The Russell Tribunal on Palestine - Part II

The Organizers and Volunteers
The South African organizers came mostly from the Palestine Solidarity Committee (PSC), Cosatu and some group allied to Desmond Tutu. The volunteers seemed to be young members of the Boycott, Divest and Sanction (BDS) movement in Cosatu or various student left wing groups allied to BDS or PSC. Quite a few people asked me what organisation I hailed from. After the first uncomfortable meeting in which I interrupted some derogatory anti-Jewish comments, my stock reply to these questions was "I am the Zionist spy." It raised the odd surprised laugh. Of-course, they were concerned about protests, hecklers and the like. Security was tight and some old struggle fantasies about whites and the police were projected onto Jews. At one meeting, someone suggested the Jewish Defence League might turn up with their guns. It was laughable. "In your dreams", I thought, because of-course, that improbable event would recognise the Tribunal as a threat to Israel.
Attendance
The organisers were also worried about attendance. 600 people had been invited including the State President.
Winnie Mandela was supposed to be one of the witnesses. The District Six Museum could seat 202 inside which would have to include Media and the Witnesses as well as the legal team advising the jurists. There would be 2 overflow areas with screens. Readers you should know that the museum was never completely full - which means that at most there were never more than about 160 guests and probably usually less. The overflows were empty.  Experts travelled thousands of miles to give precious and painful information. This information disturbed me and forced me to change my thinking about what could be a just solution in the Israel/Palestine conflict.In my view it was a great shame that so few people heard this powerful evidence.
Theatrics

Haneen Zoabi

There were a few protesters to provide a bit of entertainment on Sunday morning and to keep the security detail on their toes. However, by the end, there seemed to be a need for some drama. It came from the right wing in Israel. A member of a small right-wing party in the Knesset called for the Israeli citizenship of Haneen Zoabi to be revoked. She is a Palestinian member of the Israeli Knesset who had given evidence earlier that day and this threat served to prove one of her points that for Arab-Israelis citizenship is conditional. 

Michael Mansfield, the radical English lawyer and one of the jurists was the bearer of this dramatic news. He certainly knows how to galvanise an audience and made it sound like a serious threat from the Israeli government. Zwelinzima Vavi (General Secretary of Cosatu) then got up and as the most senior politician present immediately invited Haneen Zoabi to remain in South Africa assuring her that he personally would make representations on her behalf. If that wasn't enough to get us all fired up, the next announcement, again by Mansfield, fired a rocket when he reported that "The Tribunal's website has been hacked and exterminated!" I kid you not - his exact words.

Needless to say - Haneen Zoabi got home, and the website, although apparently hacked by professionals, is up and running. The links in this post and the previous Part I are to the videos on the website, of participants giving evidence.