As Israelis, We Also Fight for Palestinians

ohmy news
http://english.ohmynews.com/articleview/article_view.asp?no=283072&rel_no=1

A professor of anthropology at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev and peace activist for over 30 years, Halper co-founded the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions (ICAHD) in 1997, after the Oslo peace process collapsed. The organization exposes the injustice of the occupation and asserts the crucial role of international civil society to end it.

Halper calls the Israeli policy toward Palestinians as "the matrix of control" -- the framework created by strategic settlements, Israeli-only highways and the separation wall. He strongly criticizes the occupation and says, "As Israelis, we also fight for Palestinians."

"As long as Israel has the occupation, you cannot have a healthy, normal, prosperous society," he said.

Halper has been nominated for the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize for his grass root peace activities, along with Professor Ghassan Andoni who was introduced in a previous interview (Link to interview with Andoni
http://english.ohmynews.com/articleview/article_view.asp?at_code=319336&no=281810&rel_no=1)

You are writing a book about non-violence with Professor Ghassan Andoni (Palestinian), another Nobel Peace Prize candidate. Why do you think is the non-violence significant here?

I think that non-violence is a good strategy of powerless. Palestinian people cannot compete with Israeli military. Non-violence allows them to use another weapon, which is moral weapon to make the occupation immoral. If Palestinians use more non-violent tactics, it is a real threat for Israel, because Israel can not pretend as a victim. It can be a victim because it has been attacked. Responsibility would shift to Israel


Maybe he can talk to Hamas leaders and convince them that their methods are wrong. Then again, maybe not.

ISM does not align with any political party and does not take positions about the various peace proposals. It tries to remain above the battle on this issue. On the other hand, while it is nonviolent, it recognizes international laws that permit persons in occupied territories to resist military occupation by armed resistance and won't condemn people who do that. But Andoni condemns suicide bombings and attacks against civilians because that they are inhumane and are prohibited by international law. He said that the ISM helped internationals see and experience injustice and they should share that with people in their own countries.

http://www.bsec.org/news/israelpalestine02.html



-------additionally-----------

Last Friday Laser and Hassan walked side by side along the main street
of Bilin. Laser Peles (who was born in Kfar Chabad, abandoned religion,
came out of the closet, was the spokesman for the gay-lesbian faction
in Meretz and one of the most devoted activists of Anarchists Against
the Fence) has made Bilin, a small Palestinian village adjacent to the
settlement of Upper Modi'in, his second home. Sheikh Hassan Yusuf, who
also has an ultra-Orthodox background, but contrary to Laser maintained
a close connection with religion, was deported to Lebanon, served six
years in an Israeli prison and another six months in a Palestinian
prison, is today considered the leader of Hamas in the West Bank.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/586551.html

haaretz seems not to have archived this. oh well...

Ghandi Redux
By Meron Rapaport

http://www.israelblog.org/1119066202

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for posterity purposes:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=124x95543#95546

...but, one would never have asked the English to practice non-violence in order to not become occupied by the Nazis. Rather, we supported Engands mission to target German civilian in German cities with bombs.

I don't think that we encourage Palestinians to practice non-violence, since we often stand behind Israel. For example, Canada is pressuring Palestinians to recognize that Israel exists without pressuring Israel to recognize that Palestine exists, and Washington is doing the same, as well as Moskow and the EU. everyone favors Israel and this could certainly cause Palestinians to feel the need for extreme measures of defense.