What is the Holocaust?

After the Libyan deputy UN ambassador, Ibrahim Dabbashi, compared the situation in Gaza to the Nazi Holocaust, the diplomats from France, US, Britain, Belgium and Costa Rica walked out of the consultation room to register their protest.

That the diplomats should get upset about the Libyan’s envoy comments throw up the fundamental question of whether what qualifies as a Holocaust. After all, why should the word, ‘Holocaust’ be restricted for only Jewish suffering under the Nazis but not others who have also suffered during Nazi rule? What about serious human rights violations committed by totalitarian or military regimes which cause the deaths of hundreds or thousands? How serious should a situation be before it can be considered a holocaust?

According to Wikipedia, the word Holocaust was in use as early as the 18th century to denote ‘the violent deaths of large number of people’. For example, Winston Churchill and other contemporaneous writers used it before World War II to describe the Armenian Genocide of World War I (Wikipedia on The Holocaust).

Finkelstein also argued that the Holocaust was not ‘cast as a uniquely Jewish - let alone a historically unique - event’ prior to the 1967 war. In fact, he asserted, ‘Organized American Jewry in particular was at pains to place it in a universalist context’ (Finkelstein, 2000 p. 42).

That the Nazi Holocaust should only be restricted to Jewish suffering is somewhat disturbing. After all, human sufferings, despite their ethnicity or religion (or otherwise) are equal. There is no reason why its use should only be restricted for Jewish suffering in concentration camps.

Whether the use of the word, holocaust is justified for the situation in Gaza will certainly invite ferocious debate. What is of foremost concern though, is that the situation in Palestine, specifically in Gaza, has deteriorated to such an extent that UNRWA had to suspend aid due to fuel shortage. The cause - Israel embargo.

The envoys should have made their presence more useful in the UN Security Council consultation by coming up with a resolution to pressurise Israel to stop its economic blockade , which are hurting the civilians, instead of being so hung up over a term.

= References=

1. Wikipedia on The Holocaust, accessed on 24 April 2008

2. Finkelstein, N. G 2000, The Holocaust Industry, Reflections on the exploitation of Jewish Suffering, Verso, London

Lee on Iraq; 5th Anniversary Rally in Sydney

The senior statesman of Singapore, Mr Lee Kuan Yew, recently wrote an article, commenting that American troops cannot afford to leave Iraq now as it would leave a power vacuum which would be filled by lawless private militia who will cause societal disorder and sectarian violence. Just in case Mr Lee is in the dark, Iraqi society is already in tatters and is on the brink of a civil war (though some might argue that it already has happened). He further argued that America needs to continue having a presence in Iraq but that they ‘clearly cannot stay in Iraq alone’. Instead, he suggested a ‘multilateral approach’ in the form of a ‘coalition force’.

The solution that is proposed by Mr Lee, not only smacks of arrogance and ignorance, but also blatant disregard for the human rights and sufferings of the Iraqis. By suggesting that the Americans and a coalition force be stationed in Iraq, he is not only disregarding the astronomical and tragic cost and destruction of the invasion, but also implying that Iraqis are incapable of sovereignty.

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In the Troops Out Now of Iraq and Afghanistan Rally and March, organised by the Stop The War Coalition in Sydney, commemorating the 5th anniversary of the Iraqi Invasion, as many as 200 people are reported to have turned up for the protest.

The rally which started at Belmore Park, near Central Station, around 1 pm, and saw a few prominent activists took to the stage to address a wide range of issues in the Middle East. Primarily on the political, social instability and turmoil in the region which be chiefly attributed to the grand American imperialist project.

Federal Greens Senator Kerry Nettle quoted statistics from Jospeh Stiglitz, former Chief Economist of the World Bank, who calculated that the Iraqi Invasion has amounted to three trillion dollars. She also related personal accounts from war veterans who said that they acted differently in the presence of the press.

Peace and non-violent Christian activist, Donna Mulhearn, reminded Australian Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, of the significance of Palm Sunday. She lambasted Rudd on various issues including him for leading a motion to honour Israel’s 60th anniversary Day of Independence as an affront to the sufferings of the Palestinians. She also reiterated that it is time to bring all the troops home; and that Australia should boycott the Olympics in China for their grave human rights violations, especially, with regards, to its violent suppression of the peaceful Tibetan uprising.

Kathy Black from US Labour Against The War, spoke of the detrimental effects of the war not just to Iraqis, but also to the poor in America and the faltering US economy. Keyser Trad from Islamic Friendship Association related the personal anti-Islamic experience he faced and the climate of Islamophobia whipped up by the war on terror.

After the speeches, the protest march began to make its way to the Department of Defence to drive home the point of protesting against the war, before making a loop back to Belmore Park. The march was made more theatrical with the presence of three protestors, who had their faces painted white, dressed suitably, in white t-shirts, each with one of the words, ‘Stop The War’. Along the way, they pretended to drop dead or climb onto structures to draw attention to themselves and their message of protest.

Overall, it was an informative and highly charged rally. The fervour and passion of the protestors shows that there are still enough people out there who care enough to take it to the streets to protest against the disastrous American foreign policies in the Middle East.

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References:

1. The Cost Of Retreat In Iraq, Washington Post, 8 March 2008, Lee Kuan Yew

2. Sydney rally calls for Iraq withdrawal, Sydney Morning Herald, 16 March 2008

Humanitarian Crisis in Gaza - Emergency Vigil in Sydney

The Coalition for Justice and Peace in Palestine (CJPP) held an emergency vigil in the evenings at Sydney Town Hall on 7 March. One of the speakers is Greens Senator Kerry Nettle who revealed how the Rudd government has been silent on the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Concurrently, a group of Women in Black (well-known for being dressed in black and their anti-war efforts) were standing on the steps of Town Hall and silently holding placards reflecting the theme of the rally, ‘Free Gaza, Stop the Killing, End the Siege’.

This vigil was timed to highlight the out of control situation in Palestine. A group of NGOs including Oxfam and Amnesty International voiced similar sentiments by launching an inter-agency report entitled, ‘The Gaza Strip: A Humanitarian Implosion’ to reflect the growing adversity of livelihood in Gaza.

In its executive summary, the organisations stated that, ‘The situation for 1.5 million Palestinians in the Gaza Strip is worse now than it has ever been since the start of the Israeli military occupation in 1967. The current situation in Gaza is man-made, completely avoidable and, with the necessary political will, can also be reversed.’

It went on to highlight the state of affairs by giving a ground report of Gaza with supporting statistics from reputable international organisations.

Citing from the World Bank, it claims that, ‘The Gaza economy is no longer on the brink of collapse – it has collapsed. In the last 6 months, the majority of private businesses have shut down and 95% of Gaza’s industrial operations are suspended due to the ban on imported raw materials and the block on exports.’

Other contributing factors to the crisis as reported include impediments towards humanitarian access (such as rising food prices and reduction of trucks carrying humanitarian supplies) to increasing unemployment and denial of access to basic medical supplies and treatments.

The organisations uniequivocally agreed that Israel is responsible for the degeneration of quality of life in Gaza. It argued (p6, Introduction) that, “The contention by Israeli officials that Israel is no longer bound by the laws of occupation since it redeployed its forces to the perimeter of the Gaza Strip in 2005 is a fallacy. Israel retains effective control of the Gaza Strip, by virtue of the full control it exercises over the Gaza Strip’s land border, its air space and territorial waters, and the movement of people and goods. Hence, the Israeli authorities are bound by their obligations under international humanitarian and human rights law to ensure the welfare of the Palestinian population in the OPT.”

Amongst its recommendations, it urged the UK government and EU to strongly condemn the Israeli government on its use of collective punishment strategies and demands emergency assistance services be immediately made available to the people of Gaza. The report also urged the UK and EU to drop its policy of non-engagement with certain political faction (in this case, Hamas). This is a view that is shared and supported by the majority of Israelis. In a recent poll by Dialog company and carried by AP, ‘64 percent of Israelis believe Israel should talk to Hamas now to bring a halt to ongoing rocket barrages fired by Gaza militants at Israeli towns and to win the release of a captured soldier.’

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Links and References:

1. Coalition for Justice and Peace in Palestine

2. The Gaza Strip, A Humanitarian Implosion, report in pdf from Relief Web

2. Poll: Israelis want talks with Hamas, The Associated Press, 27 February 2008