I am on a speaking tour in the United States on behalf of the Anarchists Against the Wall and the Popular Struggle Coordination Committee in order to raise money for our depleted legal funds. I have been traveling throughout the American east coast to colleges, bookstores and universities talking about non-violence in the West Bank and the grassroots co-existence which is being created on the ground by Israelis and Palestinians against the occupation. The reaction has been overwhelmingly positive and students have been warm, energized and excited to hear stories from the front lines of Palestinian popular unarmed resistance.
Students for Justice in Palestine, a student group recently signaled out by the Anti-Defamation League, have been hosting most of the events. This strikes me as curious. I am an American Jew who immigrated to Israel and is now working with the Palestinians for non-violence and in solidarity. I am also completing a PhD in Jewish History at the Hebrew University. It is a testament to the openness of Palestinians and Palestinian groups in the United States that I am invited to speak as an honoured guest. It is also a reflection of the American Jewish community that they will not even listen to one of their own (American Jewish groups such as Hillel have turned down all of my invitations including at my own alma mater where I graduated in the Jewish Studies program) on the issue of Israel’s occupation and non-violence. Could we imagine a Palestinian being invited to speak at a Hillel campus event about non-violence in Israel?
While official Jewish groups have declined my invitation to speak, they have sent emissaries to my events. These young college students attend the lectures not to hear the experiences of one of their own but rather to raise prepared questions about the ‘security component” of Israel’s separation wall. Their eyes often show fatigue from the weight of nationalist rhetoric which had been pumped into their minds from an early age as they repeat the mantra that the wall makes Israel secure. The answer that I give in these lectures about the security question is simple and direct; ‘if the wall is about security why is it not built on the Green Line?’ Usually, this does the trick in silencing their opposition but in some cases obscure dates and treaties of proposed Israeli peace deals are raised in order to paint Israel as a wounded animal that only desires peace. The bottom line is that the case is weak and they are beginning to realize it.
The debate about Israel’s Separation Wall is now largely absent from Israeli discourse. The days of opinion pieces, nightly news debates and public discussion are largely gone. This is an alarming trait given the current legal battles about its placement in certain villages like al-walaja or Bil’in. Because of the absence of a Separation Wall discussion, talk of non-violent Palestinian resistance is also gone from the talk of the town in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. While the debate might not be lively in Israel, among American Jews in the United States the separation wall and its perceived ability to “save lives’ is very much discussed.
What I have been able to ascertain from this brief speaking tour is that the climate in the United States is undergoing a small but significant change in publish opinion about Israel. Israel’s crimes and the unsustainabilty of the occupation are becoming more and more clear by the day and even Americans are coming to this conclusion. However, the Jewish community, by and large, is becoming more emotional in its language about Israel. Due to the irrational and emotional nature of the American Jewish connection to Israel (which necessarily leads to a relationship built on fear), the American Jews seem to be fortifying themselves in a cocoon of fear. The changes of this community will take time and, in my humble opinion, will be abrupt and shocking. The recent actions of Jewish Voices for Peace activists at the GA in New Orleans are a testament to the type of revolutionary actions which are needed inside the Jewish community. The debate is changing and I foresee a real awakening in American Jewish circles in the near future.
As a final and illustrative point, I will post a letter which was sent to the Cornell Students for Justice in Palestine about the event which they just hosted for me. The letter highlights American Jewish fear, disinformation and ability to attack. I look forward to the day when I can speak to the community which I came from in a clear and coherent way.
The Letter (link can be found here):
We recently came across a poster for the UPJP event, Anarchists Against the Wall. The poster’s message, “SMASH ISRAELI APARTHEID,” offended us personally as Jews and supporters of Israel. The message implies that Israel is an Apartheid state and Israel’s supporters condone the alleged Apartheid.
Israel is not an Apartheid state. Apartheid is a legally enforced system that institutionalizes segregation, discrimination, and oppression based on race, gender, sexuality, or religion. The Separation Barrier and laws in Israel do not discriminate based on race, gender, sexuality, or religion, as Palestinians live on both sides of the wall, and Palestinians in the West Bank have their own government, the Palestinian Authority. Along with the Palestinian government in the West Bank, Arabs in Israel have full citizenship and voting rights, and 14 out of the 120 members of the Israeli Parliament are Arab. The Israeli government is aware of the inconveniences the Barrier poses to residents of the West Bank and is working to find a more advantageous long term solution; however, the safety of the Israeli people is paramount.
The “Wall” itself is actually only about 5% cement wall, which comes out to approximately 10 miles, built to prevent sniper shootings that were frequent in those selected areas. The Security Barrier has been extremely effective in halting attacks on Israeli citizens. Between 2002 and 2003, when major portions of the Barrier was constructed, there were 30% fewer attacks by terrorists from the West Bank and 50% fewer Israelis were murdered. The effectiveness of the Barrier has continued in even greater magnitudes today.
This use of propaganda is unfair and uncomfortable for students like us who feel a strong connection to the State of Israel. For students who have not yet formed a connection or a strong opinion with either side, their opinions will easily be manipulated by the depiction of Israel as an Apartheid state.
It is our hope that you will find validity in our concerns and we can work together to find a solution to this problem, to educate Cornell students about the conflict while representing facts as clearly as possible and without bias.
We look forward to hearing from you,
signed the people who wrote it.