International resistance to Zionism
VTR
October 07, 2008 07:40 AM
by Sokari Ekine
Last Thursday, the International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network [IJAN] was launched at a press
conference in London. The launch was chaired by Selma James together with Michael Kalmanovitz
of the Payday Network and social activist and founding members of Matzpen, Prof Moshe Machover.
The launch of IJAN is the culmination of 2 years of intensive work by anti-Zionists across the
world.
What is different about the IJAN? Unlike other Jewish organisations such as Jews for Justice
for Palestinians Anti-Zionist and unequivocally committed to the dismantling of Israeli
apartheid, the return of Palestinian refugees, and the ending of the Israeli colonization of
historic Palestine.
I really felt I was witnessing something different in the launch of IJAN and saw it as a very
important development in the fight against world racism, imperialism and capitalist oppression
because for the first time I was hearing Jewish people standing up against the state of Israel
and the ideology which seeks to legitimize the oppression and genocide of Palestinians. IJAN
represents a network of Jewish people who do not want to be associated with Zionism and Israel,
support the right of return of all Palestinians and oppose the Jewish homeland and the reject
the right of all Jews to live in Israel.
Zionism is racist. It demands political, legal and economic power for Jews and European people
and cultures over indigenous people and cultures. Zionism is not just racist but anti-Semitic.
It endorses the sexist European anti-Semitic imagery of the effeminate and weak “diaspora Jew”
and counters it with a violent and militarist “new Jew,” one who is a perpetrator rather than a
victim of racialized violence.
IJAN also speaks to the hidden truths and myths of Israeli democracy and rejects the continued
colonial expansionism of Zionism and is a call for action. The moment when the Zionist movement
decided to build a Jewish State in Palestine, it became a movement of conquest. Like the
imperial conquest and genocidal ideologies of the Americas or Africa, Zionism depends on the
segregation of people and the confiscation of land that produces ethnic cleansing and depends
on unrelenting military violence.
Zionists worked hand in hand with the British colonial administration against the indigenous
people of the region and their legitimate hopes for liberty and self-determination. The Zionist
imagining of Palestine as “empty” and desolate justified the destruction of Palestinian life in
the same way that such racism justified the extermination of Native Americans, the Atlantic
slave trade, and many other atrocities.
The connection IJAN make with global racism is important as we celebrate Black History Month.
The marginalisation, economic exploitation and racism towards North African and Ethiopian Jews
(Mizrahi Jews of African and Asian descent) requires us as Black people to take action against
Israel. The Mizrahi Black Panther Party [See here also and here] founded in the 1970s continues
to fight for equality in Israel as well as work in solidarity with Palestinians many of whom
are of African descent living mainly in East Jerusalem. Palestinians of African descent have a
long history and also face discrimination and marginalisation along with the Mizrahi Jews, in
Israel as well as Palestine. For example those living in the West Bank are refused Jordanian
citizenship whilst those in East Jerusalem have no option but to obtain Israeli travel documents.
We must all choose where we stand. The IJAN is a movement of resistance and has chosen to stand
for resistance to Zionism, imperialism, colonialism and racism wherever it takes place.
We are partners in the vibrant popular resistance movements of our time that defend and cherish
the lives of all people and of the planet itself. We are partners in movements that are led by
those most impacted by imperial conquest, occupation, racism and the global control and
exploitation of people and resources. We stand for the protection of the natural world. We
stand by the rights of indigenous peoples to their land and sovereignty. We stand by the rights
of migrant peoples and people who are refugees to move freely and safely across borders. We
stand by the rights of working people - including migrant workers brought to Israel to replace
both Palestinian and Mizrahi labor - to economic justice and self-determination. We stand by
rights to racial equality and cultural expression. We stand by the rights of women and children
and all exploited groups to be free from subjugation. And we stand by the universal right to
water, food, shelter, education, health-care and freedom from violence — the only basis on
which human society can survive and flourish.
Lee
"VTR" <vexj...@gmx.us> wrote in message
news:bOydnTJg_IaFDG7V...@comcast.com...
> International resistance to Zionism
> October 07, 2008 07:40 AM
> by Sokari Ekine
>
> as Jews for Justice
> for Palestinians Anti-Zionist and unequivocally committed to the
> dismantling of Israeli
> apartheid, the return of Palestinian refugees, and the ending of the
> Israeli colonization of
> historic Palestine.
Historic Palestine.
Misliya Cave, southwest of Mt. Carmel, has been excavated by teams of
anthropologists and archaeologists from the Archaeology Department of the
University of Haifa and Tel Aviv University since 2001. In 2007, they
unearthed artifacts indicative of what could be the earliest known
prehistoric man. The teams uncovered hand-held stone tools and blades as
well as animal bones, dating to 250,000 years ago, at the time of the
Mousterian culture of Neanderthals in Europe.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syro-Palestinian_archaeology
Amongst the 250,000 year artifacts was found what is believed to be a
primitive suicide belt made from dates and some elaborate rock drawings of
children apparently slain by birdlike creatures. Some skeletal remains were
found but all seemed to be missing their skulls and in some cases right
hands.
It is believed that these early humans despite having a wide territory were
often engaged in inter tribal conflict perhaps fighting over primitive
religious beliefs and there are also rock paintings depicting what some
archeologist believe are Neanderthals throwing feces at them perhaps marking
their unusual stupidity of prefering warfare over a more peacfull hunter
gatherer lifestyle.