El-Tom and   Mr   Nur “Israel Taboo”

Loose lips sinck ships

Somehow I disagree, but again not with every word of Dr..Abdullah   Osman El-Tom Excellent polemic ("Breaking a Taboo: Mr   Nur and his SLM office in Israel") About the later decision to open an offices in Israel. A move raises numerous questions that we would do well to debate. I will just try to deal with one:

First of all I   think Dr El-Tom understand being anti-Zionist does not make you anti-Jewish, and  that Israel occupation and Israel’s treatment of  Palestinians is unacceptable, and   he is mistaken in thinking   there has been no call  by credible Sudanese politicians and Islamist leaders in the north of Sudan  for an end to the   ill- anti-Semitism, anti-Jewish sentiments’   advocated wrongly by Imams and extremist alike, but wisely they are not for establishing  friendship   the kind   of see no evils  just hurried recognitions   for   the  sake of selves  interests gain   in ending the boycott against Israel.

For the majority in our country case the boycott  is symbolic  solidarity merely only noticed by the passport stamp that prohibit its holder   traveling  there ,and   this   only applies to our citizens not  to  travel to Israel. Same as Israeli law forbids its citizens to travel to "enemy states" without permission from the interior ministry. Breaches can lead to jail terms of up to four years.

In fact the call for boycott, divestment and sanctions against Israel, endorsed by many non-Arab, non- Muslims and many
other organizations bodies across the globe. Sad proof that the SLM leader has let down  Darfur and
Palestine causes’ s by deciding to ignores   the collective struggle against stats practices oppressions and ethnic cleansing,   wherever it maybe   to appease a well-connected and high-decibel Zionist lobby.

Although some may say let us take our hat off blindly for Israel for it being the only truly democratic state in our region. Let us also not to ignore the facts that Israel is not just one more "repressive and unsavoury country". It is a state which
over six decades, and with the shameful backing of western governments, has implemented a deliberate policy of

Politi-cide and ethnic cleansing in  Palestine and instigated conflict across the Middle East.

 I find it uneasy not to include the Islamist extremist here and   what they also advocate  and  using the term Zionism like many blabbers  when the term is manipulated to refer   wrongly to many Friends of Israel groups and sometime including its own old enemies but never  was anything further  from the  truth their involvement in Darfur. Even if there was this mythical "Zionist lobby" I am quite sure the Islamists or our politicians would not have succumbed to it. I prefer to use the term in pointing out to certain fundamentalists supporters of   the extremist in Israel’s this include the extremist Christians pro-Israel   lobby , and those are indeed  many even in Sudan the refuge now days for  the like of David Koresh (the Waco .Texas massacre) style cults  and across Africa  like the Christian Evangelical Supporters of Israel   whom ten thousands of them travel to Israel to hold an annually parade during  the Jewish holiday of Sukkot   marching   through the Palestinians territories wearing a UN like blue Biretta  with the Magen  the star of David on  it and  wearing   T-shirt  with offensive writing crying  their support for Israel  wars and   calling  on for it  to take the rest of   the   land and drive the Palestinian out,  they parade even in the west bank where Israel had   just handed back. I remember once an Israeli Jerusalem’s Post reporter said while he was watching them during one of these annual parade “we don’t believe them they have their own agenda’s “!?.Let us guess what are these agenda’s he is referring to.. it maybe?  Again it’s the religion’s  believes  as some Christians groups truly believe that once the Jew occupied  the  whole holly lands then that’s the time when Jesus’ will come back, and some believe Christian should support Israel as a religion duty,   some  they come from as far a field as New Zealand and Rwanda beside  the neo-con Right –wing.

Even the Vatican’s envoy in the Holly land and bishops from three other churches launched a rare attack on the Christian Zionist movement accusing it of promoting “racial exclusivity and perpetual war” and that I think said it all.

Back to our debate it may ring true if we were to compare  what is going in our country to Zionism, the ideology that inspires the Israeli state, and its aims to deprive one ethnic group of its land and state in order to ensure maximum space and
resources for another ethnic group. As ex-US President Jimmy Carter rightly asserted, in recent history only apartheid South Africa compares with Israel. But I will not shamefully add my country to this list, even under  this regime we joined the like of China, North Korea, Burma or Zimbabwe, for example? Because in Israel Arabs Cannot even use the same toilets as Jews, or travel on the same buses or the  same theatres not to mention the New Berlin wall.

Let's make the successful international struggle against apartheid, hatreds and extremist our example.

The action by the SLM and Mr Al Nur    in general does not have a vital and valid role to play in defending Israel’s friends within Sudan. I think the SLM decision on establishing   relationship with   Israeli   was a piece of   ill-advised posturing - but this is hardly a unique development: I might be able to mention a few instances when statements appears as if the movement is an elected body by the people they were still to liberates.

Those in the SLM or JEM who want to join this crusade will have to explain what they did when it happened in Darfur. But I doubt if it's the end of gesture appeasing politics within the Sudan many of a kind libration movements, for there is another duck waddling along the wall.

I have no idea what this will achieve in practice, but I would suggest the SLM and the JEM uses this opportunity to promote    race and tribal cohesions’ ,justice and equality within our country first, than seen as mercenary  for  the new world  order , and let us remember in trying to objectively represent   with us our people   during their struggle against discriminations   while operating any kind of  friendship with state advocate for such is abhorrent  to most of us.

 And please some time reading the anti-northerners  bitter views make me wish to ask is it ethical (by Liberation movement standards) for such (mis)information masquerading as press releases to be incorporated into feature domestic output. By all means follow your own beliefs in your own time, but let's keep Sudan and the effort to remove this régime politically independent. We will be the stronger for it.

I also disagree with Dr El-Tom that Darfur people are sold to Al Bashir on this issue or any, I’m sure everybody knows generally in northern Sudan people only object to "political" motions when they disagree with the politics - it's not a point of principle. No-one objects when the JEM or SLM makes policy on political issues we share about the country present situation now and then.

For some saying that those who objected to Mr Nur move are only from the NCP supporters its not healthy for a feature we both want to see.   People should debate each issue on its merit, not some false divide between "Northerners" and "non-Northerners “or "Islamist" and "non-Islamist". The Sudanese people are perfectly capable of understanding a range of views while also forming an opinion. It's a pretty basic life skill.

One of the many ironies is that Dr El-Tom is the Head of JEM strategic planning and only giving here his own personal views not   of  those in his movement. because its quite surprising to see him amused by rejection for such "political" motions by  struggling people on the ground back home while the addressers are  their  own sons abroad, I think the African say “He who is being carried does not realize how far the town is” is just what sprung to mind when reading any strategist   views from Diaspora.

There's another assertion that is being repeated often by these movements and the local media in the hope that    it becomes truth - and that is that by adopting a position on anything, a Northerner who is also an opposition
compromises their independence. This is patronising   bollocks.

On the other hands I agree with many who see the bigger picture in the feature of our country  foreign politics, If we are going to talk about a racist state and whom we should and shouldn’t have a relationship with. I look no further   than Saudi Arabia, the great   friend of Sudan's pro-Arab, anti-Jewish, anti-Christian Government, where no Christians   is allowed  to go about freely not   to mention a Jewish even to enter it. Then  we shouldn’t have anything’s to do with   them because in the Sudan that we all want to see we happen to have the  largest   Christians population  too equally   in the North and   the   south , not just   in   the south as the stereo-type religious racist  tend to believe, and come to equate the communist SPLA with Christianity in Sudan.

Finally, again before I conclude this fatal attraction to instant Journalism I would like you all to take a moments and think of those old ,sick children and crying mothers in this minute this night waiting in the many scattered  refugees camps under no covers ,for  us to bring justice from abroad and no need reminding its very cold  tonight.

*Hatim El Madani