There is a scene in the film Guardians of the Galaxy where Rocket, a perpetually aggrieved, physically-enhanced raccoon, objects to a suggestion that he join a mission to save the galaxy from an Infinity-Stone-wielding bad guy.
Rocket Raccoon: What has the galaxy ever done for you? Why would you wanna to save it!?
Peter Quill: ’Cause I’m one of the idiots who lives in it!
I was reminded of this scene recently, when I had the good luck of listening to two Palestinian and Jewish Israelis talk about their efforts to build a grassroots movement to address a range of social, economic, and environmental issues. All that… and an end to the occupation and a lasting peace between Israel and Palestine.
Sally Abed and Alon-Lee Green, the aforementioned Palestinian and Jewish Israelis, are the head of development and national co-director of Standing Together, which describes itself as a “grassroots movement, rooted in inclusivity and pluralism… [uniting] the Israeli masses and [propelling] them to action.” They were in the United States to tell their story and share their vision for the future of Israel-Palestine.
I was skeptical that they would be able to say anything that would cheer me up. I was wrong.
Abed and Green weren’t optimistic. They didn’t suggest that things were going well. The solution they proposed isn’t easy. And yet…
Convention wisdom tells us that Jewish Israelis and Palestinians can’t live together. The hate is too deep. The differences are irreconcilable. We are told that Jewish Israelis support genocide, and Palestinians support terrorism. Violent repression and resistance are the only options.
Abed and Green, co-workers who are also comrades, provide evidence that the conventional wisdom is wrong; these are not the only options. Standing Together provides evidence that a different future is possible.
For too long, the public conversation in the United States about Israel-Palestine has been focused on the wrong things. Identity and ideology have been centered. Are you a Zionist? Do you support decolonization? Should we call it apartheid? Do you condemn terrorism? Kidnapping? Bombing? Is that antisemitism? Islamophobia?
Abed and Green, both organizers, are focused elsewhere. They want to know: What are your goals? How are you going to build the political will to achieve them?
Like Peter Quill in Guardians of the Galaxy, they want to save Israel-Palestine because they are among the idiots who live there.
Jews and Palestinians are not going anywhere. They need to learn how to live together. Both deserve full equality. So, how do we make that happen?
I think their answer is a good one. By standing together. Jews and Palestinians. In one movement.
On parts of the left, there is a belief that it is possible to bring about meaningful, lasting change in Israel-Palestine without engaging with Israeli Jews. The Israeli left, which still exists despite the body blows it has taken over the past two decades, should be one of the most important allies in the struggle for Palestinian equality and freedom. Unfortunately, it has been overlooked, or worse, blacklisted by the global left for its failure to support a Palestinian right of return. The very community we should be strengthening is instead being starved by its purported fellow travelers.
Green has noted what many others, including American officials, have observed: Bibi’s administration is seeking regime change in Gaza with no plan for what comes next. This is folly. Everyone knows it. The U.S. has learned and relearned this lesson many times over.
But too much of the global left also doesn’t have a clear plan. No real plan for how to win; definitely no plan on what to do once victory is achieved. To quote from another Marvel movie…
Steve Rogers: Stark, we need a plan of attack!
Tony Stark: I have a plan: attack!
Attack is a tactic, not a strategy. Sure, conflict is mobilizing. It grabs people’s attention. It generates headlines.
It’s also not sustainable. It destroys more than it builds. It alienates potential allies. Over time, it breeds cynicism and hopelessness. Over time, it is demobilizing.
I support calls for a ceasefire. If I were in charge, I would have responded to the October 7 attack by Hamas with an effort to negotiate a hostage exchange, to isolate Hamas, and to reward credible alternatives. That said, Israel is a sovereign nation whose citizens elected the most right-wing government in its history. Its military response and ground invasion were predictable and largely immune to outside pressure from global protests.
When the dust settles, in the coming weeks or months, Israel will have to decide what it does next. I hope it will be clear to everyone who cares about peace, justice, and equality in Israel-Palestine how important groups like Standing Together are in these movement moments. Change will come when the people who live in Israel-Palestine, Jews and Palestinians, and who share these goals, build enough power to make it so. I hope you will join me in supporting them.
