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OPEN LETTER TO PRESIDENT MUBARAK FROM THE GAZA FREEDOM MARCH

December 26, 2009

Dear President Mubarak;

We, representing 1,362 individuals from 43 countries arriving in Cairo to participate in the Gaza Freedom March, are pleading to the Egyptians and your reputation for hospitality.

We are peacemakers. We have not come to Egypt to create trouble or cause conflict. On the contrary. We have come because we believe that all people — including the Palestinians of Gaza — should have access to the resources they need to live in dignity. We have gathered in Egypt because we believed that you would welcome and support our noble goal and help us reach Gaza through your land.

As individuals who believe in justice and human rights, we have spent our hard-earned, and sometimes scarce, resources to buy plane tickets, book hotel rooms and secure transportation only to stand in solidarity with the Palestinians of Gaza living under a crushing Israeli blockade.

We are doctors, lawyers, students, academics, poets and musicians. We are young and old. We are Muslims, Christians, Jews, Buddhists and secular. We represent civil society groups in many countries who coordinated this large project with the civil society in Gaza.

We have raised tens of thousands of dollars for medical aid, school supplies and winter clothing for the children of Gaza. But we realize that in addition to material aid, the Palestinians of Gaza need moral support. We came to offer that support on the difficult anniversary of an invasion that brought them so much suffering.

The idea of the Gaza Freedom March-a nonviolent march to the Israeli Erez crossing– emerged during one of our trips to Gaza in May, a trip that was kindly facilitated by the Egyptian government. Ever since the idea emerged, we have been talking to your government through your embassies overseas and directly with your Foreign Ministries. Your representatives have been kind and supportive. We were asked to furnish information about all the participants-passports, dates of birth, occupations-which we have done in good faith. We have answered every question, met every request. For months we have been working under the assumption that your government would facilitate our passage, as it has done on so many other occasions. We waited and waited for an answer.

Meanwhile, time was getting short and we had to start organizing. Travel over the Christmas season is not easy in the countries where many of us live. Tickets have to be purchased weeks, if not months, in advance. This is what all 1,362 individuals did. They spent their own funds or raised money from their communities to pay their way. Add to this the priceless time, effort and sacrifice by all these people to be away from their homes and loved ones during their festive season.

In Gaza, civil society groups–students, unions, women, farmers, refugee groups–have been working nonstop for months to organize the march. They have organized workshops, concerts, press conferences, endless meetings–all of this with their own scarce resources. They have been buoyed by the anticipated presence of so many global citizens coming to support their just cause.

If the Egyptian government decides to prevent the Gaza Freedom March, all this work and cost is lost.

And that’s not all. It is practically impossible, this late in the game, to stop all these people from travelling to Egypt, even if we wanted to. Moreover, most have no plans in Egypt other than to arrive at a predetermined meeting point to head together to the Gaza border. If these plans are cancelled there will be a lot of unjustified suffering for the Palestinians of Gaza and over a thousand internationals who had nothing in mind but noble intentions.

We plead to you to let the Gaza Freedom March continue so that we can join the Palestinians of Gaza to march together on December 31, 2009.

We are truly hopeful that we will receive a positive response from you and thank you for your assistance.

Tighe Barry, Gaza Freedom March coordinator
Medea Benjamin, CODEPINK, USA
Olivia Zemor, Euro-Palestine, France
David Torres, ECCP, Belgium
Germano Monti, Forum Palestine, Italy
Ziyaad Lunat, Gaza Freedom March, Europe
Ehab Lotayef, Gaza Freedom March, Canada
Alessandra Mecozzi, Action for Peace-Italy
Ann Wright, Gaza Freedom March coordinator
Kawthar Guediri, Collectif National pour une Paix Juste et Durable entre Palestinens et Israeliens, France
Mark Johnson, Fellowship of Reconciliation
Thomas Sommer, Focus on The Global South, India

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update Gaza Freedom March

December 25, 2009
Dear Gaza Freedom March delegates,
We’re here in Cairo and things are hopping. People are coming in from all over the world with all sorts of great ideas. Can’t wait to see you all here!!!
As you may have heard, the Egyptian government has denied our request to go into Gaza and has cancelled our permits for our orientation at the College Holy Family for December 27 at 7pm.
To update people we will do briefings each morning at 8:30 am, starting on Sunday, at the Lotus Hotel, Sun Hotel and Select Hotels and share evolving plans. We have come too far to be tourists as the Egyptian Government has suggested. Recognizing that our creativity and flexibility are one of our most powerful tools we are exploring new and exciting ways to get our message out and keep the pressure on!
This may mean some increased risks. We are asking you and your group, if you are part of one, to consider what kinds of risks you may be willing to take. In theory any gathering over six people is considered illegal. But challenging laws is part of our work and the worse consequence you could expect is arrest and deportation which becomes an action itself.
If we do it right, this may be politically difficult for Egypt to do. We need people who are willing to take such risks, people who are willing to support them and people who will take minimal to no risks. No matter what risk you are willing to take, there is important work for you to do here.
Around the world people are watching and are taking action demanding that Egypt open the border.

Plans for December 27
Commemoration of the Dead of Gaza on the One Year Anniversary of the Israeli Attack
For those delegates in Cairo on December 27, from 11 am to 1pm, delegates can go individually or in small groups to the 6 October Bridge to tie flowers or letters with the names of the dead on the wrungs of the bridge on the south side of the bridge facing Semiramis Hotel. Talk with your group leader or the coordinator in your hotel (Select Hotel-Lisa Fithian; Sun Hotel-Billy Kelly; Lotus-Ann Wright)

In a more concerted effort to commemorate those killed in Gaza during the Israeli attack on Gaza, we are going to meet at 4:30pm on December 27 on the Nile River Corniche across from the Grand Hyatt hotel. We are going to take tens of feluccas (Nile river boats that hold 25 people each) onto the Nile and place 1400 lighted candles in bio degradeable “boats” /baskets into the Nile that will then float down the river.
While we are in the boats, we will have group coordinators on each felucca to brief delegates on plans for the week. You can also purchase your Gaza Freedom March t-shirts $10 each. These will be important for the rest of the week.
December 28, 2009
Our 85 year old Holocaust survivor Edy Epstein will begin a hunger strike demanding that Egypt open the border. Other hunger strikers are welcome! We are asking delegates to wear their Gaza Freedom T-shirt and converge promptly at 11 AM in Taher Square. Everyone is encouraged to support this action by holding the space, whether that be in the Square or surrounding sidewalks.
More actions after December 28 will be discussed at the morning meetings.
Lodging and Food
To give delegates more freedom of movement, we will return 50% of the monies paid to the Gaza Freedom march so delegates can use that money to pay for their own lodging and food whether you stay in Cairo or go towards the border—or get into Gaza!!!
Delegates are responsible for extending their stays in lodging they are in, or finding new housing. For those who need very, very inexpensive lodging, there are dormitory rooms available and we can provide information.
We will ask group leaders to assist us in returning funds to members of their group. For those not in any group, please see Ann Wright.
We are thrilled that you are coming to Cairo for the people of Gaza!
Despite all the changes, this is an experience you and the people of Gaza will never forget!!!

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A one-state solution in the area is not as farfetched as it might seem.

Steps to create an Israel-Palestine

By Jonathan Kuttab
December 20, 2009

For a while, it seemed that a two-state solution might actually be achievable and that a sovereign Palestinian state would be created in the West Bank and Gaza, allowing Jews and Palestinians at last to go their separate ways. But these days, that looks less and less likely.

With Israel in total control of the territory from the Mediterranean to the Jordan River and unwilling to relinquish a significant part of the land, it’s time to consider the possibility that the current situation — one state, in effect — will continue. And although Jewish Israelis may control it now, birthrates suggest that, sooner or later, Jews will again be a minority in the territory.

What happens at that point is unclear, but unless continued military occupation and all-out apartheid is the desired path, now may be the time for Israelis to start putting in place the kinds of legal and constitutional safeguards that will protect all minorities, now and in the future, in a single democratic state of Israel-Palestine. This is both the right thing and the smart thing to do.

In recent years the idea of a one-state solution has been anathema to Israelis and their supporters worldwide. This has been fueled by the fear of the “demographic threat” posed by the high Palestinian birthrate. Indeed, many Israeli supporters of a two-state solution came to that position out of fear of this demographic threat rather than sympathy with Palestinian national aspirations.

At the root of their fear was the belief that despite Israel’s best efforts to push Palestinians from land and property and to import Jewish settlers in their stead, the Arab population would keep climbing. And that, when the Arabs reached the 51% mark, the state of Israel would collapse, its Jewish character would disappear and its population would dwindle into obscurity.

Yet that scenario is not necessarily the inevitable result of either demography or democracy. Religious and ethnic minorities have successfully thrived in many countries and managed to retain their distinctive culture and identity, and succeeded in being effective and sometimes even dominant influences in those countries. Those who believe in coexistence must begin to seriously think of the legal and constitutional mechanisms needed to safeguard the rights of a Jewish minority in Israel-Palestine.

It is true that the experience of Israel with its Palestinian minority does not offer a comforting prospect. The behavior of the Jewish majority toward the Palestinian citizens of Israel has not been magnanimous or tolerant. Where ethnic cleansing was insufficient, military rule, land confiscation and systemic discrimination have all been employed. The relationship was not helped by the actions of Palestinians outside Israel who resented losing their homeland or by the behavior of some Arab countries, neither of which accepted the imposed Jewish character of Israel.

Yet it is possible, especially during this period when Jews are still the majority in power in Israel, to begin to envision the type of guarantees they may require in the future. Other countries have wrestled with this problem, and while each situation is different, the problem is by no means unprecedented.

Zionism will ultimately need to redefine its goals and aspirations, this time without ignoring or seeking to dispossess the indigenous Palestinian population. Palestinians will also have to deal with this reality, and accept — even enthusiastically endorse — the elements required to make Jews truly feel at peace in the single new state that will be the home of both people.

Strong, institutionalized mechanisms will be needed to prevent the “tyranny of 51%.” A bicameral legislature, for example, should be installed, in which the lower house is elected by proportional representation but the upper house has a composition that safeguards both peoples equally, regardless of their numbers in the population. A rotating presidency may be preferable to designating certain positions for each minority (as in Lebanon). And constitutional provisions that safeguard the rights of minorities should be enshrined in a constitution that can only be amended or altered by both houses of parliament with a large (80%) majority.

Both Hebrew and Arabic will be designated as official languages, and governmental offices will be closed for Jewish, Muslim and Christian holidays. New laws will be enacted that strengthen the secular civil courts in personal status matters, while leaving some leeway for all religious communities to have a say in lawmaking, including Reform and Conservative Jews who currently chafe under the Orthodox monopoly over Jewish personal status matters in Israel. Educational systems that honor and cater to the different communities will give each a measure of control over the education of its children within a national system that maintains professional standards for all publicly-funded schools. Strong constitutional provisions will be enacted to prohibit discrimination in all spheres of life, while independent courts will be enabled to enforce such provisions.

Many on both sides, Israeli and Palestinian, will reject this line of thinking, and in all cases, it is clear that a lot of goodwill and much careful thinking is necessary. But as the options keep narrowing for all participants, we need to start thinking of how we can live together, rather than insist on dying apart.

Jonathan Kuttab is a Palestinian attorney and human rights activist. He is a co-founder of Al
Haq and the Mandela Institute for Political Prisoners.

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-kuttab20- 2009dec20,0,3289579.story

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‘Whoever has Palestine in his heart is a Palestinian’ – Stories from Viva Palestina Convoy Members

Viva Palestina convoy participants have interesting stories to tell – Few of them are Palestinian, but they all say “Whoever has Palestine in his heart is a Palestinian.”

Gaza aid convoy, named “Return to Gaza,” have attended various events (over the past few days) in the Syrian capital Damascus. It has attracted extensive interest from Syrians.

Şakir Yıldırım, 40, bought an ambulance on his own in Bristol and managed to take it to Gaza overland last year. He is now taking a trailer to Gaza along the convoy. Yıldırım set up an association in Bristol called Gazze Link. He and his friends purchased a trailer and four vehicles with the money they raised.

“Intention is very important. I am sure about this now,” he said as he was talking about the trip to Gaza.

Yusuf, a Palestinian, set off from Texas, the United States, to go to Gaza. With the money he collected in Texas he will buy a vehicle and relief materials in Egypt and take them to Palestine, where he was born. The Israeli occupation forced him to leave his country and move to Lebanon and to the US. He flew to Istanbul and joined the convoy there.

“I will meet my relatives when I reach Palestine. I am away from them but I have never forgotten them and Palestine. I grew up with them and I am a Palestinian. In my opinion, you are Palestinian too. You do not have to have been born there. Whoever has opened his heart to Palestine is a Palestinian,” he said.

Al-Quds-born Talal Abdulrashed said: “I am coming from Britain. I am a Palestinian. We set off from Britain to break the embargo. Allah willing we will reach Gaza. Israel drove us from our land in 1982. We moved from Lebanon to Britain. I have relatives in al-Quds.”

Lia Lewelyn, 55, is driving an ambulance. She is a British Jew coming from London. She expressed her feelings as: “There are many Jews who oppose Israel’s war politics regarding Palestine. I am one of them. I do not know whether we will be able to enter Gaza or not, but I believe we will put huge pressure on Egypt and Israel through media and public. I cannot say Israeli pressure is tied to religion. It is entirely acting by colonization logic. I am worried about forefronting religion in such policies. We hit roads to end a six-decade war. God willing we will succeed.”

“I was very touched by the brutality of the latest Gaza attacks. I even got sick with sadness and deteriorated psychologically. Later I started searching for ways to help and learnt about the convoy. I am a pharmacology expert. I am not a Muslim, but it upsets me that most of wars, oppressions take place in the Islamic world,” said Sam Rez, who joined the convoy in London.

The next stop of the convoy is Jordan.

———————
Alice Howard
Viva Palestina UK – Administration Manager
Tel: 07944 512 469
Email: alice@vivapalestina.org
Website: http://www.vivapalestina.org/

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Silent night Gaza style

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My Father Was a Freedom Fighter: Gaza’s Untold Story

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DAM – Stranger in my country”Ghareb fe beladi”

Note seen in comments : 3ala fekra, Onadeekom is written by Tawfiq Zayyad (RIP), not by Mahmoud Darwich (RIP), ALLAH yer7amhon el 2

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DAM, “Born Here”, Hebrew/Arabic with English subtitles

Palestinian rap group DAM (Da Arab MC’s, or “forever” in Arabic) created this music video about the life of Palestinians in Israel. They’re from Lod, a town between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, so they’re Palestinians with Israeli citizenship (often called “Israeli Arabs”). They usually rap in Arabic, but they made a Hebrew version of this song with a music video to get their message out to the majority of Israelis who don’t speak Arabic.

You find out more about them at http://www.dampalestine.com/main.html .

I’ve always wanted a subtitled version, so I broke down and adapted the lyrics from their website, to create this. I think this is one of the most powerful rap songs out there.

See http://moomtastic.com/born-here.html to see my extended comments on the video and its chorus.

By the way, a lot of people are confused about what DAM stands for, but it really is “forever” or “eternity”. See the interview at http://www.democracynow.org/2008/5/15…, where you’ll find this:

TAMER NAFAR: Ill just correct you. Actually, dam is eternity in Arabic and blood in Hebrew. So its eternal blood, like we will stay here forever.

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The Interview Ha’aretz Doesn’t Want You To See

Ali Abunimah

Rehaviya Berman conducted an interview with Ali Abunimah, for Ha’aretz, a few weeks ago. The Interview was never published. Berman decided to publish it on his blog [Hebrew] and I decided to translate it, for your reading pleasure:
Exclusive: One On One with the Leader of the Electronic Intifada

Rehaviya Berman

Meet Ali Abunimah, the son of a Jordanian diplomat, a Palestinian activist, and the man who brings the hottest news of the struggle to thousands of people. His message: Forget two states, one will be tough enough to get it right.

read on

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