Mideast Just Peace

Traverse City Graduate Speaks on Israel’s Military Diplomacy and Its Effects on Civil Liberties in the United States

On Monday June 4, 2007 at 7:00 PM MidEast:Just Peace will host 1995 Traverse City high school graduate Jimmy Johnson a the Traverse Area District Library. For the past three years Johnson has worked as a researcher for the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions (ICAHD) in Jerusalem. His work there included documenting human rights abuses, organizing and practicing civil disobedience and guiding governmental and civil society groups from all over the world in political tours of East Jerusalem and environs. He is the co-author of an upcoming book on Israel’s arms industry. Johnson will speak on the impact of military diplomacy on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and how this distant conflict affects civil liberties in the United States.

The event is free. Discussion will follow the presentation.
Synopsis of Topics to be covered:

1 )Israel’s Military Diplomacy: The diplomatic shield of the arms trade

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is destabilizing at a regional level in one of the key geo-political regions in the world. It resonates with Muslims all over the world as one of the last “colonial invasions” of the Muslim world. Negative political developments in the conflict directly linked to spikes in energy prices. Yet Israel’s occupation of the West Bank, East Jerusalem & Gaza continues unabated. With such a high cost to the world, how does Israel get away with it?

One of the main reasons is Israel’s military industry and experience. The diplomatic effects of the arms trade and military relationships are an undiscussed secret in world politics. The development, production and transfer of military techniques and technologies warp civilian diplomacy worldwide. As the fourth largest arms exporter in the world in 2006 (on any given year between 3-6), Israel plays an international role disproportionate to its size and resources. All of the main arms exporters reap similar benefits and several also have conflicts they need to shield from international pressure (US -UK/Iraq, Russia/Chechnya). The presentation/discussion will talk about military diplomacy and how it warps civilian diplomacy using Israel as a model.

2) Civil liberties in the US and the Conflict in the Middle East

How do the perpetuation of distant conflicts affect civil liberties at home and create tools of war? Israeli police and intelligence services train their colleagues all over the world. The Israeli military similarly provide technical expertise to a variety of armies, going so far as to build a model Arab town in the Negev to train US forces going into Iraq. Israeli monitoring and surveillance technology is in place on the London Underground, Stockholm’s Public Buses, and countless other destination across the globe. Each of these developments has a plausible security aspect, and an equally strong use against civil liberties and human rights. The only reason Israel can export such technology is due its extensive experience in monitoring and controlling the Palestinians. Just as new tools of control and warfare are being developed by US & UK forces in Iraq, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict will continue to work as a laboratory for security systems and techniques of control.

On Monday May 7, 2007 at 6:30 PM MidEast:Just Peace will host high school exchange students from the Middle East at the Traverse Area District Library. Students from Kuwait, Iraq, Pakistan and Bangladesh will describe both their home countries and the impressions of the United States they have formed from their first school year here in this country. A question and answer period will follow.

The students are studying in the United States and attend Traverse Area high school through the ASSE International Student Exchange Program. This is the 4th year the ASSE program has hosted students from the Middle East. Olave Russell will also be on hand on May 4th to answer questions about hosting an exchange student for the 2007-2008 school year. Students are matched with qualified single individuals, married couples with/without children and retired young-at-heart hosts for a semester, a year or as welcoming families for temporary placements. Olave Russell can be reached at 231-947-2974

The event is free. Light refreshments will be served.

For more interconnected news links like this, visit www.cursor.org:

“In Iraq this is a daily event,” said Juan Cole, referring to the Virginia Tech killings during a “NewsHour” appearance to discuss Iraq. “Imagine how horrible it would be if this kind of massacre were occurring every single day.”
Also, Bill Moyers Journal: Buying the War

Articles of Note:

1. The Final Act of Submission by Scott Ritter
2. U.S. Holds 18,000 Detainees in Iraq Recent Security Crackdown in Baghdad Nets Another 1,000 by Walter Pincus
3. Four Hired Guns in an Armored Truck, Bullets Flying, and a Pickup and a Taxi Brought to a Halt. Who Did the Shooting and Why? A Chaotic Day On Baghdad’s Airport Road by Steve Fainaru
4. The Baghdad gulag By Pepe Escobar
5. And finally, watch the trailer from the documentary “Taxi to the Dark Side” about the continued use of Gitmo.

(Above) Tom Shea reads a statement of protest for “the illegal and immoral” war in Iraq while 5 others listen. Over all, 6 people occupied Senator Levin’s Traverse City office in opposition to the Senators decision to continue to fund the Iraq war.

Record Eagle articles:

1. ‘Sit-ins’ held at Levin’s and Stabenow’s offices By PATRICK SULLIVAN
2. Camp’s view on the war is shifting By PATRICK SULLIVAN

More on Camp visit at Traverse Peace Alerts

All Welcome to the next Traverse Area Peace and Justice Community Meeting Saturday, April 14 - 3PM Friends Meeting House, 5th and Oak, Traverse City

• Debriefing about the past week’s actions

• Discussion and planning for future actions, events and strategies

Lisa Franseen reads a version of an address given by Robert Kennedy during the Vietnam war that read without reference to dates or Vietnam sounds eerily similar to current affairs. She was joined by Sally Neal in the hallway outside of Senator Levin’s office. Below, Senator Levin’s representative Harold Chase speaks with reporters about what he is going to do if they don’t leave. “I have no idea,” Chase replied.

Tomgram: The Theater of the Imperially Absurd

How the Bush Administration Destabilized the “Arc of Instability by Tom Engelhardt. And, on any given day, you can see the evidence of this on a case by case basis in your local paper or on the TV news. You can check out the Iraqi, or Somali, or Lebanese, or Iranian, or Pakistani disasters, or impending disasters. But what you never see is all those crises and potential crises discussed in one place – without which the magnitude of the present disaster and the dangers in our future are hard to grasp.

Thank you for your support over these years. In the past five years we have:

• MEJP has done quite a lot to educate the Traverse area public about the Israeli occupation of Palestinian land and US foreign policy in the Middle East. 
• MEJP has established this JustPeace listserve and hosts a MidEast:JustPeace Blog.
• MEJP has also surely helped spur interest in showing progressive films in the area.
• The MEJP Steering Committee continues to discuss the future course of MidEast:JustPeace initiatives in the area.
• Give us your ideas on what you would like to see from MEJP at mkrom@centurytel.net.
• Stay tuned for some exciting events…………

MEJP has also been a supporting member of US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation.  While the occupation has had the greatest impact upon Palestinians, the occupation also takes its toll on Israelis and also on the US public that funds Israel to the tune of $23,240 per Israeli.  To this end, please review a letter to members of Congress and the President calling for an end to US support for Israel’s military occupations. The US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation is planning to deliver 100,000 of these messages to Congress by June 10, 2007 to protest the 40th year since the 1967 Israeli illegal occupation of the West Bank, Gaza Strip, and East Jerusalem.  Join MidEast:JustPeace in reaching this goal. Click Here to sign the letter and take action now.

The Traverse Area Peace and Justice Community met on Saturday March 31 to plan for our meeting with Rep. Dave Camp. We chose several speakers and observers to be among a 12 person group ok’d to meet with Dave Camp at his office at 121 E. Front St. at 1:45 PM on Tuesday April 10, 2007. The topic is the Iraq War. The public is welcome to join us outside Camp’s office on that date to illustrate for him that many, many in his District do not support more money for war, more troops and further escalation of the war to Iran.

Join us at 121 E. Front St. at 1:30 PM on April 10, 2007. Send your letters of concern over the war to all your representatives: Contact information for area U.S. Senators and Representatives