Photo in exhibition organized by Youth Against Settlements
We have written here a lot lately about stiffened European opposition to the Israeli occupation. Well last Monday at a school in Hebron, I attended the opening of a searing photo exhibit against the occupation that included the unforgettable image above by Abdul Hafiz Hashlamoun-- and the exhibit had broad support from European governments.
Pablo Platas, a Spanish diplomat, was in attendance at the opening. "I am from the Spanish Consulate in Jerusalem. I've known for a long time the work of Youth Against Settlements," he told me.
Spanish consular official Pablo Platas, left, in red tie, at Hebron primary school event last Monday. To his left are Issa Amro of Youth Against Settlements (in black jacket) and speaker Tamir Atrash
Platas (pictured above) declined to discuss political issues, but I watched as he applauded a stirring speech by Issa Amro of Youth Against Settlements, who is pictured at his side above.
Amro, a true leader of nonviolent resistance in Hebron, thanked the Spanish and French consulates for their support and the European Union too. He went on, describing efforts by Palestinians in Area C, which comprises most of the West Bank, to take control of their lives without Israeli control:
"I think the EU decided, a very good decision for the Palestinian people, to support Area C without taking any permission from the [Israeli] Civil Administration. We think this is a practical step toward ending the occupation of C areas. I think the settlers are working now to occupy B Areas [rural areas targeted by settlers in the Central West Bank]. All Palestine, all West Bank is under settler attack and under the Israel rightwing government to dePalestinianize the West Bank completely….
"This [exhibit] is a great message for all the world. …The Palestinian people are teaching the next generation about nonviolent resistance. .. Palestine will be free. We will not give up, we will not surrender, we will not exist with occupation. We are completely against settlements. We will not have peace without sending out all settlers from the West Bank. There is no way to coexist with occupation or with the settlers…
"This is the message of children here. This is the message of Youth against Settlements. I think this is the message of all journalists in Palestine. They are part of our resistance... This campaign is an international campaign."
Message to Spain: Please, do more than talk (and thanks for supporting the East-West divan orchestra project). Introduce draft resolutions in EU politics and in UNSC to end the settlements, repatriate the settlers (as Fourth Geneva Convention requires, UNSC-465 (1980) demands, and ICJ-July-9-2004 advises). Stick your thumb in the USA’s eye. A pro-Palestine politics cannot grow in USA without NEWS of pro-Palestine politics in the larger world. We Americas apologize for our government’s horrendous defenestration of international law and respectfully request your help. Thanks.
“Message to Spain: Please, do more than talk”
Inform more of the Spanish people of what’s really going on in Israel/Palestine, and help them gain more control over their government (including foreign policy), and they will deliver. States where the people have more direct control about their public servants act, are traditionally on the side of the occupied.
wow…
Those brave lads in the IDF certainly know how to pose for a modern interpretation of the ‘jackboot’. Great photo.
Mondoweiss’ commenting policy may not allow me to express of what this reminds me.
Trust me. It doesn’t. I’ve tried.
Is it a twisted form of denial or does it just want me to forget?
Q: … This campaign is an international campaign.
R: That’s where you’re wrong. You see, the ‘international community’ officials keep blabbering on about only consists in the dungeons of the UN and the likes. ‘We,’ the ones who actually form the bulk of this ‘international community,’ despise the way our officials deal with the I/P conflict and countless other wrongdoings around the globe. Move Israel to Florida and all will be well and peaceful.
We’ll see if this comment gets through the filter?
Can any sentient human see this and not know how to respond and against whom? If so, you’re blind. There’s only one way to respond to this evil and it very well might involve collateral damage against special people. Where ever their vulnerable!
It’s really not that hard in the face of such a motivation, don’t you think? And now they are going to do the same thing and worse to a Nation of 80 million people and their going to use us to do it? Yet again.
Hej!
I don’t think Israel wants to start a jihad against Christianity. Even special people need to play by the rules .
link to haaretz.com
Father Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Custodian of the Holy Land and head of the Franciscan Order in Israel, was responding to incidents that included painting slogans on the Narkis Street Baptist Congregation, on a Christian cemetery on Mount Zion and on the Greek Orthodox monastery in the Valley of the Cross. The slogans included “Jesus is dead,” “Death to Christianity,” “Mary is a whore” and “price tag”
“These actions,” Pizzaballa wrote, “which as far as I know haven’t led to any arrests, are but one painful example in a series of similar actions being carried out recently without hardly any hindrance. As you know, it is not my practice to write letters such as this. The various Christian communities live quietly and peacefully in Israel, with respect, appreciation and good relations with Jews and Moslems … Unfortunately, throughout the years we have learned to ignore provocations and continue our daily life. Still, is seems that this time red lines have been crossed and we cannot remain silent. These shocking slogans sprayed on Christian sites of prayer, especially in Jerusalem, hurt the feelings of all the Christians in Israel, regardless of their creed, as well as hundreds of thousands of pilgrims visiting Jerusalem and the holy land, and millions more worldwide. “I would be grateful,” he continued, “if you would use all your power and influence with the authorities so that this dangerous pattern of action will be eradicated and these actions stopped, before they become an habitual part of Christian life in Israel.”