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Lofty Matters: A Serial Protester Plants The Seed Of Hope?
Universal Declaration of Human Rights Ken O'Keefe is not exactly everyone's cup of tea, he certainly causes eybrows to be raised in certain governments just at the mention of his name. With a curriculum vitae which reads more like the hero of a Hollywood script there is no doubt that, as we would say in east London, he's put himself about a bit. When I first met Ken I am sure I entertained the same doubts most people do when confronted by a man with tatoos on his face. Before those doubts could subside his American accent gave them further weight. Despite these initial misgivings our first meeting revealed an articulate, passionate and knowledgable man who had ideals and principles nailed firmly to his masthead. Whether you agree with him or not, I would contend that once you know him it would be hard not to cede him the respect I believe he deserves. This respect has been earnt not by talking loud and acting big, yes Ken can surely do that, but by putting his energy, efforts and even his life on the line to achieve a world of truth, justice and peace. I wonder how many politicians have ever been so creditable, some undoubtedly but those who order young men to die or be mutilated in the causes of war rarely seem to have lived in any danger at any time. All this, as I have said, is the stuff of the mythologies of the global peace movement of our time but there was another reason why O'Keefe impressed me and that was his understanding of law. After our first meeting I arranged to speak with him at his office. When I arrived I found a man who had immersed himself in research; maritime law, trade law, E.U. Treaties, his remit was wide but his focal point was tight. O'Keefe was looking at breaking the trade embargo that Israel, through the blockade it has mounted, has placed on the Palestinian peoples. What O'Keefe had clearly identified was that the trade relationship between Israel and the E.U. was astronomically disproportinate when compared to the trade done with the Palestinians. This state of affairs was directly in contradiction to the Euro–Mediterranean Partnership which brought Israel into the E.U. trade zone. This realisation inspired O'Keefe to create Aloha Palestine in an attempt to open a sustainable trade route to help the Palistinian people in Gaza self determine a peaceful future. The essence of the thought platform behind Aloha Palestine was the idea of Safe Trade, for who could genuinely object to trade which is conducted on the basis of safety. If non-military economic goods openly and plainly transported, sourced from a designated list of "safe" items accepted by international auditors, could be carried then perhaps the situation in Gaza could be relieved and a positive future begin to evolve. Click on Image to Play Video Many would raise concerns, many did, many would have doubts, many do, many would not believe it would be either a possible or successful strategy but then Ken O'Keefe is not one of the many. An ex-US Marine who served in the first Gulf War, a man who has publicly renounced his American citizenship as a protest at American foreign policy, an activist responsible for setting up a marine sanctuary for turtles, the leading light of the Human Shield action in the second Gulf War (where he physically placed his body between attacking American armed forces and schools, hospitals etc.,), the captain of the vessel which broke the Gaza seige in 2008, well known for his role of disarming Israeli commandos on the Mavi Marmara in 2009, this is not a man daunted by what others believe to be impossible. And, I would add, in his committment to the causes of truth, justice and peace, absolutely unyielding in a belief in non-violence as espoused by Gandhi. No arms sales, No WMD's, No Objections Given all of this very short biography you will no doubt understand the lack of surprise when I received an e-mail from Ken late last night. I knew that he was out in Gaza currently but wasn't exactly sure what his agenda was this time. Here is his opening paragraph: Our Mission Samouni Inter-Trade Palestine (SIP) is a social enterprise international trade mission. We endeavour to catalyse the end of Gaza’s charitable dependency through import and export trade. We do not seek simply to alleviate the suffering of the people in Gaza. Our ultimate objective is to eliminate preventable, blockade-derived suffering. We recognise the loss of dignity that is inherent in compelling a people to live on aid. We are focused on the root of the problem and thus we are committed to replacing aid with trade. This announcement of the Samouni Inter-Trade Palestine initiative, in a partnership including Aloha Palestine, has detailed its focus on the legal justifications of open, safe and free trade. One wonders how the legal community across Europe will respond to such a challenge when it comes, as it looks like it inevitably will. Can the Rule of Law stand up and if so, on which side of the argument? When the challenge is to a fundamental treaty enacted by the European Union and, with all the conflict around the region at the time, links safe trade to the establishment of peace, we may all wonder exactly what is the bottom line cost of denying oppressed peoples access to the right to build their own economies. See the O'Keefe Article in Full Here. Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com evolve.humanrightstv.com/felix-columbidae/2011/lofty-matters-serial-protester-plants-seed-hope kenokeefe.wordpress.com/2011/05/09/samouni-inter-trade-palestine-trade-not-aid/ www.humanrightstv.com/aloha-palestine |
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