What does a Jew want? : on binationalism and other specters PDF
Preview What does a Jew want? : on binationalism and other specters
a “Udi Aloni provides us with a measure of the distance between our capacity for understanding and l the terrors we choose instead. His art is trembling the underground, indeed. Boundless admiration.” o —Tony Kushner n i In the hopes of promoting justice, peace, and solidarity for and with the Palestinian people, Udi Aloni joins with Slavoj Žižek, Alain Badiou, and Judith Butler to confront the core issues of the w Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Their bold question: Will a new generation of Israelis and Palestinians h dare to walk together toward a joint Israel-Palestine? Through a collage of meditation, interview, diary, and essay, Aloni and his interlocutors present a personal, intellectual, and altogether pro- a vocative account rich with the insights of philosophy and critical theory. They ultimately foresee t the emergence of a binational Israeli-Palestinian state, incorporating the work of Walter Benjamin, Edward Said, and Jewish theology to recast the conflict in secular theological terms. d “Udi Aloni has written a remarkable series of love letters to what his country could be, challenging o his fellow Jews to escape from all of our ghettos, whether physical or psychological. Aloni’s e political courage is contagious and reading him is a liberatory experience.” s —naomi Klein, social activist and author of The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism a “Aloni’s secular theology is definitely one of the most fascinating innovations of our time. So, if you want to dwell in your blessed secular ignorance, then do not read this book—at your own risk!” j —slavoj ŽiŽeK e “A provocative and beautiful portfolio of reflections on Israel-Palestine, written by an Israeli artist/ w intellectual of the first order.” —julia reinhard lupTon, University of California, Irvine w udi aloni is an Israeli/American writer and filmmaker whose work explores the discourse a between art, theory, and action. His art projects have been presented in leading museums and gal- n leries, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and his films Kashmir: Journey to Freedom (2009), Forgiveness (2006), and Local Angel (2003) have been screened at the Berlin International Film t Festival, among other prominent venues. This book was published shortly after the murder of his ? dear friend, Juliano Mer Khamis, director of the Freedom Theatre in Jenin Refugee Camp, where Aloni helped him run the Cinema Department. aO nn Slavoj ŽiŽek is a professor at the Institute for Sociology, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia, and d B at the European Graduate School. Oi n t ha alain Badiou is René Descartes Chair at the European Graduate School and teaches at the et Ecole Normale Superieure and the College International de Philosophie. ri o Sn judith Butler is the Maxine Eliot Professor in the Department of Rhetoric and Comparative pa el Literature at the University of California at Berkeley. ci ts m e r COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY PRESS / NEW YORK s cup.columbia.edu ISBN: 978-0-231-15759-9 Printed in the U.S.A. Cover image: From Forgiveness (Mechilot) by Udi Aloni 9 780231 157599 Cover design: Rebecca Lown Design columbia WHAT DOES A JEW WANT? Insurrections: Critical Studies in Religion, Politics, and Culture alon15758_fm.indd 1 7/6/11 7:49 PM INSURRECTIONS: CRITICAL STUDIES IN RELIGION, POLITICS, AND CULTURE Slavoj Žižek, Clayton Crockett, Creston Davis, Jeffrey W. Robbins, editors The intersection of religion, politics, and culture is one of the most discussed areas in theory today. It also has the deepest and most wide-ranging impact on the world. Insurrections: Critical Studies in Religion, Politics, and Culture will bring the tools of philosophy and critical theory to the political implications of the religious turn. The series will address a range of religious traditions and political viewpoints in the United States, Europe, and other parts of the world. Without advocating any specific religious or theological stance, the series aims nonetheless to be faithful to the radical emancipatory potential of religion. After the Death of God, John D. Caputo and Gianni Vattimo, edited by Jeffrey W. Robbins The Politics of Postsecular Religion: Mourning Secular Futures, Ananda Abeysekara Nietzsche and Levinas: “After the Death of a Certain God,” edited by Jill Stauffer and Bettina Bergo Strange Wonder: The Closure of Metaphysics and the Opening of Awe, Mary-Jane Rubenstein Religion and the Specter of the West: Sikhism, India, Postcoloniality, and the Politics of Translation, Arvind Mandair Plasticity at the Dusk of Writing: Dialectic, Destruction, Deconstruction, Catherine Malabou Anatheism: Returning to God After God, Richard Kearney Rage and Time: A Psychopolitical Investigation, Peter Sloterdijk Radical Political Theology: Religion and Politics After Liberalism, Clayton Crockett Radical Democracy and Political Theology, Jeffrey W. Robbins Hegel and the Infinite: Religion, Politics, and Dialectic, edited by Slavoj Žižek Clayton Crockett, and Creston Davis alon15758_fm.indd 2 7/6/11 7:49 PM WHAT DOES A JEW WANT? On Binationalism and Other Specters UDI ALONI conversations and comments by alain badiou, judith butler, and slavoj žižek Columbia University Press New York alon15758_fm.indd 3 7/6/11 7:49 PM Columbia University Press Publishers Since 1893 New York Chichester, West Sussex Copyright © 2011 Columbia University Press All rights reserved Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Aloni, Udi. What does a Jew Want? : on binationalism and other specters / Udi Aloni; edited by Slavoj Žižek ; conversations and comments by Alain Badiou, Judith Butler, and Slavoj Žižek p. cm. Includes bibliographical references. ISBN 978-0-231-15758-2 (cloth: alk. paper) — ISBN 978-0-231-15759-9 (pbk.: alk. paper) — ISBN 978-0-231-52737-8 (e-book) 1. Aloni, Udi. 2. Arab-Israeli conflict—Influence. 3. Israel—Politics and government—21st century—Philosophy. 4. Motion pictures—Political aspects—Israel. 5. Jews—Identity. 6. Jewish philosophy. I. Žižek , Slavoj. II. Badiou, Alain. III. Butler, Judith, 1956– IV. Title. DS126.5.A694 2011 956.9405'4—dc22 2010045022 Casebound editions of Columbia University Press books are printed on permanent and durable acid-free paper. Printed in the United States of America c 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 p 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 References to Internet Web sites (URLs) were accurate at the time of writing. Neither the author nor Columbia University Press is responsible for Web sites that may have expired or changed since the book was prepared. alon15758_fm.indd 4 7/6/11 7:49 PM Don Quixote to my mother, Shulamit Aloni In the bedroom a drawing of Don Quixote. In the living room a ceramic Don Quixote. In the yard a sculpture of Don Quixote. It seems to me you’ve placed them as an emblem to remind you of the absurd, or pathetic, aspect of the struggle. In your greatest battles the small demon of doubt was always there. You’ve acted with the passion of the Man of La Mancha, and the doubt and self-irony of Cervantes. I think it shaped your unique voice, a radical voice Devoid of self-importance, fighting for what’s right without self-righteousness. alon15758_fm.indd 5 7/6/11 7:49 PM alon15758_fm.indd 6 7/6/11 7:49 PM The questions Freud therefore leaves us with are: can so utterly indeci- sive and so deeply undetermined a history ever be written? In what lan- guage, and with what sort of vocabulary? Can it aspire to the conditions of a politics of diaspora life? Can it ever become the not-so-precarious foundation in the land of Jews and Palestinians of a bi-national state in which Israel and Palestine are parts, rather than antagonists, of each other’s history and underlying reality? I myself believe so. —Edward Said, Freud and the Non-European It is well-known that the Jews were forbidden to look into the future. The Torah and the prayers instructed them, by contrast, in remembrance. This disenchanted those who fell prey to the future, who sought advice from the soothsayers. For that reason the future did not, however, turn into a homogenous and empty time for the Jews. For in it every second was the narrow gate, through which the Messiah could enter. —Walter Benjamin, “On the Concept of History” This book is an attempt to think, to act, and to create through these two reflections. Tel Aviv, 2010 alon15758_fm.indd 7 7/6/11 7:49 PM alon15758_fm.indd 8 7/6/11 7:49 PM CONTENTS Foreword Judith Butler xiii editor’s introduction Slavoj Žižek xv acknowledgments xix PROLOGUE: THE VISIT OF THE THREE MAGI TO THE HOLY LAND Slavoj Žižek in Ramallah: Back to the Trauma Zone 3 Merav Yudilovitch Alain Badiou in Haifa: Their Entire Particular World 6 Judith Butler in Sheikh-Jarrah: “This place which is called Israel” 8 1 THEOLOGY: “SPECTERS OF BINATIONALISM” A Manifesto for the Jewish-Palestinian Arab-Hebrew State 13 Why We Support Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions 19 The Star of Redemption with a Split א 22 2 BODY Samson the Non-European 35 Pnay El (Face of God): The Place of Radical Encounter 53 Jocasta’s Dream: The Birth of Love from the Slaughter of the Innocent 61 alon15758_fm.indd 9 7/6/11 7:49 PM
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