Hiya again
Today I'd like to share this with you – it's been sitting in my in-box for a few days, and some of the info is no longer current, but the general picture deserves looking at – and action needs to be taken NOW!
Visit www.easi-piesi.org to find out what you can do.
Scottish Friends of Palestine – News Release
… what is it, exactly, that occupies our attentions?
What are the stories we embrace?
And what are the stories we ignore?
And why?
We could, of course, add: And what are the consequences?
Can you really get a more newsworthy story than the following?
85-year-old Holocaust survivor, Hedy Epstein, was refused permission to enter the ghetto where 1.5 million fellow human beings are under siege, suffering a slow genocide - with a minimal amounts of food and material essential for life allowed into the razor wire enclosure. Hedy has undertaken a fast in protest.
In company with many other peaceful, non-violent demonstrators, she is now barricaded in this capital city’s main square. At least one has been assaulted by the local police...
Meanwhile, many more concerned citizens of the world have gathered in the capital, denied permission to enter the ghetto. A convoy of dozens of vehicles, including ambulances, loaded with humanitarian supplies - medical and educational - is also denied entry, with government bureaucracy playing an apparent role. A bureaucracy which unsuccessfully masks the political decisions of the government.
Implant this scenario in Tehran, Baghdad, Kabul or virtually any other capital city in the world and headlines would be guaranteed, the news wires would be buzzing.
In reality, the above is taking place - in Tahrir Square, Cairo, on the first anniversary of the Israeli invasion of Gaza and the subsequent criminal carnage which the Goldstone report is now trying to address. The Gaza Freedom Marchers are now in Egypt, Hedy Epstein has undertaken a fast, the Viva Palestina convoy is denied entry - with the Egyptian government keeping them at bay.
This microcosm of international concern over the actions of the state of Israel which, in cooperation with the Obama administration and the Mubarak regime, is frantically trying to have the misery and the inhumanity of its deeds in Gaza consigned to the margins, is taking its place in history.
And, largely, the UK media is content to ignore it.
Scottish Friends of Palestine condemns the actions of all major players, the United States, Israel and Egypt, in refusing to allow peaceful, solidarity activists entry into the occupied Gaza Strip. We express our outrage at the continuing refusal of the Israel and Egypt to recognise the humanitarian needs of the people of Gaza [according to UNCTAD, in the Gaza Strip 80% are impoverished, 43% unemployed, 75% lack food security] and allow constuction material, educational material, medical supplies and food - all the basic necessities of life in appropriate quantities into the Gaza Strip,
The consequences of such actions are only too apparent.
It was on the 3 November 1956 that Israeli troops lined lined up, and shot, over 250 male residents of Khan Younis. On this day nine year old Abed El-Aziz El-Rantisi learned of the cold blooded execution of his uncle by the state of Israel. On this day, in the words of the assassinated Hamas leader, Abed El-Aziz El-Rantisi, "They planted hatred in our hearts".
Today there are over one and a half million victims of the Israeli state policy and practice of slow genocide - all with the potential for having hatred planted in their hearts. And prime minister Gordon Brown appeals for help in thwarting tomorrow’s "extremists"?? Ignoring the obvious and ignoring the school of thought that one day the world will yearn for the relatively peaceful days of the Taliban and al Qaeda. In the absence of a sense of history, and a willingness to learn from history, today it is Pakistan, Afghanistan with Iran and Somalia in the cross-hairs. Tomorrow . . . .?
www.vivapalestina.org/home.htm
Scottish Friends of Palestine is keenly aware that there are also consequences closer to home, more current and more pressing. With the media and the international community largely indulging the state of Israel, it appears that the Scottish Government now feels safe to do business with this pariah state. The Scottish Development International (SDI) is planning a ‘Trade Mission’ to Israel from the 10th to the 15th January. This appalling decision - to trade with a country which has brutally military occupied the land of others for over 40 years, which has placed one and a half million under a military and economic siege for nearly 3 years, whose politicians now avoid visiting the UK for fear of arrest under charges of complicity over war crimes and crimes against humanity - is a shameful decision which brings disgrace to Scotland.
Scottish Friends of Palestine urges the Scottish Government to reconsider, and rescind, this planned visit by the SDI.
Scottish Friends of Palestine is a firm advocate of the total boycott of all Israeli institutions, academic and cultural bodies and Israeli products - until such times as the Israeli state ceases to boycott the rights of the Palestinian people, and international law as it pertains to the Palestinian people.
Visit www.easi-piesi.org to find out what you can do.
Hugh Humphries
Sec
Scottish Friends of Palestine
(0141 637 8046)
Scottish Friends of Palestine was formed in 1982 in response to the Israeli invasion of Lebanon and the subsequent attacks on the Palestinian refugee communities. It is an independent organisation with no political or religious affiliations. SFoP supports the inalienable right of the Palestinian people to self-determination, national independence and sovereignty and the right of all Palestinian refugees to return to their homes. These rights have all been acknowledged by the United Nations.
SFoP campaigns for immediate and unconditional Israeli withdrawal from all territories illegally occupied, including East Jerusalem. We work for educational, social and cultural links between the Scottish and Palestinian peoples.
End of Press Release
Showing posts with label Gaza. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gaza. Show all posts
Monday, January 11, 2010
Saturday, January 24, 2009
A trip to the Gaza Strip -- Israeli punters watch the war
Good mornig
If you wanted to know the dangers to which Israeli citizens are exposed in the Gaza Strip, this may be the video to view – and you may be less surprised that peace in the Middle East seems farther away than ever.
To say Shalom and Salaam and Paz and Friede and Peace strikes me as almost cynical. Especially when I hear the young woman say, "Those over there all have to be radically erased out; the whole town must be wiped out. […] Yes, I am a tiny little bit fascist."
Makes me feel really sick…
Thank you, R.G., for this illuminating link.
PS: I know that not all Israeli are like the people shown in this clip. I know that there are Israeli who are doing everything they can, often at great risk to themselves, to improve the inhumane conditions of Palestinians in Jerusalem, in the Gaza Strip and in the West Bank in general.
Friday, January 16, 2009
A mixed bag of things: blogs, Palestine/Gaza, Xmas letters
Hello again
My lovely downstairs neighbours surpassed themselves this past night: at two am, three or four of them came home in a huge commotion, with people probably very drunk, shouting and their dog barking. It sounded like someone was either attacking someone else or being attacked, and the furniture taking a beating in the process. Being ripped out of a deep sleep like that and having to hear their fighting actually made me feel sick to the stomach.
About half an hour later, the police were seen taking two of the miscreants away. However, the pair came back another hour later, rousing the dog that barked again. And so it has gone, with noise disturbing the quiet of this very quiet place every hour or so. I do love my neighbours -- almost to death! ;)
So, rather than tossing and turning, I have been awake and catching up on this and that. One thing was re-reading at leisure all the lovely Xmas circular letters I received over the past month or so. Some of them are true gems, with sophisticated layout and beautiful illustrations. Each one of them contains gems of information, news sad and happy – of dearly loved relatives dying; but also of others making miraculous recoveries after serious illnesses; of weddings; scholarly, professional and publishing successes; and of new babies coming into families; of fantastic holidays undertaken and enjoyed -- it's fascinating and enriching to be allowed those glimpses of dear but distant friends' lives. Thank you, each and everyone: Althea in Basel, Pam & Peter in "Washers" (aka Washington, DC), Philippa, Heidi and Sue in Switzerland, Susan in Surrey, Ros & David in The Netherlands. And thank you, everyone else who sent me messages and greetings. There was quite a laundry line of colourful cards in my hallway. Lovely! And this time I really mean it! :)
On a much more sombre note, one of my friends here has a great blog. Quite apart from some truly spectacular photographs, a post from just a few days ago caught my attention and I would like to quote from it here:
"Israel claims to be waging war against Hamas. Strange, I see pictures of civilians dying in great numbers. I teach small children and it always pains me to see small children maimed, killed and distressed. Today it was reported that the death toll has reached 1000. I know that Israel wants to stop the rocket attacks but there is no justification for this atrocity they are committing. There is no proportionality here.
When will Israel learn [...]?"
Back in 2003, millions took to the streets protesting against the illegal war on Iraq. It's been disheartening to realise that the powers-that-were took absolutely no heed of the people in those colourful protest rallies and vigils. I know many people who have been refusing to buy products "made/produced in Israel" -- I try to avoid them myself. Not buying the products from that country was one of several strategies that helped end the Apartheid regime in South Africa...
And to those out there who smile condescendingly at people like me, I can only say this: just because the vigils and one-person boycotts have seemed to have no effect doesn't mean they were pointless. We need to keep supporting those who are wrongly done by and ostracize those who commit obscenities even though we know that it may not appear to make a difference. From my work with and for amnesty international I know that at least 30% of all the letters written to demand the release of a political prisoner make a big difference in that person's life, even if they may not get the person out of custody straight away.
Yesterday's Oban Times (15 Jan 09, p. 4) carries an article about Andrew Muncie, 34, from Spean Bridge, embarking on a medical supply ship bound for the Gaza Strip from Larnaca, Cyprus, on a voyage organised by the Free Gaza Movement.
Sadly, according to the Free Gaza Movement blogsite, the "Spirit of Humanity", "carrying five tons of supplies and 21 passengers, including three surgeons" (not 30, as the Oban Times claims), was threatened by the Israeli Defense Forces (that's another "newspeak" kind of term blurring the fact that those forces are as much about attacking other countries as defending their own), so the ship has gone back to Cyprus. What a waste!
The people in Gaza lack the most essential supplies. According to the Oxfam site, "As fighting between the Israeli army and Hamas militias has intensified over the last two weeks, the impact on civilians is appalling, with innocent women, men and children being killed and injured. For people living in Gaza, four out of five of whom were already largely dependent on food aid, this comes on top of 19 months of blockade. They now have little or no access to clean water, food or power. Medical and sanitation systems are also on the verge of collapse."
Aerial photographs shown on TV recently revealed the stark reality of mostly parched earth in Gaza surrounded by mostly lush green fields on Israeli territory. I wonder why that is...
Even though the "Spirit of Humanity" has been turned back, people like Andrew Muncie deserve our wholehearted support. Israel has been violating international law and committing crimes against humanity for years now. High time the Israeli government was taken to account!
(And no: I'm not being anti-Semitic, nor do I defend Hamas' often reprehensible actions. But they were elected to power in what was a fairly "clean", democratic process. When you have nothing left to lose, why not toss everything in the balance?)
My lovely downstairs neighbours surpassed themselves this past night: at two am, three or four of them came home in a huge commotion, with people probably very drunk, shouting and their dog barking. It sounded like someone was either attacking someone else or being attacked, and the furniture taking a beating in the process. Being ripped out of a deep sleep like that and having to hear their fighting actually made me feel sick to the stomach.
About half an hour later, the police were seen taking two of the miscreants away. However, the pair came back another hour later, rousing the dog that barked again. And so it has gone, with noise disturbing the quiet of this very quiet place every hour or so. I do love my neighbours -- almost to death! ;)
So, rather than tossing and turning, I have been awake and catching up on this and that. One thing was re-reading at leisure all the lovely Xmas circular letters I received over the past month or so. Some of them are true gems, with sophisticated layout and beautiful illustrations. Each one of them contains gems of information, news sad and happy – of dearly loved relatives dying; but also of others making miraculous recoveries after serious illnesses; of weddings; scholarly, professional and publishing successes; and of new babies coming into families; of fantastic holidays undertaken and enjoyed -- it's fascinating and enriching to be allowed those glimpses of dear but distant friends' lives. Thank you, each and everyone: Althea in Basel, Pam & Peter in "Washers" (aka Washington, DC), Philippa, Heidi and Sue in Switzerland, Susan in Surrey, Ros & David in The Netherlands. And thank you, everyone else who sent me messages and greetings. There was quite a laundry line of colourful cards in my hallway. Lovely! And this time I really mean it! :)
On a much more sombre note, one of my friends here has a great blog. Quite apart from some truly spectacular photographs, a post from just a few days ago caught my attention and I would like to quote from it here:
"Israel claims to be waging war against Hamas. Strange, I see pictures of civilians dying in great numbers. I teach small children and it always pains me to see small children maimed, killed and distressed. Today it was reported that the death toll has reached 1000. I know that Israel wants to stop the rocket attacks but there is no justification for this atrocity they are committing. There is no proportionality here.
When will Israel learn [...]?"
Back in 2003, millions took to the streets protesting against the illegal war on Iraq. It's been disheartening to realise that the powers-that-were took absolutely no heed of the people in those colourful protest rallies and vigils. I know many people who have been refusing to buy products "made/produced in Israel" -- I try to avoid them myself. Not buying the products from that country was one of several strategies that helped end the Apartheid regime in South Africa...
And to those out there who smile condescendingly at people like me, I can only say this: just because the vigils and one-person boycotts have seemed to have no effect doesn't mean they were pointless. We need to keep supporting those who are wrongly done by and ostracize those who commit obscenities even though we know that it may not appear to make a difference. From my work with and for amnesty international I know that at least 30% of all the letters written to demand the release of a political prisoner make a big difference in that person's life, even if they may not get the person out of custody straight away.
Yesterday's Oban Times (15 Jan 09, p. 4) carries an article about Andrew Muncie, 34, from Spean Bridge, embarking on a medical supply ship bound for the Gaza Strip from Larnaca, Cyprus, on a voyage organised by the Free Gaza Movement.
Sadly, according to the Free Gaza Movement blogsite, the "Spirit of Humanity", "carrying five tons of supplies and 21 passengers, including three surgeons" (not 30, as the Oban Times claims), was threatened by the Israeli Defense Forces (that's another "newspeak" kind of term blurring the fact that those forces are as much about attacking other countries as defending their own), so the ship has gone back to Cyprus. What a waste!
The people in Gaza lack the most essential supplies. According to the Oxfam site, "As fighting between the Israeli army and Hamas militias has intensified over the last two weeks, the impact on civilians is appalling, with innocent women, men and children being killed and injured. For people living in Gaza, four out of five of whom were already largely dependent on food aid, this comes on top of 19 months of blockade. They now have little or no access to clean water, food or power. Medical and sanitation systems are also on the verge of collapse."
Aerial photographs shown on TV recently revealed the stark reality of mostly parched earth in Gaza surrounded by mostly lush green fields on Israeli territory. I wonder why that is...
Even though the "Spirit of Humanity" has been turned back, people like Andrew Muncie deserve our wholehearted support. Israel has been violating international law and committing crimes against humanity for years now. High time the Israeli government was taken to account!
(And no: I'm not being anti-Semitic, nor do I defend Hamas' often reprehensible actions. But they were elected to power in what was a fairly "clean", democratic process. When you have nothing left to lose, why not toss everything in the balance?)
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