Russell Tribunal on Palestine Part I - Background &
Introductions October 8, 2012 It seemed like many people I spoke
to at the Russell Tribunal on Palestine were waking up to the
reality of the horrible conditions that the people of Palestine
are subjected to. Many of the panelists too, seemed to only come
to their realization recently after visiting the occupied
territories and seeing the conditions that Palestinians live in,
and after talking to activists who have been involved in the
struggle for decades. A shifting consciousness around Israel and
Palestine is underfoot and this tribunal represented a new
international commitment to something more than just “peace
talks” (a term that misleadingly conjures the imagery of war,
and not of ethnic-based oppression, genocide, sociocide,
politicide and apartheid). This commitment comes in the form of
a demand to Israel to stop their human rights violations, a
demand for basic human dignity for the Palestinian people and
the promise of a future for the children of