It's Christmas time in the "Holy Land".
Miracles happened here before. They can happen
again. Messengers of peace from around the globe assembled in Haifa
from Dec. 5th to Dec 6th . Some went later on
to occupied Ramallah. A welcoming coalition at the Red Crescent was
awaiting them on Dec 7th. The assembly of the „brave
ones“ in Haifa and Ramallah had followed the call of an ad-hoc
coalition, co-represented by ex-MK Issam Makkhoul and former speaker
of Knesset Avraham Burg.
US-Peace activist Jackie Cabasso of WILPF, called
the event „a reachable moment in history“. Other speakers expressed this sentiment, too. A change of
paradigm seems to be in the air. Weapons of Mass Destruction are
unwanted by the peoples in the region, nobody seems to see them as an
asset anymore. Responsible people in Israel call for international
support to do away with them. After the accords of Geneva on Syria
and Iran „the sand is shifting“ as Makkhoul put it.
While Right Livelyhood Award Winner of 2010, Dr.
Ruhama Marton, quoted the whistleblower Mordechai Vanunu as her
hero and pleaded on the world's female majority to mark International
Women's Day in 2014 with the call for a Nuclear Free Middle East.
Others like Sharon Dolev were even ready to strip themselves in
front of the Knesset for the same objective. Women were well
represented at the assembly in the posh Dan Carmel Hotel. The
beautifully situated space offers a view over the Bay Region far up to
the Lebanon. A charming impression of a more peaceful future, where
different peoples live respectfully side by side was on the horizon
for a couple of hours.
Dr. Edna Gorney from the Haifa Feminist Centre
argued: „In the language of power, nukes are portraied as a male
solution, male being considered as rational and women as irrational“
But she went on to say: „Nuclear weapons are a completely
irrational answer. They pose an ongoing threat to humanity. While
people are suffering from empty stomachs, they fill them with nukes“.
In her eyes „nukes are a mascular issue and a malicious one.“
Even Dr. Emily Landau, responsible for the Israeli „Arms Control
and Regional Security Program“ did not openly advocate Nuclear
Weapons as a means of self defense. But she pleaded for a „long
corridor of confidence building measures“ that had to pave the way
to nuclear disarmament or even Israel's joining the NPT. The German
MP of „Die Linke“ Wolfgang Gercke seconded her on this long path full of obstacles.
The Israeli journalist Gideon Spiro questioned on
his behalf the German nuclear capable submarines given to Israel as
a gift for „recompensation“. Such gifts are a dangerous
poison. They offer the possibility for another holocaust, said Spiro
and demanded to reject them in the name of humanity. Ex Knesset
Member Tamar Gozansky pointed out the leardership role of the United
States Of America in the issues involved. It was them who introduced
nukes to Israel in the sixties, she said. She also pointed out that
the occupation and nuke-policy are interlinked.
Dr. Henry Loewenberg from the US-Peace Council
congratulated himself that President Obama was forced to step down on
Syria due to a public outcry in his country. Other speakers from 'the greatest
military power the world has ever known' focused on this historic
turn, too. The Syrian deal and the following Iranian Interim Agreement are the major drive that brings in a new momentum in the
seemingly frozen Middle East impasse.
Representatives from different corners of the world
advocated for another strong citizen's movement from the
grass roots, now, in order to help turning over the deadlock in which governments seem
to be caught. Among them were ex-major of Hiroshima, Professor Akiba,
from the global network of majors for peace, Avraham Burg, respected
as Torah-expert in Israel, Mamadou Diop from Sengal, a union man and
peace activist. Akiba referred to South-Africa as an example for the
possibility of opting out from the nuclear stance. Avraham Burg
strongly advocated for a parlamentary debate on the until now tabooed
nuclear issue in Israel and the syndicalist Mamadou from Africa
reminded everybody that a new social order based on justice is the key
for the security all people are striving for.
The US representative for „Peace Messengers“,
91 year old Al Marder, seconds them all in Ramallah were he says at
the Red Crescent gathering: „We tie peace and justice together - a
separation is not possible“ Dr. Bassam Salhi from the Palestine
People's Party expressed the anxieties of the Palestinians who are
victims of nuclear waste exhaust in South Hebron near the Dimona
nuclear reactor. The makeshift Palestinan State is completely
demilitarized. He worried that Israel will soon remain the only power in the region
equipped with WMDS. US-secretary of State Kerry rejected the day
before in Israel putting an end to occupation according to
UN-resolutions and International Law. Retired law professor Abdullah Abu Eid recalled all the customary and
conventional applications of International Law that demand 'a priori' the prohibition of WMDS. He reminded his audience that Israel's
arsenal was third in the world and most threatening as it has been used several times in Gaza and Beirut in forms of cluster and
phosphor bombs. These WMDS do not discriminate between military
objectives and civilians. He also referred to the harms being done by
chemicals used by settlers in destroying olive trees. Medical doctor
Mahmoud Saadeh added to this pessimistic tone by pointing out that
the Palestinian territories are the nuclear garbage dump of Israel
with all its catastrophic effects on people's health in the region,
most specifically in the Negev.
This conference was a beginning to end this misery. It happened at a historic moment. International peace workers have been reassured that there are concerned and courageous
citizens in Israel and in the OPTS of Palestine on all levels of
society. These people have invited the world and
they plead not to let them alone in their struggle for survival and in their efforts to protect the natural environment.
It has been proven before, where there is a will,
there is a way. The path to diplomacy has been opened up. There simply is no way back to warfare. Its possibilities are exhausted.
The participants of the Haifa and Ramallah Conference are back home by now. They will spread the word. They will continue to work for a nuclear and WMD free peace based on justice in their communities. They have promised to entertain and enlarge their world wide networking. The suffering of all sentient beings must come to an end. The change of paradigm has begun. Miracles are still possible in the 21st century. May the message of X-mas be understood and hence open up hearts and minds.
Irene Eckert, Berlin, Germany
The participants of the Haifa and Ramallah Conference are back home by now. They will spread the word. They will continue to work for a nuclear and WMD free peace based on justice in their communities. They have promised to entertain and enlarge their world wide networking. The suffering of all sentient beings must come to an end. The change of paradigm has begun. Miracles are still possible in the 21st century. May the message of X-mas be understood and hence open up hearts and minds.
Irene Eckert, Berlin, Germany
