Israeli activist speaks about Middle East

ARYEH GREEN COMES TO CAMPUS TO SHARE 'RADICAL IDEAS'

When Israeli activist Aryeh Green spoke at De Anza College Wednesday, he was armed with a warning for those in attendance.

"I want to throw out some ideas. Some of them will be radical ideas," said Green.

The topic up for discussion was democracy in the Middle East and the protection of civil rights in times of war.

"I'm speaking to you as someone who understands the environment you're coming from," said the Menlo Park native. Green grew up in the Silicon Valley and got his Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology from the University of California, Berkeley.

"I don't know that much about De Anza. I assume, because this is the Bay Area, the majority of you lean towards a liberal school of thought."

Green has spent the last fi ve to six years working for former Deputy Prime Minister of Israel, Natan Sharansky.

He's responsible for contacts with Palestinian and other Arab democracy activists.

"Israel is condemned as the grossest violator of human rights in the world. I'm telling you - I have the chutzpah to tell you - that Israel is actually the most progressive protector of human rights."

Green said he wasn't relieved when he saw a USA Today front page photo of Palestinian men being arrested in France because they were Palestinian - only that they weren't Israeli.

"Not a single voice was raised in America, or the rest of the free world, condemning France as ?the grossest violator of human rights.' Robust democracies infringe on basic human rights to protect societies." He defended France as a representative of democracy. "Our [rights are] superceded by the responsibility of our government to make sure someone doesn't blow up an airplane and we accept that as a society."

Green spoke of his supervisor, Sharansky, who was imprisoned in a Gulag under the Soviet totalitarian state in the U.S.S.R. Sharansky shared a cell with a Muslim from a Tatar state, a Siberian Pentecostal and a Russian Orthodox Priest. All of the men were imprisoned for trying to spread the teachings of their faith.

Green drew parallels between Soviet Russia and modern-day Palestine.

"The issue of free speech leads to the issue of free press, which leads to freedom of religion and there are other issues: women's rights, gay rights and others," he said. "[These rights] let someone have the chutzpah to stand here and say that Israel is the most progressive enforcer of civil rights."

Green discussed events that have taken place during the past two to five years in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. "I'm not saying there can't be an argument. Reasonable people can disagree." He referred to recent arguments about Israel's defense strategies against terrorism.

"[The] argument is doing a disservice against people who are actually suffering from an infringement of human rights.

300,000 people die in Darfur - Israel builds a high security barrier. Three million people die in Cambodia - Israel sets up roadblocks. It's not right to castigate Israel as ?the grossest violator of human rights.' Not when there is ethnic cleansing such as the one in Bosnia."

Green ended his speech with a challenge to both Israeli and Palestinian supporters. "We have a right not being blown up on an airplane. We have a right not being blown up on a bus in Israel. If you care about Israel, demand democracy for Palestinian society," Green said.

"Only when Palestinian society is interested more in preventing persecution of journalists and honor killings of women and girls than destroying the democratic safety of Israel can the two countries flourish." After the speech, Green left the floor open to questions.

"How well do you think Israel respected the civil rights of the Lebanese citizens during the conflict last summer?" De Anza student Vali Mansouri asked.

"Ask the Lebanese how well the civil rights were taken care of, not me," said Green. "It pains us greatly to see those civilian casualties. But to say this was a violation of human rights… absolutely not."

De Anza math instructor Barbra Illowsky cut the discussion short due to time constraints.

"This guy had the sorriest excuses," Mansouri said after Green's speech. "Israel may have some elements of democracy, but when it comes to human rights they are some of the worst violators."

Olga ArdulovIssue
date: 2/12/07
La Voz- De Anza College