On the Palestinian solidarity conferences.

[David Walters <dwalters@xxxxxxxxxx>]

There is little doubt that the ruling class and Zionist forces worked overtime to split the Rutgers conference. By Zionists I mean everyone from the people who are putting on the “Israel Inspire” counter-action at Rutgers to the liberals in the divestment movement who support the right of the Israeli colonial state to exist and just want to go back to the pre-1967 borders.

I haven’t seen and I haven’t been able to get from anyone any real evidence to support the Ohio State University supporters’ claim that there was a “democracy” problem. This is about militancy, pure and simple. It seems to me that New Jersey Solidarity, as the host of the conference, was trying to give an opportunity for participants and presenters to address broader questions in the context of divestment. I don’t see how that imposes a political view on anyone. Louis Proyect mentions transparency. What could be more transparent than unfettered expressions of opinion?

The OSU conference supporters, with their argument that only divestment can be discussed, not only mute the movement but demonstrate that they don’t get what Palestine solidarity should be about. Divestment is not an end-all. It is one tool in the arsenal of resistance. A lot of people wanted to show that in their presentations, and tie all the pieces together. Unfortunately, many others will not hear that story.

As far as the Palestinian vs. white radicals issue, I see this as the old game of divide and conquer. Lou Paulsen is right about this issue. Those of us who are white have as our primary responsibility to support and defend the Palestinian resistance without hedging and without saying how that resistance should be carried out. But if we’re in the solidarity movement and engaged, we can also say what we think about divestment as an end-all tactic.

It does look like the Rutgers conference has turned into a showcase for a lot of ANSWER presenters. But that is no reason to attack it, as Paulsen writes. The Workers World Party that calls the shots for ANSWER obviously filled in the gaps left by the defection of the Ohio State people.

It’s unfortunate that groups like the NECDP in Boston don’t understand what’s really going on. There’s a group that seems to really get the Palestine solidarity movement and understand what’s needed in terms of real principles and correct positions. But with their decision to not support the conferences in either place, they missed a real opportunity to get those good positions out.

Yes, sometimes splits clarify politics. Because of the way this one is unfolding, it doesn’t appear to be clarifying much for anyone not directly involved. But the bottom line is that the Zionists couldn’t be happier that this conference split. And that is enough to make it bad.

J.AS