MAP Diary - "United Kingdom"

The United Kingdom Diary reports on talks/events in London related to Palestinian issues.

August 2009 - Interview with Avi Shlaim

Professor Avi Shlaim is a Fellow of St Antony's College and a Professor of International Relations at the University of Oxford. He was born in Baghdad in 1945 and grew up in Israel. He read History at Jesus College, Cambridge, 1966-1969 and International Relations at the London School of Economics, 1969-70. He is the author of the classic history of the Arab-Israeli conflict - "The Iron Wall: Israel and the Arab World".

This July, Avi and his wife, Gwyn Daniel, were amongst the twenty-six cyclists who made up the Cycling 4 Gaza team raising money for MAP's continued work in Gaza. The Monitor caught up with the Oxford Professor to discuss his experience of the trip and his thoughts on the situation in the region today:

"I have been committed to the Palestinian cause for decades. I've attended countless conferences that went over and over the same ground and got nowhere. I took part in endless debates with Israeli and Palestinian academics with the same outcome. I've also written a great deal about the Palestinian question yet have never done anything concrete to help the Palestinians. The London to Paris bike ride was an opportunity to do something practical that would make a difference.

Gwyn originally found out about the London to Paris ride. We are both experienced and keen cyclists. Gwyn expected me to say no when she tried to recruit me. She was in for a pleasant surprise. The trip sounded like a real physical challenge which was just what I needed after a month doing nothing but reading through examination papers!

I bought a new bike with a 27-speed gear system and started a month's worth of training before setting out. I'd not met any of my fellow cyclists before the ride and the journey from Oxford started off badly with a broken down bus and a series of taxi journeys delaying our arrival to the Crystal Palace hotel the night before the trip's departure.

Right from the beginning of the first day there was a sense of solidarity and purposefulness amongst the group. The cycling that day was tough; London was crowded, polluted and baking in the heat of the day. We cycled a 60 miles long haul and up some nasty hills that never seemed to end. It was quite a struggle made worse by one of the cyclists getting lost! When we finally arrived at the port we discovered to our horror that the ferry was delayed until the early hours of the morning. Thankfully a series of spontaneous Dabke and Cali dance lessons made the time pass quickly and a hearty breakfast awaited us on the French side of the Channel.

Meeting my fellow cyclists was a truly rewarding experience. Each person had a story to tell, a connection to the Palestinians, and a desire to alleviate their suffering. All were horrified by the attack on Gaza at the end of last year and by the continuing blockade that makes post-war construction impossible. My view is that these attacks were illegal, immoral and completely unnecessary.

Sadly 'Operation Cast Lead' was well supported inside Israel. Ignorance lies at the root of this support. The Israeli public has no idea what life is like for Palestinians. This makes it easy for the government to mobilise support for military operations like the one launched against Gaza. It seems that the Israeli government's overriding aim is 'politicide' - to deny the Palestinians any independent political existence in Palestine. Israel wants the world to treat Gaza solely as a humanitarian issue, not as a problem with political roots. Two thirds of Israelis support the two-state solution but sadly appear to be totally disconnected from their leaders who pursue policies to the contrary. Israel's political system is dysfunctional and therefore our only hope is that the Americans will keep up their pressure on the government to stop settlement expansion.

Against this backdrop the Palestinians are the victim, the oppressed and the occupied. The key challenge therefore is for the international community to put pressure for ending the occupation. Everything has to be focused on that. The Palestinians, despite decades under occupation, have managed to sustain the only genuine democracy in the Arab world. They deserve all the help they can get.

Completing this cycle ride for MAP bolstered my hope for a better future. My reading of history is a source of optimism in this respect. It suggests that nations, like individuals, are capable of acting rationally, after they've exhausted all the other alternatives!"

July 2009 - Ben White Speaks at Launch of New Book

Last night I went to a lecture on the new book 'Israeli Apartheid: A Beginners Guide' by Ben White due for release at the end of this week. The room was packed & it turned out to be an evening as informative as it was depressing.

Ben's lecture was a summary of the main points of his book from 'what is apartheid?' to the differences between South Africa and the Palestinian narratives, Ben concluded by investigating possible avenues for peace.

The lecture gave devastating examples of how Israel has cultivated a state that can be said to be based on what the author described as "apartheid principles". A few that have stayed with me are: the 1950 'Absentee Property Law', where if you are away from your home for more than a day it can legally be considered abandoned; the selection committees that assess your suitability to live in certain areas and perhaps the most heart breaking was hearing about the 'Proposals of the Transfer' committee in 1948 - To destroy as many villages as possible, prevent Palestinians from cultivating land and promote propaganda about those wanting to return.

The lecture was frequently interrupted by 2 hecklers who shouted out "it's lies Ben!" at any point where an example of where the term 'apartheid' was applied to the Palestinian situation. One lady who lives in a village near Tel Aviv seemed to sum up the issue when during her speech informing us that she had never seen evidence of apartheid, a member of the audience asked her the name of the Palestinian village her home was built on. She confidently declared that 'there was nothing there before', yet by the power of Blackberry she was swiftly proved wrong and the name of the originally Palestinian village was remembered.

Cathy, London

If you've been to an interesting event on issue(s) surrounding the lives of Palestinians please email it to info@map-uk.org

June 2009 - MAP Lobby Ambassador Makkawi on Refugee Health

MAP representatives pressed for improved health access for Palestinian refugees in Lebanon at a London roundtable meeting with Ambassador Khalil Makkawi of the Lebanese-Palestinian Dialogue Committee (LPDC).

The LPDC was set up in October 2005 by Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora. Its threefold mission is to renew diplomatic relations between Lebanon and the Palestine Liberation Organization, deal with the issue of security both inside and outside of the refugee camps, and to help improve the humanitarian situation of the +300,000 Palestinian refugees living in what Ambassador Makkawi described as "misery and deprivation'.

Ambassador Makkawi also spoke of how the international community had an obligation to deal with the Palestinian refugee issue. He explained how the LPDC is seeking resources, time and patience to help improve the humanitarian situation. Since 2006 Ambassador Makkawi has been working with UNRWA to thoroughly outline the needs for improvement in the refugee camps.

Unsurprisingly, Makkawi reported that coordination work on reconstruction for Nahr al-Bared camp has taken up much of the LPDC's energy and resources. Nahr al-Bared camp, located in the north of Lebanon, was destroyed in fighting in 2007, resulting in approximately 30,000 Palestinians becoming refugees once again.

Present developments have seen almost 80% of rubble removed from the battered camp and a cornerstone laid for the new camp's rebuilding. Significant challenges remain with the funding for reconstruction - a recent donor conference in Vienna saw only $120 million pledged, despite a request for $450 million - of that $120 million only $52 million has been received.

Meanwhile Ambassador Makkawi promised that the LPDC will continue to work to improve Palestinians access to jobs in Lebanon, improve housing registration rights and answering a question from MAP - promised to work for improved Palestinian access to health care in Lebanese hospitals.

CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT MAP'S PROJECTS IN LEBANON

17.2.09 Ahmed Khalidi - SOAS Talk on Post-Gaza Situation

Professor Khalidi spoke of how Hamas can't be ejected from the Gaza Strip in the same way that the PLO were ejected from Lebanon in the 1980's.

He spoke of how a sustainable ceasefire should be based on the 'quid pro quo' of no rockets in exchange for the opening of the crossings. The tunnel trade is a symptom of the closure of the official crossings.

In reference to President Obama and his decision to send out Senator Mitchell, Professor Khalidi explained how a 'long list of commissions' and peace plans had failed before and new thinking was required.

At present the only Palestinian state that Professor Khalidi envisages is 'Palestine-lite - skimmed, slimmed and territorially constrained to meet Israel's security, demographic, territorial and psychological needs'.

1.12.08 Karen AbuZayd at CAABU

UNRWA's Commissioner-General spoke to guests at CAABU about the challenges facing an organisation that provides education, health, social services and microfinance programme for over 4.6 million Palestinian refugees.

The situation in Gaza is "grim and grimmer" with UNRWA struggling with few reserve supplies against closures that are longer than ever. Whereas in the past 1,000s of trucks would enter Gaza daily, now the UN is only driving in 70-100 once a week.

95% of the private sector has collapsed in Gaza. In the West Bank movement restrictions mean that the economy is still not viable.

According to Ms AbuZayd the blockade of Gaza is empowering the extreme parts of Hamas and marginalising the more moderate pragmatists.

17.11.08 Dr Zbigniew Brzezinski at Chatham House

The former National Security Advisor to President Carter. Dr Brzezinski spoke at Chatham House and outlined his views on a potential Israeli-Palestinian Peace Process.

"2009 is the last year in which a 2-state solution is possible. To get it both sides need to bite the bullet"

Dr Brzezinski described the current 'stalled' talks as a road towards future violence.

In a Q & A session Dr Brzezinski explained the difference between Hamas recognising Israel, which it does, and Israel demanding that it recognise its right to exist, which almost reflects a tacit endorsement.