Nonviolence, Colonialism & 'Democracy'?

The conference ‘Celebrating Nonviolence’ held in Bethlehem from December 27-30, has come to an end. With it, hundreds of solidarity activists from all over the world have traveled back home with a greater understanding of Palestinian nonviolence, past and present than they came with. For four days speakers and participants were reminded that this was not a conference of peace, but one of methods, techniques and theories of nonviolence that have been effective for independence movements worldwide. In addition to Palestine, we analyzed in detail various struggles of independence throughout the world including Tibet, Burma and Bosnia.

Acknowledged by many participants, was the willingness of Palestinians to host a conference of this nature during the current political climate. For Palestinians to organize a conference on nonviolence, under the heavy fist of occupation, was in itself a testament to the level of humanity Palestinians have sustained in the face of ongoing dispossession, misrepresentation and violence. A proposal was made by several participants, to do the next conference in Tel Aviv. Such an initiative taken by the state with actual power, would serve as a demonstration of good will. In fact, would the conference not be better placed in Israel, in a society where all citizens are required to serve in an occupation military. If all citizens were engaged in a popular movement it would act as a voice for true change and democracy, and an end the Zionist legacy that has brought about so much violence to both people. As speaker and Israeli human rights activist, Jeff Halper stated “This is the time when an international Intifada is called for, when members of the international community must stand up and demand that their governments end the Occupation now.”


The conference moved from theory to practice on the final day when some of the organizers and attendees led a vigil to the wall in Bethlehem, while others went to the village of Bil’in to support the local initiatives. For the past ten months Bil’in has regularly demonstrated against the theft of their land. Approximately half of Bil'in's land is being isolated from the village by the wall. The village will lose at least 1,950 dunams if the wall is not removed. Within 200 meters before us laid dozens of uprooted olive trees to make way for continuous building of the illegal Modin Illit settlements and the annexation wall. A few weeks ago the people of Bil’in built a Palestinian “outpost” on their native land, which is being appropriated by the building of the illegal wall and settlements. On this beautiful sunny day, equipped with all of our excitement, hope and energy people of all ages and backgrounds joined Palestinian women, men and children gathered under the horizon to enjoy a day of picnics, singing and dancing. Present were the parents of Rachel Corrie, standing side by side with Palestinian parents who too have sacrificed so much for the Palestinian struggle. The energy which permeated the air was a feeling of resistance and unity in struggle, and hope that together we can overcome the grandiosity that is occupation.

‘Democracy’ and Colonialism?
The ongoing campaign by Bil’in has made strides in recent weeks when the Israeli newspaper Ha’aretz called into question the hypocrisy that is inevitably embedded in an apartheid system. In Bil’in the Israeli authorities responded by forcefully removing two caravans and immediately issuing a stop work order for the latest structure that the Palestinians erected. A hearing on the subject is to be held on February 1st, 2006, and is now being tried in the Israeli ‘High Court of Justice’. The Palestinian outpost has since been under 24 hour surveillance by the Israeli Military in order to insure that no further building takes place. As Haaretz reported, “the contrast between the quick concrete action taken to stop Bil’in villagers from building on their own land, with the lack of action taken against the quickly expanding settlement has put the Israeli civil administration in an embarrassing position.” As a result of the ongoing campaign, a rare act was taken January 6 by the Israeli civil administration who issued a stop work order, thus sending away the construction workers at Matityahu Mizrah settlement outpost, which is being built on Bil’in land. Even the Israeli court system predicated on Zionism, displacement and religious purity, can not even justify the contradictions inherent in their own “democracy”. For this is the racist reality of Zionism, two separate laws, one for indigenous people and the other for settlers.

Native American Money Used to Dispossess More Indigenous People
In light of the objectives that are apparent in the master plan, there is grave concern that the hidden objective of the wall is to cause the Palestinian citizens to cease working the land that is intended for expansion of the colonies, and thereby enable Israel to declare them state land. One of the latest settlement constructions revealed in Israeli newspaper advertisements on Monday December 26 announced the building of 228 housing units in the settlements of Beitar Illit and Efrat, just outside Jerusalem. These are the same illegal Israeli settlements of Beitar Illit that Newsweek's Mike Issikoff reported about last May. He details how indicted Washington lobbyist, Jack Abramoff secretly diverted $140,000 from a charity to benefit inner-city youths, to militant Israeli colonists who had appropriated land. Isikoff wrote: "Among the expenditures: purchases of camouflage suits, sniper scopes, night-vision binoculars, a thermal imager and other material described in foundation records as "security" equipment.” When did society decide to accept funding illegal settler thugs, to violently dispossess more indigenous people, over educating inner-city youth?

The policy of settlement expansion, surrounding and isolating East Jerusalem with Jewish settlers does not end with Beitar Illit. According to the secret EU report by the heads of missions to Ramallah and Jerusalem, “Israel has plans to build 3,500 new settlement homes in the West Bank. The plan to expand the settlement of Ma’aleh Adumim, east of Jerusalem, threatens to complete the encircling of the city by Jewish settlements, dividing the West Bank into two separate geographical areas.” Under the ‘Roadmap’ Israel has committed itself to freezing settlement activity; under international law, all settlements are illegal. If and when completed, Israel will control access to and from East Jerusalem, cutting off Bethlehem and Ramallah, and the rest of the West Bank - all of which are historically dependent on one another. The EU report went on to describe how, “This will have serious economic, social and humanitarian consequences for the Palestinians. By vigorously applying policies on residency and ID status, Israel will be able finally to complete the isolation of East Jerusalem – the political, social, commercial and infrastructural centre of Palestinian life.”

Support Local Resistance in Palestine!
It is time to demand true change, beginning with an end to occupation and a free and democratic Palestinian electoral process. It is due time that the people of the world stand together with one voice, united against occupation, colonization and state violence. Palestinians will not sit back and allow their lives, land and homes to be destroyed in order to build illegal settlements and the most obscene wall that humanity has ever seen. Support the nonviolent efforts of the Palestinian communities of Bil’in on February 1st, and the others struggling against all odds.