From South Africa to Israel, the Greek State Has Always Had a Soft Spot for Apartheid

BY GIORGOS MITRALIAS

 MAY 21, 2024
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If some people think they can repeat what they’ve seen in other countries and occupy universities, pitch tents and make a mess, they’re deeply mistaken”. This – so eminently delicate – statement by the Greek Prime Minister, which followed the brutal “evacuation” of the law faculty on Tuesday May 14 (28 arrests), can only surprise the uninformed: the Greek state and its governments have always had a soft spot for anything to do with apartheid and apartheid regimes!

Today Israel, formerly South Africa and Rhodesia. And not only for reasons of ideological affinity, but above all because the (material) interests of the various Greek elites demand it. Moreover, this obvious “weakness” for these monstrous regimes has almost always led the Greek state and its governments to defy the recommendations and decisions of the so-called “international community” (UN, etc.) and to violate the economic blockades (embargos) imposed on these regimes, while calling those who respected and wanted to apply these decisions of the international community “anarchists” or even “terrorists”. In other words, much as Mr. Mitsotakis does today…

At that time, not so long ago as it lasted practically until the end of the apartheid regimes, the infamous Greek shipowners, perpetuating a long tradition of their congeners, blithely violated the embargo imposed by the UN on Ian Smith’s racist Rhodesia. And, on the other hand, the Greek state and its capitalists turned into a veritable “laundry” for South African exports, “in order to obtain the Greek stamp and no longer be subject to the UN embargo”. And this story continues today, with the blessing of Mr. Mitsotakis’ current Greek government, which celebrates the successes of these same shipowners, or their descendants, who are making billions by violating and/or taking advantage of ongoing embargoes, “to transport Russian oil“. Thus, according to a very instructive Forbes article published on May 16, “sanctions after the invasion of Ukraine sent tanker values soaring, boosting the fortunes of these maritime moguls to record highs and minting at least seven new 10-figure fortunes”.

So, given that 9 out of 10 of the Greek media are owned by these same billionaire shipowners, it’s more than “normal” that they fully support Mr. Mitsotakis’ repressive obsessions against those students who persist in trying to prevent these gentlemen’s unsavory dealings with genocidal, war-mongering celebrities like Vladimir Putin and Bibi Netanyahu from going around in circles…

Back then, it was the UN and its embargo, and the international campaign to boycott racist South Africa. Today, it’s the students of the world, those who – according to Mr. Mitsotakis – “occupy universities, pitch tents and make a mess”, because they’re waging a similar campaign and want to impose a similar embargo on apartheid Israel. But how? By hitting the racists where it hurts most, in their wallets. And despite fierce repression, with already notable successes.

Take Spain, for example, where the Confederation of Spanish Universities (CRUE), which brings together 77 universities (50 public and 27 private), has just taken the historic decision to sever all ties with Israeli universities and companies! And what’s more, to strengthen relations with Palestinian universities and the Palestinian education system, while combating anti-Semitism and Islamophobia! And all thanks to the mobilization of Spanish and Catalan students who occupied their universities, and more generally… they “made a mess of it” because, quite simply, they weren’t impassive enough to limit themselves watching the genocide of the Palestinians in Gaza live on their TV screens. The same happened almost three months ago in Norway when four universities decided to suspend collaborations with universities in Israel and end contracts with companies linked to Israel’s military. And in Ireland, Trinity College took the decision to divest from Israel following the mobilization of its students. Last but not least, some hours ago, Belgium’s University of Ghent (Ugent) announced that it is severing ties with three Israeli educational or research institutions which it says no longer align with UGent’s human rights policy, due to their affiliation with Israeli ministries and the Israeli army. This important decision followed a mass mobilization of Ghents’university students calling for concrete action to meet the university’s 2030 climate plans, and asking the university to cut ties with institutions connected to the Israeli military. Their leaflet bears the eloquent title “Free Palestine is a climate justice issue”!

So, although provisional, our conclusion leaves no doubt: the battle is only just beginning, and will be as fierce as the genocidal Netanyahu and his various accomplices – like Mitsotakis – seem to want it to be. But the cause couldn’t be more sacred: the defense of life against the adepts of destruction and death!

Yuval Noah Harari’s Odyssey into a Parallel Zionist Universe

BY YOAV LITVIN

 MAY 20, 2024
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Image via Wikipedia.

In the vast expanse of the intellectual cosmos, there exists a luminary whose brilliance outshines even the brightest stars.

Professor Yuval Noah Harari, a name whispered with reverence among the learned denizens of the galaxy, is a beacon of knowledge, whose canon traverses the celestial planes of history, philosophy, human psychology and beyond.

Informed by years of contemplative transcendence and prodigious mastery of the written word, his concepts, like cosmic dark matter anomalies rippling through the fabric of reality, challenge our understanding of existence and propel us toward the final frontier of enlightenment.

It is within these boundless realms, with Enterprise captain boldness and sage wisdom, that Harari recently journeyed into his nuanced quagmire imaginary version of Zionism.

In a twist of revisionism as astonishing as his repurposing of “humanism,” Harari embarked on a fantastical odyssey, gazing balefully at those who weaponise “Zionism” as a slur, likening it to a sinister form of tribalism or even racism.

For in the great beyond of Harari’s philosophy, nothing about Zionism suggests any hint of superiority toward native Palestinians. Certainly not Israeli discriminatory laws and inconvenient evidence embedded in Israel’s Basic Law: Knesset, Article 7(a), which erects Zionism as a gatekeeper to participation in the facade of Israeli “democracy.”

The gospel according to Yuval Noah Harari

How mundane to concern oneself with the musings of figures like the obscure Ukrainian Vladimir Jabotinsky, a mere blip on the Zionist radar, albeit Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu’s ideological guru, who said:

“If it is immoral to colonise a country against the will of its native population, the same morality must apply equally to the black man as to the white. Of course, the blackman may not be sufficiently advanced to think of sending delegations to London, but he will soon find some kindhearted white friends, who will instruct him.” 

And:

“There will always be two nations in Palestine – which is good enough for me, provided the Jews become the majority.” 

And:

“We are seeking to colonise a country against the wishes of its population, in other words, by force.” 

Perhaps we can forgive Harari, as he has been preoccupied, hobnobbing with the esteemed German and Austrian Chancellors, engaging in discourse with the luminous French President and exchanging algorithmic pleasantries with his fellow apostle, the social media Meta marvel Mark Zuckerberg, rather than reminiscing on musings of Theodor Herzl, who said:

“We must expropriate gently the private property on the estates assigned to us. We shall try to spirit the penniless population across the border by procuring employment for it in the transit countries, while denying it employment in our own country. The property owners will come over to our side.”

Cogitating in this hallowed sanctum, Harari pays homage to the ancient Zionist rite of denialism, where truth is supplanted by a labyrinthine puzzle wielded deftly for the purpose of gaslighting Palestinians and their allies. Yet, in his orchestration of the numinous, Harari also upholds another sacred tenet of Zionism: the doctrine of white supremacy.

Behold, in his TED Talk of 2018, aptly titled “Why Fascism is so Tempting”, Harari, assuming his digital avatar visage, extols the virtues of nationalism, proclaiming:

“If you look today at the most prosperous and peaceful countries in the world, countries like Sweden and Switzerland and Japan, you will see that they have a very strong sense of nationalism. In contrast, countries that lack a strong sense of nationalism like Congo and Somalia and Afghanistan tend to be violent and poor.” 

In another oration, Harari paints a portrait of “the culture war” as a force cleaving asunder the very fabric of Western civilisation. Fear not, for he proclaims that if we, esteemed burgesses of Europe and the United States, stand as one, all shall be well in our earthly realm. What a marvellously convenient solution to our existential quandaries!

Close your eyes and ears

Hark to the melodious hymns of Harari, bard of the primal Zionist saga!

In each verse, he sings the sacred Hasbara handbook as divine scripture bestowed upon him at the hallowed gates of Ben Gurion airport, flown in with the latest shipment of US/UK weaponry.

From the Partition Plan to the Oslo Accords, to the conflation of Zionism and Judaism, his dulcet tones dance with the rhythm of McCarthyistic anti-communism and Islamophobia, a fascistic symphony of propaganda orchestrated to lull the masses into an hypnotic acquiescence to genocide.

He wields the myth of Israeli “democracy” like a shimmering shield against arrows of truth, casting blame upon Netanyahu, the scapegoat for all of Zion’s woes.

Not a whisper from Harari is there on the UN ESCWA report of March 2017, exposing Israel’s apartheid practices toward Palestinians, spanning every inch of land under its dominion, and the plight of Palestinians scattered in the Shatat (diaspora), left to suffer in the shadow of exclusion.

His neglect extends to Israel’s ongoing and escalating genocide in Gaza, alongside relentless campaigns of settler terror in the West Bank, drowning out the cries of the oppressed.

Settler colonialism, slavery, the plunder of the global south, the annihilation of indigenous peoples — these are topics too gauche for Harari’s highbrow celestial discussions, as he detours around capitalism’s sordid sins.

A playlist of Zionist apologia, Harari’s rhetoric perpetuates the shallow canards of “liberal” Zionism, ensconced in fake notions of human rights, in a facile attempt to salvage a crumbling Western narrative. By conveniently blaming Netanyahu while promoting an ahistorical alternative, he constructs a duplicitous wormhole, leading away from deeper examination of Zionism’s origins as a fascist, white supremacist ideology. Thus, we are left with Harari’s facade masking the true visage of oppression.

This piece first appeared in The New Arab.

Yoav Litvin is a Doctor of Psychology/ Behavioral Neuroscience. For more info, please visit yoavlitvin.com/about/  

Donald Trump’s Assault on the Wages of American Workers

BY LAWRENCE WITTNER

 MAY 21, 2024
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Image by Mika Baumeister.

Although Donald Trump, as president, proclaimed in his 2020 State of the Union address that he had produced a “blue-collar boom” in workers’ wages, the reality was quite different. Using his control of the executive branch of the U.S. government, Trump repeatedly undermined the wages of American workers by blocking raises and imposing wage reductions.

Only the preceding year, Trump derailed vital wage legislation. In July 2019―with the pathetically low federal minimum wage stuck at $7.25 per hour for a decade and some 13 million workers holding two or more jobs to support their families―the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives passed the Raise the Wage Act. If enacted, the legislation would have gradually increased the federal minimum wage to $15 per hour over a six-year period. But, instead of supporting the legislation or proposing an alternative, the Trump White House announced that, if the Senate passed the House bill, Trump would veto it. Consequently, the measure died in the Republican-controlled Senate. According to the AFL-CIO, the legislation would have raised the pay of 40 million American workers.

That same year, Trump’s Department of Labor succeeded in rolling back planned wage increases for millions of workers by restricting eligibility for overtime pay. In 2016, the last year of the Obama administration, the Labor Department had issued a rule substantially raising the income level below which workers were paid time and a half for work done beyond 40 hours per week. But the Trump Labor Department, seizing on a delay in implementation occasioned by a judicial decision, lowered the level by more than $20,000, thus depriving 8.2 million American workers of the right to overtime pay secured under Obama.

In August 2018, Trump canceled a scheduled 2 percent pay raise for millions of civilian federal employees, leading to criticism even from some Republicans. This action, plus other administration assaults on the rights of public employees, led to a massive flight of workers from government service. By the fall of 2019, there were 45,000 vacancies in the Department of Veterans Affairs alone. To fill these vacancies, the Trump administration hired large numbers of temp workers at low wages and with minimal benefits.

Yet another administration policy that undercut workers’ wages emerged with the Trump Labor Department’s issuance of a “joint-employer” rule. The Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 had been fashioned to ensure that businesses using staffing companies or subcontractors would be accountable for complying with basic workplace protections. Even so, the Trump administration’s joint-employer rule substantially limited liability for wage and hour violations, thereby making it harder for workers to hold all parties accountable. As a result, U.S. workers lost an estimated $1 billion annually thanks to subcontracting or wage theft by employers.

Of course, not all Trump administration attempts at holding down wages succeeded. In 2017, the Trump Labor Department proposed that employers could simply pocket workers’ tips, as long as the workers were paid the minimum wage. Economists estimated that this policy would lead to the loss of $5.8 billion per year in tips for workers, 80 percent of whom were women. But after the discovery that Trump’s Secretary of Labor had gone to great lengths to hide his department’s findings about how harmful the new policy would be, Congress stepped in and amended the Fair Labor Standards Act to prohibit employers from seizing the tips of their employees.

Another Trump administration failure occurred in connection with reducing the wages of farmworkers, some of the most exploited, lowest-paid workers in the United States. In mid-2019, the Labor Department proposed a new regulation that would change the rules of the H-2A visa program, used by agricultural employers to hire migrant farmworkers for seasonal work―for example, by President Trump’s wineries. As one of the rules changes would lower wage rates for H-2A farmworkers and, consequently, for their U.S. counterparts, the United Farm Workers challenged it in federal court and, ultimately, prevailed.

Although the “real wages” (after adjusting for inflation) of American workers did rise during Trump’s presidency, the rise was minimal. According to a 2020 Congressional report, during Trump’s first three years in office, workers’ “real average hourly earnings increased by an average of just 0.9 percent.” Admittedly, there was a very substantial jump in real average earnings in the fourth year. But this jump reflected the fact that, in 2020, a disproportionate number of low-wage workers lost their jobs thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic and, therefore, were not included in wage calculations.

And even these minimal wage gains usually reflected factors other than administration actions. Responding to the failure of the federal government to ensure adequate wages for workers, many states and cities enacted minimum wage raises, fueling wage growth for the most poorly-paid. Indeed, a study by the National Employment Law Project found that the median wage for low-wage workers climbed much more sharply in states that raised their pay floors than in states that didn’t. In addition, a surge in strike activity by teachers and by unionized workers at major U.S. companies during 2018 and 2019 increased wages for yet another portion of the nation’s workforce.

Overall, then, far from sparking a wage boom, the policies of Trump and his administration depressed the wages of American workers.

Dr. Lawrence Wittner is Professor of History emeritus at SUNY/Albany and the author of Confronting the Bomb (Stanford University Press.)