A young American Jew describes being arrested at the Jerusalem Day parade

[shaayecanaan]

(title edited for brevity)

http://mondoweiss.net/2011/06/a-young-american-jew-describes-being-arrested-for-standing-in-opposition-to-the-jerusalem-day-parade.html

Suddenly, the police moved in without warning of any kind. Officers on horseback came so close to the sidewalk, nearly hitting some of the demonstrators. I stepped down from the pylon. In that instant, my impulse to flee was counteracted by the firm realization that, standing on a sidewalk waving a peace sign, I had every right to be there, and if I fled, who would stand with the Palestinians? I stepped back up on the pylon. Moments later, an Israeli police officer ran up, seized me, and dragged me to the other side of the street. He then punched me in the face, put me in a choke hold, and with four other officers, slammed me to the ground. I was eventually handcuffed and carried to the car; I allowed my body to go limp and refused to walk on my own in a gesture of nonviolent defiance. Throughout the whole affair, the only thing audible coming from the policemen was a constant stream of curses words, “motherfucker”, “piece of shit”, etc., which was to me a ringing confirmation of how infuriated and threatened they were by a 19-year old wearing a kippah and a keffiyeh standing with the Palestinians.

***********

edited to add: I posted this mainly for the video, which is really quite extraordinary and worth a watch. It certainly seems as though things have deteriorated in the last five years or so.

[notesdev]

1. "if I fled, who would stand with the Palestinians?"

Oh, 1.2 billion Muslims and those who will do whatever it takes to keep the oil flowing?

The real question is, who will stand with the Israelis, if not Israelis?

[aquart]

2. I wouldn't count on the Muslims.

They've had 60 years of opportunity and preferred to leave them twisting in the wind.

But I don't know why the kid was so shocked. He knows what's been going on for sixty years.

And I would really like to point out that Palestinians who show support for Israel are MURDERED and all this kid had to deal with were nasty words.

[notesdev]

3. I wouldn't count on them either

They tried four times and failed miserably every time, at greater and greater losses.

At this point none of the neighboring countries want to help the Palis, as they all remember what happens when the Palis focus on them instead of Israel (the Palis attempt to overthrow/destablize those neighbor nations instead).

The ultimate question is: is it even possible for Palestinians to live in long-term peace with others - Arab or Jew - or even among themselves?

[aquart]

6. I dunno.

They're humans. They eat dry cereal for breakfast and wear silly t-shirts. But even if they got everything they think they want, would they be happy? No, they'd be disappointed. Because it was supposed to be so much better. They were just people being royally screwed by their own. Kept caged to be pawns in a nasty game. The Arab dictatorships didn't want a western-style democracy with women rulers anywhere near their own people so they made sure those borders stayed closed.

The Palestinians should have become Jordanians by now. Or Syrians, or Lebanese, or Libyans, or Egyptians. That's what the people who are now Americans did. That's what other refugees have always done. But they were told they'd been robbed and their mission was to get what was theirs back. Of course, the only way to do that was to murder a few million people but what's so hard about that?

Wherever they go, they will end up being murdered or murdering each other. Because they know they've been robbed.

[notesdev]

8. They're hardly innocent victims here

Look what they did in Jordan and Lebanon and you'll understand why they are not welcome in the neighboring Arab nations... or anywhere else.

[LeftishBrit]

12. I don't accept that sort of remark about Israelis/Jews, and I don't accept it about Palestinians

either.

'you'll understand why they are not welcome in the neighbouring Arab nations - or anywhere else'

That's a vile thing to say about any group.

[shaayecanaan]

14. Thank you. You're a good person. nt

[crikkett]

4. Are you writing in support of the action that was taken against that young man? n/t

[Name removed]

5. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[aquart]

7. And amazingly ill-educated.

[crikkett]

9. that's the most bigoted thing I've read on DU

[xchrom]

10. It was indeed bigoted. Nt

[shaayecanaan]

13. The intent of the marches is provocative...

The Jerusalem day march "celebrates" the capture of East Jerusalem in 1967. The parade deliberately makes its way through many of the Arab neighbourhoods in the city, in the same way that the Orangemen Protestant marches in Ireland deliberately proceed through most of the Catholic neighbourhoods in and around Belfast.

The police are generally pretty heavy handed with the natives, or indeed anyone else - such as this young man - who happen to sympathise with them.

Its always heartening though, to read mealy-mouthed defences of such an obvious example of police brutality on a liberal message board.

[Harmony Blue]

15. The idea of democracy is relatively new in that part of the world

So, when confronted with democratic principles it will be met with violence.

[LeftishBrit]

11. The oil states haven't 'stood with the Palestinians' when it came to actually lifting a

finger to help them, instead of just using them as a pawn, for 63 years, so why would they do so now?

As for the 1.2 bn (ordinary) Muslims, most of them have enough problems of their own to deal with.

[shira]

16. This delusional boy is for a one-state full RoR nightmare scenario...

...just like the tools over at Mondoweiss.

Here's just one reason such a scenario cannot possibly work...
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=124x355015#355228