Palestinians just want to live normal lives, says eminent Israeli professor
Over 300 people packed into the Cheese and Grain on Tuesday September 30 to hear a lecture from a history professor. Some people had travelled more than fifty miles, for th…
Palestinians just want to live normal lives, says eminent Israeli professor
Over 300 people packed into the Cheese and Grain on Tuesday September 30 to hear a lecture from a history professor. Some people had travelled more than fifty miles, for this was no ordinary lecturer. Ilan Pappe, Israel's foremost and most forthright historian, knows more about the background to the Israeli occupation of Palestine than almost anyone. He is a scholar whose has dared to challenge his country's comforting foundation-myths with books such as The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine. Hounded from his job at the University of Haifa, he now heads the European Centre for Palestine Studies at the University of Exeter.
"Zionism is built on the illusion that the Palestinian population would somehow disappear", he told the audience, "or that they would continue to exist in limbo for ever and the world wouldn't notice. But they haven't disappeared, and the world is starting to take notice, as the size of tonight's audience indicates."
What can we do? "We need to change the language we use to discuss the situation. We need to stop talking about 'two state solutions' and 'peace talks' between opposing sides. Instead, we need to talk about ending apartheid and racial discrimination. We need to talk about equal opportunities and democracy for all the people who live between the river Jordan and the Mediterranean Sea. People want to live normal lives. Palestinians just want to live normal lives, like everyone else."
It was an inspiring evening. There were Christians, Muslims, Jews, in the audience, people of all faiths and none. All shades of political persuasion were there, from Communist to UKIP; there were teenagers and there were people in their nineties. "I am more passionate about Palestine than ever now", said one attendee afterwards.
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