“Things are happening quickly, tiny cracks are appearing in the solid wall of American and Jewish support for Israel, and the light is beginning to shine through.
So now is a better time than ever to learn more about the Palestine/Israel situation and even consider becoming a Palestine supporter.”
How to become a Palestine activist
By Lois Pearlman
For those who support Palestine, whether actively or just in their hearts, this is a watershed moment. For the first time in known history more Democratic voters sympathize Palestine than Israel, according to a recent Gallup poll. That’s 49 percent of Democrats who view the Palestinian cause as righteous as opposed to 38 percent who still favor Israel — an increase of 11 percent over last year.
What brought about this miraculous turn of events? Nov. 1 Israeli voters elected that country’s most ultra right wing government ever — a coalition government rife with ultra nationalist and fundamental orthodox Jews who would put evangelical Christians to shame.
As a result Israelis of more moderate persuasions have taken to the streets by the hundreds of thousands and many American Jews who have always supported Israel — right or wrong — are taking a long second look. Many Jewish Israelis in the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, have pledged not to participate in a final vote on overturning their country’s judiciary system, which would make it a puppet of the legislative and executive branches, army reservists are quitting en masse, tech companies and venture capitalists are relocating in droves and artists, intellectuals, writers, and even some mainstream Jewish organizations are telling world leaders to shun Israeli officials, including Benyamin Netanyahu.
Things are happening quickly, tiny cracks are appearing in the solid wall of American and Jewish support for Israel, and the light is beginning to shine through. So now is a better time than ever to learn more about the Palestine/Israel situation and even consider becoming a Palestine supporter. Here are some you can go about doing that.
First, I highly recommend getting a solid footing in how the Palestinian region became the state of Israel and the occupied territories. There are many wonderful books about this region, written by talented Palestinians, Israelis and others, but the absolute bible that dispels many of the myths we have been spoon-fed by the Israeli propaganda machine, and tells about the origins of the situation, is Ilan Pape’s “The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine.” Pape is an ex-patriot Jewish Israeli and a professor, but the book is written is easy to understand language not academic gobbledygook.
Locally there is a group called the North Coast Coalition for Palestine, which has both a website and a Facebook page that is updated every day. The group also hosts a radio show called Speaking of Palestine, broadcast live the first and third Mondays of each month, and rebroadcast on alternate Mondays, from 4 to 5 p.m. on KBBF-FM, 89.1. You can also catch a rebroadcast, in Bodega and Bodega Bay only, on KRJF-FM, 92.6, Tuesdays from 8 to 9 p.m. You can also stream the show on either station from anywhere in the world.
Then there are several free online magazines that provide up-to-date news about that part of the world. Some of my favorites are Mondoweiss, from the U.S. (mondoweiss.net), +972 Magazine from Israel and written by Palestinians, Israelis and internationals 972mag.com) and the Electronic Intifada (electronicintifada.net), also from the U.S., but founded and edited by a Palestinian. You can subscribe to all of these and more for free, but of course they accept donations, and you should send money to these useful sources if you can.
Some anti-occupation organizations with informative websites, that also offer ways you can get involved are the Christian-based Friends of Sabeel North America (fosna.org), the Jewish-based Jewish Voice for Peace (jewishvoiceforpeace.org) and the Boycott and Divestment Movement (bdsmovement.net) For more information about BDS see Rebel Fagin’s piece about BDS also in this issue of the Peace Press.
Once you begin subscribing to these online sites and organizations, especially if you make a donation, you will find your computer in box flooded with petitions and even more information. Somehow I have started receiving up-dates from the Refuser Support Network, an organization that supports young Israelis who refuse to serve in the Israeli military because it serves to maintain the occupation of Palestinian lands. And I am happy to read the brave and inspiring stories of these true Israeli heroes, who usually serve time in jail for their efforts.
Of course you are likely to get a lot of your news from the corporate media, which usually takes an Israeli perspective on news stories from that region. For that reason it is important to read with a discriminating eye, doing your best to determine if what you are reading is accurate and balanced. And, of course, when you determine that it isn’t you could consider writing a letter to the editor and offering another side of the story.
Another way to spread the word about Palestine, which people often overlook, is talking with friends and family. But when you do, tread gently. Maybe lead into the subject by asking if your friend or relative has been following the news about the new Israeli government and reactions to it, both in Israel and in the U.S. If they respond positively to this you might then suggest that while it is tragic that Israelis are now having their human rights threatened by their own government, this is exactly what has been happening to Palestinians since the creation of Israel in 1948. You might find a lot of resistance, but you might also be surprised that people are interested in learning more.
And don’t forget about your elected officials. If you learn about anti-boycott legislation that has been introduced call your congress member or state legislator and tell them you oppose it. And, sometimes a progressive member of the legislature will introduce something favorable to the Palestinian cause, such as conditioning aid to Israel on its human rights behavior. When that happens, call your elected officials and tell them to support it. And never forget to thank them when they vote the way you requested.
Finally, if you are ready to take the big leap and travel to Palestine, here are two suggestions for group visits. Eyewitness Palestine is a private nonprofit that conducts both in-person and virtual tours of Palestine, and provides some scholarships for those who cannot the trips on their own. The Center for Jewish Non Violence (cjnv.org) offers trips to Palestine that include working on specific nonviolent actions with Palestinians. Here’s what a local activist had to say about his experience with that group.
“True to its promise, the activities we engaged in were all planned in concert with Palestinian partners. We learned, we worked and we shared meals with our Palestinian hosts. Finally we joined in a direct action to repair a road vital to travel in the South Hebron Hills. I found the nine days of the delegation to be incredibly meaningful. I came away with renewed respect for the strength and spirit of the Palestinian resistance, as well as the commitment of the members of the delegation.”
“Look at the 1955/1956 Montgomery Bus Boycott for example. This consumer boycott cost the merchants of downtown Montgomery a fortune. They pressured the local government to rescind their back-of-the-bus law. The fulcrum for change was the money.”
BDS Basics
The Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Movement, BDS, holds the simple principle that Palestinians are entitled to the same rights as the rest of humanity. BDS urges economic actions to pressure Israel into complying with international law.
BDS was founded in 2005 by Palestinian civil society: 170 Palestinian unions, refugee networks, women’s organizations, professional organizations, popular resistance committees and Palestinian civil society bodies. Since its inception it has grown into a vibrant global movement consisting of unions, academic associations, churches, and grassroots movements around the world.
For over 70 years Israel has denied Palestinians their basic rights as they flaunt international laws. This is made possible by support from foreign countries, most notably the United States, corporations and institutes. Under capitalism corporations are vulnerable to economic pressure and when they bleed enough, they force governments and institutes to change their behavior. Look at the 1955/1956 Montgomery Bus Boycott for example. This consumer boycott cost the merchants of downtown Montgomery a fortune. They pressured the local government to rescind their back-of-the-bus law. The fulcrum for change was the money.
BDS picks targets based on 3 principles: 1) their level of complicit in the occupations, 2) the potential for forming cross-issue coalitions with other groups against a common target, 3) how likely it is that the campaign will succeed. Success may mean a company withdraws its support for the Israeli occupation or it may mean getting more supporters involved with BDS. It takes strategic planning as corporations vulnerabilities shift from time to time.
This isn’t just about what hummus you buy, but also where your retirement funds are invested. Boycotts can involve academic groups that legitimize the occupation or cultural and entertainment providers who normalize the occupation. Here’s some definitions.
Boycotts withdraw support from Israel’s apartheid regime, complicit Israeli sporting, cultural and academic institutes and from all Israeli and international companies engaged in violations of human rights.
Divestment. Urge banks, local councils, churches, pension funds, and universities to withdraw investments from the state of Israel and all international companies that sustain Israeli apartheid.
Sanctions. Campaigns to pressure governments to fulfil their legal obligations to end Israeli apartheid and not aid or assist it’s maintenance by banning business with Israel’s illegal settlements, ending military trade and free-trade agreements, as well as suspending Israel’s membership in international forums such as UN bodies and FIFA (football).
The Goals: 1) End the occupation and colonization of all Arab lands and dismantle the Wall. International law recognizes the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, Gaza and the Syrian Golan Heights as lands occupied by Israel. After stealing land, Israel forces Palestinian civilians to live in ghettoes; multi-generational refugee camps that are surrounded by checkpoints and settlements with their violent patrols, watchtowers and the illegal apartheid wall. Israel has turned Gaza into the world’s largest, open-air prison. Israel regularly launches military assaults on Gaza which they refer to as “cutting the lawn”. All of these acts are prosecutable war crimes.
2) Recognize the fundamental rights of the Arab-Palestinian citizens of Israel, about 20% of the population, to full equality. All people in Israel have citizenship but only Jews have Israeli nationality and the privileges that go with it. Countless checkpoints and over 50 racial discriminatory laws impact Arab-Palestinians of Israel. The Israeli government forcibly displaces communities in Israel from their lands and, now, more than ever, they routinely incite racial violence against Palestinian-Arab Israelis. This is apartheid.
3) Respecting, protecting and promoting the rights of Palestinians to return to their homes as stipulated in UN Resolution 194. See, in 1948 when Jewish troops invaded Palestine, many civilians fled under the long-practiced belief that when the violence ended, they could return home. This belief is known of as “the right to return” and is further codified in Article 13 of the UN Declaration of Human Rights. Now more than 7.25 million overseas Palestinians are denied the right to return home while Jews from anywhere in the world can call Israel home.
Thanks to strategic campaigns, the impact of the BDS movement is increasing substantially from G4S security forces losing dozens of contracts, a boycott of Israeli dates, a 46% drop in direct foreign investments in Israel from government funds in Chile, Kuwait; many local communities in Europe, Oakland dockworkers, the University of Johannesburg, 30 US student associations, pension funds from Sweden, Norway, Holland, New Zealand, and Luxembourg, major churches, academic associations, all are part of the BDS movement and you can be too. Simply go to www.bdsmovement.net to learn all about it and what you can do to bring about justice in Palestine.
