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Committee on Exercise of Inalienable Rights of Palestinian People - Part 2
Nobel Peace Laureate Stresses Need for Greater Civil Society Involvement in Push to End Occupation of Palestinian Lands, in Keynote Address to June Forum
Breaking decades of diplomatic paralysis would require greater involvement by civil society in pushing Governments to take action to end Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory, the 1997 Nobel Peace Laureate said today, the second and final day of the June Forum.
“Power never concedes without pressure,” Jody Williams, Chair of the Nobel Women’s Initiative, said in her keynote address on the role of civil society. As the Forum discussed the costs and consequences of the occupation born of the 1967 Arab-Israeli war, she added: “If Governments do not take action, we will help them.” Erecting a “wall of shame” would require Governments to “come running” in order to salvage their reputations, she said.
“How many decades do people have to give diplomacy a chance?” she asked. “It’s an absurdity at this point.” The relationship between Israel and the Palestinians could only be described as a “total asymmetry of power”, she emphasized. How could a State say diplomacy must be given a chance even as it continued to steal land and vital resources, such as water, from the Palestinian people?
Waiting for meaningful action by Governments had not produced much, she continued, contrasting that with the crucial role played by boycotting and banning goods produced in the Israeli settlements built on occupied territory. A list of Governments and companies purchasing goods from those settlements would help people understand where they could make the biggest impact, she said, stressing that boycotting products from the settlements would hit Israel where it mattered.
“It is not that anyone wishes ill on the Israeli people,” she said, asking whether they would really feel inclined to change their stance and, more importantly, their Government’s policies, if they did not feel some sort of discomfort. Why would they do anything to change the situation when they were so comfortable? There was need to exert pressure on Israel and Israelis to end the occupation, she said, declaring: “Stigmatization, making people pariahs, brings about change.”
Ms. Williams said it was disturbing that the State of Israel did not allow Palestinian narratives to be heard, adding that it was such subjugation that allowed the occupation to continue. “Palestinian people have a right to tell their stories,” she affirmed, describing Israel’s entrenchment as an occupation of the mind. “Because people disagree with Israel’s oppressive policies does not make them anti-Semitic,” she added.
Recalling her personal history of activism spanning almost five decades, she said that it ranged from protesting against the United States war in Viet Nam to marching against that country’s intervention in Nicaragua. Emphasizing that she could not sit back when any Government treated others as less than human, she said such actions were becoming increasingly evident in the United States, particularly with President Donald Trump’s travel ban. Imposing a state of fear was less about security and more about silencing opposition and dissent, she emphasized.
The Forum also held three panel discussions today — on “Enforcement of international law and accountability: How to make a difference?”; “The Gaza Strip: an integral part of the State of Palestine”; and “Beyond occupation: in search of a just and lasting peace”.
Panel II
Mona Khalil, Legal Adviser and Independent Diplomat, moderated the afternoon panel discussion “Enforcement of international law and accountability: How to make a difference?” It featured the following panellists: Wesam Ahmad, Head of Legal Research and International Advocacy, Al Haq; Dalit Baum, Director of Economic Activism, American Friends Service Committee; Muna Haddad, Lawyer, Civil and Political Rights Unit, Adalah; Hagai El-Ad, Executive, B’Tselem; and Omar Shakir, Israel-Palestine Director, Human Rights Watch.
Panel III
Moderating the second afternoon panel discussion — “Beyond Occupation: In Search of a Just and Lasting Peace” — was Helena Cobban, President, Just World Educational. It featured the following panellists: Mustafa Barghouthi, Secretary-General, Al Mubadara (Palestinian National Initiative); Diego Khamis, Youth Board President, Club Palestino Santiago de Chile; Jessica Nevo, Coordinator, Pre-Transitional Justice Programme, Coalition of Women for Peace, Zochrot; Rebecca Vilkomerson, Executive Director, Jewish Voice for Peace; and David Wildman, Executive Secretary, General Board of Global Ministries, United Methodist Church.
