[update below] [2nd update below] [3rd update below]
The pro-Palestine activist community has been mourning the death of fellow activist, Vittorio Arrigoni, who was atrociously murdered in Gaza on Friday by anti-Hamas Islamist extremists (in Gaza, Hamas is moderate as far as Islamists go). This is the second murder of a pro-Palestinian activist this month by Islamists. I would normally not have commented on this one—I hadn’t heard of Arrigoni before—except for one thing that caught my attention in the New York Times report of the murder, specifically the video TimesCast by Robert Mackey, where he refers to Arrigoni as a “peace activist.”
We need to be perfectly clear about one thing: Arrigoni was indeed an activist but he was not a “peace” activist. He was in Gaza as a member of the International Solidarity Movement, which is not exactly an international support group for Peace Now. The ISM agitates for a number of things but peace in Israel-Palestine is not among them. The word “peace” hardly appears on the ISM’s web site, and nowhere as one of the organization’s goals. The ISM supports “resistance.” This is indeed the tattoo on Arrigoni’s arm (photo above; h/t Martin Kramer), which reads al-muqawama: resistance. Not al-salaam (peace). Now “resistance” is not by definition antonymous with “peace” but it is not necessarily synonymous either. Some of the Palestinian resistance to the Israelis has been peaceful—more or less—but a lot of it over the years has been less so.
As for the less peaceful forms of resistance, a.k.a. terrorism, the ISM and its friends have never had anything to say about it. A few have sotto voce regretted this, though taking care to pin the blame on the Israelis and apologize for the violence of the victims (Fanonism is rife in these circles). But the more prevalent attitude has been a quiet satisfaction that the Israelis—all of them, of all ages, all genders, armed or not—got what was coming to them (and one should not waste one’s time trying to contest me on this, as we know it to be the case). As for Vittorio Arrigoni, I have no idea what he personally thought of this form of “resistance,” but the photo heading the NYT article gives an idea. Quite simply, one does not embrace Hamas head honcho Ismail Haniya if one is fighting for peace and deplores the type of “resistance” for which Hamas is all too well known. As we say over here, s’il vous plaît, ne vous foutez pas de ma gueule (rough translation: please, don’t take me for what I am not).
UPDATE: I glanced at Vittorio Arrigoni’s Facebook fan page, which has a number of photos and images he put up. Some of the stuff I find disturbing. E.g. go here, click on ‘Guerrilla Cartoons’ and check out the ones of Santa Claus in a pool of blood and Jesus being arrested. Click as well on the ‘Gaza Seguimos siendo humanos’ album and note the last image (of Handala holding a dagger—a dagger in the shape of Palestine; how lovely). Peace-loving guy he was, that Vittorio.
Some of these images border on medieval Jewish blood libel. Right-wing Zionist web sites are, as a result of all this, saying that Vittorio was an anti-Semite. I personally don’t know if he was. But I don’t know that he wasn’t either. (April 23)
2nd UPDATE: I have responded extensively in the Comments section to a critical reaction from a friend in Jerusalem. (April 23)
3rd UPDATE: AFP reports that a Palestinian military court in Gaza has cut by half the ten-year jail sentence of former policeman Khadr Faruq Jerim, who was convicted in the abduction and murder of Vittorio Arrigoni. (February 24, 2013)
[…] bloggers, he's in a frenzy, but he's managing to be consistently thoughtful. I'll be linking to him.Vittorio Arrigoni by Arun Kapil | Arun with a Viewarunwithaview.wordpress.com"Arrigoni was indeed an activist but he was not a 'peace' activist.… […]
your point is best made in his own words:
No habibi you’re not a spy, you’re a traitor.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3974091,00.html
http://fb.me/T9fjo7MC
6:20 PM Apr 12th via Facebook
( http://twitter.com/VikUtopia/status/57976371967819776 )
Following the link takes you to a story that begins like this:
Egyptian refusenik: I’m pro-Israel – 10.25.10, 11:52 – Roee Nahmias
Maikel Nabil Sanad claims he’s first conscientious objector in Egypt,
blames Palestinians for conflict, says doesn’t want to shoot Israeli
defending his state
Maikel Nabil Sanad is perhaps the most unusual Egyptian you’ve heard
of recently. He is 25 years old, a veterinarian, graduate of a
university in Asyut, and now officially a conscientious objector to
military service in the Egyptian army.
“The army told me its final decision was that I must present myself
for an officers’ course on October 22 in Fayid and start obligatory
service of three years,” he wrote on his blog last week. “I thought
about this a lot and decided to refuse to serve in the Egyptian army,
and accept the results, whatever they would be, even though I knew the
results would be hard because I am the first young Egyptian to refuse
to serve for pacifist reasons.”
From this we learn that “peace activism” is when a Italian calls a
Egyptian pacifist a traitor for not wanting to go to war.
You have posted several times regarding the Itamar Massacre, so you may find this link interesting:
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4057894,00.html
Of particular note are the details regarding the stolen rifle and the gunshot injuries – these were not published at the time of the murder. That a rifle was stolen and recovered is strong, independent evidence which corroborates the confessions, which might otherwise be suspect.
Perhaps the murderers were Palestinians after all, and the military activity in the village was justified?
Here is a very good quote on the matter from http://elderofziyon.blogspot.com
“But that is because their support is built on love, not hate.
So-called “Pro-Palestinian activists” are not motivated by love. If they were, they would act completely differently. So the murders of Arrigoni and Juliano Mer-Khamis – done by the people they supposedly love – will not make a dent in far leftist “support” for PalArabs, because they don’t support them in any real way.
They only have a shared hate for Israel.”
Sorry. I missed the first part of the quote. Here is all of it:
“Imagine if Christian Zionists who visit Israel in solidarity were murdered – by Jews. You can bet that their enthusiasm for Israel would cool quite quickly.
But that is because their support is built on love, not hate.
So-called “Pro-Palestinian activists” are not motivated by love. If they were, they would act completely differently. So the murders of Arrigoni and Juliano Mer-Khamis – done by the people they supposedly love – will not make a dent in far leftist “support” for PalArabs, because they don’t support them in any real way.
They only have a shared hate for Israel.”
Congratulations, Arun and and peanut gallery. A Netanyahu government statement couldn’t have put it any better.
I guess “hate,” for you, is protecting farmers and fishermen from snipers, as Vittorio so courageously had done. I guess that doesn’t qualify as “peace” activism. Just as the Mavi Marmara boat, bringing food, tools, and toys, was, for Bibi, a “hate boat.”
And trying to help people who live in despair and malnutrition at the hands of land-grabbing nationalists among the most reactionary on earth, just doesn’t qualify as a worthy activity for pseudo-leftists like yourselves.
I guess the real “peace activists” are the soldiers that attacked the Mavi Marmara, and the snipers firing at the Gazan fishermen and farmers. Maybe the illegal West Back settlers are also for “peace.”
They’ll make a mass grave and call it peace.
Thus have you, Arun and commenters, succeded, just as our governments and the MSM have so often done, in making black white, up down, war peace, and so on.
Does it feel so good to run with the herd?
And time will tell who really killed Vittorio.
Cher Arun, I dont get you, in fact I’m really disappointed by your “view” on the killing of Vittorio, you are pointing the fact that he was not a “peace” activist, but a supporter of the Hamas, an activist for ISM that apparently for you is known for almost (as you are saying it not out loud) supporting terrorist attack, violence and not being in the dynamic of shalom arshav, do you know what shalom arshav represent here within the israeli and palestinian societies ? NOTHING, absolutely NOTHING, in fact abroad peace now is known and respected, and I’m still wondering why, as they are a zionist left wing movement, talking the language of occupation and at the same time claiming for peace. Last year the Sheikh Jarrah solidarity movement lead by Israelis organized a performance in sheikh Jarrah to support Palestinian families, that night hundreds of activists came from Tel Aviv, with peace now, they didn’t came with empty hands, willing to show their solidarity with Palestinians, they came with Israeli flags, it was full of Israeli flags, it was stupid and pointless, but my content is that “peace” is not an issue anymore here, the only issue is “freedom” (of both people) and any kind of struggle for freedom Arun include “resistance”, it is not because Vittorio had his tattoo that it means that he was a violent young man, I really don’t like your “view” Arun, because it gives me this strange feeling that you are almost saying that he deserved it. The point here Arun, if I may, is that it is time for Palestinians and Israelis (a society that is becoming more and more right wing, almost extreme right wing) to wake up, to say “enough is enough: not in our name”, and also it is time to understand that internationals on both side pro-israelis or pro-palestinians have nothing to do here, and I include myself in it, as in one hand pro-israelis are nourishing the crime of zionisme, and pro-palestinian are nourishing the business of the so-called struggle against the occupation.
I was shocked after the killing of Juliano, for Vittorio I felt really sad as some of my friends here (internationals) knew him personally, and by the way Arun, Vittorio had the right to support who ever he wanted, had the right to volunteer for who ever he wanted it didn’t matter. Those two killing (juliano and Vittorio) are just saying a lot about this place, as it is not only crazy, but also hopeless.
Personally I salute and respect juliano and Vittorio for their courage and also their involvement as human being not for the so called “Peace”, but for “FREEDOM”
Jamila, you’re the third person to respond negatively to my post on Vittorio Arrigoni (one the comment above and a milder critique sent privately). I reread my post and stand by everything I wrote: every word, every phrase, and the selection and placing of all the hyperlinks (I did, however, make one small change in punctuation—substituting em-dashes for commas in one passage—to remove ambiguity or possible misinterpretation). Nothing I wrote was factually incorrect and I just don’t see what the problem is. As I made clear at the beginning, I was prompted to write the post not in reaction to VA’s killing but by Robert Mackey’s words in the NYT video. What I wrote was more about that and the nature of the ISM than VA himself.
I’ll respond to your main reproaches. First, I never hinted, even indirectly, that VA somehow “deserved it.” I don’t know where you get this impression, as nothing I wrote suggests such a sentiment on my part.
Secondly, on the ISM “supporting” terrorist attacks, I did not say that they did so openly. But the Palestinian solidarity camp, while not overtly celebrating such acts, does apologize for the groups that perpetrate them and deflects the blame onto Israel. They *never* condemn terrorism committed by Palestinians (and, needless to say, they never use the term, which they reject when it comes to Palestinians). This is all part of the ‘muqawama’. What I say here is a fact. It is the truth. And we all know it is the truth.
Thirdly, on Shalom Achshav. I mentioned the group because it has “peace” in its name. That’s what it says it’s about—and I do believe it is—and it sounded good in the sentence. And I thought it was an appropriate point of contrast. As for Shalom Achshav representing “NOTHING” in Israel or Palestine, it is certainly the case that the group is politically not too significant nowadays. It has been marginalized in Israel and Palestinians don’t care about it. But SA does do good, indeed invaluable, work, such as its Settlement Watch. Those opposed to the occupation depend on SW’s data (and I personally found it of help in a recent Facebook exchange I had with a conservative American journalist who had just visited the Itamar settlement on an Israeli government organized junket). And, by the way, SA does not speak the language of occupation. It is opposed to the occupation and supports a two-state solution. But back to the political side. Why is it that SA and kindred groups on the Israeli left are marginalized? I think we need to be clear about one thing, which is the disastrous effect the second Intifada—and the particular type of “resistance” the Palestinians employed during those years—had on the Israeli peace camp. The second Intifada and the wave of suicide terrorism in the 2000-04 years dealt a mortal blow, politically speaking, to groups like SA. This is an incontrovertable fact. It is beyond dispute. The Palestinian solidarity camp can deny this all it wants but that does not make it any less true.
On SA showing up in Sheikh Jarrah with Israeli flags—for which you seem to feel indignation—, I really can’t comment on it, as I wasn’t there and didn’t read about it anywhere. I would have to know about the context, SA’s slogans, and what was on its banners. But if SA’s Israeli flags were meant to show that regular Zionist Israelis were in Sheikh Jarrah that day to show solidarity with the Palestinians against the fanatical settlers—to show that the Israeli flag does not only mean occupation but also opposition to occupation, that at least some Israelis feel this way—, well, that’s a good thing, no? If you think it is not a good thing, please explain why. Why should flying an Israeli flag be any less legitimate than flying a Palestinian one? A propos, you mention the “crime of Zionism.” Zionism is Jewish nationalism, which holds that Jews are not merely believers in a religion but constitute a nation and have a vocation to form a state. However one views what happened in 1948—which is a whole other discussion and that I won’t get into today (or tomorrow, or the day after tomorrow; maybe at a future date)—the creation of that state is an accomplished fact, and I just don’t see how Jews upholding this is any less legitimate than Palestinians expressing the will to create their own state. In other words, Zionism is no less legitimate than Palestinian nationalism. If Palestinians and their friends reject this equivalence, all I will say today is ‘on n’est pas sorti de l’auberge’…
Fourthly, you say that “‘peace’ is not an issue anymore here, the only issue is ‘freedom’.” Who can disagree over the importance of ‘freedom’? (though it would be useful if you could specify what you have in mind by ‘freedom’ and how you differentiate this from ‘peace’; just as it would be nice if you could define what you mean by ‘resistance’ and what type of acts this includes and does not include, if any) As for ‘peace’, I define this as a mutually negotiated end to the conflict producing an outcome that the majority of both Israelis and Palestinians can accept. The prospect of this admittedly looks remote at the present time (and it is my well considered assessment that both sides bear responsibility for this state of affairs, but that’s another discussion). But if one gives up on the idea of peace, one is also giving up on the possibility of freedom for the Palestinians, as I don’t see how the latter can happen without the former.
Fifthly, on VA’s tattoo meaning that he was “a violent young man,” I never said this.
Sixthly, on “internationals on both side pro-israelis or pro-palestinians have nothing to do here,” you are no doubt correct, in that their presence changes nothing. It is irrelevant. They’re there for their own reasons, not because the oppressed peoples are clamoring for their help. I have something to say about Western solidarity activists and their motives—not just in Palestine but elsewhere, present and past—, which I’ll do in a future post.
Seventhly, on “Vittorio [having] the right to support who ever he wanted, [having] the right to volunteer for who ever he wanted,” but of course. I didn’t say he didn’t have such a right. But I do reserve the right to express a viewpoint on his choices (not that he would have cared a whit what I think).
Eighthly, on the killings of “Juliano and Vittorio…just saying a lot about this place, as it is not only crazy, but also hopeless.” Yes, the killings were tragic. And they were criminal. But who killed Juliano and Vittorio? This is naturally a rhetorical question, as we know the answer. And we know that it wasn’t the Israelis.
Finally, on Vittorio himself. I had little to say about him in my post but have since had a chance to look into the man and what his views were. A glance at his Facebook fan page turns up some disturbing material. For more on this, see the update on my post.
Vittorio would not have been my political comrade-in-arms, I can tell you that. Based on his Facebook page, I would have had no political affinity with him.
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Stephen, as for you, on time telling “who really killed Vittorio,” we already know who killed him. Hamas dealt with that the other day. As for why they killed him, here’s one possible explanation http://www.ilgiornale.it/esteri/spunta_pista_omofoba_lomicidio_vik_e_hamas_fa_fuori_killer/20-04-2011/articolo-id=518317-page=0-comments=1
You mention “hate” (in quotes). I did not use this word in my post.
On peanut galleries, I guess you would know something about that, wouldn’t you?