Tolerance Is a Wasteland

En savoir plus sur le livre

This book examines how a violent project of dispossession and discrimination in Israel is perceived as an embodiment of sustainability, multicultural tolerance, and democratic ideals. Despite documented evidence of racism and human rights abuses, Israel is embraced by liberal sectors in Europe and America as a manifestation of progressive values, which can be passionately defended. The author argues that this perception stems from a specific form of denial, where the Palestinian presence and claims to Palestine are not only ignored but negated in a way that the act of denial itself is denied. The resulting effects of destruction and repression are reframed as affirmations of liberal virtues. The author explores various acts of affirmation and denial, such as the forests concealing the ruins of depopulated Palestinian villages, the portrayal of Israel as a gay-friendly haven through 'pinkwashing,' and the Museum of Tolerance being constructed over a desecrated Muslim cemetery in Jerusalem. This work reveals the emotional investments and curated perceptions that sustain this cognitive dissonance, highlighting the complexities of how such a narrative is maintained in the face of conflicting realities.