Why Unionists should be active supports of Israel, Palestine and peace

Paul Howes, National Secretary of the Australian Workers' Union, recently gave a speech explaining why his union is supportive of Israel, Palestine and peace....and why he is opposed to the BDS movement. This is a fabulous speech and should be widely shared amongst trade unionists.

Dangerous tendencies in the "movement"

A recent ruckus occurred when the National Planning Committee of the US Social Forum cancelled a panel sponsored by StandWithUs on LBGTI rights in the Middle East.

An interesting thing about the US Social Forum is how they describe themselves:

The US Social Forum (USSF) is a movement building process. It is not a
 conference but it is a space to come up with the peoples’ solutions to the 
economic and ecological crisis. The USSF is the next most important step in our
 struggle to build a powerful multi-racial, multi-sectoral, inter-generational,
 diverse, inclusive, internationalist movement that transforms this country and
 changes history.

We must declare what we want our world to look like and we 
must start planning the path to get there. The USSF provides spaces to learn 
from each other’s experiences and struggles, share our analysis of the problems 
our communities face, build relationships, and align with our international 
brothers and sisters to strategize how to reclaim our world.

In that spirit StandWithUs proposed a workshop along the following lines:

The purpose of this workshop is to expose the underground LBGTQI Liberation movements that currently exist across the Middle East. We will seek to explore the cultural context of the status of the LGBTQI community across time and the vast mosaic of cultures that make up the region. After establishing a historical context, we will introduce participants to the stories of young people from across the region striving for acceptance. Some stories are harrowing and gut wrenching, while others are triumphant, but all are inspirational. The end goal is to engage the participants in supporting the cause of LGBTQI Liberation, and to connect them with outlets through which they can offer their support. We plan on having information available on how to connect with the offices of different Middle Eastern LGBTQI non-profits, and will offer material produced by StandWithUs which uses information collected by such organizations as Amnesty International for participants to walk away with so that they can better educate their own communities about the realities of the Middle East.

That seems to be a project within the purview of the USSF and "building a better world"

However, this event got up the noses of some of the other participants.

Why?

Well, first the program was sponsored by StandWithUs "a Zionist organization that sought to represent Israel as a safe haven for LGBTQI communities and undermine the broadening support for the cause of justice in/for Palestine." That is interesting.

So, because the sponsoring organization believes in national self-determination for Jews, it can't be allowed to sponsor a workshop here. That is interesting.....What is even more interesting is that the problem with the workshop is that exposing the state homicidal homophobia of most middle eastern regimes would potentially "undermine the broadening support" for the Palestinians. Let me get this "straight" as it were, having a workshop that discusses the experiences of gay/trans people in the Middle East might cast Israel in a somewhat positive light and so must be cancelled. Wow!

The statement by the National Program Committee is even more stunning. They stated that this kind of workshop, one that might cast Israel in a positive light with respect to gay/trans rights is banned "for being in violation of the anti-racist principles central to the U.S. Social Forum". This can only make sense if the organizers have a position that Zionism is inherently "racist" and therefore anything that could support Zionism, even if objectively true, is inherently "racist." Wow and double wow!

The statement from the USSF Palestine Program goes on to say the following:

racist, Zionist, colonialist and Islamophobic politics and actions are as abhorrent as the politics and practices of homophobia and therefore have no place within movements for justice. We agree with this position and stand steadfastly and with unwavering commitment with this just struggle. Likewise, we stand steadfastly and with unwavering commitment to struggles against US and Israeli policies of war against poor and marginalized communities here in the US and that seek to undermine our unity and solidarity.

This is a victory for our struggle and indeed the struggle for justice for all. This victory makes it clear that the struggle for justice in/for Palestine is an integral part of the worldwide movement for freedom, dignity, justice and peace.

Let's unpack this a little. Zionism, alone of all movements for national self-determination, is identified as intrinsically "abhorrent" and equivalent to racism, etc. The movement for Jewish national self-determination (which resulted in the only state in the contemporary Middle East with anything like respect for gay/trans rights) is as "abhorrent" as homophobia. Israel and the US are identified as oppressors engaged in "war" against poor and marginalized communities in the US. They (the US and Israel) are attempting to "undermine our unity and solidarity".

Expelling this "abhorrent" Zionist group and preventing them from telling the truth about gay/trans rights in the Middle East is a "victory" in the struggle for "justice for all."

I detect some frightening tendencies in this emerging ideology. Jews alone are not to have the right to a state because a Jewish state, unlike all others, is inherently racist. The Jewish state is the enemy of those who struggle for justice for all. The Jewish state engages in war on the poor. There can be nothing good said about the Jewish state because the Jewish state is inherently opposed to the struggle for justice. Anything that is said in support of the Jewish state must merely be an attempt to undermine the unity of the "movement" in order to prevent the "movement" from achieving justice for all. In fact, eliminating the Jewish state must be an "integral part of the worldwide movement for freedom, dignity, justice and peace."

In other words, the collective Jew - the state of Israel - is now playing the role for this new movement that the individual Jew played for previous totalitarian movements. Jews are the perpetual "other", irredeemably evil and engaged in a war against the people. The collective Jew manipulates in order to stay in power in order to preserve injustice from which the collective Jew benefits.

There are the seeds of totalitarianism here. The language is that of a monumental world important struggle between a failed past and a golden future. The language is evocative of earlier totalitarian movements that are primarily bound by a common enemy in order to preserve internal unity. The Nazis had to bind together to act defensively against the Jewish attempt to undermine the "volk". The Communists had to bind together against international capitalism.

This is why this workshop had to be cancelled. It threatened a core narrative. It risked, at least for those who care about LBGTI issues, causing some members of the "movement" to think well of Zionists. And that, can't be allowed. Because then the foot soldiers of the movement will not have ideological clarity. The clarity needed to overturn the war-wrought, polluted, corrupt international capitalist order and replace it with a "new world."

Trade unionists need to be wary of the new totalitarianism. Hatred of Israel, Zionism, Jews has become a watchword for this "movement". It is a litmus test.

Let's think back for a second to the theme of the cancelled workshop, LBGTI rights. Let's put it this way, if I were gay/trans I would rather walk hand in hand with my partner down Dizengoff Street in Tel Aviv than in any Arab city outside Israel. That is not ideology. That is fact. At least at the end of our stroll we would be alive and unharmed. Can't say that about Gaza City, Ramallah, Riyadh. Just sayin'

Libby Davies should go

On June 5, Libby Davies, deputy NDP leader attended an anti-Israel rally in Vancouver and was interviewed about the conflict.


How many things does she get wrong?
When did the occupation begin, 1948 or 1967? Oh 1948, says she, it is the longest occupation in the world. Since Israel was founded in 1948 in a defensive War of Independence against Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Egypt and Saudi Arabia in which her enemies had promised genocide, we can only conclude that Ms Davies views the very existence of Israel as illegitimate. This is the position of such enlightened bodies as Hamas, Hizbullah and others. Let's entertain another option, that she is entirely uneducated about the most basic features of the conflict and simply assumed that Israel must have been occupying the land for the longer of the two times. I have two words to say IGNORANCE and PREJUDICE. If she didn't know but only guessed, the fact that she guessed 1948 is because she is prejudiced. Neither of these options look very good on Ms Davies or the NDP (which is too bad since I twice stood as an NDP candidate).

Let's see, is Palestine "occupied"? There is a lot of good international law that would say that the territories are disputed since there is no internationally recognized sovereign (they were British mandate territories and Israel is the closest thing to a legal successor to the mandate....what is clear is they never belonged to any other legal sovereign) from whom they were captured. The other point is that no one considered them "occupied territories" when Jordan and Egypt occupied them from 1948-1967. Why is that?

She also calls for boycott, divestment and sanctions. The last time I checked the NDP policy book that was not policy. The deputy leader should not be advocating (especially from a position of ignorance and prejudice) a position at odds with party policy.

I think she should be sacked. If the deputy leader had freelanced on any other major policy, she would be sacked. Unfortunately, I fear that Jack Layton will not sack her for this. Why not? Maybe because it is just about Jews (so who cares)? Maybe it is a trial balloon?

What do you think?

What happened in the Sea off Gaza?

Only now, days later is some of the truth of what happened off Israel's coast becoming clear. The initial story was that Israeli commandos had raided a peaceful ship carrying aid supplies killing many on board. This was presented by much of the mainstream media as yet further example of Israeli brutality.
The truth has begun to emerge.
Of course, all mourn those who died. It is clear that Israeli soldiers did not land on the Mavi Marmara with an intent to kill. How do we know this? We know this, because the Israeli Navy asked the flotilla leaders to land in Ashdod where any non-military supplies would be transported to Gaza and they would be permitted to return to their own countries. We know this because the soldiers landed armed only with paintguns and a sidearm (which they were instructed not to use unless in mortal danger). We know this because the footage clearly shows that the "peace activists" who had promised only passive resistance had, in fact, planned an ambush and a lynch mob. See the footage here:

Directing ship to Ashdod and offering to transport aid:


Landing on ship and being lynched:


Israeli soldier describes incident:


What position do we take as trade unionists?

Here is the position of Histadrut.

I think we mourn the loss of life. I think we mourn the fact that extremists are highjacking the peace process (this stunt besides costing lives directly, has also cost lives indirectly by imperilling the prospects for peace). I think we call on the world to actually look at the events that took place in its proper context. I think we call for trying to strengthen the relations between workers in Israel and Gaza/West Bank.

I reiterate a basic point...isolating the Jewish state and attacking its legitimacy internationally only strengthens the Right and harms the Left. We need to build and deepen connections. This kind of stunt does not help.

Had a beautiful day on the Walk with Israel

Toronto's walk with Israel is the largest annual solidarity walk in the diaspora. Today we raised money for citizens of Bat Yam, a city (about the size of St Catharines, Ontario) that is home to many Ethiopian jews.
The walk started off with a long series of speeches (mostly unnecessary, IMHO) by Canadian politicians, Jewish community leaders etc before hearing from the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. Now, if I were to place myself in the Israeli political world, I would tend towards the Mapam/Mapai/Labour party end of things. I would not normally consider my political beliefs to fall in the Revisionist stream, represented by Mr Netanyahu's Likud Party. However, he gave a wonderful speech hitting all the right notes. His speech was middle of the road Zionist in tone and content.
I wish I had seen some more union banners there. Unionists should be walking in support of relief of poverty (in Bat Yam as well as elsewhere). Unionists should be walking in support of the only country in the middle east with a strong and independent trade union movement. Unionists should be marching in support of a democracy (as flawed as every other democracy including our own) that shares similar human rights, rule of law and social values. We should have been visible among the 15,000 or more walkers this year. Anyone keen to walk next year as a grop under the Trade Unionists United for Israel banner? If so, let me know.
Sadly, some chose to throw their lot in with Hizbullah (a terrorist group in Lebanon that is committed to genocide and funded and armed by Iran) and Hamas (ditto in Gaza).

(reader's note...I didn't make this video and I am not supportive of the "various kooks" label...)

Here is another video about the walk that was really nice:

Which side are you on?

Those who fashionably attach themselves to the lie of Israeli "apartheid" need to be aware of what they are actually allying themselves to.

Here is a simple exchange -which you need to watch to the end - between David Horowitz and the president of the Muslim student association at UCSD. Now, don't get me wrong. I do not hold a brief for David Horowitz or his political views.

However, his interlocutor here is interesting. Here she admits - publically - that she supports Hamas and Hizbullah (two genocidal clerical fascist organizations) and would like Jews to gather together in Israel to make it easier to eliminate Jews. She supports genocide and calls for genocide.

It is clear which side she is on. Which side are you on?

Israel is in the OECD!

Great news...Israel was accepted today as the 32nd member of the OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development). Israel, Estonia and Slovenia were all asked to join the now 34 country economic organization.

As readers of this blog will recall, the Palestinian Authority, backed by its fellow travelers elsewhere, called for trade unionists to block adhesion of Israel to the OECD. To understand matters fully, a country needs the unanimous backing of the organization in order to join. That means that the PA was unsucessful with 31 sovereign governments.

There are some who oppose the OECD in principle (because it advances the market economy). I understand that point of view. It is a root and branch socialist point of view. However, those who opposed Israel's adhesion to the organization were not doing this from a socialist point of view. Rather, it was a deliberate attempt to isolate the Jewish state qua Jewish state. Of course the origin of the OECD was as the agency that administered the Marshall Plan in postwar Europe.

I am of the opinion that the Marshall PLan, by building up the economies of war-torn western Europe did much to create the environment of peace in Europe. Engagement and mutual economic interest can do much to overcome political divisions. Once again, one of the key problems with the BDS movement is that it works against peace. We should be encouraging the integration of the Palestinian and Israeli economies so that they are mutually dependent.