Israeli Peace Activist visits Rochester

Anna Baltzer, activist for peaceful resolution of Israeli-Palestine conflict visits Rochester

Author and peace activist Anna Baltzer visited Rochester on November 1 to speak about the situation in Palestine. Baltzer, author of the book Witness in Palestine was also a recent guest on The Daily Show.

Historically, Jews and Palestinians have lived together peacefully. This however has changed during recent years resulting in one of the longest occupations in history and an unjust system of segregation that breeds violence on both sides. “We are a movement of non-violence; everyone is entitled to the same freedom.” Baltzer, who is Jewish, grew up in the United States. She went to Israel to see for herself what was going on. “I saw Israel as a defensive nation…so much of what was going on there I had never heard about in my life.”

The differences between what constitutes a Jew, Palestinian, Israeli and Zionist were explained. A Jew is a follower of the religion of Judaism but it is also traced as an ethnicity through family lineage. Israeli is a political designation for a citizen of the state of Israel. Only Jews are allowed full citizenship. A second-class system exists for all others. These others are considered Palestinian. Segregation is based on religion and ethnicity. Many people, especially in the USA, think Palestinians are all Muslims. This is untrue. While Islam is the dominant religion, as many as twenty percent are Christian, and there are followers of other religions and atheists as well. Zionism is an ideology that supports a Jewish state in Palestine. The Jewish National Fund manages the land. Only Israeli Jews are permitted to own land. Living in occupied areas is dangerous and the Israeli government actually pays some settlers to live there. About 20 percent of Israeli settlers on occupied land are there for ideological (Zionist) reasons, the rest are there because they are being paid to be there. Much of the funding comes from the United States.

Maps were displayed showing Israel and Palestine as they were first conceived by the United Nations in 1947, and then how Israel appropriated more land over the years leaving Palestine in a state of fragmentation. There are two sets of highways, one for Israeli Jews, resembling an Interstate, and one for Palestinians which are often impassable due to bombings and roadblocks, and require travelers to pass through military checkpoints. Imagine traveling from Buffalo and Rochester and having to pass through seven checkpoints. A trip that would normally take an hour may take eight to twelve hours. Students have been kept from their classes. Ms Baltzer knew of at least one Palestinian child who died when soldiers would not let an ambulance through to take him to a hospital in another town. The settlements are also causing environmental problems. Fresh water, scarce in the desert environment, is being taken by Israeli settlers. Waste is being dumped on Palestinian land.

Many, especially in the US, cite Palestinian suicide bombings as the reason why Israel must be so brutal. But no one is looking at why these bombings occur. Suicide bombing grows out of a single situation, desperation, when a population believes its homeland is threatened. Tightening the noose has not made Israel more safe. What the Israeli government is currently doing is fundamentally violating the principles of Judaism. Everyone has the right to security and safety.

Why is the US so biased in favor of Israel? Much of the reason is failure of the US media. What they don't report is that a majority, 60 to 80 percent, of the Israeli public is against expansion and occupation. In order to support its militarism, Israel has a universal draft. There is a strong network of draft resisters that we never hear about. Bus loads of Israeli activist come to the occupied territories to stand in solidarity with Palestinians. People aren't getting the information about what's really going on.

News media especially in the United States is controlled by the same wealthy powerful corporations who profit from war. AIPAC, the American-Israeli Public Affairs Committee receives funding from these corporations, as well as from extremist pro-Zionist Christian and Jewish groups. Much of that money ends up funding congressional candidates who are then hesitant to criticize Israel. Just since her appearance, all three local congressional representatives have vilified Baltzer along with the internationally-acclaimed Goldstone report, for being overly critical of Israel.

One need only look at the US and Canada to see that contrary to extremist Zionist ideology, Jews and others can coexist. Or look at the failed policy of apartheid as proof that ethnic segregation does not work. Baltzer favors a one-state solution. The land has become too fragmented to become a separate state. You cannot have a Jewish state without denying rights to non-Jews. There needs to be a democratic, rather than ethnic model.

Palestinians don't need sympathy, they need people working together to bring change. As Americans, we can refuse to invest in or trade with companies who profit from the occupation. We must demand of our government that conditions be placed on financial aid. We hold other recipients of US aid accountable. The same standards should apply to Israel. We need to get word out that AIPAC does not speak for us. There are pro-peace groups growing in the US such as J-Street which was formed as a counter balance to AIPAC. Viva Palestina, headed by UK member of Parliament George Galloway sends delegations and aid to occupied territories. Tikkun, headed by an American Rabbi, publishes information on peaceful resolutions. Our government can work with Israel's neighbors, especially Egypt, on regional solutions. Most of all, we can do our own research and learn what our government and our media aren't telling us.

This could be a great opportunity for the US Government, if it will act. After all, in 2008 we voted for change.