As the launch of the Freedom Flotilla – Stay Human approaches, increasing numbers of Zionist officials and commentators illuminate the depths of their moral and intellectual bankruptcy by arguing that it is a political – not humanitarian – project.
Ran Curiel, Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, offers an example as good as any other. On May 10, he actually went to the trouble of calling a press conference in Strasbourg to offer this conclusion. “In our view, the flotilla is clearly a political provocation ... since there's no need for a flotilla to aid Gaza,” he said. “You can pass whatever you want to Gaza through normal channels.”
Curiel’s reasoning leaves much to be desired. Nobody seems entirely clear on what can enter Gaza through his “normal channels,” namely the Erez Crossing, and a large majority of its necessities continue to arrive at a high premium via tunnels from Egypt. And humanitarian opposition to the siege has always had more to do with its crippling effect on Gaza’s economy than its obstruction of aid. Due to the impossibility of legally importing most goods, or exporting nearly anything, unemployment now reaches 45%, and 300,000 people survive on a dollar a day.
Nevertheless, his conclusion is sound, if self-evident. The Freedom Flotilla is indeed “a political provocation.” Why shouldn’t it be? And when has it pretended to be anything else?
Like its predecessors, from the successful Free Gaza boats of 2008 to the Freedom Flotilla that suffered lethal violence by Israeli commandos in international waters last year, this Flotilla is an unabashed act of solidarity with a people fighting colonialism, ethnic cleansing, and apartheid.
The Flotilla targets the denial of Palestinian self-determination, not a humanitarian crisis. It aims to break the siege, not only because the siege causes hardship for Palestinians, but also because it obstructs their inherent rights to determine their collective destiny, and that of their historic homeland. The goal is not a reliable flow of international charity, or even a functional economy, but rather Palestinians’ sovereignty over their own coasts and territory.
Efforts to obscure these obvious truths, by holding the Flotilla to some other standard that it has never aspired to meet, are part of a Zionist “big lie,” a myth that its tellers hope will carry the weight of truth because its listeners believe it.
Zionists would have us accept that any effort not loyal to their regime must be apolitical and rooted only in charitable impulses. In the narrative they hope to spread through their frequent observations of the obvious, theirs is the only acceptable side, and strict neutrality the only possible alternative. Nothing else may exist within the strict parameters of thought and action they seek to impose.
But let there be no mistake: All of us who are part of the Flotilla effort, in ways great and small, have chosen a side, and it is not theirs. We stand with the people of Palestine in their struggle for equality and self-determination. And unlike architects of Operation Cast Lead and apologists for the Nakba, we have nothing to hide.
Flotilla organizers have hardly kept this a secret. In a June 24 statement, the Free Gaza Movement “reiterate[d] that our effort is not simply about delivering humanitarian aid. The goal of the Flotilla is not aid; it is freedom for Palestinians in Gaza and the rest of the occupied Palestinian territories. As such, there are no ‘established channels’ for freedom – there is only one - an end to the Israeli occupation.”
In more ways than one, Zionists criticizing the Flotilla as a “political provocation” share the mentalities of those who condemned the Salt Satyagraha or the Montgomery Bus Boycott for similar reasons. These efforts were also indisputably political and provocative; salt marchers could have simply paid the British tax, while Rosa Parks would actually have reached her destination more quickly by moving to the back of the bus. That these, too, were “political provocations” is equally obvious, and no less beside the point.
And the point, for the Freedom Flotilla, the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement, and countless related efforts to rally support for embattled Palestinians, is one of solidarity with a liberation struggle, not charity for helpless victims. As the late Juliano Mer-Khamis told The Electronic Intifada about his own Jenin Freedom Theatre:
We are joining, by all means, the struggle for liberation of the Palestinian people, which is our liberation struggle. Everybody who is connected to this project says that he feels that he is also occupied by the Zionist movement, by the military regime of Israel, and by its policy. Either he lives in Jenin, or in Haifa, or in Tel Aviv. Nobody joined this project to heal. We’re not healers … We are freedom fighters.
His words also describe Flotilla participants, and growing millions of supporters of the Palestinian cause. Yes, out solidarity is political. Yes, it is provocative. And unlike the racism and oppression of Zionism and its enablers, there is nothing shameful about it.
Joe Catron is a resident of Brooklyn, New York and a current member of the International Solidarity Movement – Gaza Strip. He writes in a personal capacity.
“You can pass whatever you want to Gaza through normal channels.”
If Israel doesn’t hasn’t found your tunnel/channel yet, that is – if it has expect to be bombed by a F 16 and buried alive
Catron,
You write:
“The goal is not a reliable flow of international charity, or even a functional economy, but rather Palestinians’ sovereignty over their own coasts and territory.”
Since Hamas are the rulers of Gaza, what you want is Hamas sovereignty over its own coasts. If that happens, Hamas will bring in weapons to be used against Israel. You are in fact aiding a terrorist organization.
Thank you for making this perfectly clear.
Hey, supporting Israeli sovereignty means arming a bunch of hotel-bombing, pillow-strangling, olive-tree-burning, school-leveling fishing-boat-hijacking goons.
Are you saying only Jewish terrorists deserve a country of their own?
and guess what the thing you and all the other anti palestinian rights people forget is that it is the right of the palestinians to war against those that denied and stole their right to self determination when peaceful measures failed. if you don’t want war try using peace. if you act like a thug don’t be surprised when your violence is reflected back at you.
“peaceful measures”?
From the very beginning Palestinians were anything but peaceful.
“From the very beginning Palestinians were anything but peaceful.”
Lie.
link to en.wikipedia.org
For many days before the horror began, the poison of incitement was felt everywhere. The Arabs spoke openly, shamelessly, and fearlessly of the massacre of the Jews to be arranged in the near future. They did not hesitate to reveal their whole detailed plan … Facts and evidence are in the hands of the survivors. The landlord of the Hotel, Nachman Segal, said to the lessee of the hotel on Thursday: “Pay me the rent today, because tomorrow no one among you will be saved.”
“We, the government, would merely become a third party of disorder if I carried out your suggestion,” he said.
“Disorder? By suppressing disorder you do not become disorderly,” I remarked. “The Mufti’s clique is the party of disorder, The Jews, whatever your objection to them may be, are the party of order. I have looked at the Arab rioters in Jerusalem, Hebron, Safed, and elsewhere. They are the lowest dregs of the population, uncouth hooligans, gangsters and cutthroats. As against them the Jews represent civilization here.”
“Ah,” he objected again, “but you must keep in mind that the government is neutral, must be impartial in this quarrel between Jews and Arabs. We are the watchdog…”
“Neutral and impartial when it is a question of barbarism versus civilization, when it is a case of gangsters attacking peaceful innocent citizens as those whose bodies I just saw piled up in a house in Hebron? …. Can one be neutral in a case like that? Isn’t being neutral in such a case, tantamount to taking sides, if one leaves the way open for more attacks, more murders of women and children?”
“By the way,” Mr. Luke broke in, “are you a Jew?”
“No,” I answered, “must one be a Jew to want fair play?”
link to professors.org.il
“As the late Juliano Mer-Khamis told The Electronic Intifada about his own Jenin Freedom Theatre:
We are joining, by all means, the struggle for liberation of the Palestinian people, which is our liberation struggle. Everybody who is connected to this project says that he feels that he is also occupied by the Zionist movement, by the military regime of Israel, and by its policy. Either he lives in Jenin, or in Haifa, or in Tel Aviv. Nobody joined this project to heal. We’re not healers … We are freedom fighters.”
Thanks for reminding us
I agree with EEE on this.
This flotilla is an unwitting enabling of Hamas.
I read this morning an article by Gershon Baskin, in which he described the abduction by Hamas of an Israeli friend while visiting Ramallah in 2005.
The effort was to free political prisoners. Gershon is an advocate for Palestinian dignity, sovereignty, well-being. The tone of the Hamas demand was not oriented to dignity, well-being, but to war.
I am NOT a freedom fighter. I am advocate of healing. Freedom fighting is pendulum swings, partisan, mutual abuses in contrast to mutual reconciliation.
“I agree with EEE on this.”
Oh, you don’t need to tell us that. It might be more useful to list the things you two don’t agree on. If you can find any, besides the fact that “eee” is much less philo-semantic than you.
“I am NOT a freedom fighter.”
Thank you for admitting that Zionism is, in fact, just an extension of imperialist or religio-fascist designs, and not at all essential to Jewish freedom. It’s about time you did.
Shorter Richard–Israel can do anything it wants to the Palestinians with my blessing until they surrender on my terms.
OF COURSE you agree with eee on this one. You’re virtually lock-step with him every time.
The word ‘provocation’ suggests that there is something natural or understandable about the response. ‘Defiance’ would be better.
This flotilla is an unwitting enabling of Hamas.
Israel and Fatah enabled Hamas by their wretched treatment of Gazans.
The region’s “only democracy”[tm] was uncomfortable with someone else exercising their own democratic will, and will continue to use starvation, deprivation, high-explosives, and white phosphorus to gently nudge them back into the fold.
“The region’s “only democracy”[tm] was uncomfortable with someone else exercising their own democratic will”
Hmm
Hamas declared war on Israel
Gazans elected Hamas = Gazans support war on Israel.
They wanted war and they have it.
The price is higher that Gazans thought they could afford?
All they have to do it democratically change their government.
Oh, I forgot that Hamas won’t ever let them choose another government.
My condolences.
“Hamas declared war on Israel”
No, the Zionists declared war on the Palestinians.
These Zionists are such idiots, aren’t they?
To win 3 wars in a row, and still let (some) Palestinians live on their land.
I’m certain that no Arab nation wouldn’t ever do anything even remotely that stupid – just slaughter ‘em all, as Muhammad said.
Nazi Germany gained a lot of land through war, just like Israel, and they were unsuccessful in completely eradicating the Jewish people.
Not a high standard to aspire to, Israeli.
Oh, I forgot that Hamas won’t ever let them choose another government
Will that even matter in the long run? Israel is killing off anyone who might want to vote for someone who objects to killing them off.
any statement or action taken that israel does not like is a provocation … remember, they are the World’s Official Victims™ (WOV) … and all of us here (well, maybe not eee and Witty and handful other hasbarists) would be deemed guilty of the “delegitimization of israel” if it weren’t for the small fact that israel has so thoroughly and completely and continually delegitimized itself that we’re left with nothing to do but point it out