Reflections of an American-Israeli-Palestinian Jew
The Israeli activist who went to Gaza by boat from Cyprus, flouting Israel's blockade of the Hamas-ruled territory, wrote an account of his arrest by Israeli authorities upon his return to the Jewish state.
The activist, Jeff Halper, says he was given honorary Palestinian citizenship in Gaza, making him probably the only American-Israeli-Palestinian Jew in the world (Halper is a native of Minnesota).
Here are some of Halper's reflections:
To be honest, we Israeli Jews are the problem. The Palestinian years ago accepted our existence in the country as a people and are willing to accept ANY solution – two states, one state, no state, whatever. It is us who want exclusivity over the "Land of Israel" who cannot conceive of a single country, who cannot accept the national presence of Palestinians (we talk about "Arabs" in our country), and who have eliminated by our settlements even the possibility of the two-state solution in which we take 80% of the land. So it's sad, truly sad, that our "enemies" want peace and co-existence (and tell me that in HEBREW) and we don't...When I was in Gaza everyone in Israel – including the media who interviewed me – warned me to be careful, to watch out for my life. Aren't you scared? they asked. Well, the only time I felt genuine and palpable fear during the entire journey was when I got back to Israel. I went from Gaza through the Erez checkpoint because I wanted to make the point that the siege is not only by sea. On the Israeli side I was immediately arrested, charged with violating a military order prohibiting Israelis from being in Gaza and jailed at the Shikma prison in Ashkelon. In my cell that night, someone recognized from the news. All night I was physically threatened by right-wing Israelis – and I was sure I wouldn't make it till the morning. Ironically, there were three Palestinians in my cell who kind of protected me, so the danger was from Israelis, not Palestinians, in Gaza as well as in Israel.
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Ruth Tenne (Sept. 12 comment) disseminates a great deal of misinformation on behalf of her Israelophobic group. It is time that she was held accountable for this less than savoury practice. I have for many years studied the mentalities of anti-Jewish Jews and have found that they all have one thing in common - an abnormal desire to ingratiate themselves with the enemies of beleaguered Israel. Resorting to falsities is one of the pathways in this process.
Thus, it is not Israel which receives $4 billion in aid from the USA. Rather, it is Arab Egypt. Israel is not a client state of the Americans, but Saudi Arabia is. Jews for Justice for Palestinians is mostly a Marxist group, spouting the Stalinist - Krushchevian propaganda lines against the existence of a Jewish state (even though they hypocritically championed one in Birobijan). JFJFP is funded by the Palestine Lobby in the UK. None of their monies go to projects to improve the lives of Israelis. Rather, their funding goes to notorious Palestinian NGOs and Israeli Marxist organizations.
As for Jeff Halper, anyone can see through his shenanigans. He has just published a polemical book. It has no audience. So, to sell books, this anti-Vietnam War draft-dodger dreamt up a publicity-stunt to sail some boats to Gaza and marshall some international press coverage for his book. He is now trying to drum up sales in Scotland, a hotbed of Marxist Israelophobes.
I do wish Ruth Tenne would get back to her knitting and enjoy her retirement instead discrediting herself as a disloyal Jewess. But if she wishes to be in the public eye, let her deploy the truth, and nothing but.
What a silly pathetic lie coming from a poor guy trapped ih that FAKE “PEACE” MOVEMENT, say again: “the Arabs have accepted Israel”?, when did that happen? All I see on Arab TV is the usual filthy genocidal racist Arabism and bigoted Islamism (which is the source of the entire conflict) that all of the land is “Arab land” or “Muslim land” and no Jew allowed.
As long as the Arab Muslim parents and teachers continue to be ISLAMOFASCISTIC and teach their kids that non Muslims, especially Jews are not human (apes and pigs), no “peace process” can ever be achieved.
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Ruth Tenne
09/12/08 09:20 AM
Unlike US client state - Israel- which receives more than 4 billion dollars per year (excluding the millions given by American donors and the $10 billion loan guarantees ) , Jews for Justice for Palestinians does not receive any support from the EU, or for that matter from any other organisation. On the contrary, JFJFP donates a large amount of money to many projects in the Occupied Palestinian Territories and to Israeli peace organisations such as Breaking the Silence, Refusniks and other Israeli groups which work for peace. Jews for Justice for Palestinians signatories include many well-known British Jews from the world of literature, arts, law , medicine , journalism and academia. If you want to see the real facts about JFJFP please go to its website (http://www.jfjfp.org) rather than get your information from unreliable sources.
Ruth Tenne (member of Jews For Justice for Palestinians )