I also vote for Hadash

Some of my friends asked why as a self declared anarchist, would not only step into a voting booth and vote, but also actively support a political party. I still hold a great fascination of anarchism in theory but also great frustration in practice. Clearly voting will not lead to radical change (especially in these elections) but neither does non-voting unless there are masses of non voters and pressure from bellow. Of course we should be creating that mass pressure — a social movement based on solidarity and direct action, but as long as this is not created – nonvoting is a blank political act.

I still sincerely believe that voting only allows a certain amount of change, yet never addresses that which really needs changing most: the idea of nation states, power and hierarchy and the core of Capitalism. We cannot bring forth drastic fundamental change in land, wealth, and resource distribution through elections. The fundamentals of the state will stay the same. But in these times of horrible war crimes, great financial insecurity, and in a society where fear and racism replaced reason, we have to open mindedly look if there is a choice worth making, whether the effect of voting is significant enough so it is worth the time and effort.

I believe Hadash/Aljabha – An acronym for “The Democratic Front for Peace and Equality”, is definitely worth the effort (is going to the poll really an effort?) and the small changes it can bring, until we destroy all states, is worth my support. In addition in these times of great racism and anti Arab sentiments, and since racism and segregation is one of biggest threats to the Israeli society these days, the symbolic act of voting for Hadash is of great importance.

A few reasons to vote for Hadash:

• The Palestinian-Jewish partnership is the only hope for a future in this region. Hadash is the only real Arab-Israeli party. There are none-Jews on other parties, but Hadash is the only one that has an equal partnership between Arabs and Jews on every level of the party.
• Hadash has the most progressive agenda of any political party in Israel, socially, environmentally, on labor rights, women’s rights on students and old people.
• Dov Hanin, I really like this guy. KM Hanin was the only Jewish parliament member to speak against the onslaught on Gaza from the very first day. He also did the same during the Lebanon war.
• Hadash as a party where out in the streets with the people protesting the war.
• Hadash is a Socialist-Democratic party, the only one in the Knesset.

Sure Hadash is a political party, and it is not perfect, by any mean. Sometimes it seems to me to be a little too Arab nationalist, the inner democracy of the party is very problematic and I’m still quite suspicious of communists. Their clear stand for a two state solution is also problematic when I think a one-state/no state solution should be more the direction we should be going, however, there is no political movement yet with any weight talking about these solutions and a two state solutions is still much better than the current state of occupation and growing apartheid.

So, for these difficult times and the challenges we have in the future, I believe that Hadash provides the best solutions.

links:

Hadash in Hebrew
Hadash (Aljabh) in Arabic

Hadash clip
Left vs Left

For a  Feature for the German magazine “Kunst+Kultur”, Israeli and Palestinian artist were asked to answer the question bellow in 1000(!) characters. here is my answer.

After the Gaza-War (or should I say Gaza-disaster?): Is there still a chance left to build an enduring peace? And if there is a chance left: What has to happen to implement an enduring peace?

I have to believe that there is a chance left for an enduring peace. If there is none, it’s too hard to grasp. What kind of country will I be bound to live in? What possibilities are left? Israel becoming more and more an apartheid state, A Jewish theocracy, a country in a constant state of war, choosing apartments to live in by the thickness of their cement walls that can withhold rocket attacks, choosing not to have children so they won’t learn racism at school and then be drafted to the army and become traumatized killers like their parents.
Yes, we can start planning the alternatives, admit to ourselves that the Zionist dream of a Jewish homeland in Palestine, a place apprising to live up to the vision of being a “light to the nations”, generating a cultural and spiritual renaissance as well as “normalize” the Jewish people and establish a safe haven has failed. Admit that the whole place is rotten and ask our former predators to let us back, as I did with the project Medinat Weimar (http://medinatweimar.org/) where I created a movement for a Jewish state in Thuringia.
But there has to be hope. There is no evidence in the political sphere or in the public debate to provide any, but one most look hard, in the cracks, in unseen corners, in gaps between the words, in gestures of loved and strangers that have lost all words. Hope that can be found In the few thousand Jews and Arabs who marched together under threat of violence and shouted in the streets of cities that we refuse to be enemies, in the hundreds of poets, artist and musicians who came with their scribbled notes, guitars and laptops and yelled from their heart against the killings and destruction at the many rallies and events the media ignored, in the students in Ber-Sheva, calling to end the violence, who stood together Jews and Arabs, on the street corners illegally, exposing themselves not only to the police violence and arrest but also to the Hamas rockets that fell on at their city,  and in all those who refuse to take part in the hate and try to build not a Jewish state or a Palestinian state but a state of mind of living together.