Israeli And Palestinian Protests:
Freedom, Dignity, And Respect For Their Rights
06 May 2012
By Stephen Lendman
Mass Palestinian prisoner hunger strikes continue.
Freedom, dignity, and respect for their rights are at
issue. Strikers want horrific Israeli prison abuses
ended. More on that below.
On Saturday, thousands of Israelis rallied nationwide
for social justice. They picked up where they left off
last summer. Major grievances remain unaddressed. They
include:
(1) Unaffordable housing.
(2) High food and energy prices.
(3) Low wages and eroding social benefits.
(4) Onerous taxes on working households.
(5) Lack of free education and better healthcare
benefits.
(6) Weak labor rights.
(8) A disproportionate amount of construction funding
for settlement development. Too little remains for
affordable housing in Israel.
(10) The "high cost of raising children" most Israelis
face.
In Shapira, Levinsky, Hatikva, and other
neighborhoods, marches converged on Tel Aviv's Rabin
Square. Demonstrators chanted:
"We want justice, not charity."
"Taking from the poor, giving to the rich, what a
country of corruption."
Along with America and Britain, Israel has the
greatest wealth disparity and social inequality among
developed nations.
Over 20% of Israel's population is poor. In a nation
of 7.9 million, over 850,000 children live in poverty.
More than two-thirds of them lack nutritional
security. Around 75% miss meals. Over 80% lack proper
dental care. Some beg, borrow or steal to eat.
Since the 1990s, neoliberal harshness significantly
increased poverty, unemployment, homelessness, and
hunger. Housing is a major problem. Tel Aviv apartment
prices doubled in recent years. In Jerusalem they
increased nearly two-thirds. Rents also skyrocketed.
Growing numbers of Israelis face intolerable burdens
too great to bear.
Last summer they reacted. Netanyahu promised change.
Betrayal followed. On Saturday, Israelis reacted.
Tel Aviv rally organizer Orli Barlev said:
"The message is one against the political system that
does not count the citizens." Referring to Israel's
heavily criticized Fatah/Kadina unity government deal,
she added:
"What we saw this week were moves that resulted from
personal interests of power and control. This
government has greatly deepened social gaps."
Nothing is done to address them. Social inequality
festers. Anger filled Israeli cities. Rallies were
held in Jerusalem, Haifa, Kiryat Shmona, Nahriya,
Pardes Hanna, and Eilat (as well as the largest one in
Tel Aviv) under the banner: "Returning the country to
the citizens."
Similar protests were held worldwide. "Global May"
commemorated the anniversary of Madrid's 2011 mass
Puerta del Sol square social justice rally. It
inspired others across Europe and America that
followed. This year's theme is "We are not alone."
Last summer's Israeli campaign waned but didn't die.
Organizing efforts sought more participants. People's
Assemblies were formed. A manifesto was written,
stating:
"We are living in a world controlled by forces
incapable of giving freedom and dignity to the world´s
population. (We) condemn the current distribution of
economic resources whereby only a tiny minority escape
poverty and insecurity."
We demand an economic "system where labour is
appreciated by its social utility, not its financial
or commercial profit."
"Fully democratic" rights were called for. Last
summer's protests swept Israel. Hundreds of thousands
participated. Rallies and tent encampments drew world
attention. Saturday perhaps launched Act II.
A recent global Gallop poll ranked perceived Israeli
corruption on a par with Greece, Slovenia and Sierra
Leone. It scored worst among Middle East countries.
Around 85% of respondents said Israeli business is
corrupt. Israel replicates the worst of major Western
nations.
The greater social injustice gets, the more most
Israelis suffer. Now they're reacting.
They want more than social justice. Serious issues
fester. Since last summer, protests became more
common. Where things go from here remains unknown.
Sustained critical mass is needed. So far it's absent.
On Saturday, youth participation was high. "All the
(political) parties have failed," said one speaker.
Police were out in force, this time nonviolently.
Days earlier they reacted harshly. About 1,000
Israelis protested against the Fatah/Kadima unity
deal. A "stinking maneuver," they called it. Early
elections were cancelled.
Democracy was nowhere in sight. Israel, of course, has
none. Police accosted Habima Square demonstrators
brutally. Arrests followed, including two journalists.
Social activists were detained. So was Tel Aviv city
councilman Yoav Goldring.
Police called the rally illegal. Israelis were treated
like Palestinians. More demonstrations are planned.
Organizers hope for a July 14 "March of the Million."
Expect a long hot summer. Habima Square police
brutality may become commonplace. Who knows what's
possible before fall. Perhaps Israelis will identify
more with Palestinian suffering. That type unity would
be significant.
Palestinian Prison Protests for Justice Continue
Major issues remain unresolved. On May 11, hunger
strike leaders issued Statement No. 5, saying:
"To the masses of the Palestinian people….you are free
before our nation…you are free before the world."
"We have held a lengthy meeting with the leadership of
the Prison Services in Nafha prison last night,
including all members of the Central Committee of the
Leadership of the Strike."
"The Prison Service attempted through prevarication
and procrastination to pressure us to break the strike
with unverifiable promises."
Prisoners have unequivocal demands. Unity to continue
struggling remains strong. "We call on the masses of
our people and our nation to act" supportively. We
"promise again that we will not retreat without
securing our just human rights."
"We are all willing to be martyrs for the sake of our
dignity and our rights, and therefore we promise that
will will live (in) dignity or die."
Growing Palestinian street protests show support.
Activists call the strike "pivotal." It reflects the
wider liberation struggle. It's a rallying position
across Palestine. Whether a third Intifada follows
remains unknown.
On May 11, thousands of Palestinians rallied
supportively in West Bank villages. Under the slogan
"Friday Anger: Victory for the Prisoners," Israeli
security forces confronted them violently. Tear gas,
sound bombs, rubber bullets, and water cannon fired
"skunk" spray were used. It contains harmful
chemicals. Beatings, injuries and arrests followed.
Israeli Arabs participated supportively. Thousands of
Galilee residents displayed prisoner photos and
Palestinian flags. They chanted slogans voicing
solidarity and demanding liberation from Israeli
prisons.
Haifa, Umm al-Fahm, and Kfar Kana youths began a
three-day supportive hunger strike. Activists and
political groups on both sides of the Green Line
voiced support.
Hadash, Balad, National Union, the Palestinian
People's Party, Democratic Front for the Liberation of
Palestine, Popular Front for the Liberation of
Palestine, and others endorsed a public statement,
saying:
"The immediate demand to the Israeli government is the
release of all administrative detainees, and all
prisoners, those on hunger strikes and those who
aren't."
They're all political prisoners locked in Israel's
gulag for wanting to live free on their own land.
The manifesto added:
"Also, we are calling for the end of the policy of
administrative detention, as a method for arrest
without trial, based on secret evidence not shared
with prisoners or lawyers. This policy is not in line
with basic standards of justice."
The statement pointedly accused the Israel Prison
Service (IPS) of ignoring longtime prisoner demands to
end extreme harshness. It also said the hunger strike
reflects a national liberation struggle.
In Haifa, Palestinian merchants closed shops and
displayed banners saying: "The shops are closed
because our prisoners are in danger."
Hundreds of Jerusalemites participated. Among them
were prisoner families. For the second consecutive
day, Palestinians blocked the ICRC's Ramallah
headquarters entrance. They demand strong support. On
May 10, protests outside a UN building raised the same
issue.
One participant said:
"We are targeting those who we believe can help to
bring an end to the hunger strike and save the lives
of our prisoners."
So far, they offered little more than lip service. EU
ministers do little better. Obama said nothing. On May
11, State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland was
silent on what's ongoing.
During a briefing she was asked to comment on the
strike situation. Her dismissive comment said:
"I don't have anything for you on that."
A follow-up question asked about a State Department
position on uncharged strikers, especially long-term
ones close to death.
She contemptuously remained dismissive, saying:
"....frankly, I don't have anything one way or the
other. I don't know if we have a comment on it."
US contempt for Palestinian suffering is longstanding.
European nations aren't much better. Lip service
substitutes for action.
Israel commits appalling human rights abuses.
Courageous hunger strikers confront them. So should
everyone. Then challenge their own homegrown
injustice. Otherwise it won't end.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached
at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net. His new book is
titled "How Wall Street Fleeces America: Privatized
Banking, Government Collusion and Class War" http://www.claritypress.com/Lendman.html Visit
his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com and listen to
cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on
the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive
Radio Network Thursdays at 10AM US Central time and
Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are
archived for easy listening. http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour.
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