Category: Palestine

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Resistance to Israel’s Apartheid Grows With ANC and International Support

The ANC has responded in the affirmative to calls for support for boycott against apartheid Israel.

“ANC International Solidarity Conference in Tshwane City Hall, Pretoria, takes a decision to support the 2005 call by Palestinians’ largest political gathering in Ramallah to impose Boycotts, Divestment and Sanctions on Israel. ANC chair Baleka Mbete goes on to mention that Israel is worse than Apartheid. This was in response to German comrades opposing the motion to include BDS in conference declaration. This is the strongest statement yet, in support of BDS coming from an ANC related Conference. Inshallah, the rest of the world gathered here will follow. Viva BDS, Viva!”

This ANC affirmation is inspiring and significant particularly combined with the strength of past achievements by conscientious people all over the world in solidarity maintaining commitment to justice and rights – in the past against apartheid in South Africa, and now for Palestinian people and dismantlement of Israel’s apartheid tyranny.

The call to the ANC from international anti-apartheidists

CALL BY FORMER INTERNATIONAL ANTI-APARTHEID ACTIVISTS TO THE ANC

Dear South African Comrades,

We — former international anti-apartheid activists — supported the African National Congress (ANC) and the people of South Africa in their fight for liberation and against apartheid by mobilizing support for boycott, divestment and sanctions against the South African apartheid regime.

We succeeded to put the crime of apartheid on the agenda of political parties, trade unions, churches, non-governmental organizations, artists, sports bodies, universities and concerned citizens. We called on people not to buy apartheid products and we discouraged tourism to the country. We campaigned for a weapons embargo, an oil embargo, a Krugerrand boycott, a sports, academic and cultural boycott. We pressurized companies and banks to withdraw from apartheid South Africa. We mobilized thousands of people to participate in demonstrations against apartheid.

On the occasion of the 3rd ANC International Solidarity Conference, we call on the ANC to support the Palestinian people in their fight for freedom, justice and equality. We are deeply concerned about Israel’s ongoing violations of the rights of the Palestinian people with total impunity.

In 2005, Palestinian civil society released a call for boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) against Israel to pressurize the Israeli government to change. The call – anchored in universal human rights – de?ned three basic Palestinian rights that constitute the minimal requirements of a just peace, namely, that Israel should:

– End its occupation and colonization of all Arab lands and dismantle its Apartheid Wall;

– Recognize the fundamental rights of the Arab-Palestinian citizens of Israel to full equality; and,

– Respect, protect and promote the rights of Palestinian refugees to return to their homes and properties as stipulated in UN resolution 194.

We call on the ANC to support the Palestinian call for BDS as expression of the party’s solidarity with the struggle of the Palestinian people to enjoy their rights, including the right to self-determination.

At the University of Witwatersrand last Wednesday, the call to boycott apartheid Israel was made again, with a statement from the ANC in support presented.

International boycotts and disinvestment, which were used as effective tools to fight apartheid should also be used to further the cause of the Palestinian struggle for self-determination.

This call was made at a tribute to the longest serving president of the ANC, Oliver Tambo, at the University of Witwatersrand (Wits) on Wednesday night.

The event organised by the Wits SRC also saw the screening of a special tribute “Have You Heard from Johannesburg”, highlighting OR’s campaign to isolate apartheid South Africa at a time when the ANC was viewed by the west as an agent of communist Russia or at worst a terrorist organisation.

Speakers said there were strong parallels between the two struggles against injustice and oppression.

They also pointed to the tactics used by Tambo to mobilise the international community against South Africa, and argued that the same strategies were needed to help the people of Palestine.

The Wits SRC reiterated its call for an academic and cultural boycott of Israel despite Wits management distancing itself from the move.

This comes at a time when there is a strong movement in favour of boycotting Israeli products in South Africa.

SRC representative Tokelo Nhlapo said that the similarities between apartheid South Africa and Israel’s occupation of Palestine were too great to ignore. The Deputy Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Ebrahim Ebrahim’s statement for the event read: “Today, there is a similar international civil society solidarity campaign in support of the Palestinians against Israeli policies and practices of occupation and aggression.

“The ANC fully supports this international movement to pressure Israel to engage with the Palestinian people to reach a just solution.”

University of Johannesburg’s (UJ) Prof Farid Essack, one of the guest speakers, said that Israel was an apartheid state and should be stopped.

“This is what is expected from the family of humankind. Not because we owe it to the Palestinian people but we owe it to ourselves,” he said.

International anti-apartheid movement organiser from the Netherlands Adri Neiwhof said that Tambo was “humble and a motivator”.

A boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) campaigner against Israel, Neiwhof spoke of the success of a Dutch boycott campaign in helping to end apartheid.

Related Links

Over 150 former international anti-Apartheid activists tell South Africa’s ANC to boycott Israel

The famous Turkish alternative band Baba Zula has cancelled their planned concert in Israel. Originally planned for 9 November at the Barby in Tel Aviv, the band removed Tel Aviv from their tour schedule and Auris Media posted that the band from Istanbul had cancelled.

Musician Omar Saad refuses to join the criminal IDF: ‘I oppose the recruitment to the Israeli military and any other military for conscience and nationalistic reasons. I hate the injustice and oppose the occupation; I hate intolerance and restriction of freedoms. I hate those who detain children, the elderly and women.’

The global jewellery business is bankrolling the Zionist project in Palestine to a very significant degree. Jewellers deceitfully claim diamonds are conflict-free even though a large percentage of them are crafted in Israel where revenue from the diamond industry generates over $1 billion per year in funding for the Israeli military regime which is guilty of nuclear weapons proliferation and war crimes in the Middle East.

‘According to many international organisations, water is being used by Israel as a war weapon, threatening the life of the Palestinian people. Since the creation of the Zionist entity in Palestine, Israel has been working relentlessly on annexing Palestinian land and water sources lying beneath. Such a strategic design was confirmed in a document prepared, in 1941, by David Ben-Gurion (Israel’s first prime minister). In this document (which was released by the British Public Record Office) Ben-Gurion stated: “We have to remember that for the Jewish state’s ability to survive, it must have within its borders, the waters of [rivers] Jordan and Litani.”’

Schemes addressing domestic violence in Palestine are limited by lack of funds and resources

Oxfam Italy cuts ties with Paola Maugeri over involvement with Sodastream

Japanese activists protest SodaStream

Israel’s vicious treatment and incarceration of Addameer human rights defenders is disgusting

‘The Palestinian Authority has proved after 19 years to have been nothing more than a Palestinian guard for Israel’s brutal occupation instead of confronting the aggressor or taking any forward steps towards justice in the region.’

Another reason to support academic and cultural boycott of the bulldozer land-thieving zionist entity

“During the military offensive, 18 schools were destroyed, (including eight government schools, two private schools and eight kindergartens) and at least 280 were damaged. Six of the destroyed government schools were in North Gaza alone, affecting almost 9,000 students who had to relocate to other schools.”

Haidar Eid on Chomsky’s visit to Gaza.

“‘Welcome to the first edition of the web based Voice of Palestine, the Voice of the Palestinian People. Our host Hanna Kawas talks live with Dr. Haidar Eid from Gaza City.
Haidar is a professor at Al Aqsa University in Gaza and a longtime activist for Palestinian rights and he covers a broad range of topics in this open discussion, including the recent airstrikes on Gaza and the visit of the Emir of Qatar, the limitations of the two state solution and his commitment to the one democratic state principle, as well as a frank critique of the visit to Gaza by Noam Chomsky.'”

On the Palestinian BDS action against an Israeli supermarket located in an illegal Israeli settlement in the Occupied West Bank. Includes media release, video and photos. Four activists were arrested, including her friend Bassem Tamimi who is currently being held in Ofer Prison.

When liars lie to liars. Lieberman to Cashton.

Australia Links

The racist far right pro-Israel shills in Australia – the Q Society
Max Brenner and Australia’s fascists

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Israel’s Diabolical Starvation Diet for the People of Gaza

Israeli human rights organisation, Gisha, was recently able to access Israel’s 2008 ‘Red Lines’ document annotating its plans to maintain the captive population of Gaza on a starvation diet. Yet Israel did not keep to this plan. Despite this diabolical ‘starvation’ diet calculated malevolently as collective punishment, Israel only let in half the trucks required for it. What is half of starvation?

‘But a rather different picture emerges as one reads the small print. While the health ministry determined that Gazans needed daily an average of 2,279 calories each to avoid malnutrition – requiring 170 trucks a day – military officials then found a host of pretexts to whittle down the trucks to a fraction of the original figure.

The reality was that, in this period, an average of only 67 trucks – much less than half of the minimum requirement – entered Gaza daily. This compared to more than 400 trucks before the blockade began.

To achieve this large reduction, officials deducted trucks based both on an over-generous assessment of how much food could be grown locally and on differences in the ”culture and experience” of food consumption in Gaza, a rationale never explained.’

Palestine/Israel Links

When liars lie to liars. Lieberman to Cashton.
The death of the two state solution:

‘We could argue over who killed it, but what’s the point? It’s increasingly obvious that a continued insistence on zombie peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians is deluded, because the two-state principle framing them is dead. ‘

The Cameri Theatre group serves as an “official propaganda tool for the State of Israel — a State that occupies Palestinian lands and practises apartheid policies on the Palestinian people.’’’

Four of five speakers pull out of UNESCO conference honoring Israel’s Peres at University of Connecticut

Alice Walker, Roger Waters and Remi Kanazi urge Carnegie Hall in NYC to cancel this week’s performance by the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra; and much more in BDS news.

Released Israeli Activists from SV Estelle say tasers and brutal force used – Greek MP assaulted

The nefarious actions of the Israeli government against BGU make a mockery of any claims that academic boycott against Israel’s complicit academic institutions are unwarranted.

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Ken O’Keefe Embraces White Supremacist David Duke

Recently Ken O’Keefe was visiting Gaza accompanied by Australian chemtrails conspiracy theorist Max Igan.

Here’s one of the reasons why Ken’s efforts as a bona fide Palestinian solidarity activist should be disregarded. Last month on the 3rd September, Ken made claims David Duke was rehabilitated miraculously from his white supremacist alignment and has nothing to do with Stormfront anymore.

As for David Duke, yes people can and do change, and he clearly has. I have asked him about Stormfront, he has nothing to do with it any more. I base my opinion of him by what he says and what he stands for now. If people judged me for how I was 22 years ago as a US Marine then many would simply see my former self, not the person I am at the age of 43 years old. Part of our task is to forgive, put aside the minor differences and focus on the common ground. If you look at what David Duke is writing and presenting for many, many years, I think you will find it hard to find much fault with it. And what he says about Palestine is spot on for the most part. But even if you do find some faults in him, you will be lying if you do not see value in much of what he is saying. I take people this way, as a whole, not as a piece of one aspect of themselves, and certainly not as who they were 30 plus years ago.

And so on.

Not so.
Duke Stormfront conference
At the time Ken made his foolhardy statement, Duke was scheduled to speak and participate at a forthcoming Stormfront white supremacist international conference.

‘Former presidential candidate David Duke will lead “an informal nature walk through the Smokies” on day two of the conference, which begins Sept. 15. Duke is a former grand wizard of the Ku Klux Klan and Louisiana lawmaker. The conference is limited to 150 people, but it’s unclear how many will attend.’

On Duke’s site, to which I will not link, Duke himself states on August 30, 2012: ‘Dr. David Duke will be speaking at the Seminar for Practical Politics, which is seminar held in the Smokey Mountains dealing with the realities of Zionism, immigration, and the ongoing globalist threat to European Americans and to all peoples.‘

Credible Palestinian leaders reject racism, bigotry and conspiracy theories – these have no part to play in a principled movement for justice and human rights. Quoting from the most recent Statement against racism and bigotry, now signed by 100 leading Palestinian people:

The struggle for our inalienable rights is one opposed to all forms of racism and bigotry, including, but not limited to, anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, Zionism, and other forms of bigotry directed at anyone, and in particular people of color and indigenous peoples everywhere.

We oppose the cynical and baseless use of the term anti-Semitism as a tool for stifling criticism of Israel or opposition to Zionism, as this assumes simply because someone is Jewish, they support Zionism or the colonial and apartheid policies of the state of Israel – a false generalization.

Our struggle is anchored in universal human rights and international law in opposition to military occupation, settler-colonialism, and apartheid, something people of conscience of all ethnicities, races, and religions can support.

Finally, we call on people around the world to join us in a morally consistent stance that opposes racism and bigotry in all forms. An ethical struggle for justice and equal rights in any context entails zero tolerance for racial discrimination and racism anywhere.

By endorsing Duke and embracing him as a fellow activist, O’Keefe has besmirched these worthy, essential principles.

Ken O'Keefe extolls David Duke
http://www.facebook.com/1worldcitizen/posts/3921986321999 (Full quote of Ken O’Keefe endorsing David Duke

UPDATE

(Ken O’Keefe interviewed Duke on the 8th August, 2012. No link provided here.)

UPDATE 25/10/12

Ken has still failed to disendorse David Duke regardless of having been informed that his shameless endorsement is toxic to any human rights movement. Further, on the 19 October, he appeared on the Alex Jones channel, promoting conspiracist, antisemitic propaganda about the Federal Reserve and the Rothschilds.

Those who lie down with fleas, get up with fleas and espouse their views. The more they work without challenge in human rights movements, the more the fleas are spread.

Leading Palestinians in March, 2012 reaffirmed “We reaffirm that there is no room in this historic and foundational analysis of our struggle for any attacks on our Jewish allies, Jews, or Judaism; nor denying the Holocaust; nor allying in any way shape or form with any conspiracy theories, far-right, orientalist, and racist arguments, associations and entities.”

UPDATE 19/10/12

The PCRF have confirmed that it is important for “to keep our high level of respect with our community and to not risk our reputation or, more importantly, ensure access for our doctors to save the lives of sick children in Palestine with the views of people who speak at our events. We are setting policy on this and hope to prevent any issues in the future that might impact our good name or important work.”

On the 15th October, O’Keefe confirmed: ‘What I will not play anymore this game of people insinuating negative things or misrepresenting my views and otherwise taking a post into negative directions for whatever reason they wish to justify it with. I will write more about David Duke soon as this is one of the new angles those who are attempting to defame me are going. But this post is not about David Duke so those of you interested in that subject can will have to wait or write whatever you want elsewhere.‘

As of today, the 19th October, O’Keefe still has not resiled from his endorsement of David Duke.

UPDATE 13/10/12

O’Keefe on the 12/10/12 delivers an address at the Anaheim Hilton for the PCRF.

A PCRF representative has responded to me that this article will be shared today at a PCRF chapters meeting and that they are setting up a vetting committee for all PCRF speakers in the future.

On O’Keefe’s open Facebook wall, an afficionado gives Duke his glowing endorsement.

O'Keefe speaks at the PCRFDuke apologist on O'Keefe's facebook wallMore Ken O'Keefe fans defend David DukeDuke fans on Ken's wallDuke apologists on Ken's wallDuke fans on Ken's wallDuke fans on O'Keefe's wallKen decides critics of white supremacism are ziotrolls

More:

Duke fans on O'Keefe's wallDuke fans on O'Keefe's wallDuke fans on O'Keefe's wallWhite supremacist group hug

UPDATE 16/8/13

O’Keefe permitted himself to be interviewed by Duke on the 12th February, 2013:

‘Dr. David Duke interviews Ken O’keefe in Iran at the site ot the Hollywoodism Conference in Tehran, Iran. It exposes the Zio control of Hollywood which not only promotes lies about the enemies of Jewish extremism, but literally poisons the hearts and minds of hundreds of millions of people in West and all over the world. Once more it is shown that Iran is on the side of morality, love, family, and the Zionists are the side of hate, war, degeneracy, violence and blood as well as torture and genocide! Very powerful show!’

Related Links

What do Breivik, CounterPunch, David Duke, Stormfront and the Jerusalem Post have in common?

‘Duke isn’t just running articles by Atzmon, he is heaping praise on the man whilst setting out a racist position that he fears Atzmon may not have fully considered. Now given that Atzmon loves a bit of praise, I am surprised that he hasn’t mentioned or responded to Duke’s letter, not publicly anyway.’

The O’Keefe / Atzmon Connection