apartheid

March 23, 2011December 11, 2020

World Water Day – Justice and Rights for Palestinians Now!

While Bob Geldof reprehensibly plans to accept an honorary degree from Ben Gurion University which collaborates with the Jewish National Fund to thieve land and water resources from Palestinians, the University of Johannesburg is taking a close look at ending its relationship with BGU partly in response to efforts by “the University of Johannesburg’s Student Representative Council, the Congress of South African Trade Unions, Archbishop Desmond Tutu and more than 300 South African academics”. (NB Update – in a magnificent victory for global BDS, The University of Johannesburg has now severed ties with Ben Gurion University!). Further,

The fact is that access to water and sanitation in Israel and the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip is based upon a discriminatory system, which privileges Israeli institutions while denying Palestinians their basic human rights to water and sanitation. Palestinians are not suffering human rights violations due to a lack of technology or scientific advancement. Palestinians are suffering because of the Israeli occupation that will not allow them to enjoy their full rights to their groundwater and surface water, and will not even allow them to construct facilities for treating wastewater. We are committed to taking nonviolent action to bring these and other human rights violations to an end.

Water resources in Palestine and Israel are shared on a vastly inequitable basis – “Israelis consume on average more than 3.5 times as much water per capita than Palestinians”.

The Bedouin village of Al Araqib in the Negev has been demolished 18 times by the Israeli Army, to make way for Jewish National Fund plantations which serve to obliterate visually the indigenous presence on the land as deliberately as the new racist Knesset law to cover up and outlaw acknowledgment of the history of Israel’s genocide of Palestinians – the Nakba . The JNF partners blatantly with Ben Gurion University – if Bob accepts an award from them, he will be complicit directly with ethnic cleansing.

Jordan Valley Blues from Life Source on Vimeo.

Filling Point (by LifeSource and Pietro Bellorini) from Life Source on Vimeo.

Palestine/ Israel Links

Knesset passes ‘Nakba bill’

The “Nakba bill”, proposed by Yisrael Beiteinu, requires the state to fine local authorities and other state-funded bodies for holding events marking the Palestinian Nakba Day by supporting armed resistance or racism against Israel, or desecrating the state flag or national symbols.

On Nakba Day Palestinians mark the “catastrophe” of Israel’s inception in 1948.

The bill, which was reworked before its final passing, states that the finance minister will be charged with deciding when to withdraw funds from various groups after considering the opinions of the attorney general and a professional team comprised of members of the ministries of finance and justice.

Thirty-seven MKs supported the bill in its final form, while 25 opposed it.

..

MK Hanin Zoabi (Balad) was also outraged. “You are creating a monstrous state that will enter the thoughts and emotions of citizens. Is accepting my history considered incitement?” she asked. “The Nakba is a historic truth, not a position or freedom of expression.”

…

The second bill, which passed by a majority of 35 to 20, formalizes the establishment of admission committees to review potential residents of Negev and Galilee communities that have fewer than 400 families. It was passed after 2 am.

After the passing of the bill the Knesset erupted in riots as MK Ahmed Tibi (United Arab List-Ta’al), refusing to limit himself to the comparison of the bill to South Africa’s apartheid,mentioned the Wannsee Conference in which the Nazis decided on the Holocaust’s “final solution” – or the gassing of Jews.

Arab and left-wing MKs claim the bill, which was proposed by MKs from Yisrael Beiteinu and Kadima, is aimed at preventing Arabs from residing in the communities that choose to adopt admission committees.

But its initiators claim in their explanation of the bill that it is “a balanced bill and not racist, and does not intend to harm the Arabs or the weaker members of society”.

MK Taleb El-Sana (United Arab List-Ta’al) said the bill’s initiators should be ashamed. “How can a country determine for its citizens where to live and die?” he asked.

…

MK Hanna Swaid (Hadash) announced “the clinical death of the State of Israel.” He added that although the law prohibits denying anyone residence based on his race, it was still possible to do so on cultural grounds. “We will make sure the towns, local authorities, and communities that adopt the law are boycotted in the world,” he said.

Tibi: Read Jewish history

But the Knesset truly erupted in violence when MK Tibi took the stand. “You must read Jewish history well and learn which laws you suffered from. Do you remember anything about the prohibition of interracial marriage? Do you need an Arab on the stand to remind you of your history?” he asked.

“When 14 representatives gathered in Berlin, they discussed which policy to use against the Jews. It was then they discussed pushing them aside and limiting their living space…”

At this point MKs from other parties interrupted Tibi, yelling at him to leave the podium. MK Uri Ariel (National Union) refused to let him continue, yelling out, “Go back to Ramallah.”

Tibi was eventually allowed to continue, and said Arabs felt as though they were being pushed aside. He said he was not comparing the law to the final solution, but that he had brought it up in order to stress the level of hatred.

Two Grad rockets fired by Gaza militants strike Be’er Sheva
#Israel is well revealed as insincere about peace & gung ho about land theft – any new massacre of #Gaza civilians likely to be even worse PR for it than Cast Lead #
Israel may have to launch fresh operation against Gaza, says Vice Premier
Israel’s killings that ignited the present violence: PCHR condemns killing of Gaza teens :

The death of two Gaza teens on Saturday, killed by Israeli fire 300 meters from the border area was an act of “excessive and lethal force,” a condemnation from the Palestinian Center for Human Rights said.

The two, both 17, were killed east of Johur Ad-Dik in the central Gaza Strip. Medics were only permitted to retrieve their bodies more than 12 hours after they had been killed

Hamas calls day of mourning; Abbas demands end to fire
Gene Simmons fails to notice that Palestinians are in revolt against Israeli oppression
Just what is keeping the Peace Process alive? And what will it take to bury it?
Abbas: Jerusalem-Gaza road shortest path to unity

Addressing comments from Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who said earlier in the week that Abbas could choose between “peace with Israel or Hamas,” the president said “Israel has no right to object to Palestinian conciliation, it has no stake in Palestinian national unity. Netanyahi has always wept in front of the Americans, saying the Palestinians are divided and he can’t negotiate with them like this,” adding that unity would make the prospect of a Palestinian state stronger.

Israel to Charge Abusisi ‘Within Days,’ Ukraine Denies Involvement in Kidnapping, Summons Israeli Ambassador
Likud MK launches Knesset lobby to fight delegitimization
Israel is blind to the Arab revolution
Gaza: Hamas calls for truce
25 injured, 4 seriously in J’lem bus explosion
A small war is starting along Gaza border
Israeli warplanes launch fresh air strikes on Gaza
Inside the minds of Itamar colonists
Australia’s Zionist lobby worried #BDS may be catching
A small war is starting along Gaza border

The current tensions began exactly a week ago when Israel launched an air attack on a Hamas base in the ruins of the settlement of Netzarim, killing two Hamas men. That attack came in response to a Qassam fired from Gaza that landed in an open area. Hamas then responded with a barrage of 50 mortars on communities south of the Gaza Strip. Israel delayed its response so as not to disrupt the Purim festivities in the Sderot area.

But on Monday evening Israel launched a series of air attacks in which a number of Hamas militants were wounded. Things worsened yesterday afternoon. After a round of mortar fire on kibbutzim east of Gaza, the Israel Defense Forces fired its own mortars right back at the source of the firing – at the Sajaiyeh neighborhood east of Gaza City, killing four members of a family, including two children.

Southern Command’s initial investigation indicates that the mortars’ launching point, an olive grove on the edge of a residential quarter, had been clearly identified. It seems that a number of the IDF’s mortars went off course and hit a house in Sajaiyeh, a few dozen meters from the grove.

Israel seeks aid of diplomats to prevent flotilla going to Gaza

Libya Links

Six Libyan villagers shot by US team rescuing pilot
Obama: NATO to join Libya war
Senator McCain is probably regretting this 2009 tweet, about #Gaddafi

Morocco Links

Morocco: The Winds of Change

Bahrain Links

UAE Said To Have Changed View On Libya Deployment Due To Bahrain

Other Links

The Stoner Arms Dealers
EXCLUSIVE: CIA Psychologist’s Notes Reveal True Purpose Behind Bush’s Torture Program
Tomgram: Chris Hellman, $1.2 Trillion for National Security

March 23, 2011December 11, 2020

Crafty Gaddafi and the Mountain of Gold

With Gaddafi perched on a massive stockpile of gold, enough to pay his troops and buy more for years, the prospect of a quick end to the west’s assault on Gaza seems remote despite Gate’s intonations that the campaign will slow in the next few days.

The gold reserves are believed to have been moved from the central bank in the capital, Tripoli, to another city such as Sebha in the south, which is near Libya’s African neighbours Chad and Niger, after fighting broke out, the Times reported.

While bankers told the Times that international banks or trading houses were unlikely to buy any gold believed to be from Libya, Colonel Gaddafi may find buyers in Chad or Niger.

The British military are squabbling with bloodthirsty imperialist Government Ministers over the legitimacy of targetting Gaddafi directly.

Senior figures in Washington have also emphasised that the coalition is barred by the UN from attempting to hit Gaddafi; the issue is sensitive because of fears that talk of toppling the regime could alienate Arab supporters of the action.

…

The controversy was sparked when Liam Fox, the Defence Secretary, signalled that Gaddafi could be a “legitimate target”. William Hague, the Foreign Secretary, also left open the possibility in a BBC interview yesterday.

But Gen Richards, speaking after a meeting of ministers and military chiefs on Libya, was adamant that Gaddafi could not be targeted. Asked if it could happen, he replied: “Absolutely not. It is not allowed under the UN resolution and it is not something I want to discuss any further.”

In an emergency Commons debate, David Cameron, the Prime Minister, said any military action had to be consistent with the UN mandate, but stopped short of ruling out an attack on Gaddafi under any circumstances.

He said: “Targets must be fully consistent with the UN Security Council resolution. We choose our targets to stop attacks on civilians and to implement the no-fly zone. But we should not give a running commentary on targeting.”

Sir Menzies Campbell, former Liberal Democrat leader, said: “Neither the resolution nor international law would justify the specific targeting or, in truth, assassination of Colonel Gaddafi. But if he were engaged in direct control of military occupations contrary to the resolution, and the command and control centre in which he was to be found were the subject of attack, then he would be a legitimate target.”

..

Last night, the Government won clear backing for the military action, with 557 supporting the involvement of UK forces, and 13 MPs voting against.

A ComRes poll last night for ITV found that public support for the action in Libya is lukewarm, with only 35 per cent believing it was right for the UK to take action against Gaddafi forces and 53 per cent saying it would be unacceptable for British personnel to risk death or injury.

Libya Links

HOW THE UK HELPED ARM LIBYA

In 2005, the UK licensed the sale of £29.5m worth of “military transport aircraft” to the colonel; and in 2009 and 2010 licensed the sale of “bombing computers” and “military aircraft ground equipment” too.

In addition, between 2005 and 2007, sales of armoured all-wheel drive vehicles, armoured personnel carriers, night vision goggles and water cannon got the go-ahead.

The biggest shipments (and most alarming ones, given how Gaddafi’s forces are repressing the population) suggest that the exports didn’t even help boost British manufacturing. In 2007, for example, a job lot of “anti-riot shields, body armour, anti-riot guns, crowd control ammunition, smoke ammunition, tear gas/irritant ammunition, smoke hand grenades & CS hand grenades” were licensed for export to Libya by British businessmen. The materials, however, were from Serbia.

In 2005, a £41m package of battlefield weapons, including heavy machine guns, armour for tanks, day and night sights for weapons and military image intensifier equipment, originally from the Ukraine, was also licensed.

The oddest export, however, was licensed between July and September last year when the Foreign Office approved the sale of what it describes as “spacecraft”. Perhaps this offers a possible way out for Tony Blair and Gordon Brown’s Mad Dog chum.

Libya and the State of Humanity
What intervention in Libya tells us about the neocon-liberal alliance
The War for Libya’s West: More Qaddafi Massacres
Kicking the intervention habit : Should talks of intervention in Libya turn into action, it would be illegal, immoral and hypocritical. by Richard Falk
Background from July 2010 – BP to start drilling off Libyan coast : Oil giant’s shock revelation is the latest twist in a tale of politics, pollution, terrorism – and violent death
Libya: A conflict of self-interest
No to intervention in Libya! Victory to Arab revolutions! – 12 reasons to oppose airstrikes

Palestine / Israel Links

Civil Society and Palestine: Growing Power of the Ordinary : Ramzy Baroud
Israeli NGO Wins Partial Lifting of Abusisi Gag
Aroma Tel Aviv tells employees to speak Hebrew
Ex-minister and judge support boycott of Israel –

WESTERN Cape high court judge Siraj Desai and former intelligence minister Ronnie Kasrils have come out in support of a Holocaust survivors’ South African campaign for a boycott of Israel.

Speaking at a dinner in Cape Town on Sunday night, Hajo Meyer, an 86-year-old Jewish scientist and a survivor of Nazi Germany’s Auschwitz concentration camp, called for a concentrated cultural and academic boycott against Israel.

Knesset to pass “separate but equal” communities bill
Musician-activist Bob Geldof to Receive Award from Israeli University
Johannesburg U mulls cutting ties with BGU
Bob Geldof
Is Bob Geldof Obnoxiously Shameless?
“Ninety percent of water in Gaza is not fit for human consumption. UNICEF and partners are working together to install water pumps and desalination units with safe drinking water. Tuesday 22 March is World Water Day -‘Water for Cities: responding to the urban challenge.’ UNICEF ”
The Maia Project: Bringing Clean Water to the Children of Palestine
The largest segment of Gaza factories is the garment industry, with between 700 and 800 production plants. It is also the hardest hit by the siege, since it was the most dependent on exports — still banned by Israel.
Water and sanitation: A Human Right for all, even slum-dwellers and the homeless
Radicalization: It’s Not A Muslim Thing
Israeli jets strike Gaza after Hamas offers truce
After Libya, Obama will have hard time thwarting Palestinian state
More ethnic cleansing by the zioscumbag entity Jerusalem’s bookseller to the stars facing deportation : Munther Fahmi, a Palestinian, was born in Jerusalem and lived there until he was 21, when he left for the United States for 20 years.
Turkey group plans new Gaza flotilla with at least 15 ships
Ban on Israel-Palestine debate ignites free speech row at French university : International petition calls on Ecole Normale Supérieure to restore ‘long history of political expression’
Revealing Gaza: In The Eyes Of The Beholder: Israel bombs Gaza in an over-night air raid (as usual)
Bad romance: Poland and Israel’s “love story”
Mothers of Palestinian prisoners demonstrate on Mother’s Day – Gaza
One of the 7 children that were injured during Israel’s heavy bombing on Gaza!
Israeli air strikes wound 19 in Gaza : Seven Palestinian children among those hurt in raids retaliating against Hamas rocket attacks
Settlers Attack Residents in Northern West Bank
Palestinians wounded in Israeli air strikes : At least 17 people, including children, injured in military attacks on Gaza Strip, witnesses say.
Rethinking Itamar: Eliminating the ‘Palestinian threat’ won’t legitimize Israeli settlements
Letter to President Obama from Congressman Davis expressing concern about FBI repression of the Anti-War and Solidarity Movements.
UN official: Israel engaging in ethnic cleansing :

Investigator Richard Falk says settlement expansion, consequent evicting of Palestinians ‘intolerable’ : The “continued pattern of settlement expansion in East Jerusalem combined with the forcible eviction of long-residing Palestinians are creating an intolerable situation” in the part of the city previously controlled by Jordan, he said.

This situation “can only be described in its cumulative impact as a form of ethnic cleansing,” Falk declared.

…

Israel declines to deal with Falk or even allow him into the country, accusing him of bias against the Jewish state.

…

In his speech, Falk said he would like the Human Rights Council to ask the International Court of Justice to look at Israeli behaviour in the occupied territories.

This should focus on whether the prolonged occupation of the West Bank and East Jerusalem had elements of “colonialism, apartheid and ethnic cleansing inconsistent with international humanitarian law,” the investigator declared.

New Israeli Military Unit to Monitor BDS,“Delegitimization” Groups in OPT & Abroad
Israel bombs Gaza in an over-night air raid (as usual)
Imagining an ‘alternative spatial future’ in Israel/Palestine
What Israeli bombs did to a child today
Settlers attack Aqraba farmland
5 dead, others injured as Israel shells Gaza : IDF Haaretz release says four people killed.
Aid industry doing no harm in Palestine?
Public Support for Israel

Wikileaks Links

Colombia carried out covert military operations in Venezuela: WikiLeaks

Egypt Links

Guardian called to account on Mubarak wealth figures

Bahrain Links

WikiLeaks cables show no evidence of Iran’s hand in Bahrain unrest

Australia Links

Prison union boss demands G4S be sacked
Jerome Small on supporting refugees fighting back

Other Links

March 18, 2011December 11, 2020

Father Dave speaks in support of BDS at Marrickville Council

In response to erroneous allegations of anti-semitism and ‘even more insidious’ criticisms that it was none of Council’s business, Father Dave (Rev. David B. Smith) said:

That “it’s none of my business attitude”, I think, is really what allowed the Holocaust to happen,”I’m sorry about what happening to jews in Poland but its none of my business”, “I’m sorry about what’s happening to blacks in South Africa but what’s it got to do with me”, “I’m sorry about what’s happening to Palestinians in Bethlehem but it’s none of the business of Council”, and if we all take that attitude the whole world burns. As Martin Luther King said, injustice anywhere is a threat against justice everywhere and we cannot sit idly by while our sisters and brothers in Bethlehem suffer, not as a country, not as individuals either and again I congratulate our Council for their consistent, courageous stand.

Father Dave was Marrickville Citizen of the Year for 1997 and 2009.

Related Links

The Order of the Fighting Fathers
Fighting Father Dave
A Marrickville councillor has slammed mayor Fiona Byrne for using the Council web site to explain why Israel should be boycotted.
The Q Society and Marrickville Council
Australian Greens candidate faces abuse and lies over backing Israel sanction
What some young Jews do in their spare time; defend occupying Israel
Council defeats attempt to overturn Israel boycott
Navit Shchligel, member of the State Zionist Council of Western Australia and Friends of Israel Western Australia, has a repellently racist hasbara article published by ABC Unleashed. She is a signatory of the shifty Q Society petition.
Fiona Byrne cops a load from the Liberals, where Hartcher repeats the lie that $40,000 was spent on the BDS resolution:

Opposition local government spokesman Chris Hartcher told The Australian yesterday that, if the Coalition won government, he would use his discretionary powers to “call councils to account” over the issue.

and from Labor:

Labor has attacked Ms Byrne, saying she lied and contradicted herself over whether the Greens would push for a state-wide boycott.

“I have no plan or intention to bring the BDS to State Parliament,” Ms Byrne said.

But when asked on radio last month if she would introduce her BDS bill into Parliament, Fiona Byrne said:

“I would suggest that the New South Wales Greens would be looking to bring that forward.”

Her original statement is not surprising.

Boycotting Israel is official Greens policy.

A statement in December declared: “The Greens have decided to support the BDS campaign.”

“It’s up to the party to take that on,” Ms Byrne said today.

“My position is that I have no intention to bring the BDS to State Parliament.”

Greens’ Israel boycott confusion

NSW Greens spokesman Mark Riboldi said Ms Byrne had not made a formal “vow” to introduce GBDS in state parliament. “Also, ‘I would suggest that the NSW Greens would be looking to’ is not the same as ‘I will’,” Mr Riboldi said.

More Oz scuttlebutt: Shameful way with words on display
More Labor scuttlebutt : Lying accusation levelled at key Greens candidate
Marrickville backs ban
Greens deny anti-Israel policy
What a joke! ALP & Libs in disgraceful unison with Fred Nile in support of Israeli apartheid
Fear and Loathing in Marrickville – BDS in Australia

Palestine / Israel Links

Palestinian Bedouins in al-Araqib: “We won’t leave”
Palestine Education is an exciting new initiative from the Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign.
Israel To Demolish Six Homes In East Jerusalem For Wall Construction

Libya Links

Clinton Promises to Bomb Libya, Calls Qaddafi ‘Creature’
The Surprisingly Broad Scope of UN Security Council 1973: Not Just a No-Fly Zone, at Least So Long as Gaddafi Is On Offense
Libya: I’ll attack passenger jets, warns Gaddafi, as air strikes loom
Obama on presidential war-making powers – ‘OBAMA: The President does not have power under the Constitution to unilaterally authorize a military attack in a situation that does not involve stopping an actual or imminent threat to the nation.’
@SultanAlQassemi: Al Arabiya: British PM: Britain may move against Libya before the Parliamentary vote on Monday #
RT @AJELive: Koussa announces an end to military operations in #Libya at news conference in #Tripoli http://aje.me/gEqoII
@AJELive: #Libyan government to offer humanitarian aid and respect human rights, Koussa says in #Tripoli: http://aje.me/gEqoII
@avinunu Genius move by Gaddafi. Feels he can’t win but freezes status quo where he in Tripoli. Now rebels will “violate” UNSC res if they advance. #
The U.N.’s High Stakes Gamble in Libya

The Libya intervention is also complicated by the trends in the rest of the region. There is currently a bloody crackdown going on in U.S.-backed Bahrain, with the support of Saudi Arabia and the GCC. The Yemeni regime of Ali Abdullah Saleh is currently carrying out some of its bloodiest repression yet. Will the Responsibility to Protect extend to Bahrain and Yemen? This is not a tangential point. One of the strongest reasons to intervene in Libya is the argument that the course of events there will influence the decisions of other despots about the use of force. If they realize that the international community will not allow the brutalization of their own people, and a robust new norm created, then intervention in Libya will pay off far beyond its borders. But will ignoring Bahrain and Yemen strangle that new norm in its crib?

The Libyan Revolution is Dead: Notes for an Autopsy – Maxmillian Forte tears it up

A great mass of humanitarian social media addicts and self-styled cyberactivists in their hundreds of thousands signed petitions to beg the United Nations to authorize the bombing of Libya. Bearers of good intentions, no doubt, but perhaps less skilled as historians. Many will not even Google their way to the nearest Wikipedia entry that might cause them to ask some basic questions. On the other hand, history does not always repeat itself, and I am not one to make solid predictions, so perhaps this is not a useful basis for discussing the role of “humanitarian concern” in this debacle.

Instead, I have questions.

For example, exactly what kind of global human rights agenda is it that requires substantial military spending, private defense contractors, and a robust air force?

“We can’t stand by and do nothing”–and why not, when it is precisely what you are doing every day when it comes to the slaughter of civilians in Afghanistan (courtesy of our own troops), when it comes to the “secret” war in Yemen, the “secret” war in Somalia, or for that matter, the killing of civilian protesters today in Yemen and Bahrain? How about how we stood by and did nothing, as our allied torture state, Uzbekistan, boiled alive opponents and the detainees sent to them by the CIA? Boiled alive–whisper it, because not even Gaddafi has imagined perpetrating such horrors. Whisper it, so you can forget it again: “Andijan massacre;” “Uzbekistan: Repression Linked to 2005 Massacre Rife;” “500 bodies laid out in Uzbek town;” “‘High death toll’ in Uzbekistan;” “’700 dead’ in Uzbek violence.”

Bahrain Links

Bahrain: Hospitals and health centres targeted in attacks

Other Links

No Dirty Gold

March 16, 2011December 11, 2020

Palestinian Unity

Protesters in Gaza issue ‘statement no. 1‘:

The statement was issued just before Hamas security forces violently dispersed the rally, according to witnesses.

The demonstrators called in their statement not to back off from the basic demand which is to end the division until the divided parties hear the people’s voice.

The statement confirmed on the necessity of self-control in the face of any provocation that they could be subjected to in order to disperse them.

The statement added that the “cohesion of the people in Gaza, especially in Al-Katiba square, is peaceful protests, not political and serves the national interests.

“What the youth did in Tunisia and Egypt is pride for the people, make your people proud of you. Stay on what you are, no leaving and no defeat until the end of division,” the statement added.

They called on all the Palestinian parties and organizations to support them and not to say they are the organizers.

Palestine / Israel Links

The Arab revolutions’ message to America
“No Peace Without Water” – The Role of Hydropolitics in the Israel-Palestine Conflict ‘former Agriculture Minister Rafael Eitan declared that relinquishing control over water sources in the OPT would ‘threaten the Jewish state’.’
On the 8th anniversary of Rachel Corrie’s stand in Gaza
PLO: Israel has exploited Itamar murders
2012 on his mind– Obama’s Security Council veto
Hezbollah on Offense
De Niro and Penn back Palestinian film at UN (AFP)
Miral at the U.N.: Under Hollywood gloss, the truth about Israel/Palestine is revealed
Divestment: A Strategy to End the US-backed Israeli Occupation – Sherry Wolf
Lying hasbara headline of the day – Palestinian Authority forces slaughter family of five, slit baby’s throat
Where was the Victoria going and for whom was it carrying? Hasbara reports differ : Analysis: Israel’s shadow war against Iran : Ship Bound for Egypt Is Seized by Israel
Israel’s anti-boycott law is ‘suicidal’ say Israeli artists

Writer Sefi Rachlevsky: “The State of Israel, which has been building outside its territory, has been acting like a criminal state for years. The Israeli government has made insanity its flag, and is now saying that those who won’t wave this flag are criminals.””On the contrary: The anti-legal situation has allegedly become normal. Forcing people to commit criminal offenses is disgraceful and dictatorial, and all we have to do is look at what’s happening around us. There are laws in Libya as well, and they aren’t democratic either.

“As dictatorships in the region collapse one after the other, those who think Israel will be allowed to continue doing what it does in the territories is wrong. Saying that ‘Hebron is here’ is a suicidal act. The Israeli colony is destined to vanish, and those who claim that the territories and Israel are one is giving up on Israel’s continued existence.

“This is an existential question, not just a moral one. The occupation is not Israel, but an Israeli perversion. My patriotism is for the Israeli democracy, not for a dictatorial regime, and that’s what we must fight against.”

Gideon Levy – Let’s rehumanise the Arab-Israeli conflict:

When asked if he supported a “one state” solution, Levy said he would like to live side-by-side with Palestinians in one state, if it were to be equal and democratic. He said he was sceptical as to whether this would be the case, and therefore said he supported a two state solution.

Civil society and Palestine: The growing power – Ramzy Baroud :

The global boycott movement (BDS) and other related campaigns were launched to expose Israeli transgressions against the Palestinian people and galvanize international solidarity.

What is so uplifting to see now is how their achievements have far surpassed these initial aims. The campaigns have animated, accentuated and actually legitimized Palestinian civil society — a notion that long stood outside the official paradigm acceptable to Israel, and which had very little space within the restrictive realm of the Palestinian Authority (PA).

…

Yet, it is the Israeli occupation that is now being delegitimized, its own government that is being isolated, and its own country’s reputation that is constantly compromised. The power of civil society has indeed surpassed that of military hardware, archaic and exclusivist historical discourses, propaganda and political coercion.

LU kicks off Israeli Apartheid Week
Israel manipulates tragedy to advance its own harassment of Palestinians
Palestine is a queer issue
“Operation S” – LSE Palestine Society Occupy for Israeli Apartheid Week
Uruguay recognizes independent Palestine – ‘One hundred nations already recognize Palestine, including 11 of 12 South American nations. Colombia, a close US ally in the region, is the lone holdout.’
One-state Solution for Israel Palestine, Predicts Egypt Activist
A Guide to the Sayings of Gilad Atzmon, the anti-Semitic jazzman
At the Al Jazeera Forum: ‘The fall of dictatorial regimes that were allies of the US and Israel could motivate the Arab streets to strengthen calls for liberation of Palestine, the speakers felt.’
‘Release Palestinian Children’ – Irish MEP
Ukrainian Prime Minister’s Lies, Ukraine Has ‘No Idea’ What Happened to Kidnapped Palestinian, Abu Seesi
Israel’s latest PR bid has failed : Netanyahu wants to sell the missiles’ capture as proof of the Palestinians’ murderous intentions, but the U.S. and Europe clearly distinguish between the PA and Islamic organizations.
Manzarek and Krieger of the Doors, honor your humane legacy and cancel your show in Israel
Haneen Zoabi: a Palestinian woman fighting for equality in Israel :

“You cannot demand from me loyalty to a Jewish state because once you say a Jewish state, you say privileges to the Jews at the expense of the Palestinians. There is no real equality between the Jewish citizens and the Palestinian citizens. I want a liberal state. I want a fully democratic state. I want a state for all its citizens.”

Palestinian Youth Movement: Cherries not Strawberries!!
Itamar massacre: Army blamed for breach
Palestinian Bedouins in al-Araqib: “We won’t leave”

Egypt Links

Hillary Shillary snubbed by Egyptian youth ‘due to her negative stance towards the revolution during its inception and the approach of the US Administration towards the Middle East Region’.

Libya Links

Libyan troops outflank rebels in Ajdabiyah
Why a no-fly zone means no freedom for Libyans

Bahrain Links

Bahrain king clamps down; 3 dead as unrest spreads – Bahrain is now occupied by Saudi troops
U.S.-Saudi Tensions Intensify With Mideast Turmoil

Wikileaks Links

Internet is world’s greatest spying machine and obstacle to free speech, says Assange
Bradley Manning’s Military Doctors Accused Over Treatment
The Cypherpunk Revolutionary : Robert Manne on Julian Assange

Australia Links

Modelling agency denies racism claims : “Please note however that as you are of non-caucasian heritage that your work opportunities in Perth would be extrremely [sic] limited.”

March 15, 2011December 11, 2020

Whodunnit? Fake Phone Poll Pushing Voters in Marrickville

Marrickville Council supports the global BDS movement, and Mayor Fiona Byrne is standing for the Greens for the state legislature, promising to expand BDS against apartheid Israel there if she gains election. A phony push poll has been discovered aimed at undermining her campaign and BDS.

From the SMH:

Residents were asked questions such as “Did you know Fiona Byrne led a boycott against Israel on council recently?”

A council spokeswoman said no such survey had been commissioned and the calls were being investigated. If necessary, they would be referred to the Federal Police.

Cr Byrne said the calls were a clear case of “push polling”. “Push polling is a manipulative dirty trick, an old style political tactic and people are sick of it,” she said. “The Greens support is growing because we campaign positively on issues that matter to people.”

It is the second instance of alleged push polling in a seat held by a Labor minister. The Coalition accused Labor of push polling in John Robertson’s seat, Blacktown, in February after residents were phoned and asked about fake Liberal policies.

…

Marrickville resident Gavin Smith said he became suspicious when the interviewer repeatedly mispronounced the mayor’s surname and referred to the council as “Marrickville City Council”.

“I immediately said to the girl ‘Are you representing the Labor Party?’ and she said ‘No no it’s Marrickville City Council’,” he said.

Deputy premier Carmel Tebbutt, who holds the seat by a 7.5 per cent margin, denied the calls came from Labor.

“We have no knowledge of these phone calls and are not responsible for them,” she said.

One resident traced the call to a telephone research company called Australian Fieldwork Solutions. The company confirmed it was carrying out a survey in Marrickville but would not disclose who commissioned it or what the questions were.

From Crikey:

The Greens candidate for Marrickville is the local mayor Fiona Byrne. Last December, the Greens and Labor-dominated council voted 10-2 to cut links with organisations that support the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories. NSW Health Minister Carmel Tebbutt, the current MP for Marrickville, opposes the boycott?—?as does her husband Anthony Albanese, who represents the area at a federal level.

Byrne said: “This is absolutely and obviously push polling, but misrepresenting itself. I think that misrepresentation is quite insidious. It’s old-style political tactics and I think people are tired of it.”

…

She said the survey had misled voters by asking whether they would vote for her given she had “instigated” a boycott against Israel.

“I supported a motion that came to council. I as a councillor did not instigate a boycott,” she said.

And from the Australian, it’s reported that zionist groups have attempted a wedge in Marrickville “booking the local town hall for an AFL “peace team” made up of Israeli and Palestinian footballers.”

NSW Jewish Board of Deputies spokesman Peter Wertheim yesterday branded as “total hypocrisy” tonight’s anticipated decision by the Marrickville council to allow the reception for the team, which is visiting for the AFL World Cup in Melbourne in August, to proceed.

“While the proposal to host the AFL peace team is precisely the sort of project we encourage, it is total hypocrisy for a council that has a boycott in place to allow it to occur in their facility,” Mr Wertheim told The Australian.

Fiona Byrne addressed this shonky tactic clearly:

“There is no issue with a local group hiring a hall to host the AFL peace team. The global boycott, divestment and sanctions campaign has to do with council activities, not with what local community groups do when they hire a hall.”

The peace team is co-sponsored by the Peres Peace Centre in Jerusalem and the Al-Quds Association for Democracy and Dialogue, a Palestinian non-government organisation.

The Aq-Quds Association for Democracy and Dialogue is partnered by the Peres Peace Centre, and helps the Israeli hasbara campaign to normalise the occupation and Israeli apartheid. Both organisations are members of the Palestinian-Israeli Peace NGOs Forum.

UPDATE

Now two push polls?

Fiona Byrne said two push-polls had been reported to her, including one poll which reportedly claims to be from Marrickville Council. Marrickville Council will follow up with Police to see if a crime has been committed by persons pretending to be from Council.

Crikey records the Liberal candidate’s confirmation of dirty poll calls and reiterates the two poll scenario :

Liberal candidate Rosana Tyler, who opposes Marrickville Council’s boycott, says members of her campaign team had received the call.

“The caller gave their name but not the organisation. They just said they were ringing from a Melbourne-based company. They did say they were ringing on behalf of Marrickville Council. The questions did seem to be manipulative.”

Tyler says the boycott issue is turning “ordinary” voters against the Greens: ”There is consternation in Marrickville that this council has just lost the plot.”

Greens spokesman Mark Riboldi says he believes two “push polls” canvassing the boycott issue have been running in the area. In the first, callers identify themselves as employees of polling firm Australian Fieldwork Solutions. He says this poll is “not illegal, but definitely dirty”. In the second, callers claim to be ringing on behalf of Marrickville Council.

St Peters resident Mel McCabe told Crikey she participated in the fake Marrickville Council survey last Friday evening.

“It’s made me angry,” she said. “I’m not aligned with anyone, but I’m really angry that I gave personal insights about my views to give fodder for someone to throw at Fiona. It didn’t sit well.”

She says she was asked whether she would be more or less likely to vote for Byrne given the mayor’s support for the boycott.

…

Petersham retiree Gavin Smith, a well-known local environmentalist, told Crikey he received a call last Tuesday purportedly on behalf of Marrickville City Council. He said the caller asked whether councils should be involved in foreign affairs.

Palestine / Israel Links

Call to Save the History, Culture and Heritage of Lifta Village
Former Israeli PM Olmert to be indicted on bribery charges
Models strut in rare West Bank fashion show
Students Against Israeli Apartheid at the University of Toronto and York University Launch Campus Divestment Campaign
Whitewashing Israeli apartheid with literary finesse
Holding the University of Toronto accountable
Why Palestinians will protest on 15 March
End the Division on 15 March: Demonstrate for Palestinian Solidarity
Unbelievable racism, hate-talk, from Prime Minister Sharon’s son
Israeli forces detain over 300 in Awarta
Israeli troops attack Palestinian worshippers at Aqsa Mosque
Please Send Letters of support for BDS at KPFT Houston to the Pacifica National Board
#BDS: Security Company G4S to ‘partially’ cut ties with Israeli Apartheid
#BDS: Palestinians, Israelis, Allies Oppose Exploitation of LGBT Rights at Berlin’s International Tourism Fair
Foreign Office extremely concerned by Israel’s decision on settlements
Committee to Remove the Pacifica Board – blast from the past
Roger Waters Supports Boycott On Israel
Money before morals – another zionist wailing about the success of BDS
Collective blame, revenge, genocidal mentality and concern trolling
End Palestinian game – Op-ed: Israel should make it clear that Abbas will pay heavy price for his two-faced game : loopy logic setting up Abbas as the next unsuitable ‘peace partner’ as part of the eternal Israeli stall
Gaza revolts! day1
After Itamar: Exploring the cynical logic that makes everyone a target – No viable armed faction has taken credit, and Israeli police are even treating Thai workers as suspects.
Itamar: Already, The Aftermath
you are a scoundrel Dimi Reider
IDF continues mass West Bank arrests in wake of Itamar massacre
: According to reports from Palestinian news agencies, the IDF took all men from the West Bank village of Awarta in for questioning.
Israel begins long-fought deportation of foreign workers’ kids on Yishai’s orders
Israel Apartheid Week’s keynote address with Ali Abunimah
Zio-paranoia – Knesset hears claims of YouTube bias against Israel
Palestinians handcuffed, detained for picking wildflowers
Hundreds pour in for Gaza ‘unity’ rally
Geneva conference on Palestinian prisoners’ rights hears shocking testimonies
Chill regional winds blow across Israel

Israel’s lobbying clout in Washington is formidable, but does it out-clout the generals?

As the head of one Israeli strategy think-tank remarked after the Tahrir Square triumph against the Mubarak regime: “Our whole structure of analysis just collapsed.”

‘Itamar killings carried out by foreign worker’

The Bethlehem-based news agency Ma’an, which is close to the PA leadership, ran a lead news story that claimed that a Thai worker had been arrested by the IDF on suspicion of killing the five members of the Fogel family on Friday night.

The agency did not say how it obtained the information. However, it said that shortly after the killings, Israeli security forces arrested all the Thai workers who were inside the settlement.

Ma’an pointed out that no Palestinian group had claimed responsibility for the attack and that Palestinians were banned from entering settlements.

Another Palestinian news agency, Qudsnet, claimed that an Asian man who used to work for the Fogel family was behind the killings.

Quoting a Palestinian family living in the nearby village of Awarta, the agency said that the family members were slaughtered because the father refused to pay the Asian worker his salary, which is estimated at 10,000 Shekels.

Netanyahu’s exploitation of the murders at Itamar
Netanyahu is ignoring Abbas’ efforts to end Palestinian incitement
Blackshirt ziocolonists : Days and Nights of Rage
Three injured as Israeli army attacks Awarta – Israel engages in fascist reprisals
The writing is on the wall – Ian McEwan’s contemptible collusion with Israeli apartheid
March 21st KEY Date in Human Rights Council for Gaza Conflict Victims

Iraq Links

Monday: 19 Iraqis Killed, 43 Wounded
THE MURDER OF THE IRAQI EDUCATION INDITED INTERNATIONALLY IN GHENT

Japan Links

Worst Nightmare? Nuclear meltdown threat as Fukushima fuel rods ‘fully exposed’
Live Feed from Japan
The Idiocy and Hubris of Engineers: Will GE Get Whacked for the Catastrophic Failure of its Nuk Plants in Fukushira?
Japan Faces Prospect of Nuclear Catastrophe as Workers Leave Plant

Libya Links

Erdo?an discusses alternatives with Gaddafi to end crisis
The clarifying Manning/Crowley controversy

Wikileaks Links

West Asia policy hostage to ‘Muslim vote’ – US imperialism in full view –

‘Communications to Washington from senior American diplomats in the New Delhi Embassy constantly portray India’s West Asia policy as being hostage to the Muslim factor in domestic politics. In its bid not to antagonise Muslim voters, the cables explained, the government was forced to play down its “strategic relationship” with Israel. ‘

The ABC lined up Julian Assange for Gillard on Q & A last night, but denies there was an ambush