Daniel Barenboim speaks out about performing in Egypt

[bemildred]

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The Palestinian Cultural Festival recently declared Jerusalem "the capital of Arabic culture for 2009." The Jerusalem police recently arrested twenty people attempting to organize the festival.

In the past I have often been vocal about the injustice of the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory and the ongoing creation of Israeli settlements. The mere injustice of occupying a land and its people can only lead to a never-ending cycle of more injustices. I have often described Israeli and Palestinian destinies as being inextricably linked. For this reason there can be no military solution, and it is illusory to believe that there is a solution to this conflict that benefits one side only. What will be beneficial for the Palestinians will also be beneficial for Israel, and what is detrimental to one is also detrimental to the other. Israel keeps talking of security, but only Palestinian acceptance of Israel will bring about this security. In order to achieve this, there has to be a clear recognition of the injustice felt by Palestinians.

I have often called for cultural initiatives that can build bridges of communication where politics have the tendency to destroy them. Our governments are not capable of fostering understanding between peoples, even if they were to someday be capable of peaceful negotiations. On a cultural level, dialogue is always possible between different parties, and this has been proven by the example of the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, which Edward Said and I founded. Opening a dialogue is important not in order to accept existing conditions but precisely in order to change them. Therefore, our project is not an act of normalization with an occupied Palestine but rather an act of solidarity against human injustice.

This is why the Israeli suppression of Palestinian cultural activity is particularly painful for me to witness. The Israeli government has no right to stop the Palestinian celebration, which was in fact proposed by the municipality of Nazareth. All citizens of Israel should enjoy the same rights and privileges, regardless of their religious or ethnic backgrounds. By hindering a cultural festival, Israel reveals its fatal weakness: the fear of allowing its opponent the right to self-expression. This course of action is worse than counterproductive; it portrays the Israeli government as an enemy of culture, of all places in Jerusalem.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture/charlottehigginsblog/2009/apr/08/classicalmusicandopera-egypt

[Fozzledick]

1. Funny how the article says absolutely nothing about performing in Egypt

Not so funny how it deliberately misrepresents the controversy over provocatively flying a Palestinian flag over Israeli territory without any mention of the actual issue involved. Disingenuous to say the least.

[bemildred]

2. Context:

Israeli conductor's Egypt visit causes stir

It's the Egyptian whackos that are upset.

CAIRO (AFP) — Israeli conductor Daniel Barenboim will hold a concert in Egypt on April 16, two months after a first appearance was cancelled due to the Gaza conflict, angering those who oppose normalisation with Israel.

The Argentinian-born conductor was due to give a concert in January, but it was cancelled due to Israel's deadly 22-day military onslaught of Gaza that ended on January 18.

The concert, Barenboim's first in Egypt, has ruffled feathers in intellectual circles, with music critic Amgad Mustafa describing the visit as "sneaky normalisation" with Israel.

But Egypt's culture minister was quick to defend Barenboim's visit.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5ienztNpLw8dg7_42Iqg52gPjI4gA

[Fozzledick]

3. More context

The PA were planning to fly a glider plane painted in the colors of the Palestinian national flag over the walls of the Old City as part of the festival, meant to declare the city to be "the capital of Arabic culture for 2009."

The police said that they were determined to enforce the law, whereby any event organized and funded by the PA is prohibited within Jerusalem's municipal jurisdiction.

The head of the Legal Forum for the Land of Israel, Nachi Eyal, on Wednesday urged Dichter and Police Commissioner David Cohen to thwart the staging of the event.

"To the best of my understanding, this is an attempt to demonstrate Palestinian sovereignty in Jerusalem in an illegal manner," said Eyal.

"The law...obligates the Palestinian Authority to respect the sovereignty of Israel within the boundaries of the State of Israel, including East Jerusalem."

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1072679.html

Thanks for your clarification though. I was wondering what the controversy over the actual Egyptian concert was that the article alluded to but didn't explain.

[bemildred]

4. I was toying with the idea it was a bad headline.

But I think it was just some background being taken for granted.

I'm gratified to see this sudden interest in respect for state boundaries with respect to flyovers and stuff from the Legal Forum for the Land of Israel.

[Ken Burch]

7. Thanks to the excessively rigid rules about this forum, you were STUCK with the headline

I don't know why we aren't allowed to modify or alter the headlines in cases like this. It's not like doing that could be THAT inflammatory.

[Ken Burch]

6. Well, it shouldn't be a problem if they fly it over East Jerusalem.

They're gonna have to get that part in a peace settlement anyway.

[ProgressiveMuslim]

8. There is hardly anything left of East Jerusalem.

Look at the map!

http://www.philipweiss.org/.a/6a00d8341cc8ad53ef01156f5833be970b-pi

[Ken Burch]

9. Never mind. Damn.

n/t.

[Ken Burch]

5. So you're against the settlements flying the Magen David, then?

just askin'.

[LeftishBrit]

10. I wish there were more people on both sides like Daniel Barenboim

'Opening a dialogue is important not in order to accept existing conditions but precisely in order to change them.'

Agreed.

[Ken Burch]

11. Barenboim and Edward Said were close friends and worked together

on I/P-related projects.

[LeftishBrit]

12. Yes, they set up the orchestra together

:thumbsup:

I wish there were more friendships and collaborations across the divide. Maybe projects like this orchestra will create more such.

There is more mutual work toward peace than some are aware of, even if not enough:

www.allmep.org

www.nswas.org

[ProgressiveMuslim]

13. While these efforts look positive on the surface, can you explain how you think they lead

to peace? I am not being nasty. I really want to see how these collaborations lead to a change in Israel's occupation, siege and settlement strategy?

My concern is that the POV that sees this work as the answer has misdiagnosed the problem.

So I'm trying to tease out what issue these kind of work redresses.

[LeftishBrit]

14. I don't think that anyone thinks that these efforts are ALL that is necessary

Ultimately, the people in power are those who must make the changes and address the problems. However, the citizens influence those in power; and personal contact and friendships may influence the citizens.

An Israeli who has Palestinian friends and shares interests with them may be less likely to vote for a government that is prepared to bomb them, or deny them basic freedoms, or to consider it acceptable to have a Foreign Minister who wants to deprive Arabs of citizenship. A Palestinian who has Israeli friends may be less likely to consider suicide bombings or rocket attacks as an acceptable means of resistance.

Personal example: I am in general a dove on principle and would probably never have supported pre-emptive war on Iran - but my horror at the idea of war on Iran is certainly increased by the fact that *I know people from there*.

[ProgressiveMuslim]

15. I hear what you are saying. I know for a fact that knowing

my husband has definitely changed the way many here in our part of South Jersey view Palestinains. It is not just our friends, but our neighbors, my siblings and their friends and colleagues, and so on. the ripples are enormous.

But the views of the citizenry don't seem to run the show in Israel. Do you think that's the case? Do you think the policies of the governments reflect the views of the citizenry? Do the majority of Israelis support unending occupation and increasing apartheid?

I see the primary barrier to peace not as mistrust between people, but daily decisions made by ______ in Israel to expand that settlement, put up another checkpoint, close the Ibrahimi mosque, protect the settlers when they are acting violently, etc.


Don't you think a much stronger way to influence decision makers would be to culturally isolate Israel?

Seriously LB, if the goal is truly to end the occupation, why not force some real change on TPTB in Israel?

I look forward to your thoughtful response.

[LeftishBrit]

16. The influence of citizens on their governments is limited, but exists in democracies

Leaders depend on their citizens' votes. Of course, results and thus the power of the citizens can be distorted by the electoral system. An extreme first-past-the-post system (UK), and a leader can get a large majority in parliament with a minority of the votes: a Thatcher can radically change the country with 42% of the popular vote; a Blair can go into Iraq when a large majority of the population opposes it. An extreme pure-PR system (Israel), and small parties have disproportionate power to hold weak minority-governments hostage; and an Avigdor Lieberman can become Foreign Minister despite the fact that most people did not vote for such an outcome.

But it was the power of citizens in general, and specific organized groups - not so much pressure from other countries - that led to fairer treatment of workers and an end to some particularly vile forms of exploitation; sex and race discrimination laws; etc. in many countries.

As regards Israel in particular: I do not think that cultural isolation would work, even if I thought it were practicable and justified. Many Israelis have a fundamentally isolationist attitude: "fuck the rest of the world; they don't understand or care about our situation at best, and want to kill us at worst; we can't trust them and must defend ourselves without regard to what others think!" I am not saying that this attitude is justifiable; I am just saying that it exists, and that it's likely to be exacerbated by cultural isolation.

The two things that can make a difference are:

(1) Carrots and sticks, used in the direction of peace rather than war, from the one country with which Israel does have a strong alliance: the United States.

(2) A concerted, tough but non-violent, push for formal agreements, and at the same time willingness to abide by their own side of such an agreement, by the Palestinian leadership. (As worked between Egypt and Israel). This is unfortunately difficult as long as the Palestinian leadership is so divided.