I was privileged to be a part of a group of international ecumenical accompaniers who served on the West Bank in early 2011. One of our group was a woman from Norway who was a videophotographer who spent most of her time in Hebron. She interviewed many Palestinians, accompaniers and others who were engaged in non-violent resistance to the Israeli occupation.
Anne Skaardal has produced a wonderful video that is well worth watching. As Christmas approaches my memories of celebrating Christmas in Bethlehem become more vivid. I invite you to watch this 14 minute video of life in occupied Palestine.
Susanne
http://www.facebook.com/#!/photo.php?v=10151347424426031&set=o.2309402802&type=2&theater
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
Sunday, December 2, 2012
Animated Israeli-Palestinian History
I came across a very interesting u-tube video put out Jewish Voice For Peace ( jewishvoiceforpeace.org) that I thought should be part of my blog. It certainly captures how I view the present conflict after having spent three months with the Palestinian people on the West Bank.
One of the things I liked about this short film clip is its emphasis on what each of us can do, in our own way, to bring about pressure for a non-violent end of the occupation and a resolution to the long overdue struggle for justice and peace.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y58njT2oXfE&feature=youtu.be
I am also attaching a letter I received that I thought was worth sharing:
Susanne
I wear many hats. I’m a dad, a videographer, a Jewish Israeli, a veteran. But I’m telling you my story, and asking you to forward this email and ask your friends to sign this letter to President Obama about US military aid to Israel, as a human being, as a citizen of the world, and as someone who deeply cares about the people in Israel and Gaza.
My wife, kids and I live just on the outskirts of Tel Aviv, Israel, where life during the past weeks for the most part carried on as normal.
There were four sirens in the eight days of the Israeli operation, which means we had to move into a room in the house that has reinforced concrete walls. In our case, we went down to our apartment building’s bomb shelter for 10 minutes—as far as I know every apartment building in Israel has one. Fortunately, the kids took it well and were not scared.
In the south close to the border with Gaza where I’ve been working, life is much, much different. People who could do so temporarily moved northward and stayed with family and friends out of rocket and mortar range.
Being outdoors when the siren goes off in the south is quite scary. Most rockets are relatively small, up to 12 pounds of explosives, and cannot bring down a building. But in the open space they splatter lots of metal fragments.
The bigger long distance rockets that were fired at lower intervals were the "Fajar" Rockets that carry 90 lbs of explosives. They cannot bring down a building but can destroy an apartment and killed 3 people in an apartment building. People in bomb shelters are considered to be safe.
And of course, the Iron Dome defense system reportedly destroyed 85% of rockets headed towards Israeli populated areas.
Still, in the south, the sirens went off many times a day and there was no school and no work because parents naturally wanted to be near their kids.
In contrast, in Gaza, the bombs dropped by the Israeli military ranged from 500 to 1,000 pounds, and in the past, also 2,000 pounds. Ten or 20 times more powerful than those which they have sent our way.
When I’d go to our bomb shelter with my family, I would think of families like mine in Gaza. They had no sirens, no Iron Dome defense, no shelters, and because they are essentially trapped, nowhere to go.But mostly, I thought about how terrified I'd be during the bombings.
There is no safe place to go in Gaza.
It wouldn’t matter if buildings had shelters since the Israeli bombs often flatten the building they hit. There's literally nothing left.
I want you to ask your friends to sign this letter to President Obama asking him to make aid to Israel contingent on not using it to target civilians because there is no military solution. Not for Palestinians. Not for us Israelis.
To reach a true peace for all of us, Israeli and Palestinian, our governments must choose diplomacy over more bombing. The Israeli government must end its terrible siege of the Palestinians.
And the US must stop sending my government weapons they know will be used to violate the law and harm civilians.
I am happy we've reached a cease-fire and I hope this will lead to negotiations with the Hamas government. I remind myself that the British in pre-state Israel also considered the Israeli political groups terrorist entities.
With hopes for a fair and lasting peace for both of our peoples,
Amir Terkel
One of the things I liked about this short film clip is its emphasis on what each of us can do, in our own way, to bring about pressure for a non-violent end of the occupation and a resolution to the long overdue struggle for justice and peace.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y58njT2oXfE&feature=youtu.be
I am also attaching a letter I received that I thought was worth sharing:
Susanne
I wear many hats. I’m a dad, a videographer, a Jewish Israeli, a veteran. But I’m telling you my story, and asking you to forward this email and ask your friends to sign this letter to President Obama about US military aid to Israel, as a human being, as a citizen of the world, and as someone who deeply cares about the people in Israel and Gaza.
My wife, kids and I live just on the outskirts of Tel Aviv, Israel, where life during the past weeks for the most part carried on as normal.
There were four sirens in the eight days of the Israeli operation, which means we had to move into a room in the house that has reinforced concrete walls. In our case, we went down to our apartment building’s bomb shelter for 10 minutes—as far as I know every apartment building in Israel has one. Fortunately, the kids took it well and were not scared.
In the south close to the border with Gaza where I’ve been working, life is much, much different. People who could do so temporarily moved northward and stayed with family and friends out of rocket and mortar range.
Being outdoors when the siren goes off in the south is quite scary. Most rockets are relatively small, up to 12 pounds of explosives, and cannot bring down a building. But in the open space they splatter lots of metal fragments.
The bigger long distance rockets that were fired at lower intervals were the "Fajar" Rockets that carry 90 lbs of explosives. They cannot bring down a building but can destroy an apartment and killed 3 people in an apartment building. People in bomb shelters are considered to be safe.
And of course, the Iron Dome defense system reportedly destroyed 85% of rockets headed towards Israeli populated areas.
Still, in the south, the sirens went off many times a day and there was no school and no work because parents naturally wanted to be near their kids.
In contrast, in Gaza, the bombs dropped by the Israeli military ranged from 500 to 1,000 pounds, and in the past, also 2,000 pounds. Ten or 20 times more powerful than those which they have sent our way.
When I’d go to our bomb shelter with my family, I would think of families like mine in Gaza. They had no sirens, no Iron Dome defense, no shelters, and because they are essentially trapped, nowhere to go.But mostly, I thought about how terrified I'd be during the bombings.
There is no safe place to go in Gaza.
It wouldn’t matter if buildings had shelters since the Israeli bombs often flatten the building they hit. There's literally nothing left.
I want you to ask your friends to sign this letter to President Obama asking him to make aid to Israel contingent on not using it to target civilians because there is no military solution. Not for Palestinians. Not for us Israelis.
To reach a true peace for all of us, Israeli and Palestinian, our governments must choose diplomacy over more bombing. The Israeli government must end its terrible siege of the Palestinians.
And the US must stop sending my government weapons they know will be used to violate the law and harm civilians.
I am happy we've reached a cease-fire and I hope this will lead to negotiations with the Hamas government. I remind myself that the British in pre-state Israel also considered the Israeli political groups terrorist entities.
With hopes for a fair and lasting peace for both of our peoples,
Amir Terkel
Sunday, November 25, 2012
Israel-Palestine: What is the U.S. National Interest?
I discovered an article by Ralph Nader written on November 20th that I felt was well worth putting on this blog. I encourage you to read it.
Susanne
Israeli elections are coming up in January so it is Palestinian
hunting season again. Israeli cynics call it a time “for mowing the grass.”
Out comes the well-worn playbook by Israel’s militaristic
government that has worked to silence Israeli politicians and citizens who want
a two-state solution. This is an opportunity to use and test advanced weaponry
from the U.S., compliments of U.S. taxpayers, and squelch ongoing peace
efforts, small and large, by Palestinians, Israelis and international peace
advocates.
The playbook’s first chapter is provocation to upset a tense but
workable truce with Hamas, the elected government of Gaza. Hamas was encouraged
at its creation years ago by both Israeli and U.S. backers to counter the
secular Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). Bit of a blowback there.
Israeli government leaders are expert provocateurs when they wish
to seize land, water or prisoners and upset any movement toward a peace that
would create a viable Palestinian state back to the 1967 borders, which
includes East Jerusalem. When Israel came into being in 1948, it soon broke a
UN truce and doubled its territory by taking the large area known as the Negev
desert, whose refugees ended up in the Gaza Strip. Now 1.6 million encircled
and impoverished humans, blockaded and under siege by Israel, try to survive in
an open-air prison little more than twice the size of the District of Columbia.
Israel’s strategy of breaking cease-fires and truces over the
years has been documented by Princeton University history professor emeritus,
Arno J. Mayer, in his scholarly book “Plowshares into Swords: From Zionism to
Israel.” (Verso, 2008).
In late 2008, Israel broke a months-long truce with Hamas with an
attack that took half a dozen lives. Modern Israeli missiles and crude Hamas
rockets started flying to and fro. Then Israel invaded the Gaza strip with
soldiers to add to its previous incursions -
24/7 electronic and satellite surveillance, omnipresent spies, flyovers,
and data mining (down to specific details on each extended family and
neighborhood). With their avowed pinpoint bombing, the Israelis destroyed
homes, schools, clinics, police stations, clusters of people at bus stops,
farms, UN facilities and even hit the American International School – all with
the blessing of President-elect Barack Obama.
Observers marvel at the precise knowledge by Israel of who was in
what car traveling where in Gaza, before being vaporized. Yet somehow, the
second-most modern military in the world could not detect and stop those
garages assembling the rockets or the sites firing the crude missiles, which
were the rationale for the Israeli invasion.
When the Gaza invasion-massacre ended, there were more than 1400
Palestinian fatalities, including around 300 children, and many thousands of
injuries, a population surrounded by destruction and deprived by this illegal
blockade-siege of medicines, food, water, electricity and the other necessities
of life.
One large extended family in several adjoining homes was ordered
by Israeli soldiers to congregate in the largest of the homes. Then the
Israelis blew it up. This Samouni family lost about 30 of its members, or more
than double the entire fatality toll in Israel, including those soldiers lost
from friendly fire.
The current hostilities started in two stages. The first was a
back-and-forth that saw an emerging truce broken decisively on November 14 when
Israel pridefully blew up a car containing Hamas military chief, Ahmad
al-Jabari who actually was leading the negotiations via Egypt with Israel for a
longer-range truce.
Back to Israel’s playbook, chapter two can be called the instant,
mandatory resolutions by the puppet show in Congress and the automatic
one-sided mantra by the White House. “Israel has a right to defend itself,”
said President Obama, from the occupied, besieged, defenseless Palestinians,
whose lands, water, homes, businesses and freedom of movement are being taken
relentlessly by the raiding Israeli government that is not content with
possessing 78 percent of traditional Palestine.
More than 1500 Israeli reserve combat officers and soldiers signed
a declaration refusing, in their words, "to fight beyond the 1967 borders
in order to dominate, expel, starve and humiliate an entire people." The
founder of Israel, David ben Gurion, candidly declared it “their (Palestine’s)
land and we took it.”
So Palestinians do not have a right to try to defend themselves
against their cruel, powerful occupiers. Israel is violating several UN
resolutions along with international law, according to many experts including
Richard Falk, the United Nations special rapporteur on human rights in the
Palestinian territories. But the U.S. gives Israel its unwavering UN veto
cover.
Finally, chapter three of the playbook is to make sure that the
Israeli government advocates dominate the U.S. media – the talk shows, the news
slants, and the opinion columnists. This is becoming less easy in an internet
age. Which might explain that, along with homes, water wells, rescue teams, an
ambulance, and other civilian installations, the Israeli air force already has
bombed the office building housing Palestinian television studios and hosting
media from the western world, including Fox TV. That is one indelicate way to
tell these western journalists to get out of Gaza so that the truth about the
immense civilian suffering and war crimes can no longer be told by them.
Still, the heroic Israeli
progressives and peace advocates would not be silenced, in spite of some Hamas
rockets nearing Tel Aviv. A few hundred of them demonstrated in this city,
charging the Netanyahu government with provoking the fighting in Gaza to divert
attention from conditions of social and economic injustices and civil liberty
suppression in their country.
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict can be resolved peacefully,
without violence. During quieter times, more than half the Israelis supported a
two-state solution. A few years ago, 61 percent of Israelis, polled by a
prominent university there, favored negotiations with Hamas. A majority of
Jewish-Americans, though unorganized, favor a two-state solution.
In 2002, the Arab League unanimously (22 countries) presented with
great fanfare an across-the-board peace treaty with the stipulation that Israel
would adhere to UN Resolutions and allow a viable Palestinian state. Again and
again, sometimes in full-page ads in U.S. newspapers, this offer was repeated
only to receive scoffing and abrupt dismissal by the Israeli government. So,
predictably, Washington did nothing.
So what is the alternative? A one-state solution with both
Palestinians and Israelis having equal rights? Noura Erakat, who teaches at
Georgetown University, framed the dilemma back in August whenshe quoted former
prime minister and current Defense Minister Ehud Barak, saying, after leaving
his former post, “If, and as long as between the Jordan (River) and the
(Mediterranean) Sea there is only one political entity, named Israel, it will
end up being either non-Jewish or nondemocratic…. If the Palestinians vote in
elections it is a binational state, and if they don't vote it is an apartheid
state.” His rival, former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said the same thing.
Awareness of this pathway is leading some extremist Israeli
politicians who call Palestinians “vermin” and “rats” to think about the day
when they can, with suitable provocations, drive the Palestinians into the
desert.
Monday, November 19, 2012
Israeli Attack on Gaza
I have been very concerned about what is going on in Gaza. The following article is very insightful and I urge you to read it.
Susanne
Top Ten Myths about Israeli Attack on Gaza
Susanne
Top Ten Myths about Israeli Attack on Gaza
Juan Cole-University of Michigan
posted on 11/17/2012 by Juan
1. Israeli hawks represent themselves as engaged in a ‘peace process’ with the Palestinians in which Hamas refuses to join. In fact, Israel has refused to cease colonizing and stealing Palestinian land long enough to engage in fruitful negotiations with them. Tel Aviv routinely announces new, unilateral house-building on the Palestinian West Bank. There is no peace process. It is an Israeli and American sham. Talking about a peace process is giving cover to Israeli nationalists who are determined to grab everything the Palestinians have and reduce them to penniless refugees (again).
2. Actions such as the assault on Gaza can achieve no genuine long-term strategic purpose. They are being launched to ensure that Jewish-Israelis are the first to exploit key resources. Rattling sabers at the Palestinians creates a pretext for further land-grabs and colonies on Palestinian land. That is, the military action against the people of Gaza is a diversion tactic; the real goal is Greater Israel, an assertion of Israeli sovereignty over all the territory once held by the British Mandate of Palestine.
3. Israeli hawks represent their war of aggression as in ‘self-defense.’ But the UK Israeli chief rabbi admitted on camera that that the Gaza attack actually ‘had something to do with Iran.’
4. Israeli hawks demonize the Palestinians of Gaza as “bad neighbors” who don’t accept Israel. But 40% of the people in Gaza are refugees, mostly living in refugee camps, from families in pre-1948 Palestine that had lived there for millennia.
They were expelled from what is now Israel in the 1948 Zionist ethnic cleansing campaign. Israelis are now living in their homes and farming their land, and they were never paid any reparations for the crimes done to them.[pdf] “Israel’s failure to provide reparations to Palestinian refugees over the past six decades is in blatant violation of international law.” Israel does not accept Palestine’s right to exist, even though it is constantly demanding that everyone, including the displaced and occupied Palestinians, recognize Israel’s right to exist.
5. Israeli hawks and their American clones depict Gaza as a foreign, hostile state with which Israel is at war. In fact, the Gaza strip is a small territory of 1.7 million people militarily occupied by Israel (something in which the UN and other international bodies concur). Israelis do not allow it to have a port or airport, nor to export most of what it produces. Palestinians cannot work about a third of its land, which is reserved by Israel as a security buffer. As an occupied territory, it is covered by the Hague Regulations of 1907 and the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949 on the treatment of occupied populations by their military occupier. Indiscriminate bombing of occupied territories by the occupier is clearly illegal in international law.
6. Israeli hawks see themselves as innocent victims of bewildering Palestinian rage from Gaza. But Israel not only has kept Palestinians of Gaza in the world’s largest outdoor penitentiary, they have them under an illegal blockade that for some years aimed at limiting their nutrition without altogether starving them to death. I wrote earlier:
“The food blockade had real effects. About ten percent of Palestinian children in Gaza under 5 have had their growth stunted by malnutrition. A recent report [pdf] by Save the Children and Medical Aid for Palestinians found that, in addition, anemia is widespread, affecting over two-thirds of infants, 58.6 percent of schoolchildren, and over a third of pregnant mothers. “
If any foreign power surrounded Israel, destroyed Haifa port and Tel Aviv airport, and prevented Israeli exports from being exported, what do you think Israelis would do? Oh, that’s right, it is rude to see both Palestinians and Israelis as equal human beings.
7. Israeli hawks demonize the Palestinian residents of Gaza as followers of Hamas, a party-militia of the Muslim religious right. But half of Palestinians in Gaza are minors, who never voted for Hamas and cannot be held collectively responsible for that party.
8. Israeli hawks justify their aggression on the Palestinians on grounds of self-defense. But Israel is a country of 7.5 million people with tanks, armored vehicles, artillery, helicopter gunships and F-16s and F-18s, plus 400 nuclear warheads. Gaza is a small occupied territory of 1.7 million which has no heavy weaponry, just some old guns and some largely ineffectual rockets. (Israelis cite hundreds of rockets fired into Israel from Gaza in 2012; but until Israel’s recent attack they had killed not a single Israeli, though they did wound a few last March when fighting between Palestinians and Israelis escalated.) Gaza is a threat to Israel the way the Transkei Bantustan was a threat to Apartheid South Africa. As for genuine asymmetrical threats from Gaza to Israel, they could be dealt with by giving the Palestinians a state and ceasing the blockade imposed on them, or in the worst case scenario counter-terrorism targeted at terrorists rather than indiscriminate bombing campaigns.
9. Israeli hawks maintain that they were provoked into the attack. But actually Ahmad Jabari, the Hamas leader the Israelis assassinated earlier this week, had been engaged in talks with the Israelis about a truce. Assassinations achieved by the ruse of openness to peace talks are guarantees of no further peace talks.
10. Although most American media is a cheering section for the Likud Party,in fact the world is increasingly done out with Israel’s aggressiveness. Boycotts and sanctions will likely grow over time, leaving Israeli hawks with a deficit…
Sunday, October 7, 2012
Church Challenges US Congress over Funding for Israel
It’s now October 2012 and I’ve been back in the US after being in the EAPPI program in the West Bank of Palestine for a 3 month period during Dec. 10 through Feb. 2011. Having an opportunity to be in the EAPPI program was an eye-opening experience for me. I continue to read information about what is happening in Palestine. I read the English edition of Maan News to keep up on events. http://www.maannews.net/eng/Default.aspx
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| Families Protest Treatment of Imprisoned Family Members |
I am encouraged by groups and individuals who continue to question and speak out about human rights violations that are constantly conducted against the Palestinian people. I made a promise that I would tell their story when I returned. For too long the citizens of the United States have not questioned the vast expenditures of support for Israel, much of which is used to fund the occupation. A call for an investigation as to why Israel continues to violate International Law seems in order.
Last week a number of religious leaders in the United States wrote a letter to Congress to voice their concern over the continuation of funding which supports the occupation. My own church, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America posted this article:
CHICAGO (ELCA) - Concerned about the deteriorating conditions in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories and the commitment for a just peace, the Rev. Mark S. Hanson, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), and other U.S. Christian leaders are urging Congress to conduct an investigation into possible human rights and weapon violations by the government of Israel.
In an Oct. 5 letter to Congress, the religious leaders cited possible violations by Israel of the U.S. Foreign Assistance Act and the U.S. Arms Export Control Act, which respectively excludes assistance to any country that engages in a consistent pattern of human rights violations and limits the use of U.S. weapons to "internal security" or "legitimate self-defense."
The leaders also urged Congress "to undertake careful scrutiny to ensure that our aid is not supporting actions by the government of Israel that undermine prospects for peace. We urge Congress to hold hearings to examine Israel's compliance, and we request regular reporting on compliance and the withholding of military aid for non-compliance."
U.S. churches and religious organizations have been deeply involved in the pursuit of peace for both Israelis and Palestinians. The religious leaders shared in their letter that they have witnessed the pain and suffering of Israelis as a result of Palestinian actions and of Palestinians as a result of Israeli actions.
"When as Lutherans we say that all the baptized will strive for justice and peace in all the earth, it means that we will be immersed in complex issues. While we do not all agree on the best way to establish justice and bring peace, we will be involved in lively, respectful, passionate conversations," said Hanson.
In their letter, the U.S. Christian leaders were clear in their recognition that Israel faces real security threats and that it has both "a right and a duty to protect both the state and its citizens," but the "measures that it uses to protect itself and its citizens, as in the case with any other nation, must conform to international humanitarian and human rights law."
The leaders further said it is unfortunate that "unconditional U.S. military assistance to Israel has contributed to (the) deterioration, sustaining the conflict and undermining the long-term security interests of both Israelis and Palestinians. This is made clear in the most recent 2011 State Department Country Report on Human Rights Practices covering Israel and the Occupied Territories, which details widespread Israeli human rights violations committed against Palestinian civilians, many of which involve the misuse of U.S.-supplied weapons."
Examples of human rights violence related to U.S. military support were included as an annex to the letter and, in addition to specific rights violations, the Christian leaders expressed their concern that Israel continues to expand its settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, claiming territory "that under international law and U.S. policy should belong to a future Palestinian state."
"From Palestinian Lutherans, I hear discouragement about the lack of progress and questions about where the voice is of American Christians," said Hanson. "Our letter seeks to be a partial answer to such questions, that we are clear in our resolve to continue to work for a just and lasting solution for Israelis and Palestinians."
The U.S. Christian leaders wrote that it is "our moral responsibility to question the continuation of unconditional U.S. financial assistance to the government of Israel. Realizing a just and lasting peace will require this accountability, as continued U.S. military assistance to Israel -- offered without conditions or accountability -- will only serve to sustain the status quo and Israel's military occupation of the Palestinian territories."
They requested that Congress hold Israel accountable to these standards by "making the disbursement of U.S. military assistance to Israel contingent on the Israeli government's compliance with applicable U.S. laws and policies. As Israel is the single largest recipient of U.S. foreign aid since World War II, it is especially critical for Israel to comply with the specific U.S. laws that regulate the use of U.S.-supplied weapons. We also encourage Congress to support inclusive, comprehensive and robust regional diplomacy to secure a just and lasting peace that will benefit Israelis, Palestinians, and all the peoples of the region and the world."
Through an action, the 2001 ELCA Churchwide Assembly expressed concern over continued U.S. military aid to Israel. Concerned about the deteriorating conditions in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories and the commitment for a just peace, the Rev. Mark S. Hanson, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), and other U.S. Christian leaders are urging Congress to conduct an investigation into possible human rights and weapon violations by the government of Israel.
In an Oct. 5 letter to Congress, the religious leaders cited possible violations by Israel of the U.S. Foreign Assistance Act and the U.S. Arms Export Control Act, which respectively excludes assistance to any country that engages in a consistent pattern of human rights violations and limits the use of U.S. weapons to "internal security" or "legitimate self-defense."
The leaders also urged Congress "to undertake careful scrutiny to ensure that our aid is not supporting actions by the government of Israel that undermine prospects for peace. We urge Congress to hold hearings to examine Israel's compliance, and we request regular reporting on compliance and the withholding of military aid for non-compliance."
U.S. churches and religious organizations have been deeply involved in the pursuit of peace for both Israelis and Palestinians. The religious leaders shared in their letter that they have witnessed the pain and suffering of Israelis as a result of Palestinian actions and of Palestinians as a result of Israeli actions.
"When as Lutherans we say that all the baptized will strive for justice and peace in all the earth, it means that we will be immersed in complex issues. While we do not all agree on the best way to establish justice and bring peace, we will be involved in lively, respectful, passionate conversations," said Hanson.
In their letter, the U.S. Christian leaders were clear in their recognition that Israel faces real security threats and that it has both "a right and a duty to protect both the state and its citizens," but the "measures that it uses to protect itself and its citizens, as in the case with any other nation, must conform to international humanitarian and human rights law."
The leaders further said it is unfortunate that "unconditional U.S. military assistance to Israel has contributed to (the) deterioration, sustaining the conflict and undermining the long-term security interests of both Israelis and Palestinians. This is made clear in the most recent 2011 State Department Country Report on Human Rights Practices covering Israel and the Occupied Territories, which details widespread Israeli human rights violations committed against Palestinian civilians, many of which involve the misuse of U.S.-supplied weapons."
Examples of human rights violence related to U.S. military support were included as an annex to the letter and, in addition to specific rights violations, the Christian leaders expressed their concern that Israel continues to expand its settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, claiming territory "that under international law and U.S. policy should belong to a future Palestinian state."
"From Palestinian Lutherans, I hear discouragement about the lack of progress and questions about where the voice is of American Christians," said Hanson. "Our letter seeks to be a partial answer to such questions, that we are clear in our resolve to continue to work for a just and lasting solution for Israelis and Palestinians."
The U.S. Christian leaders wrote that it is "our moral responsibility to question the continuation of unconditional U.S. financial assistance to the government of Israel. Realizing a just and lasting peace will require this accountability, as continued U.S. military assistance to Israel -- offered without conditions or accountability -- will only serve to sustain the status quo and Israel's military occupation of the Palestinian territories."
They requested that Congress hold Israel accountable to these standards by "making the disbursement of U.S. military assistance to Israel contingent on the Israeli government's compliance with applicable U.S. laws and policies. As Israel is the single largest recipient of U.S. foreign aid since World War II, it is especially critical for Israel to comply with the specific U.S. laws that regulate the use of U.S.-supplied weapons. We also encourage Congress to support inclusive, comprehensive and robust regional diplomacy to secure a just and lasting peace that will benefit Israelis, Palestinians, and all the peoples of the region and the world."
In an Oct. 5 letter to Congress, the religious leaders cited possible violations by Israel of the U.S. Foreign Assistance Act and the U.S. Arms Export Control Act, which respectively excludes assistance to any country that engages in a consistent pattern of human rights violations and limits the use of U.S. weapons to "internal security" or "legitimate self-defense."
The leaders also urged Congress "to undertake careful scrutiny to ensure that our aid is not supporting actions by the government of Israel that undermine prospects for peace. We urge Congress to hold hearings to examine Israel's compliance, and we request regular reporting on compliance and the withholding of military aid for non-compliance."
U.S. churches and religious organizations have been deeply involved in the pursuit of peace for both Israelis and Palestinians. The religious leaders shared in their letter that they have witnessed the pain and suffering of Israelis as a result of Palestinian actions and of Palestinians as a result of Israeli actions.
"When as Lutherans we say that all the baptized will strive for justice and peace in all the earth, it means that we will be immersed in complex issues. While we do not all agree on the best way to establish justice and bring peace, we will be involved in lively, respectful, passionate conversations," said Hanson.
In their letter, the U.S. Christian leaders were clear in their recognition that Israel faces real security threats and that it has both "a right and a duty to protect both the state and its citizens," but the "measures that it uses to protect itself and its citizens, as in the case with any other nation, must conform to international humanitarian and human rights law."
The leaders further said it is unfortunate that "unconditional U.S. military assistance to Israel has contributed to (the) deterioration, sustaining the conflict and undermining the long-term security interests of both Israelis and Palestinians. This is made clear in the most recent 2011 State Department Country Report on Human Rights Practices covering Israel and the Occupied Territories, which details widespread Israeli human rights violations committed against Palestinian civilians, many of which involve the misuse of U.S.-supplied weapons."
Examples of human rights violence related to U.S. military support were included as an annex to the letter and, in addition to specific rights violations, the Christian leaders expressed their concern that Israel continues to expand its settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, claiming territory "that under international law and U.S. policy should belong to a future Palestinian state."
"From Palestinian Lutherans, I hear discouragement about the lack of progress and questions about where the voice is of American Christians," said Hanson. "Our letter seeks to be a partial answer to such questions, that we are clear in our resolve to continue to work for a just and lasting solution for Israelis and Palestinians."
The U.S. Christian leaders wrote that it is "our moral responsibility to question the continuation of unconditional U.S. financial assistance to the government of Israel. Realizing a just and lasting peace will require this accountability, as continued U.S. military assistance to Israel -- offered without conditions or accountability -- will only serve to sustain the status quo and Israel's military occupation of the Palestinian territories."
They requested that Congress hold Israel accountable to these standards by "making the disbursement of U.S. military assistance to Israel contingent on the Israeli government's compliance with applicable U.S. laws and policies. As Israel is the single largest recipient of U.S. foreign aid since World War II, it is especially critical for Israel to comply with the specific U.S. laws that regulate the use of U.S.-supplied weapons. We also encourage Congress to support inclusive, comprehensive and robust regional diplomacy to secure a just and lasting peace that will benefit Israelis, Palestinians, and all the peoples of the region and the world."
Through an action, the 2001 ELCA Churchwide Assembly expressed concern over continued U.S. military aid to Israel. Concerned about the deteriorating conditions in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories and the commitment for a just peace, the Rev. Mark S. Hanson, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), and other U.S. Christian leaders are urging Congress to conduct an investigation into possible human rights and weapon violations by the government of Israel.
In an Oct. 5 letter to Congress, the religious leaders cited possible violations by Israel of the U.S. Foreign Assistance Act and the U.S. Arms Export Control Act, which respectively excludes assistance to any country that engages in a consistent pattern of human rights violations and limits the use of U.S. weapons to "internal security" or "legitimate self-defense."
The leaders also urged Congress "to undertake careful scrutiny to ensure that our aid is not supporting actions by the government of Israel that undermine prospects for peace. We urge Congress to hold hearings to examine Israel's compliance, and we request regular reporting on compliance and the withholding of military aid for non-compliance."
U.S. churches and religious organizations have been deeply involved in the pursuit of peace for both Israelis and Palestinians. The religious leaders shared in their letter that they have witnessed the pain and suffering of Israelis as a result of Palestinian actions and of Palestinians as a result of Israeli actions.
"When as Lutherans we say that all the baptized will strive for justice and peace in all the earth, it means that we will be immersed in complex issues. While we do not all agree on the best way to establish justice and bring peace, we will be involved in lively, respectful, passionate conversations," said Hanson.
In their letter, the U.S. Christian leaders were clear in their recognition that Israel faces real security threats and that it has both "a right and a duty to protect both the state and its citizens," but the "measures that it uses to protect itself and its citizens, as in the case with any other nation, must conform to international humanitarian and human rights law."
The leaders further said it is unfortunate that "unconditional U.S. military assistance to Israel has contributed to (the) deterioration, sustaining the conflict and undermining the long-term security interests of both Israelis and Palestinians. This is made clear in the most recent 2011 State Department Country Report on Human Rights Practices covering Israel and the Occupied Territories, which details widespread Israeli human rights violations committed against Palestinian civilians, many of which involve the misuse of U.S.-supplied weapons."
Examples of human rights violence related to U.S. military support were included as an annex to the letter and, in addition to specific rights violations, the Christian leaders expressed their concern that Israel continues to expand its settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, claiming territory "that under international law and U.S. policy should belong to a future Palestinian state."
"From Palestinian Lutherans, I hear discouragement about the lack of progress and questions about where the voice is of American Christians," said Hanson. "Our letter seeks to be a partial answer to such questions, that we are clear in our resolve to continue to work for a just and lasting solution for Israelis and Palestinians."
The U.S. Christian leaders wrote that it is "our moral responsibility to question the continuation of unconditional U.S. financial assistance to the government of Israel. Realizing a just and lasting peace will require this accountability, as continued U.S. military assistance to Israel -- offered without conditions or accountability -- will only serve to sustain the status quo and Israel's military occupation of the Palestinian territories."
They requested that Congress hold Israel accountable to these standards by "making the disbursement of U.S. military assistance to Israel contingent on the Israeli government's compliance with applicable U.S. laws and policies. As Israel is the single largest recipient of U.S. foreign aid since World War II, it is especially critical for Israel to comply with the specific U.S. laws that regulate the use of U.S.-supplied weapons. We also encourage Congress to support inclusive, comprehensive and robust regional diplomacy to secure a just and lasting peace that will benefit Israelis, Palestinians, and all the peoples of the region and the world."
The US has allocated billions of dollars to Israel over the next few years. I saw how those dollars are being spent to keep the Palestinian population totally at the mercy of Israel.
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| One of Hundreds of Checkpoint Scattered Throhout the West Bank |
I felt very safe and respected as I lived among Palestinians on the West Bank. I heard over and over: “you are welcome” and “please tell the world we are not terrorists.” No one can live a normal life under occupation when daily activities are completely hindered. A child facing an IDF soldier with full combat weapons just to get to school every day can never develop a sense of trust.
One of the responsibilities of an E A was to be present at the early morning checkpoints. There were several agriculture gates in the Tulkarm area that we monitored and reported statistics to the UN. As I think back on it now, it seems almost to the point of ridiculous that a farmer would have to have permission to access his own farm land.
The Israeli Defense Forces conducted the daily checking of permits at checkpoints where people were just traveling to work or school. There was never respect shown to those who were waiting so patiently at the checkpoints. One day as I was taking my turn at the Taybe checkpoint I was hungry, tired and cold. A Palestinian woman who was also waiting came up to me and gave me a delicious orange. She told me it was a gift just for standing in solidarity with her and the thousands of others who were daily humiliated by being under occupation.
Thursday, July 12, 2012
Palestinians Experience Apartheid
One of the things I realized after returning from my three months in Palestine is that the Palestinians are living under the same kinds of conditions experienced by the blacks in South Africa under Apartheid. Since 1967 they have been under occupation by the Israeli Defense Force.
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| Palestinian student checked by ADF on his way to school |
What that means is there are separate systems that need to be negotiated by the Palestinian people on a day-to-day basis. The rules change each day and there are countless obstacles. There are checkpoints and roadblocks even between Palestinian villages.
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| Cement blocks prevent use of road to the village of Shufa |
There is a separate road system which is maintained for "security" of those Israeli settlers who illegally occupy large portions of the West Bank. Palestinians cannot use these roads. Their road system is older and inadequately maintained. They are subject to temporary or permanent roadblocks, security checks as well as regular checkpoints betweens Palestinian towns and villages.
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| Israeli soldiers inspecting vehicles at a checkpoint |
The result is that it is virtually impossible to just plan a day, something that I take forgranted in my life here in the United States. If a person steps outside of their house he or she is subject to questioning, interrogation, changes in schedule, uncertain transportation, disrespect and the possibility of harassment.
I recently read an article published in the Manchester Guardian concerning the American author Alice Walker who wrote the 1985 book The Color Purple which was also made into a movie and a broadway play. The article references her refusal to have her book published in Israel by Yediot Books because she feels that the the Palestinian people are experiencing Apartheid and persecution similar to and perhaps worse than those experienced by African Americans in the US and by the blacks in South Africa.
I am posting this article and urge you to read it.
Susanne
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/jun/20/alice-walker-declines-israeli-color-purple
The Pulitzer prize-winning author Alice Walker has refused to allow an Israeli edition of her classic novel The Color Purple to be published because she believes the country "is guilty of apartheid and persecution of the Palestinian people".
In a letter to Yediot Books, published on the website of the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel, Walker explained her decision. Although a Hebrew edition of the award-winning novel was published in the 1980s, the author was a juror on a tribunal that met in South Africa last autumn to discuss the Palestine situation. Walker said the testimony she heard was devastating.
"I grew up under American apartheid and this was far worse," she wrote. "Indeed, many South Africans who attended, including Desmond Tutu, felt the Israeli version of these crimes is worse even than what they suffered under the white supremacist regimes that dominated South Africa for so long. It is my hope that the non-violent BDS (Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions) movement, of which I am part, will have enough of an impact on Israeli civilian society to change the situation."
Walker, who took part in the 2011 aid flotilla to Gaza, cited an earlier example of her attempts to "rid humanity of its self-destructive habit of dehumanising whole populations" in her letter: when the film of The Color Purple was completed, she lobbied against it being shown in South Africa.
"It was not a particularly difficult position to hold on my part: I believe deeply in non-violent methods of social change, though they sometimes seem to take forever, but I did regret not being able to share our movie, immediately, with (for instance) Winnie and Nelson Mandela and their children, and also with the widow and children of the brutally murdered, while in police custody, Steven Biko, the visionary journalist and defender of African integrity and freedom," wrote Walker. "We decided to wait. How happy we all were when the apartheid regime was dismantled and Nelson Mandela became the first president of color of South Africa. Only then did we send our beautiful movie! And to this day, when I am in South Africa, I can hold my head high and nothing obstructs the love that flows between me and the people of that country."
The author thanked Yediot Books for its request to publish The Color Purple, the story of a poor black girl in the deep American south between the wars, and said she "would so like knowing my books are read by the people of your country, especially by the young, and by the brave Israeli activists (Jewish and Palestinian) for justice and peace I have had the joy of working beside".
"I am hopeful that one day, maybe soon, this may happen," added Walker. "But now is not the time. We must continue to work on the issue, and to wait." Walker signed off with the hope that "a just future can be fashioned from small acts".
Friday, January 27, 2012
Beit Arabiya Demolished For the Fifth Time
During my three months in Palestine my coworker, Esther, and I planned to visit the Beit Arabiya Peace Center near Jerusalem on a piece of agricultural land in the West Bank belonging to Aribiya Shawamreh and her husband Salim and their seven children. Their home had been demolished four times as it against Israeli Occupation policy for Palestinians to build on their land without a permit. The international community and many peace advocate groups had come to their assistance in the past and there were plans to rebuild it again in the summer of 2011. Much to our disappointment we were not able to arrange transportation to visit the family who were living in tents at the time.
It came to my attention today--I am currently visiting Mexico--by a Sabeel newsletter that I regularly recieve that the home built by the family with the support of volunteers was bulldozed by the Israelis at gunpoint. I am going to post the article for you to read:
http://www.icahd.org/?p=8107
It came to my attention today--I am currently visiting Mexico--by a Sabeel newsletter that I regularly recieve that the home built by the family with the support of volunteers was bulldozed by the Israelis at gunpoint. I am going to post the article for you to read:
http://www.icahd.org/?p=8107
Israeli authorities demolished Beit Arabiya (“Arabiya’s House”) last night (Monday, January 23rd) for the fifth time, along with structures in the East Anata Bedouin compound. Beit Arabiya, Located in the West Bank town of Anata (Area C) just to the northeast of Jerusalem, is a living symbol of resistance to Occupation and the desire for justice and peace.
As its name suggests, Beit Arabiya is a home belonging to Arabiya Shawamreh, her husband Salim and their seven children, a Palestinian family whose home has been demolished four times by the Israeli authorities and rebuilt each time by ICAHD's Palestinian, Israeli and international peace activists, before being demolished again last night.
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| Aribiya and Salim's Home |
At around 11p.m. Monday, a bulldozer accompanied by a contingent of heavily armed Israeli soldiers appeared on the Anata hills, to promptly demolish Beit Arabiya, along with residential and agricultural structures in the nearby Arab al-Jahalin Bedouin compound. 3 family homes were demolished along with numerous animal pens, and 20 people including young children were displaced, left exposed to the harsh desert environment. While standing in solidarity with Palestinians, ICAHD staff and activists were repeatedly threatened by Israeli soldieries. ICAHD Co-Director Itay Epshtain was beaten and sustained minor injuries.
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| Demolished House |
Beit Arabiya was issued a demolition order by Israeli authorities back in 1994, following their failure to grant a building permit. It has since been demolished four times, to be rebuilt by ICAHD activists. Following a reissue of the demolition order last Thursday, came last night's fifth demolition. ICAHD Director, Dr. Jeff Halper, standing astride the ruins, vowed to support Salim and Arabiya in rebuilding their home. "We shall rebuild, we must rebuild forthwith, as an act of political defiance of the occupation and protracted oppression of Palestinians" said Halper.
Beit Arabiya has become a symbol of resistance to the Judaization of the Occupied West Bank and Israeli demolition policy. "ICAHD is as determined as always to rebuild the home, and endure in its struggle to bring about justice and peace" added Halper.
Salim and Arabiya, along with their neighbors and friends stood last night and watched as this tragedy unfold once again. Arabiya and Salim have dedicated their home as a center for peace in the memories of Rachel Corrie and Nuha Sweidan, two women (an American and a Palestinian) who died resisting home demolitions in Gaza. In the past decade ICAHD has hosted numerous visitors at Beit Arabiya, and based its annul rebuilding camp at the house, rebuilding 185 demolished Palestinian homes.
Only earlier this month, ICAHD extended an invitation to the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Adequate Housing to visit Beit Arabiya during her country visit to the Occupied Palestinian Territory scheduled for later in the month. "It is our hope, that while we cannot extend the same hospitality to the Special Raportueor, Prof. Raquel Rolnik will visit the ruins of Beit Arabiya, and report on the utter cruelty, and illegality of Israeli policies and practices, and that members of the international community will follow in her footsteps". " said ICAHD Co-Director Itay Epshtain.
Additional Information
House demolitions and forced evictions are among Israel’s most heinous practices in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT). In 2011, a record year of displacement, a total of 622 Palestinian structures were demolished by Israeli authorities, of which 36% (or 222) were family homes; the remainder were livelihood-related (including water storage and agricultural structures), resulting in 1,094 people displaced, almost double the number for 2010. The Jordan Valley sustained the largest number of demolitions (32% of total structures demolished, 40% of residential structures demolished, 37% of people displaced), with 199 structures demolished and 401 people displaced
Israel now controls 40% of the West Bank through 149 settlements and 102 outposts, housing more than 500,000 Jewish Israelis, as well as through closed military zones and declared nature reserves. In addition, house demolitions, forced evictions, and land expropriation, exacerbated by settler violence and the economic effects of movement restrictions, have left Palestinian communities struggling to make a living. Palestinians live in constant fear of displacement and dispersion, while Israel secures its domination and control.
The demolition of Palestinian homes is politically motivated and strategically informed. The goal is to confine the 4 million residents of the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Gaza to small enclaves, thus effectively foreclosing any viable Palestinian state and ensuring Israeli control, and to allow for the expropriation of land, the ethnic displacement of Palestinians, and the Judaization of the Occupied West Bank.
I am posting this in an attempt to let people know what the reality is for many Palestinians who live in constant fear. It has been difficult to listen to the politicians in this country completely show a blind eye to the evils of the illegal occupation that has kept Palestinians in a defacto police state. Accurate information and education is our only hope.
Susanne
Monday, January 9, 2012
Haiti - January 2012
It is with a big sigh that I begin my reflections about my recent trip to Haiti.
I was very fortunate to travel with a group from my home congregation of Peace Lutheran Church in Sioux Falls, SD. Our hosting organization was Helping Hands for Haiti which also is based in South Dakota. After flying into Port au Prince, we spent the night and then assembled ourselves and supplies to head for Jumelle, Haiti. We traveled in an old but study yellow school bus. Our driver named Blaze
really blazed through incredible challenges to get us to Jumelle to spend the next week.
As I have done and will continue to do in telling the story of my brothers and sisters in Palestine, I will tell the story of my brothers and sisters in Haiti.
January twelfth marks the second anniversary of the devastating 7.0 earthquake of 2010. Although the clearly noticeable ruins in Port au Prince are still evident, the ripple effect from such a horrific natural disaster can be seen throughout the entire country.
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| Group Arriving in Port Au Prince, Haiti |
really blazed through incredible challenges to get us to Jumelle to spend the next week.
As I have done and will continue to do in telling the story of my brothers and sisters in Palestine, I will tell the story of my brothers and sisters in Haiti.
January twelfth marks the second anniversary of the devastating 7.0 earthquake of 2010. Although the clearly noticeable ruins in Port au Prince are still evident, the ripple effect from such a horrific natural disaster can be seen throughout the entire country.
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| Capitol Building Still in Ruins |
I am reminded of a quote by Martin Luther King, Jr: “We must sometimes accept finite disappointments, but we must never lose infinite hope.”
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| Preparing a Noon Meal at Jumelle School (notice Kids Against Hunger Box) |
(The Sioux Falls chapter of the organization was established by a man from our church after visiting Haiti several years ago. They have packed over a million meals in the past two years. His name is Darrel Johnson and we both traveled to Africa on a mission trip fours ago). Web address: http://www.kidsagainsthungersiouxfalls.org/
We compared recent physical assessments with those conducted a year ago. There is noticeable health improvement, 
better growth rate and improved mental capacity for the students attending the Jumelle school established in 2006. That’s encouraging but there also needs to be continued consistent worldwide efforts to assist the Haitian people in building a sustainable infrastructure for themselves.
I would like to share a reflection from a poem by Ann Weems from her book Kneeling in Bethlehem.
I would like to share a reflection from a poem by Ann Weems from her book Kneeling in Bethlehem.
Our God is the One who comes to us in a burning bush, in an angel’s song, in a newborn child.
Our God is the One who cannot be found locked in the church, not even in the sanctuary.
Our God will be where God will be with no constraints, no predictability.
When God is ready God will come even to a godforsaken place like a stable in Bethlehem.
Watch….for you know not when God comes.
Watch, that you might be found whenever wherever God comes.
Susanne
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