Je me permets néanmoins d'exprimer une distance vis-à-vis de la formulation présentant cette table ronde. La "solution" à deux États —fausse, injuste, coloniale, aujourd'hui d'ailleurs irréalisable ; c'est Israël qui a tout fait pour la rendre absolument non-viable— n'est pas la mienne, ne l'a jamais été, et je la conteste —comme c'est le cas, j'en suis persuadé, de plusieurs des invité.e.s à cette tribune bruxelloise —ou de la One Democratic State Campaign.
1948 fut une année d’ironie tragique.
Cette année-là a vu l’adoption de la Déclaration universelle des droits de l’homme et de la Convention des Nations Unies pour la prévention et la répression du crime de génocide, promettant ensemble un monde dans lequel les Droits de l’Homme seraient protégés par l’Empire de la Loi. La même année, l’Afrique du Sud a adopté l’apartheid et les forces israéliennes ont exécuté la Nakba, la violente dépossession massive de centaines de milliers de Palestiniens. Les deux systèmes s’appuyaient sur le soutien colonial occidental. (...)
Voici, ensuite, la vidéo complète de cet événement bruxellois ainsi que quelques éléments de contexte.
PALESTINE: THE RIGHT TO EXIST. SOLIDARITY & STRUGGLE AGAINST ISRAEL’S IMPUNITY
Le 31 janvier 2024, , de 15:16 à 18:58
European Parliament – Brussels
15:00 – Spinelli 1G2 “Manolis Glezos”
Over 24,000 Palestinians have lost their lives in Israel’s most recent assault on Gaza. Since the beginning of these still unfolding horrors, The Left in the European Parliament has been constantly calling for a ceasefire. Lasting and fair peace in the region must be achieved in line with international law and human rights based on UN resolutions. This event brings together voices from the ground, from Israel and Palestine, advocating for peace based on a two-state solution.Plus de 24 000 Palestiniens ont perdu la vie lors de l'actuelle attaque israélienne contre Gaza. Depuis le début de ces horreurs qui continuent de se dérouler, La Gauche au Parlement européen n’a cessé d’appeler à un cessez-le-feu. Il faut instaurer une paix durable et juste dans la région conformément au droit international et aux Droits de l’Homme, sur la base des résolutions de l’ONU. Cet événement rassemble des voix sur le terrain, en Israël et en Palestine, plaidant pour une paix basée sur une solution à deux États.
PROGRAMME (TBC)15h00 Welcome by Manu PINEDA / Idoia VILLANUEVA.15h15 Opening by Francesca Albanese (UN Special Rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories) and Ilan Pappé (both will participate remotely)15h30 “What is happening in Palestine?Moderator: Idoia VILLANUEVA.• Khadeja Ibrahim, The Palestinian Initiative for the Promotion of Global Dialogue and Democracy – MIFTAH – Gender impact• Khaled Quzmar, Defense for Children International – Palestine – The Children.• Yousef Habash, Palestinian Journalists Syndicate (PJS). – Journalists.• Ahmed Abou Foul, Al-Haq. Palestinian non-governmental human rights organisation17h15 Palestine’s right to exist.Moderator: Manu PINEDA.• Olga Rodríguez. Journalist.• Miko Peled. Israeli author and peace activist.• Sahar Francis. Addameer. Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association. – Arbitrary Detentions/Hostages.• 18h30 Debate and closing by Mick WALLACE.
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TRANSCRIPTION DE L'INTERVENTION DE MIKO PELED (les liens et crochets sont de mon cru) :
Thank you for inviting these excellent Palestinian voices that we heard in the previous panel. I want to echo something that my colleague just said, but also that was said by our brother Yousef Habash, who was up here earlier, that Palestinians are fighting not only for their own human rights, but for ours; not only for their own dignity, but for ours, and how are we going to face our children and our grandchildren when they ask us how did we allow this to happen on our watch? How did we let this happen? Where were you? Where were we and where did we stand?
This is happening not only in our watch, this is happening in broad daylight, this is happening with the full support of our elected officials, full support of our elected officials. How do we let this happen?
When I was listening to Francesca Albanese remarks, it sounded a lot like… a list of the successes of the state of Israel. These are all things… all the things that she mentioned were things that Israeli public figures claim with pride: the hunger, the disease, the deaths, the destruction… these are all things that they are proud of: they claim them that not only do, they not deny them, they claim them on a regular basis, publicly, and they do this with pride. These are things that are being broadcast openly and… major Israeli figures, policy makers, government ministers are discussing very openly, and in great detail, the forced transfer of millions of Palestinians, and they discuss this as though… as a matter of fact, openly.
I remember hearing, as a child growing up, about Freedom Fighters, the resistance, the partisans… fighting fascism, fighting Nazis, fighting dictatorships, fighting against apartheid… the Algerian resistance… and I don't recall, and I may be wrong, but I don't recall ever anyone saying yes, these were very brave, but we need to denounce them first. I don't ever being… I don’t recall anybody saying we condemn the resistance fighters who fought the dictatorships, and the Nazis, and the fascists, and apartheid and so on; I never heard that until it came to the Palestinians, that's the first time I've ever heard and again, I may be wrong, but this is the first time I've ever heard that there's a need to condemn and say yes, but, of course, they're suffering, but first, we need to condemn. Are we out of our minds condemning the resistance of the people who are being oppressed and killed, [Applause] subjected to genocide for 75 years??? Are we out of our minds?????? Are we out of our minds???? Are we outside of our minds when we let this ridiculous narrative take hold and spread, and then, participate in it, nodding our heads like sheep??? Oh, and, by the way, yes, there is a genocide going on, and it's terrible, but, first, we have to condemn the Palestinians who dare to stand up, Palestinians who’ve shown an ability to sacrifice and amounts of courage that, as far as I can remember, are unprecedented, facing this horrific, horrific oppression.
But what are we really talking about? Again, we've heard lists and lists and lists of crimes committed by the state of Israel, lists and lists of crimes against humanity. And there's always seems to me like there's a little bit of a sense of surprise, a little bit of shock, a little bit as though… this was somehow not predictable. What we are seeing now in Gaza was not only predictable, it was preventable, and we did not prevent it. The previous massacre in Gaza was predictable too, and that was not prevented. And we can go on and on and on and on back 75 years, because what could possibly be expected from an apartheid regime, established after a massive campaign, open, massive campaign, of ethnic cleansing, massacres and the beginning of a genocide that is still going on today, what could possibly be expected??? That was the founding moment of the state of Israel, close to a million people forced out of their land, God knows how many were massacred. And that was the beginning!!!!! That was 1948!! So, now, we're shocked? All these lists and lists and lists and lists: there's nothing new about them! except, this time, the numbers are higher, this time the numbers are the… you know, even by Israeli standards, it is shocking. But this was predictable, and this was preventable. And every time something happens, we rise, we protest, we demand, and we forget. Instead of standing there and demanding an end, an absolute end to the oppression and the killing of Palestinians, an end to it. Not a ceasefire to it, an end to it! A political solution that will guarantee the lives, the security, the safety of Palestinians: that has never been discussed. I don't recall it ever being discussed, that guarantees need to be put in place, guarantees need to be put in place! For the life and security and the safety of Palestinians, because Palestinians have been living in a state of Terror for 75 years, not just now, but for 75 years living in a state of Terror, whether in the West Bank, whether they're in the Gaza Strip, whether they're citizens of the state of Israel, or so-called citizens, they have been living in a state of Terror and they still do today, granted the level of Terror has increased since October the 7th. Are we going to prevent the next death? Are we going to prevent the next assault, the last… the next savagery by Israel? —that we know is going to come, we know it's coming, of course; this chapter hasn't ended yet. Are we going to prevent it? Are we going to allow the Israeli flag to still fly in capitals in Europe? This flag that represents hate, murder, genocide… How long are we going to allow representatives, diplomatic representatives, economic representatives, cultural representatives, academics and on and on and on… of the apartheid state to sit among us, like equals? Because they too have a right. How long? Because as long as we allow them to sit here, they will continue to kill, they will continue the genocide and, by the way, of course, we're all very grateful to what South Africa has done, but what has it taken for the world to finally take Israel to Court on the crime of genocide? It's taken 75 years plus close to 30,000 deaths that we know of now. 30,000 deaths!! I've lived in cities that have less than 30,000 people in them. Wiped out!! gone!! Entire families, as we know, completely erased from the registry. And, once again, I ask what are we expecting? What did we expect? Three years!! Three years!!!!!! after the end of the genocide of Jews in Europe, three years after the end of the Holocaust, the world allowed the genocide of the Palestinian people to commence. In 1948! the world allowed an apartheid regime to take hold in Palestine. Not some remote place that maybe people didn't know about: in Palestine!!!! What is a three hours flight from here.
The world allowed an apartheid regime to take hold, the world allowed a brutal campaign of ethnic cleansing, and the world allowed the genocide to commence.
All three crimes against humanity… to commence against the Palestinian people... What are we expecting? What are we expecting?
As long as that regime is permitted to continue to exist, THIS… WILL… CONTINUE. If we do not put an end to it, we will see more Palestinians die, more Palestinians suffer, more Palestinians arrested and tortured.
There's a tendency to focus on the West Bank and Gaza, maybe to mention Jerusalem from time to time. You know, Palestinians in Jerusalem, right now, Palestinians right now are prohibited from entering the old city of Jerusalem, their own capital!!! Settlers who arrived yesterday, as colonisers, parade through the old city. Palestinians, some of whom have families that have resided in The Old City for 800 years, 500 years, can lose their status like that! and their property. I've been gone for over 25 years: I can go back tomorrow. I don't have that kind of history in Palestine. Settlers parading in Al Aqsa, while Palestinians have less and less and less rights to enter. Tens of thousands of home demolitions in the Negeb, where some 300,000 Palestinian Bedouins, citizens of Israel, reside in some of the poorest conditions, while Israeli settlers enjoy in the Negeb some of the highest standards of living. And again, home demolitions, arrests of activists… this is nothing new. Armed militias terrorizing Palestinians in Lid, in Ramallah [al-Ramla], in Jaffa. Increased numbers of hate crimes in Haifa. By the way, all Palestinian cities occupied in 1948, where the Palestinian communities suffer enormous discrimination and, again, live… and
have been living under a reign of terror for over 75 years.
Issa Amro, which I'm sure many of you know, human rights defender, recognized by the EU. He was kidnapped and tortured on the 7th of October. Every morning, I wake up wondering if his son Watan is an orphan. He now lives in hiding, he had to cover his windows with cement blocks. Where are we? Why are we not protecting him? Where are we? Why are we not making sure that his son will not be an orphan? Where are the guarantees to his life? A man who has dedicated his life not only to the freedom of his people and his community, but to unarmed resistance!! dedicated!! almost religious dedication to unarmed resistance!!! where are we? Why are we not there in the midst, between him and the settlers, and him and the Israeli army that want to kill him? I have seen, with my own eyes, soldiers and settlers openly!! in front of cameras!! threatened to come and kill him in his home. Where are we?
Bassem Tamimi —I'm sure many of you know, another heroic figure— dedicated his life to an unarmed resistance, is now in jail. His daughter Ahed —which, again, I'm sure you know — was arrested again and then, released [among those freed as part of truce agreement between Hamas & Israel]. And, you know, it was quite telling when she was arrested a few years ago for daring! daring!!! to push a soldier, an officer out of her home. Daring!!!!! A 17-year-old who for her whole life has seen the army kill her family members, invade her home, invade her privacy… She finally pushed a soldier away, and was arrested and, of course, we all saw her as a hero. It wasn't her job, it was our job!!!! It was our job to keep those soldiers out of her home, out of her village, not hers: it shouldn't be the job of a 17-year-old girl to do this! That was our responsibility and we failed. So, she had to be in jail and be tortured by the Israelis, by the people who murdered her family and terrorized her village. Of course, we made big posters of her, and sweatshirts and t-shirts of her, were solidarity with her… Where were we when it counted?
The only reason those soldiers feel comfortable doing what they do is because they know we will never act. That's why they do it. Or, if we act, our actions are limited. We do not go all the way when it comes to Palestinians.
You may recall in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, an Algerian athlete competed in Judo; Fethi Nourine [il fut suspendu par la Fédération internationale de Judo pour avoir refusé d’affronter un Israélien]. We all know how hard it is, how hard an athlete has to work to make it to the Olympics. When he was called up to compete against a member of the Israeli team, he put his career on the line and said “no”!!!!! He was kicked out of the Olympics and prohibited, prohibited!!! from competing in Judo by the Judo Federation for 10 years, which is an entire career. Of course, he was received in Algeria as a hero, but that was not his responsibility, it was ours! He should not have to risk his career for standing up: we need to demand the Olympic Committee never allow Israel to participate, because it is an apartheid state and, by the way, that was after Amnesty came out with the apartheid report. Let's say before the apartheid report, people could say well, we didn't know. Amnesty's Apartheid report was already out, there is no justification for allowing Israel to participate in the Olympics, or any other Arena, by the way, athletic or otherwise. It's our responsibility and we're failing every day. It's our responsibility and we are failing every day: what are we going to tell our children and our grandchildren? Why didn't we try harder? Why is there this gap, this glass ceiling between voices of the people that we see in the streets, granted only when there's a catastrophe, but they're out in the streets, and the halls of power and the decision makers? Why is that message not getting through and what do we need to do more, to demand of our elected officials?
Because we all have elected officials. So, they understand: if they support Zionism, they lose their job!!!! How dare they claim zero tolerance for racism and then allow Israel to participate? and then support Israel and Zionism? Zero tolerance to racism means zero tolerance to Zionism! It is a racist ideology [Applause] that produced an apartheid, genocidal State!!!
People talk about solidarity. We are past the point of solidarity, we are past the point of solidarity, we need to be part of the Palestinian resistance. I'm not saying we need to all pick up arms. There are many many forms of resistance. We must make sure that no Israeli Zionist presence is allowed in any public Arena, absolutely not allowed, not tolerated, that's it!! There has been a genocide going on for 75 years, and apartheid regime going on for 75 years, an ethnic cleansing campaign going on for 75 years. It's up to us to stop it. Palestinians are doing everything they can, and above and beyond [qui va au-delà de toutes les attentes], they've showed an ability, like I said, to sacrifice and to demonstrate courage that is above and beyond. It's our time, it's our job now.
People like to fall back on this idea of a two-state solution. I don't want to… being insensitive here to anyone, but two-state solution is something that people fall back on when they either don't want to tell the truth or they are not in possession of the information, and I'm saying it delicately. And I'm being very delicate here. The two State solution is what people fall on when they either don't want to tell the truth, or they are not in possession of all the information. Those are the only two types of people that talk about two states. There are two options for Palestine: a single state apartheid, which is what we have now, and we see where that's leading, or a free Democratic Palestine from The River To The Sea! That's it! [Applause] Where do we stand?
Where do we stand? Where do we stand? This is not a difficult question, where do we stand? It's not a question of politics, it's not a question of religion, where do our values lead us? You ask the question of yourself. Do we support racism, apartheid and genocide? Then, yes, support Israel, because that's only Israel there is! Or do we believe in justice, in humanity, in democracy, in human rights…? In which case, we need to do everything we can to dismantle the apartheid state and allow for a free Democratic Palestine to take its place, and the sooner the better! Because Palestinians are being killed. That's the only question we need to ask of ourselves and then we need to demand this, not ask it, demand it of people in the halls of power, demand it of our elected officials, and if they choose to support Israel, they should lose their job, they will not get our vote, they should be ashamed. Because supporting racism and violence, supporting apartheid and genocide is no longer acceptable, and they need to get it. And, like I said, so far, they don't get it.
You know, I want to… I'll say just a couple more things, my time's probably up soon. People always ask me these questions: will Israelis agree? Who cares if Israelis agree? Nobody ever agrees: fascists, racists, racist societies… never agree. It's not up to them to agree! It's up to us to force them to agree. It's not about agreement. You know, I'm not one to promote the idea of, you know, military intervention, but why is the US Navy not blockading Israel? Why are they not supporting providing humanitarian aid in Gaza? Why are they not imposing a no-fly zone over Gaza? Why? There's no explanation, there's no reasonable explanation. Why is it that there is no demand for no-fly zone over Gaza? Demand for immediate humanitarian aid! Even if it means involving a military force, enough is enough! enough is enough!
People also ask what Israelis think. Well, if you want to know what Israelis think, we have a 75-year history. They thought it was okay to do what was done in 1948, they thought it was okay to maintain this apartheid state and to maintain the ethnic cleansing and genocide for 75 years. They still think it's okay! [cf Abby Martin’s interviews for Empire Files]. Look at the makeup of these Israeli Knesset, look at the makeup of the Israeli government and look at Israelis, how they behave now. We know what Israelis think, it's not a mystery, it's not up to them and we know… Even Haaretz newspaper, which many people think is this wonderful liberal publication, they had a cartoon the other day showing an UNRWA uh… you know, somebody with a UN uniform riding a motorcycle and, behind him, there was a Hamas fighter, and the caption was “Well, the poor guy needed a ride to go to Be’eri, which is one of the kibbutzim that was taken; in other words, they are saying that UNRWA is complicit in the attacks, Haaretz is saying this in a cartoon, you know, what can we expect from the rest of the state of Israel…?
I want to invite everybody here to stop talking about Israel and the occupied territories. There is no Israel and the occupied territories, there's one occupied Palestine. [Applause] It's been subjected to genocide, [Applause] it's been subjected to ethnic cleansing, it's been subjected to an apartheid regime. It's up to us to stop it, it's up to us to stop it. And for no other reason, so that we can face our children and our grandchildren, and our Palestinian brothers and sisters, and say honestly, we are doing everything we can, cause at this point we're not.
Thank you very much.
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