Nine members of Peace Action Wisconsin protested Israeli military actions in Lebanon Monday on the steps of the Federal Courthouse.
Participants held signs that read, “We oppose the destruction of Lebanon,” “Justice for Palestinians equals security for Israelis,” and “No Russ, we can’t tell Israel what to do. We can stop sending $3 billion in U.S. aid to be used to destroy Palestinians and Lebanese.”
Protesters aimed their ire at Israel as well as the United States government for its support of Israel. One protester of Lebanese origin said that Israel intended to commit genocide against the Lebanese.
Among the nine protesters were two Jewish Americans: Ruth Weill and Arnold Kaufman.
Weill handed out a flyer explaining her positions and identifying herself as an American and a Jew. Though she condemned the kidnapping of Israeli soldiers, Weill cast doubt on whether Israel’s recent military actions in Lebanon were truly defensive.
“Israel claims the attacks as security issues, defending themselves. Whether it be in Gaza or Lebanon (sic),” she wrote. “Have they not learned from their mistakes? Do they not remember that in the early 80s Hizbollah was formed as a resistance against Israeli brutality (sic). Do they realize since 2000, when Israel left Lebanon, the border has been very quiet (sic).”
According to Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, that’s not quite the case. Since Israel unilaterally withdrew from southern Lebanon in 2000 there have been 105 anti-aircraft attacks, 42 anti-tank missile attacks, five Katyusha rocket attacks, seven shooting attacks, 10 explosive device attacks and 14 infiltration attempts resulting in a total of 15 Israeli soldiers killed, 67 wounded and six civilians killed and 17 wounded.
In an interview, Arnold Kaufman said he thought the claim that Israel was aiming to commit genocide against the Lebanese people was “a little hyperbolic because I don’t think their aim is to destroy a nation.”
Kaufman also described himself as a proud Jew, but surmised that the Jewish people may have been traumatized because of the Holocaust and anti-Semitism.
This trauma, he argued, manifested itself in what he described as Israeli “intransigence,” which has resulted in “the tragedy of the last 50 years.”
Kaufman blamed Israel for the conflict by allying itself to the United States, which he said wasn’t in Israel’s best interest. He also chastised Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon for their support of unilateral disengagement with the Palestinians.
Kaufman doesn’t accept the claim that there are no viable partners for peace on the Palestinian side. “If there are no peace partners, [Israel] should cultivate peace partners,” he said.
Kaufman admitted that he often argues with his Jewish friends about the conflict and says he is “truly concerned with the welfare of the Jewish people.”
Before the demonstration, a delegation from Peace Action met with representatives of Democratic Senator Russ Feingold.
Zak Mazur is a former assistant editor at The Chronicle.
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