The following piece on Anti-Normalization is supposed to be a chapter in
an upcoming book by Adel Samara. He's submitting it in the hope that it
would serve as a point of reference of further debates on the matter.
Please see elsewhere the comments of Ibrahim Alloush on the piece. Your
comments and suggestions are also welcome. Email them to:
editor@freearabvoice.org webmaster@freearabvoice.org nabila@freearabvoice.org
FAV

December 25, 2000

Why AntiNormalization? And what is it?

A proposed draft

Introduction

Normalization is a relatively new term in the Arabic political
discourse. It was first minted by the Egyptian national/leftist
opposition to the Camp David Accords that was signed in 1978
between the Egyptian regime and the Zionist Colonial Regime-Israel.
This Egyptian position was and still is opposed to this strange and
peculiar form of "peace" that normalizes the relationship with an
occupying abnormal entity, Israel, as a settler colonial Zionist
State.

Although the term normalization commonly means "to make normal" or
"to bring to normal or natural state", its implications in the
politics of our countries are specific and unique. Normalization,
in our region, specifically implies "making relations" between the
Arab countries and the "State of Israel" normal. This includes all
aspects of the political, economic, social, and cultural life.
Therefore, the term anti-normalization with the "State of Israel",
in the Arabic political terminology and in this paper, means
resistance of all forms of acceptance of the:

(a) Israeli occupation of Arab land and surrender to the occupier

(b) Zionist/Israeli hegemony over Arab economy, natural resources,
    Arab vast market, and the future of our nation and its development

(c) The Zionist entity as a "pure Jewish State"

(d) Zionist penetration of Arab cultural life with the goal
    of accepting its racist and colonialist projects under
    various slogans such as  "peace" and "dialogue" and the
    alike

(e) Finally, resisting the ultimate Zionist-imperialist project
    in subjecting the Arab Homeland to the complete domination
    of the capitalist/imperialist western interests that aim at
    the exploitation of our resources, our masses, and our future.

This position is one of resisting all forms of racism and Zionism that
are most dangerous to our peoples, mankind, and the future of humanity.
Our position is the fruit and the lesson of a whole century of Arab
struggle against Zionism. However, this position is also based, and
above all, on the UN General Assembly resolution 3379 issued on
November 10, 1975 considering, by the overwhelming vote of the
international community, Zionism a form of racism. The struggle of
humanity against Zionism and all forms racism and exploitation of
fellow mankind, becomes even more critical and urgent as the New
Word Order, dominating the UN and its policies, returns sixteen
years later on December 12, 1991, to "cancel" and "withdraw" this
resolution as "it contradicts the peace efforts".

Historical Background

The State of Israel was declared in 1948 after the occupation of
Palestine. Prior to that, the State of Israel did not exist. The
British colonial occupation of Palestine took place in 1917 after
the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, thus cutting Palestine off its
motherland Syria. The British colonialism, during its mandate in
Palestine (1917-1948), facilitated the immigration of Jews from all
over the world to settle in Palestine. That same colonialism assisted
these settlers in establishing - relative to the standards of
development of that period - a modern capitalist economic system for
the Jews. Britain and France trained and armed the settler immigrant
Jews to the teeth. At the same time, the British colonialism
suppressed, in the most savage manner, the Palestinian people in their
numerous uprisings, revolution of 1936-1939, and other forms of
resistance. By 1948, the Zionist settlers, by now a well-organized and
equipped military force, defeated the Palestinian resistance movement
and the traditional armies of some Arab dependent regimes. The new
settler state displaced more than one million Arab Palestinians and
declared the State of Israel on the ruins of their homeland. The
occupied part of Palestine at that time compromised 75% of the total
area of the country.

In 1956, Britain, France and Israel attacked Egypt, in the well-known
Tri-Partite aggression, with the purpose of dismantling the nationalist
regime of Gamal Abdel Nasser, the Egyptian president and the leader of
the modern republic of Egypt who lead the revolution against the last
Egyptian king Farouq.

Additionally, by 1967, Israel, now fully armed with the most
sophisticated U.S., British and French military arsenal, attacked
Egypt again, as well as Syria and Jordan. In this 1967 Arab-Israeli
War, Israel occupied parts of Syria and Egypt and the rest of Palestine,
called, at that time, the West Bank and Gaza Strip (WBG). As a result
of this aggression, another 400,000 Palestinians refugees were
displaced from their homes in the West Bank and Gaza.

Israel: an abnormal entity

Israel, as we have seen from the above analysis, was established as a
white settler colonial entity on the soil and the homeland of another
people. This is one of the reasons why it is not a normal country.
Another reason is that, Israel had always denied and continues to deny
the Palestinian refugees' Right of Return to their homes despite the
United Nations' Resolution 194, that confirms that right, and that was
voted on repeatedly more that a hundred times since 1947.

Israel still insists on living in the heart of the Arab Homeland,
occupying all of the Palestinian land, refusing to accept and implement
the Right of Return of the Palestinian refugees, and on maintaining
itself as a "pure Jewish state", on performing the function of an
imperialist watchdog in the Arab Homeland. Despite all this and its
aggressive nature and role, Israel demands the Arab nation to accept
its existence as a "normal" entity, i.e. to be accepted by the Arabs on
its Israeli/Zionist terms.

In spite of the fact that Zionism and imperialism, especially that of
the United States and Britain, are direct enemies of the Arab nation
even as a race, and enemies to Arab development, Israel maintains its
nature and role and still expects the Arabs to normalize relations with
it. By doing so, Israel, in fact, behaves in a racist manner. It
behaves as if it is the lord and the Arabs are the slaves, the savages
and the backward.

It should be also noted here that Israel is covering its demand for
normalization with a big lie: the so called "peace". A peace that
is conditioned and predetermined by the above mentioned Israeli
structure and role. This is the same peace that the PA chairman
calls: "The Peace of the brave"!

Therefore, it is precisely because of this Israel's nature and
function that the Arabs are opposed to normalizing with it.

Normalization: the term and its applications

However, why was the term itself created? This term came about as a
necessity "on the ground". It was invented because some Arab rulers,
Anwar Al-Sadat, the former ruler of Egypt have already made  "peace"
with Israel, accepting it as a state in the character, nature, and role
that we just described. Based on this understanding of Israel's
nature/function in our region, any Arab normalization with it is a
national betrayal. It is even a reflection of inferiority, since it
indicates acceptance and recognition of a state that declares itself as
a state for one race, one religion, and occupying the land of others.

Briefly, any Arab who establishes contacts with Israel is a
"normalizer". However, how can we measure this and decide who
is normalizing and who is not?  The specific circumstances
and conditions of each Arab should be taken into consideration.

For instance, a Palestinian who lives in the occupied Palestine
of 1948 is a normalizer if he nominates himself or accepts
nomination to be a member of the Israeli parliament (Knesset)
since, by so doing, he declares his recognition of Israel. To
become a member in that parliament, he must, a priori agree to
be in the parliament of the Jewish state and to recognize Israel
as a settler state occupying the Palestinian land, a state that is,
at the same time, refuses to recognize the Right of Return of the
Palestinian refugees. However, he is not a normalizer when consuming
Israeli products, or when nominating himself for the position of a
municipality council in his own town.

On the other hand, a Palestinian who resides in the West Bank
and Gaza Strip (WBG) is a normalizer if he establishes any
contacts with an Israeli company as a partner, or builds NGO
(non governmental organization) joint relations with an Israeli
counterpart or participate in joint meetings for cultural activities.
An Arab, who resides out of the Occupied Palestine, such as in Jordan
or Syria, is a normalizer if he consumes Israeli products or if he
visits Israel. An Arab or a Palestinian in the Diaspora is a normalizer
if he consumes any Israeli products.

It is not an easy task or even a necessary one to compile a list of
boycotted issues and products. What is important, at this stage, is to
begin creating, among the Arab popular classes and masses, a "culture"
of boycotting Israel and the Western capitalist center and of resisting
normalizing with them. Once this goal is achieved, each Arab citizen
will be able to, easily, draw a distinction between what is really
normalization and what is not. Real education and raising the level of
awareness are the only means to let people decide democratically on
their own positions. In other words, it is necessary to allow people to
take the initiative in their own hands.

Israeli Concept of Normalization

Normalization does not stop with establishing diplomatic relations
between an Arab regime and Israel. From the Israeli point of view, and
according to the Israeli aims, normalization should penetrate deep into
the Arab nation to include every single Arab in all parts of the Arab
Homeland. However, why are the Zionists imposing normalization over the
Arab masses? Because it is the prerequisite of capital. Capital needs
peace for business.  In our case, capital wants peace as a vehicle to
facilitate the dangerous plan of Integration through Domination (ITD).
At present, this is the primary aim of the capital (capitalist) in the
region, since the official Arab recognition of the Jewish settler
entity has been already accomplished. Capital's lust for the highest
rate of profit did, in fact, move towards a new form of conflict in the
region. The first and old form of conflict was, of course, the military
one. That was limited to a conflict between the armies of Arab regimes
and the Zionist regime. The Arab people had never participated or had
the freedom to fight. By insisting on normalization, capital,
represented by the Imperialist, Zionist and Arab compradors, is in fact
"pushing" the conflict into its new form: the people's war which is the
resistance of the Arab popular classes to normalization with Israel in
all its cultural and economic forms and levels. This is, practically,
the first direct challenge between the Arab nation, not its rulers, and
its enemies.

But, will anti normalization be applied against Israel only and
not against the western capitalist economies especially the United
States, Britain, France...etc?

Based one the nature and role of these imperialists, anti normalization,
i.e. boycotting should be applied against the imperialist products in
general, and against the companies that deal with Israel in particular.
This must be the attitude of all countries of the periphery.

Considering the boycotting of imperialist products is a practical
step towards development of countries of the periphery. However,
the imperialists are cautious in this regard. That is the reason
why they are keeping the countries of the periphery totally
dependent on them, the center of imperialism, by expanding the
technological gap between center and periphery to the extent that
the periphery will not be able to invent, develop and produce any
substantial products. In other words, to perpetuate the "blocked
development" of the periphery. As long as its "development is blocked",
the periphery will not be able to neither boycott nor to practice
"anti-normalization" with the center of imperialism. This should be
applied to all countries of the periphery countries, the Arab
countries being on the top of that list.

In practice, normalization is an individual, class, national
and international behavior. If we understand the policies of
compradorization, adaptation, and re adjustment...etc that are
imposed upon the countries of the periphery, and the policies
of the capitalist in the center of the World Order, especially
those of U.S., Britain and France imperialism, then it becomes
obvious that normalization is not a regional matter. Normalization
is, de facto, far reaching in its effects and ramifications and
it certainly goes beyond the boundaries of the immediate
vicinity of our region.

Cultural Normalization

Normalization includes the periphery's cultural acceptance of Euro
centrism, Anglo Saxon and Franconism as white cultural racism. It
includes, specifically in our region, the acceptance of Zionism as a
racist white settler ideology as well. What does cultural normalization
mean?

Capital, in today's world, is characterized by such a universality in
behavior and effects that it is, in essence, safe to state that it is,
the capital, identical all over the globe. In this era of the history
of mankind, capital is dominating labor, i.e. dominating the popular
classes all over the world. It has, however, camouflaged itself by the
slogan of "Globalization", which is a vague and luring one.
Globalization in practical terms equals capital and serves its
interests. We might as well add that capital is, in fact, capitalism as
a socio economic and cultural system. Based on the above, it seems
logical to conclude that normalization, in its patterns of global
expansion and effects, follows a vertical fashion of growth: growing
from the individual to the popular ruled classes and ultimately to the
ruling class. Additionally, globalization has a horizontal growth
pattern: from one nation to another, thus creating and expanding its
own geography.

There is no doubt that anti normalization with the center of
imperialism is an international duty, but we will limit the
discussion, in this paper, to the region of the Arab Homeland.

Normalization in the Arab and Palestinian Sphere

As noted earlier, the first debate on normalization took place
in Egypt in the aftermath of signing the Camp David Agreement
between the Capitalist comprador Egyptian regime and the Zionist
Settler Colonial Ashkenazi Regime-Israel (ZSCAR-I).

The validity and legitimacy of the anti-normalization slogan stem from
the following three main facts:

One: That the SZCAR I is still occupying Palestine and the Palestinian
people continues to live either under occupation or as refugees in the
Diaspora.

Two:  That Egypt, a main part of the Arab Homeland, and Egyptians, are
committed to struggle for the liberation of Palestine.

Three: That, the SCZARI had never showed any willingness to make
any change in its political ideology, military goals, appetite for
economic expansionism, or its role as a watchdog of imperialism in the
region.

Without conducting a historical survey and analysis which will go well
beyond two decades, (which is the era of "peace" between Israel and the
Egyptian regime), we would like to note that Israel has never changed
any of the main components of its strategy, politics, and ideology
since the signing of that agreement.

(a) Israel still insists on remaining permanently a pure Jewish
state that was established by occupying the land of another people:
the Palestinian people.

(b) Israel still represents the aggressive, plunder, and exploitative
interests of the United States in the Arab Homeland.

(c) Israel insists on forcing the Palestinian refugees to live in the
Diaspora, and on keeping all the land of Palestine under its control.

(d) The Israeli, in spite of all this, want to have an absolute
and unlimited access to all Arab markets.

In summary, Israel wants to be totally accepted, warmly welcomed, and
even "hugged" by Arab nation! This form of belief has a place only in
the minds of racists such as Zionists, WASP, Euro centrist, Nazis and
fascist.  This represents a racist challenge to the Arab popular
classes in terms in the following sense:  "we the Jews are your lords
and superiors, and you have to enjoy giving us a free hand over your
land, donating to us all your wealth, your labor, and consuming
capabilities. Since are those who know what is right for you, you
should, therefore, be grateful and content and you should not protest".

Boycotting and Anti Normalization: Proposed Action Alan

Our aim is to boycott Zionist/Israeli economic and cultural activities,
organizations, and businesses in the United States. This can be divided
into two steps:

a) The first is the immediate and short-term need to support
the current Palestinian Intifada.

b) The second is the medium and long-term project of
re education, organization and systematization of the Arab
community.

These two components of the project can and must be carried on
simultaneously as a unified cohesive political, economic and cultural
project. It is, in fact, a complicated project and its complexity is
due to two main reasons:

One. It targets large and non-homogenous communities.

Two. In spite of the importance of this task, no body has ever taken
the initiative and the responsibility to deal with it.

To deal with this major project, it is necessary to take some important
steps and to fulfill some prerequisites:

First: The creation of working groups responsible for the daily
follow up.

Second: workshop(s) should be held to discuss and determine the
strategy and to divide the project into specific areas such as division
of work and activities by localities, places, professions, and the
timing of conducting each practical step.

Third: To reviewuate the existing Arab organizations for the purpose of
determining which ones are capable of carrying on the project or some
of its activities. It will be helpful to delegate each activity to an
existing organization if at all possible. When this is not feasible,
then creating a new organization to perform specific tasks becomes
imperative.

Does the issue of boycotting the Zionist/Israel apply in the United
States? What are the target groups in the American society? which we
have to approach?

These groups are mainly two:

A. The Arab-American/American-Arab community.

B. The solidarity groups such as: Native Americans, the Mexicans,
Latinos, poor classes, the Human Rights activists, and the leftist
groups.

To accomplish this task properly, we must be able to provide facts and
present a persuasive analysis to demonstrating two main points:

First: the racist and brutal nature and policies of Israel

Second: The similarities between Zionism and the apartheid regime of
former South Africa. This approach might be effective with the target
groups that we are approaching.

Action Plan:

Following are the proposed areas for activities:

I. The Economic level:

  to reviewuate the consumptive capacity of the Arab and Muslim
communities and to show how much the Israeli economy is gaining from
our communities. By consuming the enemy’s products, we are, in fact,
financing their aggression against the Palestinian people and the Arab
nation.

  to list names, form of products of the Israeli companies that
are marketed in the United States.

  to identify other "secret" names or labels which these
companies are using as a cover-up.

  To make a list of the Arab and Muslim merchants/business men
who are marketing these Israeli products.

  To contact Arab Chambers of Commerce and present to them
available alternatives to replace Israeli products, especially those
products produced in Arabic countries. In the event that U.S.
authorities do not permit this, we can, at least, use it as a means of
national/community education to challenge the U.S. policy as a
discriminating one against Arabs.

II. The Cultural level:

- We have to establish a clear and continuous policy for culture and
media in the United States. A "media kitchen" is necessary here to make
a list of the media centers, i.e. newspapers, radios, TVs,
web sites...etc, and how to approach them. For instance, it is
important to have a group of people who will write in the newspapers in
all three languages: English, Arabic and Spanish.  It may be necessary,
some times, to translate the same articles into the three languages.

- We must contact the Arabs and Muslims who are using the name of Islam
and Christianity to normalize with Zionism and Israel under the cover
of dialogue among between religions.

- Based on the Zionist strategies and policies, it is important to
direct Arab nationalist commitments to challenge, and to not compromise
with Zionism. One of the main approaches here is to challenge all
Zionist activities.

III. The National Level

It is important to build direct contacts and cooperation between the
Anti Normalization Committees in the Arab Homeland and USA. Two
main results might be gained from: the first, is the practical
cooperation between the Arab Diaspora, and the second is the
psychological motivation and encouragement that people gain when know
that they others are working for the same aim.

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