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Feminist conversation about about the Israeli/Palestinian conflict

I am always excited when I see a new post on Feministing about the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. I follow the news about Israel closely from a variety of sources, and I am confident that feminist writing possesses a unique opportunity to engage the ever-more upsetting news coming from the Middle East. The feminist perspective offers the ability to read the news differently, and helps me think about how issues of identity inform my own critical practice. This is especially important when discussing Israel/Palestine today, a conflict which is in desperate need for creative answers to the ongoing suffering experienced on both sides.

Yet, despite this opportunity for thoughtful analysis on Israel/Palestine from the various voices published on this blog, I often find myself disappointed by the one-sided perspective found here. After yesterday’s Feministing article about the recent UN vote, I felt compelled to insert my voice into the discussion broadcast on this blog. The “About” section of Feministing states: “Feministing’s Community blog exists to provide a platform for feminist and pro-feminist writing,” and “posts that contain no feminist lens or analysis… may also be held for moderation.” Yesterday’s article lacked the feminist context for the author’s argument and responded to the news without explaining how feminist values informed the author’s opinion.

I appreciate the feminist emphasis on raising consciousness on all human-rights offensives, no matter if they are obviously feminist or not. Yet I find the frequent knee-jerk inclination to demonize Israel ...