Justifying the Unjustifiable in Palestine

Ralph is joined by author and human rights activist Miko Peled. They discuss the excuses that Israel uses to defend the atrocities they commit against Palestinians, and the truth behind all the propaganda. 

Miko Peled is an author, writer, speaker, and human rights activist living in the United States. He is considered by many to be one of the clearest voices calling for justice in Palestine, support of the Palestinian call for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) and the creation of a single democracy with equal rights in all of historic Palestine. Mr. Peled was born and raised in Jerusalem. His grandfather was a signer of the Israeli Declaration of Independence and his father was a general in the 1967 war. 

Anybody who is not courageous enough to stand up and speak the truth and stand up for what is right, because they might be called this name or that name—it's cowardice, it's hypocrisy. Being called antisemitic is a small price to pay when you talk about standing for the rights of millions of people who have been living under such terror for so many decades.

Miko Peled 

This is pure revenge. What we're seeing is vengeance of a military force and a state that have been humiliated. And just like any bully, any gangster who's been humiliated, they take it out on the weakest people they can find, people who cannot defend themselves… It's revenge for the sake of revenge. It's savagery for the sake of savagery. It's brutality in its purest form. There's no other reason than the brutality itself. 

Miko Peled 

Palestinians deserve nothing less than the lifting of the siege, release of all prisoners, and the dismantling of the apartheid state. Nothing less than that should be demanded. And all we're seeing people talk about is ceasefires, as though a ceasefire is some great accomplishment. Ceasefire does not provide the possibility of a future where this is not repeated. What needs to be demanded now is a political solution that will ensure the safety and security of Palestinians—and that is never part of the conversation. A ceasefire does not secure the lives or the security of Palestinians, because we know Israel will violate it a week later. 

Miko Peled 

It's not going to collapse because Israelis agree. It's not going to collapse because Israelis wake up one morning in a good mood. Israel is going to have to be forced on its knees. Just like in South Africa, whites in South Africa were on their knees. We're talking about severe sanctions. We're talking about closing down all diplomatic missions. We're talking about not allowing Israelis to participate in sporting events, cultural events, any events, academic arenas. They need to be shunned. Israeli society and the apartheid state that they created need to be brought on their knees.

Miko Peled 

In Case You Haven’t Heard with Francesco DeSantis

1. The Intercept’s Prem Thakker reports 43 members of Congress now support a ceasefire. Some notable additions in recent days include Reps. Becca Balint, Sara Jacobs and Jamie Raskin, the first Jewish members to call for a ceasefire, and Jeff Merkley, the second Senator to call for a ceasefire. Pressure continues to mount on Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, but they still do not support a ceasefire. And the LA Times editorial board has become the first in the nation to call for a ceasefire.

2. According to Time, Reporters Without Borders has filed a complaint with the International Criminal Court for war crimes committed against Palestinian journalists in Gaza. The complaint cites the "deliberate, total or partial, destruction of the premises of more than 50 media outlets in Gaza." This crisis will likely prove decisive for the legitimacy of the ICC, as several countries including South Africa, have alleged that the court is biased in favor of western-aligned governments.

3. Haaretz reports former Vermont Senator Patrick Leahy, who crafted the “Leahy Law” which prohibits U.S. military assistance to foreign security forces that violate human rights, has gone on record saying that the U.S. routinely ignores Israeli human rights abuses. Leahy said “it appears to me that shooting civilians and targeting civilian infrastructure, when you can't prove it is being used by Hamas, would be a violation of human rights…What is being done to apply the Leahy law now? I don’t know. I know past administrations have been too concerned to do it. It should apply to the Israeli Defense Forces, unless the administration, as many have, has waived it."

4. While not calling for a ceasefire, both Bernie Sanders and President Biden have announced plans to reshape military aid to Israel. Senator Sanders has put forth a plan to condition military aid upon multiple criteria including “the right of displaced Gazans to return to their homes” and “an end to settler violence in the West Bank.” Barak Ravid reports President Biden is considering imposing sanctions on Israeli settlers – who have long operated with legal impunity – threatening to ban visas for violent Israeli extremists in the West Bank. Ravid adds this would be the “1st time the U.S. [has] publicly consider[ed] individual sanctions against settlers.”

5. KCRA reports The California Democratic convention was interrupted at multiple points by demonstrators demanding the candidates to fill Dianne Feinstein’s Senate seat call for a ceasefire. Rep. Barbara Lee has done so, but not Reps. Katie Porter or Adam Schiff. Barbara Lee won the most votes at the convention, but fell short of the 60% threshold required to get the formal endorsement of the state party.

6. A stunning ceasefire protest in the Bay Area saw activists park their cars on the bay bridge, then throw their keys into the water below – making it impossible for them or the police to move the vehicles, per FOX 8. Another protest at the DNC resulted in a police crackdown leaving 90 protesters injured, per the Guardian. Yet another protest at DC’s Union Station resulted in 3 arrests on vandalism charges for protesters leaving bloody handprints on the inside of the station, per WTOP. Expect these disruption tactics to escalate as political leaders continue to ignore demands for a ceasefire.

7. While many colleges are clamping down on pro-Palestine protests, Ryan Grim reports Occidental has set the model for engagement with student activists. The college announced that, following a student occupation of the administration office, they would pursue a dialogue with the student activists. Both the students and the administration stressed that Barack Obama got his start in activism at Occidental, pressuring the administration to divest from apartheid South Africa.

8. In other news, Bloomberg reports the Public Prosecutor’s office in Guatemala has conducted raids and arrests of Semilla party members. Semilla candidate Bernardo Arevalo was elected earlier this year, successfully, dealing a rare defeat to the openly corrupt political establishment in that country. The Public Prosecutor’s office also announced that they will file charges against Arevalo, his vice-president elect, and several Semilla congressmen. The State Department has decried this move and is seeking to “Impose Additional Visa Restrictions in Response to Anti-Democratic Actions in Guatemala.” 

9. Finally, More Perfect Union reports that “For the first time ever, U.S. auto workers have gotten a shuttered factory reopened. Workers at the massive Belvidere [Illinois] Jeep plant were laid off or told to relocate in March. Now the plant is not only reopening — @UAW won three times as many jobs and a $30/hour wage floor.” This stunning victory shows what is possible in terms of revitalizing domestic manufacturing with a renewed labor movement. And that is something we can all be thankful for.

This has been Francesco DeSantis, with In Case You Haven’t Heard.