Reuben
23rd April 2002, 22:06
this is a speech I will make tommorow for a pro-palestine meeting being organised by students and lecturers at a sixth form college (17/18 year olds) tell me what you think
In speptember 2001 the current intifada erupted. The word intifada comes from an arabic word meaning shaking off. This name was given to the first major act of pastinian resistance which occurred in the 198os. The currrent intifada was in response immediately to the provocative vistit by Ariel Sharon, a figure known for his part in the lebanon war and his responsibility for the mass murder of palestinians, to the temple mount. while this provocation was the spark, the root cause of this new uprising which has lasted over a year and a half was the historic injustice faced bythe palestinian people since 1948.
It is in the context of this new uprising that the Israeli government has carried ot some of the most inhumane and in many cases irrational acts of violence and destruction
Aside from the attacks on palestinian lives which have according to the red crescent society accounted for nearly 1500 deaths, the past actions of the israeli government over the past year have also been characterized by house demolitions carried out as yet another means of collectively punishing the palestinian people. Before this most recent incursion by the israeli army, over 500 homes had been demo;ished. One of these belonged to Salim Salemreh, who had already rebuilt there house twice with the help of Israeli peace activists.
Another aspect of the palestinian experience in the past year could be refferred to as ghettoisation. Palestinian towns have been under and palestinian civilians put under curfew and permanenty restricted by road blocks. The effect is that Palestinians have not onlybecome completely iolated but been denied medical tretmentand the basic means of sbsistence. People have died while being forced to wait at road blocks and denied medica treatment.
While not diminishing the significance of the past year, and a half it is unfortunate that what we have seen is nly a tangible representation of the historic realtionship betwwen israel and the palestineians. historic injustice faced by the palestinians, and injustice which has lasted since the catastrophe in 1948 when israel was declared a state. In this year 700,000 palestinians were ethnically cleansed. In some cases this was done through palestinians having their means pf subsistence taken away such astheir farms. In many villages that the zionist army enterred, palestinian civilians were simply forced to leave and in the worst cases, such as in dier yassin, massacres and even rapings occurred.
Of the palestinians expelled during this episode, very few have been allowed to return.And while I, as a jew could excersise my right to citizenship in israel at any point , I would much rather see it go to one of thethousands of palestinians who for the past 54 years has been forced to live and bring up their children and grandchildren in a refugee camp, dimply because as a palestinianthey are not allowed into occuppied palestine.
I a from a group called youth action for palestine.We are made up of tyouth here in britain from many denominations including palestinians jews. We are acting because we want to support the rights of the palestinian people who as Isaid earlier are being collectively punished for excersizin what is unqestionably their legitimate right to resist occupation, discrimination and racist persecution. We hope more will join us in supportng the rights of the palestinians.
In speptember 2001 the current intifada erupted. The word intifada comes from an arabic word meaning shaking off. This name was given to the first major act of pastinian resistance which occurred in the 198os. The currrent intifada was in response immediately to the provocative vistit by Ariel Sharon, a figure known for his part in the lebanon war and his responsibility for the mass murder of palestinians, to the temple mount. while this provocation was the spark, the root cause of this new uprising which has lasted over a year and a half was the historic injustice faced bythe palestinian people since 1948.
It is in the context of this new uprising that the Israeli government has carried ot some of the most inhumane and in many cases irrational acts of violence and destruction
Aside from the attacks on palestinian lives which have according to the red crescent society accounted for nearly 1500 deaths, the past actions of the israeli government over the past year have also been characterized by house demolitions carried out as yet another means of collectively punishing the palestinian people. Before this most recent incursion by the israeli army, over 500 homes had been demo;ished. One of these belonged to Salim Salemreh, who had already rebuilt there house twice with the help of Israeli peace activists.
Another aspect of the palestinian experience in the past year could be refferred to as ghettoisation. Palestinian towns have been under and palestinian civilians put under curfew and permanenty restricted by road blocks. The effect is that Palestinians have not onlybecome completely iolated but been denied medical tretmentand the basic means of sbsistence. People have died while being forced to wait at road blocks and denied medica treatment.
While not diminishing the significance of the past year, and a half it is unfortunate that what we have seen is nly a tangible representation of the historic realtionship betwwen israel and the palestineians. historic injustice faced by the palestinians, and injustice which has lasted since the catastrophe in 1948 when israel was declared a state. In this year 700,000 palestinians were ethnically cleansed. In some cases this was done through palestinians having their means pf subsistence taken away such astheir farms. In many villages that the zionist army enterred, palestinian civilians were simply forced to leave and in the worst cases, such as in dier yassin, massacres and even rapings occurred.
Of the palestinians expelled during this episode, very few have been allowed to return.And while I, as a jew could excersise my right to citizenship in israel at any point , I would much rather see it go to one of thethousands of palestinians who for the past 54 years has been forced to live and bring up their children and grandchildren in a refugee camp, dimply because as a palestinianthey are not allowed into occuppied palestine.
I a from a group called youth action for palestine.We are made up of tyouth here in britain from many denominations including palestinians jews. We are acting because we want to support the rights of the palestinian people who as Isaid earlier are being collectively punished for excersizin what is unqestionably their legitimate right to resist occupation, discrimination and racist persecution. We hope more will join us in supportng the rights of the palestinians.