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5763: Articles posted from September 2002-September 2003
Get the real situation in Israel every day.
By Gila Svirsky
4 October 2002
If your only sources of information about the Middle East conflict are
media reports, you would undoubtedly never hear about the important work
for peace that goes on here.
Despite the discouraging times, Israeli activists continue to struggle on
many fronts. I report here on just a few:
Women in Black continue the vigils throughout Israel - one hour every
week, dressed in black and carrying signs 'End the Occupation.' It's hard
to imagine that we have been standing for almost 15 years, but we really
have (my two daughters who vigiled with me as children are now grown
women). In fact, our numbers have increased in recent months, in response
to organized assaults by extreme right-wingers in Jerusalem. In testimony
to the import of this international movement, an Israeli representative of
Women in Black was invited to address the UN Security Council in a few
weeks.
Ta'ayush: Arab-Jewish Partnership organized a major rally last Saturday to
protest the growing racism and discrimination inside Israel against Arab
citizens of the state. This is critical, especially when our Minister of
Education orders all schools to devote one hour of class time to studying
the 'legacy' of assassinated politician Rehavam Ze'evi - a racist legacy
that advocated the forcible expulsion Israeli Arabs from Israel. It's no
wonder that activists from both Ta'ayush and the Coalition of Women for
Peace have engaged in artistic midnight forays to counteract a wave of
racist graffiti.
Gush Shalom brought dozens of Israelis to the courtroom yesterday for the
show trial of Palestinian leader Marwan Barghouti, demanding that
Barghouti be brought to the negotiating table, not put on trial. This
courageous group continues to be threatened and harassed by Israeli
political leaders, such as Knesset Member Kleiner who called them
"anti-Semites who are a cancer in the heart of the nation".
There is a growing alliance of Palestinians and Israelis for a shared
peace. The Coalition of Women for a Just Peace just received a
communication from the Palestinian Committee for Inter-Communication in
Gaza, saying, "We convey to you our desire for peace and co-existence."
And in tomorrow's Arabic newspapers in the occupied territories, the
Coalition is publishing an ad that says, "We extend our heartfelt
solidarity during this difficult period. We pledge to continue to educate
our children and leaders that the Occupation and all violence must end,
and that a just peace is the key to the well-being of both nations."
It would not be hard to continue with reports from New Profile, Bat
Shalom, Machsom Watch, Courage to Refuse, Peace Now, and many others, but
I will just add the translation of a report by Yaakov Manor about
yesterday's (3 October) peace action in Kfar Yassuf:
Picking Olives for Peace
In the wake of ongoing attacks by settlers from Tapuah against the
residents of the nearby Palestine village of Kfar Yassuf, and following
several recent shooting incidents and the theft of olives, we decided to
quickly organize help with the olive harvest.
This action was called by Rabbis for Human Rights and the Israel Committee
Against Home Demolitions, but activists from many organizations joined
in...
The first thing we saw at the entrance to the village were three mounds of
dirt and boulders blocking the road - preventing vehicles from entering,
and thereby forcing villagers to walk several hundred meters from the road
to their homes, often carrying heavy packages. The next thing was
graffiti: "Death to Arabs", presumably painted by the Kahanist settlers of
Tapuah.
At the entrance to the village, hundreds of residents met and welcomed us,
and many more joined as we walked through the village. We quickly went to
the olive orchard near the Tapuah settlement where the olive groves had
been raided by settlers. Palestinian villagers and Israeli peace
activists set to work at once with great energy, out of fear, soon
confirmed, that we would soon be interrupted by settlers and security
forces.
At first, about 15 soldiers and police stood on the hill between us and
the settlement, and allowed us to continue the harvest. A short while
later, some 20 settlers gathered above us, some of them armed. The
settlers began to advance toward us shouting and cursing. At that point,
the senior officer approached and requested that we leave the hillside to
avoid clashes. Since we had almost completed the harvest in that
location, we complied. A short while later, the district army commander
arrived and demanded that we entirely evacuate the area on the grounds
that it was a 'closed military zone'... After discussing this with the
villagers, we agreed to leave out of concern for their welfare.
Our request that the security forces disperse the settlers and allow the
villagers to complete their harvest was jeeringly denied... "Let them
harvest their olives when there's a Palestinian state", said the
commander.
Documenting this event were a Canadian TV crew and a reporter from [the
Israeli newspaper] Yediot Aharonot. An Italian TV crew arrived late, but
interviewed the village residents and peace activists...The action was
reported on the radio, and participants were interviewed on [Israel's
popular] midday radio news magazine.
We subsequently learned that the village has another large orchard to
which they do not have access. We decided to consider holding another
action, and we discussed what to do in the event of attacks by settlers or
reactions by the Israeli army.
We also decided to lobby Knesset members to use their good offices to
enable Palestinians to harvest their olives in locations where they are
threatened by settlers.
End report by Yaakov.
I think the above report is a perfect example of how a small group of
Israeli peace activists can act effectively to bridge the divide with
Palestinians, and also work to change Israeli public opinion and affect
policymakers. All these groups deserve your support.
Despite these difficult times, more and more people on both sides have
come to understand that violence is not a solution. And it is important
to keep the vision in mind: Like every occupation in history, the Israeli
occupation too is doomed to failure, and will come to an end sooner or
later. And at the end of that occupation, two vibrant states - safe,
secure, independent of each other, and cooperative for the benefit of all
- must inevitably emerge.
Shalom / Salaam from Jerusalem,
Gila Svirsky
Coalition of Women for a Just Peace
For more information about all the groups mentioned in this article, click over to Human Rights and Peace Groups at Ariga
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