Anti-Apartheid Activists In Los Angeles Set Up Mock Checkpoint

[Purveyor]

They said the checkpoint was meant to protest AIPAC's attempt to steer US policy makers to ignore recent Israeli war crimes in Gaza and the illegal Israeli occupation of Palestinian land.

Cars were confronted by people dressed as Israeli soldiers and those attending the event were "allowed to pass through" after receiving a new program for the event that activists say exposes AIPAC support for Israeli policies which contravene international law. A boisterous crowd also chanted "Angelenos choose a side, human rights or Apartheid!" at AIPAC donors as they approached the hotel entrance.

"At a time when President Obama's administration seeks to restart peace talks with Palestinians and Israelis, AIPAC advocates a one-sided US policy of supporting Israel at any cost," said Julie Hey, a graduate student. "As a Jewish American, I am particularly appalled that my tax dollars are funding Israel's apartheid policies."

AIPAC is self-described as "America's leading pro-Israel lobby," and as such has supported Israel's occupation of Palestinian land, including the use of military checkpoints and the erection of a 450-mile-long wall that has encircled entire communities, leaving Palestinians prisoners in their own land.

Activists have compared the Israeli system with the South African apartheid regime, in which the nation was broken into 10 noncontiguous Bantustans made of 13 percent of the total land --"homelands" for the black population. Israel's "separation wall" and settlements have broken the Palestinian territories into 12 non-contiguous cantons representing only 12 percent of the West Bank, Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem.

"Tonight we are exposing AIPAC's support of Israel's Apartheid system and are letting the high-donors and political leaders of Los Angeles know that is it unacceptable to support Israel's separate and unequal treatment of Palestinians," said Lisa Adler, an LA-based community organizer and Jewish leader. "Just as the movement for end South African apartheid required boycott, divestment and sanctions, people of conscience around the world are increasingly supporting the Palestinian struggle for freedom and self-determination by boycotting all things Israeli."

AIPAC also supported Israel's recent offensive in Gaza, which killed more than 1,400 Palestinians and wounded more than 6,000, the vast majority civilians. "We found strong evidence that Israel committed war crimes during its 22-day offensive," said human rights attorney Radhika Sainath, who recently returned from a fact-finding mission to the Gaza Strip. "Israeli forces repeatedly violated international law by targeting civilians, blocking medical access to the wounded, and using weapons that cause needless suffering."

AIPAC wants Obama to agree to almost $3 billion in new military aid to Israel.

Mostly recently, AIPAC praised the Obama Administration's decision to boycott the World Conference Against Racism in Geneva next month, unless its final document drops all references to Israel and reparations for slavery.

In 2001, Bush administration diplomats walked out of the conference in Durban, South Africa after delegates proposed a resolution likening Zionism to racism.

http://www.imemc.org/article/59313

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[peacetalksforall]

1. If you have the time, add 'AIPAC' to the subject line and you will have all kinds of readers.

[Purveyor]

3. I considered it. Didn't want to give the I/P forum nannies an excuse to censor the article. eom

[cali]

2. can't stand AIPAC

and I think that any action that exposes more people to the undue influence it wields, is fine, but sorry, The U.N. conference is a travesty and the resolution proposed that equates criticism of religion with human rights abuse is down right dangerous. And the U.S. is not the only country that's pulled out. Italy and Canada have as well as Israel, and others will almost surely follow.

[Violet_Crumble]

5. I think AIPAC's a bunch of RW warmongers...

And while I agree with the problems with the draft for the racism conference, I don't think pulling out totally is as effective as being there and speaking out against the things they disagree with. For example, Australia and New Zealand spoke out last time about their having issues with the language describing colonialism being too harsh. I don't necessarily agree with them on that, but at least they were able to voice their opposition and it was on the record....

[TomClash]

6. I would go and

flood the agenda with the racist crimes committed by every other country at the conference. Almost every African country discrminates against a minority and China's ethnic human rights abuses are legion. And the European list is long and sordid.

[Raineyb]

8. Ah yes, the old tired "well other countries are just as racist" defence

<yawn>

How boring.

I don't suppose it occurred to you that perhaps, just maybe, the problems of ethnic violence that comes out of Africa just might have something to do with what was done there by the colonial powers in the first place?

:shrug:

Pitting ethnic groups against one another is how colonial powers keep the locals from banding together to boot said colonial power is it not?

Regards

[cali]

9. uh. it's supposed to be a conference on WORLDWIDE racism, not

Israeli racism. Duh. And whatever the genesis of that racism- and sorry, dear, it is not solely because of colonialism, it still has devastating effects on the populations being discriminated against and oppressed. Clearly you find that "boring".

[Raineyb]

11. And yet that is not what the post I repsonded to bothered to mention.

At least that's not how it came across to me.

Kindly take your condescension and shove it up your ass, dear.

[TomClash]

15. And blaming colonialism is original?

Of course, colonialism was a contributing factor - it certainly planted the seed in Rwanda, for example, but didn't cause the genocide. Colonialism has become the crutch of every third rate grad student and an excuse for every atrocity perpetuated in the name of every cause. Talk about boring. :eyes:

Then again, your argument could be made with the US delegation present and maybe there would be constructive engagement. That's the point isn't it?

[Raineyb]

16. Yes that is the point

But the US is pulling out and there are plenty of people cheering as though this is a good thing. Our country has a rather nasty habit of pulling out of things when there's a chance that something uncomfortable might be said. And Lord knows someone might actually make the representatives from our country uncomfortable by pointing out some rather ugly truths about our history and present. I wasn't surprised by the last administration doing this however. Asshats who don't believe in reality do things like that. I expect a hell of a lot better from the Obama administration and this equally asshat-like move is not encouraging.

Regards

[Raineyb]

7. Critisizing Israel is not th equvilaent to criticizing a religoin. Israel != all Jews.

Furthermore, what's going on in Gaza is a blatant abuse of human rights, in addition, the US would have no qualms about pulling out based on the reparations for slavery alone as this country has no desire to actually face up to the true venality of its past; (it certainly does a fine job of lying to its young every subsequent generation with the bullshit that passes for history it teaches) this country seems to be content to try to push what happened during the times of slavery into the past without considering its legacy today nor trying to fix the systemic problems that linger due to it as though electing a black man as president will make everything better (which it damn well won't)

I am certain that having a resolution that calls out Israel (which is not a bad thing at all as it deserves it. There's nothing more hypocritical than a country that is founded by people who survived attempts to wipe them off the map who then turn around and try the same thing against the people whose land they stole in the first place. That's yet another thing Israel and the US has in common but I digress) is a convenient excuse not get involved in the conference as said conference is also calling out what this country has done to its African American citizens. And we wouldn't want to make white people uncomfortable by forcing them to confront the true history of this country would we?

Clearly our country has no true interest in doing a damn thing about racism as the status quo clearly serves plenty of people just fine.

Regards

[cali]

10. you just put your ignorance on display. Congrats.

Let me explain it simply for you: Several Islamic countries have put forth a resolution stating that criticism of religion is a human rights abuse. This is in response, largely, to the Danish cartoon brouhaha. Why not actually have a frickin' clue what is being discussed before weighing in with abject ignorance?

[Raineyb]

12. And how exactly does that tirade change what I said?

It is still my assertion that the true reason for the pull out is the reparations for slavery. Notwithstanding your ill-mannered retort, the resolution against Israel is a convienient excuse and frankly, I don't care why the resolution was put forth. It's not like having the bloody discussion will hurt anything. Or is it that you don't think that the Islamic countries have any right to put forth any resolutions? It's not like our country is speaking from high ground.

Regards

[cali]

13. argh.

yes, yes. I don't believe Islamic countries should be able to put forth resolutions. That's it. Not.

God, I despise stupid.

[Raineyb]

14. It must be so painful to hate yourself so much

And yet you still gloss over large sections of text to come up with asinine quips. I thought that much stupidity was lethal.

How disappointing.

[shira]

4. why fake checkpoints?

I don't get it.

Are they claiming checkpoints are a form of opression and/or apartheid? What do checkpoints have to do with AIPAC?