Please take the time to study the situation carefully, seek the facts, and ultimately raise your voice for peace, equal rights and freedom for Israelis, Palestinians and all who live in this region.
Until now I haven’t commented on Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territories and treatment of the Palestinian people. Please read this and take the time to study the occupation for yourself, I will try to be as clear as possible. Between the Mediterranean Sea and the River Jordan live roughly 6 million people without equal access to civil or human rights and another 6 million people with all the privileges imaginable. The State of Israel is continuing to violate human rights and defying international law to this very day, despite the international community and hundreds of UN resolutions condemning Israel’s policies as illegal and calling for immediate, adequate and effective remedies. The Israeli government’s colonialist policies constitute apartheid and ethnic cleansing, contrary to international law. The State of Israel, zionists and the supporters of zionist policies make a concerted effort to smear opposition to the regime. Often branding anti-zionists as anti-semites, in an effort to intimidate and ultimately silence critics. I’m not intimidated, because I know unequivocally that I am not anti-semitic, I am against all forms of racism. I respect the Jewish faith and admire the teachings of Judaism - for at least 3500 years Judaism has been teaching us to honour our parents and condemn murder, theft, dishonesty, and coveting. I oppose and will do what I can to highlight human rights violations by any state or non-state actors, regardless of their associated religion or ethnicity.
Over the past few years several promoters have invited me to play in Israel, initially I was very excited at the idea - an opportunity to visit the Holy Land, discover the culture and play music for the local people. Then I remembered the little I knew about the occupation and the call for boycott, so before responding, I decided to learn more and make an informed decision. I studied the history, I read reports from the UN and human rights groups and spoke to Israelis and Palestinians. It’s tricky, because if you search on the Internet you’ll find conflicting opinions and contradictory reports of the occupation, with fierce opinions on both sides. Also, as with all long-standing conflicts the situation is extremely complicated. Finally, with encouragement from my friend Morgan, I decided to visit Palestine and see for myself.
The situation is indeed complex, but the facts on the ground are very simple; and overwhelming evidence proves unambiguously that Israel’s government implements a system of apartheid, as defined by the UN, against the Palestinian people. Under Israeli law, Jewish Israelis and Palestinians are treated differently in nearly all aspects of life, namely, freedom of movement, employment, education, housing, health and family. This is a system of racial discrimination and domination institutionalised by laws and policies. Segregation is achieved through distinct legal systems for Jewish Israelis and Palestinians living in the same area. For example, in the West Bank where we shot this video, monitored through the scope of an Israeli sniper in the tower behind us, Palestinians are subject to Israeli military law, whereas Jewish Israeli settlers living in the illegal settlements (in violation of article 49 of the fourth Geneva convention) are governed by Israeli civil law. Military rule in Palestine disrupts every aspect of life, it dictates if, when and how Palestinians can earn a living, travel to work or school, visit their family, farm, protest, build a home or access electricity and clean water. Palestinians must live with subjugation, fear and oppression as part of their daily lives. They are in effect prisoners, held hostage to the State of Israel. Both Israel and our world leaders have failed to put an end to this injustice, therefore, Palestinian civil society has called for boycott, divestment and sanctions, a non-violent Palestinian-led movement for freedom, justice and equality. The movement upholds the simple principle that Palestinians are entitled to the same rights as the rest of humanity.
Thanks to Ras Tinny, Nai-Jah, Morgan, Colour Code, Baha, Alla & Tariq.
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