Poetry for Palestine

I receive this email from Dr Gabi Weber 

Dear friends of Palestine,

In recent years, the discussion about alternative solutions in Palestine has intensified. At various conferences held, among other places, in Haifa, Ramallah, Munich, Stuttgart and Dallas, the subject of ODS – One Democratic State – was analysed as a viable solution, i.e. one state for all. This important discussion is now coming to Zurich. Why now? How could ODS be implemented? Where do the current political parties in the region stand?  What would this mean for the people and the region?  We invite you for an in-depth discussion of ODS on the 17-18th May for a two-day conference in Zurich:

 

ODS One Democratic State in Palestine / Israel

May 17th 2014: Public symposium at Volkshaus, Zurich: 10:00am to 9:30pm, Stauffacherstrasse 60, 8004 Zurich

–        with Ghada Kharmi, Ilan Pappe, Samir Abed-Rabbo, Rania Madi, Yoav Bar, Radi Jarai, Ofra Yeshua-Lyth and many more.      In the evening, open discussions with the speakers will be held

May 18th 2014: Workshops sessions for activists and speakers at Quartierzentrum Aussersihl Zurich: 11am to 4pm, Hohlstrasse 67, 8004 Zurich

–        with activists from solidarity groups from Switzerland, Germany, Austria & others

All lectures and discussions will be held in English, with little to no translation.

Tickets: will be sold at the door for CHF 35 (basic ticket) or CHF 70 (support ticket: includes donation for event). In cash only, allows access to all activities held on both days; food and drinks not included.

Ticket Reservation: via email to onedemocraticstate@gmx.ch stating your full name, number of tickets, and whether you plan to attend the Saturday, Sunday or all sessions. Please RSVP by latest May 13th.

Presented by:

• ODS: www.onedemocraticstate.org
• GSP: Association Switzerland-Palestine: www.palaestina.ch
• Cafe Palestine: www.cafepalestine.ch
• BDS Switzerland: www.bds-info.ch

Further information about ODS can be found at: www.odspal.jimdo.com and www.ods-palestine.ps

Please distribute this e-mail and flyer to other interested parties and please spread to your websites, Facebook pages, etc.

In Solidarity,

Shirine Dajjani, ODS Zurich

This was my response:

The hidden dangers of the use of incorrect terminology in our struggle:

a) In calling “Israel” APARTHEID

b) In calling for Abolition of Zionism,

c) In calling for One Democratic State solution as opposed to LIBERATION

1) Presenting “Israel” an Apartheid is a CONCEALMENT of GENOCIDE

Calling the Zionist entity mere “apartheid”, i.e “separation”, would only serve in concealing the true expansionist  GENOCIDAL nature of the Jewish state, thus whitewashing and minimising its century old crimes of ethnic cleansing and slow genocide.Such perception diminishes the Palestinians alienable rights into some modest demands of betterment of treatment by simple changes and modifications to “Israel’s” laws, naively assuming that such aims could be achieved by campaigning to put pressure on “Israel”  in order to revise some of its policies.

“Apartheid” presents “Israel” as a “normal” and “legitimate” political system which contains only few holes, some racist laws, and wrong policies which can easily be changed and corrected. Such use would no doubt promote the legitimization of this entity.

From a legal aspect, crimes of apartheid does not carry the same weight under International Law as Crimes against Humanity, which “Israel” is guilty off, thus may be harder to prosecute.

Campaigning to demand that the existing Jewish state, would change some of its policies (rather than to call for its dismantling and delegitimisation, to end this entity, once and for all) would simply enable the total usurpation of historic Palestine.

2)   Abolition of Zionism is absolutely vacuous and meaningless

Zionism is “JEWISH NATIONALISM, an ideology needed at a certain time to BRING JEWS to Palestine and to create a homeland for Jews, and now a significant percentage of them are already there. Zionism has ACHIEVED ALL ITS GOALS. So as an ideology and a concept, it is not even needed anymore, because all its aims have been achieved and abandoning it is surplus.
Imagine if we had an aim and call it RFP (Rat Free Palestine), then in 5 years from now, we achieve that aim, how meaningful can it be if international groups for the rights of rats to come after we achieved our goal, and to demand that we abolish RFP ideology! Their campaign is not only meaningless and pointless but also stupid

3) Transforming “Israel” into one democratic state is sugar coated poison

Is this “one-israeli-state” what Palestinians have been “yearning” for, for decades?Is this what they have been striving for and have sacrificed their lives for generations to achieve ?Is this what will fulfill their aspiration and make their sacrifices worthwhile?

• Voluntarily legalizing the theft of their own Homeland !

• Willingly aiding to finalize the Zionist project !

• Submissively allowing the criminal Jewish-Zionist state to get closer to becoming “greater Israel” !

• Gracefully helping the genocidal entity to expand even more, annexing what is left of Palestine!

4) The only fair and just solution is  FULL LIBERATION by all legitimate meas of resistance