Over vrije meningsuiting
Chomsky is een grote aanhanger en verdediger van de absolute vrijheid van meningsuiting. Hij is daar zeer radicaal in en maakt daar in binnen- en buitenland niet altijd vrienden mee. Op de vraag van Jean Bricmont of ontkenning of minimalisering van de Holocaust geen grote belediging is voor de slachtoffers, antwoordt hij dat het een veel grotere belediging is voor Holocaustlachtoffers als je zelf de principes van de daders gaat aanvaarden of hanteren. De nazi's waren tegen vrije meningsuiting, net zoals zovele andere autoritaire regimes. Volgens Chomsky moeten mensen hun mening -hoe aberrant die ook is- vrij en vrank kunnen zeggen zonder in de angst te moeten leven om daarvoor vervolgd te worden. Veel erger is dat vandaag het antisemitisme en de Holocaust worden misbruikt door de staat Israël om zijn misdadige politiek te legitimeren, aldus Chomsky.
vrijdag 18 maart 2011
zondag 16 januari 2011
Steun de circusschool
English follows
تحية لأصدقائنا في جميع أنحاء العالم،
نتمنى لكم عاما مليئا بالأمل والسحر و السعادة و الإنسانية!
تتشرف مدرسة سيرك فلسطين بإطلاعكم على آخر نشاطاتها في الرسالة الإخبارية لشهر كانون الثاني 2011! و دعوتكم لإلقاء نظرة على صفحتها الالكترونية المحدثة www.palcircus.ps
أبرز الأخبار:
1- وصول فرقة >>مهرجون بلا حدود<< البلجيكية مع عرضها "ثلاثي المهرج الساحر"إلى البلاد!! تفضلوا و شاركونا عرضهم ( للأطفال ما بين 2 و 14 سنة) يوم الجمعة الموافق 14/01 في تمام الساعة 3 عصرا في مقر المركز الأسقفي للتكنولوجيا و التدريب المهني الواقع بالقرب من مركز شارك الشبابي في حي الطيرة بمدينة رام الله!!
2- ستبدأ دورات المبتدأين من جديد
الاثنين (دورة جديدة!!) : دورة للمبتدئين من 14 سنة فما فوق من الساعة 4 إلى الساعة 7 مساءا
الخميس: دورة للمبتدئين من 10- 13 سنة من الساعة 4 إلى الساعة 7 مساءا
3- تبحث المدرسة عن محاسب/مدير مالي. للإطلاع على إعلان الوظيفة يرجى الذهاب إلى الصفحة الالكترونية! يمكنكم إرسال سيرتك الذاتية و رسالة تغطية قبل يوم الاثنين 16 كانون الثاني إلى jessika@palcircus.ps
4- نبحث عن متطوعين في الترجمة (انجليزي-عربي و بالعكس) و السكرتارية! هل أنت الشخص الذي نبحث عنه؟ اتصل بنا لإعلامنا!!
شاكرين لكم دعمكم الدائم لنا،
مدرسة سيرك فلسطين
Dearest friends and supporters of the Palestinian Circus School!
We wish you a year full of hope, magic, happiness and humanity
We are proud to send you attached our first newsletter for 2011. And to invite you to have a look at our updated website: www.palcircus.ps
Some of the highlights in all our news:
1. The Belgian Clowns Without Borders are in town! Please come and join us for their show (for children from 2 to 14, and their parents of course) this Friday January 14, at 3 pm @ the PCS. Wwe are located at the gym hall of the ETVTC, Al Tireh (next to Sharek)
2. Classes for beginners will restart:
On Monday: 4 – 7 pm: age 14 +
On Thursdays: 4 -7 pm: age 10 – 13
3. We are looking to recruit a Finance and Accounting Officer. You find the job announcement on the wesbite! Cover letter + CV can still be send until Monday 16 of January to jessika@palcircus.ps
4. We are looking for motivated volunteers to help us with translation (English-Arabic and vice versa) and database work! Are you the one we are looking for? Let us know!!
Best wishes,
The Palestinian Circus School
--
E-mail: Palestinian.circus@gmail.com
website: www.palcircus.ps
Tell: +970 (0)59 9926107
Ramallah, Palestine.
woensdag 1 december 2010
Simone Korkus die ik mocht ontmoeten is weer sterk bezig...
Het artikel verscheen in Knack, maar ik kon niet kopiëren,
dus alleen de link op internet te openen:
http://knack.rnews.be/nl/actualiteit/weekblad/articles/printarticle-2622072.htm
dus alleen de link op internet te openen:
http://knack.rnews.be/nl/actualiteit/weekblad/articles/printarticle-2622072.htm
dinsdag 30 november 2010
woensdag 24 november 2010
Een Kerstboodschap om alles even op een rij te zetten.
Dit jaar hangen thuis voor het eerst drie bijzondere boodschappers van vrede in de kerstboom. Een Palestijnse huisvader uit het Aida Vluchtelingenkamp bij Bethlehem maakte engelen uit gebroken flessen en lood. Glas dat nu eens niet dient voor Palestijnse molotovcocktails. “Gesmolten lood” nu eens niet voor een Israëlische operatie gebruikt. (www.lajee.org) Doorschijnend zingen ze meerstemmig een Gloria in den hoge en een Boodschap van Vrede op aarde aan alle mensen van goede wil. Versterken wij vandaag dit koor, ieder met zijn eigen stem? Of financieren wij liever muren tussen mensen? (http://www.russelltribunalonpalestine.com/en/1103/concluding-statement-london-session)
Broos weerspiegelen de drie engelen de herinneringen aan mijn bezoek aan de geboorteplaats van Jezus Christus. Toen Herodes de Grote, megalomaan en paranoïde, als koninklijk-collaborateur Massada bouwde, werd God er mensenkind in een armzalige grot of stal. Zoals we er een aantal hebben gezien. Palestijnse nomaden bewonen ze nog altijd. Ze hoeden er hun schamele kuddes voorbij Beersheva aan de rand van de Negev. Wat een contrast met de witte nieuwbouwbruid Yafo-Tel Aviv die zich op zeer liberaal Joods-Amerikaanse wijze settelt voor een huwelijksleven aan de warme mediterrane kust of straks even riant in een design-nederzetting in het diepere binnenland. Een bescheiden Kiboetsim-mentaliteit lijkt vervlogen. Nu is er een Burcht van een Kerk op Manger Square Bethlehem. De Heiligen van de Byzantijnse mozaïeken uit de 12de eeuw hebben nog de kogelgaten in hun hoofd van een belegering in 1967. Voor Christenen vervulde Jezus van Nazareth als kind reeds de Messiaanse verwachting. Maar vandaag kan iedereen de Joden begrijpen: het Rijk van Vrede is nog altijd niet gerealiseerd. Orthodoxe Joden wachten nog altijd halsstarrig en tevergeefs op hun Messias. Ondertussen is er sinds 1948, “de Nakbah”, geen plaats meer voor de Palestijnen in de Israëlische Stal van segregerende checkpoints, tunnels en ID-wegen. De Omar-Moskee uit 1860 aan de andere kant van Manger Square symboliseert nog de vertwijfelde poging tot historische dialoog tussen Christenen en Islamieten. De Joden gooiden meer dan roet in het eten. Een dodelijk wederzijds opbod van zinloos geweld als resultaat.
Vanzelfsprekend hebben de Joden, terug uit Egypte, terug uit Babylonische en Assyrische Ballingschap, terug uit de Diaspora vanaf 70 na Christus, door de Romeinse bezetter onder de voet gelopen, tot pas terug uit de tweede wereldoorlog, voortdurend een geschiedenis van niet te miskennen lijden. Er is een terechte vraag naar een eigen veilige thuis: een ‘Eretz Tova’. Een Land van Belofte met onverdeeld een Stad van Hemelse Vrede als hoofdstad. Het “Yad Vashem”- “Holocaust” museum brandt terecht een eeuwige volwassen vlam als herinnering aan “Shoah” en “Endlösung”. Ook ontelbare kleine vlammetjes als naam, nagedachtenis en herinnering aan de kinderslachtoffertjes: één voor één genoemd met leeftijd, doen ons in stilte wiegend, profeten stamelen: Jesaja 65, 19-20. ”Dan zal ik juichen om Jeruzalem en mij verblijden om mijn volk: geween en gekerm worden er niet meer gehoord. Er is geen zuigeling meer met een kort leven en geen grijsaard die zijn jaren niet vervult, want de jongste sterft op de leeftijd van honderd jaar.”
Maar Jesaja gaat zelf als onstuitbare profeet gedreven verder: Jesaja 65, 21-22 en 25. “Zelf zullen zij wonen in de huizen die zij zelf hebben gebouwd en eten zij de vruchten van de wijngaard die ze zelf hebben geplant. Zij bouwen niet meer wat een ander zal bewonen en planten niets waarvan een ander zal eten? Dan grazen de wolf en het lam eensgezind, de leeuw eet dan hooi zoals het rund, terwijl de slang zich voeden zal met stof. Niemand zal nog kwaad doen of onheil stichten op heel mijn heilige berg, zegt de Heer.”
De voormalige soldaat die de stilte brak op zijn gidsbeurt in Hebron (www.breakingthesilence.org ) of de plaatsaanduidingen van Zochrot (www.zochrot.org ) die de volledige geschiedenis willen bovenspitten van verdwenen Palestijnse dorpen, schreeuwen het van de daken dat de Gulden Regel (‘Doe aan een ander wat je wilt dat jou geschiedt’, als basis voor een wereldethos gemotiveerd door alle levensovertuigingen wereldwijd), hier nog altijd geen vredevolle werkelijkheid is. Wij nagelen dit jaar, om nooit meer te vergeten, een kleine zilveren Mezouza, de Gulden Regel er in opgerold, naast de kerstkribbe. Wij wijzen met een Yad (Joodse leeswijzer) de onbereikbare, onaanraakbare, onrealiseerbare Bijbelse Boodschap aan. “Allah Oe Akbar”, meermaals per dag wordt het wereldwijd luid aangekondigd: God, Jahweh, Allah is zo groot, zo onbereikbaar veraf: transcendent. Een mens zou ophouden te dromen, te hopen, te geloven dat vaderlijke vrede mensen tastbaar nabij kan zijn, zoals Janusz Korczak zijn leerlingen. Hoeveel mensen moeten er nog gepest, gegeseld, gekruisigd, gestorven en begraven worden? Hoeveel nog hun Via Dolorosa gaan? Wanneer zullen we allemaal de moed hebben om wegen van verrijzenis te gaan? Wanneer zullen we uit ons witgekalkte knekelgraven in het Dal van Josafat verrijzen? Wanneer zullen we samen het graf van de Aartsvaders (Haram al-Khalil) mogen betreden? Waarom moet Ray Dolphin, UNO-vertegenwoordiger in Jeruzalem met heel precieze kaarten aantonen dat Israël zijn staatsgrenzen nog altijd niet vast wil leggen om stiekem Palestijns land te kunnen annexeren? (www.egmontinstitute.be/speechnotes/06/060620-West.Bank/Ray.Dolphin.htmn; www.ochaopt.org )
Ja, het Onze Vader staat in alle talen van de wereld geglazuurd in de Pater Noster-kerk in de Hof van Olijven! Ja, ondanks alle leed om gestorven familieleden in het wederzijdse geweld, is Rami Alhanan van “Parents Circle” getuige van hoop samen met Yonathan Shapira van”Combatants for Peace”! (www.theparentscircle.com; http://cfpeace.org ) Ja, tegen alle wereldse waanzin van wegenpasjes en identiteitscontroles in jongleren jongeren van de circusschool te Ramallah hun vertrouwen in elkaar aan de trapeze! Ja, Jessika Devlieghere zou ongehinderd met haar man door het land moeten kunnen reizen! (palestinian.circus@gmail.com) Ja, het moet mogelijk worden dat het Tempelplein voor alle volkeren een bereikbaar teken van eenheid en wereldvrede wordt!( www.noblesanctuary.com) Ja, de muur voorbij The Green Line mag ons niet langer het opbouwen van het Warschau-ghetto, maar de val van de Berlijnse oproepen! Ja, Schefaa Abu Jabal onze Druzische gids in Golan moet een betere toekomst krijgen dan “The Syrian Bride“!(www.jawlan.org ) Ja, de Palestijnen en Israëliërs kunnen weer samen olijven, citroenen en druiven plukken! (www.lemontreemovie.com/lemontree_en.html ) Ja, gelukkig werkt Leora Garton aan vrije doorgang voor mensen en goederen in Gaza! (www.gisha.org ) Ja, het is echt geen spel (www.spg.org.il )meer als we inleven hoe de toestand is!
Een Palestijnse handelaar in de soeks van Nazareth gaf me op souvenirjacht voor het thuisfront “pro deo” een oude koperen boodschapperkoker mee. Hij hoorde me de doelstellingen van een vredespelgrimage met Broederlijk Delen/Pax Christi en hun partnerorganisaties verwoorden en gaf me open en spontaan de opdracht mee die Blijde Boodschap overal te verkondigen.” Walk on water” zingt een Vlaamse radiozender onbeschaamd. Wij kruisvaarders probeerden het eerst al eens uit aan de Dode Zee…nu in ons gewone leven. Als het zout zijn kracht verliest, waarmee gaan we dan zouten?
Benedict Verbrugge,
Vredespelgrim Pax Christi/ Broederlijk Delen samen met……
Broos weerspiegelen de drie engelen de herinneringen aan mijn bezoek aan de geboorteplaats van Jezus Christus. Toen Herodes de Grote, megalomaan en paranoïde, als koninklijk-collaborateur Massada bouwde, werd God er mensenkind in een armzalige grot of stal. Zoals we er een aantal hebben gezien. Palestijnse nomaden bewonen ze nog altijd. Ze hoeden er hun schamele kuddes voorbij Beersheva aan de rand van de Negev. Wat een contrast met de witte nieuwbouwbruid Yafo-Tel Aviv die zich op zeer liberaal Joods-Amerikaanse wijze settelt voor een huwelijksleven aan de warme mediterrane kust of straks even riant in een design-nederzetting in het diepere binnenland. Een bescheiden Kiboetsim-mentaliteit lijkt vervlogen. Nu is er een Burcht van een Kerk op Manger Square Bethlehem. De Heiligen van de Byzantijnse mozaïeken uit de 12de eeuw hebben nog de kogelgaten in hun hoofd van een belegering in 1967. Voor Christenen vervulde Jezus van Nazareth als kind reeds de Messiaanse verwachting. Maar vandaag kan iedereen de Joden begrijpen: het Rijk van Vrede is nog altijd niet gerealiseerd. Orthodoxe Joden wachten nog altijd halsstarrig en tevergeefs op hun Messias. Ondertussen is er sinds 1948, “de Nakbah”, geen plaats meer voor de Palestijnen in de Israëlische Stal van segregerende checkpoints, tunnels en ID-wegen. De Omar-Moskee uit 1860 aan de andere kant van Manger Square symboliseert nog de vertwijfelde poging tot historische dialoog tussen Christenen en Islamieten. De Joden gooiden meer dan roet in het eten. Een dodelijk wederzijds opbod van zinloos geweld als resultaat.
Vanzelfsprekend hebben de Joden, terug uit Egypte, terug uit Babylonische en Assyrische Ballingschap, terug uit de Diaspora vanaf 70 na Christus, door de Romeinse bezetter onder de voet gelopen, tot pas terug uit de tweede wereldoorlog, voortdurend een geschiedenis van niet te miskennen lijden. Er is een terechte vraag naar een eigen veilige thuis: een ‘Eretz Tova’. Een Land van Belofte met onverdeeld een Stad van Hemelse Vrede als hoofdstad. Het “Yad Vashem”- “Holocaust” museum brandt terecht een eeuwige volwassen vlam als herinnering aan “Shoah” en “Endlösung”. Ook ontelbare kleine vlammetjes als naam, nagedachtenis en herinnering aan de kinderslachtoffertjes: één voor één genoemd met leeftijd, doen ons in stilte wiegend, profeten stamelen: Jesaja 65, 19-20. ”Dan zal ik juichen om Jeruzalem en mij verblijden om mijn volk: geween en gekerm worden er niet meer gehoord. Er is geen zuigeling meer met een kort leven en geen grijsaard die zijn jaren niet vervult, want de jongste sterft op de leeftijd van honderd jaar.”
Maar Jesaja gaat zelf als onstuitbare profeet gedreven verder: Jesaja 65, 21-22 en 25. “Zelf zullen zij wonen in de huizen die zij zelf hebben gebouwd en eten zij de vruchten van de wijngaard die ze zelf hebben geplant. Zij bouwen niet meer wat een ander zal bewonen en planten niets waarvan een ander zal eten? Dan grazen de wolf en het lam eensgezind, de leeuw eet dan hooi zoals het rund, terwijl de slang zich voeden zal met stof. Niemand zal nog kwaad doen of onheil stichten op heel mijn heilige berg, zegt de Heer.”
De voormalige soldaat die de stilte brak op zijn gidsbeurt in Hebron (www.breakingthesilence.org ) of de plaatsaanduidingen van Zochrot (www.zochrot.org ) die de volledige geschiedenis willen bovenspitten van verdwenen Palestijnse dorpen, schreeuwen het van de daken dat de Gulden Regel (‘Doe aan een ander wat je wilt dat jou geschiedt’, als basis voor een wereldethos gemotiveerd door alle levensovertuigingen wereldwijd), hier nog altijd geen vredevolle werkelijkheid is. Wij nagelen dit jaar, om nooit meer te vergeten, een kleine zilveren Mezouza, de Gulden Regel er in opgerold, naast de kerstkribbe. Wij wijzen met een Yad (Joodse leeswijzer) de onbereikbare, onaanraakbare, onrealiseerbare Bijbelse Boodschap aan. “Allah Oe Akbar”, meermaals per dag wordt het wereldwijd luid aangekondigd: God, Jahweh, Allah is zo groot, zo onbereikbaar veraf: transcendent. Een mens zou ophouden te dromen, te hopen, te geloven dat vaderlijke vrede mensen tastbaar nabij kan zijn, zoals Janusz Korczak zijn leerlingen. Hoeveel mensen moeten er nog gepest, gegeseld, gekruisigd, gestorven en begraven worden? Hoeveel nog hun Via Dolorosa gaan? Wanneer zullen we allemaal de moed hebben om wegen van verrijzenis te gaan? Wanneer zullen we uit ons witgekalkte knekelgraven in het Dal van Josafat verrijzen? Wanneer zullen we samen het graf van de Aartsvaders (Haram al-Khalil) mogen betreden? Waarom moet Ray Dolphin, UNO-vertegenwoordiger in Jeruzalem met heel precieze kaarten aantonen dat Israël zijn staatsgrenzen nog altijd niet vast wil leggen om stiekem Palestijns land te kunnen annexeren? (www.egmontinstitute.be/speechnotes/06/060620-West.Bank/Ray.Dolphin.htmn; www.ochaopt.org )
Ja, het Onze Vader staat in alle talen van de wereld geglazuurd in de Pater Noster-kerk in de Hof van Olijven! Ja, ondanks alle leed om gestorven familieleden in het wederzijdse geweld, is Rami Alhanan van “Parents Circle” getuige van hoop samen met Yonathan Shapira van”Combatants for Peace”! (www.theparentscircle.com; http://cfpeace.org ) Ja, tegen alle wereldse waanzin van wegenpasjes en identiteitscontroles in jongleren jongeren van de circusschool te Ramallah hun vertrouwen in elkaar aan de trapeze! Ja, Jessika Devlieghere zou ongehinderd met haar man door het land moeten kunnen reizen! (palestinian.circus@gmail.com) Ja, het moet mogelijk worden dat het Tempelplein voor alle volkeren een bereikbaar teken van eenheid en wereldvrede wordt!( www.noblesanctuary.com) Ja, de muur voorbij The Green Line mag ons niet langer het opbouwen van het Warschau-ghetto, maar de val van de Berlijnse oproepen! Ja, Schefaa Abu Jabal onze Druzische gids in Golan moet een betere toekomst krijgen dan “The Syrian Bride“!(www.jawlan.org ) Ja, de Palestijnen en Israëliërs kunnen weer samen olijven, citroenen en druiven plukken! (www.lemontreemovie.com/lemontree_en.html ) Ja, gelukkig werkt Leora Garton aan vrije doorgang voor mensen en goederen in Gaza! (www.gisha.org ) Ja, het is echt geen spel (www.spg.org.il )meer als we inleven hoe de toestand is!
Een Palestijnse handelaar in de soeks van Nazareth gaf me op souvenirjacht voor het thuisfront “pro deo” een oude koperen boodschapperkoker mee. Hij hoorde me de doelstellingen van een vredespelgrimage met Broederlijk Delen/Pax Christi en hun partnerorganisaties verwoorden en gaf me open en spontaan de opdracht mee die Blijde Boodschap overal te verkondigen.” Walk on water” zingt een Vlaamse radiozender onbeschaamd. Wij kruisvaarders probeerden het eerst al eens uit aan de Dode Zee…nu in ons gewone leven. Als het zout zijn kracht verliest, waarmee gaan we dan zouten?
Benedict Verbrugge,
Vredespelgrim Pax Christi/ Broederlijk Delen samen met……
dinsdag 23 november 2010
Public Statement of the Russell Tribunal on Palestine: ook over Dexia...
Public Statement of the Russell Tribunal on Palestine
following the conclusion of the London Session
on corporate complicity in Israeli violations of international law
The RTP London Session took place at the Law Society, 113 Chancery Lane, London WC2A 1PL on
20-21 November 2010.
Concluding Statement RTP London 22 November 2010 1.
Over the past two days, the Tribunal heard compelling evidence of corporate complicity in Israeli
violations of international law, relating to: the supply of arms; the construction and maintenance of
the illegal separation Wall; and in establishing, maintaining and providing services, especially
financial, to illegal settlements, all of which have occurred in the context of an illegal occupation of
Palestinian territory.
It is clear from the evidence of witnesses that this conduct is not only morally reprehensible, but also
exposes those corporations to legal liability for very serious violations of international human rights
and humanitarian law. What distinguishes the present situation from others in which international
action has been called for, is that in this case both Israel and the corporations that are complicit in
Israel’s unlawful actions are in clear violation of international human rights and humanitarian law.
The first session of the Tribunal, held in Barcelona in March 2010, found the EU and EU member
states complicit in Israeli violations of international law, including: the illegal construction of the
Wall in Palestinian territory; systematic building of illegal exclusively Jewish settlements on
occupied Palestinian territory; the illegal blockade on Gaza; and numerous illegal military operations
against Palestinian civilians, particularly during Operation Cast Lead in Gaza (Dec 2008-Jan 2009),
which constitute war crimes and/or crimes against humanity.
Further, the RTP notes that the international community is clearly in agreement that Israel is in
flagrant disregard of its international obligations; and further notes with deep regret that this wholly
unsatisfactory and unacceptable state of affairs has been allowed to continue. Nonetheless, Israel’s
continued impunity and disregard of its state obligations as a member of the United Nations and
bound by the UN Charter, has set it apart from the rest of the international community. Accordingly,
the RTP draws to the attention of all corporations complicit in Israel’s grave violations that their
continued business activities place them on the wrong side of international opinion, morality and
Concluding Statement RTP London 22 November 2010 2.
law. This clearly places both Israel and the corporations in a position in which they are undermining
the very integrity and credibility of international law and the institutions that underpin it.
The main questions the jury considered in London were:
1. Which Israeli violations of international law are corporations complicit in?
2. What are the legal consequences of the activities of corporations that aid and abet Israeli
violations?
3. What are the remedies available and what are the obligations of states in relation to corporate
complicity?
Accordingly, in answering these questions, the Tribunal’s full findings from the London Session,
which will be available at the beginning of December 2010, will both summarise the key evidence
that it heard about corporate complicity and identify specific legal and non-legal consequences and
remedies.
The Tribunal has noted the failure of states to take appropriate action to put an end to Israel’s
violations and illegal conduct, despite the requirements of international law, or to hold to account
corporate complicity in Israeli actions, which has prompted civil society to step in and take action to
bring about policy changes that respect human rights and international humanitarian law. This
includes a very wide range of actions in support of the Palestinian call for boycott, divestment and
sanctions (BDS).
Corporations play a very decisive role in enabling Israel to commit war crimes and crimes against
humanity. These corporate activities can, and have been, the subject of citizen’s movements that the
RTP received evidence about, including boycotts; shareholders holding corporations to account;
divestments by pension funds of investments tainted by illegality; and actions that continue to put
corporations in the spotlight with the purpose of bringing about change in corporate culture. In the
Israeli context, civil society is taking effective action to enforce the law. Therefore, the RTP calls on
states to protect the rights of all those who initiate or take such lawful BDS actions.
Twelve corporations and the EU were invited to participate in the London session but all declined.
Letters were received from three corporations and the EU, which were entered into evidence. They
will be annexed to the Tribunal’s final conclusions of the London session.
Concluding Statement RTP London 22 November 2010 3.
The RTP’s conclusions include its findings as to the potential legal liability of several corporations,
including the following:
a) G4S, a multinational British/Danish corporation, supplies scanning equipment and full body
scanners to several military checkpoints in the West Bank, all of which have been built as
part of the Separation Wall, whose route was declared illegal by the ICJ in its Advisory
Opinion of 9 July 2004.
b) Elbit Systems, a leading Israeli multinational, has an intimate and collaborative relationship
with the Israeli military in developing weapons technology first used by the Israeli Army in
its active combat operations, before marketing and selling the technology to countries
worldwide. For example, Elbit supplied the Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (otherwise known as
Drones) that were extensively and illegally used in the Gaza conflict. Despite this, the British
Army has recently awarded Elbit a joint contract worth over US$1 billion for the
development of the next generation of UAVs (known as the Watchkeeper programme). The
British corporation UAV Engines Limited, a wholly owned Elbit subsidiary, will produce the
plane’s engines. A serious concern regarding the use of drones relates to their indiscriminate
nature. This is illustrated by the fact that during the Gaza conflict, for every alleged
combatant targeted by drones, there were 10 civilian deaths. The Norwegian Pension Fund
divested from Elbit Systems as a result of this complicity in human rights violations.
c) Caterpillar, based in the US, supply specifically modified military D9 bulldozers to Israel,
which are used in: (i) the demolition of Palestinian homes; (ii) the construction of settlements
and the Wall; and (iii) in urban warfare in the Gaza conflict; in all cases causing civilian
deaths and injuries, and extensive property damage not justified by military necessity.
d) Cement Roadstone Holdings, an Irish multinational corporation, purchased 25% of the Israeli
corporation Mashav Initiative and Development Ltd, which in turn wholly owns Nesher
Israel Cement Enterprises Ltd, which is Israel’s sole cement producer, supplying 75-90% of
all cement in Israel and occupied Palestine. This cement is used, amongst other things, for the
construction of the illegal Separation Wall.
e) Dexia, a Franco-Belgian corporation, finances Israeli settlements in the West Bank via its
Concluding Statement RTP London 22 November 2010 4.
subsidiary Dexia Israel Public Finance Ltd.
f) Veolia Transport, a French corporation, is involved in the construction of the East Jerusalem
light railway, which Veolia is due to operate. Veolia also operates bus services to illegal
Israeli settlements.
g) Carmel Agrexco, an Israeli corporation, is an exporter of agricultural produce, including
oranges, olives, and avocadoes from the illegal settlements in the West Bank.
The Tribunal heard evidence that G4S, Elbit Systems and Caterpillar all acknowledge and actively
boast in their promotional material about the use of their equipment during the Gaza conflict, which
unlawfully inflicted loss of life and extensive and serious damage on Palestinian civilians and their
property.
Civil claims against the above corporations, brought by victims of their complicity, are possible in
the countries where those corporations are domiciled or have a significant presence; and corporations
and corporate actors can be subject to criminal prosecution for breach of domestic law (for example,
money laundering and/or concealment) and/or for the commission of international crimes, including
the pillage of natural resources. In many countries domestic law incorporates international law,
including international humanitarian and human rights law. This is without prejudice to universal
jurisdiction or the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court. The full conclusions of the
Tribunal’s London Session will provide detailed examples of such potential litigation, and also
highlight and encourage civil society/BDS actions that can achieve corporate accountability.
The Tribunal was impressed by the range and depth of the evidence given during the sessions.
The Tribunal is extremely grateful for the time, generosity and courage of the witnesses, particularly
those that took part at considerable personal risk.
The Russell Tribunal will hold two more sessions in the next two years. The third session in South
Africa will consider the applicability of the crime of apartheid to Israel. After the fourth session, it
will publish its full conclusions.
The jury of the RTP was composed of the following members:
Concluding Statement RTP London 22 November 2010 5.
Stéphane Hessel, Ambassador of France, Honorary President of the RTP, France
Mairead Corrigan Maguire, Nobel Peace Laureate 1976, Northern Ireland
John Dugard, Professor of International law, former UN Special Rapporteur on Human
Rights in the Palestinian Territories, South Africa
Lord Anthony Gifford QC, UK barrister and Jamaican attorney-at-law
Ronald Kasrils, writer and activist, former Government Minister, South Africa
Michael Mansfield, barrister, President of the Haldane Society of Socialist Lawyers, United
Kingdom
José Antonio Martin Pallin, emeritus judge, Chamber II, Supreme Court, Spain
Cynthia McKinney, former member of the US Congress and 2008 presidential candidate,
Green Party, USA
following the conclusion of the London Session
on corporate complicity in Israeli violations of international law
The RTP London Session took place at the Law Society, 113 Chancery Lane, London WC2A 1PL on
20-21 November 2010.
Concluding Statement RTP London 22 November 2010 1.
Over the past two days, the Tribunal heard compelling evidence of corporate complicity in Israeli
violations of international law, relating to: the supply of arms; the construction and maintenance of
the illegal separation Wall; and in establishing, maintaining and providing services, especially
financial, to illegal settlements, all of which have occurred in the context of an illegal occupation of
Palestinian territory.
It is clear from the evidence of witnesses that this conduct is not only morally reprehensible, but also
exposes those corporations to legal liability for very serious violations of international human rights
and humanitarian law. What distinguishes the present situation from others in which international
action has been called for, is that in this case both Israel and the corporations that are complicit in
Israel’s unlawful actions are in clear violation of international human rights and humanitarian law.
The first session of the Tribunal, held in Barcelona in March 2010, found the EU and EU member
states complicit in Israeli violations of international law, including: the illegal construction of the
Wall in Palestinian territory; systematic building of illegal exclusively Jewish settlements on
occupied Palestinian territory; the illegal blockade on Gaza; and numerous illegal military operations
against Palestinian civilians, particularly during Operation Cast Lead in Gaza (Dec 2008-Jan 2009),
which constitute war crimes and/or crimes against humanity.
Further, the RTP notes that the international community is clearly in agreement that Israel is in
flagrant disregard of its international obligations; and further notes with deep regret that this wholly
unsatisfactory and unacceptable state of affairs has been allowed to continue. Nonetheless, Israel’s
continued impunity and disregard of its state obligations as a member of the United Nations and
bound by the UN Charter, has set it apart from the rest of the international community. Accordingly,
the RTP draws to the attention of all corporations complicit in Israel’s grave violations that their
continued business activities place them on the wrong side of international opinion, morality and
Concluding Statement RTP London 22 November 2010 2.
law. This clearly places both Israel and the corporations in a position in which they are undermining
the very integrity and credibility of international law and the institutions that underpin it.
The main questions the jury considered in London were:
1. Which Israeli violations of international law are corporations complicit in?
2. What are the legal consequences of the activities of corporations that aid and abet Israeli
violations?
3. What are the remedies available and what are the obligations of states in relation to corporate
complicity?
Accordingly, in answering these questions, the Tribunal’s full findings from the London Session,
which will be available at the beginning of December 2010, will both summarise the key evidence
that it heard about corporate complicity and identify specific legal and non-legal consequences and
remedies.
The Tribunal has noted the failure of states to take appropriate action to put an end to Israel’s
violations and illegal conduct, despite the requirements of international law, or to hold to account
corporate complicity in Israeli actions, which has prompted civil society to step in and take action to
bring about policy changes that respect human rights and international humanitarian law. This
includes a very wide range of actions in support of the Palestinian call for boycott, divestment and
sanctions (BDS).
Corporations play a very decisive role in enabling Israel to commit war crimes and crimes against
humanity. These corporate activities can, and have been, the subject of citizen’s movements that the
RTP received evidence about, including boycotts; shareholders holding corporations to account;
divestments by pension funds of investments tainted by illegality; and actions that continue to put
corporations in the spotlight with the purpose of bringing about change in corporate culture. In the
Israeli context, civil society is taking effective action to enforce the law. Therefore, the RTP calls on
states to protect the rights of all those who initiate or take such lawful BDS actions.
Twelve corporations and the EU were invited to participate in the London session but all declined.
Letters were received from three corporations and the EU, which were entered into evidence. They
will be annexed to the Tribunal’s final conclusions of the London session.
Concluding Statement RTP London 22 November 2010 3.
The RTP’s conclusions include its findings as to the potential legal liability of several corporations,
including the following:
a) G4S, a multinational British/Danish corporation, supplies scanning equipment and full body
scanners to several military checkpoints in the West Bank, all of which have been built as
part of the Separation Wall, whose route was declared illegal by the ICJ in its Advisory
Opinion of 9 July 2004.
b) Elbit Systems, a leading Israeli multinational, has an intimate and collaborative relationship
with the Israeli military in developing weapons technology first used by the Israeli Army in
its active combat operations, before marketing and selling the technology to countries
worldwide. For example, Elbit supplied the Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (otherwise known as
Drones) that were extensively and illegally used in the Gaza conflict. Despite this, the British
Army has recently awarded Elbit a joint contract worth over US$1 billion for the
development of the next generation of UAVs (known as the Watchkeeper programme). The
British corporation UAV Engines Limited, a wholly owned Elbit subsidiary, will produce the
plane’s engines. A serious concern regarding the use of drones relates to their indiscriminate
nature. This is illustrated by the fact that during the Gaza conflict, for every alleged
combatant targeted by drones, there were 10 civilian deaths. The Norwegian Pension Fund
divested from Elbit Systems as a result of this complicity in human rights violations.
c) Caterpillar, based in the US, supply specifically modified military D9 bulldozers to Israel,
which are used in: (i) the demolition of Palestinian homes; (ii) the construction of settlements
and the Wall; and (iii) in urban warfare in the Gaza conflict; in all cases causing civilian
deaths and injuries, and extensive property damage not justified by military necessity.
d) Cement Roadstone Holdings, an Irish multinational corporation, purchased 25% of the Israeli
corporation Mashav Initiative and Development Ltd, which in turn wholly owns Nesher
Israel Cement Enterprises Ltd, which is Israel’s sole cement producer, supplying 75-90% of
all cement in Israel and occupied Palestine. This cement is used, amongst other things, for the
construction of the illegal Separation Wall.
e) Dexia, a Franco-Belgian corporation, finances Israeli settlements in the West Bank via its
Concluding Statement RTP London 22 November 2010 4.
subsidiary Dexia Israel Public Finance Ltd.
f) Veolia Transport, a French corporation, is involved in the construction of the East Jerusalem
light railway, which Veolia is due to operate. Veolia also operates bus services to illegal
Israeli settlements.
g) Carmel Agrexco, an Israeli corporation, is an exporter of agricultural produce, including
oranges, olives, and avocadoes from the illegal settlements in the West Bank.
The Tribunal heard evidence that G4S, Elbit Systems and Caterpillar all acknowledge and actively
boast in their promotional material about the use of their equipment during the Gaza conflict, which
unlawfully inflicted loss of life and extensive and serious damage on Palestinian civilians and their
property.
Civil claims against the above corporations, brought by victims of their complicity, are possible in
the countries where those corporations are domiciled or have a significant presence; and corporations
and corporate actors can be subject to criminal prosecution for breach of domestic law (for example,
money laundering and/or concealment) and/or for the commission of international crimes, including
the pillage of natural resources. In many countries domestic law incorporates international law,
including international humanitarian and human rights law. This is without prejudice to universal
jurisdiction or the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court. The full conclusions of the
Tribunal’s London Session will provide detailed examples of such potential litigation, and also
highlight and encourage civil society/BDS actions that can achieve corporate accountability.
The Tribunal was impressed by the range and depth of the evidence given during the sessions.
The Tribunal is extremely grateful for the time, generosity and courage of the witnesses, particularly
those that took part at considerable personal risk.
The Russell Tribunal will hold two more sessions in the next two years. The third session in South
Africa will consider the applicability of the crime of apartheid to Israel. After the fourth session, it
will publish its full conclusions.
The jury of the RTP was composed of the following members:
Concluding Statement RTP London 22 November 2010 5.
Stéphane Hessel, Ambassador of France, Honorary President of the RTP, France
Mairead Corrigan Maguire, Nobel Peace Laureate 1976, Northern Ireland
John Dugard, Professor of International law, former UN Special Rapporteur on Human
Rights in the Palestinian Territories, South Africa
Lord Anthony Gifford QC, UK barrister and Jamaican attorney-at-law
Ronald Kasrils, writer and activist, former Government Minister, South Africa
Michael Mansfield, barrister, President of the Haldane Society of Socialist Lawyers, United
Kingdom
José Antonio Martin Pallin, emeritus judge, Chamber II, Supreme Court, Spain
Cynthia McKinney, former member of the US Congress and 2008 presidential candidate,
Green Party, USA
Harvesting Olives in the West Bank op http://www.rhrna.org/ rabbies for human rights
Posted by Helen Engelhardt. Categories: RHR-NA Study Tour 2010, West Bank on Nov 19th, 2010 | 1 comment “If you thought you were going to sleep on the bus, forget about it!” The voice of the indefatigable Rabbi Arik Ascherman, Executive Director of Rabbis for Human Rights (RHR), blared over our tour bus’ microphone as we pulled away from the Ramada Renaissance Hotel in Jerusalem. It was 8:30 am on day two of a ten-day Rabbis for Human Rights-North America (RHR-NA) study tour of Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories and I was still disoriented by jet lag and adjusting to dry air and sharp edged morning light. I had thought about sleeping on the bus; I had even cleverly brought along my eye mask and inflatable neck pillow to encourage maximum relaxation, but to no avail.
“I hope you will leave here more confused than when you came. Everybody comes with preconceptions. For some of you, this trip may be bursting bubbles. Those of us who grew up taught that everything Israel does is right, that the very cornerstone of our identity, what gave meaning to our lives was our connection to Israel are going to see things that are very painful, things that you’d rather not see.”
“As a Jew, as a Rabbi, an Israeli, as a Zionist, there’s no fun in doing what we do here, for me to deal everyday with the deepest darkest corner of Israeli society that I love and I hope everybody here loves as well. What does it mean to love and support Israel especially when you are aware that things are not what we dreamed and hoped it would be?”
“Some of you may have come here believing that everything Israel does is wrong. I hope that you’ll be disabused of that as well. This is a democracy – one of the strongest democracies in the world. There are many places in the world where a trip like this would be illegal or a death sentence and we have to keep that in perspective as well.”
“And so I reflect on what it means to be starting on this trip, dafka, on the day that Yitzak Rabin was assassinated back in 1995, I reflect upon the importance of hearing many voices. Today you’ll be hearing at least three different voices: Palestinians, human rights activists and settlers. There is one thing I would add to this trip are average Israelis, which none of us represent. Really listen, really hear to all these voices.”
(Unfortunately, we never did get to meet with any settlers and listen to their views and perspectives. The rabbi we were supposed to see, Rabbi Avi Gisser, Head Rabbi of the Ofra Settlement, never answered Rabbi Arik’s phone calls, so all we were able to do at the end of our day was to drive through the settlement.)
“So what are we going to do today? Rabbis for Human Rights has three pillars of our work: education about human rights, economic justice for Israelis and human rights for Palestinians in the Occupied Territories. Our calling card for the last eight years or so is supporting the right of the Palestinians to access their own olive groves. We’re going to harvest olives for about two hours or so. (Our regular volunteers leave at 6 am and return at 6pm.) Then we’ll spend a few hours touring the northern part of the Occupied Territories, the Nablus region. We’re going to pay a solidarity visit to a Palestinian farmer.”
“This past Friday about 500 dunams of olive groves were burned by settlers, destroying between 1,000 -2,000 trees. For a gold plated matzo ball can anyone tell me what a dunam is?”
(Eldad Brin, our tour educator, supplied the answer: four dunams to an acre.)
“The first person who said come to our village, had spent 13 years in our security prisons. He came out totally committed to non-violence. In 2002, he said, come. We began protecting them, becoming Israeli shields for the Palestinians when they were attacked by the settlers. I eventually sat down with the policemen who told me ‘you’re endangering all of us’; I responded by asking them what they thought would happen next if they didn’t allow legal nonviolent action?”
“In 2006 we won a major victory in court. The army must allow Palestinians to get to every olive even inside settlements, and protect them. The army can’t deny them access for their own good. The Army has to protect the trees and it has to bring people to justice. We’ve had no progress at all with the last two rights but the first two are being observed. The army is doing their job; our volunteers aren’t getting their heads cracked open anymore by the settlers.”
“There are 9 million olive trees in West Bank alone. They are the mainstay of most Palestinian families. Especially after the Second Intifada, most Palestinians became unemployed, unable to work in Israel. They returned to their lands. Their olive oil is sold for internal use, to Israelis, to other countries. Their trees are regarded like family members.”
“After 2006, the army created three areas: the Red, the Blue and the Yellow. We have to let the Palestinians in but to protect them, all these areas are closed to Israelis. In the Red areas, Palestinians can’t go in without permits. They have to coordinate with the Israeli authorities in order to tend their trees. In Blue areas, Palestinians are advised to coordinate with the Israeli authorities, but don’t have to. In Yellow areas, Palestinians are allowed in but Israeli human rights activists are forbidden. We are a red flag to the settlers, we upset them. The Israeli authorities can’t write orders distinguishing between left and right wing Israelis.”
“We go along with this as long as the Palestinians are allowed in.”
“I don’t like stereotypes, but if you want to find religious fanatics foaming at the mouth, this is where you will find them. Yitzhar is Ground Zero for violence. Ever since the forced evacuation from Gaza, settlers have created something called Operation Price Tag. Every time the army attempts to take down an illegal outpost, they create such violence, that the government will think twice before they try again. That’s when settlers burn or poison trees, beat Palestinians, attack soldiers. They also do these things – especially the destruction of trees – simply as a tactic to drive the Palestinians off their lands.”
We were approaching the groves where we were to work. The bus stopped to pick up Zacharia Sada, RHR’s Occupied Territories Researcher. There were also two teams of television cameramen, one from Canada and the other from Egypt who were photographing our activities. Our destination was in the Nablus region, near the Palestinian village of Burin, located between the Israeli settlements of Har Brakha and Yitzhar (see map). Before letting us off the bus, Rabbi Arik gave us the ground rules:
“Nobody is ever alone. Everybody, at least two people together; you don’t let other people out of eye contact. We would like a mobile phone in every group; if anything develops, call me on my mobile. I will talk to police or army; back off if this happens. We’re not asking you to act as shields.”
Photo by Emma Missouri
Photo by Emma Missouri
We then crossed over the road and scrambled up a low hill, trying to keep our balance on the loose rock, avoiding the grey dusty thorny shrubs, making our way to the olive trees above us. The trees offered some blessed shade from the glaring light and heat. Two women in heavy shirts and long skirts were balancing on ladders, two young men spread large tarps under the trees. We did as they demonstrated: we stripped the small purple black olives off their branches letting them fall onto the plastic cloths. When enough olives had accumulated, the tarp was lifted up and the olives were poured into burlap bags.
Rabbi Rachel Goldenberg. Photo by Emma Missouri.
.
Eleven days after seeing Just Vision’s latest film Budrus in its official opening in New York City, a film depicting one Palestinian village’s successful nonviolent confrontation with the Israeli army to save their precious olive trees from destruction by the building of the separation barrier, I was sharing in this ancient ritual.
..
Photo by Emma Missouri
Photo by Helen Engelhardt
Photo by Helen Engelhardt
Photo by Helen Engelhardt
Then Rabbi Arik received a call on his cell that a farmer was being chased off his land by the army. Rabbi Arik, Zacharia, RHR-NA staff member Emma Missouri, Rabbi Rachel Goldenberg and Rabbi Debora Gordon jumped in the car along with him. Rabbi Deb, a goat farmer in Troy, NY, told me what happened next:
“We met a so called flying checkpoint, that is, a checkpoint arbitrarily set up on the road. It had nothing to do with our mission. The soldiers began hassling Zacharia. ‘I come from Jit – you don’t like that?’ Rabbi Arik shushed him. ‘Let me handle this.’”
Zacharia Sada stays in the drivers seat as Rabbi Arik Ascherman talks with the soldiers at a "flying checkpoint." TV crew look on. Photo by Emma Missouri.
The soldiers wanted him to get out of the car. Rabbi Arik advised him not to. Everyone had to show their passports. Probably three American passports saved him or certainly encouraged the soldiers to finish their check and release us. There was a Palestinian on the other side of the road who wouldn’t drive on until he was satisfied that it had been resolved. Zachariah wouldn’t leave until the two camera crews, Canadian and Egyptian were checked as well. Very good behavior all around in terms of taking care of each other.”
“So we continued on to the village of Kfar Qaddum and we met Mr. Kadumi…”
To read what happened next, check out Rabbi Deb’s blog post, “Rabbis in the Olive Groves.”
“I hope you will leave here more confused than when you came. Everybody comes with preconceptions. For some of you, this trip may be bursting bubbles. Those of us who grew up taught that everything Israel does is right, that the very cornerstone of our identity, what gave meaning to our lives was our connection to Israel are going to see things that are very painful, things that you’d rather not see.”
“As a Jew, as a Rabbi, an Israeli, as a Zionist, there’s no fun in doing what we do here, for me to deal everyday with the deepest darkest corner of Israeli society that I love and I hope everybody here loves as well. What does it mean to love and support Israel especially when you are aware that things are not what we dreamed and hoped it would be?”
“Some of you may have come here believing that everything Israel does is wrong. I hope that you’ll be disabused of that as well. This is a democracy – one of the strongest democracies in the world. There are many places in the world where a trip like this would be illegal or a death sentence and we have to keep that in perspective as well.”
“And so I reflect on what it means to be starting on this trip, dafka, on the day that Yitzak Rabin was assassinated back in 1995, I reflect upon the importance of hearing many voices. Today you’ll be hearing at least three different voices: Palestinians, human rights activists and settlers. There is one thing I would add to this trip are average Israelis, which none of us represent. Really listen, really hear to all these voices.”
(Unfortunately, we never did get to meet with any settlers and listen to their views and perspectives. The rabbi we were supposed to see, Rabbi Avi Gisser, Head Rabbi of the Ofra Settlement, never answered Rabbi Arik’s phone calls, so all we were able to do at the end of our day was to drive through the settlement.)
“So what are we going to do today? Rabbis for Human Rights has three pillars of our work: education about human rights, economic justice for Israelis and human rights for Palestinians in the Occupied Territories. Our calling card for the last eight years or so is supporting the right of the Palestinians to access their own olive groves. We’re going to harvest olives for about two hours or so. (Our regular volunteers leave at 6 am and return at 6pm.) Then we’ll spend a few hours touring the northern part of the Occupied Territories, the Nablus region. We’re going to pay a solidarity visit to a Palestinian farmer.”
“This past Friday about 500 dunams of olive groves were burned by settlers, destroying between 1,000 -2,000 trees. For a gold plated matzo ball can anyone tell me what a dunam is?”
(Eldad Brin, our tour educator, supplied the answer: four dunams to an acre.)
“The first person who said come to our village, had spent 13 years in our security prisons. He came out totally committed to non-violence. In 2002, he said, come. We began protecting them, becoming Israeli shields for the Palestinians when they were attacked by the settlers. I eventually sat down with the policemen who told me ‘you’re endangering all of us’; I responded by asking them what they thought would happen next if they didn’t allow legal nonviolent action?”
“In 2006 we won a major victory in court. The army must allow Palestinians to get to every olive even inside settlements, and protect them. The army can’t deny them access for their own good. The Army has to protect the trees and it has to bring people to justice. We’ve had no progress at all with the last two rights but the first two are being observed. The army is doing their job; our volunteers aren’t getting their heads cracked open anymore by the settlers.”
“There are 9 million olive trees in West Bank alone. They are the mainstay of most Palestinian families. Especially after the Second Intifada, most Palestinians became unemployed, unable to work in Israel. They returned to their lands. Their olive oil is sold for internal use, to Israelis, to other countries. Their trees are regarded like family members.”
“After 2006, the army created three areas: the Red, the Blue and the Yellow. We have to let the Palestinians in but to protect them, all these areas are closed to Israelis. In the Red areas, Palestinians can’t go in without permits. They have to coordinate with the Israeli authorities in order to tend their trees. In Blue areas, Palestinians are advised to coordinate with the Israeli authorities, but don’t have to. In Yellow areas, Palestinians are allowed in but Israeli human rights activists are forbidden. We are a red flag to the settlers, we upset them. The Israeli authorities can’t write orders distinguishing between left and right wing Israelis.”
“We go along with this as long as the Palestinians are allowed in.”
“I don’t like stereotypes, but if you want to find religious fanatics foaming at the mouth, this is where you will find them. Yitzhar is Ground Zero for violence. Ever since the forced evacuation from Gaza, settlers have created something called Operation Price Tag. Every time the army attempts to take down an illegal outpost, they create such violence, that the government will think twice before they try again. That’s when settlers burn or poison trees, beat Palestinians, attack soldiers. They also do these things – especially the destruction of trees – simply as a tactic to drive the Palestinians off their lands.”
We were approaching the groves where we were to work. The bus stopped to pick up Zacharia Sada, RHR’s Occupied Territories Researcher. There were also two teams of television cameramen, one from Canada and the other from Egypt who were photographing our activities. Our destination was in the Nablus region, near the Palestinian village of Burin, located between the Israeli settlements of Har Brakha and Yitzhar (see map). Before letting us off the bus, Rabbi Arik gave us the ground rules:
“Nobody is ever alone. Everybody, at least two people together; you don’t let other people out of eye contact. We would like a mobile phone in every group; if anything develops, call me on my mobile. I will talk to police or army; back off if this happens. We’re not asking you to act as shields.”
Photo by Emma Missouri
Photo by Emma Missouri
We then crossed over the road and scrambled up a low hill, trying to keep our balance on the loose rock, avoiding the grey dusty thorny shrubs, making our way to the olive trees above us. The trees offered some blessed shade from the glaring light and heat. Two women in heavy shirts and long skirts were balancing on ladders, two young men spread large tarps under the trees. We did as they demonstrated: we stripped the small purple black olives off their branches letting them fall onto the plastic cloths. When enough olives had accumulated, the tarp was lifted up and the olives were poured into burlap bags.
Rabbi Rachel Goldenberg. Photo by Emma Missouri.
.
Eleven days after seeing Just Vision’s latest film Budrus in its official opening in New York City, a film depicting one Palestinian village’s successful nonviolent confrontation with the Israeli army to save their precious olive trees from destruction by the building of the separation barrier, I was sharing in this ancient ritual.
..
Photo by Emma Missouri
Photo by Helen Engelhardt
Photo by Helen Engelhardt
Photo by Helen Engelhardt
Then Rabbi Arik received a call on his cell that a farmer was being chased off his land by the army. Rabbi Arik, Zacharia, RHR-NA staff member Emma Missouri, Rabbi Rachel Goldenberg and Rabbi Debora Gordon jumped in the car along with him. Rabbi Deb, a goat farmer in Troy, NY, told me what happened next:
“We met a so called flying checkpoint, that is, a checkpoint arbitrarily set up on the road. It had nothing to do with our mission. The soldiers began hassling Zacharia. ‘I come from Jit – you don’t like that?’ Rabbi Arik shushed him. ‘Let me handle this.’”
Zacharia Sada stays in the drivers seat as Rabbi Arik Ascherman talks with the soldiers at a "flying checkpoint." TV crew look on. Photo by Emma Missouri.
The soldiers wanted him to get out of the car. Rabbi Arik advised him not to. Everyone had to show their passports. Probably three American passports saved him or certainly encouraged the soldiers to finish their check and release us. There was a Palestinian on the other side of the road who wouldn’t drive on until he was satisfied that it had been resolved. Zachariah wouldn’t leave until the two camera crews, Canadian and Egyptian were checked as well. Very good behavior all around in terms of taking care of each other.”
“So we continued on to the village of Kfar Qaddum and we met Mr. Kadumi…”
To read what happened next, check out Rabbi Deb’s blog post, “Rabbis in the Olive Groves.”
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