These days, anyone interested in the Middle East will be subjected to a barrage of accusations against Israel on the Web, on campus and in other settings. Many of these attacks come from the far left, from activists trying to appeal to Jews and non-Jews committed to human rights and social justice.
Too many of Israel’s critics cross the line that separates productive criticism from polemical, inaccurate and unfair attacks. Often, they don’t just attack specific Israeli policies and behavior. Rather, they portray the entire Zionist enterprise, from the 19th century to the present, as nothing more than a racist, colonialist and immoral land theft.
At the same time, too many of Israel’s supporters are defending the indefensible, including a morally unsustainable occupation and anti-Arab racism.
The Third Narrative (TTN) initiative was developed in response to this situation. Our goal is to provide:
- Information and ideas to those who are disturbed by Israel’s rightward lurch and some of its past conduct, but suspect it is wrong to lay all blame for the conflict at the feet of Israeli Jews. When it comes to Israel-Palestine, the truth is rarely black or white; it resides in a gray area. That’s the landscape where TTN traverses.
- A resource and sounding board for people who are struggling to figure out how to reconcile support of a Jewish homeland with their progressive values.
- A home for innovative, out-of-the-box thinking on how to pursue peace and justice for both Israelis and Palestinians.
Created ten years ago, The Third Narrative is the brainchild of Ameinu, a North American Jewish organization that supports progressive causes in Israel, the United States, and Canada. Views expressed by TTN contributors do not necessarily represent official Ameinu policies.