Some Interesting Op-Eds

By: Lisa Fiorilli



In the past few days, some interesting op-eds have appeared in Al Jazeera that I wanted to bring out. Obviously, though the news has been dominated with the incoherent ramblings of Libyan ruler Gaddafi, some interesting pieces have appeared that contemplate some very relevant contemporary issues.

The first one is called "Is the West Bank next?", written by MJ Rosenberg, and it touches upon the likelihood that the popular uprisings going around the region will inevitably spread to the West Bank. Rosenberg draws out some interesting parallels: the 19th century Belgium (Israel) and the Congo (Palestinians), where "no consultations with the natives were even contemplated". He advocates that in order to avoid the inevitable prolonged battle that will arise if there is an uprising in the occupied territories, the Israeli government must negotiate a withdrawal right now and not wait for a disaster to occur. What's interesting about this is that he brings about the discourse of 'colonialism' and he asserts that Israeli officials are acting like they are prepared to relinquish Ariel, Hebron and other current Israeli cities to retain control over the West Bank.

Rosenberg provided a second editorial, also in Al Jazeera, that demonstrates the importance of the Israeli lobby in its most important ally, USA. He laments the unwavering political support to Israeli's tremendous aid package at the expense of more vital domestic social programs. He raises the question of how this issue has become the death knell of politicians who want to question it, and also touches upon the fact that this issue has become almost non-negotiable. This is unthinkable once one realizes the magnitude of the aid and the cuts that are often proposed to social programs. What if some of this money was divested to social security, Welfare and education programs?

A very interesting Israeli perspective on the Arab uprisings and the need for Israel to avoid suppressing it with force appeared in Haaretz recently. Menachem Klein asserts that "the writing is on the wall", now that there is a relevant example of how non-violent protests have shook the seemingly most entrenched of dictators from their post. His opinion is that Israel must avoid violence at all costs, unless it wants to be the next Gaddafi or Ahmadinejad. This was quite an interesting take as the author admits that all that is needed is a 'small spark' which is a departure from most editorials that seem to invoke fear of what will occur if Palestinians revolt. Also, he makes mention of a theme that has come across repeatedly in the discussion of the First Intifada, the demographics of Palestinian that make it similar to the demographics of Egypt.

A final article that caught our attention this week appeared in Concordia's very own The Link. The article, written by Aaron Lankoff, examines the need for academic institutions to abandon their institutional links with the Israeli regime, which he characterizes as exhibiting "apartheid" policies. Instead of appealing to the political ties to the region, he appeals on a more personal level: as students. He gives an account of the life of a Palestinian student, Ashraf, who faces checkpoints, arbitrary arrests on his way to school, and this is a stirring call to adopt non-violent opposition to Israel.


This is just a small portion of some of the more interesting editorials that have appeared in recent days. What would happen if the Palestinians would rise up? Would they adopt a more violent approach? Or a non-violent one that appeared in the 1st intifada?
Also, are boycotts effective?




http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth/opinion/2011/02/2011222211617377989.html
http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth/opinion/2011/03/201135115850632729.html#
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/opinion/israel-can-t-use-force-against-the-next-palestinian-uprising-1.347811
http://thelinknewspaper.ca/article/1109