Friday, March 27, 2009

Digg - Gaza War Crimes - Israel/Palestine

 Digg - Gaza War Crimes - Israel/Palestine

Gaza War Crimes - Israel/Palestine

March 2009This powerful report looks at the alleged Israeli war crimes committed during the Gaza War. We show blindfolded children being used as human shields alongside innocent civilians and medics being targeted.For More Information;http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/series/gaza-war-crimes-investigation

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Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Zionism is the problem - Los Angeles Times

Ben Ehrenreich: "Founding a modern state on a single ethnic or religious identity in a territory that is ethnically and religiously diverse leads inexorably either to politics of exclusion (think of the 139-square-mile prison camp that Gaza has become) or to wholesale ethnic cleansing. Put simply, the problem is Zionism."

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Digg - Zionism is the problem - Los Angeles Times

 Digg - Zionism is the problem - Los Angeles Times

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Have they not a shred of decency?

 

CNI SUPPORTERS,

PLEASE ENCOURAGE YOUR LOCAL MEDIA AND CONGRESSMEN TO SUPPORT THE PRESIDENT'S APPOINTMENT OF AMBASSADOR CHAS FREEMAN TO CHAIR THE NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE COUNCIL. THE VETERAN OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS IS EXPECTED TO RECIEVE SHARP CRITICIZM FROM THE LOBBY. CONCERNED SCHOLARS SUCH AS STEVEN WALT BELIEVE THAT A PRE-EMPTIVE STRIKE AGAINST A BIASED MEDIA MAY BE NECCESSARY. IF THE ADMINISTRATION BACKS DOWN FROM THEIR APPOINTMENT IT WILL BE AN INDICATOR OF THINGS TO COME, AND "REAL" CHANGE IN US FOREIGN POLICY WILL HAVE TAKEN A MAJOR STEP BACKWARDS.

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Have they not a shred of decency?
Sat, 02/28/2009
By Stephen M. Walt
Sen. Joseph McCarthy's infamous witch hunt against alleged communists in the U.S. government relied primarily on lies, innuendo, and intimidation. Then, at a particularly odious hearing, after McCarthy had falsely accused a young Army officer of being a communist agent, Army counsel Joseph Welch turned on the senator and shot back: "At long last, Senator McCarthy, have you not a shred of decency?"
I am reminded of that moment as I watch the all-too-predictable smear campaign against Charles Freeman's appointment as chairman of the National Intelligence Council. As soon as the appointment was announced, a bevy of allegedly "pro-Israel" pundits leapt to attack it, in what The Nation's Robert Dreyfuss called a "thunderous, coordinated assault." Freeman's critics were the usual suspects: Jonathan Chait of the New Republic, Michael Goldfarb at the Weekly Standard, Jeffrey Goldberg of the Atlantic, Gabriel Schoenfeld (writing on the op-ed page of the Wall Street Journal), Jonah Goldberg of National Review, Marty Peretz on his New Republic blog, and former AIPAC official Steve Rosen (yes, the same guy who is now on trial for passing classified U.S. government information to Israel).
What was their objection to Freeman? Did they think he's unpatriotic, not smart enough, or that he lacks sufficient experience? Of course not. Just look at his resume:
Freeman has worked with more than 100 foreign governments in East and South Asia, Africa, Latin America, the Middle East, and both Western and Eastern Europe. He has served as Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs, U.S. Ambassador to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, Deputy Chief of Mission and Chargé d'Affaires in Bangkok and Beijing, Director of Chinese Affairs at U.S. State Department, and Distinguished Fellow at the United States Institute of Peace and the Institute of National Security Studies."
What unites this narrow band of critics is only one thing: Freeman has dared to utter some rather mild public criticisms of Israeli policy. That's the litmus test that Chait, Goldberg, Goldfarb, Peretz, Schoenfeld et al want to apply to all public servants: thou shalt not criticize Israeli policy nor question America's "special relationship" with Israel. Never mind that this policy of unconditional support has been bad for the United States and unintentionally harmful to Israel as well. If these pundits and lobbyists had their way, anyone who pointed that fact out would be automatically disqualified from public service.
There are three reasons why the response to Freeman has been so vociferous. First, these critics undoubtedly hoped they could raise a sufficient stink that Obama and his director of national intelligence, Dennis Blair, might reconsider the appointment. Or perhaps Freeman might even decide to withdraw his name, because he couldn't take the heat. Second, even if it was too late to stop Freeman from getting the job, they want to make Obama pay a price for his choice, so that he will think twice about appointing anyone else who might be willing to criticize Israeli policy or the special relationship.
Third, and perhaps most important, attacking Freeman is intended to deter other people in the foreign policy community from speaking out on these matters. Freeman might be too smart, too senior, and too well-qualified to stop, but there are plenty of younger people eager to rise in the foreign policy establishment and they need to be reminded that their careers could be jeopardized be if they followed in Freeman's footsteps and said what they thought. Raising a stink about Freeman reminds others that it pays to back Israel to the hilt, or at least remain silent, even when it is pursuing policies -- like building settlements on the West Bank -- that are not in America's national interest.
If the issue didn't have such harmful consequences for the United States, the ironies of this situation would be funny. A group of amateur strategists who loudly supported the invasion of Iraq are now questioning the strategic judgment of a man who knew that war would be a catastrophic blunder. A long-time lobbyist for Israel who is now under indictment for espionage is trying to convince us that Freeman -- a true patriot -- is a bad appointment for an intelligence position. A journalist (Jeffrey Goldberg) whose idea of "public service" was to enlist in the Israeli army is challenging the credentials of a man who devoted decades of his life to service in the U.S. government. Now that's chutzpah.
Fortunately, the screeching of Freeman's critics has not worked; Freeman will be the head of the National Intelligence Council. In fact, this heavy-handed behavior, with its McCarthy-like overtones, may even backfire, by showing just how obsessesed his critics are with their own narrow-minded vision of U.S. Middle East policy, a vision they expect all other Americans to share. I would not be surprised if President Obama and other key figures in his administration are angry about these malicious smears, and wisely decide to pay even less attention to these individuals in the future. And rest assured that the smearing will not end. It's also encouraging that some key members of the pro-Israel community, like M.J. Rosenberg of the Israel Policy Forum, have come to Freeman's defense, and influential bloggers like Robert Dreyfuss, Philip Weiss, Richard Silverstein and Matthew Yglesias have also defended Freeman and pointed out what is going on. The Likudnik wing of the Israel lobby is gradually losing influence, because more and more people understand that its policies are disastrous for both Israel and the United States, and because its repeated efforts to smear people and stifle debate are deeply damaging as well as un-American.
Stephen M. Walt is the Robert and Renée Belfer Professor of International Relations at Harvard University.

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Digg - Reel Bad Arabs

 Digg - Reel Bad Arabs

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Investigate misuse of US weapons in Gaza and stop arms transfers to Israel

 Investigate misuse of US weapons in Gaza and stop arms transfers to Israel

US made white phosphorus artillery shells found in Gaza

Take Action: Amnesty International researchers came across many US made white phosphorus artillery carrier shells, and fragments of other US produced weapons, throughout Gaza.

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Amnesty report: Israel guilty of war crimes

Amnesty International has accused Israel of committing war crimes during its recent 23-day assault of the Gaza Strip. The group said white phosphorus was dropped by IDF aircraft in built-up civilian areas, contravening the rules laid down in the Geneva...

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Digg - IDF War Crimes Against Innocent Women and Children of Gaza

 Digg - IDF War Crimes Against Innocent Women and Children of Gaza

BBC NEWS | Programmes | Newsnight | War graves in Gazan battleground

 BBC NEWS | Programmes | Newsnight | War graves in Gazan battleground

Monday, February 16, 2009

Sunday, February 15, 2009

Did Alan Doucheowitz harass pro-divestment students?

Immediately after Hampshire College announced they had divested from the Israeli occupation, there was another story that Professor Alan Dershowitz had made threatening phone calls to students who had worked to pass the divestment.

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Monday, February 9, 2009

Leaving for Gaza soon

 

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Dear Najad,
I'm heading for Gaza in a few hours and I wanted to give you an update before I go.
We continue to get food and medicine into Gaza almost daily. I will be personally assessing the damage and planning with our staff how to rebuild destroyed clinics, hospitals and preschools.
I'll be distributing "Marhaba ya hilween!," which means "hello my lovelies" and is made up of messages collected from our website. The booklets will be given to staff and program partners to share with children in Gaza so they know that people around the world care about their safety and well-being. To see the booklet, click here.
As always, we remain very grateful for all of the organizing, awareness-building and fundraising done on behalf of Palestinian families living in Gaza. We put together an online toolkit for people looking for ways to help. We need all the support we can get.
Much more to report in the coming weeks about the work ahead.
I'll be in touch again soon,
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Mostafa in Gaza warehouse.ANERA Responding in Gaza
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Israeli aggression blocks path to peace -- baltimoresun.com

 Israeli aggression blocks path to peace -- baltimoresun.com

Thursday, February 5, 2009

Gaza conflict map

Israeli forces are conducting an offensive against Gaza by land, sea and air. The map shows developments in the conflict within the past 24 hours.

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Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Israel is proving that 1948 never ended

In the 1990s, Israel had a chance to prove that 1948 is not its paradigm. But it missed this opportunity. Instead, it merely perfected its techniques for robbing land and expelling people from their houses, and forced the Palestinians into isolated enclaves. And now, during these dark days, Israel is proving that 1948 never ended. (From Haaretz)

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Tuesday, January 20, 2009

New Israel phosphorous accusation

Palestinian medical officials have also said that large numbers of casualties with unusual burns, possibly consistent with exposure to white phosphorus, had been treated at Gaza Strip hospitals.

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New Israel phosphorous accusation

Palestinian medical officials have also said that large numbers of casualties with unusual burns, possibly consistent with exposure to white phosphorus, had been treated at Gaza Strip hospitals.

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Saturday, January 17, 2009

Friday, January 16, 2009

Israelis 'shot at fleeing Gazans'

Israeli troops have fired on Gaza residents trying to escape the conflict area

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Israelis 'shot at fleeing Gazans'

Israeli troops have fired on Gaza residents trying to escape the conflict area

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Israel bombs Gaza cemetery!

Gazan graves are blown apart by Israeli fighter jets as the Palestinian death toll from Israel's war on Gaza passes 1,000.

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Israel bombs Gaza cemetery!

Gazan graves are blown apart by Israeli fighter jets as the Palestinian death toll from Israel's war on Gaza passes 1,000.

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Israel bombs Gaza cemetery!

Gazan graves are blown apart by Israeli fighter jets as the Palestinian death toll from Israel's war on Gaza passes 1,000.

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Unusually LARGE U.S. Weapons Shipment to Israel

A very large delivery of US weaponry to Israel consisting of 3,000 tons of "ammunition" is scheduled to sail to Israel. The size and nature of the shipments are described as "unusual":"Shipping 3,000-odd tons of ammunition in one go is a lot," one broker said, on condition of anonymity.

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Unusually LARGE U.S. Weapons Shipment to Israel

A very large delivery of US weaponry to Israel consisting of 3,000 tons of "ammunition" is scheduled to sail to Israel. The size and nature of the shipments are described as "unusual":"Shipping 3,000-odd tons of ammunition in one go is a lot," one broker said, on condition of anonymity.

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Sunday, January 11, 2009

Al-Ahram Weekly | Region | Palestine's Guernica

This heart rending article is by Dr. Mustapha Albarghuti, M. D.

Al-Ahram Weekly | Region | Palestine's Guernica

Palestine's Guernica

Mustafa Barghouti* cuts down the myths Israel spins in the media to justify its most recent campaign of slaughter


The Israeli campaign of "death from above" began around 11am on Saturday morning and continues as I write these words.

The bloodiest single day in Palestine since the war of 1967 is far from over following Israel's promise that this is "only the beginning" of their campaign of state terror. Approximately 400 people have been murdered thus far, but the body count continues to rise at a dramatic pace as more mutilated bodies are pulled from the rubble, prior victims succumb to their wounds, and new casualties are created by the minute.

What is occurring is nothing short of a war crime, yet the Israeli public relations machine is in full swing, churning out lies by the minute.

Once and for all it is time to expose the myths that they have created:

- Israel claimed to have ended the occupation of the Gaza Strip in 2005. While Israel has indeed abandoned its settlements in the tiny coastal Strip, it has in no way ended the occupation. It remained in control of Gaza's borders, airspace and waterways, and has carried out frequent raids and targeted assassinations since its "disengagement".

Furthermore, since 2006 Israel has imposed a comprehensive siege on the Strip. For over two years, Gazans have lived on the edge of starvation and without the most basic necessities of human life, such as cooking or heating oil and basic medications. This siege has already caused a humanitarian catastrophe that has only been exacerbated by the dramatic increase in Israeli military aggression.

- Israel claims that Hamas violated the ceasefire and abandoned it unilaterally. Hamas indeed respected their side of the ceasefire, except on those occasions early on when Israel carried out major offensives in the West Bank. In the last two months, the ceasefire broke down with Israelis killing several Palestinians and resulting in the response of Hamas. In other words, Hamas has not carried out an unprovoked attack throughout the period of the ceasefire.

Israel, however, did not live up to any of its obligations of ending the siege and allowing vital humanitarian aid to resume in Gaza. Rather than the average of 450 trucks per day being allowed across the border, on the best days, only 80 have been allowed in, with the border remaining hermetically sealed 70 per cent of the time. Throughout the supposed "ceasefire" Gazans have been forced to live like animals, with 262 dying due to the inaccessibility of proper medical care.

Now after hundreds dead and counting, it is Israel that refuses to re-enter talks over a ceasefire. They are not intent on securing peace as they claim; it is more and more clear that they are seeking regime change, whatever the cost.

- Israel claims to be pursuing peace with "peaceful Palestinians". Before the ongoing massacre in the Gaza Strip, and throughout the entirety of the Annapolis peace process, Israel has continued and even intensified its occupation of the West Bank. In 2008, settlement expansion increased by a factor of 38, a further 4,950 Palestinians were arrested (mostly from the West Bank), and checkpoints rose in number from 521 to 699.

Furthermore, since the onset of peace talks, Israel has killed 546 Palestinians, among them 76 children. These gruesome statistics are set to rise dramatically now, but previous Israeli transgressions should not be forgotten amidst this most recent horror.

This week Israel shot and killed a young peaceful protester in the West Bank village of Nihlin and has injured dozens more. It is certain that they will continue to employ deadly force at non-violent demonstrations and we expect a sizeable body count in the West Bank as a result. If Israel is in fact pursuing peace with "good Palestinians", whom are they talking about?

- Israel is acting in self-defence. It is difficult to claim self-defence in a confrontation that they themselves have sparked, but they are doing it anyway. Self- defence is reactionary, while the actions of Israel over the past few days have been clearly premeditated. Not only did the Israeli press widely report the ongoing public relations campaign being undertaken by Israel to prepare Israeli and international public opinion for the attack, but Israel has also reportedly tried to convince the Palestinians that an attack was not coming by briefly opening crossings and reporting future meetings on the topic. They did so to insure that casualties would be maximised and that the citizens of Gaza would be unprepared for their impending slaughter.

It is also misleading to claim self-defence in a conflict with such an overwhelming asymmetry of power. Israel is the largest military force in the region, and the fifth largest in the world. Furthermore, they are the fourth largest exporter of arms and have a military industrial complex rivaling that of the United States. In other words, Israel has always had a comprehensive monopoly over the use of force, and much like its superpower ally, Israel uses war as an advertising showcase of its many instruments of death.

- Israel claims to have struck military targets only. Even while image after image of dead and mutilated women and children flash across our televisions, Israel brazenly claims that their munitions expertly struck only military installations. We know this to be false, as many other civilian sites have been hit by air strikes, including a hospital and a mosque.

In the most densely populated area on the planet, tons upon tons of explosives have been dropped. The first estimates of injured are in the thousands. Israel will claim that these are merely "collateral damage" or accidental deaths. The sheer ridiculousness and inhumanity of such a claim should sicken the world community.

- Israel claims that it is attacking Hamas and not the Palestinian people. First and foremost, missiles do not differentiate people by their political affiliation; they simply kill everyone in their path. Israel knows this, and so do the Palestinians. What Israel also knows, but is not saying publicly, is how much their recent actions will actually strengthen Hamas, whose message of resistance and revenge is being echoed by the angry and the grieving.

The targets of the strike, police and not Hamas militants, give us some clue as to Israel's mistaken intention. They are hoping to create anarchy in the Strip by removing the pillar of law and order.

- Israel claims that Palestinians are the source of violence. Let us be clear and unequivocal. The occupation of Palestine since the war of 1967 has been and remains the root of violence between Israelis and Palestinians. Violence can be ended with the end of the occupation and the granting of Palestine's national and human rights. Hamas does not control the West Bank and yet we remain occupied, our rights violated and our children killed.

With these myths understood, let us ponder the real reasons behind these air strikes; what we find may be even more disgusting than the act itself.

The leaders of Israel are holding press conferences, dressed in black, with sleeves rolled up. "It's time to fight," they say, "but it won't be easy."

To prove just how hard it is, Livni, Olmert and Barak did not even wear makeup to the press conference, and Barak has ended his presidential campaign to focus on the Gaza campaign. What heroes... what leaders.

We all know the truth: the suspension of electioneering is exactly that -- electioneering. Like John McCain's suspension of his presidential campaign to return to Washington to "deal with" the financial crisis, this act is little more than a publicity stunt.

The candidates have to appear "tough enough to lead", and there is seemingly no better way of doing that than bathing in Palestinian blood.

"Look at me," Livni said in her black suit and unkempt hair, "I am a warrior. I am strong enough to pull the trigger. Don't you feel more confident about voting for me, now that you know I am as ruthless as Bibi Netanyahu?"

I do not know which is more disturbing, her and Barak, or the constituency they are trying to please.

In the end, this will in no way improve the security of the average Israeli; in fact it can be expected to get much worse in the coming days as the massacre could presumably provoke a new generation of suicide bombers.

It will not undermine Hamas either, and it will not result in the three fools, Barak, Livni and Olmert, looking "tough". Their misguided political venture will likely blow up in their faces as did the brutally similar 2006 invasion of Lebanon.

In closing, there is another reason -- beyond the internal politics of Israel -- why this attack has been allowed to occur: the complicity and silence of the international community.

Israel cannot and would not act against the will of its economic allies in Europe or its military allies in the US. Israel may be pulling the trigger and ending hundreds, perhaps even thousands of lives this week, but it is the apathy of the world and the inhumane tolerance of Palestinian suffering that allows this to occur.

"Evil only exists because the good remain silent."

* The writer is secretary-general of the Palestinian National Initiative.

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