[NYC-L] Albanian-Israeli relations and the recognition of Kosova's independence

[Erica Weitzman]

Hello,

I didn't want to clog up the listserv, since I'm not
even Albanian, but since I do have a very personal
connection to this issue, I wanted to respond.

You should not use Israel as a model for Kosovo's
independence, nor should you look to Albania's 1949
(!) recognition of Israel independence as a good deed.
It was precisely while I was working in Kosovo that I
became starkly aware of the situation in
Israel/Palestine. The parallel you should draw is not
that of Israeli independence to Kosovar independence,
but of the struggles of Palestinians under an Israeli
occupier to the struggles of Kosovars under Serbian
rule. In both cases, there is the same specious claim
to an originary homeland, the same effort to build
settlements to populate the land with those of the
preferred nationality, and the same process of
discrimination, systematic arrests, and apartheid.
(Let me state for the record that I am Jewish, so
supposedly I should be cheering about Israel's
dominance rather than condemning it.) Indeed, when I
went to the West Bank in the summer of 2002 to help
the people there living under occupation, the
similarities were so striking that I actually
accidently spoke to some children in Albanian.

Please, support independence for Kosovo all you want,
but do not use Israel as your model, nor as your
protector. Get your facts from unbiased sources, and
recognize who are really your friends in the struggle
for political justice. If Kosovo would make this kind
of political compromise before it is even a real
nation, it is already doomed.

Yours,
Erica Weitzman 

--- Pirro Rexhepi <pirrorexhepi at yahoo.co.uk> wrote:

>           === NYC-L: New York City Discussion Forum
> ===
> 
> > Just a month ago The Jewish Center for Public
> Affairs in its Jewish Political Study Review
> published an article on the 'Annals of
> Israeli-Albanian Contacts on Establishing Diplomatic
> Relations'
>
(http://www.jcpa.org/israel-europe/ier-guvrin-f05.htm)
> by Yosef Govrin. 
>  
> Amongst other issues, the article refers to
> Albania's friendly and positive response to Israel's
> request for recognition of its independence in April
> of 1949. I found the article to be extremely timely
> and useful in light of the present struggle of
> Albanians for independence in Kosova. Is important
> that good political actions of the Albanian
> government in the past (such as the recognition of
> Israel) should be utilized in favor of the
> independence of Kosova. In other words, we should
> actively look for sponsors for Kosova's independence
> from those countries that not only we have had good
> relations with and 'helped' out, but also hold sway
> in international politics. Is unfortunate however
> that the Albanian diplomacy was never very skilled
> in such diplomatic maneuvers! 
>  
> Hope there was a good turn out at the UN
> demonstration today since I was not able to make it!
>  
> Peace!
> 
> 
> 
> nyc-l-request at alb-net.com wrote:Send NYC-L mailing
> list submissions to
> nyc-l at alb-net.com
> 
> To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web,
> visit
> http://www.alb-net.com/mailman/listinfo/nyc-l
> or, via email, send a message with subject or body
> 'help' to
> nyc-l-request at alb-net.com
> 
> You can reach the person managing the list at
> nyc-l-owner at alb-net.com
> 
> When replying, please edit your Subject line so it
> is more specific
> than "Re: Contents of NYC-L digest..."
> 
> 
> Today's Topics:
> 
> 1. Award-winning Kosovar film "EXIT" to be screened
> in New York
> in November 16 (Kreshnik Berisha)
> 
> 
>
----------------------------------------------------------------------
> 
> Message: 1
> Date: Sat, 22 Oct 2005 05:09:04 +0200
> From: Kreshnik Berisha 
> Subject: [NYC-L] Award-winning Kosovar film "EXIT"
> to be screened in
> New York in November 16
> To: nyc-l at alb-net.com
> Message-ID:
> 
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=WINDOWS-1252
> 
> The Kosovar feature film "EXIT", by Lendita Zeqiraj
> and Blerta Zeqiri,
> will be screened in New York on November 16, 2005 at
> the Village East
> Cinemas at 10PM.
> 
> The screening is organized as a part of the New York
> Int. Independent
> Film and Video Festival (NYIIFV Festival). It comes
> after the film had
> its world premiere in the Los Angeles event of the
> NYIIFV Festival in
> September, where it won the Best Cinematography
> Award. This award
> constitutes the fourth international film award that
> the two
> directors-writers won.
> 
> The film is a breathtaking story about 3
> Kosovar-Albanian students
> hiding in a flat during the war in Kosova. Lack of
> food and
> information about what's happening on the outside
> makes the situation
> unbearable. The three friends are closer than ever
> to each other, but
> yet quite far in trying to solve the unsolvable ?
> find a way out.
> 
> "EXIT" depicts with immaculate accuracy the
> situation hundreds of
> thousands of Albanians were in during the 1999
> NATO-bombing: stranded
> in their homes in fear of the Serb-Police and -Army
> ethnic-cleansing
> campaign.
> 
> For more information on the event and film, please
> visit:
> http://www.nyfilmvideo.com/2005/lasep2005/exit/
> 
> For tickets (US$11.00 at Ticketweb) visit:
>
http://www.ticketweb.com/user/?region=nyc&query=detail&event=633764&interface=
> 
> Cinema information:
> 181 2nd Avenue
> New York, NY 10003
> (212) 529-6998
> Theater Express Code: 922
> 
> ------------------------------
> 
> _______________________________________________
> NYC-L mailing list
> NYC-L at alb-net.com
> http://www.alb-net.com/mailman/listinfo/nyc-l
> 
> 
> End of NYC-L Digest, Vol 64, Issue 5
> ************************************
> 
> 
> 		
> ---------------------------------
> Yahoo! Messenger  NEW - crystal clear PC to PC
> calling worldwide with voicemail >
____________________________________________________
> NYC-L: A discussion and information list of the
> Albanian community in the New York City Metro Area.
> To post to the list: NYC-L at alb-net.com
> For more information:
> http://www.alb-net.com/mailman/listinfo/nyc-l
> 
> 



	
		
__________________________________ 
Yahoo! Mail - PC Magazine Editors' Choice 2005 
http://mail.yahoo.com