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TITLE: Some Jews on the Side of Palestinians |
AUTHOR: Stanley Heller |
PUB: New Haven Register |
DATE: January 26, 2001 |
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Former President Bill Clinton and much of the media have been demanding that Palestinians give up on their right of return. Israeli politicians and "doves" of Peace Now denounce as absurd any idea that Palestinians refugees could come back to their homeland, changing the "Jewish character" of Israel. Israeli right wing demonstrations are reported in detail. Yet the media have neglected the Jewish opposition, Israeli Jews and Jews of other countries who publicly support the right of return and who openly protest Israeli government oppression of Palestinians. Last September, a large banner with the names of 100 Jewish supporters was displayed at the Right of Return march in Washington. By the start of this year, the number had swelled to 350. They agreed on a simple statement, "We Israeli Jews and Jews of other countries support the rights of Palestinian refugees." The signers are about a third Israeli. Most are professionals: professors, lawyers, journalists, teachers. The 350 are not members of an organization and their reasons for signing varied. For some, it was the legal argument. Fifty-two times the United Nations has voted that the Palestinians have the right to choose whether to go back or to be compensated. For others, it was the knowledge of the terrible conditions for stateless Palestinians living in refugee camps for five decades. Still others believe that a state with a "Jewish character" could only be undemocratic and racist and had high hopes that a change in demographic balance would be the impetus to change the nature of Israeli society. Besides the campaign on refugee rights, there were many protests against the heavy handed repression of the Palestinian intifada that caused injuries to an astronomical 12,000 people. In Israel there have been rallies with as many as 700 protesters. In early December, 100 Jews marched in protest in front of the Israeli mission in New York City, the first all-Jewish demonstration ever to take place there. Rabbi Michael Lerner, editor of the American-Jewish magazine Tikkun, called for either the dismantling of the settlements or for the settlers to live as citizens of a Palestinian state. In France, 130 published a statement saying in part, "We support Judeo-Arab fraternity and call for a renewal of the peace process, which would require enforcement of the U.N. resolutions, the recognition of a Palestinian state and the right to return for Palestinians chased from their lands." In Holland, 100 Jews paid for an ad that criticized Israeli "policy based on brute force and the arrogance of power." In Canada, Jewish opposition groups formed in Montreal. A petition started in the United Kingdom by "Jews Against the Occupation" lists over 600 who call for "immediate, total and unconditional withdrawal from all of the territories taken by force and occupied in 1967." Perhaps the most far-reaching call was by the 250 Israeli and other Jews who urged Congress to suspend all foreign aid to Israel. Israel receives well over $3 billion a year in aid and will ask for another $350 million in emergency aid from Congress. The flow of aid to Israel has always been beyond the bounds of Jewish criticism, until now. Compared to the wealth and numbers of Israeli political parties and Jewish Zionist organizations, the strength of the Jewish opposition is tiny. However, the very existence of this stream refutes the canard that all criticism of Israeli governments is hateful and anti-Jewish. It should give hope to Palestinians that some Jews are ready to live together with them on the basis of completely equal rights. Stanley Heller is a teacher and has been head of the New Haven based Middle East Crisis Committee since 1982. He can be reached at "Demand Justice" or by writing MECC, Box 8993, New Haven 06532. Copyright (c) 2001 New Haven Register. All Rights Reserved. END |