As Gaza Bleeds: Turning our anger into action

Martha Reese

McCormick Auditorium, Norris University Center, Northwestern University

January 14, 2009

My assignment tonight, at the request of the event organizers, is to energize and empower you to act and to suggest concrete, productive strategies for individual and collective action.

In sharing ideas tonight, I will draw on my experience as a member of the steering committee of the Oak Park-based organization, the Committee for a Just Peace in Israel and Palestine. As a member-activist in that organization and other local and national organizations, working in collaboration with other peace and solidarity organizations, I firmly believe that each of us, in all our diversity, has the ability to promote positive change even in—or maybe especially in—this dark time.

And yet, I admit, it is difficult to deliver an upbeat, energizing message when our hearts are so heavy--overcome by the awareness of and inundated by images of death, destruction, darkness, hunger, and abandonment.

Nothing we do can recover the devastating losses of the last few weeks. Marching in frigid temperatures will not rebuild the rubble that now stands in the place of houses, multi-story apartment buildings, medical clinics, hospitals, schools, mosques. Writing letters to the editor will not bring back to life Israeli or Palestinian armed combatants, or console their grieving families. Calling a Senator’s office will not shield Gazans who are totally defenseless against air bombardment, living without heat, water, and electricity. Reading eyewitness blogs will not reclaim the lives of the four residents of southern Israel killed by rocket attacks from Gaza since the military campaign began. Signing on-line petitions will not restore the lives of the 600 Gazan noncombatant civilians, 200 of them children, whose lives have been lost due to Israel’s military operation. Writing letters to the editor will not erase the burns of Gaza’s children, or restore their maimed bodies, or heal their emotional trauma. Nothing can recapture the wasted potential of Gaza’s million-and-a-half residents whose dreams have been deferred and whose futures have been blunted as result of intentional, internationally-imposed isolation and deprivation.

We know that, in the words of Martin Luther King, Jr., “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” Dr. King also said, “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice....” I must confess, I’m not so sure there’s a basis for such an optimistic view of history’s trajectory, but one thing is sure: the direction of the moral arc of the universe depends on the actions of individuals. Individuals like us.

It is possible to view the project of promoting peace, equality, and justice for Palestinians and Israelis as an exercise in futility. In one view, the media feeds an unsuspecting public an uninterrupted stream of biased, Israel-centric propaganda. Individuals who challenge the status quo assumption of Israel’s rectitude in a just war of self-defense against relentless terrorism and anti-Semitism are subjected to well-orchestrated campaigns of character assassination, their voices muzzled. Our elected representatives are forced by Israel-advocacy organizations to adopt lopsided, right-wing views on the conflict in order to get elected and re-elected, then as legislators they promote US policies that reflect a toxic combination of ignorance, bias, and political expediency.

Yes, we have reason to feel that ours is an uphill struggle. But I believe that the situation is much more complicated than what I’ve just described, and that it’s changing in a positive direction due to both our work and circumstances beyond our control.

First of all, this nineteen-day-old war is already a disaster for Israel. Today’s issue of Ha’aretz features an article titled, “Gaza op causing long-term harm to Israel’s image.” In the article, an unnamed European ambassador tells the Israeli journalist: “Your action is brutal and you don’t realize how much damage this is causing you in the world. This is not only short term. It’s damage for years. Is this the Israel you want to be?” International aid agencies have been widely reported as blasting Israel over its reckless disregard for civilian lives, targeting non-military structures, and preventing emergency medical personnel from reaching and treating injured Gazans. Major US media outlets reported on Ehud Olmert’s boast of having undone, with a single phone call to President Bush, Condoleezza Rice’s work to promote a United Nations resolution calling for a cease-fire. An embarrassed White House issued denials. Cardinal Renato Martino, president of the Vatican's Council for Justice and Peace, was widely reported in the media as having said that “Gaza…resembles a big concentration camp.”

Despite Israel’s determination to wage the war simultaneously on military and public relations fronts, neither is succeeding as well as hoped. Variety reports that “…the conflict…has seen the Israeli army's spin machine go into overdrive to counteract the widespread dismay brought on by mounting civilian Palestinian casualties, particularly children.” The UK press, generally superior to our own in balanced reporting on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, has characteristically risen to the challenge of providing illuminating analysis. Seth Freedman reports in the Guardian about Israel’s wartime anti-democratic attempts to marginalize its own Arab citizens. In the same paper, Professor Avi Shlaim describes Israel as “a rogue state with an utterly unscrupulous set of leaders." And Nir Rosen, again the Guardian, explores the use of the word terrorism as “a rhetorical smokescreen under which the strong crush the weak.” Dozens of British law professors and lawyers signed a statement published in London’s Sunday Times, calling Israel’s bombardment of Gaza a “war crime.” Geoffrey Wheatcroft wrote an article titled “How Israel Gets Away with Murder” in the Independent. These are only a small sampling of recent pieces in the UK press. Fortunately, such journalism is not confined to UK readership in our era of internet interconnectedness.

But the American press, often rightly faulted for its Israel-centric tilt, has shown many points of light. George Bisharat’s op-ed in the Wall Street Journal is joined by Jimmy Carter’s in the Washington Post and Rashid Khalidi’s in the New York Times. Tarif Abboushi has written in the Houston Chronicle, Boston University professor Andrew Bacevich in the Boston Globe, and, today, Randall Kuhn in the Washington Times. Even Comedy Central has created a space for healthy debate: many of you by now will have viewed Jon Stewart’s incisive piece “Strip Maul” as the opener for the January 8th edition of The Daily Show.

One feature of the changing landscape in the United States and, for that matter, around the world, is the increasingly audible refusal of growing numbers of Jews to allow the self-appointed spokespersons of Jewish communal life to project a monolithic view of Jewish opinion on Israel and Palestine. Warning of the hazards of stifling Jewish dissent, Anshel Pfeffer writes in Ha’aretz that “Israeli and Diaspora leaders should be providing space for this kind of discourse, because stifling will not consolidate support for Israel but increase frustration and disillusionment with it.”

Ever increasing numbers of people are understanding and saying publicly and insistently that there is no military solution to the conflict. Israel’s possession of the fourth-most-powerful military in the world has not bought it calm or security. Israel’s ability to dispossess Palestinians of their land, confine them to small isolated zones, and strike them using sophisticated weaponry with impunity cannot, in the end, bring peace. The destructive futility of the Gaza campaign is, for all its horror, mobilizing and giving voice to the growing power of those who reject brute force as a way forward.

So how can we mobilize for this immediate crisis and beyond? I will offer tonight six suggestions for you to take away with you. Much of what I have to say is neither new nor original. I propose however that we work with ever-greater focus, determination, and energy to increase our numbers, our impact, and our effectiveness. To be motivated by the knowledge that our resolute engagement has already made a difference, our numbers are growing, and our movement in its many and various forms cannot be silenced or dismissed.

1) Public protest.

Hundreds of thousands of demonstrators have thronged streets in cities throughout the world—in Scotland, Sweden, Austria, Great Britain, Ireland, France, Italy, Belgium, Spain, Germany, Norway, Bosnia, Greece, Turkey, Korea, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, India, Algeria, Lebanon, Jordan, and elsewhere. Even the glitterati have turned out: in Madrid, actor Javier Bardem’s actress mother Pilar demanded action from the Spanish government. In London, Annie Lennox, Bianca Jagger, and former London mayor Ken Livingstone called for an end to Israel’s bloody Gaza campaign.

In our own city, two successive Fridays have seen major downtown demonstrations attended by thousands and sponsored by numerous organizations including (to name only a few) the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee-Chicago, American Friends Service Committee, American Muslims for Palestine, ANSWER Chicago, Arab American Action Network, Comite Anti-Militarizacion, Chicago Coalition Against War and Racism, International Solidarity Movement-Chicago, Islamic Community Center of Illinois, Jewish Voice for Peace-Chicago, and the Muslim American Society.

At my home, listening to WBEZ public radio during the demonstration, I and thousands of other drive-time listeners heard about it as part of the traffic report. Sarah Jindra announced, again and again, why the march was being held, its route and its destination, as well as its impact on rush-hour traffic flow—every ten minutes. The organizers couldn’t have hoped for better free publicity.

More vigils, marches, and other demonstrations are scheduled for upcoming days, too. The organization with which I’m affiliated, Committee for a Just Peace, has joined with other sponsors and will be conducting a vigil for Gaza in Oak Park on Monday afternoon, Martin Luther King Day. Ask me for details after the talk if you’d like more information. Our co-sponsoring organizations are the American Friends Service Committee, the Arab Jewish Partnership for Peace and Justice in the Middle East, the Chicago Faith Coalition on Middle East Policy, the Council on American-Islamic Relations-Chicago, Jewish Voice for Peace-Chicago, and the South Austin Coalition.

The positive impact of public demonstrations such as these goes far beyond the events themselves. There may some coverage on television news (or not) or in the city dailies. Certainly many passers-by see and learn something about the issue and the existence of people who are outraged by the carnage and our government’s complicity. In addition to such public outreach, the very act of cooperation and coalition building involved in event planning is strengthening our movement. The high profile of public actions mobilizes individuals who feel isolated and disempowered because they don’t know how to connect with others who care.

2) Media activism.

I think I don’t have to explain media activism, so I’m just going to encourage you to do it and stick with it. Monitor the news outlets that are part of your media diet. Respond with criticism and correction when needed, with praise and encouragement when deserved. Email and phone the journalists that cover the issue. They’re just ordinary people who like to know they’re being paid attention to. Don’t ever assume that a journalist is invulnerable to feedback. Operate on the assumption that everyone is teachable, capable of moving along a continuum of understanding.

Write letters to the editor in response to coverage, both good and bad. Follow all the usual, sensible guidelines (stick to one major point, follow the publication guidelines for length). You know what to do. Do it.

3) Group formation and development.

Join an existing organization whose agenda, mission, and style meshes with your own sense of how best to move forward, then give your time and talents generously. There are numerous excellent organizations in Chicago, many listed earlier in this talk as sponsors of rallies and vigils. There are also student organizations on most Chicago-area campuses.

If you find there are no existing groups, seek out likeminded people and form a group. Set achievable goals. Develop clarity about who is your intended audience, what is your message, what you’re asking people to do, how best to encourage people to listen and act. Learn from the successes and failures of other similar groups. Be patient. Be positive. Be relentless.

4) Public education.

For seven years, our organization has hosted a public lecture series that has brought activists, authors, academics, journalists, and religious leaders to Oak Park. Over the years, through attendance at our events, thousands of individuals have heard perspectives not often encountered in the mainstream media. Slowly, over time, we’ve built a base of support, developed communication channels to publicize our events, and experimented successfully and unsuccessfully with various types of forums and initiatives. We’ve applied for grant funding and have succeeded some of the time. We’ve gotten better at answering our critics. Our work is gratifying and frustrating. Sometimes we know we’re making a difference, other times we wish there were more hard evidence.

Ours is one of many public education forums in the Chicago area. Less than a week ago, a panel of speakers featuring Ali Abunimah, Norman Finkelstein, and John Mearsheimer was held on the University of Chicago campus. Mandel Hall was filled to capacity and an estimated one hundred hopeful attendees was turned away. The project was a collaboration between U of C academic units and student groups. Coverage in the university newspaper, the Maroon, brought event highlights to many who hadn’t attended.

And then, tonight. Congratulations to the organizers of this event. When I got a call from Tarek Ghanem, he explained that he and his wife Rahma were new to organizing, but motivated by the events in Gaza to do something positive. I think that Tarek and Rahma are probably surprised that their germ of an idea succeeded on this scale. In the process new organizers have been created, and a new network of connections among people who care passionately about justice and peace in the Middle East. Let’s express to the organizers our appreciation, learn from them, be inspired by their example. Each and every one of us here tonight can, like them, do something positive.

5) Legislative action.

Legislative activism is not for the fainthearted, as it’s difficult to see beneficial results from one’s efforts. As we all know, the US Congress is, almost without exception, to a person, dismally misguided in setting the US policies that affect Palestinians, Israelis, and the prospects for peace between them. Witness the recent resolutions in both the Senate and the House, “Recognizing the right of Israel to defend itself against attacks from Gaza

and reaffirming the United States’ strong support for Israel in its battle with Hamas...” Many of you know the content of these odious resolutions—lacking accuracy, balance, and any mention whatsoever of Israeli culpability or historical context. The resolution passed unanimously in the Senate. Is it hopeless? Only if we say it is. What if everyone in this room tonight chooses one day in the next seven days to call and register outrage at Senator Dick Durbin’s Washington office. It takes two minutes. If you don’t call, the Senator can justifiably claim that none of his constituents disagree with his actions and that the only voices he hears are those that support unconditional backing for Israeli policy and punishing sanctions for the Palestinians.

In the House of Representatives, the landscape is not quite so bleak. There are five Congresspersons to call to thank for casting a “no” vote on the misguided House Resolution 34. Twenty-two more voted “present,” a way often used by House members to “not vote for” a piece of legislation. Representative Dennis Kucinich deserves special praise for his outspokenness over the Gaza crisis during the past few weeks. I called his Washington office and spoke to an aide. I asked that my thanks and praise be passed along to Mr. Kucinich. The aide assured me that Mr. Kucinich is grateful for feedback. So give it to him…every one of you here. Why not? It takes two minutes. Regardless of which Illinois Congressional District you live in, your Representative voted, unwisely, to support the resolution. Call their office and tell them what you think. Our organization has written a letter to the editor of our local paper expressing our strong disappointment with our Congressman’s vote. If it’s published, we know he’ll notice.

There is no guarantee that our legislative activism will have any near-term effect. But the cost in time of legislative activism is so small, we defeat ourselves if we don’t expend the minimal effort to make regular contact. We have the choice--to make ourselves invisible or visible. Make the right choice.

6) Giving.

Last, but certainly not least, your money can make important things possible. Contributions that directly assist health and humanitarian projects in Gaza are needed now more than ever. The continuation and expansion of excellent non-corporate news and analysis available from sources such as Electronic Intifada depends on contributions from people like us. There are many worthy causes that need financial assistance. You choose.

In summary, it’s clear that there are no short-cuts in the long journey that lies ahead. And yet we are in excellent company. In addition to the simple strategies I’ve offered here tonight, many organizations offer tips and outlets for effective action. The Council on American-Islamic Relations-Chicago is one of many organizations with a web-based toolkit for engagement; theirs is called “Ten Steps You Can Take to Help Palestine.” Other organizations with valuable on-line organizing resources on-line are Jewish Voice for Peace, the US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation, and the American Friends Service Committee, to name but a small few of a great number.

Gaza is bleeding, day after day. The enormity of it can leave us despairing, paralyzed. And yet, because we are here, and not there, we can help those in the center of the conflict in way they cannot help themselves. And we must. For those of us who feel, daily if distantly, the pain of those in the war zone, there is no choice. While they struggle for mere survival and basic necessities, we will do the work we are called to do here, carrying them in our hearts. •

Martha Reese is a member of the steering committee of the Committee for a Just Peace in Israel and Palestine (www.cjpip.org).

CJPIP was founded in 2002 in Oak Park to foster enhanced understanding of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through open community education events featuring authors, activists, scholars, and religious and political figures with perspectives not frequently represented in the mainstream media. In its seven years of existence, CJPIP has grown into a widely respected organization whose programs have reached thousands of listeners and supporters.

CJPIP supports the implementation of US policy promoting the well-being, security, equality, and prosperity of Palestinians and Israelis, based on the principle that security for Israelis cannot be achieved in the absence political and human rights for the Palestinians.

In 2004, CJPIP was awarded the “Blessed Are The Peacemakers Award” by the World Council of Churches. CJPIP is a proud recipient of development grants from the Crossroads and RESIST Foundations.

In addition to her work with the Committee for a Just Peace in Israel and Palestine, Martha Reese also is a member of the Chicago Faith Coalition on Middle East Policy (www.chicagofaith.org).