seattle indymedia center

60th Anniversary Protest

author: Ed Mast with Photographs by Elliot Stoller
May 14, 2008 00:36

The names of over 470 destroyed Palestinian villages literally surrounded Seattle’s Benaroya Symphony Hall on May 7th. Inside the hall, a local Jewish Federation was hosting the largest of several local Israel At 60 celebrations.

While Israel was celebrated inside, the sidewalks on all sides of the building were covered with the village names in many-colored sidewalk chalk. Coffins with village names were also at all entrances to the building, and people with tears-of-blood masks stood by the coffins, also holding up a large map of historic Palestine with the locations of all those destroyed villages.

Also highly visible were several large silhouettes suggestive of demolished homes, covered with those same 470 village names, plus the statements drawing together the past with the present, including 400 VILLAGES DESTROYED 1948 and 7000 HOMES DESTROYED 2000-2008. A large banner, visible to passing traffic as well as attendees of the celebration, proclaimed the central theme of the day: STOP THE ETHNIC CLEANSING OF PALESTINE.

Jewish allies held signs attesting that many Jews aren’t celebrating. Members of Seattle Jews for a Free Palestine went inside the celebration, handed out fliers including a full-color postcard asking “What does our liberation mean if we become a Pharoah?” and were able to drop two large banners saying "Shame on Us for creating refugees" and "Jews for free Palestine". As police and security escorted them out, they sang Lo Yisagoy - nations shall not learn war anymore.

The events were developed by the Al-Nakba Coalition, a group of Palestinians, Jews and allies who have organized to proclaim not only that Israel was founded on ethnic cleansing, but also that the same ethnic cleansing continues to this day and is the central fact of the conflict. The presence of a large number of Palestinians and allies outside the Israel at 60 party was a way of showing that world has not forgotten, that Palestinians are a crucial part of the history of Israel, that despite all efforts to erase it and erase history, Palestine is still alive.

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