WAWA/WeAreWideAwake is my Public Service to America as a muckracker who has journeyed seven times to Israel Palestine since June 2005.
WAWA is dedicated to confronting media and governments that shield the whole
truth.
We who Are Wide
Awake are compelled by the "fierce urgency of Now" [Rev MLK, Jr.] to raise
awareness and promote the human dialogue about many of the crucial issues of our
day: the state of our Union and in protection of democracy, what life is like
under military occupation in Palestine, the Christian EXODUS from the Holy Land,
and spirituality-from a Theologically Liberated Christian Anarchist
POV.
"Observe good faith and justice towards all nations; cultivate peace and harmony with all...and passionate attachments for others, should be excluded; and that, in place of them, just and amicable feelings towards all should be cultivated. The nation which indulges towards another a habitual hatred or a habitual fondness is in some degree a slave...a passionate attachment of one nation for another produces a variety of evils." George Washington's Farewell Address - 1796
"My aim is to agitate & disturb people. I'm not selling bread, I'm selling yeast." Unamuno
"Imagine All the People Sharing All the World." John Lennon
"If enough Christians followed the gospel, they could bring any state to its knees." Father Philip Francis Berrigan
"You can stand me up at the gates of hell, but I won't back down." Tom Petty
"If I can't dance, it's not my revolution." Emma Goldman
"We have yet to begin to IMAGINE the power and potential of the Internet." Charlie Rose, 2005
Only in Solidarity do "We have it in our power to begin the world again" Tom Paine
"Never doubt that a few, thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world: Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." Margaret Mead
"You shall know the truth and the truth will set you free." John 8:32
DO SOMETHING!
Photo of George shown here and in web site banner courtesy of Debbie Hill, 2000.
We hold these truths to be self-evident: That all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights; that, among these, are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness; that, to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed; and, whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it. -July 4, 1776. The Declaration of Independence
HomeBlogAugust / September 2012 August 2, 2012: Dear Jon, The Palestinian Culture and If I Can't Laugh-It's NOT My REVOLUTION!
August 2, 2012: Dear Jon, The Palestinian Culture and If I Can't Laugh-It's NOT My REVOLUTION!
August 2, 2012:Dear Jon, The Palestinian Culture and If I Can't Laugh-It's NOT My REVOLUTION!
As a candidate for US HOUSE, District 5, Florida who has been to BOTH sides of The Wall seven times since 2005, the best laugh of my day came when Al Madrigal nailed the US-Israeli Palestinian conflict vis-a-vis CULTURE:
The Palestinians have been around for thousands of years and they still don't have their own country-the Israelis for around 60 years -and counting Florida they have two!
The Following Courtesy of Institute for Middle East Understanding:
THEFT,
DESTRUCTION & APPROPRIATION OF PALESTINIAN CULTURE
During Israel's
creation in 1948, tens of thousands of Palestinian books were systematically
"collected" by the Israeli army and its precursor, the
Hagannah, in cooperation with the Israeli National Library. The books
included priceless volumes of Palestinian Arab and Muslim literature,
including poetry, works of history and fiction. Thousands of the books
were destroyed and recycled for paper, while others were added to the
library's collection. Today, many remain in the Israeli National Library,
designated abandoned property.
Since prior to
Israel’s founding in 1948, British and then Israeli authorities engaged in
a systematic campaign targeting Palestinian political leaders, artists,
and intellectuals for imprisonment, exile, and assassination, starting in
the 1930s with the exiling by British authorities of the Palestinian
political leadership of the Arab Higher Committee. Amongst the artists and
intellectuals subsequently murdered by Israel were writer Ghassan
Kanafani, and poet and intellectual Wael Zuaiter.
During Israel's
invasion of Lebanon in 1982, Israeli forces systematically looted and
confiscated the accumulated national archives of the Palestine Liberation
Organization, including invaluable collections of films and other cultural
artifacts.
The
2009 US State
Department International Religious Freedom Report noted the Israeli
government does not recognize non-Jewish holy sites and that as a result,
“many Muslim and Christian sites are neglected, inaccessible, or
threatened by property developers and municipalities.”
In a
move that prompted international cricism and typifies Israeli policy
towards Palestinian sites that are of cultural and historical importance,
Israel is allowing the Los Angeles-based Simon Wiesenthal Center to build
a “Museum of
Tolerance” over one of the oldest and most culturally significant
Palestinian Muslim sites in the Holy Land, the ancient Mamilla cemetery in
Jerusalem. Press reports have revealed evidence of widespread desecrations
of tombs and their remains by construction workers.
DENIAL
OF ACCESS TO EDUCATION
Israeli
restrictions on the movement of Palestinians living in the occupied
territories, including its network of hundreds of checkpoints and
roadblocks in the West Bank, travel permit system, and siege of Gaza,
prevent many Palestinian students from reaching their schools and
accessing their right to education.
There
is a de facto embargo against Palestinian students from the occupied
territories wishing to study abroad. Students from Gaza in particular,
including Fulbright
Scholars, are often prevented by Israel’s siege from traveling to
universities in the West Bank and abroad to study in their chosen fields.
In
the late 1980s and early 1990s, during the First Intifada, or uprising
against Israel’s occupation, Israeli authorities shut down many
Palestinian schools, forcing Palestinians teachers and students to
improvise classes in secret to avoid being shut down by the Israeli army.
STIFLING
OF PALESTINIAN ECONOMIC ACTIVITY
In
July 2012, the World Bank released a report that concluded
Palestinian economic growth in the West Bank was unsustainable citing
Israeli restrictions as the biggest impediment. The International Monetary
Fund has stated
the same thing.
At
any given time, there are upwards of 500 Israeli checkpoints, roadblocks,
and other barriers to movement within the occupied West Bank, -- an area
smaller than Delaware -- hindering Palestinians and their goods from
moving between their own towns and cities and the outside world.
(Click here for
December 2011 UN map of barriers to movement in the West Bank)
Historically,
Jerusalem has been the economic and cultural center of Palestinian life in
the surrounding West Bank. However, as a result of Israeli policies and
actions taken in and around occupied East Jerusalem (the borders of which
were greatly expanded by Israel unilaterally following the start of its
occupation in 1967), including settlement construction and the
implementation of a permit system for non-Israeli citizens, today
Palestinians living in the West Bank are largely cut off from the city,
unable to visit for worship, to see family, or to do business.
Almost
80% of the Jordan Valley, once the breadbasket of Palestine, is off-limits
to Palestinians, designated for Israeli settlements, military ‘firing
zones,’ and ‘nature reserves.’ (Click here for
2012 UN map)
According
to a December 2010 Human Rights Watch report entitled
“Separate and Unequal: Israel's Discriminatory Treatment of Palestinians
in the Occupied Palestinian Territories":
‘Palestinians
face systematic discrimination merely because of their race, ethnicity, and
national origin, depriving them of electricity, water, schools, and access to
roads, while nearby Jewish settlers enjoy all of these state-provided benefits…
While Israeli settlements flourish, Palestinians under Israeli control live in
a time warp -- not just separate, not just unequal, but sometimes even pushed
off their lands and out of their homes.’
GAZA
SIEGE & BLOCKADE
Although
Israel withdrew its soldiers and 8000 settlers from the Gaza Strip in
2005, Gaza remains under Israeli occupation according to international law
as Israel continues to maintain effective control over the area,
controlling most entry in and out of the territory, as well as its
coastline and airspace.
Since
the early 1990s, Israel has restricted passage to and from Gaza, but in
2006, following Hamas’ victory in Palestinian elections, Israel tightened
its restrictions severely and imposed a naval blockade on the tiny coastal
enclave of 1.6 million people. (Click here for
December 2011 Gaza access and closure map)
A
2009 Amnesty International report following
Operation Cast Lead, Israel’s devastating military assault on Gaza in the
winter of 2008-9, stated:
‘The
prolonged blockade of Gaza, which had already been in place for some 18 months
before the current fighting began, amounts to collective punishment of its
entire population.’
Israeli
officials have admitted that the siege is not motivated primarily by
security concerns, but is part of a strategy of "economic
warfare" against the people of Gaza. In 2006, senior advisor to
then-Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Dov Weisglass, said the
goal of the Gaza siege was to put the people of Gaza “on a diet, but not
to make them die of hunger.”
Although
Israel loosened restrictions somewhat under international pressure
following its deadly assault on the Gaza Freedom Flotilla in 2010, the
siege and blockade continue to smother Gaza economically. According to a
2012 Human Rights Watch report:
‘Israel's
punitive closure of the Gaza Strip, tightened after Hamas's takeover of Gaza in
June 2007, continued to have severe humanitarian and economic consequences for
the civilian population.
‘Gaza’s economy grew rapidly, but the World Bank said the growth depended on
international assistance. The economy had not returned to pre-closure levels;
daily wages, for instance, had declined 23 percent since 2007. Israel’s
near-total restrictions on exports from Gaza hindered economic recovery. Due to
low per capita income, 51 percent of the population was unable to buy
sufficient food, according to UN aid agencies.
‘Israel allowed imports to Gaza that amounted to around 40 percent of
pre-closure levels, the UN reported. Israel continued to bar construction
materials, like cement, which it said had “dual use” civilian and military
applications. Israel allowed shipments of construction materials for projects
operated by international organizations, but as of September Gaza still had an
estimated shortage of some 250 schools and 100,000 homes.’
THEFT & DESTRUCTION OF PALESTINAN NATURAL RESOURCES
After
taking control of the occupied territories in 1967, Israel began to
exploit their natural resources. Most critically in the semi-arid region,
Israel began to exploit aquifers and other water sources.
A
2009 Amnesty International report entitled
“Israel rations Palestinians to trickle of water” found:
‘In
the Gaza Strip, 90 to 95 per cent of the water from its only water resource,
the Coastal Aquifer, is contaminated and unfit for human consumption. Yet,
Israel does not allow the transfer of water from the Mountain Aquifer in the
West Bank to Gaza.
‘Stringent restrictions imposed in recent years by Israel on the entry into
Gaza of material and equipment necessary for the development and repair of
infrastructure have caused further deterioration of the water and sanitation
situation in Gaza, which has reached [a] crisis point.’
According
to a 2010 Human Rights Watch report, 60,000
Palestinians living in Area C of the West Bank, which is under full
Israeli control, lack access to running water, and must pay high prices
(up to one-sixth of their income) to bring in water tankers, which require
special permits from Israel.
‘Between
January and July, according to the UN, the Israeli military destroyed 20
water cisterns, some of which were funded by donor countries for humanitarian
purposes.
'Palestinian residents reported that water supplies were intermittent, and
settlers and their security guards denied Palestinians, including shepherds and
farmers, access to the springs.’
In
the West Bank, Israeli settlers consume on average 4.3 times the amount of
water as
Palestinians. In the Jordan Valley alone, some 9000 settlers in Israeli
agricultural settlements use one-quarter the total amount of water
consumed by the entire Palestinian population of the West Bank, some 2.5
million people.
In
addition to water and arable land, Israel also exploits Palestinian
resources such as minerals, including from the Dead Sea
region.
DESTRUCTION
OF AGRICULTURE
Since
the start of the occupation in 1967, Israel has destroyed vast amounts of
Palestinian agricultural land in order to construct settlements and
attendant infrastructure such as roads and military bases, and for the
West Bank wall, deemed illegal by the International Court of Justice. In
addition, vast amounts of farmland have been destroyed in Israeli military
operations and by rampaging Jewish settlers, who set fire to Palestinian
fields and crops, uproot olive trees, and even kill livestock.
According
to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in the
occupied Palestinian territories, in 2011 alone some 10,000
Palestinian-owned trees, mostly olive trees, were damaged or destroyed by
Israeli settlers, significantly undermining the livelihoods of hundreds of
West Bank families.
Between
2000 and 2007, more than half a million Palestinian
olive trees were destroyed by settlers or by Israel for the construction
of the West Bank wall.
MASS
EXPULSIONS OF PALESTINIANS
& THEFT OF PALESTINIAN LAND
During
Israel's creation (1947-49) some 750,000 Palestinians, or 2/3 of the Arab
population in what would become Israel, were expelled from their homes and
land by Zionist and then Israeli forces to make way for a Jewish majority
state in a region that had previously been populated overwhelmingly by
Muslim and Christian Palestinian Arabs.
Some 400 Palestinian
towns and villages, including vibrant urban centers, were systematically
destroyed by Zionist and Israeli forces during and after the creation of
the state.
The total monetary
loss of Palestinians dispossessed during Israel’s creation has been estimated
at upwards of $100 billion (US) in today’s dollars.
At the end of 1947,
just prior to Israel’s establishment, Zionist Jews and organizations owned
less than 7% of the land of British Mandate Palestine. Despite this, the
United Nations Partition Plan passed in November 1947 allotted 55% of
Mandate Palestine to a new Jewish state, disregarding the property rights
and wishes of Palestinian Arabs, who comprised some 67% of the population.
During the subsequent
military campaign that accompanied Israel’s creation, Zionist and Israeli
forces expanded far beyond the borders of the Jewish state called for in
the UN Partition Plan, conquering 78% of Mandate Palestine and
incorporating it into what became Israel’s internationally recognized,
pre-1967 War borders.
Most Palestinian refugees
fled or were forced from their homes on short notice. Almost 65 years
later, those refugees and their descendants continue to be denied their
legal right to return to their land and homes, as called for in UN Resolution 194,
and have been denied any kind of compensation from Israel for their
economic and other losses.
In 1967, during the
June, or Six-Day War, Israel conquered the West Bank, Gaza, and East
Jerusalem, the 22% of historic Palestine that remained outside its borders
in 1948. In addition to creating tens of thousands of new Palestinian
refugees, some for the second time over, almost immediately Israeli
authorities began to colonize the occupied territories, in violation of
international law, with Jewish-only settlements built on expropriated
Palestinian land. Today more than half a million Israeli Jews live on
occupied Palestinian land in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
In 1988, the Palestine
Liberation Organization made what was considered a major historic
compromise, renouncing claim to 78% of Mandate Palestine and agreeing to a
Palestinian state on just the remaining 22%, comprising the West Bank,
East Jerusalem, and Gaza. Despite this, Israel has continued to
relentlessly colonize the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem with a
network of Jewish-only settlements and attendant infrastructure,
Israeli-only roads, military bases, and the West Bank wall, surrounding,
dissecting, and isolating Palestinian population centers from one another
and the outside world. [1]
I am Eileen Fleming for US HOUSE, District 5, Florida and I approve of all of my messages.
"HOPE has two children.The first is ANGER at the way things are. The second is COURAGE to DO SOMETHING about it."-St. Augustine
"He who is not angry when there is just cause for anger is immoral. Why? Because anger looks to the good of justice. And if you can live amid injustice without anger, you are immoral as well as unjust." - Aquinas
Everyone has the right to freedom of
opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions
without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and
ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.
" In the final analysis, it is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway."-Mother Teresa
“You cannot talk like sane men around a peace table while the atomic bomb itself is ticking beneath it. Do not treat the atomic bomb as a weapon of offense; do not treat it as an instrument of the police. Treat the bomb for what it is: the visible insanity of a civilization that has ceased...to obey the laws of life.”- Lewis Mumford, 1946
The age of warrior kings and of warrior presidents has passed. The nuclear age calls for a different kind of leadership....a leadership of intellect, judgment, tolerance and rationality, a leadership committed to human values, to world peace, and to the improvement of the human condition. The attributes upon which we must draw are the human attributes of compassion and common sense, of intellect and creative imagination, and of empathy and understanding between cultures." - William Fulbright
“Any nation that year after year continues to raise the Defense budget while cutting social programs to the neediest is a nation approaching spiritual death.” - Rev. MLK
Establishment of Israel
"On the day of the termination of the British mandate and on the strength of the United Nations General Assembly declare The State of Israel will be based on freedom, justice and peace as envisaged by the prophets of Israel: it will ensure complete equality of social and political rights to all its inhabitants irrespective of religion it will guarantee freedom of religion [and] conscience and will be faithful to the Charter of the United Nations." - May 14, 1948. The Declaration of the Establishment of Israel