I'm not sure where to start; I'm shocked, I'm horrified, I'm worried for my friends and for the many more I don't know. That said, I am also not surprised; the recent events involving the Gaza Freedom Flotilla have been very familiar for Palestinians and those standing in solidarity with them. Let's continue this discussion below...
So, as much as would have liked to be blogging day and night on the massacre for the past few days, an ill-timed move prevented me from doing so. Lame excuse, well, probably, but then again, you've never met my now ex-flatmate.
But I'm not worried; there have been some excellent diaries and discussions on the subject, and if I may be so bold, it seems that the Dkos community has come down pretty decisively; the murderous attack in international waters on a civilian aid convoy is absolutely revolting. And to up the ante, Israel still has the gall to insist that it is the victim; I mean, these poor soldiers, with only the most advanced weaponry to 'defend' themselves with, what were they to do? (massive snark).
So in this diary, I'll try not to retread the ground covered so far. That said, I will run down some recent video and links at the end, as well as an exchange I had on FB regarding the massacre, but what I really want to do is relate the event to a a few hours I spent at a checkpoint in Hebron. People have been trying to understand the massacre and the reasoning behind it; I mean, it seems kind of a no-brainer that attacking an international civilian aid convoy with brutal, deadly force would be a poor PR choice, at the very least (most violations of international law & war-crimes would be, no?). But Israel did it anyway, so we must ask why? What is the point of it?
It was a day in the early winter, during my last visit to Palestine. I had been spending time, among other places, in Hebron, particularly in the Tel Rumeida neighborhood (that's the Hebrew name for it, could someone tell me the Arabic name?). We would accompany Palestinian children to school, as they would pass in front of one of the settlements there, and often face harassment and violence from the settlers. We would also monitor the street, Shuhaada street, as it is often a scene of settler violence and domination of Palestinians.
One day, as I was trying to pass through the checkpoint that leads out to the Baba Zawya (sp) area of Hebron, I ended up dealing with a soldier that just seemed like he wanted to make my day difficult. In our discussion, he asked to see my passport, of course, and at some point I made the mistake of revealing my Jewish background.
Mistake you ask? how could that be a mistake?
Well, you see, this gave him an opportunity; he then declared that he could not let me out to the Palestinian part of Hebron, as I could be kidnapped, and the IDF would not want to take the risk to rescue me. I found it to be a ridiculous idea of course, as I had been traveling through and living in the West Bank for over a month at this point, and had not had a single problem. Palestinians had been, if anything, remarkably gracious, and welcoming. And with Israelis a part of demos in the villages, it seemed truly odd reasoning.
But, this was his way of controlling me; of limiting my movement, of exerting his petty power over my life. And the more I protested, the more he seemed to enjoy it. He called into his commander, they called someone else, I'm sure the DCO got involved, but in the end, they backed up his call. I stood there, fuming and in disbelief, but it got worse; the soldier, who some say grew up in one of the Hebron settlements, then said to me the following words. Yes, you guessed it!
"I'm going to treat you like I treat them."
Of course, he did not do to me even a fraction of what is done to Palestinians; I was not put in a stress position, forced to undress, made to wait for hours, had my eye shot out, arrested, and so on. Yes, I was inconvenienced and made to feel slightly humiliated, and he did try to have me arrested. You see, he was regular army, not civilian police or border police; he would need one of them to arrest me. So he did what he could, he detained me, called for the police, and then, I imagine, asked them to arrest me.
But, I lucked out; the police man got out of his van, and he looked like he had just had a really good nap. He had no interest in arresting anyone; I imagine he was going right back to snoozing as soon as he could. So, I took his advice, which was 'just go away,' or something like that. I left the checkpoint, with the cop getting his pillow ready for another snore-fest and the soldier looking really pissed; I had gotten away dammit! So, as I walked away, he shouted "and when you come back, I WILL get you arrested!" So, I stayed out of Hebron for a bit, until his unit rotated out.
So, why this story, why now? Well, I'm sure it isn't too much of a mystery. What he said to me, "I'm going to treat you like I treat them," that says it all, for that small interaction we had, and for the mass-murder Israel has committed on the high seas, for all the world to see. Israel, due to it's settler-colonial orientation, must at certain times expel Palestinians, in order to establish and maintain its 'Jewish character,' but that is not enough (1948, 67, etc). Due to this, it must also control and dominate Palestinians in its grasp, both in Israel and the territories.
Anyone that seeks to disrupt this master-slave relationship, anyone who refuses to stand idle and silent while these crimes are being committed, well, this is what they face. In one case, a lone soldier or now a commando army squad on the high seas; they will make sure, to some degree, that 'you' are treated like 'them.'
The international community has seen now, for themselves and with perfect clarity, just what kind of cruelty the Israeli government is willing to inflict on those that would help the Palestinians (It has also seen some of the worst Israeli propaganda and lies, maybe even the worst of all time).
And, I tell you, this will not end here, not this time.
So, now, I wait and march, chant, and email, call and hope for all the hundreds of activists and millions of Palestinians under the domination of Israel. I have learned that most of the people from the bay area are alright, but one good friend (and fellow Kossack) is in very bad shape;
El Cerrito man beaten in assault on Gaza aid flotilla
A 64-year old El Cerrito resident who sailed with a group taking supplies to the Gaza Strip was badly beaten during the Israeli commando assault, a family friend said Tuesday.
The report came from Lindsay Bagette, who said she was speaking on behalf of Paul Larudee's wife, Betty.
Larudee was beaten because he refused to comply with a commando's orders, the Israeli Consulate General told Betty Larudee on Tuesday afternoon, Bagette said.
The report could not be independently confirmed.
Paul Larudee is a linguistics scholar and piano tuner who has worked at Saint Mary's College and an in Lebanon and Saudi Arabia
here's some more background on his condition;
He was the on the Greek boat and was badly beaten. He's an insulin dependent diabetic and I understand that he's being held in solitary and the Israelis have refused to provide medical care. His Congressman is working with the US Consulate to try to get medical care for him. His situation is very serious, in fact, it should be considered life-threatening.
He is alive and seriously beaten. He silently refused to follow israeli orders so they beat him. Now he's being held in prison. He's in the same room with the capatain of the boat. The have no windows, no telephone, nothing. He refused treatment by Israeli doctors, and only let the ship doctor give him asprin.
Here's a rundown of some videos, more later as I sift through the emails and plans coming down the pike;
Flotilla Activist Shares Her Account Of Deadly Raid
Details are still emerging about what happened Monday when a flotilla carrying aid to the Gaza Strip was raided by Israeli forces. Huwaida Arraf, an activist who was on one of those ships, talks to Robert Siegel. Arraf is with the Free Gaza Movement, which organized the flotilla.
"We tried to use our bodies to keep them off, urging them, telling them, we're on an American flagship, we carry no weapons, we are unarmed, don't use violence. But one girl ended up with a bloody face. They smashed my head against the ground, then tied me up and put a mask over my head. (technical difficulties) and took it to the Israeli port of Ashdod."
I'll part with something I wrote on Facebook. I was asked some hypothetical questions by a friend, something along the lines of what I would think if the boat had weapons and if the passengers had attacked the Israelis; would it be self defense in such a scenario? There was a bit more, but I think my reply says it all:
I'm not sure what to say or where to start, as this subject deserves more than a back and forth on fb; but let me first say that I am not surprised by the way you feel. I used to think and believe may of the same things that you are saying; but over the years, due to quite a bit of research, reading, listening to people, and witnessing ... See Morethings on the ground in Palestine, my mind and outlook changed. I know this may not mean much to you right now, but I do offer for you to expand on this discussion, and not leave it to simply trading platitudes and slogans. It is simply too important for that.
Now, on to what you have written; I asked if you were serious due to your statement. You presented two hypothetical situations, an alternate reality if you will, instead of discussing what actually happened; Israel attacked a civilian aid convoy in international waters with overwhelming and sickening military force. Even for Israel, which uses white phosphorous on civilians, carpets south Lebanon with cluster bombs, and demolishes Palestinian homes, this is just astounding in its horrific violence and utter disdain for world opinion. I honestly could care less about the 'what if' situations that you are trying to bring up; what is at hand is the issue, and it must be faced up to. Israel has proven to the world that it remains the brutal occupier of Gaza (and the WB of course), and any attempt to circumvent this control will result in what an Israeli soldier once said to me; "we will treat you like we treat them."
Next, we go from this world of 'what if's' to discussions of Israel's right to exist. This we can go into with more detail later, but suffice it to say that no state has the right to exist; they either do or they don't. But just as South Africa still exists but not as an apartheid state, Israel must overcome its own exclusive Jewish identity if it wants peace. And I say this not in regards to the occupation, but to the 1 million Palestinian citizens of Israel that demand to be treated equally, and should be.
Finally, you really need to rethink your invoking of the 'gandhi way,' as it reveals that you have very little knowledge of the Palestinian nonviolent movement. There has been such resistance since the 1930's, and it continues today; I know, I have participated in it and am proud to say and do so. I gave you a film when we last met, all about the village of Bi'lin and their resistance, have you seen it yet? If not, I can send you another, and I'd be happy to share any other information, films and books that you may be interested in. Read Ilan Pappe, Avi Shliam, Eitan Bronstein, shlomo sand, Gershon Shafir, and many other Israeli Jewish academics, and you will truly be amazed.