Joanne Shenandoah Visits Israel-Palestine for Peace Concert

Oneida Nation musician Joanne Shenandoah took part in the first Project Peace On Earth Concert at the Bethlehem Conference Center in Palestine on December 24/2011.  Organized by Steven Robertson of Los Angeles the concert was the first in a series, which is designed to bring together musicians from across the planet to promote a cross cultural understanding.

Accompanied by her daughter Leah and husband Doug George-Kanentiio, Ms. Shenandoah arrived in Jerusalem to begin immediate rehearsals at the Center. The group crossed into Palestine, which is an area of 2,200 square miles (about the size of the state of Delaware) inhabited by over 3,700,000 people. The region is a rocky, arid desert of limited natural resources and only sparsely treed.  Small plots of land are planted with olive and fruit trees, primarily lemons and oranges.

Israeli citizens are strictly prohibited from entering Palestine; should they cross over (as some did for Joanne’s performance) they are at risk of arrest, imprisonment and heavy fines by the Israeli government.  Entrance to the West Bank is controlled by the Israeli Defense Force.  The Israeli government has reacted to the two Palestinian revolts, called “intifadas” by constructing a massive, 26 foot high wall around the West Bank which will, at its conclusion, stretch for 437 miles, effectively dividing families, neighborhoods and districts.  The wall, built across the “Green Line” boundary set after the 1948 war, was designed to stop attacks against Israel following the second intifada (2000-2005) during which 6,000 people died in a series of bombings and clashes between the Palestinians and the Israelis.

The wall has become a canvas on the Palestinian side, a place for graffiti and murals.  At regularly spaced intervals are guardhouses atop the wall; the windows are dark, blank and opaque.  Israeli troops patrol the perimeter, heavily armored and carrying American assault rifles.  The Israel government has mandated that all Palestinian vehicles be marked with white license plates for immediate recognition.  These cars and trucks are prohibited from entering Israel itself with few exceptions.

It is easy, once seen, how such a massive concrete barrier could be built through Akwesasne.  The same concerns about security, criminal activity and a well-armed indigenous population are expressed by Canada and the US as they are in Israel.  It is an easy, relatively cheap and highly effective solution to the security issue there with some American officials thinking it may also work in Mohawk territory.

All Israelis, with the exclusion of the ultra orthodox Jews, must serve in the military for a minimum of three years starting from the age of 18 and then as a reserve force until their 52nd birthday (for men).  Young women are not exempt.  The mixed gender teenagers patrol Israel in olive green uniforms in packs of a dozen or more, with M-16 submachine guns at their side. Palestinians are strictly prohibited from carrying any weapons and if found to be in possession of a firearm they are imprisoned and their homes bulldozed.

The Israeli government controls all utilities going into the West Bank including water and power.  The construction of family homes is also subject to Israeli approval with the licensing process taking a decade or more.  Large sections of Palestinian lands are subject to confiscation by the Israeli government for the settlement of new citizens, most of whom now come from Russia. These settlements are walled enclaves with armed guards.  The homes within the enclaves are modern and fairly inexpensive to purchase by immigrants.  The infrastructure for the settlements (roads, power lines, sewage, water) is subsidized by the US government.

The Palestinians see many similarities between Native people in North America and their situation.  They can point to the 1917 Balfour Declaration made by Britain in which that colonial power approved the creation of a homeland for the Jews.  This was followed by a French-British decision to recreate the political boundaries in the region after the First World War. Without regards to the indigenous peoples, the Europeans fabricated nations such as Jordan, Syria, Lebanon and Iraq while occupying Palestine. After the Second World War the United States and Britain opened the area to Jewish immigrants followed by the creation of Israel in 1948.  Over 700,000 Palestinians felt compelled to flee their homes, an event they call “al nakba” or the catastrophe. A prolonged series of terrorist attacks underlined the flight into Lebanon, Jordan, the Gaza Strip and Syria. Those who left were prohibited from returning and their property was taken without compensation.

Since then there have been more wars, which have strengthened the Israeli resolve to use its military resources to effect security while inflaming the Palestinians who see the Israeli state as a government of occupation.  It is the source of great tensions and sporadic, and terrible, outbreaks of violence most recently characterized by the bombing of civilians in public areas.

Ms. Shenandoah’s music was supported by both peoples as she sang in front of the Church of the Nativity and at the Convention Center located near the Pools of Solomon.