Ma’an- Israeli officials in Jerusalem carried out the area's second demolition in as many days early on Tuesday morning, in the Beit Hanina neighborhood, north of the Old City.
Witnesses said that bulldozers arrived in the residential area at 4:30 a.m. and demolished a 125-square-meter house, which owner Nayif Uweida said was built in 2000. Read more
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Palestinian Authority to finance work projects for ex-detainees
Ma'an- In an effort to rehabilitate the hundreds of Palestinians every year who are released from Israeli prison after years in detention, the Palestinian Authority announced a job creation program focusing on providing finances for agricultural projects.
The effort, a government statement said, comes as part of an initiative to "assimilate ex-detainees in the development process."
As of 2010, there were at least 7,000 Palestinians in Israeli detention facilities, in 2009 that number was over 10,000. Many of the detainees spend years in prison, and only some are able to complete their studies while incarcerated. Read more
The effort, a government statement said, comes as part of an initiative to "assimilate ex-detainees in the development process."
As of 2010, there were at least 7,000 Palestinians in Israeli detention facilities, in 2009 that number was over 10,000. Many of the detainees spend years in prison, and only some are able to complete their studies while incarcerated. Read more
Israel detains 17 year old Palestinian boy, soldier burns him with cigarette
DCI-Palestine- Imad al-Ashhab (17) has been held for over 10 months without charge or trial. On 4 February 2011, he will either be released, or given a fifth administrative detention order.
Imad Mohammad al-Ashhab
Event: Administrative Detention
Place of residence: Hebron, Occupied Palestinian Territory
Date of arrest: 21 February 2010
Charge: No charge
Place of detention: Ofer Prison, Occupied Palestinian Territory
Date of issue: 4 January 2011
Background information
At around 7:30am, on 21 February 2010, 17-year-old Imad was travelling to work with his father in the occupied West Bank. Father and son had to pass through an Israeli army checkpoint like every morning. „When we reached the container checkpoint,‟ recalls Imad, „soldiers would usually examine our permits.‟ However, on this morning, two soldiers grabbed Imad and dragged him into a small room. „What did he do?‟ shouted Imad‟s father, but there was no response. After being thoroughly searched, Imad reports that his hands were handcuffed behind his back and his feet were shackled. „They also placed a black mask over my face and it smelled like urine,‟ recalls Imad. „The smell was very strong and I told one of the soldiers but he didn‟t take it off, but said, “shut-up, or I‟ll hit you.”‟ Imad reports that he was held in the small room for around six hours during which time he was not given anything to eat or drink, and was prevented from using the toilet.
Later that afternoon, Imad was placed in the back of a military jeep. "The jeep travelled for a long time,‟ recalls Imad. "I was alone with the soldiers. One of them hit me on the legs with a stick and he also slapped me across the face. My hands and feet were still handcuffed and I had the smelly mask around my face. 'Do you smoke?' the soldiers asked me. 'No I don‟t,' I said. Then I heard him lighting a cigarette and he burned my right hand with the cigarette, which made me feel great pain."
Imad also reports being slapped while in the back of the jeep and hitting his head on the roof several times when the vehicle went over a bump. Sometime that evening the jeep arrived at an unknown location and Imad was interrogated for about 15 minutes while still handcuffed, shackled and blindfolded. Following the interrogation, Imad reports being taken outside, still blindfolded, and ordered to walk back and forth, causing him to walk into the side of a vehicle and bump his head four times. Imad was then placed in a jeep and transferred to another unknown location where he was given a brief medical examination. Imad informed the person he assumed to be a doctor that he had been burned with a cigarette, but he received no treatment. Read more
Imad Mohammad al-Ashhab
Event: Administrative Detention
Place of residence: Hebron, Occupied Palestinian Territory
Date of arrest: 21 February 2010
Charge: No charge
Place of detention: Ofer Prison, Occupied Palestinian Territory
Date of issue: 4 January 2011
Background information
At around 7:30am, on 21 February 2010, 17-year-old Imad was travelling to work with his father in the occupied West Bank. Father and son had to pass through an Israeli army checkpoint like every morning. „When we reached the container checkpoint,‟ recalls Imad, „soldiers would usually examine our permits.‟ However, on this morning, two soldiers grabbed Imad and dragged him into a small room. „What did he do?‟ shouted Imad‟s father, but there was no response. After being thoroughly searched, Imad reports that his hands were handcuffed behind his back and his feet were shackled. „They also placed a black mask over my face and it smelled like urine,‟ recalls Imad. „The smell was very strong and I told one of the soldiers but he didn‟t take it off, but said, “shut-up, or I‟ll hit you.”‟ Imad reports that he was held in the small room for around six hours during which time he was not given anything to eat or drink, and was prevented from using the toilet.
Later that afternoon, Imad was placed in the back of a military jeep. "The jeep travelled for a long time,‟ recalls Imad. "I was alone with the soldiers. One of them hit me on the legs with a stick and he also slapped me across the face. My hands and feet were still handcuffed and I had the smelly mask around my face. 'Do you smoke?' the soldiers asked me. 'No I don‟t,' I said. Then I heard him lighting a cigarette and he burned my right hand with the cigarette, which made me feel great pain."
Imad also reports being slapped while in the back of the jeep and hitting his head on the roof several times when the vehicle went over a bump. Sometime that evening the jeep arrived at an unknown location and Imad was interrogated for about 15 minutes while still handcuffed, shackled and blindfolded. Following the interrogation, Imad reports being taken outside, still blindfolded, and ordered to walk back and forth, causing him to walk into the side of a vehicle and bump his head four times. Imad was then placed in a jeep and transferred to another unknown location where he was given a brief medical examination. Imad informed the person he assumed to be a doctor that he had been burned with a cigarette, but he received no treatment. Read more
Israeli forces detain 8 Palestinians in village raid
Ma'an- Israeli forces on Tuesday detained eight Palestinians in a dawn raid on a Nablus village, locals said.
Israeli soldiers arrived in Madama village at 2 a.m. and remained in the area until morning, raiding many homes, residents said. Read more
Israeli soldiers arrived in Madama village at 2 a.m. and remained in the area until morning, raiding many homes, residents said. Read more
Monday, January 3, 2011
Video: Veterans Today bans Wikipedia references from site, say it is being manipulated by Israel
VeteransToday – ...Wikipedia, the vast online encyclopedia used as a reference source by amateur and professional scholars, journalists and researchers of all kinds is now proven to be subject to a massive assault by the government of Israel. Hundreds of Wikipedia editors are being recruited and trained each week, tasked by the Israeli government with instilling open “Zionist” bias in even the most innocent areas, not just news, but personal biographies and, especially history.
...We further warn all site moderators of suspicious comments that parrot common pro-Israel talking points. We have tracked common IP addresses to dozens of non-existent readers of late. We have also noted that proxy servers, Australia, New Zealand and elsewhere, are being used to “launder” these internet terror attacks.
Veterans Today, with great sadness and reluctance, is now forced to ban all Wikipedia content from the site, under the assumption that such content is adversarial to the security of the United States and its military forces. Read more
Related story: A pro-Israel group's plan to rewrite history on Wikipedia
...We further warn all site moderators of suspicious comments that parrot common pro-Israel talking points. We have tracked common IP addresses to dozens of non-existent readers of late. We have also noted that proxy servers, Australia, New Zealand and elsewhere, are being used to “launder” these internet terror attacks.
Veterans Today, with great sadness and reluctance, is now forced to ban all Wikipedia content from the site, under the assumption that such content is adversarial to the security of the United States and its military forces. Read more
Related story: A pro-Israel group's plan to rewrite history on Wikipedia
Israeli Institute for National Security Studies: 'Israel has maneuvered well' in effecting US policies during Obama years
JerusalemPost – Prof. Zaki Shalom of the INSS wrote an analysis of US-Israel relations after the first two Obama years...
....for the past two years the United States has been meticulous about demonstrating impressive support for Israel in the face of serious attacks against it in the international arena. This is a situation that did not always exist in the past, and it undoubtedly gives expression to an important Israeli diplomatic achievement, at least for now.
Bottom line:
Thus at least at this stage, the State of Israel has succeeded in maneuvering well in sensitive areas. Read more
....for the past two years the United States has been meticulous about demonstrating impressive support for Israel in the face of serious attacks against it in the international arena. This is a situation that did not always exist in the past, and it undoubtedly gives expression to an important Israeli diplomatic achievement, at least for now.
Bottom line:
Thus at least at this stage, the State of Israel has succeeded in maneuvering well in sensitive areas. Read more
AIPAC protests current and threatened disclosure of its highly sensitive secret files by former official Steven Rosen
IRMEP – Today the Israel Lobby Archive releases new filings from the Rosen v. American Israel Public Affairs Committee defamation lawsuit.
AIPAC formally protests former employee Steven J. Rosen's possession, partial release and ongoing threats to disclose his entire cache of highly sensitive AIPAC internal information about the US National Security Council, US campaign contribution limits impact on AIPAC operations, employee-related matters and files on the political activities of AIPAC members.
Presiding Judge Eric Christian will make a decision about AIPAC's motion to dismiss today.
Israel Lobby Archive (Latest filings marked "new").
Antiwar.com-GrandSmith – ...Proprietary documents AIPAC claims Rosen has in his possession include AIPAC's benefits and personnel policy handbook, AIPAC's bylaws (already released by Rosen), a memorandum of an AIPAC luncheon with National Security Council member Lisa Johnson, an internal memo about how limits on individual contributors would affect U.S. political campaigns, another internal memo about the individual political activities of AIPAC members, and Keith Weissman's employee performance review. Johnson worked in the Bush 43 NSC Near East and South Asian Affairs division under Bruce Ridell and Zalmay Khalilzad. Former AIPAC employee Keith Weissman was indicted for espionage alongside Rosen in 2005. AIPAC claims, "Most offensive is that Mr. Rosen has stolen the private employment evaluation of another employee and produced it in this litigation with no regard for that employee's privacy and personal information."
...While Rosen appears to have violated some narrow provisions of the protective order, he still has room to maneuver out of an immediate dismissal. In both his original defamation suit filing and subsequent introduction of evidence Rosen tried to thread a needle by claiming that it was somehow not unlawful for AIPAC to routinely collect and circulate classified U.S. government documents and that he was unjustly punished for such activities. Rosen could now claim the obvious--that AIPAC has long engaged in illegal activities, such as functioning as an agent of a foreign government--which drove it into the classified information-handling business.
Confidentiality agreements cannot limit or supersede established whistleblower protections over disclosing illegal activities. For example, if Rosen introduces the Lisa Johnson NSC memo as proof that AIPAC acted as Israel's foreign agent for the U.S. invasion of Iraq, it could blow a hole not only in the confidentially agreement, but in AIPAC's tattered official stance that it was not intimately involved in planning and promoting the invasion.
Rosen could make similar whistleblower claims about the still-sealed deposition of AIPAC legislative director Ester Kurz's involvement in an earlier AIPAC economic espionage affair investigated by the FBI between 1984 and 1987 but quashed by order of the Justice Department.... Read more
AIPAC formally protests former employee Steven J. Rosen's possession, partial release and ongoing threats to disclose his entire cache of highly sensitive AIPAC internal information about the US National Security Council, US campaign contribution limits impact on AIPAC operations, employee-related matters and files on the political activities of AIPAC members.
Presiding Judge Eric Christian will make a decision about AIPAC's motion to dismiss today.
Israel Lobby Archive (Latest filings marked "new").
Antiwar.com-GrandSmith – ...Proprietary documents AIPAC claims Rosen has in his possession include AIPAC's benefits and personnel policy handbook, AIPAC's bylaws (already released by Rosen), a memorandum of an AIPAC luncheon with National Security Council member Lisa Johnson, an internal memo about how limits on individual contributors would affect U.S. political campaigns, another internal memo about the individual political activities of AIPAC members, and Keith Weissman's employee performance review. Johnson worked in the Bush 43 NSC Near East and South Asian Affairs division under Bruce Ridell and Zalmay Khalilzad. Former AIPAC employee Keith Weissman was indicted for espionage alongside Rosen in 2005. AIPAC claims, "Most offensive is that Mr. Rosen has stolen the private employment evaluation of another employee and produced it in this litigation with no regard for that employee's privacy and personal information."
...While Rosen appears to have violated some narrow provisions of the protective order, he still has room to maneuver out of an immediate dismissal. In both his original defamation suit filing and subsequent introduction of evidence Rosen tried to thread a needle by claiming that it was somehow not unlawful for AIPAC to routinely collect and circulate classified U.S. government documents and that he was unjustly punished for such activities. Rosen could now claim the obvious--that AIPAC has long engaged in illegal activities, such as functioning as an agent of a foreign government--which drove it into the classified information-handling business.
Confidentiality agreements cannot limit or supersede established whistleblower protections over disclosing illegal activities. For example, if Rosen introduces the Lisa Johnson NSC memo as proof that AIPAC acted as Israel's foreign agent for the U.S. invasion of Iraq, it could blow a hole not only in the confidentially agreement, but in AIPAC's tattered official stance that it was not intimately involved in planning and promoting the invasion.
Rosen could make similar whistleblower claims about the still-sealed deposition of AIPAC legislative director Ester Kurz's involvement in an earlier AIPAC economic espionage affair investigated by the FBI between 1984 and 1987 but quashed by order of the Justice Department.... Read more
Netanyahu: Israel never said no to new freeze
Ma'an-AFP- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday said talks to secure a new settlement freeze ground to a halt when the United States stopped pressing for the ban, not because Israel rejected it.
Israeli radio and news sites quoted him as telling parliament's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee that Washington initially asked Israel to extend a 10-month building freeze which expired in September.
"The truth is that we were prepared to do this but contrary to what was reported Israel did not refuse to extend the freeze," Ma'ariv daily's "nrg" website quoted Netanyahu as telling lawmakers.
"In the end the United States decided not to take that path, rightly in my opinion," he added. Read more
Israeli radio and news sites quoted him as telling parliament's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee that Washington initially asked Israel to extend a 10-month building freeze which expired in September.
"The truth is that we were prepared to do this but contrary to what was reported Israel did not refuse to extend the freeze," Ma'ariv daily's "nrg" website quoted Netanyahu as telling lawmakers.
"In the end the United States decided not to take that path, rightly in my opinion," he added. Read more
Report: Israel not engaging with Palestinian peace proposals
Ma’an- Palestinian negotiators sent several documents to their Israeli counterparts over the past weeks, containing detailed proposals over possible solutions to major issues like the status of Jerusalem and refugees under a peace deal.
According to Hebrew-language daily newspaper Ma'ariv, in a Monday report, Israeli officials have refused to examine the documents, and have not responded in any way to their content. Read more
According to Hebrew-language daily newspaper Ma'ariv, in a Monday report, Israeli officials have refused to examine the documents, and have not responded in any way to their content. Read more
Israeli forces re-open road, Palestinians still enter city from checkpoints
Ma’an- Following a two-week closure, Israeli forces reopened a one-way road gate west of Tulkarem, allowing Palestinians from inside Israel to enter the city.
Locals said the closure of Gate 104, known locally as the Netanya road gate, forced Palestinians entering the area from Israel and areas west of the separation wall to enter the city through the southern Jubarah checkpoint, seven kilometers south of the city. Read more
Locals said the closure of Gate 104, known locally as the Netanya road gate, forced Palestinians entering the area from Israel and areas west of the separation wall to enter the city through the southern Jubarah checkpoint, seven kilometers south of the city. Read more
Palestinian villagers report new settler vandalism
Ma’an- Residents of Qusra village in the northern West Bank said settlers were behind a series of car-tire slashings and the slaughter of two sheep in their barn overnight.
Locals told head of the village council Hani Ismail they saw at least ten settlers enter a barn in the Nabuh neighborhood early on Monday morning, and when they entered to survey the damage, two of the animals were killed.
Ismail told Ma'an that the report came less than 48 hours after residents said car tires were damaged by a group of settlers in the area. Read more
Locals told head of the village council Hani Ismail they saw at least ten settlers enter a barn in the Nabuh neighborhood early on Monday morning, and when they entered to survey the damage, two of the animals were killed.
Ismail told Ma'an that the report came less than 48 hours after residents said car tires were damaged by a group of settlers in the area. Read more
Easing of Gaza blockade fails to reverse housing crisis
IRIN- Farid Batch and his brother Wasfi live about 500m from their old houses in Jabalia, north Gaza. The homes of four Batch brothers once stood next to each other overlooking a grove of olive and lemon trees but all that is left are the concrete foundations and a tangle of wire and metal.
Since the orchards and all four houses were levelled during Israel’s last military operation in Gaza, two years ago in January, Farid and Wasfi have been living in neighbouring apartments in a large residential block. Their rent is paid by one-off grants from the Ministry of Public Works in Gaza and the UN Development Programme (UNDP), but from January, they will have to cover the cost themselves.
Wasfi recently found a job driving an ambulance for 1,400NIS (US$387) a month and thinks he will be able to afford to rent a place for his family of 11.
Farid, an unemployed carpenter and father of seven, has no idea where his family will be living from January.
“I owned my home and the 600m of land it stood on. When I have the money, I’ll rebuild it but there is no money in Gaza now,” Farid said. “All the building material we need is here but the gravel, cement and steel that come through the tunnel from Egypt are about 10 times the prices before the blockade. Without money, I can’t think about rebuilding.” Read more
Since the orchards and all four houses were levelled during Israel’s last military operation in Gaza, two years ago in January, Farid and Wasfi have been living in neighbouring apartments in a large residential block. Their rent is paid by one-off grants from the Ministry of Public Works in Gaza and the UN Development Programme (UNDP), but from January, they will have to cover the cost themselves.
Wasfi recently found a job driving an ambulance for 1,400NIS (US$387) a month and thinks he will be able to afford to rent a place for his family of 11.
Farid, an unemployed carpenter and father of seven, has no idea where his family will be living from January.
“I owned my home and the 600m of land it stood on. When I have the money, I’ll rebuild it but there is no money in Gaza now,” Farid said. “All the building material we need is here but the gravel, cement and steel that come through the tunnel from Egypt are about 10 times the prices before the blockade. Without money, I can’t think about rebuilding.” Read more
Howard Zinn on Holocaust universalism to present and past atrocities
Howard Zinn's death on Holocaust Memorial Day makes the following an apt reflection: "A Larger Consciousness," By Howard Zinn, ZNet Commentary, 10 October 1999
Some years ago, when I was teaching at Boston University, I was asked by a Jewish group to give a talk on the Holocaus.... It was the mid-Eighties, and the United States government was supporting death squad governments in Central America, so I spoke of the deaths of hundreds of thousands of peasants in Guatemala and El Salvador, victims of American policy. My point was that the memory of the Jewish Holocaust should not be encircled by barbed wire, morally ghettoized, kept isolated from other genocides in history.
Some years ago, when I was teaching at Boston University, I was asked by a Jewish group to give a talk on the Holocaus.... It was the mid-Eighties, and the United States government was supporting death squad governments in Central America, so I spoke of the deaths of hundreds of thousands of peasants in Guatemala and El Salvador, victims of American policy. My point was that the memory of the Jewish Holocaust should not be encircled by barbed wire, morally ghettoized, kept isolated from other genocides in history.
Palestine Solidarity Conference held in Germany, releases document and encourages endorsers
Closing Document of the Palestine Solidarity Conference
“Separated in the past – together in the future”
Equality – or nothing (Edward W. Said)
From 26-28 November 2010, over 200 participants came together for a “Palestine Solidarity Conference”. The theme of this three-day conference, with the title Separated in the past – together in the future, was “Barriers and Perspectives for a just solution” of the conflict between the state of Israel and the Palestinians.
The speakers were the Israeli historian Prof. Ilan Pappé from the University of Exeter (U.K.), Prof. Haidar Eid from the Al Aqsa University Gaza, Prof Mazin Qumsiyeh from Bir Zeit University Ramallah, the co-founder of the Internet Portal Electronic Intifada Ali Abunimah, the Palestinian activist Lubna Masarwa, the international law expert from Hamburg Prof. Norman Paech, the journalist and human rights activist Evelyn Hecht-Galinski, Annette Groth MP from the parliamentary fraction of the left party (DIE LINKE), lawyer Jörg Lang, and Attia Rajab and Verena Rajab from the Stuttgart Palestine Committee. The jazz musician Gilad Atzmon supported the conference with his welcome address. The actress Julianna Herzberg and Samir Mansour with his Layalina Ensemble performed in the cultural programme. The patron of the conference was the Israeli-German lawyer and human rights activist Felicia Langer.
The conference participants from England, France, Austria, Switzerland, Sweden, the USA and Germany discussed strategies and objectives that they could follow together.
The great majority determined that the dogmatic adherence to the 2-State Solution ignores the actual realities and assumes a false parity between a colonized and occupied people on one side, and a colonial state with its military superiority on the other. This falsely propagates the possibility of achieving a peace in which the Palestinians living in the areas occupied in 1967 are granted limited national rights, while the rights of those living within the borders of 1948 and of the expelled are denied their rights.
The adherence to a 2-State Solution condemns Palestinians with Israeli citizenship to live as second class citizens in their historic country, in a racist state in which they are not allowed the same rights as Jewish citizens. Furthermore, the continuance of a Zionist state on the land of the Palestinian refugees denies these refugees the internationally recognized right to return.
...At the end of the discussion there was general agreement that only the creation of a shared secular and democratic state in historical Palestine with equal rights for all can bring peace and equality for Palestinians and Israelis – a state in which all people live together with equal rights, irrespective of their religion or background. This of course includes the Palestinians expelled from the country (fulfilment of Resolution 194 of the UN General Assembly).
Leading powers, above all the USA and the EU countries, continue to tolerate or support the sustained transgressions of Israel against international law and the abuse of all UN resolutions, which condemn the colonial and discriminatory politics of Israel as illegal. The governments of the USA and the EU tolerate the constant attacks against the Palestinian people and their homes. In particular, the complete failure of the “international community” during the Israeli massacre in Gaza in Winter 2008/2009 demonstrates clearly that only pressure from civil society worldwide can enforce a change in the politics of Israel and her supporters. Read more
“Separated in the past – together in the future”
Equality – or nothing (Edward W. Said)
From 26-28 November 2010, over 200 participants came together for a “Palestine Solidarity Conference”. The theme of this three-day conference, with the title Separated in the past – together in the future, was “Barriers and Perspectives for a just solution” of the conflict between the state of Israel and the Palestinians.
The speakers were the Israeli historian Prof. Ilan Pappé from the University of Exeter (U.K.), Prof. Haidar Eid from the Al Aqsa University Gaza, Prof Mazin Qumsiyeh from Bir Zeit University Ramallah, the co-founder of the Internet Portal Electronic Intifada Ali Abunimah, the Palestinian activist Lubna Masarwa, the international law expert from Hamburg Prof. Norman Paech, the journalist and human rights activist Evelyn Hecht-Galinski, Annette Groth MP from the parliamentary fraction of the left party (DIE LINKE), lawyer Jörg Lang, and Attia Rajab and Verena Rajab from the Stuttgart Palestine Committee. The jazz musician Gilad Atzmon supported the conference with his welcome address. The actress Julianna Herzberg and Samir Mansour with his Layalina Ensemble performed in the cultural programme. The patron of the conference was the Israeli-German lawyer and human rights activist Felicia Langer.
The conference participants from England, France, Austria, Switzerland, Sweden, the USA and Germany discussed strategies and objectives that they could follow together.
The great majority determined that the dogmatic adherence to the 2-State Solution ignores the actual realities and assumes a false parity between a colonized and occupied people on one side, and a colonial state with its military superiority on the other. This falsely propagates the possibility of achieving a peace in which the Palestinians living in the areas occupied in 1967 are granted limited national rights, while the rights of those living within the borders of 1948 and of the expelled are denied their rights.
The adherence to a 2-State Solution condemns Palestinians with Israeli citizenship to live as second class citizens in their historic country, in a racist state in which they are not allowed the same rights as Jewish citizens. Furthermore, the continuance of a Zionist state on the land of the Palestinian refugees denies these refugees the internationally recognized right to return.
...At the end of the discussion there was general agreement that only the creation of a shared secular and democratic state in historical Palestine with equal rights for all can bring peace and equality for Palestinians and Israelis – a state in which all people live together with equal rights, irrespective of their religion or background. This of course includes the Palestinians expelled from the country (fulfilment of Resolution 194 of the UN General Assembly).
Leading powers, above all the USA and the EU countries, continue to tolerate or support the sustained transgressions of Israel against international law and the abuse of all UN resolutions, which condemn the colonial and discriminatory politics of Israel as illegal. The governments of the USA and the EU tolerate the constant attacks against the Palestinian people and their homes. In particular, the complete failure of the “international community” during the Israeli massacre in Gaza in Winter 2008/2009 demonstrates clearly that only pressure from civil society worldwide can enforce a change in the politics of Israel and her supporters. Read more
Palestine solidarity student groups across the US release statement against subpoenas on activists
National Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) Statement on Impact of Grand Jury Subpoenas on Students' First Amendment Rights
"For if they take you in the morning, they will be coming for us that night."
- James Baldwin, in an open letter to Angela Davis, November 19, 1970
As students at over fifty American universities, we unequivocally condemn the abuse of grand jury subpoenas to chill the exercise of First Amendment rights by university students and anti-war activists speaking and organizing against Israel's continued oppression of the Palestinian people. Since September 24, 2010, the F.B.I. has served at least 24 grand jury subpoenas on students and activists in a secret investigation that many have called a witch-hunt. We call upon Attorney General Eric Holder and United States Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald to respect the civil rights and free speech of all those who support the Palestinian struggle for freedom by immediately withdrawing grand jury subpoenas which threaten the First Amendment rights of students and activists around the country.
The government's assault on organizations and individuals who support the Palestinian struggle for freedom has become increasingly authoritarian. The abuse of laws criminalizing "material support for terrorism" is unprecedented and, had they been implemented at the time of South African apartheid, would have effectively criminalized broad American support for the anti-apartheid movement. At the apparent behest of US Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald, the government today has cast a net so wide that it has entangled journalists, college students, and peace activists. We know that a campaign so indiscriminate will seriously impinge on the First Amendment and other civil rights of people living in the United States. This will, in particular, affect active and outspoken students on university campuses, especially those of Palestinian descent.
It is not only our right but also our moral duty to speak and act against American foreign policy and its destructive impact on innocent people around the world. Today, America unfortunately stands behind Israel's oppression of the Palestinian people with money, weaponry, and diplomatic support. We seek to reverse this situation so that American foreign policy stands on the side of people who work towards justice. We reject the government's efforts to isolate the Palestinian people by severing them from their non-violent supporters abroad. Therefore we stand in solidarity with the victims of our government's campaign both in America and around the globe.
If Attorney Fitzgerald's campaign marks the morning of a new day, then we are certain of what awaits us in the night. Like Baldwin before us, we live in an age in which silence is not only criminal but suicidal - we shall, therefore, make as much noise as we can.
Signed:
American University, Students for Justice in Palestine
Arizona State University, Students for Justice in Palestine
Bard College, International Solidarity Movement
Benedictine University, Students for Justice in Palestine
Boston University, Students for Justice in Palestine
Brandeis University, Brandeis SJP
Brooklyn College CUNY, The Palestinian Club
Columbia University, Students for Justice in Palestine
Cornell University, United for Peace and Justice in Palestine
DePaul University, Students for Justice in Palestine
Eastern Washington University, SLAC
Florida International University, Students for Justice in Palestine
George Mason University, Students for Justice in Palestine
George Washington University, Students for Justice in Palestine
Georgetown University, Students for Justice in Palestine
Hampshire College, Students for Justice in Palestine
Harvard Law School, Middle East Law Students Association
Harvard University, Alliance for Justice in the Middle East
Harvard University, Harvard College Palestine Solidarity Committee
Harvard University, Harvard Law School Justice for Palestine
Hunter College, Students for Justice in Palestine
Loyola University, Middle Eastern Student Association
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Palestine@MIT
New York University, Students for Justice in Palestine
Northeastern Illinois University, Students for Justice in Palestine
Northwestern University, Students for Justice in Palestine
Ohio State University, Committee for Justice in Palestine
Pennsylvania State University, Students for Justice in Palestine
Rutgers University - New Brunswick, BAKA: Students United for Middle Eastern Justice
San Diego State University, Students for Justice in Palestine
School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Students for Justice in Palestine
Temple University, Temple Students for Justice in Palestine
Tufts University, Students for Justice in Palestine
University of Arizona, Students for Justice in Palestine
University of California, Berkeley, Students for Justice in Palestine
University of California, Berkeley Law, Law Students for Justice in Palestine
University of California, Davis, Students for Justice in Palestine
University of California, Irvine, Students for Justice in Palestine
University of California, Los Angeles, Students for Justice in Palestine
University of California, Riverside, Students for Justice in Palestine
University of California, San Diego, Students for Justice in Palestine
University of Chicago, Students for Justice in Palestine
University of Florida, Students for Justice In Palestine
University of Illinois at Chicago, Students for Justice in Palestine
University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Students for Justice in Palestine
University of Michigan, Students Allied for Freedom & Equality
University of Nebraska, Lincoln, Palestine Solidarity Committee
University of Pittsburgh, Pitt Students for Justice in Palestine
University of South Florida, Students for Justice in Palestine
University of Southern California, Students for Justice in Palestine
University of Texas at Austin, Palestine Solidarity Committee
University of Washington, Students for Justice in Palestine
Vermont Law School, Law Students for Justice in Palestine
Wellesley College, Justice for Palestine
Yale University, Yale Students for Justice and Peace in Palestine
"For if they take you in the morning, they will be coming for us that night."
- James Baldwin, in an open letter to Angela Davis, November 19, 1970
As students at over fifty American universities, we unequivocally condemn the abuse of grand jury subpoenas to chill the exercise of First Amendment rights by university students and anti-war activists speaking and organizing against Israel's continued oppression of the Palestinian people. Since September 24, 2010, the F.B.I. has served at least 24 grand jury subpoenas on students and activists in a secret investigation that many have called a witch-hunt. We call upon Attorney General Eric Holder and United States Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald to respect the civil rights and free speech of all those who support the Palestinian struggle for freedom by immediately withdrawing grand jury subpoenas which threaten the First Amendment rights of students and activists around the country.
The government's assault on organizations and individuals who support the Palestinian struggle for freedom has become increasingly authoritarian. The abuse of laws criminalizing "material support for terrorism" is unprecedented and, had they been implemented at the time of South African apartheid, would have effectively criminalized broad American support for the anti-apartheid movement. At the apparent behest of US Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald, the government today has cast a net so wide that it has entangled journalists, college students, and peace activists. We know that a campaign so indiscriminate will seriously impinge on the First Amendment and other civil rights of people living in the United States. This will, in particular, affect active and outspoken students on university campuses, especially those of Palestinian descent.
It is not only our right but also our moral duty to speak and act against American foreign policy and its destructive impact on innocent people around the world. Today, America unfortunately stands behind Israel's oppression of the Palestinian people with money, weaponry, and diplomatic support. We seek to reverse this situation so that American foreign policy stands on the side of people who work towards justice. We reject the government's efforts to isolate the Palestinian people by severing them from their non-violent supporters abroad. Therefore we stand in solidarity with the victims of our government's campaign both in America and around the globe.
If Attorney Fitzgerald's campaign marks the morning of a new day, then we are certain of what awaits us in the night. Like Baldwin before us, we live in an age in which silence is not only criminal but suicidal - we shall, therefore, make as much noise as we can.
Signed:
American University, Students for Justice in Palestine
Arizona State University, Students for Justice in Palestine
Bard College, International Solidarity Movement
Benedictine University, Students for Justice in Palestine
Boston University, Students for Justice in Palestine
Brandeis University, Brandeis SJP
Brooklyn College CUNY, The Palestinian Club
Columbia University, Students for Justice in Palestine
Cornell University, United for Peace and Justice in Palestine
DePaul University, Students for Justice in Palestine
Eastern Washington University, SLAC
Florida International University, Students for Justice in Palestine
George Mason University, Students for Justice in Palestine
George Washington University, Students for Justice in Palestine
Georgetown University, Students for Justice in Palestine
Hampshire College, Students for Justice in Palestine
Harvard Law School, Middle East Law Students Association
Harvard University, Alliance for Justice in the Middle East
Harvard University, Harvard College Palestine Solidarity Committee
Harvard University, Harvard Law School Justice for Palestine
Hunter College, Students for Justice in Palestine
Loyola University, Middle Eastern Student Association
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Palestine@MIT
New York University, Students for Justice in Palestine
Northeastern Illinois University, Students for Justice in Palestine
Northwestern University, Students for Justice in Palestine
Ohio State University, Committee for Justice in Palestine
Pennsylvania State University, Students for Justice in Palestine
Rutgers University - New Brunswick, BAKA: Students United for Middle Eastern Justice
San Diego State University, Students for Justice in Palestine
School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Students for Justice in Palestine
Temple University, Temple Students for Justice in Palestine
Tufts University, Students for Justice in Palestine
University of Arizona, Students for Justice in Palestine
University of California, Berkeley, Students for Justice in Palestine
University of California, Berkeley Law, Law Students for Justice in Palestine
University of California, Davis, Students for Justice in Palestine
University of California, Irvine, Students for Justice in Palestine
University of California, Los Angeles, Students for Justice in Palestine
University of California, Riverside, Students for Justice in Palestine
University of California, San Diego, Students for Justice in Palestine
University of Chicago, Students for Justice in Palestine
University of Florida, Students for Justice In Palestine
University of Illinois at Chicago, Students for Justice in Palestine
University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Students for Justice in Palestine
University of Michigan, Students Allied for Freedom & Equality
University of Nebraska, Lincoln, Palestine Solidarity Committee
University of Pittsburgh, Pitt Students for Justice in Palestine
University of South Florida, Students for Justice in Palestine
University of Southern California, Students for Justice in Palestine
University of Texas at Austin, Palestine Solidarity Committee
University of Washington, Students for Justice in Palestine
Vermont Law School, Law Students for Justice in Palestine
Wellesley College, Justice for Palestine
Yale University, Yale Students for Justice and Peace in Palestine
Documentary to be made of UC Berkeley divestment from Israeli war-crimes initiative
The University of California at Berkeley made free speech a defining issue in the 1960s. In the 1980s it put South African apartheid on the world’s agenda. In 2010, Berkeley broke new ground with a remarkable student senate resolution calling for the university to stop investing in companies providing military hardware to support Israel in its occupation of Palestinian territories and assaults on Gaza. Berkeley was the first large public university where students took this step.
Metier Productions, a non-profit 501c3 organization, has nearly finished an exciting short documentary on this divestment campaign (“Full Court Press”) and I seek your help so that we can finish the film and bring it to a wide audience in 2011, beginning with the London Palestine Film Festival in April. You can view a rough cut of the first few minutes of "Full Court Press" at http://vimeo.com/18328658 (password: divest).
The divestment resolution provoked an extraordinary debate within the Berkeley community, involving students, faculty, Nobel laureates, and a Holocaust survivor. It brought an Israeli diplomat to the campus. It provided a forum for testimony by Palestinians and their supporters. But as our documentary shows, a large contingent of the key proponents of the divestment measure were Jewish. Israel was extremely concerned about the resolution, because it knew the significance of Berkeley hosting such a debate. As Israeli consul Akiva Tor told the student senate, "The whole world is watching—not just this campus, the whole world."
The divestment campaign will become one of the defining human rights issues of this century. "Full Court Press" combines interviews, films of protests in the West Bank and Cairo, and archival footage with dramatic testimony from the student senate hearings. Metier Productions hopes to coordinate with student groups across the country to gain maximum exposure for the Berkeley debate.
As you know, Israel, which has long enjoyed the moral sympathy of the world, is perfecting its own version of apartheid, complete with a separation wall in the West Bank and a sealed-off population in Gaza. Your donation will help bring this injustice to the court of public opinion. We will complete the editing of the film and organize a distribution campaign that will give broad exposure to the Berkeley student senate's campaign.
http://web.mac.com/plrnet/MetierFilms/Donate.html and click Donate, or contact us at metierproductions@mac.com.
Metier Productions, a non-profit 501c3 organization, has nearly finished an exciting short documentary on this divestment campaign (“Full Court Press”) and I seek your help so that we can finish the film and bring it to a wide audience in 2011, beginning with the London Palestine Film Festival in April. You can view a rough cut of the first few minutes of "Full Court Press" at http://vimeo.com/18328658 (password: divest).
The divestment resolution provoked an extraordinary debate within the Berkeley community, involving students, faculty, Nobel laureates, and a Holocaust survivor. It brought an Israeli diplomat to the campus. It provided a forum for testimony by Palestinians and their supporters. But as our documentary shows, a large contingent of the key proponents of the divestment measure were Jewish. Israel was extremely concerned about the resolution, because it knew the significance of Berkeley hosting such a debate. As Israeli consul Akiva Tor told the student senate, "The whole world is watching—not just this campus, the whole world."
The divestment campaign will become one of the defining human rights issues of this century. "Full Court Press" combines interviews, films of protests in the West Bank and Cairo, and archival footage with dramatic testimony from the student senate hearings. Metier Productions hopes to coordinate with student groups across the country to gain maximum exposure for the Berkeley debate.
As you know, Israel, which has long enjoyed the moral sympathy of the world, is perfecting its own version of apartheid, complete with a separation wall in the West Bank and a sealed-off population in Gaza. Your donation will help bring this injustice to the court of public opinion. We will complete the editing of the film and organize a distribution campaign that will give broad exposure to the Berkeley student senate's campaign.
http://web.mac.com/plrnet/
'Canadian Boat to Gaza campaign is legal, ethical, and necessary'
Straight - David Heap and Derrick O'Keefe- The Canadian Boat to Gaza initiative continues to be a target for a smear campaign that has little regard for law or facts. Rather incredibly, the executive of the University of British Columbia’s Alma Mater Society has subjected a routine donation for our campaign from the student Social Justice Centre to an “investigation” into potential “links to terrorism” A final decision on this so-called investigation is expected at the January 12 AMS meeting. Read more
Palestine National Orchestra has its debut
Los Angeles Times- Today an orchestra, tomorrow a state.
With these words, Suhail Khoury, director of the Edward Said National Conservatory of Music, introduced the Palestine National Orchestra in its debut Friday in the West Bank city of Ramallah.
More than 40 Palestinian and foreign musicians came together to make the dream of a national orchestra a reality. The task was not easy, particularly because most of the musicians also play with renowned orchestras around the world. But for most of them, putting together a Palestinian national orchestra is seen as a stepping stone toward building an independent state of Palestine.
“Today we are witnessing the birth of the Palestine National Orchestra at a time when the Palestinian struggle for independence is passing through one of its most critical and difficult moments,” Khoury said.
“The task of bringing Palestinian musicians together to add a new cornerstone in the building of an independent Palestinian state was a very difficult endeavor,” he said.
The Edward Said National Conservatory of Music was founded in the mid-1990s with a few students and part-time teachers. Today it has more than 500 students enrolled with more than 40 teachers introducing classical and oriental music to new generations of Palestinians, preparing them for the new state to come. Read more
With these words, Suhail Khoury, director of the Edward Said National Conservatory of Music, introduced the Palestine National Orchestra in its debut Friday in the West Bank city of Ramallah.
More than 40 Palestinian and foreign musicians came together to make the dream of a national orchestra a reality. The task was not easy, particularly because most of the musicians also play with renowned orchestras around the world. But for most of them, putting together a Palestinian national orchestra is seen as a stepping stone toward building an independent state of Palestine.
“Today we are witnessing the birth of the Palestine National Orchestra at a time when the Palestinian struggle for independence is passing through one of its most critical and difficult moments,” Khoury said.
“The task of bringing Palestinian musicians together to add a new cornerstone in the building of an independent Palestinian state was a very difficult endeavor,” he said.
The Edward Said National Conservatory of Music was founded in the mid-1990s with a few students and part-time teachers. Today it has more than 500 students enrolled with more than 40 teachers introducing classical and oriental music to new generations of Palestinians, preparing them for the new state to come. Read more
Asia 1 convoy arrives in Rafah
Ma'an – The Asia 1, an aid convoy backed by nations in Southeast Asia which drove from India to Syria and sailed for Egypt, arrived in the Gaza Strip on Sunday evening, Egyptian officials said.
Of the 160 activists traveling with the convoy, 112 were allowed entry into the coastal enclave, with Iranian and Jordanian activists excluded. Read more
Of the 160 activists traveling with the convoy, 112 were allowed entry into the coastal enclave, with Iranian and Jordanian activists excluded. Read more
The US media hit on Helen Thomas, Foxman had harrassed her for years
 |
| Brochure about Helen Thomas to distribute |
However, for years among big-time U.S. journalists, “objectivity” has been a principle most noticeable in its absence, especially on the sensitive issue of Israel, the topic that touched off the furor that ended Thomas’s career, as Danny Schechter notes in this guest essay:
In 1960, I co-founded a student magazine at Cornell University called Dialogue. I was a wannabe journalist, fixated on emulating the courageous media personalities of the times from Edward R. Murrow to a distinctive figure I came to admire at Presidential press conferences, a wire service reporter named Helen Thomas.
In recent years, my faith in the power of dialogue in politics has been severely tested – as, no doubt has hers – in an age where diatribes and calculated demonization chills debate and exchanges of opposing views.
Once you are labeled and stereotyped, especially if you are denounced as an anti-Semite, you are relegated to the fringes, pronounced a hater beyond redemption, even beyond explanation.
My career path took me from covering civil rights activism in the streets to later working in the suites of network power. I went from the underground press to rock-and-roll radio to TV reporting and producing at CNN and ABC.
As a member in good standing of an activist generation, I saw myself more as an outsider in contrast to Helen’s distinctive credentials as an insider, as a White House bureau chief and later as the dean of the White House Correspondents Association.
Yet, beneath her establishment credentials and status, she was always an outsider too – one of nine children born to a family of Lebanese immigrants in Winchester, Kentucky, who despite their Middle East origins, were Christians in the Greek Orthodox Church.
She became a pioneering woman, a modern day Helen of Troy, who broke the glass ceiling, infiltrating the clubby, mostly male, inside-the-Beltway world of big egos and self-important media prima donnas, most supplicants to power, not challengers of it.
Her origins were more modest. She grew up in an ethnic neighborhood in Detroit. She received her bachelor’s degree from Wayne State University in 1942, the year I was born.
Earlier this year, her alma mater which had taken so much pride in her achievements, withdrew an award in her name in a striking gesture of cowardice and submission to an incident blown out of all proportions that instantly turned Helen from a shero to a zero in a quick-media second.
The Simon Wiesenthal Center – not, by the way, linked to the legendary Nazi Hunter (who was unhappy with its work) – put her on their top-ten list of anti-Semites after angry remarks she made about Israel went viral and blew up into one of the major media stories of 2010.
President Barack Obama who cheerfully brought her a birthday cake, hailing her long years of service to the American people, later labeled her remarks “reprehensible.”
You would think that given all the vicious slurs, Hitler comparisons and putdowns directed at him, he would be more cautious tossing slurs at others.
But, no, all politicians pander to deflect criticism whenever they fear the winds of enmity will blow their way.
Now it was Helen who was being compared to Hitler in a new furor over the Fuhrer even though she says she grew up in a home that despised him, and from which her two brothers joined the Army in World War ll. Read more
Gazan youth issue manifesto to vent their anger with all sides in the conflict
The Guardian- An anonymous group of students has created a document to express their frustration born of Hamas's violent crackdowns on 'western decadence', the destruction wreaked by Israel's attacks and the political games played by Fatah and the UN
This is the first time that a group of young Palestinian cyber-activists has agreed to meet a journalist since launching what it calls Gaza Youth's Manifesto for Change. It is an incendiary document – written with courage and furious energy – that has captivated thousands of people who have come across it online, and the young university students are visibly excited, but also scared. "Not only are our lives in danger; we are also putting our families at risk," says one of them, who calls himself Abu George.
Gaza Youth's Manifesto for Change is an extraordinary, impassioned cyber-scream in which young men and women from Gaza – where more than half the 1.5 million population is under 18 – make it clear that they've had enough. "Fuck Hamas..." begins the text. "Fuck Israel. Fuck Fatah. Fuck UN. Fuck UNWRA. Fuck USA! We, the youth in Gaza, are so fed up with Israel, Hamas, the occupation, the violations of human rights and the indifference of the international community!"
It goes on to detail the daily humiliations and frustrations that constitute everyday life in the Gaza Strip, the Palestinian slice of land that Israel and Egypt have virtually sealed off from the world since Hamas was elected to power in 2006.
"Here in Gaza we are scared of being incarcerated, interrogated, hit, tortured, bombed, killed," reads the extraordinary document. "We are afraid of living, because every single step we take has to be considered and well-thought, there are limitations everywhere, we cannot move as we want, say what we want, do what we want, sometimes we even can't think what we want because the occupation has occupied our brains and hearts so terrible that it hurts and it makes us want to shed endless tears of frustration and rage!"
The text ends with a triple demand: "We want three things. We want to be free. We want to be able to live a normal life. We want peace. Is that too much to ask?"
On Facebook, the group calls itself Gaza Youth Breaks Out. When the cyber-activists wrote the manifesto three weeks ago, they gave themselves a year to gather enough support before thinking about further steps. But their text has travelled around the world at an unexpected speed and has harvested thousands of supporters, many of them human rights activists, who say they are ready to help. Read more
This is the first time that a group of young Palestinian cyber-activists has agreed to meet a journalist since launching what it calls Gaza Youth's Manifesto for Change. It is an incendiary document – written with courage and furious energy – that has captivated thousands of people who have come across it online, and the young university students are visibly excited, but also scared. "Not only are our lives in danger; we are also putting our families at risk," says one of them, who calls himself Abu George.
Gaza Youth's Manifesto for Change is an extraordinary, impassioned cyber-scream in which young men and women from Gaza – where more than half the 1.5 million population is under 18 – make it clear that they've had enough. "Fuck Hamas..." begins the text. "Fuck Israel. Fuck Fatah. Fuck UN. Fuck UNWRA. Fuck USA! We, the youth in Gaza, are so fed up with Israel, Hamas, the occupation, the violations of human rights and the indifference of the international community!"
It goes on to detail the daily humiliations and frustrations that constitute everyday life in the Gaza Strip, the Palestinian slice of land that Israel and Egypt have virtually sealed off from the world since Hamas was elected to power in 2006.
"Here in Gaza we are scared of being incarcerated, interrogated, hit, tortured, bombed, killed," reads the extraordinary document. "We are afraid of living, because every single step we take has to be considered and well-thought, there are limitations everywhere, we cannot move as we want, say what we want, do what we want, sometimes we even can't think what we want because the occupation has occupied our brains and hearts so terrible that it hurts and it makes us want to shed endless tears of frustration and rage!"
The text ends with a triple demand: "We want three things. We want to be free. We want to be able to live a normal life. We want peace. Is that too much to ask?"
On Facebook, the group calls itself Gaza Youth Breaks Out. When the cyber-activists wrote the manifesto three weeks ago, they gave themselves a year to gather enough support before thinking about further steps. But their text has travelled around the world at an unexpected speed and has harvested thousands of supporters, many of them human rights activists, who say they are ready to help. Read more
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Israeli Rabbis' wives: Don't date Arabs
Ynet – New letter signed by rabbis' wives appeals to women urging them to stay away from Arabs. 'As soon as they have in you in their grasp – everything becomes different. Attention will be replaced with curses, physical abuse and humiliation,' letter states Read more
Israeli rally to protest against "Arabs who associate with girls"
Ynet – Residents of Ashkelon are planning to protest Tuesday against "Arabs who associate with girls".
Leading the rally is City Councilman Tomer Glam, who says the protest does not stem from racism. "Associating with minors is a serious criminal offence," he explained.
Fliers handed out in anticipation of the rally say, "Father, wake up before Yusuf is sitting in your living room". Read more
Leading the rally is City Councilman Tomer Glam, who says the protest does not stem from racism. "Associating with minors is a serious criminal offence," he explained.
Fliers handed out in anticipation of the rally say, "Father, wake up before Yusuf is sitting in your living room". Read more
Two Israeli warships are reportedly chasing Asia 1, an Asia-sponsored Gaza-bound aid ship
AlethoNews – Two warships with Israel’s Navy are reportedly chasing a vessel from Asia 1, an Asia-sourced Gaza-bound aid ship in international waters.
The ship, named Salam, is allegedly carrying tons of medical and food supplies for the Tel Aviv-blockaded Gaza Strip as well as eight human rights activists as part of the sizeable relief mission, which is also known as Asia to Gaza Solidarity Caravan.
The Israeli forces have contacted the ship’s captain, demanding the names of the activists, who are reportedly from Azerbaijan, India, Indonesia, Malaysia and Japan.
The activists say they want to display solidarity with the Palestinian people in their resistance against Israel. Read more
The ship, named Salam, is allegedly carrying tons of medical and food supplies for the Tel Aviv-blockaded Gaza Strip as well as eight human rights activists as part of the sizeable relief mission, which is also known as Asia to Gaza Solidarity Caravan.
The Israeli forces have contacted the ship’s captain, demanding the names of the activists, who are reportedly from Azerbaijan, India, Indonesia, Malaysia and Japan.
The activists say they want to display solidarity with the Palestinian people in their resistance against Israel. Read more
Former Israeli President Katsav found guilty on two counts of rape
Ha'aretz – Former President Moshe Katsav was found guilty of two counts of rape yesterday, bringing an end to an affair that cast a shadow over Israeli politics for the past four and a half years.
Katsav’s defense was “riddled with lies,” according to the Tel Aviv District Court. Read more
Katsav’s defense was “riddled with lies,” according to the Tel Aviv District Court. Read more
UN office concerned by West Bank deaths
Ma'an – The UN Special Coordinator's Office in Jerusalem on Sunday expressed concern over the deaths of two Palestinians in incidents involving the Israeli army in 48 hours.
"We are very worried that two Palestinians have lost their lives in recent days in incidents involving Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank, including an unarmed woman engaged in protests against the barrier at whom tear gas was fired and a man shot and killed at a checkpoint," spokesman Richard Miron said.
Miron said the UN office was "awaiting the full facts of these tragic fatalities."
"Under international law Israel must take all precautions to ensure the protection of the civilian population and refrain from the excessive use of force," he added. Read more
"We are very worried that two Palestinians have lost their lives in recent days in incidents involving Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank, including an unarmed woman engaged in protests against the barrier at whom tear gas was fired and a man shot and killed at a checkpoint," spokesman Richard Miron said.
Miron said the UN office was "awaiting the full facts of these tragic fatalities."
"Under international law Israel must take all precautions to ensure the protection of the civilian population and refrain from the excessive use of force," he added. Read more
Israeli soldier arrests 6-year-old and 7-year-old in Jerusalem
Ma'an – Israeli forces on Sunday detained two Palestinian children in Jerusalem's Old City, witnesses said.
Khaled Dweik, 6, and his 7-year-old cousin Mohammad Suheil were playing hopscotch in the Bab Al-A'mud area. They were throwing stones as part of the game and accidentally hit an Israeli soldier who then arrested them, locals said.
Khaled Dweik, 6, and his 7-year-old cousin Mohammad Suheil were playing hopscotch in the Bab Al-A'mud area. They were throwing stones as part of the game and accidentally hit an Israeli soldier who then arrested them, locals said.
Israeli settlers beat Hebron popular comittee official unconscious, Israeli soldiers stand by
Ma'an – Settlers in Hebron attacked a Popular Committee official on Sunday, leaving him unconscious, witnesses said.
Azmi Ash-Shuyukhi was transferred by ambulance to Hebron's government hospital after he was beaten while leading a solidarity tour near Yatta, south of the West Bank city.
After regaining consciousness, Ash-Shuyukhi said 10 settlers punched and kicked him, leaving cuts and bruises all over his body.
Israeli soldiers were present and witnessed the attack but did not intervene, he added.
Ash-Shuyukhi is the secretary-general of the local popular committee.
Meanwhile, journalist Naser Ash-Shuyukhi said settlers punctured the tires of his car while he covered events in the area.
The Israeli human rights group B'Tselem describes attacks by settlers against Palestinians as "routine," but says Israeli authorities "employ an undeclared policy of leniency and compromise toward Israeli civilians who harm Palestinians."
Azmi Ash-Shuyukhi was transferred by ambulance to Hebron's government hospital after he was beaten while leading a solidarity tour near Yatta, south of the West Bank city.
After regaining consciousness, Ash-Shuyukhi said 10 settlers punched and kicked him, leaving cuts and bruises all over his body.
Israeli soldiers were present and witnessed the attack but did not intervene, he added.
Ash-Shuyukhi is the secretary-general of the local popular committee.
Meanwhile, journalist Naser Ash-Shuyukhi said settlers punctured the tires of his car while he covered events in the area.
The Israeli human rights group B'Tselem describes attacks by settlers against Palestinians as "routine," but says Israeli authorities "employ an undeclared policy of leniency and compromise toward Israeli civilians who harm Palestinians."
Wikileaks: Israel preparing for 'large scale war'
Ma'an-AFP – Israel's army chief told a US Congress delegation in late 2009 he was preparing for a large war in the Middle East, probably against Hamas or Hezbollah, leaked US diplomatic cables showed on Sunday.
"I am preparing the Israeli army for a large scale war, since it is easier to scale down to a smaller operation than to do the opposite," Lieutenant General Gabi Ashkenazi was quoted as saying in a cable from the US embassy in Tel Aviv.
The document, dated November 15, 2009, was quoted Sunday in Norwegian by Oslo-based daily Aftenposten, which said it had obtained WikiLeaks' entire cache of 251,187 leaked US embassy cables. Read more
"I am preparing the Israeli army for a large scale war, since it is easier to scale down to a smaller operation than to do the opposite," Lieutenant General Gabi Ashkenazi was quoted as saying in a cable from the US embassy in Tel Aviv.
The document, dated November 15, 2009, was quoted Sunday in Norwegian by Oslo-based daily Aftenposten, which said it had obtained WikiLeaks' entire cache of 251,187 leaked US embassy cables. Read more
Armed Israeli settlers surround Palestinian home
Ma'an – Dozens of armed settlers on Sunday surrounded a Palestinian home in Burin south of Nablus, a Palestinian Authority official said... settlers attempted to enter the home of Um Ayman Suwan, but were stopped by dozens of residents. Read more
Lawyer slams Israeli army cover-up of tear gas death
Ma'an – The lawyer of the family of a Palestinian woman who died after being tear-gassed by Israeli troops at a West Bank protest accused the military on Sunday of a cover-up.
"Once again the army is covering up the actions of its men, instead of apologizing and conducting a serious inquiry," Michael Sfard told Israel's army radio after the military announced an investigation into the death of Jawaher Abu Rahmah.
The 36-year-old died in hospital in the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah after collapsing on Friday during a protest against the Israeli separation barrier in the nearby village of Bil'in, hospital staff said.
Sfard accused the army of "using a massive amount of gas" during the protest.
The Israeli military said that an "investigation has been opened to determine the exact cause of death," and that it had "unsuccessfully contacted the Palestinian Authority to obtain a medical report."
On Friday, the military said it had used unspecified "means of dispersing demonstrations" against some 250 violent protesters taking part in a weekly rally against the fence near the West Bank village of Bil'in.
Photos showed clouds of tear gas billowing around stone-throwing protesters.
.....Nearly 200 demonstrators gathered in Tel Aviv on Saturday to protest against Abu Rahmah's death. A dozen people were arrested, an AFP correspondent reported. Overnight on Saturday, another 11 people were arrested after demonstrating outside the US ambassador's residence in the city of Herzliya, just north of Tel Aviv. Read more
"Once again the army is covering up the actions of its men, instead of apologizing and conducting a serious inquiry," Michael Sfard told Israel's army radio after the military announced an investigation into the death of Jawaher Abu Rahmah.
The 36-year-old died in hospital in the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah after collapsing on Friday during a protest against the Israeli separation barrier in the nearby village of Bil'in, hospital staff said.
Sfard accused the army of "using a massive amount of gas" during the protest.
The Israeli military said that an "investigation has been opened to determine the exact cause of death," and that it had "unsuccessfully contacted the Palestinian Authority to obtain a medical report."
On Friday, the military said it had used unspecified "means of dispersing demonstrations" against some 250 violent protesters taking part in a weekly rally against the fence near the West Bank village of Bil'in.
Photos showed clouds of tear gas billowing around stone-throwing protesters.
.....Nearly 200 demonstrators gathered in Tel Aviv on Saturday to protest against Abu Rahmah's death. A dozen people were arrested, an AFP correspondent reported. Overnight on Saturday, another 11 people were arrested after demonstrating outside the US ambassador's residence in the city of Herzliya, just north of Tel Aviv. Read more
Israeli airstrikes injure 2 in Gaza
Ma'an – Israeli warplanes launched attacks early Sunday morning on two sites in the Gaza Strip leaving two Palestinians injured, medics said. Read more
Israeli soldiers shoot dead 21-year-old at checkpoint at close range, body riddled with bullets
Ma'an – Israeli forces on Sunday shot dead a Palestinian man at Hamra checkpoint east of Nablus in the northern West Bank.
Sources in the Palestinian Red Crescent identified the man as Tubas-resident Mahmoud Muhammad Dharaghma, 21, and said his body was riddled with bullets.
Eyewitness Dr Hatim Froukh said Dharaghma was shot at close range by three soldiers.
"I was standing at the eastern side of the checkpoint waiting for the bus when I heard screaming. As I turned, I saw a young man wearing jeans and a brown jacket and raising his hands. Two male soldiers and a female soldier were three meters away from the young man and started shooting at him," Froukh said.
Other witnesses said they saw Dharaghma trying to approach the checkpoint with a Coca-Cola can in his hand. As he came close to a female soldier, witnesses said, she started shouting at him, and immediately two other soldiers showered him with gunshots.
An Israeli military spokeswoman said soldiers shot dead a man because he approached the checkpoint in an unauthorized lane, and was holding a glass bottle.
A female soldier ordered him to stop, and when he continued to proceed, soldiers "operated according to IDF rules of engagement" and opened fire, the spokeswoman said.
Sources in the Palestinian Red Crescent identified the man as Tubas-resident Mahmoud Muhammad Dharaghma, 21, and said his body was riddled with bullets.
Eyewitness Dr Hatim Froukh said Dharaghma was shot at close range by three soldiers.
"I was standing at the eastern side of the checkpoint waiting for the bus when I heard screaming. As I turned, I saw a young man wearing jeans and a brown jacket and raising his hands. Two male soldiers and a female soldier were three meters away from the young man and started shooting at him," Froukh said.
Other witnesses said they saw Dharaghma trying to approach the checkpoint with a Coca-Cola can in his hand. As he came close to a female soldier, witnesses said, she started shouting at him, and immediately two other soldiers showered him with gunshots.
An Israeli military spokeswoman said soldiers shot dead a man because he approached the checkpoint in an unauthorized lane, and was holding a glass bottle.
A female soldier ordered him to stop, and when he continued to proceed, soldiers "operated according to IDF rules of engagement" and opened fire, the spokeswoman said.
'Israel right or wrong' crowd advocates censorship in Seattle
Seattle Times-Edward Mast – I was part of a group that raised money for a series of Metro Transit bus ads that read, "ISRAELI WAR CRIMES: Your Tax Dollars At Work." We abided by King County guidelines and our ads were approved by King County Metro Transit.
With a signed contract, ads were printed and ready for Dec. 27, which marked two years to the day Israel dropped a bomb on a schoolyard in Gaza just as children were leaving class. Many were killed. For the next three weeks, Israel killed 1,400 people in Gaza, mostly noncombatants. More than 300 of the killed were children. Investigations by the United Nations and Amnesty International concluded that Israel committed war crimes.
We didn't announce the ad campaign, but news leaked out and some local groups that defend Israel from all criticism took action to convince King County that any discussion of Israeli war crimes is inappropriate for public speech.
"War crime" is a legal term referring to a grave violation of the Geneva Conventions. Such violations by Israel have been well-documented throughout its lengthy occupation of Palestinian lands, and have included thousands of Israeli rockets fired into Gaza before 2008 and continuing attacks today. But U.S. military, political and diplomatic support, including $3 billion per year in military funding, gives Israel virtual impunity, and this one-sided U.S. support makes us complicit in Israel's crimes. Read more
With a signed contract, ads were printed and ready for Dec. 27, which marked two years to the day Israel dropped a bomb on a schoolyard in Gaza just as children were leaving class. Many were killed. For the next three weeks, Israel killed 1,400 people in Gaza, mostly noncombatants. More than 300 of the killed were children. Investigations by the United Nations and Amnesty International concluded that Israel committed war crimes.
We didn't announce the ad campaign, but news leaked out and some local groups that defend Israel from all criticism took action to convince King County that any discussion of Israeli war crimes is inappropriate for public speech.
"War crime" is a legal term referring to a grave violation of the Geneva Conventions. Such violations by Israel have been well-documented throughout its lengthy occupation of Palestinian lands, and have included thousands of Israeli rockets fired into Gaza before 2008 and continuing attacks today. But U.S. military, political and diplomatic support, including $3 billion per year in military funding, gives Israel virtual impunity, and this one-sided U.S. support makes us complicit in Israel's crimes. Read more
Saturday, January 1, 2011
...Only Jawaher Abu Rahmah didn’t escape. She protested, dignified and unwavering for hours. She refused to yield and for that she died. She was 36
Ahmed Moor
Bilin was cold yesterday. It rained and the wind and damp got to everything.
About a thousand of us showed up – Palestinians, Israelis and internationals – to protest the apartheid barrier in the village. The Israeli army knew we were coming so flying checkpoints were thrown up on the main road into town. Most of us hiked around the apartheid abscesses and made it to the village where I was surprised (not really) to see Salaam Fayyad. I assume he applied in advance for an entry permit.
The march got underway after the Old Guard finished posturing for the cameras. We advanced about fifty or sixty meters when Fayyad abruptly stopped, shook a few hands, and bowed out. I heard a few jokes and sniggers as we marched on.
It wasn’t long before the Jewish People’s Liberation Army began to gas people. Sorry: It wasn’t long before the Israeli Defense Forces employed riot dispersal methods.
The Israelis used two types of gas canisters. The first, which you can see in this short video I took (below), is a fist-sized bulbous rubber projectile. It begins to dispense gas in air, causing it to spin wildly and change directions before it hits the ground. Its trajectory is very hard to predict.
The second type of canister is the more deadly kind – the kind that killed Bassem Abu Rahmah in 2009. It’s also used liberally by the young supremacists in uniform. Yesterday the steel canisters, about fifty percent larger than a neat stack of quarters, were fired directly at protesters. Their trajectory is more or less straight, but they come at you much faster.
And the gas. Well, ‘tear gas’ is a bad name for it. It feels like a million blue shards of glass tearing at your alveoli and shredding your eyes. You can’t see and double over, trying not to breathe. Acid tears are streaming down your face, but the overwhelming sensation is of being bombarded and suffocated. You’re ensconced in darkness and your thoughts are disrupted – you only want to get away. And every breath tears at your insides; vicious animals live in your lungs. I’d rather not breathe than take one more anguished, searing, charred breath. Then, you don’t have a choice; you can’t breathe. You’re struggling to run and are overcome by dizziness. Other people help you escape.
Only Jawaher Abu Rahmah didn’t escape. She protested, dignified and unwavering for hours. She refused to yield and for that she died. She was 36 and was killed for peacefully protesting The Jewish People’s Right to Self-Determination in Palestine. Her body now rests in the cold, red earth they deify.
We exchanged a few words of encouragement before I snapped her picture, when she was still someone’s mother.
I wish I had known how distressed she was.
 |
| Jawaher Abu Rahmah is laid to rest next to her brother Bassem Abu Rahmah, who was also killed during a peaceful protest in Bil'in. Photo: Joseph Dana via twitter |
About a thousand of us showed up – Palestinians, Israelis and internationals – to protest the apartheid barrier in the village. The Israeli army knew we were coming so flying checkpoints were thrown up on the main road into town. Most of us hiked around the apartheid abscesses and made it to the village where I was surprised (not really) to see Salaam Fayyad. I assume he applied in advance for an entry permit.
The march got underway after the Old Guard finished posturing for the cameras. We advanced about fifty or sixty meters when Fayyad abruptly stopped, shook a few hands, and bowed out. I heard a few jokes and sniggers as we marched on.
It wasn’t long before the Jewish People’s Liberation Army began to gas people. Sorry: It wasn’t long before the Israeli Defense Forces employed riot dispersal methods.
 |
| Photo from the Bil'in protest (Photo: Ahmed Moor) |
The second type of canister is the more deadly kind – the kind that killed Bassem Abu Rahmah in 2009. It’s also used liberally by the young supremacists in uniform. Yesterday the steel canisters, about fifty percent larger than a neat stack of quarters, were fired directly at protesters. Their trajectory is more or less straight, but they come at you much faster.
And the gas. Well, ‘tear gas’ is a bad name for it. It feels like a million blue shards of glass tearing at your alveoli and shredding your eyes. You can’t see and double over, trying not to breathe. Acid tears are streaming down your face, but the overwhelming sensation is of being bombarded and suffocated. You’re ensconced in darkness and your thoughts are disrupted – you only want to get away. And every breath tears at your insides; vicious animals live in your lungs. I’d rather not breathe than take one more anguished, searing, charred breath. Then, you don’t have a choice; you can’t breathe. You’re struggling to run and are overcome by dizziness. Other people help you escape.
Only Jawaher Abu Rahmah didn’t escape. She protested, dignified and unwavering for hours. She refused to yield and for that she died. She was 36 and was killed for peacefully protesting The Jewish People’s Right to Self-Determination in Palestine. Her body now rests in the cold, red earth they deify.
We exchanged a few words of encouragement before I snapped her picture, when she was still someone’s mother.
I wish I had known how distressed she was.
Study: Escalation in Israeli violations in Jerusalem in December, Israeli forces detain, beat minors, demolish homes
Ma'an – Israeli violations of human rights in Jerusalem escalated in December, particularly in the Silwan neighborhood, according to a study by a community center.
Throughout the month, 13 Palestinians were detained in Silwan including nine minors, according to a report released Saturday by the Wadi Hilwa Information Center.
Six of the minors were detained from their homes, and forces detained three from the streets. Four of the children told the center they were beaten and humiliated by Israeli interrogators and one said he was forced to sign papers in Hebrew without knowing their content.
Further, five Palestinian homes were demolished in Sur Bahir and Silwan and six families received demolition orders in Silwan and Ath-Thuri, the report said. Read more
Throughout the month, 13 Palestinians were detained in Silwan including nine minors, according to a report released Saturday by the Wadi Hilwa Information Center.
Six of the minors were detained from their homes, and forces detained three from the streets. Four of the children told the center they were beaten and humiliated by Israeli interrogators and one said he was forced to sign papers in Hebrew without knowing their content.
Further, five Palestinian homes were demolished in Sur Bahir and Silwan and six families received demolition orders in Silwan and Ath-Thuri, the report said. Read more
Report: Millions needed to upgrade East Jerusalem
Ma'an – More than $500 million are needed to upgrade infrastructure in Palestinian neighborhoods of occupied East Jerusalem, the results of an official Israeli study published on Friday showed.
Some $559 million are needed to upgrade Palestinian districts if they are to be at par with Jewish neighborhoods of the the Holy City, the report carried by Yediot Aharonot newspaper said. Read more
Some $559 million are needed to upgrade Palestinian districts if they are to be at par with Jewish neighborhoods of the the Holy City, the report carried by Yediot Aharonot newspaper said. Read more
Woman dies after inhaling tear gas shot by Israeli forces at nonviolent protest against confiscation of Palestinian farm land
Ma’an – A Palestinian woman died Saturday morning after suffering intense tear-gas inhalation during an anti-wall rally in Bil’in on Friday, medics said.
Palestinian medical sources in Ramallah said 36-year-old Jawahir Abu Rahmah, from Bil’in, died at Ramallah medical compound. Abu Rahmah inhaled large amounts of tear gas fired by Israeli forces who forcibly dispersed a non-violent rally protesting the separation wall.
The local popular committee said doctors fought through the night to save Abu Rahmah's life. She was diagnosed as suffering from poisoning caused by the active ingredient in the tear-gas, and did not respond to treatment, the committee said in a statement.
Abu Rahmah's brother Bassem was killed in April 2009 by a tear gas canister fired at his chest by an Israeli soldier during a village demonstration (video below).
"We are shocked and furious for Israel's brutality, which once again cost the life of a peaceful demonstrator. Israel's lethal and inhumane response to our struggle will not pass. In the dawn of a new decade, it is time for the world to ask Israel for accountability and to bring about an end to the occupation," said committee member Mohammed Khatib.
Friday's rally was attended by Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad. Organizers said more than 1,000 demonstrators attended the final protest of the year calling for an end to Israel's land confiscations.
Israeli forces met the protest with tear-gas canisters, hitting one teenager in the face and sending him to hospital. Read more
The shooting of Bassem Abu Rahmah, April 17, 2009
Palestinian medical sources in Ramallah said 36-year-old Jawahir Abu Rahmah, from Bil’in, died at Ramallah medical compound. Abu Rahmah inhaled large amounts of tear gas fired by Israeli forces who forcibly dispersed a non-violent rally protesting the separation wall.
The local popular committee said doctors fought through the night to save Abu Rahmah's life. She was diagnosed as suffering from poisoning caused by the active ingredient in the tear-gas, and did not respond to treatment, the committee said in a statement.
Abu Rahmah's brother Bassem was killed in April 2009 by a tear gas canister fired at his chest by an Israeli soldier during a village demonstration (video below).
"We are shocked and furious for Israel's brutality, which once again cost the life of a peaceful demonstrator. Israel's lethal and inhumane response to our struggle will not pass. In the dawn of a new decade, it is time for the world to ask Israel for accountability and to bring about an end to the occupation," said committee member Mohammed Khatib.
Friday's rally was attended by Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad. Organizers said more than 1,000 demonstrators attended the final protest of the year calling for an end to Israel's land confiscations.
Israeli forces met the protest with tear-gas canisters, hitting one teenager in the face and sending him to hospital. Read more
The shooting of Bassem Abu Rahmah, April 17, 2009
Israeli War Crimes Ads Banned in Seattle
Veterans Today-Michelle J. Kinnucan
[T]here is a powerful lobby determined to prevent any view other than its own from being aired, still less to factor in American understanding of trends and events in the Middle East. The tactics of the Israel Lobby plumb the depths of dishonor and indecency and include character assassination, selective misquotation, the willful distortion of the record, the fabrication of falsehoods, and an utter disregard for the truth.
—from the withdrawal letter of Ambassador Charles W. Freeman, Jr.
Mainstream Jewish community organizations in Seattle plumbed the depths of dishonor this past week in a successful campaign to prevent a small fraction of the King County Metro Transit agency’s 1,200 buses from displaying ads saying “Israeli War Crimes, Your Tax Dollars at Work” (see photo at right). But the dishonor was not confined to the Jewish community, King County elected officials also sank low, caving to pressure and jettisoning the Constitution in just under seven days.
The chronology is short, but decidedly un-sweet:
[T]here is a powerful lobby determined to prevent any view other than its own from being aired, still less to factor in American understanding of trends and events in the Middle East. The tactics of the Israel Lobby plumb the depths of dishonor and indecency and include character assassination, selective misquotation, the willful distortion of the record, the fabrication of falsehoods, and an utter disregard for the truth.
—from the withdrawal letter of Ambassador Charles W. Freeman, Jr.
Mainstream Jewish community organizations in Seattle plumbed the depths of dishonor this past week in a successful campaign to prevent a small fraction of the King County Metro Transit agency’s 1,200 buses from displaying ads saying “Israeli War Crimes, Your Tax Dollars at Work” (see photo at right). But the dishonor was not confined to the Jewish community, King County elected officials also sank low, caving to pressure and jettisoning the Constitution in just under seven days.
The chronology is short, but decidedly un-sweet:
Israeli leftists have a racist past, too
Ha'aretz-Yitzhak Laor – The serene liberal loves to be appalled by the right's racism. But the older form of racism, that of the center-left, can actually teach us something about its origins.
....imagine Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman saying, "Gaza is an abscess, a troublesome pus. Until they understand what has to be done over there, nothing will move over here." Facebook would erupt, the comments would look akin to Der Sturmer, and intellectuals would wax nostalgic for Zionism's glory days (when they did things they didn't talk about and talked about things they didn't do ).
But the description of the Gaza ghetto as an "abscess, a troublesome pus" was uttered - without any public reaction - by the Labor Party's Matan Vilnai, who has been working for years, in the name of the liberal consensus, to turn Gaza into hell, with a cruelty that owes nothing to any racist rabbi's wife.
....The serene liberal loves to be appalled by the right's racism. He feels so righteous at such moments. But the older form of racism, that of Vilnai and his ilk, can actually teach us something about its origins.
....Two years ago, Lieberman's star was rising: "He says what everyone thinks." That's a fascist motto. That's exactly how Rabbi Meir Kahane rose from the ashes of the failure in Lebanon, back in 1984, after the Sabra and Chatila massacres. He, too, said "what everyone thinks."
So what does everyone think? Whatever the army does. And what does the army do? It shoots peasants and shepherds. And the people know perfectly well what "the people's army" is doing...
And that's how things are in an era of utter impotence, in which no political party has a plan, in which the center is high on hedonism and the increasingly impoverished margins are "rebelling."
In the past, we extricated ourselves from diplomatic dead ends through action - i.e. wars. But today, when it's clear we have no partner for war, the diplomatic dead end has no military alternative, not even in Lebanon, which in the past served as an artillery and air force practice ground for every leader who wanted to show "determination."....
For years, this was Shimon Peres' trademark: "When there is talking, there isn't shooting." And they really did talk, all through the Oslo period. And they also expropriated, and settled, and shot, and arrested, and tortured, and prepared reprisal operations.
Now, we aren't talking, but it's highly doubtful that we can bomb, aside from routine fire on the miserable Gaza ghetto...
.....Here, with the exception of a few enthusiastic young people, there is no struggle. Even the trickle of people refusing to serve in the army has dried up... Read more
....imagine Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman saying, "Gaza is an abscess, a troublesome pus. Until they understand what has to be done over there, nothing will move over here." Facebook would erupt, the comments would look akin to Der Sturmer, and intellectuals would wax nostalgic for Zionism's glory days (when they did things they didn't talk about and talked about things they didn't do ).
But the description of the Gaza ghetto as an "abscess, a troublesome pus" was uttered - without any public reaction - by the Labor Party's Matan Vilnai, who has been working for years, in the name of the liberal consensus, to turn Gaza into hell, with a cruelty that owes nothing to any racist rabbi's wife.
....The serene liberal loves to be appalled by the right's racism. He feels so righteous at such moments. But the older form of racism, that of Vilnai and his ilk, can actually teach us something about its origins.
....Two years ago, Lieberman's star was rising: "He says what everyone thinks." That's a fascist motto. That's exactly how Rabbi Meir Kahane rose from the ashes of the failure in Lebanon, back in 1984, after the Sabra and Chatila massacres. He, too, said "what everyone thinks."
So what does everyone think? Whatever the army does. And what does the army do? It shoots peasants and shepherds. And the people know perfectly well what "the people's army" is doing...
And that's how things are in an era of utter impotence, in which no political party has a plan, in which the center is high on hedonism and the increasingly impoverished margins are "rebelling."
In the past, we extricated ourselves from diplomatic dead ends through action - i.e. wars. But today, when it's clear we have no partner for war, the diplomatic dead end has no military alternative, not even in Lebanon, which in the past served as an artillery and air force practice ground for every leader who wanted to show "determination."....
For years, this was Shimon Peres' trademark: "When there is talking, there isn't shooting." And they really did talk, all through the Oslo period. And they also expropriated, and settled, and shot, and arrested, and tortured, and prepared reprisal operations.
Now, we aren't talking, but it's highly doubtful that we can bomb, aside from routine fire on the miserable Gaza ghetto...
.....Here, with the exception of a few enthusiastic young people, there is no struggle. Even the trickle of people refusing to serve in the army has dried up... Read more
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
