Christ at Checkpoint

Israel has been paranoid about people finding out the truth of what it is doing. In an example of this, 55 Harvard students were expelled from Al-Walaja earlier this week (see 1 below). On several occasions when we took delegations to visit Al-Walaja we were harassed.  This included the times when I took a group of Israeli Jews, evangelical Christians, and even diplomatic staff to Al-Walaja.  Some who were sympathetic to Israel did change their views and started to see this as the apartheid system h it is (by International legal definition).  Just today I took some of my Palestinian students to see Al-Walaja and talk to villagers and even do their research projects on the village.  More Palestinians, Israelis, and internationals should come to these struggling villages and see reality. We are happy to show people around and/or put them in touch with the right people and not those who are profiteering from claiming they represent popular resistance.

I do see signs of hope here every day. For example, last week over 600 people (most Christian Evangelicals including renowned evangelical leaders) attended the Christ at the Checkpoint conference in Bethlehem.  “Christ at the Checkpoint,” addressed the issue of how to find hope in the midst of conflict and in short "what would Jesus do?". The conference exceeded all expectations (2).  I was honored to connect with friends but even more encouraged to meet many more new "converts": those who now see that "Christian Zionism" is an oxymoron because one cannot be a true Christian (or Jew for that matter) and be a Zionist(3). Palestinian Christians of various denominations usually do not agree on things (like who gets to clean what part of the Church of Nativity).  But in an unprecedented show of unity all of us agreed on a document called Kairos Palestine (4). This generated a huge outpouring of support from churches throughout the world and now has an Islamic response to it (5).

We also see the hope in the determined spirit of most of my students (at three universities) to go beyond the misery and difficulty of the occupation and colonization.  They challenge their own minds and begin to see that it is only they who can shape their own future despite incredible odds. We saw it in the play by Al-Rowwad theater group in Aida refugee camp, a play called Handala after the inspiring cartoon character of Naji Al-Ali (6).

Meanwhile life here goes in sometimes mundane things and sometimes dramatic issues.  In the mundane for example one could count spending two and a half hour on the checkpoint coming back from teaching at Al-Quds University. We could count the incident where freelance photographer Mati Milstein videotaped Israeli border police tossing a tear gas canister at Palestinian women who were just enjoying a late afternoon chat outside their home.  Mati said "There was no violence in this area, no stone throwing or any kind of organizing by demonstrators. Border Policemen were driving around the area and suddenly on one of their patrols the commander decided to toss a tear gas grenade at the people, for no apparent reason, at least as far as I could see". (7)

In the intermediate level we saw it in the demonstrations in Beit Dajan area where villagers were trying to open the road to the village that was closed by the Israeli occupation army 10 years ago (8). And we see the struggle to allow our people to keep solar panels for their electric use (9).

And in the other end of the spectrum we saw a massacre of 26 Palestinians in four days in Israeli illegal attacks on Gaza.  We also see the life of Palestinian political prisoner Hana Shalabi in danger as she is in her 29^th day of hunger strike to protest the policy of administrative detention.

Final Quote from Zionists who pushed for the $3 trillion war on Iraq as they now try to repeat that episode on Iran: "A critical challenge for this policy option is that, absent a clear Iranian act of aggression, American airstrikes against Iran would be unpopular in the region and throughout the world" (10)

We must maintain our hope and our energy and move towards justice, freedom, and equality and that redemption called for so brilliantly by young South African Mbuyiseni Ndlozi speaking on Palestine (11).

1) Harvard Students expelled from Al-Walaja
http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/israel-police-expel-harvard-students-from-palestinian-village-1.418696

2) Christ at the Checkpoint challenges Christian Zionism http://www.christatthecheckpoint.org/
http://www.amin.org/articles.php?t=ENews&id=3840

3) See http://www.christianzionism.org/

4) see the Palestinian Christian call "A word of faith, hope and love from the heart of the Palestinian suffering" http://www.kairospalestine.ps

5) See for example United Methodist response.

http://www.indiegogo.com/Responding-to-a-plea-from-Christians-of-the-Holy-Land and The Justice Committee of the General Assembly Mission Council (of the Presbyterian Church) voted to approve a recommendation to the General Assembly for divestiturehttp://pres-outlook.com/breaking-news/16331-mrti-recommends-targeted-divestment-in-3-companies-for-nonpeaceful-use-of-their-products-in-israel-palestine.html

an Islamic Response to Kairos Palestine http://www.peaceforlife.org/resources/mideast/2012/12-0122-islamicresponsetokairos.html

6) For an early version of the play, see part 1 http://www.alrowwad-acts.ps/etemplate.php?id=153 and part 2 http://www.alrowwad-acts.ps/etemplate.php?id=154

7) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y14vR1xySiU

8) See "After much injustice, Beit Dajan debuts its peaceful resistance" http://palsolidarity.org/2012/03/after-much-injustice-beit-dajan-debuts-its-peaceful-resistance/ and see photos here http://www.activestills.org/image/tid

9) See Palestinians prepare to lose the solar panels that provide a lifeline

 http://www.guardian.co.uk/global-development/2012/mar/14/palestinians-prepare-to-lose-solar-panels

10) Kenneth Pollack, et al, Which Path to Persia? Options for a New American Strategy toward Iran, pp. 84-85. Saban Center at the Brookings Institution, June 2009 

11) Mbuyiseni Ndlozi - Israeli Apartheid Week, London. 22.2.12

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iNbZjTlpM6w

Palestinian Political Prisoners

It snowed in Palestine and the heavy rain washed away many things but not human sins.  I thought of the huge amount of water running by friends of mine in Al-Auja near Jericho whow ere prevented from capturibng that water while colonial illegla settlers get all eth water with all eth infrastructure they want.   I watched Israeli children play in the snow in a park built on the ruins of a destroyed Palestinian village.  I thought of the shivering political prisoners in unheated cells hundreds of whom are in administrative detention who do not know when they will be out in any park. Some sacrificed decades for internatioanlly recognized struggle to end colonialism and occupation.  Many joined the hunger strike of administrative detainee Hana Al-Shalaby.   Below are relevant links and material so that we can stand by those freedom lovers.  But first two quick items:

1-Many of you asked about the answers to the test for the course I teach on human rights that I posted earlier to the list. After sending it to over 20 people, I decided to post the questions with suggested answers (but of course much more can be said and discussed) here: http://www.qumsiyeh.org/test1/

2-Muslim and non-Muslim to join Jerusalem solidarity

http://gm2j.com/main/blog/2012/02/29/muslim-and-non-muslim-to-join-jerusalem-solidarity/

(the Zionist movement mobilized to defame the march by claiming it is an Islamist march.  Well, there are many Muslims and also Islamic groups like Hamas that do support the march but also leftist groups and all people who agree that Jerusalem is being slowly transformed and it multiethnic, multireligious character eroded slowly to make it a Jewish Zionist city)

Hana Al-Shalaby entered her 14^th day on hunger strike to protest her unlawful kidnapping and being held in "administrative detention". Profile here http://www.addameer.org/etemplate.php?id=161

Video by Sanaa on prisoners

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-ZpCsKwZCY

Israel issues third consecutive detention order against prisoner of conscience Ahmad Qatamesh

http://electronicintifada.net/blogs/maureen/israel-issues-third-consecutive-detention-order-against-prisoner-conscience-ahmad

In my book on "Popular Resistance in Palestine: A History of Hope and Empowerment" I explained how the women movement in Palestine was very strong in the 1920s and even successfully lobbied the British government to release Palestinian political prisoners. And on May 17, 1936, prisoners in Nur Shams (3 km east of Tulkarem, made into a refugee camp after 1948) declared a strike and confronted the prison guards.  The prison warden, a Mr. Grand ordered soldiers to shoot and one prisoner was killed, several wounded as prisoner shouted in defiance “Martyrdom better than jail”. On 9 Sept 1939, freedom fighters took over Beer Al-Saba' government facilities and released political prisoners from the central jail. Political prisoners in Israeli jails organized themselves into effective committees which carried on collective strikes that were especially potent in the 1980s and early 1990s.

Peaceful demonstrators during the 1987-1991 uprising were fined 500-1000 shekels (about $200-400, almost half a year’s pay at the time) and jailed for 8-12 months (ref).  The ranks of prisoners in Israeli jails swelled to over 20,000 at one point. In September 1988, the Israeli army released the number of detainees it held at 23,600 and torture was common (ref.).  In total over 700,000 Palestinians spent time in Israeli jails. 

Israel radio reported on an open hunger strike by prisoners in the prison camps of Jenin, Ramallah and Nablus who demanded improvement in their deplorable detention conditions (ref).  90 prisoners in the Ansar 2 jail in Gaza engaged in an open hunger strike to protest the deplorable condition especially during the harsh winter season (ref.).

In 13 prisons, prisoners from all factions rejected food and water starting on 26 September 1992 (ref.).  These collective actions forged solidarity and raised political consciousness of all who participated

Al-Ansar prison in South Lebanon, where thousands of Palestinians and Lebanese political prisoners were held by Israeli occupation forces, showed incredible acts of resistance and resilience ranging from hunger strikes to refusal to obey orders to writing (ref.). On December 6, 1998 (and during President Clinton’s visit), over 2000 political prisoners engaged in a hunger strike to press for their release.

Thousands of Palestinian prisoners in the Israeli jails started a hunger strike that lasted from 15 August to 2 September 2004.   During this time, the Israeli authorities tried various methods from persuasion to threats to beatings to break the strike and 13 UN agencies operating in the occupied areas expressed their concern (ref.). 

Outside the prisons, Palestinians and internationals protested and worked diligently to spread the word about the prisoners’ demands and their plight.  It started with the prisoners families, many of whom joined the hunger strike.  Crowds assembled August 16, 2004 outside local offices of the Red Cross and marched to the Gaza headquarters of the United Nations where they delivered a letter addressed to Secretary General Kofi Annan, calling for him to apply pressure on Israel and improve conditions for the prisoners. They demonstrated again in the thousands two days later (ref.).  The Palestinian National Authority, Palestinians inside the Green Line, and the International Solidarity Movement called for hunger strikes outside the prisons (ref.).  The strike slowly gained strength. Then Israel's Public Security Minister Tzahi Hanegbi stated: "Israel will not give in to their demands. They can starve for a day, a month, even starve to death, as far as I am concerned" (ref.) but eventually gave in recognized some basic humanitarian rights the prisoners were entitled to. 

Palestinian female political prisoners in Telmud Prison were mistreated and on November 28, 2004 their spokeswomen who complained about the mistreatment was beaten and punished.  When others complained, the prisoners were all punished.  They engaged in a hunger strike (ref.). Prisoners continued to use hunger strikes to protest ill treatment and draw attention to their plight.  For example on February 16, 2006 Jamal AlSarahin died in prison.  He was a 37 year old “Administrative detainee” (never charged or brought to trial) who had been detained for 8 months prior and badly mistreated.  Prisoners declared a one day hunger strike (ref. ) and on 11 March 2006, a sit-down strike in front of the ICRC in Hebron was held to demand better treatment for prisoners

On 27 June 2006, 1,200 Palestinian political prisoners in the Negev Desert launched a hunger strike to protest the arbitrary and oppressive practices of the prison administration. In total over 700,000 Palestinians have spent time in Israeli jails and the latest statistics showed that 11,000 are still held according to the Palestinian Prisoners Society (ref.)

By 2009, Palestinians in Israeli prisons were able to achieve a number of successes by nonviolent struggle and civil disobedience including wearing regular cloths (no orange uniforms), access to news, reasonable visitation rights, better access to health care.  But the Prison Administration continues to chip away at those rights (ref.).

The sacrifices of prisoners were highly appreciated: “Prison became a rite of initiation, so much so that if one had not been imprisoned, his or her loyalty might be questioned, and prison records earned by the young replaced the stature once enjoyed by the elders.” (ref.).  But more importantly prison built common bonds and strengthened social cohesion and resistance under occupation.  One ex-prisoner stated: "Like any human community, there are contradictions, but there is a common thread in the experience in prison that gives us strength, a common goal, a common purpose. We are joined together in struggle, so our shared experiences only make us stronger" (ref.).

Mazin Qumsiyeh, PhD

http://qumsiyeh.org

Biology of Peace

Chapter in Book on Why Peace, edited by Mark Guttman see http://www.why-peace.com/

[This book is an exploration of aggression, and of the evolutionary (and revolutionary) process to peace. Through the insights of men and women, from a wide range of backgrounds, cultures, and perspectives, Why Peace presents stories of wars, invasions, and political repressions—down to the most basic levels of authoritarianism…]

Biology of Peace by Mazin Qumsiyeh

Text also posted here http://www.qumsiyeh.org/biologyofpeace/ 

Professor Mazin Qumsiyeh teaches biology and does research at Bethlehem and Birzeit Universities in occupied Palestine. He previously served on the faculties of the University of Tennessee, Duke and Yale Universities. He is now president of the Palestinian Center for Rapprochement Between People and serves on the board of Al-Rowwad Children Theater in Aida Refugee Camp. His main interest is media activism and public education. He has published over 200 letters to the editor and 200 op-ed pieces and been interviewed on TV and radio extensively (local, national and international). Mazin has published several books, including Sharing the Land of Canaan: Human Rights and the Israeli/Palestinian Struggle and Popular Resistance in Palestine: A History of Hope and Empowerment.

I grew up under Israeli occupation, a brutal military occupation accompanied by “colonization” (land theft). My family suffered, though not as much as other Palestinian families. It is hard to describe how much the occupation invades every aspect of one's life here: from eating and drinking to education and from healthcare to travel, from economy to freedom of religion. The antithesis of all of this repression, violence, occupation, colonization and war is, of course, peace. I was thus captivated by peace as a concept, a dream, a hope. Sometimes I was thinking of peace in terms of a state of external calm and lack of disturbance. In other times, I thought peace was related to freedom from repression. Now, I think of peace as being an inner peace, that only comes from acting on what we believe and freeing our minds of the bondage acquired from external sources.

In the Buddhist traditions, we are asked to seek, to have “joyful participation in the sorrows of this world.” I was reminded of this when I was held on July 27, 2011, along with some Israeli and Palestinian activists, in the Israeli military compound at Atarot. This was after being attacked by Israeli soldiers for participation in a peaceful demonstration in the village of Al-Walaja. This beautiful village in the West Bank is slowly being depopulated of its last remaining citizens. Simple and beautiful slogans is hard to apply here, as a wall will encircle the remaining houses of the village, cutting the inhabitants off from their livelihood and forcing them to leave.

How can we even begin to comprehend the sorrow that has engulfed the land of Canaan in the past few decades? The sorrows of the native inhabitants are so horrendous that it sometimes seems unreal. Of 11 million Palestinians in the world, 7 million are refugees or displaced people. The 5.5 million natives who remain inside the country (many displaced) are restricted now to shrinking concentration areas, amounting to only 8.3 percent of the historic land of Palestine.

According to the latest survey of the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, some 26.2 percent of families live in poverty and 14.1 percent live in deep poverty, for a total of 40.3 percent living in poverty or deep poverty in the West Bank and Gaza. The situation in Gaza is worse than in the West Bank with 1.5 million people, most of them refugees squeezed in an arid part of Palestine, besieged, blockaded and denied even basic living necessities. This, the worst post-WWII horror inflicted on a people, indeed portends so much suffering. So how can we have personal peace, let alone joyful participation, when we suffer so much?

On a personal level, I have lost many colleagues and friends. Just in the last year alone, I have lost friends who practiced nonviolence and strove to peace: Juliano Mer Khamis, Vittorio Arrigi, Bassem and his sister Jawaher Abu Rahma. I lost many other friends and relatives to illnesses that seem to be increasing in our population. Cancer and heart disease have claimed the lives of many of those: my two brothers-in-law and four dear friends and fellow activists. All such losses certainly make deep scars that reach to the soul. Even routine difficulties in life stir us and disturb us, leaving us a little further from peace. So how can we aspire to peace while our own souls are still far from peace? I believe our internal turmoil is mainly due to a lack of understanding of human nature and the trajectories of history.

To understand humans and what drives us, we have to understand our biology, especially our early development. I taught developmental biology and researched how things could go wrong in early development. We all start as a zygote, a single cell which is the result of the union of the sperm nucleus with the egg nucleus inside the cytoplasm of the egg. That primal cytoplasm is a soup containing codes for proteins that allow the early embryo to get its initial organizational structure, even before the code in the nucleus of the zygote starts to shape the future of the individual. In a sense then, we all depend far more on “stuff” we get from our mothers than stuff we get from our fathers. In developmental biology we know that axis formation (having three dimensions: anterior-posterior, dorsal-ventral, left and right) comes from the cytoplasm of the egg from our mothers. In essence, without that initial material we get from our mother, we would simply be a round blob.

But the miracle of developmental biology is that the joining of 23 chromosomes from the sperm with 23 chromosomes from the egg make one nucleus. There are already endless genetic possibilities for those maternal and paternal chromosomes. This is because the process of producing sperm and eggs, called meiosis, not only reduces the chromosomes by half (from 46 to 23), but creates myriad opportunities for having very different sets of genetic variation, through recombination and chromosome segregation. That is why no two sperm and no two eggs are the same. That is why no two siblings are the same (except of course identical twins, which come from the same zygote).

The first cell divides to become 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64 cells. That early embryo implants itself on the uterine wall and the interdigitation of embryonic and maternal tissue forms a placenta. This remarkable structure is where nutrients are supplied to the embryo, and oxygen and CO2 are exchanged. Many embryos are lost along the way because they have genetic codes that affect these developmental processes. Some 15-20 percent of recognized pregnancies end-up spontaneously aborted (a natural selection process). Harmful mutations are the price that our species pays for possibilities of useful mutations. Mutations are the natural substances upon which natural selection operates. Useful mutations survive and travel to the next generation. That simple idea (developed and spread by Charles Darwin) revolutionized our understanding of biology and in turn has advanced a wide range of fields, from environmental research to medical studies.

The embryo developing in the uterus is, of course, subject to its environment. Both harmful and beneficial stimuli shape its very existence and future. That is why pregnant mothers are told to stay away from harmful materials (alcohol, tobacco and other drugs) and maintain a good diet. (Many Palestinian mothers delivered babies with blindness in the few years following the Nakba of 1948, because of vitamin E deficiencies in the refugee camps.) Some scientific studies also suggest a child’s brain development may be susceptible to nutritional food and toxin-free air and the absence of other harmful things. There are data that show that even music and the mother’s good mood influences the mental capacity and development of the child she is carrying. Needless to say, women in war zones do not produce the healthiest babies. This is why the impact of a military occupation is not just on the adults and children around but on future generations.

After birth, education from society may create tribalistic racist notions (e.g., Nazi Germany… or Israel today). Challenging these notions of superiority and striving for common good is possible, but it requires shedding some of the educational baggage that nationalistic and militaristic societies use to saturate young minds. At one level, this is more difficult today than in the past: Modern warfare is much bloodier than ancient warfare, but it is conducted from a distance.

Soldiers no longer come home to wash off the blood of their enemies from their clothes and swords. They come home with images of the tools that they have used to destroy enemies from a distance. The faces of their enemies are not familiar to them, only outlines in gun sights or on computer screens. The facial distortions and agonized screams of those killed do not reach the killers. Some of these killers like to pretend they do not imagine these things. They want to cling to the elements of their humanity. They may go back home, and even help an old lady cross the street or pass a candy to a child. But deep in their psyches, these killers know that they have destroyed a human being just like them, with flesh and blood, with feelings, with people who loved him or her.

On the other hand, the development of the internet and of methods of social communication allow a closeness of the human family in new and incredibly positive ways that promote social transformation towards peace and human rights. From the organizing against the World Trade Organization and International Monetary Fund in Seattle, to Tunisia and Egypt, people are finding their voice. Here in Palestine, we have had a vibrant activist community for decades. Increasingly, Israeli and international activists join hands with native Palestinians in our struggle for peace with justice.

After 20 years of fruitless negotiations between colonizer and colonized, occupier and occupied, even Palestinian elites have come around to see the power of the people. Engaging in international diplomacy while doing popular resistance is seen as critical in increasing the pressure to arrive at a just resolution. If the Israeli government remains intransigent and continues to build colonial settlements on Palestinian lands, the only remaining option will become adopted by more and more people: a push for a single democratic state throughout historic Palestine. That outcome may already have been guaranteed by the relentless expansionist Zionist project. By making a two-state option impossible and forcing us into close contacts, we (Palestinians and Israelis) are developing joint strategies to work for peace, even as walls are erected on our land.

What is remarkable is that humans of different backgrounds are coming to regard peace as personal, and to regard politicians as “behind the times.” All humans have behaviors that trace back to our ancestral primates. From sex to feeding to self-protection to ambition to control of space, we as a species are driven by these deep-rooted innate behaviors. To what extent we can control our behavior in a positive fashion determines our humanity. Governments endeavor to maintain the status quo of control over individuals and the manipulation of conflicts for their benefits. Yet, the achievements by individuals working together towards freedom, peace, and self-government are a testimony to the power that resides in us.

We learned from the civil rights movement in the US, from ending apartheid in South Africa, from the freedoms achieved in Eastern Europe, and from the Arab Spring. I believe the main reason this world functions (and the main reason we remain optimistic) is that good people are everywhere, endeavoring toward inner peace and extending it by deeds to achieve peace in our societies. This happens despite the push-back from governments who are happy with the status quo. Without this “people power,” we would have endless wars and endless repression and injustice. With it and with human cultural evolution speeding up, we indeed look forward to a day when no human life is lost in useless wars and conflicts, and all individuals are free from state aggression. It is up to us to work to accelerate the trend in history.

Compassion

We had a really bad day today.  Nine Palestinian very young children were killed and 40 other children injured (some severely) in one horrific fiery traffic accident today and another child was killed in a separate traffic accident.  The day started with me breaking a glass and then having to talk to a lawyer about a notice I just received to go to military court on 1 April (more on this later as it becomes clear what I will be charged with).  Then I am rushing to do interview live on an international TV station then driving to Ramallah for an important meeting and then to my afternoon classes at Birzeit University.  Well, I never made it to the Ramallah meeting because the road was blocked for this horrific accident; an Israeli licensed trailer truck (driven by an Israeli Arab citizen) carrying fuel hit the Palestinian bus carrying children on a trip head on and the bus turned over and burst in flames (the bus burned not the trailer!).  This happened near the Palestinian village of Hizma and the villagers rushed to save the children. The Israeli cars could double back and go through the wall on the Israeli only roads.  We in the Palestinian cars had to wait as ambulance after ambulance took the dead and injured away.  Below are links to picture and video (some of the video was rightly blurred so that the disturbing images of burned children are not seen).  A person also sent me a link to Facebook pages in Hebrew where some sick Israelis thank God these were Palestinian Children (also see below).  But I also saw very kind comments by Israelis on the liberal Haaretz (though this also has anonymous ugly comments some could be misrepresenting who they are or trying to create division).  This made me really angry that a tragedy that saddened so many decent people (Jews, Christians, Muslims etc) is used in ugly fashions. 

Forgetting about my own personal troubles, I thus started to think based on the issue of compassion and dignity more.  A story like this should generate compassion and it certainly helps us identify decent human beings (like the Israelis and Palestinians of all religions who helped save the lives of so many children).  But why did so many ignore it or feel no compassion because it is not their children or belong to their self-identified (fictional) group.  A 33-year old Palestinian Khader Adnan is on his 61 days of hunger strike (because he is held without charge in so called administrative detention by Israel). How many will care if he dies or care now about him? Regardless of his background, isn't he someone's husband, someone's father, someone's son, someone's uncle? Below is a letter from a friend about Khader Adnan's situation.  These and other stories that break our hearts do not seem to elicit even a blip of compassion and care from millions who may tangentially hear about these things.  Some people say there is "compassion fatigue" among some of us but I disagree.  I believe once you have true compassion for fellow human beings you can never tire of it; compassion here is defined as compassion for all human beings not selected members of your "tribe", "nation", "religion" or other concocted group identity (to me this is the opposite of compassion).   

Eleven years ago (4 June 2001), I published this letter in Haaretz titled "Sincere condolences" about another tragedy which is relevant here:

"Upon hearing the news of the wedding party turned to tragedy by collapse of the building in Jerusalem, my shock and sadness were intense. It only got worse and turned to tears when I later saw the video footage and read about the alleged construction problems. The video footage reminded me of the footage of my sister's wedding. I was touched by the ordinariness and beauty of this event and then the tragedy that ensued. I grieve for the victims and my thoughts and prayers are with the families and with you all. Please accept my sincerest and humble condolences.
I am a Palestinian American who works for human rights, including the Palestinian refugees' right to return to their homes and lands. I believe that all people of Israel/Palestine must and will eventually live in one democratic and secular state with a constitution that protects all its citizens and treats them equally. We are so similar and it is a shame that political ideas (Zionism and other forms of nationalism) divided us. In 1967, as a 10-year old child in Beit Sahur, I witnessed something that still touches me to this day - a reunion between my grandfather and his Jewish best friend from high school. Two old folks who had not seen each other between 1948 and 1967. Two old folks who cried like children. Both are gone now. I thought of this, and how much I miss the wisdom of my grandfather as I saw the recent events and the tragedies and the victims of violence in our homeland.

My grandfather wrote to me in 1974 that if he was to give me one piece of advice for the future it would be to realize that the world changes and that we have to remove our own shackles, which come to us from society and culture. It is time we started thinking and reflecting carefully on the futility of separation, nationalism, and militarism. It is time to insist on and teach ourselves to live together in equality and humanity. If the Berlin wall tumbled, Apartheid in South Africa was dismantled, and Europe is unifying, why can't we do the same? Imagine if the billions of dollars we spend on weapons were spent to better our economies, desalinate sea water, develop closer relationships and friendships, and provide therapy for the over 17,000 injured in the recent violence.

In the midst of our tragedies, let us work together for a better world.
Mazin B. Qumsiyeh, Ph.D.

The accident

Photos here http://www.alwatanvoice.com/arabic/news/2012/02/16/249119.html

Video here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wjI1Jngi45U

The article and image of the Facebook pages of the Israelis grateful these are Palestinian Children (scroll down past the French) http://www.palestinalibre.org/articulo.php?a=37816 But see above for my comments.

By contrast see comments under this story from the liberal, left leaning Haaretz

http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/10-killed-as-palestinian-children-s-bus-truck-collide-near-jerusalem-1.413257

Below is a letter from a friend about Khader Adnan's situation

"I haven't been posting about Khader Adnan, a Palestinian political prisoner who entered his 59th! day of hunger strike today, because, to my shame, I felt overwhelmed, and I had no idea how to stir any reaction in you, how to make you understand that a man is dying, how outrageous this is. it felt so insufficient to just keep writing some emails that you'll probably not read, although i receive emails and posts about him several times a day. how do we make the reality of the immense abuse, murder, massacres etc of people in our area in any way clear to so many who have been told for too long that this has nothing to do with them, that this is "unfortunate", that "these things happen". if they happened to your brother, you would scream in outrage. but somehow, there is this wrong feeling that these things won't happen to "us" - a feeling that is based on a very shitty perception of all the victims of these crimes as somehow "others" - they are not us. we can't identify. And i can't help but write that any such feeling of "this has nothing to do with us" - together with the reality that if it did happen to any of "us", you WOULD feel outrage - is possible because there is somewhere the notion that your rights don't apply to "them", or maybe, they are less than, less human, or maybe they have done SOMEthing to deserve it? Because how can these things happen?

I am sorry that I am attacking you, my friends and family, in this condescending and presumptious way. I am dispairing, I don't know how to make you react - forget react, for one moment, how to make you REALIZE, ACKNOWLEDGE, FEEL - any more.
But here I am trying again, though in this pretty cynical way:

Khader Adnan is entering his 59th day of hunger strike to protest his "administrative detention" (meaning they imprison him without even charging him with anything, without the prospect of a trial and the possibility to defend himself, without letting even his lawyer know WHY they are holding him, etc.) and the outrageous treatment he received at the hands of the Israeli military/security/police etc forces (torture, denial of rights, humiliation, etc.).

If you don't know what 59 days of hunger strike mean - I am afraid every day to read he has finally died. He is in hospital, chained to his bed, still denied all kinds of rights. And yesterday, an Israeli court - after having POSTPONED the hearing of his lawyer's appeal to a decision that he will stay in administrative detention until May 8 - decided that in spite of his condition, HE WILL REMAIN IMPRISONED UNTIL MAY 8.
THIS IS A DEATH SENTENCE. Since day 45 of his hunger strike, Adnan could die any moment.
The judge furthermore argued that it is ADNAN WHO IS TO BLAME FOR HIS SITUATION."

Mazin Qumsiyeh

Striving to stay human

http://qumsiyeh.org

Corruption vs Dignity

A friend asked how activists keep going when so many people engage in corruption, stealing, lying, cheating, and harming others.  Here in Palestine, there are plenty of people who do these things and they are both Israelis and Palestinians.  Occasionally we also have the visiting Western politicians but that only adds marginally to these negative acidic waves that are destroying lives and livelihoods in their wake.  We could write books about all these negative things.  We could tell stories of humanitarian aid that ends in pockets of corrupt individuals (in both governmental and non-governmental settings).  I was sad once to even find out that money we raised for medical relief was used for promoting an individual political ambition. I was sad to find that one of the highest ranking Palestinian officials worked hard to destroy the will of resistance and then claimed that the absence of resistance is a validation of endless negotiations (begging and pleading for crumbs).  There are few books written about these things.  One for example is "Globalized Palestine: The National Sell-Out of a Homeland" By Khalil Nakhleh which is now out in English.* I read the Arabic version of this when it came out and I think it is a must read for everyone who want to understand how the Oslo accords and what followed sold out Palestine for money, corporations and made some Palestinians very wealthy with villas, fancy cars etc. The book also touches on how this system corrupted many Palestinians.  This subject needs deeper exploration and many more books but a few brief comments here are warranted. 

Let me start by saying that I use Palestine and Palestinians as examples for this not because we have more corruption than say Israelis or Egyptians but for two reasons:

1) I am more knowledgeable about this particular subject and writing about what we know best makes it more personal and gives us better insights as to weaknesses and strengths of humans.

2) We are under an existential threat: a colonial power that is interested in eliminating our presence from the land.  Most of our land is taken already (we are reduced to use of 8.3% of our homeland and these are disjointed cantons).  Most of our people are refugees or displaced people (7 million of 11 million).  Most of our economy (agriculture, natural resources, and tourism) was usurped by the colonizers.  The pressures on us are thus tremendous.  Strengths are critical and weaknesses are amplified and used by our colonizers to their advantage.  Without addressing weaknesses (not necessarily removing all of them but reducing them), it is hard to envision the final push to end the injustice and bring a durable peace.

Every hour here I am reminded of what the prophets of old days realized with contemplation and deep thought: that each human being is a battle field. From individuals who cheat, those who take foreign aid money to serve their own selfish interest, those who lie, those who misuse authority, countless employed and not doing much for an income that they cling to etc.

There is war is within each human mind: between evil and good, between love and hate, between tribalism and humanity, between corruption and dignity. Those who slid down the wrong path can be salvaged but it takes much harder work on their part than those who stayed true to their better-selves. The Buddha realized this is not an unnatural conflict but that it is part of who we are.  Only by deep meditation and reflection, he realized that it is possible to maintain a balance in favor of the goodness.  Only by this very deep reflection (in many religions this is called prayer), are we able to let go of the carnal desires and go higher in levels of understanding, empathy, and compassion for fellow human beings. Addiction to greed and selfishness (in the case of some also tribalism) must be challenged with firm kindness and without malice or hate. 

This is not to say we do not need revolution; we actually desperately need it.  But we must start with a revolution in our minds to get rid of all the nonsense that was put there by parents, teachers, clergy, and society.  This revolution should be about dignity and restoring self-respect.  Without liberating our minds from all those self-imposed chains in the form of internalized colonization, we will never be able to gain liberty.  It will be harder here in the Middle East than it was in Europe in the Middle Ages.  This is because religious doctrines (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam) are more entrenched and because there are much Western interference (Started with Sykes-Picot and Balfour/Cambon).  Natural evolution to unlock creativity and human potential here is hard but not impossible. We are confident that eventually we will succeed because the trend in humanity is intermarriage, cultural mixing, separation of religion from state, and global connectedness. Our individual job is to accelerate this trend by openly promoting dignity and self-respect as the best antidotes to greed and corruption.   

*See http://www.thisweekinpalestine.com/details.php?id=3635&ed=203&edid=203

Jewish Roots of Islam’s Extremism by Dr. Ashraf Ezzat

http://ashraf62.wordpress.com/2012/02/08/jewish-roots-of-islams-extremism/

(Here I must say that the myths of the Bible about exodus and promised lands etc are repeated in Christian and Muslim Books and many take them as literal/historical not as metaphorical mythologies as they really are.)

Israel panel okays bill calling for tax exemption to 'Zionist' donations

http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/israel-panel-okays-bill-calling-for-tax-exemption-to-zionist-donations-1.412472

(tax exempt for land theft, colonization, repression, ethnic cleansing)

Report: Under Attack: Golani Brigade's war on the Palestinian population of Al-Khalil (Hebron)

http://www.cpt.org/underattack

US Admits: Terror groups attacking Iran are linked to Israel

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NXCIiQA3nnM

The Italian Movement For Boycott, Divestment And Sanctions (BDS) Against Israel Gains Strength http://www.countercurrents.org/westbrook020212.htm

Youth Conference and more

Items in today's email: Video of the event today at Al-Walaja (three arrested but subsequently released), Comments on the just concluded Herzliya conference, action item to do for Brussels Air, Youth Conference in Palestine in July, and more.

1) Video: On Sunday 5 Feb 2012, villagers from Al-Walaja and international supporters went to the area where the Israeli apartheid authorities were still destroying lands to build a wall that will isolate the villagers from their remaining lands and allow for further expansion of the illegal colonies of Gilo and Har Gilo.  Already over 90% of the village lands were taken for colonial settler activities in the past 6 decades. The area this short video was taken is just around the oldest tree in Bethlehem district (an olive tree > 3,000 year old).

http://youtu.be/XZ7Wn9KY4bI

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2) The "Herzliya Conference" just concluded.  This is the annual conference that brings the elites of the Israeli military industrial complex together to plot "strategy" in a coastal town named after the founder of Political Zionism Theodor Herzl. This location is on ethnically-cleansed Palestinian land (see for history of the location: http://www.palestineremembered.com/Jaffa/Abu-Kishk/index.html).  Shimon Peres, a war criminal and architect of Israel's arsenal of Weapons of Mass Destruction appropriately opened as a key note speaker.  There were several sessions that touched on Iran including "Iran: Will Sanctions Work?" and "The Ticking Clock: Dissuading and containing Iran's strategic ambitions" where war criminals like Danny Ayalon debated whether it is enough to continue to use clandestine terrorist operations in Iran or whether we need to push the US to start another war like they did on Iraq (one million civilians killed so far) on behalf of Israel.  There was a session on "Galilee: Setting Priorities for Regional Development" where a number of Jewish Zionists discuss how to transform the Galilee into a Jewish area (without consulting the native inhabitants of the Galilee). The Galilee and Negev were left with a good number of Palestinians after the ethnic cleansing during the foundation of "Israel". There were sessions titled things like "Advancing Israel Normalization in the International Community" where efforts to whitewash apartheid are celebrated and plans for new propaganda and lobbying campaigns debated. There were also sessions celebrating the anniversary of the Jewish National Fund or KKL (Keren Keyemeth L'Israel), a group that participated for decades in ethnic cleansing and continues to do so (e.g. in the Negev where Bedouins are being displaced to Judaicize the Negev). Participants were also taken to military bases and training facilities of the apartheid army so that they could visit with the most moral army that caused the largest post-World War II refugee crisis and that has murdered over 25,000 children. There was even some talk about how to get Mahmoud Abbas (whose term has expired long ago) to return to fruitless and endless negotiations. After all, the "Peace process industry" needs to be revived so that more time is allowed for continued rape of Palestine (expanding colonial settlement etc)!  In over 20 sessions, not one dealt with what the natives of Palestine (Christians and Muslims) go through or how we feel.  To cap the "conference" the Israeli government made announcements of more land confiscation (e.g. 430 dunums in Nahhalin) and more home demolitions (e.g. in Al-Aqaba).

Shamelessly, the head of the United Nations Ban Ki Moon addressed this gathering of apartheid leaders. Also Mr. John Baird, foreign minister of Canada (with MP Irwin Cotler) came to claim that Canada supports Apartheid Israel.  Mr. Riad Al-Khoury from Jordan came and thus also lent his blessings to apartheid. There was also the Zionist Zoelnick (head of the World Bank) and a few other American Jewish Zionists "discussing" how best to get Israel even more money and arms from our taxes. 

I guess I should look on the positive side: that this year, there were less of those "Internationals" willing to show their faces at this circus.  But it is a distraction to blame these rich elites but ultimately it is our responsibility to make sure that we end their games of domination, war, and destruction.  People are taking on the responsibility of change and each of us can do more to advance peace with justice.  The horrific events in Egypt (where 80 people were killed when fans of two football teams collided) also remind us of the worst element of human weaknesses.  It then matters a lot what those who disapprove DO.  

Unfortunately, many of our closest supporters and even Palestinians themselves do not understand basic issues relating to Palestine and the Israeli apartheid system.  Because of these misunderstandings, they make devastating choices including for example supporting the mythical "two state solution".  I will not discuss here why it is mythical and why it is what led us to 20 years suspension of the Palestinian liberation Struggle in return for an industry of negotiations (yes an industry that is profiting some Palestinians who became invested in the status quo (i.e. in the occupation) and addicted to the "security aid" and "humanitarian aid" that comes primarily from the US and Europe (respectively).  I already discussed this in detail in my 2004 book "Sharing the Land of Canaan".  But I am also willing to debate anyone in pubic on these issues.

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3) Example of action: I wrote to these email addresses the letters below about Brussels Air promoting Israeli apartheid.  Please read and if interested to write or take action based on your conscience, then please do.  That is how change happens in society: when enough people say enough is enough!

To Brussels Air and Ink Global

wlemmes@brusselsairlines.com  

gsciot@brusselsairlines.com

info@btheremag.com
jane.wright@ink-global.com
jenny.mcneely@ink-global.com
Bart.Beirlant@standaard.be

You did not respond to my earlier email (copy below) sent three weeks ago about your January 2012 Brussels Air magazine's shameless promotion of Israeli apartheid.  But then when I returned home from Belgium, I noted that this was not the first time you are promoting Apartheid Israel as a destination.  In fact, your web-page which I just checked http://www.btheremag.com starts out with the August 2011 issue promoting Tel Aviv and stolen Palestinian food (Falafel) as if it is an Israeli food "Tasting Tel Aviv: Where Fashion meets Falafel".  So I am now personally boycotting your airline and will be promoting a boycott of your airlines.

Sincerely,

Mazin Qumsiyeh, PhD

Dear Colleagues in Brussels Air and Ink Global

It was my first trip on Brussels Air and it will likely be the last.  Your B.There! Airline magazine soured my trip since it promoted apartheid.  Imagine if at the height of Apartheid in South Africa, your magazine chose to highlight the white part of the segregated country and promoted it in three distinct locations in one issue, something you do not do for any other of the nearly 200 destinations to normal cities/countries.  This is precisely what you did by promoting Apartheid Israel in three locations in your January 2012 issue: On page 14 you promoted “Tel Aviv Art weekend”, on page 50 you promoted a Tel-Aviv “food blog”, and in page 55 you had feature article advertising (free) an Israeli company (Uploads).  Brussels Air according to your magazine and website flies to nearly 200 destinations around the world.  Yet, I saw most of those not mentioned in this magazine let alone deserving of three free promotional items.

This alone is favoritism but is scandalous when we add the fact that Israel is recognized by people around the world as an apartheid state and there is a worldwide movement for boycotts, divestments, and sanctions (BDS) called for by Palestinian Civil Society. 

I realize Brussels Air contracts with a British company to do their magazine and the mistaken bias likely originated with Ink Global.  Perhaps in your next magazine you can promote Palestine alternative tourism (www.atg.ps and http://sirajcenter.org/ ) or highlight the way Belgians are traveling to help their fellow human beings like in the upcoming welcome to Palestine Campaign (http://bienvenuepalestine.com/). I would be happy to help.

I have an email list of more than 50,000 activists and depending on your answer to this email, I will write to them to encourage a boycott of this airline.  After all, there are other ways to travel without being pelted with free advertisements for apartheid Israel.

Sincerely,

Mazin Qumsiyeh, PhD

Palestinian – American Professor and author currently on speaking tour in Belgium

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4) Sabeel 7th Young Adult Conference. Challenging Oppression, on a Donkey:  Christ, Resistance, and Creative Discipleship.

4 -15 July 2012 http://www.sabeel.org/events.php?eventid=229

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5) With Jack Lew's appointment, Jewish community again has a White House address By Ron Kampeas, Jewish Telegraph Agency
http://www.jta.org/news/article/2012/01/10/3091107/with-jack-lews-appointment-community-once-again-has-a-white-house-address

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6) Mark Dubowitz, Jewish head of Foundation for Defense of Democracies, commends Obama for "shot across the bow"

http://blogs.jta.org/politics/#reactions-to-obamas-picking-jack-lew-orthodox-jew
(The "Foundation for Defense of Democracies" agenda is to fight for change only in countries deemed unfriendly to Israeli apartheid or US imperial tendencies but countries like Bahrain and Saudi Arabia and Jordan are not to be touched by these hypocritical groups)

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7) And there is also the so called "National Endowment For Democracy"

http://www.pacificfreepress.com/news/1-/10643-finito-with-putin-the-shady-national-endowment-for-democracy-a-the-prime-agenda.html

From de Bouilon to Bwn Gurion

Rushing between talks in Europe leaves little time for any sightseeing.   As we pass by the Royal Palace in Brussles, Belgium and cannot stop as we have to rush to the train station. But in that large square stands an imposing statue of Godfrey de Bouilon,  the first ruler of Jerusalem in the period of the crusaders (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Square_(Brussels).  What jumped to my mind was Herbert Samuel the first British Zionist high-commissioner of Palestine and David Ben Gurion, the first Prime Minister of Israel.  This was my first visit to Belgium and I was thinking how here like in other countries, there is the contrast between people’s vision and history and official mythologies and monuments.  The people I worked with are common Belgians of all walks of life who have a different take on their history than official national myths.  One said:” look at the palace of justice and how huge it is.  It is intended to make the common Belgian feel guilty and accept the rule of the state.”  Europe is like the US where  the state teaches myths: about Columbus discovering America, about thanksgiving, about 1792, and promotion of freedom and democracy clash with the reality of ethnic cleansing of natives, slavery, Vietnam and Iraq (see Howard Zinn’s book a People’s History of the United States).   Here also there is a people history that clashes with official history. While I should learn the language more so that I can read that people history,  I can hear it from people themselves: the hospitable and generous common people volunteering in the Platform Charleroi Palestine (http://www.pourlapalestine.be/) , www.intal.be, www.association-belgo-palestienne,.org Rete di solidarietà con la Palestina – Milano, ISM-Udine, and the Nederlands Palestina Komittee (www.palestina-komitee.nl ).  In one week visiting Italy Belgium, and Holland, I already spoke to over 1000 individuals of all background and ages (including three high schools). Israeli propaganda posters for “Visit Israel” have Boycott  Israel stickers. Europeans hope to move beyond the history of support for colonialism and wars towards coexistence and concern for fellow-human beings.  Thus,  Europeans prepares to join either the Global March to Jerusalem March 30th  (www.globalmarchtojerusalem.org) or the Welcome to Palestine Campaign 15 April (see http://bienvenuepalestine.com/ ).

The truth of what has happened and what is happening cannot be hidden by the gate-keepers in official media whether in Europe or occupied Palestine! Any serious student of history knows that crusader leaders including de Bouilon would best be described as a war criminal and that the same can be said for Herbert Samuel and David Ben Gurion.  The ghosts of these folks still cause great pain to so many people.  They were not national or historic leaders except in a negative sense.  The people they claimed to represent did not on the long-run do better because of their actions. On the contrary, suffering only came from their arrogance and brutality.   Christianity and Christians did not benefit in the long-term from the “Christian Crusaders” who committed massacres. Judaism and Jews did not and will not in the long term benefit from the modern-day Crusaders who replaced a cross with a Star of David in their flags.  History marches on and new generations come about and humanity gets mixed in ways that are ironic.  De Bouilon who murdered Jews and Muslims (and some of my Christian ancestors because they were Eastern Christians) would turn in his grave to note how things have changed today.  Muslims and Jews thrive in this country to the chagrin of any remaining De Bouilon supporters.   Similarly in many years from now, BenGurion’s statue may still be in Tel Aviv but the face of the country and its attitude of its transformed citizens will be human and humane.

Videos: 2011 B’Tselem camera Project distilled one year of misery in 3 minutes
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sEukvh_Ajv4
And even more checkpoint brutality
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QorJMPtz1Fw

Join us also for the Global March to Jerusalem
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDkEPqqUFBw
http://www.globalmarchtojerusalem.org
http://www.jerusalem-marsch.de/
Alternative Information Center "The demographic battle for Jerusalem"
http://www.alternativenews.org/english/index.php/topics/jerusalem/4014-the-demographic-battle-for-jerusalem

Professor of Hate: Israeli "scholar" urges ethnic cleansing of Bedouins
http://electronicintifada.net/blogs/ali-abunimah/professor-hate-israeli-scholar-urges-ethnic-cleansing-bedouins

Must Read: Ethnic Cleansing of Invented People By Miko Peled January 04, 2012 http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article30156.htm

I saw Sabra hummus for sale at my high school cafeteria and decided to act  by Nadine Darwish
http://electronicintifada.net/content/i-saw-sabra-hummus-sale-my-high...
The faces of new Egypt: Muslim cleric in Egypt congratulates Christians in Egyptian Church
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IW2MPkWETQU&sns=em

A Zionist Rabbi publicly apologizes to our friend Rich Siegel
http://tinyurl.com/78u4nsk
Rich Siegel was honored at an event I attended
http://www.northjersey.com/topstories/teaneck/137159438_Two_residents_honored_for_peace_activism.html
I listened to Rich’s wonderful new CD “The Way to Peace” and I highly recommend it – it is beautiful
(visit http://www.richsiegel.com/)

Mazin Qumsiyeh, PhD
Professor
A Bedouin in Cyberspace, a Villager at home
http://qumsiyeh.org

Shepherds' nights and more

I received many notes articles and announcements claiming anniversary of the start of the 1987 uprising on 8 or 9 December.  This uprising (not "the first intifada") did not start on those dates.  Below a section from "Popular Resistance in Palestine: A History of Hope and Empowerment" to explain why.* Also below you will find news article about Israeli soldiers harassing the family of our friend Saher Alsous, invitation to join us for Shepherds' nights, a video of the repression in Nebi Saleh demonstration last week (a friend was injured today also in Nebi Saleh with a canister shot at his head from close range), follow-up on US police brutality linked to Israeli apartheid police tactics, good news on boycotts, articles etc.  Of course I know everyone is busy but you can pick those items to read that pique your interests.

Israeli troops break into the house of IMEMC's board member (our friend Saher Al-Sous) http://www.imemc.org/article/62627 [he is OK and is considering legal action for harassment]

Invitation: Join us for Shepherds' Nights in Beit Sahour December 23-25 including lighting a candle for a free Palestine http://www.obethlehem.com/lit-a-candle

Video: Nebi Saleh demonstration http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bINP2lSu2vE

In follow-up to my email about US police learning brutality from Israeli apartheid police, some readers sent me other links in "proof".  Here is one about Oakland police training

http://www.tikkun.org/tikkundaily/2011/12/04/prior-to-violent-occupy-oakland-raid-oakland-police-trained-alongside-bahrain-military-and-israeli-border-forces/

And here is Berkeley police in action including yanking hair of female professor and students

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNHXuf6qJas

Good news: The City Council of Rho (Milan) voted a resolution to condemn Pizzarotti for their participation in the high speed rail project. It would be great if you could include this in one of your next mailings. We are collecting signatures/letters of support. http://stopthattrain.org/?p=521

You can sign in support/appreciation: http://stopthattrain.org/?p=503

Israel Stole Uranium from U.S., Report Will Show http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article29901.htm

New Book: False Prophets of Peace: Liberal Zionism and the Struggle for Palestine by TIKVA HONIG-PARNASS

False Prophets of Peace unearths the central role played by the Israeli Left in laying the foundation for the colonial settler project and its campaign of dispossession. Far from its professed radicalism, Honig-Parnass deftly exposes Left Zionism's contributions to Israel's exclusivist ideology and its participation in attempts to legitimize the apartheid treatment of Palestinians. Its fervent support of a Jewish-only state not only undermined the “peace process” from the very start but continues to serve as a barrier to reaching a just peace that recognizes the national and human rights of the Palestinian people

http://www.haymarketbooks.org/pb/False-Prophets-of-Peace

Donate to Julian Assange defense fund

http://rothera.com/page.php?data=91

US Republican Presidential Candidates try to suck-up to the lobby and trip over each other in their mad dash to support apartheid Israel at the expense of US national interest

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4158686,00.html

Excerpt from the book "popular Resistance in Palestine" on the 1987 uprising:

"A statistical analysis of monthly events that could be classified as popular resistance (demonstrations, strikes, petitions, flying flags, etc.) jumped from 933 in 1985 to 1,358 in 1986 to 2,882 in 1987 and novel forms of resistance were created.⁶ By the autumn of 1987, a number of events could be construed as initiating the uprising. On 3 October 1987, Palestinians demonstrated and engaged in a strike involving schools and colleges in the Gaza Strip to protest at the killing of three citizens near Al-Bureij refugee camp.⁷ These demonstrations were brutally attacked by Israeli soldiers and this led to more anger and demonstrations. On 8 October 1987, a number of demonstrations were held in cities, villages and refugee camps in the Gaza Strip after another four Palestinians were killed by the occupation forces.⁸ The marginalization of Palestine, the PLO and Arafat at the Arab summit in Amman on 8-11 November 1987 added to popular unrest. From these, other, more intense demonstrations spilled over and spread throughout both the occupied areas of 1967 and the 1948 areas. The characteristic pattern of these demonstrations soon became evident: youths (8-20 year olds) responded to Israeli brutality by throwing stones. This triggered massive reprisals - youths were killed and collective punishment was imposed. I am not sure why some authors try to date the start to when demonstrations were held after some Palestinian laborers were run over and killed by a truck driven by an Israeli (see below) - perhaps because this may have been an accident and the Israeli-influenced media could score a PR point by stating that Palestinians overreacted to a ‘traffic accident’. Clearly, using collective punishment in October and November 1987 were pivotal.

            On 10 October 1987, demonstrations were held in many locations accompanied by strikes; 25 Palestinians were shot.⁹ These demonstrations and strikes spread to the West Bank when a woman was killed and four injured in a peaceful demonstration in Al-Manara Square, Ramallah on 12 October 1987.¹⁰ Her murder prompted more demonstrations in the days that followed. Refugee camps in the Gaza Strip, Bethlehem, Nablus and East Jerusalem (the Shufat refugee camp) played a leading role in these demonstrations.¹¹ During the visit of US Secretary of State Shultz to Jerusalem, a general strike was declared and demonstrations were held in Jerusalem and Nablus, with one youth killed by the Israeli forces.¹²

            In one bloody incident the army attacked demonstrators at Bethlehem University on the morning of 28 October 1987, injuring three students. One (Ishaq Abusrour from Aida refugee camp) died two days later from his injuries.¹³ Subsequently, the occupying army ordered Bethlehem University to be closed for three months.¹⁴ Ishaq’s death sparked more demonstrations in the Bethlehem area and the cycle of demonstrations, Israeli killings of Palestinians and more demonstrations continued. Demonstrators and graffiti denounced the occupation, spoke of Palestinian rights, supported the PLO and honored the martyrs. Israel intensified the use of curfews, deportations, forced closures of schools and universities and forced opening of shops during the strikes. What was surprising was the Palestinians’ restraint. From 1982 to 1987, there were few armed attacks. While the Israeli forces used torture, targeted assassinations, home demolitions and other brutal tactics, few Palestinians resorted to arms.

            On 29 November 1987, on the fortieth anniversary of the partition resolution and the international day of solidarity with the Palestinian people, demonstrations were held throughout the occupied areas. Five youths were shot in Rafah and Balata refugee camp.¹⁵ Scattered demonstrations throughout Palestine occurred on 1 December 1987 and several youths were shot in Khan Younis.¹⁶ In 8 December 1987, in Gaza, when an Israeli truck ploughed through two cars carrying Palestinian laborers four were killed and five (some say nine) were injured. Rumors spread that the Israeli settler was related to an Israeli who had stabbed a Palestinian. On 9 December 1987 word went round to meet for a morning demonstration in the middle of Jabalya refugee camp in Gaza. The location is known as Birket Abu Rashid (Abu Rashid pool, not a freshwater pool but a foetid mix of rain, dirt, sometimes sewage and lots of garbage). One 17 year old, Hatem Asisi, was killed instantly.¹⁷….."

Mazin Qumsiyeh, PhD

http://qumsiyeh.org

December in Palestinian history

December in Palestinian history is replete with important events*:

- December 1908: Palestinian villagers of Kafr Kama (near Tiberias) tried to reclaim land taken unfairly by the "Jewish Colonisation Association" (yes that was its actual name).

- 9 December 1917, British forces marched into Jerusalem to begin over three decades of repressive occupation that devastated the country and left an apartheid system in its wake.

- 14 December 1920: Third Congress of the Arab Executive Committee meets in Haifa and declares opposition to the Balfour Declaration and to Zionist plans for Palestine.

- December 1921: The Jewish Zionist Herbert Samuel appointed by the British as a "High Commissioner" of Palestine makes decrees allowing transfer of native Arab land ownership to the European Zionist movement.

- 7-17 December 1931: general Islamic conference held in Jerusalem attended by 145 key Islamic scholars and leaders from 22 countries.

- 13 December 1931: leaders of the previous organisation Al-Arabiya Al-Fatat and supporters of independence were mobilised and 50 of them met in the home of Awni Abd Hadi and drafted an Arab nationalist covenant. This document re-emphasised the regional Arab context for the struggle for Palestine as a joint effort against imperialism )this movement evolved later in 1933to form Hizb Al-Istiqlal).

- 9 December 1935: Palestinian strategy meetings and popular gatherings were held to commemorate the anniversary of the British occupation recognized as the beginning stirrings of the intifada/uprising of 1936-1939.

- December 1936: Michel Mitri, the most recognised Palestinian labour leader of the period, was assassinated by Zionist forces. He had dared to challenge the monopoly/hegemony of the Histadrut (Zionist labour federation) and always believed in popular resistance activities (non-violent).

- 2-4 December 1947: Three-day Palestinian general strike to reject the unfair conditions of a partition resolution at the UN which allocated 55% of the land to Jews who constituted less than a third of the population and were mostly new migrants (many illegal).

- 31 December 1947: Zionist forces massacred 60 villagers in Balad Al-Sheikh (Haifa district). Dozens of villages were "cleansed" in this December wave. Massacres were committed in Al-Tira, Haifa, Balad el-Sheikh, Yehiday, Khisas, and Qazaza.  Between December 1^st 1947 and May 14, 1948 (the date, the Zionists unilaterally declared their state), over half of the Palestinian refugee population was created.  Thus, half of the 530 village and towns were ethnically cleansed while the area was still supposedly under British rule and protection (another British government treachery).

- 1 December 1948: The (British appointed) King of Jordan convened a conference in Jericho of unelected Palestinian elites who were to profit from agreeing to his annexation of what became known as the West Bank of Jordan. Later, the Jordanian monarch and his British Army commander turned the Negev and the Galilee over to Israel to allow the further expansion of the nascent state. The ancient name of Palestine was thus erased on both sides of what was to be called the Green Line (the armistice line)

- 2 December 1961: Arab students at the Hebrew University convened and established the Arab Jewish Committee ‘to end the military rule’ (the few remaining Palestinians inside the new state of Israel were under military rule from 1948-1966).

-December 1975: Israeli occupation forces raid Al-Qassaba area of Nablus killing nonviolent protesters.

- December 1986: Israeli soldiers chase students inside Birzeit university and used live ammunition, killing two and injuring twelve students.

- December 1987: demonstrations throughout Palestine and dozens of civilians (most under 18) were murdered.

- 13 December 1988: Arafat addressed the UNGA meeting in Geneva and stated that all parties should live in peace and security ‘including the state of Palestine, Israel, and other neighbours’.

- 15 December 1988: The Palestinian Centre for Rapprochement between People (PCR) issued an invitation to Internationals (including Israelis) to Beit Sahour to help break the siege and curfew.  This was the beginnings of what evolved into the International Solidarity Movement.

- mid-December 1992: Israel took the unprecedented step of ordering the deportation to Lebanon of 416 Palestinians (an act contrary to international law).  They stayed near the border in tents provided by the Red Cross and resisted the deportation.

I could go on but as can be seen December is as any other period in history brings up both sad memories of atrocities as well as memories of resilience and persistence and resistance of ordinary people. As we look to 2012, we hope that what is left of December will see more of the latter actions. There is a genuine popular resistance movement in the Arab world. But, as happened previously there are those who try to profit from other people's work by posing only for the cameras or in conference rooms or worse yet engage in destroying the resistance while speaking about it in positive terms. There is a counter-revolutionary movement by forces allied with the US, with the apartheid regime (otherwise known as Israel), and with the cleptocracy (otherwise known as the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia). There is an effort (which I think and hope will fail) to co-opt these revolutions.  Some in the West (goaded on by Israeli lobbies) now speak openly of "allowing" Islamic forces to take over and in return insist that each new government ignores its people's wishes and continue to support (or even increase) its support of Israel and allow "Free Market" businesses to continue to get rich people richer and poor people poorer.  Libyan elites indeed were very open about this as are some opposition forces in Syria blessed by the US.  The recent interview with a Mr. Ghalyoun of the Syrian opposition that appeared on the pages of the Wall Street Journal is an indication of such co-opted individuals.  But we are hearing more rational voices from Egypt, Tunisia, Syria, Libya and elsewhere that is against dictatorships and for real democracy (which means isolating racist apartheid regimes).  We must support all these people and demand real democracy.

Let there be no mistake about it, hundreds of millions of dollars are being mobilized and intelligence services and diplomatic and business "teams" are very busy shuttling back and forth to ensure this outcome. There is also a game of regional interests and some groups watching their own interests (Iran, Hezbollah, Turkey etc.).   There are also dirty games of divide and conquer and false-flag operations.  In all this mayhem, better awareness and education are critical. People who do not become aware and engage in serious work will go extinct (or at least continue to be impoverished) in the wild foggy jungle.

 Palestinian Center for Human Rights: PLO’s Refusal to Pursue Accountability at UN Exhibits Disregard for Victims of Gaza Conflict

http://tinyurl.com/bw92pgh

From Occupation to “Occupy”: The Israelification of American Domestic Security" By Max Blumenthal

"Given the amount of training the NYPD and so many other police forces have received from Israel’s military-intelligence apparatus, and the profuse levels of gratitude American police chiefs have expressed to their Israeli mentors, it is worth asking how much Israeli instruction has influenced the way the police have attempted to suppress the Occupy movement, and how much it will inform police repression of future upsurges of street protest. But already, the Israelification of American law enforcement appears to have intensified police hostility towards the civilian population, blurring the lines between protesters, common criminals, and terrorists."…

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article29892.htm

As an example of what Max is talking about, here is an example of a good peaceful action met with US police Brutality  http://blip.tv/zgraphix/freeze-flash-mob-police-brutality-don-t-buy-war-5793178

And [Israeli Apartheid] “Law Enforcement” Destroys Prayer House, Homes, School – Just Because They’re for Arabs http://villagesgroup.wordpress.com/

Action for California people http://www.israeldivestmentcampaign.org/phpPETITION/index.php

UN assembly passes 6 resolutions on Mideast conflict

"Canada, Israel, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Nauru, Palau, and United States voted against each of the resolutions." [All other >180 countries voted for them with few abstentions]

http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=441106

*Taken from the book "Popular Resistance in Palestine: A history of hope and empowerment" where you can find references/citation

Mazin Qumsiyeh

A Bedouin in Cyberspace, a villager at home