Opinion Editorials, November 2010

One Democratic State Solution for Palestine Gains Momentum

By Mazin Qumsiyeh

Request:

My book on "Popular Resistance in Palestine: A history of hope and empowerment" will be out in two weeks from Pluto Press.  We are looking for film-makers or aspiring film-makers to take existing large archives of photographs and video footage of popular and nonviolent resistance from the past 130 years to make a short documentary to accompany the book. 

Contact me at [email protected]
 
 Israeli authorities are relieved that Wikileaks showed US documents proving not only that US soldiers killed civilians in Iraq and Afghanistan but that they also participated and condoned other severe violations of international law (including engaging in torture and other crimes against humanity). 

So the circle is now complete, the Israel-first lobby had pushed for the war on Iraq to align US and Israeli interests and actions.  The idea that Americans having to kill and torture Arabs in an illegal invasion and occupation might now understand better Israel's perpetual behavior of killing, displacing, and torturing Arabs.  But I think this gamble is beginning to unravel. 

The US public was of course against the war on Iraq and over 70% believe it was not in the US interest.  But even elites in the US including military and industrial leaders have now started to see Israel and the US wars for Israel as a strategic liability rather than a strategic asset.

But much more needs to be done by civil society (including with the growing boycotts, divestments and sanctions movement) to drive home the point. In the meantime, Israeli government officials still engage are aggressively pursuing their racist policies from attacking demonstrators in Um Al-Faham (including Haneen Zoubi), to attacking Catholic Bishops correctly stating that notions of 'chosenness" should not be used to justify oppression and occupation, to attacking UNESCO (for a balanced report on Israel's attempts to change the character of Muslim and other religious sites under occupation). 

Fanatical Zionists have also gone off the deep end by pairing with racist rightwing politicians in Europe and America. They think the more divisions the better.  An already divided Arab world will be fragmented even more if these demagogues get their way (whether splitting South Sudan or reigniting a civil war in Lebanon).  People with common decency must stand against those sawing divisions and mayhem.
 
Video:

My speech delivered via YouTube to the conference for One Democratic State held in Texas (http://onedemocraticstate.org/ which follows on similar conferences held around the world)"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JKCmF87OG_o
 
Great events:

-Watch what happens when two members of the Israeli war machine (AKA IDF) try to speak in an American campus http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VPDkq2JHfA0

-Watch how a stall for "Israeli products" is shut down by BDS activists in Brisbane http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jkZ4HqMzyk

-Bishops at Meeting Urge Israel to End Its Occupation of Palestinian Territories http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/24/world/europe/24vatican.html?ref=europe
 
Bulldozer driver insists he did not see Rachel Corrie: Israeli behind crush death testifies from behind a screen http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/bulldozer-driver-insists
-he-did-not-see-rachel-corrie-2113346.html

The injustice of allowing anonymous testimony of a murderer from behind a screen is appalling.  It is to be added to hundreds of other instances of Israel's abuse of basic decency and human rights. But on good news, there seems to be a delay in delivery of armored bulldozers from the US (Caterpillar company) to Israel.  Act now to push for total sanctions:

http://endtheoccupation.org/article.php?id=2832
 
Invitation from OPGAI: United in Struggle Against the Israeli Colonialism, Occupation and Racism Education as a Tool for Building, Interaction and Freedom' Conference (Within the activities of the World Education Forum http://www.wef-palestine.org/ )

http://www.jai-pal.org/content.php?page=996
 
Mazin Qumsiyeh, PhD
A Bedouin in Cyberspace, a villager at home
http://www.qumsiyeh.org <http://www.qumsiyeh.org/>  
http://www.pcr.ps <http://www.pcr.ps/>  

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