RIP Rachel Corrie

On 16 March 2003, American peace activist, Rachel Corrie was killed when run over by an Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) bulldozer which she was trying to stop from illegally demolishing a Palestinian house in the Rafah Refugee Camp, Gaza. The following is a brief history of the event and inspirational footage of a speech Rachel gave in Grade 5 which described her commitment to human rights.

Rachel had gone to Palestine as a member of the International Solidarity Movement (ISM) to participate in non-violent protest against the illegal Israeli occupation. On the day of her death, Rachel and seven other ISM activists confronted an Israeli Defence Force bulldozer that was about to demolish the house of a local pharmacist, as part of the illegal practice of 'collective punishment'. According to the Fourth Geneva Convention, of which Israel is a signatory to, collective punishment is a war crime.

Rachel, wearing a bright orange, high-visibility vest and using a megaphone, was standing in front of the dozer in an effort to prevent it advancing on the house. She had climbed up a pile of dirt so that she was above the level of the blade, looking directly into the cabin. The Israeli soldier deliberately drove the bulldozer towards her. Rachel was pushed backwards, falling down the pile of dirt which collapsed on top of her. Despite screams from other people to stop, the Israeli soldier continued and dragged her for 10 or 15 metres, crushing her. Rachel was run over twice, suffering a fractured skull, punctured lungs and crushed ribs.

The Israelis claimed it was an accident, that the soldier didn't know she was there, even though the stand-off had been going on for three hours, there were other soldiers present outside of the dozer who could have warned the driver, and Rachel was in a high-vis vest and communicating by megaphone. The Israeli Defence Force investigated the incident and, not surprisingly, cleared itself of blame. In 2005, Rachel's parents sued the Israeli government, but in 2012 and the matter was thrown out.

No justice has been done and as usual, Israel has gotten away with murder. All of this, while the United States continues to poor billions of dollars into funding Israel, knowing that much of it is funds Israel's ethnic cleansing of Palestine through activities that breach the Fourth Geneva Convention and dozens of United Nations resolutions.

Rachel Corrie's life and message should not be forgotten. Her dedication to defending human rights is an inspiration to all of us.

In 1990, ten year old Rachel Corrie gave this incredible speech. The words are powerful and they should inspire each of us to action to overcome poverty and injustice.

I’m here for other children.
I’m here because I care.
I’m here because children everywhere are suffering and because forty thousand people die each day from hunger.
I’m here because those people are mostly children.
We have got to understand that the poor are all around us and we are ignoring them.
We have got to understand that these deaths are preventable.
We have got to understand that people in third world countries think and care and smile and cry just like us.
We have got to understand that they dream our dreams and we dream theirs.
We have got to understand that they are us. We are them.
My dream is to stop hunger by the year 2000.
My dream is to give the poor a chance.
My dream is to save the 40,000 people who die each day.
My dream can and will come true if we all look into the future and see the light that shines there.
My dream can and will come true if we all look into the future and see the light that shines there. If we ignore hunger, that light will go out.

A letter from Rachel to her mother

The following is a letter that Rachel wrote to her mother on 27 February 2003, only weeks before her death. It describes the horror of what Palestinians experience every day, and the frustration for Rachel knowing that the world looks on and ignores the genocide and gross human rights violations perpetrated by Israel.

Love you. Really miss you. I have bad nightmares about tanks and bulldozers outside our house and you and me inside. Sometimes the adrenaline acts as an anesthetic for weeks and then in the evening or at night it just hits me again – a little bit of the reality of the situation. I am really scared for the people here. Yesterday, I watched a father lead his two tiny children, holding his hands, out into the sight of tanks and a sniper tower and bulldozers and Jeeps because he thought his house was going to be exploded. Jenny and I stayed in the house with several women and two small babies. It was our mistake in translation that caused him to think it was his house that was being exploded. In fact, the Israeli army was in the process of detonating an explosive in the ground nearby – one that appears to have been planted by Palestinian resistance.

This is in the area where Sunday about 150 men were rounded up and contained outside the settlement with gunfire over their heads and around them, while tanks and bulldozers destroyed 25 greenhouses – the livelihoods for 300 people. The explosive was right in front of the greenhouses – right in the point of entry for tanks that might come back again. I was terrified to think that this man felt it was less of a risk to walk out in view of the tanks with his kids than to stay in his house. I was really scared that they were all going to be shot and I tried to stand between them and the tank. This happens every day, but just this father walking out with his two little kids just looking very sad, just happened to get my attention more at this particular moment, probably because I felt it was our translation problems that made him leave.

I thought a lot about what you said on the phone about Palestinian violence not helping the situation. Sixty thousand workers from Rafah worked in Israel two years ago. Now only 600 can go to Israel for jobs. Of these 600, many have moved, because the three checkpoints between here and Ashkelon (the closest city in Israel) make what used to be a 40-minute drive, now a 12-hour or impassible journey. In addition, what Rafah identified in 1999 as sources of economic growth are all completely destroyed – the Gaza international airport (runways demolished, totally closed); the border for trade with Egypt (now with a giant Israeli sniper tower in the middle of the crossing); access to the ocean (completely cut off in the last two years by a checkpoint and the Gush Katif settlement). The count of homes destroyed in Rafah since the beginning of this intifada is up around 600, by and large people with no connection to the resistance but who happen to live along the border. I think it is maybe official now that Rafah is the poorest place in the world. There used to be a middle class here – recently. We also get reports that in the past, Gazan flower shipments to Europe were delayed for two weeks at the Erez crossing for security inspections. You can imagine the value of two-week-old cut flowers in the European market, so that market dried up. And then the bulldozers come and take out people’s vegetable farms and gardens. What is left for people? Tell me if you can think of anything. I can’t.

If any of us had our lives and welfare completely strangled, lived with children in a shrinking place where we knew, because of previous experience, that soldiers and tanks and bulldozers could come for us at any moment and destroy all the greenhouses that we had been cultivating for however long, and did this while some of us were beaten and held captive with 149 other people for several hours – do you think we might try to use somewhat violent means to protect whatever fragments remained? I think about this especially when I see orchards and greenhouses and fruit trees destroyed – just years of care and cultivation. I think about you and how long it takes to make things grow and what a labour of love it is. I really think, in a similar situation, most people would defend themselves as best they could. I think Uncle Craig would. I think probably Grandma would. I think I would.

You asked me about non-violent resistance.

When that explosive detonated yesterday it broke all the windows in the family’s house. I was in the process of being served tea and playing with the two small babies. I’m having a hard time right now. Just feel sick to my stomach a lot from being doted on all the time, very sweetly, by people who are facing doom. I know that from the United States, it all sounds like hyperbole. Honestly, a lot of the time the sheer kindness of the people here, coupled with the overwhelming evidence of the wilful destruction of their lives, makes it seem unreal to me. I really can’t believe that something like this can happen in the world without a bigger outcry about it. It really hurts me, again, like it has hurt me in the past, to witness how awful we can allow the world to be. I felt after talking to you that maybe you didn’t completely believe me. I think it’s actually good if you don’t, because I do believe pretty much above all else in the importance of independent critical thinking. And I also realise that with you I’m much less careful than usual about trying to source every assertion that I make. A lot of the reason for that is I know that you actually do go and do your own research. But it makes me worry about the job I’m doing. All of the situation that I tried to enumerate above – and a lot of other things – constitutes a somewhat gradual – often hidden, but nevertheless massive – removal and destruction of the ability of a particular group of people to survive. This is what I am seeing here. The assassinations, rocket attacks and shooting of children are atrocities – but in focusing on them I’m terrified of missing their context. The vast majority of people here – even if they had the economic means to escape, even if they actually wanted to give up resisting on their land and just leave (which appears to be maybe the less nefarious of Sharon’s possible goals), can’t leave. Because they can’t even get into Israel to apply for visas, and because their destination countries won’t let them in (both our country and Arab countries). So I think when all means of survival is cut off in a pen (Gaza) which people can’t get out of, I think that qualifies as genocide. Even if they could get out, I think it would still qualify as genocide. Maybe you could look up the definition of genocide according to international law. I don’t remember it right now. I’m going to get better at illustrating this, hopefully. I don’t like to use those charged words. I think you know this about me. I really value words. I really try to illustrate and let people draw their own conclusions.

Anyway, I’m rambling. Just want to write to my Mom and tell her that I’m witnessing this chronic, insidious genocide and I’m really scared, and questioning my fundamental belief in the goodness of human nature. This has to stop. I think it is a good idea for us all to drop everything and devote our lives to making this stop. I don’t think it’s an extremist thing to do anymore. I still really want to dance around to Pat Benatar and have boyfriends and make comics for my coworkers. But I also want this to stop. Disbelief and horror is what I feel. Disappointment. I am disappointed that this is the base reality of our world and that we, in fact, participate in it. This is not at all what I asked for when I came into this world. This is not at all what the people here asked for when they came into this world. This is not the world you and Dad wanted me to come into when you decided to have me. This is not what I meant when I looked at Capital Lake and said: “This is the wide world and I’m coming to it.” I did not mean that I was coming into a world where I could live a comfortable life and possibly, with no effort at all, exist in complete unawareness of my participation in genocide. More big explosions somewhere in the distance outside.

When I come back from Palestine, I probably will have nightmares and constantly feel guilty for not being here, but I can channel that into more work. Coming here is one of the better things I’ve ever done. So when I sound crazy, or if the Israeli military should break with their racist tendency not to injure white people, please pin the reason squarely on the fact that I am in the midst of a genocide which I am also indirectly supporting, and for which my government is largely responsible.

I love you and Dad. Sorry for the diatribe. OK, some strange men next to me just gave me some peas, so I need to eat and thank them.

Rachel

---

RIP RACHEL CORRIE, 10 April 1979 - 16 March 2003.

For more information, or to become involved: www.rachelcorriefoundation.org

Zionism - the Crusades continue

During the Middle Ages, European Christians invaded the Middle East and waged war against Muslims in the name of God. Christian support of the modern state of Israel is a continuation of the Crusades as Palestine is ethnically cleansed.

The modern state of Israel was created when European Jews relocated to the Holy Land through the 20th century, particularly following its official creation by the UN in 1948. Following the passing of resolution 181 on 29 November 1947, Israel immediately began expelling and massacring Palestinians. It amounted to genocide and ethnic cleansing ... and it continues to this day with the blessing of most Christians who believe that the creation of Israel is fulfillment of biblical scripture and enough to justify crimes against humanity.

For centuries, Jews and Muslims lived in the Middle East in relative harmony. During the Middle Ages, Christians waged crusades by invading the Holy Land and attacking Muslims in an attempt to claim Jerusalem for Christianity. Most of the violence in the Middle East has been the result of European invasion.

In Europe, Jews suffered persecution and pogroms. Most of the violence in Europe has been the result of European racism and lust for power and territory. It's Europe that has been hell-bent on death and destruction, not the Middle East.

The support of modern Zionism by much of Christianity is a continuation of the Crusades as militant and fascist Christianity attempts to purge the Holy Land of Muslims and claim the land for God. Ironically, Jews, Christians and Muslims worship the same God.

Since 1948, Israel has aggressively expanded its borders beyond those established by the United Nations. Israel is continuing to breach the Fourth Geneva Convention through its illegal occupation of Palestine, resulting in dozens of UN resolutions being issued against its genocidal and ethnic cleansing activities. Yet, Israel continues to belligerently ignore the resolutions while Christians justify or ignore the atrocious human rights violations.

Israel claims that other nations have had fewer, if any, UN resolutions passed against them. However, this is to distract from the human rights abuses perpetrated by Israel. The UN has issued resolutions against numerous countries who have had to comply through either facing the International Criminal Court, UN inspections, international sanctions or peace-keeping forces.

Iraq faced UN sanctions over its supposed lack of cooperation regarding Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD). Yet, even after Iraq complied with the UN inspectors, they were invaded and bombed, supposedly for failing to comply with UN resolutions.

The United States has unquestioningly supported Israel while condemning other nations which do far less. The US led the invasion of Iraq on the false premise that it had failed to comply with UN resolutions and was harboring and developing WMD. Even before the US-led invasion, international experts were advising that Iraq did not have WMD. Eventually, the USA conceded that no WMD had been found. Yet a decade on and US forces still occupy the country.

Based on the treatment of Iraq by the USA and the UN, Israel should have been invaded and bombed decades ago. Israel is correct that it is treated differently to other nations because it gets away with far more than any other nation.

Following 9/11, the world recoiled in horror as US President, and self-proclaimed Christian, George W. Bush declared a 'crusade against terrorists'. The world feared this would lead to a 'clash of cultures' between Christianity and Islam. Bush tried to explain that it wasn't a war against Muslims, yet his actions didn't reflect that as the USA invaded Iraq and Afghanistan while providing billions in aid for Israel to continue its ethnic cleansing of Palestine.

Israel's arrogance is its greatest weakness. The world is becoming more and more aware of Israeli atrocities and the outrage is growing louder and louder. Israel claims to represent all Jews, yet many of its own people in both Israel and abroad are turning against the Israeli government and demanding Palestinian state-hood, Israeli withdrawal of settlements and tearing down the apartheid wall. The international community is calling for Israel to be held accountable for its actions and the United Nations is investigating Israel's breaches of the Geneva Convention.

On 29 November 2012, exactly 65 years after Resolution 181 passed, the United Nations voted to give Palestine 'non-member' status, which effectively recognised Palestine as a nation state. Of the 188 member nations, 138 voted for Palestine, while 41 abstained and only 9 voted against it. It was a massive kick in the teeth for Israel who complained that the 179 nations that did not vote with Israel to oppose Palestine (including the 41 abstentions) were anti-Semitic. The nations weren't anti-Semitic, they had finally stopped being bullied by Israel.

The writing is on the wall. Unless Israel ceases their human rights violations in Palestine, they will eventually find themselves the subject of international sanctions and most likely an appearance or two in the International Criminal Court.

Yet, they continue to unleash violence against the Palestinians, displacing, shooting and bombing civilians, as well as preventing them from accessing their own farmlands, jobs, hospitals and schools because of the hundreds of checkpoints and the expansion of the apartheid wall through Palestinian territory. When Palestinians fight back, Israel demonises them, however, under international law Palestine has a right to defend themselves from Israel's illegal aggression.

Saladin (who fought against Christian Crusaders in the 12th century) said, 'I warn you against shedding blood, indulging in it and making a habit of it, for blood never sleeps'. Israel has embraced violence as a means of purifying the Jewish state of non-Jewish occupants. Violence begets violence. There won't be peace between Israel and Palestine until Israel ceases the genocide. Israel's aggression and the US funding of it, will continue to feed the development of anti-Israeli and anti-US militants.

Most disturbing is that Christians continue to support Israel's genocidal and ethnic cleansing policies, while claiming that Muslims should move on from the Crusades because they ended centuries ago.

The Crusades have not ended, they have evolved into Christian Zionism.

Gun Control and the Second Amendment

'A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed' - Second Amendment, Constitution of the United States of America. ⁽¹⁾

This is the Second Amendment which the pro-gun advocates claim will be infringed if gun-control legislation is passed in the United States.

Gun advocates often quote only a portion of the Second Amendment, '... the right of the people to keep and bear arms ... '.  Yet, before arriving at this one phrase, the Second Amendment has a preamble that establishes the context and intention of the Amendment. The Second Amendment is clear that the right of the people to keep and bear arms is dependent on the necessity for a Militia, and a 'well-regulated' Militia at that.

A militia is a civilian army. At the time the Second Amendment was passed, the United States Army was very small and relied on the use of militia to aid in its defence. The Second Amendment clearly states 'being necessary'.  Today, the USA has one of the world's largest and strongest defence forces as well as a large contingent of civilian militia in the form of the National Guard. The arming of every citizen in the country is not necessary to the security of the nation.

One of the arguments used by pro-gun advocates is that the arming of civilians is necessary in the event of a tyrannical government. Just what is a tyrannical government in their eyes? Listening to many of them, it is a government that would regulate access to guns. So are such advocates also traitors if they declare their intention to overthrow such a 'tyrannical' government? In most countries, that would amount to treason.

Another argument is self-defence. Given that the United States is one of the most violent countries in the  western world ⁽²⁾, it is understandable that many of its citizens live in fear. However, arming civilians is not the answer. It merely means that criminals have a soft-target if they wish to illegally acquire a weapon. They know that they can mug someone or burgle a house and the chances are they will score a free firearm. I would challenge anyone to pull a weapon in time if they are taken by surprise. How many would see a king-hit coming or even have time to pull out a gun in such a situation?

Of course, the old chestnut, 'guns don't kill people, people kill people' is logically weak. People using guns kill people and they tend to kill more people than those using other easily obtainable weapons, such as knives or baseball bats.

As a stark contrast, on the day of the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre, a man wielding a knife attacked children at a school in China. He injured 22 children and 1 adult. There were NO fatalities. ⁽³⁾ The outcome would have been very different if he was also armed with an assault rifle as the shooter at Sandy Hook was.

The pro-gun lobby has blamed both violent video games and mentally ill people for the mass murders. Most people who play violent video games will not feel the urge to go on a real-life rampage. Of course there are always those who are disturbed enough to kill, whether they play violent games or not. Nonetheless, blaming violent video games or mentally ill people is an admission that the rifles should be controlled, considering the number of violent video games out there and the levels of mental illness. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, one in four people over the age of 18 suffers from a mental disorder, equating to approximately 57.7 million people. ⁽⁴⁾ Having a mental illness does not mean a person will become a murderer. However, with the prevalence of mental illness, surely the logic is not to arm people who may be inclined to commit violent crime, but instead to provide public funding of mental health programs.

There are even those who claim that the violence is related to prayer being banned in schools. Prayer has not been banned in schools. Public schools are not allowed to organise prayer, however students are free to pray under the 'free exercise' clause of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution ⁽¹⁾. The Government cannot prohibit individual prayer as long as it is not disrupting other students. If Christian students are not praying in school, then this is not the fault of the government. Additionally, why aren't these people praying for the safety of their children at school instead of inventing fallacious arguments to justify the provision of firearms to mass-murderers?

More guns does not equal less crime. America has more civilian-owned guns than all of the developed countries in the world, and has the highest rate of murder by firearms of any country in the developed world. ⁽⁵⁾

Many of the recent mass shootings in the USA have been done by gunmen using assault rifles, such as Aurora, Oregon Shopping Mall and Sandy Hook Elementary School. However, the largest mass shooting, Virginia Tech, was done with two semi-automatic pistols.

While there have been a number of Supreme Court cases which have upheld the rights of individuals to 'bear arms', the US government must regulate the access to these arms given the carnage that has eventuated from access to guns, particularly from people using semi-automatics and assault rifles. No civilian has a need for an assault rifle.

Regulation does not violate the Second Amendment and is, in fact, a requirement of the Second Amendment. Given the level of gun-related murders and assaults, firearm regulation and its enforcement is well overdue.

The Second Amendment was meant to protect the security of the United States of America, not to arm civilians against each other.

References

1. United States Government Printing Office. 'Amendments to the Constitution of the United States of America'. http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/GPO-CONAN-1992/pdf/GPO-CONAN-1992-7.pdf

2. Healy, Kieran (Sociologist at Duke University). 'America is a Violent Country'. 20 July 2012. Accessed 9 January 2013. http://kieranhealy.org/blog/archives/2012/07/20/america-is-a-violent-country/

3. Bodeen, Christopher. 'China School Attack: Knife-Wielding Man Injures 22 Kids, 1 Adult Outside Primary School'. The Huffington Post, 14 December 2012. Accessed 9 January 2013. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/14/china-school-attack_n_2298430.html

4. United States Government. National Institute of Mental Health. 'The Numbers Count: Mental Disorders in America'. Accessed 9 January 2013. http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/the-numbers-count-mental-disorders-in-america/index.shtml

5. 'Gun homicides and gun ownership listed by country', The Guardian online, 22 July 2012. Accessed 9 January 2013. http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/datablog/2012/jul/22/gun-homicides-ownership-world-list

Do-gooder v Do-nothing: Activism v Apathy

The most dangerous people in the world are those too apathetic to speak up against injustice and evil. They take the 'Doris Day' approach to the suffering of others: 'que sera sera' - 'Whatever Will Be Will Be'. They are the 'do-nothings' and they give evil victory through their inaction:

'all that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing'. 

Why are the apathetic more dangerous than the perpetrator? Evil has manifested itself since time immemorial and while there are people in the world, there will be people who perpetrate it. Evil resides in the heart of humanity, so it important that we as a society ensure that evil is controlled and not given licence. The apathetic give evil licence through their silence, which in turn encourages and empowers evil-doers. Silence is complicity and the do-nothings are complicit in the worst crimes against humanity because of their inaction.

Sometimes it is easy to identify injustice and tyranny, while similarly nefarious activities masquerade in a cloak of decency, 'justified' in the name of democracy, capitalism, or God. It's almost as if the right marketing can legitimise evil, making it harder to identify the perpetrator as evil. Yet no matter how evil is presented, it is still evil and the perpetrator and the do-nothing are guilty of it.

Albert Einstein stated, 'The world is a dangerous place to live; not because of people who are evil, but because of the people who don't do anything about it'.

These days people who speak up for the rights of others are labelled as 'do-gooders'. The term being used as an insult to imply that such people live in a Utopian fantasy world. Is it Utopian to expect that everyone is entitled to justice, respect and freedom from tyranny and evil?

The do-nothings criticise do-gooders, believing that social justice threatens their freedom. Yet, what sort of freedom allows injustice and tyranny? The apathetic criticise those who stand up for others, while doing nothing themselves to defend the victims.

The do-nothings take the 'Doris Day' approach to life: 'que sera sera - whatever will be, will be', as if they have no control over what happens in the world. This approach is for the lazy, cowardly or those who don't understand the power that they wield. Do-nothings are driven by fear and hate.  They certainly don't care for others. Leo Buscaglia stated, 'I have a feeling that the opposite of love, is not hate - it's apathy. It's not giving a damn'.

Desmond Tutu once said, 'If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor. If an elephant has its foot on the tail of a mouse and you say that you are neutral, the mouse will not appreciate your neutrality'.

For centuries 'do-gooders' have campaigned against injustice in its various forms, whether it be human rights abuses, slavery, apartheid, equal rights.

What have the do-nothings achieved, other than to benefit from the actions of others? A prime example of this is those who oppose unionism while benefiting from all that unionists have achieved, such as the end of child labour, and all they continue to achieve, such as pay-rises. Many do-nothings complain about refugees coming to their country while doing nothing to end the issues that have caused the refugee crisis in the first place. In fact, many of those crises have been caused by wars that the do-nothings have tacitly supported through their inaction.

Plato said, 'the heaviest penalty for declining to rule is to be ruled by someone inferior to yourself'. This has been paraphrased as, 'those who are too smart to engage in politics are punished by being governed by those who are dumber'. Government must be held accountable, so it is imperative that every member of society be active in the political process. At best, the do-nothings facilitate the rise of inferior politicians; at worst, they facilitate tyranny.

The history of the world resounds with the results of successful activism by 'do-gooders'. For instance:

• workers rights achieved through left-wing agitation in the 19^th and 20^th centuries, bringing an end to child labour in many countries and providing workers with the 40 hour week, overtime, leave entitlements, sick-pay.
• Mahatma Gandhi undertook non-violent civil disobedience to end discrimination and racism in South Africa, British rule in India, tyranny, human rights abuses and poverty. Gandhi opposed mixing religion and politics. He also opposed the British-led partition of India which had resulted in massacres and the displacement of millions of people and worked to help the victims of this violence. India was eventually granted its independence because of the work of Gandhi and others like him. Gandhi has inspired millions of non-violent activists throughout the world.
• the suffragette movements in the 19^th and 20^th centuries resulted in women being granted the right to vote in a number of nations, including the USA, UK and Australia and inspired women's rights movements decades later, that resulted in equal rights for women.
• civil rights movements in USA, resulting in equal rights for African-Americans.
• aboriginal rights in Australia, which resulted in indigenous people being given the right to vote, recognition of land rights and overturning the principle of 'terra nullius' (land without a people). 
• the trade union movement, Solidarity, in Poland, led by Lech Walesa, resulted in the Gdansk Agreement between striking workers and the government, and eventually to free parliamentary elections that saw Lech Walesa became President of Poland.
• ending of apartheid in South Africa, resulting in freedom for 20 million indigenous South Africans and the election of prominent anti-apartheid activist, Nelson Mandela, as President of South Africa.
• the U.N. vote for Palestine on 29 November 2012 because of the agitation by millions of human rights activists world-wide, resulting in de facto recognition of Palestine after decades of genocide and ethnic cleansing by Israel.
• letter-writing campaigns by Amnesty International which have resulted in the release of thousands of political prisoners across the world.
• the Protestant Reformation movement led by Martin Luther, which ended the 'indulgence' system in which Christians bought their forgiveness of sin by paying the church. It also resulted in the bible being translated into local languages, rather than only in Latin. Essentially, this brought Christianity to the masses, rather than concentrating it in the hands of the Pope and priests who were using it for their own corrupt means.
• the Magna Carta which was demanded by feudal barons to limit the power of the King. This led to our modern system of Constitutional Law and various Bills of Rights.
• Jesus, a Palestinian Jew who spoke out against corruption in the temples, giving ordinary people the power to communicate directly with God rather than by paying priests for the privilege. His activism resulted in a religion dedicated to love, peace, forgiveness and caring for the poor and downtrodden.

The world will never be perfect, however this should not stop us from speaking up when we identify exploitation or tyranny in the world. It may be like putting out bush-fires, with some burning while others are being doused, however, it is better that some fires be put out than the whole world burns.

Conservative logic and foreign aid

Conservatives are very vocal about the amount of money 'wasted' on Foreign Aid, regardless of whether it is for humanitarian or developmental purposes. The logic behind this opposition is that there are needs in our own country that should be met first. So far, this logic actually has some merit. There are needs in our own country which should be met. However, the logic falls apart the moment that said Conservative opposes addressing those needs, for instance, through social security, or socialised health, housing and educational programs.

The logic develops an even greater flaw when said Conservative is more than happy to see trillions of dollars wasted on illegal and expensive wars, such as Iraq and Afghanistan which have dragged on for a decade and killed hundreds of thousands of innocent people. Additionally, the borrowing of over a trillion dollars to fund these wars has greatly contributed to the economic demise of the United States.

The logic is fatally flawed when Conservatives support providing billions of dollars to Israel to commit war crimes in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, such as killing and maiming civilians by attacking them with white phosphorous and depleted uranium, or continuing the construction of illegal settlements which breach the Fourth Geneva Convention, let alone the ongoing construction of the apartheid wall which imprisons Palestinians and prevents them from accessing hospitals, schools, jobs and their own farmland.

This is not logical.

Wealthier nations should be providing foreign aid AND social security to assist in making people's lives better, rather than funding the destruction of people's lives.

Repenting of the Palestinian Pogrom

Zionists justify Israel's genocide and ethnic cleansing in the name of God. The same God who gave them the Ten Commandments. The same Ten Commandments which the genocide is violating. 

On 29 November 2012, the United Nations voted to admit Palestine as a 'non-member state' of the U.N., implicitly accepting Palestine as a nation state. This was 65 years to the day, after the U.N. passed Resolution 181, from which the modern state of Israel was created.

Since then, a number of nations have told Israel to desist building illegal settlements and the United Nations has requested Israel's nuclear program be opened for access to the International Atomic Energy Commission.

Following the creation of modern Israel in 1948, many Christians claimed that it was a fulfilment of biblical prophecy. Unfortunately, they have used this to deny and ignore the many human rights violations that Israel has committed, and is continuing to commit against Palestinians.

Call me old fashioned, but if you're going to go Old Testament on a people-group then you should at least read ALL of the Old Testament. There is a little section in Exodus 20 that is very well-known ... and even netted God a movie deal. It's called 'The Ten Commandments'.

The crimes of modern Israel have been perpetrated in the name of Zionism, which claims that the Jews have an entitlement to the land because they lived there back in the day ... back in the Old Testament day. I have written on this argument in 'Road to Nakba'.

Rather than justifying these abuses in the name of God and the bible, the modern state of Israel and those who blindly support her, should get down on their collective knees and repent of the following breaches of the Ten Commandments:

• 'You shall have no other gods before me': God has been replaced with Zionism and the modern state of Israel, which are treated with such great religious reverence that critics will apparently incur the curses of God. These curses are based, as a lot of Zionism is, on a misinterpretation of scripture. In Genesis 12:3 God told Abraham he would 'bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you'. Zionists have extended this verse to cover all of Israel, yet it was only ever meant for Abraham.
• 'You shall not make for yourself an idol': yet Israel itself is idolised through Zionism, which is essentially nationalism, an extreme version of patriotism that puts the nation ahead of all criticism, morality and accountability. 
• 'Do not take the Lord's name in vain': Zionists commit genocide and ethnic cleansing in the name of God and justify it through mispresenting scripture. The bible does not give Zionists this land and it certainly doesn't give them the right to commit ethnic cleansing. I have written more on that subject in 'Israel - Superstition, Prophecy and Human Rights'.
• 'Keep holy the Lord's day': the Sabbath has been desecrated as Israel continues killing innocents and waging war on the day of rest.
• 'Honour your father and mother': Zionists have desecrated the memory of those who suffered in the holocaust claiming that 'never again' will there be another holocaust, while they commit genocide and ethnic cleansing of Palestinians.
• 'Do not kill': Murdering Palestinians from 1947 to now, including women and children shot dead at gun-point by the Israeli soldiers and by the indiscriminate bombing of civilian areas. Israel has used white-phosphorous and depleted uranium in civilian areas which is a war-crime. Even the illegal settlers kill Palestinians.
• 'Do not steal': Stealing the land, houses and possessions of Palestinians often at the point of guns, tanks or rockets since 1947. The theft continues with the construction of illegal settlements which breach the Fourth Geneva Convention. 
• 'Do not lie': Zionists have been lying about their genocidal actions and making up terrible lies about Palestine, such as a 'land without a people for a people without a land' to wipe an entire people-group from history and deny their very existence. The land was, and is, inhabited by a people-group who have thousands of years of history in this area.
• 'Do not covet': Coveting land that was, and is, inhabited by others and then actively displacing those people so Zionists could take the land.

The Ten Commandments were handed down to the Jews as they escaped persecution in Ancient Egypt, while the above breaches of the Ten Commandments have been committed by some Jews fleeing persecution in Europe. This persecution was widespread, including being perpetrated by Nazis, Soviets and others. The pogroms and injustices that Jews in Europe faced were terrible, however, they cannot be used as excuses for similar crimes.

The creation of Israel occurred in the name of Zionism, which claims that biblical scripture prophesies the re-establishment of Israel (Zion) and the return of the Jewish diaspora to it. As mentioned previously, Zionists claimed that Palestine was a 'land without a people', that those who lived there had no culture and had not cared for the land.  This mantra was used 100 years ago in the Zionist campaign for the creation of Israel, and is still believed and repeated today.
'Land without a people' is a mantra aimed at legitimising the genocide and ethnic cleansing of Palestine.

It is a lie.

It was particularly evident in the lead-up to the recent U.N. vote on admitting Palestine as a non-member state, in order to discredit any attempt to recognise Palestine as a state.

Contrary to Zionist propaganda, Palestine existed for thousands of years:

• Prior to 1948, currency and passports were issued in the nationality of 'Palestine'.
• In World War II, war in the Middle East was known as the Palestine Campaign and the British military issued a General Service Palestine Campaign Medal .
• In World War I, war in the Middle East was known as the 'Palestine Campaign' and the British military issued a General Service Medal with Palestine clasp.
•  In 1798-1799, Napoleon undertook his 'Palestine campaign' and was defeated.
•  The Crusaders fought in and at one stage ruled Palestine.
• The bible refers to Palestine.
• The ancient Greeks referred to it as Palaistine.
• Ancient Egyptians referred to the area as Peleset.

Many claims have been made by Zionists to discredit Arab claims to the land, including claiming the call for Palestinian nationhood is only a 20th century phenomenon and prior to that there was no common Palestinian identity. However, the same is true for Israeli nationhood and identity.The Zionist movement of the late 19th century was new and in response to antisemitism in Europe which had seen a number of genocidal pogroms waged against Jews. The Jewish diaspora never referred to themselves as Israeli, they referred to themselves as Jews or by the nation that they were living in, e.g. Polish, Russian, German etc.

Arabs in Palestine however, did identify with their location, referring to it as Palestine, to themselves as Palestinian, or by the town they lived in (e.g. Gaza, Jaffa), and of course by their religion, namely Muslim, Christian or Jew. Perhaps they did not call for a nation-state during the last 1,000 years, but neither did 'Israel'. It must also be kept in mind that the 'nation-state' is a modern concept. In Europe for instance, the nation-state only commenced around 360 years ago with the Peace of Westphalia treaties that were signed in 1648.

The 'land without a people' argument will sometimes acknowledge that the land of Palestine existed, but never with its own government. The argument states that the land has always been ruled by others. This does not mean that the land was without people. It also does not mean that the people were without culture. Ironically, the land of Palestine is the same land as Israel, which means all those years of foreign rule apply to Israel as well.

Zionists claim that Israel has a continuous history and the people have inhabited the land for thousands of years. Ironically, the same Zionists will declare that the Jews were exiled some 2,000 years ago which contradicts the 'continuous history' argument.  The land has not been ruled by Jews since 587BC, when Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar captured it. Since then, the land has been ruled by numerous empires, none Jewish. Additionally, the claim of a continuous Jewish identity over thousands of years is misleading, as prior to 722BC, there were separate tribes, such as Judah, Benjamin, Levi and Israel. When the northern kingdom of Israel fell in 722BC, the southern tribe of Judah took control of the area. Nonetheless, the Jews have not ruled this area for at least 2,500 years.

Comparatively, it has been 3,000 years since the area was ruled by Palestinians, or the Philistines as they were known back then. In 1125BC the Israelites conquered the Canaanites. In 1050BC the Philistines conquered the Israelites and ruled until overthrown in 1000BC. While it has been 3,000 years since they ruled, the Palestinians have lived continuously in this area since at least then.

Zionists claim that prior to the establishment of Israel the people in that area had no culture and had not cared for the land. Are they saying that the richness of Islamic culture which is evident throughout Spain, the Middle East, Persia, Eastern Europe and Turkey, did not happen in Palestine? Are they saying that people who lived there for thousands of years did not care enough to grow crops and tend farm animals? Yet, the Palestinians managed to survive for all those thousands of years, did and do have a rich culture and did and do care for the land.
Zionism is a dangerous cult which has hijacked Judaism and Christianity. It is claimed to be of God in order to fulfil biblical prophecy, when it is of man in order to fulfil racist, genocidal policies and expand power and hegemony.

Zionists have a genuine belief that the next holocaust is just around the corner; that the whole world is conspiring to wipe Judaism from the planet. This is fundamentally flawed and inaccurate. The Holocaust was a major tragedy, as were the centuries of European pogroms against the Jews. However, those are no reason to perpetuate the pogroms through the ongoing slaughter and oppression of the Palestinians. It was not the Palestinians who waged these terrible atrocities on the Jews. The Middle East itself has been relatively peaceful with Muslims, Jews and Christians living harmoniously together compared to the violence of Europe in which many Jews found themselves persecuted. I have written in more detail on this in 'Liberty comes with hands dabbled in blood'.

To justify its paranoia, Israel claims that it has been attacked a number of times by its Arab neighbours. Yet, since 1948, there has only been one international attack on Israel; the fourth Arab-Israeli war (or Yom Kippur War) in 1973, in which Egypt and Syria attacked. Prior to that, Israel had initiated the attacks:

• On 30 November 1947, the day after the UN passed resolution 181, Jewish forces immediately attacked Palestinian villages, killing thousands and forcing hundreds of thousands from their homes. The first Arab-Israeli war in 1948 was in response to Israel's ongoing military aggression.
• The second Arab-Israeli war, in 1956, occurred when Israel attacked Egypt and occupied the Gaza Strip.
• In 1967 Egypt moved tanks into position along the border with Israel. The Knesset was briefed by its Generals who advised that Egypt's Army was at least a year away from being combat ready and that Israel's economy could not sustain a protracted war. The Generals recommended a preemptive strike by Israel. Some months later, the Knesset agreed and Israel attacked Egyptian forces, defeating them within 6 days. This was the third Arab-Israeli war, or the '6 day war'. Following this, Israel attacked Jordan and took control of the West Bank, which it continues to occupy to this day. ⁽¹⁾
• In 1982, Israel attacked southern Lebanon because of the PLO headquarters there, even though the PLO had been abiding by a cease-fire until Israel fired rockets at them. The invasion resulted in the deaths of thousands of Palestinian refugees.

Some argue that it is the Palestinians who do not want peace. Yet, the Palestinians are still willing to negotiate after having lost 78% of their land. Hamas has stated 'Hamas is open to permanent peace with Israel if there is total withdrawal to the 1967 borders, 22% of historic Palestine and if the arrangement is supported by referendum of all Palestinians living under occupation'. ⁽²⁾

Isaiah 41:10 tell us 'do not be afraid for I am your God', yet Israel lives in daily self-induced fear generated by its paranoia. The scriptures say to trust in God, but Israel is putting trust in itself, its military might and the billions of dollars provided by the United States. Any claim that Israel's military superiority is a blessing from God contradicts the scriptures, for instance, Hosea 1:7 which states 'Yet I will have mercy on the house of Judah, will save them by the Lord their God, and will not save them by bow, Nor by sword or battle, By horses or horse-men'.

Peace in the region can only be achieved when Israel stops the illegal occupation of Gaza and the West Bank, when it stops the illegal settlements and the brutality it unleashes on the Palestinians. Whether a one-state or two-state solution eventuates the only way to peace is for both Palestinians and Israelis to have the same rights as each other. The international community must hold Israel accountable by hearing allegations of war-crimes through the International Criminal Court.

A good start for peace, is for Israel to acknowledge its crimes, ask forgiveness, repent by removing the illegal settlements and tearing down the inhumane annexation barriers, return to the borders of 1967, or even 1948, and cease the violence by both the IDF and the settlers, opening the way for true love and peace with its neighbours.

Reference:

1. Miko Peled (2012), 'The General's Son - Journey of an Israeli in Palestine', Just World Books

2. Rogers Waters address to the United Nations on behalf of the Russell Tribunal.

     http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9DrSPFYXUfQ&feature=share

Owen Jones BBC Question Time

British columnist, Owen Jones, on BBC Question Time, exposing the truth behind Israel's attacks on Gaza.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=VO-22uJG9xk