Anger is a legitimate emotion in the face of injustice. Passive acceptance of evil is not a virtue.
Friday, July 10, 2009
Israeli Barrier: Security or Apartheid? - Jeff Halper
Jeff Halper, co-founder of the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions, explains why he believes Israel's "separation barrier" enforces apartheid between Israelis and Palestinians. He compares the Israeli West-Bank barrier to the Berlin Wall.
*The full video is here:Jeff Halper: Countdown to Apartheid in Israel
------------------- Btw, I was waiting for this video for quite a while since I attended the lecture but missed the first 30 min. A must!
There is no question about the apartheid nature of the wall for honest people, it is just those proficient in deceiving themselves and some given to dishonesty that deny this fact.
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 12pt; line-height: 120%;"><span style="">At 2:58</span> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 12pt; line-height: 120%;"><span style="">“and the wall does not separate Israelis and Palestinians as you would expect from an Israeli security barrier”</span> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 12pt; line-height: 120%;"><span style="">This is what <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">people don't realise - instead of separating the West Bank form Israel - the wall twists through the middle of the West Bank encircling cities like an insidious snake.</span></span>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 12pt; line-height: 120%;"><span style="">“Apartheid is a crime against humanity. Israel has deprived millions of Palestinians of their liberty and property. It has perpetuated a system of gross racial discrimination and inequality. It has systematically incarcerated and tortured thousands of Palestinians, contrary to the rules of international law. It has, in particular, waged a war against a civilian population, in particular children.” Nelson Mandela 2001</span> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 12pt; line-height: 120%;"><span style="">"When Israel does occupy this territory deep within the West Bank, and connects the 200-or-so settlements with each other, with a road, and then prohibits the Palestinians from using that road, or in many cases even crossing the road, this perpetrates even worse instances of apartness, or apartheid, than we witnessed even in South Africa." Jimmy carter 2006</span>
I can't help wondering why Halper moved to Israel in the first place. It is plausable that he wasn't fully aware of what was going on with the Palestinians-because not many people here are. Did he really buy tha "light upon the nations" line...or whatever the line is? And the whole Jews only thing seems like it would turn off any progressive. I guess he either had his eyes opened when he went there-or he went over as a subversive.
I checked out Wikipedia to see if I could find the answer to this. It didn't say why he moved to Israel, but I did learn he comes from Hibbing, Minnesota-Bob Dylan's hometown. I can't help wondering if they knew each other from synagouge. After All, Meir Kahane tutored Arlo Guthrie for his Bar Mitsvah.
I mean, lets be clear, what are we talking about? What is being done to the Palestinians?
"Generally speaking, genocide does not necessarily mean the immediate destruction of a nation, except when accomplished by mass killings of all members of a nation. It is intended rather to signify a coordinated plan of different actions aiming at the destruction of essential foundations of the life of national groups, with the aim of annihilating the groups themselves. The objectives of such a plan would be the disintegration of the political and social institutions, of culture, language, national feelings, religion, and the economic existence of national groups, and the destruction of the personal security, liberty, health, dignity, and even the lives of the individuals belonging to such groups."
joe I heard him explaining that he was already an activist back in the sixties and the Vietnam protests era but didn't hear him explaining why he chose Israel as a home. I should have asked that question in question time..
There is no question about the apartheid nature of the wall for honest people, it is just those proficient in deceiving themselves and some given to dishonesty that deny this fact.
ReplyDelete<p style="margin: 0in 0in 12pt; line-height: 120%;"><span style="">At 2:58</span>
ReplyDelete<p style="margin: 0in 0in 12pt; line-height: 120%;"><span style="">“and the wall does not separate Israelis and Palestinians as you would expect from an Israeli security barrier”</span>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 12pt; line-height: 120%;"><span style="">This is what <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">people don't realise - instead of separating the West Bank form Israel - the wall twists through the middle of the West Bank encircling cities like an insidious snake.</span></span>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 12pt; line-height: 120%;"><span style="">“Apartheid is a crime against humanity. Israel has deprived millions of Palestinians of their liberty and property. It has perpetuated a system of gross racial discrimination and inequality. It has systematically incarcerated and tortured thousands of Palestinians, contrary to the rules of international law. It has, in particular, waged a war against a civilian population, in particular children.” Nelson Mandela 2001</span>
ReplyDelete<p style="margin: 0in 0in 12pt; line-height: 120%;"><span style="">"When Israel does occupy this territory deep within the West Bank, and connects the 200-or-so settlements with each other, with a road, and then prohibits the Palestinians from using that road, or in many cases even crossing the road, this perpetrates even worse instances of apartness, or apartheid, than we witnessed even in South Africa." Jimmy carter 2006</span>
I can't help wondering why Halper moved to Israel in the first place. It is plausable that he wasn't fully aware of what was going on with the Palestinians-because not many people here are. Did he really buy tha "light upon the nations" line...or whatever the line is? And the whole Jews only thing seems like it would turn off any progressive. I guess he either had his eyes opened when he went there-or he went over as a subversive.
ReplyDeleteI checked out Wikipedia to see if I could find the answer to this. It didn't say why he moved to Israel, but I did learn he comes from Hibbing, Minnesota-Bob Dylan's hometown. I can't help wondering if they knew each other from synagouge. After All, Meir Kahane tutored Arlo Guthrie for his Bar Mitsvah.
I mean, lets be clear, what are we talking about? What is being done to the Palestinians?
ReplyDelete"Generally speaking, genocide does not necessarily mean the immediate destruction of a nation, except when accomplished by mass killings of all members of a nation. It is intended rather to signify a coordinated plan of different actions aiming at the destruction of essential foundations of the life of national groups, with the aim of annihilating the groups themselves. The objectives of such a plan would be the disintegration of the political and social institutions, of culture, language, national feelings, religion, and the economic existence of national groups, and the destruction of the personal security, liberty, health, dignity, and even the lives of the individuals belonging to such groups."
Raphael Lemkin
joe
ReplyDeleteI heard him explaining that he was already an activist back in the sixties and the Vietnam protests era but didn't hear him explaining why he chose Israel as a home. I should have asked that question in question time..
Newsweek gives us the scoop of the "Not for distribution or publication" real Hasbara Handbook from "The Israel Project".
ReplyDeleteGood article Mara :)
ReplyDelete