Reverting Catastrophe?

Pro-Israel and pro-Palestine activists stage demonstrations 60 years after the birth of Israel.

by Will Dean

Untitled, wall in Jerusalem, digital C-print, March 2008, Michael T. Regan (CLICK IMAGE FOR LARGER VERSION)

Sixty years ago the Middle East changed.

Americans, if they really know their history, know May 14 as the day Israel declared independence from the British-controlled Mandate of Palestine. But over the next 57 days, local activist groups are planning to show why it is also known by many as "al-Nakba" or Arabic for "the Catastrophe."

The al-Nakba Coalition (phillyalnakba.org) is a collection of local activist groups organizing 60 days of politically charged events. They started on March 17 and continue through May 15. "The political moment in Philadelphia is more conducive to education at this point," says Kate Zaiden of SUSTAIN (Stop U.S. Tax-Funded Aid to Israel Now). The education they hope to deliver emphasizes the Palestinian side of the conflict, but will take many forms.

Films, lectures, puppets, music, art and other mediums will be employed to raise awareness of various groups' perspectives on the situation, and to call for an end to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The coalition's member groups have attracted different activists for different reasons and the events will reflect that.

Al-Nakba kicked off with a rally at Love Park featuring American soldiers' testimonies taken from Winter Soldier: Iraq and Afghanistan, an upcoming film that collects the views of veterans about the United States' ongoing military conflicts. "We also see this in a broader perspective of U.S. militarism and U.S. interests in the Middle East," explains Zaiden. "It's very convenient to have an ally in that region in terms of trying to maintain control over oil resources and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan."

Other events focus on the plight of Palestinian refugees. "We want an end to the Israeli occupation of the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem, to resolve the Palestinian refugee crisis in a manner consistent with international law, to stop violence against innocent civilians and to stop U.S. funding of the Israeli occupation," says Sue Rouda, a member of Jewish Voice for Peace, another group under al-Nakba's wide umbrella.

When Israel declared independence in 1948, war with Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon and Iraq quickly broke out and hundreds of thousands of Palestinians became refugees. To highlight this issue, Arna's Children, a documentary about Arna Mer Khamis, an Israeli woman who started children's education programs in Palestinian refugee camps, will be shown on Sat., March 28, at 7 p.m. at Molly's Bookstore as part of the Palestinian Film Festival.

Conditions for Palestinians have worsened dramatically since 2006 when Israel blockaded Palestinian areas following the democratic election of a government led by Hamas, a militant religious movement labeled a terrorist organization by the U.S., EU and Israel. Since then there has been fighting between Fatah, the former ruling party, and Hamas, with Hamas gaining control of the Gaza area. In mid-January of this year, Israel halted all border crossings into Gaza. According to human rights and relief groups like Amnesty International and Oxfam, the blockade has led to a lack of supplies and power for hospitals and created a humanitarian crisis.

Philadelphia is also home to a lot of organizations who defend Israel's actions. Asaf Romirowsky, manager of Israel & Middle East Affairs for the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia, blames the two main Palestinian political groups Fatah and Hamas, for intentionally keeping conditions bad to shore up their own support base, and to embezzle money.

"What's happening in the Palestinian Authority and the reason that Yasser Arafat and Arafat's cronies, vis-á-vis individuals like [present Fatah leader] Mahmoud Abbas these days, have kept the Palestinians in their current situation is because they managed to fuel the cycle of violence and the cycle of oppression by convincing the Palestinians that their dire condition is the result of American forces as well as Israel. The fact is that it's part of their own leadership," he says.

Romirowsky's group had its own rally in Love Park on the 19th in support of Israel, in response to recent rocket attacks and the fatal shooting of eight students at the Mercaz Harav religious school in Jerusalem. There are other events scheduled for dates closer to Israel's independence day in May, including concerts, festivals and parades.

Critics, like Rouda, claim Israel is intentionally hampering the peace process. "Israel has been arresting most of the political figures, so most of the Hamas government that they are so afraid of are in Israeli prisons," she says. "So what they're doing is making sure there is no peace partner. Do I see any chance of peace the way they're acting? No."

"This is not an ancient problem between Jews and Muslims," says Zaiden. "It's a political issue about, really, the theft of land and resources and a community's attempts at fighting back. This is a problem that started in 1948, which really in the grand scheme of things wasn't that long ago, and it's a problem that could likely be solved in our lifetime if the right conditions were met."

Peace, of course, is the purpose of the 60 days of action, which will conclude with a day of protest on May 18. This is the same day as a pro-Israel parade from 16th and the Parkway to Eakins Oval. While the conflict appears intractable and never-ending, with violence cycling into violence, organizers do have hope for a peaceful future.

(w_dean@citypaper.net)

For a complete rundown of The al-Nakba Coalition's events, go to phillyalnakba.org/event. For more events celebrating the 60th anniversary of the founding of Israel, go to jewishphilly.org/page.html?ArticleID=148646.