University of Michigan Students Hold Teach-in on Israel/Palestine

By Betsy Barlow

Students at the University of Michigan organized a teach-in on peace and justice in Israel/Palestine in March and April. The events were timed to commemorate the first American teach-in on the Vietnam War which occurred 30 years earlier on March 24, 1965, and then quickly spread to other campuses and communities.

Some of the principals from 30 years earlier were present, this time wanting to focus on peacemaking for Palestine and Israel. The major event was a program on Sunday afternoon, March 26. David Satterfield, director of Near East and South Asian Affairs at the National Security Council, started off the event with a report on the current status of peacemaking. He stressed the importance of economic well-being for the Palestinian people, and pointed out that Congress needs to continue the authorization to give aid to the Palestinians, which expires at the end of June.

He also emphasized the importance of supporting President Bill Clinton's proposal to forgive Jordan's official debt. Satterfield also called for the Palestinian National Authority to ensure the safety of all, including settlers, in the areas under its jurisdiction, and reported that the U.S. is offering training to improve the effectiveness of the Palestinian security forces. In response to a question about the U.S. stand on the question of settlements, Satterfield replied that "if you ask us our opinion, we will tell you that 'settlements are a problem.' But we prefer not to force our views on the parties who are negotiating."

A panel of four speakers then discussed the goals and implementation of U.S. policy. The contrast between the Clinton administration's views on settlements and the views of previous administrations was noted. President Jimmy Carter called the settlements "illegal." George Bush said they were an "obstacle to peace." Instead of noting that settlements are a violation of the Geneva Convention, Clinton considers them simply an issue to be discussed by the parties.

Interests vs. Democracy

Speaker Rashid Khalidi of the University of Chicago warned the audience that U.S. government policies have nothing to do with democracy, but are driven by interests. Sometimes these interests are not well thought out, he said, and result in a knee-jerk support of the status quo, or exploitation of conflicts in the area for Cold War purposes. The U.S. may support "democracy" in some countries like Iran or Iraq, where it is absent, but prefers a lack of democracy in other countries, Khalidi said. The U.S. has economic interests such as access to oil or completion of arms sales in the Middle East, and in part the U.S. has benefited from the conflict. With no inherent bias in the U.S. in favor of peace, justice and democracy in the Middle East, it is easy for domestic interests like the pro-Israel lobby to manipulate policy, Khalidi asserted.

Simona Sharoni, an assistant professor of peace and conflict resolution studies at American University and author of Gender and the Palestine-Israeli Conflict, reported on a month-long trip from which she had just returned. She said that "it was impossible to overlook the widespread Israeli attempt to ensure that there was nothing left to form a Palestinian state." It was especially obvious in the encircling of Jerusalem with Israeli settlements. She stated that the present situation is a recipe for failure, and can only lead to Palestinian factionalism, as Arafat is pressed to ensure Israel's security. "The Oslo accords must be revised or abandoned," she stated.

Rabab Abdulhadi, active with the General Union of Palestinian Women, pointed out that residents of the area are faced with proliferation of the tools of mass destruction because of Israel's refusal to sign the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). Egypt has been threatened with a diminution of its aid if it keeps up pressure for Israel to sign this document. Since Israel receives the most American aid, it should be possible for the U.S. to transfer its pressure to Israel, instead of Egypt, hopefully reducing the threat of nuclear annihilation.

Abdulhadi found the idea that "the first task was to give U.S. training for security forces" not a hopeful sign. She regretted that with the demise of the Soviet Union, Islam seems to have become the new demon for the U.S.

Sara Roy, author of The Gaza Strip: The Political Economy of De-Development, had just returned from her 10th trip to Gaza in 10 years. She agreed with the importance of improving the Palestinian economy, but pointed out that it was much more difficult now. Israel continues to control about 40 percent of Gaza. Because more state land has been turned over to the settlements, there now is more land per Israeli in Gaza than before the Declaration of Principles, she said.

Traditionally Israeli policy had been aimed at debilitating Gaza, creating cheap unskilled labor for Israel, and making Palestinians very dependent on Israel, Ms. Roy recalled. There used to be some 80,000 Gazans who worked in Israel, but now there are only 8,000, and few alternatives have been developed for those who have lost their jobs. The loss of wages amounts to about $1 million a day, and the average unemployment in Gaza is between 50-60 percent. Even in the West Bank, unemployment is about 35 percent.

Since the Declaration of Principles, there have been five total closures of the Gaza Strip, which further seriously erode the chance to maintain the Gazan economy. Hunger is a growing problem in Gaza, though there is no starvation as yet. Ten percent of all refugee families (70,000 people) are dependent upon UNRWA for help. This is absolutely unprecedented. Because of the serious economic pressures on families, the sense of identity and community has weakened considerably.

Almost all individuals in Gaza have experienced some kind of tragedy, Roy said. About 60 percent of Gazans under 16, and 70 percent of those under 24, need mental health services. It is in this situation that the Islamist parties are providing needed social services. These parties provide help for individuals who are marginalized and vulnerable, like the wives and children of collaborators. The Islamist groups have a high rate of volunteers, and are perceived as less corrupt, more efficient and more consistent.

These groups therefore should not be ignored or repressed, Dr. Roy said. Unfortunately, the Palestinian National Authority recently has become involved in a serious battle with the NGO community. If one is going to rebuild Gaza, one needs institutions for people to meet and do economic and social work.

Almost all individuals in Gaza have experienced some kind of tragedy.

In another teach-in event two days later, Milton Viorst, author of Sands of Sorrow and Sandcastles, and former Middle East editor of the New Yorker magazine, reported that after a period of hope, he was now feeling extremely gloomy about the prospects for peace. "If peace fails, it will be for lack of will, not just in Jerusalem, but in Washington," he said.

"For a few months after Madrid, James Baker was brilliant in bringing the parties together. But Clinton has shown very little interest in the Middle East except for taking bows at signing ceremonies," Viorst said. He maintained that Clinton's domestic policy was important, but that his Middle Eastern policy was an absolute disaster. He thought that Clinton's attitudes stem from the Christian Evangelical belief that it is a Christian obligation to save the Jews. However, the way the Clinton administration is going about it will not save the Jews, but instead will lead to more violence for everyone.

There is more understanding of the dynamics in Europe, Viorst said, but the U.S. is unwilling to allow Europeans, or the U.N., to influence the situation. Rabin should have evicted the settlers, at least in Gaza, at the start of the agreements. Many Israelis criticize Rabin for not having confronted the settlers. Even Begin, after all, closed the settlements in Sinai.

Without settlers, there would be no need for Israeli troops in Gaza or the West Bank, Viorst pointed out. But the settlers are heavily armed, and threaten Israel with a civil war. Rabin does not want to go down in history as the prime minister who allowed Jews to spill Jewish blood. However, Viorst said, by avoiding dealing with the settlements now, it is likely that Rabin will trigger the spilling of even more Jewish blood in the future.

Arafat now has nothing to show the Palestinian people for this agreement. The PLO thought that it had an understanding that Rabin would release Palestinian political prisoners. But Rabin hung on to them, and the settler population has continued to rise. In fact, in each year that Rabin has been prime minister, the population has gone up 10 percent, increasing the total settler population by an additional one-third.

After the massacre at Hebron, Rabin's response was to impose a curfew, not on the settlers, but on the victims, the Palestinians, Viorst said. Collective punishment works against the dynamics for peace, and Hamas has had a field day in recruiting. If there is to be peace, the Israeli army must withdraw from all places of habitation on the West Bank, to be followed by elections. This was specifically required months ago. This may turn out to be the moment when the Middle East almost reached peace, but because of vacillation and lack of will in Jerusalem and Washington, it fell back into violence, Viorst concluded.

Following Up the Teach-in

After completing their teach-in at the University of Michigan, participants discussed ways to work politically throughout the U.S. to express solidarity with Palestinian and Israeli peace groups, and to communicate more widely with similar groups in the U.S. and abroad. Participants resolved to continue their congressional briefings, and to urge other groups across the country to do the same, calling upon members of Congress not to send military and economic aid to Israel until it stops the settlement activity and withdraws its army, as promised. Participants called also for more U.N. and European involvement in peace negotiations. Other recommended activities were to remember the political prisoners and press for their release; publicize the despair and poverty affecting Gaza now; and to support the Jewish ethical giving project by redirecting charitable giving to projects that do no harm and contribute to building institutions that work for peace and justice.

Participants also suggested partnerships between churches and clubs in North America and Palestinian refugee camps, hospitals, schools and mosques. Such linkages can lead to sister-city or sister-university relationships. Participants also urged supportive links with Israeli groups working for peace with justice, such as the Alternative Information Network, B'tselem human rights group, Peace Now and Yesh Gvul. Participants may propose collections of "Pennies for Palestine" for economic and community development, and to keep the Palestinian need visible.

Participants noted that it is important to stay informed and urged supporters to keep up their subscriptions to the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, the Jerusalem Times, News From Within, and human rights reports from various sources. They called for exploring ways to share this information with others, such as over the internet, and to challenge disinformation wherever it appears in the mass media.

Participants also seek to find or develop school curricula on conflict resolution, peace and justice and universal human values, as well as on specific Jewish, Arab, Palestinian and Israeli histories and perspectives. The participants also called for discussion on ethics involving Jewish rabbis, Muslim imams, and Christian ministers.

Finally, the Middle East Teach-in Committee at the University of Michigan is seeking connections with similar groups. It can be reached via the Interfaith Council for Peace and Justice, 730 Tappan Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48104; phone (313) 663-1870; or by e-mail: Middle.East.Teach-in@umich.edu

Betsy Barlow is outreach coordinator of the University of Michigan's Center for Middle Eastern and North African Studies.