is the writer of these words, too) wants to analyse the role and function of the conflict in the Middle East for the left in the two countries and compare them for some articles and his PHD-thesis.
In October he, well, let’s say I, will be in Great Britain to make interviews with activists and to collect material related to that issue. And still I need help.

Please contact me
- if you have material like leaflets or books that address the conflict and are not available in the internet, especially if it is older!
- if you want to take part in the interviews (October, 1st to 19th, I will definitely be in London and Manchester, but obviously also in Glasgow and other towns, where I find participants)
- if you have hints (Which persons or experts do I have to talk to? Who is important in activism? Who has unorthodox or untypical ideas on the issue?)
- where and when do groups, that deal with the issue meet in the time I am in Britain?

I am interested in everything about the relation of the British left and the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians. I am very grateful for any help.

Email:  ullrich@uni-leipzig.de

Peter Ullrich, Germany
- e-mail: ullrich@uni-leipzig.de
- Homepage: http://wwwstud.uni-leipzig.de/~soz96jtv

Upcoming Coverage
View and post events
Upcoming Events UK
24th October, London: 2015 London Anarchist Bookfair
2nd - 8th November: Wrexham, Wales, UK & Everywhere: Week of Action Against the North Wales Prison & the Prison Industrial Complex. Cymraeg: Wythnos o Weithredu yn Erbyn Carchar Gogledd Cymru

Ongoing UK
Every Tuesday 6pm-8pm, Yorkshire: Demo/vigil at NSA/NRO Menwith Hill US Spy Base More info: CAAB.

Every Tuesday, UK & worldwide: Counter Terror Tuesdays. Call the US Embassy nearest to you to protest Obama's Terror Tuesdays. More info here

Every day, London: Vigil for Julian Assange outside Ecuadorian Embassy

Parliament Sq Protest: see topic page
Ongoing Global
Rossport, Ireland: see topic page
Israel-Palestine: Israel Indymedia | Palestine Indymedia
Oaxaca: Chiapas Indymedia
Regions
All Regions
Birmingham
Cambridge
Liverpool
London
Oxford
Sheffield
South Coast
Wales
World
Other Local IMCs
Bristol/South West
Nottingham
Scotland
Social Media
You can follow @ukindymedia on indy.im and Twitter. We are working on a Twitter policy. We do not use Facebook, and advise you not to either.
Support Us
We need help paying the bills for hosting this site, please consider supporting us financially.
Other Media Projects
Schnews
Dissident Island Radio
Corporate Watch
Media Lens
VisionOnTV
Earth First! Action Update
Earth First! Action Reports
Topics
All Topics
Afghanistan
Analysis
Animal Liberation
Anti-Nuclear
Anti-militarism
Anti-racism
Bio-technology
Climate Chaos
Culture
Ecology
Education
Energy Crisis
Fracking
Free Spaces
Gender
Globalisation
Health
History
Indymedia
Iraq
Migration
Ocean Defence
Other Press
Palestine
Policing
Public sector cuts
Repression
Social Struggles
Technology
Terror War
Workers' Movements
Zapatista
Major Reports
NATO 2014
G8 2013
Workfare
2011 Census Resistance
Occupy Everywhere
August Riots
Dale Farm
J30 Strike
Flotilla to Gaza
Mayday 2010
Tar Sands
G20 London Summit
University Occupations for Gaza
Guantanamo
Indymedia Server Seizure
COP15 Climate Summit 2009
Carmel Agrexco
G8 Japan 2008
SHAC
Stop Sequani
Stop RWB
Climate Camp 2008
Oaxaca Uprising
Rossport Solidarity
Smash EDO
SOCPA
Past Major Reports
Encrypted Page
You are viewing this page using an encrypted connection. If you bookmark this page or send its address in an email you might want to use the un-encrypted address of this page.
If you recieved a warning about an untrusted root certificate please install the CAcert root certificate, for more information see the security page.

Global IMC Network


www.indymedia.org

Projects
print
radio
satellite tv
video

Africa

Europe
antwerpen
armenia
athens
austria
barcelona
belarus
belgium
belgrade
brussels
bulgaria
calabria
croatia
cyprus
emilia-romagna
estrecho / madiaq
galiza
germany
grenoble
hungary
ireland
istanbul
italy
la plana
liege
liguria
lille
linksunten
lombardia
madrid
malta
marseille
nantes
napoli
netherlands
northern england
nottingham imc
paris/île-de-france
patras
piemonte
poland
portugal
roma
romania
russia
sardegna
scotland
sverige
switzerland
torun
toscana
ukraine
united kingdom
valencia

Latin America
argentina
bolivia
chiapas
chile
chile sur
cmi brasil
cmi sucre
colombia
ecuador
mexico
peru
puerto rico
qollasuyu
rosario
santiago
tijuana
uruguay
valparaiso
venezuela

Oceania
aotearoa
brisbane
burma
darwin
jakarta
manila
melbourne
perth
qc
sydney

South Asia
india


United States
arizona
arkansas
asheville
atlanta
Austin
binghamton
boston
buffalo
chicago
cleveland
colorado
columbus
dc
hawaii
houston
hudson mohawk
kansas city
la
madison
maine
miami
michigan
milwaukee
minneapolis/st. paul
new hampshire
new jersey
new mexico
new orleans
north carolina
north texas
nyc
oklahoma
philadelphia
pittsburgh
portland
richmond
rochester
rogue valley
saint louis
san diego
san francisco
san francisco bay area
santa barbara
santa cruz, ca
sarasota
seattle
tampa bay
united states
urbana-champaign
vermont
western mass
worcester

West Asia
Armenia
Beirut
Israel
Palestine

Topics
biotech

Process
fbi/legal updates
mailing lists
process & imc docs
tech