Israel: Hands Off the BDS!
A Statement of the Internationalist Socialist League (RCIT Section in Israel / Occupied Palestine), 27.12.2018, http://www.the-isleague.com
The Internationalist Socialist League (section of the Revolutionary Communist International Tendency in Occupied Palestine) denounces the decision of DonorBox to freeze the accounts of the BDS.
"The American funding platform, DonorBox, which serves as the umbrella organization of the Palestinian Boycott Coalition, announced that it is freezing the accounts of the BDS National Committee (BNC), which operates from Ramallah and is headed by Omar Barghouti. DonorBox made its decision after receiving information provided by the Israel Ministry of Strategic the BDS is affiliated with declared terrorist organizations in the United States. "This is a significant achievement in the struggle against the Palestinian boycott organizations that in reality are driving all the BDS organizations of the world," said Minister of Strategic Affairs Gilad Erdan. "We have been working to undermine the financial infrastructure of the boycott organizations” (1)
The BDS is an organization that struggle to boycott Israel because of the repression of the Palestinian people and the state terrorism of Israel. The so-called connection to terrorist organizations in the U.S is another lie of the Israeli state. The decision to freeze its accounts is another attack on the Palestinians and the democratic rights. Was it true that it is connected to terror it would have been charged with terror by the USA.
The Israeli government, that is connected to fascists and Nazis around the world and sell not only sell weapons to government that use terror against its own population but has a long history of terrorist actions, is the one that all contributions to it should end. Its leaders have to be tried for war crimes and crimes against humanity. It does not happen because the international criminal court is a tool of imperialism that never uses its mandate to bring to justice the big criminals of the imperialist states and their servants.
Israel’s history of terrorism
Terrorism during the Mandate period. During the British mandate the armed Zionist organizations used terror against the Arab population of Palestine.
Thomas Suárez in State of Terror: How Terrorism Created Modern Israel. He proved it by using neglected declassified documents from the British National Archives, covering the period of the British Mandate for Palestine (1920-1948). According to this book over 57 violent attacks were carried out by Zionist terrorist groups (e.g. Haganah, Lehi, and Irgun – ultra-nationalist groups from the far right wing of the Revisionist Zionist movement) killing over 5,000 Palestinians prior to 1948.
1. The most known cases of Zionist terrorism prior to 1947/48 took place in:
“Al-Quds massacre, December 1937: Member of the Irgun hurled a hand grenade at the marketplace near al-Quds mosque, killing and injuring dozens.
Haifa massacre, March 1938: Members of the Irgun and Lehi gang throw grenades at Haifa market, killing 18, and injuring 38.
Haifa massacre, July 1938: The Irgun explodes booby trapped vehicles in Haifa market, killing 21 and injuring 52.
Balad El-Sheik Village Attack, June 1939: This Palestinian village was attacked by members of the Haganah, the Main Jewish Defense. Five villagers were kidnapped and murdered.
King David Hotel Bombing, July 1946: Led by Menachem Begin, the Irgun planned and carried out the bombing of the KingDavidHotel, the British military headquarters in Jerusalem in July 1946 in order to destroy documents proving the terrorist campaigns of Zionist groups. The attack killed 28 Britons, 17 Jews, 41 Palestinians and 5 others for a total of 91 victims.
In 1948-1947 the Zionists gangs carried out between 40-30 massacres in order to force the Palestinians to flee.”
2. The most well-known cases of Zionists terrorism in 1947/48 took place in:
Deir Yassin in April 1948. Commandos of Lehi and Irgun headed by Menachim Begin attacked Deir Yassin, a village of 700 Palestinians, killing between 100 and 120 villagers
Another known bloodier mass murder occurred in the village of al-Dawayima in October 1948 after Israel had declared statehood.
Other massacres recorded by Palestinians: (2)
* Haifa 20/6/1948
78 Palestinians were killed and 24 wounded by a bomb placed inside a vegetable box in a Haifa vegetable market. The Irgun and Lehi paramilitaries were responsible for this.
* The Al Abbasiyah Massacre — 13/12/1947
A group of Irgun members disguised as British soldiers attacked the village of Al Abbasiyah and opened fire on its residents sitting outside a village café. They also bombed a number of their homes and planted several time bombs. Moreover, British soldiers surrounded the village and allowed the killers to escape from the northern side of the village. They killed 7 and severely wounded 7 others, 2 of whom died later including a 5 year old child.
* The Al-Khasas Massacre — 18/12/1947
73 Zionists from the “Maayan Baruch” kibbutz attacked and shot 5 Palestinian workers on their way to work. During the attack, one of the Zionists was stabbed and killed prompting the commander of the Palmach third battalion, Moshe Kelman, to order a retaliatory operation to burn the homes and kill the men in Al-Khasas. The Zionist commander’s report notes that 12 were killed, all of whom were women and children.
* The Jerusalem Massacre — 29/12/1947
Irgun paramilitaries threw a barrel full of explosives near Bab al-Amud (Damascus Gate) in Jerusalem which resulted in the death of 14 Palestinians and the wounding 27 others.
* The Jerusalem Massacre — 30/12/1947
Irgun paramilitaries threw a bomb from a speeding car killing 11 Palestinians.
* The Balad Al-Shaykh Massacre — 31/12/1947
A joint force of the first Palmach battalion and a brigade led by Haim Avinoam attacked the Balad Al-Shaykh village killing 60 civilians, according to Zionist sources. Those killed included children, women and the elderly, and dozens of homes were destroyed.
* Al-Sheikh Break Massacre — 31/12/1947
Zionist paramilitaries groups raided the village of Al-Sheikh Break, killing 40 Palestinians.
* The Jaffa Massacre — 4/1/1948
The Zionist Stern Gang threw a bomb in a crowded plaza in Jaffa, killing 15 people and wounding 98.
* The Al-Saraya Massacre — 4/1/1948
On January 4, 1948 the Irgun Zionist paramilitaries placed a car full of explosives near Al-Saraya in Jaffa which destroyed all that surrounded it, killed 30 Palestinians and wounded several others.
* The Semiramis Massacre — 5/1/1948
The Haganah bombed the Semiramis Hotel located in the Katamon neighbourhood in Jerusalem. The hotel collapsed on its guests, all of whom were Palestinians, killing 19 and wounding over 20.
* The Jerusalem Massacre — 7/1/1948
Irgun paramilitaries threw a bomb at the Jaffa Gate in Jerusalem, killing 18 civilians and wounding 40 others.
* The Al-Saraya Al-Arabeya Massacre — 8/1/1948
Zionist paramilitaries used a car bomb to kill 70 Palestinian civilians and wound dozens.
* The Ramla Massacre — 15/1/1948
Palmach soldiers and the Haganah bombed one of the Arab neighbourhoods in Ramla.
* The Yazur Massacre — 22/1/1948
Yigael Yadin, a Haganah commander, ordered the Palmach commander, Yigal Allon, to carry out an operation against the village of Yazur. A group from the Palmach attacked a bus near Yazur, wounding the bus driver a several Palestinian passengers. On the same day, another group attacked another bus killing and wounding several people. These attacks by the Palmach and Givati Brigades on Palestinian villages and cars continued for 20 consecutive days while other units detonated bombs near village homes.
Then Haganah paramilitaries decided to attack the village and bomb the ice factory along with two buildings around it. A Haganah group opened fire on the ice factory in the village, while other groups opened fire and used hand grenades on the homes in the village. Moreover, an engineering group bombed the Askandroni building, the ice factory, and killed 15 people.
* The Haifa Massacre — 28/12/1948
Zionist paramilitaries from the Al-Hadar neighbourhood, located at the top of Al-Abbas Street in Haifa, rolled down a barrel filled with explosives destroying homes and killing 20 Arab citizens, as well as wounding 50 others.
* The Tabra Tulkarem Massacre — 10/2/1948
A group of Zionist paramilitaries stopped Palestinian citizens going back to the village of Tabra Tulkarem and opened fire on them, killing 7 and wounding 5 others.
* The Sa’sa’ Massacre — 14/2/1948
A Palmach force raided the village of Sa’sa’ and destroyed 20 inhabited homes, killing 60 villagers, most of whom were women and children.
* The Jerusalem Massacre — 20/2/1948
The Stern Gang stole a British army vehicle, filled it with explosives, and placed it in front of the Al Salam building in Jerusalem. The explosion killed 14 Palestinians and wounded 26.
* The Haifa Masacre — 20/2/1948
Zionist paramilitaries attacked the Palestinian neighbourhoods in Haifa with mortar fire killing 6 and wounding 36 others.
* The Al-Husayniyya Massacre — 13/3/1948
Haganah paramilitaries raided the village of Al-Husayniyya, destroying homes with explosives and killing over 30 families.
* The Abu Kabir Massacre — 31/3/1948
Paramilitaries from Haganah carried out an armed attack on the Abu Kabir neighbourhood in Jaffa. They destroyed homes and killed residents fleeing their homes to seek help.
* The Cairo Train Massacre, Haifa — 31/3/1948
The Stern Gang planted bombs on a Cairo-Haifa train which killed 40 people and wound 60 others on explosion.
* Ramla Massacre — 1/3/1948
Zionist paramilitaries planned and carried out this massacre in March 1948 in a market in the city of Ramla, killing 25 Palestinian civilians. Inflicting large casualties to send a message of fear to the Arabs of Palestine.
* The Qalunya Massacre — 14/4/1948
A force from the Palmach Zionist paramilitary group raided Qalunya, bombed several homes and killed 14 of its residents.
* The Nasir al-Din Massacre — 13/4/1948
A group consisting of forces from the Irgun and Stern Gang in disguise raided the village of Nasir al-Din opening fired on its inhabitants and killing 50 people. On the previous day, both Nasir al-Din and Al-Shaykh Qadumi were attacked and 12 were killed.
* The Tiberias Massacre — 19/4/1948
Zionist paramilitaries bombed a home in Tiberias, killing 14 of its residents.
* The Haifa Massacre — 22/4/1948
Zionist paramilitaries attacked Haifa from Hadar Alkarmel and occupied homes, streets and public buildings killing 50 Palestinians and wounding 200 others. The residents were taken by surprise, so they took their women and children to the marina to move them to the city of Akka during which they were attacked by Zionists paramilitaries who killed 100 civilians and wounded 200 others.
* The Ayn al-Zaytoun Massacre — 4/5/1948
Ayn al-Zaytoun is a Palestinian village on the outskirts of Safed, the population of which was 820. The Jewish writer, Netiva Ben-Yehuda writes in her book “Through the Binding Ropes” about the Ayn al-Zaytoun Massacre saying: “on May 3rd or 4th, 1948, nearly 39 bound prisoners were shot.”
* The Safed Massacre — 13/5/1948
The Haganah slaughtered about 70 young men from Safed, but there are no details about this massacre.
* The Abu Shusha Massacre — 14/5/1948
Zionist paramilitaries committed an ugly massacre in the village of Abu Shusha, killing about 60 of its residents, including men, women, children and the elderly. The massacre ended with the expulsion of all the residents of the village from their homes, which were then gradually demolished.
* The Beit Daras Massacre — 21/5/1948
A Zionist force supported by tanks surrounded the village of Beit Daras and opened fire on it. The people of the village realised the critical situation and decided to endure the fire and defend their homes at any cost, so they urged the women, children and the elderly to leave the village to lessen their losses. The women, children and the elderly headed towards the southern area of the village, and once they reached the outskirts, were met with Zionist gunfire, despite the fact that they were defenceless. A large number of them were killed, and the forces burned down several homes and bombed others.
* The Al-Tantura Massacre — 22/5/1948
This massacre was carried out by the third battalion of the Alexandroni Brigade and the Zionist plan was to attack the village from two sides; the north and south. One brigade was to block the road, while a naval boat blocked the withdraw route by sea. Every attacking unit was provided with a guide from the neighbouring Zikhron Ya’akov settlement, whose residents knew their way around the village, and the brigade leadership kept a reserve unit for emergencies. Al-Tantura did not initiate a battle with the Haganah, but refused their terms, so the attackers took the men to the village graveyard, lined them up, and killed 200–250 of them
Benny Morris in" The Birth of the Palestinian Refugee Problem, 1947-1949” (1989 in English), wrote: “The attacks of the Haganah and the Israel Defense Forces, expulsion orders, the fear of attacks and acts of cruelty on the part of the Jews, the absence of assistance from the Arab world and the Arab Higher Committee, the sense of helplessness and abandonment, orders by Arab institutions and commanders to leave and evacuate, in most cases was the direct and decisive reason for the flight – an attack by the Haganah, Irgun, Lehi or the IDF, or the inhabitants’ fear of such an attack.
3. Israel’s sell of weapons to states using it to terrorize its own population:
The International Anti-Zionist Jewish Network published a pamphlet "Israel’s Worldwide Role in Repression" (3) It was researched, written, and edited by members of the International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network. The main researcher is Jimmy Johnson. This publication relies heavily on "The Israel Connection: Who Israel Arms and Why" by Benjamin Beit-Hallahmi (Pantheon City, 1987).
Israel’s skills in military occupation have resulted in placing it at the forefront of a global industry of repression: it develops, manufactures, and markets technologies that are used by armies and police around the world for purposes of repression. Israel's role in this industry began with the Israeli military, which first used its weapons of war against Palestinian people in historic Palestine, and against neighboring countries. In recent years, as interest in surveillance and policing technologies and techniques has grown among governments around the world, an Israeli “homeland security” private service industry built on these field-tested instruments has emerged to exploit and export this interest. This industry includes government agencies, the Israeli military, and a network of private corporations that grossed over 2.7 billion U.S. dollars in 2008. This industry accounts for approximately 7% of the Israeli economy. The Israeli Ministry of Industry, Trade and Labor says on its website: “Israel has more than 300 Homeland Security (HLS) companies exporting a range of products, systems and services… These solutions have been born by the necessity of Israel’s survival and matured by the reality of the continual terrorist threat to the country… No other country has such a large pool of experienced former security, military and police personnel and no other country has been able to field test its systems and solutions in real-time situations.”
Among other repressive states guilty of genocide and ethnic cleansing were Rwanda, the Balkans, Chile, Argentina, Sri Lanka, Haiti, El Salvador and Nicaragua. Israel also cultivated close ties to apartheid South Africa.
Yair Auron, a genocide researcher at Israel's Open University, said that Israel's supply of weapons to regimes such as Myanmar should be compared to the sending of arms to Nazi Germany during the Holocaust.
"These sales turn me and all Israelis into criminals, because they are sent in our name," he told Al Jazeera. "We are abetting genocide.” (4)
In conclusion, we ask: who is collaborating with terrorism? The BDS campaign? Certainly not! It is the Israeli state itself which has a long history of terrorism!
Footnotes