The issues of boycott, divestment and sanctions against Israel were discussed regularly this week in Cairo. This movement is feared by Israel and its friends because the Jewish state can no longer hide behind its military might. In the war of ideas, the never-ending occupation is Israel’s
weak point.
"Egypt is part of this crime."
ReplyDeletehttp://www.guardian.co.uk/world/video/2009/dec/31/gaza-freedom-march-egypt
"the occupation is Israel's weak point"
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no, the problem is ALSO the apartheid WITHIN Israel and the whole idea of accepting a RACIST STATE into the community of civilized nations.
tgia, i'm tired of these Jimmy-Carter-save-Israel-from-itself guys. i mean they have a right to their ideas, but do we have to endorse them? i don't lose any sleep over this, and i don't read their blogs constistently, but I was never really comfortable with having either him or mondoweiss on the blogroll and constantly the source of posts becaue if they had their way it seems it would be ongoing misery for Palestinians and arabs in general. I'm with As'ad - no peace with israel ever.
and by the way, notice vza's point down below about the langugae the use, what they will "accept" instead of "advocate".
ReplyDeletei shouldn't say they - i thiknk it was weiss
ReplyDeleteand i'm sure they're opposed to the rt of return too
ReplyDeleteim open to exchanging views (like i'm doing now with myself) hehe
ReplyDeleteI sort of blasted Mondoweiss today, in regard to their thinking that this recent protest, with its tiny contingency allowed into Gaza, is "radical" -
ReplyDeleteNot to be contrary, but I think it is amusing what some think is “radical.” This is because the goal posts have moved by the intransigence of the world system of domination and exploitation. So we call ourselves radical when we merely opt for what is just and true, like so many children being disobedient to their parents – when in reality this has nothing to do with what the peoples relationship is supposed to be to these rogue states. It does not matter how much the system bristles at the contrary activity – because they have defined the lines of demarcation, and some walk to what they perceive to be the limits of the envelope and congratulate themselves.
If you think some protesting is going to change anything, just remember the large amount of protests, marches, and speeches globally made up to the Iraq war – did it stop anything? To accomplish anything we are going to have to move beyond what is “radically acceptable” to the status quo, that is, what will shut down this process of war and oppression. This is because you have swallowed the status quo defined limits and if nothing has changed, who is helped? You merely feel good about what you think you did, but all you did was minimal because you received the “permission” of the illegitimate entities to trivialize the impact by a tiny amount of people entering Gaza, and the atrocities march on.
I do not agree with everything a person like Derfner says, but I know he is correct about this while addressing the Israelis – “…there’s going to be Operation Cast Lead II, then Operation Cast Lead III, and each one is going to be worse than the last, and the consequences for Palestinians and Israelis are going to be unimaginable.” His concern is primarily what it will do to Israel (just like his bogus descriptions of who the people Gaza are – some sort of disconnected entity, and that all the leadership of the oppressed wants to do is destroy Israel).
We have to stop thinking within the defined parameters of what these governments (which are just a reflection of the will of the elite few moneyed interest) find acceptable or palatable, otherwise they will always keep doing exactly what they want to the designs of the few. Malcolm X said the black man is not supposed to get upset, because than he becomes “the angry black man.” He put it in the context of a lynching, he is not supposed to cry out or struggle, fight back, or try to escape – he is supposed to sing “We Shall Overcome” as he is lynched. I guess protesting is ok as long as you are safe, after all what did it cost you?
As the conversation developed, I let the other barrel loose -
ReplyDeleteThat is ok potsherd, I can see that we are headed back to some sort of systemic answer with your reply, that is, what people have said previously about vote them in – out, or something of that nature. The answer clearly relates to this question – how and why, for what purpose, do you mobilize the collective of the American people? If it is to go through the same repeated processes that have proven themselves useless over the years, it does us no good.
No, what has to be done is nothing short of revolutionary. It should have happened years ago, because power, as expressed in this system, never willingly steps down or surrenders. We could bring ourselves to the level of resistance that was done during the Roosevelt era, but as you can see eventually, everything reduces back to the same old process. That is because America started out as a polyarchy (ruled by the so-called moneyed/propertied “responsible class”), and always eventually reverts to a form of oligarchy – it never has been a democracy. Also, to say that the people make it a democracy by their will is to constantly in tension, and that always eventually fails because the people are played for their divisive interests.
What is necessary is a revolution which totally changes the systemic activity to the real will of the people – but to get people to this point means that they have to wake up like Shay’s rebellion, and understand that they have been played for dupes for the will of the few. That all of the documents of the Constitution, and the ornate developed corpus of law are a joke, being played against the people – there is no representation of the people in either the Senate or the House Of Representatives, there is no judicial remedy because all of the “findings” are for the few. The rapidly receding upper to lower “middle class” is nothing but fat around the midsection of the will of the few (as represented by the reigning corporate entities, etc.).
The only way it is going to change is to really change it, by any means necessary. A dismantling so that these tragedies do not continue, both foreign and domestic.
However I will say that Noam Chomsky's address posted on democracy now is relentless, within the few few minutes he exposed the entire flank of the US/Israeli plan against the Palestinians. It is worth listening to -
ReplyDeletehttp://www.democracynow.org/blog/2009/12/24/noam_chomsky_gaza_one_year_later
It eventually goes to the Chomsky lecture, you have to listen to Amy's request for support first.
i wonder if the BDS people like omar barghouti should have joined the march with some of these others.
ReplyDeleteIt might have put a bit more of an edge on the march, with the threat of BDS coming. However, afterthought is always better than foresight...lol
ReplyDelete