OCCUPATION IS A CRIME
By Laura Taylor
Cornell University
The Cornell Daily Sun, NY
Nov 28 2006
Today, Israeli Vice Premier Shimon Peres will be addressing members
of the Cornell community in Bailey Hall. According to the CIPAC
website, one of the event’s sponsors, the former Prime Minister will
be discussing, "Israel and the prospects for peace in the Middle
East." The visit of such a major foreign leader is sure to be a
packed event.
However, outside Bailey Hall there will also be a number of Cornell
students, Ithaca College students and community members protesting
against Peres. But why protest the proclaimed "man of peace"?
My fellow columnist Jeff Purcell elaborated on one of the many
reasons yesterday in his column, "Peres’ Apartheid Past," which
detailed Israel’s support of Apartheid South Africa while Peres was
Prime Minister.
CIPAC and others praise Peres as a Nobel laureate for the peace prize
he won in 1994 jointly with Yasser Arafat and Yitzhak Rabin. However,
they do not discuss the fact that, in 2002, members of the Nobel
committee publicly opposed Peres’ actions as a member of the Israeli
cabinet in the re-occupation of Palestinian territory. Hanna Kvanmo,
a Nobel committee member, stated that, "what is happening today in
Palestine is grotesque and unbelievable. Peres is responsible, as
part of the government." Committee members expressed regret that,
in response to Peres’ actions, the peace prize could not be recalled.
There are numerous other reasons to oppose Peres, from his role in
developing nuclear weapons in Israel to his work to help cover up
the Armenian genocide in order to establish political ties with Turkey.
However, the protest today will not just be a protest against Peres
exclusively. It will also be a protest against the Israeli government
and its actions in Palestine.
Unfortunately, many Americans, including some on the left, are not
aware of the horrors that occur against Palestinians on a daily
basis. They see the results of suicide bombers in Israel prominently
featured on the news, but not the daily horrors of living in Gaza
or the West Bank. Those who may begin to question Israel’s actions
towards the people of Palestine often silence their dissent for fear
of being labeled an "anti-Semite."
When discussion on the issue of Israel and Palestine emerges, it is
important to note the distinction between being Israeli and supporting
Israel’s policies. There are some Israelis who oppose the government’s
policies and stand in solidarity with the people of Palestine, with
some even refusing to serve in the Israeli Army.
In the same vein, there is a distinction between supporters of Israel
and Jewish people. Not all Jewish people support the state of Israel,
despite the fear of being called anti-Semitic by people of their own
religion and ancestry.
In order to explain why I will be protesting Peres tomorrow, there
are many things that I could discuss. I could go into the origins of
Zionism, and the collaboration of some early Zionists with anti-Semitic
leaders. I could discuss the creation of the state of Israel and the
unequal distribution of land between Arabs and Zionists. However,
those things are in the past. I could debate for hours with supporters
of Israel about the history of Zionism and Israel, and nothing would
be gained.
What matters most, both to the people there and to activists here,
is what’s happening in Palestine today. If life was wonderful for
the Palestinians now, Israel’s past transgressions might seem less
pressing.
But life is not wonderful for the people of Palestine today.
Appalling would be a better description of the daily struggles they
must face.
Although Israel claims to have withdrawn from Gaza and the West
Bank, Palestinians continue to live under occupation. There are
many facets to the occupation, which Israel claims are needed for
"security." In reality, they are methods for control of the people of
Palestine Checkpoints serve as a major restriction on the day-to-day
lives of Palestinians. The vast majority of these checkpoints are
set up between Palestinian towns and villages and are exclusively
for Palestinians. People are often held up for hours at these
checkpoints at random, then suddenly allowed to pass. This makes it
nearly impossible to go to school or have a job outside of your own
small town, crippling the Palestinian economy.
There are also separate highways for Israelis and Palestinians, and
each group has different license plates to ensure that they are driving
on the "correct" highway. It is no surprise that the Israeli highway
is much better maintained. Beyond being a daily frustration, it is also
a subtle reminder to Palestinians that they are less than Israelis.
Roadblocks. Settlements. Outposts. The Wall. The list of tactics by
which the Israeli government seeks to upset the lives of Palestinians
goes on and on. What it adds up to is an Apartheid state, in which
there are two classes of citizens: Israeli and Palestinian.
It can be difficult to support the cause of justice in Palestine,
especially when the U.S. media and government are so consistently
pro-Israel. Often, it is easier to shy away from the topic and focus
on "safer" issues. However, we cannot ignore our duty to stand
in solidarity with the people of Palestine, in opposition to the
oppressive Israeli regime.
If you believe in justice, come to Bailey Hall at 2:45 pm today to
proclaim: "From Iraq to Palestine, Occupation Is A Crime."
Correction: In last week’s column on the tasering incident at UCLA,
I mistakenly referred to the Iranian-American student involved in
the incident, Mostafa Tabatabainejad, as Arabic. I do not know the
ethnicity of Tabatabainejad, as Iran has a diversity of ethnicities
within its borders. I sincerely regret the error.
Laura Taylor is a senior in the School of Industrial and Labor
Relations. She can be contacted at [email protected]. Kind of a Big
Deal appears Tuesdays.
