Citing Holocaust, Israel Demands ‘Strict Regulation’ of Antiwar Protests in Europe Push for EU Special Commissioner to Regulate Protests by Jason Ditz, July 28, 2014 Print This | Share This A new Holocaust is imminent, if one is to believe Israeli MPs, who spent the afternoon berating European officials about the growing antiwar protests across their countries, centered on criticizing the Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip.
Officials blamed “one-sided” media reports on the large number of dead civilians in Israel’s attack, and demanded the European Union impose “strict regulations on the format and content” of antiwar demonstrations going forward.
Some of the EU officials present, notably Danish officials, insisted that they had a right to free expression that would be abridged by the proposed “regulations,” but Israeli officials were having none of it, insisting that criticism of Israel was anti-Semitism in and of itself, and that “there is a difference between free speech and incendiary speech.”
The Israeli proposal would see the creation of a Special Commissioner in the European Union that would empowered to “monitor” antiwar protesters and restrict them from portraying Israel an “an aggressor” during its assorted invasions of Palestinian territory.
Citing Holocaust, Israel Demands ‘Strict Regulation’ of Antiwar Protests in Europe Push for EU Special Commissioner to Regulate Protests by Jason Ditz, July 28, 2014 Print This | Share This A new Holocaust is imminent, if one is to believe Israeli MPs, who spent the afternoon berating European officials about the growing antiwar protests across their countries, centered on criticizing the Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip.
Officials blamed “one-sided” media reports on the large number of dead civilians in Israel’s attack, and demanded the European Union impose “strict regulations on the format and content” of antiwar demonstrations going forward.
Some of the EU officials present, notably Danish officials, insisted that they had a right to free expression that would be abridged by the proposed “regulations,” but Israeli officials were having none of it, insisting that criticism of Israel was anti-Semitism in and of itself, and that “there is a difference between free speech and incendiary speech.”
The Israeli proposal would see the creation of a Special Commissioner in the European Union that would empowered to “monitor” antiwar protesters and restrict them from portraying Israel an “an aggressor” during its assorted invasions of Palestinian territory.
If "Death to all Jews" were what those signs said - then sure, Israel, that's something worth standing up for. Just like if I saw "Death to all ______ (insert your political or religious bias here)", I'd be appalled. But, because I can read, I see that that's not the case. Protest away, it's your right.
'05 - TO, '06 - TO 1, '08 - NYC 1 & 2, '09 - TO, Chi 1 & 2, '10 - Buffalo, NYC 1 & 2, '11 - TO 1 & 2, Hamilton, '13 - Buffalo, Brooklyn 1 & 2, '15 - Global Citizen, '16 - TO 1 & 2, Chi 2
EV
Toronto Film Festival 9/11/2007, '08 - Toronto 1 & 2, '09 - Albany 1, '11 - Chicago 1
this is powerful stuff from an irish human rights activist working in the West Bank.
http://www.broadsheet.ie/2014/07/29/dear-israelis/ Dear Israelis You need to know that your latest onslaught in Gaza guarantees that as a nation, you will be loathed and reviled by growing numbers of people around the world. No, not because you are jewish- that doesn’t come into it, but because you murder civilians in their 100s with your high-tech weaponry. Because you have burnt little children, blown their limbs off, killed their parents, their brothers and sisters, grandparents, aunts and uncles.
You have destroyed their homes. Because you fire flechettes at human beings, because you use DIME bombs in densely crowded civilian areas, you have rained white phosphorous down on a school, you have killed disabled people in their residential home, killed sick people in intensive care when you bombed a hospital. You bombed a UN school where women and children had taken refuge and then lied about it. You bombed a playground on the first day of Eid Al Fitr, a festival akin to Christmas. That was your present to the little children who played on a roundabout in their new outfits, now wrapped in sheets in their graves. Again, you sent out your propagandists to lie.
Since you destroyed the infrastructure of Gaza in 2008-2009, you have never allowed it to be rebuilt, leading to no sewage treatment, poor water supplies, sporadic electricity – in short you have made people’s lives as hard as they can possibly be. Relentlessly. You shoot farmers and fishermen who are doing their best to fight off poverty and fend for their families. You have done all these things and so much more, and then you lie to the world, trying to depict your victims as perpetrators, when it is you.
You are the occupying power, you are the aggressor. You bully the policy and decision makers and use political influence to ensure that your version of events is the one that is repeated, as if it were the truth. But you are not fooling us all, and you will pay for your crimes in the international criminal court – of that I have no doubt.
Call me an anti-semite and I will laugh at you as I know it is untrue, you will not shut me and others like me up. We will continue to speak out.
We will boycott your products, we will call out with millions of voices around the world for divestment of funds from Israel and sanctions against you until you comply with international law, until you:
1. End the occupation and colonization of all Arab lands and dismantle the Wall 2. Recognize the fundamental rights of the Arab-Palestinian citizens of Israel to full equality; and 3. Respect, protect and promote the rights of Palestinian refugees to return to their homes and properties as stipulated in UN resolution 194.
We will struggle against our governments and institutions that are complicit in your crimes until you find yourself alone.You can change your path. You can stand for rights, for justice, for humanity. I hope this is the choice you make. But in the end, the choice is yours.
Elaine Bradley
Elaine is a human rights activist working in the West Bank.
this is powerful stuff from an irish human rights activist working in the West Bank.
http://www.broadsheet.ie/2014/07/29/dear-israelis/ Dear Israelis You need to know that your latest onslaught in Gaza guarantees that as a nation, you will be loathed and reviled by growing numbers of people around the world. No, not because you are jewish- that doesn’t come into it, but because you murder civilians in their 100s with your high-tech weaponry. Because you have burnt little children, blown their limbs off, killed their parents, their brothers and sisters, grandparents, aunts and uncles.
You have destroyed their homes. Because you fire flechettes at human beings, because you use DIME bombs in densely crowded civilian areas, you have rained white phosphorous down on a school, you have killed disabled people in their residential home, killed sick people in intensive care when you bombed a hospital. You bombed a UN school where women and children had taken refuge and then lied about it. You bombed a playground on the first day of Eid Al Fitr, a festival akin to Christmas. That was your present to the little children who played on a roundabout in their new outfits, now wrapped in sheets in their graves. Again, you sent out your propagandists to lie.
Since you destroyed the infrastructure of Gaza in 2008-2009, you have never allowed it to be rebuilt, leading to no sewage treatment, poor water supplies, sporadic electricity – in short you have made people’s lives as hard as they can possibly be. Relentlessly. You shoot farmers and fishermen who are doing their best to fight off poverty and fend for their families. You have done all these things and so much more, and then you lie to the world, trying to depict your victims as perpetrators, when it is you.
You are the occupying power, you are the aggressor. You bully the policy and decision makers and use political influence to ensure that your version of events is the one that is repeated, as if it were the truth. But you are not fooling us all, and you will pay for your crimes in the international criminal court – of that I have no doubt.
Call me an anti-semite and I will laugh at you as I know it is untrue, you will not shut me and others like me up. We will continue to speak out.
We will boycott your products, we will call out with millions of voices around the world for divestment of funds from Israel and sanctions against you until you comply with international law, until you:
1. End the occupation and colonization of all Arab lands and dismantle the Wall 2. Recognize the fundamental rights of the Arab-Palestinian citizens of Israel to full equality; and 3. Respect, protect and promote the rights of Palestinian refugees to return to their homes and properties as stipulated in UN resolution 194.
We will struggle against our governments and institutions that are complicit in your crimes until you find yourself alone.You can change your path. You can stand for rights, for justice, for humanity. I hope this is the choice you make. But in the end, the choice is yours.
Elaine Bradley
Elaine is a human rights activist working in the West Bank.
WOW. What more can u say? BRAVO Elaine Bradley, you are a TRUE human being. And YES, yesterday WAS OUR Christmas. And look what Israel did to those kids playing and trying to celebrate OUR CHRISTMAS. In a time with so much darkness around them, you couldn't give them 1 FUCKEN DAY OF REST! Oh u did give them rest, in the form of REST IN PEACE or PIECES whatever you prefer. WOW.
Palestine solidarity goes mainstream in UK as 100,000 march in London on 26 July.
Plus Byrnzie makes 100,001 (and counting).
Anger over this issue is totally understandable, Byrnzie. These are burning hot issues. Like you, I get mad as hell about some of the shit in this world and if I channel that anger into useful action that's fine but anger can be merely corrosive and often more harmful than fruitful- and I call myself out on that one, I'm not casting stones.
So can we get down to the business of thinking of something useful to do rather that blast each other? (and again, I call myself on that, for sure.)
Let's not be each others enemies here.
And none of that hippie shit either! ;-)
I agree, and his anger is moving this thread in the wrong direction. There's a thread already existing on AMT for toxic anger. And I agree Brian, anger can be fruitful, to a point... After that, it just disintegrates the human psyche and seeks to destroy ones self.
this is powerful stuff from an irish human rights activist working in the West Bank.
http://www.broadsheet.ie/2014/07/29/dear-israelis/ Dear Israelis You need to know that your latest onslaught in Gaza guarantees that as a nation, you will be loathed and reviled by growing numbers of people around the world. No, not because you are jewish- that doesn’t come into it, but because you murder civilians in their 100s with your high-tech weaponry. Because you have burnt little children, blown their limbs off, killed their parents, their brothers and sisters, grandparents, aunts and uncles.
You have destroyed their homes. Because you fire flechettes at human beings, because you use DIME bombs in densely crowded civilian areas, you have rained white phosphorous down on a school, you have killed disabled people in their residential home, killed sick people in intensive care when you bombed a hospital. You bombed a UN school where women and children had taken refuge and then lied about it. You bombed a playground on the first day of Eid Al Fitr, a festival akin to Christmas. That was your present to the little children who played on a roundabout in their new outfits, now wrapped in sheets in their graves. Again, you sent out your propagandists to lie.
Since you destroyed the infrastructure of Gaza in 2008-2009, you have never allowed it to be rebuilt, leading to no sewage treatment, poor water supplies, sporadic electricity – in short you have made people’s lives as hard as they can possibly be. Relentlessly. You shoot farmers and fishermen who are doing their best to fight off poverty and fend for their families. You have done all these things and so much more, and then you lie to the world, trying to depict your victims as perpetrators, when it is you.
You are the occupying power, you are the aggressor. You bully the policy and decision makers and use political influence to ensure that your version of events is the one that is repeated, as if it were the truth. But you are not fooling us all, and you will pay for your crimes in the international criminal court – of that I have no doubt.
Call me an anti-semite and I will laugh at you as I know it is untrue, you will not shut me and others like me up. We will continue to speak out.
We will boycott your products, we will call out with millions of voices around the world for divestment of funds from Israel and sanctions against you until you comply with international law, until you:
1. End the occupation and colonization of all Arab lands and dismantle the Wall 2. Recognize the fundamental rights of the Arab-Palestinian citizens of Israel to full equality; and 3. Respect, protect and promote the rights of Palestinian refugees to return to their homes and properties as stipulated in UN resolution 194.
We will struggle against our governments and institutions that are complicit in your crimes until you find yourself alone.You can change your path. You can stand for rights, for justice, for humanity. I hope this is the choice you make. But in the end, the choice is yours.
Elaine Bradley
Elaine is a human rights activist working in the West Bank.
Isn't that a little too 'angry' for some people around here?
So after taking a break for a few days from this subject and sitting down and really trying to see things from all sides and listening to those that I think have un biased opinion on the subject.Im left wondering if it Dosent boil down to a couple basic components for a first step to peace. Ultimately if Hamas were willing to come out and acknowledge Israel's right to exist and be willing to demilitarize And Israel was willing to remove restrictions on Gaza and going back to 67 lines.With some land up for shared residency and negotiations wouldn't this cover the fundamental essence of what both sides really see as core points to work toward peace? People of Gaza want freedom,Israelis want safety isn't this the big issue.I don't see one happening without the other.If I was a Palestinian,Freedom from Israel and freedom of movement would be paramount.And as An Israeli I would want to know that my neighbor Dosent want me eliminated and agrees to there right to exist.The people of the area already live in many areas together in peace .Why can't they get past these simple issues? Without casting blame on past regrets.Just move forward.
Palestine solidarity goes mainstream in UK as 100,000 march in London on 26 July.
Plus Byrnzie makes 100,001 (and counting).
Anger over this issue is totally understandable, Byrnzie. These are burning hot issues. Like you, I get mad as hell about some of the shit in this world and if I channel that anger into useful action that's fine but anger can be merely corrosive and often more harmful than fruitful- and I call myself out on that one, I'm not casting stones.
So can we get down to the business of thinking of something useful to do rather that blast each other? (and again, I call myself on that, for sure.)
Let's not be each others enemies here.
And none of that hippie shit either! ;-)
I agree, and his anger is moving this thread in the wrong direction. There's a thread already existing on AMT for toxic anger. And I agree Brian, anger can be fruitful, to a point... After that, it just disintegrates the human psyche and seeks to destroy ones self.
Toxic anger? At what point will we all get angry about what's going on?
Ed was obviously angry.
Please, can we all stop making this about one person here?
Toxic anger? At what point will we all get angry about what's going on?
Ed was obviously angry.
Please, can we all stop making this about one person here?
Thanks. And you have a point. Ed wasn't exactly Mother Theresa on stage in Milton Keynes was he? What amazes me is that more people aren't filled with rage at what's going on right now.
But supposedly I'm some sort of emotionally unstable, angry....Jew hating...anti-Semite...destroyer of threads.
Israel and Israel-Firsters’ PR methods: 1. We haven't heard reports of deaths, will check into it 2. The people were killed, but by a faulty Palestinian rocket/bomb 3. Ok we killed them, but they were terrorists 4. Ok they were civilians, but they were being used as human shields 5. Ok there were no fighters in the area, so it was our mistake. But we kill civilians by accident, they do it on purpose 6. Ok we kill far more civilians than they do, but look at how terrible other countries are! 7. Why are you still talking about Israel ? Are you some kind of anti-semite? Repeat from step 1 (Test this against the next interview you hear or watch.)"
Ultimately if Hamas were willing to come out and acknowledge Israel's right to exist and be willing to demilitarize And Israel was willing to remove restrictions on Gaza and going back to 67 lines.With some land up for shared residency and negotiations wouldn't this cover the fundamental essence of what both sides really see as core points to work toward peace?
Or how about we simply impose international law on the Israeli's instead, as the whole World agrees - excluding the U.S which stands alone in the World in being opposed to Israel having to conform to international law? Israel withdraw to it's legal borders, and end the illegal blockade of Gaza. As for anybody recognizing anyone else's right to exist, this is just nonsense, and so can easily be dismissed. The Palestinians have already stated that they recognize Israel's right to exist within it's legal borders - the PLO did that about 30 years ago. As for anybody recognizing Israel as a Jewish state, no country has the right to ask any other country to condone racial supremacy. And will the Israeli's be forced to recognize Palestine's right to exist?
This is what occurs every year - and which the mainstream media ignore. It's worth reading:
The United Nations General Assembly annually votes on a resolution titled, “Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine.” This resolution uniformly includes these tenets for “achieving a peaceful settlement of the question of Palestine”: (1) “Affirming the principle of the inadmissibility of the acquisition of territory by war”; (2) “Affirming also the illegality of the Israeli settlements in the territory occupied since 1967 and of Israeli actions aimed at changing the status of Jerusalem”; (3) “Stresses the need for: (a) The realization of the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, primarily the right to self-determination; (b) The withdrawal of Israel from the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967”; (4) “Also stresses the need for resolving the problem of the Palestine refugees in conformity with its resolution 194 (III) of 11 December 1948.”
Peaceful settlement of the question of Palestine - A/RES/68/15
Vote: 165 Yes, 6 against (Canada, Federated States of Micronesia, Israel, Marshall Islands, Palau, United States) with 6 abstentions (Australia, Cameroon, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, South Sudan, Tonga)
The whole World on one side, and Israel and the U.S on the other. And those South Pacific atolls are predicted to be submerged under the sea as a result of global warming in the near future.
We on this board all share the love of the same wonderful band. When it gets heated, if we all remember that, maybe we can come at least a little closer together.
I should add, I am in no way giving myself a pass. I have had my share of arguments and angry moments here too.
is this actually making anyone else sick? like im having trouble sleeping...feeling guilty for enjoyin a walk with my dog...its so hard that we can go about our day to day while this is happenning..its totally f*cked up
Israel and Israel-Firsters’ PR methods: 1. We haven't heard reports of deaths, will check into it 2. The people were killed, but by a faulty Palestinian rocket/bomb 3. Ok we killed them, but they were terrorists 4. Ok they were civilians, but they were being used as human shields 5. Ok there were no fighters in the area, so it was our mistake. But we kill civilians by accident, they do it on purpose 6. Ok we kill far more civilians than they do, but look at how terrible other countries are! 7. Why are you still talking about Israel ? Are you some kind of anti-semite? Repeat from step 1 (Test this against the next interview you hear or watch.)"
-@ajplus explains Israel's illegal settlements in the illegally occupied West Bank, Palestine and how it's derailing a solution for peace: http://youtu.be/1sib5HbdEV4
Hey Byrnzie, if you think that by posting all these links, photos and videos, you're changing anyone's mind…. you're not. Stop making this thread your personal war.
And let's get back to what it is supposed to be about. Peace. Getting along.
Hey Byrnzie, if you think that by posting all these links, photos and videos, you're changing anyone's mind…. you're not. Stop making this thread your personal war.
And let's get back to what it is supposed to be about. Peace. Getting along.
Or how about you quit telling me what I can and can't do?
:-h from Facebook: We Refuse to Be Enemies : Vision Camp in Israel/Palestine
"Justice cannot be achieved through bombing. The tears shed by Israeli mothers are the same as those of Palestinian mothers. By gathering those who are against the war we want to make visible the knowledge and vision which is more powerful than globalized violence. This could become a turning point for the peace movement." ~ Sabine Lichtenfels, co-founder of the peace research center Tamera, Portugal & co-initiator of the Vision Camp.
The Middle East is exploding in violence. In the last two weeks the war has killed more than 1000 people, the vast majority of them in Gaza, with more than 100 children amongst them. Due to the extensive bombing of even schools, mosques, hospitals and private homes people can no longer find protection or shelter. Hatred, fear and anger are at a peak in the whole region.
In this turbulence, peace workers from Israel, Palestine and other countries are holding a five-day vision camp in the Westbank. In the middle of the war they hold a peace vigil and create a frequency of calmness in which mutual perception, sharing, deep listening, clear thinking and vision building is possible. They say, "We refuse to be enemies." And, "Together we can give a clear sign to end the war."
For its protection and success the vision camp needs international accompaniment and publicity. The war in Gaza and Israel is not a local conflict but another breakout of the global war system - just like Syria and Ukraine. War is the unavoidable result of a society which follows the hypnosis of fear and separation - on economical, ecological, social and spiritual levels. Let us leave the war system whereever it is possible. Stay online and accompany the vision camp with your thoughts and prayers. We invite people all over the world to join in meditation on Monday morning (sunrise) and Tuesday evening (sunset and the end of Ramadan).
Byrnzie, keep posting the articles...it's exactly that sort of negative remark by the other guy telling you what you can/cannot post thats whats wrong with all this....
Byrnzie, keep posting the articles...it's exactly that sort of negative remark by the other guy telling you what you can/cannot post thats whats wrong with all this....
Yeah, or maybe we should follow his/her advice and just bury our heads in the sand?
(Though as far as I know, talking about peace and love and flower arranging never solved any conflicts in the World. I might be wrong about this, but I'm under the impression that speaking out, protesting, demonstrating, petitioning, e.t.c, is what works to change things. But like I say, I know nothing. How was the Apartheid regime in South Africa brought down? Did people sing John Lennon's 'Imagine' in the direction of that country?).
Yeah, I'm cynical, and angry...and tired.
Night night.
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hedonist
standing on the edge of forever Posts: 24,524
“You may say I’m a dreamer,… but I’m not the only one.”
And some of us, after another morning dose of news coverage full of death and destruction, feel the need to reach out to others to see if we are not alone in our outrage. With about a dozen assorted ongoing conflicts in the news everyday, and with the stories becoming more horrific, the level of sadness becomes unbearable. And what becomes of our planet when that sadness becomes apathy? Because we feel helpless. And we turn our heads and turn the page.
Currently, I’m full of hope. That hope springs from the multitudes of people that our band has been fortunate enough to play for night after night here in Europe. To see flags of so many different nations, and to have these huge crowds gathered peacefully and joyfully is the exact inspiration behind the words I felt the need to emphatically relay. When attempting to make a plea for more peace in the world at a rock concert, we are reflecting the feelings of all those we have come in contact with so we may all have a better understanding of each other.
That’s not something I’m going to stop anytime soon. Call me naïve. I’d rather be naïve, heartfelt and hopeful than resigned to say nothing for fear of misinterpretation and retribution.
The majority of humans on this planet are more consumed by the pursuit of love, health, family, food and shelter than any kind of war.
War hurts. It hurts no matter which sides the bombs are falling on.
With all the global achievements in modern technology, enhanced communication and information devices, cracking the human genome, land rovers on Mars etc., do we really have to resign ourselves to the devastating reality that conflict will be resolved with bombs, murder and acts of barbarism?
We are such a remarkable species. Capable of creating beauty. Capable of awe-inspiring advancements. We must be capable of resolving conflicts without bloodshed.
I don’t know how to reconcile the peaceful rainbow of flags we see each night at our concerts with the daily news of a dozen global conflicts and their horrific consequences. I don’t know how to process the feeling of guilt and complicity when I hear about the deaths of a civilian family from a U.S. drone strike. But I know that we can’t let the sadness turn into apathy. And I do know we are better off when we reach out to each other.
"With about a dozen assorted ongoing conflicts in the news everyday"
That is probably an understatement. The situation in Gaza is an ongoing tragedy and a disgrace, but it remains but one conflict in a series on this planet. If we insist on making what Eddie said pertain only to Gaza we are at best missing and at worst perverting his point. Too many conflicts and too much war. Too many warlords and too many war profiteers. Too many innocents killed, and too much blood money changing hands.
Imagine? Yeah, I imagine. I Imagine that if ten or twenty, or thirty famous celebrities stood up and spoke out with the same level of anger and passion that Ed did at Milton Keynes, that It would reverberate across the Globe.
Comments
Citing Holocaust, Israel Demands ‘Strict Regulation’ of Antiwar Protests in Europe
Push for EU Special Commissioner to Regulate Protests
by Jason Ditz, July 28, 2014
Print This | Share This
A new Holocaust is imminent, if one is to believe Israeli MPs, who spent the afternoon berating European officials about the growing antiwar protests across their countries, centered on criticizing the Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip.
Officials blamed “one-sided” media reports on the large number of dead civilians in Israel’s attack, and demanded the European Union impose “strict regulations on the format and content” of antiwar demonstrations going forward.
Some of the EU officials present, notably Danish officials, insisted that they had a right to free expression that would be abridged by the proposed “regulations,” but Israeli officials were having none of it, insisting that criticism of Israel was anti-Semitism in and of itself, and that “there is a difference between free speech and incendiary speech.”
The Israeli proposal would see the creation of a Special Commissioner in the European Union that would empowered to “monitor” antiwar protesters and restrict them from portraying Israel an “an aggressor” during its assorted invasions of Palestinian territory.
EV
Toronto Film Festival 9/11/2007, '08 - Toronto 1 & 2, '09 - Albany 1, '11 - Chicago 1
http://www.broadsheet.ie/2014/07/29/dear-israelis/
Dear Israelis
You need to know that your latest onslaught in Gaza guarantees that as a nation, you will be loathed and reviled by growing numbers of people around the world. No, not because you are jewish- that doesn’t come into it, but because you murder civilians in their 100s with your high-tech weaponry. Because you have burnt little children, blown their limbs off, killed their parents, their brothers and sisters, grandparents, aunts and uncles.
You have destroyed their homes. Because you fire flechettes at human beings, because you use DIME bombs in densely crowded civilian areas, you have rained white phosphorous down on a school, you have killed disabled people in their residential home, killed sick people in intensive care when you bombed a hospital. You bombed a UN school where women and children had taken refuge and then lied about it. You bombed a playground on the first day of Eid Al Fitr, a festival akin to Christmas. That was your present to the little children who played on a roundabout in their new outfits, now wrapped in sheets in their graves. Again, you sent out your propagandists to lie.
Since you destroyed the infrastructure of Gaza in 2008-2009, you have never allowed it to be rebuilt, leading to no sewage treatment, poor water supplies, sporadic electricity – in short you have made people’s lives as hard as they can possibly be. Relentlessly. You shoot farmers and fishermen who are doing their best to fight off poverty and fend for their families. You have done all these things and so much more, and then you lie to the world, trying to depict your victims as perpetrators, when it is you.
You are the occupying power, you are the aggressor. You bully the policy and decision makers and use political influence to ensure that your version of events is the one that is repeated, as if it were the truth. But you are not fooling us all, and you will pay for your crimes in the international criminal court – of that I have no doubt.
Call me an anti-semite and I will laugh at you as I know it is untrue, you will not shut me and others like me up. We will continue to speak out.
We will boycott your products, we will call out with millions of voices around the world for divestment of funds from Israel and sanctions against you until you comply with international law, until you:
1. End the occupation and colonization of all Arab lands and dismantle the Wall
2. Recognize the fundamental rights of the Arab-Palestinian citizens of Israel to full equality; and
3. Respect, protect and promote the rights of Palestinian refugees to return to their homes and properties as stipulated in UN resolution 194.
We will struggle against our governments and institutions that are complicit in your crimes until you find yourself alone.You can change your path. You can stand for rights, for justice, for humanity. I hope this is the choice you make. But in the end, the choice is yours.
Elaine Bradley
Elaine is a human rights activist working in the West Bank.
"...I changed by not changing at all..."
I mean, it's not as if I was referring to someone with even an iota of decency or honesty in their being.
I know that word is a no-no for other posters, but for Alan Dershowitz?
Ultimately if Hamas were willing to come out and acknowledge Israel's right to exist and be willing to demilitarize And Israel was willing to remove restrictions on Gaza and going back to 67 lines.With some land up for shared residency and negotiations wouldn't this cover the fundamental essence of what both sides really see as core points to work toward peace?
People of Gaza want freedom,Israelis want safety isn't this the big issue.I don't see one happening without the other.If I was a Palestinian,Freedom from Israel and freedom of movement would be paramount.And as An Israeli I would want to know that my neighbor Dosent want me eliminated and agrees to there right to exist.The people of the area already live in many areas together in peace .Why can't they get past these simple issues? Without casting blame on past regrets.Just move forward.
Ed was obviously angry.
Please, can we all stop making this about one person here?
But supposedly I'm some sort of emotionally unstable, angry....Jew hating...anti-Semite...destroyer of threads.
Everyone arguing that we shouldn't make this about one person is correct.
Everyone arguing that we shouldn't make this about one particular conflict is also correct.
"...I changed by not changing at all..."
1. We haven't heard reports of deaths, will check into it
2. The people were killed, but by a faulty Palestinian rocket/bomb
3. Ok we killed them, but they were terrorists
4. Ok they were civilians, but they were being used as human shields
5. Ok there were no fighters in the area, so it was our mistake. But we kill civilians by accident, they do it on purpose
6. Ok we kill far more civilians than they do, but look at how terrible other countries are!
7. Why are you still talking about Israel ? Are you some kind of anti-semite?
Repeat from step 1 (Test this against the next interview you hear or watch.)"
Israel withdraw to it's legal borders, and end the illegal blockade of Gaza. As for anybody recognizing anyone else's right to exist, this is just nonsense, and so can easily be dismissed. The Palestinians have already stated that they recognize Israel's right to exist within it's legal borders - the PLO did that about 30 years ago. As for anybody recognizing Israel as a Jewish state, no country has the right to ask any other country to condone racial supremacy. And will the Israeli's be forced to recognize Palestine's right to exist?
This is what occurs every year - and which the mainstream media ignore. It's worth reading:
The United Nations General Assembly annually votes on a resolution titled, “Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine.” This resolution uniformly includes these tenets for “achieving a peaceful settlement of the question of Palestine”: (1) “Affirming the principle of the inadmissibility of the acquisition of territory by war”; (2) “Affirming also the illegality of the Israeli settlements in the territory occupied since 1967 and of Israeli actions aimed at changing the status of Jerusalem”; (3) “Stresses the need for: (a) The realization of the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, primarily the right to self-determination; (b) The withdrawal of Israel from the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967”; (4) “Also stresses the need for resolving the problem of the Palestine refugees in conformity with its resolution 194 (III) of 11 December 1948.”
Last year:
https://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2013/ga11460.doc.htm
Peaceful settlement of the question of Palestine - A/RES/68/15
Vote: 165 Yes, 6 against (Canada, Federated States of Micronesia, Israel, Marshall Islands, Palau, United States) with 6 abstentions (Australia, Cameroon, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, South Sudan, Tonga)
The whole World on one side, and Israel and the U.S on the other. And those South Pacific atolls are predicted to be submerged under the sea as a result of global warming in the near future.
I should add, I am in no way giving myself a pass. I have had my share of arguments and angry moments here too.
"...I changed by not changing at all..."
Threadlocker
Hospitals, schools, geriatric centers, playgrounds, no place is safe.
-The most current debunking of Israel talking points/myths on Gaza, well written by @OmarBaddar: Who started it? Why now? The truth about the kidnapped Israeli teens, and more: http://www.salon.com/2014/07/28/debunking_the_myths_about_gaza_the_truth_behind_israeli_and_palestinian_talking_points/
-11 fact-filled, evidence-based rebuttals to Israeli talking points/myths about Gaza, Hamas and warcrimes by @mehdirhassan: http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/mehdi-hasan/gaza-israel_b_5624401.html
-"Self defense," "human shields," and other Israel talking points/myths--smart takedown by @4noura: http://www.thenation.com/article/180783/five-israeli-talking-points-gaza-debunked
-No, Israel Does Not Have The Right To Self-Defense Against Occupied Palestine, According To International Law, by @4noura: http://www.jadaliyya.com/pages/index/8799/no-israel-does-not-have-the-right-to-self-defense-
-@OmarBaddar on the hypocrisy and chutzpah of Israel ignoring its own proven use of human shields as it accuses Hamas of using them without evidence:
http://www.salon.com/2014/07/18/israels_military_has_no_moral_superiority_and_its_time_the_media_covered_gaza_fairly/
-9 facts American media isn't telling you about Israel/Palestine: http://mondoweiss.net/2014/07/american-telling-israelpalestine.html
-Crucial context mainstream media isn't providing on Gaza & Israel - video by @ajplus:
-Context and perspective on Palestinian rockets and the conversation no one is having, by @paminprogress: http://mondoweiss.net/2014/07/palestinian-rockets-conversation.html
-Life in Gaza explained, video by @ajplus:
-9 graphics to help you understand what life is really like in Gaza, by @missyasin, featuring @visualizingpal: http://mic.com/articles/93207/9-graphics-to-help-you-understand-what-life-is-really-like-in-gaza
-@ajplus explains Israel's illegal settlements in the illegally occupied West Bank, Palestine and how it's derailing a solution for peace:
-@ajplus follows the money: Over $121billion US aid to Israel--is it worth it?
-Clear and concise, yet pretty thorough Intro to Israel-Palestine 101, by @jvplive:
-Controversial/illegal, documented Israeli military tactics...or war crimes? By @smpalestine: http://mondoweiss.net/2014/07/controversial-documented-strategies.html
:^o
And let's get back to what it is supposed to be about. Peace. Getting along.
We Refuse to Be Enemies : Vision Camp in Israel/Palestine
"Justice cannot be achieved through bombing. The tears shed by Israeli mothers are the same as those of Palestinian mothers. By gathering those who are against the war we want to make visible the knowledge and vision which is more powerful than globalized violence. This could become a turning point for the peace movement." ~ Sabine Lichtenfels, co-founder of the peace research center Tamera, Portugal & co-initiator of the Vision Camp.
The Middle East is exploding in violence. In the last two weeks the war has killed more than 1000 people, the vast majority of them in Gaza, with more than 100 children amongst them. Due to the extensive bombing of even schools, mosques, hospitals and private homes people can no longer find protection or shelter. Hatred, fear and anger are at a peak in the whole region.
In this turbulence, peace workers from Israel, Palestine and other countries are holding a five-day vision camp in the Westbank. In the middle of the war they hold a peace vigil and create a frequency of calmness in which mutual perception, sharing, deep listening, clear thinking and vision building is possible. They say, "We refuse to be enemies." And, "Together we can give a clear sign to end the war."
For its protection and success the vision camp needs international accompaniment and publicity. The war in Gaza and Israel is not a local conflict but another breakout of the global war system - just like Syria and Ukraine. War is the unavoidable result of a society which follows the hypnosis of fear and separation - on economical, ecological, social and spiritual levels. Let us leave the war system whereever it is possible. Stay online and accompany the vision camp with your thoughts and prayers. We invite people all over the world to join in meditation on Monday morning (sunrise) and Tuesday evening (sunset and the end of Ramadan).
Please take part.
Photos, videos, thoughts and results here:
Blog: http://sabine-lichtenfels.tumblr.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aVisionCampinIsraelPalestine?ref=hl&ref_type=bookmark
The Cause "We refuse to be enemies - together we can stop the war" has more than 18.000 supporters: https://www.causes.com/campaigns/80649-we-refuse-to-be-enemies-together-we-can-end-the-war
(Though as far as I know, talking about peace and love and flower arranging never solved any conflicts in the World. I might be wrong about this, but I'm under the impression that speaking out, protesting, demonstrating, petitioning, e.t.c, is what works to change things. But like I say, I know nothing. How was the Apartheid regime in South Africa brought down? Did people sing John Lennon's 'Imagine' in the direction of that country?).
Yeah, I'm cynical, and angry...and tired.
Night night.
That is probably an understatement. The situation in Gaza is an ongoing tragedy and a disgrace, but it remains but one conflict in a series on this planet. If we insist on making what Eddie said pertain only to Gaza we are at best missing and at worst perverting his point. Too many conflicts and too much war. Too many warlords and too many war profiteers. Too many innocents killed, and too much blood money changing hands.
It needs to stop. All of it.
"...I changed by not changing at all..."