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Democracy is more than going to the polls
By Amira Hass
Tags: Demonstrators, Burma

"The protest wave has calmed down," some Israeli journalists said Friday of the Burmese military junta's success in driving thousands of demonstrators off the streets, using excessive violence.

Despite the natural sympathy for the uprisers, several editors chose the word "calm," which embodies the rulers' point of view: The norm is "calm," even if it means constant government violence. The mass protest against the oppression is a disruption of order and calm.

The word "calm" was an automatic reflection of how most Israeli Jews and their media see the constant, 40-year Israeli oppression of the Palestinians. This is the norm one thinks of when the Palestinians disrupt the calm.
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The oppression of the Palestinian people is intended to perpetuate its banishment from its land and the infringement on its rights there. But on the other side of the regime of oppression is democracy for Jews, even those who oppose the occupation.

Generally, Jewish dissidents are not risking their life, livelihood, freedom or rights. However, the demonstration against the separation fence does involve certain risks - a few hours in detention, soldiers' fire, tear gas, or a blow from a gun. Therefore, each protester makes his or her own courageous decision to take part in the demonstration. Assisting the Palestinian olive harvest also requires courage, because it could end in an attack by the settlers (while the government's representatives, the soldiers, stand idly by). And yet there are dozens of anti-oppression activities that do not endanger the hundreds of devoted activists (mostly women) who take part in them.

Potentially, hundreds of thousands of Jewish Israelis could have taken part in activities against the multi-faceted Israeli oppression - the apartheid laws and orders, military attacks, hidden information, economic siege, land expropriation, expanding settlements, and more. Not a hair on their head would be touched. These are people who say they support peace, with a Palestinian state beside Israel. But apparently their interpretation of participation in democracy is going to the polls once every few years, and faint protest in their living room.

However, democracy also is displaying civic responsibility, by constantly supervising the political decisions and acts between elections, thus ensuring that democracy's essence has not been eroded. Those who say they support a two-state solution are ignoring the other facet of the democracy-for-Jews - the military regime that it imposes on the Palestinians. This regime creates faits accomplis all the time, foiling the last chance for a solution (i.e. full withdrawal with slight changes to the June 4, 1967 lines and establishing a Palestinian state).

The Jewish citizens who enjoy their democracy are not personally harmed by its other facet. On the contrary, they gain from it - cheap land and quality housing, additional water sources, a cadre of security professionals in demand worldwide, and thriving defense industries. This is the "calm" that even self-defined peace supporters refrain from disrupting.

In the Soviet empire and racist South Africa - like in today's Burma (Myanmar) - objecting to oppression involved a high personal price. Therefore, one could understand the objectors who chose not to act. In Israel, because it is a democracy for Jews, all those who sit idle, ignoring what is being done in their name, bear a heavy responsibility.

Chiefs of staff, prime ministers, ministers and generals are not the only ones responsible. Anyone who theoretically objects to oppression, discrimination and expulsion, but does not actively take part in the struggle and in creating a constant popular resistance to topple the apartheid regime we have created here, is responsible.
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  1.   LONG LIVE, ISRAEL "INTELLECTUALS" 09:51  |  indrajaya 02/10/07
  2.   As it happens, I coined a slogan 09:55  |  Rowan Berkeley 02/10/07
  3.   THE ONLY OCCUPIER IN THE 21st CENTURY 09:59  |  indrajaya 02/10/07
  4.   EXACTLY! The Lack Of Peace, Etc. Rests With Israelis. ...Most. 10:13  |  Proud Pal Defender 02/10/07
  5.   ONE STATE NOW 10:26  |  indrajaya 02/10/07
  6.   more bilge from amira and the left wing 10:30  |  victor hardman 02/10/07
  7.   so many proofs that Israel IS an apartheid 10:30  |  mehmet 02/10/07
  8.   Isn`t this newspaper called `Haaretz`? Of whom? 10:32  |  Shalom Freedman 02/10/07
  9.   Deconstructing Hass`s Apartheid Accusations Against Israel 10:40  |  Joseph E . 02/10/07
  10.   And Palestinian Civic Responsibility? 10:43  |  Ariel 02/10/07
  11.   Amira Hess the macontent and her rogues gallery 10:50  |  Sourpuss 02/10/07
  12.   Play On 10:52  |  indrajaya 02/10/07
  13.   Führer Amira,aspiring to lead and supported by Mehmet from Turkey 11:11  |  Absolute Sweden 02/10/07
  14.   All true 11:13  |  www.kibush.co.il 02/10/07
  15.   HAAS IS THE HAUGHTIEST JEWISH LEFTIST AROUND 11:15  |  Ben 02/10/07
  16.   Judaism 101 11:26  |  Natallie Durson 02/10/07
  17.   #3 Indrahaha you have a selective memory 11:37  |  Hastaroth 02/10/07
  18.   #2Rowan-The Nazis also had slogans about `JUDAISM`- stereotypist 11:41  |  Mitch Iginer 02/10/07
  19.   democracy 11:43  |  justice 02/10/07
  20.   Israel as a real democracy 11:44  |  Linette H 02/10/07
  21.   Kurds 11:46  |  Democracy 02/10/07
  22.   Israel is a democracy for Israelis 11:59  |  Jonathan S 02/10/07
  23.   proud pal and the nonsense of a buffoon 12:01  |  victor hardman 02/10/07
  24.   Ughhhhhh. More zevel from zevel. 12:39  |  SLAVO 02/10/07
  25.   Maspik!!!!!!!! 13:13  |  devora 02/10/07
  26.   Israeli intellectuals are apathetic,there is no mass movement 13:33  |  lakshmi 02/10/07
  27.   CHOICES 13:34  |  ron 02/10/07
  28.   A. Haas ""how most Israeli Jews and their media>>" 13:41  |  Buzaglow 02/10/07
  29.   APARTHEID : AN EMOTIVE WORD USED INCORRECTLY 13:49  |  Sivan 02/10/07
  30.   antizionism=antisemitsm 13:50  |  Zody 02/10/07
  31.   Israeli Apartheid is wellcomed by the west 14:01  |  shaid 02/10/07
  32.   AMIRA HAAS, or the voice of REASON AND WISDOM 14:10  |  Mark 02/10/07
  33.   ONE STATE SOLUTION is the only fair and sustained one 14:13  |  Eric 02/10/07
  34.   palestinians want to destoy Israel 14:20  |  Zody 02/10/07
  35.   shalom? freedman 14:21  |  A.M. 02/10/07
  36.   Amira Hass 14:29  |  Karl Hess 02/10/07
  37.   #26 Mrs. Jellyby (lakshmi) 14:33  |  Daybreak 02/10/07
  38.   Amira, go all the way, say Israelies are worse than nazis 14:34  |  For justice 02/10/07
  39.   Living in Shderot also requires courage 14:35  |  Yuvak 02/10/07
  40.   Oh Amira- you could be a link between Israelis and Palestinians 14:41  |  Israeli guy 02/10/07
  41.   Supporting suicide bombers 14:44  |  Herbert Kaine 02/10/07
  42.   Supporting suicide bombers 14:44  |  Herbert Kaine 02/10/07
  43.   Durson 14:45  |  Nik Miller 02/10/07
  44.   Goebelesque Rhetoric 14:45  |  B 02/10/07
  45.   Amira advocates violence 14:50  |  Ruben 02/10/07
  46.   Apartheid, please read this and respond.. 15:16  |  John Allen 02/10/07
  47.   When will Amira write about arab plans 15:16  |  peter 02/10/07
  48.   Her advocacy of violent change shows frustration 15:17  |  Dr. Arthur Levinson 02/10/07
  49.   #2 Please read my blog about apartheid. 15:18  |  John Allen 02/10/07
  50.   # 26 lakshmi advocating violence again 15:23  |  Lynn 02/10/07
  51.   #38 Were your parents natzis or are u a pal? 15:26  |  John Allen 02/10/07
  52.   # 4 Pal defender 15:27  |  Lynn 02/10/07
  53.   # 46 John Allen 15:29  |  Labhras 02/10/07
  54.   Amira and Ruben 45 15:46  |  Anne 02/10/07
  55.   A. M. in Tel Aviv 15:50  |  Johnny Weintraub 02/10/07
  56.   Amira, You are right! 15:52  |  Dutch 02/10/07
  57.   Another opus from radical Jewish settler 15:58  |  Gene 02/10/07
  58.   you`ll be first to sign up to guard the camps 16:12  |  Micha 02/10/07
  59.   The usual Hass distortions 16:14  |  Polybios 02/10/07
  60.   Dr. Arthur Levinson 16:16  |  Grinberg 02/10/07
  61.   to mehmet 16:20  |  isra 02/10/07
  62.   #8 Another predictable response from Shalom Freedman 16:22  |  Dutch 02/10/07
  63.   Interesting comparison by Amira Hass 16:27  |  Jacob Blues 02/10/07
  64.   Will you be there October 18th, Amira? 16:32  |  Tzfonit 02/10/07
  65.   The PEACE PROCESS Explained 16:39  |  Linda Rivera 02/10/07
  66.   Amira, a perfect Burmese official 16:40  |  ziggurat 02/10/07
  67.   Well said, Natallie Durson 16:52  |  Maki 02/10/07
  68.   Amira - Move to Sderot - EXPERIENCE Your PEACE Process Daily 16:52  |  Linda Rivera 02/10/07
  69.   Haaretz... 16:52  |  Chris 02/10/07
  70.   Time for Haas to Collect More Money from Jew Haters 16:53  |  Tod Zuckerman 02/10/07
  71.   Burmese monks = hamas (!!!) 16:58  |  KUTW 02/10/07
  72.   Banishment from the land 17:00  |  KUTW 02/10/07
  73.   The Busmese monks would like 17:01  |  KUTW 02/10/07
  74.   Withdrawal and chances 17:05  |  KUTW 02/10/07
  75.   JEWS killing their Palestinian cousins 17:07  |  Kiwinboy 02/10/07
  76.   ?A pal state beside Israel? 17:09  |  KUTW 02/10/07
  77.   The pals could be wealthier than the Israelis 17:09  |  KUTW 02/10/07
  78.   Thriving defense industries 17:10  |  KUTW 02/10/07
  79.   dutch wants a binational state 17:12  |  Zody 02/10/07
  80.   #60 Grinberg and Dr. Levinson 17:13  |  Natanael 02/10/07
  81.   Attack! Attack! Attack! 17:16  |  chet 02/10/07