Israeli solidarity of the Palestinian struggle ---- "The real reason for this war was the
refusal of the Israeli government to reach any agreement whatsoever with any Palestinian
groups" ---- Interview with Israeli group "Anarchists against the Wall" (AATW) ---- After
the construction of the apartheid wall which was erected between Israel and Palestine from
2003, was formed the group "Anarchists against the wall" (Anarchists Against the Wall -
AATW), which has since led a Dynamic control in an anarchist perspective, against the
occupation and colonization suffered by the Palestinian people. ---- Embedded currently
in full in the protests and actions against the massacres committed by the State of
Israel, they took the time to answer a few questions.
1.-How and when the need arose for an organization like "Anarchists against the Wall"
(AATW) and what has been its development and evolution?
It is important to note qu'AATW is a group but not a formal organization. The need to
create a radical political organization has always been present, taking into account the
fact that there were other groups doing similar work but our framework from a
non-anarchist references.
A common struggle against the wall and the occupation in general
The origins of the group are related to the rise of Palestinian popular struggle movement
around the year 2003 This fight was mainly focused against the construction of the
apartheid wall which work began at that time. Groups of Israeli and international
activists have begun to establish new contacts with residents of villages and towns that
were close to the route of the wall and whose lives would be affected by its construction.
This synergy led to the formation of a protest camp in the village of Masha who was the
basis for joint events and a process of actions taken against the wall and against the
occupation as a whole. Around this camp, we gathered a number of Israelis, to complete the
formation of AATW with an objective to act in both the occupied territories and within the
State of Israel.
The main actions of solidarity and common struggle were made during events where
international and Israeli activists were using our "privileges" as outsiders to reduce
lethal violence qu'utilisait the Israeli army and avoid arrest, while being aware that the
risk we took was much less than if the same actions were taken by our Palestinian comrades.
Since then, the group was almost always linked to the needs of our Palestinian brothers
since they are the ones who are most at heart of the struggle against the occupation. At
different times, we may need a large mobilization of Israeli activists, solidarity actions
by small groups or legal support (presence to the courts, lawyers, ...) and in the media.
The Israeli offensive in the summer of 2014
2.-The states always lie because the ultimate goal is to maintain the privileges and power
of the few over the majority. This time, what is the official reason for this new attack
suffered by the Palestinian people and what really is the underlying reason?
The official reason given by the Israeli government for this war (called "Operation Border
Protective") is to respond to rocket fire from Gaza into Israel. But the rockets were
fired at Israel by Hamas and other resistance groups after Israel arrested hundreds of
Hamas militants in June. This wave of arrests came after three young Israeli settlers were
kidnapped and killed by people who might be suspected Hamas activists but nobody has been
arrested so far for the killing.
The real reason for this war was the refusal of the Israeli government to reach any
agreement whatsoever with any of the Palestinian groups, including Hamas, which is the
most important popular force of the Gaza Strip. The rocket launch was the perfect excuse
to continue this siege that the State of Israel has imposed on Gaza since 2005.
3-Is there a real opposition to the genocide in Israeli territory, what are the main
actors in Palestine struggling against this attack?
In the West Bank, there are events organized by very young people who simply take to the
streets to provoke confrontations with the Israeli army and the police; last month eleven
people were killed by the occupation forces in these events.
Committees of popular struggle are behind the protests in towns and villages, but they are
very difficult to organize and develop as a result of the policy of the Palestinian
Authority, which opposes such actions and tries prevent solidarity with Gaza. At a major
demonstration in Ramallah, with more than 15,000 participants, a young man was killed and
three hundred people were injured by live ammunition.
There is also, of course, opposition to the destruction and killings taking place in the
Gaza Strip. Those who take to the streets are mostly Palestinians living in Israel.
Especially during the first weeks of the attacks, there were many demonstrations in major
cities across the country, especially in the north. These protests were well attended, up
to 2,000 protesters in major cities.
The protests were organized by organizations linked to some with political parties, Hadash
and Balad and as others have simply been organized by young Palestinians who are not
necessarily linked to any group of morons.
There was also, and there again, protest actions carried out by Israeli Jews, most of them
in Tel Aviv, the most radical being those (those) that are organized in the "Coalition of
Women for peace. " ? these actions have also competed anarchist, anti-fascist groups,
etc., but in general they have not been too many, reaching only collect between three
hundred and six hundred participants. These events whenever attacked by right-wing
extremists who eventually attack them violently.
? Tel Aviv there was also a large demonstration organized by the main left coalitions as
"Combatants for Peace".
A propaganda machine and war
that never ends
4.- For a State which prepares the soil before starting a war or before embarking on
atrocities like these, a key factor is propaganda. In this sense, how the propaganda and
the manipulation of the state of Israel act to try to convince the mass of people that
this war is necessary? What is the reaction of Israeli society when it can ensure that
hospitals and schools were bombed and hundreds of children are killed? In general, how
Zionist propaganda is she in Israeli society?
The Zionist propaganda machine is something that never stops working and there is always
the fuel to keep it active. The situation during the last war is happening right now, is
really disastrous, especially if one refers to the reaction of Israelis and zero tolerance
for any form of resistance to the war.
The government does not have a lot of effort to do because most Israelis are actually more
radical than the government and calling for more bombing Gaza until Hamas is completely
annihilated.
The Israelis do not see any real information or pictures on the Gaza Strip in the
mainstream media, only a brief here and a clip of a few seconds there, explaining that
Hamas militants have been located since firing hospitals and schools, which makes it
possible to justify the bombing of the buildings.
There is very little room for compassion in the streets and people are not at all
concerned about the massacres in Gaza. Moreover, the reactions on social media are even worse.
In the streets there are tons of propaganda supporting the brave soldiers and people are
organizing to send food and supplies to the front line.
5.-What kinds of weapons are used by the Israeli army? What is the importance of the
defense industry in Israel, what are the major companies that controls these companies?
The military primarily uses weapons of attack: tanks, heavy artillery, aircraft ... For
the defense, it is a system called "Iron Dome" [Iron Dome], which involves launches
missile missiles to intercept those that Hamas launches into Israel.
The arms market is one of the main economic resources of the country, mainly for export.
Some of the largest companies involved in this market IMI ("Israeli Military Industries
Ltd"), Rafael ("Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd") and others.
6.- In terms of logistics and armament, there he has a foreign state aid Israel?
The main support Israel receives in this war comes from the government of the United
States in the form of military aid. The arms trade is common between the two countries,
but in this war the State of Israel is to receive a greater amount of help in an emergency.
Why 7.- other Arab states do not respond to this genocide? Which is why the Arab world is
not responding to the attacks suffered by Palestinians?
We can not analyze this phenomenon in depth because we are not experts in Arabic specific
policy. We believe that there are currently many conflicts which the Arabs themselves are
facing, as in Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, Iraq, ... and that's why this issue is not a
priority. All Arab societies on the planet do not support automatically and necessarily
the Palestinian cause as might be expected the company "Western."
We do not believe that we should not expect too many expressions of solidarity for
example, Egypt or Syria, when these countries themselves through a crucial period of their
history.
The dangerous rise of the far-right
8.- With this new attack, we see a rise in racist and fascist movements in Israel, who are
becoming stronger and even the appearance of National Socialist symbols, can you give your
views on this?
Yes, racism is something that crystallizes and hardens very strongly in the street. This
phenomenon becomes important especially in recent years, is run by radical fascist
politicians (members and ex-members of the Israeli parliament). In past events, there has
been a dramatic increase in their power, mainly in the streets, with direct confrontation
against people who oppose directly or indirectly to this war.
The first anti-war demonstration was called by some of the most radical organizations in
Israel, was attacked by the Israeli extreme right, and ended with many protesters injured
and hospitalized. Since then, the extreme right is present in each of the demonstrations
against the war, trying to attack us violently.
Some organized groups like Flame that support racial separation between Jews and Arabs
that are linked to violent attacks against Palestinians, mainly in the area of Jerusalem
against pedestrians, taxi drivers, etc.
Other groups currently use social networks to continue to grow, as this makes them more
difficult to follow, and it is clear that it works, because they are able to mobilize
thousands of people across these media to counter our protests.
And, of course, there is the case of Mohammad Abu-Hadid, a 16-year district Shu'afat (East
Jerusalem) who was kidnapped and burned alive by three Jewish youths in June.
The rise of the far right is extremely dangerous, as they bring a lot of people who
usually are not the kind of person who would join this political activity, but in wartime,
is attracted by the message.
9.- Faced with this situation of war and occupation, what is proposed by AATW and what
would be the "optimal" solution scenario?
In AATW movement, we do not have a policy regarding position solution. The main idea of
our group is to remain active in solidarity with the popular struggle of Palestinians.
Without being able to represent the whole group, but from a unique perspective as an
anarchist, I am opposed to all States. But in the current situation, I can say that I
support the idea of a single state for Palestinians and Israelis. I oppose the idea of two
states, because this would lead to a more serious situation, which would become an
economic occupation of Israel, allowing it to have a total and absolute control over the
Palestinian state.
Beyond self-determination ...
10.-From a specifically anarchist point of view, why is the anti-statist connection with a
conflict like this, since the main Palestinian demand is to create a state?
Yes, it is true that the main requirement is Palestinian self-determination and the
establishment of an independent and sovereign state. It's something that people like us
are part of the solidarity movement must respect (especially the Israelis, who are, in
addition, settlers and occupants). As qu'ATTW, we consider in this moment it is useless to
talk about the anti-statism because there are people who do not even have a modicum of
control over their own lives. We talk about it in our daily conversations, but, overall,
the main struggle of the Palestinians for statehood. Maybe one day in the future we shall
have to fight shoulder to shoulder against a state, but this seems very distant future
when we see people suffering from the Zionist occupation.
11.-An important aspect in the control of the masses and society, is fear, which is
transformed into an unreal need "security". We assume that the Israeli government also
uses this instrument to obtain absolute control of the company, right? What is the effect
of the security policy of the State of Israel and how it does affect social movements?
The government is using the fear of a very effective way to achieve his goals. On one
hand, they allow freedom of expression and protest, but they want them to be under their
complete control. There is a law that states that in emergency situations, such as war,
the police may restrict the right to protest if a rally than 1,000 people when a missile
attack is defined as possible, even without there for sure an attacking threat.
That is to say that there is permission to protest but that it can be revoked only in the
hour before.
Obviously they play constantly with security in order to have total control of all
aspects, stopping many people (mainly Palestinian activists in Israel and the West Bank).
The State knows the low capacity we have to mobilize the population against the war and
that is why he left us to events and initiate calls. So far, we do not suffer too much
repression, but we are stuck and watched as Jewish activists.
"Zionism, nationalism and imperialism
are the questions which control the situation in Israel "
12.-Zionism, nationalism and imperialism are used to divert attention from the real
problems of society, what are the problems that Israeli society is faced?
These three issues (Zionism, nationalism and imperialism) are those which control the
situation in Israel, but it is true that behind these issues, the company faces many other
problems mainly related to the economic situation. The cost of living in Israel is high,
particularly in cities like Tel Aviv or Jerusalem, and it is not offset by wages that are
very low. The unemployment rate according to official figures is not high, but when the
state calculates, it does not take into account certain aspects of society, so that the
figure is actually much higher. The most oppressed classes are in an even worse situation
because the social system is in a catastrophic situation and that people suffer greatly
from lack of resources such as social security, health, etc.
This led to escalating social protests in 2011 that managed to mobilize more than 500,000
people in Tel Aviv. This movement ultimately led to nothing because the main organizations
that encouraged these mobilizations have refused to establish a link and a direct
relationship between the social situation and the fact that the State was responsible for
the occupation suffered by most six million Palestinians.
Another aspect that is very active in social discourse is that the participation of
Orthodox Jewish society. With the Palestinians, this sector is the poorest in Israel, due
in part to the fact that it is many families, in part because of their dependence
vis-?-vis the state arising out of their right to devote himself to the study of the Bible
in exchange for an allowance. In this regard, there is a strong demand from the secular
sectors of society in establishing equality of rights and duties to each other, like going
into military service or in any other areas of society. But again, the state has a large
shield in the form of fear and security.
Isolate, boycott Israel
Support, participate in the BDS campaign
13.- From outside Israel, how we can help you in your fight?
We believe that the most interesting is to support the BDS [Boycott, Divestment and
Sanctions] and work for a boycott of Israel by all means. This can be done by putting
pressure on European states to help Israel, exploring the agreements and transactions for
businesses and making them public or opposing each other through trade unions ... The
longer this campaign spread, the greater the pressure on Israel. Of course, it is also
important to show, in the street, solidarity with the Palestinian cause.
As a AATW and other anarchist militant groups, we are always looking for the solidarity of
other foreign groups, especially in these times where we have to oppose the expansion
terrible fascist groups that we begin to identify closely.
___
Interview conducted by the Union of Telecommunications and IT services (STSI) Madrid - CNT-AIT
Source: here
http://informaticamadrid.cnt.es/articulo/11-08-2014/entrevista-al-colectivo-israeli-anarquistas-contra-el-muro-aatw
Translation: XYZ OCLibertaire
(Headings of OCLibertaire)
To follow the AATW activity, it is possible to do so through their Facebook page or on
their website ( http://www.awalls.org/ )
