Europe and the Palestinians
Aperture Priorities Contact Sheet #3
By Joel Schalit
No city hosts bigger Palestinian solidarity protests than London. Given the UK's imperial history, you can understand why.
No country is more responsible for the Palestinian-Israeli conflict than the United Kingdom. Saturday's Armistice Day protests are a perfect example.
With over 300,000 participants, the Sukkot War has clearly touched a nerve. Not just among Muslims and Jews but Britons of Anglo-Saxon background too.
The British are not alone in their responsibility. Germany and Russia are similarly complicit. The difference is how these histories get translated.
Home to the most multicultural society in Europe, of course, it'd get more heated. Especially if you recognise that British diversity is a consequence of empire.
In the Jewish community, we often mistake British sympathy for Palestinians with racism. Because of our historical experiences in Europe, it's not hard to figure out.
Many of us don't understand how the Palestinian-Israeli conflict overlaps with regional diversity politics and the significance of colonialism for the European left.
That's not to say it's lost on us. Jewish academics are amongst the most reputable authorities on the subject. But when it comes to Israel, it couldn't be more different.
Learning this has been the biggest benefit I've gotten from covering Europe, where I've lived for almost twenty years. Hence, this week's Aperture Priorities.
In this week's selection, the photos jump back and forth between Israel/Palestine and other parts of the world that preoccupy Italians - Africa and China, in particular.
It's not hard to see in them Italy's own imperial history and difficulties in integrating immigrants. That's how I read it as an Israeli-American journalist.
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Photographs courtesy of Joel Schalit. All rights reserved.