Wake Up And Smell The Occupation by Sam Bahour 7:02am Sat Sep 28 '02 sbahour@palnet.com As many Palestinians are anxiously waiting for the US to gallop across the Atlantic on a white horse to solve our woes, I prefer to appeal to my Israeli neighbors to wake up and smell the occupation, for their sake and for ours. print article Wake Up And Smell The Occupation By Sam Bahour As Israel jumps from one self-made crisis to the next, the State of Israel itself is in an alarming condition. The peace and security that Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon promised during his year 2001 election campaign have vanished in the dust of Israeli tanks rampaging Palestinian cities. Israel’s economy is declining at a record pace. The right-wing Sharon government has sparked a national debate in Israel that questions the legal right to citizenship for over 1.1 million of its Palestinian citizens. Israeli families across the social strata are sending their children to study abroad and emigrating at a pace that was not thought possible only a few years ago. Over 400 Israeli conscripts, soldiers, or reservists are refusing to serve in the occupied Palestinian areas and some are now imprisoned in Israeli jails as conscientious objectors. The moral fabric of Israeli society is tearing apart at the seams as the Israeli military proudly reverts to a policy of assassination, imprisonment, demolition of homes, deportation, and collective punishment. Israel’s unrelenting military onslaught against every Palestinian city, village and refugee camp in the West Bank and Gaza Strip has put the Israeli economy at serious risk. As Palestinians living (if you can call it that) under Israeli military occupation for the past thirty-six years and Israeli military curfew for the last five months, our first concern is hardly for the welfare of Israel and its economy. On the other hand, I, as most Palestinians, fear that the threatening socio- economic collapse of Israel may bring even more death and destruction upon us. Only last week the price of flour in Israel rose 6 percent and gas 14 percent. Flagship Israeli companies are reporting cuts in their workforce by the thousands. One high-tech firm just cut twenty-five percent of its workforce in one day. Rochard Fox, senior director of sovereign ratings, from the international ratings agency, Fitch, told Reuters this week, "There's a greater than 50% chance the [Israel’s] rating will go down based on current trends." Israel’s other credit rating has taken a pounding lately as the Israeli currency, the New Israeli Shekel (NIS), declined against the US dollar after Standard and Poor’s lowered its rating for two of Israel’s top banks to BBB+ from their previous A- rating. Additionally, this week the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said that Israel faces negative growth and rising unemployment, which the IMF said would hit 10.7 percent this year and 10.9 percent next year. The IMF report predicted that Israel's gross domestic product would contract by 1.5 percent this year. The IMF also forecasts for Israel an inflation rate of 6.2 percent this year and 3.0 percent in 2003. Combined with the bleak global economic scene and the growing strains of continuing its three-decade old occupation, these numbers should be ringing many bells within Israel. Another arena that may further damage the Israeli economy is the global divesture campaign that was launched by Professor Francis Boyle, professor of international law at The University of Illinois College of Law. Already, groups at over fifty US university campuses have signed on to help organize the campaign and many other campuses and professors around the world are joining in. This effort recalls the successful divesture campaign against South African Apartheid that contributed to Apartheid’s abrupt end. As Israel continues to refuse to implement dozens of United Nations resolutions, the latest calling for an end to the siege of Arafat’s headquarters in Ramallah, it can only be expected that increasing numbers of communities will bypass governmental paralysis in taking action against Israeli and look for other means, such as economic sanctions, to pressure Israel into ending the occupation. Alternatively, Israelis do not have to wait while the US forces Sharon to end the siege of Arafat. Israeli citizens have the power to step back from yet another embarrassing political scenario on their own, today. Israel’s occupation of Palestinians is destroying Israel from within and ultimately only Israeli citizens have the power to reverse the current trend of self-destruction. After two years of watching Israel spiral downwards, the world no longer believes that the current Israeli administration is interested in addressing its sad state of affairs. As a matter of fact, all efforts, even those by Israel’s strongest allies, are falling on deaf ears. Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon instead chooses to continue his wildly irresponsible (many would say criminal) foreign and domestic policies while being cheered on by the current US administration and the more powerful elements of American Jewry and Christian fundamentalism. It is no longer sufficient for Israelis to pay lip service to their intent to end the occupation. It is in Israel’s immediate best interest to set aside the political spin that aims at demonizing the Palestinian leadership and people and swiftly, even unilaterally if need be, beg the international community to assume responsibility for the West Bank, Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem. By doing so, Israel can finally end the long drain of military occupation. There will be many years after the end of occupation to discuss the details of a final status political agreement with the Palestinians. But holding 3.5 million Palestinians hostage until a final status agreement can be reached will only destroy Israel from within. Israeli voters taking back their country from those bent on forever persecuting Palestinians is the final hope for Israel to save itself from its own ill-advised, three-decade policy of occupation. The fact remains that there exists only one policy that Israel, to date, has refused to even attempt to employ: actually ending the occupation. This action has the best chance of relieving Israel of the prisoner’s ball and chain that it has been dragging around for the last fifty-five years. As many Palestinians are anxiously waiting for the US to gallop across the Atlantic on a white horse to solve our woes, I prefer to appeal to my Israeli neighbors to wake up and smell the occupation, for their sake and for ours. September 28, 2002 * Sam Bahour is a Palestinian-American businessman living in the besieged Palestinian City of Al-Bireh in the West Bank and can be reached at sbahour@palnet.com. He is co-editor of HOMELAND: Oral Histories of Palestine and Palestinians (1994). To be added to his news mailing list, send an email with the word ‘subscribe’ in the subject. electronicintifada.net add your comments Source file

"Occupation" is Anti-Semitic by M. 7:39am Wed Oct 9 '02 print comment By referring to Jewish/Israeli existence in the West Bank and Gaza (and for many in Palestine, as a whole) as the "Occupation" one denies the legitimacy of Israeli/Jewish existence. One can legitimately question Israeli policy (i.e. curfews, etc.) and still not oppose Israeli existence in certain parts of the West Bank and Gaza. I believe it is vital to recognize that one can be Pro-human rights and vehemently oppose inhumane practices, yet still support Israel's right to exist in Gush Etzion, Maale Adumim, and even in Hevron. add your comments

Sam Bahour is a liar... by truth seeker 5:15am Mon Oct 21 '02 print comment Mr. Bahour, what you write is beyond "anti-semetic", as one person commented, it's ONE-SIDED journalism in the most perverted sense. As a jew, I am, according to this website, a member of a people who "brutalize" (never defend our land), "occupy" (never referred to as "disputed" like the Pakistan/India conflict), and am referred to as a racist. My question to you is: what did I or innocent Israeli people ever do to deserve this name-calling? I challenge you to respond ... of course, every time a person with an alternative view writes (such as myself) it is NEVER publically addressed. add your comments

Mr. Bahour ... keep up the fight by garrett 5:47pm Wed Nov 27 '02 abbiengarrett@hotmail.com print comment Mr. Bahour, Bless you for your entry. As a Christian American, I am concerned with the method of Israeli occupation. Indeed, every people group deserves a homeland. That extends to Palestinians and Jews. I hear the stories that the mdia won't relate, and they are apalling. I am neither pro nor con any people group but believe that each should have a stake to claim.... No lasting peace will come with violence of any kind...as to the above response from a nameless source, stick to the topic, your avid defensiveness does not help your case. Garrett add your comments

live in ther shit you assholes deserve by goldberg 5:17am Sun Dec 29 '02 print comment ....hey sam...my how you can cry you and your pal friends should and will go to the hell you all deserve. add your comments

Sam Bahours Direction of Progress by Alexander R Suarez-Cohen 4:24pm Sat Feb 15 '03 print comment To the Commentors: You have no right to criticise this man, you have no idea, you are completely blind & ignorant to the everyday lives of Palestinians & the conditions they are forced to endure everyday. How has Palestinians (At least the majority) faced the Occupation? Well lets look at the facts, long before Gandhi, from all forms of Occupation whether Roman, British, or Zionists, whether, victimized from Jews, Christian or Moslems, they have faced it through non-violence resistance. After 60 years of resistance from Zionism brutality (1920s-1980s) finally some militarism picked up among Palestinans, & during the 90s the suicide bomb was introduced. But always, it was natural for Palestinans, especially among children, to respond to the abuse with love, or brave resistance of non-violent means, defiantly crossing checkpoints & protesting, whether staying in their homes & markets as they as structures where crushed but spirits where strong, or whether leaving their homes during curfews, in mass crowds & protesting, revealing their superiority, their majortity, & their determination as the international observe with admiration. After the first Intifada during the 80s, finally the world payed more attention to Palestinans, some used these violent means, to justify the Occupation, which much of the world new nothing about, other took sympathy & realized the desperation demonstrated, others saw justification. Since then, international activists have been helping in the non-violent movement, still intact & strong, ibedded in the Palestinan society, among the original cultures to start such strong resistance, using love, which no matter the brutalities, still triumphs over hate. Also, to the people who might confuse Zionism with Judaism, they are not the same nor inter-related, as many scholars, including Einstein where firmly against the formation of a Zionists State, consider the idealogy a contradiction, that God was supposed to give them this land for freedom & instead to rob it from others & inslave its natives & imprison & torture its own people, or betray & use its allies? Israel is not a Zionists state, many are resisting within. Sam Bahour is smart in directing his calls for justice upon Israel, it should be known he has many comrades & admirers in the Israeli community, he lacks any insecurities, he need not explain himself to ignorant people, if you want to comment go to Palestine yourself like I plan to do. Opinion polls should be considered, of course they cannot be entirely accurate. Nevertheless, all the recent polls have shown that the overall majority of settlers are prepared to leave as soon as a democratic descision is made by their government in support of this, many settlers will be & are leaving, & only military outposts are left to replace them. The government is desperate to make as much settlements as possible, to maintain their Occupation, but many are not cooperating & refuse to live in these territories. Few if any would resist their own government, the over all majority are there for economic benefits, not ideaology, many hate living in the territories, taught to hate Palestinians as they continue to grow & overwhelm the settlers many are even desperate to leave. The army & settlers works together abusing Palestinans & are rewarded for it, but alot of them are getting sick & tired of this, for it has been continuing for generations, as the world becomes more aware, & more activists arrive to intervene, the settlers become more willing to leave it is only a matter of time. The settler issue can be handled easily, there is too much propoganda around this it should be obvious to everyone that they must leave. Once they have left a real peace process can begin. We, the international activists, our presence is an Occupation based on love, unlike the Israeli boys forced to work for an Occupation based on fear. Or the settlers, their only inspiration is from benefits & encouragment, or maybe from abusing another Palestinian, ideaology cannot be a justification for this & this is not a the root-cause of these settlers. There is nothing stronger then the heart of a volunteer, & their is nothing stronger then love, love conqueors all, love will always triumph over the hate fear they demonstrate, as the new age of technology begins, solidarity will organize faster then ever, we are more prepared then ever, to fight the brutalities of Colonialism, Imperialism, in its very lasts form on this earth, through Zionism. This is a problem we Americans had faced from the British, this is a problem familiar for most of society, we must learn from out mistakes in the past, or from our triumphs, we must recognize our history to help us from the present to the future. The United Nations knows it is their responsilbity to help in the re-construction process of Palestine, it is only a matter of time, all the war mongering will be silenced with our call for peace, much stronger & more sincere then any politicians, we the people, are the true patriots, the true leaders above our rulers. Sam Bahour has bravely directed his call at the Israelis & many are responding positively, I hope that more activists can join & reach the region especially Israelis, we will reach peace have no doubt!!! In Solidarity, Alexander R Suarez-Cohen E-mail me for questions comments, etc: alexanderstransformation@yahoo.com add your comments