other PeoPle’s Mail

PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP VICE PRESIDENT MIKE PENCE 1600 PENNSYLVANIA AVE. NW WASHINGTON, DC 20500 COMMENT LINE: (202) 456-1111 WWW.WHITEHOUSE.GOV/CONTACT SECRETARY OF STATE MIKE POMPEO U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE 2201 C ST. NW WASHINGTON, DC 20520 PHONE: (202) 647-6575 VISIT WWW.STATE.GOV TO E-MAIL

Compiled by Dale Sprusansky

REPORT SHOWS GHASTLY COSTS OF POST-9/11 WARS

To The Register-Guard, Oct. 28, 2020

The catastrophe that is the U.S. government's involvement in Iraq is even more catastrophic than we realize. The Costs of War Project at Brown University has just released its analysis of the true price of our misguided obsession with 9/11 revenge. The “highlights” of the report are devastating. The budgetary cost through 2019 has been $6.4 trillion, with interest on the resultant debt estimated to be $8 trillion by the 2050s. The human cost, using the crudest measure—body count—has risen to 801,000 people killed, fewer than 1 percent of whom are U.S. service persons. The number of refugees attributable directly or indirectly to the U.S. government’s Middle East wars has, according to other recent reports, mounted to more than 37 million displaced persons. The environmental cost, which includes the 1.2 billion metric tons of greenhouse gases released by the U.S. Defense Department since 2001, is even more staggering when other forms of ecological assault are added in.

Iftheenormityofthesemeasurabledamagesisnotenough,whatwillittakefor Americatoshedourhubrisandrepentofour worshipatthebloodyaltarofmilitarymight?

Tom Stave, Eugene, OR TRUMP RIGHT TO REDUCE TROOP LEVELS IN AFGHANISTAN To the Los Angeles Times, Nov. 19, 2020

The war in Afghanistan has lasted nearly two decades, been overseen by three American presidents, cost more than $2 trillion and resulted in more than 22,000 U.S. casualties. Our troops are placed in the untenable position of fighting in a country during a civil war. (“Trump’s pullout from Afghanistan is rushed and self-serving,” editorial, Nov. 18)

Your editorial states the U.S. has 4,500 servicemembers training, advising and assisting Afghan forces. It says the incoming Biden administration should decide troop levels in Afghanistan, not the outgoing

ANY SENATOR U.S. SENATE WASHINGTON, DC 20510 (202) 224-3121 ANY REPRESENTATIVE U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES WASHINGTON, DC 20515 (202) 225-3121

Trump administration.

One could reasonably state that after nearly 20 years and $2 trillion, the Afghans are not learning from us or, as the adage goes, their country is indeed where empires go to die. The leadership of a new administration will not change that.

Michael Rubino, San Pedro, CA ISRAELI POLICY, NOT THE BDS MOVEMENT, IS THE REAL ISSUE To The News & Observer, Nov. 23, 2020

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo recently visited an Israeli settlement and declared that the U.S. would consider any supporter of the boycott movement against Israel as “anti-Semitic.”

I support the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement and I’m not anti-Semitic. Throughout the years I’ve had the privilege of serving alongside many Jews in social justice work, seeking truth, justice and love. Calling nonviolent advocates for Palestinian rights anti-Semitic is just a cheap shot done to divert attention away from the real problem, which is the rightwing extremists in the Israeli government who relentlessly grab land owned for generations by Palestinian families.

It’s a right-wing government that fails to treat each individual who resides in Israel and Palestine as a human being who is owed basic human rights and dignity.

Kathy Huffstetler, Raleigh, NC POMPEO’S CYNICAL LABELLING OF BDS AS ANTI-SEMITIC To The Washington Post, Nov. 23, 2020

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s recent comparison of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign to “cancer” is a reprehensible attempt to position himself for future political gain (“Pompeo calls boycott of Israel anti-Semitic, compares it to cancer,” news, Nov. 20). Following President Trump’s obsequious groveling to please big donors and right-wing evangelicals, Mr. Pompeo apparently sees the utility of this future voter bloc. Equating the BDS movement with anti-Semitism ignores the fact that major Jewish organizations, both within Israel and beyond, vocally support the BDS movement. The vast majority of the world has recognized that the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories is legally and morally wrong.

Mr. Pompeo’s visit and official recognition of an Israeli business built on stolen Palestinian land should be condemned as the craven political posturing that it is.

Cynthia Favret, Williamsburg, VA FALSE ALLEGATIONS AGAINST CAMPUS ANTI-ZIONIST MOVEMENT To The Butler Collegian, Nov. 3, 2020

Over the past few weeks, Butler students all over campus have heard about issues related to Palestine and Israel. You may have learned about many of the violent human rights crises that Israel is causing in Palestine, as well as one of the most effective methods of protesting these crises: the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement.

Unfortunately, over the past few weeks you have also seen countless attempts to silence Palestinians from speaking about their oppression. There have been social media campaigns to force the university to cancel events being held by Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP). Here at Butler, several Senate resolutions were written in an attempt to suppress the free speech of Palestinians. Worst of all, there has been ongoing defamation of Palestinian students and their allies through false accusations of anti-Semitism.

This strategy of personal attacks, defamation and the suppression of free speech is one that is being used by Zionist organizations on campuses across the country. The strategy, which inaccurately equates opposition to and criticism of the crimes of the Israeli government with antiSemitism, has sadly been proven to be an effective way to push Palestinians out of the conversation and suppress a movement for justice led by students of color.

Here on Butler’s campus, those who oppose justice for Palestinians have worked to reframe this issue and label Palestinians as the aggressors—a tactic that plays on racism, anti-Arab bigotry and Islamophobia. For example, the recent controversial student government resolutions attempted to conflate anti-Zionism with antiSemitism. They directly attacked Students for Justice in Palestine and tried to weaponize a controversial and fallacious definition of anti-Semitism—a definition opposed by over 40 Jewish organizations— to condemn a nonviolent movement for freedom, justice and equality. This façade aims to pit Palestinians and their allies against the Jewish community.

This week, we have seen evidence that this deceptive and spurious messaging, this false equivalency between anti-Zionism and anti-Semitism, has spread across our campus. Some students have broadly referred to those who supported these problematic Senate resolutions as “the Jewish community,” in spite of having the opportunity to hear a multitude of Jewish perspectives—including Jewish individuals who explicitly condemned these resolutions. Even a recent article in the Collegian has unknowingly pushed this misleading messaging out to the Butler community.

Anti-Semitismishostility,prejudiceordiscriminationagainstJewsbecausetheyare Jews.Anti-Zionismisoppositiontoapolitical ideologythatsupportsasettlercolonial movementfortheestablishmentandmaintenanceofaJewishstateinPalestine.AntiZionismspecificallyopposesthewaysthat theIsraeligovernmentcontrols,oppresses andharmsPalestinianslivinginIsrael,the WestBankandGaza.Theinternational movementtoopposeZionismisamultifaith,multi-racialandmulti-ethnicmovement whereMuslims,Christians,Jewsandothers worksidebysideinthestruggleforjustice.

Using the words “Zionist” and “Jewish” interchangeably is harmful to both Palestinians and Jews. Palestinians and their allies are fearful of speaking out against Israel’s human rights violations in fears of being labeled anti-Semitic. They do not want to be doxxed and defamed on campus. Similarly, anti-Zionist Jewish students do not want to be isolated and shunned by some members of their community and therefore are too intimidated to speak out about their political beliefs. It erases diversity within the Jewish community. It silences Palestinians. It creates an environment on campus in which people cannot share their political beliefs out of fears for their safety.

Importantly, it also fractures the progressive student movement on campus. We know that all marginalized communities must work together in order to defeat white supremacy and bigotry. Falsely labeling those who are fighting for Palestinian liberation as anti-Semitic simultaneously harms Palestinians and stifles the fight against anti-Semitism itself. It redirects attention away from dismantling white supremacy and towards the vilification of people fighting for justice. The fight against anti-Semitism must be linked to the wider fight against oppression—including the fight against Palestinian oppression. We are proud to be a part of an intersectional movement for justice and equality for we know our liberation is bound; and our fight for it must be as well.

Students for Justice in Palestine, Butler University, Indianapolis, IN “HISTORIC” AGREEMENTS WILL ONLY FURTHER VIOLENCE To The Daily Gazette, Oct. 11, 2020

The Gazette has published news and opinion columns about the recent agreements between Israel and the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.

Words like historic, unprecedented, and spectacular are being used.

Nonsense. Israel could have made a warm peace with all Arab and predominantly Muslim nations any time over the past 70 years by signing and implementing a genuine peace treaty with the Palestinians, whom Israel continues to cruelly divide and abuse on a massive scale, with U.S. government support.

Since 2002, Israel has ignored (rejected) the 22-nation Arab Peace Initiative of durable peace with normalized relations in exchange for full Israeli withdrawal from all the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967, justice for Palestinian refugees, and a Palestinian nation in the West Bank and Gaza, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

Sadly, Israel would rather continue confiscating Palestinian land and water than make peace with the world.

Enlarging Israel and preventing Palestinian refugees from returning home remain vital to Israeli leaders and U.S. Zionists.

Israel is a vast laboratory of military and police surveillance and repression technologies and techniques, battle tested on Palestinians, that it will now sell to Arab governments to more effectively control and monitor their populations.

The United States will gear up for increased weapons sales. Real peace leads to reductions in tensions and permanently reduced military expenditures, something U.S., Israeli and UAE leaders oppose.

Tom Ellis, Albany, NY U.S. BIAS TOWARD ISRAEL AND THE SO-CALLED “PEACE PROCESS” To the Centre Daily Times, Nov. 25, 2020

Ibelieveweneedtohaveinternational recognitionofthestateofPalestine.IbelievethatactionstakenbytheTrump regime,especiallythoseofSecretaryof StateMikePompeo,haveconsistentlyunderminedtheeffortsofthePalestinian peopleforlegitimaterecognitionasanindependentgoverningbody.Therehasbeen anextremetollonthecitizensofPalestine whohavebeencrushedunderauthoritarian Israeloccupation.Asacountryweneedto movetocompromiseandsupportagreementsbetweenIsraelandPalestineforthe mutualbenefitofallpeopleintheGazaStrip andtheMiddleEastasawhole.

Actions taken by the Trump regime to broker peace talks between Israel and anyone without taking into consideration the Palestinian people, or even recognizing the atrocities that are happening at the hands of Israel, represent an obviously biased and disgusting stance under the guise of a “peace process.”

Stephen Albrecht, State College, PA RE-ENGAGE IRAN, DROP SANCTIONS

To The Islands’ Sounder, Oct. 19, 2020

Even before COVID-19, U.S. sanctions on Iran were the source of immense suffering. In addition to generally fueling poverty and stifling the country’s economy, new U.S. sanctions announced on Oct. 8 will only make it far more difficult for people in Iran to access critical medical equipment and humanitarian aid.

Trump’s “maximum pressure” campaign has meant maximum failure. U.S. sanctions only serve to strengthen hardliners in the Iranian government by allowing them to deflect blame for their people’s suffering, rally support against an external threat, and justify the repression of grassroots peoples’ movements for systemic change.

To truly support the people of Iran, the U.S. must end its deadly sanctions. We urge elected officials to publicly speak up against the “maximum pressure” campaign. It’s time to re-engage in good-faith, multilateral diplomacy.

Linda Ellsworth, Tom Rawson and Kim Secunda, Orcas Island, WA; Iris Graville, Jerry Graville, Charles Janeway and Ron Metcalf, Lopez Island, WA. The writers are members of the San Juan Islands Advocacy Team. ■

Special Report

Dr. Saeb Erekat: A Driven Defender of Palestinian Rights (1955-2020) By Julia Pitner

CONDOLENCES came quickly on Nov. 10, as news spread in Palestine that Dr. Saeb Erekat, 65, had passed away just weeks after he was diagnosed with COVID-19. What surprised a few Palestinians was the outpouring of sympathy from around the world that poured in. However, those in the international community, who have long supported the Palestinians in their struggle, expected no less. Dr. Erekat was known, both at home and abroad, as a tirelessly dedicated advocate and negotiator for peace and freedom for his people.

Saeb Erekat was born in Jerusalem but grew up in Jericho. He was educated in the U.S., earning degrees from San Francisco State and a doctorate degree in conflict resolution from University of Bradford in Britain. Even while studying abroad, Palestine was never far from his heart and mind. At a time when the General Union of Palestinian Students (GUPS) was illegal in the U.S., he joined the Arab Student Union. Returning to Palestine, he began teaching at An-Najah University in Nablus, working his way up to

PHOTO ABBAS MOMANI/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES Palestine Liberation Organization’s Secretary-General Saeb Erekat addresses the media following a meeting in Ramallah with diplomats from contributing nations to the Temporary International Presence in Hebron (TIPH), on Jan. 30, 2019.

professor. It was during his time at An-Najah, said University of Mary-

land Professor Shibley Telhami, “…where his ideas, prolific writings and public commentaries were being noticed beyond the West Bank and Israel.”

But,itwasthefirstintifadathatpropelledhimintopoliticsashe becamepartofthepoliticalcommitteefortheUnifiedCommand.RememberingErekat,Telhaminotedthat,“Hispassionate,eloquentadvocacyofPalestinianrightsonABC’s‘Nightline,’togetherwithHanan Ashrawi,in1988broughthimtotheattentionofamuchlargeraudience.”AsamemberofFatah,itwasalsoduringthistimethatErekat becameclosetoYasserArafat,wholaterappointedhim,overthe objectionsoftheIsraelis,totheMadridnegotiationsteam.InternationalmediaoftensoughtErekatouttolearnwhatArafatwasthinking. Although he was not a “politician,” and perhaps because of that, after the Oslo Declaration, Saeb Erekat’s principal portfolio became the negotiations with Israel and foreign affairs both under Arafat and then under Mahmoud Abbas. As such, he developed relationships with many world leaders, and was known for his ability to clearly communicate Palestinian positions. Erekat replaced Yasser Abed Rabbo as the secretary-general of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) Executive Committee in July 2015, eight months after Arafat's death.

Throughout his life, Erekat was a driven defender of Palestinian rights and, as his friend and colleague Hanan Ashrawi said, “Dr. Saeb dedicated his life to the service of the Palestinian people and cause. He was a part of many historic milestones in our people’s ongoing struggle for liberation.”

Despite his accomplishments and relationships, he is remembered as a humble and unassuming man who was a fighter for Palestinian rights.He is survived by his wife Neameh, twin daughters Dalal and Salam, and sons, Ali and Muhammad.

Julia Pitner is a contributing editor to the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs and a specialist in Middle East politics and civil society.

With flags lowered to half-mast and three days of national mourning in remembrance, he will be missed. May he rest in power and peace. ■