(Editor's note: Barnea, himself a left-winger, is clearly wrong in his belief that that the International Solidarity Movement [ISM] and other expressions of "alternative tourism" to Israel are things of the past: even now the self-destructive leftists of Gush Shalom are waging war in the courts to prevent the government from expelling several ISM activists and ISM has announced plans to bring 1,000 supporters to Israel this summer. Appallingly, ISM activist Huwaida Arraf -- wife of the despicable Adam Shapiro -- reports that of over a thousand ISMers who have gone to Israel in the last eighteen months, only 20 were barred entry by Israel. So while it is welcome news that the Israeli government finally acted to close down ISM offices, given Israel's track record of negligent folly, one cannot be sanguine.) [The article has been edited for space.]
"Friends," begins the web site of ISM, an international movement that works against Israel in the territories. "Friends, it's great that you will be coming to join us in nonviolent, direct-action resistance to the occupation of Palestine. Hopefully the following information will be helpful to you in making your travel plans.
"There are three ways to come to Palestine -- via the Ben Gurion airport, Tel Aviv, via Amman, Jordan or via Egypt. We believe that it's less suspicious if you come through Israel but you have to have a really good story about why you are coming, and must not mention anything about ISM or knowing, liking, or planning to visit Palestinians. You must play it as though your visit is for other, Israel-based reasons, like tourism, religion, visiting an Israeli friend, etc. So do a little bit of research and put together a story that you'll be able to answer questions about. For example, if you say you are visiting a friend in Jerusalem, you should have the name and phone number of a real Israeli person. If you are coming for religious purposes, have a book or two on religion and travel in Israel; have an itinerary, etc.
"All in all, it's much easier to fly right into Tel Aviv. The main benefit of coming through Jordan or Egypt is that they are a little less stringent at the border. They're pretty strict and suspicious at the airport, though quite a few people get lucky and most of our activists get in as long as they play it right."
Raphael Cohen, a young Jewish man from England who is one of the leaders of ISM, tried to convince me last week that his organization works only in the framework of the law. I asked him how that fits with his organization's recommendations for the phony traveler. "I haven't read the web site," he brushed me off. "I don't know what you're talking about."
He spoke to me with thinly repressed hatred, just as a true man of peace should speak to a war criminal. This spring, peace tourism stopped being a children's game. Rachel Corrie, one of the organization's members, was killed confronting an IDF bulldozer in Rafah. Three other members were seriously wounded by gunfire, two in Rafah, one in Jenin. The two British Moslems who went to blow up at Mike's Place in Tel Aviv had spent time earlier in Rafah with the peace tourists. This tourism, it appears, kills and gets killed.
IDF commanders from the chief of staff on down would like the government to expel pretty much all people who define themselves as peace activists. It would seem that their efforts are unnecessary: the number of young people volunteering to defend the Palestinians from the wrongs of the occupation has miraculously dropped over the past few weeks. Perhaps because it turned out that this exciting adventure could end in a coffin...
This week, Raphael Cohen called a press conference in Jerusalem to explain. On April 25 he was in an ISM apartment in Rafah along with 15 others. Two of those invited were the British terrorists who would later attack the Tel Aviv promenade. Tea was served, of course. "I asked if they belonged to any organization. They said no, but said that they had arrived in the framework of alternative tourism. We spent 15 minutes in the apartment. From there we went to the place where Rachel Corrie was run over. We laid a flower on the pile of dirt. Then we parted."
"Alternative tourism" is the name of an organization that works against the occupation, parallel to the ISM. The two organizations were born in the small Christian town of Beit Sahour, which during the first intifada declared a non-violent, and very effective, tax revolt against the occupation. Both organizations include Israelis from the fringe of the fringe of the Left. Michael Warschawski has been carrying the fringe of the Israeli Left on his shoulders since the days of the Matzpen movement....
"Alternative tourism is political tourism," he said. "It is very accepted in Europe now. The organization of this name was established in 1995 in Beit Sahour and worked for the most part with Christians ... Ghassan Aduni, who was one of its founders, established a new organization three years ago, called ISM. This organization consists of Americans, Britons, and Irish. There are also Jews involved in it. They are not my cup of tea.... Some of the activists are adventurers who I would not want to party with. Some of them are looking for trouble."
What are kids from good Jewish homes in America and England doing in the Rafah refugee camp? They are doing what Jews have always done: saving the world. With holy innocence. With anger. With hate. And they are very jumpy. Raphael Cohen is convinced that Israel wants to kill him and his friends. "We are in Palestinian territory. Our presence here is none of your business. The problem is the occupation. Get out of here, fly out of here, and then there will be no problem." (David Bedein asked Raphael Cohen how he defined "occupation." His answer: "So long as the Zionists rule anywhere, this is 'illegal occupation.'" The Barnea article was published in Yediot Ahronot, May 9, 2003.)
June 2003 - 9 - Outpost