Thread by @HusseinAboubak

Zionism in its origin, as a romanticist and idealist national project, was distinct among all similar movements in more than one way: while other projects were options among other options, Zionism was progressively compulsory given the rise of predatory mass antisemitism in /1

early 20th century Europe that later culminated in the Holocaust. This made Zionism not merely a nationalist project, but a survivalist imperative. Second, because of the first point Zionism was inherently a defensive nationalism as opposed to the prevalent mode of offensive /2

nationalisms built on self-realization of the German kind in Europe (Germany, Italy, France, Russia, etc.) and later in the Middle East. That is, Zionism was romanticist for survival purposes not for self-aggrandizement purposes. Third, the historical circumstances of /3

Zionism forced immediate real political beginnings, envisioned by a literary intellectual class (Jewish romantic nerds), and only much later did the necessary nationalist militancy was established long after the ideological and theoretical foundations were already set. This /4

resulted in Zionism being significantly more civil, democratic, and less prone to the kind of pagan chauvinism, of leader worship and strong man statues, normally associated with the nationalisms of the period. Lastly, and I think for me this is the most important, /5

Zionism was very quick to exit romanticism and the romantic theorizing speculative mode altogether and become engaged with actual reality as it is. This last point is the one major difference between Zionism and all other romanticist nationalisms /6

that tend to sacrifice reality for lofty ideas. I think by the fifth Aliyah, Zionists had already started sacrificing theory and intellectual speculation for the sake of reality, a tendency one could say that it ironically started with the father of Zionist romanticism, /7

Herzel himself who sought to convince the religious class that Zionism is a compromise between the demands of reality and the messianic ideal. This will reoccur multiple times in the history of Israel when realism triumphed, such as how the elites gradually gave up the idea of /8

being a socialist European country and accepting the fact that Israel is naturally the hummus mongering habibi Middle Eastern country it is. Palestinian leaders and activists will do themselves a favor and learning from Israel how to sacrifice lofty romantic ideas for reality /9

and not the other way around. To do this, Palestinians will need to stop depending on academics and intellectuals, the most romantic delusionalists of all, and listen to reason.

This thread is dedicated to young American philistins, Jews and non-Jews, who are brainlessly parroting the rhetoric of "evil ethnonationalism" without any real interest in understanding the complexities of the ideas of nationalism and modern national identity and their history.

And Yuval Noah Harrari doesn't know what he's talking about