Israel can’t handle Quaker solidarity with Palestine

By Denijal Jegić

SAn FRANCISCO, 23 Jan. - (ANA) - The American Friends Service Comittee (AFSC), a American Quaker organization founded in 1917, was among the twenty organzations recently banned by Israel for its support of the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement.

For a century, the AFSC has helped populations affected by war around the world. In 1947, the organization won the Nobel Peace Prize for rescuing refugees from Nazi Germany. It might seem surprising then that, amongst the banned organizations, the AFSC has been a particular target of pro-Israel advocates. For Israel and its supporters, it seems hard to fathom that an organization, which rescued Jews during World War II, could stand in solidarity with Palestinians suffering under Zionist rule. But AFSC’s solidarity is rooted in its historical commitment to human rights. This makes it particularly difficult for the apartheid state to deal with the group.

The Quaker faith has long been synonymous with working for the oppressed. The group’s history of non-violent boycott dates back to the late 18th century, when members of the faith initiated the Free Produce Movement, to boycott goods produced through slavery. On the eve of World War II,  a delegation of American Quakers traveled to Nazi Germany to protest the anti-Jewish progroms, which followed ‘Kristallnacht’ (1938). Nazi Propaganda Minister, Joseph Goebbels ridiculed the move, and some participants were even arrested by the Nazis.

In bestowing the peace prize on AFSC for its work on behalf of Jewish refugees, the Nobel committee praised the organization for its deep commitment to humanity:

The Quakers have shown us that it is possible to translate into action what lies deep in the hearts of many: compassion for others and the desire to help them – that rich expression of the sympathy between all men, regardless of nationality or race, which, transformed into deeds, must form the basis for lasting peace. For this reason alone the Quakers deserve to receive the Nobel Peace Prize today.

Following Israel’s brutal creation in 1948, the AFSC provided humanitarian aid to Gaza, as Israel’s ethnic cleansing activities were ongoing. Early on, the organization called for a political settlement and repatriation of Palestinians into the newly formed Israeli state. At the start of this year, the AFSC reaffirmed that, as long as Israel violates human rights, the organization “will continue to support Palestinian-led boycott, divestment, and sanctions efforts as effective nonviolent tools for realizing political and social change.”

Criticizing Israel’s blacklisting of the group despite its historical assistance to Jews, Israeli journalist Chaim Shalev wrote for Haaretz that “Jewish history is apparently of no interest to the Israeli government.” As the banning of AFSC shows, anyone advocating for equality and human rights for Palestinians is persona non grata in Israel. Because Israel’s survival depends upon the subjugation of the Palestinians, even those groups that have supported the Jewish people are not safe.  _ (ANA) -

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