Mahmoud Darwish funeral (Photo: Marjire Sackett, AIC)
Following
last week’s announcement of the death of the great Palestinian poet Mahmoud
Darwish, numerous Israeli political and anti-occupation activists have
expressed their deep sorrow at his passing. The Women’s Coalition for a Just
Peace, together with Tarabut, Gush Shalom, the Alternative Information Center
and other activist groups, published an ad in the Arabic and Hebrew press
expressing their sorrow at the passing of Darwish, which represents a loss to
the Palestinian people and to all those working for justice and peace in the
region. Last evening the AIC conducted an event in the memory of Darwish and numerous
other Israeli and Palestinian groups within Israel are organising similar
events.
As an
historical project aimed at promoting justice and a joint life of peace for
Palestinians and Israelis in the region, the Alternative Information Center
organised the participation of grassroots Israeli peace activists in today’s
funeral procession for Darwish in Ramallah. “The physical presence of Israelis
in a mass public event in Ramallah is not at all obvious or a given,” notes
Michael Warschawski, co-founder of the AIC and one of the initiators of today’s
delegation, “and it is the deep political respect afforded by Palestinian
society to the ongoing work of the AIC that allowed this to be a reality.”
“Today’s
participation in the funeral by our Israeli partners in the struggle against
the occupation is tangible proof that all the obstacles of the occupation,
including the siege of Gaza, the building of settlements and demolition of
Palestinian homes in Jerusalem, cannot prevent real relationships between
Palestinians and Israelis,” adds the AIC’s Ahmad Jaradat, who coordinated
today’s Israeli participation with Palestinian groups and officials in
Ramallah. “No matter what Israel
claims, we all – Palestinians, Israelis and Arabs – have the same interests in
promoting justice, social equality, true democracy and human rights,” notes
Jaradat.
Grassroots
Israeli peace activists attending the funeral included veteran anti-colonial
activists from Matzpen, members of Gush Shalom and the Black Panthers, in
addition to women activists for peace and younger activists working within
newer frameworks such as Tarabut and Taayush.
“The joint
political vision and work of the AIC, in addition to its material bridge
between the Israeli and Palestinian societies, made today possible,” adds AIC
Director Connie Hackbarth. “Even
though Israel brutally disconnects its citizens from Palestinians in the
Occupied Palestinian Territories and from the Middle East more generally, the
AIC and many other Israeli, Palestinian and Arab activists insist on creating
an alternative reality for the region based on justice, cooperation and a joint
life of peace and respect for everyone.”
|
News 
