A lasting and just peace is possible even at this so unholy patch of earth! – Talking to Jakob Reimann
Milena Rampoldi of ProMosaik interviewed Jakob
Reimann who is the mastermind of the bilingual (Ger-Eng) political blog JusticeNow! Jakob talks about his time in Palestine, about the role of the West in
the war in the Middle East and about the need for alternative media.
We send best greetings to Milena of ProMosaik where the German version of this interview
first appeared!
first appeared!
Milena Rampoldi: After your studies, how did
you find your way to Palestine?
you find your way to Palestine?
Jakob Reimann: I’ve always been a very political person. At
first it was all about the music, then, at the age of 13, I began to read
political books. As a scientist and a passionate atheist I have always had a
strong interest in religion and its underlying worldviews.
first it was all about the music, then, at the age of 13, I began to read
political books. As a scientist and a passionate atheist I have always had a
strong interest in religion and its underlying worldviews.
Sometime
later my interest in the Palestine-Israel conflict arrived on the scene and I
read everything I could find about it (an absolute reading tip: the books of
Norman Finkelstein). I could not understand how people under the guise of
religion were able to establish this violence and this unspeakable hatred – in
the Holy Land. And then I realized quite quickly that it is only the alibi and
the conflict has nothing to do with religion.
later my interest in the Palestine-Israel conflict arrived on the scene and I
read everything I could find about it (an absolute reading tip: the books of
Norman Finkelstein). I could not understand how people under the guise of
religion were able to establish this violence and this unspeakable hatred – in
the Holy Land. And then I realized quite quickly that it is only the alibi and
the conflict has nothing to do with religion.
After my
master program (I studied chemistry in Dresden, Germany) it was clear to me
that I will go abroad. I had to get out of Germany, out of Europe. There was
never really a decision to take, quite fast I knew that Palestine will be my
destination. I wanted to get to know the country and the people more than just
from books. A year of organization and 1,000 emails later the An-Najah
University in Nablus was fixed, where I supervised 30 students and investigated
the catastrophic effects of Israeli industrial plants on the people in the West
Bank. Since 25 years the Nitzanei Shalom factories in the city of Tulkarem have
been polluting the environment and making people sick. In the area around the
plants you can literally taste the acid in the air, and right next to it there
are residential buildings. To tackle this outrageous mischief, we have gathered
profound analytical data.
master program (I studied chemistry in Dresden, Germany) it was clear to me
that I will go abroad. I had to get out of Germany, out of Europe. There was
never really a decision to take, quite fast I knew that Palestine will be my
destination. I wanted to get to know the country and the people more than just
from books. A year of organization and 1,000 emails later the An-Najah
University in Nablus was fixed, where I supervised 30 students and investigated
the catastrophic effects of Israeli industrial plants on the people in the West
Bank. Since 25 years the Nitzanei Shalom factories in the city of Tulkarem have
been polluting the environment and making people sick. In the area around the
plants you can literally taste the acid in the air, and right next to it there
are residential buildings. To tackle this outrageous mischief, we have gathered
profound analytical data.
MR: How do you experience at first hand the
political and humanitarian situation in the Middle East?
JR: To put it bluntly: Palestine is not a Third World country, which is
often depicted as such, especially in the Western left. In my clique in Nablus
I was the only folk without a smartphone. On the other hand rampant poverty,
lack of prospects and fear of the future exist, too. The majority of all my
well-trained students will eventually stand behind the counter of their
father’s shop. In the Arab world, however, the family ties are much different
to what we know in the West. On one day in Berlin I see more begging people
than throughout my whole time in Palestine.
often depicted as such, especially in the Western left. In my clique in Nablus
I was the only folk without a smartphone. On the other hand rampant poverty,
lack of prospects and fear of the future exist, too. The majority of all my
well-trained students will eventually stand behind the counter of their
father’s shop. In the Arab world, however, the family ties are much different
to what we know in the West. On one day in Berlin I see more begging people
than throughout my whole time in Palestine.
The
military occupation of the West Bank, however, is manifested in the extremely
high number of soldiers and checkpoints. Their action is dominated by
arbitrariness, aggression and contempt for the Palestinians. Inside Nablus, the
military is rarely around, but especially on the highways between cities, the
situation with the soldiers is often unbearable. Chicane, insults,
humiliations, sexual harassment of women, rifle barrels in the face – all that
is the daily reality of life of the Palestinians (and I’m still talking of the
peaceful days).
military occupation of the West Bank, however, is manifested in the extremely
high number of soldiers and checkpoints. Their action is dominated by
arbitrariness, aggression and contempt for the Palestinians. Inside Nablus, the
military is rarely around, but especially on the highways between cities, the
situation with the soldiers is often unbearable. Chicane, insults,
humiliations, sexual harassment of women, rifle barrels in the face – all that
is the daily reality of life of the Palestinians (and I’m still talking of the
peaceful days).
I lived for
a few months in Haifa in Israel and soon I will move to Tel Aviv for half a
year. So, I sort of know “both sides” pretty good. Two completely different
worlds exist in an area just as large as Brandenburg (the small German federal
state where I grew up). The basic problem is simply the lack of knowledge about
the other side. Children are indoctrinated on both sides with hatred and enemy
stereotypes. In Palestine they know nothing about Auschwitz, in Israel they
know nothing about the Nakba and believe in the propaganda myth of the “land
without people”. In an episode in a bus in Tel Aviv, I was talking for quite a
long time with an Israeli soldier, a very pleasant, open conversation. Up to
the point when I said I would live in Nablus, she sat away without a word, the
conversation ended. Similar things frequently occurred to me.
a few months in Haifa in Israel and soon I will move to Tel Aviv for half a
year. So, I sort of know “both sides” pretty good. Two completely different
worlds exist in an area just as large as Brandenburg (the small German federal
state where I grew up). The basic problem is simply the lack of knowledge about
the other side. Children are indoctrinated on both sides with hatred and enemy
stereotypes. In Palestine they know nothing about Auschwitz, in Israel they
know nothing about the Nakba and believe in the propaganda myth of the “land
without people”. In an episode in a bus in Tel Aviv, I was talking for quite a
long time with an Israeli soldier, a very pleasant, open conversation. Up to
the point when I said I would live in Nablus, she sat away without a word, the
conversation ended. Similar things frequently occurred to me.
But
precisely here lies the key to resolving the conflict: exchange, cultural
exchange, school trips, student exchange. If I know my neighbors, it’s much
harder to bomb them or to stab a knife in their chests.
precisely here lies the key to resolving the conflict: exchange, cultural
exchange, school trips, student exchange. If I know my neighbors, it’s much
harder to bomb them or to stab a knife in their chests.
MR: In your opinion, how strongly are the wars
and conflicts in the Middle East related to Western capitalism and militarism?
and conflicts in the Middle East related to Western capitalism and militarism?
JR: Both are linked very closely, tightly knit. No doubt about it. The
question can be answered on so many levels. The Taliban and Al-Qaeda are an
offspring of the CIA (Operation Cyclone) fed up in the battle of Western
capitalism against the Soviet Union in the 1980s. If we go back even further,
there is the overthrow of the Iranian President Mossadegh in 1953, who
nationalized the oil wells – the Fall par excellence. The quasi-fascist Shah of
Persia then squandered the oil back to the West and for almost three decades he
was our best friend. Then we have Saddam Hussein, who was “allowed” to gas
countless Kurds and Iranians with toxic gas from Germany and France, but only
then fell from grace when he raided “our gas station” of Kuwait. And finally he
signed his death warrant when he wanted to sell oil not in dollars anymore, but
in euros, rubles, yen and renminbi. The same we see in Libya with Gaddafi, in
the demonization of Assad, Iran and more recently of Putin.
question can be answered on so many levels. The Taliban and Al-Qaeda are an
offspring of the CIA (Operation Cyclone) fed up in the battle of Western
capitalism against the Soviet Union in the 1980s. If we go back even further,
there is the overthrow of the Iranian President Mossadegh in 1953, who
nationalized the oil wells – the Fall par excellence. The quasi-fascist Shah of
Persia then squandered the oil back to the West and for almost three decades he
was our best friend. Then we have Saddam Hussein, who was “allowed” to gas
countless Kurds and Iranians with toxic gas from Germany and France, but only
then fell from grace when he raided “our gas station” of Kuwait. And finally he
signed his death warrant when he wanted to sell oil not in dollars anymore, but
in euros, rubles, yen and renminbi. The same we see in Libya with Gaddafi, in
the demonization of Assad, Iran and more recently of Putin.
It’s never
about human rights, not about “digging wells and building girls’ schools”, not
about Pussy Riot, LGBT rights and certainly it’s not about Assad’s barrel
bombs. Of course it is about economic interests and strategic alliances, about
market shares – and oil. If we provide all parties of a war with heavy
weaponry, it’s not too hard to find the profiteer. We ourselves and our allies
are the biggest violators of human rights and trample international law under
foot every single day.
about human rights, not about “digging wells and building girls’ schools”, not
about Pussy Riot, LGBT rights and certainly it’s not about Assad’s barrel
bombs. Of course it is about economic interests and strategic alliances, about
market shares – and oil. If we provide all parties of a war with heavy
weaponry, it’s not too hard to find the profiteer. We ourselves and our allies
are the biggest violators of human rights and trample international law under
foot every single day.
Are 80
infidels executed by the IS in France not exactly as despicable as 63 civilians
slaughtered by a US drone at a wedding in Afghanistan? What is the difference
between the Islamic State and Saudi Arabia? In practice and ideology there is
none, so what makes the former the Devil and the latter an “anchor of
stability” and our closest regional ally? If the IS would hypothetically rise
to become the third largest oil producer in the region within a decade, we will
start to do business with them as well. And all this, of course, reaches far
beyond the Middle East. Surely you remember, dear Milena, all the progressive
presidents in South America that were overthrown by the CIA in the second half
of the last century and replaced by neoliberal fascists servile to the U.S.
infidels executed by the IS in France not exactly as despicable as 63 civilians
slaughtered by a US drone at a wedding in Afghanistan? What is the difference
between the Islamic State and Saudi Arabia? In practice and ideology there is
none, so what makes the former the Devil and the latter an “anchor of
stability” and our closest regional ally? If the IS would hypothetically rise
to become the third largest oil producer in the region within a decade, we will
start to do business with them as well. And all this, of course, reaches far
beyond the Middle East. Surely you remember, dear Milena, all the progressive
presidents in South America that were overthrown by the CIA in the second half
of the last century and replaced by neoliberal fascists servile to the U.S.
It is about
economic interests. All ramblings about humanism and human rights are sheer war
propaganda.
economic interests. All ramblings about humanism and human rights are sheer war
propaganda.
MR: What do you think about the regime in
Israel? How would you define it? How would you define Zionism?
Israel? How would you define it? How would you define Zionism?
JR: In general, Zionism is the desire of the Jewish people for their own
state, thus, Jewish nationalism. These movements are nearly as old as Judaism
itself, and because of millennia of persecution of the Jewish people they are
absolutely understandable. The trigger moment, as we all know, was the
Holocaust. Without Hitler there would have been no founding of Israel in 1948.
And in general it is good that there is this state which is a “safe haven” for
Jews who came within an inch of eradication. But the how, of course, is a sheer
disaster. For a long time, victims became culprits. Beginning with the
expulsion and murder of 700,000 Palestinians in 1948, Israel is still an unjust
nation, an ethnocracy, an Apartheid State in which a certain set of rules and
laws is applied to one ethnic-religious group and another set is applied to the
other. Israel is far from being “the only democracy in the Middle East.”
state, thus, Jewish nationalism. These movements are nearly as old as Judaism
itself, and because of millennia of persecution of the Jewish people they are
absolutely understandable. The trigger moment, as we all know, was the
Holocaust. Without Hitler there would have been no founding of Israel in 1948.
And in general it is good that there is this state which is a “safe haven” for
Jews who came within an inch of eradication. But the how, of course, is a sheer
disaster. For a long time, victims became culprits. Beginning with the
expulsion and murder of 700,000 Palestinians in 1948, Israel is still an unjust
nation, an ethnocracy, an Apartheid State in which a certain set of rules and
laws is applied to one ethnic-religious group and another set is applied to the
other. Israel is far from being “the only democracy in the Middle East.”
Following
the coward attacks in Tel Aviv in early June, when two Palestinians killed four
civilians, the hometown of the attackers near Hebron was hermetically sealed
off by the Israeli military as an act of retaliation – 65,000 people held
hostage. Every 2-3 years, the civilian population of the Gaza Strip is bombed
back to the Stone Age, relief supplies are not allowed into the Strip, Gaza
will be uninhabitable by 2020. Then we have the de facto impunity. Just
recently, the radical settler, who has burned baby Ali and his family in a
village near Nablus last year, was released from prison. The same is true for war
crimes of the Israeli army, which are punished only in exceptional cases and
if, with minimal penalties only. We have countless Palestinian children who sit
in Israeli prisons and are often tortured. We have the illegal settlements in
the West Bank, which make the Palestinian land shrink every day and violate
international law. We have a profoundly racist, extreme right-wing government,
for which by European standards we would actually need new words for its
characterization, to the right of NPD, Front National & Co., with a
Minister of Justice, who openly called for genocide against the Palestinian
people and a Defense Minister who uttered in public he would like to pick up an
axe and chop off the heads of disloyal Arabs.
the coward attacks in Tel Aviv in early June, when two Palestinians killed four
civilians, the hometown of the attackers near Hebron was hermetically sealed
off by the Israeli military as an act of retaliation – 65,000 people held
hostage. Every 2-3 years, the civilian population of the Gaza Strip is bombed
back to the Stone Age, relief supplies are not allowed into the Strip, Gaza
will be uninhabitable by 2020. Then we have the de facto impunity. Just
recently, the radical settler, who has burned baby Ali and his family in a
village near Nablus last year, was released from prison. The same is true for war
crimes of the Israeli army, which are punished only in exceptional cases and
if, with minimal penalties only. We have countless Palestinian children who sit
in Israeli prisons and are often tortured. We have the illegal settlements in
the West Bank, which make the Palestinian land shrink every day and violate
international law. We have a profoundly racist, extreme right-wing government,
for which by European standards we would actually need new words for its
characterization, to the right of NPD, Front National & Co., with a
Minister of Justice, who openly called for genocide against the Palestinian
people and a Defense Minister who uttered in public he would like to pick up an
axe and chop off the heads of disloyal Arabs.
Does this
easily extendable list describe a democracy?
easily extendable list describe a democracy?
Far be it
from me to paint in black and white. Although the cause of the violence is the
occupation and the settlements expanding on a daily basis, of course, I would
never absolve the Palestinians of their guilt for the current, hopeless
situation. There is the highly corrupt, incompetent and illegitimate Abbas
government in Ramallah that builds their villas with foreign aid money, and
does not give a damn about the Palestinian people. Just last year, Abbas has
asked the Arab League to bomb the Gaza Strip and the so much hated Hamas. (Did
something similar ever happened before?) And of course there are the attacks on
Israel, which I condemn in the strongest possible terms. Both the senseless
Hamas rockets from Gaza and the stabbings during the current wave of violence
achieve absolutely nothing. They kill innocent civilians and exacerbate the
conflict. They are abused by the Israelis every time to justify their new
atrocities and must be stopped immediately.
from me to paint in black and white. Although the cause of the violence is the
occupation and the settlements expanding on a daily basis, of course, I would
never absolve the Palestinians of their guilt for the current, hopeless
situation. There is the highly corrupt, incompetent and illegitimate Abbas
government in Ramallah that builds their villas with foreign aid money, and
does not give a damn about the Palestinian people. Just last year, Abbas has
asked the Arab League to bomb the Gaza Strip and the so much hated Hamas. (Did
something similar ever happened before?) And of course there are the attacks on
Israel, which I condemn in the strongest possible terms. Both the senseless
Hamas rockets from Gaza and the stabbings during the current wave of violence
achieve absolutely nothing. They kill innocent civilians and exacerbate the
conflict. They are abused by the Israelis every time to justify their new
atrocities and must be stopped immediately.
All my
friends and acquaintances in Palestine have not abandoned their hope, me
neither. A lasting and just peace is possible even at this so unholy patch of
earth!
friends and acquaintances in Palestine have not abandoned their hope, me
neither. A lasting and just peace is possible even at this so unholy patch of
earth!
MR: What are the priorities of JusticeNow!?
JR: We cover a wide range of topics. War and peace, capitalism, right-wing
violence, racism, refugee issues, Greece, Europe. However, the main focus lies
on the troubled region Middle East with all its interconnected wars and
conflicts, which I interpret through the prism of a Cold War reloaded scenario,
that I see escalating at such different levels and locations. And of course,
the Palestine-Israel complex.
violence, racism, refugee issues, Greece, Europe. However, the main focus lies
on the troubled region Middle East with all its interconnected wars and
conflicts, which I interpret through the prism of a Cold War reloaded scenario,
that I see escalating at such different levels and locations. And of course,
the Palestine-Israel complex.
Since late
last year, I cooperate with the very nice and capable boys and girls of the
German left-wing blog Die Freiheitsliebe, on which my articles appear as well.
I also published translations of my pieces on U.S. magazines like Foreign
Policy Journal, MintPress News and Foreign Policy In Focus.
last year, I cooperate with the very nice and capable boys and girls of the
German left-wing blog Die Freiheitsliebe, on which my articles appear as well.
I also published translations of my pieces on U.S. magazines like Foreign
Policy Journal, MintPress News and Foreign Policy In Focus.
Recently, I
also translate articles from globally renowned journalists and make them
available to the German readership. Glenn Greenwald and John Pilger amongst
them.
also translate articles from globally renowned journalists and make them
available to the German readership. Glenn Greenwald and John Pilger amongst
them.
MR: Why are we in urgent need of alternative
media to raise awareness of truths that are withheld or distorted in the
mainstream media?
media to raise awareness of truths that are withheld or distorted in the
mainstream media?
JR: First, I’m not a fan of the “lying press”-talk (“Lügenpresse” is a
notorious battle cry used by the German right-wing movements to discredit any
media expressing other points than theirs). Yes, the quality of the mainstream
media decreases, facts are often presented in a highly partisan manner, but
this is simply not a new phenomenon. All along the media has been more or less
an accomplice in the crimes of the powerful, nothing new about that. But the
vast and so important difference today is the internet. We are part of the
biggest media revolution since the invention of the printing press in the 15th
century. Every single one of us is the revolution, we shape it.
notorious battle cry used by the German right-wing movements to discredit any
media expressing other points than theirs). Yes, the quality of the mainstream
media decreases, facts are often presented in a highly partisan manner, but
this is simply not a new phenomenon. All along the media has been more or less
an accomplice in the crimes of the powerful, nothing new about that. But the
vast and so important difference today is the internet. We are part of the
biggest media revolution since the invention of the printing press in the 15th
century. Every single one of us is the revolution, we shape it.
A positive
sign is that the sales of all the large papers only know one direction:
downwards (that’s the case in Germany at least, I assume it’s a more general
pattern in the West). The old media and information culture is as good as dead.
Many people want to be more broadly informed. And for this purpose, obviously,
the Internet is perfectly suited. If I’m sick of every German media outlet
roaring “Putin sucks!”, then I just read a Venezuelan, Russian and Arabic news
site in parallel. In their own way they are, of course, one-sided as well, but
from a variety of biases a somewhat clearer picture can emerge.
sign is that the sales of all the large papers only know one direction:
downwards (that’s the case in Germany at least, I assume it’s a more general
pattern in the West). The old media and information culture is as good as dead.
Many people want to be more broadly informed. And for this purpose, obviously,
the Internet is perfectly suited. If I’m sick of every German media outlet
roaring “Putin sucks!”, then I just read a Venezuelan, Russian and Arabic news
site in parallel. In their own way they are, of course, one-sided as well, but
from a variety of biases a somewhat clearer picture can emerge.
And here
the independent portals come into play. On JusticeNow! I can write whatever I
want to. I don’t have to suck up to anybody. If I have recognized this, this or
this guy as the cause of a problem, I name them. Period. I don’t have to
reconsider, whether I should write this or that in this or that manner now. And
so it comes that I am vilified, depending on the topic of an article, either as
naïve good mind or right-wing, as NATO-troll or “Putinversteher”, as
imperialist or anti-Imp, as Muslim friend or islamophobic , as anti-Semite,
infidel, filthy left-wing hippie scumbag or whatsoever – and raise a cheer from
the respective “other camp”. And that is good!
the independent portals come into play. On JusticeNow! I can write whatever I
want to. I don’t have to suck up to anybody. If I have recognized this, this or
this guy as the cause of a problem, I name them. Period. I don’t have to
reconsider, whether I should write this or that in this or that manner now. And
so it comes that I am vilified, depending on the topic of an article, either as
naïve good mind or right-wing, as NATO-troll or “Putinversteher”, as
imperialist or anti-Imp, as Muslim friend or islamophobic , as anti-Semite,
infidel, filthy left-wing hippie scumbag or whatsoever – and raise a cheer from
the respective “other camp”. And that is good!
Independent,
crowd-funded media outlets are extremely important, they are the future.
crowd-funded media outlets are extremely important, they are the future.
MR: What have you already achieved with
JusticeNow! and what are your goals for the near future?
JusticeNow! and what are your goals for the near future?
JR: The most precious resource of us human beings is well-known: our time.
In the huge information overkill of our days it is the “currency” at issue, the
time and the attention of the audience. It is extremely important that under
these conditions the quality of the articles does not suffer and the “battle”
over the time of the reader does not degenerate to a foolish clickbait circus.
The accurately researched stories on JusticeNow! prove that it works.
In the huge information overkill of our days it is the “currency” at issue, the
time and the attention of the audience. It is extremely important that under
these conditions the quality of the articles does not suffer and the “battle”
over the time of the reader does not degenerate to a foolish clickbait circus.
The accurately researched stories on JusticeNow! prove that it works.
We are now
“on air” for 1.5 years and we have managed to build a modest but loyal
readership. The general aim is to expand the range with each publication. Next
I want to build more partnerships, nationally and internationally, and care for
and further strengthen the existing ones. The internet is the greatest gift,
which could’ve ever been laid into a critical public’s hands. To change the
world, we simply have to get our butts in gear and get to use it.
“on air” for 1.5 years and we have managed to build a modest but loyal
readership. The general aim is to expand the range with each publication. Next
I want to build more partnerships, nationally and internationally, and care for
and further strengthen the existing ones. The internet is the greatest gift,
which could’ve ever been laid into a critical public’s hands. To change the
world, we simply have to get our butts in gear and get to use it.
Thanks for
the interview, Milena!
the interview, Milena!
