False Dichotomies

“Puff told me like, the key to this joint/The key to staying, on top of things/is treat everything like it’s your first project/knahmsayin?/Like it’s your first day like back when you was an intern/Like, that’s how you try to treat things like, just stay hungry” Notorious B.I.G.

This is the final false dichotomies email. With my stint in the IDF rapidly approaching, I’ve realised that I won’t be able to give the blog the attention it deserves over the next few months. And, as Kurt Cobain said, it’s better to burn out than to fade away. But the decision to end falsedi goes deeper than just a lack of time. Even without the army, I think now is an appropriate time for falsedi to fade to black. Allow me to explain….

Falsedichotomies began eighteen months ago. It started as a place to house my weekly emails, but soon developed into something bigger – a regular Progressive Zionist examination of Israel and the conflict. More writers came aboard, and we managed to provide regular commentary on events in Israel. In a crowded field, I genuinely believed we changed the discourse. Articles from falsedi are now published by the Guardian, as well as other respectable bloggers and sites worldwide.

But the argument is over. I’m really not sure there’s anything interesting to say anymore about Israel and Palestine. And I’m tired of arguing. I’ll continue to do it, of course – as long as people continue to peddle absurdities – but it’s deeply tiring. It’s easy to construct an argument. It’s easy to critique false dichotomies. But it’s not something that nourishes people. Only stories do that. The question now is: how do we create stories that can contribute to peace in the Middle East?

I’m proud of what we achieved here. Believe it or not, we have hundreds of readers, all over the globe. I’m proud of the connections we’ve made, of the memories of building something from scratch and continuing to maintain it. I’m proud that our articles have been picked up by higher profile publications. I’m proud of unleashing Seth Freedman on the world. At his best, he is the most original voice on life in Zion.

Of course, we shall return to the blogosphere. I hope to return with a new blog by the end of the year. And we shall continue to write for Comment is Free. And if you’re interested in hearing about life in the IDF, I shall be sending out an email about my experiences. Drop a line to hayalboded@gmail.com if you want to sign up. Finally, thanks for reading. And for those who were too shy to ask to be removed from the mailing list – fear no longer. Your time is up. For those that have read with interest, for those that have commented on the articles, you are the ones that have kept this project going. And, of course, thanks to Ed and Jonathan for maintaining the site. One.