Sylvia Schwarz, The Destruction of the Mamilla Cemetery: Desecration of a Sacred Site, September 9, 2010

The Ma’man Allah (Mamilla) Cemetery was the oldest Muslim cemetery in Jerusalem with graves dating back to the seventh century, comprised of 33 acres and tens of thousands of graves. After 1948 the Israeli ministry that maintained the site reassured world leaders that this important religious site would be cared for in perpetuity.

Less than fifteen years later, in the 1960s a park was built in part of the cemetery and a parking lot covered another part. These were followed by a school, football field, underground parking garage, and road. Electrical wires were laid in other sections.

The final few acres were dug up just before the beginning of Ramadan, in the middle of the night (as can be seen on the CNN video: http://www.cnn.com/video/data/2.0/video/world/2010/08/13/vo.cemetery.demo.cnn.html) so that Israel can build the Museum of Tolerance in conjunction with the Simon Wiesenthal Center in the United States.

An enormous amount of knowledge was lost with the destruction of the Mamilla Cemetery, according to St. Paul based archaeologist, John E. Landgraf, Ph.D., because the era since the end of the Byzantine period and the beginning of the Islamic conquest (around 638 CE) up to the present day is the least known period of history in the Middle East generally. There is much to be learned by examining skeletal remains, headstones, and tombs. However, the Israeli Department of Antiquities, which has recently been taken over by the Orthodox Rabbinate, does not allow any human skeletal remains to be examined; Jewish remains must be re-interred as quickly as possible out of respect, whereas non-Jewish remains at the Mamilla Cemetery were disposed of along with tombstones and other debris in construction dumpsters.

Dr. Landgraf, who participated in a number of archaeological digs in Israel and the West Bank between 1965 and 1980, said that the Israeli Department of Antiquities was seldom interested in the preservation of remains or artifacts from the Islamic period. In the late 1960s the discovery of Muslim graves at Tell Gezer did not interest the American head archaeologist at the time, and so bulldozers were used to push remains, artifacts, and debris back into the graves.

Archaeological excavations are a way of learning about the past in an orderly fashion. One exposes history a layer at a time, and by careful examination knowledge can be gained of the various eras and cultures. When Israel occupied East Jerusalem in 1967 Israeli archaeologists used bulldozers to excavate the Western (Wailing) Wall area down to the late Roman period, destroying the homes of Palestinians living there at the time, and along with them the 1500-year history of the people who had lived there since the Byzantine period. “Thus there is a loss of continuity in our understanding of the past,” said Dr. Landgraf.

It is ironic that in the midst of mass hysteria over an Islamic center to be built in lower Manhattan, because some people feel that this would be disrespectful to the dead, that a genuine desecration of a sacred place occurs, unreported in most mainstream media. “The unfortunate reality is that Indigenous populations live in a world in which we are never safe from colonizer assaults – even when we are dead,” says Wazayatawin, Ph.D., Indigenous Peoples Research Chair and Associate Professor, Indigenous Governance Program, University of Victoria, someone who has worked on behalf of Indigenous peoples in this hemisphere for many years, and sees many parallels with the experience of Palestinians.  “The ongoing desecration of Indigenous burial sites, including the Mamilla Cemetery in West Jerusalem, reflects a deeply embedded colonizer mentality that views subjugated peoples as fundamentally inferior and unworthy of even the most basic dignities afforded other human beings,” she says.

Dr. Wazayatawin continues, “The act of erasing a people’s memory from the landscape is a necessary element in the colonization process.  In order for the colonizers to legitimize their occupation of another’s land, they must eradicate all memories of the colonized, including even the human remains that demonstrate a deep and powerful connection to the land itself.”

Everywhere in Israel are the eradicated memories of the dispossessed Indigenous people. Old mosques are transformed into bars and nightclubs, so that patrons drink alcohol where Muslims used to pray. The history museum in Jaffa (more of a tourist site than an educational institution) is inexplicably silent about the existence of people in the city between the Roman times and Napoleon’s invasion. Street names are changed from their ancient Arabic names to new Hebrew ones. Golda Meir’s famous comment “there is no such thing as a Palestinian people” reflected her desire, not a reality, but it has been repeated so often that many Israelis believe it. The destruction of a cemetery shows starkly how little regard Israel holds for the humanity of the Palestinians. As Dr. Wazayatawin says, “There is something terribly wrong with a culture that digs up the dead of others.  The societal justification for such a crime reveals its own sickness.”

First posted: http://www.tcdailyplanet.net/news/2010/09/05/destruction-mamilla-cemetery-desecration-sacred-site

Photo: http://ccrjustice.org/ourcases/current-cases/mamilla

Photo (courtesy of Elisabeth Geschiere): Some of the numerous Palestinian homes and shops along Shuhada Street in Hebron, West Bank that have been closed by Israeli Occupation Forces.

Joel Weisburg, Northfield News, June 18, 2010

To the editor:
I am a Jew who is critical of many Israeli policies toward Palestinians. I feel I must respond to my colleague Alan Rubenstein’s suggestion (Northfield News, June 16) that an earlier letter writer, Bill McGrath, was “duped by anti-semites” into calling for boycott, divestment and sanctions against Israel for attacking the Gaza aid convoy.

The great majority of the participants in the aid convoy were nonviolent peace activists. I would have been proud to have been among them, trying to deliver aid to a people who are living in destitution due to Israel’s and Egypt’s blockade. I would not be surprised if a small number among the flotilla participants were anti-Jewish, but this was far from a common thread among them.

The Hamas movement that rules Gaza was elected by the people of Gaza in an election that international observers claimed was free and fair. Dr. Rubenstein is correct that the Hamas movement makes clear its desire to destroy Israel. Nevertheless, Israel needs to negotiate with its enemies, as does every country that faces a foe. But instead of attempting to talk to its enemies, it often responds with force. Two of the latest instances were the Israeli invasion of Gaza 18 months ago which resulted in hundreds of civilian deaths and Israel’s attack on the aid flotilla.

These actions are abhorred by many people, including some Jews like me. The Israeli government appears to feel that it can use disproportionate force with few resulting consequences. Part of the reason for this is undoubtedly the strong U.S. government support for its policies. Israel is the largest recipient of U.S. aid dollars, and we regularly veto U.N. resolutions condemning its actions against Palestinians.

Those of us who support a policy of boycott, divestment, and sanctions toward Israel are seeking to use nonviolent means to change its inhumane policies, much as was done toward South Africa and other countries that violate human rights. We are attempting to help bring justice to a people living under an unjust military occupation. I hope that readers will judge for themselves whether this means we have been “duped by anti-Semites.”

Joel Weisberg is a resident of Northfield, Minnesota.

First posted at: http://northfieldnews.com/news.php?viewStory=53197

Amber Michel, SC Times, June 24, 2010

In the days since the humanitarian mission to Gaza was besieged by Israeli commandos, I have grown increasingly frustrated with the declaration by Israel that its heavily armed commandos were acting only in self-defense. I’m also angry with my own government’s unwillingness to condemn the attacks.

Despite the bad, albeit predictable, behavior of the United States and Israeli governments, nothing is more offensive than the politically motivated claims that there is indeed no humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

How quickly we forget the death and destruction that washed over Gaza just 18 months ago. More than 1,400 were slaughtered; a devastating 24 percent of those were children.

No humanitarian crisis? Consider the findings of these aid organizations:

United Nations: “Around 70 percent of Gazans live on less than $1 a day, 75 percent rely on food aid and 60 percent have no daily access to water.”

World Health Organization: “Trucks of medical equipment bound for Gazan hospitals have repeatedly been turned away without explanation.”

Red Cross: “Import procedures are keeping even basic medical items … from entering the strip.”

Gaza desperately needs aid and supplies. The Gaza Freedom flotilla was on a peaceful humanitarian mission to deliver those badly needed goods.

Nearly one year ago, I was in a meeting with American citizen Huwaida Arraf, co-founder of the International Solidarity Movement, key organizer of the Gaza Freedom flotilla and passenger on one of the ships raided by Israel.

I could not have imagined that one year later I would hear reports of the massacre of so many innocents on a humanitarian mission. Thankfully, Huwaida was not seriously injured.

There is a humanitarian crisis. We as Americans, through the $3 billion in aid we provide Israel annually, are largely responsible for the suffering of millions in Gaza and the West Bank.

We have the opportunity to declare that as Minnesotans, we will not pay for any more suffering in Gaza and the West Bank. Minnesota owns $19 million in Israeli bonds, purchased with state pension and retirement funds. We can end Minnesota’s support for Israel’s murderous behavior. Be heard, Minnesota. Contact your legislators and tell them, “No Minnesota money for war crimes!”

Amber Michel is the Central MN regional organizer for Minnesota Break the Bonds and founder of Students for a Free Palestine at St. Cloud State University.

First Posted at: http://www.sctimes.com/article/20100624/OPINION/106240023/1006

Photo: www.indymedia.ie/article/91057