'Supporting peace as a means of settling international disputes'

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Marrickville Peace Group’s slogan ‘supporting peace as a means of settling international disputes’ is depicted in the website’s header. ‘Peace’ is represented by the peace dove in MPG’s logo, while the image of Israel’s illegal annexation wall, which forms the background of the header, represents one ongoing international conflict which could be resolved through peaceful means.

The peace dove (refer to separate image above) which appears in the logo was painted by Banksy and photographed by eddiedangerous.¹

Israel’s annexation wall is illegal. As emphasised by the International Court of Justice on July 9, 2004: “construction of the wall being built by Israel, the occupying Power, in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including in and around East Jerusalem, and its associated régime, are contrary to international law.”²

The annexation wall’s real purpose was clearly expressed by Noam Chomsky:

Like virtually every state action, the “annexation wall,” as it should be termed, is justified in terms of security. But as is commonly the case, the claim lacks any credibility. If security were the concern, it would be built along the border, and could be made impregnable. The purpose of this illegal monstrosity, constructed with decisive US support and European complicity, is to allow Israel to take over valuable Palestinian land and the main water resources of the region, one part of a much broader annexation project.³

From the outset, the highest Israeli authorities recognised that such programs were in direct violation of international law. However, as Defence Minister Moshe Dayan commented in late 1967: “Settling Israelis in occupied territories contravenes, as is known, international conventions, but there is nothing essentially new about that.”⁴  Hence the illegal take over of Palestinian territory, including vital water resources, can simply be dismissed!

The fact is that objections to Israel’s illegal annexation programs can be ignored so long as the global hegemon, the United States, provides the diplomatic cover and necessary ideological and material support to Israeli. In doing so, the United States remains a partner in these appalling crimes.

Notes
1. The story behind Banksy’s peace dove can be read here. More images of Banksy street art can be found here.
2. See Israeli State Archives 153.8/7920/7A, Document 60, dated October 15, 1968, cited on page 173 of Gershom Gorenberg’s The Accidental Empire: Israel and the Birth of the Settlements, 1967-1977, New York Times Books, 2007.
3. Noam Chomsky, ‘The Unipolar Moment and the Culture of Imperialism (Edward Said Memorial Lecture)’, Columbia University, December 3, 2009.
4. Ibid. The video of the lecture can be viewed via the following links: ‘The Unipolar  Moment and the Culture of Imperialism (Edward Said Memorial Lecture) Part 1 of 2’ (57min 48sec) and ‘The Unipolar Moment and the Culture of Imperialism (Edward Said Memorial Lecture) Part 2 of 2’ (1hr 2min 51sec). In the first of these videos, Chomksy’s lecture begins at 7min 21sec.

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