My name is Anna Baltzer and I would like to discuss my post
http://www.dailykos.com/... from last week,
because as proud as I am of my work as a whole, I do regret certain
aspects of the post and it's repercussions, which I'd like to have the
chance to clarify.
Before I do so, I'd like to clear something up: I was not recruited by
shergald to publish on Daily Kos. Someone named shergald did write to
me ages ago recommending that I post on Kos, but I was too busy doing
field work to follow the advice. It wasn't until an old friend
reintroduced the idea that I decided to go through with it. I
didn't—and still don't—understand all the politics of I/P Kos
discussions and participants when I joined, and was unaware of the
extent of the meta-debate prior to being banned on May 15th.
First of all, it is clear to me that my posting contains inaccuracies
that I'd like to remedy, most importantly the following: "Al Aqsa
Martyrs' Brigade plans attacks exclusively against armed fighters
illegally occupying and confiscating their—Palestinian—land." For
what it's worth, what I meant to write is that AAMB has recently ceased
attacks against civilians in Israel, which I had done some light
research to confirm before posting. When I was further challenged
about this through debate on Kos, I did some deeper research and am
still unable to confirm any AAMB attacks on civilians in Israel since
2005 (Wikipedia refers to two in 2006, but Haaretz, the Guardian, and
the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs all indicate otherwise). I
realize this may not be the point for those who banned me, but I
mention it for the sake of accuracy (and for those who distinguish
between military targets and civilian ones). I respect my readers
enough to acknowledge having made a mistake.
I am also sorry that my posting was perceived by many as being
charitable to a group that has carried out murderous attacks on
innocent civilians. While I was quoting someone else and trying to
expose a voice not heard in the MSM, I do understand that there is a
important difference between giving voice to and promoting something,
and one must be particularly careful when it comes to groups that have
carried out attacks on civilians, acts which I strongly condemn
whether they are by AAMB or the Israeli state.
It is also most upsetting to me that my diary has resulted in two
Palestinian bloggers' being banned, and was construed by some as
possibly jeopardizing Kos itself. Frankly I don't know enough about
Kos or blog politics to speculate on the legitimacy of these
actions/claims, but if it was indeed my actions that put others at
risk, then please accept my apology and know that it was not my
intention. As for Sabbah and Umkahlil, I feel that it is only fair
that they be offered reinstatement, as they should not be punished for
the flaws of my diary.
The most important point that I would like to make is that the diary
in question is not representative of my writings and work as a whole.
I am deeply committed to human rights for all people, Israelis and
Palestinians, and in 8 months in Israel and Palestine, my experience
in Nablus was an anomaly. Most of the time I was documenting human
rights abuses, accompanying farmers to their land through the Wall,
accompanying children to school, and supporting Palestinians and
Israelis active in nonviolent resistance to the occupation. I was
thrilled with the quantity of discussion (although disappointingly
catty and full of personal attacks) generated within hours of posting
some of my other diaries, and I wish I had prioritized the posts that
I'm most proud of: those documenting the lives of everyday people in
Palestine: the mothers and children, the teachers and farmers. These
are the people that make me passionate about my work, the people who
really don't have a voice, the subjects of 99.99% of my posts. It's a
pity that in the first week I posted without a doubt the most
provocative and controversial post I've ever written and was banned
for it, because it means I can't share any of these other more
interesting and—hopefully—educational experiences I've had working
in the West Bank.
It seems like this whole fiasco has at least generated an interesting
discussion about Daily Kos policy, but I'm really not thrilled about
going down in Kos history as the person who stuck up for AAMB, because
that's just not what my intention was with the diary, nor what my work
is about. I would welcome another chance to share my experiences (or
at least publicly share this letter) on Dkos, but at the very least I
would hope that Sabbah and Umkahlil—whom I don't know, by the way,
but feel REALLY guilty for getting banned—would not suffer the
consequences of my actions, and for which I accept full
responsibility.
Respectfully,
Anna Baltzer
www.AnnaInTheMiddleEast.com