Santa Monica Protest Against the Apartheid Wall

by Peter Ryan

November 9th was the International Day of Protest Against the Wall. Protests were held in 100 cities around the world against the construction of the wall, Israel's continued policy of land confiscation and the military occupation of Palestinian territory.

The "security fence" as it has been euphemistically called, cuts through 400 miles of Palestinian land and has had a dire impact on many within the Palestinian community.

According to www.stopthewall.org: "The Wall is devastating every aspect of Palestinian life? communities have experienced the loss of land, water, and resources which provide their sustenance as well as the destruction of community and personal property. Palestinian villages and towns near the Wall have become isolated ghettos where movement in and out is limited, if not impossible, thus severing travel for work, health, education, and visits to friends and family."

One of the protests took place next to Santa Monica Beach, in view of the ocean and Santa Monica Pier. The protest was organized by about a dozen non-profit groups and included music, poetry, speeches and a 10 foot tall cardboard replica of the wall containing images, maps and statistics about the wall's impact on the lives of Palestinians and Israelis.

George Rishmawi (above), from Holy Land Trust-Palestine, was the first to speak at the Santa Monica protest. He described what he called the "systematic humiliation" imposed on Palestinians every day by the Occupation, explaining that, through the wall and other land-grabs, the Israeli government is pushing the Palestinians into enclaves composed of no more than 12% of historic Palestine. He also expressed concerns that part of the goal of the Israeli military occupation was to make life so miserable that the Palestinians would be forced to leave.

"But we will never leave," he assured the audience, promising that the non-violent resistance movement to end the Occupation and to dismantle the Apartheid Wall would continue. He also expressed the extreme gratitude of the Palestinian people for those in the international community who are standing up to support the human rights and dignity of all Palestinians.

Another speaker at the Santa Monica protest was Rabbi Berman, who warned: "anything involving Jews and Arabs is bound to be complex." He also said that the wall, though it has been called by many different names, is a clear act of aggression toward the Palestinian people.

"Whatever you call it," he said, "the consequences are the same? it is yet another act of degradation and humiliation against the Palestinian people; a denial of the principle of justice-a principle which Jews have always affirmed throughout the centuries."

According to Rabbi Berman, what had been lost in this conflict for Israel was the "recognition of the Other," but he still harbored hopes that a return to the principle of justice would take place, adding that: "We are all of us, even those we call our enemy, children of God."

Another Jewish speaker, an Israeli, asked the audience to help her "fight for the soul" of her community. "If you really want to support Israel," she said, pointing to the wall, "then fight this." She went on to stress the need to voice our support for the Israelis who are seeking peace and justice for Palestinians and speaking out against the military Occupation of Palestinian land.

Darrel Myers, a pastor at St. Mark's Presbyterian Church, also voiced to the audience his strong opposition to the so-called "security fence." He compared it to the Berlin Wall and discussed his own participation in fighting against that barrier. "We thought that the wall would never tumble down-but it did," he said, indicating that we should also be hopeful about our chances to bring down Israel's barrier. He encouraged the audience to "work, speak, pray and act." He also reminded them that a "man from Galilee said blessed are the peacemakers" and that the Bible continually affirms the truth that "everyone is valuable; no people is expendable." Anyone who uses the Bible to dismiss the human rights of Palestinians (as some do) is guilty of "blasphemy and heresy."

Despite the peaceful nature of the protest, twenty or so hecklers came in an attempt to disrupt our activities. Some of them shouted inflammatory remarks at speakers and were escorted behind the protest lines by police. The organizers of the protest against Israel's Apartheid wall reminded participants to ignore the hecklers and to do nothing to respond to their provocations that would compromise the spirit of the protest. Despite the occasional disruptions of hecklers, the protest remained peaceful and achieved its goals of helping to educate people on the effects of the Apartheid wall.

Protest organizers stand next to the replica of the wall

For more information on Israel's Apartheid Wall, we encourage you to visit: www.stopthewall.org

---------------------------------

This article is a Middle East Window exclusive. It cannot be republished without the prior written consent of the editor. For information about republication rights, please contact: peter@middleeastfellowship.org