Written January 9, 2009

People are often shocked when they hear that I rarely listen to music. I am very selective when I listen to songs because as much as music can be utilized for the sake of unity, it can also turn people into mindless cogs who are incapable of rational and specific thought. While I would highly recommend meaningful songs for level-headed people, I suggest reading a book for others.

As it relates to the recent attacks on Palestine as of January 2009, you hear people putting their two cents in: “Peace in Palestine” – “We can coexist”. The internet has been blasted with pictures of Muslims and Jews hugging each other, holding hands or whatever other imagery you can think of. Such images and slogans are not trite on their own. I can understand why they are important to many people. Their triteness is dependent on how the person, whoever is pushing the slogan or image, is going about this. Thus, a person who is calling for the boycott of Israeli goods and promoting “Peace and Unity” is completely different from someone promoting the latter with nothing else to accompany it.

Unfortunately, there are people who do nothing more beyond pushing slogans or images that no sane person would disagree with, completely ignorant of the issue, but find it necessary and imperative to inform others of their non-contribution.  Seriously, who is going to disagree with terms such as peace, coexistence or an image of Muslim and Jewish children holding hands with each other? Might as well hold up a sign that says “Honk if you love puppies!” if you are going to take part in such mediocre exercise of intellect.

Musicians and poets are not the only ones that are prone to such inept ways of thinking (although, they are responsible for a lot of these I would say), this goes for everyone. These people shoot off their mouths and think they are making a contribution. During such a time of universal deceit regarding the plight of Palestinians, to pass off such slogans and images as adequate contributions on their own are completely immoral. It plays right into the hands of the powerful because ‘the truth’ – not some vague form of it but substantiated by historical facts – is the only weapon of the weak. The truth is what is keeping Palestine alive in the hearts and minds of people who are continents away from their brothers and sisters. It is where the activism around the suffering of Palestine rests on. Not only is it an insult to think that such slogans and images can capture the experiences of Palestinians – in fact, for some, somehow result into some magical solution – but it hurts the cause of those who have been struggling for generations to keep Palestine alive whether they are Jews, Muslims, Arabs or whatever. It is hanging by a thread and these people deem it fit to swing on.

The slogans “Peace” and “Coexistence” are attractive words for a reason. They are simple and safe words that do not open cans of worms. Again, no sane mind would disagree with them. That is why you will find politicians (who are bounded by blood to the tradition of servility to power) using these words. These words sweeps inconvenient facts under the rug and deem required grassroots work as a waste of time while giving its champions a good night sleep for their ‘positive’ contribution.

You will never find these people utter such a word like “justice” because it means something much more specific. It means historical relevancy and holding people to account. It means opening up a can of worms and asking questions that have been conveniently thrown by the wayside before -- for reasons relating to serving those in power or for sheer inability to comprehend things beyond catchy slogans.

As it relates to Palestinians, it means deeming their historical experience to be relevant. They were displaced from their land by the Zionist enterprise. It was an ethnic cleansing and this fact is not disputed by Israel’s own mainstream scholars. Their properties have been taken and they have been living in abject poverty ever since. They have been actively kept in this condition by Israel and the United States through ‘real’ and ‘tangible’ policies: from the creation of illegal settlements, brutal embargos, bombings, assassinations, politically motivated arrests and so forth. For the last 30 years Israel and the United States have been isolated from the rest of the world in refusing to follow Resolution 242 which calls for Israel to withdraw from Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem according to the pre-1967 borders. They do not have a single iota of sovereignty over any of these lands according to international law. Every chance they get, they will exert their military superiority over a besieged population massacring by the thousands regardless if the Palestinians are in Lebanon, the West Bank or in Gaza. There is no shelter that will not experience the kiss of their bombs.

There is no controversy that every single ‘timeline’ of ‘wars’ they have waged goes against the thesis that Israel is merely defending itself. It was not true when Israel waged a war against Egypt (read more here), when Lebanon was attacked in 2006 and it is definitely not true on January 2009 (read more here). While any killing of innocent civilians should be condemned, I am not going to be a coward in calling out who the real aggressor is, the one responsible for ensuring the perpetual violence.

They have been the constant aggressors all throughout. How can people expect to be taken seriously when they refuse to point the finger at Israel when the historical record absolutely demolishes the notion that Israel is just an innocent bystander? How can I morally condemn HAMAS for attacking civilians if I will acknowledge Israel as a mere reactionary character? Israel has been marauding about like the rogue state that it is with total impunity since its creation and it should be called out as such at the very least.

Peace means providing justice for Palestinians and holding Israel accountable for its crimes. It is Israel accepting the tangible solutions that are being pushed by the international community for over 30 years. Peace is not acquired by meaningless rhetorical flourishes. Serious minded people know that there will only be peace and coexistence when there is justice for Palestinians.

In the spirit of resistance,
Critical Mood