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To an Israelian friend, 18.09.2012

Dear A.,
I have heard that Y. is diffusing dubious ideas about me. I presume, this may be the case because he did not understand well what I have said about Israel and the political situation in Near East. I thought about these things only because he complained about rockets falling every day on Israelian soil. And he seemed to think that this were a great injustice.
Well, I’m born in the most devastating war of all times, which resulted from the German trial to invade Russia. The result: I dont like wars. If war would come to Germany or Italy again, I would have to emigrate. Another result: I’m not much interested in politics, except in those politics which result or resulted in history. So, I’ll tell you what I think of the situation in Palestine, founding on historic examples. The formation of the Israelian state was the result of a kind of invasion. History consists of innumerable examples of invasion, in part successful, in part not. I will talk only about some of them which seem to have some relevance to the situation in Near East or from which we can learn something.
Invaders always propagate ideas about the reasons of their doing to persuade their people and followers or observers of their righteousness. These ideas are always “ideologic” in the sense of Lenin who called ideologies “wrong conscience”. The ideologic basis of the invasion of Palestine by the Jews was their historic right. Their ancestors once lived there. But this is no valuable reason because there exists no right of that kind. The only “right” is peaceful persuasion or military force.
There are examples of fairly peaceful invasions: The Greeks who invaded Sicily and the coasts of Italy and Southern France. Conflicts with the original population seem to have been limited because the Greeks mostly remained at the coast. The Etruscans also must have found methods to arrange peacefully with the Umbrians; at least we know nothing about endless wars. If there would have been such wars we would know from the artefacts they left.
One interesting example of invasions concerning the Near East were the crusades. Beginning in the 11th century they finished after about one and a half century of war ensuing the expulsion of all Europeans. The ideology of the crusaders had been the reconquist of the “Holy Lands” of Christianity. After this began the invasion of Turks into Near East, Europe and North Africa which lasted about seven centuries until the end of World War I. Only from the end of the Turkish Empire in World War I resulted the complicated political situation existing now in the Near East; complicated still more by the foundation of the Israelian state.
Another interesting example is the one of the Vikings who had successfully invaded Russia – in fact creating it. Their blond hairs merged with the dark hair of Slavic people to red hair which gave the name to this mixture of peoples [russ means red]. The red hair disappeared because of recessive genes but young Slavics (including me) often have blond hair until about ten years of age. At about the same time the Vikings tried to invade North America but were expelled.
An even more interesting example of invasion began in the year 1620 when English pilgrims arrived in North America. Together with other Europeans the Englishmen successfully invaded the North American continent. But it cost about three centuries of war against the aborigines called “Indians” which resulted in the physical and cultural ruin of the Indian tribes (estimated victims about 20 to 30 millions of Indians). And this invasion, although successful, cost the lifes of many, many invaders and their descendants often dying horrible deaths (number unknown). And today the U.S.-Americans seem to have still an ideology formed by the pioneers which signifies a totally wrong conscience with a lot of culturally devastating effects.
Neither the Israelians did establish peaceful relationships with the inhabitants of the country they invaded. Continuing the actual politics, the probable or even unavoidable result will be a long lasting war which will end only with the expelling or physical and/or cultural annihilation of all Israelians or the physical and/or cultural annihilation of all their enemies. Calculating the number of enemies the latter effect seems unlikely. This is the historic situation in Near East seen by a historian schooled in philosophy, psychology, sociology and anthropology.
Finally, I have to confess that I’m neither for or against Israel or Israelians nor for or against Palestinians or any other people. I’m just against war. I hope Y. will understand now what I intended to say and stop ‘warring’ against me.
Best wishes
Helmar
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