Thank you very much, Nadia. This is most helpful and to me underlines
the importance of focusing efforts on the Israeli government, to force
it to stop its oppressive practices. Exactly why boycotts that weaken
the material basis that enables Israeli government oppression should be
a main focus of political activism in the US and EU. Clearly, forging
linkages is of little help; however, giving official support to
Palestinian academics and dissident Israeli academics can bring
political pressure to bear on universities, too. By the way, the
struggle to bring about a university-based boycott of corporations like
Caterpillar was initiated by Palestinian academics living in the US, and
has also involved some Jews. I am hoping that the struggle can continue
to be carried out, but it is really difficult here, especially in the
aftermath of the cases of Sami Al-Arian and Norman Finkelstein. The
minority of academics opposed to US bankrolling of the Israeli state are
constantly under pressure and intimidated. It does not help that the
people organising the boycott have had internal disputes and have split.
All of this only ensures the continuation of oppression against
Palestinians in occupied Palestine. All the more reason why what Nick
mentioned before is so true. It was much easier in comparison to
struggle against Apartheid. What strategies might work better in a
situation of full support from the most powerful states in the world for
a racist regime, the Israeli government?
Cheers,
saed
Nadia wrote:
> Dear all,
>
> I forwarded the recent exchange of emails to a senior colleague
> working at Birzeit University.
>
> She wrote in response, "I just do not understand how forging links
> with Palestinians could relieve us from the agony of daily
> violation.... I do not think individuals who are so far away quite
> understand, unless of course they visit, then maybe a change could
> take place. It is not merely that we are isolated, it is that
> Occupation inhibits us from academic work, teaching and research."
>
> I am also including below a letter she wrote to the British Medical
> Journal on this subject.
>
> We cannot continue these discussions without taking into account the
> explicit requests by Palestinian academics (and society far wider than
> just the academics). They have tried many avenues, and the current
> requests are not produced in a vacuum or based on a small timescale.
> We should take into account their struggle in reaching this point,
> rather than presume they started off here.
>
> best wishes
> Nadia
>
> Opening up the boycott Israel debate is vital to exposing and removing
> the longstanding de-facto boycott of Palestinians
> August 17, 2007
> Rita Giacaman, Professor
> Institute of Community and Public Health, Birzeit University, Occupied
> Palestinian Territory
> I would like to thank you for publishing your excellent viewpoint
> regarding the Academic boycott of Israel in the August 4 2007 BMJ
> issue: "Academic boycott of Israel: follow- up to the BMJ's debate",
> BMJ 2007;335:234-235.
>
> Indeed, it is initiating a process where boycott is debated that we,
> Palestinian academics and health professionals living under Israeli
> military occupation, aspire to. The subject of grave Israeli
> violations of Palestinian human rights, including the right to health,
> has for long been presented from the perspective of unconditional
> support of Israel no matter what, and to the exclusion of a deeper
> understanding of what is truly happening in Palestine-Israel, and the
> Palestinian point of view.
>
> Is this not a de-facto boycott of Palestinians?
>
> Why is it that when Palestinians are boycotted, and for so long, no
> one seems to complain?
>
> Could it perhaps be that the prevailing assumption is that
> Palestinians are not equal to Israelis - with the principle of
> equality at the heart of medical and public health work?
>
> Are we subhuman, not deserving equal treatment and equal time to
> explain our situation and present the arguments that led us to believe
> that Boycott, Divestments and Sanctions are the only means left to
> non- violently resist Israeli occupation of Palestinian land?
>
> Are we to stand silently in the face of the destruction of our
> economy, institutions, control of land and other resources and the
> violations of our most basic rights?
>
> What other options do we have to resist severe violation, address low
> life quality and ill health, given that we have tried everything else,
> and nothing has worked?
>
> Opening up the debate on boycotting Israel in the BMJ is a vital step
> in the process of removing the de-facto boycott against Palestinians,
> so crucial to bringing the voice of Palestinians out of confinement
> and isolation, and out of the realm of un-reason, to your readers, and
> to the world. This is why we hope that the debate that you have opened
> will continue in your journal and beyond.
>
> In appreciation
>
> Rita Giacaman
>
> Competing interests: I am a Palestinian public health academic
> enduring the agony of Israeli military rule of Palestinian land.
>
> http://www.bmj.com/cgi/eletters/335/7613/234#174745
--
Salvatore Engel-Di Mauro
Department of Geography, SUNY New Paltz
1 Hawk Drive, New Paltz, NY 12561
tel: 1/845/2572991, fax: 1/845/2572992
e-mail: [log in to unmask]
Senior Editor
Capitalism Nature Socialism: A Journal of Ecosocialism
Editor
ACME: An international e-journal for critical geographies
http://www.acme-journal.org/
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