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- "End the occupation !" PAJU Vigil # 589, May 25, 2012: "The Palestinian Mandela" issues a manifeso from his Israeli prison cell
"End the occupation !" PAJU Vigil # 589, May 25, 2012: "The Palestinian Mandela" issues a manifeso from his Israeli prison cell
Publication date : 2012-05-25
Marwan Barghouti calls for a Third Intifada. Marwan Barghouti, one of the most important Palestinian leaders, has been locked in an Israeli prison for years. During this time his attitude has hardened, as has the attitude of most Palestinians. It should therefore not have come as a surprise to anyone when Barghouti recently issued a manifesto from prison calling for a Third Intifada - a non-violent mass uprising by Palestinians against Israeli occupation in the spirit of the Arab Spring. There is a good chance that the Palestinians will answer the call of the man known as "the Palestinian Mandela".
Marwan Barghouti calls for a Third Intifada
Marwan Barghouti, one of the most important Palestinian leaders, has been locked in an Israeli prison for years. During this time his attitude has hardened, as has the attitude of most Palestinians. It should therefore not have come as a surprise to anyone when Barghouti recently issued a manifesto from prison calling for a Third Intifada - a non-violent mass uprising by Palestinians against Israeli occupation in the spirit of the Arab Spring. There is a good chance that the Palestinians will answer the call of the man known as "the Palestinian Mandela".
Barghouti’s manifesto rejects the policies of Mahmoud Abbas. It calls for a total break of all forms of co-operation with Israel and for the total boycott of Israel, including the boycott of all Israeli institutions and products in the Palestinian territories and throughout the world. Barghouti also advocates ending the charade known as "the peace negotiations". He proposes instead that Palestinians renew their battle for recognition in the UN.
Barghouti has given up all hope of achieving Palestinian freedom through cooperation with Israel or with any of the Israeli opposition forces. The Israeli peace movement is not mentioned anymore, and "normalization" has become a dirty word, for what "normalization" is possible for a people living under occupation and siege?
These ideas call for a more militant course of action and more militant rhetoric. Yet Barghouti remains peace oriented and committed to non-violent action, having come to the conclusion that the violence harms rather than helps the Palestinian cause.
In the meantime Israeli settlements keep growing incessantly in the West Bank, and the deep resentment of Palestinians who see this happening grows from day to day. Marwan Barghouti’s manifesto expresses the near-unanimous feelings of the Palestinians in the West Bank and elsewhere.
Like Nelson Mandela in apartheid South Africa, the man in prison may well be more important than the leaders outside. The world would be wise to listen carefully to what Barghouti is saying, for his manifesto may, in fact, direct future events in the West Bank.
Adapted from "The New Mandela", written by Rabbi John Rosoves and published on line by the Jewish Journal on March 31, 2012. See original text at: www.jewishjournal.com/rabbijohnrosovesblog/item/the_new_mandela_20120331/
Distributed by PAJU (Palestinian and Jewish Unity)
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