121Contact

BDS: Right for North Carolina-Wrong for Israel

We cheer the brave corporations that threaten North Carolina with a boycott because of its failure to protect N. Car. citizens from discrimination.

We condemn those who want to impose a boycott on Israeli products because of its failure to protect Palestinian citizens of Israel from discrimination.

We are incensed by rules about who uses which bathroom but are willing to ignore the basic rights of Palestinians. What's up with that? #ThinkingAboutThinking

What does it mean to be pro-Palestine?

“Pro-Palestinian does not mean anti-Israel…does not mean advocating terrorism…does not mean [pro-]suicide bombing.” [from Firas Al-Atraqchi]

Pro-Palestine means recognizing Palestinians are human beings who deserve to have their rights protected, with a national status of their own, and a government of their own democratically chosen representatives.

Easy? No. Possible? Just barely, given the fanatics on both sides who care little for life and much for power. Just the core of Islam peace so the heart of Judaism is Justice.

The failure of religious leaders, on both sides, to honestly address the transgressions of law and justice is a sin of omission. The people, on both sides, have failed to turn the energies of anxiety (and its children: fear, anger, and hatred) into works for more peaceful tomorrows. #121Contact

What does it mean to be pro-Israel?

Israeli drinks firm SodaStream laid off its last Palestinian workers Monday and lashed out at the government for refusing to grant them work permits after it relocated from the West Bank to southern Israel.  http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/sodastream-lays-last-palestinian-workers-after-permit-row-2081674017

Do we have to turn a blind eye to the continued expansion of settlements? Do we have to believe that Israel has done "nothing" to justify Palestinian hatred and that everything Israel does is justified by the notion of "self-defense"? Do we have to ignore discriminatory laws and regulations? The answer is blowin’ in the wind; both obvious (if we open our hearts) and hard to see (if we don’t take the blinders off).

Islam is a religion of peace. Judaism is a religion of Justice. The failure of religious leaders, on both sides, to honestly address the transgressions of law and justice is a sin of omission. The people, on both sides, have failed to turn the energies of anxiety (and its children: fear, anger, and hatred) into works for more peaceful tomorrows.

What does it mean to be pro-Palestine? Ah, another article to come…#121Contact

NYTimes Intifada Misdirection

Two well-crafted articles in today's New York Times about the recent increase in Palestinian-on-Israeli violence focused on  motivation. 'Social media campaigns', 'viral videos', and 'crude cartoons' were cited as the causes. No mention was made to the #occupation or the systemic degradations of Palestinians. No reference was made to the horrid conditions in refugee camps, infrastructure destruction, or the long years of suffering under the illegal occupation. The list of grievances is long and stretches back many decades.

But when beliefs and justifications become more valuable than human live the resultant murderous violence is simply evil. Misdirecting our attention to social media's ability to trigger the violent expression of deeply felt pain and resentment will only hinder efforts to halt the carnage.

The path to peace lies along the a compassionate awakening driven by the peace movements driven by Palestinian and Israeli citizens who have seen the light. Why not more coverage of these brave people who are spreading the truth? The New York Times could begin with Building Bridges for Peace

and wait! There's more, of a broad political and social spectrum:

• Meimad provides a voice for the thousands of religious Israelis who cannot identify with the extremism of the present religious Zionist establishment,and serves as a rational partner with whom the non-religious Israeli majority can enter into significant dialogue.

• Givat Haviva Institute is one of the oldest and largest institutions in Israel working to advance Jewish - Arab rapprochement, cultural and religious pluralism, democratic values and peace in the Middle East.

• Peres Center for Peace aims to help make peace a lasting reality by paving the way for new values and mind-sets. The time has come to build a Middle East for the people, not merely for the rulers.

• Jewish Peace Fellowship - a Jewish voice in the peace community and a peace voice in the Jewish community. A nondenominational Jewish organization committed to active nonviolence as a means of resolving conflict, drawing on Jewish traditional sources within the Torah, the Talmud and contemporary peacemaking sages.

• The Friedrich Ebert Foundation (FES) office in Israel contributes to, Strengthening German-Israeli relations,Facilitating the peace process and regional co-operation, Improving labour relations, Working for gender equality and, women's empowerment, Democracy education for youth, Applied socio-economic research

• Dor Shalom is committed to impact the future shape of Israeli society, to breathing new life into the values of peace, tolerance, democracy and social justice, and to preserving the values of Jewish heritage.

• Bat Shalom is a feminist center for peace and social justice. By bringing together women peace activists, women educators, and women community leaders we are striving to raise one another's consciousness, and to create together a culture of peace and social justice in Israel.

• Foundation for Middle East Peace (FMEP), a nonprofit organization dedicated to informing Americans about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and assisting in a peaceful solution that brings security for both peoples.

• Har Homa the full story about the land and the building in Har Homa (Jerusalem)

• Peace Now ('Shalom Achshav') the largest Israeli peace organization

• Gush Shalom A small but very active group, founded by Uri Avneri.

• Israel Labor Party

• Meretz

• The Israeli Democracy Institute

 

Fear feathers the nest of paranoia in an Israeli journalist's head

A friend sent me an article to ponder; and so I did. Lee Smith's article (note: published last year) in The Tablet exemplifies both the persistence of the outdated ideas of Orientalism, and the paranoia that Iran is able to exacerbate in the West, and Israel in particular. No, I don't think she's a birdbrain spewing nonsense. Her form of writing is much more dangerous than that. Thinly disguised as an expose of an Arab Middle Eastern conspiracy mindset, the piece is a weaving of misconceptions that denigrate a wide swath of people with generalizations and illogical, unsupported conclusions.

"hundreds of millions of Middle Eastern, African, and Asian Muslims can only understand the world as a large Harry Potter set in which they will never be among the initiates, the spell-casters." This assertion, based on no facts, belies the evidence of their continual striving for technology degrees, and technology itself. The characterization of mindset is likewise unsupported.

Smith turns Turkish suspicions of Israeli spying-by-wired birds into evidence of unrealistic, myth-based thinking. Somehow she misses the point. Israel, as well as Iran and the U.S.'s CIA/NSA have long operated spy missions within Turkey. NSA's spying within Turkey is well documented, by Snowden and others, and NSA shares its information with Israel. Ignoring suspicions, even far-fetched ones, would be foolhardy.

"if Iran hasn’t yet mastered the (nuclear bomb) technology, there is something deeply wrong with the scientific culture of the Islamic Republic." Assassinations of key scientists and illegal interference with technical systems have played a large part. And if they are incapable, as the article implies, then why the fear?

"Iranians believe that the mastery of  this particular field of science (nuclear bomb technology)—rather than any other field of science, a bustling economy, and world-renowned industries and export goods, or a first-class educational system—will pave the way for Iran’s triumphant re-entry into the community of nations." It seems to have worked for Pakistan, Israel, China, and India.

There is no doubt that Middle Eastern education is generally poor, but things are changing. In Qatar the share of students in private education leapt from 30% to more than 60% between 1999 and 2006. Syria has licensed some 20 private universities since 2001. Damascus boasts a 200,000 pupil state-run university. Oil-rich monarchies in the Gulf have spent lavishly to lure Western academies to their shores. Saudi Arabia has launched King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), a city-sized institution with an endowment of $20 billion. Intended as an oasis of academic excellence, it enjoys an independent board and is the kingdom's only co-educational institution. [The Economist]

Smith concludes, "In the case of the Muslim Middle East, it is hard not to shudder." Perhaps if she read less of her own fear mongering and more about the peace movements that are growing in the Middle East (including the Israeli/Palestinian non-violence organizations like The Parents Circle) she would not shudder as much. She could then work less for division and paranoia and work harder for more peaceful tomorrows.

 

150820 Fear feathers the nest of paranoia in an Israeli journalist's head

by Bruce Wallace, 121Contact

 

A friend sent me an article to ponder; and so I did. Lee Smith's article (note: published last year) in The Tablet exemplifies both the persistence of the outdated ideas of Orientalism, and the paranoia that Iran is able to exacerbate in the West, and Israel in particular. No, I don't think she's a birdbrain spewing nonsense. Her form of writing is much more dangerous than that. Thinly disguised as an expose of an Arab Middle Eastern conspiracy mindset, the piece is a weaving of misconceptions that denigrate a wide swath of people with generalizations and illogical, unsupported conclusions.

"hundreds of millions of Middle Eastern, African, and Asian Muslims can only understand the world as a large Harry Potter set in which they will never be among the initiates, the spell-casters." This assertion, based on no facts, belies the evidence of their continual striving for technology degrees, and technology itself. Its characterization of mindset is likewise unsupported.

Smith turns Turkish suspicions of Israeli spying-by-wired birds into evidence of unrealistic, myth-based thinking. Somehow she misses the point. Israel, as well as Iran and the U.S.'s CIA/NSA have long operated spy missions within Turkey. NSA's spying within Turkey is well documented, by Snowden and others, and NSA shares its information with Israel. Ignoring suspicions, even far-fetched ones, would be foolhardy.

"if Iran hasn’t yet mastered the (nuclear bomb) technology, there is something deeply wrong with the scientific culture of the Islamic Republic." Assassinations of key scientists and illegal interference with technical systems have played a large part. And if they are incapable, as the article implies, then why the fear?

"Iranians believe that the mastery of  this particular field of science (nuclear bomb technology)—rather than any other field of science, a bustling economy, and world-renowned industries and export goods, or a first-class educational system—will pave the way for Iran’s triumphant re-entry into the community of nations." It seems to have worked for Pakistan, Israel, China, and India.

There is no doubt that Middle Eastern education is generally poor, but things are changing. In Qatarthe share of students in private education leapt from 30% to more than 60% between 1999 and 2006. Syria has licensed some 20 private universities since 2001. Damascus boasts a 200,000 pupil state-rununiversity. Oil-rich monarchies in the Gulf have spent lavishly to lure Western academies to their shores. Saudi Arabia has launched King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), a city-sized institution with an endowment of $20 billion. Intended as an oasis of academic excellence, it enjoys an independent board and is the kingdom's only co-educational institution. [The Economist]

Smith concludes, "In the case of the Muslim Middle East, it is hard not to shudder." Perhaps if she read less of her own fear mongering and more about the peace movements that are growing in the Middle East (including the Israeli/Palestinian non-violence organizations like The Parents Circle) she would not shudder as much. She could then work less for division and paranoia and work harder for more peaceful tomorrows.

 

150820 Fear feathers the nest of paranoia in an Israeli journalist's head

by Bruce Wallace, 121Contact

 

A friend sent me an article to ponder; and so I did. Lee Smith's article (note: published last year) in The Tablet exemplifies both the persistence of the outdated ideas of Orientalism, and the paranoia that Iran is able to exacerbate in the West, and Israel in particular. No, I don't think she's a birdbrain spewing nonsense. Her form of writing is much more dangerous than that. Thinly disguised as an expose of an Arab Middle Eastern conspiracy mindset, the piece is a weaving of misconceptions that denigrate a wide swath of people with generalizations and illogical, unsupported conclusions.

"hundreds of millions of Middle Eastern, African, and Asian Muslims can only understand the world as a large Harry Potter set in which they will never be among the initiates, the spell-casters." This assertion, based on no facts, belies the evidence of their continual striving for technology degrees, and technology itself. Its characterization of mindset is likewise unsupported.

Smith turns Turkish suspicions of Israeli spying-by-wired birds into evidence of unrealistic, myth-based thinking. Somehow she misses the point. Israel, as well as Iran and the U.S.'s CIA/NSA have long operated spy missions within Turkey. NSA's spying within Turkey is well documented, by Snowden and others, and NSA shares its information with Israel. Ignoring suspicions, even far-fetched ones, would be foolhardy.

"if Iran hasn’t yet mastered the (nuclear bomb) technology, there is something deeply wrong with the scientific culture of the Islamic Republic." Assassinations of key scientists and illegal interference with technical systems have played a large part. And if they are incapable, as the article implies, then why the fear?

"Iranians believe that the mastery of  this particular field of science (nuclear bomb technology)—rather than any other field of science, a bustling economy, and world-renowned industries and export goods, or a first-class educational system—will pave the way for Iran’s triumphant re-entry into the community of nations." It seems to have worked for Pakistan, Israel, China, and India.

There is no doubt that Middle Eastern education is generally poor, but things are changing. In Qatarthe share of students in private education leapt from 30% to more than 60% between 1999 and 2006. Syria has licensed some 20 private universities since 2001. Damascus boasts a 200,000 pupil state-rununiversity. Oil-rich monarchies in the Gulf have spent lavishly to lure Western academies to their shores. Saudi Arabia has launched King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), a city-sized institution with an endowment of $20 billion. Intended as an oasis of academic excellence, it enjoys an independent board and is the kingdom's only co-educational institution. [The Economist]

Smith concludes, "In the case of the Muslim Middle East, it is hard not to shudder." Perhaps if she read less of her own fear mongering and more about the peace movements that are growing in the Middle East (including the Israeli/Palestinian non-violence organizations like The Parents Circle) she would not shudder as much. She could then work less for division and paranoia and work harder for more peaceful tomorrows.

 August 18, 2015, by Bruce Wallace, 121Contact

What do you say about the War on Islam? Is al-Qaeda right?

Part of Al-Qaeda’s master narrative is “the War on Islam”. The narrative of this war has 5 major components and they are cleverly presented to prospective jihadi recruits in widely varying formats including, but not limited to: graphic novels, personal and classroom teacher/mentor training, speeches, private and public websites, and leaflets. The War on Islam narrative looks something like:

1-The West plunders Muslim resources,
2-Zionists (with great help from their Western allies, mainly the U.S.)
    slaughter Palestinian brothers and sisters,
    steal Palestinian homes, and
    steal Palestinian livelihood,
3-American infidels drop bombs on Muslim women and children,
4-Lies attack  Islam, to make it weak, by manipulating people’s ideas through media propaganda, and
5-The West wants a “moderate” Islam, weakened by dilution, secularization, and,     demilitarization.

Therefore: Muslims must take up the call to jihad and crush the forces conspiring against the umma.

Suppose a young Muslim, perhaps a student, who believes these 5 points comes to you and indicates a strong desire to join the mujahedeen, and become a fighter for ‘what is right.’

What do you say?

Statement on Gaza War

Statement on Gaza War

November 20, 2012 by  September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows

“Wars are poor chisels for carving out peaceful tomorrows” - Dr. Martin Luther King

 The Members of September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows are immensely saddened by the recent escalation of violence in Gaza and southern Israel. We are deeply concerned about the safety of innocent civilians and the suffering and loss of life on both sides of the conflict.

We look to our courageous and committed friends in Palestine and Israel, members of the Parents Circle Family Forum, Combatants for Peace, and Just Vision, who work TOGETHER across boundaries of culture, religion, language, and against severe restrictions on movement, to understand and know one another. Their work comes out of compassion for other human beings whose lives are different, but whose needs and rights as human beings are the same. Despite the difficulties, suspicion, fear, pain, and pure logistical problems of working together, they persevere … nonviolently. Out of this willingness to talk and listen, risk and trust, has come remarkable respect and renewed commitment to continue meeting and working together. The world would call them enemies, but they call each other friend and family.

We are inspired by these courageous and wise men and women who are willing and able to move together supporting and encouraging one another along the only possible road to peace. We hope their voices rise and are heard over the clamor of violence and that the violence is brought to an end.

We are humbly grateful for the example they set for the rest of us with their very lives.

 

 

Oct 25 2011 Phyllis Bennis Speaks, Brooklyn for Peace Listens, will you?

It was a stunning display of Phyllis Bennis'  intimate knowledge of Middle East machinations, aspirations, and failed American efforts to get it right. A darn good performance, considering that she'd already spoken at two events earlier in the day. 

I felt at home in the  audience, organized by Brooklyn for Peace, as a grey-haired, over 60, liberal activist. I suspect there were more than a couple of old-line socialists in the crowd...a few lefty, commie, pinko keepers of the flame. About 50 of us sat in front room of the Brooklyn Society for Ethical Culture, across from Prospect Park. 

She focused mainly on how past US Middle East policy (create stability by support for dictators, control the oil and water, unflinching support for Israel) is now empty since 'the people' have thrown the dictators out, or are in the process of doing so. She did not describe a detailed US policy going forward, but concentrated instead on the importance of US civil society keeping the pressure on politicians to steer away from the 'problem, therefore use force'  mentality.

She did, however prescribe a broad conceptualization of future policy that would help guide the world to more peaceful tomorrows: end the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and stop the military support of Israel which come to some US$3 billion/year. She called for US civil society to demand, and US government to admit,  the discourse has changed. We must move from the militaristic, simplistic "support the dictators at all cost" mode of thinking. It just doesn't work.

Some point that caught my attention:

• Although Obama takes credit for pulling the troops ouf of Iraq the American civil society movement had more to do with it, and the Iraqi people are the most responsible. Maliki found almost no internal support for keeping troops there, although he would dearly love the occupation, and it's tacit support for his regime, to stay... "after all, Gaddafi was our guy."

• Obama's "we stand with the fruit sellers" is a painful distortion, given that we supported/continue to support so many dictators in the Middle East; those same powers that led to the self-immolation of a fruit seller in his misery of oppression.

• Even if we remove all Department of Defense troops from Iraq by the end of the year, as the SOFA demands, the State Department has already signed contracts that will put 5-10,000 mercenaries on the ground, not under DoD control. Many contracts are right now being moved from Dod to the State Department to avoid counting the troops uner the SOFA agreement.

• Afghanistan is now holding about a quarter of a million occupation forces: 100 thousand US military, 100,000 US mercenaries, and the rest from NATO countries.

One of my favorite moments was her acknowledgement (I love people who validate my own ideas) that U.S. media, in fact most Western media outlets ignore the facts of peace movements in the Middle East. Palestinians have been peacefully active for at least 10 years. Their Palestine Spring had no positive media attention. The first intifada was, in fact, a peace movement. There are many Budrus-like activities that take place in Palestine each and every day.

[Iraq has a fast-growing civil society that embraces non-violence. All the Arab and non-Arab nations of the Middle East have withing them non-violent movements that are pressuring their governments to transform into more democratic regimes, even Saudi Arabia! b]

Now what? The moral equations have failed to move the American public to pressure the US government to alter policy. Dead children, collateral damage, the destruction of Iraq, ... none of this has led to widespread moral outrage. What is moving people today? It's the economy.

Civil society in America must hammer home the relationship between the costs of war and the failure of the US economy to recover quickly. The US$10 billion/month that feeds the war machine could go a long way to helping create jobs, increase technical education, decrease class-size (by hiring more teachers), and repair our failing infrastructure (creating more jobs in the process). The list is longer, but the aim is clear. Make the economic facts known.

In the Q/A session that followed her talk she was asked if she was worried about the Islamists taking over the Egyptian government. Her response was a succinct, "I am not afraid of the Islamists. I am concerned that the people of Egypt  get what they want." We may not like their chosen path, but if it is democratically chosen then let us support it, deal with it, and move forward.

Bennis closed by saying, "US civil society has to speak up, and keep speaking. I know it is frustrating...but the discourse must change. You can't give up. Let them know, "We are not going away."

 

 

 

Sept 11, 2011

9/11 is not about how many died. It is about _each_ one who died. There is true mourning within the media spectacle of 9/11 and we must remember without comparing,  the mourning in Iraq, Afghanistan, Palestine, Israel...so many places, so many lives...how long will it take to learn? But we will evolve, and we will know more peaceful tomorrows. Inshallah.

April 9 2011 Where were you when Baghdad fell? Demonstrating alone in Union Square.

Alone together in New York Cities April 9th Anti-Whatever demonstration against...War/Nukes/Budget Cuts for Education/Invasion of [Libya, Palestine, Zimbabwe, Iraq, Afghanistan]  /Zionism/Terrorism/Attacks on Unions/...

The signs said it all. In fact they said just about everything a moral,  upstanding person could stand up for...if they bothered to stand up at all.

THEY HELD A PEACE DEMONSTRATION

AND NOBODY BOTHERED TO COME.

After hanging around with the few hundred or so demonstrators who didn't even fill Union Square on a beautiful sunny day in Manhattan [We think there were more people gobbling goodies from the farmers market!] I headed home feeling quite alone. How could it be that so few wanted to stand up next to me and protest the odious foreign policy of the United States of America? to stand up against intollerance? How could it be that so few held compassion strong enough to do something about it?

And then, in a quiet evening speaking with Iraqis, both here and in Baghdad, I got another, less self-centered, perspective. For some Iraqis this day marks a critical disruption of thought and feeling. There were those who rejoiced when Baghdad fell. They knew the end of tyranny was at hand. There were those who felt nothing but the loss of their loved ones and friends as US troops finished the slaughter of soldiers and civilians. There were those whose anger against the invaders grew into a fireball of hatred. But all were ignorant.

Few could foresee the horror of the coming years. And now, these many years later, they can all share the same feelings about the day Baghdad fell. They can all feel the deep sadness...the lives lost, the freedoms gone, the society ruptured...

"Lives lost"? It's like saying "collateral damage". The words carry little weight. The reality is overwhelming.