Muslims Repulse Jewish Attempt to Storm Al-Aqsa

By Khalid Amayreh

Dozens of Palestinians were hurt, two seriously, on Sunday, September 27, when crack Israeli policemen attacked worshipers who had just repulsed an attempt by Jewish extremists to hold Talmudic rituals at al-Haram al-Sharif.

“When the zealots were repulsed rather peacefully, the police became very outraged,” Mahmoud Abu Atta, an eyewitness, told IslamOnline.net.“As many as 70 policemen attacked us indiscriminately, young and old, with full force, using rubber-coated bullets, truncheons, tear gas and even poisonous gas.”

An elderly man, identified as 73-year-old Muhammed Joulani, was hit with a rubber-coated bullet in the eye and his condition was described as “very serious.”A young Palestinian, 22, was badly hurt in the head.

Dozens others suffered from tear gas inhalation as well as brutal beating by police which, eye

witnesses said, employed “exaggerated force.”Eyewitnesses said tension began when dozens of Jewish religious zealots, disguised as tourists, stealthily entered Aqsa esplanade through its western gate, known as Bab el-Majles.

The intruders soon began, under police protection, performing Talmudic rites and making slogans calling for the destruction of the Islamic holy shrine.Muslim guards as well as ordinary worshipers chased the Jewish zealots out.

“The police chased worshipers inside Aqsa Mosque, where the soldiers fired heavily into the holy place, causing many people to suffocate as a result of gas inhalation,” said Atta.“I saw the police gang up on young people, beating them mercilessly. The police were not out to maintain law and order. They just wanted to retaliate and punish us for repulsing the fanatical settlers.”

Atta said the worshipers sought desperately to defend themselves against police brutality, using little stones, shoes and chairs.Efforts by Jewish zealots to storm the Aqsa Mosque esplanade coincide with Yom Kippur holiday or Day of Atonement, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar.It coincides with then opposition leader Ariel Sharon’s provocative visit to al-Aqsa esplanade nine years ago which sparked off the al-Aqsa Intifada.

Muslim Duty; "Hence it is the responsibility of the entire Umma to protect and safeguard this holy place from Zionist plots and evil designs,” Sheikh Sabri told IOL. Muslim officials in Al-Quds (occupied East Jerusalem) had earlier called on Muslims throughout the city to go to al-Haram al-Sharif to protect it from Jewish fanatics trying to gain a foot-hold.

“We constantly urge Muslims here to maintain a permanent and uninterrupted presence at the Aqsa Mosque,” Dr. Sheikh Ikrma Sabri, the imam of Aqsa Mosque, told IOL.Hundreds of Jerusalemites and other Muslims from across the Green Line (Israel) arrived at the Mosque to repulse the zealots.

Confrontations broke out near Bab el-Majles when Israeli police prevented hundreds of Muslims, including leaders of the Islamic movement, from entering the Haram compound.Many were detained and taken away to nearby police lockups.

Israeli police also assaulted Abdul Azim Salhab, head of the Supreme Muslim Council, as he was trying to enter al-Haram al-Sharif through the northern Gate, known as Bab el Asbat.They also prevented a number of prominent Muslim religious and civic figures from entering the Aqsa esplanade, including Dr. Sheikh Sabri.Hatem Abdul Qader, a member of the Palestinian Legislative Council, was also barred from entering the Haram.

“The preservation of Aqsa Mosque is not the sole responsibility of Muslims in Palestine, because the holy sanctuary belongs to the entire Muslim Umma,” insisted Sheikh Sabri.“Hence it is the responsibility of the entire Umma to protect and safeguard this holy place from Zionist plots and evil designs.”Al-Aqsa is the Muslims’ first Qiblah [the direction Muslims take during prayers] and it is the third holiest shrine after Al Ka`bah in Makkah and Prophet Muhammad's Mosque in Madinah, Saudi Arabia.

It's significance has been reinforced by the incident of Al Isra'a and Al Mi'raj — the night journey from Makkah to Al-Quds and the ascent to the Heavens by Prophet Muhammad (Peace and Blessings be Upon Him).The Supreme Muslim Council of Al-Quds earlier issued a call on Muslims around the world urging them to stand firm in the face of Israel’s criminal conspiracies against Aqsa Mosque.

Israeli religious leaders, including Knesset members, are making no secret of their schemes regarding Al-Aqsa.The Temple Mount Faithful, an extremist fanatical group, is dedicated to the demolition of Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock.

The Temple Mount Institute, another extremist Jewish society, had prepared detailed plans for the rebuilding of the so-called Solomon Temple on the rubble of Al-Aqsa.It has a large prototype of the temple, special clothes for its rabbis, special places for sacrificial offerings, incense chalice, copper vessels for meal offerings, silver vessel for wine libation and other offering implements. (end)

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MARCH to WAR:Ahmadinejad Speech at the UN General Assembly

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A must read;


"I have talked about the two conflicting outlooks prevailing in our world; one that is based on the predominance of its materialistic interests through spreading inequality and oppression, poverty and deprivation, aggression, occupation and deception, and tends to bring the entire world under its control and impose its will on other nations. This outlook has produced nothing but frustration, disappointment and a dark future for the entire humanity."

Those who stand for nothing will fall for anything

Ahmadinejad Speech at the UN General Assembly, September 23, 2009:

In the ‘Name of Qod, the Compassionate, the Merciful raise Be to fillah, the Lord of the “Universe, and peace and blessing be upon our Master and (prophet, Mohammad, and his pure ‘Household, and his noble Companions” “Oh, god, hasten the arrival of Imam fit- Mahdi and grant him good health and victory and make us his followers and those who attest to his rightfulness”

Mr. (President, (Excellencies, Ladies and (gentlemen, I thank the Almighty God for granting me, once more, this opportunity to address this important international meeting. I wish to begin by congratulating you, Mr. President, for having assumed the presidency of the 64th Session of the UN General Assembly and wish you all the success. I also extend my thanks to H.E. Mr. Miguel d’Escoto Brockmann, President of the 63rd Session of the General Assembly, for his excellent stewardship of the work of the General Assembly during his term. Over the past four years I have talked to you concerning the main challenges facing our world. I have talked about the roots and underlying causes of these challenges and the need for the world powers to review their outlook and workout new mechanisms to address the pressing international problems.

I have talked about the two conflicting outlooks prevailing in our world; one that is based on the predominance of its materialistic interests through spreading inequality and oppression, poverty and deprivation, aggression, occupation and deception, and tends to bring the entire world under its control and impose its will on other nations. This outlook has produced nothing but frustration, disappointment and a dark future for the entire humanity.

The other outlook is the one that spouses with the belief in the oneness of the Almighty God, follows the teaching of His messengers, respects human dignity and seeks to build a secure world for all members of the human community, in which everybody can equally enjoy the blessings of sustainable peace and spirituality. The latter is an outlook that respects all human beings, nations, and valuable cultures in defiance of all types of discrimination in the world, and commits itself into a constant fight to promote equality for all before the law on the basis of justice and fraternity, laying a solid foundation to guarantee equal access for all human beings in their quest to excel in knowledge and science. I have laid emphasis time and again on the need to make fundamental changes in the current attitudes towards the world and the human being in order to be able to create a bright tomorrow.

Friends and Colleagues; Today, I wish to share with you a few points about the changes that should take place. First, Clearly, continuation of the current circumstances in the world is impossible. The present inequitable and unfavorable conditions run counter to the very nature of human kind and move in a direction which contravenes the truth and the goal behind the creation of the world. It is no longer possible to inject thousands of billions of dollars of unreal wealth to the world economy simply by printing worthless paper assets, or transfer inflation as well as social and economic problems to others through creating sever budget deficits. The engine of unbridled capitalism with its unfair system of thought has reached the end of road and is unable to move. The era of capitalist thinking and . imposition of one’s thoughts on the international community, intended to predominate the world in the name of globalization and the age of setting up empires is over. It is no longer possible to humiliate nations and impose double standard policies on the world community.

Approaches in which realization of the interests of certain powers is considered as the only criteria to weigh democracy, and using the ugliest methods of intimidation and deceit under the mantle of freedom as a democratic practice, and approaches through which sometimes dictators are portrayed as democrats, lack legitimacy and must be totally rejected. The time has come to an end for those who define democracy and freedom and set standards whilst they themselves are the first who violate its fundamental principles. They can no longer sit both the judge and the executor and challenge the real democratically- established governments. The awakening of nations and the expansion of freedom worldwide will no longer allow them to continue their hypocrisy and vicious attitudes.

Because of all these reasons most nations including the people of the Untied States are waiting for real and profound changes. They have welcomed and will continue to welcome changes. How can one imagine that the inhuman policies in Palestine may continue; to force the entire population of a country out of their homeland for more than 60 years by resorting to force and coercion; to attack them with all types of arms and even prohibited weapons; to deny them of their legitimate right of self-defense, while much to the chagrin of the international community calling the occupiers as the peace lovers, and portraying the victims as terrorists. How can the crimes of the occupiers against defenseless women and children and destruction of their homes, farms, hospitals and schools be supported unconditionally by certain governments, and at the same time, the oppressed men and women be subject to genocide and heaviest economic blockade being denied of their basic needs, food, water and medicine.

They are not even allowed to rebuild their homes which were destroyed during the 22-day barbaric attacks by the Zionist regime while the winter is approaching. Whereas the aggressors and their supporters deceitfully continue their rhetoric in defense of human rights in order to put others under pressure. It is no longer acceptable that a small minority would dominate the politics, economy and culture of major parts of the world by its complicated networks, and establish a new form of slavery, and harm the reputation of other nations, even European nations and the U.S., to attain its racist ambitions.

It is not acceptable that some who are several thousands of kilometers away from the Middle East would send their troops for military intervention and for spreading war, bloodshed, aggression, terror and intimidation in the whole region while blaming the protests of nations in the region, that are concerned about their fate and their national security, as a move against peace and as interference in others’ affairs. Look at the situations in Iraq and Afghanistan. It is no longer possible to bring a country under military occupation in the name of fight against terrorism and drug trafficking while the production of illicit drugs has multiplied, terrorism has widened its dimensions and has tightened its grips, thousands of innocent people have been killed, injured or displaced, infrastructures have been destroyed and regional security has been seriously jeopardized; and those who have created the current disastrous situation continue to blame others. How you can talk about friendship and solidarity with other nations while you expand your military bases in different parts of the world including in Latin America.

This situation cannot continue. It is all the more impossible to advance expansionist and inhuman policies on the basis of militaristic logic. The logic of coercion and intimidation will produce dire consequences, exacerbating the present global problems. It is not acceptable that the military budget of some governments exceeds far larger than those of the entire countries of the world. They export billions of dollars of arms every year, stockpile chemical and biological weapons, establish military bases or have military presence in other countries while accusing others of militarism, and mobilize all their resources in the world to impede scientific and technological progress of other nations under the pretext of countering arms proliferation. It is not acceptable that the United Nations and the Security Council, whose decisions must represent all nations and governments by the application of the most democratic methods in their decision making processes, be dominated by a few governments and serve their interests. In a world where cultures, thoughts and public opinions should be the determining factors, the continuation of the present situation is impossible, and fundamental changes seem to be unavoidable. Second; Any change must be structural and fundamental both in theory and practice, involving all domains of our life.

The outdated mechanisms which themselves were instrumental in and the root cause for present problems in human societies can never be used to bring changes and create our desired world. Liberalism and capitalism that have alienated human beings from heavenly and moral values will never bring happiness for humanity because they are the main source of all misfortune wars, poverty and deprivation. We have all seen that how the inequitable economic structures controlled by certain political interests have been used to plunder national wealth of countries for the benefit of a group of corrupt business giants. The present structures are incapable of reforming the present situation. The political and economic structures created following the World War II that was based on intentions to dominate the world failed to promote justice and lasting security. Rulers whose hearts do not beat for the love of humankind and who sacrificed the spirit of justice in their minds never offer the promise of peace and friendship to humanity.

By the grace of God, Marxism is gone. It is now history. The expansionist Capitalism will certainly have the same fate. Because based on the divine traditions referred to as a principle in the Holy Quran, the wrong like the bubbles on the surface of water, will disappear. There remains only what that can be used forever towards the interest of human societies. We must all remain vigilant to prevent the pursuit of colonialist, discriminatory and inhuman goals under the cover of the slogans for change and in new formats. The world needs to undergo fundamental changes and all must engage collectively to make them happen in the right direction, and through such efforts no one and no government would consider itself an exception to change or superior to others and try to impose its will on others by proclaiming world leadership. All problems existing in our world today emanate from the fact that rulers have distanced themselves from human values, morality and the teachings of divine messengers. Regrettably, in the current international relations, selfishness and insatiable greed have taken the place of such humanitarian concepts as love, sacrifice, dignity, and justice. The belief in the One God has been replaced with selfishness. Some have taken the place of God and insist to impose their values and wishes on others. Lies have taken the place of honesty; hypocrisy has replaced integrity and selfishness has taken the place of sacrifice. Deception in interactions is called foresight and statesmanship; looting the wealth of other nations is called development efforts; occupation is introduced as a gift towards promotion of freedom and democracy, and defenseless nations are subjected to repression in the name of defending human rights. Friends and Colleagues; Settlement of global problems and administration of justice and maintenance of peace will only be materialized with collective determination and cooperation of all nations and states. The age of polarizing the world on the premises of the hegemony or domination of a few governments is over.

Today we must rise together in a collective commitment against the present challenges; we must take change seriously and help others through collective work to return to the basic moral and human values. Messengers were sent by God to show the light of the truth to human kind, they came to make people aware of their individual and social obligations. Piety, having faith to Allah and its judgment of human behavior or conduct in the next world, belief in the primacy of justice in both lives, seeking one’s happiness, well being and security in the happiness, well-being and security of others, respecting human kind, making efforts to expand love and compassion against hostility were all on top of the teachings offered by the Messengers of God from Adam to Noah, from Noah to Abraham, Moses, Jesus Christ and the last one Prophet Mohamamd (PUH).

All of them came to do something to eliminate war and ignorance, to eradicate poverty and uproot discrimination in order to spread happiness in the entire world. They are the best gifts that God Almighty has granted to human beings. If the belief in Entezar( A waiting patiently for the Imam to return) will turn into a common and we join hands to achieve prosperity for all, then there will be more real and increasing hopes for reform. 5 (fourth; In my opinion, we have several important agendas in front of us. The Secretary- General and the UN General Assembly can take the lead by undertaking necessary measures for the fulfillment of our shared goals on the basis of:

1 – Restructuring the United Nations in order to transform this world body to an efficient and fully democratic organization, capable of playing an impartial, equitable, and effective role in the international relations; reforming the structure of the Security Council, specially by abolishing the discriminatory privilege of veto right; restoration of the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people by organizing a referendum and free elections in Palestine in order to prepare a conducive ground for all Palestinian populations, including Muslims, Christians and Jews to live together in peace and harmony; putting an end to all types of interferences in the affairs of Iraq, Afghanistan, Middle East, and in all countries in Africa, Latin America, Asia and Europe. As our great Prophet said, a government may survive with blasphemy, but never with oppression. Oppression against Palestinians and violation of their rights still continue; a new group of Palestinians who lived in al-Qod al-Sharif were again forced out of their homes as the destruction of their residential homes continues by the occupiers; bombings in Afghanistan and Pakistan have not yet sopped; and Guantanamo Prison has not yet been shut down and there are still secret prisons in Europe. Continuation of the present situation adds to hostilities and violence. Oppression and military aggression must be stopped. Regrettably, official reports concerning the brutalities of the Zionist regime in Gaza have not been completely published. The Secretary-General and the United Nations have crucial responsibilities in this respect and the international community is impatiently waiting for the punishment of the aggressors and the murderers of the defenseless people of Gaza.

2- Reforming the current economic structures and setting up a new international economic order based on human and moral values and obligations. A new course is needed that would help promote justice and progress worldwide by flourishing the potentials and talents of all nations thus bringing well-being for all and for future generations;

3- Reforming the international political relations based on the promotion of lasting peace and friendship, eradication of arms race and elimination of all nuclear, chemical and biological weapons;

4- Reforming cultural structures , respect for diverse customs and traditions of all nations, fostering moral values and spirituality aimed at institution of family as the backbone of all human societies; 5- Worldwide efforts to protect the environment and full observance of the international agreements and arrangements to prevent the annihilation of nature’s non-renewable resources.

Fifth; Our nation has successfully gone through a glorious and fully- democratic election, opening a new chapter for our country in the march towards national progress and enhanced international interactions. They entrusted me once more with a large majority this heavy responsibility.

And now, I want to declare that our great nation that has made great contribution to the world civilization, and the Islamic Republic of Iran as one of the most democratic and progressive governments of the world is ready to mobilize all its cultural, political and economic capabilities to engage into constructive process aimed at addressing the international concerns and challenges. Our country has been a main victim of terrorism and the target of an all-out military aggression during the first decade of the revolution. All through the past thirty years we have been subject to hostile attitudes of those who supported Saddam’s military aggression and his use of chemical weapons against us, and then they took military action in Iraq to get rid of him.

Today, our nation seeks to create a world in which justice and compassion prevail. We announce our commitment to participate in the process of building a durable peace and security worldwide for all nations based on justice, spirituality and human dignity, while being dedicated to strongly defending our legitimate and legal rights. To materialize these goals, our nation is prepared to warmly shake all those hands which are honestly extended to us. No nation can claim to be free from the need to change and reform in this journey towards perfectness. We welcome real and humane changes and stand ready to actively engage in fundamental global reforms.

Therefore, we emphasize that: – The only path to remain safe is to return to Mmonotheism (believing in the Oneness of God) and justice, and this is the greatest hope and opportunity in all ages and generations. Without belief in God and commitment to the cause of justice and fight against injustice and discrimination, the world architect would not get right. Man is at the center of the universe. The man’s unique feature is his humanity. The same feature which seeks for justice, piety, love, knowledge, awareness and all other high values. These human values should be supported, and each and every fellow humans should be given the opportunity to acquire them. Neglecting any of them is tantamount to the omission of a constituting piece of humanity.

These are common elements which connect all human communities and constitute the basis of peace, security and friendship. 7 The divine religions pay attention to all aspects of human life, including obedience to God, morality, justice, fighting oppression, and endeavor to establish just and good governance. Prophet Abraham called for Oneness of God against Nimrod, as Prophet Moses did the same against Pharaohs and the Jesus Christ and Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon them) did against the oppressors of their own time. They were all threatened to death and were forced out of their homelands. Without resistance and objection, the injustices would not be removed from the face of the earth. Sixth; (Dear friends and colleagues; The world is in continuous change and evolution.

The promised destiny for the mankind is the establishment of the humane pure life. Will come a time when justice will prevail across the globe and every single human being will enjoy respect and dignity. That will be the time when the Mankind’s path to moral and spiritual perfectness will be opened and his journey to God and the manifestation of the God’s Divine Names will come true. The mankind should excel to represent the God’s “knowledge and wisdom”, His “compassion and benevolence”, His “justice and fairness”, His “power and art”, and His “kindness and forgiveness”. These will all come true under the rule of the Perfect Man, the last Divine Source on earth, Hazrat Mahdi (Peace be upon him); an offspring of the Prophet of Islam, who will re-emerge, and Jesus Christ (Peace be upon him) and other noble men will accompany him in the accomplishment of this, grand universal mission. And this is the belief in Entezar (Awaiting patiently for the Imam to return). Waiting with patience for the rule of goodness and the governance of the Best which is a universal human notion and which is a source of nations’ hope for the betterment of the world. 1 They will come, and with the help of righteous people and true believers will materialize the man’s long-standing desires for freedom, perfectness, maturity, security and tranquility, peace and beauty. They will come to put an end to war and aggression and present the entire knowledge as well as spirituality and friendship to the whole world. Yes; Indeed, the bright future for the mankind will come. (Dearfriends, In waiting for that brilliant time to come and in a collective commitment, let’s make due contributions in paving the grounds and preparing the conditions for building that bright future. Long live love and spirituality; long live peace and security; long live justice and freedom. God’s Peace and blessing be upon you all.

Written by marchtowar

September 23, 2009 at 11:26 PM

“…How can one imagine that the inhuman policies in Palestine may continue; to force the entire population of a country out of their homeland for more than 60 years by resorting to force and coercion; to attack them with all types of arms and even prohibited weapons; to deny them of their legitimate right of self-defense, while much to the chagrin of the international community calling the occupiers as the peace lovers, and portraying the victims as terrorists.

“How can the crimes of the occupiers against defenseless women and children and destruction of their homes, farms, hospitals and schools be supported unconditionally by certain governments, and at the same time, the oppressed men and women be subject to genocide and heaviest economic blockade being denied of their basic needs, food, water and medicine.

“They are not even allowed to rebuild their homes which were destroyed during the 22-day barbaric attacks by the Zionist regime while the winter is approaching. Whereas the aggressors and their supporters deceitfully continue their rhetoric in defense of human rights in order to put others under pressure.

“It is no longer acceptable that a small minority would dominate the politics, economy and culture of major parts of the world by its complicated networks, and establish a new form of slavery, and harm the reputation of other nations, even European nations and the U.S., to attain its racist ambitions.”

Read Also;

March to War

Those who stand for nothing will fall for anything

A UN special focus on Gaza under siege

In August 2009, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) published a special report titled: “Locked In: The Humanitarian Impact of Two Years of Blockade on the Gaza Strip.” It focuses on import and export restrictions, the travel ban on “livelihoods, food security, education, health, shelter, energy and water, and sanitation.” It explains how violence and human rights abuses increase the suffering of 1.5 million people.

Following Hamas’ January 2006 electoral victory, all outside aid was cut off. Sanctions and an economic embargo were imposed, and the democratically elected government was falsely accused of being a terrorist organization and isolated. Stepped up repression followed as well as IDF attacks, killings, targeted assassinations, property destruction, and more. Gazans have been imprisoned ever since. In silence, the world community sanctions Israeli crimes and shares guilt for their commission.

In June 2007, Israel placed the Territory under siege and imposed an unprecedented blockade on nearly all movement and supplies in and out of the Strip, “triggering a protracted human dignity crisis with negative humanitarian consequences.” At its heart is the “degradation (of) living conditions,” the erosion of livelihoods, the lack of vital services in the areas of health, water, sanitation and education, and the collapse of essential infrastructure in the wake of Operation Cast Lead. Read More…

MTW comment: Israel consistently denies accusations pointing to the crime of ethnic cleansing of Palestinians. In politics, intentions and declarations don’t count, results do. And results, in Gaza, clearly show all characteristics of intended and carefully planned ethnic cleansing. Israel is not above the law and, like all other countries, should be fully liable for its criminal policies and illegal actions.

Related:

• It’s official: Nakba is removed from the curriculum in occupied Palestine
• Israeli warplanes strike on southern Gaza, no injuries reported
• Israeli tanks invade Gaza, meet resistance
• Tutu’s Prayer

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UN Assembly Meeting 2009: Another Farcical Show

This article was written a few hours before the New York meeting

By Khalid Amayreh22 September, 2009

One doesn’t have to be a prophet to predict the outcome, or more correctly failure, of the three-way meeting between President Obama, the Israeli premier Benyamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority (PA) Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, which is to take place later today in New York.

The meeting comes on the heels of two important events: First the nearly total failure of Obama’s personal Envoy to the Middle East, George Mitchell, to convince the extremist Israeli leadership to freeze Jewish settlement expansion in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Mitchell met numerous times with Israeli officials in the hope of convincing them to walk in the path of peace.

However, instead of listening to Mitchell, who represents the President of Israel’s guardian-ally, Israeli leaders chose to announce fresh settlement expansion plans every time the American diplomat arrived in Jerusalem.

Moreover, the numerous promises made to Mitchell with regard to a settlement freeze, even including the pledged dismantling of so-called illegal outposts, have all failed to materialize.

Hence, one can assume that the New York meeting is actually a timely recognition by the Obama administration of the utter failure of Mitchell’s shuttle diplomacy. Second, the three-way encounter comes a week after the publication of the Goldstone’s Commission report which asserted that Israel knowingly and deliberately committed war crimes and crimes against humanity during the December-January blitz against the Gaza Strip.

Needless to say, during the Nazi-like onslaught, the Israeli army, or Jewish Wehrmacht, murdered, maimed and incinerated thousands of innocent Palestinians. In addition, thousands of buildings, mostly civilian infrastructure such as homes, mosques and schools were utterly bombed and destroyed.

This is not Arab propaganda: Any human being can travel to Gaza and see for himself or herself the huge magnitude of the shocking holocaust. For those who can’t travel to the besieged coastal territory, they can have access to “Google Earth” and see for themselves. The important thing is not to succumb to the Zionist hasbara machine. These people lie as often as they breathe, to put it mildly.

It is therefore shameful and immoral for the American President, who had promised ad nauseam that decency and dignity would loom large in his administration, to invite and welcome the leader of a criminal entity whose modus operandi continues to consist of murder, lie and land theft.

This really forces many to pose the following question: What would it take to get the Obama administration to adopt an meaningful stand against Israeli expansionism, racism and bellicosity? Obama is not a stupid man. He must be fully aware of the twisted modes of Israeli thinking. Even a brief argument with an Israeli leader or diplomat would reveal the striking morbidity of the Zionist mentality.

This is why it is hard to fathom how an intelligent man continues to believe that the fudge-and-compromise approach would still be working with such racist-minded Zionists who think that the entire universe was created for the sake of the Jew. My prediction of the New York encounter’s failure is not a matter of soothsaying.

It is rather a careful reading into consistent Israeli political behavior since time immemorial. To put it simply, Israel will not give up the spoils of the 1967 war, unless it is forced to. Israel will not give up the bulk of Occupied East Jerusalem unless it is forced to. Israel will not allow the thoroughly-savaged refugees to be repatriated to their former homes and villages unless it is forced to.

Finally, Israel will not remove these children of rape, otherwise known as “settlements” unless it is forced to. In light, it is perfectly legitimate to wonder if the US which has been utterly unable to get Israel to stop the construction of even a few settler buildings in East Jerusalem, or even in the rest of the West Bank, would ever be able to compel the Zionist regime to undo the entire Zionist project.

This is why one must always be cautious and realistic when appraising the inherently oblique American-Israeli-Palestinian axel. In particular, one must resist the temptation of thinking that the US is the dominant player in this scandalous tripartite game of conspiracy, bullying, betrayal, domination, and compulsion.

President Obama might be tempted to view with favor misleading Zionist arguments that the Palestinians would have to compromise and give concessions just as Israel is demanded to give concessions. But this argument is inherently mendacious and unfair.

After all, Israel has been devouring rather gluttonously the contested piece of cheese for many decades, so much so that very little of it has been left anyway. Hence, the question that imposes itself on the conscience of conscientious men and women around the world, people who value honesty and justice, is whether it is fair and just to divide the remaining little of the proverbial cheese between Israel and the savaged Palestinians.

In 1948, Zionist Jews usurped our country, committed hideous massacres, destroyed our homes and villages before deporting the majority of native Palestinians to the four corners of the globe. The Nakba was our national catastrophe and in a certain sense was our holocaust as well. The harsh impact of this cardinal disaster remained relevant today as it was more than 60 years ago.

However, instead of seeking genuine reconciliation with the Palestinians, if only by recognizing their basic human rights, successive Israeli leaderships constantly sought to consummate Zionism by trying to effect our national annihilation.

Didn’t the infamous Gold Meir claim that the Palestinians didn’t exist? Don’t the shipyard dogs of Zionism continue to this day to argue that a Palestinian state never existed as if people not confined into a nation-state structure didn’t have the right live on their respective homelands?

As to the Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas, it is crystal clear he is not the best person to lead his people and represent their enduring aspirations for freedom of Justice. He is not an eloquent tongue that would fearlessly defend our people’s cause nor is he a tough and principled leader who wouldn’t budge under pressure.

Moreover, Abbas stands at the helm of an entity whose very survival depends to a large extent on the “good will” and politically-motivated charity provided by western countries and their Arab puppet regimes. This is why it is extremely important that the Palestinian people must closely monitor Abbas’s behavior in the coming weeks and months.

I am saying this because in the absence of a clarion, determined and collective “NO” to any prospective concessions by the PLO leadership, especially with regard to our national constants, Netanyahu and his criminal comrades could have their way of imposing de facto capitulation on an un-sovereign leadership that is more concerned about defeating Hamas than ending the Nazi-like Israeli occupation of our country.

In the final analysis :People whose aspirations don’t go beyond owning a smart car and having a hefty salary at the end of the month can’t be entrusted to be honest representatives of the Palestinian people. And a final word to the new Fatah leadership. You repeatedly described yourselves as the new patriotic leadership of the Palestinian people. We listened to you with indifferent silence because we didn’t believe a word of what you were saying. Now it is your turn to prove us wrong. (end)

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TELL THE WORLD : We Need a Manifesto to End the Palestinian Suffering !

Palestinian travellers staked out these quieter kept waiting in the dungeon

Dead end

Children kept waiting for days in the dungeon

Certainly the situation on the border hasn't changed in the slightest: for aid, all of which, despite assurances to the contrary, is still rotting in El Arish; for Palestinians, most of whom cannot pass, or can pass with difficulty - see below; and for exports, which are simply not allowed. Pity that the Egyptians only want to keep the parts of agreements that don't involve doing nice things to Palestinians.

I arrived again on foot on Monday Morning, was processed with a friendly cup of coffee, and put on the bus to Egypt. This bus only travels about 500 metres, but you must be on it, you cannot walk. The bus took 12 hours to cover this 500 metres the day before, during which time everyone got on and off several times, scrambling to get back on when it moved forward 100 meters, then getting off again to sit in exactly the same place as before, or walk back to the departure lounge to use the toilet.

On the Monday we got through to Egypt at an early 3pm, only 5 hours after arrival. The delay is caused by the Egyptians, who call through the buses when they want them.

Because I am the last of the convoy, travelling alone, I will be transitted with the Palestinians.

They, many having been down this route before, tell me that we will be put on buses, taken under police escort to Cairo airport and deported - sorry, transitted to our country of destination. All, or nearly all, Palestinians seem to be treated this way.

Most of my group are travelling to Saudi where they used to work, until the border was sealed. now after several attempts by most of them, they are being allowed to go back there, but the Egyptians have not, and seemingly will not, grant them visas for Egypt, so they have to travel by escorted transit, which is, to be fair, a not uncommon procedure, and is one that I have certainly experienced widely.

I moved to the transit lounge at about 7pm, after only three hours waiting! A further 5 hours or so lolling about there saw us being loaded up in to the buses which were not totally uncomfortable, and a further 4 hours on the parked bus, about 3 or 4 am found us begin slowly moving towards Cairo.

Daylight found us stopping for half an hour at a cafe, the first opportunity to buy food other than sweets since entering the whole system, and the first opportunity to use the toilet in about 8 hours, and then onward to Cairo Airport where we arrived at 10 am or so. We were then processed through passport control twice, making a total of perhaps six times on the journey, and were led outside the terminal building to our Transit Lounge.

I think the Palestinians were not expecting me to be taken there with them, and when I arrived, I was warmly welcomed and given scraps of bread and cheese which people had saved from their journeys. People told me, partly with satisfaction that a Westerner was experiencing their plight, at last, and partly with a sense of concern for my delicate constitution, that NOW, I could understand the Palestinian condition!

The collection of rooms was a maximum of 13 metres by 27 metres, but this was divided into rooms in haphazard fashion, some of which were locked and a large one of which was a toilet and shower room, the only one. The only windows were the double entrance doors, at the end of a corridor leading into the complex. The ceiling was low, about 8 feet, although there did at least seem to be some ventilation. There was no facility for rubbish disposal, and internally, the rooms were entirely unsupervised, so that any intimidation or racketeering could not have been controlled.

Our buses deposited about 150 people into this space, but it was not empty when we arrived, there were people there who had spent days, and one man claimed a month, though I could not verify it. These long termers had staked out scraps of prayer mats as beds on the dirty stone flagged floor, and sat there guarding their spaces. I took a couple of photos, but was warned against it. But here they are.

The problem for the Saudi workers was that they had expired visas, and no-one has political representation in Gaza (except the UK!), so to get a new visa, Palestinians must travel to the embassy in Cairo!!!! They cannot get into Egypt to do this however, without convincing the Egyptian authorities that they will, indeed get one, so they have to get a pre-visa pass authorised by the Palestinian representation in Cairo and passed to the Egyptians, and then keep turning up at the Rafah crossing until, magically, one day their name is on a list.

When they get to Cairo, they are kept in this dungeon until the Palestinian representative meets them gets some paperwork, takes it the Saudi Embassy, and then returns it to them, usually two days later. But even when you get the visa, or work permit, or if you already have it, you must still stay in the hole until it is time for your flight.

In my group there was one American citizen, and apart from me, two British subjects, but no-one took any notice of them! Why?, because they were joint Palestine nationals, and thus 'Palestinians' as far as the Egyptians are concerned. The Brits contacted the Embassy, and were actually allowed to sit outside the dungeon in the sun 'because they had a small child', although I noticed that other mothers with small children did not manage to achieve this, so maybe being British does have its use.

They had already booked a flight - for Sunday, five days time, and they were to be detained until then. I asked why they booked so far ahead, and they answered that they had no idea how long their processing would be, and indeed, it had taken three days already, so taking a gamble on an earlier flight would have been foolhardy. They had rung the Embassy to try and get the flight re-arranged, but were not being allowed to go to the real transit lounge to do it by themselves. This means that they were under arrest, as far as I can see, by any meaningful definition.

I do not know by what rules a married couple with a child of 2 can be detained in a mixed sex prison for five days without beds, separate bathing, child facilities, rubbish disposal, daylight, privacy, or even food, unless they can afford the inflated prices charged by the runner who goes to the local cafe and brings food back. They are under arrest, not in any sense in transit, and their only crime, as usual, is that they are Palestinian -(even if they are British as well)

we were all taken under the supervision of a single policeman, to the real transit lounge. Getting my ticket was an interesting experience, but the main point was that I had no freedom of action. Sit here, stand there, bags here, go there, that's the flight and price, take it or leave it and go back to prison.

I was very sorry to leave my acquaintances there:

Ali, the American citizen with an open ticket to Dallas, who had had to wait months for permission from the Egyptians to leave Gaza. The American Emabassy had efused to co-ordinate his exit throough Rafah, insisting that he go through Israel. He agreed and duly filled out an application for a crossing through Erez, he received an acknowledgement from the embassy that they were processing it, but in five months he had heard nothing else, so had made his own way to Rafah; Sahal, who had been working in Saudi for 30 years and who had not been able to make his annual visit to his parents and family in Gaza for two years before he gave up everything to go back nine months ago, for his daughter's wedding and because his father was 90. He realised that he risked never going back, and indeed his return was after a gap of nine months, and three attempts at the border; and Mahmoud, also a Saudi worker, also waiting for his renewed visa from the Saudia embassy, and the man in charge of the battered fragments of Bread and cheese that I was regaled with on arrival.

These men, sat disconsolately in a shallow side corridor, on their scraps of carpet, because they had staked out these quieter spots the day before. Along the end of the wall was a row of 'lifers', the long term residents who had been there for up to a month. One of these men had a family, the woman staying in a side room that had become women only, and joining him only when someone got some food. They had a girl of about 10 who carried things between them with a skip in her step.

People saw me taking photographs and measuring the size of the room, and some at least rallied round and helped. All asked that I 'Tell the World About this", while many more were resigned and weary, but at least looked with a flutter of interest.

TELL THE WORLD ABOUT THIS. You know, I don't believe that at the time of the worst persecutions of Jews in Russia they were treated any worse than Palestinians are today. Perhaps we should have a declaration that to end the suffering of the Palestinians, we will give them a homeland !

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Press Release - Britain’s Unions Commit to a Mass Boycott Movement of Israeli Goods

Press release – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

17 September 2009

In a landmark decision, Britain’s trade unions have voted overwhelmingly to commit to build a mass boycott movement, disinvestment and sanctions on Israel for a negotiated settlement based on justice for Palestinians.

The motion was passed at the 2009 TUC Annual Congress in Liverpool today (17 September), by unions representing 6.5 million workers across the UK.

Hugh Lanning, chair of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, said: ‘This motion is the culmination of a wave of motions passed at union conferences this year, following outrage at Israel’s brutal war on Gaza, and reflects the massive growth in support for Palestinian rights.

We will be working with the TUC to develop a mass campaign to boycott Israeli goods, especially agricultural products that have been produced in illegal Israeli settlements in the Palestinian West Bank.’

The motion additionally called for the TUC General Council to put pressure on the British government to end all arms trading with Israel and support moves to suspend the EU-Israel trade agreement. Unions are also encouraged to disinvest from companies which profit from Israel’s illegal 42-year occupation of Gaza and the West Bank.

The motion was tabled by the Fire Brigades Union. The biggest unions in the UK, including Unite, the public sector union, and UNISON, which represents health service workers, voted in favour of the motion.

The motion also condemned the Israeli trade union Histadrut’s statement supporting Israel’s war on Gaza, which killed 1,450 Palestinians in three weeks, and called for a review of the TUC’s relationship with Histadrut.

Britain’s trade unions join those of South Africa and Ireland in voting to use a mass boycott campaign as a tool to bring Israel into line with international law, and pressure it to comply with UN resolutions that encourage justice and equality for the Palestinian people.

Palestine Solidarity Campaign

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Ramadan asserts Muslim attachment to Jerusalem

Khalid Amayreh in Jerusalem

16/09/2009 - 05:26 PM

As the month of Ramadan draws to a close, many Palestinians are devoting the last ten days of the holy month to gaining more spiritual enrichment through I’tikaf or uninterrupted spiritual engagement.

Many people are going for I’tikaf this year, motivated by a desire to gain Allah’s blessing and also encouraged by a relative relaxation of the normally harsh Israeli restrictions on the entry of Palestinians to al-Quds.

The Israeli occupation authorities this year allowed men over 50 and women over 45 to enter Jerusalem on Fridays. However, worshipers are still subjected to meticulous and often humiliating searches.

This, however, seems to have little bearing on the number of Muslims wanting to access the Haram al Sharif, or Noble Sanctuary, of Jerusalem.

Wakf officials estimate that an average of 200,000-250-000 Muslims prayed at the al-Aqsa esplanade every Friday. The number is expected to rise significantly on the last Friday of Ramadan, known in local folklore as “al Juma’a al Yatima” (the lone Friday)

According to Muslim traditions, reward for a single raka’a (a ritual posturing) at the Aqsa Mosque is multiplied 500 times. In Ramadan, the heavenly reward is multiplied 70 times.

Worshipers, withdrawing from worldly preoccupations, spend many hours reading the Quran, the literal words of God, making ritual prayers, and beseeching the Almighty for spiritual grace and blessing.

Islamic charities catering for the Mosque and the worshipers provide thousands of meals for the sunset meals marking the end of the day’s fast.

The charities also bring in worshipers who can’t afford the expenses of the trip.

Prior to sunset, the faithful sit down awaiting the Athan or call for prayer, marking the end of another fast’s day.

Allah is the most great,

I bear witness that there is no god but Allah.

I bear witness that Muhammed is the Messenger of God.

Come to prayer

Come to Prosperity

Allah is the Most Great

There is only one God

As the timeless words, which include Islam’s articles of faith, are chanted through loudspeakers, the fasters take a few dates and a glass of water before performing the Maghrib (sunset) prayer in congregation. The prayers lasts for only 5-7 minutes, and each part begins with the recitation of Suratul Fatiha, or Opening chapter of the Quran:

In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

Praise be to Allah, the Cherisher and Sustainer of the universe;

Most Gracious, Most Merciful;

Master of the Day of Judgment;

Thee do we worship, and Thy aid we seek;

Show us the straight way;

The way of those on whom Thou hast bestowed Thy Grace;

Not those targeted by thy wrath, nor those who go astray.

Following the usually delicious meal, many people rest for an hour or so, awaiting the Tarawih prayers, which last for an hour during which a portion of the Quran’s 30 portions is recited. The entire Quran is recited in Tarawih prayer during the holy month.

Laylatul Qadr

The Ramadan spiritual season reaches its climax with Laylatul Qadr, translated as “the Night of Power,” or “Night of Destiny.”

This is the night during which the Almighty sent down the Quran to the lower heaven, before revealing it to the Prophet Muhammed verse-by-verse through the archangel Gabriel.

In the Quran, Laylatul Qadr is accentuated as an occasion of unmatched spiritual importance.

We have indeed revealed this (the Quran) in the Night of Power:

And what will explain to thee what the night of power is?

The Night of Power is better than a thousand months.

Therein come down the angels and the Spirit, by Allah’s permission, on every errand:

Peace!...This until the rise of dawn!

It is generally assumed it occurs on the 27th night of the holy month and Muslims are strongly recommended to spend the night in prayer, contemplation and supplication.

This is exactly what tens of thousands of Palestinians do. And as always, it is expected that many more thousands of people will be heading for al-Masjidul Aqsa to spend the night there in prayer and reflection.

Catering for the hundreds of thousands of worshipers are several organizations, including al-Aqsa Association for Waqf and Islamic Heritage, headed by Sheikh Ra’ed Salah, the prominent Palestinian Islamic leader and founder of the Islamic movement in Israel .

According to the organization’s spokesperson, Mahmoud Abu Atta, more than 100,000 meals have been donated through the charitable group by donors, mostly from the 1.5 million -strong Arab community across the Green Line ( Israel ).

Other donors, including the government of the United Arab Emirates, have also donated money covering hundreds of thousands of meals at al Masjidul Aqsa.

In addition, thousands of people are bussed to Jerusalem from all over occupied Palestine nearly free of charge in order to keep the place occupied.

Sheikh Ikrema Sabri, one of the chief khatibs (preachers) at the Aqsa Mosque lauded the “impressive influx” of Muslims to Islam’s third holiest place.

“Al hamdulillah (praise be to Allah), this is an important message to the Zionist occupiers of our country, that Muslims will never ever abandon this place of paramount sanctity, and that they will never allow those coveting this place and conspiring to destroy it to attain their sick goals.”

Sabri’s words are not only received well by the huge multitude but are also internalized as is evidenced by the obviously unmitigated attachment of Palestinians to the place.

One young man from a village near al-Khalil ( Hebron ) remarked that without al-Masjidul Aqsa and al-Quds, the entire Palestinian issue loses relevance.

“Al-Quds is the heart of Palestine , and the Aqsa Mosque is the heart of Jerusalem . Which means that the Mosque is the heart of the heart of Palestine . Hence, I can’t even imagine that Muslims would even contemplate letting it down.

“I am not speaking about stones and ancient buildings, I am speaking about the essence of the Islamic Umma’s religious and spiritual existence. Hence, I can’t even imagine how the Muslim Umma can live without al-Quds and al-Masjidul Aqsa.

“Can a person live without his heart?”(end)

source: http://www.xpis.ps/; Palestinian Information Center

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Missile Defense: The Other Story

New missile defense architecture, expanded role for NATO

By Bruce Gagnon

Space for Peace - 2009-09-18

We are witnessing a flurry of emails and articles proclaiming victory after President Obama's announcement that he was going to scrap George W. Bush's plans to deploy missile defense interceptors in Poland and a Star Wars radar in the Czech Republic.

There is no doubt that our peace activist friends in those two countries do indeed have reason to celebrate after their hard and determined work to stop those deployments. We also need to recognize and thank the many people around the world who acted in solidarity with them during these past couple years of intensive campaigning.

But now that we've had a day to rejoice, the time has come for more reflection on what the Obama administration intends to do next. I've quickly learned during these eight months of watching Obama in action that when he gives something with one hand it is wise to watch what his other hand is taking away.

In his September 17 speech Obama stated that his new missile defense architecture for Europe would be more "comprehensive than the previous [Bush] program" and would be "enhanced" by NATO involvement.

Secretary of War Robert Gates was left to explain the details of the new missile defense "architecture" that would replace the now rejected deployment plan for Poland and the Czech Republic.

Gates stated that he was the one who had proposed three years ago to deploy the missile defense systems in Poland and the Czech Republic. He concluded that the original plan was no longer the best military "architecture" for the current "threat" from Iran. Thus instead of missile defense interceptors that would target offending missiles in their mid-course of flight, and that had a series of bad test results, the Pentagon now wanted to deploy in northern and southern Europe missile defense systems that had a proven testing record and were more appropriate for the kind of threat now expected from Iran.

The intelligence community now assesses that the threat from Iran's short- and medium-range ballistic missiles, such as the Shahab-3, is developing more rapidly than previously projected," Gates said. "This poses an increased and more immediate threat to our forces on the European continent, as well as to our allies."

Gates continued, "We now have proven capabilities to intercept these [short range] ballistic missiles with land and sea-based interceptors supported by much improved sensors. This allows us to deploy a distributed sensor network rather than a single-fixed site, like the kind slated for the Czech Republic."

US Navy Aegis destroyers, outfitted with Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) missile defense interceptors, would "provide flexibility to move interceptors from one region to another," Gates said. In years to come the SM-3 will be upgraded and be deployed throughout Europe as land-based systems as well. Since 2007 the SM-3 has had eight successful tests, including the February of 2008 shoot-down of a falling military satellite with an SM-3 missile from an Aegis ship in what many saw as proof that these systems also had "anti-satellite" weapons capability.

You can watch brief video clips of Gates here and Obama here from yesterday, or look below at one of my earlier posts for the videos.

The Russians first reaction was positive, as would be expected, since they were deeply concerned that the Poland and Czech deployments could be used by the US as the shield in a first-strike attack. But their concerns have not completely disappeared.

The Washington Post reported today that Maj. Gen. Vladimir Dvorkin, former chief of the Russian military's main research institute for nuclear strategy, cautioned that the reconfigured U.S. system could still pose a threat to Russia. "Everything depends on the scale of such a system," he told the Interfax news agency. "If it comprises a multitude of facilities, including a space echelon, it may threaten the Russian potential of nuclear deterrence."

As described by Gates and his top generals, Obama's new missile defense plan will unfold in three stages. By 2011, the Pentagon will deploy Navy Aegis ships equipped with SM-3 interceptors in the eastern Mediterranean.

A second phase in about 2015 will field an upgraded, land-based SM-3 in allied countries, and discussions are underway with Poland and the Czech Republic on basing the missiles in their territory, Gates said. In 2018, the third phase will deploy a larger and more capable missile, which will allow the system to protect Europe and the United States against short- and intermediate-range rockets and, eventually, intercontinental ballistic missiles.

Bloomberg News reports that, “This shift clearly benefits Lockheed Martin and Raytheon and is negative” for Boeing. “The move away from fixed missile-defense sites in Eastern Europe is a continuation of the more flexible, tactical missile-defense shield that Secretary Gates advocated," said Rob Stallard, an analyst at Macquarie Capital Inc. in New York.

The Pentagon's 2010 budget seeks 250 Standard Missile-3 interceptors. It also seeks to increase to 27 from 21 the number of warships equipped to launch the Standard Missile-3s and requests $1.6 billion to develop software and hardware to upgrade ships and to develop a ground-based model.

The Pentagon is also now promising Poland that Patriot missiles will still be deployed in that country as previously planned.

So in the end I see this as an adjustment in strategy due to technology as much as anything. The flexible, more mobile, short range missile defense systems are proving ready to go while the former Bush proposal for Poland and Czech Republic included technologies that are not yet proven.

Obama can appear to be stepping back from an immediate confrontation with Russia but in fact he is following the lead of the Pentagon who for some time has been saying that they must move to expand the more promising Navy Aegis-based missile defense system. This program has already been dramatically growing in the Asian-Pacific region and will now be slated for expanded European operations.

www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=15288

NATO Missile Defense

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Powerless: Gaza Ramadan Day 28

Powerless: Gaza Ramadan day 28

September 18, 2009

“It’s the worst feeling, to see my mother ill like this and knowing there is nothing we can do to help her. No one, no country will help her. Because she is Palestinian. From Gaza.”

This is the story of a mother from Gaza. But it is the story of all Palestinians from Gaza who are ill and need medical treatment outside, treatment which is unavailable because of the Israeli and Egyptian siege on Gaza and the winter 2008/2009 Israeli massacre of Gaza.

The Palestinian Ministry of Health reports that 356 Gaza Palestinians have died due to prohibited access to medical care. The latest deaths include a 3 year old child, Huda Qandil, who reportedly died on 14 September from cancer not treatable in Gaza. Martyred before her, a 7 year old, Dina Az-Zakzouk, who reportedly succumbed to her tumor.

An August 2009 IRIN news report cites “a July 2009 report published by the World Health Organization (WHO) in Jerusalem, Gaza doctors and nurses do not have the medical equipment to respond to the health needs of the 1.5 million people living in the Gaza Strip.

Medical equipment is often broken, lacking spare parts, or outdated. WHO attributes the dismal state of Gaza’s healthcare system to the Israeli blockade of the territory.“

The same article quotes a Palestinian whose father “is only given pain killers” for his cancer, the needed medications not available in Gaza. Later, it states that “the largest number of deaths due to the siege is among cancer patients. Radiotherapy for cancer patients is not available due to the lack of equipment, and chemotherapy is generally not available due to the lack of drugs.“

And adds: “In July, 77 out of 480 essential drugs and 140 out of 700 essential medical supplies in Gaza’s health ministry were out of stock, according to WHO.“

A May 2009 Al Jazeera report “Go back and die in Gaza” highlights the extortionist pressure enforced by Israeli authorities on Palestinians trying to exit via Israel for medical care.

“According to the Israeli organisation Physicians for Human Rights (PHR), Palestinian patients are increasingly being asked to make an impossible choice: Either to become collaborators with the Israeli intelligence apparatus – or to remain in Gaza without medical treatment.

The article said PHR had “collected dozens of testimonies of patients who were pressured to collaborate with the Israeli General Security Services.”

Among the testimonies, PHR found “‘cases where people think they have a permit and can go out, but then they are suddenly being taken to interrogation. Sometimes the patient has to wait in a room for several hours, without his family.

Then, they take him to another room for interrogation. They may ask just a couple of questions to find out if you know any Hamas members or they may suggest a deal for long term co-operation: “If you help us, we will help you. You need a treatment, we need information. We will give you a number, you call us once a week and give us information about your neighbours.’“

If you refuse, they become more blunt: “Okay, go back and die in Gaza.“

The patients are in a lose-lose situation. If they refuse to co-operate with the Israelis and are sent back, they may die because they can’t get appropriate treatment in Gaza.

If they do manage to get the permit, they will be branded as potential collaborators.

Whether you really did it or not is not so important. If people think you collaborated, your life may be at risk. In the end, everyone suspects everyone else. It’s like Orwell’s 1984.

And this is the objective – humiliation and fragmentation.

Humiliation. The policy extends from Israeli borders to the Egyptian crossing.

Dima (not her real name) is one of Samira (not her real name)’s daughters. She spoke of the Egyptian authorities’ treatment of her mother.

“They could see that she was ill. She had arrived in an ambulance, she was sitting in a wheelchair, she had the doctor’s referral papers for her kidney problems. But they treated her like subhuman. They demanded $1,400 from each of us: my mother, my sister and brother, and myself. When we weren’t able to pay, they told us we wouldn’t be crossing. They called us, and all Palestinians, dirt, worthless.”

Dima is an intelligent, well-spoken 3rd year university student. Her sister, 2 years her junior, is equally verbose and gracious.

Samira, suffering from kidney failure, needs dialysis three times a week.

“She’ll die if she doesn’t get the treatment. But each time she gets it, it takes at least 8 hours: 2 hours waiting, 4 hours for the treatment, and another 2 hours after. It seems we spend all our time in the hospital.”

Of 7 children, the 2 daughters and son are the only potential kidney donors. They know that their blood type matches their mothers, but are unable to go the next step further and test for matching kidney types. In Gaza, this testing is unavailable, the machinery non-existent.

Dima spoke of Samira’s attempt to be matched with a son living in Egypt.

“She went to Egypt and they were both tested. But he didn’t match. So she needed to return to Gaza, to resume her dialysis treatment. She waited 3 days at the Rafah crossing. The first two days, the Egyptian authorities sent her back to Al Arish, denying her passage. The third day, after waiting in the sun and collapsing on the road, she was finally allowed back into Gaza.”

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=9986479902

"Only a united world against oppression will help unite and free all of Palestine."

(1) Everyone has the right to freedom of movement and residence within the borders of each state.
(2) Everyone has the right to leave any country, including his own, and to return to his country

In Solidarity from all International Movement to Open Rafah Border

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‘The Third Eye’ - Exhibition of Contemporary Lebanese Artists in London

Edited by Sarah Khan

Wednesday, 16 September 2009 19:13

‘The Third Eye’ is a group exhibition of contemporary Lebanese artists curated by Costantino D’Orazio, including the artists Ziad Antar, Nadim Asfar, Pascal Hachem, Lina Hakim and Johanne Issa. The exhibition explores the conceptual development of this young generation of artists, whose practice moves away from overtly political or geocentric statements about their homeland. Featuring installation, photography and video, Selma Feriani Gallery presents uniquely engaging artworks which take as their starting point the highly personal perspectives of the artists themselves, employing new visual languages of disillusionment and irony. Making reference to Christine Tohme’s notion, ‘The Third Eye’ refers to an artistic awareness of Lebanon in contemporary cultural transition. Each of the artists of the exhibition refers sensitively to complex social discourses fed by historical changes, particularly marked at the end of the civil war. Where war and its political intricacies had previously been an explicit message in the artwork of previous generations, now war acts as a stimulus or a trigger for other social narratives. Personal narratives, lacking definitive answers and open to international interaction produce artists and artworks which are adaptable and idiosyncratic. The five artists of the exhibition are linked by their examination of suspended environments and the exploration of particulars. They intentionally seek dialogue with the audience through their work and achieve a wholly subjective response from the viewer, revealing the instability of contemporary outcomes. Ziad Antar (b.1978. Saida, Lebanon) lives and works between Paris and Beirut, producing both photographic and video based artwork. Selma Feriani Gallery is showing three video works; ‘The Turkish March’, ‘The Mosquito’ and ‘The Mouse’. Antar’s videos are uniquely shot in one take, free from complex narratives, centred around a simple, contextless act, often embarking upon the absurd. ‘The Turkish March’ involves the piano recital of Mozart’s ‘Turkish March’ played upon a piano whose internal strings have been removed. Instead of the music we listen to the thud of keys against keyboard to the rhythm of the music! Nadim Asfar (b. 1976. Beirut) is a videoartist and photographer working in Beirut. His work explores photography as a subjective language personal to the photographer’s inner life, purposefully non-representational, channelling thoughts and even words. Selma Feriani Gallery is exhibiting new work from Asfar’s montage photographic works entitled ‘To Photograph’. His artwork plays with the photographic medium. Photographed from the artist’s balcony, Asfar’s images capture the rhythm and movement of the city of Beirut. Viewed in montage the work takes on an abstract aspect, inviting the audience on any number of journeys through anonymous city space. Pascal Hachem (b. 1979. Beirut) is a conceptual artist using as his subject issues and situations found in his everyday life. Hachem’s installations frequently entail displacing activities which play upon the audiences apprehensions of happenings or disasters beyond our control. For ‘The Third Eye’ Hachem is producing an installation inspired by his recent visit to London and the issues of social control he encountered. Lina Hakim (b. 1979. Beirut) is an installation artist based in London, she has a particular focus on book arts. Working with everyday spaces and objects, Hakim redeploys the intention/significance of these items and paradoxically produces a new aesthetic. Selma Feriani Gallery is presenting two book based installations entitled ‘Beirut Letters’ and ‘Binayat Beirut’. ‘Beirut Letters’ features a delicately transformed novel written by Hanan El Shaykh. Hakim translates the poetic dream of escape found within the novel, into physical boats cut from the leaves of the book and observed sailing away. ‘Binayat Beirut’ uses Hassan Daoud’s book ‘Binayat Mathilde’ which tells of individuals of one building in Beirut during the war and their creative use of space. Hakim has used the pages of the book to create a haphazard cityscape structure complete with lights, the effect is both precarious and playful. Johanne Issa (b. 1984. Zahle, Lebanon) is a photographic artist who studied Fine Art at the Académie Libanaise des Beaux-Arts (ALBA) – University of Balamand in Lebanon. Her recent series ‘Accord Raccord’ explores issues of depth and subjection in a series that uses the female figure as subject. Curiously unsmiling female models, dressed simply yet stylishly are photographed with a middle section removed leaving the top and bottom sections of the body strangely suspended and displacing the flow and shape of the body as a whole. Costantino D'Orazio (b. 1974) is an independent curator based in Italy. In 2008 he curated the show ‘Hopes & Doubts. Young Art between Lebanon and Italy’ in Beirut (The Dome City Centre) and Turin (Merz Foundation). He works with established international artists (i.e. Anish Kapoor, Richard Long, Michelangelo Pistoletto) and young artists from Europe and Middle East. Global Arab Network

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Israel, a Criminal State That Must be Isolated, Boycotted

Just married in Gaza - One of 1.500 victims murdered
over 5.000 wounded in the Israelis "Cast Lead Massacre"
Decembre 28/2008- January 19/2009

18/09/2009 - 11:38 PM

By Khalid Amayreh

Israel is unusually furious over the publication this week of the Goldstone commission report which accuses the apartheid regime of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza Strip during the bloody blitz against the coastal Palestinian territory nearly nine months ago.

Israeli officials and hasbara doctors have been railing against Goldstone, who is both Jewish and Zionist, to the extent of accusing him of “anti-Semitism,” an increasingly stale and ineffective weapon which Israel resorts to when all other propaganda tools don’t work.

Benyamin Netanyahu, the extremist Prime Minister of the Zionist regime has even asked US Special Envoy to the Middle East George Mitchell to assist Israel , especially at the American arena, in order to curb the fallout from the report. Meanwhile, Israel is embarking on a frantic propaganda campaign to discredit the report.

In the past, Israel succeeded in endearing itself to western public opinion by enlisting the often Jewish-controlled media which effectively helped disseminate the Zionist narrative. In so doing, that media often turned the black into white, and the big lie into a “virtual truth” glorified by millions of gullible westerners who wouldn’t overburden themselves with the task of finding out the “real truth.” Now, Israel is facing an uphill task doing the same job successfully.

First of all, Goldstone has, by and large, done a professional job. His report is nearly completely devoid of rhetorical overindulgence and presents facts and as facts without any overly tendentious interpretation.

Hence, the anti-Semitic insinuations made by Israeli hasbara officials should be treated as no more than cheap diversionary tactics aimed at evading the facts. In fact, Goldstone’s own daughter has been quoted by the Israeli press as saying that had her father not been at the helm of the investigating commission, Israel would have been condemned much more harshly.

Second, nearly all credible human rights commissions, including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and even Israel’s own B’tselem had more or less reached the same conclusions about the December-January blitz, namely that Israel knowingly and deliberately targeted innocent civilians.

More to the point, numerous Israeli soldiers who participated in the virtually genocidal onslaught on the nearly completely unprotected enclave have testified that they had been instructed to shoot and kill innocent civilians, including people carrying white flags. As an observer of Israeli behavior for many years, I have no doubt that Israeli leaders realize that they did commit war crimes and crimes against humanity.

After all, many Israeli military and political officials are bona fide war criminals who would be thrown immediately behind bars in any country with even minimal adherence to the rules of justice and norms of civility and human decency.

However, these war criminals think, at least privately, that Jews shouldn’t be subject to the same rules of war that apply to other nations. Hence, they don’t view the deliberate collective murder of innocent civilians as “wrong.”

Indeed, a few days ago, an Israeli cabinet minister urged the international community to grant Israel a special treatment concerning the conduct of war, presumably one that would allow the Israeli occupation army and paramilitary Jewish terrorists to murder with impunity.

I strongly believe that the international community must adopt a stringent and morally uncompromising stand against Israel .

In the final analysis, war crimes and crimes against humanity can’t be treated as diabolic in places like Nazi Germany and the former Yugoslavia while ignored or dismissed as “controversial” when Israel is involved. This is why, the Goldstone’s commission report’s recommendations ought to be presented to the International Court of Justice in The Hague as soon as possible.

Moreover, civilized nations around the world ought to act on this serious issue of Israeli criminality by treating Israel as a pariah state at least until justice is done and measures are taken to prevent the recurrence of the Nazi-like onslaught.

It is true that Israel is not the former South Africa apartheid regime which was successfully forced to end the apartheid system. However, there is much that can be done to prevent the criminal entity from mocking international law and the basic human rights, including the right to life, of the Palestinian people.

One way of doing this is to compile a comprehensive list of all Israeli war criminals, from private soldiers up to the Minister of Defense, who were involved in the Gaza atrocities. These suspected war criminals must be arrested upon their arrival in any country. And if there is compelling evidence indicting them, they should be shipped like drugged wild animals to The Hague to face their crimes before an international tribunal.

We simply owe it to the unwept victims to pursue their killers and narrow their horizons as much as possible until they are caught and made to pay for their crimes. The Goldstone report recommended that Israel immediately start a serious investigation into the Gaza war crime.

However, it is amply clear that this recommendation carries with it a great deal of naivety, if not hypocrisy.

Indeed, one doesn’t have to be an expert on Israel to realize that the Israeli justice system is a virtual rubber stamp in the hands of the military-political establishment. Besides, it would be foolhardy to expect Israel , a state that has been murdering Palestinians, destroying their homes, and stealing their land from time immemorial, to suddenly grant them justice and morph into a decent state where justice is pursued regardless of the identity of the victim and victimizer.

To be honest, Israel is an irremediable case of oppression and criminality, a state so sick and criminal-minded that it is pointless to appeal to any sense of justice that its military and political leaders might be thought to have. Two more points I would like to make in this regard.

First, it is extremely imperative to hold Israel accountable for these crimes. Because otherwise, if the world allows Israel to get away with impunity, the December-January blitz would look very much an innocuous child play compared with the next genocidal war. Hence, the world must never ever allow this despicable entity to desensitize whatever semblance of morality the international community still has.

More to the point, this issue acquires a special significance because it is no secret that the Palestinians rely for their very physical survival on the goodwill and moral power of the peoples of the world. Hence, the world’s moral conscience must not be allowed to go into even a brief slumber lest the unthinkable happens.

The second point is the totally inadequate manner in which the Palestinian Authority has treated this issue. Indeed, as an entity that claims to represent the Palestinian people, the PA should have spearheaded efforts to expose, incriminate and criminalize Israel .

However, the fact that the PA has only contented itself with a few laconic statements about Israeli responsibility for the war crimes in Gaza underscores the moral and political bankruptcy of the PA regime.

Well, how can the Palestinian people really expect these flamboyant “leaders” who dread calling Israel by its real name to be able to liberate Jerusalem and enable the repatriation of the refugees to their ancestral homeland? (end)

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