Mondoweiss

Update from Jerusalem: Palestinians continue to resist concerted Israeli effort to erase them from the city

The following was written by Samia Khoury. Khoury was born in Jaffa, Palestine on November 24, 1933. She has had a lifetime of of involvement in Palestinian civil society through Birzeit University, the Sabeel Ecumenical Liberation Theology Center and the YWCA of Palestine among other institutions. She sent out the following by email:

July 13, 2009

Dear Friends:

    I write to you with a heavy heart as two more houses were demolished today in Beit Hanina and Silwan. Eviction orders, confiscation of land and demolishing of homes have become a daily activity of the Israeli occupying forces in East Jerusalem, while the world is watching. Renewal of Permits for couples who are seeking family reunification are being delayed endlessly without any explanation. This is a process required when one of the spouses is from outside the Jerusalem area. And when a new baby is born in Jerusalem, parents need to prove that they are actually living in Jerusalem by presenting a whole set of documents including municipal taxes, electricity, telephone, and sewage bills, etc. etc. in order to be able to register the child. As if their Identity Cards were not proof enough. Restrictions are being imposed on organizations and schools as well, so as to tighten the pressure on them and make their presence in Jerusalem irrelevant, or force them out of the city. Even cultural activities and festivals have become a great challenge for organizations and their sponsors as they continue to face obstacles imposed by military orders.

    When Israel, which claims to be a leading country in the world of arts, would deprive a small community from the pleasure of enjoying music and literature festivals, then there is something very wrong in the psyche of those occupying forces. They probably would rather see us throw stones and bombs so that they will have a good reason to lock us up or expel us out of the country. But we shall not give them that pleasure.  We shall defend our freedom and rights by music, art, drama and literature, and any other non-violent resistance. In fact if any of you saw this month’s  publication “This Week in Palestine,” you would be astonished at the number of activities going on not only in Jerusalem, but in Ramallah, Birzeit, and other parts of the country. While we are being creative in cultural activities to help us overcome the pressures of the occupation, Israel continues to come up with the most innovative measures of oppression to subdue us and make life absolutely unbearable. If I were a cartoonist, I would sketch a demonic brain that creates this continuous onslaught.

    It is becoming very obvious that there is a concerted effort to implement the policy of limiting the number of Palestinians in Jerusalem to a minimum percentage of the population of Jerusalem, which rises all the time through the annexation of Israeli settlements built on Palestinian land. The Arabic name of the city as well as the names of other towns and streets are not being spared this onslaught by the enforcement of Hebrew names, so as to obliterate not only our existence but our history and heritage.

    We urge you dear friends to help us put an end to this onslaught that is affecting every aspect of our lives. We appreciate all the statements, solidarity groups, church initiatives, conferences, and all the advocacy.  But rhetoric is not enough any more at this stage. There should be a serious consideration for a change in policy so that Israel, the spoilt and pampered child, will not be allowed to continue to get away with all the violations that have devastated not only the land but the human dignity of the Palestinians. We have seen how affective the policy of Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) was in bringing an end to the Apartheid regime in South Africa. We are not being innovative in this policy, we are simply learning from history. So I hope the international community, and basically the US administration will deal with Israel by the same standards it deals with other countries which violate UN resolutions and international law.

    It will be very interesting to see if Mr. Obama can bring about that change he spoke about when he was elected, and actually be able to take action if Israel refuses to freeze the settlement building, which is illegal in the first place.  No peace or security, let alone reconciliation, can prevail without justice, and a serious resolve to end this brutal occupation.  

Samia Khoury

Which smear has greater effect--self-hating Jew or anti-Semite?

Helena Cobban asked in an email yesterday-- apropos of the report that Netanyahu has called powerful Jewish aides to Obama "self-hating Jews"--which is worse: to be called an anti-Semite or a self-hating Jew? Which calumny is more effective in preventing criticism of Israel? I say: to be called an anti-Semite. My reasoning:

Is this 'natural growth'? American immigrants flood Israeli settlements, backed by the Israeli government

By Joseph Dana

    Yesterday morning, Nefesh B’Nefesh had the first in a series of summer 2009 celebrations greeting its charter flights packed with new immigrants from North America. Nefesh B'Nefesh is a non-profit organization that encourages and facilitates Jewish immigration to Israel from North America and the United Kingdom. They expect to bring over 3,000 immigrants to Israel over the course of the summer, in addition to the 20,000 they have brought since 2002. Attending the ceremony were the Israeli Minister of Transportation, Israeli Minister of Immigrant Absorption, the Chairman of the Jewish Agency, the CEO of EL Al Israel Airlines and the two American Jewish founders of Nefesh B’Nefesh.

    Nefesh B’Nefesh, along with the Jewish Agency and the Israeli government, is intentionally encouraging new immigrants to move to illegal settlements. Of the 232 immigrants who arrived in Israel yesterday, seven families were going to settle in Ma’aleh Adumim, along with a handful of people moving to Efrat inside the Gush Etzion settlement block. Both of these areas are considered to be illegal Israeli settlements according to international law. President Obama has recently called on Israel to cease all settlement growth and activity. The Israeli government has, in turn, argued that it must be able to continue what it calls "natural growth," or building within existing settlements for the children of residents. But even using their own logic, "natural growth" certainly can’t include new immigrants from the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom.

    Nefesh B’Nefesh will succeed in bringing family after family to the settlements in effect having an American based nonprofit organization directly contributing to Israeli settlement growth (click here to see upcoming Nefesh B'Nefesh events in the US). Furthermore, important staff members of the Nefesh B’Nefesh organization are settlers by their own admission.

    In addition to Israel’s stalling of evacuating outposts it has itself slated for dismantlement, the Obama administration faces another crucial obstacle in its efforts to implement a freeze on Israeli settlement growth: American citizens moving there.

Aboelela: 'detribalize' the narrative and Americans will start to empathize with Palestinians

We've been conducting a roundtable here 'round the challenge to come up with some positive formula toward a solution in Israel/Palestine, reflecting the fact that the left is finally in the house. Today Sammer Aboelela, a leader of Muslim progressives in the New York area, and my roommate in Gaza, weighs in with some concrete proposals on "How to build a popular American movement around the moral imperative of Palestinian human rights."

Due to our massive investment in Palestinian oppression, we Americans are in a unique position of influence. As it stands, a hawkish minority view of the conflict has overwhelmed the mainstream media – the best way to counter this, in my opinion, is with grassroots action. My personal impression is that the vast majority of Americans are largely apathetic when it comes to the conflict and essentially ignorant of the Palestinian struggle. If the conflict can be understood as a human rights struggle by a sizable percentage of the American population, political pressure can be applied from the bottom up.

This, of course, is not a new idea. Motivated by the Civil Rights and South African antiapartheid movements, individuals and organizations have been engaged in this kind of work for decades. An American movement for Palestinian rights faces certain unique challenges, not least of which is the special sort of racism that lumps all Arab peoples into the category of ‘terrorist’ and attempts to rationalize the state murder of innocents and the denial of basic human rights as necessary to maintaining both American and Israeli security. Nevertheless, the success of past movements demonstrates that Americans have a tremendous capacity for empathy when it comes to the suffering of oppressed peoples, and a popular movement that articulates a compelling moral imperative can overcome well-financed and politically-entrenched opposition. Here are some of the key steps I think are immediately required in order for us to move forward: <Br>
1. “Detribalize” the Narrative

OK, I get it. The situation sucks for Palestinians. What do you propose to do about it?

The other day I was having coffee with a well-connected neighbor, and going through the litany of Palestinian suffering in the occupied territories, when she nodded impatiently and said, "What's the answer?" Then: "Do you believe there should be a Jewish state?"

Good questions. This is a special moment for this website because non-Zionists and anti-Zionists are being included at last in the national discussion. Americans are beginning to understand that Israel's human-rights record is outrageous. We have accomplished that work.

Rep. Donna Edwards says U.S. lacks a spirited, open debate of Israel/Palestine

Dan Sisken reports on Congresswoman Donna Edwards's town hall meeting earlier tonight in Silver Spring, MD:

For the first hour or so, Edwards talked about how she had come to get involved in Israel-Palestinian issues and take a trip to the region. Edwards was cautious in her statements, referring many times, for instance, to the "security infrastructure" but saying very little directly about checkpoints. She also spoke about Israel's security needs and expressed fear at the growing influence of Hamas in Gaza. She saw the large number of kids in Gaza as being especially susceptible to Hamas's influence.

But as the evening wore on,  she injected more comments and observations that one seldom hears in public discussion about the Middle East in the United States from members of Congress. This was particularly the case in the question and answer session when she often directly answered questions instead of just mumbling some pat phrases. When someone asked her if she would support the current aid bill in Congress, she said she didn't know (b/c she hadn't read it yet). And by the end of the event, it was her willingness to go fairly far outside of the AIPAC talking points that left the strongest impression on me.

Meet the 'settlers' lawyer' - Elliott Abrams

Elliott Abrams has an oped in today's Wall Street Journal trying to defend Ariel Sharon's legacy, and evidently further ruin the Bush administration's. In his article, "Hillary Is Wrong About the Settlements," he attempts to show that there was a clear understanding between the US and Israel on continuing the "natural growth" of illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank. Lara Friedman has posted a take down of Abrams on the Peace Now blog, including this great intro:

On May 23, 2005, the Washington Post ran a an incisive op-ed by former State Department negotiator and Middle East advisor Aaron Miller, entitled “Israel’s Lawyer,” in which Aaron argued “For far too long, many American officials involved in Arab-Israeli peacemaking, myself included, have acted as Israel’s attorney…” I was reminded of that article when I read today’s piece by Elliott Abrams in the Wall Street Journal, which should, I believe, have been entitled “The West Bank Settlers’ Lawyer.”

Before anyone accuses me of casting aspersions on Mr. Abrams’ honor or motivations, let me be clear: I have no doubt he has taken the case pro bono.

Zing! Friedman proceeds to take apart Abrams article bit by bit. In the end I think it might not really matter, because even if we take Abrams at his word (which is know is dangerous given his history) it doesn't add up to a whole lot. I personally believe the Bush administration did promise Sharon he could expand the settlements. But even if he did, why can't that policy be overturned now? Haven't plenty of Bush's other stupid mistakes been undone?

Abrams ends with, "For reasons that remain unclear, the Obama administration has decided to abandon the understandings about settlements reached by the previous administration with the Israeli government." Actually, the reasons are perfectly clear. The Bush administration's deal with Sharon would have made any kind of two-state solution impossible. Obama is trying to at least keep the door open, but he's going to have to do a lot more than just freeze settlements.

Mr. Smith goes back to Washington, and still can't get in

Last week we passed along a report from Joshua Ruebner about his efforts to attend the House Appropriations Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs “mark-up” session on the FY2010 budget. He was interested because they were supposed to discuss the United States sending Israel $2.775 billion in weapons for FY2010. Unfortunately, he wasn't even allowed in to the session.

Well, yesterday Ruebner tried again. The budget is now in front of the full House Appropriations committee, but Ruebner, and other US citizens wanting to see how their tax money is being spent, were not allowed in again. Here's a brief video that was shot after waiting to get in for two hours:

In the end, the House Appropriations Committee voted to recommend $2.775 billion in military aid for Israel without any debate. The one bright spot is that when a few observers were finally allowed in the room, this is what they found:

Al Jazeera documents the death of the two-state solution

Meanwhile, barely a peep in the US media. Yesterday the Guardian reported that Israel is directly challenging the Obama administration by moving forward with a plan to build 240 new homes in a West Bank settlement. The Wall Street Journal gave it passing mention, the Times has yet to find it newsworthy.

Iranian 'intifada' is celebrated in the US, while Palestinians are still ignored

(Screen shot captured by Justin Elliott)

Note that the heroic Iranian woman on the CNN page is about to throw a stone. Have you ever seen coverage of a Palestinian throwing a stone during a protest highlighted so prominently and positively?

Joseph Dana has pointed out the similarities between the popular resistance being displayed on the streets of Iran and that in the West Bank. While Robert Fisk sees similarities in the repressive response of the Iranian and Israeli governments:

Unleashing a rabble of armed government forces on to the streets and claiming that all whom they shoot are "terrorists" is an almost copy-cat perfect version of the Israeli army's public reaction to the Palestinian intifada. If stone-throwing demonstrators are shot dead, then it is their own fault, they are breaking the law and they are working for foreign powers.

When this happens in the Israeli-occupied territories, the Israelis claim that the foreign powers of Iran and Syria are behind the violence. When this happens on the streets of Iranian cities, the Iranian regime claims that the foreign powers of the United States, Israel and Britain are behind the violence.

And it is indeed an intifada that has broken out in Iran . . .

For all the similarities in the inspiring David vs Goliath imagery, it has been crushing to see the vast difference in the way Iranian protest is being handled in the US versus the ongoing Palestinians nonviolent resistance to the Israeli occupation. And it's not just in the media. Today in a press conference President Obama said: 

The United States and the international community have been appalled and outraged by the threats, the beatings, and imprisonments of the last few days. I strongly condemn these unjust actions, and I join with the American people in mourning each and every innocent life that is lost.

I've made it clear that the United States respects the sovereignty of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and is not interfering with Iran's affairs. But we must also bear witness to the courage and the dignity of the Iranian people, and to a remarkable opening within Iranian society. And we deplore the violence against innocent civilians anywhere that it takes place.

If Obama is to be judged by his actions, that last sentence is simply a lie. In the first six months of the Obama administration at least two Palestinians have been killed by the Israeli military while nonviolently protesting the theft of their land without a comment from the US. Israel even shot and critically injured a US citizen during a nonviolent protest in the West Bank and the administration had nothing to say. 

This is in no way to take away from the outrage or solidarity people feel when watching incredibly brave people taking to the streets in Iran. But there are brave examples in other places as well. And in the case of Palestine, the US is funding the repressive regime putting the protests down with over $3 billion a year.

During the question portion of the his press conference today President Obama commented on a video of an Iranian protester who was killed over the weekend. The woman, Neda Agha-Setan, has become a face of the protests and the video of her death has become the iconic image of the protest so far. From the press conference:

All right. Last question. Suzanne.

Q Thank you. Back to Iran, putting a human face on this. Over the weekend, we saw a shocking video of this woman, Neda, who had been shot in the chest and bled to death. Have you seen this video?

THE PRESIDENT: I have.

Q What's your reaction?

THE PRESIDENT: It's heartbreaking. It's heartbreaking. And I think that anybody who sees it knows that there's something fundamentally unjust about that.

Mr. President, we're waiting for your comment -