November 18, 2009 at 5:32 pm (Associate Post, Corrupt Politics, Human Interest, Israel, Palestine)
By Mazin Qumsiyeh, PhD
Many years ago my son had two pet hamsters who took turns running on a metal exercise wheel without of course getting anywhere (but occasionally we would let them run free in a room in the home). I was reminded of those two hamsters this week because politicians occasionally do the same running around without going anywhere by only verbally (thus only exercising their speech muscles). The Israeli regime just decided to continue violating International law by building 900 new units in the Jewish only colony of Gilo near us here in Bethlehem. The Bethlehem district has lost nearly 80% of its areas to Israel and the remaining 20% (the concentration camp) is now very crowded with half of the population in the district being refugees or displaced Palestinians. Yet politicians ranging from German Chancellor to French foreign minister to British Prime Minister to the US president took turns repeating meaningless words about this action “delaying” or “harming” the “peace process” (as if there is a peace process or any possibility of a fair negotiations between the 4th strongest army in the world and an occupied colonized people). Ariel Sharon who is just as alive as the peace process used to pronounce it the “piss process”. In the 1970s and 1980s European and North American leaders used to accurately describe settlements/colonies are ILLEGAL (Israel is violating International law by building in the occupied areas) yet do nothing about them (actually in many cases fund them and support them). Now they are “not helpful” “unilateral” and “they delay”…
There are actually numerous UN Security Council Resolutions (UNSCR, those not vetoed by the US) that clearly articulate their illegality. If Israel was forced to comply with just half of the 35 UNSCR that it currently violating, we would have peace a long time ago. Here is just one UNSCR:
The Security Council, Having heard the statement of the Permanent Representative of Jordan and other statements made before the Council, Stressing the urgent need to achieve a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in the Middle East, Affirming once more that the Fourth Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War of 12 August 1949 1/ is applicable to the Arab territories occupied by Israel since 1967, including Jerusalem,
1. Determines that the policy and practices of Israel in establishing settlements in the Palestinian and other Arab territories occupied since 1967 have no legal validity and constitute a serious obstruction to achieving a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in the Middle East;
2. Strongly deplores the failure of Israel to abide by Security Council resolutions 237 (1967) of 14 June 1967, 252 (1968) of 21 May 1968 and 298 (1971) of 25 September 1971 and the consensus statement by the President of the Security Council on 11 November 1976 2/ and General Assembly resolutions 2253 (ES-V) and 2254 (ES-V) of 4 and 14 July 1967, 32/5 of 28 October 1977 and 33/113 of 18 December 1978;
3. Calls once more upon Israel, as the occupying Power, to abide scrupulously by the 1949 Fourth Geneva Convention, to rescind its previous measures and to desist from taking any action which would result in changing the legal status and geographical nature and materially affecting the demographic composition of the Arab territories occupied since 1967, including Jerusalem, and, in particular, not to transfer parts of its own civilian population into the occupied Arab territories… (UNSC resolution 446)
Yet, half a million colonial settlers were transferred to the occupied territories without any sanctions applied on Israel (thanks to the US veto power used at the behest of a foreign policy hijacked by the Israel-first lobby in Washington). Politicians regurgitate utter feeble ridiculous statements about the “peace process” being harmed. It is like standing over a rotting corpse with bones showing and saying to the murderer that the current actions make the chance of revival of the victim more difficult.
But what most irritates us here in Palestine is the collaborative Arab regimes and certain Palestinian self-appointed “leaders” whose spinning wheel also squeaks without going anywhere. They think the only way to maintain their privileged positions is to coddle up the US/Israeli policies while trying to maintain some legitimacy with their people by “condemning” or “deploring” Israeli actions on the ground that also “harm” the “peace process”. Most do not understand or even read history. They do not believe in their people or in the power of social movements to change history even when some of them come from backgrounds of social movements that did change history (e.g. the uprisings of 1987-1991 which was like the 1936 uprising transformational). And if we look at other countries, we see such social movements that made history (e.g. in the US getting the women’s right to vote, ending the war on Vietnam, ending US support for Apartheid South Africa, civil rights movement, etc). As the ebbs and flows of activism go, we now see beginnings of new energy and movements precisely as the last attempts to prolong the failing track of Oslo (it was bound to fail because it was not based on International law or human rights but on the dominant regime’s needs for subduing the resistance of the natives without giving them back their rights).
Below are links to some informative articles about the Israel lobby buying US congress, Israel’s forgery, an open letter from a friend in Gaza to Obama, and a great article by Ali Abunimah on the one-state solution. I also added a brief letter from a friend who, like me, relocated to Palestine (I found it inspiring)
Congressmen Denouncing U.N. Inquiry Receive Handsome Donations from Pro-Israel Lobby http://www.opensecrets.org/news/2009/11/congressmen-denoncing-un-inqui.html
Israel forgery of “Iran shipment of Weapons to Hizballah”
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=111410§ionid=351020101
Open letter from Dr. Haidar Eid of Gaza to the President of the US
http://www.zmag.org/znet/viewArticle/23129
Israeli Jews and the one-state solution, by Ali Abunimah, The Electronic Intifada, 10 November 2009
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article10883.shtml
A letter of a friend who now lives in Palestine. I connect so much to what he says and with his permission, I am sharing it
To Dina from Rajai Masri
I never felt so fulfilled as I do now, Dina. Not at all in terms of material gratifications or narrow personal achievements. It is, very truly, being in the midst of our people, living their aspirations and frustrations, but, foremost, trying to improve their lot, extremely minuscule an effort, yet, being able to do that. You just can not imagine, other things being equal, how beautiful our youth are, and how in need they are for role models to guide them with sincerity and selfless devotion. Nearly every one here helps support a larger family that undoubtedly lost a son or a daughter or a few. These young men look so healthy, so proud and so human. They are so solid despite that all they know, knew and have experienced is personal suffering and deprivation.
The other day, Dina, driving to Jerusalem, on a Friday, I had the Radio listening to a program called Maraseel, (Messages). It broadcasts every Friday afternoon where families of Palestinian prisoners convey messages to their incarcerated beloved ones in Israeli jails. Listened to scores of aggrieved mothers, so brave and inspiring convey news to their beloved imprisoned children. So many, Wallahi, so many of these mothers have more than one child (son or a daughter) in Israeli Jails at the same time. Here is a mother sending her greetings to a son in Ofar prison and another message to two other sons in Al-Naqab, or Asqalan, or Majido Prison. The number of prisons, Dina, mentioned during that short broadcast counts in scores.
What’s heart wrenching, Dina, and what reduce us the Afandis, so called privileged Arabs, Palestinians and world humanists, to the size of the newt, is how removed and ambivalent we are of the sufferings and poverty of these families often left without a bread earner who is either in prison or is martyred. Here is a mother telling her son, or sons, that she sent them money to purchase their ration of cigarettes. Another telling her son or sons of money sent to them to purchase some of their consumer needs. Another mother speaks of buying her son clothes that she sent him. One mother, Dina, assuaging the bereavement of a son who is just sentenced to 12 years, to never mind, be strong and confident. Another, telling her son that the lawyers now have a date for his trial. Another mother tells, and it was the early days of this month, November, that her visitation permit (issued by the Israeli Occupation authority in Beit Eil that the mother has to travel and endure the hardships of qualifying and obtaining such permit) excludes the whole month of November. That’s only a sample of the much more stories of what one hears.
As to the so-called the expatriate Palestinian investors, mostly the tycoons whose avarice knows no bounds and total lack of patriotism know no limit, they are syphoning the Occupied Territories of desperately needed funds that help create genuinely productive employment and jobs that help the steadfastness of the people under occupation. These tycoons engage in speculative transactions that literary impoverished the little guys, and had huge funds repatriated as profits outside Palestine to only inflate their already huge wealth and that of other so-called expatriate Palestinian investors. I have many specific stories to tell with exact numbers and figures.
The people here are so creative, Dina, managing to do with the little, with the meagre of existence. All this, Dina, while maintaining an incredible high spirit and incredible determination. They stand to still give more and sacrifice endlessly. Left alone to face one of the mightiest and harshest occupying power, their confidence render them truly great heroes, a model that one day Historians will recall their epic steadfastness and incredible dignity in an another Illiad that are very well deserving off.
As to the rest of the Arab countries, just Do Not Stab the occupied Palestinians in the back. No support needed, just stop conspiring to defeat the Palestinians’ spirit of steadfastness. As the international movement of BDS (Boycott, Divest and impose Sanctions) is building up, the Arab countries, foremost the so-called moderates, ought to cease clandestine normalization with Occupation force. So sadly that its under the gaze, rather the active instigation, of these countries that the once all powerful Arab Boycott Office in Damascus was bribed, corrupted and rendered non-functional.
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ACTIONS: For people in NY: Join on Wednesday Nov 21 to tell Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig to Cancel the Event! Tell the Mets & Major League Baseball Not to Support Violent, Israeli Racist Settlers. http://www.jewishvoiceforpeace.org/publish/article_1232.shtml
For people elsewhere: Do similar actions, write to media and ploliticians and ask them to stop squeaking and start acting. Join the Boycotts, sanctions and divestment movement: http://www.bdsmovement.net
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