Peace seekers whose audacity inspires hope

In Athens a boat is preparing to sail to Gaza. On this boat are a lot of American friends with whom I corresponded through the years, as they supported the struggle of the Israeli peace camp against the occupation and were eager for every bit of information. Now they have become themselves center stage, and I am the one following from Tel Aviv their action to break the siege of Gaza.

That they felt they have to do this makes me aware of our failure. True, we protested the collective punishment of the siege and made efforts to get truckloads of food and medicines into Gaza. Gush Shalom at one occasion even succeeded to get the materials actually through. And there are the good people of 'Other Voice', living in the Qassam's reach - in Sderot and the kibbutzim surrounding the Gaza Strip - but  nevertheless open to how much more the Palestinians of Gaza suffer and maintaining contact by phone.

With that all we didn't succeed to change the policy of siege and though the polls point out that we succeeded to convince our fellow Israelis of the two-state solution, this did not at all translate into their voting for political parties which would implement it.

So, now I read in Haaretz that the "celebrated poet and novelist Alice Walker" will be on the boat and wrote a piece for CNN. Alice Walker!  I know that name. I remember how  a few years ago she was among those who sent money to buy olive saplings when we made a campaign of replanting uprooted trees. I didn't know that she is well-known.

An email which came today contains all the 36 passengers,  and there are many more whose name is very familiar; some I met in person. The majority of them are decades-long peace seekers. In their press release they express disappointment with their own government. The State department issued this week a  "travel advisory" urging Americans not to participate in the Gaza Freedom Flotilla, reminding that previous attempts to enter Gaza by sea "have been stopped by Israeli naval vessels and resulted in the injury, death, arrest, and deportation of U.S. citizens."

"Apparently, the State Department subscribes to the view that Israel's anticipated violence against unarmed protesters is an immutable act of nature," complains Hagit Borer, a professor of Linguistics at the University of Southern California and, yes, a passenger on the boat. It is indeed strange, such a "don't travel" advise and warning for the violence expected of  a US ally, the one of the special relationship. Or perhaps it isn't  so strange. After all, these American activists dare to confront this ally, something which their government doesn't.

The boat is not a very big one, and has a very fitting name: "Audacity of Hope".

Thoughts about a nearly lost dream

If, in some time in the future Israel will exist in more or less the '67 borders, flourishing and in peace with its also flourishing neighbors, it may not be because of those who advocate it right now, but more as a result of blind and contradicting forces, each of them opposed to the two-state solution for different reasons, but nevertheless contributing to it.

-Netanyahu - for his NOs, thus playing into the hands of the Palestinian drive for UN statehood recognition.

-The refugees, by challenging in big numbers the borders - forcing Israel to withdraw to internationally recognized borders.

-The Knesset members proposing ever more racist bills - for alienating American Jews from AIPAC.

-The One Staters - for waking up the sleepy two-staters

The President Scores Big At AIPAC By Sticking To His Guns

An unusually upbeat MJ Rosenberg - but it is also how I saw the speach to AIPAC

at  http://politicalcorrection.org/fpmatters/201105220001

The speech of Obama, spoken and unspoken words of the morning after

The speech: a lot of beautiful intentions and educative declarations but what was missing:  the confidence of "Yes, we can/Yes, we will".

About Israel-Palestine Obama said all the things the two sides wanted to hear but inevitably both sides also heard some things which they would have preferred not to.

Netanyahu immediately complained about the mentioning of the '67 borders: "Bush has promised that the settlement blocs could stay", ignoring that also in Obama's vision there could be land swaps, correcting the border. Hamas also expressed dissatisfaction, not pleased to get from Obama lessons in democracy.

There was one complaint which was remarkably not uttered: the PA could have protested that their UN nations statehood campaign was attacked and belittled. Maybe it was wise not to relate to it. If Obama fails to follow up his own words by action - and he gave no hint that he is planning any active peace brokering - and if September will come close without any progress, then the undermining by the United States of what would then be "the only action in town" would be so self-defeating, so much alienating the very same people Obama in yesterday's speech tried to reach, that there is no need for the PA to make that point now.

The result of Netanyahu's loudness and the PA's silence is that the morning after one could nearly think that Obama had taken a firm stance against Netanyahu.

If only it were true.