Introduction:
At Rutgers/New Brunswick, today’s ground
zero for the struggle for Palestine in the United States, Palestine emerged
victorious!
Defeating one of the most vicious Zionist
and rightwing-orchestrated assaults on Palestine solidarity in North America in
recent history, the Third North America Conference of the Palestine Solidarity
Movement (“PSM”) at Rutgers University (the “Conference”) concluded its
proceedings and activities with a resounding success and a determination to
forge forward to build a unified and principled movement.
The Conference was held in the spirit of resistance to Israeli war tanks that were during that very time destroying
hundreds of homes and neighborhoods in Rafah, Palestine.
In what will be recorded as a definitional
event in the history of Palestine solidarity in the US, this was the first ever
conference of this size and significance to announce its actual venue only 48
hours prior to convening to outmaneuver the enormous systematic pressure
imposed by the Zionist movement and rightwing forces that had caused the
cancellation of all previously-secured venues.
The Zionist movement at its highest levels
had considered this Conference and the divestment movement as its top priority
target, recruiting to the attack the governor of New Jersey, Rutgers University
president, and state and federal agencies along with dozens of elected
officials.According to all press reports, never before did the Zionist movement bus into an American town five
to seven thousand Israeli supporters for the sole purpose of silencing and
intimidating the Palestine solidarity movement.
Such is what AIPAC, the ADL, state and local Zionist forces
did on that weekend to shore-up the largest ever pro-Israel campus
counter-event, termed “Israel Inspires.”
This was the first time ever that a state
governor would actively campaign to reverse divestment and to leverage Zionist
and rightwing frenzy to announce investing public funds in Israeli bonds.
New Jersey Governor, Jim McGreevy, did
just that, by announcing to the Zionist rally of many thousands that he was the
first governor in New Jersey to invest Public Employees Pension Funds in
Israeli bonds.
Additionally, never before did a national
conference convene with such success against a systematic and extensive
campaign from simultaneous multiple sources repeatedly announcing its
cancellation in all media venues and forms up to the day it was actually being
held.
Yet, despite all stacked odds, between Friday and Sunday, October 10-12, 2003, at least 300 committed nationwide
activists, including many founders of the PSM and divestment movement that was
initiated in 2001 in Berkeley, California, participated undeterred in the
proceedings and activities of the
Third PSM Conference.They came from as far as California and
Florida to join many others from the Midwest and the East Coast determined to
register a unified stand in solidarity with Palestinian people
Reflecting the worldwide support extended
to the Third PSM Conference through the enthusiastic endorsement of 229
organizations (listed below) and 1,498 individuals, the conveners resolved to
unify the PSM, maintain the centrality of divestment as its anchor, and protect
its founding principles that were set in Berkeley, California in 2001.
In that context of unity, the Conference reaffirmed its commitment to the existing principles without any alteration,
and passed a resolution to establish a PSM Coordinating Committee that is open
to all organizations that support the existing principles of unity.
In addition to setting an action plan and an open mechanism of implementation, the Conference also resolved to
propose to the movement at large that the Fourth North America PSM Conference
be held in Northern California - the strong founding region of the divestment
movement.
Of all the national and international
massive support for Conference, the inspiring support from the Abna el-Balad
Movement in Palestine was of special meaning.It affirmed the unity of the Palestinian people in all of
their sectors, and the need to maintain a principled position on the nature of
the Apartheid system of the Israeli polity.
Conference Challenges:
With more than 1,000 letters of support
worldwide, and an endorsement list that intersects North America with the Arab
World, this 3-day event was historic in the tasks placed on its shoulders.
The Conference faced monumental
logistical challenges related to the constant forced venue cancellation and the
smear/fear campaign that whipped a frenzy against the Palestine Solidarity Movement.
Against such unprecedented difficulties,
the Conference was nonetheless tasked with securing a unified solidarity and
divestment movement that is rooted in supporting the self-determination of the
Palestinian people. Primarily, the
Conference aimed to:
1.
Ensure that the primary contradiction for the PSM at
all time is not internal but with Zionism and colonial designs in all their
forms. This was evidenced in the
massive assault the Zionist movement waged against this Conference and the
amount of resources it channeled in a failed attempt to secure its
cancellation.
2.
Ensure that the Palestine Solidarity Movement does
not transform its principles and programs to selective and conditional
solidarity that would inevitably lead to a colonial power structure.
3.
Protect the centrality of institutional divestment,
particularly on college campuses, as the core anchor program of the PSM, with
corporate boycott campaigns as an integral part of divestment but not as an
exclusive substitute.
4.
Maintain a principled unity in the PSM and to expand
the reach of the movement to all organizations and individuals in agreement
with the principles of unity to include both student and community groups.
5.
Provide an organizational structure that is
voluntary and non-binding, yet able to coordinate national programs and
safeguard the consensus of the PSM.
Conference Rallied in Support of Palestine
and Free Speech
In the spirit of defiance against Zionist
intimidation and rightwing forces, Conference participants held a powerful
rally on Saturday afternoon on the grounds of Rutgers University. At 4:30 PM participants boarded busses
and cars and headed towards Rutgers University for a show of determination,
unity, and solidarity. Zionists
throughout the rally attempted to disrupt and intimidate participants in the
most aggressive manner, but to no avail as the level of political awareness was
exceptionally high.
After a spirited and emotionally charged
rally and standoff, and in a rare show of commitment, rally participants
boarded back the busses and returned to the final plenary of that day that
addressed the history of Palestine solidarity. Following the plenary, the Conference opened the first
portion of the organizing session, which continued into the evening. The Saturday rally was also unique in
that Conference participants left the venue of the proceedings to an off-site
location, rallied, and returned in full for several hours of additional
commitment and hard work. The
rally received extensive press coverage, and demonstrated that a principled and
well-organized movement can stand strong in the face of all odds.
Conference Defeated Racial Profiling and
Zionist Intimidation:
Racial Profiling: Registering at the
hotel where Conference proceedings were held was no less challenging than
holding the Conference itself. When obtaining their rooms at the hotel front desk, “Arab or Muslim
looking” and “dark skinned” participants were asked to present their
identification cards and were told that a copy would be made and kept by the
hotel. Hotel personnel revealed
that they were required to maintain this record by law enforcement, which
appear to have demanded the list of participants. This prompted the hotel to implement this politically
motivated racial profiling practice. Conference participants strongly and emphatically objected to this
practice and demanded the return of all acquired copies. A legal team was immediately assembled,
and the hotel management was informed that should they continue their practice
legal action would be initiated promptly. All copies were returned, and hotel management stopped this profiling
practice.
Zionist Intimidation: Throughout the
duration of all proceedings and the on-campus rally on Saturday afternoon,
Zionists attempted to use various means to politically and physically
intimidate participants and record all proceedings. It would be safe to state that the vast majority of
participants were photographed through close-ups and remotely placed
zoom-cameras, some of which were visible at a distance between trees. The process of photographing the
participants took an exceptionally intrusive and aggressive nature in order to
create a confrontation that would undermine the Conference and the rally. Zionist attempts
at infiltration were ongoing throughout the duration of the conference leading
to several confrontations with the volunteer security team.
At one point on Saturday morning, a
tripod-mounted CNN camera set to record the opening session was stolen without
a trace. During that same Saturday
afternoon, it appeared that there was an attempt to set-off fire sprinklers in
the second floor of the Conference area where all the workshops were being held
in order to disrupt the proceedings.
Conference Decisions:
I - Principles of Unity:
The Conference resolved to affirm
unchanged the existing principles of unity set forth in the founding Conference
in Berkeley, California, 2001. The
decision was made in order to safeguard and build towards the unity of the
movement. These principles are:
- The PSM is
committed to a core set of principles.
- The PSM
believes that the Palestinian people must ultimately be able to decide
their future in Palestine. Certain key principles, grounded in, but not
limited to, international law, human rights, and basic standards of
justice, will be fundamental to a just resolution to the plight of the
Palestinians. These include:
o the full
decolonization of all Palestinian land, including settlements, which are
illegal under international law;
o the end of the
Israeli occupation of the Gaza Strip and West Bank, including East Jerusalem
and all Arab lands;
o the recognition
and implementation of the right of return and repatriation for all Palestinian
refugees to their original homes and properties; and
o an end to the
Israeli system of Apartheid and discrimination against the indigenous
Palestinian population.
- Just as the
PSM condemns the racism and discrimination inherent in Zionism underlying
the policies and laws of the state of Israel, the PSM rejects any form of
hatred or discrimination against any group based on race, ethnicity,
religion, gender, or sexual orientation.
- The PSM’s
strength is in the great diversity of its membership. The PSM welcomes
individuals of all ethnic and religious backgrounds to join in solidarity
with the struggle for justice in Palestine.
- As a
solidarity movement, it is not our place to dictate the strategies or
tactics adopted by the Palestinian people in their struggle for
liberation.
STRATEGY
- The PSM
seeks to promote the following campaigns:
- Divestment
from Israel
- Ending
U.S. aid to Israel
- Right
of Return
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