Letter of Rejection

Gold cherry
Story of the week

By Kilb50

Mon, 11 Nov 2024
  • 658 reads
17 comments
 

Dear Sir,

 

Thank you for submitting your poem The Children of Gaza to our journal.

 

After careful consideration we do not think the poem or the views expressed within it are compatable with the editorial stance of this publication. Our board agreed that some of the language was profoundly anti semitic, in particular your line that the Israeli Defence Force ‘tell constant lies’ as well as the line describing Prime Minister Netanyahu as a ‘psychopath’. Poetry, we feel, should not stoop to the level of political propoganda. I can only reflect that the language used in your poem is more associated with the intimidating marches that have become a sad reflection of left-wing bias in recent months. Poetry should be uplifting and joyful, and not concerned with international events that the writer does not fully understand.

 

Your condemnation of Western governments as ‘culpable in the genocide of the Palestinian people’ we found particularly disturbing. I would like to remind you that Western governments have urged Israel on numerous occasions to do everything it can to lessen civilian casualties and increase the flow of aid into the territory. There has, I am pleased to say, been considerable improvement in this area: only 70 per cent of the alleged 43,000* killed have been innocent women and children; without the strong intervention of Western governments, the percentage could well have been significantly higher.

 

The third stanza of your poem accuses the Israeli government of preventing independent commentary of the war by refusing to allow western journalists access to Gaza. The sole reason for Israel’s ban is to prevent journalists coming to harm, and not a cynical ploy to cover up war crimes as you suggest.

 

Finally, your assertion that the events of October 7th ‘did not happen 'in a vacuum’ and that, pre-Oct 7th, Gaza was a ‘concentration camp’ were particularly upsetting to members of our editorial board, two of whom were obliged to leave the room in order to compose themselves. Such wilful disregard for the well-being of others I find despicable.

 

I have not returned the printed copy of your poem; instead I have alerted the security services to read it with a view that you are apprehended at the earliest possible date and incarcerated for your extreme views. I am sure they will agree that you and your poem constitute a danger to the civilised world.

 

Thank you for your submission,

 

  1. Portnoy (editor in chief)

 

* The IDF have calculated that the number of fatalities stands at 43 and I have no reason to doubt this number.

Certificate 15
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Comments

Submitted by celticman on

43 it is then. Or isn't. There are no such things as facts now. Dead bodies don't exist. Women and children died of natural causes. They are just trying to find which bits fit together. 

 

Submitted by Di_Hard on

I admire you for trying to address this. I do not know how to. i heard on World Service last night that South Africa is expecting they'll lose freedom from import duties into America (which favoured African democracies are allowed), because of the case they put forward about war crimes. It is brilliant that the BBC is reporting this properly now (unlike the beginning) and I am afraid every day that Jeremy Bowen will have been killed. How this has got so far all the rest of the world is horrified, yet continues to allow it - there was a description of the Polish ghetto the other day, and it could so easily have been Gaza, except in the ghetto people were not bombed to death but taken away in trains. I thought there were meant to be laws against this ever happening again.
The sideways way of addressing all this you have used is really clever

 

Submitted by Nolan on

South Africa is just as confused of which side we're on as any country in the world.

~ &

 

Submitted by Insertponceyfre... on

Yes, a very effective sideways approach - well said

 

Submitted by Turlough on

My heart bleeds for the upset members of the editorial board.

I love your clever and unique approach to describing these horrors that the world chooses to ignore.

Good on you! 

Turlough

Submitted by unni_kumaran on

Editorial policies reconstruct the world, hide the reality, mute the screams of children.

 

Submitted by David Kirtley on

A great piece. What an appropriate way to show the hypocrisy of so many western media, and news organisations, and government and political statements. Very well written. Many people should read this to counter the whitewashing and propaganda!

Submitted by Insertponceyfre... on

Congratulations, this is Story of the Week!

 

Submitted by Di_Hard on

I would like to make clear that this is the choice of me, Di_Hard, and not Claudine - I was using her log in for her blog to post about Pick of the Week

 

Submitted by Di_Hard on

This clever sideways approach to confronting an unfolding tragedy, is Pick of the Day. Please do share if you can

Kilb, please change this image if you want to. It is from here : https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:SSL.nl_envelope,_Hillegersberg,_...(2021)_06.jpg

 

Submitted by Kilb50 on

Thanks for PofD Di!

 

Submitted by Insertponceyfre... on

Very well deserved double honours for this one Kilb - congratulations!

 

Submitted by Kilb50 on

Thanks insert - appreciated!

 

Submitted by Ed Crane on

it was Mosaic Magazine for example you kinda got what you deserved :) However, I have a problem with imagining this kind of reaction from the average British or European magazine (not sure about US ones especially after 1/5/25 aka 5/1/25). Most likely a polite rejection would be the norm. 

Having said that, the opinions expressed in this "poem" reflect the feelings on *probably) millions of decent minded people and I applaud that.

The thing is not the media response that bugs me. It is the fact this abominable fuck up is a testement to a century of Nationalism. Seeds sown after the break up of the Austrian empire in 1918 germinated and set tender shoots which struggled to grow on Arab Nationalism until the late 20s when National Socialist Germany set about (upon) clearing out their Jewish population, when the Jewish population in Palestine more than tripled in the late 20s and exploded to eight to nine times the original 56000 to almost half a million in 1939.

Arab nationalism got fired up in 1945 and culminated into a civil war and eventually the first Arab-Israel war in 1949 when Isreal declared independance which (in hindsight might not have been a good idea) was recognised by World states at the time. Then the Americans go involved emboldening the new state of Israel. Every body cheered then ..... except the Arab nations. The absolute thrashing of Egypt, Jordan and Syria nationlistst  in 1967 only emboldened the US armed Israelis even more. However Israel was and still is a state living in fear. 

Fear as many accept is the the first tool in the nationalist toolkit for taking control of a population and it has worked well over the years for Nationalist Jews and right wing America. Trump's America was and still is the only country to accept that the West bank and Gaza are no longer Israeli occupied territories. This has been a God (Devil's?) send to Mr Net n' Yahoooo! (along with Biden's total failure), who to all intents and puposes has a free hand. Sadly a hand due to become much stronger in 2025. 

Don't like what you see in Gaza? ......... You aint seen nuthin' yet!devil

 I would strongly recommend anybody who cares about this situation to read the BBC article: Israel's borders explained in maps

 

 

Submitted by Kilb50 on

Thanks for reading & your comment Ed. I'll check out Mosaic

 

Submitted by Ed Crane on

This is a fine piece and thoroughly deserves pick of the week or even month. I hope you didn't misunderstand my opening comments

I believe Mosaic is an Israeli magazine. I just googled Israel mags and picked the first name that came up :)

best wishes great stuff

 

Submitted by Nolan on

You should really feel honoured for such a letter, always that would be simply returning your manuscript with the standard note, "We do not consider unsolicited submissions". One thing that you might get a foot in the door is submitting your work for competitions.

Such a detailed letter as this of rejection usually is a reply to a love-starved romantic letter of a girl's malicious joy and revenge or a "Dear Johnny", in which case Johnny is currently in the middle of some middle-east war and chances are he won't be coming back.

I actually did read your post. Good luck! Nolan &