summer09 palestine NEWS 1 £1.50 / €2.00 ISSN 1477-5808 Summer 2009 Face-off over settlements West Bank INSIDE: East Jerusalem Israeli apartheid The new historians Gaza’s natural gas Gill Swain Victor Kattan Avi Shlaim Chris Cox page 4 page 11 page 14 page 18 Palestine Solidarity Campaign Box BM PSA London WC1N 3XX tel 020 7700 6192 email [email protected] web www.palestinecampaign.org 2 palestine NEWS summer09 Contents 3 Can Obama deliver? Betty Hunter examines the clash between Obama and Netanyahu over settlements 4 East Jerusalem — a stolen city Dramatic map reveals how settlements are spreading through Jerusalem 6 Q: Where are the Palestinian Ghandis? A: In Jail Bekah Wolf reports on a grassroots resistance movement — and the Israeli response 9 Trade unionists shocked and angry Kiri Tunks and Bernard Regan on a trade union delegation to the OPTs 10 BBC betrays Jeremy Bowen How the BBC Trust caved in to pressure and censured its Middle East editor Cover map: fmep_v18n1_map. pdf from the Foundation for 11 Israel guilty of colonialism and apartheid Middle East Peace. Victor Kattan on a hard-hitting South African report www.fmep.org 12 Dialogue with the Diaspora ISSN 1477 - 5808 Jeff Halper reflects on the reasons for the uproar he caused in Australia Also in this issue... 14 The ‘new history’ and the Nakba Gaza music school reopens Prof Avi Shlaim describes the impact of re-examining the past page 21 16 Operation ‘Hasbara’ Diane Langford examines how the Israeli propaganda machine manipulates the message 17 Between a rock and a hard place Marie-Olivia Badarne reports on discrimination against Arab workers 18 Gaza: is it all about gas? Chris Cox looks into the wrangles over Gaza’s huge offshore natural gas fields 19 Gaza medics: support needed Ewa Jasiewicz reports on a campaign to support Gaza’s traumatised medics 20 Piracy! Check out The kidnapping of 22 peace activists from a Free Gaza boat our new improved 21 In Brief website Doctors protest, Fairtrade links, Zaytoun awards, Peace Cycle, Leonard Cohen, and more 24 Imaginative actions nationwide Branches respond to boycott call with great ideas 26 Supermarkets respond to boycott Zoë Mars reports on progress on making supermarkets act 27 Arts and Reviews Venice Biennale, Palestine Literary Festival, Nadia Abu El-Haj’s Facts on the Ground, Ben White’s Beginner’s Guide, David Hare at the Royal Court, La Bohème comes to the West Bank Visit our website and keep up palestine NEWS Palestine Solidarity Campaign to date on issues surrounding A Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) publication. Palestine. PSC’s website provides n Campaigning against the oppression and PSC does not necessarily agree with all opinions dispossession suffered by the Palestinian people details of all of the latest campaigns expressed in the magazine. and events. It also has daily news n Supporting the rights of the Palestinian updates and extensive searchable E-mail: [email protected] people and their struggle to achieve these directories of articles on Palestine. rights including the Right of Return in line with The site’s resource section provides The editorial team Editor: Gill Swain UN resolution 194 many downloadable documents, Deputy editor: Hilary Wise including maps and pictures. There’s Victoria Brittain, Chris Cox, Diane Langford n Promoting Palestinian civil society in the also a comprehensive list of media interests of democratic rights and social justice contacts, so each time you hear Design and layout n Opposing Israel’s occupation and its biased reporting on Palestine, you Mulberry Design aggression against neighbouring states can promptly complain to the right If you would like to contribute or respond to one people! of the articles in this issue please write to: n Opposing anti-semitism and racism, including The Editor, Palestine News, Box BM PSA, the apartheid and Zionist nature of the Israeli www.palestinecampaign.org London WC1N 3XX state summer09 EDITORIAL palestine NEWS 3 Can Obama deliver? 50 new homes in an existing West Bank settlement as part of a The President’s words will soon be wider plan which calls for the construction of 1,450 homes in the settlement of Adam. There are already 500,000 Israeli colonisers put to the test, says Betty Hunter (about 10% of the population of the Occupied Territories) living on stolen Palestinian land in the West Bank and in East Jerusalem, resident Obama’s accession to the White House and his where house demolitions and land expropriation for new settlements highly publicised speech in Cairo “to the Muslim world” continue daily. aroused much speculation with regard to US Middle East In other words, for Netanyahu a Palestinian state would mean policy. On the plus side, unlike his predecessor, Obama a people without sovereignty, excluded from Jerusalem and Pclearly has a sense of history and an appreciation of the long term subjugated by Israel within Bantustans. effects of foreign policy. He must know that the US is no longer For the first time, then, US and Israeli positions appear to be at taken seriously in much of the world, when it speaks of democracy, odds. But if Obama gives way on the issue of the settlements, the freedom and human rights — and that even a country as powerful US will be seen as irrevocably and unconditionally committed to as the US ignores world opinion at its peril. Israeli military expansionism, no matter who sits in the White House. Many took heart when Obama did not greet Netanyahu in If on the other hand he follows words with actions, and uses some Washington with the usual protestations of unconditional support, of the massive leverage at his disposal to put pressure on Israel but told him that “settlements have to be stopped in order for us over settlements, this would be a first step towards meaningful to move forward.” In Cairo he stated even more strongly: “The negotiations between the two sides. It would also transform United States does not accept the legitimacy of continued Israeli attitudes to the US — and not just in the Middle East. settlements. This construction violates previous agreements and We will not have to wait for long: Obama’s special envoy in the undermines efforts to achieve region, George Mitchell, is meeting peace. It is time for these Netanyahu in Israel in mid July and settlements to stop.” Hillary if no halt to settlement building is Clinton reinforced this message agreed then, we can assume it will on her trip to Israel in June. be business as usual. It was also encouraging When Obama urged the to hear Obama say that “the Palestinians, somewhat situation for the Palestinian patronisingly, to learn from other people is intolerable. America struggles, including the civil rights will not turn our backs on the movement in the US itself as well legitimate Palestinian aspiration as in South Africa, that non-violent for dignity, opportunity, and a action is the way to succeed, state of their own.” we in the solidarity movement All well and good. But know there are other lessons to Obama spoke no words be learnt from these struggles. of condemnation of the The conclusion of the Human violent ongoing occupation Sciences Research Council of in Palestine, and his only South Africa (see page 16) that reference to the slaughter in “this system [Israel’s occupation Gaza (carefully timed to precede of the OPTs] constitutes a breach his inauguration) was: “the Steve Bell of the prohibition of apartheid”, continuing humanitarian crisis in confirms what many of us have Gaza does not serve Israel’s security”. On the key issues of statehood, been saying for years. It also confirms that our campaign of boycott, refugees and Jerusalem, the President’s words have been vague. In divestment and sanctions is part of the armoury we can use to make referring to Jerusalem he merely said: “All of us have a responsibility to our governments and commercial and community organisations work for the day when the mothers of Israelis and Palestinians can see change policy, as well as showing our support for the resistance and their children grow up without fear; … when Jerusalem is a secure and resilience of the Palestinian people. lasting home for Jews and Christians and Muslims...” Some clear signs of global changes in attitude include the EU Netanyahu on the other hand is quite open about Israeli delay in upgrading the trade agreement with Israel, the decision intentions. He continues to assert that East Jerusalem, which Israel in Sweden on the Veolia contract and the growing international has annexed contrary to international law, isn’t up for negotiation. campaign to boycott Israeli goods and particularly settlement And the rights of the millions of refugees are simply dismissed: goods, which is increasingly receiving backing from the trade union “...there must also be a clear understanding that the Palestinian movement worldwide (see page 9). From Australia to Sweden, from refugee problem will be resolved outside Israel’s borders.” Malaysia to Brazil, the solidarity movement is on the move. While He has said that Jewish settlers have the right to a “normal life” Israel and its supporters are pulling out all the stops to stem the and supports construction within settlements to accommodate tide of public opinion, we have to redouble our efforts in the coming “natural population growth”. In a recent decision, Israel will build critical months — whatever America’s official stance. PSC PATRONS n John Austin MP n Tony Benn n Rodney Bickerstaffe n Victoria Brittain n Barry Camfield n Julie Christie n Caryl Churchill n Jeremy Corbyn MP n Bob Crow n William Dalrymple n Revd Garth Hewitt n Dr Ghada Karmi n Bruce Kent n Karma Nabulsi n Ilan Pappe n Corin Redgrave n Keith Sonnet n Ahdaf Soueif n Baroness Tonge of Kew n John Williams n Ruth Winters n Dr Tony Zahlan n Benjamin Zephaniah 4 palestine NEWS REPORTS summer09 East Jerusalem — a stolen city ettlements are the biggest barrier was exposed in an Israeli TV Channel to peace, as President Obama has $250 million budgeted Two investigative report which showed highlighted, and the map opposite abandoned housing in existing settlements dramatically illustrates how much for settlements: “the tip even as new buildings are going up.