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:
Dear Gabi
I would like to bring to the attention of the conference, to Palestinians who call for ODS and their supporters, the following points hoping that my concerns would be incorporated in the discussion and taken seriously:
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
d) In the Obliteration of Concepts of Resistance and 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
This is a glaring call for:
By defacto, and sheer reality on the ground, “Israel” holds and will continue to hold all the apparatus of power in all spheres; military, academia, financial, political, social, media.
.
The one state means in plain language:
1) Inviting the Zionist entity to ANNEX and OCCUPY what is left of Palestine.2) Blessing the invaders with the “right” to keep the LOOT of whatever they have captured through wars of conquest and aggression.
3) Enabling the invaders to ENLARGE and EXPAND their entity, a small step towards a “greater israel”.
4) Embracing the finalization of the Zionist project.
5) Campaigning to upgrade the Palestinians’ status from “occupied Palestinian” to “slave Israelis”, living under the boot of Jewish supremacists who see Palestinians and other goyim as animals created only to serve Jews.
6) Absolving war criminals, murderers and land grabbers of all responsibility before the law, nay, rewarding them for their crimes.
This poll which clearly concludes that “Most of the Jewish public in Israel supports the establishment of an apartheid regime in Israel if it formally annexes the West Bank“
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
Hereby, for the sake of historical truth, and for defending, preserving and protecting the rights of future Palestinian children, I call upon this conference, and upon my brothers and sister, Palestinians and supporters alike to unite under the banner of LIBERATION, affirming our Inalienable Rights and clarifying our aims and aspirations to ourselves and to the world by SIGNING this Declaration
There is also a realistic proposal for our Jewish supporters who are serious about helping Palestinians in regaining their rights
Nahida Izzat, aka Exiled Palestinian
Filed under: Articles | Tagged: apartheid, genocide, Liberation, Palestine, Terminology |
Poetry for Palestine 
A one state already exists de facto; yes it is a jewish apartheid state but the world won’t tolerate it for long – it did not tolerate isrl’s soul mate – white apartheid south africa.
the so called 2 state solution was born dead because jews want all of Arab historic Palestine but without all of its indigenous Palestinians.
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[…] on May 7, 2014 by uprootedpalestinians by Nahida Izzat, aka Exiled Palestinian […]
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[…] By Nahida Exiled Palestinian […]
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Hi Nahida, I have re-blogged this here:
http://richardedmondson.net/2014/05/13/terminology-and-palestine/
I too have used the term “Israeli apartheid” without giving it much thought. Will try and break myself of that in the future. Best wishes, my sister.
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[…] Terminology and Palestine […]
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