Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Saturday, January 3, 2009
A poem for Gaza
By Remi Kanazi
Craters filled with disfigured ankles and splattered torsos
But no sign of a face, the only impression a fading scream
I never understood pain
Until a seven-year-old girl clutched my hand
Stared up at me with soft brown eyes, waiting for answers
But I didn't have any
I had muted breath and dry pens in my back pocket
That couldn't fill pages of understanding or resolution
In her other hand she held the key to her grandmother's house
But I couldn't unlock the cell that caged her older brothers
They said, we slingshot dreams so the other side will feel our father's presence
A craftsman
Built homes in areas where no one was building
And when he fell, he was silent
A .50 caliber bullet tore through his neck shredding his vocal cords
Too close to the wall
His hammer must have been a weapon
He must have been a weapon
Encroaching on settlement hills and demographics
So his daughter studies mathematics
Seven explosions times eight bodies
Equals four Congressional resolutions
Seven Apache helicopters times eight Palestinian villages
Equals silence and a second Nakba
Our birthrate minus their birthrate
Equals one sea and 400 villages re-erected
One state plus two peoples…and she can't stop crying
Never knew revolution or the proper equation
Tears at the paper with her fingertips
Searching for answers
But only has teachers
Looks up to the sky and see stars of David demolishing squalor with hellfire missiles
She thinks back words and memories of his last hug before he turned and fell
Now she pumps dirty water from wells, while settlements divide and conquer
And her father's killer sits beachfront with European vernacular
She thinks back words, while they think backwards
Of obscene notions and indigenous confusion
This our land!, she said
She's seven years old
This our land!, she said
And she doesn't need a history book or a schoolroom teacher
She has these walls, this sky, her refugee camp
She doesn't know the proper equation
But she sees my dry pens
No longer waiting for my answers
Just holding her grandmother's key…searching for ink
Monday, November 24, 2008
Early Israeli Terrorism
Early Israeli Terrorism Before 1948
By Leila Daas
Today Israel exists as one of the most influential and powerful countries in the Middle East. With it’s over powering influence on the American government, Israel has managed to climb its way to the military top. The establishment of Israel in the Palestinian region has long been a subject of great controversy and detested throughout the Arab world. This is mainly due to the expulsion of the Palestinians and the loss of their beloved country.
Israel has remained in conflict status from the very days of its existence. “The conflict between Palestinian Arabs and Israeli Jews began around the turn of the 20th century. It is essentially a struggle over land. Until 1948, the area that both groups claimed was known internationally as Palestine.” (http://www.tucsonshowguide.com/stories/jul02/israel2.cfm). It seems that the state of Israel has developed itself over the years by means of terrorism. The record of Israeli terrorism goes back to the origins of the state - indeed, long before its actual establishment. Acts of terrorism perpetrated by advocates of Israel can be found dating back to the time of Zionism. Zionist terror groups inflicted terrorism in a mixture of disreputable attacks throughout the early 1900s, before establishment day. Zionism is one of the root causes for the continuing struggle, for it is credited with the re-establishment of the biblical state of Israel."If I were to sum up the Congress in a word – which I shall take care not to publish – it would be this: At Basle I founded the Jewish State. If I said this out loud today I would be greeted by universal laughter. In five years perhaps, and certainly in fifty years, everyone will perceive it." This was the belief of Theodor Herzl;
founder of modern Zionism.
Theodor Herzl was an Austrian Jewish journalist who founded modern Zionism, a national revival movement that originally supported the creation of a Jewish national home and cultural centre in Palestine. “As a correspondent for Neue Freie Presse, Herzl followed the Dreyfus Affair, a notorious anti-Semitic incident in France in which a French Jewish army captain was falsely convicted of spying for Germany.” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theodor_Herzl#Zionist_leader). After the scandal, Theodor came to recognize the emptiness and futility of trying to ‘combat’ anti-Semitism. Prompted by the growing pressure on Jews in the central and eastern regions of Europe he began to reject his early ideas regarding Jewish emancipation and assimilation. In his book Der Judenstaat (The State of the Jews), published in 1896, he writes:
“The Jewish question persists wherever Jews live in appreciable numbers. Wherever it does not exist, it is brought in together with Jewish immigrants. We are naturally drawn into those places where we are not persecuted, and our appearance there gives rise to persecution. This is the case, and will inevitably be so, everywhere, even in highly civilized countries—see, for instance, France—so long as the Jewish question is not solved on the political level. The unfortunate Jews are now carrying the seeds of anti-Semitism into England; they have already introduced it into America.”
Click Here to continue the essay
Thursday, August 28, 2008
PALESTINIANS HAVE A RIGHT TO THEIR OWN WATERS
FREE GAZA ANNOUNCEMENT Date : 08-27-2008 (GAZA CITY, 27 August 2008) - It was standing-room-only in Gaza City studios today as the Free Gaza Movement held a press conference to announce the departure of the SS Free Gaza and SS Liberty, and to reaffirm that 12-14 Palestinians, who have previously been denied exit visas by Israel, will be traveling to Cyprus on the two boats. Some of those leaving are students, with vaild visas or dual citizenship who have been accepted to universities abroad. Additionally, one Palestinian professor will finally be able to go back to teaching in Europe, and one young Palestinian woman will finally be reunited with her husband.
Since the organizers of the Free Gaza Movement will not be entering Israeli territorial waters, and since they will request inspection from the Gaza Port Authority before they depart as well as from Cypriot authorities when they arrive in Cyprus, they expect no interference on the part of the Israeli authorities when they leave Gaza. By Israel’s own admission, it has no authority to inspect the boats or the passengers when they leave Gaza.
With the collapse of the Israeli blockade, the Free Gaza Movement will quickly return to Gaza with another delegation, and invites the United Nations, Arab League and international community to organize similar human rights and humanitarian efforts.
The SS Free Gaza and SS Liberty arrived in Gaza early Saturday evening despite threats that the Israeli government would use force to prevent the nonviolent human rights workers from reaching Gaza. Since arriving, both boats have accompanied Palestinian fishermen out to sea in order to prevent Israeli warships from firing on the Palestinians as they fish, as has happened regularly in the past. Several of the Free Gaza international human rights workers will remain in Gaza after their boats leave in order to do human rights monitoring.
Dr. Vaggelis Pissias, one of the organizers of the Free Gaza Movement, stated that: “We do not accept that Israel can stop these boats. Palestinians have the same rights as all other peoples. Why is it that the only people in the Mediterranean without access
International law ... ... relevant to the Gaza Strip and the Free Gaza Campaign
Is Gaza under Israeli occupation?
Israel claims that it no longer occupies the Gaza Strip. This position is calculated to avoid the responsibilities of an occupying power under international law. But as a matter of fact Israel occupies the Gaza Strip because it maintains effective control over it. The international law relevant to occupied territories become applicable whenever a territory comes under the effective control of hostile foreign armed forces.
According to the International Committee of the Red Cross:
The question of "control" calls up at least two different interpretations. It could be taken to mean that a situation of occupation exists whenever a party to a conflict exercises some level of authority or control within foreign territory. So, for example, advancing troops could be considered bound by the law of occupation already during the invasion phase of hostilities. This is the approach suggested in the ICRC's Commentary to the Fourth Geneva Convention (1958).
An alternative and more restrictive approach would be to say that a situation of occupation exists only once a party to a conflict is in a position to exercise sufficient authority over enemy territory to enable it to discharge all of the duties imposed by the law of occupation. Although Israel's position on the applicable international law fluctuates a great deal, its general approach has been to adopt this latter interpretation. This is reflected in Israel's claim that the Palestinian Authority is responsible for the welfare of Gaza's population. Yet the Palestinian Authority lacks the capacity to meet this responsibility due to Israel's effective control of the Gaza Strip.The residents of Gaza require Israel's consent to travel to and from Gaza, to take their goods to Palestinian
and foreign markets, to acquire food and medicine, and to access water and
electricity.
The Palestinian Authority must seek Israel's permission to perform several
key functions of government. These include the provision of social and health
services, security, setting immigration policy, developing the Palestinian economy, and allocating resources. In other words Israel has total control of Gaza is obliged under international law to provide these services, but does not. If Israel does not wish to provide these services it must end its occupation of Gaza.Israel's obligations as occupying power Under international law Israel is obliged to uphold certain specified basic standards to protect both the population under its control and the land on which that population lives. These obligations are expressed in the Hague Regulations of 1907, the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949, and the First Additional Protocol to the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1977.
Israel's control of Gaza's borders If Gaza was not under occupation its residents would be free to leave and control its borders, including the sea. However Israel maintains effective control of Gaza's borders, its airspace, and the waters beyond the Gaza coast. Palestinian use of the coastal waters is subject to severe restrictions. Palestinian boats are prohibited from going out beyond a prescribed distance, and foreign vessels are prohibited from coming within 12 nautical miles off the coast. Furthermore, the Israeli navy retains the right to "take any measures necessary against vessels suspected of … any… illegal activity."Israel has maintained regular bans on fishing off the Gaza coast, such as its total ban on fishing between June to late October 2006. In late October 2006, Israel partially relaxed the ban. However in the same month the UN Office for the coordination of humanitarian affairs noted: The fishing industry has been paralysed by the complete ban imposed by the IDF on fishing grounds off the Gaza Strip for over 50 days. On 14 August [2006], the General
Syndicate of Marine Fishers requested the assistance of the international community to support the needs of the fishermen and their families – there are almost 3,000 licensed fishermen in the Gaza Strip, most support sizeable families. The Israeli military has fired on and destroyed boats, and killed fishermen who have gone out to sea despite the ban. Furthermore, the Palestinians cannot develop maritime trade opportunities or develop natural resources located within the territorial waters without Israel's permission.
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Free Gaza.Org
Free Gaza.Org Organizer and Passenger
Palestinians waiting impatiently for Free Gaza boats
American physician on Free Gaza Movement Boat
Gaza Boats to Bust Blockade 1a
Gaza Boats to Bust Blockade 1b
Gaza Boats to Bust Blockade 1c
“Free Gaza” Boats Set Sail from Cyprus to Break Israeli Blockade
Two converted fishing boats set sail from Cyprus today carrying more than forty activists and humanitarian workers who are part of the Free Gaza movement that is trying to break the Israeli blockade on the Gaza Strip. The Israeli foreign ministry said in an open letter to the participants, “We assume that your intentions are good but, in fact, the result of your action is that you are supporting the regime of a terrorist organization in Gaza.” We speak with three of the activists at sea: Huwaida Arraf, co-founder of the International Solidarity Movement; Lauren Booth, a journalist and sister-in-law of former British Prime Minister Tony Blair; and Israeli anthropology professor Jeff Halper of the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions.
GAZA
Gaza women end mosque stand-off
A siege at a mosque in the Gaza Strip town of Beit Hanoun has ended after Israeli forces entered the compound and found no-one there, Israel's army says.
An Israeli military spokesman told the BBC they believe the dozen Palestinian gunmen escaped by mingling with a crowd of women who had formed a human shield.
The women went to the mosque after an appeal on Hamas radio. Two were reportedly killed by Israeli gunfire.
Israel entered Beit Hanoun on Wednesday to stop rocket attacks, it said.
Rocket attacks by militants against towns close to the Gaza border, including Sderot and Ashkelon, have continued since Israel pulled its troops out of Gaza in 2005.
Bulldozer assault
In one of the biggest operations in the Gaza Strip in recent months, Israeli troops moved in and sealed the town off.
Twenty Palestinians and an Israeli soldier died in the fighting that ensued. Many of the 20 Palestinians killed were gunmen, but a four-year-old boy died from his wounds overnight.
A tense stand-off developed after Israeli forces surrounded the mosque, where Palestinian gunmen had taken refuge along with about 60 others.
Witnesses said bulldozers demolished a wall as the Israelis tried to force those inside to surrender and there were exchanges of fire between Israeli forces and the gunmen.
However, following an appeal on Hamas radio, over 100 women approached the compound in groups.
Running to safety
"We risked our lives to free our sons," Um Mohammed, a woman in her 40s, told the AFP news agency afterwards.
"Hundreds of us entered the mosque and surrounded the resistance fighters to protect them," 21-year-old Nidaa al-Radih said.
With the gunmen shielded within their midst the women ran to an area north-west of the town which is clear of Israeli troops.
There have been reports that the Israeli soldiers fired on the groups of women. Two women are reported to have been killed.
Hamas radio has since reported that all of the militants in the mosque had escaped and were uninjured.
The BBC's Middle East analyst Roger Hardy says that Israel's most immediate aim is to prevent rocket attacks against its territory, but beyond that it wants to strike a decisive blow at the militant group Hamas.
Israeli officials are convinced Hamas has been acquiring new weapons and wants to turn Gaza into an even stronger base for attacks against them, just as the Lebanese group Hezbollah did on their northern border.
Story from BBC NEWS:
FREE GAZA DEMO-London-26/01/08-In support of relief convoy
If Americans Knew
Free Palestine against zionists - Outlandish
Friday, August 22, 2008
Monday, July 7, 2008
Worlds Largest Open Air Prison?
The conflict between Palestinian Arabs and Israeli Jews began around the turn of the 20th century. It is essentially a struggle over land. Until 1948, the area that both groups claimed was known internationally as Palestine. But following the war of 1948-49, this land was divided into three parts: the state of Israel, The West Bank and Gaza Strip ( http://www.tucsonshowguide.com/stories/jul02/israel2.cfm ). For over 50 years now, Palestinian people have been suffering from injustice by the Israeli government. Aside from the Israeli tanks and bulldozers that occupy Palestinian lands, there is still the issue of checkpoints. Everyday thousands of Palestinians must wait for permission to cross through the sixty one manned military checkpoints throughout the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
According to the Israeli military, the system of checkpoints works to protect Israel from Palestinian attackers. Government and military officials have cited the system of checkpoints in the West Bank as one of the several factors contributing to a steady reduction in the number of suicide bombings against Israeli targets. Indeed, they are mistaken, with or without roadblocks, attacks will continue because the will of the Palestinian people cannot be broken.
Meanwhile, human rights groups have documented hundreds of cases of abuse by Israeli troops against Palestinian civilians at roadblocks: beatings, harassment, shootings, humiliation and life threatening delays. Last year a female Israeli soldier assigned to a Gaza Strip checkpoint was convicted of forcing a Palestinian woman at gunpoint to drink a bottle of cleaning fluid, according to court records. (The Washington Post) A couple of months ago, soldiers at the Beit Iba checkpoint ordered a Palestinian to open his violin case and play for them while the lines behind him grew. A large number of Palestinians seeking medical care have died during delays at checkpoints. What should normally be a few minutes for a student to get to school are now a few hours back and forth five days a week. This is unacceptable.
Checkpoints are often packed by the hundreds on foot in bitter heat or icy rains. Everyday the regulations are different; one day everyone is allowed to pass while on another no one gets through. It is fairly unpredictable. All these inconveniences fuel the frustration and hatred towards Israel. Like the rest of the world, Palestinians have jobs to go to and families to see. These daily activities are difficult to accomplish when having to face roadblocks operated by the enemy.
In 1995 following an attack on Bet Lid, Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin made his goals more specific: “This path must lead to separation, though not according to the borders prior to 1967. We want to reach a separation between us and them.” The construction of the Israeli Apartheid Wall began on the 16th of June, 2002 ( http://www.americantaskforce.org/the_wall.htm ).This barrier, which will eventually extend over approximately 790 kilo meter, consists of a series of 25 foot high concrete walls, trenches, barbed wire “buffer zones”, electrified fencing with uncountable watch towers, electronic sensors, thermal imaging video cameras, unmanned aerial vehicles, sniper towers and roads for patrol vehicles.
This wall separates the Israeli territories from the Palestinian territories; but not quite. The path the wall is taking through the West Bank is resulting in massive land confiscation. The construction of the wall has so far already uprooted an estimated 102,320 Palestinian olive and citrus trees. The land between the Green Line and the wall has been declared a “closed military zone”. Due to this, all the people living in this “zone” will require permits to stay living in their homes. 71 primary health clinics will be isolated from the West Bank between the wall and the Green Line. The construction of the wall being built by Israel in the occupied Palestinian territory, including in and around East Jerusalem is contrary to International law. But still the building of the Apartheid Wall goes on. When the wall is completed, nearly all of the West Bank population will be affected by the wall through loss of land, imprisonment in ghettos or isolation in areas de facto annexed to Israel.
On December 8, 2003 – The United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution asking the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to issue an advisory opinion on the legal consequences of Israel’s constructing of the barrier. By a ruling of thirteen votes to two, the (ICJ) found that “all States are under obligation not to recognize the illegal situation resulting from the construction of the wall and not to render aid assistance in maintaining the situation created by such construction.
The building of the Apartheid Wall continues today. Just about 45% of the wall has been completed. And the numbers of checkpoints have only increased. Palestinians are separated from land, resources, and family. Life in Palestine has never been so miserable. Yet many people see a strong need for this kind of security. But this is not security. This is imprisonment. The state of Israel is in grave violation of human rights. Sadly Israel is showing little sensitivity towards the Palestinians people.
After much un-needed research, I have come to learn that Palestine is in fact the largest open air prison in existence. Israel has raped the Palestinian people of their right to freedom. And America, the so called “super power”, clearly does not give two shits about Palestine and the people in it for they have done nothing to stop this nonsense. I am embarrassed to call myself an American. The construction of the Apartheid Wall and the system of checkpoints takes a heavy toll on the Palestinians. Yet they are strong-willed people, and the roadblocks will not STOP them from living their lives or even ending them. The Palestinians desire nothing more than to live normal lives but even that freedom has been taken away from them.
Posts
