Mark Glenn: The Ugly Truth - Radio Interview with Antoine Raffoul

Mark Glenn (left) and Antoine Raffoul

Mark Glenn true to his style, lays out for his listeners, at the very outset, in no uncertain terms, the price in dollars that Americans have been paying for the misdeeds of their “bestest ally” Israel, for the past 60 years and more. For those who find Mark’s commentary harsh, it rings of truth and that is all that matters today. 

What Americans need to know and find out,  first, is where their dollars are going; second, what those dollars are doing; third, if that is what they really want their dollars to do for their country. Nothing more. Nothing less. If they are able to link their dollars in Israel to American deaths/involvement in distant lands, perhaps when the time comes to vote, they will simply tick the right voting box. It is as simple and powerful as that.

Antoine Raffoul, a Palestinian in exile, displaced in 1948,  living in London, picked the most appropriate Thomas Jefferson (3rd US President and author of the Declaration of Independence) quote to kick-start the programme: “Educate and inform the whole mass of the people. They are the only sure reliance for the preservation of our liberty”.

Click on the player below to listen to the interview

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Open Letter To Elton John: Do Not Perform In Israel

The following is an open letter sent by 1948.org.uk to Elton John to urge him to cancel his scheduled concert in Israel

Dear Elton John,

We write to ask you to consider canceling your forthcoming concert in Israel due to take place on 17 June 2010 in the Ramat Gan Stadium in the District of Tel Aviv. We believe that to perform in Israel is to give credence to and acceptance of a system of Apartheid no different that that which existed in South Africa where you performed in 1983 at the height of that ugly regime. At that time the ugliness of the illegal occupation by Israel of Palestinian land and the devastating effect of its military machine on the lives of 4.5 million civilians were not so apparent then as they are today. The only consistency is its aggressive continuity.There is no doubt in our minds that you, your partner, your management, your agent and your publicist have been exposed to the horrific military onslaught which Israel launched in the name of Operation Cast Lead as a Christmas offering to Gaza, to Obama and to the rest of the world in December 2008. That crime continued uninterrupted until 17 January 2009, killing more that 1400 people including 400 children and demolished schools, educational facilities, UN compounds, mosques, and - get this - the whole Gaza Zoo and its animal population. The images of dead Palestinian babies were broadcast all over the television screens and printed on the front pages of most of the world newspapers. Now, how easy is it for you and us to forget that?If you do go ahead with this performance in Israel, you will be ignoring, dismissing and defying the call of the Global Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) Movement launched in July 2005, which urges a total boycott of the State of Israel until justice and the rule of law are reinstated in historic Palestine.

If you do go ahead with this performance, you will be condoning the crimes which have been committed by Israel in Palestine since its creation in 1948 when 750,000 indigenous Palestinians were expelled from their homes starting one of the most catastrophic human disasters in modern times. This ethnic cleansing continues, albeit sometimes in very subtle ways, until this very day. So by the time you finish your performance, dozens of Palestinian homes would have been demolished and their legal occupants kicked out on the street.

If you do go ahead with this performance, you will be promoting the hypocritical campaign which Israel is presently conducting to falsely promote a humane, democratic and tolerant society including a campaign in support of the Gay Movement in Israel in the name of 'fairness', 'tolerance' and 'equality'. The reality is just the opposite. Just Google Gays in Israel and you will get our drift.

If you do go ahead with this performance, at least stand up for peace and justice across historic Palestine which would be a fairly normal thing to do; then see the reaction you will get.

If you do go ahead with this performance, please make sure that the 41,500 solid crowd will hear you sing for an end to the military occupation of Palestinian land.

If you do go ahead with this performance, please make sure that, when you sing in that stadium, you sing loud enough for the Gazans to hear you in their open air prison only 40 miles away. This open air prison is Israel's version of a stadium for the Gazans, except that its audience will not be applauding you, supporting you or cheering you. They may not even be able to hear you because of the deafening sound of Israeli F16s, Israeli pilot-less drones and super duper tanks. Some of the Gazans may not even hear you no matter how loud you sing, because they have been made deaf and dumb as a result of Operation Cast Lead.

If you do go ahead with this performance, please make sure that those other Palestinians living in another open air prison, called the West Bank, can hear you across the 8 meters high Prison Wall which Israel has been building to isolate one human being from another. And you would think, good God, we ought to be tearing walls down. The Berliners did.

If you do go ahead with this performance, please make sure that you light one single candle for the 'BDS wind' which will, no doubt, bring change to the Apartheid system Israel has built in this most beautiful land.

Finally, if you do go ahead with this performance, just think: hey, let me take a trip across to Gaza, the West Bank, or East Jerusalem to see what the hell was this protest letter all about. See for yourself and remember that you had just performed for that Apartheid system.

Sincerely,                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          
Antoine Raffoul
1948: Lest We Forget - Coordinator

The above letter was sent recorded delivery to Elton John via the following contacts:

Elton John's Management: Twenty-First Artists, Ltd., 1 Blythe Road, London, W14 OHG - Phone: 44-207-348-4800

Elton John's Agent: Howard Rose, The Howard Rose Agency, Ltd. - 9460 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 310, Beverly Hills, CA 90212 - Phone: 310-858-3838

Elton John's Publicist: Fran Curtis, Rogers & Cowan, Pacific Design Center, 8687 Melrose Avenue, 7th Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90069 - Phone: 310-854-8100

Elvis Costello Cancels His Tel Aviv Gig

A Statement by Elvis Costello as posted on his website on 15.5.2010:

"It is after considerable contemplation that I have lately arrived at the decision that I must withdraw from the two performances scheduled in Israel on the 30th of June and the 1st of July. One lives in hope that music is more than mere noise, filling up idle time, whether intending to elate or lament. Then there are occasions when merely having your name added to a concert schedule may be interpreted as a political act that resonates more than anything that might be sung and it may be assumed that one has no mind for the suffering of the innocent. I must believe that the audience for the coming concerts would have contained many people who question the policies of their government on settlement and deplore conditions that visit intimidation, humiliation or much worse on Palestinian civilians in the name of national security. I am also keenly aware of the sensitivity of these themes in the wake of so many despicable acts of violence perpetrated in the name of liberation. Some will regard all of this an unknowable without personal experience but if these subjects are actually too grave and complex to be addressed in a concert, then it is also quite impossible to simply look the other way. I offer my sincere apologies for any disappointment to the advance ticket holders as well as to the organizers. My thanks also go to the members of the Israeli media with whom I had most rewarding and illuminating conversations. They may regard these exchanges as a waste of their time but they were of great value and help to me in gaining an appreciation of the cultural scene. I hope it is possible to understand that I am not taking this decision lightly or so I may stand beneath any banner, nor is it one in which I imagine myself to possess any unique or eternal truth. It is a matter of instinct and conscience. It has been necessary to dial out the falsehoods of propaganda, the double game and hysterical language of politics, the vanity and self-righteousness of public communiqués from cranks in order to eventually sift through my own conflicted thoughts. I have come to the following conclusions. One must at least consider any rational argument that comes before the appeal of more desperate means. Sometimes a silence in music is better than adding to the static and so an end to it. I cannot imagine receiving another invitation to perform in Israel, which is a matter of regret but I can imagine a better time when I would not be writing this. With the hope for peace and understanding".

Elvis Costello

Gil Scott-Heron Tel-Aviv May 2010 Concert Cancelled

It has been reported that Gil Scott-Heron has cancelled his concert in Tel-Aviv due in May 2010. This is no doubt the result of a wide campaign to urge him not to perform in Israel. With Palestinian artists and musicians calling for a cultural boycott of Israel, campaigners were deeply saddened by Scott-Heron's apparent decision to play a high-profile gig there.

Speaking on-stage at London's Royal Festival Hall last Saturday, Scott-Heron told the audience he "hated war" and, in a lengthy monologue, told the packed audience his Israel tour date would not be going ahead.

It's great news that this date has been cancelled. Scott-Heron was cheered and applauded when he made his announcement.

The Dan David Prize: Open Letter To Margaret Atwood (and replies)

From: Antoine E Raffoul
Sent: 11 April 2010 11:06
To: [Margaret Atwood]
Subject: The Dan David Prize

I write to urge Margaret Atwood not to attend and accept the Dan David Prize from an Apartheid regime whose policies stand for everything that Margaret's writings oppose. I do not have to document here everything about this Apartheid regime. Its policies are well documented and are there to see in the everyday life of the Palestinian people.

Stand up to your principles, Margaret, and set an example for other decent intellectuals to follow. A total boycott of Israel in response to its total occupation of Palestine.

I hope you will heed this call.

Your truly

Antoine Raffoul

London

____________________________________________________

From: [Margaret Atwood]
Date: 12 April 2010 10:02:12 GMT+01:00
To: Antoine Raffoul
Subject: FW: The Dan David Prize

Dear Mr. Raffoul,

Since the Dan David Prize has been announced and I have accepted it. I have received several letters from different groups asking me to reverse my acceptance and boycott this event. I believe that Amitav Ghosh, with whom the prize is shared, has also begun to receive such letters. He and I have been chosen to receive the Dan David Prize for our literary work-work that is said to depict the twentieth century from the vantage point of our respective countries.

I sympathize with the very bad conditions the people of Gaza are living through due to the blockade, the military actions, and the Egyptian and Israeli walls. Everyone in the world hopes that the two sides involved will give up their inflexible positions and sit down at the negotiating table immediately and work out a settlement that would help the ordinary people who are suffering. The world wants to see fair play and humane behaviour, and it wants that more the longer the present situation continues and the worse the conditions become.

However, the Dan David Prize is a cultural event. It is not, as has been erroneously stated, an "Israeli" prize from the State of Israel, nor is it a prize "from Tel Aviv University," but one founded and funded by an individual, just as the Griffin Prizes in Canada are. To boycott an individual simply because of the country he or she lives in would set a very dangerous precedent. And to boycott a discussion of literature such as the one proposed would be to take the view that literature is always and only some kind of tool of the nation that produces it -- a view I strongly reject, just as I reject the view that any book written by a woman is produced by some homogeneous substance called "women." Books are written by individuals.

Another dangerous precedent is the idea of a cultural boycott. Even those strongly endorsing a financial boycott, such as www.artistespourlapaix.org,  Artists For Peace, reject cultural boycotts, which they see as a form of censorship. (See their December 22 posting.) Indeed, such boycotts serve no good purpose if one of the hopes for the future is that peace and normal exchanges will be restored. PEN International, an organization of which I am a Vice President, is in favour of continuing dialogue that crosses borders of all kinds. In this situation, threats to open discussion come from both sides of the wall: consider this report from IFEX: http://www.ifex.org/israel/2004/07/28/israel_palestine_journalists_pressured/

I realize that I am caught in a propaganda war between two desperate sides in a tragic and unequal conflict. I also realize that, no matter what I do, some people are going to disagree with my decision and attack me for it. That being the case, I have chosen to visit, to speak with a variety of people, and - as much as is possible -- to see for myself, as I have done in other times and other countries many times before. After that, I will write my own Open Letter - something that I would otherwise be unable to do.

With respect,

Margaret Atwood.

____________________________________________________

From: 1948 LEST WE FORGET <info@1948.org.uk>
Date: 14 April 2010 14:40:15 BDT
To: [Margaret Atwood]
Subject: The Dan David Prize

Dear Ms Atwood,

I am truly grateful for your response to my email which urges you to renounce the Dan David Prize 2010.

May I be allowed a response to your kind email in order that I may shed light on some key statements you made about the Dan David Prize.

First of all, the letters and emails you received from those urging you to reject the Prize, were not meant to put you in a situation where, as you said, you feel "caught in a propaganda war between two desperate sides in a tragic and unequal conflict. I also realize that, no matter what I do, some people are going to disagree with my decision and attack me for it".

The nature of this world we live in is that we are not only private individuals living in a private shell, but also members of a world society built on the principles of human rights and the rule of international law. Some of us attain positions of importance, like yourself, which reinforce and protect these principles for future generations. For that, the world should hopefully be a better place. So you should not be caught in the middle of a conflict, but rather, become a contributor to its resolution.

The Palestine/Israel conflict is a tragic one and we are all part of it, directly or indirectly. It is tragic because one nation, Israel, chooses to occupy and de-humanize millions of Palestinians living under the worst occupation in modern history. You eloquently wrote that you "sympathize with the very bad conditions the people of Gaza are living through due to the blockade, the military actions, and the Egyptian and Israeli walls. Everyone in the world hopes that the two sides involved will give up their inflexible positions and sit down at the negotiating table immediately and work out a settlement that would help the ordinary people who are suffering. The world wants to see fair play." I totally agree with you, but it is a fact that "the world" you speak about is precisely the world we all belong to as individuals, as groups and as rich and civilized societies. You and millions of others, would have an opinion to make about this world. We live on one planet and have witnessed, unfortunately, many wars in our lifetime and we need to avoid similar ones in the future and to allow next generations to live in peace and harmony.

You go on to state that "the Dan David Prize is a cultural event. It is not, as has been erroneously stated, an "Israeli" prize from the State of Israel, nor is it a prize 'from Tel Aviv University,' but one founded and funded by an individual [Dan David]". It may not be a prize from the State of Israel itself, but nor is it a prize from an individual. This prize and the event are the brainchild of Dan David, founder of the Dan David Foundation which is an enterprise headquartered at Tel Aviv University and funded with a $100 million donation from him. Dan David himself holds the title of Doctor Philosophiae Honoris Causa from Tel Aviv University and is a member of the Board of Governors of Tel Aviv University. The Dan David Prize is bestowed on its recipients in the presence of Israeli government officials (last year it was Israeli President Shimon Peres when the Prize was awarded to Tony Blair - who left a shameful legacy in Iraq).

Dan David is not a simple individual but an important one for Israel. According to a detailed report in Haaretz newspaper in November 2007 (http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/923356.html), Dan David is portrayed as an important philanthropist, more for the State of Israel than for the world. He may not be a household name there but his presence is felt everywhere. According to the report, "David owns 90% of the world automatic photo booth, and all the booths in every mall in Israel". The Dan David Foundation is also engaged in myriad philanthropic projects in fields as varied as archaeology, medicine, and film.

Your portrayal of Dan David as "an individual" underestimates his real position and power. Despite his upbringing as a simple but smart child in Bucharest where he was born in 1920, Dan David, according to the report, "was active in various movements and became active in Zionism following his experiences in the Second World War". He has been expanding his activities and "donates more to charity in Israel than to business". The report continues, "[at]16 he joined a Zionist youth movement and helped organize aliyah from Romania [to Israel], where he continued to live". Later, after the Romanian authorities allowed him to leave, "he went to relatives in Paris and in August 1960 he, his mother and aunts sailed on the Theodor Herzl to Israel. They lived in Herzliya and later moved to Tel Aviv...[He] now insists that he is an Israeli".

One cannot but admire Dan David's business acumen and success. But he is certainly not 'anybody' or any 'individual'.

Finally, you argue that "to boycott an individual simply because of the country he or she lives in would set a very dangerous precedent. Another dangerous precedent is the idea of a cultural boycott". It so happens that the country in question here is the State of Israel which is conducting daily military activities in the Occupied Palestinian Territories reminiscent of Apartheid South Africa. Its institutions whether, cultural, educational, industrial, scientific, judicial, agricultural or military, are part and parcel of the political institution of the State and harbour activities in tune with the policies of the State, working hand in hand to enforce the policies of an illegal occupation of Palestinian land.

Thank God you are not 'any individual'. You are Margaret Atwood. You have an important voice in the literary world. You can have a stronger voice in the humanitarian one. We urge you to make a stand, by rejecting the Dan David Prize, or at the least in the body of your forthcoming Open Letter.

Respectfully yours,

Antoine Raffoul
Coordinator
1948: LEST WE FORGET
www.1948.org.uk