UC Berkeley making history .....again

I was at UC Berkeley on the night of 4/27/2010 till 5 AM listening to the student senate's debate on the bill (http://www.asuc.org/documentation/view.php?type=bills&id=2017) to divest from two companies that enable Israel's occupation (GE and United Technologies). Originally, the senate voted 16 in favor and 4 against on March 18, but the vote was subsequently vetoed by the Senate president; on April 14 there was an all night debate to override the veto which did not get the required 2/3 majority after heavy lobbying/pressure by pro Israel groups. The bill was tabled by the senate until further debate. The bill was debated again on April 27 and one more vote was cast (13) in favor but still one less than required 2/3 majority to override.

It was technically a loss even though a majority were in support; but more importantly a huge moral victory for the Palestinian cause. A small group of brave students at UCB, many belonging to "Students for Justice in Palestine" (http://calsjp.org/) have made history by bringing this issue to the fore. It is worth noting that the over 50% of the Cal SJP membership is Jewish; Jews who believe in Israel and human rights.

Many many students have spoken in favor of the bill (both Palestinian and Jews). Some of the notables in support of this bill include Desmond Tutu, Noam Chomsky, and 4 female Nobel peace laureates including Iran's Shirin Ebadi (http://mondoweiss.net/?s=nobel+aureates+support). Over 100 professors (40 from UCB) and over 40 student organizations on campus are also in support of this bill.

The choices for Israel are indeed limited.

1. 2 states for 2 people

2. One state for all (no Jewish majority)
3. Ethnic cleansing of the Palestinians

3. Status quo: occupation and apartheid

The main goal of the settlement enterprise, with 500,000 inhabitants living in occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, is to create facts on the ground that will make the 2 state solution impossible. This is a grave mistake by the government of Israel given the other 3 options. This conflict is a time bomb that will explode if a just solution is not reached. Many now believe that a 2 state solution is no longer possible and Israel has no choice but to eventually become (after much bloodshed) a bi-national secular state with one person one vote. Others believe that a 2 state solution is the best way forward. Either way the status quo cannot continue. Unfortunately Israel's policies seem to be to continue with the status quo i.e. to continue with the settlements and claim that their goal is 2 states for 2 people.

The unconditional and blind support of US for Israel is nothing new. It is a fact of life rooted in America's historical sympathy with the Jews after the horrific holocaust, the extremely powerful and vocal Israeli lobby in the US (AIPAC, ADL and others), and the fact that Israel is a military base for the US to protect its strategic interests in the region i.e. oil. The plight of the Palestinians has for the most part been overshadowed by the holocaust, Israel's security, the Jewish lobby and America's interests in the region. Fortunately, that is all changing. More and more people are beginning to see that Israel is misusing the holocaust to justify mistreatment of the Palestinians, the settlements are illegal and immoral, and that Israel is becoming a foreign policy liability for the US. This transformation has been made possible to a great extend by the internet. News, images, videos, etc, are traveling around the globe at an amazing pace and people are becoming more and more informed. Israel PR's machine can no longer distort the truth.

Numerous grassroots organizations are working to bring about 2 states for 2 people and end the occupation. The Jewish organizations see the suicidal path that Israel has embarked on and recognize that a Jewish democratic state can only exist if there are 2 states for 2 people. Other Jewish organizations see the human rights violations in occupied territories daily and are determined to bring about change. They are numerous but here are a few:

http://jstreet.org/
http://peacenow.org/
http://www.btselem.org/English/index.asp
http://www.israeli-occupation.org/
http://mondoweiss.net/

http://www.popularstruggle.org/

UC Berkeley has been at the forefront of progressive social change including the Free Speech Movement of 1964 - 65, the anti war demonstrations in the late 1960s and more recently the South Africa divestment movement in the 1980s. The pro Palestinian groups at UCB are modeling their struggle after the south African divestment movement which proved, after much hard work and initial failures, to be crippling to the apartheid regime in South Africa. According to Nelson Mandela the decision by UC to fully divest from companies working in South Africa was a major catalyst that ultimately helped end white-minority rule in South Africa. The Palestinians, who have been silenced for too long, are beginning to be heard on campuses throughout the world, and UC Berkeley will undoubtedly play a major role in shaping the future of this conflict.

Without justice there will never be peace.