[New-imc] palestine indymedia - online meeting

[Petros Evdokas]

Hello again,

Here's a few items I'd like to share with you.

First, thank you, Boud, for your letter to new-imc and to Jenka about 
the recent proposal for an online meeting. Here's a copy of Boud's 
letter for those in this dialogue who are not receiving the new-imc mail 
directly:
http://lists.indymedia.org/pipermail/new-imc/2006-March/0325-ve.html

I also received a letter from Anna Weekes on the issue, which I think 
belongs here in the context of the new-imc work-group dialogue. Anna has 
an involvement with imc South Africa and with the section of the 
movement which shoulders activities of international solidarity with 
Palestine (the people playfully known as "the internationals" in our 
Middle East region). I think Anna intended to send the letter to our 
work-group here.
(The "To" and "CC" lines of the letter included many people's addresses 
which I do not know if it's safe to copy here, they have to decide this 
for themselves.)

Here is Anna's letter - my own letter continues after the dotted line below:


Date: Fri, 24 Mar 2006
From: anna weekes <annaweekes2004 at yahoo.com>
Subject: Re: palestine indymedia - online meeting

Hi everyone,

I'm an IMEMC volunteer and ISMer. I saw the emails yesterday on the ISM 
list from the Palestinians saying that Palestine Indymedia was a 
possibility. I'm prepared to come to the online meeting but would prefer 
that the Palestinians who want to start the IMC call the meeting 
themselves. Am concerned that they may have a position on working with 
Israelis (or internationals for that matter), and that by convening this 
broad meeting of Palestinians, Israelis and internationals we might not 
be taking this into account. I think the process must be Palestinian led.

Yours in the struggle,
Anna - South Africa
--------

Anna's phrase "I think the process must be Palestinian led" expresses 
many of us, I think (thank you Anna!), and it should guide the new-imc 
work-group in handling this application. It's the only way we can help 
create a viable imc for Palestine.

I wish that our colleagues from the West who are acting (with the best 
intentions, I know) to help rejuvenate Palestine IndyMedia would give us 
some feedback or answers or actions that might show that they understand 
this.

What needs to happen now is a
                    *~ direct ~*
dialogue between Palestinian activists (and/or media-activists, 
journalists, whatever the definition is) and the new-imc work-group.

Those who will be embodying the new Palestine IndyMedia organization, 
themselves, should be encouraged in every way possible to enter into 
this dialogue with our work-group. Directly.


Shortly I'll be sending you another letter listing what I feel are the 
primary things to address at this stage - it's only been a few days of 
contact and we already have a number of significant items dangling, 
unresolved, which will not allow us to go further.

I'm really eager to see a Palestine IndyMedia functioning. But only if 
it's done correctly. IndyMedia is an instrument of struggle, and its 
involvement in the Palestinian liberation process must be done with care 
and with full awareness of the consequences of each and every editorial 
and organizational decision - each word we publish (or not) has an 
impact on the life and death of someone. And it's not just individual 
lives at stake in Palestine, it's the survival of a whole nation facing 
genocide.

The irresponsibility we have allowed to plague many of the imc's of the 
West needs to be kept out of this process, so that our Palestinian 
colleagues will be enabled to shoulder this mission well. We already 
have enough tools and political principles among us which can be very 
helpful, all we need to is apply them.

I'll send another letter in a while, listing some items where I think we 
can apply our tools and principles to go forward in helping Palestine 
IndyMedia re-emerge.

Thanks,
Petros
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