The Parade of Shame -
Akram Awad
It takes one a lot of courage to be brave enough (read
unashamed) to celebrate a 60 year history of ethnic cleansing, apartheid,
occupation, racism and war crimes. And it looks like the main Jewish bodies in
the
UK have decided to work hand-in-hand, taking their pride in that
history to a new level this year by organising the "Salute to
Israel" parade in
London next June.
According to the organisers, the parade will demonstrate
"affirmation of solidarity with and support of
Israel". This kind of unconditional support has always been the
trend for both the organising and the supporting bodies of the parade. These
include: Jewish Leadership Council, the Board of Deputies, the CST, JNF
UK, Jewish Representative Council of Greater Manchester, Manchester
ZCC, UJIA, UJS, Zionist Federation, Zionist Youth Council, the Movement for
Reform Judaism, and the United Synagogue.
Celebrating the 60th anniversary of the declaration
of
Israel as a State also means, undoubtedly, taking pride in the
horrific crimes committed by the Jewish militias (which later became the
Israeli Defence Force) against the indigenous Palestinians in the years 1947
and 1948, which paved the way for the existence of
Israel. The systematic ethnic cleansing of the Palestinians
preceding the foundation of the State resulted in dozens of massacres, the
destruction or Judaisation of more than 400 towns and villages, and the
expulsion of more than 700,000 Palestinians who now number 6-7 million
refugees scattered all around the world. These figures are not only enough to
make any Israeli ashamed of their country, but they are also sufficient by
themselves to build the case against the right of
Israel to exist.
Thus, it is striking to witness the major Jewish political and
religious bodies in the UK praising a country with such a history, offending
the memory of thousands of victims of Israeli terrorism, the millions of
Palestinians in the UK and around the world, and the British people, as a
whole, who take pride in promoting and defending fundamental human rights and
ensuring mutual respect between the different groups making up this nation.
Embedding the Union Jack within the Israeli flag in the parade's logo is just
another example of how ignorant the organisers are to the values of the
British nation. I believe that it's not questionable that neo-Nazis should not
be permitted to promote their fascist beliefs by using the British flag with a
Swastika. Promoting an illegal occupier and the only lasting apartheid regime
on earth is not any better.
However, it is not just the pre-State history that is a source
of shame for
Israel. The military occupation of the rest of Palestine in 1967
(i.e. the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the Gaza strip) is an
illegal act which, for the last 40 years, was condemned in dozens of
resolutions by the UN General Assembly, UN Security Council, International
Court of Justice and Human Rights Council, of which Israel insists to abide by
none. Add to this, the Apartheid practices imposed on the Palestinians in both
the
West Bank and Gaza Strip, which are not limited to the Wall,
checkpoints, settlements, imprisoning and water supply discrimination.
Moreover, the "only democracy in the
Middle East" is probably the best example of what an extremely
racist State can be. With discriminatory policies that favour Jewish citizens
over Arab citizens and with the Law of Return which allows anyone with Jewish
origin to become an Israeli citizen while denying the right of return for
Palestinian refugees, there is hardly any room for doubt that
Israel is a racist State.
The organisers of the "Salute to
Israel" parade themselves are not remote from the above course of
events. Some even played a key role in the ethnic cleansing of the
Palestinians. The JNF, for instance, participated actively in the destruction
of Palestinian villages, the Judaisation of others and the building of
settlements. Nowadays, its main role is to cover up for the ethnic cleansing
crimes by planting parks on ruins of destroyed Palestinian villages, all
financed by charity money received through its offices around the world,
including its UK-based registered charity, JNF UK.
The Union of Jewish Students in the
UK, UJS, has taken a more active part in the military aspects of
the Israeli crimes against the Palestinians, by recruiting for the Israeli
Army in the summer of 2007 and encouraging British Jews to do their national
service in the Israeli Army "where it is really needed". This is in breach of
the UK Foreign Enlistment Act 1870 which
considers it a crime for a British subject to enlist in the army of a foreign
nation that is at war with any country that the UK is at peace with.
UJIA is the organisation responsible for encouraging and
assisting Jews from the
UK to immigrate to
Israel i.e., ensuring the implementation of the racist Aliyah
(Return) laws. This is of course in addition to funding the UJS and other
organisations which strive to justify
Israel's crimes to the British public.
The examples of the involvement of the parade's organisers in
the crimes of the
Zionist
State are endless. However, what irritates more than anything
else is watching the same people claiming to work for justice and peace while
openly declaring themselves as believers of the racist Zionist ideology and
supporting the
Zionist
State's crimes. What sort of trust are faith leaders expected
to show toward the United Synagogue during inter-faith activities when the
latter salutes, out of all countries of the world, a country which John Dugard
accused of committing war crimes against the Palestinians? Likewise, how are
we expected to receive the UJS's passion to save Darfur when all what they do,
on the other hand, is to praise
Israel in every possible occasion and suppress all the voices
calling for an end to the Israeli illegal occupation and apartheid in
Palestine? One phrase is enough to describe the Jewish bodies
organising and supporting the "Salute to
Israel" Parade: A BUNCH OF HYPOCRITES.
The bunch of hypocrites have classified themselves as Zionist
organisations which care unlimitedly about Israel and couldn't care less about
the reputation of the Jewish faith, which they are tarnishing by attaching
themselves to a Divine faith that should be promoting the values of justice,
equality and coexistence. The ball is now in the court of all those who stand
for justice and cannot stand hypocrisy. The next time any of the parade's
organisers knocks on your door, a good "no, thank you" answer would be
"Interesting to see an apartheid apologist playing the angel"!
Tuesday January 29, 2008
http://www.akramawad.com/2008/03/parade-of-shame.html