Thank you, Rachel Corrie.

Image by ISM-NC via Flickr

Today is the 6th memorial day for Rachel Corrie, an American non-violence activist who was killed by an Israeli bulldozer in the town of Rafah in Gaza, March 16 2008. (thanks to Nina for the reminder)

The story, in short: Rachel came to Gaza with the International Solidarity Movement, like many other young americans and people of other nationalities. Many of them, btw, are jewish.

She was killed when she tried to prevent a bulldozer from demolishing a house. Personally, I believe the story of the driver who said he was not able to see her. Usually the Israeli army has people standing outside to direct the bulldozers, but at that specific event they were afraid of Palestinian snipers and thus did not do that.

I once met her parents. Very kind and good people. I hope that they find some comfort in the support they get from around the globe (and from many Israelis too, as they assured me).

Stories like this happen all the time. Only last week another American citizen was critically wounded by Israeli fire.

What do I do about it? I ask questions, attend a play (maybe), and mainly, support Lora (who's Lora? read or pick at the end).

Let's start with the questions, I'm good at it. Billy Bragg wrote a beautiful tune with plenty of questions. One of them is: Is Rachel more important than 100 Palestinian kids we never hear of?



Bradley Burston made me think again about responsibility (English and Hebrew). The army is there to protect population. If it were an Israeli citizen, most certainly a soldier would have had to go out and make sure everybody is safe. Why was this not the case here? As Chava Alberstein asks, "The love of the homeland is a natural thing, but why should the love stop halt at the border?"

The play My Name is Rachel Corrie plays today and on the 29th in Pittburgh. The play also made some noise when the director of the original theater in NYC canceled the production a few weeks before it was scheduled to air. No reason for the censorship was given. However, shortly after it found a new home.

Last and most important is a new journey of a brave American. This time I talk about my good friend Lora, who is so many things. She is so compassionate to want go to Gaza, so brave to actually do it, and so smart to be able to go in (the Israeli governmeht still puts Gaza under blockade. Somehow Lora was able to break in.)

You can read her fascinating updates here and can follow her twits.
And most importantly, you can donate here. All money goes to rebuilding Gaza.

Thanks to all of you, to Lora, and to Rachel; love, and non-violent energy!

The Aftermath of the War

1. Israel did not achieve any of its declared goals.

- The Hammas only got stronger and more popular.
- The attacks on southern Israel increased since Israel broke the cease fire.
- Gilad Shalit is not home.

Israel had three goals - and it failed miserably on all three. No wonder everyone in Israel still supports this war. This is the simplest way to resolve the cognitive dissonance of how we became so stupid and violent. I still think that truth and learning from mistakes make a better policy, but they certainly are underrated.

***

2. Taking my mom out for lunch.

The Israeli support for the failed war reminds me of going out for lunch with mom. Usually it is much fun, but occasionally we order some really crappy dishes. My mom always insist that we finish these too - since we already ordered them, we should at least “enjoy” them. Israel seems to be following the same logic.
As for me, I'd rather not order the same dish again.
And again.

***

3. Exporting the successful line of Lebanon wars

I don't know about you, but this reminds me too much of the recent Lebanon war (or the one of 1996). They annoy us, we retaliate, we kill too many civilians and stop, and then they annoy us again. Only that this time everything was much bigger. Like a classic Hollywood sequel.

***

4. Closed Zone

Speaking of Lebanon, and speaking of a sequel, Yoni Goodman, the director of animation for the Academy Award-nominated film, "Waltz with Bashir", crated a short movie about Gaza:
http://www.closedzone.com/



***

5. Something small I do not get.

And here is something that surprises me. How can people support the war in Gaza and at the same time admire Waltz with Bashir? How come they do not see the parallels? The tallest wall in the Israel is not the one on Palestinian lands, but the one that blocks our actions from our thoughts and emotions.

***

6. You and Me and The Next War / Chanoch Levin

When we take a walk, we are three,
You, me and the next war.
When we go to sleep, we are three,
You, me and the next war.

When we smile at a moment of love
The next war smiles with us.
When we wait at the maternity ward,
The next war waits with us.

When they knock on the door, we are three,
You, me and the next war.
and when all this is over, we still are three,
You, the next war and the photograph.
Thanks to yuvalbenami.blogspot.com for the translation.

כשאנחנו מטיילים, אז אנחנו שלושה -
את ואני והמלחמה הבאה.
כשאנחנו ישנים, אז אנחנו שלושה -
את ואני והמלחמה הבאה.

את ואני והמלחמה הבאה,
המלחמה הבאה עלינו לטובה.
את ואני והמלחמה הבאה,
שתביא מנוחה נכונה.

כשאנחנו מחייכים ברגע אהבה,
מחייכת איתנו המלחמה הבאה.
כשאנחנו מחכים בחדר הלידה,
מחכה איתנו המלחמה הבאה.

את ואני והמלחמה הבאה,
המלחמה הבאה עלינו לטובה.
את ואני והמלחמה הבאה,
שתמציא מנוחה נכונה.

כשדופקים על הדלת, אז אנחנו שלושה -
את ואני והמלחמה הבאה.
וכשכול זה כבר נגמר שוב אנחנו שלושה -
המלחמה הבאה, את והתמונה.

את ואני והמלחמה הבאה,
המלחמה הבאה עלינו לטובה.
את ואני והמלחמה הבאה,
שתמציא מנוחה נכונה.

I Speak to You Today in the Name of Many.

I want to share with you things I said today at the protest against the war in Gaza. (January 17 2009, Pittsburgh PA).
-----------------

My name is Ido Roll, and I am an Israeli.

I speak to you today in the name of hundreds of Israelis who refuse to join the Israeli army because it is committing war crimes against people who should be free.
I speak to you in the name of thousands of people in Sderot, Beer Sheva, and southern Israel, who have lived under the attacks of deadly rockets for 8 years, and still oppose the war and killing in Gaza.
I speak to you in the name of tens of thousands of Israelis, in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Haifa and Sachnin, who go out to the streets and protest the war every day, though their voices are ignored by the media.

I am speaking in the name of all these, begging, asking: please, stop the killing. Stop the war NOW.

Two days ago we held an Jewish pro-peace event at the Jewish Community Center. We heard these unheard voices. We also talked with Dr. Izzadin Abouleish, a physician from Gebalya refugee camp in Gaza. Izzadin, in his loud and clear voice, called for peace. He described how he sits on the floor, looks at the eyes of his kids, and cannot tell them where he will be tomorrow, or where they will be the day after. He described how his life would no longer be called life if his children get hurt.
12 hours later an Israeli tank hit his home. 3 of his daughters were killed. His brothers and two more sons were critically wounded or killed. This war spares no-one. No one is immune to this crazy violence.

This is not about being pro-Israeli vs. pro-Palestinian. This is about being pro the living. Pro common sense. Pro people. We must all do what we can to stop the killing.

We need a ceasefire now. But we should not stop there. This war is only the symptom of a much deeper disease. As long as there is an occupation, there is violence. We should continue, until all people in the Middle East can live freely, peacefully, life of dignity and prosperity.

I am calling on all Americans to stand for what they believe. This conflict will not be solved by watching it on CNN. We have the responsibility, the moral obligation, to act. Every day in which we do not act is a day in which we let the killing go on.
I can't stop thinking about the daughters of Dr. Aboueleish. I can't stop praying for my own daughter, never to know these things.
The killing must end now.

Thank you.

In commemoration of the children of Dr. Abuleish

* On Thursday I talked with Dr. Abuleish at a pro-peace event at the Jewish Community Center.
* On Friday three of his kids were killed by the Israeli army.
* On Saturday I am sitting down to write this, my eyes covered with tears and my thoughts overwhelmed by the voices.
Let me try to put some sense in these 36 hours.

Dr. Abuleish is a unique person. He is everything I want to be. The only thing bigger than his mind is his soul. The only thing more powerful than his love to humanity is his love to his kids.
Dr. Abuleish, a Palestinian refugee, has worked for years in Israeli hospitals as an OB/GYN, helping everyone in need. He has delivered pregnant settlers women, who opposed his right to exist. Dr. Abuleish is one of the most charming and lovable people I have talked with. You cannot hear him without feeling that he has been here for ever, and has always been your best friend.

Exaxctly 36 hours ago we held a pro-peace event at the Jewish Community Center. The goals of the event were simple - to hear pro-peace voices from Israel, not commonly heard in the main-stream media (and especially in the Jewish community). And, to show that to support Israel means to oppose the war. We asked Dr. Abuleish to speak with us via Skype. He sent us all a clear message - we should stop killing each other and start behaving like neighbors. He told us about an event the other day when a tank targeted his home and was stopped in the last moment. He shared with us earlier that Israel has refused his request to leave his home and find a shelter in a Mosque.
And even in the middle of the war, when tanks threatening his home, his voice for peace was loud and clear.
You can read the event coverage in the local newspaper here. I will try to upload all recordings from it later.
Here are several highlights from the conversation with Abuleish (2 minutes long).

And here is the full version (21 minutes).

As Abouleish said, we all prayed for peace.
On Friday, only few hours later, the soldiers at the IDF fired direct artillery at the Abuleish home. Three of his daughters were killed on the spot. Other relatives, including two of his brothers and two more of his kids, were either severely injured or died, it is not clear to me at this point. This was done while Abouleish was talking on the Israeli TV. Live killing.
(if you cna't see the English captions, click the small triangle on the bottom-right corner and choose the 'cc' option).



You can also read about this here.

And now, Saturday morning, I sit and try to write. My daughter is sound asleep in the arms of her amazing mom and my beloved wife. She is safe in our arms. Abuleish couldn't give even that to his children. As he told us on Thursday night, "I am sitting helpless, looking in my children's eyes, while they're wondering which one of us will be lost"

And the news keep coming. Dr. Abuleish's injured kids were transferred to an Israeli hospital, to get the best treatment they can. "This is the only time it happened this war", Israeli resources say with pride.
I wonder why they don't say it with shame.
The number are still not finite, but at least 300 kids were killed by the Israeli army during this war. Kids. Children. Babies. The net is full of their photos. Estimates say that thousands more were injured. Where are they? Who takes care of them?
Meanwhile, Israel has bombed a hospital in Gaza.

Just so the proportions are clear, Israel has killed in two week of mass murder in Gaza more than the Hamas has killed since the breaking of the second Intifada, at 2000.
We can't say we didn't know. Please, do what you can to stop that. Do what you can to stop any war.

From the Net: The Last Israeli and the Last Palestinian

What do we do when we finish digging?



Mike Luckovich, copyright 2009 Creators Syndicate

STOP THE KILLING IN GAZA NOW, and here is why.

The assault on Gaza and the missiles to south Israel must be stopped immediately. But is there a connection between these two? Does the Israeli attack on Gaza reduce the attacks on Southern Israel?
To evaluate the Israeli attack on Gaza we should examine three aspects:

• Is it moral?
• Is it legal?
• Is it helpful?
  

:~:~:

Unfortunately, the moral question is the easiest to answer. No, of course it is not. You shall not kill hundreds of civilians, including children, like that. Not if you pretend, or aspire, to be a democratic humanistic country.

:~:~:

Though I am no expert, the legal situation seems pretty clear too. The answer is simply no, even though this is a war, this is definitely illegal.

:~:~:

Now is it helpful? Common, was it helpful 2 years ago in Lebanon? And in 2002 in Jenin? And in 1982 or 1978 in Lebanon? Of course not. If it were helpful, how come I keep adding years in front of Lebanon?
Terror cannot be fought against with army. Terror can only be reduced by treating its causes. I hoped that 42 years of occupation and countless wars and operations have taught us this simple lesson.

In addition, being immoral gives the legitimacy for others to be immoral. How do the Hammas rockets differ from the Israeli rockets? Can Iran fire rockets on civilians in Israel too, now? By conducting this war the way we do, we loose our biggest asset - being right.

The killing must be stopped as soon as possible. Of course that something should be done to stop the rockets on Israel, but that's a different post. We should put no conditions on lives, the most basic human right.