Should the Land Back movement be resisted?
The Land Back movement is a decentralized program primarily in North America through which the descendants of indigenous people reclaim land previously inhabited by their ancestors. This land is obtained through donations from governments or individuals, or is purchased outright.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Land_Back
Imagine this future scenario. The Land Back movement becomes so successful, that it threatens to change the demographics of part of the country. White, non-indigenous people begin to express resentment, using the following arguments.
1. The so-called "native" people in many cases are not pure-blooded descendants of the original indigenous people, and few if any of them even speak their original language.
2. They have not lived on these lands for centuries, and are more connected to the places they are coming from than the areas they're buying and moving to.
3. White people have lived in these areas for a long time and are the real "natives."
Things come to a head, and violence erupts. The native people, whose numbers in these areas have grown significantly, demand their own independent country, which they feel is the only way they can keep themselves safe. The federal government is surprisingly open to this, as they're getting tired of maintaining order and would rather just leave the natives to their own devices. This enrages the white people in these areas, who vow to obliterate the natives if they get their own country. However, a petition is made to the UN, and as most countries are sympathetic to the natives due to their history of suffering and genocide at the hands of white people, the native nation is formally recognized, and shortly thereafter, the US government withdraws. This is followed by a vicious attack from the local whites. By now I hope you're thinking, "what a bunch of racist assholes. Let the Indians have their own country if the want it." But against all expectations, the natives not only manage to survive, they actually capture more territory than they were originally allotted. Many white people flee (or are driven away) and become refugees. Others remain and are welcomed into the new country as citizens. But hostilities continue for decades with several wars fought as the surrounding whites attempt to push the natives off their land.
Do you see where I'm going with this? This is exactly how Israel was established. Far from being a "colonial" project, it's in fact a successful example of decolonization.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Land_Back
Imagine this future scenario. The Land Back movement becomes so successful, that it threatens to change the demographics of part of the country. White, non-indigenous people begin to express resentment, using the following arguments.
1. The so-called "native" people in many cases are not pure-blooded descendants of the original indigenous people, and few if any of them even speak their original language.
2. They have not lived on these lands for centuries, and are more connected to the places they are coming from than the areas they're buying and moving to.
3. White people have lived in these areas for a long time and are the real "natives."
Things come to a head, and violence erupts. The native people, whose numbers in these areas have grown significantly, demand their own independent country, which they feel is the only way they can keep themselves safe. The federal government is surprisingly open to this, as they're getting tired of maintaining order and would rather just leave the natives to their own devices. This enrages the white people in these areas, who vow to obliterate the natives if they get their own country. However, a petition is made to the UN, and as most countries are sympathetic to the natives due to their history of suffering and genocide at the hands of white people, the native nation is formally recognized, and shortly thereafter, the US government withdraws. This is followed by a vicious attack from the local whites. By now I hope you're thinking, "what a bunch of racist assholes. Let the Indians have their own country if the want it." But against all expectations, the natives not only manage to survive, they actually capture more territory than they were originally allotted. Many white people flee (or are driven away) and become refugees. Others remain and are welcomed into the new country as citizens. But hostilities continue for decades with several wars fought as the surrounding whites attempt to push the natives off their land.
Do you see where I'm going with this? This is exactly how Israel was established. Far from being a "colonial" project, it's in fact a successful example of decolonization.
