In 1835, Thomas Macaulay, a British colonial officer in India, decreed that “We must do our best to form a class who may be interpreters between us and the millions whom we govern, a class of persons Indian in blood and color, but English in taste, in opinions, words and intellect.” European colonial powers often used political outsourcing through a network of native collaborators as a convenient way to subjugate the masses. These collaborators would tame the colonized on behalf of their masters who became sheltered in this way from popular uprisings. However, this process was not always predictable. In 1857, the sepoys, Indian soldiers allied to British rule, revolted against their colonial masters. Britain’s response was fierce. Over 100,000 sepoys and hundreds of thousands of civilians were killed in cold blood. This became known as India’s first struggle for independence; which was finally realized in 1947.
A year later, European settler colonialists established the state of Israel through a pre-mediated campaign of ethnic cleansing of the indigenous Palestinian population. Despite divisions amongst Arab governments and self-interested manipulation of the Palestinian plight, the response was that of opposition and generally in line with the feelings of the Arab masses. As a result, western governments have sought for decades to bully those governments into submission by forcing them to accept the premise of an inherently racist Jewish state in their midst.
As Israel massacres the Palestinians in Gaza once again, one may ask what has happened to this Arab voice. It is no surprise that the world’s super powers condone Israel’s genocidal acts in Gaza. Colonization, slavery, apartheid, genocide and ethnic cleansing have been constants in western colonialist adventures. What has now reached new levels is the open, vocal and active support of Arab governments to the massacre of the Palestinian people. As the Indian sepoys once did, new collaborators have joined the chorus of voices condoning the carnage.
The Rafah border between Gaza and Egypt is a case in point, symbolizing this painful new reality. Hosni Mubarak’s government in Egypt and the unelected Palestinian Authority in Ramallah have actively colluded with Israel, first to unsuccessfully overthrow Hamas from Gaza through force and then to choke the Palestinians in Gaza by denying them basics such as food, clean water, medical treatment and a decent education. While this “holocaust in the making” was occurring, as the UN Special Rapporteur Richard Falk fittingly described it, PA President Mahmoud Abbas and his cronies were collaborating with Israel to deploy forces across the West Bank cities to suppress resistance to the occupation. As US general Keith Dayton put it, these forces were taught that they “are not here to learn how to fight against the Israeli occupation,” but instead to fight “the lawless elements within Palestinian society.”
Not surprisingly, Abbas blamed Hamas for the ongoing bloodshed, claiming that they have refused to renew the truce. The best he could come out with, in the face of growing popular discontent, was a “threat” to discontinue negotiations (read, collaboration) with Israel. Hamas has in fact shown willingness to extend the truce but under the condition of ending the illegal siege. This is tantamount to requesting basic human rights for Palestinians, something Abbas never conditioned in his dealings with Israel.
Israel’s other ally, Egypt, has accused Hamas of barring the wounded from escaping Israel’s attack, conveniently ignoring their own long-term refusal to allow any Palestinians to cross in and out of Rafah. According to the London-based daily al-Quds al-Arabi, the Egyptian Intelligence Minister Omar Suleiman deceived Hamas into believing that Israel would not launch an attack on the Gaza Strip while sending their forces to seal the border in preparation for an Israeli attack. Egyptian forces later opened fire against Palestinians wanting to escape the carnage.
This form of hypocrisy found expression all over the Arab world. In the United Arab Emirates for instance, protests in solidarity with the Palestinians were banned or tightly controlled. The Arab League with its usual incompetence has been remarkably slow in reacting, first delaying their meeting for days and then issuing an insignificant declaration for all parties to cease violence offering no solution to the desperate plight of the Palestinians under siege.
But a more important question is how the Arab masses and people of conscience around the world have reacted. What are their real democratic wishes? If the Arab governments surpassed their own low standards in usurping Palestinian rights, the Arab masses have conversely renewed their determination to reject foreign domination, for every time they are stripped off their dignity; their spirit of resistance to oppression is revitalized. Across the Arab world, there has been a renewed sense of revulsion and determination to stand in solidarity with the Palestinians, uniting their causes with the occupied Iraqis and others suffering under oppressive regimes sponsored by the West.
In a very sober address to the Egyptian people, Secretary General of Hizballah Hassan Nasrallah, stated: “Let the Egyptian people take to the streets in their millions. Can the Egyptian police arrest millions of Egyptians? No!” These words sum up why today, Hamas and Hizballah, have gained more respect and legitimacy in the Arab popular opinion than any of the corrupt Arab regimes. The resistance organizations represent the aspirations of the ordinary people, who want their rights and freedom reinstated, not because they support terrorism or are subhuman, as much of the western media portrays them to be. Israel and its allies are sowing the seeds of more radicalism and greater instability in the Middle East. While powerlessly watching the massacres in Gaza, one cannot discern whether this instability is a means or an end in itself. As for the corrupt Arab regimes, they are left with two choices: either they listen to their citizens or they will have to face continuous revolt by the people. The pages of history have taught us that oppression never existed without provoking revolt for liberation and rights.
Abbas and his minions can learn much from the sepoy mutiny in India and the Ghandian nonviolent struggle for liberation that ensued. Since the Oslo Accords were signed in 1993, the 15 years of collaboration with Israel has yielded more settlements, thousands of house demolitions, kidnappings and massacres — the truth is that the leaders have nothing to show to the people in return. The time has come for the Palestinian factions to unite behind the popular masses, for active and passive legitimization of Israel’s actions to stop and for a return to basics. Resistance to Israel’s occupation can most effectively be done through a nonviolent struggle calling for equal rights to that of their Israeli occupiers under one secular state. It is time that we extend the basic premise the West has insisted upon for themselves: that freedom is non-negotiable.
Ziyaad Lunat is an honorary life member of the London School of Economics (LSE) and an activist for Palestine.
Israel is believed to be using controversial white phosphorus shells to screen its assault on the heavily populated Gaza Strip yesterday. The weapon, used by British and US forces in Iraq, can cause horrific burns but is not illegal if used as a smokescreen.
As the Israeli army stormed to the edges of Gaza City and the Palestinian death toll topped 500, the tell-tale shells could be seen spreading tentacles of thick white smoke to cover the troops’ advance. “These explosions are fantastic looking, and produce a great deal of smoke that blinds the enemy so that our forces can move in,” said one Israeli security expert. Burning blobs of phosphorus would cause severe injuries to anyone caught beneath them and force would-be snipers or operators of remote-controlled booby traps to take cover. Israel admitted using white phosphorus during its 2006 war with Lebanon.
The use of the weapon in the Gaza Strip, one of the world’s mostly densely population areas, is likely to ignite yet more controversy over Israel’s offensive, in which more than 2,300 Palestinians have been wounded.
The Geneva Treaty of 1980 stipulates that white phosphorus should not be used as a weapon of war in civilian areas, but there is no blanket ban under international law on its use as a smokescreen or for illumination. However, Charles Heyman, a military expert and former major in the British Army, said: “If white phosphorus was deliberately fired at a crowd of people someone would end up in The Hague. White phosphorus is also a terror weapon. The descending blobs of phosphorus will burn when in contact with skin.”
The Israeli military last night denied using phosphorus, but refused to say what had been deployed. “Israel uses munitions that are allowed for under international law,” said Captain Ishai David, spokesman for the Israel Defence Forces. “We are pressing ahead with the second stage of operations, entering troops in the Gaza Strip to seize areas from which rockets are being launched into Israel.”
The civilian toll in the first 24 hours of the ground offensive — launched after a week of bombardment from air, land and sea— was at least 64 dead. Among those killed were five members of a family who died when an Israeli tank shell hit their car and a paramedic who died when a tank blasted his ambulance. Doctors at Gaza City’s main hospital said many women and children were among the dead and wounded.
The Israeli army also suffered its first fatality of the offensive when one of its soldiers was killed by mortar fire. More than 30 soldiers were wounded by mortars, mines and sniper fire.
Israel has brushed aside calls for a ceasefire to allow humanitarian aid into the besieged territory, where medical supplies are running short.
With increasingly angry anti-Israeli protests spreading around the world, Gordon Brown described the violence in Gaza as “a dangerous moment”.
White phosphorus: the smoke-screen chemical that can burn to the bone
— White phosphorus bursts into a deep-yellow flame when it is exposed to oxygen, producing a thick white smoke
— It is used as a smokescreen or for incendiary devices, but can also be deployed as an anti-personnel flame compound capable of causing potentially fatal burns
— Phosphorus burns are almost always second or third-degree because the particles do not stop burning on contact with skin until they have entirely disappeared — it is not unknown for them to reach the bone
— Geneva conventions ban the use of phosphorus as an offensive weapon against civilians, but its use as a smokescreen is not prohibited by international law
— Israel previously used white phosphorus during its war with Lebanon in 2006
— It has been used frequently by British and US forces in recent wars, notably during the invasion of Iraq in 2003. Its use was criticised widely
— White phosphorus has the slang name “Willy Pete”, which dates from the First World War. It was commonly used in the Vietnam era
Source: Times archives
ADDAMEER PRESS RELEASE: 06/01/2009
JERUSALEM BASED TV JOURNALISTS ARRESTED FOR ‘INFRINGING NEW LEGAL MEASURES’ TO RESTRICT REPORTING OF ISRAEL’S LATEST OPERATION
International TV journalist, Khader Shahin was arrested in Jerusalem Tuesday, allegedly for infringing new legal measures to restrict reporting of Israel’s latest onslaught on Gaza. Shahin is a 33 year old Palestinian living in Jerusalem, working as a correspondent for Al Alam TV. He is now being investigated for spreading “state secrets.”
On Monday, the 5th of January 2009, Khader states that he had been receiving anonymous phone calls from different numbers claiming that he was ‘wanted’. Later that evening a reporter from the Israeli TV Channel 2 also reported that there was a warrant out for Khader’s arrest. Until that time Khader had heard no confirmation from the Israeli police stating that he was ‘wanted’. Khader immediately contacted his lawyer, Mohammad Dahli who in turn contacted the Israeli police. He was informed that Khader must immediately present himself to the police.
On Tuesday, Khader was taken to the police unit of the international interrogation section of Petah Tikvah detention center where he is still being detained. In addition to Khader, the Israeli authorities have arrested the producer of Al Alam TV, Mohammad Sarhan. Mohammad is a 27 year old Jerusalemite who is currently studying law in Ramat Gan College. The TV crew’s cameraman, Ahmad Jalajal was released yesterday at midnight.
Khader and Mohammad are due to appear before the court today in order that their detention is extended. They have been accused of reporting on Israel’s ground assault before the Israeli military spokesman had released the news. As a result, Mohammad and Khader have both been charged with ‘breaching the media code of ethics’.
Addameer demands the immediate release of Khader and Mohammad. In relation to this we wish to express our concern that Israel’s attempt to close Gaza to the international media and human rights monitors indicates that its army is seeking to operate without oversight or accountability. According to Article 19 of the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights, everyone has “the right to freedom of opinion and expression” and also the right to “seek, receive and impart” information and ideas “regardless of frontiers.” This has been re-affirmed by several charters and declarations around the world most notably Article 79 of the first Additional Protocol of 1977 which states that journalists are entitled to the same protection as civilians and may not be deliberately targeted. Addameer thus urges the local and international community to demand that Israel abide by international law and release Khaled and Mohammad immediately.
We marched in our thousands in the hope of sending a message: ‘Stop the bombing, stop the crime, Israel out of Palestine!’ We marched in the hope that we would be heard: ‘Baghdad, Beiruit, West Bank Gaza!’ We marched in the hope that we can challenge, that we can express our solidarity, that we can contribute our defiance to that of the people of Gaza: ‘Globalise the intifada!’
0ver 50,000 people marched in London with protests in 18 other cities across the country. We were not alone, all over the world, from Berlin to Jakarta, people took to the streets in protests called within days of the atrocities committed by the Israeli war machine. Images of the civilian population of Gaza reeling under the weight of hi tech munitions, continuing embargoes, and slanderous attacks on their defiance have touched millions across the globe. It is a situation all too familiar, a seemingly never ending cycle of violence and oppression. We march, we protest, we write, we resist, we donate, we lobby, we cry, we shout, we fight; but why?
Our motivations are as endless as the capacity of the oppressors to destroy, but our objective is one and noble: justice! Justice for the Palestinians whose lands are being robbed, uprooted and scarred by the concrete of the apartheid wall; Justice for the refugees ethnically cleansed from their villages in 1948; Justice for the thousands of political prisoners illegally incarcerated; justice for the farmers whose olive trees have been up rooted; Justice for the families whose Sons, Daughters, Fathers, Mothers, Grandparents, Aunts and Uncles have been killed; Justice; only when the wrongs committed against the people of Palestine have been put right will there be peace, real peace, peace based on the virtues of freedom and the reconciliation of justice: ‘No Justice, No Peace!’.
Incredibly, the quest for justice is met by by the people who run our world, but perhaps this is not surprising given the fact that they form a class of self-interested elites intent on creating ‘stability’ and the wonderful concept of ‘peace’. A nice peace, all white with lots of beautiful doves, where everywhere there are people being nice to each other and we get along and do business, make money, meet on the weekend, have fun etc etc, e after t after c…. They inhabit a world of shuttle diplomacy, of peace talks, calls for a ceasefire, making resolutions, smiling at the cameras, laughing, eating, drinking, shaking hands, all in a day’s work…of making peace…whilst a people continue to perish.
And yet they will never have to endure watching their mother or father slowly die, painfully, from cancer without access to medication because of an embargo; they will never witness their child’s school bombed and burned by radioactive munitions; they will never experience the pain of losing a loved one every other day from shells, bombs or missiles. No, they’re worlds apart and it is these people, the self named international community, with they’re aptly named peace envoy, we are told to have faith in, to help the people of Palestine.
For this reason the people of the world have taken to their streets … ‘whose streets our streets’… to exercise their power … ‘POOWWEEER!, poowweerr! Power to the people, coz the people have the power’… to say to our rulers, this world is ours … ‘WHOSE WORLD? OUR WORLD!’… In our world, humans should be equal and since Palestinians are humans too, they are not expendable electoral assets to be used for the careers of opportunistic Israeli politicians. There is however hope, because, no matter how formidable the oppressor, no matter how high they build their walls at the end of the day, those ‘walls are made of bricks, and bricks, they can be broken,’ history illustrates that the oppressed can win. And it is to history we seek inspiration for our struggle, for it was not long ago when the fight against Apartheid in South Africa, was aided by those on the outside who waged a vigorous and heroic campaign of direct action and boycotted South African goods. We can do the same and Israel knows this, which is why its supporters have stopped at nothing to sabotage past attempts at a significant boycott. But in these past few days, in which Palestinians have had to endure horror after horror, everything has changed.
It is in knowing and being inspired by the courage and heroism of the Palestinian people in their moment of defiance, that we in Britain will be willing to defy the police and March on the Israeli embassy, this is why there will be more vigils outside the BBC in Manchester and protests across the country, this is why we will raise the boycott, this is why we will build the Palestine campaign with renewed vigour, this is why there will be even more people going to London next Saturday (the 10th of January); this is why when we March on that embassy, we will declare, ‘we are all Palestinians and we demand JUSTICE!’