What will It Take to Bring Peace to the Holy Land?

mai abdul rahman                                  October 22, 2014

Palestinian children passing through an Israeli cattle steel gated check point

There is an emergence of recognition among Palestinians and Israelis that negotiating a peaceful end of Israel’s occupation and Siege of Palestinians has become almost impossible to achieve. This new emerging consensus is evident by Israel’s expedient rush to establish facts on the ground that reflect Israel’s consensus of creating “Greater Israel” that stretches from the Mediterranean Sea to the Jordan River. But what will it take to bring about peace with dignity that honors both Israelis and Palestinians? And what drives Israel to such extreme measures?

Palestinians have come to realize that the Jewish history of trauma is an impediment for building trust between Palestinians and Israelis. The question that Palestinians are grappling with is how to convince Israelis and Jews that it is in their self interest to end Israel’s military policies, and usher a humane political paradigm that respects the collective and individual dignity of Palestinians and Israelis. Before they can do so, Palestinians have to figure out how to untangle and separate the Palestinian- Israeli narrative from the Jewish historical narrative of pain and suffering.

The Palestinian perspective and experience with the Israelis suggests that the root obstacle to peace for both people rests on  the prevailing Jewish historical experience that is defined by a litany of atrocities. These horrendous atrocities are commemorated, and transmitted to the next generation at every Seder and Jewish ritual. The Jewish traumatic discourse is also affirmed and recounted in popular culture and literature where stories about historical violence committed on innocent Jews are described; it is circulated in the media, and the news; and it is retold and memorialized in movies and oral histories. These horrific accounts of the collective Jewish experience touches and pains readers, listeners and viewers even when they are not immediately affected or personally victimized.

The dread of violence and trauma is real and manifested by observant and non-observant Jews. It is also observed among Jews who have lived free of overt racism and prejudice. Jews raised on the Jewish traumatic narrative and history of anti-Semitism, may sympathize with Palestinians, but still fear the possibility of a cruel future that can potentially repeat- if they let their guard down.

It is the reason why most American Jews will still fund, support, and defend Israel’s actions and policies even when they feel implicated by the injustices that Israel perpetrates on the Palestinians. Traumatic violence has become an intangible threat that most Jews carry with them in every sphere. It is most pronounced in the manner by which Jews and Israelis relate to Palestinians. For example, Israeli leaders, Israel’s extremists, as well as US Jewish leaders justify and fiercely defend Israel’s military actions, policies, its Gaza Siege, and illegal settlers with words and invocations of the Holocaust. In addition, Palestinian leaders of all stripes are compared to Hitler. Meanwhile, Zionists and illegal Israeli settlers accuse Palestinians who propose Israel withdraws to pre-1967 green line as if they are proposing the final solution.

Furthermore, any criticism of the state of Israel, its occupation policies, or its Zionist militant character is considered anti-Semitic, and an attack on Jews, their faith and identity. Palestinians are compared to Nazis so often that it has become predictable to the point of a common clichés. In fact, Palestinians often say that while Germany may have lost the war, Hitler, his deeds and words are still daily invoked by Israelis and Jews.

There is no question or ambiguity about the shared horrific Jewish experience that millions of Jews have endured prior to 1948. The Holocaust has been the core of the Jewish identity, and Israel’s distinguished unifying historical experience. It has been the impetus for the creation of the state of Israel, and the raison d’être that provides Israelis and Jews worldwide the drive, and determination to support Israel with blood and treasure. Interestingly, while Palestinians had no hand in Israel’s collective and individual suffering that the Holocaust experience has imprinted on Israelis and Jews, Palestinians are the open wounds who pay the price for the Jewish peoples’ bitter memory.

Palestinian young girl is held in an arm lock by an Israeli soldier

Countless of Palestinian men, women, and children are well aware that they are the living scarred witnesses of the painful Jewish past. So, while Palestinians do not justify Israel’s actions and policies they have come to realize that the collective Jewish fear of persecution and victimization whether immediate, actual, or a past memory is the psychological and emotional barrier to peace between the two people.

Fear of anti-Semitism is real and it is difficult to get over and clearly no one- Jewish or sane Palestinian- should underestimate it. While Palestinians did not have a hand in the Jewish European experience of loss, trauma, and destitution, they intuitively and experientially recognize the powerful hold of the Holocaust on their daily life under Israel’s Siege and Occupation.

It is certainly difficult for Palestinians to rationalize why they are the ones chosen to pay the price of European crimes and atrocities. Nonetheless, Palestinians have an intimate knowledge of the impact of this large and formidable collective Jewish fear that harshly confines and imprisons Palestinians behind Israel’s dreadful separation Walls, check points, electric and barbed wire fences, steel cattle gates, and Siege; which also walls and cages the Israelis.

Fear is the reason why for seven decades the Israelis have maintained that the Palestinians are the aggressors, and Israel is a victim of its own militant actions and occupation. It is what motivates Jews to absolve the Israeli government, the IDF, and its illegal settlers from any legal or political responsibility for robbing Palestinians of their properties, polluting their environment, and uprooting their ancient Roman olive trees; and it is the reason that holds young under age Palestinian children in far away Israeli prisons.

Palestinians also recognize that the Jewish horrific past is the reason that drove Israel to become an army nation, where boundaries between its militant ideology and society are blurred. It is the reason why Israel is more like ancient Sparta, where mandatory military service provides its impressionable young with one unifying identity and one enemy- the Palestinians. Young Israelis and their Palestinian captive victims are the living tragedy of the “never again” and “never forget” Jewish motto that has provoked Israel to build a warrior society that is unique among nations.

While understanding the confining power of the Jewish narrative of trauma is necessary for Palestinians, Israelis, and their supporters, the crucial question for Palestinians is when will the Jews be able forgive those who committed the most heinous and horrific acts on their Jewish neighbors, friends, associates, and fellow citizens (Germans, Poles, Italians, Russians and so on). Yes, it is a tall order and most difficult considering the oppressive nature, and the psychological, emotional and physical damage that was inflicted on generations of Jews. Nonetheless, forgiveness has the potential to heal and liberate both people. Otherwise, the Jewish fear of recurring trauma will remain the invisible weight that keeps both people from the honorable just peace they deserve and desire.

Palestinians understand the power and utility of forgiveness. Forgiveness is a Palestinian social practice and the corner-stone of their communal tradition that has helped them resolve social conflict, and address family and community disputes in every town, village and tent. Across Palestinian society- in Palestine, Israel, and the Diaspora- conflict management, and conflict reduction and resolution are formally and ritually performed in the absence of state officials or a central government.

If and when Jews are able to forgive the world for the deep wounds that were inflicted on millions of Jews, then and only then will Jews be able to trust to forgive and be forgiven. Only when Jews are able to forgive the world for its cruelty and inhumane treatment of Jews; only then will Jews and Israelis allow themselves to forgive the Palestinians, and only then will they believe that the Palestinians who have been victimized by Israel will forgive them, too.

Jews must forgive to believe that the Palestinians are also capable of forgiving. In short, for peace to bud and grow among Israelis and Palestinians requires the commitment of Israelis and Jews to transform their society through deliberate action to change Israel’s national character, motives, behavior, and narrative.

The US/NSA transfer of American citizens’ intercepts to Israel: What Gives?

mai abdul rahman                                   October 3, 2014

Last week James Bamford of the New York Times revealed that the US government is engaged in one of the biggest abuses “ever reported.” Bamford’s New York Times article was not the first to reveal US/NSA assault on the rights of American citizens. In fact this was first reported by The Guardian, and soon after other international and national outlets reported extensively on this long-standing US abusive practice. They collectively suggest that the US government has sanctioned the NSA to routinely pass the private communications of Americans to Israeli military intelligence services and Israel’s secretive Unit 8200.

The NSA transfer of metadata intercepts includes the contents of communications and the personal data of American citizens snagged by NSA’s surveillance dragnet that by most accounts is irrelevant to US intelligence or national security. In short, the NSA is routinely sharing with Israel the personal information of law abiding American citizens simply to provide Israel with surveillance data the NSA collects here at home that is inconsequential to US domestic policies and interests. Perplexingly the US allows Israel to release US citizens’ identities and their information to “outside parties.”

Why Israel and not China? In Bomfard’s words the NSA is engaged in this massive abuse to help “Israel pursue (its) political agendas” here at home, in Palestine and Israel. The NSA transmits American citizen’s information based on their ethnicity, and selectively spies and collects information on unsuspecting law abiding citizens’ to help Israel advance its occupation and settlement expansion policy that the US has declared is in contradiction to its regional and national interests.

Why is the NSA engaging in such abusive practices of US citizens? To satisfy Israel’s keen interest in following the activities and opinions of American Palestinians on the Israeli occupation, Israel’s illegal settlement policies, its Gaza Siege, and wars. Simply stated, the NSA is assisting Israel to keep an eye and monitor the US domestic debate on Israel’s military occupation of Palestine.

The NSA publicly states and assures Americans that if and when the NSA transfers sensitive personal information of American citizens to another country, the information passed is “minimized,” meaning the names and other personally identifiable information are removed. Interestingly evidence suggests that the NSA and US officials do not modify or conceal the private data of American Palestinians. Without any filtration the NSA has transferred to its Israeli counterpart the personal data and information of American citizens’ on virtually every form of communications they use, “transcripts, gists, facsimiles, telex, voice and Digital Network Intelligence metadata and content.”  In fact, the NSA Israeli memorandum of agreement stipulates that NSA transfers of collected material on American citizens is divulged without the minimum protections offered by US legal rights, international law, or customarily observed US procedures. In addition, the US gives Israel the right to pass the information the NSA collects on American citizens to other foreign agencies and countries.

Intentionally or unintentionally, the NSA is violating Americans’ First Amendment guaranteed freedoms. These freedoms afford Americans the right to speak freely on all matters that concern them including the right to speak on the merits of Israel’s military policies, and the right to engage with other Americans to end the Israeli occupation and Siege of Palestinians- whether Israel agrees with their views, or not. Furthermore, Article IV, (section 2) clearly designates all citizens with the same privileges and constitutional immunities regardless of their national origin or affinity. In fact, the US Constitution clearly refutes assigning any cohort of law abiding American citizen a second-class status with limited legal and human rights. So what gives?

Meanwhile, 43 Israeli IDF reservists and veterans of Israel’s secretive Unit 8200, accused the Israeli Intelligence of “startling abuses”. In an open letter they charged that Israel has used information collected against innocent Palestinians for “political persecution.” In testimonies and interviews given to the media, they specified that while working at Israel’s Unit 8200 they were engaged in collecting information of Palestinians’ personal data and private matters that Israel used to create divisions within the Palestinian community, and to intimidate, threaten, harass, and coerce Palestinians.

Since 2009 the US government as a matter of standard procedure has submitted the private information it collects on law abiding American citizens to advance Israel’s political agenda and interests without regard to the safety and privacy of Americans. Moreover, the NSA is transferring American citizens’ information well aware that innocent Americans, their families, relatives, friends, neighbors, colleagues, personal and professional networks in the US, Israel, and Palestine could be harmed and targeted by Israel’s intelligence services. Why is the NSA engaging in activities that Israeli intelligence operatives find objectionable?

American history is littered with stories of government abusive practices. Today, Dr. Martin Luther King is hailed as an American national hero and a committed peace advocate. Nevertheless, from 1963 until his death Dr. King suffered every possible intrusion on the hands of US government officials charged with protecting him and upholding his privacy rights. In fact, US Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy authorized Edgar Hoover the Director of the FBI to wiretap Dr. King. The US government used every means to eavesdrop on his personal communications referring to him as the most dangerous “Negro” leader in the country. The FBI broke into Dr. King’s office, wiretapped his phone, bugged his home, and recorded the conversations of his friends and associates. Understandably, based on his personal knowledge and experience Dr. King said, “Never forget that everything Hitler did in Germany was legal.”

Agreements and policies do not develop and morph from ether, they are the result of deliberate thinking by average Americans who happen to serve in an official capacity and are involved in drafting, negotiating, and signing these agreements. US agreements are the product of the conceptual thoughts and beliefs held by those Americans involved in setting US policies. What rational justification did the US and NSA officials use to sanction and engage in such highly abusive practice that has no relevance to US domestic policies, while intentionally exposing US law abiding citizens to retribution by foreign intelligence services? As it stands, the NSA Israeli memorandum of agreement is irresponsible and reflects US flagrant disregard of the security and safety of American citizens.

Past and present government violations of American citizens’ privacy and constitutional rights are egregious and extensive. Nonetheless, NSA’s intrusive and reckless abuse of American Palestinians’ human and privacy rights and safety pales in comparison, are blatantly unconstitutional. It is never too late to correct course and in the words of Dr. Martin Luther King “the time is always right to do the right thing.”