Heed Voices Calling For Justice For Palestinians
Interview With Free Gaza Movement Volunteers
Volunteers Needed for Freedom Summer 2009
By ISM Gaza Strip, March 2009
Every March 16th we remember Rachel Corrie, a kind, insightful, talented person committed to the Palestinian plight and the courage of her convictions. We believe that before she is remembered on this anniversary of her death, Rachel would want the world to remember the 1,400 Palestinians killed in Israel’s massive assault on the Gaza Strip. The situation is now even more desperate than when she was here. We still demand justice. We still demand that the world hold Israel responsible for the murder of Rachel and so many Palestinians. We also demand that the US hold responsible the Caterpillar corporation that provides the military bulldozers that killed Rachel and many Palestinians and, which have demolished thousands of Palestinian homes.
Due to Israel’s blockade, today was the first time ISM activists commemorated the anniversary in Gaza itself. Some of us who volunteered in 2003 compared the situation then and now. The oppressive wall with Egypt has been cut down but the siege and blockade continue. From 2002 to 2005 over 3,000 Palestinian homes were bulldozed in Rafah. Now, in just 22 days, thousands more were destroyed throughout the entire Strip. 100,000 Palestinians have been left homeless.
On this poignant day, we joined five young Palestinian artists to create a mural on one of the few remaining sections of the Israeli-built wall with Egypt, whose creation demanded the destruction of vast swathes of residential neighborhoods, including the one Rachel died trying to safeguard. It is the wall from which an Israeli soldier shot fellow ISM activist, Tom Hurndall, in the head less than a month after Rachel was killed and which was intended to imprison Palestinian people, who finally destroyed it.
Rachel would want the world to remember the 1,400 Palestinians killed in Israel’s massive assault on the Gaza Strip.
As colorful symbols of defiance were painted on the wall, Israeli F-16 fighter jets flew over Rafah. Despite Israel’s “unilateral ceasefire” they unilaterally bomb Rafah and other areas almost daily. International journalists have left and the world thinks the war is over, but Palestinians are still killed and injured regularly. Fortunately, today no bombs were dropped, perhaps due to the “Palestinian Air Force” – Palestinian children defiantly flying 14 kites in memory of the 1400 Palestinians killed recently. Another kite sent our love to Rachel.
Gaza has been a besieged prison for nearly two years now, locking in 1.5 million people. After the Free Gaza Movement voyages challenged the blockade by sea, then Viva Palestina convoy by land last week, Palestinian children symbolically broke the control of Gazan airspace today. A delegation from Code Pink also entered recently and celebrated International Women’s Day with the courageous women of Gaza on 8th March. Rachel’s parents, Cindy and Craig Corrie joined them, commenting, “Despite the pain, we have once again felt privileged to enter briefly into the lives of Rachel’s Palestinian friends in Gaza. We are moved by their resilience and heartened by their song, dance, and laughter amidst the tears.”
Maybe the soaring kites were seen by internationals protesting on the Egyptian side, against the refusal to allow them in. They included Jordanian parliamentarians and Greek engineers aiming to assist reconstruction. However, it is not enough. The international community must mobilize against the genocidal siege on Gaza.
Israeli forces shot another American ISM activist, Tristan Anderson, in the head three days ago in the West Bank village of Ni’lin. Tristan, our thoughts and prayers are with you. One day we will stand together with you at the destroyed wall of Ni’lin to commemorate the sacrifice of Ahmed Mousa (10), Yousef Amira (17), Arafat Rateb Khawaje (22) and Mohammed Khawaje (20), the four civilian martyrs of Ni’lin. Despite the murders of Rachel Corrie and Tom Hurndall, despite the attempted assassinations of Brian Avery and Tristan Anderson, despite the injuries, abductions, illegal deportations and denials of entry that we suffered, we are back. ISM is still here, and will continue to support Palestinian non-violent resistance.
Six years after the martyrdom of Rachel; three days after the shooting of Tristan; two months after Palestinians ousted Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip; 42 years after the occupation of West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip; 61 years after the Nakba; we still say “Free Palestine! End the occupation! Peace with justice and dignity!” As we remember Rachel we must never let the world forget the innocent Palestinian souls who perished without mercy. Their fate is already slipping from the collective memory of the international community, fading from the headlines of a fickle corporate media. It is time this manufactured catastrophe ends so that Rachel’s death and the deaths of countless Palestinians are not in vain.
Heed Voices Calling for Justice for Palestinians
By Huwaida Arraf, March 2009
WE Palestinians are often asked where the Palestinian Gandhi is and urged to adopt nonviolent methods in our struggle for freedom from Israeli military rule. On April 17, an Israeli soldier killed my good friend Bassem Abu Rahme at a nonviolent demonstration against Israeli confiscation of Palestinian land. Bassem was one of many Palestinian Gandhis.
One month prior, at another demonstration against land confiscation, Israeli soldiers fired a tear-gas canister at the head of nonviolent American peace activist Tristan Anderson from California. Tristan underwent surgery to remove part of his frontal lobe and is still lying unconscious in an Israeli hospital. In 2003, the Israeli military plowed down American peace activist Rachel Corrie with a Caterpillar bulldozer as she tried to protect a civilian home from demolition in Gaza. Shortly thereafter, an Israeli sniper shot British peace activist Tom Hurndall as he rescued Palestinian children from Israeli gunfire. He lay in a coma for nine months before he died.
Despite the killing of these unarmed civilians and documented evidence of systematic human-rights abuses, the U.S. continues to supply Israel with approximately $3 billion in military aid annually, allowing Israel to continue abusing Palestinians and preventing any meaningful resolution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
If President Obama is serious about true peace in the Middle East, he must heed the voices of those calling for justice.
The Israeli government orders the confiscation of Palestinian land for one of two main purposes: to build or expand illegal colonies or to construct the Wall that the International Court of Justice ruled illegal in 2004. In the case of Bassem’s village of Bil’in, even the Israeli Supreme Court ordered the Israeli government to change the route of the Wall, though Israel has yet to comply. Consequently, Palestinian farmers cannot reach their crops and they are devastated economically. Israel’s policy is intended to force Palestinians to give up and leave in order to survive.
When village residents gather weekly to protest, they use various creative methods of nonviolent resistance, including carrying mirrors up to the soldiers to show them “the face of occupation” or dressing as various politicians and wearing blindfolds to symbolize the world’s blind eye to their struggle. The Israeli military meets them and their Israeli and international supporters with tear gas, grenades, and bullets.
Eyewitness accounts and a YouTube video of Bassem’s killing attest to the fact that Bassem was not engaged in any kind of violent action when a soldier decided to fire a high-velocity tear gas canister — designed to be shot in the air or from a great distance — directly at his chest, fatally wounding him. In fact, just before he was shot, Bassem is heard calling to soldiers to stop shooting as a woman had been injured. Far too often, Israel tries to silence dissent by using disproportionate and sometimes lethal force against demonstrators.
In February, I led a delegation of American lawyers to the Gaza Strip to investigate Israel’s conduct in its 22-day military offensive during which more than 1,400 Palestinians were killed and more than 5,300 injured, most of them civilians — a rate of more than 60 killed per day. We found disturbing evidence of willful killing of civilians, wanton damage to civilian property and deliberate blocking of humanitarian aid. These are violations of international law that may constitute war crimes. During the offensive, Israel attempted to avert international outrage by refusing to let foreign journalists enter Gaza.
The United Nations has appointed a team of experts, led by a renowned human-rights advocate — Richard Goldstone, a Jewish, South African judge — to investigate the conduct of both Israel and Hamas. Hamas has agreed to cooperate, but Israel has indicated an intention to block the investigation. Israel tries to silence the human-rights community by preventing access to the occupied territory and refusing to cooperate with U.N.-mandated inquiries.
Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman claimed recently, “Believe me, America accepts all our decisions.” I do not believe, however, that the United States condones the killing of my friend Bassem. But if President Obama is serious about true peace in the Middle East, he must demonstrate that Lieberman is wrong, break the American silence, and heed the voices of those calling for justice.
This article originally appeared in the Seattle Times on April 25, 2009
Interview With Free Gaza Movement Volunteers
By the Editors, May 2009
Darlene Wallach and Donna Wallach were on board the first voyage of the Free Gaza Movement (FGM) in August, 2008. They remained in the Gaza Strip until December 2008, and helped re-establish a long-term ISM group in the Gaza Strip. Both have returned to the Bay Area, where they continue their activism on behalf of the Palestinian people and other social justice causes. The NorCal ISM Support group recently recognized them with the first annual Rachel Corrie award.
– Editor
Ed: You arrived in Gaza before the devastating Israeli attacks of January 2009. What was the humanitarian situation like in August, 2008?
Darlene: Israel’s blockade of Gaza had been going on for 2 years. The Importation of food, fuel, medicine, building supplies, parts for the water treatment system, even school supplies were all severely restricted. Only one in seven people who needed to leave Gaza for treatment had been allowed to. Over 322 people were known to have died due to lack of medical care in Gaza because of the blockade and occupation. This is collective punishment and against International law. The harshness of these tactics is consistent with the unofficial Israeli policy of putting the people of Gaza “on a diet” as Advisor to the Prime Minister Dov Wineglass has put it.
Donna: I lived in Tel Aviv from 1991 to 1993, and I used to visit Gaza weekly. The situation in Gaza was much worse in 2008 than I had ever seen it in the 90’s, although in some ways it was also more developed. There was practically no economic base left for the people to sustain themselves, and they couldn’t grow and export their crops. High unemployment was very obvious, many shops were closed, and unfinished buildings were everywhere. By the middle of November electricity was only available about 6 hours a day, at best. On the other hand, the spirit of the people was as wonderful as ever. I always found it amazing how little they complain, and how they would always welcome me into their homes and show lots of love.
Ed: The Palestinian community asked for international support on fishing boats. Why did they ask for this?
Darlene: Israel had been imposing an arbitrary policy of no fishing more than 6 miles from shore, even though the Oslo Accords permitted fishing up to 20 miles from shore. This is intended to prevent the people of Gaza from accessing the good fishing waters, and it has a huge impact on their food supply. In addition to the 6-mile limit, fishermen endure severe harassment even within the 6 mile limit. We witnessed Navy boats attacking fishing boats with water cannons, grenades thrown into the water, and firing of M16 rifles into the water close to the boats. These attacks are often much more deadly if the Israeli military knows there are no internationals on board the fishing boats.
“Palestinians in the Gaza Strip need their human rights, and of course justice – they want our help to hold Israel accountable for the War Crimes they commit. “
Ed: How do the people of Gaza view the work of internationals volunteers such as ISM and the Free Gaza Movement (FGM)?
Donna: Everyone I met in Gaza knew about the Free Gaza Movement boats, and we were all treated very warmly. People know about Rachel Corrie and respect the work that she and other internationals did in Gaza. I think it makes a huge impact on them that foreigners, especially Americans, care and come to show their support. They know that most of the bombs and other weapons being used against them are made in the U.S. and paid for by the U.S. government.
Ed: What should activists and people here do to support the work in Gaza?
Donna: I strongly recommend going to Gaza and being a witness to what is going on. Especially in the aftermath of January’s attacks, it is important to keep challenging the blockade and showing solidarity with the Palestinians. People who aren’t able to make the trip can also help by supporting FGM, ISM and other groups financially. Just as important, people should keep informed, and also pressure Congress and the media. We can’t let them get away with ignoring Gaza.
Darlene: The Palestinians in the Gaza Strip need their human rights, and of course justice – they want our help to hold Israel accountable for the War Crimes they commit. Please donate to and support the Free Gaza Movement. Stay informed! Tell everyone!
ISM volunteers and the Gaza Local Initiative during the olive harvest in Beit Hanoun, Gaza Strip (credit Donna Wallach)
Darlene and Donna Wallach are active members of the NorCal ISM Support Group, and the Free Gaza Movement. Both had visited occupied Palestine previously as ISM volunteers.
By Schlomo Bloom, May 2009
The history of Israel/Palestine is not terribly complex, nor does it take a PhD to come to definitive conclusions about the injustices that the Zionist movement and the state of Israel have wrought in the land of Palestine and against the Palestinian people. However, pro-Israeli groups and interests in the media and political worlds have created an air of hysteria and obfuscation about this uncomplicated subject.
Nevertheless, important details are available from an abundance of sources. Many important books as well as the growing presence on the web are crucial to shoring up one’s knowledge while also growing in the pursuit of peace and justice. The following is by no means a comprehensive list of sources, just a few that I think are particularly good.
Websites
www.palsolidarity.org/ (International Solidarity Movement)
One of the best sites for eyewitness reports, and it has been upgraded recently. As someone who helped staff the media office in past years in Palestine, I take pride in the fact that it thrives to this day.
www.palestineremembered.com/ (Palestine Remembered)
Whenever I need info on the Nakba (ethnic cleansing), I go here. The pictures, data, and stories are a great tool for academia and the wider community as well.
http://imeu.net/ (Institute for Middle East Understanding)
http://electronicintifada.net(Electronic Intifada)
www.palestinechronicle.com/(Palestine Chronicle)
The above are all great sites for commentary and news on current events in and relating to Palestine.
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/ (Angry Arab News Service)
What is a day without the unswerving and entertaining observations of Asad Abukahlil? For information, inspiration, and always for a good laugh, I check out what the Angry Arab has to say.
http://www.zochrot.org (Zochrot)
If you go to Israel, visit this site first and then take a trip with Zochrot while you are there. They tour the remains of hundreds of Palestinian villages destroyed in 1948, erect signs to attest their existence and promote knowledge of the Nakba in Jewish Israeli culture.
Books
Edward Said:
• The Question of Palestine
This book was one of the first to tell the story of Israel from the perspective of Palestine. Until Said, many in the US and Europe had read the story of the victors, but not seen Zionism from the viewpoint of its victims.
Nur Masalha:
• The Politics of Denial: Israel and the Palestinian Refugee Problem
• Expulsion of the Palestinians: The Concept of “Transfer” in Zionist Political Thought, 1882-1948
• The Bible and Zionism: Invented Traditions, Archaeology and Post-Colonialism in Palestine- Israel
• Catastrophe Remembered: Palestine, Israel and the Internal Refugees
Nur Masalha’s books on “transfer” in Zionist thinking are his best. Transfer is usually relegated to the ‘right’ wing of Zionism, but Masalha shows that it has always been firmly in the mainstream of Zionist thought.
Benny Morris:
• The Birth of the Palestinian Refugee Problem
• The Birth of the Palestinian Refugee Problem Revisited
• Israel’s Border Wars, 1949-1956
Benny Morris, Avi Shlaim and Ilan Pappe are known as the “New Historians” of Israel. They brought credibility to what Palestinian historians had been had been documenting for years, partly because racism favored Israeli credentials and partly because Israeli archives opened the late 1980’s confirmed the reports of genocide and expulsion. That it took Israelis to make people believe what Palestinians had already documented is unfortunately not surprising.
Benny Morris has been a crucial source of information and facts about Israel’s early years, although the conclusions that he draws are racist and disgusting in their disparagement of Palestinians (see http://is.gd/xVAn for an online interview). That said, the three books listed are each worth reading simply for the wealth of Israeli declassified data they present.
Avi Shlaim:
• The Politics of Partition
• The Iron Wall
These are two of Schliam’s best books even though, for all his valuable political commentary, he is still a committed supporter of the 2-state solution and does not seriously question the basic racism and colonialism inherent in Zionism.
Ilan Pappe:
• Modern History of Palestine (2nd Edition)
• The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine
Ilan Pappe is a true hero academically and politically. His writing and research cover the crimes of Israel and the nature of Zionism, as do his political conclusions and convictions; in fact, it has ostracized him in Israeli academic circles, forcing him to relocate to England. Both books are excellent, but The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine is a must read. He focuses on the 1948 Palestinian expulsion, which is the core event of the inherent injustice of the state of Israel.
Ghada Karmi:
• Searching for Fatima
This book stands out as the personal story of a Palestinian refugee. We go from the streets of Jerusalem under siege by the Haganah and the Karmi family’s narrow escape to Ghada’s later political awakening and growth. As the author has points out, the Jewish Holocaust has been disseminated effectively through personal stories like those of Anne Frank. The stories of Fatima and Ghada similarly allow us to see the true meaning of the phrase ‘Never Again,’ with the important caveat that it applies to us all.
Other excellent authors include: Norman Finkelstein, Noam Chomsky, Maxine Rodinson, Joel Kovel, Rashid Khalidi, and Joe Sacco.
Schlomo Bloom is a founding member of Jews Against Genocide (J.A.G) and an ISM Volunteer
The International Solidarity Movement (ISM) needs office and field volunteers in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. You can help provide protection during non-violent demonstrations, resist home demolitions and land confiscations, accompany children and patients to school and hospital, remove roadblocks, or just share time with Palestinians, listen to them, witness, and help ensure that their voices are heard.
More info: solidarity@norcalism.org, 510-236-4250, www.norcalism.org or www.palsolidarity.org
