well, i have decided to go back to the states. it was s very difficult decision, one that literally i have left to the last minute to make, but it just feels like the right thing to do right now. i did have a great last couple days in the west bank and in jerusalem, however, and it makes me feel really good about coming back here soon.
i went to visit abed in arora, staying at his house. it was incredibly beautiful, the land so green, the trees flowering. i have never seen palestine in this season, and its incredible. and cold! i spent one night freezing, underdressed and no heat, but i managed because of the warm hospitality!
abed and the union leadership are very excited about the clinic, and they are getting to work on fixing the room up for it, and getting supplies. abed, bless his heart, is my biggest supporter, and he said he wants to make fliers and pass them out at the factories telling workers what acupuncture is good for and why they need to come get it. he is my best advocate. he knows everyone in ramallah, and everywhere we go together he tells them, this is my friend mateo, chinese doctor, with the needles! and every person says, "you see, i have this back problem..." or "my neck..." or "my wife has insomnia..." or "there was an acupuncturist in ramallah once, but he charged $100 per visit and after a few months he left town." so people are really enthusiastic. i guess we'll see.
also, abed showed me, from his house, across the valley, on the top of the "mount" as he calls it, the place where a peace village is being built. its supposed to be for christians, jews, muslims, buddhists, anyone can live there. and he supports it and thinks its a great idea. it just gets me thinking...
i go back to jerusalem, through the steel and they x-rayed my organic grapefruit, lemons, and olives from abed's field. thanks!
back in jerusalem i met some ism'ers in the palm hostel, and it was a great conversation through the night. it felt really good to have some good discussions with these folks, i felt an immediate kinship with them. its hard to not do that work anymore, the homestays to prevent house demolitions, the direct action in bil'in, the checkpoint watch. but the head ism coordinator made me feel a lot better about it when he acknowledged that providing acupuncture to ismers or to the community IS being onthe front lines, and is far more important, because not everyone has that tool to offer. i have felt like that, but it was nice to hear that from an "outsider" and helped me feel more comfortable in blending my roles. hisham said that he supports and defends me 100%, and wants to participate in a training, despite his stroke that left his right side paralyzed. he also says that training israeli activists and others in the technique can be of huge benefit in the long term as well, and he wants to organize those trainings. finally! something that resonates with the grassroots! no more of the stuffy, pristine clinic of the trc! yeah!
now i have to travel to eilat, on the border of egypt. i must get a visa from the consulate before entering, which is closed on friday, the muslim holiday, and saturday, the jewish one, so i have to wait until sunday. these borders are so ridiculous. i am essentially stranded here on the border, against my will, but its merely an inconvenience. obviously for many others borders represent so much more. but the principle is what i am trying to highlight.
i am here in eilat and happened to look at the pictures on a camera that a friend passed along to me that was intended for gaza. i was checking to see if it worked and i noticed that there were pictures on it. (i wasn't trying to be nosy!) the pictures were of family at mammoth cave, in kentucky. it made me so sad to think that these pictures, this simple thing, will never arrive to its destination, the imprisoned family members in gaza. another stark reminder of the inhumanity of these borders.
skip the next part if you dont want to hear about a small story that had a chain reaction in my head, its long and probably a ramble:
i wanted to share an experience, i hope its not too long. i was on the microbus to ramallah in the morning from arora and i witnessed something very interesting. a boy was sitting by the window and he immediately opened it. young, energetic and antsy, he was happy to have the wind blowing in his face. the older man in his 60s in the seat behind him was not so pleased. he had no scarf on and it was very cold in the morning. he waited a few minutes, but you could tell he wasnt happy. soon he pushed the window to almost shut. without hesitating, the boy immediately opened it to its original place. the man grumbled, waited, closed it again. the boy opened it. he closed it. it went on like this for almost 15 minutes. there was no talking, but both were pushing one another's limits with this physical language. it was surprising to me on a lot of levels. one, because the boy was so brazenly defiant to an elder, which i dont see often in any society, especially this one. and two, i was waiting for the older man to pull the "age" card and say "enough!", but he never did. he just kept sliding the window almost closed. actually, it was interesting because both had a right, and neither verbally asserted that their personal needs were any more important that the others. this was surprising to me, becuase i was expecting that to be the basis of an argument. but neither did. it seemed like two people from the same small village could talk about something, explain to one another what they needed and come to an agreement, but it almost seemed like a verbal engagement was too intimate, would have taken the thing to another level. so they kept it where it was. it ended finally when a woman in the front seat got off the bus, and the boy went to that window seat and opened the window all the way, and the man closed his window. i dont know why this scene struck me so powerfully, that i am thinking about it days afterwards. perhaps the nature of this conflict, one that is within a discrete time period, i.e. has a definite beginning and certain end (when the bus ride ends) allowed for it to never go to the level of verbal argument. maybe when we can see that the end of the conflict is near, or even that it has an end, we can endure a lot more. but when we look at the future, try to predict what might happen and include time as a factor, and we see that our situation might potentially go on for a long time, if not indefinitely, we become much more agitated, desperate even. indeed, our perception of time is a serious factor when we consider what discomfort we can endure.
a microcosm of conflict. all the essential elements were there. maybe it seems trite. anyway, i know that was long and probably not nearly as meaningful to anyone else, but i felt like i needed to write about it!
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Thursday, January 28, 2010
message from the Congress of South African Trade Unions
Soweto yesterday, Gaza today. . .
The forces of apartheid demonstrate limitless capacity for barbarism!
Almost a year ago, Gaza was run down by the occupying forces of Israel in a barbaric show of might and in pursuit of their colonial expansionist ambitions. Schools, clinics, UN buildings, social services, water and electrical installations, cultural institutions and businesses literally crumbled under the weight of heavy bombs and artillery. Dangerous and banned warfare chemicals, like white phosphorus were used in an attempt to annihilate the entire population, in which case women and children were the worst victims. That was Israel at its best, doing what it knows best and what it has always done over the years to instil fear and terror amongst the occupied people.
Funded and supported by the US, Israel has no regard, whatsoever, for international law and continues to expand its colonial project to-date. Illegal settlements are all over Palestine and the inhumane treatment of the people of Gaza bears testimony to the savage occupation that some refuse to see, even when evidence is so naked.
Dear Comrades, we are not hear to tell more of the painful, yet real tales of Palestinian suffering. We are here to welcome back our heroes and internationalists who sacrificed their festive joys for the cause of other people. They set about an impossible mission to invade the lion’s den in a bold effort to demonstrate to the Gaza people that no matter how much their pain, the world community of progressive peoples shall never forsake them. You did that on all our behalf dear comrades and for that, we salute you!
As COSATU, we are proud of our contribution and are fully committed to work with all who share our views and commitment that the crisis in Palestine have gone beyond mere calls for Press statements and sympathies or even charity, to demanding concrete and practical action. The luxury of lamenting is for cowards and armchair activists. We all should be in the streets demanding justice and supporting all attempts to isolate apartheid Israel through the courageous efforts of the Global BDS Campaign. It remains the only peaceful method at the disposal of those in search for justice and a lasting solution to the crisis in that region.
We call upon all organisations, individuals and institutions to join our hands and support the efforts, as outlined in the historic Cairo Declaration, for effective co-ordination of all our efforts for maximum impact. In this regard, the many organisations in our country doing work in solidarity with Palestine are called upon to be part of the initiative towards a united front for solidarity with the people of Palestine, starting with all of us here in South Africa.
COSATU has, on several occasions, been asked by opportunists why is it interested in a matter so far away from our land. The answer is simple, solidarity knows no boundaries or even geography, its about living people and their plight.
Our destiny is tied to theirs, our liberation is tied to theirs, our humanity is tied to theirs. Therefore, no worthy human being would tolerate the suffering and pain of others, wherever they are, worst still, those of us who have fought heroic struggles against apartheid, colonialism and occupation immediately feel it however far. We received solidarity from people we have never seen and were far away from Africa, let alone our country. They heard and responded to our cries. They did not ask how far are we from them. They asked what can we do to assist and they assisted, hence we are free.
Finally, dear comrades, we salute the courageous efforts of the Palestine Solidarity movement for organising these bold initiatives and they have our full support. We shall not be intimidated by attempts to silence us or some of our comrades. We shall be inspired to speak out even more louder and anger for the threat to deny us our right to shout loud against savagery.
We are here to affirm the correctness of our legend, Nelson Mandela’s words,“... our freedom is incomplete without the freedom of the Palestinians”. On our part, we do not promise to do everything, but our most humble, yet effective contribution which we have no doubt shall make a decisive difference. Each one of us must do our part and together we shall conquer.
Amandla intifada!!
Bongani Masuku (International Relations Secretary)
The forces of apartheid demonstrate limitless capacity for barbarism!
Almost a year ago, Gaza was run down by the occupying forces of Israel in a barbaric show of might and in pursuit of their colonial expansionist ambitions. Schools, clinics, UN buildings, social services, water and electrical installations, cultural institutions and businesses literally crumbled under the weight of heavy bombs and artillery. Dangerous and banned warfare chemicals, like white phosphorus were used in an attempt to annihilate the entire population, in which case women and children were the worst victims. That was Israel at its best, doing what it knows best and what it has always done over the years to instil fear and terror amongst the occupied people.
Funded and supported by the US, Israel has no regard, whatsoever, for international law and continues to expand its colonial project to-date. Illegal settlements are all over Palestine and the inhumane treatment of the people of Gaza bears testimony to the savage occupation that some refuse to see, even when evidence is so naked.
Dear Comrades, we are not hear to tell more of the painful, yet real tales of Palestinian suffering. We are here to welcome back our heroes and internationalists who sacrificed their festive joys for the cause of other people. They set about an impossible mission to invade the lion’s den in a bold effort to demonstrate to the Gaza people that no matter how much their pain, the world community of progressive peoples shall never forsake them. You did that on all our behalf dear comrades and for that, we salute you!
As COSATU, we are proud of our contribution and are fully committed to work with all who share our views and commitment that the crisis in Palestine have gone beyond mere calls for Press statements and sympathies or even charity, to demanding concrete and practical action. The luxury of lamenting is for cowards and armchair activists. We all should be in the streets demanding justice and supporting all attempts to isolate apartheid Israel through the courageous efforts of the Global BDS Campaign. It remains the only peaceful method at the disposal of those in search for justice and a lasting solution to the crisis in that region.
We call upon all organisations, individuals and institutions to join our hands and support the efforts, as outlined in the historic Cairo Declaration, for effective co-ordination of all our efforts for maximum impact. In this regard, the many organisations in our country doing work in solidarity with Palestine are called upon to be part of the initiative towards a united front for solidarity with the people of Palestine, starting with all of us here in South Africa.
COSATU has, on several occasions, been asked by opportunists why is it interested in a matter so far away from our land. The answer is simple, solidarity knows no boundaries or even geography, its about living people and their plight.
Our destiny is tied to theirs, our liberation is tied to theirs, our humanity is tied to theirs. Therefore, no worthy human being would tolerate the suffering and pain of others, wherever they are, worst still, those of us who have fought heroic struggles against apartheid, colonialism and occupation immediately feel it however far. We received solidarity from people we have never seen and were far away from Africa, let alone our country. They heard and responded to our cries. They did not ask how far are we from them. They asked what can we do to assist and they assisted, hence we are free.
Finally, dear comrades, we salute the courageous efforts of the Palestine Solidarity movement for organising these bold initiatives and they have our full support. We shall not be intimidated by attempts to silence us or some of our comrades. We shall be inspired to speak out even more louder and anger for the threat to deny us our right to shout loud against savagery.
We are here to affirm the correctness of our legend, Nelson Mandela’s words,“... our freedom is incomplete without the freedom of the Palestinians”. On our part, we do not promise to do everything, but our most humble, yet effective contribution which we have no doubt shall make a decisive difference. Each one of us must do our part and together we shall conquer.
Amandla intifada!!
Bongani Masuku (International Relations Secretary)
Monday, January 25, 2010
update
well, things just never seem to settle these days. as soon as i think i know what my next step is, something shifts. its pretty crazy.
after one night in ramallah waiting for my meeting with the trc i decided to meet with neta golani in the morning, one of the ism founders and longtime activist. we chatted about the situation in the west bank and in gaza, and the challenges that ism is facing. right now it seems that she feels like israel is taking on a pretty new policy of widespread arrest, for internationals and palestinian activists, rather than more violent repression. this is a GENERAL trend, not to say that they are still not using violence. while things have "calmed down" in ramallah, night raids continue to terrorize the west bank, especially in places like in Bil'in and NI'lin and masha'a and other places where there are frequent demonstrations against the contruction of the apartheid wall. neta suggested that i could go to bil'in and set up a clinic there for after the demonstration on friday, and that it could be a good starting point for a commnity-style clinic. so that is an option, i could have a free place to stay there in a house and then provide treatments throughout the week.
neta and i also discussed the cairo declaration, which she and a handful of other israeli activists have already signed. she and i agree that it is a great document because it effectively has raised the bar in how we talk about this situation. it repositions us in this debate to talk about the occupation in more truthful terms, calling it by the correct name, israeli apartheid. she says its the first time someone with moral authority has really had the courage to use this language, and the document in itself is a radical tool for education because it demands of the reader to think about the conflict in a new light. she and i are also very interested in how we can ensure that this movement around the declaration is as democratic as possible, and doesnt meet some of the same walls, so to speak, as ism has in its history. we are working together to try to influence the model of organizing from the beginning. i think her experience here is very valuable in terms of trying ot have a massively democratic and international effort, and we need her input in this process. i hope it helps.
after my meeting with neta, i met abed. what a dear man, a kind soul. we had coffee and i basically followed him to various union meetings he had to attend in the morning. he told me hestarted a new hotel and restaurant workers union. his commitment to workers and the most marginalized people in one of the most marginalized societies gives me so much inspiration. abed says that many workers here work 18 hour days and only make around $20. many business owners use the occupation as the excuse to not offer decent rights to their workers, including a day off or maternity leave or a fixed minimum wage. talking with abed only reinforces my wobbly sensibilities, realizing that workers are really getting the short end of the stick all over. i mean, the occupation creates an environment of such struggle, that those who obtain even the smallest advances cling ever so dearly to them, and solidarity is broken. abed told me that many things have changed in palestinian society, that the occupation used to be a source of common bond, that people could unite over it. in fact, the first intifada was very much about community organziations and solidarity. but slowly it has taken its toll. and especially with the industrialization, the commodification, of activism through the well-intentioned infuence of NGOs, resistance has become a business. people make money, they obtain small positions of power and influence, they might get a computer or a land rover. the dumping of millions of international dollars a year for NGOs has been very divisive. now people are focused on individual issues - women, children, water, organic food, fair trade, etc. the problem is that because the grant money is for very niche projects, the result has been a fractured movement, and one that follows the money. so the common worker is still at the bottom, here, but its much more complicated. abed also talked to me about how the fair trade olive oil project is being run by a corrupt man, who pays the workers a fraction and makes millions, literally. he has several land rovers, houses in the US and in the west bank, he is a business man. meanwhile the farmers and workers for the organization are not getting their fair wage. AND DONT GET ME STARTED ON FAIR TRADE COFFEE INDUSTRY in latin america, its the same issue. how these initiative get corrupted i dont really understand. but its very serious.
too many NGOs, too much money, corruption in the movement. solidarity breaks down, compartmentalized movements, nothing coherent. its an unstable place, and it looks quite bleak to me. all the EU and UN money that have been pumped in here have done very little, in the long run, in terms of building a coherent movement. it might as well have been a zionist initiative, similar to any colonial one that seeks to divide and conquer. of course, palestinians have their responsibility here as well, but the pressures on them are so severe that it seems that most people can only resist for so long until they break. its why i maintain that worker organizing and education around class and capitalism is the only way to get to the root of these problems, and many in the PGFTU, including abed, agree.
the palestine general federation of trade unions (PGFTU) is where i had coffee next, with abed, and i began talking to the secretary of the union about the cairo declaration and the situation of labor in general in palestine. we were just talking and talking and drinking tea, and he was asking me about my work, and i told him a bit about acupuncture. then he said, well, the afl-cio solidarity center has helped the pgftu buy their own new building, so they dont have rent anymore and can put their money towards other things. the new building has an extra floor, and the secretary said that he would be very excited to dedicate some space to establishing an acupuncture clinic for workers. i didnt even ask! he just offered, and it sounds amazing, like a merging of so many of my interests. he is going to talk with the general steering committee (which he should have done yesterday, actually) and i will hear back from him. but its a very exciting possibility! i mean, opening a clinic for workers, and eventually training folks here to do the ear 5np protocol, it sounds incredible. and i mean that in the truest sense of the word, unbelievable. almost too good to be true, so i am just trying to not get my hopes up too much. i cant handle too many more dissappointments, each one has been very heavy for me, i find that my resilience, my ability to bounce back, hs been weakened over this past month.
which is a good segue into what happened at the treatment and rehabilitation center for victims of torture (TRC) which i have been putting most of my energy into for the past few years of visits. it seemed like a great place ot get something established. now i realize that it is definitely not the place for me. i went to the clinic and was recieved cordially, but coldly. i feel as though i am looked at now as a sort of novelty, a gimmick, someone who has some amusing toy or trick, that is there for their entertainment. i am sure that there are a lot of factors there. one is that acupuncture is certainly foreign to them, and they dont really know how to relate to it (although its foreign to the union guys too, but they had a very different reaction and respect for it). but i think the most significant factor is that they have their heads way too far up their own asses to see something new. they are from an educated and wealthy and (relatively, of course, considering the context of occupation) priveleged class of people. they are pleased with their status and their modern tools. its the same issues i face when i talk to "real" doctors in the US about acupuncture. i was asked to give a few hours of presentation, which i began by showing a 15 minute video about the 5np acupuncture protocol used for trauma after 9-11, katrina, and around the world. the video is highlighted by pyshiatrists and therapists who talk about how many times the best approach to trauma is non-verbal therapy, which is why acupuncture has seemed to be so effective. well, needless to say, this was a concept that the fancy-pants folks at the center bristled at. immediately guards were up, questions were asked about research and mechanism of action. people completely failed to see effectiveness, and only sought to validate their own ideas. they were afraid to lose their power, and forget perhaps their only reason for work, which is to strive to find the best ways to help their patients. their egos got in the way, as our egos do for all of us, and it was too much for them to see. my conclusion: its not the right time to work with these people, and i have no desire to ever return to their center. i am giving up on years of effort here, because its only fruitful in that perhaps these people are getting educated one tiny interaction at a time that they really need to lose control over the healing process. i guess its a lesson we all need to learn. in fact, watching it happen so clearly before my eyes really resonated with something very deep inside of me, and realizing that i need to strive to do the same. i know that i must do the same thing, perhaps in different ways. i hope i can face those moments when my ego is challenged, bravely, and let what needs to die simply pass away. farewell and good riddance!
after the meeting i had another coffee with my palestinian father, abed, again, and then i left for jerusalem, something he has been denied for decades. it was a sad goodbye, we walked arm in arm to the bus, and i felt the weight of the occupation. you never know if you will see someone again. i crossed through the checkpoint from ramallah, the indignities, watching them check for the proper palestinian IDs, x-rays, gates, cages. the wall! the fucking wall. a scar on humanity.
i went to the bus station, passed through the security gates, they checked for weapons, a search which i find shockingly ironic, considering that the mall and bus station are filled with young men and women armed with uzis. i get on the bus, free travel, to the north back to harduf, the kibbutz where i have my israeli family. so many worlds.
last night i had a long conversation with channah about the failures of the kibbutz movement. her opinion is that the kibbutz has failed to bring about a real sense of community, because people have failed to be truthful with one another, and it leads to lies and pain, and now the kibbutz is comprised of individuals who do their own thing, with no real sense of community anymore. silently i wondered if the seed of a social experiment to find individual liberty and a very tight community could ever grow in an environment that denied that land, freedom, and commnity from others. i mean, can you plant an organic seed in contaminated, poisoned earth and expect it to grow healthy and organic? can a free kibbutz community grow on a land that was stolen and the where the presence of their community essentially represents the denial of the basic rights of the people who had always lived there?
when we talk about healing the earth, i think it also applies metaphorically to healing the environment where we plant our ideas and future. the "earth" is the place where things grow, its not just the physical earth. when we want to plant new seeds of peace in a conflict, in a conversation, we must make sure to consider the earth, not just the seed. maybe it doesnt mean that the land where the kibbutz is needs to be purified of its physical toxins so that organic food can grow. maybe it means that the toxin is the kibbutz itself. that the state is the toxin. maybe purifying the earth means the disestablishment of states, of borders, of divisions. when we look at how we have harmed our earth we tend to only look at a very physical level, of chemicals and oils and resource extraction and pollution, which are all true, but maybe our analysis of healing the earth needs to broaden.
ok, damn, lots of writing, not fully formed ideas, but anyway. so at the end of this i am still not sure if i will be coming home on the first of feb, although that seems like the likliest option. but there is still work here, obviously, and this trip has clarified a lot in terms of where that work might be. so i feel very positive about that. but i am not sure if staying is the best idea for me right now, as i am pretty exhausted, especially at changing directions and intentions so often. we'll see! if anyone has any gut feelings about this, please feel free to write soon, because if i'm gonna change my ticket it has to be within the next day or so. PEACE!
after one night in ramallah waiting for my meeting with the trc i decided to meet with neta golani in the morning, one of the ism founders and longtime activist. we chatted about the situation in the west bank and in gaza, and the challenges that ism is facing. right now it seems that she feels like israel is taking on a pretty new policy of widespread arrest, for internationals and palestinian activists, rather than more violent repression. this is a GENERAL trend, not to say that they are still not using violence. while things have "calmed down" in ramallah, night raids continue to terrorize the west bank, especially in places like in Bil'in and NI'lin and masha'a and other places where there are frequent demonstrations against the contruction of the apartheid wall. neta suggested that i could go to bil'in and set up a clinic there for after the demonstration on friday, and that it could be a good starting point for a commnity-style clinic. so that is an option, i could have a free place to stay there in a house and then provide treatments throughout the week.
neta and i also discussed the cairo declaration, which she and a handful of other israeli activists have already signed. she and i agree that it is a great document because it effectively has raised the bar in how we talk about this situation. it repositions us in this debate to talk about the occupation in more truthful terms, calling it by the correct name, israeli apartheid. she says its the first time someone with moral authority has really had the courage to use this language, and the document in itself is a radical tool for education because it demands of the reader to think about the conflict in a new light. she and i are also very interested in how we can ensure that this movement around the declaration is as democratic as possible, and doesnt meet some of the same walls, so to speak, as ism has in its history. we are working together to try to influence the model of organizing from the beginning. i think her experience here is very valuable in terms of trying ot have a massively democratic and international effort, and we need her input in this process. i hope it helps.
after my meeting with neta, i met abed. what a dear man, a kind soul. we had coffee and i basically followed him to various union meetings he had to attend in the morning. he told me hestarted a new hotel and restaurant workers union. his commitment to workers and the most marginalized people in one of the most marginalized societies gives me so much inspiration. abed says that many workers here work 18 hour days and only make around $20. many business owners use the occupation as the excuse to not offer decent rights to their workers, including a day off or maternity leave or a fixed minimum wage. talking with abed only reinforces my wobbly sensibilities, realizing that workers are really getting the short end of the stick all over. i mean, the occupation creates an environment of such struggle, that those who obtain even the smallest advances cling ever so dearly to them, and solidarity is broken. abed told me that many things have changed in palestinian society, that the occupation used to be a source of common bond, that people could unite over it. in fact, the first intifada was very much about community organziations and solidarity. but slowly it has taken its toll. and especially with the industrialization, the commodification, of activism through the well-intentioned infuence of NGOs, resistance has become a business. people make money, they obtain small positions of power and influence, they might get a computer or a land rover. the dumping of millions of international dollars a year for NGOs has been very divisive. now people are focused on individual issues - women, children, water, organic food, fair trade, etc. the problem is that because the grant money is for very niche projects, the result has been a fractured movement, and one that follows the money. so the common worker is still at the bottom, here, but its much more complicated. abed also talked to me about how the fair trade olive oil project is being run by a corrupt man, who pays the workers a fraction and makes millions, literally. he has several land rovers, houses in the US and in the west bank, he is a business man. meanwhile the farmers and workers for the organization are not getting their fair wage. AND DONT GET ME STARTED ON FAIR TRADE COFFEE INDUSTRY in latin america, its the same issue. how these initiative get corrupted i dont really understand. but its very serious.
too many NGOs, too much money, corruption in the movement. solidarity breaks down, compartmentalized movements, nothing coherent. its an unstable place, and it looks quite bleak to me. all the EU and UN money that have been pumped in here have done very little, in the long run, in terms of building a coherent movement. it might as well have been a zionist initiative, similar to any colonial one that seeks to divide and conquer. of course, palestinians have their responsibility here as well, but the pressures on them are so severe that it seems that most people can only resist for so long until they break. its why i maintain that worker organizing and education around class and capitalism is the only way to get to the root of these problems, and many in the PGFTU, including abed, agree.
the palestine general federation of trade unions (PGFTU) is where i had coffee next, with abed, and i began talking to the secretary of the union about the cairo declaration and the situation of labor in general in palestine. we were just talking and talking and drinking tea, and he was asking me about my work, and i told him a bit about acupuncture. then he said, well, the afl-cio solidarity center has helped the pgftu buy their own new building, so they dont have rent anymore and can put their money towards other things. the new building has an extra floor, and the secretary said that he would be very excited to dedicate some space to establishing an acupuncture clinic for workers. i didnt even ask! he just offered, and it sounds amazing, like a merging of so many of my interests. he is going to talk with the general steering committee (which he should have done yesterday, actually) and i will hear back from him. but its a very exciting possibility! i mean, opening a clinic for workers, and eventually training folks here to do the ear 5np protocol, it sounds incredible. and i mean that in the truest sense of the word, unbelievable. almost too good to be true, so i am just trying to not get my hopes up too much. i cant handle too many more dissappointments, each one has been very heavy for me, i find that my resilience, my ability to bounce back, hs been weakened over this past month.
which is a good segue into what happened at the treatment and rehabilitation center for victims of torture (TRC) which i have been putting most of my energy into for the past few years of visits. it seemed like a great place ot get something established. now i realize that it is definitely not the place for me. i went to the clinic and was recieved cordially, but coldly. i feel as though i am looked at now as a sort of novelty, a gimmick, someone who has some amusing toy or trick, that is there for their entertainment. i am sure that there are a lot of factors there. one is that acupuncture is certainly foreign to them, and they dont really know how to relate to it (although its foreign to the union guys too, but they had a very different reaction and respect for it). but i think the most significant factor is that they have their heads way too far up their own asses to see something new. they are from an educated and wealthy and (relatively, of course, considering the context of occupation) priveleged class of people. they are pleased with their status and their modern tools. its the same issues i face when i talk to "real" doctors in the US about acupuncture. i was asked to give a few hours of presentation, which i began by showing a 15 minute video about the 5np acupuncture protocol used for trauma after 9-11, katrina, and around the world. the video is highlighted by pyshiatrists and therapists who talk about how many times the best approach to trauma is non-verbal therapy, which is why acupuncture has seemed to be so effective. well, needless to say, this was a concept that the fancy-pants folks at the center bristled at. immediately guards were up, questions were asked about research and mechanism of action. people completely failed to see effectiveness, and only sought to validate their own ideas. they were afraid to lose their power, and forget perhaps their only reason for work, which is to strive to find the best ways to help their patients. their egos got in the way, as our egos do for all of us, and it was too much for them to see. my conclusion: its not the right time to work with these people, and i have no desire to ever return to their center. i am giving up on years of effort here, because its only fruitful in that perhaps these people are getting educated one tiny interaction at a time that they really need to lose control over the healing process. i guess its a lesson we all need to learn. in fact, watching it happen so clearly before my eyes really resonated with something very deep inside of me, and realizing that i need to strive to do the same. i know that i must do the same thing, perhaps in different ways. i hope i can face those moments when my ego is challenged, bravely, and let what needs to die simply pass away. farewell and good riddance!
after the meeting i had another coffee with my palestinian father, abed, again, and then i left for jerusalem, something he has been denied for decades. it was a sad goodbye, we walked arm in arm to the bus, and i felt the weight of the occupation. you never know if you will see someone again. i crossed through the checkpoint from ramallah, the indignities, watching them check for the proper palestinian IDs, x-rays, gates, cages. the wall! the fucking wall. a scar on humanity.
i went to the bus station, passed through the security gates, they checked for weapons, a search which i find shockingly ironic, considering that the mall and bus station are filled with young men and women armed with uzis. i get on the bus, free travel, to the north back to harduf, the kibbutz where i have my israeli family. so many worlds.
last night i had a long conversation with channah about the failures of the kibbutz movement. her opinion is that the kibbutz has failed to bring about a real sense of community, because people have failed to be truthful with one another, and it leads to lies and pain, and now the kibbutz is comprised of individuals who do their own thing, with no real sense of community anymore. silently i wondered if the seed of a social experiment to find individual liberty and a very tight community could ever grow in an environment that denied that land, freedom, and commnity from others. i mean, can you plant an organic seed in contaminated, poisoned earth and expect it to grow healthy and organic? can a free kibbutz community grow on a land that was stolen and the where the presence of their community essentially represents the denial of the basic rights of the people who had always lived there?
when we talk about healing the earth, i think it also applies metaphorically to healing the environment where we plant our ideas and future. the "earth" is the place where things grow, its not just the physical earth. when we want to plant new seeds of peace in a conflict, in a conversation, we must make sure to consider the earth, not just the seed. maybe it doesnt mean that the land where the kibbutz is needs to be purified of its physical toxins so that organic food can grow. maybe it means that the toxin is the kibbutz itself. that the state is the toxin. maybe purifying the earth means the disestablishment of states, of borders, of divisions. when we look at how we have harmed our earth we tend to only look at a very physical level, of chemicals and oils and resource extraction and pollution, which are all true, but maybe our analysis of healing the earth needs to broaden.
ok, damn, lots of writing, not fully formed ideas, but anyway. so at the end of this i am still not sure if i will be coming home on the first of feb, although that seems like the likliest option. but there is still work here, obviously, and this trip has clarified a lot in terms of where that work might be. so i feel very positive about that. but i am not sure if staying is the best idea for me right now, as i am pretty exhausted, especially at changing directions and intentions so often. we'll see! if anyone has any gut feelings about this, please feel free to write soon, because if i'm gonna change my ticket it has to be within the next day or so. PEACE!
Friday, January 22, 2010
the tourist capital of the occupied territories
i am in ramallah. it never gets easier, the transition from "free" society to military occupation. on the bus on the way in, a couple of school girls got off at their stop, one of the many between jerusalem and ramallah. they got off the bus onto the sidewalk, and had only a few feet from the massive wall separating them from their fellow palestinians. and within sight of the border, huge gates, military checkpoint, guns, closure, identification checks, humiliation. i cant really imagine what goes through their little heads. i saw a man and his son walking up some steep stairs, the man's hands were clasped behind his back, and his 3 or 4 year old son followed, slower, up the stairs, with the same hand posture. it just made me think about how we learn when we are little.
friday leaves the muslim city quiet, and i make my way peacefully to my hotel, where the trc is putting me up. its called the rocky. i think i might be one of four or five guests in the five story hotel. clearly tourism isnt what it used to be here. but my hosts hop when i get in and are happy to serve me.
i have been getting dose after dose of humility when i am here, putting me in my place. this morning I walked around the old city of jerusalem, watching the day get started, people do their business as they have done for so long. and they are watched, monitored by the soldiers in green, with their walkie talkies and uzies. the soldiers laugh, joke, have coffee, try to make small talk with some of the vendors. they don’t even realize that if most of the vendors felt that they had the freedom to speak their minds the conversation would be quite different. Its so easy for the oppressor to say, hey, lets just get along here, right now, you and me, we are both people. Oh, why are you angry? Don’t get angry, I am being peaceful, just trying to make small talk. Well, I guess these people are just barbaric, unable to make peace.
The parallels with the “pioneers” and homesteaders and “settlers” of the American west with the native peoples are too striking to ignore. I wont even bother elaborating, its too clear and disturbing for me to have to put into words.
friday leaves the muslim city quiet, and i make my way peacefully to my hotel, where the trc is putting me up. its called the rocky. i think i might be one of four or five guests in the five story hotel. clearly tourism isnt what it used to be here. but my hosts hop when i get in and are happy to serve me.
i have been getting dose after dose of humility when i am here, putting me in my place. this morning I walked around the old city of jerusalem, watching the day get started, people do their business as they have done for so long. and they are watched, monitored by the soldiers in green, with their walkie talkies and uzies. the soldiers laugh, joke, have coffee, try to make small talk with some of the vendors. they don’t even realize that if most of the vendors felt that they had the freedom to speak their minds the conversation would be quite different. Its so easy for the oppressor to say, hey, lets just get along here, right now, you and me, we are both people. Oh, why are you angry? Don’t get angry, I am being peaceful, just trying to make small talk. Well, I guess these people are just barbaric, unable to make peace.
The parallels with the “pioneers” and homesteaders and “settlers” of the American west with the native peoples are too striking to ignore. I wont even bother elaborating, its too clear and disturbing for me to have to put into words.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
coming home soon
well, just a few things about cairo that happened in my last few days there. first, one evening i was walking in talaat harb circle, a busy circle in the city center, around 10pm and i saw a circle of people forming. i thought, thats weird, i wonder what is going on. so i walked over and sure enough there were about 10 young guys breakdancing! it was so cool to see it happening in cairo. the guys had the backwards caps and sagging pants, hip hop style, and a little tiny speaker blasting music. they danced for about 10 minutes while people watched before the police came and broke it up. of course, you cant dance in the streets. so i approached one of the guys and he slapped my hand and said, wazup bro! he told me that they were going to relocate, so i walked with them. we went to tahrir square, an even bigger area, where they regrouped and started dancing, this time the police came but appeared to be so intrigued by the scene that they let it happen, and the kids danced for over an hour, doing some impressive stuff. but really, what a great scene, i mean, real hiphop culture, forbidden here, repressed, and with the youth finding their community and expression of resistance in their own way. one kid came up to me and asked, "so what do you think about egyptian democracy?" and then said quickly, "shhhhh!!!!" as put a finger to his lips and gestured that someone was listening, then proceeded to do some crazy flipping and spinning. we hung out with them for a while, and it was definitely the most energetic and inspiring thing i had seen in cairo! what a spirit.
the next night was the gathering of egyptian opposition groups to protest their government's construction of the wall, complicity in the occupation, and general lack of democracy in country. it was supposed to be a silent candlelight vigil at 6pm. since 2 in the afternoon the police lined all the 5 streets that lead into the circle, dozens of paddywagons filled with riot cops, these guys had guns too, and the streets filled with moveable steel barricades. they were ready and their show of force was dominating.
only a few dared come out in such an environment, there was a bit of scuffling and punching and pushing and kicking, and the police tried to drag off a couple egyptian activists, but the rest of the group was successful in pulling them back. who knows what will happen to them in the future, but that night at least they were safe. the group reformed at the standby, the journalists syndicate, and proceeded to have the candlelight vigil there, with signs and banners supporting gaza and palestine. all very quiet and peaceful. and according to the government here, illegal.
i left the next morning for the border, where i arrived late and missed the last bus to jerusalem, so i decided not to cross right away. i stayed the night in basata, a beach town on the red sea, which is a word in arabic meaning simplicity. it was a relaxing evening, a small place, family run, on the beautiful sea, and there was phosphorescent plankton in the water that night that made it feel like you were floating in neon green stars. you could see saudi arabia from our vantage point, and the rocky, brown mountains behind us were just as stunning. that night, however, was a freak thunderstorm that lasted two days. it apparently hasnt rained in something like 4 years, and all of a sudden this massive storm came. the following day included hail. all the roads leaving basata to the border were closed, so i was "forced" to stay there a little while longer.
finally i was able to make it to the border, and passed into israel with absolutely no problems. i was so worried i would be turned away, but i passed through in 10 minutes or less. i made it to jerusalem by dark. on the way i got my first chance to see the dead sea, and southern israel, which is incredibly gorgeous. the bus ride was filled with what i gathered were traditional songs by the bus driver, and many passengers joined in, and it actually felt very comforting.
jerusalem is a strange place, i have never gotten the true feel for it. but it is powerful. i met a great young doctor from new orleans here on his way to south africa, and we had a good conversation.
i contacted the treatment and rehabilitation center for victims of torture, where i have invested most of my energy over the past trips, and am feeling quite disappointed. it seems that the director was not really in touch with the feelings of his staff, and they are not prepared at this time to collaborate with me on the acupuncture project. now that i have the wind taken out of my sails i dont feel like i have the energy to start over with conversations here, so i think i will take this opportunity to visit some friends, have tea and coffee and head back to egypt next week where i will hopefully make it back home to new york on feb. 1st. this seems like the most prudent course of action at this point. i have tried, i will explore some options here briefly, but i will go home and wait to see what my next window of opportunity here might be. all the effort, energy, and intent put into this trip has not been in vain, and i am still happy about the outcomes. good organizing is still happening with the cairo declaration, and i am excited about that. i also got another work opportunity via email to get paid to go to guatemala in may to do training there, which is very exciting! that seems like it might be a really great thing for me, since it has been handed to me in my lap. as for palestine, i will bide my time and wait for the next window to open.
tomorrow i go to ramallah where i will hopefully see abed, and spend three days or so there, then i plan to go to visit harry and his family, then the plan is to return to egypt next thursday, so i have plenty of time to get to cairo by the 1st.
sending love to all
the next night was the gathering of egyptian opposition groups to protest their government's construction of the wall, complicity in the occupation, and general lack of democracy in country. it was supposed to be a silent candlelight vigil at 6pm. since 2 in the afternoon the police lined all the 5 streets that lead into the circle, dozens of paddywagons filled with riot cops, these guys had guns too, and the streets filled with moveable steel barricades. they were ready and their show of force was dominating.
only a few dared come out in such an environment, there was a bit of scuffling and punching and pushing and kicking, and the police tried to drag off a couple egyptian activists, but the rest of the group was successful in pulling them back. who knows what will happen to them in the future, but that night at least they were safe. the group reformed at the standby, the journalists syndicate, and proceeded to have the candlelight vigil there, with signs and banners supporting gaza and palestine. all very quiet and peaceful. and according to the government here, illegal.
i left the next morning for the border, where i arrived late and missed the last bus to jerusalem, so i decided not to cross right away. i stayed the night in basata, a beach town on the red sea, which is a word in arabic meaning simplicity. it was a relaxing evening, a small place, family run, on the beautiful sea, and there was phosphorescent plankton in the water that night that made it feel like you were floating in neon green stars. you could see saudi arabia from our vantage point, and the rocky, brown mountains behind us were just as stunning. that night, however, was a freak thunderstorm that lasted two days. it apparently hasnt rained in something like 4 years, and all of a sudden this massive storm came. the following day included hail. all the roads leaving basata to the border were closed, so i was "forced" to stay there a little while longer.
finally i was able to make it to the border, and passed into israel with absolutely no problems. i was so worried i would be turned away, but i passed through in 10 minutes or less. i made it to jerusalem by dark. on the way i got my first chance to see the dead sea, and southern israel, which is incredibly gorgeous. the bus ride was filled with what i gathered were traditional songs by the bus driver, and many passengers joined in, and it actually felt very comforting.
jerusalem is a strange place, i have never gotten the true feel for it. but it is powerful. i met a great young doctor from new orleans here on his way to south africa, and we had a good conversation.
i contacted the treatment and rehabilitation center for victims of torture, where i have invested most of my energy over the past trips, and am feeling quite disappointed. it seems that the director was not really in touch with the feelings of his staff, and they are not prepared at this time to collaborate with me on the acupuncture project. now that i have the wind taken out of my sails i dont feel like i have the energy to start over with conversations here, so i think i will take this opportunity to visit some friends, have tea and coffee and head back to egypt next week where i will hopefully make it back home to new york on feb. 1st. this seems like the most prudent course of action at this point. i have tried, i will explore some options here briefly, but i will go home and wait to see what my next window of opportunity here might be. all the effort, energy, and intent put into this trip has not been in vain, and i am still happy about the outcomes. good organizing is still happening with the cairo declaration, and i am excited about that. i also got another work opportunity via email to get paid to go to guatemala in may to do training there, which is very exciting! that seems like it might be a really great thing for me, since it has been handed to me in my lap. as for palestine, i will bide my time and wait for the next window to open.
tomorrow i go to ramallah where i will hopefully see abed, and spend three days or so there, then i plan to go to visit harry and his family, then the plan is to return to egypt next thursday, so i have plenty of time to get to cairo by the 1st.
sending love to all
in jerusalem
hey all, just a quick update before i can get a full length report in to say that i have arrived! i made it to jerusalem and will go to the west bank either today or tomorrow. yeah!
i spent a few days rained in on the border at a little place on the red sea (not a bad place to get stuck) and now i am here, excited about next steps. i will be in touch.
i spent a few days rained in on the border at a little place on the red sea (not a bad place to get stuck) and now i am here, excited about next steps. i will be in touch.
Friday, January 15, 2010
hard places
i struggle to even imagine the degree of suffering in haiti right now, and as the world turns its head to that region we all wonder, "why do these things happen?" i mean, haiti, new orleans, pakistan, china, all these natural disasters that leave people and communities devastated. some of the situations are obviously compounded by a pre-existing condition where resources are few, keeping the population vulnerable as it is. that is clear in haiti, and the argument has certainly been made for new orleans. in many ways, in a natural disaster what emerges as the most distressing thing is the human responsibility in it. because natural disasters happen, and they are tragic, but they are beyond our control. but the human element, the social element is what we control. if infrastructure wasnt so vulnerable and pathetically supported what sort of situation would we be looking at? if we could mobilize resources immediately to disaster areas rather than focusing our billions on war.
these natural events become disasters because of our human role. and we leave a scar on collective humanity when we acknowledge that we could have done something different.
and its this awareness that makes me return to the palestinian issue. it is not a humanitarian crisis because that would be the result of some natural disaster which would beg the assistance of the world. it is exclusively a human construction, and the ideology behind it is as vile as the science of the atomic bomb. brilliant minds put their efforts behind devising a plan that can only result in destruction and pain. minds that are fooling themselves if they believe that what they are doing is in the name of some objective science, for the benefit of all. this is a political situation, a human situation, and for that it seems to me all the more tragic. we have the ability to influence things here, yet we stand back and watch, let it happen, as if its as inevitable or uncontrollable as an earthquake or a tsunami.
these natural events become disasters because of our human role. and we leave a scar on collective humanity when we acknowledge that we could have done something different.
and its this awareness that makes me return to the palestinian issue. it is not a humanitarian crisis because that would be the result of some natural disaster which would beg the assistance of the world. it is exclusively a human construction, and the ideology behind it is as vile as the science of the atomic bomb. brilliant minds put their efforts behind devising a plan that can only result in destruction and pain. minds that are fooling themselves if they believe that what they are doing is in the name of some objective science, for the benefit of all. this is a political situation, a human situation, and for that it seems to me all the more tragic. we have the ability to influence things here, yet we stand back and watch, let it happen, as if its as inevitable or uncontrollable as an earthquake or a tsunami.
cairo
The egyptian sun
feels warmer today
Softer
The streets quiet
lined with praying men
we bumble along to
the main square
and the prayer walks with us
I see the rail, cold
green, and my heart
is fragile again
I feel its heaviness
against my forearms
the sweat slippery
the elbow in my back
Today the sun warms it
its hard to fathom my
relationship with it yesterday
dirty fingernails, scared eyes
orders
but we were all penned up
they were young, I hold up my hands,
showed them my palms, it was safe
salaam, met their eyes
but they were in a cage too
So they grabbed old women
threw them
kicked heads, blood
So the rail today flashes
this thing, deep in my body
a memory. I realize that
I start to witness this day
differently, with a fractured heart
Impossibly this place
reminds me of my childhood
I know the songs, the rhythms, the cadence
of the soft face of the boy
bouncing on the donkey
What is the connection?
This fractured heart?
This fragrant wisp of childhood?
And its real, I know this place.
feels warmer today
Softer
The streets quiet
lined with praying men
we bumble along to
the main square
and the prayer walks with us
I see the rail, cold
green, and my heart
is fragile again
I feel its heaviness
against my forearms
the sweat slippery
the elbow in my back
Today the sun warms it
its hard to fathom my
relationship with it yesterday
dirty fingernails, scared eyes
orders
but we were all penned up
they were young, I hold up my hands,
showed them my palms, it was safe
salaam, met their eyes
but they were in a cage too
So they grabbed old women
threw them
kicked heads, blood
So the rail today flashes
this thing, deep in my body
a memory. I realize that
I start to witness this day
differently, with a fractured heart
Impossibly this place
reminds me of my childhood
I know the songs, the rhythms, the cadence
of the soft face of the boy
bouncing on the donkey
What is the connection?
This fractured heart?
This fragrant wisp of childhood?
And its real, I know this place.
a comment from a friend, thanks
i wanted to post the excellent thoughts of a friend who left a comment on my last blog entry, i thought i would post it here as to make sure that people read it (i am assuming its ok):
It is also worth pointing out that South Africans resisting apartheid sometimes used violent means; the ANC had an "armed wing" or militia as well, and they sometimes attacked civilian targets. And that does not make the struggle against apartheid any less justified or worthy of support. I think there is a tendency, at least in the US, to talk about South Africa as the "good" national liberation struggle that won international support because it used only nonviolent means--instead of pointing out that it won international support because the cause was just and the world woke up to the reality of what was going on.
The ANC had a theory of struggle called "four pillars of resistance." The four pillars were armed struggle, underground organizing, mass nonviolent protest action, and international solidarity. They saw all of these types of resistance as working together, with some being more or less important/useful at particular times depending on the context of the struggle. I think this is a really useful framework for thinking about Palestinian resistance as well. We have so much to learn from the South African struggle and most of us are just beginning to get our heads around how to apply those lessons.
It is also worth pointing out that South Africans resisting apartheid sometimes used violent means; the ANC had an "armed wing" or militia as well, and they sometimes attacked civilian targets. And that does not make the struggle against apartheid any less justified or worthy of support. I think there is a tendency, at least in the US, to talk about South Africa as the "good" national liberation struggle that won international support because it used only nonviolent means--instead of pointing out that it won international support because the cause was just and the world woke up to the reality of what was going on.
The ANC had a theory of struggle called "four pillars of resistance." The four pillars were armed struggle, underground organizing, mass nonviolent protest action, and international solidarity. They saw all of these types of resistance as working together, with some being more or less important/useful at particular times depending on the context of the struggle. I think this is a really useful framework for thinking about Palestinian resistance as well. We have so much to learn from the South African struggle and most of us are just beginning to get our heads around how to apply those lessons.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
israeli apartheid
What is unclear about the mission and potential of a state that is founded on the principle of race, on the principle that all are obviously, historically, and legally not created equal and are not entitled to equal rights? Israel has made a case that race and religion are synonymous, and is inherently an exclusive state. I can't understand how any argument could exist that would suggest that the state of Israel is not inherently and by definition racist. I also can not understand how racism could ever be non-violent. Those two points together provide a very simple, clear case for how the state of Israel inherently engenders violence, and that violence is to be expected from such an entity. Its very nature allows for no other reality. No state that is by its nature at its creation exclusive, placing one group of people above another, can be anything other than violent. And it is just a matter of observing the reality of the Palestinians to see that the expectations have been fulfilled.
i feel like finally its being called for what it is. i read an article in haarezt about whether or not the "A" word is appropriate in describing the occupation. Someone wrote, opposing the use of the word, that you can't even begin to compare the situation with that of South Africa because of the nature of the resistance that both states shared. The author contends that because the nature of [some] of the Palestinian resistance to the occupation includes an armed component, then it is inherently different than that of the South African situation which employed only non-violent tactics or at least did not target civilians.
This argument is of course problematic, to say the least, but it is a very common approach used when supporting the Zionist state and its violence. First of all, the argument is a failure because it intersects the conflict at the point of the resistance, not at the point of the origin of the oppression, which is the root of the resistance. By carefully avoiding the root and focusing on the nature of the resistance it is easy to criticize. Second, the nature of the resistance has nothing to do with the nature of the oppression, which is where the parallels are drawn between Israeli and South African Apartheid. And we don't have to look very far to see that Israel was among the nations that supported the South African apartheid state.
Other thoughts:
I feel very tired of engaging in this conflict in a responsive way. It is demoralizing and devastating when we begin to engage once violence has begun. We can not wait for Israel to attack again, because we should know that our outrage and taking to the streets in protest does not halt a war once it has begun. We urgently need to be directly acting in a way that sends a message to our "leaders" that ignoring us is very problematic, to put it lightly. NOW is the time to be in the streets, before a war starts, because if we aren't getting out there now, we will only be useful to mourn the dead and wonder why this has happened. It is no longer my intention to intervene in this conflict many steps removed from the point of violence. Standing in front of an embassy or writing to my congressperson means that I am many steps removed from the violence that is about to befall Palestinian women, men, and children. Our intervention, at every level, must demand accountability. People must understand that complicity is violence. That is what Egypt was so intent upon avoiding - an awareness of their violent complicity in the siege. But now at least Egyptians know, and hopefully so does the rest of the world. But the others who are complicit are harder to pin down. It is harder to bring the light to the dark corners where politicians sit and make their decisions, far from the battlefields and dropping bombs. But its clear as day that they have the same responsibility in this as we ALL do.
i feel like finally its being called for what it is. i read an article in haarezt about whether or not the "A" word is appropriate in describing the occupation. Someone wrote, opposing the use of the word, that you can't even begin to compare the situation with that of South Africa because of the nature of the resistance that both states shared. The author contends that because the nature of [some] of the Palestinian resistance to the occupation includes an armed component, then it is inherently different than that of the South African situation which employed only non-violent tactics or at least did not target civilians.
This argument is of course problematic, to say the least, but it is a very common approach used when supporting the Zionist state and its violence. First of all, the argument is a failure because it intersects the conflict at the point of the resistance, not at the point of the origin of the oppression, which is the root of the resistance. By carefully avoiding the root and focusing on the nature of the resistance it is easy to criticize. Second, the nature of the resistance has nothing to do with the nature of the oppression, which is where the parallels are drawn between Israeli and South African Apartheid. And we don't have to look very far to see that Israel was among the nations that supported the South African apartheid state.
Other thoughts:
I feel very tired of engaging in this conflict in a responsive way. It is demoralizing and devastating when we begin to engage once violence has begun. We can not wait for Israel to attack again, because we should know that our outrage and taking to the streets in protest does not halt a war once it has begun. We urgently need to be directly acting in a way that sends a message to our "leaders" that ignoring us is very problematic, to put it lightly. NOW is the time to be in the streets, before a war starts, because if we aren't getting out there now, we will only be useful to mourn the dead and wonder why this has happened. It is no longer my intention to intervene in this conflict many steps removed from the point of violence. Standing in front of an embassy or writing to my congressperson means that I am many steps removed from the violence that is about to befall Palestinian women, men, and children. Our intervention, at every level, must demand accountability. People must understand that complicity is violence. That is what Egypt was so intent upon avoiding - an awareness of their violent complicity in the siege. But now at least Egyptians know, and hopefully so does the rest of the world. But the others who are complicit are harder to pin down. It is harder to bring the light to the dark corners where politicians sit and make their decisions, far from the battlefields and dropping bombs. But its clear as day that they have the same responsibility in this as we ALL do.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Monday, January 11, 2010
Some really bad news
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1141858.html
The looming war in Gaza: Can Obama stop it before it starts?
By Bradley Burston
Next week, or the week after, Barack Obama may well see intelligence reports of tank battalions moving south and west along Israeli highways, and whole infantry brigades setting up camp in the western Negev.
The countdown to the Second Gaza War has begun in earnest. Date it, if you like, to Sunday, and a coolly terrifying analysis by Yom Tov Samia, former overall Israeli military commander of the Gaza Strip and the adjacent Negev.
Or date it, if you prefer, according to the axiom of contemporary Israeli history which reads: A future war becomes all but inevitable the moment a key IDF reserve major general declares it so.
Alternatively, date it from the moment that selective amnesia allows Israeli political figures to court the illusion that Hamas can be invaded to death.
All this and more was to be had from an interview Samia gave Army Radio this week, which should give pause not only to the Palestinians and Israelis who may fall victim to a Second Gaza War, but to Washington as well.
If last year's brutal fighting is any indication - and there is every reason to believe that it is - a full-on drive to prevent the looming Israel-Hamas confrontation in the Strip belongs at the top tier of Obama's already staggering pile of priorities.
Another Gaza war, this one likely to be an even more bitter onslaught, could not only prove lethal to what is left of Israeli moral credibility, it could undermine and cripple Obama's military-political offensives in Iraq, Afghanistan and, slipping further down the slope, Yemen.
If Obama still nurses hopes of brokering a peace process between Israel and the Palestinians, his first task must be defusing the war wagon before it once again engulfs Gaza - and, this time around, Tel Aviv as well. As it is, war in Gaza has shifted Israel's political landscape, and not in Obama's favor.
The 2005 disengagement from Gaza, with its resultant rocket fire against the Negev and lack of any peace dividend, proved a huge blow to the Israeli left. But it was the Gaza offensive a year ago, a war supported at first even by Meretz, that was the end. It was the end of Meretz, the end of the Labor Party, the end of a leftist alliance with Israeli Arab parties.
Can Barak Obama stop the coming war in Gaza? Only if he acts fast. And only if his advisors study and apply with care lessons from the last war, in particular the period which immediately preceded it.
One logical place to start is another analysis, also broadcast by the IDF radio station, this one five days before the last war began. It was by Shmuel Zakai, a retired brigadier general who served under Samia and later commanded the IDF's Gaza Division.
Zakai urged a fundamental reappraisal of how Israelis should regard Hamas. At heart, "The State of Israel must understand that Hamas rule in Gaza is a fact, and it is with that government that we must reach a situation of calm."
Should he wholly adopt the peacemakers's role, Obama has resources and conditions which were unavailable a year ago.
It is, of course, no coincidence that what may prove a crucial test of the Obama administration coincides with the anniversary of his taking office. Cast Lead, pointedly launched at the interregnum between the outgoing Bush administration and the incoming Obama White House, ended with a unilateral Israeli case fire barely 48 hours before the president-elect took the oath of office.
At the time, a scandal-plagued, lethally unpopular prime minister desperate to redeem a reputation for military misjudgment that complemented his record of personal malfeasance, took advantage of a power vacuum in Washington to mount a war that failed to achieve any of its stated objectives, casting Israel, in the world's eye, as an unapologetic aggressor.
This time around, the Obama administration has a number of elements in its favor. One is the present predicament of Hamas, which has promised its constituents a prisoner release in exchange for captive IDF soldier Gilad Shalit and, having greatly raised expectations across the Palestinian territories, has yet to deliver. Hamas, ever-attuned to Palestinian public opinion, can also ill afford another devastating campaign in the ravaged Strip so soon after Cast Lead.
Another is a potentially proactive and newly constructive role on the part of Egypt, which until recently has sat largely passive, if apprehensive, on the sidelines. Analysts have said Egypt's huge iron wall project now underway along the border between Gaza and Egyptian Sinai sends a strong message to both Hamas and Israel.
With Samia hinting that in a new war the IDF might capture and occupy the tunnel-honeycombed Philadelphi Corridor which borders the new wall, Professor Yoram Meital of the Negev's Ben-Gurion University said this week that to Israel, "The message is that Egypt is setting out a border, and views any effort to touch it as an attack on its national security."
"To Hamas they are saying 'We will not under any circumstances lend our hand to the establishment of a mini-state in the Gaza Strip,' and are thus closing the Rafiah crossing nearly hermetically, and erecting the iron wall in the bowels of the earth.'"
One of the most important lessons of last year's bloodletting is that war or no war, Hamas and only Hamas decides when and if rockets are to be fired from Gaza into Israel. Rockets flew throughout the three-week war, and stopped only at Hamas' order, several hours after Israel stilled its guns.
The mayor of rocket-scarred Sderot, David Buskila, said this week that, "By the close of Operation Cast Lead, we understood that the military solution cannot be a comprehensive one, it's a solution that can create breaks between escalations."
In the end, Israel holds perhaps the most significant card to play, a move which may depend on a uncharacteristically hands-on Obama White House. With third-party international mediation, Israel could offer to resurrect the 2008 truce by significantly alleviating its stranglehold embargo on the Strip.
To decide to do that, however, Israel would also have to abandon its longtime belief in firepower as a lever to bend Gaza to its will. And that means abandoning reasoning that goes precisely like this:
Samia: "The State of Israel is not doing this to replace the regime in Gaza. The State of Israel is doing this because [of] a situation in which Hamas controls the Gaza Strip and the basis of its world view is to annihilate the State of Israel and to fire on schools and kindergartens and to carry out terror attacks in restaurants.
"For the State of Israel, it doesn't matter if Hamas calls itself a regime or a just a terror organization it's a terrorist organization in every way, and we must deal with it and annihilate it.
"If, at the same opportunity, the moderates rise and come to power, that's good enough for us, we'll be pleased."
The looming war in Gaza: Can Obama stop it before it starts?
By Bradley Burston
Next week, or the week after, Barack Obama may well see intelligence reports of tank battalions moving south and west along Israeli highways, and whole infantry brigades setting up camp in the western Negev.
The countdown to the Second Gaza War has begun in earnest. Date it, if you like, to Sunday, and a coolly terrifying analysis by Yom Tov Samia, former overall Israeli military commander of the Gaza Strip and the adjacent Negev.
Or date it, if you prefer, according to the axiom of contemporary Israeli history which reads: A future war becomes all but inevitable the moment a key IDF reserve major general declares it so.
Alternatively, date it from the moment that selective amnesia allows Israeli political figures to court the illusion that Hamas can be invaded to death.
All this and more was to be had from an interview Samia gave Army Radio this week, which should give pause not only to the Palestinians and Israelis who may fall victim to a Second Gaza War, but to Washington as well.
If last year's brutal fighting is any indication - and there is every reason to believe that it is - a full-on drive to prevent the looming Israel-Hamas confrontation in the Strip belongs at the top tier of Obama's already staggering pile of priorities.
Another Gaza war, this one likely to be an even more bitter onslaught, could not only prove lethal to what is left of Israeli moral credibility, it could undermine and cripple Obama's military-political offensives in Iraq, Afghanistan and, slipping further down the slope, Yemen.
If Obama still nurses hopes of brokering a peace process between Israel and the Palestinians, his first task must be defusing the war wagon before it once again engulfs Gaza - and, this time around, Tel Aviv as well. As it is, war in Gaza has shifted Israel's political landscape, and not in Obama's favor.
The 2005 disengagement from Gaza, with its resultant rocket fire against the Negev and lack of any peace dividend, proved a huge blow to the Israeli left. But it was the Gaza offensive a year ago, a war supported at first even by Meretz, that was the end. It was the end of Meretz, the end of the Labor Party, the end of a leftist alliance with Israeli Arab parties.
Can Barak Obama stop the coming war in Gaza? Only if he acts fast. And only if his advisors study and apply with care lessons from the last war, in particular the period which immediately preceded it.
One logical place to start is another analysis, also broadcast by the IDF radio station, this one five days before the last war began. It was by Shmuel Zakai, a retired brigadier general who served under Samia and later commanded the IDF's Gaza Division.
Zakai urged a fundamental reappraisal of how Israelis should regard Hamas. At heart, "The State of Israel must understand that Hamas rule in Gaza is a fact, and it is with that government that we must reach a situation of calm."
Should he wholly adopt the peacemakers's role, Obama has resources and conditions which were unavailable a year ago.
It is, of course, no coincidence that what may prove a crucial test of the Obama administration coincides with the anniversary of his taking office. Cast Lead, pointedly launched at the interregnum between the outgoing Bush administration and the incoming Obama White House, ended with a unilateral Israeli case fire barely 48 hours before the president-elect took the oath of office.
At the time, a scandal-plagued, lethally unpopular prime minister desperate to redeem a reputation for military misjudgment that complemented his record of personal malfeasance, took advantage of a power vacuum in Washington to mount a war that failed to achieve any of its stated objectives, casting Israel, in the world's eye, as an unapologetic aggressor.
This time around, the Obama administration has a number of elements in its favor. One is the present predicament of Hamas, which has promised its constituents a prisoner release in exchange for captive IDF soldier Gilad Shalit and, having greatly raised expectations across the Palestinian territories, has yet to deliver. Hamas, ever-attuned to Palestinian public opinion, can also ill afford another devastating campaign in the ravaged Strip so soon after Cast Lead.
Another is a potentially proactive and newly constructive role on the part of Egypt, which until recently has sat largely passive, if apprehensive, on the sidelines. Analysts have said Egypt's huge iron wall project now underway along the border between Gaza and Egyptian Sinai sends a strong message to both Hamas and Israel.
With Samia hinting that in a new war the IDF might capture and occupy the tunnel-honeycombed Philadelphi Corridor which borders the new wall, Professor Yoram Meital of the Negev's Ben-Gurion University said this week that to Israel, "The message is that Egypt is setting out a border, and views any effort to touch it as an attack on its national security."
"To Hamas they are saying 'We will not under any circumstances lend our hand to the establishment of a mini-state in the Gaza Strip,' and are thus closing the Rafiah crossing nearly hermetically, and erecting the iron wall in the bowels of the earth.'"
One of the most important lessons of last year's bloodletting is that war or no war, Hamas and only Hamas decides when and if rockets are to be fired from Gaza into Israel. Rockets flew throughout the three-week war, and stopped only at Hamas' order, several hours after Israel stilled its guns.
The mayor of rocket-scarred Sderot, David Buskila, said this week that, "By the close of Operation Cast Lead, we understood that the military solution cannot be a comprehensive one, it's a solution that can create breaks between escalations."
In the end, Israel holds perhaps the most significant card to play, a move which may depend on a uncharacteristically hands-on Obama White House. With third-party international mediation, Israel could offer to resurrect the 2008 truce by significantly alleviating its stranglehold embargo on the Strip.
To decide to do that, however, Israel would also have to abandon its longtime belief in firepower as a lever to bend Gaza to its will. And that means abandoning reasoning that goes precisely like this:
Samia: "The State of Israel is not doing this to replace the regime in Gaza. The State of Israel is doing this because [of] a situation in which Hamas controls the Gaza Strip and the basis of its world view is to annihilate the State of Israel and to fire on schools and kindergartens and to carry out terror attacks in restaurants.
"For the State of Israel, it doesn't matter if Hamas calls itself a regime or a just a terror organization it's a terrorist organization in every way, and we must deal with it and annihilate it.
"If, at the same opportunity, the moderates rise and come to power, that's good enough for us, we'll be pleased."
DENIED
Well, there's some discouraging news. First, after the Viva Palestina convoy protests it seems that the Egyptian government has had enough with internationals trying to get into Gaza and exposing them for the criminals that they are. So they officially have closed the border, using very firm language, to all international convoys. From now on, they say, no one will get in through Rafah, but rather must go through the Egyptian Red Crescent in order to get in humanitarian aid. No word about individuals, but it certainly seemed that their stance was getting more and more rigid.
The following day, yesterday, we were notified by the Egyptian Foreign Ministry that our entry permissions were officially denied. It is unclear if that means that in the future we have all been blacklisted because of our association with the GFM or what, but it does mean that for now my official channels have been completely denied. In the past it seems that there was a disconnect between the border and Cairo decisions, and that people have just gone to the border, knocked, waited, but often gotten in, without official permission from Cairo. But now we are not sure, and it seems that there is more coordination and a very hard line. In fact it will probably be very difficult for me to even reach the border before being stopped and turned back at a military checkpoint. Many internationals have tried and are most have been returned. To my knowledge, only one person from the GFM has been successful in getting in, an Indian man, who had the support of his Embassy to pressure the Egyptian government. Obviously I don't have that support.
So now faced with this reality I am not entirely certain what my next steps may be. I have played with the ideas of trying to get to the border and wait, and hope. I have thought about going back to the states. I have thought about going back to the states earlier than I had planned. I have thought about going to the West Bank and trying to finish the work that has been started there, so I have initiated phone calls to see if people are still interested and/or have the time.
One thing that is clear is that we all now realize that Egypt is a huge pressure point in effecting change in this issue, and is considered a domino in the region for democracy, one thing that both Israel and the US, in actuality, FEAR rather than promote.
In the past two days I have been involved in drafting proposals for how to create a transparent, democratic, and participatory process for making decisions around the Cairo Declaration Movement. The premise is that there are seven points for implementation, and we are assuming that SOME sort of structure is necessary, not for an organization, per se, but for consultation and decision-making. What we have developed is a proposal for a type of "straw poll" or referendum process carried out over the internet that will ideally be used to consult all signatories of the Declaration and get feedback that will inform direction and policy in the movement. It is actually quite exciting, I have never heard of an international effort, on such a large scale, that has attempted such a democratic and truly participatory process. I hope that it can be implemented, useful, and potentially serve as a model for other movements. We'll see! But that is where I have been focusing my efforts in the past few days. Lots of meetings, lots of writing and thinking and sitting around and drinking tea.
FYI: there has been a call for action on the 16th or 17th (either day) of January to protest Israeli embassies all over the world. It is also a day where people are being encouraged to banner and leaflet and educate around the Cairo Declaration. Let's get the ball rolling!
For now, I really don't know what my plans are. I feel like I am so close to the region to not be involved, but I am trying to get clarity about whether its the right time or not, for me. I have given myself a few days, maybe this week, to try to make that decision, because I am still productive here in these meetings and such. When I cease to be productive here I have a feeling that my opinion about staying will change significantly. Also, it seems clear that I am going to be putting most of my energy behind implementing the Cairo Declaration, so that might actually mean that I need to go back to the States anyway. We'll see.
The following day, yesterday, we were notified by the Egyptian Foreign Ministry that our entry permissions were officially denied. It is unclear if that means that in the future we have all been blacklisted because of our association with the GFM or what, but it does mean that for now my official channels have been completely denied. In the past it seems that there was a disconnect between the border and Cairo decisions, and that people have just gone to the border, knocked, waited, but often gotten in, without official permission from Cairo. But now we are not sure, and it seems that there is more coordination and a very hard line. In fact it will probably be very difficult for me to even reach the border before being stopped and turned back at a military checkpoint. Many internationals have tried and are most have been returned. To my knowledge, only one person from the GFM has been successful in getting in, an Indian man, who had the support of his Embassy to pressure the Egyptian government. Obviously I don't have that support.
So now faced with this reality I am not entirely certain what my next steps may be. I have played with the ideas of trying to get to the border and wait, and hope. I have thought about going back to the states. I have thought about going back to the states earlier than I had planned. I have thought about going to the West Bank and trying to finish the work that has been started there, so I have initiated phone calls to see if people are still interested and/or have the time.
One thing that is clear is that we all now realize that Egypt is a huge pressure point in effecting change in this issue, and is considered a domino in the region for democracy, one thing that both Israel and the US, in actuality, FEAR rather than promote.
In the past two days I have been involved in drafting proposals for how to create a transparent, democratic, and participatory process for making decisions around the Cairo Declaration Movement. The premise is that there are seven points for implementation, and we are assuming that SOME sort of structure is necessary, not for an organization, per se, but for consultation and decision-making. What we have developed is a proposal for a type of "straw poll" or referendum process carried out over the internet that will ideally be used to consult all signatories of the Declaration and get feedback that will inform direction and policy in the movement. It is actually quite exciting, I have never heard of an international effort, on such a large scale, that has attempted such a democratic and truly participatory process. I hope that it can be implemented, useful, and potentially serve as a model for other movements. We'll see! But that is where I have been focusing my efforts in the past few days. Lots of meetings, lots of writing and thinking and sitting around and drinking tea.
FYI: there has been a call for action on the 16th or 17th (either day) of January to protest Israeli embassies all over the world. It is also a day where people are being encouraged to banner and leaflet and educate around the Cairo Declaration. Let's get the ball rolling!
For now, I really don't know what my plans are. I feel like I am so close to the region to not be involved, but I am trying to get clarity about whether its the right time or not, for me. I have given myself a few days, maybe this week, to try to make that decision, because I am still productive here in these meetings and such. When I cease to be productive here I have a feeling that my opinion about staying will change significantly. Also, it seems clear that I am going to be putting most of my energy behind implementing the Cairo Declaration, so that might actually mean that I need to go back to the States anyway. We'll see.
Saturday, January 9, 2010
Operation Cast Lead 2
This option is being openly discussed in Israel, and for most analysts, its simply a matter of when. Very troubling, especially considering Israel's history of acting with complete disregard for international opinion, carrying out insane military actions with horrifying results with complete impunity. Clearly, the message that the world has sent means nothing to Israel, especially when nothing comes from Obama. Last year Obama could hide behind his recent inauguration so he didn't have to speak out against the crimes that Israel was committing. But this year, Obama has nothing to hide behind. He is going to be forced to take a stance, and I am fearful that our Nobel Peace Prize winner will endorse this war. Below is a recent article:
Israeli source revealed that the training that the IOF is performing in the Neguev Area (South of Gaza Strip) is aiming to achieve a large military plan which would end up with the complete reoccupation of the Gaza Strip.
Early this week, IOF land forces, in cooperation with the air force have started their training, under the name “War of a Week”, meaning that the goal of the IOF is to reoccupy Gaza Strip in only one week. IOF call it “Cast Lead #2”.
Last night, a prominent IOF military source told Israeli Channel 10 that “the next war on Gaza is not going to be like the previous one, it will be harder and wider”. He finally pointed out that they learned the lapses and failures during previous war.
Background
Last night, IOF aircrafts bombed several targets (among them tunnels used for smuggling goods), killing three people, Palestinian medics say. Palestinians said the body of a 14-year-old boy was recovered from one of the tunnels.
The air raids came after Israel said a dozen mortar bombs and rockets were fired from the Hamas-run territory into Israel. No casualties were reported from those attacks.
On Thursday 7, Israeli jets dropped thousands of leaflets over northern Gaza and Gaza City, warning many of the 1.5 million residents to stay clear of the heavily-secured border, after the mortars and rockets were fired into Israel.
The leaflets, in Arabic, with a map of Gaza Strip, said anyone within 300m of the border “will be in danger”.
Israeli source revealed that the training that the IOF is performing in the Neguev Area (South of Gaza Strip) is aiming to achieve a large military plan which would end up with the complete reoccupation of the Gaza Strip.
Early this week, IOF land forces, in cooperation with the air force have started their training, under the name “War of a Week”, meaning that the goal of the IOF is to reoccupy Gaza Strip in only one week. IOF call it “Cast Lead #2”.
Last night, a prominent IOF military source told Israeli Channel 10 that “the next war on Gaza is not going to be like the previous one, it will be harder and wider”. He finally pointed out that they learned the lapses and failures during previous war.
Background
Last night, IOF aircrafts bombed several targets (among them tunnels used for smuggling goods), killing three people, Palestinian medics say. Palestinians said the body of a 14-year-old boy was recovered from one of the tunnels.
The air raids came after Israel said a dozen mortar bombs and rockets were fired from the Hamas-run territory into Israel. No casualties were reported from those attacks.
On Thursday 7, Israeli jets dropped thousands of leaflets over northern Gaza and Gaza City, warning many of the 1.5 million residents to stay clear of the heavily-secured border, after the mortars and rockets were fired into Israel.
The leaflets, in Arabic, with a map of Gaza Strip, said anyone within 300m of the border “will be in danger”.
Friday, January 8, 2010
some thoughts on the cairo declaration
8 January 2010
Cairo, Egypt
What has transpired over the past two weeks in Egypt could possibly be the biggest contribution to a global, unified movement that bridges issues of economic, social, and political justice of our generation.
Over 1300 internationals gathered to attempt to enter Gaza and break the military siege and try to show the world the brutal reality of the de facto prison that 1.5 million Palestinians experience as their daily reality. We were prevented by force by the Egyptian government from even leaving Cairo to travel to the Egypt-Gaza border, under intense pressure from the United States and Israel. The massive demonstration morphed into a sort of international convergence, and its no surprise that when you pen organizers in together, they organize!
Throughout the long days spent in Cairo, powerful and radical conversations took place among representatives from nearly 40 countries, and an international movement has been reborn, guided by new principles. As in any mass movement, particularly visionary forces emerge, in this case, the most astute vision came from a delegation from South African. What is being called the Cairo Declaration has real potential to give serious political definition to our movement, now focused around “Israeli Apartheid.” The language comes directly from COSATU, the Congress of South African Trade Unions (whose motto is “An injury to one is an injury to all”). Drawing on their long history of struggle in South Africa, they have had the courage and clarity to use very definite language around the fact that the predominant ideology that guides Israeli policies, Zionism, is inherently racist, and is at the root of the conflict, occupation, oppression, and violence in Palestine. According to the declaration, it is through workers, and not just consumers, that it is necessary to organize a global campaign of boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS). The framers of the declaration believe that a boycott must come at all points of intersection of the economy where Israeli goods are introduced; workers involved shipping, handling, retail, and advertisement must all be organized for maximum effect.
The Cairo declaration and the movement of which it was born was distinctly influenced by the participation of South African trade unionists, some of whom describe Israeli apartheid in Palestine as even more vile than the Apartheid regime in South Africa. The organizing around this issue, now framed in the new and more appropriate light of racism and apartheid is a clear plea for international labor solidarity. As global citizens committed to justice around the world our participation is paramount in a global struggle against a hegemonic regime in Palestine which is causing astonishing levels of oppression and suffering. This an extraordinary opportunity to educate and organize across borders and across industry lines to create ever more profound worldwide connections. Above all, we are compelled to come to the aid of the members of our global community who have requested our assistance.
What can be said is that a fire has been ignited, and by the day the signatories of this declaration are growing by the thousands. We invite you to join us in signing the Cairo Declaration and standing in solidarity with Palestinians fighting for their liberation and their allies around the world. As Nelson Mandela said, “…our freedom is incomplete without the freedom of Palestinians.” From those of us who were gathered in Cairo last week to activists in Palestine, South African, France and around the world, emanates a belief that this is a common struggle and that now is the time to organize. You can sign the document at www.cairodeclaration.org and together we can organize locally in a globally coordinated effort to end Israeli Apartheid in Palestine.
Cairo, Egypt
What has transpired over the past two weeks in Egypt could possibly be the biggest contribution to a global, unified movement that bridges issues of economic, social, and political justice of our generation.
Over 1300 internationals gathered to attempt to enter Gaza and break the military siege and try to show the world the brutal reality of the de facto prison that 1.5 million Palestinians experience as their daily reality. We were prevented by force by the Egyptian government from even leaving Cairo to travel to the Egypt-Gaza border, under intense pressure from the United States and Israel. The massive demonstration morphed into a sort of international convergence, and its no surprise that when you pen organizers in together, they organize!
Throughout the long days spent in Cairo, powerful and radical conversations took place among representatives from nearly 40 countries, and an international movement has been reborn, guided by new principles. As in any mass movement, particularly visionary forces emerge, in this case, the most astute vision came from a delegation from South African. What is being called the Cairo Declaration has real potential to give serious political definition to our movement, now focused around “Israeli Apartheid.” The language comes directly from COSATU, the Congress of South African Trade Unions (whose motto is “An injury to one is an injury to all”). Drawing on their long history of struggle in South Africa, they have had the courage and clarity to use very definite language around the fact that the predominant ideology that guides Israeli policies, Zionism, is inherently racist, and is at the root of the conflict, occupation, oppression, and violence in Palestine. According to the declaration, it is through workers, and not just consumers, that it is necessary to organize a global campaign of boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS). The framers of the declaration believe that a boycott must come at all points of intersection of the economy where Israeli goods are introduced; workers involved shipping, handling, retail, and advertisement must all be organized for maximum effect.
The Cairo declaration and the movement of which it was born was distinctly influenced by the participation of South African trade unionists, some of whom describe Israeli apartheid in Palestine as even more vile than the Apartheid regime in South Africa. The organizing around this issue, now framed in the new and more appropriate light of racism and apartheid is a clear plea for international labor solidarity. As global citizens committed to justice around the world our participation is paramount in a global struggle against a hegemonic regime in Palestine which is causing astonishing levels of oppression and suffering. This an extraordinary opportunity to educate and organize across borders and across industry lines to create ever more profound worldwide connections. Above all, we are compelled to come to the aid of the members of our global community who have requested our assistance.
What can be said is that a fire has been ignited, and by the day the signatories of this declaration are growing by the thousands. We invite you to join us in signing the Cairo Declaration and standing in solidarity with Palestinians fighting for their liberation and their allies around the world. As Nelson Mandela said, “…our freedom is incomplete without the freedom of Palestinians.” From those of us who were gathered in Cairo last week to activists in Palestine, South African, France and around the world, emanates a belief that this is a common struggle and that now is the time to organize. You can sign the document at www.cairodeclaration.org and together we can organize locally in a globally coordinated effort to end Israeli Apartheid in Palestine.
more news
we have verified reports that the israeli army has been conducting military exercises on the border, similar to last year before the attack. of course we are not sure that it means an attack, but people are very scared in gaza.
also, please check out al-jazeera about what just happened with the viva palestina convoy on the border. things are very, very tense.
also, in egypt, things have been monumental. even bigger than i had imagined. activists are saying that an earthquake came with the international delegation and shook all the leaves off the tree, exposing egypt for what it is in its complicit role in the situation in gaza, and extending that, in the occupation. there is a huge surge in activity around protesting the wall and egypt's activity around gaza. it seems that egypt is scared, and egyptians are gaining strength in standing up to their government.
just to be clear, i want to back up a minute and say that many egyptian organiziations believed that internationals came here and intentionally left egyptian organizations out. it has been a difficult task to work with a couple of other remaining internationals here to build up trust again and let them know that we have nothing to do with codepink and their approach, and that we want to represent a new effort that was born here in cairo and is embodied in the cairo declaration. meetings are happening this week to help get an action going here in cairo around the jan. 16th event, and its quite exciting because it seems like this might be an issue that unites egyptian organization.
check out www.cairodeclaration.org and stephon's youtube video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mz467DwxHwY
also, please check out al-jazeera about what just happened with the viva palestina convoy on the border. things are very, very tense.
also, in egypt, things have been monumental. even bigger than i had imagined. activists are saying that an earthquake came with the international delegation and shook all the leaves off the tree, exposing egypt for what it is in its complicit role in the situation in gaza, and extending that, in the occupation. there is a huge surge in activity around protesting the wall and egypt's activity around gaza. it seems that egypt is scared, and egyptians are gaining strength in standing up to their government.
just to be clear, i want to back up a minute and say that many egyptian organiziations believed that internationals came here and intentionally left egyptian organizations out. it has been a difficult task to work with a couple of other remaining internationals here to build up trust again and let them know that we have nothing to do with codepink and their approach, and that we want to represent a new effort that was born here in cairo and is embodied in the cairo declaration. meetings are happening this week to help get an action going here in cairo around the jan. 16th event, and its quite exciting because it seems like this might be an issue that unites egyptian organization.
check out www.cairodeclaration.org and stephon's youtube video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mz467DwxHwY
Thursday, January 7, 2010
stop building our masters' temples
this morning as i stroll through the town of luxor i walk by the ancient temple along the bank of the nile. i look directly upon its entrance, from about 1km away, and witness a distressing scene.
when i was growing up and learned about egypt, i learned first that the pyramids were fantastic monuments, to pharaos and immortality. not long after that i learned that it was actually slaves and the poorest people who were forced or coerced to build their temples. i always thought it was terrible that people broke their backs to make something that they didnt believe in, it just never sat right with me.
of course i thought the unjust relationship between those that built it and those for whom it was built was as ancient as the constuction itself.
clearly this remains to this day. first, because we still deify the pharaohs, and we worship their worship of power and control. we now make temples to their temples.
how could a truly divine temple be built without the consent of its workers? i mean, if the people who built it were being forced, then that is what the temple worships - force. not the pharaoh or deity that we remember. that temple represents coercion and force. this is not just a buddhist idea. what i mean is, if the majority of the people dont believe in the temple, what does it represent?
so today i watch a scene that has replayed over and over throughout the centuries. men breaking their backs in the sun, lifing dirt, rocks, swinging axes. today they do it to "restore" the temples. for what reason? is it to worship the temples of old? no, we dont do that. of course we dont believe in that nonsense of the ancients. but today they rebuild it for money and tourism. so whats the difference?
one thing is clear. the temples dont get built unless we build them. but the coersion and repression are very deep, within ourselves as well as within our society. as we speak we have little pieces of our subconscious, little poor workers, who are building a temple to the god of ourselves, to our egos. unless that deity is crushed out of the subconscious of our subconscious, then we still feel the need to build temples within. because if we dont fully liberate our minds then how will we have the clarity and strength to stop consenting to building the temples to gods of power and force (aka money in the parlance of our times) in this world.
ok, maybe the metaphor is too far for this early in the morning, but just stick with me!
when i was growing up and learned about egypt, i learned first that the pyramids were fantastic monuments, to pharaos and immortality. not long after that i learned that it was actually slaves and the poorest people who were forced or coerced to build their temples. i always thought it was terrible that people broke their backs to make something that they didnt believe in, it just never sat right with me.
of course i thought the unjust relationship between those that built it and those for whom it was built was as ancient as the constuction itself.
clearly this remains to this day. first, because we still deify the pharaohs, and we worship their worship of power and control. we now make temples to their temples.
how could a truly divine temple be built without the consent of its workers? i mean, if the people who built it were being forced, then that is what the temple worships - force. not the pharaoh or deity that we remember. that temple represents coercion and force. this is not just a buddhist idea. what i mean is, if the majority of the people dont believe in the temple, what does it represent?
so today i watch a scene that has replayed over and over throughout the centuries. men breaking their backs in the sun, lifing dirt, rocks, swinging axes. today they do it to "restore" the temples. for what reason? is it to worship the temples of old? no, we dont do that. of course we dont believe in that nonsense of the ancients. but today they rebuild it for money and tourism. so whats the difference?
one thing is clear. the temples dont get built unless we build them. but the coersion and repression are very deep, within ourselves as well as within our society. as we speak we have little pieces of our subconscious, little poor workers, who are building a temple to the god of ourselves, to our egos. unless that deity is crushed out of the subconscious of our subconscious, then we still feel the need to build temples within. because if we dont fully liberate our minds then how will we have the clarity and strength to stop consenting to building the temples to gods of power and force (aka money in the parlance of our times) in this world.
ok, maybe the metaphor is too far for this early in the morning, but just stick with me!
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
amazing action
yesterday i participated in by far the most moving action of this delegation. the april 6th movement invited the remaining internationals to accompany them in a demonstration to protest egypt's participation in constructing the steel wall beneath the ground on the border between egypt and gaza.
the april 6th movement is something that you should look up on youtube, but essentially from what i understand they organized a year ago because the egyptian govt sold off some textile factories to make way for villas and condos, in the middle of an economic recession. the govt also ceased its subsidy of bread, which it is obligated to do in the constitution. hundreds of jobs were lost, and people were afraid of this precedent. this created a very tense atmosphere in the country, and many students took to the streets. they organized via facebook to get masses of people into the streets. facebook was shut down by the egyptian govt, the leaders of this movement were all rounded up, imprisoned, tortured, raped, and several died while in custody. those that were released and other followers have been underground since then, and they have not made a public appearance in over a year. today was the first time they ahve publicly showed themselves. very powerful.
according to their organizers, they are very happy that internationals are here. they discussed for over a week whether they should carry out the action, and ultimately decided that they would, despite incalculable personal risks. we were in their protest, and they chanted very powerful chants, like we give our blood and our souls for palestine to be free. they harshly criticized egypt for taking money from the US to build this wall. they shamed egypt for its treatment of their palestinian brothers. it was very emotional, because we and they both know that after the rally, without the protection of our international presence, they will be hunted and possibly face terribly consequences for showing such a vocal critique of the regime. my heart is with them.
i thanked one leader for his chants, and he said "we support you". it almost made me cry. all i could say was that WE support them. to witness their courage and fearlessness in the face of certain pain and violence was something i have not experienced in a long time, and has given me so much strength.
the egyptians are encouraging any ex-pats and other internationals to have another action at the israeli embassy on teh same day as the other international demos that are being called for across the world to mark the end of the operation cast lead massacre. i hope that i can support them in this effort, but they are really taking the lead on this.
everywhere we go, people are thanking us for our action at the israeli embassy. at cafe's people buy us drinks, they give us discounts, they smile and say thank you and say that we are welcome.
it appears that some people are getting into gaza, with the support of their embassies. ours has definitely said that it will not support any of us in this endeavor. no surprise there.
there is more organzing happening in the coming weeks, i will keep people abreast of what i am involved in and what i am hearing. also, the end israeli apartheid campaign is already being sent around. it seems like the US social forum is potentially a next great place to organize around this, and i hope to make a proposal to give a presentation at the forum. if anyone has contacts with the organizers, please pass them along to me. thanks.
now its just biding my time and waiting. they have told us it takes at least a week for the security background check, so i ahve decided to travel to the south for a few days to aswan and luxor. its exciting to be here, a place that i never in my life imagined that i would see with my own two eyes and feel with my feet and heart. but here i am, the lush nile and stark desert on the horizon. its weird to be travelling, my goal didnt include any of this, i was expecting gaza. but here i am, making the best of the situation, trying to stay positive, and keeping my intent focused on getting to gaza and ending the occupation. it must be resisted by every possible means.
love sent to sarah, who i just found out was arrested and deported from israel. she was supposed to be the delegation leader of a CPT delegation. crazy country. christian peackeeping teams apparently represent a security threat to the country of israel...
be in touch, and feel free to call me if ya'll want. its seven hours from the east coast. peace
the april 6th movement is something that you should look up on youtube, but essentially from what i understand they organized a year ago because the egyptian govt sold off some textile factories to make way for villas and condos, in the middle of an economic recession. the govt also ceased its subsidy of bread, which it is obligated to do in the constitution. hundreds of jobs were lost, and people were afraid of this precedent. this created a very tense atmosphere in the country, and many students took to the streets. they organized via facebook to get masses of people into the streets. facebook was shut down by the egyptian govt, the leaders of this movement were all rounded up, imprisoned, tortured, raped, and several died while in custody. those that were released and other followers have been underground since then, and they have not made a public appearance in over a year. today was the first time they ahve publicly showed themselves. very powerful.
according to their organizers, they are very happy that internationals are here. they discussed for over a week whether they should carry out the action, and ultimately decided that they would, despite incalculable personal risks. we were in their protest, and they chanted very powerful chants, like we give our blood and our souls for palestine to be free. they harshly criticized egypt for taking money from the US to build this wall. they shamed egypt for its treatment of their palestinian brothers. it was very emotional, because we and they both know that after the rally, without the protection of our international presence, they will be hunted and possibly face terribly consequences for showing such a vocal critique of the regime. my heart is with them.
i thanked one leader for his chants, and he said "we support you". it almost made me cry. all i could say was that WE support them. to witness their courage and fearlessness in the face of certain pain and violence was something i have not experienced in a long time, and has given me so much strength.
the egyptians are encouraging any ex-pats and other internationals to have another action at the israeli embassy on teh same day as the other international demos that are being called for across the world to mark the end of the operation cast lead massacre. i hope that i can support them in this effort, but they are really taking the lead on this.
everywhere we go, people are thanking us for our action at the israeli embassy. at cafe's people buy us drinks, they give us discounts, they smile and say thank you and say that we are welcome.
it appears that some people are getting into gaza, with the support of their embassies. ours has definitely said that it will not support any of us in this endeavor. no surprise there.
there is more organzing happening in the coming weeks, i will keep people abreast of what i am involved in and what i am hearing. also, the end israeli apartheid campaign is already being sent around. it seems like the US social forum is potentially a next great place to organize around this, and i hope to make a proposal to give a presentation at the forum. if anyone has contacts with the organizers, please pass them along to me. thanks.
now its just biding my time and waiting. they have told us it takes at least a week for the security background check, so i ahve decided to travel to the south for a few days to aswan and luxor. its exciting to be here, a place that i never in my life imagined that i would see with my own two eyes and feel with my feet and heart. but here i am, the lush nile and stark desert on the horizon. its weird to be travelling, my goal didnt include any of this, i was expecting gaza. but here i am, making the best of the situation, trying to stay positive, and keeping my intent focused on getting to gaza and ending the occupation. it must be resisted by every possible means.
love sent to sarah, who i just found out was arrested and deported from israel. she was supposed to be the delegation leader of a CPT delegation. crazy country. christian peackeeping teams apparently represent a security threat to the country of israel...
be in touch, and feel free to call me if ya'll want. its seven hours from the east coast. peace
Sunday, January 3, 2010
the cart before the horse
i feel very good about what has happened here in cairo. i have to say that its a resounding success, although it may seem like a setback. here is why:
what this movement needed was a coherent, cogent, unified leadership with well-defined and objective politics along with a mass international initiative to carry out the campaign. the codepink organization was never able to unite groups under it as an umbrella, due to its watered-down politics focusing simply on the humanitarian crisis in gaza. for that reason, radical groups from france, italy, greece, and elsewhere came to cairo with the hope that codepink would be their vehicle into gaza, not because they supported their politics. this would ultimately prevent a unified movement to end the seige.
what we needed was an international conference, a convergence, of internationals to gather in order to develop a coherent strategy, under an accepted, respected, and well-organized leadership. but the reality was, nobody in the world wanted to spend thousands of dollars to attend a conference, we wanted to take action. the response of egypt provided our movement the incredible opportunity to organize, as an international body convening in the same physical location. this would not have happened had we gotten into gaza. we would have all been focused on our "mission" in gaza.
conflict voyeurism: this is a phrase that i believe i just made up this afternoon, but it is a concept that is not unique to this experience. on my first day in cairo i went to a demonstration and the first chant i heard was to the tune of "we will, we will rock you" but the words for her chant were "we will, we will, free you!". i was so disgusted by these words and the mentality behind this chant that i almost took the megaphone away. i decided to bite my tongue, as i had just arrived, but what i came to realize that so much of the liberal organizing around palestine, gaza, and even from my experience in latin america is around "facilitating an experience" for liberals to return with, to have in their toolbox as activists. as longs as we have people on the left who believe that it is our mission to free anyone, that this conflict voyeurism is responsible, then we will have organizations like codepink.
to my relief the majority of the participants of this march resoundingly reject that perspective, and it is from those groups of people that we rejected the watered-down vision of activism and political intersecting that codepink represents.
if it were not for the egyptian response to hold us in cairo, we may not have ever been able to develop an analysis of what this movement needs, agree upon it internationally, and move forward in a unified way. so i know it seems bizarre that i feel like we have succeeded here in cairo, but the reality is that we needed an international conference before we could have such an ambitious international action.
my hope is that now that we have a wonderful campaign that utilizes labor as a major lens to organize an end to israeli apartheid we will be able to call yet another major international action in the future and have it be successful. as it stood, codepink's authority and reputation had been so significantly damaged in this debacle that they would never have been able to organize anything of this magnitude again, much less a coherent long-term campaign.
to codepink's credit, they made very human mistakes. they should not have bargained the way they did, it was a very amateur mistake which is surprising considering their "veteran" leadership. however, i do not feel that they were malicious. i do feel like what is so beautiful from this cairo experience is that the radical political analysis of ending the occupation, ending the politics of israeli racism, the and ending the international acquiesence to israel and the unitied states in guiding the "peace process" in the region has emerged as the majority position among internationals, and it is that platform that will guide our movement from now on. THE BAR HAS BEEN RAISED! it is very exciting.
in other news, the group of, in my opinion, sell-outs, has returned from gaza and begun giving reports of what they have experienced. first of all, their participation in the gaza freedom march that was planned for the 31st is very interesting. hamas had controlled the event, causing most gazan civil society organiziations to back out, and there were only about 500 participants, rather than the planned 50,000 and 99% of whom were men. it appears that hamas has been very strict, and the political situation in gaza and on the border is more tense than it has been in a very long time. it appears that the other politics of netanyahu visiting egypt on account of obama's recommendation to reopen peace talks, the prisoner exchange between hamas and israel, and of course our delegation are creating a very, very tense situation.
also, i am not sure if you all heard that gaza was bombed yesterday morning, the tunnels were hit by tank and plane fire. leaflets are still being dropped in the north suggesting that there will be another attack, which may be pure israeli psychological terrorism or it may be a reality. we do not have any idea.
also, WE PROTESTED THE ISRAELI EMBASSY!!! apparently it is the first time in egypt's history that the israeli embassy has been a target of protests, and it appears that most egyptians are quite thrilled and very supportive of our action two days ago. i feel very good about it.
tomorrow egyptian acticists are planning a demonstration in front of the egyptian supreme court to protest the construction of the underground steel wall on the border. those internationals who are left here are planning on supporting that effort in any way we can. its really very dangerous for egyptians to demonstrate here.
as far as an update on my personal plans, this is what i know. i have submitted a request to the egyptian foreign ministry along with a handful of others to allow us into gaza. we have provided the letters from our ngo's and, for those who can, have provided letters of support from their embassies. as you all probably know, the us embassy asks us to pay them 30$ for a letter from them to say that we understand that the US govt does not recommend us going to gaza and that if anything happens to us there then they have no responsibility. thanks, but i think i will keep the 30 bucks. so, the egyptian govt has up to 20 days legally to respond to our request, which ultimately they may deny. i am trying to be hopeful. so it looks like most people are giving up, and i will be here with a very small group, confined to cairo or the surrounding areas, for up to three weeks to wait for a response. i have decided that its worth it to wait, even though it will be expensive. hopefully i can get in!!! if it doesnt work out with the egyptian govt, i may have to find other ways in... just kidding!
i think thats it for now, i will be in touch as much as possible. i am bolstered by the fact that there is a beautiful international campaign underway, and i intend on throwing myself fully into this when i return to the states, but i still very much feel like its important for me to get into gaza to do the acupuncture work that is now my trade. its weird, this is not how i imagined this trip at all. yesterday i went to visit the sphinx and the pyramids at giza. i dont know how this trip will turn out but i still feel hopeful and i will do everything i can to get to gaza. as one man once said, "by any means necessary". insha'allah.
what this movement needed was a coherent, cogent, unified leadership with well-defined and objective politics along with a mass international initiative to carry out the campaign. the codepink organization was never able to unite groups under it as an umbrella, due to its watered-down politics focusing simply on the humanitarian crisis in gaza. for that reason, radical groups from france, italy, greece, and elsewhere came to cairo with the hope that codepink would be their vehicle into gaza, not because they supported their politics. this would ultimately prevent a unified movement to end the seige.
what we needed was an international conference, a convergence, of internationals to gather in order to develop a coherent strategy, under an accepted, respected, and well-organized leadership. but the reality was, nobody in the world wanted to spend thousands of dollars to attend a conference, we wanted to take action. the response of egypt provided our movement the incredible opportunity to organize, as an international body convening in the same physical location. this would not have happened had we gotten into gaza. we would have all been focused on our "mission" in gaza.
conflict voyeurism: this is a phrase that i believe i just made up this afternoon, but it is a concept that is not unique to this experience. on my first day in cairo i went to a demonstration and the first chant i heard was to the tune of "we will, we will rock you" but the words for her chant were "we will, we will, free you!". i was so disgusted by these words and the mentality behind this chant that i almost took the megaphone away. i decided to bite my tongue, as i had just arrived, but what i came to realize that so much of the liberal organizing around palestine, gaza, and even from my experience in latin america is around "facilitating an experience" for liberals to return with, to have in their toolbox as activists. as longs as we have people on the left who believe that it is our mission to free anyone, that this conflict voyeurism is responsible, then we will have organizations like codepink.
to my relief the majority of the participants of this march resoundingly reject that perspective, and it is from those groups of people that we rejected the watered-down vision of activism and political intersecting that codepink represents.
if it were not for the egyptian response to hold us in cairo, we may not have ever been able to develop an analysis of what this movement needs, agree upon it internationally, and move forward in a unified way. so i know it seems bizarre that i feel like we have succeeded here in cairo, but the reality is that we needed an international conference before we could have such an ambitious international action.
my hope is that now that we have a wonderful campaign that utilizes labor as a major lens to organize an end to israeli apartheid we will be able to call yet another major international action in the future and have it be successful. as it stood, codepink's authority and reputation had been so significantly damaged in this debacle that they would never have been able to organize anything of this magnitude again, much less a coherent long-term campaign.
to codepink's credit, they made very human mistakes. they should not have bargained the way they did, it was a very amateur mistake which is surprising considering their "veteran" leadership. however, i do not feel that they were malicious. i do feel like what is so beautiful from this cairo experience is that the radical political analysis of ending the occupation, ending the politics of israeli racism, the and ending the international acquiesence to israel and the unitied states in guiding the "peace process" in the region has emerged as the majority position among internationals, and it is that platform that will guide our movement from now on. THE BAR HAS BEEN RAISED! it is very exciting.
in other news, the group of, in my opinion, sell-outs, has returned from gaza and begun giving reports of what they have experienced. first of all, their participation in the gaza freedom march that was planned for the 31st is very interesting. hamas had controlled the event, causing most gazan civil society organiziations to back out, and there were only about 500 participants, rather than the planned 50,000 and 99% of whom were men. it appears that hamas has been very strict, and the political situation in gaza and on the border is more tense than it has been in a very long time. it appears that the other politics of netanyahu visiting egypt on account of obama's recommendation to reopen peace talks, the prisoner exchange between hamas and israel, and of course our delegation are creating a very, very tense situation.
also, i am not sure if you all heard that gaza was bombed yesterday morning, the tunnels were hit by tank and plane fire. leaflets are still being dropped in the north suggesting that there will be another attack, which may be pure israeli psychological terrorism or it may be a reality. we do not have any idea.
also, WE PROTESTED THE ISRAELI EMBASSY!!! apparently it is the first time in egypt's history that the israeli embassy has been a target of protests, and it appears that most egyptians are quite thrilled and very supportive of our action two days ago. i feel very good about it.
tomorrow egyptian acticists are planning a demonstration in front of the egyptian supreme court to protest the construction of the underground steel wall on the border. those internationals who are left here are planning on supporting that effort in any way we can. its really very dangerous for egyptians to demonstrate here.
as far as an update on my personal plans, this is what i know. i have submitted a request to the egyptian foreign ministry along with a handful of others to allow us into gaza. we have provided the letters from our ngo's and, for those who can, have provided letters of support from their embassies. as you all probably know, the us embassy asks us to pay them 30$ for a letter from them to say that we understand that the US govt does not recommend us going to gaza and that if anything happens to us there then they have no responsibility. thanks, but i think i will keep the 30 bucks. so, the egyptian govt has up to 20 days legally to respond to our request, which ultimately they may deny. i am trying to be hopeful. so it looks like most people are giving up, and i will be here with a very small group, confined to cairo or the surrounding areas, for up to three weeks to wait for a response. i have decided that its worth it to wait, even though it will be expensive. hopefully i can get in!!! if it doesnt work out with the egyptian govt, i may have to find other ways in... just kidding!
i think thats it for now, i will be in touch as much as possible. i am bolstered by the fact that there is a beautiful international campaign underway, and i intend on throwing myself fully into this when i return to the states, but i still very much feel like its important for me to get into gaza to do the acupuncture work that is now my trade. its weird, this is not how i imagined this trip at all. yesterday i went to visit the sphinx and the pyramids at giza. i dont know how this trip will turn out but i still feel hopeful and i will do everything i can to get to gaza. as one man once said, "by any means necessary". insha'allah.
Friday, January 1, 2010
End Israeli Apartheid - Cairo Declaration
End Israeli Apartheid
Cairo Declaration
January 1, 2010
We, international delegates meeting in Cairo during the Gaza Freedom March 2009 in collective response to an initiative from the South African delegation, state:
In view of:
o Israel's ongoing collective punishment of Palestinians through the illegal occupation and siege of Gaza;
o the illegal occupation of the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the continued construction of the illegal Apartheid Wall and settlements;
o the new Wall under construction by Egypt and the US which will tighten even further the siege of Gaza;
o the contempt for Palestinian democracy shown by Israel, the US, Canada, the EU and others after the Palestinian elections of 2006;
o the war crimes committed by Israel during the invasion of Gaza one year ago;
o the continuing discrimination and repression faced by Palestinians within Israel;
o and the continuing exile of millions of Palestinian refugees;
o all of which oppressive acts are based ultimately on the Zionist ideology which underpins Israel;
o in the knowledge that our own governments have given Israel direct economic, financial, military and diplomatic support and allowed it to behave with impunity;
o and mindful of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People (2007)
We reaffirm our commitment to:
Palestinian Self-Determination
Ending the Occupation
Equal Rights for All within historic Palestine
The full Right of Return for Palestinian refugees
We therefore reaffirm our commitment to the United Palestinian call of July 2005 for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) to compel Israel to comply with international law.
To that end, we call for and wish to help initiate a global mass, democratic anti-apartheid movement to work in full consultation with Palestinian civil society to implement the Palestinian call for BDS.
Mindful of the many strong similarities between apartheid Israel and the former apartheid regime in South Africa, we propose:
1) An international speaking tour in the first 6 months of 2010 by Palestinian and South African trade unionists and civil society activists, to be joined by trade unionists and activists committed to this programme within the countries toured, to take mass education on BDS directly to the trade union membership and wider public internationally;
2) Participation in the Israeli Apartheid Week in March 2010;
3) A systematic unified approach to the boycott of Israeli products, involving consumers, workers and their unions in the retail, warehousing, and transportation sectors;
4) Developing the Academic, Cultural and Sports boycott;
5) Campaigns to encourage divestment of trade union and other pension funds from companies directly implicated in the Occupation and/or the Israeli military industries;
6) Legal actions targeting the external recruitment of soldiers to serve in the Israeli military, and the prosecution of Israeli government war criminals; coordination of Citizen's Arrest Bureaux to identify, campaign and seek to prosecute Israeli war criminals; support for the Goldstone Report and the implementation of its recommendations;
7) Campaigns against charitable status of the Jewish National Fund (JNF).
We appeal to organisations and individuals committed to this declaration to sign it and work with us to make it a reality.
Cairo Declaration
January 1, 2010
We, international delegates meeting in Cairo during the Gaza Freedom March 2009 in collective response to an initiative from the South African delegation, state:
In view of:
o Israel's ongoing collective punishment of Palestinians through the illegal occupation and siege of Gaza;
o the illegal occupation of the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the continued construction of the illegal Apartheid Wall and settlements;
o the new Wall under construction by Egypt and the US which will tighten even further the siege of Gaza;
o the contempt for Palestinian democracy shown by Israel, the US, Canada, the EU and others after the Palestinian elections of 2006;
o the war crimes committed by Israel during the invasion of Gaza one year ago;
o the continuing discrimination and repression faced by Palestinians within Israel;
o and the continuing exile of millions of Palestinian refugees;
o all of which oppressive acts are based ultimately on the Zionist ideology which underpins Israel;
o in the knowledge that our own governments have given Israel direct economic, financial, military and diplomatic support and allowed it to behave with impunity;
o and mindful of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People (2007)
We reaffirm our commitment to:
Palestinian Self-Determination
Ending the Occupation
Equal Rights for All within historic Palestine
The full Right of Return for Palestinian refugees
We therefore reaffirm our commitment to the United Palestinian call of July 2005 for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) to compel Israel to comply with international law.
To that end, we call for and wish to help initiate a global mass, democratic anti-apartheid movement to work in full consultation with Palestinian civil society to implement the Palestinian call for BDS.
Mindful of the many strong similarities between apartheid Israel and the former apartheid regime in South Africa, we propose:
1) An international speaking tour in the first 6 months of 2010 by Palestinian and South African trade unionists and civil society activists, to be joined by trade unionists and activists committed to this programme within the countries toured, to take mass education on BDS directly to the trade union membership and wider public internationally;
2) Participation in the Israeli Apartheid Week in March 2010;
3) A systematic unified approach to the boycott of Israeli products, involving consumers, workers and their unions in the retail, warehousing, and transportation sectors;
4) Developing the Academic, Cultural and Sports boycott;
5) Campaigns to encourage divestment of trade union and other pension funds from companies directly implicated in the Occupation and/or the Israeli military industries;
6) Legal actions targeting the external recruitment of soldiers to serve in the Israeli military, and the prosecution of Israeli government war criminals; coordination of Citizen's Arrest Bureaux to identify, campaign and seek to prosecute Israeli war criminals; support for the Goldstone Report and the implementation of its recommendations;
7) Campaigns against charitable status of the Jewish National Fund (JNF).
We appeal to organisations and individuals committed to this declaration to sign it and work with us to make it a reality.
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