The Inside Assyria Discussion Forum #5

=> Dreams of a multi-ethnic democracy...

Dreams of a multi-ethnic democracy...

Posted by Marcello (Guest) - Monday, August 8 2011, 17:23:56 (UTC) from 71.160.32.228 - pool-71-160-32-228.lsanca.dsl-w.verizon.net Network - Windows XP - Internet Explorer Website: http://us.mg1.mail.yahoo.com/dc/launch?.gx=1&.rand Website title: Redirect

Dreams of a multi-ethnic democracy– Tent protesters cheer Palestinian demands by Philip Weiss on August 8, 2011 http://mondoweiss.net/2011/08/dreams-of-a-multi-ethnic-democracy-tent-protesters-cheer-palestinian-demands.html/comment-page-1#comment-347525 Dimi Reider at +972 reports that the tent protests are such a profound movement inside Israeli society that they are blowing away ethnic distinctions. And he says they threaten not just the occupation, but the ideologies of the Jewish state. Jews and Arabs refuse to be enemies! is one chant. And Tahrir has informed the protests. See the sign above, which was taken by Oren Ziv at Active Stills, and says "Go! [the big slogan in Tahrir]" and "Egypt Is Here." Reider: First, a tent titled “1948″ was pitched on Rothschild boulevard, housing Palestinian and Jewish activists determined to discuss Palestinian collective rights and Palestinian grievances as a legitimate part of the protests. They activists tell me the arguments are exhaustive, wild and sometimes downright strange; but unlike the ultra-right activists who tried pitching a tent calling for a Jewish Tel Aviv and hoisting homophobic signs, the 1948 tenters were not pushed out, and are fast becoming part of the fabric of this “apolitical” protest. A few days after the 1948 tent was pitched, the council of the protests – democratically elected delegates from 40 protest camps across the country – published their list of demands, including, startlingly, two of the key social justice issues unique to the Palestinians within Israel: Sweeping recognition of unrecognised Bedouin villages in the Negev; and expanding the municipal borders of Palestinian towns and villages to allow for natural development. The demands chimed in perfectly with the initial drive of the protest – lack of affordable housing. The demands chimed in perfectly with the initial drive of the protest – lack of affordable housing. Neither issue has ever been included in the list of demands of a national, non-sectarian movement capable of bringing 300,000 people out into the streets. And, finally, on Wednesday, residents of the Jewish poverty-stricken neighbourhood of Hatikva, many of them dyed-in-the-wool Likud activists, signed a covenant of cooperation with the Palestinian and Jewish Jaffa protesters, many of them activists with Jewish-Palestinian Hadash and nationalist-Palestinian Balad. They agreed they had more in common with each other than with the middle class national leadership of the protest, and that while not wishing to break apart from the J14 movement, they thought their unique demands would be better heard if they act together. At the rally, they marched together, arguing bitterly at times but sticking to each other, eventually even chanting mixed Hebrew and Arabic renditions of slogans from Tahrir. Yesteday’s mega-rally was also where Palestinian partnership in the protests came to a head, when writer Odeh Bisharat spoke to nearly 300,000 people – overwhelmingly, centrist Israelis Jews – of the grievances of Palestinians in Israel and was met with raucous applause. { 6 comments… read them below or add one } PissedOffAmerican August 8, 2011 at 10:03 am Meanwhile Lieberman is demanding that all contact and “negotiations” with the PA be cut off, because the Palestinians are planning “the worst bloodshed we have ever seen” during the September protests. Of course, such a prediction will come to pass if Lieberman has his way. Its what he wants, and he will undoubtedly work to insure that the protests DO become bloody and violent . Peaceful protests by the Palestinians work against Israel’s agenda, particularly if held on the global stage while the Palestinians are seeking statehood before the UN. Israel MUST, and WILL turn these September protests into a bloody melee, instigated by agent provocateurs. I predict a heavy loss of Israeli lives in a horrendous staged terrorist attack, that will include the deaths of many Israel children. Israel will make this kind of sacrifice in a heartbeat if it advances the agenda and narrative. And there’s nothing like the specter of innocent little Jewish children slain by the intransigent and hateful Palestinian terrorists to tear at the heartstrings of the global community. Reply Richard Witty August 8, 2011 at 10:51 am This was one of the best and most insightful articles ever to come from 972. It affirms the wisdom of emphasizing “social” efforts (inviting and unifying) and transformation over “political” (divisive). Mutual humanization. The one criticism I have of the demonstration and of the writing on it, is that the demonstration asks that the government provide the solutions, government provided housing, government provided health care. Its a passive relationship, dependent, even in a strong parliamentary democracy. Where are the real anarchists, the mutual aid activists, organizing to meet human needs? We’ve seen the “ruckus” anarchists. We need the “mutual aid” ones. Social. People. Mutual humanization. Thank you Phil for FINALLY writing about the demonstrations respectfully, though I get that it took the permission of a respected journalist for you to do so. Reply Mooser August 8, 2011 at 11:54 am >> RW: “I cannot consistently say that “ethnic cleansing is never necessary”. >> RW: “If I was an adult in 1948, I probably would have supported whatever it took to create the state of Israel, and held my nose at actions that I could not possibly do myself.” (Thanks, Shingo) Reply annie August 8, 2011 at 11:23 am great news! this is fantastic. Reply Exiled At Home August 8, 2011 at 12:20 pm I fail to see how this is significant in any way. Jilted Israeli Jews accepting Israeli Arabs into their folds, for what, to pressure Israeli leadership on housing issues impacting largely Israeli Jews? These few fawning words in defense of equal rights for Israeli Arabs are supposed to queue up the ushering in of a new era within Israel? Even were that the case -it is not- what about the Palestinians, Muslim and Christian, residing in Gaza and the West Bank? How does this activist theater in the streets of Israel in any way pertain to them? As it currently stands, Palestinians have two paths to choose from: one that leads to disconsolate, symbolic statehood, ending forever Palestinian hopes for anything more than ‘crumbs,’ and one is an overly-idealistic, polemic dream, a bi-national state. As I’ve discussed on an earlier thread, ‘crumbs’ is an adequate depiction of what that fractured, geographically isolated, demilitarized Bantustan state on a fraction of Palestinian land would amount to. It is a mistake to assume that because the Israeli government so fiercely opposes the Palestinian bid for statehood that such a state would actually benefit the Palestinian people. For decades Israel has pursued economic, political, and military policies aimed at rupturing the collective Palestinian will to continue their struggle for retention of their homeland. It is a subtle form of ethnic cleansing. The declaration of a Palestinian state recognized by the United Nations is a clear obstacle in the path of Israel’s goal of absorbing Judea, Samaria, and essentially all of historic Palestine. But, such a state would not benefit Palestinians nor ultimately rebuff Israeli encroachment. Settlements will continue to grow, ebbing ever further into the newly recognized Palestine. The West Bank and Gaza will still remain vastly divided geographically. Israel has time and time again shown its contempt for national sovereignty of its neighbors, so statehood would be no buffer against Israeli military intrusions. All this, plus the ills of decades of military occupation that have corroded every facet of Palestinian society would now be a purely Palestinian problem; Israel would be absolved of the mess it has created. Israel’s chronic pursuit of occupation, subjugation, and annexation will not be cured by international recognition of a feckless, disconsolate Palestinian state. But, what is the alternative? Binationalism? Jew, Christian, and Muslim engaged in collective democracy in the whole of Palestine? There was once support among Palestinians for such a scenario, and it is growing once more. I like the notion, but the more I contemplate such a proposal, the less I see this as a realistic possibility. Will Israel sacrifice its “Jewish” character on the altar of peace? Can decades of antagonism between two peoples be placated and replaced with a sense of shared community? The prospects are bleak. I wish I had answers… Reply anonymouscomments August 8, 2011 at 1:08 pm I agree the single state will not be given by Israel, though if the people were not steeped in hate/fear/identity it would be the best…they will only offer apartheid or more transfer/ethnic cleansing in a worst case. I think we need global pressure for a REAL 2SS. If people were like us, well in 1947 they would vote and the vote would show a strong majority for a single parliamentary democracy. Some Jews I know would have voted as well, with the Arab 70% majority. By numbers there is much less support for a single state among Jewish Israelis than there was with 1947 Jews! Not realistic… Now we have a nation with a monopoly on power and the fact that the PLO agreed to the concept of 2SS. Growing support for a binational state or single state will not reach critical mass in Israel… at all. 100% Palestinians were screwed by history and the prevailing form of Zionism. The question is, in the end, how much are they going to be screwed. People do not understand that the ONLY question we are debating and trying to resolve is this: HOW MUCH will Palestinians be screwed, dispossessed, and oppressed? Just HOW MUCH? Don’t talk to me about some enclaves of Jews who used to live in Hebron or some BS, as that is a needle in a haystack of Palestinian refugees, blood, and oppression. Let them have a state, in peace and Jews can visit those sites and maybe in 30 years they can apply for residency or citizenship in Palestine. Further, ANY 1948 Jewish refugees from the west bank should/would be given the right of return and compensation, IF the same is offered to the millions of Palestinian refugees…. it will not, so don’t bother bringing it up really. --------------------- - BACK TO INDEX - REPLY - QUOTE - EDIT - DELETE -

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