-- No Burning Schools, No killed Children, NO Evidence ... !!!!
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
War Cirmes - Says who ?
Israel DID NOT use white phosphor against civilians in GAZA
-- No Burning Schools, No killed Children, NO Evidence ... !!!!
-- No Burning Schools, No killed Children, NO Evidence ... !!!!
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Cup Of Coffee
What Happens if an insect falls in a cup of coffee?!
The British: will throw the cup into the street and leave The coffee shop for good.
The American: will get The insect out and drink the coffee.
The Chinese: will eat the insect and drink the coffee.
The Israeli will:
- Sell the coffee to the American and the insect to the Chinese.
- Cry on all media channels that he feels insecure.
- Accuse the Palestinians, Hizb Allah, Syria and Iran of using germ-weapons.
- Keep on crying about anti-semitism and violations of Human rights.
- Ask the Palestinian President to stop planting insects In the cups of coffee.
- Re-occupy the West Bank, Gaza Strip.
- Demolish houses, confiscate lands, cut water and Electricity from Palestinian houses and randomly shoot Palestinians.
- Ask the United States for urgent military support and a Loan of one million dollars in order to buy a new cup of coffee.
- Ask the United Nations to punish the coffee-shop owner By making him offer free coffee to him till the end of the Century.
- Last but not least, accuse the whole world to be Standing still, not even sympathizing with the Israeli Nation.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
U.N. report condemns Israel for Gaza operation - CNN.com
(CNN) -- Israeli soldiers routinely and intentionally put children in harm's way during their 22-day offensive against the Palestinians in Gaza, according to a United Nations report made public Monday.
On March 6, a Palestinian boy sits on the rubble of a building destroyed during Israel's 22-day Gaza offensive.
On March 6, a Palestinian boy sits on the rubble of a building destroyed during Israel's 22-day Gaza offensive.
Click to view previous image
1 of 2
Click to view next image
The report said a working group had documented and verified reports of violations "too numerous to list."
For example, on January 15, in a town southwest of Gaza City, Israel Defense Forces soldiers ordered an 11-year-old boy to open Palestinians' packages, presumably so that the soldiers would not be hurt if they turned out to contain explosives, the 43-page report said.
They then forced the boy to walk in front of them in the town, it said. When the soldiers came under fire, "the boy remained in front of the group," the report said.
It said the boy was later released.
Also cited were "credible reports" that accused Hamas, the militant Palestinian group that runs Gaza, of using human shields and placing civilians at risk.
But it singled out the Israelis for more sweeping criticism.
A spokesman for the Israeli prime minister called the report another example of the "one-sided and unfair" attitude of the U.N. Human Rights Council, which requested it.
The report cited two alleged incidents from January 3. In one, it said, after a tank round struck near a house, a father and his two sons -- both younger than 11 -- emerged to look at the damage.
"As they exited their home, IDF soldiers shot and killed them (at the entrance to their house), with the daughter witnessing," the report said.
In the second, it said, "Israeli soldiers entered a family house in the Zeitoun neighborhood of Gaza City. Standing at the doorstep, they asked the male head of the household to come out and shot him dead, without warning, while he was holding his ID, hands raised up in the air, and then started to fire indiscriminately and without warning into the room where the rest of the family was huddled together.
"The eldest son was shouting in vain the word 'Children' in Hebrew to warn the soldiers. The shooting did not stop until everyone was lying on the floor. The mother and four of the brothers, aged 2-12 years, had been wounded, one of them, aged 4, fatally."
The alleged instances occurred during Operation Cast Lead, which was launched December 27 to halt rocket attacks into southern Israel from Gaza and ended January 17 with a cease-fire.
The U.N. report called the response by Israel disproportionate.
Of the 1,453 people estimated killed in the conflict, 1,440 were Palestinian, including 431 children and 114 women, the report said.
The 13 Israelis killed included three civilians and six soldiers killed by Hamas, and four soldiers killed by friendly fire, it said.
The report said the Israeli operation resulted in "a dramatic deterioration of the living conditions of the civilian population."
It cited "targeted and indiscriminate" attacks on hospitals and clinics, water and sewage treatment facilities, government buildings, utilities and farming and said the offensive "intensified the already catastrophic humanitarian situation of the Palestinian people."
It said Israeli strikes damaged more than 200 schools and left more than 70,000 people homeless.
"There are strong and credible reports of war crimes and other violations of international norms," it said, adding that many observers have said war crimes investigations should be undertaken.
"The alternative is de facto impunity," it said.
It called for the end of Israel's blockade of Gaza and the free passage into the territory of food, medicine, fuel and construction supplies.
Mark Regev, a spokesman for Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, called the report "another example of the one-sided and unfair attitude of the rapporteur of the Human Rights Council, a council that has been criticized by current and previous secretaries-general for its unbalanced attitudes toward Israel."
He added, "The negative fixation on Israel by the council has done a disservice to the issue of human rights internationally as has been attested to by the leading NGO's [nongovernmental organizations] on human rights."
Another report issued Monday also was critical of the IDF. The report from Physicians for Human Rights said the Gaza incursion violated IDF's own code of ethics.
The report by the medical group, which shared the 1997 Nobel Peace Prize, cited instances where it said IDF forces did not evacuate injured civilians for days and prevented Palestinian teams from reaching the wounded, and said some of them died as a result.
It said 16 Palestinian medical personnel were killed by IDF fire and 25 were wounded during the IDF operation, and accused the IDF of attacking 34 medical centers in violation of the IDF's own "ethical code for fighting terror."
In response, the IDF accused Hamas of having used medical vehicles, facilities and uniforms to conceal its members' activity.
"Hamas used ambulances to 'rescue' terror activists from the battlefield and used hospitals and medical facilities as hiding places," the Israelis said in a written statement.
"Despite this, throughout the fighting, IDF forces were instructed to avoid firing at ambulances, even if they were being used by armed fighters. They were instructed only to shoot if there was fire towards our forces emanating from the direction of the ambulance."
Regarding the reported delays in casualty evacuations, "there existed real difficulties in evacuating the injured, due to the roadblocks, booby-trapped roads and dirt mounds placed by the Hamas as well as the considerable damage to the infrastructure," the statement said.
Nevertheless, it said, an IDF investigation is ongoing and its conclusions will be made public once it is complete.
But Dr. Dani Filc, PHR-Israel chairman, was skeptical that the investigation would prove useful. "There are considerable doubts that the IDF is the correct institution to investigate suspicions of these violations," he said.
"The IDF's repeated promises to the High Court to look into attacks on medical teams and medical centers have gone unfulfilled, and there are suspicions concerning its seriousness and readiness to carry out the matter."
The Israeli military did accept criticism Monday on another matter -- the practice of some Israeli soldiers of wearing T-shirts that appear to condone acts of violence against Palestinians.
The Israeli daily Haaretz newspaper reported that Israeli soldiers who had finished basic training ordered the shirts, one of which showed a pregnant Arab in the crosshairs of a gun sight with a caption reading "1 Shot 2 Kills." Another showing a small child in a gun's sight was captioned, "The smaller they are, the harder it is."
"The examples presented by The Haaretz reporter are not in accordance with IDF values and are simply tasteless," the Israeli military said in a written statement. "This type of humor is unbecoming and should be condemned."
Israeli soldiers said last week that Palestinian civilians were killed and Palestinian property intentionally destroyed during Israel's military campaign in Gaza, according to Haaretz.
The IDF has said it is investigating the claims, but its top general expressed skepticism Monday.
"I don't believe that soldiers serving in the IDF hurt civilians in cold blood, but we shall wait for the results of the investigation," Lt. Gen. Ashkenazi, the chief of staff, said in a speech.
"I tell you that this is a moral and ideological army."
He blamed Hamas for choosing "to fight in heavily populated areas.
"It (was) a complex atmosphere that includes civilians and we took every measure possible to reduce harm of the innocent," he said, according to an IDF statement.
On March 6, a Palestinian boy sits on the rubble of a building destroyed during Israel's 22-day Gaza offensive.
On March 6, a Palestinian boy sits on the rubble of a building destroyed during Israel's 22-day Gaza offensive.
Click to view previous image
1 of 2
Click to view next image
The report said a working group had documented and verified reports of violations "too numerous to list."
For example, on January 15, in a town southwest of Gaza City, Israel Defense Forces soldiers ordered an 11-year-old boy to open Palestinians' packages, presumably so that the soldiers would not be hurt if they turned out to contain explosives, the 43-page report said.
They then forced the boy to walk in front of them in the town, it said. When the soldiers came under fire, "the boy remained in front of the group," the report said.
It said the boy was later released.
Also cited were "credible reports" that accused Hamas, the militant Palestinian group that runs Gaza, of using human shields and placing civilians at risk.
But it singled out the Israelis for more sweeping criticism.
A spokesman for the Israeli prime minister called the report another example of the "one-sided and unfair" attitude of the U.N. Human Rights Council, which requested it.
The report cited two alleged incidents from January 3. In one, it said, after a tank round struck near a house, a father and his two sons -- both younger than 11 -- emerged to look at the damage.
"As they exited their home, IDF soldiers shot and killed them (at the entrance to their house), with the daughter witnessing," the report said.
In the second, it said, "Israeli soldiers entered a family house in the Zeitoun neighborhood of Gaza City. Standing at the doorstep, they asked the male head of the household to come out and shot him dead, without warning, while he was holding his ID, hands raised up in the air, and then started to fire indiscriminately and without warning into the room where the rest of the family was huddled together.
"The eldest son was shouting in vain the word 'Children' in Hebrew to warn the soldiers. The shooting did not stop until everyone was lying on the floor. The mother and four of the brothers, aged 2-12 years, had been wounded, one of them, aged 4, fatally."
The alleged instances occurred during Operation Cast Lead, which was launched December 27 to halt rocket attacks into southern Israel from Gaza and ended January 17 with a cease-fire.
The U.N. report called the response by Israel disproportionate.
Of the 1,453 people estimated killed in the conflict, 1,440 were Palestinian, including 431 children and 114 women, the report said.
The 13 Israelis killed included three civilians and six soldiers killed by Hamas, and four soldiers killed by friendly fire, it said.
The report said the Israeli operation resulted in "a dramatic deterioration of the living conditions of the civilian population."
It cited "targeted and indiscriminate" attacks on hospitals and clinics, water and sewage treatment facilities, government buildings, utilities and farming and said the offensive "intensified the already catastrophic humanitarian situation of the Palestinian people."
It said Israeli strikes damaged more than 200 schools and left more than 70,000 people homeless.
"There are strong and credible reports of war crimes and other violations of international norms," it said, adding that many observers have said war crimes investigations should be undertaken.
"The alternative is de facto impunity," it said.
It called for the end of Israel's blockade of Gaza and the free passage into the territory of food, medicine, fuel and construction supplies.
Mark Regev, a spokesman for Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, called the report "another example of the one-sided and unfair attitude of the rapporteur of the Human Rights Council, a council that has been criticized by current and previous secretaries-general for its unbalanced attitudes toward Israel."
He added, "The negative fixation on Israel by the council has done a disservice to the issue of human rights internationally as has been attested to by the leading NGO's [nongovernmental organizations] on human rights."
Another report issued Monday also was critical of the IDF. The report from Physicians for Human Rights said the Gaza incursion violated IDF's own code of ethics.
The report by the medical group, which shared the 1997 Nobel Peace Prize, cited instances where it said IDF forces did not evacuate injured civilians for days and prevented Palestinian teams from reaching the wounded, and said some of them died as a result.
It said 16 Palestinian medical personnel were killed by IDF fire and 25 were wounded during the IDF operation, and accused the IDF of attacking 34 medical centers in violation of the IDF's own "ethical code for fighting terror."
In response, the IDF accused Hamas of having used medical vehicles, facilities and uniforms to conceal its members' activity.
"Hamas used ambulances to 'rescue' terror activists from the battlefield and used hospitals and medical facilities as hiding places," the Israelis said in a written statement.
"Despite this, throughout the fighting, IDF forces were instructed to avoid firing at ambulances, even if they were being used by armed fighters. They were instructed only to shoot if there was fire towards our forces emanating from the direction of the ambulance."
Regarding the reported delays in casualty evacuations, "there existed real difficulties in evacuating the injured, due to the roadblocks, booby-trapped roads and dirt mounds placed by the Hamas as well as the considerable damage to the infrastructure," the statement said.
Nevertheless, it said, an IDF investigation is ongoing and its conclusions will be made public once it is complete.
But Dr. Dani Filc, PHR-Israel chairman, was skeptical that the investigation would prove useful. "There are considerable doubts that the IDF is the correct institution to investigate suspicions of these violations," he said.
"The IDF's repeated promises to the High Court to look into attacks on medical teams and medical centers have gone unfulfilled, and there are suspicions concerning its seriousness and readiness to carry out the matter."
The Israeli military did accept criticism Monday on another matter -- the practice of some Israeli soldiers of wearing T-shirts that appear to condone acts of violence against Palestinians.
The Israeli daily Haaretz newspaper reported that Israeli soldiers who had finished basic training ordered the shirts, one of which showed a pregnant Arab in the crosshairs of a gun sight with a caption reading "1 Shot 2 Kills." Another showing a small child in a gun's sight was captioned, "The smaller they are, the harder it is."
"The examples presented by The Haaretz reporter are not in accordance with IDF values and are simply tasteless," the Israeli military said in a written statement. "This type of humor is unbecoming and should be condemned."
Israeli soldiers said last week that Palestinian civilians were killed and Palestinian property intentionally destroyed during Israel's military campaign in Gaza, according to Haaretz.
The IDF has said it is investigating the claims, but its top general expressed skepticism Monday.
"I don't believe that soldiers serving in the IDF hurt civilians in cold blood, but we shall wait for the results of the investigation," Lt. Gen. Ashkenazi, the chief of staff, said in a speech.
"I tell you that this is a moral and ideological army."
He blamed Hamas for choosing "to fight in heavily populated areas.
"It (was) a complex atmosphere that includes civilians and we took every measure possible to reduce harm of the innocent," he said, according to an IDF statement.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Monday, February 9, 2009
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Gaza Television Ad (Long Version)
We thought, “What better way to bring this important information to the attention of people in the United States than to advertise nationally on DIRECTV?” the largest satellite television subscription service in the country.
After detailed discussions with DIRECTV, including agreement on rates, times, and network placements of the ad, when we gave them the final product, they abruptly decided not to do business with us.
This blatant act of censorship is preventing millions of U.S. households from learning the truth about our government’s crucial role in enabling Israel’s war on and siege of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
After detailed discussions with DIRECTV, including agreement on rates, times, and network placements of the ad, when we gave them the final product, they abruptly decided not to do business with us.
This blatant act of censorship is preventing millions of U.S. households from learning the truth about our government’s crucial role in enabling Israel’s war on and siege of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
Israeli Supreme Court approved the demolition of a Palestinian village
Israeli Supreme Court approved the demolition of a Palestinian village in the West Bank and the displacement of its population while continuing expansion of settlements adjacent unimpeded.
The two organizations, "the Association for Civil Rights" and the "Rabbis for Human Rights" in a joint statement today that the Court rejected a petition introduced to prevent the demolition of the village, "Khirbet Tana," and the displacement of the population on grounds of licensed homes.
The two organizations that around 25 Palestinian families, forced to leave their homes and lands in the village of Khirbet Tana, after the Supreme Court rejected their petition, which called for demolition of the homes to prevent residents of the village and prepare the structural map of the village.
In their petition, confirmed that residents of the village planning policy in the occupied Palestinian territories do not allow them to getting building permits, and force them to choose between the unauthorized construction or to remain without housing.
Double standards
During the debate in the Court of the State of Israel recognized that even if the Residents of the village for a license under the law, the probability of obtaining a license is very small.
In court, the lawyer introduced Nasrat Dkor, from the Association for Civil Rights and a letter addressed to the attorney for the government to former Defense Minister Amir Peretz, said that despite the fact that the unauthorized construction in the weakness of the Palestinian villages of unauthorized construction in the settlements, the implementation of the demolition of the Palestinians more than tenfold in the settlements.
He also stressed that the lawyer Dkor Israeli planning policy in the "C" depends on the systematic distinction between the Palestinians and the settlers, and pointed out that most of the villages in this region, which was held prior to the occupation in 1967, is the absence of structural maps enable the construction and development, while enjoying the settlements adjacent maps detailed, modern, and by the civil administration of the occupation.
He pointed out that the buildings Dkor village is not recognized by only a single house, and that the occupation authorities are eager to demolish Palestinian homes, although ownership of the land while allowing the illegal Jewish settlement construction and widening, a settlement, "Givat Aolm" built along the village without any inconvenience.
The name of the law
The Dkor of the island revealed that the Israeli judiciary system of laws designed to implement the planning and construction when it accused the Palestinians, under the banner of the policy planning process.
He stressed that the decision to erase the court denied a Palestinian village and its inhabitants from their lands devoted to the Authority's policy of discrimination between the Israelis and the Palestinians in the region "C", which constitute 60% of the territory of the West Bank, adding that the policies of occupation, aims to reduce the Palestinian presence in order to ensure the prosperity of the Jewish settlement.
For his part, after Rabbi Eric Acrmen, director of "Rabbis for Human Rights" of the sentence by saying, "It is deeply disappointing unwillingness of judges to recognize the pattern of the private life of the inhabitants of the village of Khirbet Tana plagued their lands, despite the continued abuse by the army of occupation, noting that the Jewish tradition, it is necessary to that examines the self-check before making the rulings. "
The two organizations, "the Association for Civil Rights" and the "Rabbis for Human Rights" in a joint statement today that the Court rejected a petition introduced to prevent the demolition of the village, "Khirbet Tana," and the displacement of the population on grounds of licensed homes.
The two organizations that around 25 Palestinian families, forced to leave their homes and lands in the village of Khirbet Tana, after the Supreme Court rejected their petition, which called for demolition of the homes to prevent residents of the village and prepare the structural map of the village.
In their petition, confirmed that residents of the village planning policy in the occupied Palestinian territories do not allow them to getting building permits, and force them to choose between the unauthorized construction or to remain without housing.
Double standards
During the debate in the Court of the State of Israel recognized that even if the Residents of the village for a license under the law, the probability of obtaining a license is very small.
In court, the lawyer introduced Nasrat Dkor, from the Association for Civil Rights and a letter addressed to the attorney for the government to former Defense Minister Amir Peretz, said that despite the fact that the unauthorized construction in the weakness of the Palestinian villages of unauthorized construction in the settlements, the implementation of the demolition of the Palestinians more than tenfold in the settlements.
He also stressed that the lawyer Dkor Israeli planning policy in the "C" depends on the systematic distinction between the Palestinians and the settlers, and pointed out that most of the villages in this region, which was held prior to the occupation in 1967, is the absence of structural maps enable the construction and development, while enjoying the settlements adjacent maps detailed, modern, and by the civil administration of the occupation.
He pointed out that the buildings Dkor village is not recognized by only a single house, and that the occupation authorities are eager to demolish Palestinian homes, although ownership of the land while allowing the illegal Jewish settlement construction and widening, a settlement, "Givat Aolm" built along the village without any inconvenience.
The name of the law
The Dkor of the island revealed that the Israeli judiciary system of laws designed to implement the planning and construction when it accused the Palestinians, under the banner of the policy planning process.
He stressed that the decision to erase the court denied a Palestinian village and its inhabitants from their lands devoted to the Authority's policy of discrimination between the Israelis and the Palestinians in the region "C", which constitute 60% of the territory of the West Bank, adding that the policies of occupation, aims to reduce the Palestinian presence in order to ensure the prosperity of the Jewish settlement.
For his part, after Rabbi Eric Acrmen, director of "Rabbis for Human Rights" of the sentence by saying, "It is deeply disappointing unwillingness of judges to recognize the pattern of the private life of the inhabitants of the village of Khirbet Tana plagued their lands, despite the continued abuse by the army of occupation, noting that the Jewish tradition, it is necessary to that examines the self-check before making the rulings. "
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Monday, February 2, 2009
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Friday, January 30, 2009
Settlement data implicates Israel
A leaked report on Jewish settlements in the West Bank shows that the Israeli government was complicit in illegal construction on land owned by Palestinians, an Israeli human rights group says.
Yesh Din said on Friday that the classsified information, compiled by the Israeli defence ministry, would allow it to help Palestinians sue the Israeli government for damages.
Michael Sfard, Yesh Din's legal counsel, said the information was a "severe indictment" of Israel's military and government.
Israeli authorities are "systematically violating international law and the property rights of Palestinian residents," he said in a statement.
The information leaked to the group shows that in three out of every four settlements in the West Bank at least some of the construction was completed without proper permits, Israel's Haaretz newspaper reported.
The daily said the database showed that, in more than 30 settlements, extensive construction of buildings and infrastructure like roads, schools, synagogues, and even police stations was carried out on private lands belonging to Palestinians.
In one settlement, Elon Moreh, 18 houses were built on private land, the reports says. In another, Efrat, a park and a synagogue were built on privateland, and in a third, Ariel, a college was built without legal approval.
Yesh Din said it would begin running advertisments in Palestinian newspapers to encourage people to take legal action, and will also offer legal counsel, the statement from the group said.
The database focuses on the 120 West bank settlements that have been authorised by the Israeli government since it occupied the territory in 1967. About 100 other unauthorised outposts have also been established by settlers.
The settlements are illegal under international law and the so-called "road map" setting the course for Israeli-Palestinian negotiations calls for a halt to their expansion.
There was no immediate comment from the Israeli government on the conclusions of the report.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
An extremely well written summary of the Palestinian's nightmare.....
Subject: Re: Press Release from the Liberal Party of Canada
Date: Wed, 7 Jan 2009 00:55:26 -0500
Rt. Hon. Micheal Ignatieff:
I am a member of the Liberal Party. I was shocked and in a state of disbelief when I saw the press release from your office (see the bottom of this email).
It is stated in your press release:?"The Liberal Party of Canada unequivocally condemns the rocket attacks launched by Hamas against Israeli civilians and calls for an immediate end to these attacks. We affirm Israel 's right to defend itself against such attacks, and also its right to exist in peace and security."
This statement promotes the usual pro-Zionist narrative about the current brutal assault on Gaza by Israel. Nowhere does one see the scholarship one expects from an experienced professor who should have done basic research first, And, in its absence, please let me provide the following basic facts:
In reality, the conflict causing this violence is not centuries old. Nor is it too complex to address. Prior to 1900, Jews and Palestinians lived together in Palestine for generations without the extreme levels of hatred and violence which now exist. With the advent of Zionism, the political movement to establish a Jewish state in all of historic Palestine, tensions began to escalate. The leaders of the Zionist movement sought to control more and more of what they considered to be land promised to them by God. In 1947-48, the violent ethnic cleansing of Palestinians from their homeland by Zionist militias and the creation of the Jewish state of Israel began the conflict in earnest.
Since then, Israel's continued seizure of Palestinian land through the establishment of illegal settlements in the West Bank has accelerated the aggression. In addition, Israel has refused to abide by UN resolution 194 which guarantees Palestinians the right of return to or compensation for lands taken from them during the war in 1947-48. As a result of that war and the 1967 war Israel expanded well beyond the borders allotted to it by the original partition of Palestine and has been in violation of the Geneva Conventions as well as the terms of the original United Nations partition plan since its inception.
The real reason for the conflict in Palestine is not Jews or Palestinians, it is the Zionist colonization of Palestine. Zionism, a virulent form of ethnic nationalism, fosters a culture of exclusivity and entitlement within Israeli society. Jews are "The Chosen People" living in "The Promised Land." These inherently racist attitudes create an atmosphere which legitimizes collective punishment and human rights abuses against Palestinians simply because they are not Jews. Jewish lives are valued more than Palestinian lives. This attitude was epitomized by the statement of extreme right wing Israeli Rabbi, Eliyah, in April of 2008. "The life of one yeshiva boy is worth more than the lives of 1,000 Arabs."?
The stated goal of Zionism has always been and continues to be the expulsion of the Palestinians and the colonization of all of Palestine, not just the area which currently is Israel. This is a fact, not idle supposition. In his book, The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine, Ilan Pappe, an Israeli Jewish historian, gives a well-documented account of the brutally orchestrated removal of Palestinians from their lands and the systematic plan for the ongoing colonization of Palestine. Pappe uses Israel's own archives to support these facts. For those pro-Zionists who consider Pappe to be too much of a "self-hating Jew," a term often used to slander any Jewish scholar who attempts to expose the dark underbelly of the Zionist movement, they can read essentially the same history in Benny Morris's writings. Morris is a fervent Zionist historian who has fully acknowledged the facts of Zionist history. But he sums up his findings by saying, in effect, the ethnic cleansing was a necessary evil and his only regret is that Israel did not complete the job back in 1948.
Indeed, the world has stood by for the last 60 years and allowed Israel to aggressively colonize Palestinian lands in violation of international law and the Geneva Conventions.?
The Zionist narrative attempts to portray Israel as a victim of unprovoked Palestinian violence. But Palestinian resistance to the colonization of their land is recognized as a right under international law. The widely accepted and vociferous contention that "Israel has a right to defend itself,"which you also state in your press release, is a bizarre transposition of the rule of law. It is like saying the family that occupied your home has a right to defend itself from your actions to remove them. Israel does not have any right under international law to "defend" its ethnic cleansing and illegal occupation of Palestine. The attack on Gaza, and indeed, any Israeli action taken against Palestinian resistance, whether that resistance be violent or nonviolent, is not an act of self defense. It is an act of aggression against a legitimate resistance movement. Israel is not defending itself, it is defending its illegal colonization of Palestinian lands.?
From a purely moral perspective, it is absurd to suggest that the monstrous assault being unleashed against the captive and defenseless people of Gaza by the world's fourth largest military is in any way justified by the firing of crude homemade rockets into Israel. There are 1.5 million people in Gaza. They have no army, no navy, no air force. More than two thirds of the population is comprised of women and children. After having the nerve to conduct democratic elections in January, 2006, the Palestinians have had their elected officials imprisoned and assassinated. Their government has been removed in an administrative coup and replaced by the quisling Fatah party in the West Bank. When Hamas resisted this coup and reclaimed control of the government they were freely and fairly elected to lead, confirmed by President Carter and other Western observers, it was Hamas who was considered the aggressor, not those who removed them from power in the first place. Again, the rule of law was transposed and used to justify the demonization of Hamas.
To make matters worse, in an attempt to coerce the Palestinians in Gaza to abandon their legitimately elected representatives, Israel, with the help of the international community, has kept Gaza under siege for most of the last three years. Gazans have been denied many of the basic necessities of life, including such things as paper and pencils, school books and even sanitary napkins. Israel recently added shoes and clothing to the list of forbidden imports. They claim Hamas might use them to make military uniforms. This, despite the fact that Israel often justifies its killing of civilians in Gaza by asserting that the Hamas militia can't be distinguished from civilians because, yes, you guessed it, they don't wear military uniforms.
The main power plant in Gaza has also been bombed, severely limiting the amount of electricity available. This electricity is necessary for water and sewage treatment along with the more obvious aspects of normal daily life. Fuel supplies have been restricted. Importation of cement has been curtailed preventing necessary repairs to civilian infrastructure. The Israeli Air Force has used F-16 Fighter Jets, supplied by the U.S., to make frequent low level super sonic flights over Gaza creating massive sonic booms which, according to the Gaza Community Mental Health Program and Physicians for Human Rights-Israel, "are having serious effects on children in Gaza, including anxiety, panic, fear, poor concentration and low academic success." The sonic events are also suspected of inducing miscarriages in Palestinian women.
These are just a few examples of the war of collective punishment and terror being waged against the civilian population in Gaza. These tactics have increased in intensity over the last three years, culminating these last six weeks in the nearly complete denial of food, medicine, electricity and fuel to the million and a half people living in Gaza. So why would Hamas be engaging in resistance to Israel, anyway? One can only imagine.
This background story to the devastation in Gaza is completely ignored. It's as if history began just a few months ago. Out of the blue, those crazy terrorists started firing rockets into Israel for no reason at all. How dare they? There is little discussion of the fact that Palestinian militants actually have a reason to be firing rockets at Israel.
Over the last 60 years, there has never been a sincere effort on the part of Israel to avert conflict with the Palestinians. On the contrary, conflict has been continuously inflamed in order to facilitate and legitimize the colonization of Palestine. Regardless of the repeated empty rhetoric on the part of Israel about wanting a partner in peace, since 1967, when the illegal settlement campaign was begun, there has not been a single Israeli administration which has not expanded the settlements in the West Bank. This is in direct violation of the Geneva Conventions, not to mention the many so-called agreements Israel has entered into over the years promising to halt the expansion of settlements.?
Simply put, Israel is colonizing Palestine. Its Zionist founders always intended to achieve this end, and the current regime has no intention of sidelining that plan. Any other claim made by the government of Israel is pure guile. And this deception has been perpetrated with funding and encouragement from successive United States administrations since 1947. Indeed, none of Israel's current illegal aggression would be taking place without the approval of the United States along with the massive amounts of military aid provided. This is the history of the current conflict which we are not allowed to hear. Not because it is too complicated for us to understand, but because it is too offensive to the sensibilities of those who blindly support Israel, and that includes Canada.
The situation is dire. Our public discourse is a cornucopia of lies, obfuscation and denial. Facts are considered irrelevant. Reality is turned upside down and language has become meaningless. Imperial and colonial violence is defined as righteous self defense. Resistance to that violence is defined as terrorism. The United States and Israel, two of the world's most celebrated so-called democracies, are in reality rogue militarized nations engaging in collective punishment, torture, wars of aggression and criminal foreign policies which flagrantly disregard even the most basic concepts of fairness and human decency.
We strongly urge you to do the right thing. Ask Israel to abide by UN resolution 194 which guarantees Palestinians the right of return to or compensation for lands taken from them during the war in 1947-48.
Respectfully submitted.
Date: Wed, 7 Jan 2009 00:55:26 -0500
Rt. Hon. Micheal Ignatieff:
I am a member of the Liberal Party. I was shocked and in a state of disbelief when I saw the press release from your office (see the bottom of this email).
It is stated in your press release:?"The Liberal Party of Canada unequivocally condemns the rocket attacks launched by Hamas against Israeli civilians and calls for an immediate end to these attacks. We affirm Israel 's right to defend itself against such attacks, and also its right to exist in peace and security."
This statement promotes the usual pro-Zionist narrative about the current brutal assault on Gaza by Israel. Nowhere does one see the scholarship one expects from an experienced professor who should have done basic research first, And, in its absence, please let me provide the following basic facts:
In reality, the conflict causing this violence is not centuries old. Nor is it too complex to address. Prior to 1900, Jews and Palestinians lived together in Palestine for generations without the extreme levels of hatred and violence which now exist. With the advent of Zionism, the political movement to establish a Jewish state in all of historic Palestine, tensions began to escalate. The leaders of the Zionist movement sought to control more and more of what they considered to be land promised to them by God. In 1947-48, the violent ethnic cleansing of Palestinians from their homeland by Zionist militias and the creation of the Jewish state of Israel began the conflict in earnest.
Since then, Israel's continued seizure of Palestinian land through the establishment of illegal settlements in the West Bank has accelerated the aggression. In addition, Israel has refused to abide by UN resolution 194 which guarantees Palestinians the right of return to or compensation for lands taken from them during the war in 1947-48. As a result of that war and the 1967 war Israel expanded well beyond the borders allotted to it by the original partition of Palestine and has been in violation of the Geneva Conventions as well as the terms of the original United Nations partition plan since its inception.
The real reason for the conflict in Palestine is not Jews or Palestinians, it is the Zionist colonization of Palestine. Zionism, a virulent form of ethnic nationalism, fosters a culture of exclusivity and entitlement within Israeli society. Jews are "The Chosen People" living in "The Promised Land." These inherently racist attitudes create an atmosphere which legitimizes collective punishment and human rights abuses against Palestinians simply because they are not Jews. Jewish lives are valued more than Palestinian lives. This attitude was epitomized by the statement of extreme right wing Israeli Rabbi, Eliyah, in April of 2008. "The life of one yeshiva boy is worth more than the lives of 1,000 Arabs."?
The stated goal of Zionism has always been and continues to be the expulsion of the Palestinians and the colonization of all of Palestine, not just the area which currently is Israel. This is a fact, not idle supposition. In his book, The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine, Ilan Pappe, an Israeli Jewish historian, gives a well-documented account of the brutally orchestrated removal of Palestinians from their lands and the systematic plan for the ongoing colonization of Palestine. Pappe uses Israel's own archives to support these facts. For those pro-Zionists who consider Pappe to be too much of a "self-hating Jew," a term often used to slander any Jewish scholar who attempts to expose the dark underbelly of the Zionist movement, they can read essentially the same history in Benny Morris's writings. Morris is a fervent Zionist historian who has fully acknowledged the facts of Zionist history. But he sums up his findings by saying, in effect, the ethnic cleansing was a necessary evil and his only regret is that Israel did not complete the job back in 1948.
Indeed, the world has stood by for the last 60 years and allowed Israel to aggressively colonize Palestinian lands in violation of international law and the Geneva Conventions.?
The Zionist narrative attempts to portray Israel as a victim of unprovoked Palestinian violence. But Palestinian resistance to the colonization of their land is recognized as a right under international law. The widely accepted and vociferous contention that "Israel has a right to defend itself,"which you also state in your press release, is a bizarre transposition of the rule of law. It is like saying the family that occupied your home has a right to defend itself from your actions to remove them. Israel does not have any right under international law to "defend" its ethnic cleansing and illegal occupation of Palestine. The attack on Gaza, and indeed, any Israeli action taken against Palestinian resistance, whether that resistance be violent or nonviolent, is not an act of self defense. It is an act of aggression against a legitimate resistance movement. Israel is not defending itself, it is defending its illegal colonization of Palestinian lands.?
From a purely moral perspective, it is absurd to suggest that the monstrous assault being unleashed against the captive and defenseless people of Gaza by the world's fourth largest military is in any way justified by the firing of crude homemade rockets into Israel. There are 1.5 million people in Gaza. They have no army, no navy, no air force. More than two thirds of the population is comprised of women and children. After having the nerve to conduct democratic elections in January, 2006, the Palestinians have had their elected officials imprisoned and assassinated. Their government has been removed in an administrative coup and replaced by the quisling Fatah party in the West Bank. When Hamas resisted this coup and reclaimed control of the government they were freely and fairly elected to lead, confirmed by President Carter and other Western observers, it was Hamas who was considered the aggressor, not those who removed them from power in the first place. Again, the rule of law was transposed and used to justify the demonization of Hamas.
To make matters worse, in an attempt to coerce the Palestinians in Gaza to abandon their legitimately elected representatives, Israel, with the help of the international community, has kept Gaza under siege for most of the last three years. Gazans have been denied many of the basic necessities of life, including such things as paper and pencils, school books and even sanitary napkins. Israel recently added shoes and clothing to the list of forbidden imports. They claim Hamas might use them to make military uniforms. This, despite the fact that Israel often justifies its killing of civilians in Gaza by asserting that the Hamas militia can't be distinguished from civilians because, yes, you guessed it, they don't wear military uniforms.
The main power plant in Gaza has also been bombed, severely limiting the amount of electricity available. This electricity is necessary for water and sewage treatment along with the more obvious aspects of normal daily life. Fuel supplies have been restricted. Importation of cement has been curtailed preventing necessary repairs to civilian infrastructure. The Israeli Air Force has used F-16 Fighter Jets, supplied by the U.S., to make frequent low level super sonic flights over Gaza creating massive sonic booms which, according to the Gaza Community Mental Health Program and Physicians for Human Rights-Israel, "are having serious effects on children in Gaza, including anxiety, panic, fear, poor concentration and low academic success." The sonic events are also suspected of inducing miscarriages in Palestinian women.
These are just a few examples of the war of collective punishment and terror being waged against the civilian population in Gaza. These tactics have increased in intensity over the last three years, culminating these last six weeks in the nearly complete denial of food, medicine, electricity and fuel to the million and a half people living in Gaza. So why would Hamas be engaging in resistance to Israel, anyway? One can only imagine.
This background story to the devastation in Gaza is completely ignored. It's as if history began just a few months ago. Out of the blue, those crazy terrorists started firing rockets into Israel for no reason at all. How dare they? There is little discussion of the fact that Palestinian militants actually have a reason to be firing rockets at Israel.
Over the last 60 years, there has never been a sincere effort on the part of Israel to avert conflict with the Palestinians. On the contrary, conflict has been continuously inflamed in order to facilitate and legitimize the colonization of Palestine. Regardless of the repeated empty rhetoric on the part of Israel about wanting a partner in peace, since 1967, when the illegal settlement campaign was begun, there has not been a single Israeli administration which has not expanded the settlements in the West Bank. This is in direct violation of the Geneva Conventions, not to mention the many so-called agreements Israel has entered into over the years promising to halt the expansion of settlements.?
Simply put, Israel is colonizing Palestine. Its Zionist founders always intended to achieve this end, and the current regime has no intention of sidelining that plan. Any other claim made by the government of Israel is pure guile. And this deception has been perpetrated with funding and encouragement from successive United States administrations since 1947. Indeed, none of Israel's current illegal aggression would be taking place without the approval of the United States along with the massive amounts of military aid provided. This is the history of the current conflict which we are not allowed to hear. Not because it is too complicated for us to understand, but because it is too offensive to the sensibilities of those who blindly support Israel, and that includes Canada.
The situation is dire. Our public discourse is a cornucopia of lies, obfuscation and denial. Facts are considered irrelevant. Reality is turned upside down and language has become meaningless. Imperial and colonial violence is defined as righteous self defense. Resistance to that violence is defined as terrorism. The United States and Israel, two of the world's most celebrated so-called democracies, are in reality rogue militarized nations engaging in collective punishment, torture, wars of aggression and criminal foreign policies which flagrantly disregard even the most basic concepts of fairness and human decency.
We strongly urge you to do the right thing. Ask Israel to abide by UN resolution 194 which guarantees Palestinians the right of return to or compensation for lands taken from them during the war in 1947-48.
Respectfully submitted.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Cease-Fire!!! Gazans wounded in Israeli air raid
Two people have been wounded in an Israeli air raid on the Gaza Strip, Hamas and Palestinian medical officials have said.
Hamas, the Palestinian group, said one of its members was injured in the attack as he was riding a motorcycle in the town of Khan Younis on Tuesday.
The raid came after an Israeli soldier and a Palestinian were reported to have been killed in a clash near the Kissufim border crossing.
Israel and the Hamas government of the Gaza Strip have maintained uneasy ceasfires since the end of Israel's three-week campaign in Gaza, in which 1,300 people were killed, on January 18.
Neither Hamas nor any other group has claimed responsibility for the attack on the Israeli patrol near the Kissufim crossing.
The incident is the first apparent breach of the January 18 ceasefires.
The Israeli military said the blast came from a bomb planted by Palestinian fighters targeting a patrol near the Kissufim crossing into Gaza.
Palestinian medical workers said that after the incident, Israeli forces opened fire, killing a Palestinian farmer.
Civilian killed
Dr Moaiya Hassanain of Gaza's health ministry confirmed that a 27-year-old Gaza farmer was killed by Israeli gunfire along the border, but several miles away, said.
Two other Palestinians were wounded.
The Israeli military had no immediate comment.
Israel subsequently closed its crossings into Gaza to humanitarian aid traffic after briefly opening them in the morning.
Raed Fattouh, a Gaza border official, said Israeli officials informed him the closure was due to the attack.
Describing the attack on the Israeli patrol, Tamer Mishal, Al Jazeera's correspondent, reporting from Gaza, said an anti-armour shell was fired from inside the territory at an Israeli tank near the area of Khan Younis.
"Witnesses told Al Jazeera that the grenade directly hit an Israeli jeep," he said.
"Palestinian residents reported the sound of gunfire and Israeli helicopters in the area."
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Gaza crisis: key maps
Israeli forces ended their offensive against Hamas in Gaza on Saturday, 17 January, following the declaration of ceasefires by Hamas and Israel.
Highlighted below are some of the main buildings identified as destroyed or damaged in Gaza City and the surrounding area as of 16 January, when this latest satellite image was taken.
The image, taken for Unosat at the United Nations Institute for Training and Research, has helped researchers identify at least 566 destroyed or damaged buildings.
The map below shows the main areas attacked in the three weeks of violence.
Palestinian medical sources say more than 1,010 Palestinians were killed in the violence, which began on 27 December 2008. Israel says 13 Israelis died, including 10 soldiers in the campaign and three civilians killed as a result of rocket fire from Gaza.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Al Jazeera English - Middle East - UN chief visits Gaza, urges probe
Ban Ki-moon, the secretary-general of the United Nations, has demanded a "full investigation" into Israel's bombing of a UN compound in Gaza City.
Speaking during an official visit to the Palestinian enclave on Tuesday, he condemned the attack on the UN complex as "outrageous" and "totally unacceptable".
"It is particularly significant for a secretary-general of the UN to stand in front of this bomb site of the UN compound," he said.
"I am just appalled and not able to describe how I am feeling having seen this ... it's an outrageous and totally unacceptable attack against the UN. I have protested many times, and I protest again in the strongest terms."
Ban called for a "full investigation" into the incident to make those responsible for the attack "accountable".
He also announced he was sending a high-level delegation to oversee humanitarian support for Gazans and assist with the rebuilding effort following Israel's three-week offensive.
Ban is the highest-ranking official to visit Gaza since Israel and Hamas declared separate, unilateral ceasefires on Sunday.
'Shocking' devastation
Ban stressed "the UN and the international community will support and help you [Gazans] to overcome" the devastation, which he described as "shocking and alarming".
While Ban reiterated his condemnation of Israel's "excessive use of force", he was careful to underline that he believes rocket attacks on Israel by Gazan fighters are also "unacceptable".
srael had said the aim of its operations in Gaza was to cripple Hamas's ability to launch rockets into the south of the country.
Ban urged Palestinians factions to unite to allow the international community, including the UN, to help broker a lasting peace deal between Israel and the Palestinians.
However, while offering to do "all [he] can as secretary-general of the UN to help in this time of need", Ban is not expected to meet Hamas officials during this visit.
Ayman Mohyeldin, Al Jazeera's correspondent in Gaza, said because much of the international community, including the US and the European Union, regard Hamas as a "terrorist organisation", it would be political difficult for the UN chief to hold direct talks with Hamas officials.
Hamas won parliamentary elections in 2006 which were internationally recognised as being both fair and free.
Rebuilding Gaza's devastated infrastructure is expected to cost billions of US dollars.
Without supplies
John Holmes, the UN humanitarian chief, says hundreds of millions of dollars in emergency aid supplies will be needed for the people of Gaza.
Although water supplies were restored to many Gazan homes as of Sunday, 400,000 were still without running water, Holmes said.
Hamas won parliamentary elections in 2006 which were internationally recognised as being both fair and free.
Rebuilding Gaza's devastated infrastructure is expected to cost billions of US dollars.
Without supplies
John Holmes, the UN humanitarian chief, says hundreds of millions of dollars in emergency aid supplies will be needed for the people of Gaza.
Although water supplies were restored to many Gazan homes as of Sunday, 400,000 were still without running water, Holmes said.
Electricity in Gaza is available for less than half the day and around 100,000 people have been left homeless by the war.
Scores of bodies have been discovered in the rubble of destroyed buildings since both sides declared unilateral ceasefires on Sunday.
Palestinians returning to their neighbourhoods have begun to unearth the true scale of destruction.
Mohyeldin reported that the World Health Organisation had issued a warning of an outbreak of disease as weeks-old bodies remain unburied and sewage continues to flow in many areas because of the destruction of Gaza's infrastructure.
The deposed Hamas-led government in Gaza estimates that more than 5,000 buildings were completely destroyed and another 20,000 damaged or partially destroyed in the fighting.
Despite the three-week Israeli onslaught that killed more than 1,300 Palestinians and destroyed thousands of buildings, Hamas and other Palestinian factions have claimed victory in the fighting.
Following his visit to Gaza, the UN chief also visited the southern Israeli town of Sderot - one of the main targets for Palestinian rocket-launching squads based in Gaza.
Ban said he was "totally committed to Israel securing its rightful place as a nation within secure and recognised borders" and called for the current ceasefires to be turned into a durable truce "respected fully by all parties concerned".
Monday, January 19, 2009
YouTube - Family members die in Israeli house demolition - 18 Jan 09
Family members die in Israeli house demolition
Israeli forces demolished the house of the Sammouni family in Gaza City after ordering them to remain in it for safety.
Twenty-seven members of the family died and another 90 Gazans remained trapped under the rubble, with rescue efforts hampered by Israeli forces.
Israeli forces demolished the house of the Sammouni family in Gaza City after ordering them to remain in it for safety.
Twenty-seven members of the family died and another 90 Gazans remained trapped under the rubble, with rescue efforts hampered by Israeli forces.
Friday, January 16, 2009
The new NAZIs
THE GRANDCHILDREN OF THE HOLOCAUST SURVIVORS FROM WORLD WAR 2 ARE NOW DOING TO THE PALESTINIANS EXACTLY WHAT WAS DONE TO THEM BY NAZI GERMANY!…
HOW IRONIC CAN THEY REALLY GET!?
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