Quoted: Kosha Dillz on why hip-hop should be pro-Israel

The following is from an interview Kosha Dillz did with the blog 33jones.

33jones: When I first put up links to the Holiday video I received several emails from people who were, at best, skeptical of your intentions. One of the focal points of the criticism was the issue of your Zionism. Now I'm well aware of the fact that calling someone out as a "Zionist" is often a codeword that anti-semites use to refer to Jews, but in one interview that I read, you were described as a "self-proclaimed Zionist." Is that an accurate description of yourself and, if so, what do you define as "Zionism?" 

Kosha Dillz: Zionism is the affirmation of a democratic state for the Jewish people which is Israel. Aliyah (returning) of people to the state of israel and Jerusalem, its central capital. Preserving identity through education of language of the Jewish people and protecting their rights all around the World. We are self determined in our own national home. 

33jones: The second issue that people have with the album is the fact that some of the proceeds are going to the Netivot Israel Louna Terror Victim Fund. It doesn't seem to be the specific charity that people have a problem with, but more the idea of giving funds to an Israeli group rather than a Palestinian group. Without going off on too much of a tangent, I think it's safe to say that whenever the topic of Israel and Palestine does come up in hip hop, particularly with the recent and ongoing conflict in the Gaza Strip, the general consensus overwhelmingly falls in favor of the Palestinians... 

Kosha Dillz: Why? Do we not have a right to protect ourselves? If I dropped bombs on your family's home in ______ city would you not be mad and angry? 

33jones: In general terms, the conflict often is seen as a struggle between the comparatively wealthy and powerful state of Israel against the impoverished Palestinians. Taken in that context, I would say that the average hip hop listener identifies more readily with the Palestinians as the experiences of blacks in America - from the founding of this country to today - equate much closer to the situation of modern day Palestinians than they do to modern day Israelis. 

Kosha Dillz: That's not true. We are talking about Blacks bombing people? No, because that's what's being equated by the statement [of saying that the black experience in America is closer to that of the Palestinians]. Don't believe that. I mean it can appear so if you don't read between the lines but watch how I answer everything here. Hip Hop has been tricked by the media. People screamed revolution and you think that it's almost protocol to be anti-Israel. My whole family came from ghetto. Warsaw ghetto (Poland). We can talk about not having food as well. We can talk about fighting. My parents came here with holes in their sneakers. If you knew that, would you think that's hip hop enough? We are the minority, you know? There's less than .25 percent of the world population. Who has made us into some overwhelming giant?

Checkit: Kosha Dillz speaks on C-Rayz Walz, the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict and life as a Jewish rapper [33jones]

And after the jump is the video for "Holiday."