as black and white as it gets

There is an organization called Nefesh B'Nefesh, that, according to Wikipedia is

"an organization that encourages immigration by Jewish people to Israel from North America and the United Kingdom. The organization was founded in 2002 by Rabbi Yehoshua Fass and Tony Gelbart, and works in cooperation with the Jewish Agency for Israel and the Israeli government."

This makes sense because it is a goal of Israel to bring in as many Jews to become citizens as possible in order to keep a Jewish majority for the Jewish state.

The problem is that at the same time (and for the last 43 years), Israel has also had a program to populate Palestinian land, not just Israel, with Jews. There couldn't be any greater contrast between the winners in this and the losers, hence the title of this post.

For Israel, it would be perfectly acceptable for a former American, say, to move to Israel and then to a settlement...a settlement that, from the arrival of the first bulldozer, evicted Palestinians who lived on that land, a settlement that is not part of Israel.

Let's take a look at some pictures.

Here is a happy group sponsored by Nefesh B'Nefesh, from their website, just arrived on a chartered El Al flight. The caption says they plan to join the IDF (the Israeli army). It looks like a very happy bunch. They haven't lived in Israel yet but they are welcome to do so.



Such happiness is not misplaced. Peruse the Nefesh B'Nefesh website and you will get the feel of a very well funded organization. Look at the many services they offer to young and old. Happiness jumps from the screen.

Now let's take a look at some Palestinians in the occupied territories. They don't look happy or prosperous. Here are women and children waiting at an Israeli checkpoint (Shu'afat) in East Jerusalem. They are not welcome, though they live there. Actually, they are welcome to leave. (B'Tselem photo)


Here's another Nefesh B'Nefesh group arriving and joyful. Notice the elderly woman near the middle holding the flag of Israel.


Now look at an elderly Palestinian, just refused entry to Jerusalem by IDF troops. He is welcome to walk back to wherever he came from...and keep walking out of his land as well. If he chooses not to, a future eviction from his home for settlement expansion might help him along. No Palestinian knows what the next day will bring. (B'Tselem photo)


I could provide dozens of similar comparisons but I think you get the idea. Foreigners are brought in to live and to help (if they join the IDF as Israeli citizens are expected to do) evict natives from their own land.

Remember:

• Israel controls all access to the occupied territories and Gaza
  
• Israel does not allow any Palestinian immigration (coming in)
  
• Israeli citizens have full civil rights, even in settlements outside Israel
  
• Palestinians have Israeli military justice wherever they live (except a token number of Palestinian Israelis)
  
• Israeli citizens may travel freely on modern roads
  
• Palestinians must stop at checkpoints and use assigned roads, un-improved, often dirt.
  
• Israelis are encouraged with incentives by the government to move to settlements on Palestinian land
  
• Palestinians may not enter settlements, though they are built on Palestinian land.

This is only a short list, there is much much more that makes Palestinians not just second-class citizens but no citizens at all - on their own, rapidly shrinking, land.

Keep in mind, this doesn't appear to trouble the newcomers in the least. Many of them are Americans and I wonder if they know even the little about the Palestinian plight that I have just told you. Try entering "Palestinian" in the search box of the Nefesh B'Nefesh website. It returns nothing.

You, as an American, are supporting outrageous injustice. If you are reading my posts, you should be getting the gist of how truly awful this situation is, a terrible stain on the reputation of the United States that is blatant to the world.

We say we are sorry about the Indians.
We say we are sorry about the Japanese-American internment.
We say we are sorry about our terrible record regarding African-Americans

But we finance Israel, arm it, and do nothing to stop the settlement project!

I want nothing to do with it, but our government has decided to ignore the many like me who want change now and panders to the Israel lobby. If you think Nefesh B'Nefesh looks well funded, imagine the kind of money going to Congress.

Will you join me, us, in the drive for change?

Avatar - the Palestinian version

A sure way to make a movie that will sell tickets is to appeal to the sense of justice.

Think of movies that you've seen that open with a scene of innocence - it might be of a happy family, someone going about their daily routine with a sense of normality, that is suddenly torn apart by some awful act.

The rest of the movie is predictable. The injured party, the one who has lost a loved one or been terribly wronged, goes after the perpetrator. Not seldom the perpetrator is at the top of some conspiracy - a government official, or high ranking member of the military or some huge corporation.

This is standard Hollywood fare. It sells because it taps the strong sense for righting wrong that is deep within every human being. Vicariously, each movie-goer gets the satisfaction of having this feeling aroused and then, often violently, put to rest.

So it is with Avatar. The difference is cosmetic. The Na'vi are on another planet, the bad guys are human, but the plot line is the same.

Now consider a movie about the Palestinians. There they are in Palestine, tending their flocks, sharing the land in peace with a minority of Jews. Outsiders arrive from Europe and start buying land, occupying territory. Move forward a few years and the Europeans and the Palestinians are fighting sporadically. A few years more and the Europeans have a state.

Ok, now remember this is a movie about the Palestinians, so we've arrived at the scene where the outrage takes place. Instead of the tree being brought down as in Avatar, the land is lost, but in both cases the good guys are evicted from their home.

The rest is ongoing history. Unlike the Na'vi, the Palestinians don't have exotic animals as allies that can win the day. Instead, money and weapons pour in on the side of their adversaries, the Israelis. Far from seeing justice done in the return of their land, the Palestinians are driven back, and back, and back even more.

Now you can see the Palestinian perspective.

The outrage, as they see it, is that they are being asked to endorse the act of horror, their loss of land. This is exactly the opposite of the satisfying movie plot line and counter to the in-built rejection of injustice that every human being possesses.

Things are so topsy-turvy that the ones who have suffered the losses must humiliate themselves and declare to the world that the wrong that was done to them is right. This is the problem with demanding a statement from Palestinians that Israel has a right to exist.

Can't you just see the characters in a movie swearing never to do this and movie-goers having a deep feeling of empathy?

Americans have since 1948 seen the Palestinians twisting and turning in their agony and trying every possible means of violent resistance, just as the protagonists in Avatar do. But, unlike Avatar, Americans are asked to condemn the Palestinians as violent monsters incapable of reason, scornful of peace with peace-loving Israel.

In short, America has sided entirely with those who took the land instead of the dispossessed! America has acted as supplier, armorer, and bank for the party that committed the crime of throwing the innocent party out.

At the moment we have the incredible scene of the oppressing party continuing to take more land and a superpower with the ability to stop it doing nothing.

The story of the Palestinians is a reversal of the plot of Avatar. Is it any wonder that the rest of the world looks at what the U.S. does with astonishment? Is it any wonder that rockets are fired into Israel from Gaza? Is it any wonder that there is a continual confrontation between IDF troops and Palestinian stone-throwers?

Americans thrilled at the resistance of the Na'vi in Avatar as they threw out the human beings who attacked and destroyed their tree-home. But the Palestinians, whose homes not only were taken but still are being taken 62 years on, are no-good, bloodthirsty terrorists who should submit to peace plans dictated by their oppressor.

Do you see the hypocrisy and how Palestinians could be consumed with rage?

hey Americans, read this

One of the things I stress on this blog is the dissimilarity of America and Israel. This is part of my goal in persuading Americans that our country and Israel are not identical twins with identical goals but two countries as distinct as any other international pair. It is extremely dangerous to the interests of America to say that there is no "daylight" between the U.S. and any other country in the world, including Israel.

It's necessary to stress this because the Israel lobby would love to convince Americans that the two countries have quite similar foundations and national life, making it easy for Israel to relieve us of billions of dollars every year.

It's a false pairing. America is an all-inclusive state that accepts citizens regardless of their ethnic background. Freedom and justice for all is only true in Israel for Jews who qualify for citizenship, not all Jews who think of themselves as Jews.

To become Israeli, you must be a Jew in the strict definition of the term as decided by Jewish clerics. Those who practice a strict version of Judaism are given authority to pronounce on personal life in the state of Israel that we would never accept in America, where state and religion are kept separate by law. These orthodox Jews are exempt from military service as well, no small thing in a militaristic country.

If you are an avid reader, as I am, the next time you are in a bookstore look for a copy of Israeli Professor Shlomo Sand's book, The Invention of the Jewish People. Get a cup of coffee, have a seat and read the first 14 pages of the book - the introduction. In the few minutes during which your coffee will not have time to cool, you will see the contradictions involved in Israel's policy on citizenship drawn from personal experience. It's a shameful policy that would delight segregationists in American or South African history.

If you get the chance to do the reading, keep it in mind the next time you hear an American politician proclaiming how the U.S. and Israel are virtually joined at the hip as societies.

clearing the forest with glasses on

Follow me on a flight of fancy and see if you don't think it has a connection to reality.

You and I have eyes that work the same way. But do we see things the same?

I like to think of the way a mind views the world as equivalent to what happens when putting on a pair of glasses.

I'm sure you've heard the phrase "looking through rose-colored glasses" as a way to indicate the way someone looks at things differently. That's right on the mark! The way glasses affect what is seen comes from their design. Each of us, as we grow up, unconsciously puts on a pair of figurative glasses, most often with a prescription, a design, that provides a view that's quite similar to that of our parents.

Everybody wears such glasses and past generations did too.

The colonies that would become the United States were founded by folks wearing European Christian glasses. Wearing them, they were certain that the words of the Bible were a basis for moral behavior. Didn't the Bible say that the earth was given to Man to do with as he wished?

So they acted accordingly, chopping down forests, damming streams, plowing fields. In doing so, they also cleared the land of wildlife and those who had been living there, the Indians. With their glasses firmly on, they saw the wildlife as no problem - trees were just things in the way and animals were mere brutes. The Indians (Native-Americans) were a bit more tricky to deal with but, being viewed as savages, they were with some difficulty put out of the way. Soon after, glasses with an updated lens prescription started to be worn. They gave a crystal clear view of Manifest Destiny for lands to the west.

Now step forward almost to 1900 and consider people that wore Jewish glasses. These glasses had a very long-standing prescription for their lenses that give a vision of a promised land, Zion, of Jerusalem that, just as the earth was promised to those wearing European Christian glasses, was promised specifically to those wearing Jewish glasses. A new, Zionist lens prescription came out that gave a view of making Biblical promises into fact. People could decide to stick with the old Jewish lenses or put on the new Zionist lenses.

Another pilgrimage to a different land began and, as in the American case, land was cleared, streams were dammed, land was planted and plowed. With Zionist glasses, it was all very good. Again, as with the Indians, the Arabs were a bit tricky to handle but, at the end of 1948, were put out of the way.

In the 20th century, quite a few of those wearing the Jewish or Zionist glasses were in the United States. They passed these glasses around, allowing many Americans who didn't have a pair of their own to get a good look through them anyway. Even President Harry Truman was given a pair and he liked what he saw through them.

But few in America had a pair of Arab glasses to lend to others. That view remained invisible in the United States, and largely remains so. In fact, Americans who dare to try on Arab glasses can be called names.

But you and I are alone here. So now, I'm going to offer you, a fellow American, a pair of Palestinian glasses (a special kind of Arab glasses) to put on.

Before you do, I want you to think of Yassir Arafat. What springs to mind? Ugh! He was a terrible man, devious, a liar, a terrorist, someone who should have been targeted for death, right?

WAIT! Calm down for a second. Have you recently worn Zionist glasses? It's amazing how many copies have been made in America. Somebody lent you a pair? No problem. OK, here is the Palestinian pair.

Hey, you don't look half bad wearing them. Now you are ready to watch a video I have for you. In this video, Yassir Arafat will appear differently than in how you've thought of him before. Not only that, you will hear some Palestinian popular music sung by a man who is very popular in Gaza and the West Bank. It's quite emotional, interesting to hear and I'll bet, like me, like 99% of Americans, you've never heard the like of it.

Now watch this video created by some young Palestinian women, a single chapter of about 25 minutes from a series called Sleepless in Gaza and Jerusalem. Get ready to see things differently. If you have a pair of headphones, use them as the audio may be a bit challenging if you use your PC speakers.

Oh, and I won't be back after the video. You can keep the glasses.

view the video

another Palestinian languishes in prison

Israel has a policy called Administrative Detention in the occupied territories. It's detention without charge or trial that is authorized by administrative order rather than by judicial decree, part of the system of military justice to which Palestinians are subjected, unlike the settlers in the occupied territories who, though they do not live in Israel, are protected by the same system of civil courts as any Israeli.

This means a Palestinian can be arrested easily because with no charge required, who couldn't be hauled in?

It's also a fact that torture of prisoners is legal in Israeli prisons under certain conditions. Who would want to test if those conditions are properly met? Add to this the fact that thousands of Palestinians have experienced prison stays and you can understand why no Palestinian would take the possibility of arrest lightly.

With this in mind, watch a courageous and passionate man, Adib Abu Rahmah, in a video taken in 2008, as he led protesters objecting to the wall being put through Bil'in. The soldiers he faces, calm and passive, in addition to holding guns also hold all the cards, he holds only a flag. With the protesters dispersed, they leave.

By the way, to any who doubt that many Israelis are disgusted with what their country is doing - note the name of the videographer/editor, Yisrael Puterman. Abu Rahmah was not arrested in this video but you can see his method of shaming the powerful. Please watch then read on below (video no longer available as of 2023).

He didn't give up after this, but continued his protests at Bil'in until about a year ago when he was arrested.

Here is a press release from today, September 2, 2010 - boldface is mine

Adeeb Abu Rahmah, 38, a taxi-driver and father of nine and courageous nonviolent activist, was arrested during one of the weekly protests in Bil’in over 11 months ago. An initial decision to release him on condition of avoiding demonstrations was reversed on July 21st 2009 when the military prosecution appealed. A judge ruled he should be kept till the end of proceedings against him.

Eventually sentenced on June 30th 2010, he was convicted of “inciting violence” and “activity against the public order”. These broad military orders are increasingly being used by Israel to criminalize peaceful protest. An additional charge initially made against him for inciting others to throw stones was withdrawn following arguments and evidence put forward by his legal defense.

The appeal rejected yesterday - which had argued that his conviction was incorrect and his sentence too severe – was dismissed by the military judge on the grounds that not enough time had passed since the latest appeal was lodged. Instead he will remain incarcerated until a judge decides whether or not to grant the prosecution’s request that his sentence be increased to two years or more.

Amnesty International amongst others called the Israeli court not to convict him, saying that: “The broad scope of Israeli military orders mean that Adeeb Abu Rahma could be imprisoned solely for legitimately exercising his right to freedom of expression in opposing Israeli policies in the West Bank.” They added that he should be regarded “as a prisoner of conscience who should be released immediately and unconditionally.”

So Abu Rahma, in prison almost a year will remain there. Who knows when he will be out? Would this be acceptable in America? Remember habeas corpus? It doesn't apply to Palestinians, who, in the eyes of Israel, are a nuisance to be dealt with with little regard to what we know as due process.

UPDATE - Adib Abu Rahma was given another year in prison extended to 18 months by request of the Israeli government (10/26/2010)

In the military courts the conviction rate is about 97% and the time taken for each case is about 13 minutes according to Joseph Dana (link no longer works in 2023). In standing with Israel, America stands with this kind of "justice". Over $3 billion of our money goes there every year, like clockwork. Why?

an appeal to repudiate America

I've discovered a video that is intended to put American males, who are Jewish, at ease about giving up their country for another, Israel. It's a recruitment tool for the Israeli army, from the Mahal website (not an official Israeli site). The video itself is linked below.

Note that American life is portrayed as a superficial, evil illusion that prevents a young man from ascending to spiritual goodness by leaving for "home". The point is simple - there is really nothing to lose by leaving America to answer the call of co-religionists. If this isn't a rejection of everything America stands for, I don't know what is.

The video is called Free Your Mind.

Please watch it and decide for yourself if it does.

UPDATE: Unfortunately the video was made with Adobe Flash and can no longer be viewed.

Americans - you ARE involved

When I talk to fellow citizens about the situation in the Middle East, I often get the response that it's a mess over there, both sides are to blame and it's a hopeless hate-fest that is impossible to untangle.

The logical conclusion? The person doesn't want to get involved for either side.

This sounds like a safe position but it relies on a fallacy.

Americans, though they may think they are being impartial, are not. The United States government that represents them internationally is entirely on the side of Israel and has been firmly in that position since the 1967 six-day war.

Despite the formal policy statements that do not support the settlement project, the reality is that the United States has never stopped the flow of billions of dollars to Israel in the face of the fact that Israel pursues the settlement project with deliberate subsidies and government endorsement.

Words mean nothing when not backed by action. Israel knows quite well that it can do as it pleases because the money from the U.S. will keep on coming and coming in a variety of ways.

Don't believe it? Read this story from the Israeli newspaper Haaretz from which I took this excerpt. Boldface is mine.

The F-35 purchase deal is the largest in Israel's history. The defense establishment is afraid to mortgage most of the American defense aid earmarked for purchases in the United States for this deal, especially when the Defense Ministry's budget is expected to be cut.

If the budget is slashed, the defense establishment will have to use some of the American aid money to buy ammunition and bombs (to renew the supplies diminished by the Second Lebanon War and Operation Cast Lead) in the U.S. instead of buying them in Israel.

Remember that the Israeli Air Force is only one part of the Israeli forces that receive U.S. funding. So also does the Israeli army, the IDF, that uses military force at will in the occupied territories. In Operation Cast Lead over 1200 Palestinians died. U.S. weapons routinely kill Palestinians. American F-16's and Apache and Blackhawk helicopters attack them.

So the U.S. is no "honest broker". Rather, the U.S. and Israel are continually doing deals that benefit Israel financially and secondarily, U.S. arms manufacturers. The U.S. gives money to Israel only to have it return for arms purchases. Could things be any more cozy than that?

But that's only part of it.

Did you know that U.S. money built the settlers-only roads that run through the West Bank - roads on Palestinian land that Palestinians cannot use? It's true. The money came out of the Oslo Accords and the roads were to eventually be used by the Palestinians. It hasn't happened and there is no sign that it will, but has there been even a peep from the U.S.? No.

So, my fellow Americans, if you wanted to be even-handed, you would have to tirelessly work for the Palestinians and even then you wouldn't be able to come close to what your government does against them in your name.

How does this happen?

It happens because of the very apathy that I mentioned at the start of this post. The Israel lobby relies on American citizens as a whole to do nothing to influence their Congress. This frees the Israel lobby to work the levers of money, with the help of the arms industry lobby, and political clout made possible by a dedicated corps of pro-Israel voters to make the United States into a vending machine (that provides its own coins!) for Israel as well as a shield for it at the United Nations.

A sweet deal for Israel and infuriating to the Palestinians. It's gone on for decades while Americans continue to believe they are being fair by being aloof.