Activism

Letter to J.K. Rowling: For the sake of all Palestinian children who love Harry you need to say their lives matter

The following was written by a member of Christian Peacemaker Teams in Hebron. The author writes, “*I am not using my name because Israel has complete control over the borders of the West Bank and Gaza and routinely denies entry to human rights observers. Israel denied two of my colleagues entry in the last few months and banned another from Hebron because she took an Instagram photo showing the Israeli military violating the human rights of Palestinian children.  Furthermore, Israel may soon deny entry to anyone who advocates any sort of boycott, even of those products produced in settlements, which are illegal under international law.”

Dear J.K. Rowling,

I have worked as a human rights advocate in Palestine for twenty years and most of the people in my circles support the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement to one degree or another.  I am married to an Israeli who supports the boycott of settlement products and corporations that enable the Israel’s occupation of Palestine, but, like you, does not support the academic and cultural boycott of Israel.  I believe it is possible for people of good conscience to disagree on this issue.

But I want to tell you that in the city of Hebron where I have worked for the last twenty years, I have, with my own eyes, seen Palestinian children attacked, beaten, arrested—without any of the due process the civilized world grants minor children—and in general treated with utter contempt by Israeli soldiers and settlers.  A major part of our work is monitoring the treatment of children as they walk through checkpoints on their way to school everyday in the Old City of Hebron.   The Israeli military’s of teargas has become almost routine when elementary children passing through—something Israeli families would never tolerate for their own children (and indeed the police do not use it against Jewish Israelis inside Israel.)

Several days ago, 17-year-old Dania Arshid was walking to her English class through a checkpoint.  Accused by Israeli Border Police of having a knife, she threw her hands in the air, backed away, and was summarily executed by multiple gunshots.

I can tell you, based on my experience, that no one will go to jail for her murder, or for the murder of Hadeel Hashlamoun, a few weeks earlier or for Fadel al Qawasmi.  In the impossibly slim chance an investigation into her extrajudicial execution occurs, the courts will exonerate the soldiers and racist Israeli social media will hail them as heroes.

As of the end of August, 133 Israeli children and 2065 Palestinian children had died since 2000 in the Palestinian/Israeli conflict. I view the death of any child of any nationality with horror, but in this conflict, it is the Palestinian children whom the agents of Occupation kill and abuse with impunity.

So Ms. Rowling, you do not have to support the Academic and Cultural Boycott, but for the sake of all Palestinian children who love Harry, you do need to say their lives matter.  You need to say they are entitled to exactly the same rights, dignities and freedoms that Israeli children are.   And you need to say that Israel’s military occupation of Palestinians, this Unforgivable Curse from which all the violence tormenting the inhabitants of this land emanates, must end.

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ALSO SEE: “Hamilton vs. J.K. Rowling, Round Two” | by Omar Robert Hamilton | Counterpunch.org | October 27, 2015
LINK – http://www.counterpunch.org/2015/10/27/hamilton-vs-j-k-rowling-round-two/

If JKR wishes to convince us she cares about Palestinian children , especially in Gaza, she should donate a small part of her billions to one of the many organisations involved in improving their lives .Of course she would have to be willing to suffer the inevitable accusations of “giving money to terrorists” and the children of zionists might stop reading her books.

I suspect she would come out far more respected in the long run , and especially so when Israel,s true nature is finally laid bare for all to see.

@amigo
Donation idea is great . Even better still would be for her to actually visit Gaza and the West Bank . I suspect the naive JKR would come back chastened , truly aware and truly embarassed by her support for the bizarre idea of building cultural bridges between Palestinians and their Zionazi oppressors. And then set up a fund from her billions.

Another curious listing on the signatories to the letter is Melvyn Bragg. Most Britons I would suggest have a perception of him as being erudite , astute and clearly left of centre
in his politics. I can understand the naive JKR being spun into this cute little Hasbara web via the Neil Blair/Abraham Foundation nexus. It would be fascinating to know how Bragg was ensnared.

Good letter. I would have added that if Rowling is a believer in dialogue then she needs to speak those very things that the letter writer mentioned as part of that dialogue. If the dialogue isn’t is honest then it does nothing. And the dialogue needs to expand beyond just the Palestinians and the Israelis. Rowling has the fame and fortune to expand many ordinary people’s understanding of what is going on in I/P.

Also, if Rowling is against boycotts, then she should likewise be against Israel’s blockade of Gaza, which is so much more punitive than BDS. She should state that loud and clear as well as part of the dialogue she supports.

When JKR announced that her novels’ children’s boarding school principal was gay, she apparently got mainstream establishment applause for it. Meanwhile, in real life hundreds of Palestinian children are in jail, where they are frequently beaten.

Back in JKR’s world, “Rowling thinks it’s wrong that girls love Draco Malfoy”, the anti-hero. <>
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/harry-potter/11496100/harry-potter-revelations.html