The Ineffectuality Of Pro-Palestinian Activism
by William Hanna, 14 June 2017.
Some days ago I attended the London Review
Bookshop for a discussion event about This Is Not A Border: Reportage &
Reflection from the Palestine Festival of Literature, which consisted of a
collection of essays, poems and stories from some of the world’s most
distinguished artists in celebration of the Festival’s (PalFest) tenth
anniversary. After the guest speakers— Jeremy Harding, Ahdaf Soueif, Rachel
Holmes, and Bashir Abu-Manneh — had expressed some heartfelt viewpoints
including the assertion that the Palestinians had many friends in the world,
the floor was opened for questions from the audience. One of the points almost
immediately raised by an insightful individual was the fact that despite all
their efforts and support, the “friends of the Palestinian people” had so far
failed to make any substantial progress towards alleviating the insufferable
torment that Palestine’s indigenous population had to endure on a daily
basis.
Bookshop for a discussion event about This Is Not A Border: Reportage &
Reflection from the Palestine Festival of Literature, which consisted of a
collection of essays, poems and stories from some of the world’s most
distinguished artists in celebration of the Festival’s (PalFest) tenth
anniversary. After the guest speakers— Jeremy Harding, Ahdaf Soueif, Rachel
Holmes, and Bashir Abu-Manneh — had expressed some heartfelt viewpoints
including the assertion that the Palestinians had many friends in the world,
the floor was opened for questions from the audience. One of the points almost
immediately raised by an insightful individual was the fact that despite all
their efforts and support, the “friends of the Palestinian people” had so far
failed to make any substantial progress towards alleviating the insufferable
torment that Palestine’s indigenous population had to endure on a daily
basis.
Though the ensuing discussion was avid and
informed, the real cause of ineffectual pro-Palestinian activism was not
mentioned. There was an apparent omission of the obvious fact that while
actively supporting the Palestinian cause may assuage those of us with a
conscience, it did little to influence the collective conscience of Western
political and religious leaders — the people actually involved in the national
policy making process — who remained steadfastly subservient in their devotion
to Apartheid Israel whose barbaric mistreatment of Palestinians was irrefutably
tantamount to vile crimes against humanity. There is for example nothing to be
gained from hundreds of thousands of British people taking to the streets
in protest against Israeli violations with impunity of international law so
long as they have a government whose Prime Minister in her address before the
Conservative Friends of Israel unashamedly uttered the following unadulterated
codswallop:
informed, the real cause of ineffectual pro-Palestinian activism was not
mentioned. There was an apparent omission of the obvious fact that while
actively supporting the Palestinian cause may assuage those of us with a
conscience, it did little to influence the collective conscience of Western
political and religious leaders — the people actually involved in the national
policy making process — who remained steadfastly subservient in their devotion
to Apartheid Israel whose barbaric mistreatment of Palestinians was irrefutably
tantamount to vile crimes against humanity. There is for example nothing to be
gained from hundreds of thousands of British people taking to the streets
in protest against Israeli violations with impunity of international law so
long as they have a government whose Prime Minister in her address before the
Conservative Friends of Israel unashamedly uttered the following unadulterated
codswallop:
“We have, in Israel, a thriving democracy, a beacon of tolerance,
an engine of enterprise and an example to the rest of the world for overcoming
adversity and defying disadvantages . . . It is only when you walk through
Jerusalem or Tel Aviv that you see a country where people of all religions and
sexualities are free and equal in the eyes of the law . . . It is only when you
meet our partners in eradicating modern slavery – one of the main reasons I
visited in 2014 – that you see a country committed to tackling some of the
world’s most heinous practices.”
an engine of enterprise and an example to the rest of the world for overcoming
adversity and defying disadvantages . . . It is only when you walk through
Jerusalem or Tel Aviv that you see a country where people of all religions and
sexualities are free and equal in the eyes of the law . . . It is only when you
meet our partners in eradicating modern slavery – one of the main reasons I
visited in 2014 – that you see a country committed to tackling some of the
world’s most heinous practices.”
While Israel’s historic subversion of
Western democracy had been clearly evident to anyone with a modicum of
intelligence, those in the mainstream media who supposedly championed the five
core principles of ethical journalism — Truth and Accuracy, Independence,
Fairness and Impartiality, Humanity, and Accountability — had left it to Al-Jazeera
to investigate how the Israeli government was in the midst of a brazen
covert campaign to shape Britain’s foreign policy and influence its perception
of Israel.
Western democracy had been clearly evident to anyone with a modicum of
intelligence, those in the mainstream media who supposedly championed the five
core principles of ethical journalism — Truth and Accuracy, Independence,
Fairness and Impartiality, Humanity, and Accountability — had left it to Al-Jazeera
to investigate how the Israeli government was in the midst of a brazen
covert campaign to shape Britain’s foreign policy and influence its perception
of Israel.
During a six-month investigation,
undercover reporter Robin (an alias), met with members of Britain’s lobby
network which enjoyed strong Israeli government support by way of the Israeli
embassy in London. Robin had posed as a graduate activist strongly sympathetic
towards Israel who was keen to assist in combating the Boycott, Divestment and
Sanctions movement which was prominent and gaining ground in Britain.
undercover reporter Robin (an alias), met with members of Britain’s lobby
network which enjoyed strong Israeli government support by way of the Israeli
embassy in London. Robin had posed as a graduate activist strongly sympathetic
towards Israel who was keen to assist in combating the Boycott, Divestment and
Sanctions movement which was prominent and gaining ground in Britain.
Al-Jazeera’s four-part series The Lobby (available
online and a must-see for anyone interested in the illusionary concept of
British democracy) makes it significantly evident that the main
objective of the Labour Friends of Israel (LFI) — and other pro-Israel groups
in the UK working with the Israeli embassy — was to smear pro-Palestinian
activists and organisations with charges of anti-Semitism and other equally
villainous claims that deliberately created crises for political ends. Despite
such revelations of blatant Israeli interference in Britain’s “democratic
process,” the British government failed to even venture a token protest.
online and a must-see for anyone interested in the illusionary concept of
British democracy) makes it significantly evident that the main
objective of the Labour Friends of Israel (LFI) — and other pro-Israel groups
in the UK working with the Israeli embassy — was to smear pro-Palestinian
activists and organisations with charges of anti-Semitism and other equally
villainous claims that deliberately created crises for political ends. Despite
such revelations of blatant Israeli interference in Britain’s “democratic
process,” the British government failed to even venture a token protest.
Consequently, compared to the well
organised and abundantly financed global network of pro-Israel lobby groups,
pro-Palestinian activists are strictly amateurs who have remained on the
periphery of political influence and persuasion. Wearing a Palestinian keffiyeh
and carrying protest placards is no match for the Jewish lobby blackmail,
bribery, and bullying to which members of parliament are relentlessly
subjected. In order for pro-Palestinian activists to become effective, they
must also make their presence felt in the corridors of power, and not just on
the streets. The importance of this fact was was made evident in the recent
General Election when — despite Jewish lobby vilification of Jeremy
Corbyn and accusations of anti-Semitism within the ranks of the Labour Party —
defiant segments of the British electorate chose to deprive Teresa May of her
parliamentary majority: a possible sign that some British people are getting
fed up with being silenced and deprived of their democratic rights by constant
accusations of anti-Semitism and Holocaust denial.
organised and abundantly financed global network of pro-Israel lobby groups,
pro-Palestinian activists are strictly amateurs who have remained on the
periphery of political influence and persuasion. Wearing a Palestinian keffiyeh
and carrying protest placards is no match for the Jewish lobby blackmail,
bribery, and bullying to which members of parliament are relentlessly
subjected. In order for pro-Palestinian activists to become effective, they
must also make their presence felt in the corridors of power, and not just on
the streets. The importance of this fact was was made evident in the recent
General Election when — despite Jewish lobby vilification of Jeremy
Corbyn and accusations of anti-Semitism within the ranks of the Labour Party —
defiant segments of the British electorate chose to deprive Teresa May of her
parliamentary majority: a possible sign that some British people are getting
fed up with being silenced and deprived of their democratic rights by constant
accusations of anti-Semitism and Holocaust denial.
Even the tactic of boycott and sanctions
which ended Apartheid in South Africa has not been totally successful against
Israel because many Western governments — at the instigation of zealous
pro-Israel lobby groups — have enacted anti-BDS legislation with the Canada
having passed a motion to condemn “any and all attempts” to promote the
Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel both at home
and abroad. The motion called on the government to condemn attempts by Canadian
organisations, groups, and individuals to promote the BDS movement, claiming it
“promotes the demonisation and delegitimisation” of Israel. Prime
Minister Justine Trudeau — another Western leader who regularly brown-noses
Israel’s Apartheid derrière — added that “the BDS movement, like Israeli
Apartheid Week, has no place on Canadian campuses.”
which ended Apartheid in South Africa has not been totally successful against
Israel because many Western governments — at the instigation of zealous
pro-Israel lobby groups — have enacted anti-BDS legislation with the Canada
having passed a motion to condemn “any and all attempts” to promote the
Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel both at home
and abroad. The motion called on the government to condemn attempts by Canadian
organisations, groups, and individuals to promote the BDS movement, claiming it
“promotes the demonisation and delegitimisation” of Israel. Prime
Minister Justine Trudeau — another Western leader who regularly brown-noses
Israel’s Apartheid derrière — added that “the BDS movement, like Israeli
Apartheid Week, has no place on Canadian campuses.”
The General Election setback suffered by
Teresa May and her Conservative Party can serve as an example for
pro-Palestinian activists who — like the all-powerful Jewish lobby — must also
make the importance of their presence and opinions known not only at the ballot
box, but by also monitoring the performance of their elected representatives
and regularly emailing them to ensure that Britain’s national interests and
British citizen rights are prioritised over those of an Apartheid regime guilty
of heinous crimes against humanity. It is also of paramount importance for
civilised and humane societies to recognise that the iniquity of allowing the
Palestinian people to be sacrificed as compensation for the Jewish Holocaust,
must unconditionally come to an end.
Teresa May and her Conservative Party can serve as an example for
pro-Palestinian activists who — like the all-powerful Jewish lobby — must also
make the importance of their presence and opinions known not only at the ballot
box, but by also monitoring the performance of their elected representatives
and regularly emailing them to ensure that Britain’s national interests and
British citizen rights are prioritised over those of an Apartheid regime guilty
of heinous crimes against humanity. It is also of paramount importance for
civilised and humane societies to recognise that the iniquity of allowing the
Palestinian people to be sacrificed as compensation for the Jewish Holocaust,
must unconditionally come to an end.
William Hanna is a freelance
writer with published books the Hiramic Brotherhood of the Third Temple, The Tragedy of
Palestine and its Children, and the forthcoming Hiramic Brotherhood: Ezekiel’s Temple
Prophesy. Purchase information, sample chapters, other articles, videos, and
contact details at:
writer with published books the Hiramic Brotherhood of the Third Temple, The Tragedy of
Palestine and its Children, and the forthcoming Hiramic Brotherhood: Ezekiel’s Temple
Prophesy. Purchase information, sample chapters, other articles, videos, and
contact details at:
