Skip to main content

Posts

Let the Gaza convoy and marchers through - protest at Egyptian embassy

URGENT: Egypt MUST allow Viva Palestina & Gaza Freedom March into Gaza - NOW! The Egyptian government has been participating in + colluding with Israel in it's blockade of Gaza and now takes further steps to prevent aid from the Viva Palestina convoy reaching Gaza and harrasses, assualts and detains activists from the Gaza Freedom March while it holds them down in Cairo... Link to the facebook event: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=228160212957 ENOUGH! Join PROTEST outside Egyptian Embassy in London against the siege on Gaza & to stop the building of the steel wall & to demand the access of the VIVA PALESTINA convoy + Gaza Freedom March into Gaza NOW! **TODAY** Thursday 31st Dec 2009, 1pm – 3pm 26 South Street, London W1K 1DW. Nearest Tube: Green Park & Hyde Park Corner. Called by: British Muslim Initiative, Stop the War Coalition, Save Egypt Front, Arab Organization for Human Rights & Palestinian Forum in Britain. Supported by: Islamic Forum of Europe, Mu

A message from the Never Before Campaign

A message from the Never Before Campaign Team It is the anniversary of the war on Gaza. It was during this war that the campaign was launched. And although its started as a reaction to the war, we hope to continue with it until the day in which justice prevails in Palestine. We are certain that that day will come, our task and duty is to help make this day come sooner. Anyway, here is the video we produced for the anniversary of the war an in support of the Gaza Freedom March. It is to remind us for whose rights and justice we are fighting. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lU5Wi2jhnW0 Please circulate and provide us with feedback. Also, there is a new website worth checking dedicated to the anniversary of the war: gazaspeaks.com May the new year be a good one for justice in Palestine, and everywhere. In solidarity, The Never Before Campaign Team

Gaza Freedom March set to challenge Israel's illegal inhuman blockade

UNITED NATIONS, Dec 22 (IPS) - More than 50,000 people are expected to take to the streets of Gaza on Dec. 31 for a mass march designed to send a message to the United States, a key supporter of Israel's army, that the situation in Gaza violates international human rights laws. The idea behind the "Gaza Freedom March" comes from CODEPINK, a women's peace group committed to drawing attention to the humanitarian crisis in the occupied Palestinian territories, among other campaigns. more

UK government hopes to protect Israeli war criminals

The British government is trying its best to work out a way in which it can circumvent international law, all in order to protect Israel's war criminals from arrest in the UK. Shame on Miliband. LONDON — Britain's flagship Muslim organization on Wednesday attacked a government pledge to reform a war crimes law used to try to arrest visiting Israeli dignitaries, saying the move could hurt Britain's image in the Middle East. The Muslim Council of Britain said it was "deeply disappointed" that the country's foreign minister, David Miliband, promised to change the law so that judges could no longer issue secret arrest warrants against Israeli officials or military officers, saying the move was biased toward Israel. "You appear to be committing the government to the path of selective compliance with the enforcement of international law," the council's Secretary General Muhammad Abdul Bari wrote in a letter to Miliband. "This is surely not in the

Prisoner swap negotiator carries message from Israel to Hamas as deal gets closer

Up to 1,000 Palestinian prisoners could be freed in exchange the Israel's lone soldier, according to the Wall Street Journal. GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip -- A German mediator met with Hamas in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday to deliver Israel's latest counter offer for a prisoner swap, but the Islamic militant group's Syrian-based leadership is expected to have the final say. The German mediator is seeking to clinch a long-anticipated swap of some 1,000 Palestinian prisoners for a single Israeli soldier. Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum confirmed the mediator delivered the offer and said Hamas was considering it. "We in Hamas are discussing this issue among our leadership, and when we finish, we will give our answer through the German mediator," he said, without indicating when the group would respond. more

End the siege of Gaza - protest at Israeli embassy London 27 December

One year since the Beginning of the Attacks on Gaza Join the Vigil Outside the Israeli Embassy End the Siege on Gaza Sunday 27 December 2009 3pm High Street Kensington, W8, London (High St Kensington Underground) Called by Palestine Solidarity Campaign, British Muslim Initiative, Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, Stop the War Coalition Supported by: Amos Trust, Communication Workers Union, Fire Brigades Union, Friends of Al Aqsa, Friends of Lebanon, Greater London UNISON, The Green Party, ICAHD UK, IJAN – the International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network, Jewish Socialists' Group, Labour Friends of Palestine and the Middle East, Palestinian Return Centre, The Peace Cycle, Public and Commercial Services Union, Thompsons Solicitors. ************* VIGILS AROUND THE UK Liverpool 27 December 2-4pm Sheffield 27 December 4-5pm Wolverhampton 29 December 4:30pm Leicester PSC is holding a vigil for Gaza in the centre of Leicester on December 28th. between 2 and 3pm Brighton PSC Gaza vigil in Bri

Egypt's collaborators to seal off Gaza with steel wall

CAIRO, (PIC)-- Egyptian human rights activist, Hafeth Abu Sa'dah criticised Cairo's intention to build a wall of steel on its border with the Gaza Strip saying that such a step contradicts with Egypt's duty towards the Palestinian people and called for working to end the siege on Gaza and provide safe passage for people and goods. Abu Sa'dah who is the Secretary General of the Egyptian Organisation for Human Rights said that his organisation was not sure if the Egyptian government was going ahead with the wall as it did not deny or confirm the news reports on the matter and that his organisation was waiting for an official position on the matter. "I do not believe the we, Egyptians, need such a wall with Gaza.. we rather need to work for an end to the siege on Gaza, not participate in it.. I am appalled at this level of thinking," he said in a statement on Thursday. He also criticised an editorial in the Egyptian al-Jomhoreyyah newspaper, in which the Chief E

What has Israel contributed to the education of Egypt?

It has been said that Westerners contributed somehow to the education of the nations which they conquered in Asia and Africa in the seventeenth, eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. (This includes Israel, which really is an enclave of Western colonialism.) It has been claimed that the Colonial Powers--Britain, France, Israel, and other Western countries--actually benefitted the countries that they ruled. Is this true, or simply an excuse for brutal and oppressive imperialism that continues to cause misery for millions in these countries today? Egypt is one of the nations that lost a great deal economically and in human lives because of Israel. How has Israel contributed to educating the Egyptians? What have the Egyptians learned from the Israeli occupation? It seems a great deal. The latest contribution by Israel to Egyptian knowledge is demolition tactics. Egypt has been well known over the centuries as a country that builds famous works like the Pyramids, but it seems this is no long

Swansea contingent heads for Palestine

The Viva Palestina convoy on the road to Damascus, Syria The Viva Palesina convoy is now in Syria. Crossing Syria to cheers and perhaps the long miles, pace and road system is getting to some drivers as one Twitter stated 'The quality of the driving seems to have massively deteriorated as we get closer to Gaza! Pretty hairy here.' Now on road to Damascus. Locals lining streets to cheer. Silhouettes of hills looming in the darkness, stars bright in clear sky, + the lights of Damascus spread out below. Fantastic. Syria is with us! We are the REAL international community! Swansea Action for Palestine

Israel to stop sending ministers to UK because of arrest fears

Great news - Israel's government ministers will no longer travel to the UK. They are calling it a boycott - we call it war criminal running scared. Shame the UK government is pleading for them to return, but hey you can't have everything. The Israeli government has ordered its ministers not to visit Britain until a new law is introduced allowing them to enter the country without fear of arrest. The boycott will intensify the diplomatic row that has broken out following the issuing of a warrant by a London court for the arrest of Tzipi Livni, the former Israeli foreign minister, for alleged war crimes.

Israel admits to harvesting organs of dead Palestinians

After accusing the Swedish press of anti-semitism the truth has finally emerged. Israel has indeed been harvesting the organs of dead Palestinians. This is truly horrendous news, reported in the UK's Guardian newspaper this morning, following the airing of a TV documentary at the weekend. This is a public relations disaster for Israel and their future denials of atrocities are even less likely to be believed. Contrary to the original report in the Swedish press, no evidence has so far emerged showing that the Israelis deliberately killed Palestinians to harvest organs. Israel has admitted pathologists harvested organs from dead Palestinians, and others, without the consent of their families – a practice it said ended in the 1990s – it emerged at the weekend. The admission, by the former head of the country's forensic institute, followed a furious row prompted by a Swedish newspaper reporting that Israel was killing Palestinians in order to use their organs – a charge that Isra

British and South African trade unionists join UK academics in push for Israel boycott

Israel, Palestine and Apartheid: the case for boycott and sanctions - Anti-Apartheid Anti-Zionist UK Join a renowned panel of international speakers from South Africa and Palestine to find out more about BDS and what lessons can be learned from the struggle against Apartheid in South Africa. Organised by the British Committee for the Universities of Palestine (BRICUP), Scottish Trades Union Council. *Supported by War on Want; Palestine Solidarity Campaign + Scottish PSC. Speakers include: Ronnie Kasrils - former minister in Nelson Mandela's ANC government in South Africa & anti-Apartheid activist Omar Barghouti - Founding member of the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI) Bongani Masuku - International Secretary COSATU - the South African trade union confederation Contributions from: George Mahlangu - Campaigns Officer, COSATU Prof Steven Rose - Biologist, Open University, and founder member of BRICUP Tom Hickey - National Executive Commi

Third Viva Palestina aid convoy sets off for Gaza

Video from Press TV. Sadly, unlikely to see many reports in the UK media - unless someone gets arrested for being a 'terrorist'. Around 200 peace activists have left the UK on a humanitarian mission to Gaza. The Viva Palestina convoy, organised by prominent politician George Galloway, is carrying medical aid to a people under Israeli economic siege. The convoy aims to arrive in Gaza on December 27, the anniversary of Israel's war on Gaza. Roshan Muhammed Salih reports from London. Here's a report from a local paper in London on the convoy's departure. And of course you can get up to date news on the convoy's progress at Viva Palestina .

Gaza Gateway site monitors crossings in challenge to Israel's misinformation

New website to provide weekly updates on the situation at the crossings in to Gaza. Israel claims it is letting more aid through but a visit to this site tells a different story. Dear Gaza Solidarity Blogger,     I wanted to let you know about a new blog that Gisha – Legal Center for Freedom of Movement has launched in the last month. The blog ( www.gazagateway.org) provides facts and analysis about Gaza crossings and is updated every week with information about goods entering Gaza, as well as posts relevant to previous week's events.   I would be glad to share information with you and with you blog. We are available to answer questions and provide further information about the issues described in the weekly posts. It is, of course, possible to get RSS updates from the blog, join our mailing list and follow us on Twitter.   Best Regards, Eliran Arazi New Media Coordinator Gisha – Legal Center for Freedom of Movement  www.twitter.com/Gisha_access       

Viva Palestina convoy heads for Gaza on 6 December

Bethlehem - Ma'an - The Viva Palestina project will launch a third convoy of aid trucks from London to Gaza on the first weekend of December, the group announced Monday. "Viva Palestina - Return to Gaza 2009" will see more than 100 vehicles carrying medical, humanitarian and educational supplies, head for the Gaza Strip via Egypt and the Rafah crossing. Previous convoys in February and July 2009 brought medical and school supplies. According to a statement, the convoy aims to cross the Rafah border into Gaza on 27 December, the first anniversary of the start of Israel's Operation Cast Lead. The first day of the Israeli war on Gaza saw more than 200, mostly graduating police officers, killed in a series of airstrikes that continued through the night. More at Viva Palestina's UK website

Zidane to vist Gaza as UN ambassador

etired international soccer star Zinedine Zidane is planning a visit to the Gaza Strip as part of UNICEF's efforts to promote regional peace in the Middle East, Ynet learned Wednesday. The former French National Team midfielder is expected to visit the Strip in March 2010, as a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations Children's Fund. “I'm thrilled to be appointed by the UN children's organization as an envoy to tour Gaza Strip. I will make every effort to give Gaza residents great big smiles on their faces. "Gazans have suffered serious losses, damage, and injuries due to Israeli acts of violence,” Zidane stated more

Shalit moved to Egypt reports Kuwaiti newspaper

There has been no response from Israel on this story about the possible movement of Shalit to Egypt, but if it is correct then a prisoner swap must be closer JERUSALEM, Dec. 3 (UPI) -- A Kuwaiti newspaper reports kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit is being held in Egypt until a deal to secure his release is finalized. Ahmed Jabari, head of Hamas's military wing in Gaza, and Hamas official Mahmoud A-Zahar reportedly accompanied Shalit, who was transferred to Egypt several days ago, al-Jarida reported. more

Prisoner swap closer as talks continue while Hamas secures rocket ceasefire

Sounds like a prisoner swap is getting closer - and possibly related is the news that Hamas as been able to come to an agreement with other resistance organisations to cease rocket attacks in retaliation for Israeli killings. JERUSALEM — There were growing indications on Monday that Israel and the Islamist group Hamas were close to a deal to exchange an abducted Israeli soldier for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, a move with far-reaching implications not only for stalled Middle East peace talks but for a range of strategic regional relations. more

Is Egypting stopping operations against Gaza's tunnels

I haven't come across this story on more mainstream sources but if this is true it is quite significant. Is it linked to Abbas saying the peace process is dead? Is Egypt having second thoughts about its cooperation with the Israelis and Americans? The report goes on to suggest that missiles are now moving freely through the tunnels system - perhaps partially explaining recent Israeli airstrikes on the tunnels. Tuesday, Nov. 18, Egypt's special forces and engineering units suddenly shut down operation against the smuggling tunnels to Gaza without warning to Washington or Jerusalem, DEBKAfile's military sources report. US and Israeli requests for clarifications from Cairo, which must have ordered the stoppage, were not answered. So the Obama administration signaled Egypt that if it continues to violate the international accords governing the status of the Egyptian-Gazan border, there will be consequences. Washington is put out particularly because Cairo did not bother to noti

Channel 4 Dispatches accused of anti-semitism after lobby investigation

The fallout from the Channel 4 Dispatches programme on the influence of the pro-Israel lobby continues. The programme accused zionists of buying conservative and Labour politicians and claims it was the most powerful lobby at Westminster. There has been much criticism of the investigative programme in Israel but not exactly much in the way of engagement with or rebuttal of the facts as presented. I haven't taken the time to watch the show but the predictable knee-jerk accusation of anti-semitism levelled at the programme makers sounds familiar and unconvincing. However, what these sort of programmes usually miss is the fact that the rulers of states such as the UK and US do not act as they do because of lobbyists but because of self-interest. Israel is the watchdog of western imperialism in the Middle East.

Israeli MP attacks Obama for being 'racist' over settlements

As usual the US will do nothing about Israel's flagrant breaches of international law with its latest announcement of the expansion of the Gilo settlement comlex - part of its plan to envelop and then strangle East Jerusalem. But the timidity of the Obama in the face of Israeli colonialism is still too much for the zionists hence the outburst from a member of parliament by the name of Danny Danon, accusing Obama of being 'racist'. Now where did he get that line from? Probably the right-wing nuts in the US who decided Obama was a racist because he chided a police dept. after one of its police officers wrongly arrested a black professor going into his own house. The rag bag bunch of neocons, racists and anti-semites that make up the so called Tea Party movement in the US are of course right behind the Israeli-sponsored criminality and oppression that is the hallmark of the occupation of Palestine. MK Danny Danon lashed out at U.S. President Barack Obama on Wednesday, as the l

Israel kills 32 children in attacks on tunnel lifelines

The Palestinian National Society for Democracy and Law has published a report on the effects of the relentless bombing of the tunnels by Israel and says 32 children have been killed over the past three years. Kids are being forced through poverty to work in the tunnels - a poverty created and maintained by the settler state. And of course the Israeli bombing undermines the structural integrity of the tunnels, leading to ever more frequent collapses. In its first report about children working in the Gaza-Egypt smuggling tunnels, the research unit National Society for Democracy and Law reported the prime factor in child labor in the tunnels was abject poverty. The report, released in early November, details the working conditions for children employed in the tunnel industry, and provides analysis on the impact child labor in the tunnels has on Palestinian society in Gaza.

Israeli airstrike on Khan Younis injures three

Israel has launched air strikes on 'manufacturing facilities and smuggling tunnels' today. Three people reported injured. Israel claims the attack is in retaliation for a rocket attack despite the fact that the rockets landed harmlessly in the Negev desert. The rocket attack, which took place last Friday, followed the murder by Israeli soldiers of 18-year-old Muhammad Wadi, shot while bird hunting.

Prisoner swap talks are back on

The off-on and so far fruitless talks on a prisoner swap are apparently back on according to a report on Ma'an. No firm details yet though although the Germans are mediating apparently. Bethlehem – Ma’an – German mediators are continuing to broker efforts to produce a prisoner swap deal for with the release of captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, senior Hamas leader Usama Al-Muzeini said. Al-Muzeini, the official in charge of the talks within the Hamas movement, insisted that offering further details could jeopardize the negotiations’ success. Speaking to Ma’an, Al-Muzeini said talks are "ongoing with German mediation and are overcoming obstacles," adding that, “The movement’s [Hamas'] decision was not to give any details so as not to negatively affect the negotiating process.” more

Israel approves 900 settler homes despite world outcry

The land grab carries on relentlessly, regardless of what the rest of the world thinks. And of course Obama/Clinton might make some noises of protest - then again they might not - and the zionist project will continue with the destruction of Palestine and its people. The Israeli interior ministry has approved planning applications for 900 new housing units at a Jewish settlement in East Jerusalem. The planning and construction committee authorised the expansion of Gilo, which is built on land captured in 1967 and annexed to the Jerusalem municipality. more

Pulling down Israel's Apartheid Wall

Posted on Stop the Wall 9 November 2009 This afternoon, exactly 20 years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, popular committees struggling against the Apartheid Wall and the settlements destroyed part of the Wall near Qalandiya. Hundreds of people, with some 30 international supporters, used a truck to pull down part of the Wall in the area east of the Qalandiya refugee camp and beyond the UN Vocational College. They also destroyed iron gates and other pieces of concrete in the same area. After breaching the Wall, protesters approached the road on the other side where they burned car tires to slow the approach of Occupation forces, who quickly arrived in the area and began firing gas and rubber bullets. Protesters were wearing shirts upon which was written "We are going to Jerusalem", the name of the planned action. Today [9 Nov] is 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall and marks the first day of a week of resistance to the Apartheid Wall in Palestine and around the

National Week of Supermarket Boycott Actions, November 7-15

Called by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign Phone-in Day Wednesday November 11 This coincides with a week of action called by the Palestinian Grassroots Anti-Apartheid Wall Campaign www.stopthewall.org It is time to step up the supermarket boycott campaign which calls for consumers to reject Israeli goods for as long as Palestinian rights are denied by the apartheid regime. We must specially oppose the stocking of produce from the Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, which is stolen land. The excellent motion passed by the TUC Congress gives added impetus. The settlements are illegal under international law and goods originating there should not be on sale in the UK. The label ‘West Bank’ is grossly misleading; some shoppers think they are buying Palestinian produce. From November 7 to 15, PSC and other organisations across the UK are targeting Waitrose and Morrisons supermarkets in particular, as both refuse to discuss the question of settlement goods. We aim to inundate the

Ashkenazi threatens Gaza with another 'little holocaust'

By Khalid Amayreh in Ramallah There seems to be a perfect conformity between Gabi Ashkenazi and his last name. The Israeli chief of staff is considered one of the main Israeli war criminals responsible for the virtual genocide against the Gaza Strip during the past winter. On his murderous hands, he carries tons of innocent blood, including that of more than 340 children, killed in Israel’s pornographic bombing of civilian neighborhood. Last week, Ashkenazi was quoted as saying that Israel was likely to wage another quasi holocaust on Gaza, adding that the Israeli occupation army would enter the innermost corners and streets of the coastal territory. As a nefarious mass murderer, Ashkenazi, like the rest of Israeli war criminals, ought to be in the Hague preparing his defense against charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity. After all the crimes he perpetrated put him on equal footing with Nazi war criminals who had stood trial for their own crimes against humanity during

Palestinian Authority faces collapse

Israel and the US have overplayed their hand with the Palestinian leadership, leaving themselves in the position of having no partner to deal with in the non-existent peace process, assuming Abbas goes through with his threat to resign. RAMALLAH, West Bank — The collapse of the Palestinian Authority, Israel’s negotiating partner, was raised as a possibility on Monday, as several aides to its president, Mahmoud Abbas, said that he intended to resign and forecast that others would follow. If the Palestinian leader steps down, does this mean the peace negotiations between the Israelis and the Palestinians are over? “I think he is realizing that he came all this way with the peace process in order to create a Palestinian state, but he sees no state coming,” Saeb Erekat, the chief Palestinian peace negotiator, said in an interview. “So he really doesn’t think there is a need to be president or to have an Authority. This is not about who is going to replace him. This is about our leaving our

Sussex University students vote to boycott Israeli goods

LONDON, ( PIC )-- The students union in the British University of Sussex has decided to boycott Israeli products within the varsity campus, sources in the University said. They added that the decision was adopted with a majority of 65% of votes, and that it was taken in support for the Palestinian people. The decision also reflected the students' denunciation of the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip and the continued siege on the Strip, the sources said. They noted that the university campus had witnessed during the war and until now solidarity and media campaigns and seminars in condemnation of the war.

UN General Assembly backs Goldstone report on Gaza war crimes

Israel's isolation was underlined at the UN yesterday when the General Assembly endorsed the Goldstone Report JERUSALEM (AP) Israel said on Friday that a U.N. General Assembly decision to endorse a report accusing the Jewish state of war crimes lacked the support of the world's "moral majority." In a vote Thursday, the General Assembly overwhelmingly approved an Arab-drafted resolution calling on Israel and the Palestinians to conduct "credible" investigations into alleged war crimes committed by both sides during the fighting in Gaza early this year. The motion, drafted by Arab countries, raised the possibility of Security Council action if the sides do not comply. more

Abbas caves in to critics and stands down from presidency

Rejoice - Abbas is standing down from the presidency of the Palestinian Authority next year and will not be standing for reelection. He is trying to restore his battered reputation following his attempt to sideline the Goldstone report at the behest of Israel and the US. So, by way of covering his tracks Abbas rails against the US and Israel for wanting to open negotiations while settlement building continues and of course to blame Hamas for his own failings.

A protest vigil will be held in Sheikh Jarrah following a settler takeover of a Palestinian home

Wednesday, 4 November 2009 at 7pm: A protest vigil will be held outside the al-Kurd home in Sheikh Jarrah. Following a settler takeover of a Palestinian home in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah, the al-Kurd family and international and Israeli solidarity groups will hold a vigil. International Solidarity Movement

Israel claims capture of anti-tank and rocket arms shipment from Iran

Israel Navy claims it has captured an arms shipment from Iran destined for Hezbollah. Israel says it seized anti-tank weapons and Katyusha rockets. Let's hope more shipments are getting through than are being intercepted by the settler state. JERUSALEM (AP) -- Israeli naval commandos seized an arms ship Wednesday near Cyprus that was carrying missiles and anti-tank weapons from Iran to Hezbollah guerrillas in Lebanon, defense officials said. The pre-dawn seizure highlighted Israel's accusations that Iran is arming its enemies. Israel offered no evidence to back up its claim that the weapons were meant for Hezbollah. The arms cache, including anti-tank missiles and Katyusha rockets, was stashed aboard a commercial vessel operating under the guise of an aid boat, captained by a Pole and flying an Antiguan flag, Israeli defense officials said. more

Don't let them jail Gaza protesters

  by Siân Ruddick ( socialist worker ) Mass arrests of protesters on a scale not seen since the Poll Tax Riot of 1990 have been used against people demonstrating in London for Palestinian rights. Now 69 people arrested during and after the marches against the Israeli assault on Gaza that began at the end of last year face jail terms of up to five years. The Stop the War Coalition, the Palestine Solidarity Campaign and the Muslim Council of Britain were among the groups organising the demonstrations held on 28 December last year and 3, 10 and 24 January this year. The protests exploded onto the streets of London after people saw images of the horror and devastation that Israel inflicted on some of the poorest people in the world. Defendants appeared before West London Magistrates Court on Thursday and Friday of last week for plea entry hearings. Charges Some 61 of the defendants, mostly Muslim men aged between 17 and 20, are accused of violent disorder. The remaining eight are facing a

Settlers steal Palestinian family's home in Jerusalem

Today settlers in Jerusalem stole a palestinian family's home and threw them out on the streets along with their furniture. The police looked on, nodding with satisfaction as their ethnic cleansing of the city proceeds apace. Ma'an - Jerusalem – Ma’an – Israeli settlers arrogated the home of the Al-Kurd family in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of East Jerusalem on Tuesday, residents of the area said. About 30 settlers were seen entering the house and throwing the family's furniture into the street. The settlers have refused to leave the building and Israeli police blocked members of the Al-Kurd family from entering the area. Witnesses also reported heated arguments between police and Palestinian residents. Residents said the settlers moved into the house in violation of an Israeli court order issued nine years ago when Jewish organizations put forward a claim that they in fact owned the property. Two other buildings belonging to the Al-Kurd and Al-Ghawi families were also

Israel claims missiles of Gaza resistance forces can now hit Tel Aviv

Israel's Gaza war was not just a strategic defeat, daily confirmed by the growing isolation of the country internationally, it was also a military defeat. None of the objectives were achieved - be it stopping rocket fire or 'liquidating' Hamas. Now Israel's military intelligence chief says Palestinian resistance groups now have longer ranger missiles capable of hitting Tel Aviv. JERUSALEM ( AP )— Hamas militants in Gaza have successfully test-fired in recent days an Iranian rocket able to reach metropolitan Tel Aviv, the country's military intelligence chief said Tuesday. Maj. Gen. Amos Yadlin told parliament's foreign affairs and defense committee that the rocket could fly 37 miles (60 kilometers), which would put Israel's largest urban center at risk, Israeli media reported. Until now, rockets fired from Gaza have reached up to 25 miles (40 kilometers), putting one-eighth of Israel's population within rocket range. No further details were immediately

Israel arrests one settler killer but what about the rest?

Unusually for Israel, the land that's whole reason for existence is to terrorise Palestinians has for the first time ever arrested an American settler terrorist. no charges yet though... Israeli security services were today re-questioning an American-Israeli settler who they say has confessed to attacks including the killing of two Palestinians and wounding a professor with a pipe bomb. Yaakov "Jack" Teitel, an American who emigrated to Israel a decade ago, was arrested by police and undercover agents for Shin Bet, Israel's domestic security agency, as he handed out leaflets condemning homosexuals last month. Police said Teitel has a hardline rightwing ideology based on hatred of Palestinians, leftwingers, homosexuals and even the Israeli police. "He is a determined man with very deeply-rooted ideology," Eki Makmel, the deputy commander of an Israeli police Swat team, was quoted as saying. Micky Rosenfeld, an Israeli police spokesman, described Teitel as a &

Most water in Gaza unfit for consumption

A lot has happened over the past week or so. Abbas calls an election but Hamas says you must be joking. Israel tries to dissipate some of the Goldstone heat by making known its intention of reviewing the internal military inquiry into its Gaza war crimes. This Wednesday the UN General Assembly is due to to deliberate on the Goldstone report. In the real world beyond the make believe bubble of Abbas and his Israeli 'partner', the outrages at the al-Aqsa mosque continue as Clinton declares she sees no problem with peace talks going ahead in tandem with the continued building of Israeli settlements on Palestinian land; what further evidence is need that the peace process is dead. Echoing this sentiment Jordanian trade unionists recently marched in Amman, Jordan, demanding the ending of the peace treaty with Israel. Meanwhile, in Gaza the situation for residents deteriorates by the day. What passes for a sewage system is near collapse and the number of Gazans out of reach of cl

CNN exposes Israel's widespread use of detention without trial in Palestine

Taking a leaf out of British imperialism's playbook from its days as Palestinian overlord, Israel has become addicted to using 'administrative detention' - that's to say detention without trial. CNN highlights the appalling case of schoolgirl Salwa Salah who still to this day does not know why she was arrested and imprisoned. We know all about the oppressive conditions under Israel's occupation and the thousands of prisoners it illegally holds, but it's still encouraging to see CNN reporting on the situation for a change. (CNN) -- Salwa Salah was 16 years old when she was arrested by Israeli forces and jailed for seven months. Israeli court minutes said Salwa Salah, 16, had been involved in "planning military operations." Israeli court minutes said Salwa Salah, 16, had been involved in "planning military operations." To this day she says she does not know her crime and is struggling to get her life back on track. She was released shortly bef

Amnesty report accuses Israel of wanton destruction in Gaza

Amnesty hits the mark again, this time with a new report on Israel's assault on the people of Gaza, accusing the settler state of "breaching laws of war". Unfortunately, as in the case of the UN Human Rights Council report, this one too makes the mistake of attacking the oppressed for defending themselves by "whatever means necessary", as Malcolm X would have put it. Amnesty International said on Thursday Israel inflicted "wanton destruction" in the Gaza Strip in attacks that often targeted Palestinian civilians during an offensive in December and January in the Hamas-run enclave. The London-based rights group, in a 117-page report on the 22 days of fighting, also criticized the Islamist movement Hamas for rocket attacks on Israel, which it called "war crimes."... ...Accusing Israel of "breaching laws of war," Amnesty said: "Much of the destruction was wanton and deliberate, and was carried out in a manner and circumstances whi

Goldstone rejects Israel's claim report will harm 'peace process'

Goldstone sticks it to Israel on the question of whether his report is a danger to the peace process as the Israelis laughably try to claim. Goldstone correctly and succinctly rebuts this nonsensical charge with the reply: "what peace process?". UN human rights investigator Richard Goldstone has rejected Israel's claim that the peace process would be harmed by his report on the offensive in Gaza. Judge Goldstone said there was no peace process at present and Israel's foreign minister did not want there to be one. The Goldstone report, which has been endorsed by the UN Human Rights Council, accuses both Israel and Hamas militants of committing war crimes. Mr Goldstone's remarks came in a conference call with American rabbis. "It's a shallow, utterly false allegation," Mr Goldstone said of Israel's attempt to brand his report as an obstacle to peace. "What peace process are they talking about? There isn't one. The Israeli foreign minister

US actress Mia Farrow stands up for the children of Gaza

If only our own governments could show the same humanity. JERUSALEM — Actress Mia Farrow headed back to the United States on Sunday haunted by the image of a young girl who spoke in a tiny voice of the destruction of her home and the death of her loved ones in the Gaza war. "There was fear on her face and she spoke in a tiny voice... of the injustice," the 64-year-old actress said in an interview with AFP as she wrapped up a week-long visit to Israel and the Palestinian territories as goodwill ambassador for the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF.) She said she'll never forget the face of the 12-year-old who told her "about about when her house was destroyed, the people who were killed." Farrow also recounted visiting a Gaza hospital where "doctors had to make the agonising decision to release babies of only one kilo (2.2 pounds) because there weren't enough viable incubators and they can't get spare parts in." more

Poll: support for Abbas at rock bottom after Goldstone

Abbas's days are surely numbered. This poll is probably an understatement of opinion as it didn't include anyone from Gaza in the sample. RAMALLAH, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- The Palestinian National Authority's (PNA) support of delaying vote at a UN report on Gaza war has led to a decline in President Mahmoud Abbas's popularity, a poll suggested on Sunday. People's confidence in Abbas "decreased to 12.1 percent in this poll compared with a ratio of 17.8 percent last June and 15.5 percent last October," said the survey, conducted by the Ramallah-based Jerusalem Media and Communications Center (JMCC). The consequences of delaying the UN Human Rights Council's (UNHRC) October 2 vote on Gaza war report has also decreased satisfaction in the way Abbas runs the PNA. The level of that satisfactions has gone "down from 48.5 percent last October to 39.4 percent in this poll." With an error margin of 3 percent, a sample of 1,200 Palestinians in

UN human rights council passes Goldstone report

A vote to endorse a highly critical report (pdf) on the Gaza war passed at the UN human rights council in Geneva today, despite opposition from the US and Israel. The council approved a resolution endorsing the report, which was written by the South African judge Richard Goldstone and accused Israel and the Islamist group Hamas of war crimes during the Gaza war. It said the report should go to the UN general assembly for consideration. The resolution condemned "the recent Israeli violations of human rights in occupied east Jerusalem", referring to recent demolitions of Palestinian houses and excavation work near the Haram al-Sharif, also known as the Temple Mount. The vote passed with 25 votes in favour, six against and 11 abstentions. The US voted against. more

UK to back Israel by abstaining on Goldstone report

Vote expected today at the UN Human Rights Council and according to the BBC the UK will abstain which if true would be a disgrace The UN Human Rights Council is due to vote on whether to endorse a report which accuses both Israel and Hamas of war crimes in Gaza. Israel has campaigned intensively to dissuade countries with voting rights from backing the report by Richard Goldstone, which it says is biased. It says support for the report will hurt attempts to restart peace talks. The Palestinian Authority initially backed deferring a vote, but changed its position after domestic criticism. The report is heavily critical of Israel and urges both sides to investigate their own conduct. If they fail to do so, it calls on the UN Security Council to refer the allegations to the International Criminal Court. The US has dubbed the report "flawed", but has still urged - along with the UK and France - both sides to launch independent investigations. The UK, which has voting rights on th

Israel protests Turkish TV show depicting IDF in true colours as murderers

Things seem to be going from bad to worse in the Israel/Turkey relationship, which can only be good news for the Palestinian liberation struggle Israeli officials are seeking a meeting with Turkey's ambassador to protest a show on Turkish television that reportedly depicts Israeli soldiers murdering Palestinian children. Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman says the Turkish TV show "is being done with state sponsorship." Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman says the Turkish TV show "is being done with state sponsorship." Turkey has been Israel's strongest Muslim ally in the Middle East, and the move comes as relations between the countries have soured in recent days over the latter's decision to exclude Israel from scheduled military exercises. The Turkish TV show "constitutes the most serious level of incitement, and it is being done with state sponsorship," Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said in a statement. more

Petition calls on UK government to back Goldstone report

The Zionist Federation in England are attempting to lobby Gordon Brown to condemn and help quash the Goldstone report at the UN. The European Campaign to End the Siege on Gaza have now created a petition today calling on Brown to “support” the report and not to condemn it. PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD ON ANY AND ALL BLOGS, Please make a post on your blog and then add the link to your sidebar asking people to sign this petition to save the Goldstone Report. Even though your blog may be in another country, your readers come from around the world, many from the UK. So please post this petition and link below: PETITION Submitted by Arafat Madi of The European Campaign to End the Siege on Gaza – Deadline to sign up by: 12 March 2010 We the undersigned petition call on the British Premier, Gordon Brown, to support the Goldstone Report and to ensure its acceptance in the Human Rights Council in March 2010. The report which was issued by a special committee assigned by the UN proved in a report of

Is Turkey dumping Israel for Syria?

The latest setback to what was a warm relationship six or seven years ago, came at the same time as Turkey's Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu was chairing a high-level delegation to Syria. Ankara and Damascus are forging new pacts and agreements to increase cooperation between the neighbors. "The main slogan of this meeting is common destiny, history and future, and we will build the future together," Turkish Anadolou news agency quoted Davutoglu as saying. In the past Turkey has tried to broker peace talks between Israel and Syria, but that type of role seems a distant memory now, even though the sides were indirectly talking through Turkish intermediaries just a year ago. more

UN Human Rights Council to hold extraordinary session on Goldstone report

Hopefully this provides a second chance to take a vote adopting the report following Abbas's deferral attempts. GENEVA, Oct 13 (Reuters) - The U.N. Human Rights Council will hold an extraordinary meeting this week on the occupied Palestinian territories, providing another chance for Israel's critics to discuss a Gaza war crimes report. "The holding of the special session is at the request of Palestine," the United Nations said in a statement circulated on Tuesday in Geneva, where the 47-member body is based. more

Israeli Nobel prize winner calls for release of Palestinian prisoners

I guess it is inevitable but when I heard that an Israeli scientist, Professor Ada Yonath, had received the Nobel Prize, my heart sank a little. She was head of research in the field of structural biology and biochemistry at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot and was therefore almost certainly involved in some part of the industrial military complex. Now some people will say this is bigoted and prejudiced, but it is a fact that science and military in Israel go together like Hans and Gretel. So what a pleasant surprise that Prof. Yonath is a pacifist who has almost immediately called for the release of all Palestinian prisoners in Israel. Below is the report from Haaretz and from the settler Israel News which of course puts the words 'terrorist' into her mouth. Tony Greenstein more at Tony Greenstein's blog

Leaked Fatah memo gives up on Obama stopping settlements

Fatah has given up on Obama getting the Israelis to stop building settlements. Hopefully the majority inside Fatah has been shocked enough by the Goldstone fallout and that this is a sign the leadership can/will be rolled back from its collusion with the US and Israel. Gosh, wasn't the timing of the peace prize for Obama good - what was the Nobel committee thinking? (CBS/AP) An internal document circulated among members of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' political party says all hopes placed in the Obama administration "have evaporated" because of alleged White House backtracking on key issues to the Palestinians. The Fatah Party memorandum, obtained Tuesday by The Associated Press, accuses the United States of backing off from its demands that Israel freeze settlement construction and failing to set a clear agenda for new Mideast peace talks. It wasn't immediately clear whether the Oct. 12 document reflected Abbas' views or was intended to be leaked as F

Netanyahu accuses Goldstone of encouraging terror as 88 refuse IDF service

Victory to the resistance ! Netanyahu really is evil. He told his parliament today that the Goldstone report encourages terrorism . Unbelievable. And then, almost in the same breath, he pleads with people in the Arab world not to believe reports that Israel is tunnelling under the al-Aqsa mosque. This man is surely deranged if he thinks anyone, let alone Arabs and Muslims, is going to believe a single word he says. Netanyahu says Israel went to war against the 'war criminals in hamas'. Let us repeat an oft quoted fact: 1,400 palestinian dead, overwhelmingly civilians against 13 Israelis, mostly soldiers. And the criminality oof the Israeli army has led to 88 high schools graduates signing a letter refusing to serve in the IDF. "We hereby announce our refusal to take part in the military apparatus," read the letter which was signed by 88 youths. "We do not see a military solution as the proper solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict." "We are not ev

Hamas slams Abbas speech, says endangers national reconciliation

From Al Bawaba Hamas and Islamic Jihad said that the speech made by PA ceif Mahmoud Abbas Sunday night was full of "contradictory and incorrect information" and was an attempt by him to evade his direct responsibility for the "crime" he committed against Goldstone’s report. In a press statement to the Palestinian information center (PIC), Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said that Abbas’ comments do not serve the atmosphere of reconciliation, noting that the Palestinian people were expecting an apology from him for his position against Goldstone’s report on the recent Gaza war.

Settlers set fire to Palestinian fields and olive groves

These settlers, like all colonialists, are the scum of the Earth. JERUSALEM (CNN) -- Israeli settlers on Sunday set Palestinian fields and olive groves on fire after their illegal outpost in the West Bank was dismantled, Israeli military sources told CNN . Israeli authorities arrested 13 settlers who refused orders to evacuate the Mitzpe Ami outpost near the West Bank settlement of Kedumim, an army spokesman said.

Turkey ending military cooperation with Israel as exercise cancelled

The strategic defeat of Israel following its war on the people of Gaza is underlined this morning with news of Turkey refusing to allow Israel to overfly its airspace to participate in a NATO exercise. The Israeli leadership is very worried that their links with Turkey are being shredded. Turkey's foreign minister publicly acknowledged for the first time on Monday that his country excluded Israel from a joint military exercise last week because of its criticism of Israel's winter offensive against Hamas in Gaza. "We hope that the situation in Gaza will be improved, that the situation will be back to the diplomatic track," the Turkish foreign minister, Ahmet Davutoglu, told CNN in response to a question on why Turkey excluded Israel from the drill. "And that will create a new atmosphere in Turkish-Israeli relations as well," he added. "But in the existing situation, of course, we are criticizing this approach, [the] Israeli approach." Earlier, the T

Popular posts from this blog

'Coronavirus-free' Gaza prepares for the worst

Until now, the besieged Gaza Strip has stayed free of  the novel coronavirus  spreading across the world. As the Gaza Strip has been under a stringent Israeli-led blockade for nearly 13 years, the spread of the coronavirus - officially known as COVID-19 - has become the topic of discussion for many Palestinians, with  some joking  that the blockade was preventing them from being exposed.But as authorities in the coastal Palestinian enclave gear up to contain any potential outbreak, serious questions have arisen about the risks and implications of such a scenario.  But given its already difficult humanitarian situation and high population density, an outbreak in the Gaza Strip could prove to be catastrophic, health officials have warned.  "If the virus enters Gaza and spreads, it will get out of hand," Gaza Ministry of Health spokesperson Majdi Thuhair told Middle East Eye, as he explained that a severe shortage of resources and personnel would make it near impossible

Boycott of New York diamond dealer launched to protest settlement construction

Members of Adalah NY call for boycott of Leviev for its crimes against Palestinians and South Africans New York, NY, May 9 – On the day before Mother’s Day, 40 New York human rights advocates gathered at the Leviev jewelry store on Madison Avenue and called on throngs of weekend Madison Avenue shoppers to boycott Israeli diamond mogul Lev Leviev over his companies’ construction of Israeli settlements on Palestinian land in West Bank villages including Bil’in and Jayyous. Mother’s Day is one of the biggest jewelry shopping periods in the US annually. The New York protest came as controversy is growing in Norway over Norwegian government investments in Leviev’s company Africa-Israel . The New York protesters also commemorated Bassem Abu Rahma from Bil’in who was shot to death by Israeli soldiers last month during a peaceful protest against the construction on Bil’in’s land of Israel’s wall and of the Mattityahu East settlement by a Leviev company. Thanks to vivapalestina.us (not co

Support striking Palestinian quarry workers demanding their rights from Israeli employer

On 16 June, 35 Palestinian workers at Salit Quarries in Mishor Adumim (in area C, east of Jerusalem, in the Occupied West Bank) began a strike. The workers, organized with the independent union WAC-Ma'an, are demanding an end to exploitation and humiliation, and insist on signing a first collective agreement. Salit Quarries’ main customer is Readymix Industries (Israel). The total reliance of Salit Quarry on Readymix as their biggest and by far the most important customer puts responsibility on Readymix to make sure that their clients abides by labour laws and safeguards elementary rights for the workers of Salit. We call upon Readymix to urge the Salit management to terminate this unnecessary strike by signing the collective agreement with the workers and WAC-Ma’an. Click this protest link to send your message. The text of the message is as follows: I write to you to express my grave concern about the failure of Salit management to sign a collective agreement with the workers of