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Testing the Waters— Palestine & Israel, 2006 |
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Journal, March 31, 2006 (edited May 6)—RamallahNeta Golan, Co-founder of the International Solidarity MovementA long chat for nearly an entire afternoon [late March] with Neta Golan, one of several founders of the international Solidarity Movement, ISM. The American Friends Service Committee has nominated another ISM cofounder, Ghassan Andoni, for the Nobel Peace prize (along with Jeff Halper, coordinator of the Israeli Committee Against Home Demolitions). We met in the ISM media office, in the heart of Ramallah's old city (on this second trip I could find it, mainly by wandering around, no one could help when I asked directions, no one I spoke with had heard of ISM, at least the way I pronounced it), had coffee, heard gunshots, thought it might be an incursion, went out to look, learned it was not an incursion but part of the local Land Day commemoration, and ended up going for a long walk to look at wildflowers. We topped off the visit with pizza back at her house, with one of her 2 daughters and her husband and another international with ISM, Dylan. Here's some of what I heard, saw, and learned: ISM ISM began in 2000 when Neta put out an email call for various mass actions during the beginning of the 2nd Intifada. The only idea that saw implementation was at an Israeli military base in Beit Sahur. Catching the army off guard, many people entered the base and flew the Palestinian flag from the central flagpole. From that over the years came a series of actions, with the same template: many people, demanding certain rights, nonviolent, and covered by media. Eventually these actions drew more and more internationals. A key principle remains--led by Palestinians, supported by internationals. She mentioned that she'd like to organize ISM support for a massive attempt to pray at the Al Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem during Ramadan, on the first Friday of that special month. Typically, the Israelis block access to the mosque during this period, allowing only a small number in. Her vision is to invite international religious leaders like the Dalai Lama and Thich Nhat Hanh. When I mentioned Nipponzan Myohoji, the Japanese Buddhist order building peace pagodas and conducting sacred walks, and the Palestine-based monk, Brother Horikoshi, she seemed to light up and popped this question: how would you like to help me organize this action? NETA GOLAN Neta herself is a fascinating story. Born and raised most of her early years in Israel, in or near Tel Aviv, but for 5 years in Canada, from 4 - 9 years old, then again, "draft dodging" as she put it, from the Israeli army for 2 years from about 17 - 19, and now living in Palestine for the past 6 years, married to a Palestinian, living until recently in Nablus. She told her story in the context of identity. I'd raised the issue when observing that the Palestinian photographers I'd met recently, A and M mostly, seemed to be of fuzzy identity. How does your Jewishness fit in? I inquired. --Our family was secular but I went to Jewish school and learned the scriptures and the rituals, but we never really practiced at home. I remember one class that really turned me off from Judaism. The teacher, the rabbi--who I thought at the time was a supremely holy man, not to be challenged--spoke of Adam as " all Jews. No one else, no Muslims, no Christians, no gentiles, just Jews! And this emphasis on the superiority supposedly implied by the chosenenss of Jews bothered me greatly, and still does. --I have great respect for Judaism and Jews, I think it is inspiring that they remembered Jerusalem during those 2000 years in exile, and came back and rekindled the ancient language. --Do you know what the ritual of breaking the cup at a wedding means? she asked. I answered --I thought it was meant to remind us that while today might be gay, tomorrow might be sad. That we are celebrating but soon might be suffering. --No, it is accompanied by words to the effect of "Should I forget Jerusalem, may I forget my right arm, may my tongue stick to my pallet." At the end of the Pessach Seder, we say, "Next year in Jerusalem". Many Native Americans and Tibetans feel inspired by the fact that the Jewish people got their land back and revived a language that was "dead." Many Jews believe that we have a right to biblical Israel, all of it, at least from the Mediterranean sea to the Jordan river, if not to the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. But it is unfortunate that we formed a state, and in the process, dispossessed the native inhabitants and now seek to militarily and economically control the entire region. Many Jews believe this claim is documented in scripture, the covenant between God and the Jews. I have to challenge that sense of entitlement, a belief leading to the dispossession of others. Now, this is my reconstruction of the conversation, not a word-by-word precise transcription. I hope to convey the gist of Neta's thoughts. Having 2 daughters proves a huge challenge to her. If not for her husband, she said, she'd not be able to continue this work. He shoulders the larger share of childcare, and the 2 girls, ages 2 and 3, are in day care. Expediting Neta's work is the geography of home--the ISM media office is down the hall from the apartment. Her mother, living in Tel Aviv, visits every other month, while Neta and kids visit her on alternate months. Her mother never once visited before Neta had children, but now freely travels in the West Bank, even to Nablus when Neta and family lived there. Her husband's family still lives in Nablus and although both of his parents are dead, his extended family is close to Neta and the daughters. Earlier, to the Tobin tour group, Neta told another element of her story. During the Jericho prison attack in early March 2006, she and one or two others, had tried to stand in the way of the bulldozer drivers who intended to demolish prison walls to get at the prisoners , but they were too few. She claimed that had there been more people, Palestinian and Israeli and internationals, they might have made the difference, quelled the violence, helped lead to a nonviolent solution. And this, she asserted, is the main challenge: to find enough people to support a mass movement.
On the question of identity, she explained that Palestinians locally, and in the West Bank generally, identify with Palestine. Identity is not a problem. But for Palestinians or Arabs in Israel or Israeli Arabs or Israeli Palestinians, or Palestinian Israelis--not sure what to name them--the problem is more complex. Often, she felt, echoing the analysis of internalized oppression, Palestinians in Israel identify with the state of Israel. I mentioned my plan to work in Haifa for 2 weeks in April, that I can look into this observation. She has great admiration for the Christian Peacemaker Teams which helped create ISM. But she offered an opinion about how the Christian Peacemaker Team voiced their mourning for Tom Fox, a member of the CPT in Iraq, recently executed by the Swords of Righteousness. --They never say, murdered , she said, always killed . They don't specify how he died. They seem shy about this; maybe it is their Christianity, wishing not to demonize the other, make it the enemy. Now the gunshots we were hearing. As we were sipping her nearly solid Turkish coffee, black black black, we heard gunshots. She first tried to ignore them, then, I noticed, they distracted her. Until finally she rushed to a window, shouted to someone in the street--what gives? She turned to me, said--this may be an incursion, soldiers looking for someone, shooting up the place, let's have a look. And out we went, me fumbling with my camera to make sure it was ready for perhaps a confusing task. Talking with a few more people, she said--Well, seems not to be an incursion, but something at the club about Land Day. While explaining the origin and meaning of Land Day--during a 1976 a protest organized by Israeli Palestinians against massive land confiscation in the Galilee by Israel, 6 demonstrators were shot dead by the Israeli security forces--she led me to where she thought the action was. She is tall and strides gracefully, a most regal appearance. But no luck, no one in the club, a huge complex that included a swimming pool. Because I'd confided to her that one reason for my return in spring was to see the wildflowers, she brought me to the beginning of a valley that I might later explore to savor the preponderance of spring wildflowers. While walking, she pointed out and had me taste wild garlic and wild mustard, both delicious and tangy. Deep red poppies were just emerging. And in exchange I told her about the ancient church ruins down the road from where we were walking. She asked if I might someday lead her there. Give her a little tour of Ramallah. Me of all people? Later, over pizza, in her apartment, I photographed her with her daughter.
LINKS International Solidarity Movement "Bil’in Tries to Bridge Over Troubled Waters," April 1st, 2006 "Bil'in protest in presence of European diplomats," 3 April 2006, Press Release: Gush Shalom |
