Uri Davis, an Israeli-Palestinian Jew with a long history of challenging Israeli apartheid in Palestine, recently made a very unique record: the first Israeli Jew to be elected to Fatah. The Observer reports today:
What does he hope to achieve as a Palestinian Hebrew who is a full member of the Revolutionary Council?
His core message, he explains, is “to suggest” to his new colleagues that there is nothing to fear in recognising the notion of a Jewish state. “The correct response is that we will not recognise an Israel defined by political Zionism.” And perhaps just as importantly, Davis believes that Fatah can expand its role from representing only Palestinian Arabs to representing all of those who oppose “settler-colonialism”.
“It cannot win the struggle for equality that it has waged for so long as long as it remains only representative of Palestinians. To win the moral [high ground] it has to project itself as a democratic alternative for all. That is the message I first delivered and that I have persevered with and has led to my election to the Revolutionary Council after 25 years.” It seems unlikely that condemnations on Israeli websites will prevent Uri Davis from giving up on his unique mission now.
Davis has had a fascinating life. Read the whole article. Although the idea of joining the fundamentally corrupt and co-opted Fatah is highly questionable, I deeply admire his principles across a rich six decades on this planet.