MAY 31, 2024 GAZA The war in Gaza comes to Ann Arbor Understanding Zionism is the key to understanding the war on Palestine today. The call for a homeland for Jews has roots in the 19th century European anti-semitism with its many pogroms over the centuries. Targeted as the murderers of Christ and blamed for the bubonic plague and whatever problems of the time, Jews were especially at risk “beyond the Pale,” the common phrase for beyond the ghetto. Zionism was more popular with European elites than among European Jews. Zionist Israel was promoted as the solution to the Jewish problem in Europe and the WWII Holocaust was the excuse to implement the Balfour Declarations of support for a Jewish state in Palestine. The first Balfour declaration is of WWI vintage as the British led the way in the partitioning of the Ottoman Empire. The British left Palestine in 1948 and set up Zionist Israel to take their place. It is another settler colonial project. South Africa knows a lot about apartheid settler colonialism. Look at their presentation to the International Criminal Court to understand the current genocide. Israel and its allies, especially the United States, dispute the court’s opinion. The United States does not want the court to look at its war crimes and is now putting sanctions on the court. The world is the final judge. Study Edward Said for a better understanding. The context of every war is financial and ideological. The ideology of supremacism is part of the imperialist era as it superseded the colonial model of supremacism. Imperialism’s financial sophistication organizes the cash flow to the ruling class which uses that wealth to buy political power, organize coup d'états, civil wars — anything to promote wealth supremacism. It has been very lucrative. The great gap of wealth and power concentration is built on endless war on the working class, especially in the Third World. Today Palestine is the front line of this war as all settler colonial states unite around Israel. Many young people see the writing on the wall and know that a better future requires organized participation which begins with divestment from genocide. The many actions around the world to support Palestine include numerous camps on U.S. college campuses. The Diag at the University Michigan became one of these liberated zones on Earth Day April 22, 2024. Our People’s Peace Bank meeting was postponed so we could all go to the camp. It was immediately clear that this was a well-planned and organized given to leave the camp which was immediately trashed. Did the prayer flags end up in the dumpster? The Nuremberg Code is not considered. The Israeli-Palestinian ConfederKEN PARKS Groundcover vendor No. 490 ation is planning sessions on questions such as “Is anti-Zionism anti-Semitic?” Since Arabs are Semites, I consider Zionism to be anti-Semitic. If you are Palestinian you know about Zionist supremacism and the deadly results. Liberal Ann Arbor tolerated the phenomenon. There were tents for everything —medics, literature, wonderful and plentiful food, educational presentations and meetings. Prayer was part of the camp. The Diag had become sacred space. More than once I sat down and was in communion with one or more people as we shared the struggle for freedom from our lived experience. I got some Tibetan prayer flags which were displayed at the volunteers tent. The global war machine is built on wealth supremacism and donors to politicians went on the offensive to demand that they shut down the camps on campuses. The chain of command responded with orders which were followed by campus, state and municipal police who hold the legal monopoly on violence. The war on Gaza came to the Diag early Tuesday morning, May 21. Orders were camp on the Diag for one month before the dogs of war were unleashed. People are recuperating and court dates are pending. Search TAHRIR Coalition to learn more. There are 81 U-M groups in the coalition. Follow up and follow through. I met a number of wonderful people whom I hope to meet again. Stay with the prayers that deepen our solidarity with primordial life. Breathe power. The struggle continues. The last weekend of May had a People’s Conference on Palestine in Detroit. Organized by the Palestinian Youth Movement, over 3,500 people registered for a high energy summit. Surround the White House on June 8 and demand an immediate ceasefire, an immediate end to the siege on Gaza, the freedom for all Palestinian prisoners, and an end to the occupation of Palestine. GROUNDCOVER NEWS 5 Michigan State Police and U-M Campus Police issued a 10 minute evacuation notice to the encampment at 5 a.m., May 21.
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