A Very Good Piece
By Ellen Cantarow
Znet
"......
Writing in HaAretz Amira Hass observes, "The purpose of the coordinated oppression: To wear down the activists and deter others from joining the popular struggle, which has proven its efficacy in other countries at other times. What is dangerous about a popular struggle is that it is impossible to label it as terror and then use that as an excuse to strengthen the regime of privileges, as Israel has done for the past 20 years."
This past October I interviewed Jamal Juma' at Stop the Wall campaign's offices in Ramallah. Wiry, mild in demeanor, laid-back, Juma' struck me by his lack of any pretension or self-importance. His English is fluent; his experience evident. Israel cannot afford leaders like this, for they are not part of "the peace process," not coercible, not part of that creature of the US and Israel, the Palestinian Authority. Their threat to Israel is real democracy from the grassroots. Stop the Wall exemplifies this. Here is Juma's description of the campaign. (For actions to take to help him and stop suppression in the West Bank, see here.)
Leaders from the First Intifada
"Our work is based on popular committees... behind the Stop the Wall campaign is a group of people my age (46). We were the youth leading the first Intifadah [1987-1993, see here]. We were wanted, we were jailed, we were active in the streets, and we had this history strongly in our minds. When [Israel] started building the wall [2002] we began this campaign. . . Right after the massacres and the invasion they started building the wall immediately. [Juma' is referring to Israel's 2002 invasion of the West Bank, 'Defensive Shield,' and its massacres in the northern West Bank city, Jenin. See Rita Giacaman's report here.]"
From the first moment when we see the wall, the plans, and what they are doing on the ground, we understand immediately that this is not any new settlement, or confiscating of the land. This is a huge political project. The whole country was under siege, all the villages, and their life situation was very bad, this [was] the right time for them to start building the wall. We take on our hands and shoulders to start building a movement against the wall. [For a useful description on the singularity and purpose of the wall see Jeff Halper's article here.]
Popular Committees: grassroots democracy....."
By Ellen Cantarow
Znet
"......
Writing in HaAretz Amira Hass observes, "The purpose of the coordinated oppression: To wear down the activists and deter others from joining the popular struggle, which has proven its efficacy in other countries at other times. What is dangerous about a popular struggle is that it is impossible to label it as terror and then use that as an excuse to strengthen the regime of privileges, as Israel has done for the past 20 years."
This past October I interviewed Jamal Juma' at Stop the Wall campaign's offices in Ramallah. Wiry, mild in demeanor, laid-back, Juma' struck me by his lack of any pretension or self-importance. His English is fluent; his experience evident. Israel cannot afford leaders like this, for they are not part of "the peace process," not coercible, not part of that creature of the US and Israel, the Palestinian Authority. Their threat to Israel is real democracy from the grassroots. Stop the Wall exemplifies this. Here is Juma's description of the campaign. (For actions to take to help him and stop suppression in the West Bank, see here.)
Leaders from the First Intifada
"Our work is based on popular committees... behind the Stop the Wall campaign is a group of people my age (46). We were the youth leading the first Intifadah [1987-1993, see here]. We were wanted, we were jailed, we were active in the streets, and we had this history strongly in our minds. When [Israel] started building the wall [2002] we began this campaign. . . Right after the massacres and the invasion they started building the wall immediately. [Juma' is referring to Israel's 2002 invasion of the West Bank, 'Defensive Shield,' and its massacres in the northern West Bank city, Jenin. See Rita Giacaman's report here.]"
From the first moment when we see the wall, the plans, and what they are doing on the ground, we understand immediately that this is not any new settlement, or confiscating of the land. This is a huge political project. The whole country was under siege, all the villages, and their life situation was very bad, this [was] the right time for them to start building the wall. We take on our hands and shoulders to start building a movement against the wall. [For a useful description on the singularity and purpose of the wall see Jeff Halper's article here.]
Popular Committees: grassroots democracy....."
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