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Last night I went to the AIPAC fundraising dinner here in Boston, specifically intending to speak out on behalf of the Palestinian people. This was not intended by me as an act of civil disobedience, but as an act of conscience. When I was in the Occupied Territories/Palestine about a month ago and asked the wonderful people I met there what I could do to help end their oppression by the Israeli state, to a person they said, "Change U.S. policy, expose AIPAC."
So when I heard AIPAC would be in Boston raising money, I felt a virtually uncontrollable desire to act, to speak truth to power, to be as un-good a "good German" as I was capable of being.
The AIPAC affair itself was predictable. The room was immense, with amazing loudspeakers, twin jumbo screens, Senators, Congressmen and -women, security, free-flowing alcohol, and nearly 700 wildly applauding AIPAC toadies and sympathizers. Massachusetts representatives Barney Frank (D-CD4), John Tierney (D-CD6), and Michael Capuano (D-CD8) were all there and were all "recognized" for their support of Israel. (Capuano for opposing the proposed divestment plan by advocates in the City of Somerville). I had a long talk with Rep. Frank about fair treatment for Palestine. His attitude was basically, "They're in no position to negotiate, they'll take what we give them." Speaker after speaker declared how Israel was a wonderful democracy. The United States a wonderful democracy. Whereas the terrorists, the Muslims, the Arabs, the fundamentalists, the mullahs, the leaders of Arab nations, Hamas, the protesters outside the hotel, the sponsors of the divestment action in Somerville, were all detestable abominations. The words "terrorist," "9/11," "Islamic," "Arab," and "enemies of freedom" ran together repeatedly like the refrain of an advertising jingle.
During the incredibly jingoistic, intolerant, uncompromising, arrogant, keynote speech by U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), lead sponsor of HR4681, the so-called Palestinian Anti-terrorism Act of 2006 (to cut off humanitarian aid to Palestine until the Palestinian Authority halts "all anti-Israel incitement in Palestinian Authority-controlled electronic and print media and in schools, mosques, and other institutions it controls, and replaces these materials, including textbooks, with materials that promote tolerance, peace, and coexistence with Israel") it was clear to me what I needed to say. In over two hours of speeches and declarations, the Palestinian people, these invisible, suffering, oppressed, subjugated, ethnically segregated people had never been mentioned once!
"The people missing from this meeting are the Palestinian people," I called out as loudly as I could. "The issue of the Palestinian people is the painful crippling pebble in Israel's shoe. Without justice for the Palestinians there can be no peace for Israel."
Upon which I was promptly grabbed by some heroic AIPAC supporters, the plain clothes security detail I had identified earlier, and three guys who appeared out of nowhere and were each the size of an SUV.
As I was being escorted out, I placed some of the handouts I had prepared on one of the reception tables, where they were picked up by security as soon as I had left them. I was in no position to argue.
For more info: www.justandpeaceful.org
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