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Friday, June 8, 2007

Another Victim Dies Today is Lebanon From Israeli Cluster Bombs

Today another Lebanese citizen died as a result of an Israeli cluster bomb, one of more than a million dropped by Israel last summer. These cluster bombs had been provided to Israel by the US and were dropped on Lebanon en masse in the last few days of Israel's massive campaign against Lebanon which ended in Resolution 1701.

Jan Egeland spoke on August 30, 2006:

“What’s shocking and I would say to me, completely immoral, is that 90 per cent of the cluster bomb strikes occurred in the last 72 hours of the conflict when we knew there would be a resolution, when we really knew there would be an end of this,” he told reporters in New York.
Source

Israel, in Ha'artz declared in October 2006:

BEIRUT, Lebanon - Israel has provided maps of minefields it had laid in southern Lebanon, a move that falls in line with the United Nations cease-fire resolution that ended the Israel-Hezbollah fighting, a UN statement said yesterday.

Yet in December 2006, Amnesty International writes the following:

Israel has yet to respond adequately to UN requests to hand over maps detailing
the areas it targeted with cluster bombs. The maps are needed to assist bomb
clearance and so reduce the potential for further civilian casualties.
According to the UN MACC, Israel had provided only some maps which are
inadequate, as they refer only to areas "likely to contain unexploded
ordnance," and do not indicate whether they are cluster bombs or other
unexploded ordnance. Although the Israeli army reportedly provided UNIFIL with
maps on 9 October 2006, these covered only minefields it laid during its
occupation of south Lebanon from 1978 until 2000. According to UNIFIL, the
Israeli army gave them "maps of minefields in south Lebanon as of June 2000
after their withdrawal." The maps, in turn, were given to UN MACC.
In a meeting with Amnesty International’s Secretary General on 7 December,
Israel’s Deputy Defence Minister Ephraim Sneh told Amnesty International that,
as far as he was aware, the Israeli army did not possess maps showing in detail
the locations in Lebanon in which Israeli forces used cluster munitions. If
this is correct, and Israel does not possess maps of the areas into which its
forces fired cluster bombs, this would be a further indication that Israeli
forces used these weapons indiscriminately and without taking due precautions
to protect civilians who could be placed at risk by their use.

The latest update of the American Task Force in Lebanon states:

18 April 2007: At the subcommittee hearing on the subject of the U.S. review of Israel's use of cluster munitions, Welch said: "...we take the understandings that we have with the Israeli government very seriously and believe that our equipment should be used in accordance with our [US] laws and regulations. We briefed committee staff, including this committee, sir, on this issue as recently as late January. We have reported to Congress pursuant to the laws. We are still awaiting further information from the government of Israel, and as we obtain that, we shall continue our briefing of Congress." Welch noted that the cluster bomb issue was also important as it related to "the safety of people and Lebanese army personnel and UNIFIL personnel in the area" Mr. Issa added "and the AID workers in the South", Mr. Welch agreed "yes, our employees."
22 April 2007: In Jerusalem, Radhika Coomaraswamy, the UN Secretary-General's Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflicts, asked Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni to hand over the detailed electronic records - which are automatically computer generated when munitions are fired--of Israel's cluster bomb strikes on southern Lebanon last summer 2006. Coomaraswamy said this will help munitions-clearing teams identify where the cluster munitions are located. Livni said she would look into the matter. (Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs).
03 May 2007: In the Daily Star (Lebanon) Italian Ambassador Gabriel Checchia to Lebanon offered $2.7 million to support the de-mining process in South Lebanon. Ambassador Checchia also said that "we have tried several times...to get maps of mines and cluster bombs in Israel, but in vain."



Today ANOTHER victim died in Lebanon as the result of cluster bombs laid INDISCRIMINATELY by Israel . It is HIGH time, that Israel, who has the fourth largest military in the world as well as one of the most sophisticated, HAND OVER THE MAPS so that they may aid in the clearing of these mines. They have handed over detailed maps of cluster bombing from YEARS ago, but yet we are supposed to believe Ehraim Sneh that they don't have these kinds of maps from last summer's war on Lebanon? GIVE ME A BREAK.

For F-15 (Israel's version is called Thunder) capabilities, link here.

"An inertial navigation system uses a laser gyroscope to continuously monitor the aircraft's position and provide information to the central computer and other systems, including a digital moving map in both cockpits.

The APG-70 radar system allows air crews to detect ground targets from longer ranges. One feature of this system is that after a sweep of a target area, the crew freezes the air-to-ground map then goes back into air-to-air mode to clear for air threats. During the air-to-surface weapon delivery, the pilot is capable of detecting, targeting and engaging air-to-air targets while the WSO designates the ground target."

STOP CLUSTER BOMBS

American Task Force in Lebanon to Stop the Cluster Bomb (petition available to sign)


Cluster bombs from Israel War claim another victim in Lebanon Friday, 8 June, 2007 @ 4:51 PM

A cluster bomb left over from last summer's war between Israel and the militant Hezbollah group exploded Friday, killing a Lebanese man.

cluster%20bomb.jpgJamal Jafal, 40, was seriously wounded when the cluster bomb exploded near his house in the southern village of Bazouriyeh, the agency said. He was rushed to a hospital in the port city of Tyre where he later died, the Lebanese National News Agency said.

Jafal's death, brings to at least 29 the number of people who have been killed by cluster bombs and land mine explosions in Lebanon since the 34-day war between Israel and Hezbollah guerrillas ended in a U.N.-brokered cease-fire on Aug. 14.

cluster%20bomb%20victim.jpgThe United Nations and human rights groups charge Israel dropped about 4 million cluster bomblets during the summer fighting. U.N. ordinance clearing experts say that up to 1 million failed to explode.

Source: AP

SOURCE

Thursday, June 7, 2007

CNI: END THE OCCUPATION NOW!!

CNIF to Publish Full-Page Ad in Sunday, June 10th New York Times

New York Times Ad: Forty Years is Long Enough. End the Israeli Occupation Now! (PDF)

New York Times Ad: Forty Years is Long Enough. End the Israeli Occupation Now!

Washington, DC (June 6, 2007) - To mark the fortieth anniversary of the Israeli occupation, the CNI Foundation will publish the following full-page advertisement nationwide in the New York Times on Sunday, June 10th, which will run opposite the editorial page in the "Week in Review" section of the paper. This will be the seventh full-page New York Times advertisement that the CNI Foundation has published nationwide in the last fourteen months in the same section, one every two months.

The ad, titled "Forty Years is Long Enough. End the Israeli Occupation Now!" is timed to coincide with the first mass protest rally, march, and lobbying day in Washington, DC to oppose the Israeli occupation of the West Bank, Gaza, Golan Heights, and East Jerusalem, which began on June 9th, 1967. The June 10th protest is being organized by the U.S. Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation and United for Peace and Justice. Former CNI Foundation Chairman Amb. Edward Peck will be one of the featured speakers at the rally from 2 to 4 pm on the west lawn of the U.S. Capitol Building.

The ad features a cartoon drawn by Khalil Bendib that depicts the U.S. presidential candidates fighting each other to reach the podium before an AIPAC-assembled audience. The cartoon is titled "The Israel Lobby Sign Up: Campaign 2008" and includes a running Bendib character, who says, "They're competing to be president of which country?"

###

Thank you so much to those who donated to support the CNI Foundation ad campaign. For those who haven't, it is not too late to show your own support for our campaign! To make a tax-deductible contribution supporting this ad, click here or call 800-296-6958 to make a credit card donation, or mail a check or money order made out to "CNI Foundation" to 1250 4th Street SW, Suite WG-1, Washington, DC 20024.

You can see the ad by clicking on the links below:

pdf Forty Years is Long Enough. End the Israeli Occupation Now! (PDF) 801.17 Kb

jpg Forty Years is Long Enough. End the Israeli Occupation Now! (JPEG) 866.56 Kb

Forty Years is Long Enough. End the Israeli Occupation Now!

TWO OCCUPATIONS... ONE SOLUTION

American troops are no longer welcome in Iraq. Sen. Barak Obama has introduced legislation calling for all American troops to leave Iraq by March 2008 and redeploy to friendly neighboring countries, such as Kuwait. Yet, Israeli troops are even less welcome in the West Bank and Gaza, but none of the candidates is willing to cross the Israel lobby by talking about it. If the United States can get out of Iraq in five years, why can't Israel get out of the West Bank and Golan Heights and free up Gaza after four decades? Call your candidate and demand an end to both occupations.

MASS RALLY AND MARCH AT U.S. CAPITOL BUILDING TODAY

Join thousands of Americans TODAY, Sunday, June 10th, for the first mass protest in Washington, DC to call for an end to Israel's brutal military occupation, which began on June 9th, 1967, forty years ago. For more information about the rally, march, and lobbying day, visit the website for the U.S. Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation at endtheoccupation.org, a coalition that includes the CNI Foundation.

WHAT: The World Says 'No!' to Occupation Rally, March, and Lobbying Day
WHERE: West Lawn of the Capitol Building, Washington, DC
WHEN: TODAY, Sunday, June 10th, 2-4 pm (Rally) and 4-6 pm (Protest march); Monday, June 11th, Lobbying day on Capitol Hill
"There will be no negotiation between Israelis and Palestinians, no peace, and no reconciliation between them - and there will be no reduction in anti-American terrorism - until we have the courage to act on our interests. These are not the same as those of any party in the region, including Israel, and we must talk with all parties, whatever we think of them or their means of struggle."
- Amb. Charles "Chas" Freeman, speech given to the Washington Institute of Foreign Affairs, May 24, 2007

Council for the National Interest Foundation
1250 4th Street SW · Suite WG-1
Washington, DC 20024

Phone: 800.296.6958 or 202.863.2951
Email: inform@cnifoundation.org
Website: www.cnifoundation.org

Join our email list to receive action alerts and updates from Washington by sending in the attached coupon or visiting our website.

The CNI Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, non-partisan organization founded in 1989 by former Congressman Paul Findley (R-Illinois) to promote a U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East that is consistent with American values, protects our national interests, and contributes to a just solution of the Arab-Israeli conflict. We are funded entirely by individual donations from Americans of all faiths and backgrounds and receives no government funding, foreign or domestic. Donations are tax-deductible to the extent allowable under the law.

Click here to make a tax-deductible donation:
Donate to the CNI Foundation!
https://secure.groundspring.org/dn/index.php?aid=2836
Council for the National Interest Foundation
1250 4th Street SW, Suite WG-1 · Washington, DC 20024
800.296.6958 · 202.863.2951 · Fax: 202.863.2952
http://cnifoundation.org/

Wednesday, June 6, 2007

Stop Torture Presentation: Whittier, CA June 21st

Join us Thursday Evening
June 21st at 7PM


Stop Torture Presentation
Have you heard about the U.S. practicing torture, but unsure of what to believe? Do you believe that torture is wrong, but are unsure of how to talk to others about it or how to fight it? Do you want to get involved in stopping U.S. torture, but unsure of where to start?

We invite everyone who wants to learn more about the true nature of torture, and would like to get involved in stopping the U.S. practice. We welcome people of all beliefs to come learn, discuss and be empowered to take action.

Location:
St. Matthias Episcopal Church
7056 Washington Ave., Whittier, CA 90602

N/E corner of Wardman St. and Washington Ave.

Washington Ave (not Blvd) runs north and south two short blocks east of Greenleaf
Park on Washington (there is additional parking in the back of the church)
Walk through the second gate north of Wardman
MAPQUEST directions

Vietnam Agent Orange Relief & Responsibility Campaign

Update (6/12/07) My site meter just showed an interesting visitor to this post, Golin Harris.
Would you like to know who they are?

Working for Dow

In March 2006 Golin Harris was appointed to run a global campaign to help clean up the poor reputation of Dow Chemical. In an email to O'Dwyers PR Daily, Dow Chemical staffer Terri McNeill wrote that the company wants "stakeholders to better understand how its products, people and actions contribute to human progress."[1] Dow has refused to compensate the victims of the 1984 Bhopal disaster in India, a liability it inherited when it took over Union Carbide.[2]

Managing NGO Activists


On August 23, 2006 G-H issued a press release on its 50th anniversary, emphasizing its "specialty areas" of work. Number one of seven highlighted areas is 'Engage: Activist Issues Management'. According to G-H, "In response to the growing influence of NGOs, GolinHarris has formalized its approach to leverage and deflect the influence of activists on issues ranging from the environment to animal welfare." [3]

Who manufactured the majority of Agent Orange? Dow Chemical

Agent Orange

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search
Vietnam. Defoliation Mission. A UH-1D helicopter from the  336th Aviation Company sprays a defoliation agent on a dense jungle area in the Mekong delta., July 26, 1969
Vietnam. Defoliation Mission. A UH-1D helicopter from the 336th Aviation Company sprays a defoliation agent on a dense jungle area in the Mekong delta., July 26, 1969

Agent Orange and "Super Orange" were the nicknames given to a herbicide and defoliant used by the U.S. military in its Herbicidal Warfare program during the Vietnam War. Agent Orange was used from 1961 to 1971, and was by far the most used of the so-called "rainbow herbicides" utilized during the program. Degradation of Agent Orange (as well as Agents Purple, Pink, and Green) released dioxins, which have allegedly caused harm to the health of those exposed during the Vietnam War. Agents Blue and White were part of the same program but did not contain dioxins. Studies of populations highly exposed to dioxin, though not necessarily Agent Orange, indicate increased risk of various types of cancer and genetic defects; the effect of long term low level exposure has not been established. Since the 1980s, several lawsuits have been filed against the companies who produced Agent Orange, among them being Dow Chemical, Monsanto and Diamond Shamrock (produced only 5% [1]). U. S. veterans obtained a $180 million settlement in 1984, most affected veterans receiving a one-time lump sum payment of $1,200. American veterans of the war on Vietnam were seeking recognition of Agent Orange, compensation and treatment for maladies that they and their children suffered from; many Vietnam veterans exposed to Agent Orange have not been able to receive promised medical care through the VA medical system and only with rare exception have their affected children received healthcare assistance from the government. Vietnam veterans and their families who brought the original Agent Orange lawsuit stated 25 years ago that the government "is just waiting for us all to die". They alleged that most of those still alive will succumb to the effects of toxic exposure over the next several years, before age 65. Elsewhere, Australian, Canadian and New Zealand veterans obtained compensation in an out-of-court settlement that same year. In 1999, South Korean veterans filed a lawsuit in Korea; in January 2006, the Korean Appeal Court ordered Monsanto and Dow to pay $62 million in compensation. However, no Vietnamese have obtained compensation, and on March 10, 2005 Judge Jack Weinstein of Brooklyn Federal Court dismissed the lawsuit filed by the Vietnamese victims of Agent Orange against the chemical companies that produced the defoliants/herbicides.


Update: June 14, 2007 (Flag Day, representing our country and what we stand for, a NATION of LAWS embodied in the Constitution guaranteeing free speech in the FIRST AMMENDMENT)

Visitor:

Domain Name dow.com ? (Commercial)
IP Address 216.99.65.# (The Dow Chemical Company)






Vietnam Agent Orange Relief & Responsiblity Campaign
P.O. Box 303 - Prince Station - New York - NY 10012-0006
Email: info@vn-agentorange.org - Web: http://www.vn-agentorange.org
Dear Friends,

---- All out in NY ------------------------------------------------------
*** June 13 at 1:00 PM at the Church Center for the UN, 777
777 UN Plaza.
*** June 16 at 6:30 PM Martin Luther King Jr. Labor Center,
310 West 43rd Street to hear directly from Vietnamese
Agent Orange victims and U.S. veterans.
*** June 17 at noon Mass at Church of San Romero...
*** June 18 at noon in Foley Square/1:00 pm at Court of Appeals,
500 Pearl Street (1 block behind Foley Square) to support the
lawsuit against Dow Chemical and 36 other Agent Orange
manufacturers. Ten U.S. cities and Paris will join actions to
support the Vietnamese AO victims.
---------------------------------------------------------------------

On June 9, victims of Agent Orange will leave Hanoi, heading to
the U.S. to attend a June 18th court hearing on their lawsuit
against Dow Chemical and for an 18 day national speaking tour.

The tour is sponsored by Vietnam Agent Orange Relief &
Responsibility Campaign, Veterans For Peace, Vietnam
Veterans Against the War, National Lawyers Guild and
United for Peace & Justice.

The goal of the tour is to meet the US peoples face to face.
In a June 1st appeal, Vietnam’s Agent Orange victims wrote:
"The Vietnam War has passed for almost 30 years, yet several
million Vietnamese are still suffering physically and mentally
from diseases caused by the U.S. spraying of dioxin-laced toxic
chemicals, particularly Agent Orange. This responsibility, as a
matter of course, should rest on the U.S."

The members of the delegation are:
-- Prof. Tran Xuan Thu (68), Head of the Delegation, Vice President of
the Vietnam Association for Victims of Agent Orange/Dioxin--the
organization representing the plaintiffs.
-- Nguyen Muoi (24), a second generation victim from Hue who got
spina bifida, from his father, an ARVN cook served in A Luoi.
-- Nguyen Thi Hong (60), from Bien Hoa who had multiple premature
births and serious illnesses from living near Agent Orange
contaminated Bien Hung Lake.
-- Nguyen Van Quy (52) Veteran, communication line repairman from
Thai Binh, served on the HCM Trail from 1972-1975, suffers from
stomach cancer, liver damage and has 3 disabled children.
-- Vo Van Hai (48) a post-war victim, a forest tree replanter from Hue
who suffers from Hodgkins Disease as a result of dioxin in food and
water in heavily sprayed Nam Dong in 1980's.
-- Hoang Cong Thuy, Interpreter, Secretary General of Vietnam-USA
Society.

The Court of Appeals on June 18, 2007 will decide three
Agent Orange appeals, the first two from U.S. veterans, and the last, the
Vietnamese victims' case.

The Court decided on May 4 to refuse to accept amicus briefs for
the victims from Veterans for Peace and the Vietnamese Lawyers
Association et. al. Yet, the Court allowed a amicus briefs from the
Bush Administration and the conservative Washington Legal
Foundation for the U.S. chemical companies.

The Agent Orange victims’ delegation will visit 5 cities, San Francisco,
New York, Washington DC, and Chicago to speak to the American
public face to face, to shake hands and to share experiences.

On June 18, there will be actions in 10 cities across
the US in support of justice for Vietnamese Agent Orange victims.
In New York, we will gather at Foley Square at noon, and at 1:00 go
to the U.S. Court of Appeals a block away at 500 Pearl Street to fill
the court room. Afterwards there will be a joint press conference of U.S.
veterans and Vietnamese victims outside the Court room.

We need your support:
-- Donate money to support the tour at by sending tax
deductible checks
Payable to: Veterans For Peace/VAORRC
and send to
Vietnam Agent Orange Relief & Responsibility Campaign
P.O. Box 303 - Prince Station
New York, NY 10012-0006
-- Or donate online via ChipIn at http://www.vn-agentorange.org.
We urgently need your donation to support the tour.

-- Organize to achieve justice for Vietnam's Agent Orange
victims by:
* Attending the activities in New York on June 16 & 18
* Organizing a June 18th activity in your city. Contact us
for more information and materials.
* signing the petition at http://www.petitiononline.com/AOVN.



Youtube: Vietnamese Struggle with Agent Orange (seeking reparations)




Tuesday, June 5, 2007

Enduring Occupation: Sabbah's Thoughts

From our dear friend Haitham Sabbah's blog.



Enduring Occupation

Date05. June 2007 2236hrs
Categories Part of Haitham's adventure in Palestine, Israel, Human Rights, War, Middle East, War Crimes, History

Other posts by Haitham

Today marks the 40th sad anniversary of ‘Naksa’ (setback), as Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser described the defeat in his resignation announcement on the fifth day if the ‘Six Day War’.

On June 5th 1967, the Israel occupation forces launched ‘Operation Focus’, which toke by surprise three Arab armies; the Egyptian, Jordanian and Syrian and ended up with Israeli occupation of West Bank, East Jerusalem, Gaza, Sinai and Golan Heights.

In the last few days, and few more days to come, the anniversary is the main subjects for many around the world. Not only journalists, but some politicians will continue to practice some of their amazing skills and cry on the past, kill us with their useless analysis of the reasons why Arab lost the war, but no one actually offers any solution for the situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, which is dramatizing and going from bad to worse day by day, thanks to the Israeli occupation.

Not to forget that the plight of Palestinians is not better for those living in the ’safe’ of host countries as refugees. Best example to describe their situation is summed up by these few words by Dr. Marcy Newman reporting Nahr al-Barid refugee camp in Lebanon. She wrote:

When we finally reached Badawi camp to deliver the medicine we were learned that one refugee from Nahr al-Bared camp, who passed through a checkpoint earlier today, was told by a Lebanese soldier, “I hope that we can round up all the Palestinians, throw benzene on you, and light a fire.” This is a truth that Lebanon does not want told. These are the stories that must be told and they far outweigh and out number the story of one prominent, wealthy Lebanese leader’s international tribunal.

Unfortunately, similar stories were heard several times from eyewitness refugees on different media channels in the past two weeks.

Now, despite this hate for Palestinians around the world, lets keep our focus on the reason behind the plight of the Palestinians, all Palestinians, under occupation and in refugee capms.

I like to keep repeating these words by Hasan Abu Nimah because they carry in them the starting point for a just soultion:

Has the time not come to determine precisely and fairly where the chain of events starts, in order to be able to accordingly determine who retaliates for what? Should one not start with the occupation? Are 40 years of continued, severe, harsh, oppressive and humiliating occupation not aggression? Who gave Israel the right to occupy the Palestinians and rule their lives for that long, in full contravention of international law and the simplest principles of human rights? Who gave Israel the right to leave Gaza but lay siege to it, controlling every movement of people and goods to and from, and to seek European help to participate in controlling the siege? When the starved Palestinians dug tunnels to break their isolation, they were condemned and punished worldwide. Who gave the Israelis the right to impose total financial and political boycott as an act of punishment for all Palestinians for practising their democratic right and electing a government which Israel did not like, and the whole world went along with this additional injustice, tightening the boycott indefinitely?

That’s true. The Israeli occupation is the reason, ending the occupation is the ONLY solution for all the conflicts in the region. However, this is not happening. Not today at least. Not while Israeli is still dragging the area to Armageddon.

Few days ago, Amnesty International published this ‘must-read’ report (52 pages), Enduring Occupation.

I was not surprised with the info that the report provided, maybe because I’m a Palestinian. But the following map will tell you the untold stories in the media. It will tell you why peace is not coming tomorrow. It will tell you why Palestinians will never stop resisting:

west_bank_2007

This is the remains of West Bank today. The map is taken from Amnesty International report, which I mentioned above and can downloaded at:
http://www.amnesty.org/resources/Israel_Report0706/

Also don’t miss this Interactive Map of the West Bank apartheid fence/wall.

40 years after its conquest by Israel in the Six Day War, this map gives the most definitive picture so far of a territory in which 2.5m Palestinians are confined to dozens of enclaves separated by Israeli roads, settlements, apartheid fences and military zones.

As the report describes, the impact of Israeli civilian and military infrastructure is to render 40 per cent of the West Bank territories, which is roughly the size of the US state of Delaware or the English county of Norfolk, off-limits to Palestinians.

The rest of the territory, including main centres such as Nablus and Jericho, is split into isolated spots. Movement between them is restricted by 450 roadblocks and 70 manned checkpoints. Just imagine that you have to go from Jenin (at north) to Al-Khalil (Hebron, at south). It’s like going to moon.

The process of enclosing the civilian enclaves has accelerated in the years since the outbreak of the Palestinian uprising in 2000, and the reintroduction by Israel of its military rule even in areas previously under Palestinian Authority security control.

A network of ‘Jews ONLY’ roads in the ‘ONLY RACIST DEMOCRACY’ of the world is designed to ease the movement of Jewish settlers and limits access between Palestinian enclaves.

Some 450,000 Israelis live in the West Bank and occupied east Jerusalem and settlements are growing day by day. What do you expect the Palestinians to do but resist with all mean.

This is the story of 40 years of occupation. I can’t promise you that this story will end in the coming 40 years, or less, or more. What I can promise you is that Palestinians will never, ever drop or stop their fight and struggle to obtain and return their stolen properties and rights. 40 years passed and Palestinians are still resisting because they don’t watch calenders or count days/years. It might take another 40 years/decades/centuries, but Palestinians will not give up. You can bit on that.

Wishing for an end to reports and the start of an occupation-free life.

ONE DAY, WE WILL RETURN!


Yes you will Haitham, Inshallah, and there will be peace in the Holy Land as our creator holds ALL of his children in the palm of his hand.

National Anthem of Palestine






Interfaith Peace-Builders May-June Delegation to Israel/Palestine - Part 2

Report Two: More From East Jerusalem and Joint Action for Peace Tuesday, May 29


Cecilia Lucas, Eric Bjorgan

Extraordinary Ordinariness

As we toured Israel’s “matrix of control” in East Jerusalem today, our guide, Catherina Wilson of The Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions, commented: “Just feel how normal this place is. That’s the danger of the economic settlements. The Israelis here don’t think of themselves as settlers, they just think of themselves as moving into a nice new neighborhood. That’s why it’s so hard to disengage. If you’re not here to make a political statement, why would you leave? This is much more dangerous than the ideological settlements because there are so many of these economic settlers and they think of it as banal.”

Ideological settlers are those who believe that through their actions they are redeeming God-given land that must be returned to Jewish hands. Economic settlers (the vast majority) are often secular (in the case of the settlements near Jerusalem they often actually move there in order to gain some distance from the religion of the Holy City) and they are moving into homes that are beautiful, new, and – best of all-- tax-free (these homes are government-subsidized, thus every Israeli – and, indirectly, every American—is paying taxes to support their settling activities).

We were standing inside Ma’ale Adumim, which appears on my tourist map as though it were a town like any other. In fact, this is a Jewish-only area (with all entrances and exits guarded) on what international law recognizes as Palestinian land. The size (though not the population) is larger than that of Tel Aviv. As we entered through a checkpoint, we drove through a traffic circle at the center of which was planted an olive tree that had been uprooted from the West Bank (click here to see photo). (This has become a common practice. People in the U.S can now even buy one of these trees that have been uprooted by Israelis for $5,000.) Other than the Bedouins who have been hired to care for the flowers, there are not many people around as it is mid-morning and most of the residents work in Jerusalem. Ma’ale Adumim resembles a suburb in southern California: palm trees, impeccably clean, lush flowers and greenery, an Ace Hardware Store, and a “Library of Peace” (click here for photo). As we are standing by a bus-stop looking at a view of the desert, a garbage truck drives by: it is transporting the garbage from the settlement into parts of the Palestinian Territories that have not been settled by Israeli Jews.

Garbage is very visible all along the streets as we leave the settlement and continue on our tour to areas of East Jerusalem in which Palestinians live. Palestinian Jerusalemites pay 30% of Jerusalem taxes but get 8% of the services. Furthermore, the cost of bulldozers which are brought in to demolish Palestinian homes is included in that 8% of services they pay for! Trash pickup is considered too high a cost for the Arab areas of the city, as is adequate water supply. But there is no sparing on demolishing the homes of anyone whose family has expanded through marriage and has thus built on an additional floor or constructed a place to live without a permit. And it is not as though Palestinians are trying to skirt the law. Jerusalemites pay $20,000 simply to apply for a permit to build or to expand their properties – and this money is paid even though more likely than not the permit will be denied. Once their property has been demolished, the home-owners then have two months to pay for the rubble to be cleaned up or else they face additional fines.

As we drove around East Jerusalem we saw the Separation Wall. Yes, it is true, parts of the Wall are better described as a fence because they are not concrete but these parts are perhaps even worse: electric fences topped with barbed wire and numbered all along so that if someone touches it, the military can instantly be upon you either with shackles or bullets (click here for photo). As we heard stories of how this Wall/Fence has ruined people’s lives and as we witnessed the apartheid system of not only the wall, but also the by-pass roads (Jewish-only roads that also serve as barriers while making the Palestinian towns completely invisible by not evening having signs that indicate them let alone leading to any of them) and the checkpoints and the pass-system that severely restricts the movement of all Palestinians, people in the group kept asking “Why? Why? Why?”

Catherina told us, “Israelis will try to explain everything by talking about security.” But as people in the group kept expressing confusion because these policies seemed much worse for security, she repeatedly reminded us: “Don’t try to make sense of Israeli explanations of what is happening. They make no sense.” I actually disagree. I think the explanations make a lot of sense. They provide a justification for Israeli policies, a way for Israelis (and the international community) to talk about what is going on without talking about occupation. These explanations of security serve the same role that the talk of protecting us from terrorists serve in garnering U.S support for our many wars in the Middle East, our support of Israel, our draconian immigration policies, and our infringements on civil rights at home. There are a number of Jews in our group who have talked about how hard it is even after many years of activism to completely destroy a lifetime of socialization to the notion that they should be afraid of Palestinians, that Palestinians will kill them, etc. These same people are some of the most committed activists and eloquent voices in talking about the atrocities of Israel’s policies, and in talking about how there is a sense to all of this, but it is a sense that is insane. As one person put it: “inhumane, unkind, twisted – things that embarrass me as a Jew, things I don’t want to be hearing and seeing, things that I can’t believe we are doing to others after all that has been done to us.”

Perhaps I don’t disagree with Catherina so much after all. There is a sense to the explanations, but the whole thing is senseless. Senseless as in insane and senseless as in devoid of senses, devoid of sensitivity, devoid of seeing, listening, touching. And this senselessness becomes ordinary, naturalized as normal human life.

--Cecilia Lucas

Wednesday, May 30th

Combatants for Peace: Sadness and Hope

On Wednesday, we met with Bassam Al-Aramin of Combatants for Peace. Combatants for Peace is joint Israeli/Palestinian organization that believes the conflict between Palestinians and Israelis “cannot be solved with military solutions.” They both want security for their people and are working toward that goal. Combatants for Peace have talks and lectures to explain the suffering of the occupation.

Bassam told his story of embracing non-military non-violent solutions to the conflict and I felt a personal connection to his experience as I am a member of an organization called Veterans for Peace. Bassam explained that his first and most difficult step to joining Combatants for Peace was to meet with an Israeli “enemy” combatant. He and many Palestinians fear that the person they will meet is a member of the Israeli intelligence.

Bassam was first arrested at age 17 for throwing stones and eventually spent a total of 7 years in Israeli prisons. “You cannot imagine what I’ve seen in Israeli jails,” he explains. He says he suffered torture and that Palestinians are viewed as “enemy” and “terrorists” by Israeli jailers. He explains that after engaging an Israeli jailer and settler in conversation over a period of 7-8 months, he persuaded the Israeli jailer to change his mind and better understand why many Palestinians are fighting the occupation. This persuasion is particularly impressive as ideological settlers are often the most racist, violent elements of Israeli society.

Particularly sad is the story Bassam told about the death of his daughter, Abir. She was returning from a math exam on January 16, 2007, when she was shot in the head by an Israeli soldier with a rubber bullet at a distance of about 50 feet. Abir was treated in an Israeli hospital but died two days later as a result of her injuries. She was only ten years old. We can see that Bassam has suffered immensely and is still mourning the death of his child. The expression on his face was unmistakable, and many in our group have tears. We can see that the pain in his heart is still fresh. Bassam says he had to counsel his thirteen year-old son who wanted revenge. He said you can do nothing by throwing stones. Bassam wants a better future for his son.

Bassam explains that the Israeli soldier who shot his daughter was not investigated or charged. He explains that he does not want revenge, but justice. He says that the young soldier who shot his daughter was just a kid, and that he wants to continue a dialogue. He believes that Israeli soldiers are victims too. We can see that Bassam is a very strong, powerful individual to maintain his stand for nonviolence after all he has suffered.

When asked how he talks to someone who wants to fight, he told a story of counseling a young Palestinian who had been arrested three times for throwing stones. Bassam saw himself in the boy he counseled and wanted to show him an alternative to violent resistance to the occupation. He explains that the boy has made considerable progress. He also explains that since 1967, seven hundred fifty thousand Palestinians have been imprisoned in Israeli jails including ninety thousand children; many of these people suffer torture while imprisoned.

He does not believe that the United States or Israel want true democracy. When asked about a solution to the conflict, he says that Americans should stop supporting Israel’s unjust occupation with military aid. Bassam says that Israeli settlers in Palestine must go back to Israel; he views the settlers as terrorists. He asks Americans to stop supporting the Israeli occupation with money and arms. Rather than be pro-Palestine, he wants us to be pro-Peace.

--Eric Bjorgan

You can access photos here:

Olive Tree in Ma’ale Adumim: http://www.ifpbdel.org/photos/del22/05.html

Palm Trees in Ma’ale Adumim: http://www.ifpbdel.org/photos/del22/06.html

“Fence” configuration of Israeli Wall: http://www.ifpbdel.org/photos/del22/04.html

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CALL CONGRESS NOW to Oppose the Jerusalem "Reunificaton" Bioll


ACTION ALERT:

*** CALL CONGRESS NOW ***


Tell The House To Oppose H.Con.Res. 152
Jerusalem "Reunification" Bill Disregards the Peace Process

Washington, DC (June 5, 2007) - Today, the House of Representatives is scheduled to vote on House Concurrent Resolution 152: Relating to the 40th Anniversary of the Reunification of the City of Jerusalem, which was introduced by Congressman Tom Lantos (D-CA), chairman of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs. The resolution congratulates Israeli citizens on the anniversary of the Six Day War and the residents of Jerusalem on the reunification of that historic city. The bill is scheduled to come up for 1-minute debate under suspension of the rules after the House reconvenes at 2 pm and will be voted on after 6 pm today.

The resolution reiterates the commitment to the provisions of the Jerusalem Embassy Act of 1995, which calls for the American embassy to be relocated from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem essentially recognizing the holy city as the capital of Israel, ignoring the city's importance to Jews, Muslims, and Christians alike. Although H.Con.Res. 152 must pass both the House and Senate, it does not become public law; however, the Council for the National Interest believes that the provisions of this resolution obstruct the potential for peace by failing to recognize the reality of the conflict between the Israelis and the Palestinians.

H.Con.Res. 152 fails to embrace the conditions necessary for an enduring peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians. What Congress must understand is that the key for a lasting peace in the region is a two-state solution, with Jerusalem serving as the capital for both Israel and a future state of Palestine. That aim cannot be achieved as if the entire city of Jerusalem is recognized as the capital of Israel. Although this resolution is expected to be mostly symbolic, it is important to let the President and Congress know that the American public supports Secretary Rice's endeavors to promote negotiations for a two-state solution. The future of Jerusalem can only be determined through discussion between the Israelis and Palestinians.

ACT NOW! Please call you representative NOW!

Call the House switchboard toll-free at 877-851-6437

If you don't know your member Congress, look it up here: http://www.house.gov/writerep/

Talking Points
  • Ask your Representative to oppose H.Con.Res. 152, and support a balanced U.S. policy.
  • The status of Jerusalem should be determined through negotiations.
  • Encourage your representative to support Secretary Rice's efforts to promote a two-state solution to the conflict.

Another way to voice your opinion to President Bush and Congress is by attending the "The World Says No to the Israeli Occupation" rally on June 10th and 11th here in Washington, DC. Sponsored by the U.S. Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation and United for Peace and Justice, this two-day event will include a rally, teach-in, and lobbying day. This is a great opportunity to get involved and protest the 40th anniversary of Israel's illegal occupation.

CNI's sister organization, the CNI Foundation, will be publishing an ad in the New York Times on Sunday, June 10th to coincide with the protest. To support our advertising campaign, please click here to donate.

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Israel, Has the One State Solution Become More Certain

Oh my, someone has the chutzpa to write the article below. Let it be known when you read it, I am NOT in agreement that Palestine has been sliced to bits for security for Israel. "Israel" proper is on ONE side of the green line, NOT both. But as the article states, the ILLEGAL settlements have made a viable intact Palestinian state impossible. Pray tell Israel, just WHAT do you plan on doing? Do you REALLY think it is even remotely possible with your actions to offer the Palestinians a state at this point? It is YOU who have set up this apartheid system. Are you going to graciously offer another one of your generous peace plans? The whole world is watching you Israel, and it is up to YOU to either choose a two state solution WITHOUT any single settlement with separate roads and security leading to it for YOUR settler mentality, OR as this article suggests, a one-state solution is at hand. What a MESS!! A mess of ISRAEL'S making.

Israel slides toward the disastrous one-state trap

Originally published June 5, 2007
The banners that hang from downtown lampposts are emblazoned with the numeral 40. Black-and-white photos of soldiers capturing the Old City are on exhibit at museums. But there's no mood of celebration on the 40th anniversary of Israel's historic victory in the Six-Day War, which led to the occupation of Gaza and the West Bank.

Few Israelis imagined, back then, that they would still control the lives of millions of Palestinians in 2007. Polls have long shown that majorities of Israelis and Palestinians accept the idea of two states. Yet the Oslo peace process has collapsed into mutual recriminations and violent chaos in Gaza. Palestinian and Israeli leaders are too weak to produce new ideas. The sense of drift is overwhelming.

Few will admit that the idea of a two-state solution is dead, because the alternatives - for both sides - are so grim.(speak for yourself) But what I saw last week as I traveled the villages and dusty, terrace-lined West Bank hills was extremely troubling.

Events on the ground are pushing Israelis and Palestinians toward a de facto one-state situation. If the two-state concept dies, Israel is left ruling more than 2 million Palestinians in the West Bank and effectively controlling an additional 1.4 million in Gaza. Add to that more than 1 million Palestinian Arabs who are citizens of Israel.

What will that mean?

"Between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean are 10 million to 11 million people," says the noted Israeli philosopher Avishai Margalit, who has long been a campaigner for two states. "It's very clear, with the Palestinian birthrate, which is one of the highest in the world, that almost in no time there will be a clear majority of Arabs in this state."

Israel will then have to choose (How disastrous, when an Arab majority becomes reality, Israel will be forced to CHOOSE so they don't look like they are operating an APARTHEID state. Ever heard of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights? There's NOTHING in that declaration having to do with numbers!) between giving those Arabs political rights or stand accused of running a system that resembles apartheid.(oh so it won't be until they outnumber you that you will call it apartheid, I didn't know that was the ONLY thing keeping it from the obvious) But enfranchising an Arab majority would spell the end of the Jewish state. No one except a naif or a political propagandist could believe that Israelis and Palestinians could live together in one state without civil war.(call me a naif then, because I feel this IS eventually what will happen) Proponents of one state are mainly extremists such as Hamas (nope I'm no extremist so don't try that propaganda on your readers) who want one state without Jews, or ultranationalist Israelis who would like to expel the Palestinians(don't try telling that to all my Jewish friends who favor one state). But what I saw on this trip makes me fear that Israel is headed in the one-state direction by default.

Drive out of Jerusalem with yellow Israeli license plates, and you are entitled to travel on a network of highways that whiz you across the West Bank and back into Israel. But those roads are mostly off-limits to Palestinians with white West Bank plates.

The prospect for any kind of viable Palestinian state is disappearing as Palestinian land and towns are split into disconnected cantons by these roads, by Israeli settlements, and by Israel's security fence. Villagers must procure hard-to-get permits to visit their land or to pass through gates in the security fence. Crops rot because families can't get enough permits to reach their land, or because villagers can't travel to the towns to sell their produce.

For security reasons, Israel has limited Palestinian travel into and out of most towns and villages in ways that can make farming and commerce almost impossible. Off the road to Hebron, I stood on a rocky hill overlooking several Arab villages consisting of boxy concrete houses in a valley below the apartment buildings and villas of the settlement Rosh Zurim. A well-paved settler road was paralleled by a broken, potholed part-dirt road that curved to the Arab village of Khallet Sakariya. But Israel had blocked this access road with boulders, forcing villagers to detour miles out of their way to a permissible road.

Farther south, Palestinian traffic to the major town of Hebron is funneled through a narrow urban road in nearby Halhoul that is not suited for heavy commerce. Drivers on Palestinian roads find themselves suddenly cut off by the Israeli security wall and fence, which zigzags across roads and Palestinian lands, linking many Israeli settlements to pre-1967 Israel. As I drove into Bethlehem, I suddenly found myself hemmed in by a segment of the tall concrete slabs of the wall that protects the Jewish religious site of Rachel's Tomb.

Since the second Palestinian uprising in 2000, Israel has had genuine reasons for concern about security and preventing movement of suicide bombers into Israel. (don't you think the world knows you are certainly in "overkill mode as to so called security-NO pun intended)But the network of walls, fences, berms, tunnels, checkpoints and restricted roads chops Palestinian land and life into segments that make commerce, let alone statehood, impossible.

"It might be efficient for security,(ever heard of caging an animal and how they react? Not to mention "caging" is NOT for human beings) but it has wrecked the economy and social fabric, and restricted the ability to get to hospitals or schools," David Shearer, head of the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Jerusalem, told me. It is now almost impossible, for example, for West Bank Palestinians to enter the Arab part of Jerusalem, which contains the best Palestinian hospitals and used to be the West Bank's intellectual and religious hub.

Again, none of this is to dispute Israel's genuine security needs. (Ever wonder WHY Israel has such so-called security needs. Remember the caged animal metaphor. Ever wonder if it's not REALLY for security, but rather expansionism which is being fought tooth and nail AND a forty year long ILLEGAL occupation? ) Yet much of the security infrastructure on the West Bank seems dedicated more to protecting the Jewish settlers who live there than protecting pre-1967 Israel. BINGO!!! Settlements keep expanding, requiring even more protection and making it even less likely that Palestinians can get a contiguous state.

In this uncertain political time, it may be impossible to make any headway toward two states. But it makes no sense to close off that possibility for the future with infrastructure and settlements that are expanding and have an air of permanence. I spoke with an extraordinary Israeli human rights activist who works to help Palestinians get access to Jerusalem hospitals, and asked her thoughts on whether Israel is creating a one-state trap.

"The Israeli public is asleep on this," said Hadas Ziv, executive director of Physicians for Human Rights, Israel. In the wake of the failed Lebanon war and the Gaza troubles, Israelis "don't want to know [about West Bank conditions]. They don't know what to do. There is public desperation."

Ms. Ziv believes the international community should raise the issue: "I think it would do good for Israelis to hear it, if you say it with sympathy. Otherwise, Israelis will have to face it alone, and no one will sympathize."

Surely this is a subject on which the Bush administration, as a friend of Israel, should weigh in strongly. Otherwise, the slide toward a one-state reality will continue until it cannot be reversed.

Monday, June 4, 2007

Palestinian & Mideast Solidarity Conference Atlanta 6/27-7/1

Dear Palestine Activist

We are writing to encourage your participation in the exciting line up of workshops, strategy sessions, cultural events, and trainings for the Palestine & Middle East Solidarity track at the US Social Forum. The US Social Forum will be taking place this June 27 - July 1 in Atlanta, Georgia (http://www.ussf2007.org) and will provide an opportunity for building relationships between Palestine solidarity work and other movements for social justice.

With the massive US war on the people of the Middle East, the significant shift to the Left in Latin America, the rise of the immigrant rights movement in the US and the social, political, economic and environmental impact of US neglect and racism post Katrina, it is important for all our movements to come together. The Forum is an organizing space that we can use to bring renewed insight and inspiration and help develop leadership, consciousness, vision, and strategy across movements—a step forward at this incredibly important juncture in history.

It is also an opportunity for Palestine Solidarity organizers and activists from across the country to come together for important discussions that will help us move beyond our isolation and build a stronger movement for justice. We reached out to many of you in March and April to solicit your help in drafting proposals for the Palestine and Middle East Solidarity Track. Thanks to the enthusiastic responses from many groups and individuals across the US, we have an incredible set of 21 sessions for the track! The listing and schedule for the workshops are listed below.

But we still need broader involvement to make this track a success.

In addition to the official track, we have reserved a Palestine Solidarity Tent where we can hold cultural events, book releases, and film screenings in the evening; have meetings, vendors, exhibits, workshops during the day; and important cross-movement building and Palestine/Middle East solidarity movement meetings and social events.

Some of the activities already include a screening of the feature documentary Occupation 101 and other films; diverse movement building meetings including a networking event for progressive Arab leadership and organizing meeting for an emerging network of anti-Zionist Jewish activists; and Picture Baladna and other art exhibits.

Please join us in creating an organizing, cultural and community space at the Palestine and Middle East Solidarity Tent by emailing suggestions for activities to us at: ussfpalestinesolidarity@gmail.com

We hope that you will read through the list of sessions and then join us in using the opportunity of the US Social Forum to broaden and deepen Palestine and Middle East Solidarity activism in the US.

We look forward to seeing you in Atlanta!

In solidarity,

The Coordination Team from Arab Movement of Women Arising for Justice (AMWAJ), the International Jewish Solidarity Network-USA, Left Turn, the Palestinian Popular Conference Network

Palestine & Middle East Solidarity Track at the 2007 US Social Forum

Wednesday, June 27: Opening
Join us for a Palestine contingent at the forum’s opening march and then come hear speakers and artists from different movements at the opening celebration

Thursday, June 28: Consciousness + Awareness Raising / Current Struggles
• A State for All Its Citizens: The Case Against Israeli Apartheid
• Facts on the Ground in Palestine: Approaching Apartheid
• History of US Imperialism and Resistance in the Middle East/West Asia
• The Role of Anti-Zionist Jewish Organizing in Palestine Solidarity
• Women, War and Water
• Your Border Crossed our Land: From Mexico to Palestine

9pm: Opening Event at Palestine Tent!

Friday, June 29: Visioning / Envisioning Another World
• BDS 101: From South Africa to Palestine
• Blind Leading the Blinded: Militarization and Sexual Violence
• Forced Displacement and the Right to Return: Palestine, New Orleans, and Urban America
• Political Prisoners: from Guantanamo to Abu Ghraib to Palestine
• Reproductive Justice in Israel/Palestine: Palestinians as the Demographic Threat
• Unlearning Zionism: Transforming Histories of Collective Trauma towards Justice

Saturday, June 30: Strategizing the Achieving of Another World
• Anti-Arab Racism and Islamophobia: Confronting Stereotypes and Dehumanization
• BDS for PSM activists: building a movement against Israeli apartheid
• Building A Stronger Movement: Multi-racial organizing for Justice in the Middle East and at Home
• Digital Resistance: Palestinian Youth Media
• Internal Coordination Workshop: Planning for Al-Nakba 60th Anniversary
• Slingshot Hip Hop: Colonization and Resistance from Brooklyn to Palestine
• United Labor: US and Palestinian Movement for Worker’s Rights

Sunday Offering #14: On the Turning Away







PINK FLOYD LYRICS

"On The Turning Away"

On the turning away
From the pale and downtrodden
And the words they say
Which we won't understand
"Don't accept that what's happening
Is just a case of others' suffering
Or you'll find that you're joining in
The turning away"
It's a sin that somehow
Light is changing to shadow
And casting it's shroud
Over all we have known
Unaware how the ranks have grown
Driven on by a heart of stone
We could find that we're all alone
In the dream of the proud
On the wings of the night
As the daytime is stirring
Where the speechless unite
In a silent accord
Using words you will find are strange
And mesmerised as they light the flame
Feel the new wind of change
On the wings of the night
No more turning away
From the weak and the weary
No more turning away
From the coldness inside
Just a world that we all must share
It's not enough just to stand and stare
Is it only a dream that there'll be
No more turning away?