This week marks the 40th anniversary of the start of the illegal Israeli occupation of the West Bank (including East Jerusalem) and Gaza. Generations of Palestinians have now lived their entire lives under the rule of a criminal military regime. It is about time the world did something about this. Let us all join together to work globally to end this atrocious occupation.
If you are in America, please try to make it to the End the Occupation Rally in Washington DC on June 10th. If you can not make it, please consider making a tax-deductible donation to support this incredibly important effort, and the US Campaign to End Israeli Occupation. Adalah-NY are arranging for buses from New York; you can buy tickets from their website www.mideastjustice.org.
If you live in the UK, please try to make it to the National Demonstration against the Occupation in London on June 9th, and make sure you stay up to date with all the actions of two great organizations in the UK: the Enough! Coalition and the Palestine Solidarity Campaign.
There are actions against Israeli apartheid all across the world this week. You can see here a list of actions in over 25 countries. And make sure you regularly read www.stopthewall.org, the website of the Grassroots Palestinian Anti-Apartheid Campaign for excellent news, analysis, maps and activist resources.
The United Nations today released a report with the most detailed map of the West Bank, showing the horrible reality of the apartheid regime Israel has installed in the West Bank, which makes apartheid in South Africa look like a picnic, as Ronnie Kasrils, a veteran South African fighter of apartheid, has said repeatedly. He has a new interview with Gideon Levy in which he discusses why his opposition to Israeli apartheid is a consistent extension of opposition to South African apartheid, and why Israel’s oppression of Palestinians is much worse than anything the South Africans did.
Also, make sure you read this excellent piece by Tony Karon, a South African journalist who grew up a Zionist supporter of Israel, who reflects on how his perception of Israel has changed over time, and what the current situation means for Israel in the future, in light of the experience of South Africa’s own apartheid regime.
The reality today may be depressing but we should never lose hope. Many oppressive regimes with incredible criminal power and no morality like Israel have been defeated before, as South Africa clearly shows. As long as people from all over the world continue to work to support justice in Palestine there is no doubt that Israel’s despicable apartheid regime will fare no better than its counterpart in South Africa.
