Arabs
and Jews from the Middle East
Unite
Against the War
by Neve Gordon
Dissident Voice
February
13, 2003
Jerusalem:
About a week ago, ten Israelis from different grassroots organizations crossed the
Qalandia checkpoint and entered besieged Ramallah, a city located in ”Area A”
of the Palestinian territories and therefore legally out of bounds for Israeli
citizens.
They were
met by a number of representatives of civil society, including Raja Shechada
the founder of the human rights organization AL-Hak and Moustafa Barghouti, the
head of PNGO, the umbrella association of all Palestinian non-governmental
organizations.
The
purpose of the meeting was to explore new venues for cooperation following the
recent Israeli elections, in which the right wing parties won their greatest
victory in the State’s history -- they now control two-thirds of the seats in
the Knesset (parliament).
The
discussion rapidly turned to the war against Iraq and the effects such a war
would have on the Middle East, particularly on the Israeli-Palestinian
conflict.
The people
in the room remembered that during the Gulf War the international media
concentrated on Scud missiles falling on Tel-Aviv, while ignoring the suffering
of the occupied Palestinians. They recollected that in 1991 the Israeli
government imposed a 40-day curfew on all of the major cities, subjecting the
population to massive collective punishment. The Palestinian economy was in
much better shape then than it is today; this time around, with the majority of
Palestinians living off of less than $2 a-day, a pro-longed curfew will
undoubtedly lead to widespread hunger.
Those
present at the Ramallah meeting expressed their fear that the Sharon government
will take advantage of the international media concentration on the war to
perpetrate large-scale human rights violations. They specifically mentioned the
possibility of deportation of Palestinian leaders, and the uprooting and
internal expulsion of whole villages from one part of the West Bank to another
so as to render large areas within the occupied territories Palestinian free.
The objective of such a move would be to make these areas more susceptible to
Israeli annexation.
Along the
same lines, concern was raised about actions which might be taken by the Jewish
settlers. It is possible that settlers will also exploit the war to accelerate
the expropriation of Palestinian land and to ruin their fields. Their goal is
to destroy the Palestinian infrastructure of existence, a tactic employed in
order to “encourage” Palestinians to leave certain areas.
The
Israelis and Palestinians decided to draft a joint statement against the war,
which numerous organizations on both sides of the green line have already signed.
They then sent it to groups all over the world and asked that they read it
aloud during the international protests against war that will take place on
February 15.
The Arab
and Jewish residents of the Middle East wrote:
In spite
of the growing international opposition of millions of people all over the
world, it has become clear that the United States intends to lead a military
assault against Iraq, regardless of the expected number of civilian casualties
and suffering. Indeed, the imminent war will undoubtedly have catastrophic
effects on the people of Iraq, on the Middle East as a whole and on the West
Bank and Gaza Strip more specifically.
Peoples of
this region will pay the price of the war the price of death, destruction,
hatred and more war.
Based on
our experience from 1991, we also fear that massive repressive measures could
be launched against Palestinian civilians during this period. We urge all
peace-loving people in Israel to join forces in order to preempt such policies,
and call for international protection of the Palestinian people living under
Israeli occupation.
We,
Israeli and Palestinian members of civil society, are against this war, as it
is not about security or justice, but about power, hegemony, control, and
greed. We firmly believe that security as well as freedom for the peoples of
this region cannot be achieved through war, violence, and death.
We call
upon all people and organizations to raise their voices in opposing this war
and to work jointly towards the establishment of a just, comprehensive, and
durable peace in the region.
Together
we say: No to the War Against Iraq! Yes to a Life of Peace & Justice in the
Middle East! Yes to Ending Israeli Occupation!
The Bush
administration has decided to ignore the opposition mounting in the United
States, Europe, and Latin America. I doubt it will heed the cry of the people
from the Middle East -- those who will suffer most from this war.
Neve
Gordon teaches politics at Ben-Gurion University, and is a
contributor to The Other Israel: Voices of Refusal and Dissent (New
Press 2002). He can be reached at ngordon@bgumail.bgu.ac.il
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