SCN: Fw: [GushShalom] Something is moving (protest briefing & articles)

[emailer1]

Good update on the Palestinian - Israeli situation.

Send any messages of support for the war resistors to peacenow at actcom.co.il
----- Original Message -----
From: Gush Shalom <adam at gush-shalom.org>
Sent: Monday, February 18, 2002 11:36 AM
> GUSH SHALOM - pob 3322, Tel-Aviv 61033 - http://www.gush-shalom.org/
>
> [X] Introduction
> [1] Something is Moving, Uri Avnery - Ma'ariv Feb. 17
> [2] Update on support for refusal, Dorothy Naor - New Profile.
> [3] Briefing on the rally sent by Peace Now
> [4] Old-New Israeli Voice of Conscience,  Lev Grinberg - Ma'ariv Feb 18
>
> [X] Introduction
> Ongoing escalation, and wartime-style media reports are losing their
laming grip
> on the Israeli public. One and half year after the start of the latest
Palestinian
> uprising a growing number  of Israelis start expressing  their anger and
disgust
> at of the way of the Sharon government - the way of brute force. And the
> number is growing, the more that this way is seen to  be unworkable.
> That's why thousands of people spent two consecutive Saturday nights to
> demonstrating  in Tel-Aviv against continuing occupation and for
withdrawal to
> the '67 borders. Many of the 10,000 who came to the earlier,  Jewish-Arab
rally,
> attended also the one held a week later at the inititaive of  Peace Now -
in the
> same square, but  more densily-packed (there were some 15,000 - i.e.
probably
> half of them people who had not joined the week before).
> Peace Now's idea was to bring in the more moderate people, those who (so
they
> argued) don't identify with the refusers and are not willing to hear about
Israeli
> war crimes.  The surprise of the Peace Now rally (probably for the
organizers as
> well) was that one of their scheduled speakers - KM Roman Bronfman of the
> dovish Russian immigrant party "Democratic Choice", which is Peace Now's
> partner in the "Peace Coalition" - did appeal to the public to support the
refusers
> whom he called "the moving force of the growing anti-occupation
movement".
> The overwhelming ovation which he got for it showed that also many of the
> "more moderate tribe" are impressed and moved by the wave of  - as of
now -
> 255 first time refusers of military occupation duty.
> [The number is constantly updated on the www.seruv.org.il site and the
link
> with the number appears also on the Gush Shalom site.]
>
> For more details and background, we advice reading the following:
>
> [1] Something is Moving, by Uri Avnery
>
> [Written16.2.02, published in Ma'ariv (Hebrew version) 17.2.02]
>
> Something is Moving
>
> I once saw in a Western a Red Indian (or should I say a Native American?)
> putting his ear to the ground and hearing a train tens of miles away.
> In the course of the years I have tried to imitate that Indian. I try to
hear changes
> in the public mood long before they appear on the surface. Not to
prophesy, not
> to guess, just to hear.
> Now I perceive the approach of a great wave of opposition to the bloody
war
> against the Palestinians (nicknamed "Peace of the Settlements, following
the
> name given to the 1982 invasion of Lebanon, "Peace of Galilee"). The
revolt of
> the soldiers who refuse to serve in the occupied Palestinian territories
is an
> important symptom, one of many.
> We have seen in the past several such public upheavals, that start with
opaque
> noises and grow quickly into a public uproar. Such a wave rose during the
> Lavon affair in the fifties and led to the dismissal of Ben-Gurion. Such a
wave
> carried Moshe Dayan into the Defense Ministry on the eve of the 1967
Six-Day
> War (led by the women nicknamed "the Merry Women of Windsor"), and the
> next one, which swept him and Golda Meir away after the Yom Kippur war.
Such
> a wave got the IDF out of Beirut, and later out of South Lebanon (led by
the
> "Four Mothers" movement.)
> The mechanism can be compared to a transmission of spiked wheels. A small
> wheel with a strong, independent drive turns a bigger wheel, which in turn
> moves an even bigger wheel, and so on, until all the establishment changes
> course. This is how it happens in Israel, this is how it happens in all
democracies
> (see: Vietnam).
> It always starts with a small group of committed people. They raise their
feeble
> voice. The media ignore them, the politicians laugh at them ("a tiny,
marginal and
> vociferous group"), the respectable parties and the established old
> organizations crinkle their noses and distance themselves from their
"radical
> slogans".
> But slowly they start to have an impact. People leave the respectable
(meaning
> linked to the establishment) organizations and join the militant  groups.
This
> compels the leaders of the mainstream organizations to radicalize their
slogans
> and to join the wave. The message spreads throughout the parties.
Politicians
> who want to be reelected adopt the new slogans. "Important" journalists,
> serving as weathercocks, smell the change and adapt themselves in time to
the
> new winds.
> The famous anthropologist Margaret Mead said about this: "Never doubt that
a
> small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world.
Indeed, it's
> the only thing that ever has." And the German philosopher, Arthur
> Schopenhauer, said: "All truth passes through three stages. First, it is
ridiculed.
> Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as self-evident."
> Now it happens again. It is difficult to fix the exact moment when it
started.
> Perhaps after the demolition of some 50 homes in the Rafah refugee camp.
Or at
> the mass-meeting called by Gush Shalom in Tel-Aviv, when Colonel Yig'al
> Shochat, who had lost a leg in the Yom Kippur war, called upon his
comrades,
> the airforce pilots, to refuse to carry out  orders that are manifestly
illegal, such
> as bombing Palestinian towns, and when the philosopher Adi Ophir proposed
to
> open files on IDF officers who commit war crimes. Suddenly the public woke
up
> to the possibility that war crimes are being committed in its name. The
mental
> block was broken, a public debate about war crimes, and consequently about
the
> occupation itself, began.
> The announcement by 50 reserve officers and soldiers that they refuse to
serve
> in the occupied territories broke a dam. The number of refuseniks grew
quickly,
> the phenomenon shook the military-political establishment. For the first
time, the
> leaders of the establishment saw in their nightmares the possibility of a
big
> uprising of soldiers who say: This is where we get off, we will not go on.
When
> public opinion polls showed that nearly a third of the Israeli Jewish
public
> supports the refuseniks, the panic grew. At the same time, hundreds of
Israelis
> visited the besieged Yasser Arafat in Ramallah.
> Then came the big, joint demonstration of the militant peace movements
("The
> Occupation Kills All Of Us!") in Tel-Aviv's Museum Square. Organizations
that
> had got used during the last 16 months to demonstrations of a hundred, two
> hundred people saw before them ten thousand enthusiastic demonstrators,
who
> have left despair behind them and were demanding action.
> This demonstration had, of course, an impact on the "established left",
which is
> now compelled to confront the new mood of their own public.
> This is the beginning of a process. Nobody can know yet how powerful it
will
> become and how far it will go. But one thing is certain: something is
happening.
>
> [2] Update on support for refusal, Dorothy Naor - New Profile.
>
> ----------forwarded message follows-----------
> From:           Dorothy Naor <dor_naor at netvision.net.il>
>
> Update on Support for Refusing
> The past several days have seen influential sources expressing support for
the
> refusal to serve in the territories.  On Saturday evening, February 16, at
the
> demonstration organized by the Coalition for Peace, Knesseth member Roman
> Bronfman spoke before the crowd of about 15,000 in the Tel Aviv Museum
> Square.
> He declared his unmitigated support for the reservists' letter stating
their
> refusal to serve in the territories.
>
> On Sunday, February 17 support came from two additional influential
sources.
>
> Gideon Levy in Ha'aretz castigated those who acknowledge "that Israel is
doing
> terrible things but fiercely oppose the refusal to serve in the
territories for
> various reasons and call on soldiers not to carry out illegal orders,"
referring
> to "Members of the moderate Zionist left, from Ami Ayalon to MK Ran Cohen
> (Meretz), from the left of the Labor Party to Meretz."  These, Levy says,
belong
> neither to the Israeli majority who reject non-compliance with the draft,
nor to
> the minority who support it.  Rather, they belong to a third group, one
that is
> "attempting to have its cake and eat it too."
>
> "Those who support the third position have taken the easy way out - they
tell
> the soldiers don't kill small children, don't prevent women in labor from
going
> through checkpoints, don't beat up civilians for no reason, don't torment
the
> innocent. But at the same time, don't refuse to serve in the territories,
God
> forbid. Stand at the checkpoints and smile at the inhabitants whose lives
you
> are embittering. That way, you will be both obedient and moral soldiers.
Hand
> out candies to children after an operation, as battalion commander
Lieutenant
> Colonel Tal Hermoni told his soldiers after they arrested, killed,
destroyed and
> wreaked terror on Beit Hanun. Inadvertently, the battalion commander fully
> actualized this position of the left: Shoot and sweeten."
>
> Also on the 17th, Michael Ben Yair, legal advisor to Prime Ministers Rabin
and
> Peres, signed a petition supporting the Letter of the Reservists declaring
their
> refusal to serve in the territories.  With him, seven additional faculty
members
> of the law school at Tel Aviv University likewise signed.  Ben Yair
justified
> his stand yesterday (Feb. 17) on the radio and in the Ma'ariv newspaper.
>
> Today's Ma'ariv interviews him at greater length. He stresses the
legitimacy of
> conscientious objection in democratic societies, noting that today's
refusees
> might be tomorrow's majority, and reminding readers that Bill Clinton had
> refused to participate in the Vietnam war.   "Our refusees," he states,
"are
> restoring the moral back bone to the State of Israel."
>
> One additional encouraging sign is the popularity of our New Profile booth
at
> Saturday's demonstration. Most people that we spoke to either at the booth
or
> when wandering among the crowd distributing our fliers responded very
> favorably to our announcement that we support those who refuse to serve in
the
> military.
> The position we back has not yet gained major proportions, but is
apparently
> gaining in popularity.
>
> At this writing, an additional 200 reservists have added their names to
the
> original letter, bringing the number to 253.  May their numbers continue
to
> grow, and thus help hasten the end of the occupation.
>
> All the best, Dorothy
>
> PS [by Gush Shalom]: This evening, more than three hundred allend a
solidarity
> with the conscientious refusers taking place at Beit Ha'am Gallery in
south Tel-
> Aviv, with speakers, artistic performances and and an exhibition of
specially-
> donated paintings and sculptures by 52 artists. The Refusers' Solidarity
Forum
> which organized this event also printed a solidarity poster which is a
work of art
> in itself. For further info <matzpoon at yahoo.com> - or call Nir Nader 050-
> 7369867.
>
> [3] Briefing on the rally sent by Peace Now
> ------- Forwarded message follows -------
> From:           "Peace Now" <peacenow at actcom.co.il>
>
> February 16, 2002
>
> Over 15,000 activists participated in the march and rally organized by
Peace Now
> and the Peace Coalition in Tel-Aviv this evening, under the slogan "Get
Out of
> the Territories - Get Back to Ourselves." (see Reuters photo:
> www.peace-now.org/ReutersPhotoFeb16-2002.jpg).
>
> One of the highlights of the rally was the speech, in Hebrew, given by Dr.
> Sari Nusseibeh. "The path to peace is through the return of the refugees
to the
> State of Palestine and the return of the settlers to the State of Israel,"
> Nusseibeh said.
>
> As the march commenced, news arrived of the atrocious suicide bombing in
the
> West Bank. The aim of our protest movement is to struggle for a political
> solution that will break this terrible cycle of violence.While this
weekend's
> violent events will undoubtedly push the rally into the margins of the
media
> agenda, it is only the first in a long series of major street activities.
> Judging by the energy and atmosphere we felt on streets of Tel-Aviv this
> evening, it is just a matter of time before hundreds of thousands fill
Rabin
> square again.
>
> Peace Now and the Peace Coalition would like to thank the Coalition of
Women
> for Just Peace, Taayush and Gush Shalom for their outstanding support and
> cooperation.
>
> Further information:
> Press: Didi Remez will be out of the country over the next few days,
please
> contact Moria Shlomot at 972-54-322834. Activists: There is a lot of work
that
> needs to be done (office, weekend intersections, weeknight sign hanging,
> permanent vigils and organizing the next rally), get involved by
contacting Ori
> Ginat, 054-405157 or ori at peacenow.org.il
>
> [4]  Old-New Israeli Voice of Conscience,  Lev Grinberg Ma'ariv Feb 18
>
> An Old-New Israeli Voice: The Voice of Conscience
>
> By Lev Grinberg - Jerusalem*
>
> In recent weeks a new voice is rising, loud and clear. A voice previously
> marginal and repressed, a voice that now threatens to inundate the entire
> country with the hope of breaking out of the crisis. It is the voice of
conscience,
> which sees all human beings as equal, having the right to shelter, health,
> freedom and dignity, and above all, the right to life. The most salient
expression
> of the new voice are the soldiers that declared their objection to serve
the
> occupation, and the intensity of the reactions, be they negative or
positive, that
> they provoked. But this is only one expression of the new voice's power.
The
> new voice permeates reports from the Occupied Territories, and it has
begun to
> mobilize masses for action, in previously inconceivable scales, such as
the last
> two Saturdays' rallies.
> The voice of conscience is both personal and collective, hence its
strength. It is
> personal because each individual must be accountable for his actions. It
is
> collective because it manifests social responsibility and creates a common
> language through which we are able to communicate, talk about the reality
and
> connect with each other.
> The voice's intensity and growth potential stem from its clarity and
> unambiguousness. You cannot tell the voice of conscience that "we" want
> peace but "they" don't, because the daily abuse of the Palestinians and
the
> provocative exterminations are clear for all to see. You cannot distract
the voice
> of conscience by claiming that "Barak offered everything", because in
terms of
> conscience, this does not justify the war crimes committed by the Israeli
> occupation forces. And of course you cannot recruit soldiers with the
militaristic
> argument that "we must win this war", because the occupation is not a war
> forced upon us, and woe to us if we ever do win, and thus succeed to
maintain
> the occupation.
> The new voice's greatest power is its ancientness. There is no need to
invent it;
> it already exists in the individual consciousness, in the Jewish and
humanistic
> tradition. This is the voice of "Thou shall love thy neighbor as thyself"
and
> "What is hateful to you do not do unto your fellow man". These are the
values
> on which most Israelis were brought up, and this is the dormant voice now
> awakening. It is inside us, only until now it has been silenced by other
voices,
> which mobilize a nation to war and raise primal fears that mute the voice
of
> conscience. This old-new voice is powerful enough to tear down the
protective
> wall of blind militarism, of racism - that make distinctions between types
of blood
> according to their origin, and of fascism - that demands national unity.
> The voice of conscience and the Jewish moral code are capable of
establishing
> in Israel a different culture, a culture of tolerance and coexistence. The
voice of
> conscience can link Jews, Christians and Muslims brought up on the sacred
> principle that all human beings are created in God's image. The voice of
> conscience can provide an agreed-upon moral basis between Jews and Arabs
> according to the biblical, pre-democratic rule that "One law shall be for
you, and
> for the stranger that sojourns among you". If this voice grows stronger,
it can
> also provide the ethical basis required for rapprochement and resolution
of the
> conflict with the Palestinians, which is now conceived as intractable,
breeding a
> sense of despair and thoughts about leaving. The ancient Jewish voice of
> conscience is the voice of the new hope.
> Lev Grinberg is a peace activist and political sociologist, Director of
the
> Humphrey Institute for Social Research
>
> ----
> Did you know that every Friday afternoon at 2.30  Gush Shalom maintains a
vigil
> opposite Peres'   home in Ramat Aviv calling upon him to stop being an
> accomplice? Photo's and details on the website
>
>   NB: Full transcript of the war crimes panel available on the Gush site
>     For Hebrew   http://www.gush-shalom.org/archives/forum.html
>     For English  http://www.gush-shalom.org/archives/forum_eng.html
>
> Also on the site:
>     the weekly Gush Shalom ad - in Hebrew and English
>     the columns of Uri Avnery - in Hebrew, Arab and English
>     (and a lot more)
> http://www.gush-shalom.org
>
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