One Democratic State Initiative

The One Democratic State Initiative is working to revive the historical Palestinian vision: Liberation and return to a democratic Palestine. Sign up to take part in our efforts: odsi.co/en/sign-up

Focusing on the root cause of violence —in the case of Palestine, settler colonization— is particularly important in times of extreme violence where activism tends to be a reaction to the symptoms. Poet-artist Robert Yerachmiel Sniderman explains in an interview with the One Democratic State Initiative. Link to the full interview: https://lnkd.in/dJ4Bwxs2

Trigger warning: Sexual assault, rape, settler colonialism. A 2011 study showed that more than 60% of Israeli men and more than 40% of Israeli women think forced sex with an acquaintance is not rape. https://lnkd.in/dzdW6Buv In 2019, 92% of rape investigations in the colony ended without charges being filed. https://lnkd.in/deKCvqQk In 2020, out of 1,542 sexual assault complaints in the colony's army, only 31 indictments were filed. https://lnkd.in/dZRZj42T In 2022, 1/3 of the colony's female conscripts suffered sexual harassment. The majority of them did not report it. 70 percent of those who did report it stated that their report was not handled sufficiently or not handled at all. https://lnkd.in/dwJtkght In 2022, the US State Department stated that the colony does not meet the minimum standards for the elimination of human trafficking. https://lnkd.in/dkW3ADmH Why highlight sexual violence among the colony’s own settlers, when we could say even more about the settlers’ rape of indigenous men, women and children? Settler colonial social structures fuel sexual violence even within themselves because they teach people to view land, and each other, as violable. Settler colonialism is about establishing polities without regard for the consent of the existing population. This brings to meet the etymology of the word rape, which in Latin refers to stealing or seizing. Settler colonialism normalizes rape because it is rape. Colonies rape because rape is how colonies are born. The existence of the colony —of that polity imposed upon an existing society— is immoral. Supporting its dismantlement and the establishment of its antithesis —a polity through which society actively consents to how its matters are administered— is not a political preference. It is a moral imperative.

A common argument against the establishment of a democratic state is that it could never work after 75 years of oppression, that it could not guarantee the security of its citizens since previous oppressors and victims be at each other’s throats. We share here an opinion article on this matter, titled "Can Palestinians and Israelis coexist in a single democratic state?". It presents an analysis of the cause of violence (a political project of colonization or difference of identities?) and draws on the historical cases of Algeria, Kenya and South Africa to point to a consistent pattern of decolonization that can apply to tomorrow's Palestine. The article was co-authored by Alain Alameddine and Seth Morrison and published in the Middle East Monitor: https://lnkd.in/dHasY9dz A Hebrew translation by one of our supporters is also published on our website: https://lnkd.in/de2AtjWv

We invite you to read more about our vision and our initiative on odsi.co.

We invite you to read more about our vision and our initiative on odsi.co.

Archbishop Atallah Hanna, Head of the Greek Orthodox Church in Jerusalem and an outspoken #One_Democratic_State supporter: "Palestine is where Christ was born and where Christianity emanated from. We call on the churches of the world to urgently defend Palestine, the children of Palestine and the cause of Palestine. Let our message this Christmas be to free Palestine and the Palestinian people."

The United Nations has no right to partition countries, nor was its decision to partition Palestine binding in any way. The very creation of the state of Israel is actually a violation. Palestine-Chilean lawyer Emilio Dabed explains in an interview with the One Democratic State Initiative. Link to the whole interview, "By enabling genocide, the international legal system is working just as designed": https://lnkd.in/dx59CeEn

In the course of their struggle against apartheid, the leadership and the membership of the South African liberation movement always tried to define a vision of what a freed South Africa would look like, namely, a vision for a single state that embraced diversity. Palestinians must do the same, and our allies worldwide can help us do just that. Naledi Pandor, former South African minister, explains in an interview with MEE on the global fight to isolate Israel. Link to the whole interview: https://lnkd.in/dErC_rrg

The centuries-long history of Jewish Palestinians in Gaza is fascinating.