A network of individuals, independent and alternative media activists and organisations, offering grassroots, non-corporate, non-commercial coverage of important social and political issues.

Tear down the wall!

Sjur CP | 28.12.2003 20:58 | Globalisation | Repression | World

Sjur CP reporting from Palestine

Protest in Qalqilila

Teargas
Teargas

Sjur CP (the author)

Tear down the wall!

This wall will fall!

Israeli soldiers

The wall

Strange blue stuff sprayed for the "Israeli side" of the wall

Blue stuff - What is it??

Medics
Medics

Free Palestine!

Ken painting the wall

The wall in Qalqilia

Kids
Kids

Sjur CP
Sjur CP

Teargas canister

Fuck the wall!

December 27th several hundreds Palestinians demonstrated against the apartheid wall
in Qalqilia. The town is totally enclosed by the wall, thousands of squaremeters have
been cut away and hundreds of farmers has lost their land. Qalqilia is just like a
township in South Africa before the change in 1994. People are kept inside the town
and are not allowed to move freely. The Roadmap for Peace seems to bring nothing
else than all the other peace agreements that has been made with Israel up trough the
years. It does not look like Israel wants to have peace, in fact it looks more like
the US and Israel is having a symbiotic relationship where both gains. Israel gets
money from the US and destabilise the region so that the US can get cheap oil. The
same tactic that South Africa before used against Mocambique to prevent Mocambique
to be a strong power in the region and an example to follow. It seems like government
and politicians can't do anything about the situation.

Palestinians all over try to do their best in this situation. They show their
resistance in many different ways. Some of them have an armed struggle, but mostly
they use peaceful means. They do not give up, but continue their struggle for
freedom, justice and peace. The Western media, owned by big conglomerates and
business, focus on the armed conflict and not the supression of the Palestinian
people or the the struggle to exist. People in the West know little about what
really goes on, but are told that the Palestinians want to kick the jewish people
out of the area. The truth is that few Palestinians would mind to live side by side
with jewish people. They can easily live in peace if it wasn't for the hidden agenda
of the world wide web of mafia, www.mafia.

People all over the world has to understand their power and start to resist the
ruling elites. Together we can make a front of people who struggle by peaceful means.
Many Palestinians have told that they want to have as many internationals, people
from other parts of the world, here as possible. Like the human shields operation
to Iraq, we could go to Palestine in a big number. Here we could see for ourselves
how the situation is, document and force the media and politicians to do something.
In this way we will force them to tell the truth. In this way we can force them to
take steps toward a peaceful and just world. Maybe one day it will be possible to have
a process of truth and reconciliation also in Israel and Palestine, not to mention
all over the world.

Look at
www.humanshields.org
www.palsolidarity.org
www.portal.ecocon.org

Sjur CP
e-mail: sjur.cp(a)c2i.net

Comments

Hide the following 8 comments

Ruling elitis?????

28.12.2003 21:52

Take off your silly ideological blinders.

THIS sort of conflict where ethnic groups or tribes are fighting each other over territory has nothing to do with elites per se. Of course if the latter exist, they will be runningthe show with regard to this societal matter just like they do everything else. But that does not mean that the absence of elites prevents ethnic conflcit over territory. The anhtropolocial eveidecne indicates that egalitarian societies/tribes are no more peaceful toward their neighbors than societies organized around elites.

Capitalism isn't the reason why humans fight wars (although it will explain why capitalist societies do so). The archeological record in the Middle East indicates they were fighting wars there a LONG time ago (for example, Jericho's first city wall was built about 7000 years ago -- and if uniformity of house sizes and grave goods means anything, was a reasonably egalitarian society at that time).

Mike
mail e-mail: stepbystepfarm mtdata.com

ideology

29.12.2003 07:26

It's an unfortunate exaggeration to say that the Israel-Palestine conflict "has nothing to do with elites per se." Prior to the mass migration from the Zionist project post-WWII, there was little conflict between the two ethnic groups, and certainly nothing like the open warfare going on now. There's your first elite: the minority that came in, established an artificial state sanctioned by the former colonial power and their colonial pals at the UN, and forcibly ejected the majority from their land and homes.

That minority-run statelet promised to be so useful to the rising imperial power of the USA, that they took Israel on as a client state. This included underwriting Israel's military with many billions in cash, materiel and intelligence, and consistently defending them against sanctions at the UN.

It may be true that "that does not mean that the absence of elites prevents ethnic conflict over territory." But their presence has made things far, far worse. Without US backing, Sharon would never have built this wall, or got away with his involvement in Sabra and Shatila, etc.

And yes, of course wars existed before capitalism. But that doesn't change the fact that capitalism needs wars in order to sustain itself. The evidence is all around us.

hazel

Oh?

29.12.2003 14:33

The I suppose you classify this TRIBE of "Zionists" as part of "the elite"?

LOOK -- do you understand ANYTHING about how US democracy functions? The ONLY reason the ruling "elites" of the US have been consistently pro-Israel is the voting power of a compact minority interest group of Americans who care little about anything in comparison to whether the US supports Israel. Since the US ruling elite is MUCH more interested in how much support or opposition its programs WITHIN the US face they are more than willing to "exchange" on what to them is a minor issue. In effect the "elites" are saying "we'll let you have the pro-Israel policy you want and in exchange your group doesn't oppose (maybe even supports) our programs that line our pockets, unfair taxes, etc. etc.".

You DO have an ideological problem, a quasi-religious faith that human groups fight each other because of elites rather than the other way around. The only thing the ruling elites of any society care about is their OWN ruling positions within their respective societies. They are usually ruling not by direct force (that would take a LARGE class of elites) but by wheeling and dealing for support from "other interests". They can afford to readily "trade" anything that doesn't affect their own position. So if some people within a society want to fight with their neighbors that's perfectly OK with the elites -- hey, we'll go alnog with that as long as you let us have the rulership.

Israel doesn't exist because of "elites" but because the tribe of "Zionists" wanted this very badly and were willing to forego opposing (or even helping) any elites willing to go along with the project. NOW --- if what you are meaning to say is that this is WRONG, that this tribe SHOULD care instead about "class war", "opposition to the elites", etc. etc. -- that they SHOULD care about other people and not their own interests, that they should care about YOUR interests -- well gee, do you care about theirs?

Mike
mail e-mail: stepbystepfarm mtdata.com

Elites

29.12.2003 22:12

You're confusing my position with that of the article's author. I wrote:

'It may be true that "that does not mean that the absence of elites prevents ethnic conflict over territory." But their presence has made things far, far worse.'

The author is taking one extreme position, and you are taking the opposite extreme. My taking up a position between the two of you hardly amounts to a "quasi-religious faith". :-)

And it's a rather naive assertion that "The only thing the ruling elites of any society care about is their OWN ruling positions within their respective societies." The "ruling position" of the White House requires frequent interference in the affairs of other countries. This is why the US props up dictatorships around the world, and installs them where required.

There is no equivalent of the Zionist lobby for Morocco, Pakistan, Afghanistan or Saudi, for example. Yet the US supports dictators there, and helps their client govts suppress liberation movements. The US first installed, then supported both Saddam and the Taliban until it was no longer in their interest to do so, then suddenly claimed to oppose them for reasons of justice or national security. They will do the same for Israel if business logic demands it.

Saddam would be in power still, if he had stayed obedient to his masters, as would Noriega. Now that Libya has apparently acquiesced to US power, and agreed to obey commands from Washington, the White House is clearly going to allow another vile dicator to stay in business. After all, there's a lot of oil in Libya, and who will keep a lid on internal dissent better than Gaddafi?

Control of the movement of global capital and crucial resources has everything to do with their "ruling position", and this movement can only be guaranteed by a combination of military power and economic coercion.

Israel is bankrolled by Washington. Their economy is knee-deep in shit, and their military expenditure is stratospheric. They could not be in the position they are today without US political support and billions of US dollars. We in Britain and the US should stop supporting Likud's interests, stop bankrolling the insane Israeli military budget, and start enforcing UN sanctions against them with the same zeal with which we enforce them against disobedients like Saddam. We should recognise a Palestinian state, and start diverting some of that monthly handout to Israel into building up the Palestinian economy. We should demand that Israel tear down the wall, and cease its agressive "settlements" policy in the West Bank, before another penny of aid goes to them. Finally we should demand that Israel submit to snap inspections of their nuclear program, as we have done in Iran and Libya. WMDs will be found rather more easily in Israel than in Iraq.

Hazel

This obscene locus

29.12.2003 23:55

The Israeli state perpetrates the most obscene acts on both supported sides
This is the most centred situation for apparently opposed sides being manipulated for global ends to the detriment of both 'sides'
A deliberately created oppositional dualism which results in the suffering of the many
The Palestinians and the Jews and the rest of the world must withdraw from this mean and false spectacle,which only proves the forerunner of how the rest of us are supposed to live
Fuck it - disconnect

in other's business

27.01.2004 01:08

I have read so many articles/travel rants from people who made pilgrimages to Palistine, and have had trouble distinguishing between them. Maybe this is because many of these protestors arrive in Palistine with an image of a glorious revolution, and blind themselves in many ways from the fact that both sides have bloody hands. The other fact--a fact--is that the Palistinian authority sends their children to expensive European schools with money meant for aid. You often mention an Israeli/American elite? What about Arafat's billions?!! If you miss this fact, you will not understand the full dimension of this conflict. Finally, I would recommend you read some archived articles from The Stranger, a widely read Seattle weekly magazine, known for printing articles similar to this one. Except, they try their hardest to get to the bottom of things. In one of the October issues (there were only 4, you could find the article without much hassle), a reporter follows the pathway of the protestor 'run over' by the bulldozer. His report is strictly objective, seen by his non-glorious descriptions of aggressive Israelis. And in this same light, he actually found that there were some serious problems on the Palistinian side--yes! everyone in Palistine is not a glorious, honest revolutionary! Palistinians are not immune to corruption and bad politics like the rest of us. But more importantly, the reporter uncovered the bullshit that Americans were spouting in regards to the woman's death, and their apparent desire to get in the 'shit', meaning, they willingly and knowingly met with individuals known to be linked to terrorist movements in the territories. This is the American 'cowboy' attitude at its worst. People traveling to war-torn lands to live out their need to be a 'good revolutionary', without any real knowledge about the conflict (a conflict is between TWO countries/people/etc.). I, for one, really want this conflict to end. I want to see both sides leave the bargaining tables with some sense of satisfaction. Your personal quest to the middle east will never work towards achieving either of these outcomes. Your view is one of simplifications and backburner hatred.

David

utilization of tv in order to avert-destruction of issrial

13.10.2005 20:45

tarp that looks like a fooball feild race track one inch rain storm pipes in the destert

utilization of tv in order to- avert- destruction of issriaal

joe mama touches bottoms without permission

utilization of tv in order to avert the destruction of issrial

13.10.2005 20:55

homo sexual rape and thirty eights=pearl harbour
tieing little girls up on tv for the fun of the grown ups =pearl harbour
touching the bottom with out permission =pearl harbour

utilization of tv in order to (avert) the destruction of israyial

peice of tarp looks like a football feild one inch rain storm and pipes into the desert=unknown

utilize tv and find out

eboil-it-zi air it out with a tv virus legal in most legal states

retrive your aunt ja-mi-ma

UK Indymedia