It's a long march to freedom
By Mary Rizzo • Jan 8th, 2010 at 17:33 • Category: Features, Israel, Newswire, Palestine, Resistance, Somoud: Arab Voices of Resistance, War, Zionism
Freedom to Palestine by Mohamad Kharsa
–A PTT editorial
Just one year ago, Gaza and its people were subject to the ultimate crime, victims (both living and dead) of the genocide of the Palestinian people. It is a genocide that began 61 years ago, and it’s had moments of escalation, the peak of which was reached with the attempted destruction of part of Palestine; Gaza, although this is just the most macroscopic attack. The genocide began the moment that it was “decided” to take Palestine away from Palestinians. Responsible for this genocide is the State of Israel and its various lobbies, which is aided and abetted by the governments of the United States, the EU and most of the Arab countries as well as getting logistic coverage from the Nato and biased support from the mass media of most of the West.
None of that should surprise anyone who has been following, and unless someone only learned about this state of affairs recently, volumes have been written about it, and it would only be repetitive to discuss the reasons of this theft and the problems encountered in reversing it and obtaining justice in this brief article.
What instead seems to be a cause of wonder of many of us who have been “in activism” either because we were born Palestinian, or this cause has been our focus, is how no matter what happens to Palestinians, it’s always someone else getting the attention. What seemed like a dream come true to almost all of us, to stop “talking and analysing” and to “take action” instead deflected attention from Palestinians and onto the heroic “Westerner”. Far be it from the minds of any of us to criticise the fine men and women who left their homes and families for a trip into the unknown, to be part of a march, a convoy or a demonstration. The fine ideals of most of them is not put in doubt at all, indeed, it’s humbling that there are so many people moved so deeply by the pain of others that they put their bodies on the line.
However, what we have seen, and what saddens us, is that there are still layers of doubt surrounding these actions and that anyone who dares question them, because there are indeed some very dark corners that need investigation, is treated as if they do not hold the interests of the Palestinians at heart, or worse, that they are conniving with the enemy. We are not watching a film of Robin Hood, but we are witnessing deliberate focusing upon a certain set of actions, and the shift of attention from certain players to others, and deliberate misrepresentation of the expressions of people in order to promote a specific agenda.
Observing, as most of us are, from the outside, we can look for instance at the emails we get, the Facebook invitations and groups that spring up, the types of commentary we see, and one thing does stand out: the build up was fantastic! We were approaching the anniversary of the war against Gaza, and we were arranging to give it the maximum exposure. Some prepared films, conferences, protests in their towns. In the world of communication, so many of us participated along with thousands of others in a Twitter action to bring the word Gaza to the attention of the public, then we shifted to GFM (Gaza Freedom March), spending an entire day in an organised effort. Our sites carried the information of the activist events, stressing what priorities to hammer home (lift the siege, all of Palestine is occupied, push for justice for war crimes). It was a time of a lot of movement, in preparation for this crucial event. Of course, we knew our mainstream media wouldn’t carry much, so we were ready to bombard the alternative media and our streets. We had banners to hang from our windows, black arm bands to wear with our keffiyahs, and the holiday shoppers would also become aware by our presence and leafleting. Yes, it’s got to be admitted, it seemed that this might be a watershed moment to make Palestine present.
However, something happened. Rather than talk about the Gaza war and making Israel receive a quantity of publicity that it thought it might escape getting as it has thus far, the activists were protesting against Egypt. That seemed to be the shift in the focus that took many of us by surprise and shock. Not only, the great momentum of activists pointing out the Israeli crimes, especially in Gaza, but all throughout its history, was basically instructed to just stop full out and protest against Egypt. If that were not enough, activists were encouraged not only to make phone calls (we all made them, asking them to let the convoys in, protesting the Steel Wall and asking them to open the Rafah gate once and for all) to the Egyptian authorities in our countries, but we were asked to start to promote towards boycotting Egypt.
It must be admitted, we started to plan for that, although most of us have been doing BDS campaigning non-stop against Israel for years. It would require more than an emotional appeal to be able to decide if this was the effective solution to Palestine’s occupation.
Then, with all of the relentless phoning, messaging, emailing, communicating actions to do “now”, we realised we had no time to reflect on this strategy, and this is always a mistake. If one does not have a strategy, a goal that they are aware of the variables and players, things start to get complicated. We did ask ourselves a few questions: why the shift, so suddenly and the protagonists are Internationals, as if it was not necessary in the past to protest against the actions of any country that had penned in or in any way constricted or obstructed Palestinian rights. Why was it that the enemy, the MAJOR enemy, was shifted to Egypt and only NOW and not all during the siege? How did Israel get let off the hook in less than one day, and WHAT a day!? What is up with that, we asked one another. No one was even talking about US complicity, it seemed as if the whole problem was Egypt, and the whole solution was Egypt. And worse, that the only thing to be liberated was Gaza, and not all of Palestine. What a nightmare for a Palestinian, some of us thought, to have their struggle be co-opted into some other agenda.
Watching things unfold, we saw that there was a lack of basic organisational planning that was perhaps not entirely the fault of the organisers, but as a friend said, “If you go to the jungle, you play by the rules of the lion”, and it seemed as if the activists didn’t realise that they weren’t in Kansas anymore. But worse, there was almost a cavalier attitude that it was going to be “my way or the highway” between the activist convoy and the Egyptian government, up to this moment not able to be dealt with due to complicity in the crime. In this kind of issue, the activists have to remember that if the Palestinians could not change the events, the Westerners weren’t going to march in and save the day. They aren’t superior, even if they may have a lot of support behind them. They can’t achieve more than minimal results if their tactics are faulty at the core.
Was deciding to come to loggerheads with Egypt rather than with Israel the best tactic? Was there some kind of agenda behind that, which would in some way weaken Arab unity? Who really knows, but suspicion is legitimate and permitted. As well as the suspicions raised about safety. As it stands, one Egyptian soldier is dead and two Palestinians are “clinically dead” out of the clashes that broke out. Would it have not been far more effective to stand up to the Israelis, the activists themselves, if this was indeed who they were needing to protest the most. But for some reason, it was determined that Egypt was going to be the “front”.
When the issue of the lack of transparency, the “brand new vehicles”, the actual accounting of the funds raised during events but not fully accounted for (including things like photos with a politician/activist/media man for $20 a click), anyone who questioned all of that was not given answers, but was threatened that they would face legal action. For what? For questioning where funds go? That is absurd! Every organisation that organised for these convoys and caravans has the absolute right to complete exposure of how these funds were spent, to the last dime. When it was asked why there were divergent stories on the diplomatic permissions, rather than explain that it was part of a strategy, to accept a plan and then reject it “suddenly” upon arrival, rather than state, “this is our strategy”, those questioning were said to have been “on the side of Mubarak.
Nothing is further from the truth, indeed, we have said, no one should ever have agreed to conditions at all if they are going to do a mission like this. If you break the siege, you try to break the siege. There are ways to do it, and there are ways where all it will do is put lives in danger and not even bring about the expected result. If there are other priorities, even ones that are unspoken, they will come to the surface one day or another, so why not be upfront from the start?
If the result was publicity, there was more than enough of that. But for whom? And against whom? Gazans and Palestinians were bit players, indeed, their stories have had zero, absolutely zero attention, even in activist alternative circles. Yes, we all got calls to protest immediately at the Egyptian embassies in our countries. Where were calls to do this to Israeli ones? Any activist in some way critical of the handling of this, (well not all of them, mainly the Palestinians) were attacked fiercely for “daring” to question the methods and strategy. And they were painted as pro-Egypt regime, anti-Hamas and anti-resistance. As if all of that were programmed somehow, and… oddity of them all, not even the truth.
But truth doesn’t seem to have much way of making it to the light of day in the world of Palestinian activism engaged by Westerners. Everyone must march to the same drummer, and if you have your questions, you are the enemy. This is another reason the movement shall never be effective. It is all about activists! Palestinians are discounted as if they did not matter. And, naturally, the Egyptian people became the centre of the maelstrom.
A quite illuminating experience was what was going on in many pan-Arab pro-Palestinian milieus, which, contrary to what Western activists might think, are full of determined and loyal Arabs dedicated to the Palestinian cause and yet, not bowing down to “Western superiority” with its saviour mentality. We had been following some of the banter, and there was no lack of people thanking us for questioning what the point in shifting the focus was, as well as others recounting the experiences they had that were far from positive regarding some aspects of these campaigns. Some had feared that now there would be a world campaign against Egypt, and in a comment that was emblematic, an Egyptian supporter of Palestinians wrote on Facebook, “Anyone of you who pushes to get Egypt boycotted will be immediately taken off my friends list, and I am not joking about this. We have marched and protested at great risk many times, and look at how you pay us back.” The sentiments of feeling the pressure of an anti-Egypt campaign that would not bother the Government, but perhaps merely affect people who do not support the government actions was building and this comment expressed a growing frustration in the shift.
So, the name callers wilfully misread criticism of tactics, method, strategy and focus. Whose side are they on? When the dust settles, will Gaza or any other part of Palestine be freer by one millimetre? Will the world have woken up some more? Right now, we have Israel laughing itself silly at how wonderfully the mirrors shift in this activist circus.
We activists find ourselves, as we often do, misguided, disunited and randomly addressing the Palestinian cause without having the clear end goal in sight: the liberation of all of Palestine and justice for Palestinians. But this doesn’t seem to be a problem reserved to activists alone, it is endemic in the Arab/Muslim world where the actions are never coordinated, they sink or swim each one on an individual basis, and the failure to come up with something as effective as the media disinformation and PR by Israel and its supporters, which are always not one step, but 100 steps, ahead of whatever Anti-Zionist issue is currently “in the public eye”.
Many of us are in the process of developing our own ideas of how to really deal with the inability of at least keeping step with our enemies. We need direction, and we have to start being on the same page. To begin with, it is essential that we define the problem and the issue: Zionism, Western support of a Jewish State in Palestine, violence, ethnic cleansing and theft of Palestinian land and terrorism of Palestinian people.
Once we are clear that this is the force to fight, we have to be able to understand how this force has been able to get away with the violence, theft and terrorism. It has been quite simple, actually: the power of the enormous lies, myths, historical disinformation on the entire issue as well as the enormous power of the Pro-Israel lobbies in the West. This goes hand in hand with the money, media ownership and propaganda machines that Zionists possess.
The disunity of the Palestinians themselves is MANUFACTURED. The factionalism that exists is far more marginal than the unity of Palestinians, and the focus on the division deeply harms the cause both internally and externally. The ineffective Palestinian leaders are able to see only two camps: Pro-America/Israel or Rejectionist. They refuse to accept that Palestinians feel united against their common enemy, and if able to focus on that, and not on the power of the leadership, the resistance energies can all be channelled against the real enemy. The only way to beat the Zionists is all together.
The impotent, corrupt dictatorships of the Arab world have had one priority: holding onto power and wasting enormous wealth in Western institutions rather than in an Arab one, and the fighting they engage in against one another serves ONLY foreign agendas and not a united Pan Arab agenda. To overcome this, Arab activists should consider working towards campaigns leading to the dissolution of the Arab League and prioritising the interests of the people.
Strategy and Priority have to become unified for activists for Palestine and for Palestinians exactly the way they are for Zionists and Israelis. All issues can’t be tackled all at once and in a haphazard way if we hope that they are going to be effective. An issue should be defined, and this is incredibly easy, given the history of Palestine and the significant dates, and priority to the issue should be given, with the strategy of allowing it enough time to develop and receive the maximum exposure possible, then one moves onto the next issue. A coordinated effort with International Human Rights groups aware of the various ways to highlight the plight of human rights in Palestine, can have a resonance that will be capillary and able to be adapted to the languages, countries, cultures that are the targets of these campaigns. Each action must be adapted for its local uses, as the ability to carry it out will be dependent on many specific factors.
We have to develop a media strategy and winning public relations. Activists have to network, establish contacts, generate events in media, religious and political circles both locally and internationally. Development of media and educational resources should always have the same “theme”, not a divided Palestine, but the goal of a free and united Palestine. No one should forget the map. We need to abandon Zionist terminology and promote correct language.
Demonstrations and physical protests are effective only when they do not shift the focus. They may get maximum exposure if they coincide with important Zionist/Palestinian timelines. They should not create more problems than they resolve.
Money and transparency are of vital importance. Accountability and transparency are not optionals. This will ensure that the donations will increase as people are certain that their money is well spent. Any campaign that has shadows hanging over it endangers all future campaigns. As well, those collecting money must be aware of the laws in force in the countries where the money is collected. While donating to some political parties that are Blacklisted by the “international community” is not against the law in some States, in the United States and Europe, it is, and this will condition the donations as well as put the donors in a position where they are subject to Zionist abuse, harassment and will restrict their range of action (if they survive). It is indeed sad that a political leader/activist has to be on record that he “does not support Hamas”. Who one supports should not even matter, nor should it be an issue for an outsider. As long as there is division, these divisions should not be highlighted.
Unity. If we activists cannot be united on the cause, how can we expect unity where it is the most needed, in the Palestinian and Arab peoples who are suffering occupations and divisions.
8 Jan 2010
Yousef Abudayyeh
Mohamed Khodr
Mary Rizzo
Haitham Sabbah
Mary Rizzo is an art restorer, translator and writer living in Italy. Editor and co-founder of Palestine Think Tank, co-founder of Tlaxcala translations collective. Her personal blog is Peacepalestine.
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You call that genicide that nothing. Were people line up to shot. Why as Israel only kill a 4 thausand at Palestinians most. You know Israel can kill 4 millions of Palestinians if they wish. Israel has weapon need chemical and boiligcial weapons to do the job. World will not get in thier way. Isarel WMD will hold the world at bay. Yes Israel nuclear weapons will do the job ,but boiligical weapons kill who ever surives her nuclear wrath. Why as Israel not kill all the Gaze strip and West Bank. Please can someone explain.
Strength is in the character of a person, of a people and of a nation. A "Coward person" or a "Coward people" may become a "Coward NOTION" but will never make a nation. This is the law of the nature and Zionism is not a natural 'thing' to say the least. It is a pitty to occupy some ones' land, build a wall around it, build another wall around the entire occupied land, even than it does not provide any sense of security. Just because two wrongs or two thousand wrongs would never make one right. The very presence of any one unauthorised single zionist in Palestine is another added wrong. Multiplied by millions of such wrongs does not make a nation – it is a sick NOTION and would remain so until the right time makes it right. Perhaps this could be the logical answer to many questions. Remember – there is always a limit to TAGHUT.
jason,
its very easy. they are trying to kill all of gaza. just read the articles on this website and its links. try opening your eyes.
PRESS STATEMENT
Statement by SA Palestine Solidarity Movement and COSATU
Issued jointly by the South African Palestine Solidarity Movement and COSATU
We salute the gallant and heroic actions of over 1,400 people from around the world – especially the South African delegation – who went to Cairo to embark on the historic Gaza Freedom March (GFM). The South African delegation truly represented the revolutionary and humanitarian character of our country even when faced with the harassment and intimidation of the Egyptian police and military. They have helped us recognise that standing firm against the Apartheid state of Israel and its Egyptian collaborators enhances our common purpose of building a more just world.
From 27 December 2008 until 18 January 2009 Israel launched a massive offensive against Gaza, resulting in the massacre of more than 1,400 people, mostly civilians. These attacks came after almost a year of a strangling siege of Gaza which continues for more than two years. This blockade denies the people of Gaza access to basic necessities, commodities, medicines, medical equipment, and reconstruction material. Additionally, the movement of people into and out of Gaza is seriously curtailed. This is a flagrant violation of international law, and an attack on basic human rights.
The Gaza Freedom March, set to take place in December 2009 to commemorate the Gaza offensive and to march with the people of Gaza to break the inhuman siege. Given that more than 1,400 civilians were killed in Israel’s Operation Cast Lead, 1,400 peace activists from 43 countries, including 16 South Africans, converged to call for the end of the siege.
The delegation was made up of activists from the range of Palestine solidarity groups in South Africa, trade union officials from COSATU and its affiliates, journalists, and was led by Judge Siraj Desai.
On the eve of the Gaza Freedom March the police state of Egypt, with the aid of United States Military Engineers, would construct a steel wall to close the tunnels which remain the only way to bypass the siege and get basic necessities into Gaza. Egypt also declared that the Rafah Border Crossing would be closed for an indefinite period and that marchers would not be allowed to even get to the border town of Al-Arish. In this divisive context we applaud our delegation for keeping the 1,400 delegates focused and united and for rejecting the “concession” by Egypt to allow only 100 delegates to enter Gaza. The “All or None” stand by the marchers is reminiscent of our own experiences in the liberation struggle. Furthermore, we commend our delegation for standing firm in the call to end the siege on Gaza, despite the constant harassment and police intimidation that followed them throughout Cairo.
The experience of our delegation confirms that Egypt is an undemocratic, military state. We strongly condemn the totalitarian manner in which the Egyptian state operates. We condemn the inhumanity displayed by imprisoning the Palestinian population of Gaza and then refusing vital aid from entering this enclave. We strongly condemn the delaying of and the subsequent police assault on the volunteers of the Viva Palestina Convoy. In light of this repression we call on civil society to consider isolating Egypt which is nothing less than an oppressive surrogate state of the United States and a partner of Israel.
Israel continues to expand its colonisation project in Palestine with new settlement construction, despite international calls for this to be halted. South African Zionists continue calling on Jews to emigrate to Israel and the settlements (all of which are illegal under international law). More than this is the clear evidence presented in the Gaza Docket drafted by the South African solidarity movement that South Africans are serving in the Israeli Defence Forces which continue their genocidal assault on the Palestinian people. We call on the National Directorate of Public Prosecution to seriously investigate these complaints and to use the Regulation of Foreign Military Assistance Act to prosecute South Africans who serve Apartheid Israel and to charge those in the Israeli government and military for the War Crimes and crimes against humanity which they continue to commit with impunity as evidenced in the Goldstone Report.
We endorse the Cairo Declaration as signed by our delegates on Friday, 1 January 2010, whose first signatory is Hedy Epstein, an 86-year old Holocaust survivor. We note that the Cairo Declaration has inspired us to further strengthen and sustain the International Anti-Apartheid Movement against Israel, which was launched at the World Conference Against Racism in Durban in 2001, and which we actively support. Included in this is the call for the boycott of Israeli products, divestment from Israel and comprehensive sanctions to be imposed on this rogue state.
We commit ourselves to intensifying the struggle against Apartheid Israel by embarking on a series of activities to implement the call in the Cairo Declaration, especially by:
ensuring that we mobilise global public opinion to recognise Israel as an Apartheid state;
isolating Apartheid Israel as Apartheid South Africa was isolated;
strengthening the Boycotts, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign in South Africa as called for by Palestinian civil society;
joining with comrades around the world in a concerted effort to end the blockade of Gaza and the occupation of Palestine;
working tirelessly and using the full might of our law to bring to book those South Africans who join the Israeli Defence Forces and those Israelis who have committed war crimes; and
engaging the full spectrum of South African civil society to support these actions.
Attached please find a copy of this declaration.
Media contact persons
Bongani Masuku: 079 499 6419
Haroon Wadee: 083 453 8745
Savera Kalideen: 071 227 0939
Hopefully all of us who care about humanity will learn to work together in positive and strategic ways–
Many times we need to listen before we charge into "battle."
I am listening and I appreciate this site and what I learn here.
Love & Peace
Cindy Sheehan
This is a nice article that encapsulates the positions of Palestine think Tank as regards the Israeli occupation of Palestine and activists movments supportive of this resistance to zionist agression and poccupation of Palestine.
Keeping the focus on Palestine is a good idea. Palestinians are a diverse people, many are Christian, some agnostics and very many Muslims with Islamic religion as their guide post for activism live in Gaza and also the West Bank.
With such diversity, Palestine is like any people and aspiring nation, they need support which is non ideological from their helpers if the whole body incorporate of Palestine is to be as beautiful as the vision of Palestine. Inclusion, unconditional support for the whole of Palestine and focused resistance against Israeli apartheid, occupation issues of water rights, kidnapping, massacres and denial of safe passage from borders all weigh heavily on Palestinians,These issues are important to always include in white papers so that talking points are Palestinian beneficial and not tied to other strategies on the periphery of this conflict.
Cindy Sheehan gives unconditional love to Palestine by listening, her ears poised to discern what she is asked to do as a helper of Palestine, her humility towards the welfare of Palestinains is to listen first, then act in concert with others.
Words and analysis are good starting points and The articles author asks for these strting points to stop, why>
The Arab league dissolved, is this Arab Unity> Maybe some further explaination could come in this talking point dissolution of the Arab league is a much more far reaching stab at disunity in my mind that calling for BDS against an Israel complicit regime in Egypt, Maybe some clarity could come from the author about this seemingly duplicitous statement.
Knowing that my dear friend Nahida is absent from this page and that her friends have abandoned her for the center, I feel that while the site of a great one, favors the center and promotes unity, it is not my cup of tea, for a few reasons…..
I'm not a world travelor, have been to German in the Army, but since then no planes trains or trips for me, I am poor, and cannot afford to attemd anything for Palestine, save a rally nearby in Philadelphia.
When I see a stop sign in front of meaningful protest of apartheid structures supported by Egypt, Israel, Russia, and British crown by a Palestinain, it says to me, cease anmd desist, we need you not, go away, so I will, not with hurt feeling or dejection, but with the feeling that what contribution I could make is made and has been roundly rejected, after all, I am an analyst, not a protester, I do this for free and as I said I am poor, The author asks for the analysis to stop, so it will on this site.
Blessings to all here, and to their efforts for Palestine, More gracful and educated, this site is perhaps the best outreach platform for greater Palestine and provides an intelectual method of activisim that is cohesive, well reasoned from the Palestinain perspective and presents a fine game face for greater Palestine in the future, I see good leadership here, but here , western activists stand down and heel to our dogma, which is gatekeeping, which every site does, it preserves the platforms of the site by repeating site mantras to readers that reinforce the dynamics of this particular groups efforts.
It has always been injustice in the US government that started my blood boiling over Palestine, Corruption in the Congress and CIA, Zionist lobbies and Israel spy and psy operations led me here, today in searce of ways and means to rid my nation of Israel corruptions, not just their corruptions in Palestine, I'm looking at the bigger picture, in many ways, I cannot close my eyes to corruptions born of Israel seditions and machinations in spheres far flung from the middle east but perhaps always epicentric to Palestine, returning there with regularity to make progtress on this front of resistance to Israel but more than that continueing to free non Palestinains fromj the grip of Israel as well, in the US, Germany, Poland, Lebanon, Syria, Pakistan Iraq, many nations are under the jack boot Israel by US proxy wars on Israel's behalf, keeping my work myopically focused on Palestine is not an option, not what I do and will never satisfy me, to saty so narrowly focused on such a braod and threatening evil as zionism, Palestine is not their only victim, not will Palestinains find aswers to their conflicts with Israel without enjoining the greater resistance and knowledge of South Africans, Lebanese, Iraqis, Egyptians and Syrians and others who struggle against the same zionist beast and yet their struggles mean nothing to Palestinians and cannot be resisted with vigor by pro Palestinian groups in alliance with all aspects of the Palestinain resistance and expanding support bases in South Africa, where resistance did make a difference, not what we see in Palestine today.
I am a westerner, separated by the author of this article as an exceptionalist, a proud person who thinks he is smarter than Palestinians and will destroy the focus of the resistance, this is stated in the article, stereotyping westerners who help as arrogant, when this particular one is never even able to attend, or speak but stays in blogs, plugging away, tear after year resisting zionism and the way the writer decries my contribution hurts more than anything Israel has ever done to me.
Jerry, Unity is not "the centre". It is simply recognising that there is ONE Palestinian people and the divisions are artificial and imposed.That is something that really isn't clear to many, included in the idea that Palestine is Gaza and West Bank, a concept we have to eliminate, and it's going to get a lot of resistance from outside, but it's the only way to defeat Zionism. And these divisions must be overcome because the common enemy is counting on the division because divided, one cannot fight the enemy. This is a fact that is true in all liberation movements and struggles. It does not mean adopting a (moderate) central position, in fact, the opposite is true. We are radically for resistance, and radically for the domination of the discourse being the Palestinians who will speak for themselves and act for their liberation, obviously, with all the help possible and imaginable from those who want the same thing. This means they need to regain a sense of their unity, depite any attempts to break them into factions, then to do what they need to do. They also recognise what is working and what is not working and they don't want to be used by anyone with any other agenda. I think these are all legitimate things.
Of course all Westerners aren't going to be the ones with the "saviour" complex and expect that they will come in and change history. I am sure you aren't and that your activism is in complete syntony with what Palestinians want and can use, so I can't see why you feel hurt. Like we said, some people can mean very well, but do things that set the work back, or they can do good things but have a different agenda. We need to find the balance. Good people who are doing the right things. No one said it was easy. But that is the only way to get out of this mess and finish Zionism off once and for ever.
No one has abandoned Nahida or any other true patriot, she expresses her views as anyone else does. But PTT has never been a site that has undermined militant groups or the resistance, and this is pretty clear, it's not necessary to state the heroism of one party or another. It's not our job to dictate which party has to be supported, nor do we speak in the name of Iran or any other place, there are differing views that get their space to be expressed. I think the authors always speak for themselves and the points they disagree upon, they attempt to discuss it. The same should be true of the commenters.
The Arab League is kind of like the EU. It represents the power structures and it isn't at all working towards improvement of the Arab people's lives. There will be papers on these and other arguments in the coming weeks. We are basically establishing a "new year resolution" so we know where we stand.
We won't stop with analysis: but for years this is all we've seen. There has been some action, in fact, it grows a lot, but then it gets shifted back into "how bad Israel is" and that's not adding a single thing to what we are doing. It's kind of like just complaining amongst ourselves. We have to be able to reach out to others in an effective way. I think it's been a while since we've seen some different thoughts, they kind of all flutter around the same points. I keep thinking, if the Gaza War didn't wake up the West, nothing is going to do it. We have to take it now to simply making effective resistance for liberation from within. If that means you and me, as Westerners, are left out of it at a certain point, then we are! That's ok! It's not our struggle.
Dear jason. Genocide has nothing to do with numbers of people or lining them up and shooting them (although Israel did do that). It has to do with intent to destroy and ethnic group. Here is the definition. Israel fits every word of the definition. Stop trying to attach numbers killed. It's what apologists for Israel do all the time.
The international legal definition of the crime of genocide is found in Articles II and III of the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of Genocide.
"Article II: In the present Convention, genocide means any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as such:
(a) Killing members of the group;
(b) Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group;
(c) Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part;
(d) Imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group;
(e) Forcibly transferring children of the group to another group.
There are two distinct points to the Palestine Think Tank editorial, 'It's a long march to freedom' (Jan. 8, 2010) I would like to comment on:
One, that there are questions with regard to the financial transparency
of charitable funds raised and how such funds are utilized – with the most recent
Viva Palestina effort currently in mind apparently; that the writer proposes that when such
questions have been raised the questioners have been verbally attacked;
Two, you raise the valid question, which I will address with my opinion, of whether or not it is the most effective means of protest, on behalf of the suffering Palestinian People, to begin to apply greater scrutiny and criticism of Egypt, at, perhaps, the expense of maximum pressure which must continue to be applied to the Apartheid regime of Israel.
AT ALL TIMES any entity involved with money must be able to account for the money. I would not go so far as to say down to the last stick of gum but in general, this is the principle involved in accounting.
HOWEVER. When discussing ad hoc volunteer charitable organizations where people are literally putting their lives on the line, in Viva Palestina's case, in order to bring medicines and messages of support to hundreds of thousands of militarily cordoned civilians in Gaza, perhaps the way the questions are asked, and at what times, could well cause tempers, resentments and misunderstandings to ensue. In the chaos of the moment when the convoy was forced to come up with emergency funds to pay for an unexpected reroute to Gaza, was this the best time to bring this up?
To the question of Egypt: EGYPT is to ISRAEL what VICHY FRANCE was to the NAZIS – a willing party to the perpetration of evil against the innocent. Or, more succinctly, Egypt is to Israel what WEIZMAN was to the JEWS during the HOLOCAUST ( 'one cow in Israel is worth all the Jews of Europe' – Jews who sold out Jews, Arabs and Muslims selling out Arabs and Muslims – human beings selling out human beings – disgusting!) I note as a dry afterthought that Jordan and Lebanon's treatment of Palestinians is interesting, as well.
Egypt is a central player in the evil tripartite, playing its part in this slowly unfolding genocide of the Palestinians. To shed light on the reality of the situation, to bring true ethical parity to it, logic dictates that this would require the call to boycott, divest and sanction all three: The United States, Egypt and Israel.
I totally agree with the editorial that the more ways we find to work together the stronger and more effective our efforts ought to be. But I also believe that every mouth that opens to bravely speak the truth makes a tremendous difference, and one never knows which one utterance will bring to bear the grain of truth that will ultimately tip the scales of justice.
As a personal aside, I have been away from work on my website for much of the past year dealing with personal issues, but hope to begin writing again soon. I may decide to post this commentary.
Best wishes for peace and prosperity to all.
How easy it is to be armchair critics!
Pontificating “shoulds” – while the the subtle message is one of criticism of George Galloway and the Viva Palestina convoy, as well as the Gaza Freedom March.
As for Egypt’s complicity with Israel: don’t do the crime if you can’t do the time.
Egypt, must be exposed for its wall of shame it is building with American funds – that will be yet another war crime extension of the Apartheid wall – chocking off Gaza even more, by starvation, lack of water, medical supplies, baby formula, blankets, clothing, books and other educational supplies, etc…
As well, Egypt is pouring sea water into the bread tunnels that are the only means of access to flour since the population is so overcrowded, it’s next to impossible to grow food for 1 and a half million people who are in a walled in open air prison. The sea water is not only killing people who risk their lives to attempt too gain access for basic survival needs, it’s killing Palestinians living in Gaza by starvation by flooding the bread lines (tunnels) with sea water – until, its wall of shame is completed, after which, starvation will be the main ‘menu’ in Gaza…
Coinciding, with building the the wall of shame, is the refusal on the part of Egypt to allow the convoy into Gaza to deliver desperately needed basics of life.
Israel, has most countries in its back-pocket as little lap-dogs who are trained, or rather, bought off by the United States of Israel and Israel and wealthy Zionists/and/or/Zionist-Corporations to do the bidding of Zionist agendas; the most horrid one is its delusional, imperialistic ambitions of a “Greater Israel”.
Israel, is not contained in its undeclared borders, the only “country” in the world with undeclared borders – all for the long-term goal and strategy of the “Greater Israel’; it also extends around the world – not only into the USA, into South America, Arab Nations, etc…
I see you proposing that only Israel take any blame for the continuation of its homicidal ethnic cleaning policy toward the Palestinians. I believe this to be an error in judgment: every country, political party, lobby, etc… must also be exposed for its collusion and corruption by shacking up with the devil.
That devil is Israel and Egypt must have consequences for its collusion and oppression of Palestinians; let the chips fall where they may, the world needs to see the vast, undue influence that Israel has over other countries and their polices toward Palestinians, and in this case, we are speaking of Gaza.
Of course British PM George Galloway is in not in a position to say he does like Hamas, he is in a double bind: if, he wants the Viva Palestina to succeed, in the real world, idealism of free speech doesn’t get a convoy to Gaza. I’m sure that Hamas is aware of the political games required to even make it past the green light.
Even Norman Finkelstein has said he does not support Hamas, however, that may well not be how he really feels, it’s just the nature of being in the spotlight and wanting to have your voice not be silenced. Example: the terror storm that former President Jimmy Carter, was put through – with meat-grinder bullying over his book “Peace not Apartheid”, shows to all who desperately want to do their part to help the Palestinians, and Israelis as well, that saying the truth is often the end of any future endeavors to promote peace and Justice for Palestinians.
As for the alleged pilfering of funds, it is completely unprofessional to do so without a reference and proof; without evidence, it’s just gossip and speculation. That may all have been created by the Israeli lobby!
This is a time to say a big thank you to all the good people who gave so much to not only reach suffering Gaza, they also brought awareness to the complex nature of Zionist manipulation and collusion, surprising to everyone, since no one expected Egypt to act as it did – with utter moral bankruptcy.
I for one, had idealistic notions about Egypt… the pyramids, the Nile, its rich heritage – filled with images and metaphors of the country that gave us ISIS and other mythologies that are enchanting.
It’s time to wake up from idealism and see things as they are: Israel is controlling countries by proxy by their lobbies, and perhaps – threats and intimidation; after all, what country wants to become the next Iraq?
If I remember correctly, and I think I do: Egypt, like Iraq, is part of what Israel (in its delusional thinking and grandiosity) considers the “Greater Israel”, so, in that sense we are exposing Israel by exposing Egypt since Israel by proxy is calling the shots.
We have all pointed fingers and put blame on the USA for its collusion with Israel, what’s wrong with pointing out other collaborators who are also complicit in Israel’s war crimes?
There is nothing politically or morally incorrect about exposing the tentacles of the spider (Israel) and its complex web that most people had not heard of until recently.
Awareness, is always beneficial and I disagree that all the focus went onto Egypt, the focus is on Egypt’s collusion and complicity in Israel’s genocide of Gazans, thus, putting the focus right back on Israel!
This will be and unpopular thing to say and most likely rude, however, it is how I perceive your editorial: this piece of pontificating – laced with underlying messages of blaming the good folks – would not have been published had Gilad Atzmon still been at Palestine Think Tank.
If Gilad is still friends with all of you, pass him your editorial and ask for his opinion, my bet is that he would say: start from scratch and throw this ‘editorial’ in the garbage, armchair critics…
Mosques across Egypt have launched scathing attacks on Hamas in the wake of the killing of an Egyptian border guard by a Palestinian gunman earlier in the week, the London-based- Al-Quds Al-Arabi newspaper reported Saturday. According to the report, imams throughout the country used their Friday sermons to lash out at the Islamic group which controls the Gaza Strip.
One, at a Cairo mosque, asked the gunman what he would tell his God "tomorrow." Another said that Egypt had sacrificed thousands for Palestine.
Yet another blamed Hamas for the ongoing siege of Gaza at the hands of Israel, saying its leaders wished to stay in power "even at the cost of the starvation and expulsion of their people." He added that the Palestinian gunman would go to hell if he does not repent.
Palestine Think Tank has taken a lot of flak recently for being courageous enough to expose the fact that the hundreds of the good folk in the convoy who gave up their time and money (and even their jobs in some cases) were kept in the dark by the leadership of Viva Palestina about the fact that Egypt had clearly stipulated which route was to be used by the convoy, in documents dating back to November. No surprise there to Galloway and co, but a very big surprise to the hundreds of people participating.
We need to ask ourselves how many deaths and injuries could have been avoided if these documents had been taken seriously in the first place. Instead, Egypt has stated that it will no longer allow any future convoys to pass through to Gaza from Egypt. This is what was gained. If this was not the goal of Viva Palestina, then it's very important for the resistance to ask what went wrong, and yes, for sure, what all the money was spent on down to the last dime.
Galloway is not some demi-god whose behaviour is beyond question, but first and foremost a politician, let's not forget that. There are some nagging questions here. After Egypt indicated in writing in November that permission was given for the convoy to take the route it was eventually forced to take anyway, who was it that made the decision to defy the Egyptians authorities and take a different route, knowing full well that it would lead to a major confrontation with the Egyptian state, running street battles, riots etc etc., and why was this decision made without consulting the people i/e/ what were they hoping to achieve? Perhaps this crucial information was kept under wraps because if people had known the truth, many of them may have reconsidered being part of the convoy, and they wouldn't have got the numbers they needed.
Thanks for stating your stance with such transparency, PTT. Your level of honesty is inspiring.
Regarding Viva Pal, it is useful to separate the feelings from the facts. When the siege is broken to any extent, it brings out all our emotions, but just because a big project has "Palestine" stamped on it does not necessarily mean that the agenda of the leadership will be good for Palestine, especially when politicians, high-profile people and the media whores are involved (and not only the sincere activists who form the majority of people taking their cues from the leadership). We have to look at what Palestine gained from this exercise, what Galloway gained in terms of publicity, and of course what the zionist entity gained.
Here are some salient facts to consider:
If the convoy had co-operated with the Egyptian choice of the route, it is certain that a lot of the trouble could have been avoided. There would have been far less publicity for Galloway, and the focus would have been on the aid getting through and the siege being broken. It is likely that the convoy would have set off in good time instead of being blocked in Egypt, on hunger strike, and would have made it to Gaza before the anniversary of the invasion. The focus of the world would then have been on remembering last year's massacre of the Gazan population, instead of on Galloway's antics and the confrontation with Egypt. The focus would have been on Palestine instead of on Viva Palestina.
Instead, the memory of what happened in Gaza a year ago was completely overshadowed in the media by what was happening to the convoy. The real heroes were forgotten while the world was distracted by this media circus, and Israel took the opportunity to drop pamphlets in forgotten Gaza in preparation for the next round of aerial bombing, which has been underway for a few days now. Did anyone notice, and are they all too busy organising a boycott of Egyptian goods, which would not hurt the regime of Mubarak, only the majority of Egyptians who support Palestine.
[...] a long march to freedom 2010 January 10 by kanan48 Via: Palestine Think Tank. Freedom to Palestine by Mohamad [...]
Thanks, Mary, I appreciate the rebuttal. Conversation is a wonderful way to make peace and be better activists for Palestine.
I say that I am hurt, not out of a feeling that my friends work is being decried as ineffective by Palestinians, but out of a position that is made from knowledge, information and wisdom derived from amny years of actions taken on Palestines behalf by Jewish activists from the USA and other nations.
I work to bring Jewsih people into the movments for the inception of Palestine, Medea Benjamin being one of these, Phillis Bennis, despite her calls for secular west Bank governance to over take the Hamas resistance moment, She has her opinion, and I have mine, her way is to support the US campaign to end the Occupation, an umbrella group with many members present in Cairo, along with Code Pink, The South Africans, Friends of Sabeel, groups with which I am long affiliated but as you are,I am as well, somewhat critical of for some of their positions.
Of course, Hindsight is twenty twenty and some introspection is required to disseminate what went wrong, but also some praise is worth administering to add substance to what was achieved for Palestine by this effort. Balance in depicting the Palestinian positions is needed if all are to be fairly represented by foreign Arabist activism.
A veteran of campaigns in Mepeace against zionist clap trap, Mary Rizzo is no shrinking violet, in my mind, but a centered and sincere Arabist activist with real motivation to represent Palestinians fairly, no mater what religion they are, to whom they bare their affinities or whay they feel they are marginalised and by whom. Many positions are their to represent, not the least of which is asking from Gaza, The women of Hamas and from the people from Gaza, why does Egypt oppress us? Good question, Yes? Now we know the answers or at least some of them, and to Code Pink, The South African delegation, Hedy Epstien and to the members incorporate of the US campaign to End the Occupation, we indebted for their hard work, years of commitment and expenditure surely in the millions, to aid the inception of Palestine, perhaps as they see it, but more presciently as they see it through the eyes tired ,and maligned of Hamas.
It is suspicion which makes us feel that Gaza is separated by intentional divisions set in place by talking points beneficial to Hamas and Gaza and suspicious of Abbas and Egyptians parlaying with him to destroy Gaza as a Hamas stronghold, It is known that Egypt takes US money and Israel treaties to secure their realms against the people of Gaza, but perhaps supportive of the West Bank Economic empowerment of Israeli designs and PA implementation with a scoundrel such as Dahlan, a sell out to the west, while Gaza starves, the Fatah thrives and arrests Amiyreh and kidnaps West Bank residents, allowing Israel to work side by side with the PA to destroy hope for Gazans while pacifying the West Bank.
It is not American activists who have turned brother against brother in Palestine, but Egypts complicity with Dahlan, Abbas and the west which serves this purpose and every single issuance of position from the Gaza freedom march states this with laser accuracy, which you miss, entirely.
No position in support of Palestine can be effective if it is taken up with an agenda that separates factions of the Palestinian diaspora and it's citizens in Palestine by will of deceptions designed to divide and conquer this people. As You say, we need to be focused on all Palestinians, not divisive in terms of loving some and not others, this is clear, but what form that love may take is yet somewhat unclear, so lets discuss it…….
Denigrating movments due to their failures is a bad practice, just as school teachers discipline behavior, singleing out the bad act and correcting the actor. This tack should also be taken up in Arabist activism in earnest. To say that the actions of some Gaza Freedom March advocates may have been errant and more study is needed to help them out of such errors is a good teacher giving advice to a student, not being critical of the person, but of their behavior, which is an accurate way to mete out discipline and instruct as to what is good behavior, lovingly
When we cite a person as having been wrong about a tactical decision or perhaps elusive as to it's making, and incite rebellion of that persons work in their support base, we destroy faith in that person, not deconstruct their position and create a better one, but denigrating out of a feeling of frustration, suspicion and disenfranchisement of that persons past efforts on behalf of Palestine as anathema to the Palestinians needs and desires, which they are not, but perhaps in need of some loving counsel and positive reinforcement of what they did right, not blame for what they are perceived to have done wrong, Norman Vincent Peale, Positive thinking begets positive results, negativity begets division, suspicion and terse relation between people who need to be friends of Palestine not advocates for special interests..
Haitham called the GFM a failure, you seem to decry it's intentions. Is suspicion getting the better of you and becoming a problem for Palestine as well or are we all fighting the same enemy from diverse angles of declivity to insure a full measures Gideon Effect that encircles all enemy camps with raucous resistance that forces them to move, then we follow, they move, we follow, we have the upper hand in this wise, but if we divide our affinities along special interest lines drawn in the middle east sands by enemies, how will we survive, a house divided against itself will surely fall. Jewish Arabist Activist are vital to the emergence of better governance in Israel, I work hard to build this front, please know that my friends can be trusted to build Palestine in their vision in their timing and in their eyes, beautiful to all of them without marginalizing anyone. Trust is broken by suspicion, faith is the absence of fear, Mary, lets us be fearless. I always welcome criticism, but it has to be done with love, not suspicion, or we divide ourselves by our inability to trust in higher powers when we lack progress. To Me, this is what Allah is, trust that when we fail, Allah never does.
Human by natural will aim to protect one self from harm at all cost. Israel expel the Palestinians 1948 only natural after massacre commit in 1922 and Arab revolt, Because Jews had no way knowing guilty or not during Arab revolt and the Hebron massacre. Force to us ever mean took to kick most Palestinians out. However Palestinians have not learn from history if had they would take give to them and remember that Israel can clean world of them if do not. Any one here ever heard of smart germs.
I want to thank people for the points of views expressed, Especially Jerry, who has put his heart on his sleeve. It is unfortunate that every time one contributes to a piece, it is seen as a "manifesto". In an issue such as this, trying to keep "emotion" out of things is always a good idea. In fact, the editorial tries to avoid a position that is emotive, even though we do feel very strongly about things.
I also want to thank those who are keeping the comments focused on the points raised in the editorial.
That there are divergent opinions on this matter is an important thing. What we (intended as activists) think counts at the end of the day is the response to one question: Are Palestinians getting closer to being free of Zionism and Israeli oppression?
I don't think we all even agree on what the point of our own involvement is, as obviously, a person out on the street protesting is "worth more" than a so-called "armchair critic". For sure it's true. That is why we support action and why nobody has belittled the well-meaning intent of many people involved, and loads of us have even given money and all of us have given loads of media space to these efforts. Yes, to GFM and VP. But, to know beforehand that the only way, the single way, was by sea, and saying it, we established (us arm-chair critics) our own point of view on strategy, which is what arm-chair critics and strategists kind of just do.
Every critical piece has also condemned the Egyptian regime, praised and thanked the activists, and asked for efforts to improve things for the future.
Fourth Reich, you ask, Would Gilad Atzmon have "allowed" this editorial. I have no way of knowing. We never asked permission before publishing, just as the others involved did not have to approve his pieces even when we didn't agree with some of them. His praise of Obama's Cairo speech and his promotion of an Islamic scholar that is scorned in Iraq for his efforts to justify and promote USA invasion of Iraq were here on line, which is proof that the other editors tended to "allow" him to express his views.
What mattered, and what still matters, is that the editors and contributors agree to the points in our "About" section. You can read it for yourself. We think that our editorial fulfills it.
If our position on PTT was and remains: "Pro-Palestinian", "Pro-Resistance", "Pro-Arab", it is not at odds with the stated position. Gilad has stated to me that his position is "Pro-Hamas" and "Pro-Islam". Those are views that are entirely acceptable, worthy of being shared because they are logical. Hamas is a legitimate political party, the party that won the right to govern Palestine, Islam is a religion that many in Palestine follow. However, these can't be the guiding principles of PTT. Why? Because we know Palestinians are a varied people. All Palestinians are not Hamas and Hamas is not an equation with Palestine. Not all Palestinians are Muslims, and even many Muslims are secular and want secular governance. It's just that simple! We want to reduce divisions where they are unnecessary or simply questions of faith or political credo, NOT to increment them. That's what Zionists are good at. We hope to avoid excessive factionalism because we recognise much of it as manufactured and some is counterproductive.
We are involved with more and more Palestinians (with the current centre in Gaza) working towards strategies of reconciliation and unity against the common enemy. It is a call coming from people affiliated with various parties, and this can't be ignored. As well there are internal divisions in all political parties, and none are so outside the body politic that they have to be singled out as the only good or only bad party. They have all gained legitimacy, and the sooner we get over this stumbling block, the sooner the actions towards eliminating Zionist occupation can be focused.
Does one party provide "the solution"? I don't even think that the parties themselves believe that much, and that is why for instance, you will see the PFLP organising together with the Hamas for prisoner rights and resistance and so forth. "Issues" are the problem, not governance. That said, the PA certainly is a corrupt administration and an accomplice of Zionism.
So, ours is a pretty broad umbrella, as resistance runs from support of popular movements as well as resistance wings in every Palestinian party, right down to single acts of defiance to Zionist control. Pro-Palestinian means to be with the people of Palestine everywhere they find themselves in the world NO MATTER WHAT their religion, political credo, sexual preference or residence status. We never saw the struggle as a religious struggle. That is a huge, gigantic lie. So, religion isn't going to be the answer either.
Pro-Arab (and in my case, it extends to Pan-Mediterranean) means tapping into Arabhood as the deep well of Arab unity, a project, a resource, one that can throw off the oppressors, even within the Arab World. Palestine is Arab, Arabs have Palestine in their hearts. If someone fails to see it, all they need to do is look on a map.
Every time that the West or Westerners, (supporters like me included) run the risk of undermining these aspects, Pro-Palestinian, Pro-Resistance, Pro-Arab, is an alarm. Maybe they aren't there intentionally, but this is where they have to be if they are wanting to give service to the cause.
So, that's our line.
This is why we have been active protagonists in very many campaigns from all sorts of factions. Here are just some that you will find on these very pages of PTT.
Free PLC (liberation of Palestinian Legislative Council Members arrested by Zionists, most of them from Hamas)
Free Ahmad Sa'adat (leader of the PFLP imprisoned by Zionists and also transferred from Jericho prison to an Israeli one)
Saving Lifta (International movement for recognition of land status)
PACBI BDS (boycotts)
Freedom of Movement for Palestinians (International movement Jordan/Palestine)
Campaign to the ICC for war crimes against Israel
Campaign pro-Lebanon for ICC for war crimes against Lebanon
Stop the Wall, Nilin and Bilin popular committees
Translation and dissemination of Goldstone Report
Investigation of Organ theft
Viva Palestina and GFM!!!! (YES; check the site!)
Jury International de conscience pour le Liban
Prisoner rights
Recognise Resistance (Delisting Hamas and Hezbollah from EU terror lists)
Listing of IDF war criminals
Letter writing campaigns to our governments and to accomplice governments, including to Academic boards
Protests against certain products and the Zionist Lobby
Support of Refugee projects (economic and cultural support)
Anti-Cluster bomb and anti-unconventional weapon campaigns
Release of activist and journalist prisoners and victims of torture
All of thatm in addition to the usual Hasbara Deconstruction, analysis, viewpoints, poetry, art. Our projects like The First Word War and essay calls. All of it dedicated to Resistance and ROR. To the liberation of Palestine and to Palestinian rights.
There is also space for your views, for networking and discussion. We are all supposed to be here for the same reason: to serve the cause, not for self-serving or self-promotional reasons. Anything that doesn't serve the cause by creating setbacks or in some way being contrary to our three core principles is going to be critically analysed, that's our right and we will continue.
This is our "About" Page. This is what we support. The only things that are "different" are 1) we have eliminated the forum and 2) we are still in the process of creating a links page! that will be a next project.
We are people from different backgrounds who live in different countries. We speak different languages and believe in different religions, or even believe in no religion at all.
These differences are not a problem to any of us.
Differences are what makes the world a wonderful place because everyone is unique. It allows us the possibility to learn more about the world and gain insights we would never have access to otherwise.
Celebrating our differences, we understand that there is a belief that unites us and unites all the people involved in creating this website. It is the belief that Zionism is wrong. Zionism is racism. For Zionism to happen, it means the ethnic cleansing of the indigenous people of the land of Palestine. We accept nothing about Zionism as being positive, yet we believe there are some people who don't know exactly what Zionism is, and therefore assume it is something different than an ideology, and therefore, is beyond criticism.
We wish to educate those who don't know what Zionism is so that they are able to see how damaging it is and how it is a just cause to stop it.
We believe that the just struggle of the Palestinian people is the greatest liberation struggle of our times, and we aim to render service to their cause through presenting as many aspects of their history, culture and struggle as we can. We intend to give space to many Arab voices as well, since the full realisation of the potential of people in the entire Arab world has been hindered for far too long by the "International Community". It is far easier to promote an idea of "the Arab" that cleanses Israel and the West from all responsibility for the instability and lack of progress that in some cases is evident than to listen to the complex arguments and reasoning that people from these countries and who understand the history of the Arab World are able to present.
We hope to be able to provide a site full of valid content that is at the service of the Palestinian people especially. Their steadfastness is an inspiration to all mankind, and to those of us in particular who feel close to their cause or are Palestinian, it is a message of love, hope and humanity that we hope we are worthy of.
Content of this site is intellectual property of the authors. All material that does not appear in this site as the original source will always be credited for authors and source.
The material here may be reproduced elsewhere, but we request that you kindly cite our source and post a link to the page on this site from where it was taken. We will also build up our links and community as time develops, so that we can all work towards our goal with the energy and imagination required.
The site contains a forum, which is a space to discuss arguments related to the Middle East. We hope that it will allow all of us to broaden our horizons, engage in constructive debate and present a social network that will be useful to all of us.
The site will be in two languages, in English predominantly, and Arabic.
We accept original articles as well as suggestions for material published elsewhere. Please see the contact page for more information.
Mary, Thanks for the clarification. I take little pleasure in being any kind of detractor to the site and as always, appreciate candid rebuttal, Being frank is being truthful. We all all different and I see that the site enjoys diversity, GREAT, Mary, thanks for listening!
seconding Jerry Gates comment.
For an account from some one who was there
http://joti2gaza.org/2010/01/12/the-final-countdown-tedious-days-and-eventful-nights/
It might give you a slightly different perspective.
And here's another one….
http://www.palestinechronicle.com/view_article_details.php?id=15677
More Americans concerned about Viva Palestina?
http://socialistworker.org/2010/01/08/victory-viva-palestina
And now you can see how the Irish feel too….
http://www.vivapalestina.org/alerts/ireland_110110.htm
WHAT'S NEXT, VIVA PALESTINA ?
By Stuart Littlewood – London
Mere words cannot express my admiration for Viva Palestina and those who devote their efforts to it. I love the way they shamed – and not for the first time – the great powers and their gutless leaders.
And for his pains the British MP George Galloway has been declared 'persona non grata' in Egypt. How heartbreaking for him.
Given past disagreements, and the stubborn refusal of this latest convoy to be derailed, it was never going to end in hugs and kisses from President Mubarak's henchmen, or fond messages of "Come ye back soon, George."
What really matters is that they delivered the life-saving goods when the armies and navies of the so-called Free World wouldn’t even think about it. And they did it with style in the face of Egypt’s tantrums.
The nervous Egyptian authorities allowed exhausted convoy members only 30 hours inside Gaza to say hello, distribute their aid and take a rest. Sad and wobbly regimes simply cannot handle a few hundred humanitarians so they accuse them of "incitement" and “hostile acts”, and throw them out.
Now we hear grumbles from some activists that criticising Egypt diverts attention from the real culprit. But Israel's evil machinations would find little success without the Egyptian government's co-operation. There should of course be free movement of goods and people through the Gaza/Egypt border. Instead, Mubarak signed up to the US-Israel-EU conspiracy to keep the 1.5 million Palestinians in the Gaza Strip bottled up and helpless to resist what many are calling a slow genocide. In so doing, Egypt joined the worst offenders against international law, the UN Charter and the codes of decent conduct. It is time the spotlight fell on Cairo even if it means momentarily taking it off Tel Aviv and Washington.
Mubarak has slithered even further into the Middle East swamp of iniquity by constructing an iron Death Wall designed to create a hermetic border seal and inflict even more misery on his Muslim bothers and sisters, and the Christian community.
The Egyptian president is certainly not part of any solution. He has become a problem.
As for Mr Galloway, when can we expect to see him receive an official pat on the back for doing what the British government’s poseurs were too cowardly to do: bringing humanitarian aid to trampled people Britain still has a residual responsibility for?
Mr Galloway speaks of more convoys setting out for Gaza from Venezuela, Malaysia and South Africa. But Egypt has just announced that convoys, regardless of their origin, are no longer welcome. Instead, it is introducing a new "mechanism" whereby all aid for Gaza must in future be handed over to the Egyptian Red Crescent as soon as it arrives at the port of El-Arish. It will then be processed and passed on (if you can believe that) to the Palestinian Red Crescent.
Nobody trusts the Egyptian authorities to do this in an honest and transparent way. Besides, donors and fund-raisers often have direct links with charitable organisations inside Gaza and the West Bank. They would not wish to see the fruits of their labour and other people's generosity disappear into some distribution 'black hole'.
Blaming Hamas for Gaza's Suffering
And what says the British government, which never seems able to get anything right these days?
The Foreign Office’s “clear advice” is against all travel to Gaza. Why, when they should be facilitating travel to Gaza and applying sanctions against anyone who hinders it?
“The suffering of Gazan people is compounded by the violent and irresponsible actions of Hamas,” says the Foreign Office. “We are concerned by the recent upsurge in incidents of Hamas confiscating aid and obstructing the efforts of international aid organisations in Gaza.” We keep hearing these accusations but never proof. Gaza is on a war footing, under crippling blockade and in continual crisis. Hamas, the de facto government, runs the health service and is almost certainly best placed to know where medical supplies are needed most. Obviously they’ll step in when aid arrives.
Viva Palestina are at least as well informed about the situation in Gaza as the Foreign Office. Would convoy activists really go to so much trouble if Hamas was seizing everything they delivered?
Britain, while eagerly offering the services of the Royal Navy to help Israel stop “smuggling” into Gaza, won’t use its ships to spare the Gazans a slow death from starvation and prevent a public health catastrophe.
It is time our servants Brown and Miliband explained, carefully and logically, exactly what their problem is with Gaza and its democratically elected rulers so that the rest of us can try to understand – if indeed there is anything beneath the layers of pro-Israel ‘crapaganda’ worth understanding.
Go by Sea
Events now seem to be prodding Viva Palestina to change tack. Perhaps it Is too simplistic to suppose that Gaza needs to be sea-fed like any other coastal community. But should humanitarian relief teams continue to seek access by land crossings that are controlled by militarised thugs bent on destroying Gaza’s population and halting any convoy in its tracks?
Deal direct. Surely that must be the aim. And do it in the name of God. A large armada of boats led by a multi-faith alliance demanding freedom of the seas and the right to an armed escort, could be the best vehicle. The United Nations should provide the necessary security arrangements to check the cargoes as they are landed in Gaza.
It would require considerable courage. Whether religious leaders have the balls for it is doubtful, even when the highest moral purpose is being served, but they might surprise us. A sprinkling of politicians could be relied on but the higher echelons know which side their bread is buttered.
Israel, Egypt, the US and the UK might wish to airbrush Mr Galloway out of the picture, but that’s unthinkable. He’ll be nominated for the next Nobel Peace Prize and seen as a million times more deserving than the fraud in the White House.
Yes, the REAL international community – that’s ordinary folk like you and me and Viva Palestina and everyone and his dog around the globe – are finally beginning to assert themselves against the corrupt power freaks that strut the world stage.
http://www.palestinechronicle.com/view_article_details.php?id=15677
- Stuart Littlewood is author of the book Radio Free Palestine, which tells the plight of the Palestinians under occupation. For further information please visit http://www.radiofreepalestine.co.uk. He contributed this article to PalestineChronicle.com.
Ms. Rizzo
"………We activists find ourselves, as we often do, misguided, disunited and randomly addressing the Palestinian cause without having the clear end goal in sight: the liberation of all of Palestine and justice for Palestinians….."
I find it ironic that you use the word "misguided" in the same paragraph as "liberation of all of Palestine". Misguided because Israel as a Jewish state is here to stay, and misguided because to encourage otherwise is to foster a perpetual war for liberation. But we know who are the ones to suffer in this case: the Palestinians. They have always been the ones that suffered. So why not encourage more suffering, right?
The last 60 years must be attributed, in part, to the failure of the Palestinian leadership. Palestinian Arab and Arab leaders rejected the partition in 1947, and have tried to reclaim Palestine by force since that time. The Palestinian people and culture have been steadily decimated by the call of war. Now you, and other western peace loving leftist, encourage the fight for the liberation of all of Palestine to continue irrespective of Palestinian suffering over the past 60 years, and the certainty of further Palestinian suffering in a war they cannot win.
Israel is under no obligation to the Palestinians. Haven't you noticed that? However, the government of Israel is elected to provide security for the residents of Israel. So military operations like Operation Cast Lead or the war in Lebanon are meant to fulfill their obligation to their own citizens. That is their only obligation. Likewise, Gazans depend on their "elected" government for the same reasons. You may view Hamas as heroic, but they steadily gain power by sacrificing their own citizens – the ones that elected them to provide security, jobs and so on. Even the left wing Guardian says that "stasis suits Hamas" which means that they achieve power through the misery of their own constituents. The status quo suits their interest just fine.
But, in effect, how are you any different than Hamas, Ms. Rizzo? To achieve the goal of eliminating the Jewish state requires that the international community view the Jewish state as no different than apartheid South Africa. Then, a set of sanctions would be imposed to bring down the government. This is so unlikely because what made South Africa such a vicious, racist society were the laws of apartheid – none of which exist in Israel. Yes, land and immigration laws favor Jews, but the small minority of Jews world-wide makes these laws necessary. So you favor continued resistance for an ill conceived idea that will only cost more Palestinian lives and produce more misery without any realistic possibility of reaching your goals. But you, and your activists leftist friends, will be just fine in Europe where you will continue to rally the troups.
If the international community is to impose a settlement on Israel, the only one that is realistic and viable is the pre '67 borders, and that's only if Israel refuses to negotiate for borders according to the roadmap for peace first signed at Oslo. Israel offered peace in 2000 at Camp David and in 2008 at Annapolis. That's where the fight really must be for Palestinian statehood – not in an unrealistic one state solution scenario guaranteed to bring more misery on people that have more than their fair share for the 60 years.
Thanks
[...] Palestine Think Tank [...]
”Israel Proper” and Historic Palestine
Many words are needed in order to explain this phrases veiled meaning but I will try to keep it under a thousand.
The lands the He brow stole in Nineteen Forty Eight are (Physically) Historic Palestine. The hebrow intends to keep it and legitimize it while “discusses” peace on lands they took in nineteen sixty seven where they have built settlements for the purpose of craftily “pressuring” us to accept it and forget the first (Eighty percent).
. You see they have been moneylenders and real state agents for the longest. Their intention is to keep our lands stolen in Nineteen Forty eight (the whole country) by repeating the word “Israel Proper”. Once on its feet the Fake entity named itself Israel. Then it went and took more lands in the remaining . ..now
people these new lands …
…. “Israel” stole from Palestine …
… Are being used to argue with us over (twenty percent). They pretend to faint in pain at the “Painful concessions and sacrifices” they are making by “giving” us the crumbs, dreaming and hoping we forget the REAL Proper Palestine. It is a marketing technique but they forget we invented commerce and its tricks. They poisoned wells In Europe in the middle of the night in order to decrease property prices to later (next day after the farmers kids got sick) turn around and buy it cheaper. The French and the Portuguese, (two civilized wester countries) caught them and threw their As in wild fires. They went thru this in other hundred and twenty instances. They always got caught and, I am glad, PAID DEARLY. Hitler knew this too.” So Israel Proper” should bear a sign at their main airport …“Will this lie finally set us free?” because it is that lie “Israel proper” that will again send their As back into the righteous fires, setting us and them free.
So it is not about the lands …
….“Israel” stole from Palestine
… No! it is about the whole of Palestine,
Thats why they come here and say “We can keep the lands of sixty seven, its war booty” hoping we will sit here and argue with them over it while they comfortably live in homes and lands that belong to people (including me) who lost them in Forty Eight and are as we speak WAITING for some kind of Justice (divine, natural, poetic) to restore their properties. Hamas knows this and promises those six million people that we will get thru it. And patience is the key to recover all. Some of their crafty writers are now trying to sell us the two states solution by saying that the lands …
…”Israel Gained from Palestine
…Should be returned “no way! They say this So they can keep the real Palestine! …
Any way, Remember, the thieving, nail biting, illicit, ill legit and “Cant help it but to kill Children” blue eyed European fake He brow Cry st killer who is scared to death that the bribed, treacherous, Unfaithful, disloyal, deceitful, false perfidious,
U.S. Finger appointed, Undemocratically elected, drunk and drug addict A rub kings and “Presidents for life” will succumb to the Masses of Is I am, who united and awaken and with honour and dignity would get some REAL WEAPONS and have a, in joyfulness, a Hades of a big “Pay Back Is A Be each” merrymaking party as they remember Gaza and their responsibilities towards Jerusalem. We dont only want to free …
Jerusalem from Israel
No! We will get it all..
It will all happen in a snap of a finger. Snap! Snap! clap Clap!. Thank you guys for reading this. … See you all soon in PALESTINE PROPER
[...] guiding principles of PTT. Why? Because we know Palestinians are a … See the original post: Palestine Think Tank » Features Israel Newswire Palestine … Share and [...]
Norman Finkelstein is my HERO,,,,,,,
oh, 4th Reich Israel, if you are still listening, Gilad agreed with Haitham. Sorry to disappoint.