SHHHH, LISTEN...CAN YOU HEAR IT???

When due pressure is put upon a solid immovable object, it ultimately breaks into pieces. Israel is self destructing, it's inability to budge one millimetre is causing it to crack!! There are creaking cracks engulfing Israel. They are running around like the little Dutch boy trying to plug all the holes,throwing hasbara and propaganda at every charge, not having much success because every day another hole appears in the dam, bigger and more outrageous than the last hole. With all the money they have it's still not enough to plug the dam. The worm has turned, the tide is changing, the bloom is off the rose, reality has reached critical mass. Israel is exposed and under the world's microscope. The party is over folks:

link Israel's diplomatic and defense establishments will hold several meetings this week on how to contend with what some officials described as a "barrage" of international investigations into Israel's conduct.

The most disconcerting among them, officials said, is the United Nations committee charged with examining the credibility of Israel's court system in the wake of the Goldstone report on last winter's conflict in Gaza.

Two other international probes are soon set to begin over Israel's May raid on a Gaza-bound flotilla - one appointed by the UN's secretary general and the other by the organization's Human Rights Council.

The inquiry into the Israeli court system was decided on at a March meeting of the UNHRC in Geneva as part of its

continuing effort to monitor Israel's response to the Goldstone report. The panel is charged with examining the efficiency, independence and professionalism of Israel's court system and its adherence to internationally accepted standards. Some Israeli officials have already begun describing it as "a second Goldstone committee."

Over the next few days, Israel is expected to decide whether or not to cooperate with the probe. The foreign and justice ministries are pushing for a policy change that would lead to Israeli recognition of the probe and full cooperation with it. But Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has yet to decide what Israel's official response should be.

The committee is headed by the German jurist Christian Tomuschat; its other members are Mary McGowan Davis, a former justice of the New York State Supreme Court, and Malaysia's Param Cumaraswamy. The three are tasked with monitoring any legal steps taken by the Israeli or Palestinian authorities to implement the Goldstone report's recommendations.

The committee is set to begin its work in the next few weeks and submit a final report in October.

Israeli officials are concerned because this is the first time UN bodies have investigated Israel's military and civilian legal systems, and a harsh report by the committee could stain the reputation of Israel's legal system all the way to the Supreme Court. A negative report could also lead to various countries around the world ignoring Israeli court rulings or filing indictments against Israeli soldiers and officers.

High-ranking officials said that Netanyahu would meet with key ministers this week on whether to cooperate with the UNHRC investigation. The decision could ultimately be made in the diplomatic-security cabinet.

A decision to cooperate with the committee would represent an about-face in Israel's policy toward the Goldstone report: Until now, Jerusalem has resisted recognizing the legitimacy of either the report or the UNHRC. But officials in the foreign and justice ministries believe Israel must cooperate with the new probe in order to influence its findings.

Moreover, they argue, the new panel's mandate is not one-sidedly anti-Israel, as that of the Goldstone Committee was, nor are its members seen as holding particularly anti-Israel views.

Meanwhile, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said last week that he hopes to create a "review panel" to monitor investigations conducted in both Israel and Turkey over the May flotilla raid. Ban said he hopes the committee will include one representative from each of the two countries. Eight Turkish citizens and one Turkish-American were killed in the incident.

Ban reportedly told Netanyahu the panel could help prevent other international attempts to take legal steps against Israel over the raid and obviate the need for an emergency session of the UN General Assembly or Security Council on the incident. Ban also reportedly described the initiative as "a clear Israeli interest."

Netanyahu is expected to accede to the UN chief's request, but also to insist that the panel not begin its work before the Turkel Committee - the Israeli panel investigating the raid - finishes its report.

The third international committee of inquiry into Israel's conduct was set up by the UNHRC in Geneva to probe the flotilla incident. That panel is charged with determining whether Israel violated international law and committed war crimes in taking over the Gaza-bound vessel.

GOLDSTONE BANNED FROM SON'S BAR MITZVAH

Anyone with any doubts of the evilness of Israel, let them vanish now. This poor Jewish man, who simply did his job, the SAME job he did in South Africa, which he was praised for, is now banned from attending his own son's bar mitzvah. Thanks to the lobbying of the "Zionist federation" of Nazi asshats:

link Justice Richard Goldstone, whose UN report on Operation Cast Lead accused Israel of committing war crimes in Gaza, has been prohibited from attending his grandson's bar-mitzvah by the South African Zionist Federation

It said recent negotiations between the federation, the Sandton synagogue at which the ceremony will take place, and the bar-mitzvah boy's family concluded that the judge will be banned from attending the event.

A synagogue official who refused to be named confirmed in an interview with Ynet that the bar-mitzvah would take place there and that Goldstone would not be in attendance.

REPORT~ ISRAEL PLANNED TO TARGET CIVILIANS

As if we didn't know already. This poor Israeli journalist hiding in England will be killed surely by his own rogue state for uncovering the truth about Israel's pre-planned war crimes

Did banned media report foretell of Gaza war crimes?

"In a highly unusual move, according to reports in the Israeli media, the army ordered the Haaretz newspaper to destroy all copies of an edition that included Mr Blau’s investigation after it had already gone to press and been passed by the military censor. The article was never republished."

An Arab member of the Israeli parliament is demanding that a newspaper be allowed to publish an investigative report that was suppressed days before Israel attacked Gaza in winter 2008.

The investigation by Uri Blau, who has been in hiding since December to avoid arrest, concerned Israeli preparations for the impending assault on Gaza, known as Operation Cast Lead.

In a highly unusual move, according to reports in the Israeli media, the army ordered the Haaretz newspaper to destroy all copies of an edition that included Mr Blau’s investigation after it had already gone to press and been passed by the military censor. The article was never republished.

He published several additional reports for Haaretz in 2008 and 2009 that severely embarrassed senior military commanders by showing they had issued orders that intentionally violated court rulings, including to execute Palestinians who could be safely apprehended.

Haneen Zoubi, an MP who previously headed an Israeli media-monitoring organisation, said it was “outrageous” that the suppressed report was still secret so long after the Gaza attack. She is to table a parliamentary question to Ehud Barak, the defence minister, today demanding to know why the army suppressed the article and what is preventing its publication now. Mr Barak must respond within 21 days.

She said publication of the article was important both because Israel had been widely criticised for killing many hundreds of civilians in its three-week assault on Gaza, and because subsequent reports suggested that Israeli commanders sought legal advice months before the operation to manipulate the accepted definitions of international law to make it easier to target civilians.

“There must be at least a strong suspicion that Mr Blau’s article contains vital information, based on military documentation, warning of Israeli army intentions to commit war crimes,” she said in an interview.

“If so, then there is a public duty on Haaretz to publish the article. If not, then there is no reason for the minister to prevent publication after all this time.” more here

NEW REPORT ON GAZA

ECESG Delegation to Gaza
Januray 2010

I need to preface the report below by saying a few things; firstly it is a long report, but filled with important and heartbreaking information, you should read all of it. As our readers will know, we were lucky enough to cross through Rafah at the same time as this EU delegation. Additionally, we were able to shadow the delegation on their meeting with the Prime Minister, Ismail Haniyeh. On that day, there was a lunch served to everyone, then people moved into a large room so that the Prime Minister could address the EU Delegation members. During this event I had my wee camera with me which also doubles as a video camera, not a great one mind you. However, I was able to position myself crouched down along the side with other members of the press so that I could attempt to video the Prime Ministers speech to the Delegation. My videos are included at the end of this long report. About the videos; the power went off several times during his speech, typical for Gaza. So in the first Video part 1 of his speech there was a long power cut after 4 minutes, so I had to end that recording. But, I began recording again shortly afterwards and continued for 5 minutes until my battery ran out. Still, in the first video after the welcoming comments, Haniyah begins at the 2:40 mark to talk about the Elections in Gaza, how they were told to enter into politics and partake in a Democratic Election that was fair. And they did so, then Part 1 Video ends. Part 2 video is the best of the two, so you are very welcomed to skip the first one if you wish. Part 2 Video continuing on regarding the elections and how the world declared them to be free, fair and democratic. Soon after the blockade came and it was done as collective punishment on the population of Gaza because of who they voted for. At the 3:50 mark it gets interesting. As you will read in the report below, under the section titled "Hamas Perspective" you will read the terms of Peace and a Peace Process that Hamas supports and has continued to support, which, are the very same ones the UN support and the very same ones the US "supposedly" supports. So this begs the question why are they not engaging with the democratically elected Government to work this out? Answer? Israel, as always. Is not interested in peace, but rather in overthrowing, murdering or wiping out democratically elected governments. Even a government that wants peace and are prepared to work with Israel, the US and the EU to achieve these goals. IF anyone would bother to talk to them! Now the report followed by the 2 videos:

Eyewitness Report:
ECESG Delegation to Gaza, January 2010

The Tragedy that is Gaza Today and the Role of the EU

In mid January 2010, the European Campaign to End the Siege of Gaza (ECESG) organized a 50-person delegation of MPs, politicians and former ministers into Gaza to witness firsthand the conditions on the ground one year after the 22-day Israeli invasion that laid waste to the Gaza Strip. Our goal was to collect and document the facts, and then return to our respective countries and the European Parliament to push for actions that will bring immediate humanitarian relief and an end to the siege, as well as peace and justice to the Palestinian people.

The itinerary of the delegation included meetings with members from the Palestinian Legislative Council; Ismail Haniya, the prime minister in Gaza; and John Ging, director of operations for the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA).

We also toured the areas most affected by the recent Israeli invasion, including Izbet Abed Rabu, the al-Fakhoura School, the al-Salam neighborhood and the neighborhood of the al-Samouni clan, which lost 23 members during the war. Upon leaving Gaza, we met in Cairo with the Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abo al-Gheit, Speaker of the Egyptian Parliament Fathi Sorour and Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa.

During our visit to Gaza, the delegation corroborated much of what has been documented by international organizations ranging from bodies of the United Nations to Oxfam and Amnesty International. In addition to touring the most damaged areas of Gaza, the ECESG delegation met with a variety of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that outlined the challenges they are facing in helping the people of Gaza. Among the conditions we observed for ourselves, as well as discussed with the NGOS, were acute crises in a number of sectors vital to community and family life.

Destruction of Homes

The Gaza Strip is one of the most densely populated areas in the world. More than 15,000 homes sustained significant damage during the attack, displacing 100,000 Palestinians. Today, as described o the delegation by Ibrahim Radwan, a spokesperson for the Engineering Syndicate in Gaza, it’s estimated that nearly 3,000 homes still need major repairs, and about 3,540 need complete rebuilding. This is to say nothing of the backlog of homes severely damaged in previous military actions, houses left half-built due to lack of materials, and previously existing properties condemned as unhygienic or unsafe to live in.

During its tour of the Gaza Strip, particularly the northern areas, the ECESG delegation observed many examples of the impact of this destruction of shelter, a basic requirement for survival.

“I was immediately struck by the desperate condition of the inhabitants of Izbet Abed Rabu, a small village we visited in northeastern Gaza. Some 300-400 houses, a factory and farmland had been completely razed to the ground. Apart from the fact that a considerable amount of the rubble had obviously been removed, all that was left could only be described as a bomb site through which I had to pick my way carefully. We met a family who were obviously living in the most abject of conditions - three or four generations, including an old lady who was said to be over 100, living in a tent without washing facilities of any kind and only a makeshift fire on the ground for cooking.” – Colin Low, member of the British House of Lords and president of the European Blind Union

A little talked-about aspect of the Israeli destruction during Cast Lead was the evidence seen by the delegation of systematic and targeted shooting by Israeli forces below many windowsills in the refugee camps we visited. The significance of this is twofold: First, the lack of evidence of physical assault or use of heavy-calibre weapons on the vast majority of the targeted buildings suggests that the attacks were not designed to rout an enemy but rather, to provide cover for advancing Israeli forces. The use of such unwarranted firing upon civilian buildings (which could easily penetrate the structures) indicates a deliberate breach of the Fourth Geneva Convention that was missed by the Goldstone Report. Second, it also corroborates reports documented by Israeli NGOs (such as Breaking the Silence) of Israeli forces placing a higher premium on force protection than allowed under international law and using of live ammunition to intimidate the local population.

During our tour of the most destroyed areas of Gaza, we met with the al-Samouni extended family, which lost 23 of its 48 members and was one of the featured case studies in the Goldstone Report. The Israeli ground offensive reached the al-Samouni neighborhood, a mostly rural area just south of Gaza City, around 4 a.m. on Jan. 4, 2009. In addition to the ground forces moving in from the east, it is believed that troops arrived by helicopter and landed on the roofs of several houses in the area. That is when their heartbreaking ordeal began.

One of the first houses to be targeted was the home of Ateya Helmi al-Samouni, 45, and his wife (who shared their story with the delegation) and their four children. Faraj, the 22-year-old son, had already run into Israeli soldiers as he stepped outside the house to warn his neighbors that their roof was burning. The soldiers entered Ateya al-Samouni’s house by force, after throwing an explosive device. In the midst of the smoke, fire and noise, Ateya al-Samouni stepped forward, his arms raised, and declared that he was the owner of the house. The soldiers shot him while he was still holding his ID and an Israeli driving license. The soldiers then opened fire inside the room, in which the approximately 20 family members were sheltered. Several were injured and Ahmad, the couple’s four-year-old son, was in particularly serious condition.

At about 6.30 a.m. the soldiers ordered the family to leave the house. They were forced to leave Ateya’s body behind, but carried Ahmad, who was still breathing. The family tried to enter the house of an uncle next door, but was not allowed to do so by the soldiers. The soldiers told them to leave the area, but a few meters down the road, a different group of soldiers stopped them and ordered the men to undress completely. Faraj al-Samouni, who was carrying the severely injured Ahmad, pleaded with them to be allowed to take the injured to Gaza City. The soldiers replied using abusive language. Faraj al-Samouni, his mother and other members of the family entered the house of an uncle in the neighborhood. From there, they called the Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS). At around 4 p.m. that day, a PRCS ambulance managed to reach the vicinity of the house where Ahmad was lying wounded, but was prevented by the Israeli armed forces from rescuing him. Ahmad died at around 2 a.m. during the night of Jan. 5.

The following morning those present in the house, about 45 persons, decided to leave. They made white flags and walked in the direction of Salah ad-Din Street. A group of soldiers on the street told them to go back to the house, but the witness said that they walked on, in the direction of Gaza City. The soldiers shot at their feet, without injuring anyone. Two kilometers further north on Salah ad-Din Street, they found ambulances which took the injured to Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza.

The tale of their suffering was compounded by the eyewitness accounts of Mona al-Samouni, 12, who saw her parents shot to death by Israeli soldiers, and Almaza (“Jewel”) al-Samouni, whose mother and six siblings were all killed. Today, like a number of the many other children who witnessed horrific events during the invasion, Mona and Almaza suffer from depression and nightmares, becoming increasingly withdrawn and silent - common ways of coping with tragedies, doctors say.

Al-Haj Sohi al-Samouni, the head of the clan, stressed that the extended family has no political affiliation whatsoever; rather, they are merely farmers. How can these deliberate inflictions of pain and suffering be anything but war crimes? They must be investigated and their perpetrators brought to justice.

It is shocking that such destruction and trauma are still festering more than a year after the invasion. However, despite the end of active combat, Israel has continued and even tightened its restriction on the entry of construction materials into Gaza. Barely four trucks of construction materials a month entered Gaza during the last year, just 0.05% of pre-blockade monthly flows. As a result, spare parts and all kinds of construction materials – cement, gravel, wood, pipes, glass, steel bars, aluminum, tar – are in desperately short supply or completely unavailable, with little or no capacity to produce them locally given both the destruction of local industry and the lack of raw materials, which are also banned under the blockade. During the whole of 2008, for instance, only about 20,000 tons of cement was allowed. Even smaller amounts are allowed in now.

What the people of Gaza desperately need now is a systematic, large-scale reconstruction operation. Piecemeal, temporary “humanitarian” missions that provide tents and other temporary solutions only serve to perpetuate the misery of the people.

Few Places to Teach

This destruction is not limited to homes. Many other structures vital to the Stip’s operation are affected as well. John Ging, head of the United Nations Relief & Works Agency (UNRWA) in Gaza talked with the delegation at length about the crisis in the schools, including damaged school buildings, a lack of supplies and children who cannot concentrate due to emotional trauma. As Mr. Ging so eloquently pointed out, the state of the schools will have a significant impact on future peace initiatives: Just over 52 percent of Gaza’s 1.5 million inhabitants are children under the age of 18, so today’s children will be tomorrow’s decision-makers.

Even prior to the Israeli military offensive, said Mr. Ging, the education system in Gaza was already severely weakened by the blockade, impacting the quality of education provided to students. Blockade restrictions have prevented the rehabilitation of aging educational infrastructure and much needed construction of new schools to keep up with the annual increases in student population. Last school year, 82% of governmental schools and 88% of UNRWA schools were operating on a double-shift system in order to accommodate the growing number of students.

During the 2008-9 military offensive, the situation became even worse. Eighteen schools were destroyed and at least 280 were damaged. The ECESG observed two of the schools that were hardest hit in the Israeli offensive. One was the Al-Fakhoura, an UNRWA school targeted by the Israeli army on Jan. 6, 2009. UNRWA had just transformed the school into a temporary shelter for dozens of local families, who, like thousands of other local residents, had been driven out of their homes by the Israeli army’s military onslaught. One of the four artillery shells struck the house of Samir Deeb, instantly killing him, his wife, three of his children, five of his brother's children and two female relatives. The other three artillery shells exploded next to Al-Fakhoura school. Twenty-seven civilians were killed instantly, and more than 50 were injured.

Under customary international law, it is illegal to target civilian areas, including schools, hospitals and United Nations facilities. The Israeli army claimed that Al-Fakhoura school was targeted because Hamas militants had fired at them from the school. However, an attacking force is obliged to take the necessary precautions to protect the civilian population. Given the densely populated, residential nature of the area surrounding the school, an artillery attack in the vicinity could reasonably be expected to cause excessive civilian casualties. As John Ging, UNRWA director of operations in the Gaza Strip, noted: "It was entirely inevitable if artillery shells landed in that area there would be a high number of casualties."

John Ging also stated that his agency had provided the Israelis with exact geographical coordinates of all UN facilities in Gaza, including Al-Fakhoura school. He refuted IOF claims that Hamas gunmen had fired at them from the school. "I can tell you categorically that there was no military activity in that school at the time of the tragedy" he said. "They were innocent people."

The delegation also visited the American International School, which teaches from a U.S.-developed curriculum that includes instruction in human rights but was almost totally destroyed early in the offensive, killing a school guard. The school re-located and re-opened within just a few weeks of the destruction of its 32,000-suare-feet headquarters, but now must house its 250 students in a rented building of just 300 square feet.

To date, almost nothing has been rebuilt or repaired as a result of the ban on entry of construction materials into Gaza. With the start of the new school year in September 2009, approximately 1,200 secondary students from North Gaza were not able to attend schools due to the lack of space to accommodate them and lack of alternative spaces for educational purposes.

There also is a chronic shortage of school supplies. For 240,199 school students who are not officially classified as refugees and thus not served by UNRWA – constituting more than half the student population – the Israeli ban on the import of paper and other basic educational materials remains firmly in place.

The consequences of a weakened education system, plagued by shortages of space and materials and an environment unfit for learning, are evident in the decline in school attendance and in the performance of students. In the first semester of the 2007-2008 school year, only 20% of sixth graders in Gaza passed standardized exams in math, science, English and Arabic.

The Minister of Education told us that the exam results at the schools are falling since the most-recent Israeli offensive. Even worse, “we were told by psychiatrists that children now routinely ask when they will die…The future of the region depends on the next generation of Palestinian youths, yet they are being severely damaged as each day passes under siege…” – Baroness Jenny Tonge

Living in the Dark

Also making life difficult for Gazans is the extensive damage to the power infrastructure. ECSG previous delegations visited the power plant in Gaza in both March and May of 2009, so we were already familiar with its difficulties in serving the people due to scarce spare parts and rationed fuel supplies. However, during this visit, we witnessed a much deteriorating situation, with disastrous impacts on education and healthcare. While key power lines have been restored, 90% of the people of Gaza continue to suffer power cuts of four to eight hours a day.

The European Union is now actively making the situation even worse. Gaza’s only power plant is dependent in part on shipments of diesel fuel that were formerly purchased by the European’s PEGASE program. However, since November, the EU stopped earmarking funds for the fuel purchase, allowing the Palestinian Authority to allocate the monies as it wishes. This decision, combined with internal strife between the PA in the West Bank and Hamas in Gaza, has forced the Strip’s power plant to cut service to more than 50% of residents.

The power shortages make the use of many electrical appliances and devices that we take for granted impossible: refrigerators, elevators, washing machines, water heaters, ovens, computers and phone chargers – to name just a few. Without electricity, children’s schooling is severely restricted, particularly science and computer projects. Likewise, students have difficulty completing their homework while they are cold and have inadequate light. In the healthcare sector, hospitals and clinics revert to hard-to-obtain generators when the power is cut. (Israel prohibits import of generators, making delivery through the tunnels the only option.) However, if a technical failure occurs or diesel fuel runs out, vital activities such as surgeries are disrupted – sometimes with life-threatening consequences.

The people of Gaza do not deserve to live –metaphorically or in reality – in darkness. --Benita Ferrero-Waldner, former European Commissioner for External Relations and European Neighbourhood Policy

Water: a Crisis of Quantity & Quality

The power cuts also severely impair the ability to access running water – with interruptions in supply a feature of daily life in Gaza, especially for the many people who live in high-rise flats (about half the residents of Gaza City ), where the water must be carried to upper stories using electric pumps . Showering, brushing teeth, doing laundry and washing dishes become impossible. The water and sanitation infrastructure itself was also badly damaged and remains in desperate need of repair – at an estimated cost of US$6 million.

Yet, Gaza’s Coastal Municipalities Water Utility, which ECSG delegations visited during previous trips, tells us that since June 2007, the Strip has been plagued by a shortage of spare parts needed to keep its equipment in good repair. Due to the ban on the importation of building materials, there has been almost no new construction of infrastructure for nearly three years.

The increased pumping needed to access increasingly scarce water has depleted the aquifer and accelerated the salination of the water. In addition, the loss of pressure in pipes means that polluted water from the surrounding ground can enter the pipes, and is then sent straight to consumers when the water supply restarts.

About 90 percent of the water supplied to Gaza residents is not suitable for drinking according to World Health Organizations standards, due to this infiltration of sea water. The WHO reported that at the end of 2008, 28 percent of illnesses in the Strip resulted from poor water quality, and conditions have only worsened since then. In early 2009, about 20 percent of samples from water facilities across the Strip were contaminated at levels that pose a public health risk. In Gaza, diarrhea, an easily preventable disease, is behind 12 percent of young deaths. Likewise, of the 40,000 or so newborn babies born this year, at least half are at immediate risk of nitrate poisoning; the incidence of "blue baby syndrome" (methaemoglobinaemia) is exceptionally high. An unprecedented number of people have been exposed to nitrate poisoning over 10 years; in some places the nitrate content in water is 300 times World Health Organization standards.

Although there are industrial desalination plants, as well as home units, they cannot operate without electricity. The Israeli blockade also prohibits the importation of chemicals such as chlorine, which is used to help make the water safe for drinking.

As a result, tens of thousands of people rely on supplies of clean water provided by aid agencies, and hundreds of thousands more must buy water trucked in privately. The only alternative is to beg from neighbors or lower their standards of hygiene.

Sanitation a Secondary Casualty

Another clearly evident consequence of the power shortages is a complete breakdown of the waste management systems. Ibraheim Radwan of Gaza’s Engineering Syndicate described the impact of raw sewage that flows into the sea and sometimes in the streets, with contaminants leaching into tap water.

An uninterrupted supply of electricity is needed to pump waste water from private homes, carry it to purification plants and operate the facilities. During blackouts, diesel fuel can be used to operate the sewage system. However, the government has been forced to divide its scarce diesel supply between assuring water supply and waste treatment. The Strip’s three purification plants now operate only sporadically. As a result, about 80 million liters of sewage now flow into the sea every day – more than half the daily sewage output of the strip. Half is partially treated and half is totally raw.

Healthcare in Jeopardy

During the ECESG visit, we met with an 11- year-old Palestinian, Loay Soboh, who lost his eyes in an Israeli air strike. One of our members, Colin Low, member of the British House of Lords and president of the European Blind Union, also met with Huda Naim Naim, the member of the Palestinian Legislative Council with responsibility for disability. She is in touch with a number of NGOs representing different types of disability and is endeavoring to set one up to represent blind people. To assist, Lord Low is planning to facilitate a dialogue with the World Blind Union (of which he is an officer) and the International Council for Education of People with Visual Impairment (for which he is an executive member). ICEVI and the WBU have launched a major initiative called EFA-VI (Education for All Visually Impaired Children) that is designed to build on the UN's Education for All programme by helping to address the failure to reach visually impaired children.

Meanwhile, Mohammed Al Aklouk, chair of Gaza’s Public Service Association, described how the crises in construction, power, water and sanitation affect the vital provision of healthcare for the blind and others in need.

Since the end of hostilities, most health services have resumed and are functioning as normally as possible within the constraints imposed by the blockade. However, during the frequent period of electricity shortages, the Strip’s hospitals and clinics are forced to limit their services, postpone surgeries and medical tests, and scale down lab services. Meanwhile, the lack of a reliable power supply endangers the proper storage of medicine, blood units and food. Blackouts wreak havoc on medical equipment and computers, and other devices have been destroyed by surges when electricity is suddenly restored.

There also is a chronic shortage of specialized medical personnel and access to training, along with a lack of spare parts for damaged or malfunctioning equipment. In February 2010, the General Department of Pharmacy in Gaza reported that 104 essential drugs --including treatments for cancer, heart conditions, kidney disease and psychiatric disorders -- and 123 types of medical supplies had run out due to the Israeli blockade and ongoing closure of the crossings. Yet referral to other facilities outside the Strip is often not an option. Israeli authorities at Erez Crossing often deny even seriously ill patients permission to exit Gaza for treatment in medical centers in the West Bank, East Jerusalem, Israel or Jordan. Between January and July 2009, an average of only 51% of patients applying for access to medical care via Erez Crossing were permitted to exit, while the handling of over a third of patient requests was delayed. These patients were not able to exit Gaza on time and missed at least one medical appointment; 73% were delayed for more than seven days.

Even when these immediate problems are eventually resolved, the legacy of the invasion will continue: Figures from the government in Gaza indicate that around 500 children have been left physically disabled following the Cast Lead invasion. Meanwhile, doctors in Gaza City are reporting an alarming increase in birth defects among women exposed to white phosphorous and other chemicals used in Israeli weapons.

“The white phosphorus that was used by the Israeli army in the heavily populated civilian area of Izbet Abed Rabu was still burning a year after the war.” -- Jolanta Szczypinska, member of the Polish Parliament

It’s Not Just Physical

Dr. Eyad El-Sarraj, president of the Gaza Community Mental Health Programme, stressed to us that it is critical to consider the mental as well as physical health of Gazans.

The UN Inter-Agency Gender Task Force (IAGTF) published in April of 2009 the results of a household survey on the needs and perceptions of men and women in the aftermath of Israel’s 23-day military offensive in Gaza. The survey was conducted through face-to-face interviews with 1,100 adult men and women across the Gaza Strip in the first week of March 2009. Psychological trauma was consistently rated as a main concern by respondents regardless of gender, region or social group, and psychosocial services were deemed to be a critical need, like food and water, according to the survey.

Among the most vulnerable populations are children. According to a study by NGO Ard al-Insan, 73 percent of Gaza children are still suffering from psychological and behavioral disorders, including psychological trauma, nightmares, involuntary urination, high blood pressure and diabetes. Similar research currently conducted by the Gaza Community Mental Health Programme (GCMHP) suggests that the majority of children in Gaza are showing signs of anxiety, depression and behavioral problems, including aggression and bed-wetting.

Osama Damo, aid worker for Save the Children in Gaza, said: "This is a traumatized nation. Many children we work with are not able to sleep at night for fear of soldiers returning. Others cry at the sound of loud noises, mistaking them for military jets and tanks coming to bomb their homes. Young children in Gaza are surviving under extreme levels of stress, which will pose long-term dangers not only for their mental health, but for the future of the region."

Save the Children warns that until Israel's tight restrictions on the movement of goods and people in and out of Gaza are lifted and the threat of further conflict eased, the mental health of the 780,000 children living in Gaza could continue to deteriorate.

Dr. Ahmed Abu Tawanheena, director of the GCMHP, has worked with victims of trauma in Gaza for 20 years. He said: "The safety and comfort children rely on their parents for has been destroyed twice in one year: first, during the conflict, when they saw their parents terrified and unable to protect them from the violence. Now, under the blockade, they see their parents are still unable to provide for their basic needs, such as shelter or food. Many children report feeling abandoned by their parents and by the outside world, and parents are left struggling with feelings of guilt. It's a crisis which is threatening families and communities across the Gaza Strip."

Another mental health issue that is reaching crisis proportions as a direct result of the Israeli siege and invasion is domestic violence. The UN Security Council has found that gender-based violence becomes alarmingly pervasive during and after any conflict. The situation is no different for the women of Gaza. According to the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), reports of domestic violence cases significantly increased during and after the 2008-9 Israeli invasion.

Nourishing a New Generation

Amal Seyam from Gaza’s Women’s Affairs Center and Abdelkareim Aashour from the Palestinian Agricultural Relief Center described the need to rebuild the Strip’s agricultural sector, to both wean its residents off of handouts and rebuild its industry.

Before the blockade, Gaza had a substantial agricultural sector, with a capacity to grow up to 400,000 tons of produce a year – a third of it for export. Farms also supplied a quarter of Gaza’s food needs. The blockade had already dealt a severe blow to farmers by blocking all exports as well as supplies needed for farm operations. Nevertheless, before Operation Cast Lead, more than 40,000 people, or 13% of the workforce, worked in agriculture.

However, the invasion caused extensive additional damage to the agricultural sector. Tanks and other military vehicles demolished 17% of Gaza’s cultivated land, including 17.5% of olive, date and other fruit orchards and 9.2% of open fields. Farmland was also destroyed by Israeli armored vehicles using it for access routes during the incursion. Greenhouses, livestock shelters, irrigation channels, wells and pumps were bombed or bulldozed. Meanwhile, the blockade prevents the import of replacement materials and parts.

In addition, between a quarter and a third of Gaza’s agricultural land now lies within a “no-go area” (called the “buffer zone” by Israel), which has been officially expanded to 300 meters but in reality extends anywhere between one to two kilometers into Gaza. As a consequence, many farmers have lost their livelihood. Taking direct damage caused by the offensive and the expanded buffer zone together, an estimated 46% of agricultural land has been put out of production.

Palestinians are well known for being generous. Their hospitality is, to some degree, measured by the variety of foods served to their guests. However, today, the population is now dependent on rations or food donations from outside. This loss of self-sufficiency and ability to offer hospitality creates a strong sense of indignity.

“Around 200,000 children are being fed by the UN, but because of the fall in funding from the EU and other sources, as well as the difficulty getting supplies in, it is now able provide only 60 percent of the nutrients children need every day in order to develop properly. The result: anemia, stunted growth, attention deficit disorders, post- traumatic stress disorder, etc.” -- Baroness Jenny Tonge, member of the House of Lords, UK

Employment: Toward Building an Independent Future

Mohsen Abu Ramadan of PNGO, the Palestinian network of civil society NGOs, urged us not to stay focused on immediate humanitarian relief, but to work now for the long-term, independent future of Gaza. For that, industry and employment are essential.

In just the three weeks of the invasion, 700 private businesses were destroyed or suffered serious damage to buildings, equipment or stock, resulting in a combined loss put at US$139 million. In the first three months after the offensive, joblessness in Gaza crossed 40% of the workforce, affecting 140,000 people. An estimated 120,000 private sector jobs have been lost since the blockade was imposed.

While overpriced and often poor quality consumer goods are entering Gaza illicitly via tunnels from Egypt, the highly inflated prices make them inaccessible to many and irregular trade cannot – and should not be encouraged to – sustain economic production. In addition, they are dangerous (more than 100 Palestinians have reportedly lost their lives when the tunnels collapse or are targeted by Egyptian or Israeli forces ) and an excuse for delaying peace (due to charges of weapons smuggling by Hamas).

The tunnels play another destructive role as well. Many young people are forced, because they have no alternative employment options, to work in the tunnels and sometimes remain working underground for days on end.

Finding a Solution

Hamas perspective:

During meetings with the parliamentary delegation, Hamas officials reiterated that they are committed to reconciliation with Fatah; an immediate, long-term truce with Israel, in which both sides respect past agreements; and the creation of two, sovereign states along the pre-1967 borders. However, government officials claim, most funds are being channeled to the West Bank instead of Gaza and 80 percent of Gaza’s population is living under the poverty line.

In addition, Hamas seems firm in its willingness to modify its positions – but only in return for concrete progress.

Prime Minister Ismail Haniya also called for all individuals accused of war crimes to be tried in an independent, international court. When asked how Hamas would fulfill the recommendations of the Goldstone report for investigation of possible war crimes committed by members of Hamas, Haniya responded that a commission has been set up, and external lawyers will report back soon, following international standards. Since the delegation’s return, Hamas submitted a 52-page report to the UN, saying in part that civilian deaths caused by its rockets were accidental.

“We find greater than apparent significance in the destruction of parliamentary, administrative and police buildings in the Gaza Strip when we place it in the context of similar actions that have been systematically conducted in the past few years in areas such as Nablus and Ramallah. By destroying the civilian infrastructure for both politics and policing, the Israeli forces continue to undermine the argument they make about Palestinians not being able to be a partner for peace that can deliver security.” –Robert Marshall-Andrews, member of the British Parliament

Arab League and Egyptian perspective

In a concluding meeting back in Egypt, Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa observed that despite the early hopes raised by U.S. President Obama’s Cairo speech, there have been as yet no positive, concrete results. Settlement expansion, for example, makes negotiations impossible, he said. They must come to a “full stop,” and negotiations must have a firm timeline monitored by the international community. The alternative, he warned, is a one-state solution!

Mr. Moussa agreed that the Arab League also has not done enough, and pledged to continue to advocate for the peace initiative put forward in 2002. The league has not yet sent representatives to Gaza, for fear of being seen as “taking sides,” but would do so soon, he said. Mr. Moussa ended by reminding us of the EU’s own obligations. It was the EU, for example, that immediately froze funds for Gaza after Hamas won the parliamentary elections, rather than wait 100 days to give the movement a chance to prove the concerns wrong. He called on Europe to boycott all products made in the illegal Israeli settlements.

In final meetings with officials from the Egyptian government, the speaker of the house and chairman of its Foreign Relations Committee told us it is unfair to criticize Egypt for its limited opening of the Rafah Crossing into Gaza. After providing a lengthy analysis of the political situation in the region, Egyptian Foreign Minister Abo Al-Gheit emphasized that Israel is at fault for the siege, not Egypt, and that Egypt would never leave the Palestinians in Gaza without humanitarian aid. However, his bottom line message was this: Egypt will not help the Palestinian people at the expense of Egyptian state stability.

Delegation’s call to action

Despite occasional strong language on the severe humanitarian impact of the blockade, the EU has not translated its words into action. With the United States now admitting it “under-estimated” the intractability of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the European Union must take the lead, alongside the US and other players, to secure an end to the blockade. The EU must resolve to undertake concerted action in the New Year so that the end of Spain’s six-month Presidency in June 2010 does not also mark the third anniversary of a continuing blockade on Gaza.

The delegation issues this call to action, which it will seek to implement through meetings with officials of the European Union and continuing personal advocacy:

• The siege on Gaza must be lifted.
• Any war crimes committed during the last war on Gaza must be investigated, and individuals suspected of committing such crimes should be arrested and tried in international court.
• The PLC should be invited to visit European capitals and to engage in talks with the European Parliament.
• The will of voters must be respected in all future elections, whether or not the international community approves of their choice.
• Violence against civilians should be condemned, from any source and for any reason.
• Fatah and Hamas must reconcile, since the division affects the Palestinian cause as whole. Any unity government they form must be recognized by the international community.

“What is clear to me is that the humanitarian crisis in Gaza is very dire, and regardless of the politics of the situation, all parties – the EU, U.S., Egypt, the Arab League and Israel - should take much more vigorous action as a matter of urgency to relieve it. If they do not, a deprived and traumatized generation fuelled by hatred and a desire for revenge will become a ticking time-bomb in the explosive cauldron of the Middle East.” – Nessa Childers Irish MEP

The ECESG (www.savegaza.eu) is an umbrella body of non-governmental organizations across Europe that advocates the fundamental right of the Palestinian people in Gaza to live in peace and dignity without being subjected to any form of collective punishment such as the cutting of supplies of food, fuel and medicine or their denial of free access to travel outside Gaza Strip. The ECESG supports the restoration of the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people in Gaza and lobbies for pressure to be exerted on the occupying power to lift its siege and end the human tragedy there. It urges the participation of politicians and non-politicians alike to honor their duty to stop the suffering of one and a half million people trapped in Gaza under the most inhumane conditions.

VIDEO PART 1
Haniyah begins at the 2:40 mark to talk about the Elections in Gaza,or skip to Part 2 below.



VIDEO PART 2
continued on regarding the elections and the worlds reaction to the elections, then at the 3:50 mark it gets interesting, the terms of Peace and a Peace Process that Hamas supports

ISRAEL APPEALS TO HUMAN RIGHTS CHAMPIONS

Israel is seeking support from "Human Rights Champions" to kill off a report that illustrates Israel's Human Rights Violations !!

No, seriously. This is an amazing twisting of facts, even for Israel I must say. This is like Jeffrey Dahmer appealing to gay groups for support of his crimes. I was listening live on Aljazeera this morning to the report from the UN regarding the Goldstone Report, shortly appeared the Israeli Ambassador to the UN, Gabriela Shalev who said this taken from Aljazeera online, followed by a statement that I wrote down which has not been included in the online article but was part of what she said in the live interview immediately after the statement below:

And Gabriela Shalev, Israel's ambassador to the UN, did not refer at all to
the Goldstone report during the meeting on Wednesday, but dismissed its
findings before the debate even began.

"I regret to say that the Goldstone report is one-sided, biased
and therefore wrong - just as the forum and mandate that established its mission," she said.

Her racist coded language above, is aimed of course at Western states, she dismisses the report along with all the Arab states who support it. Along with the 115 non-aligned movement who also call on the HRC to hold Israel accountable. Shall I translate her "hasbara" for you? Here's what she is ACTUALLY saying to the Arab UN members, translated from the "hasbara Book of Bullshit" America will armtwist it's allies and will get us off the hook again no matter what you Arab states vote for. Therefore "WE ROCK, YOU SUCK"

And Americans wonder why Arabs/Muslims don't like you? The UN is meant to give equal voice to member states, it is not meant to be a place where all countries have to adhere to UN Resolutions and International law except Israel and the USA. Members take democratic votes, it's called democracy when the US and Israel win one with a majority, but when Arab states win one with a majority it's suddenly no longer "democratic"

But what I have been unable to find online is the very next few sentences she said after this, which, are truly amazing. So I rewound and wrote it all down, because you just can't miss the absurdity of it. Note, she is referring to the Goldstone report being a lie and anti-Israel and is appealing for help from other UN members to kill the report:

"We trust, like minded states and countries, and representatives, and Human Rights "CHAMPIONS" will be able to move this forward."

Is that stunning or what? Israel seeking support from "Human Rights Champions" to kill off a report that illustrates Israel's Human Rights Violations !! Still you have to give them an award for "Chutzpah" or in our language "Bullshite"

Avigdor Lieberman "UN Filled With Psychics"

The Jpost is reporting the FM Avigdor Lieberman (poster child for racism and hatred) has sussed out that the UN is filled with "Psychics" who were able to predict, in advance, the moment Israel dropped the first bomb in Gaza, that they would establish a commission to find Israel guilty of war crimes, by using their psychic abilities. Note that Israel using their secret "dome" blocked their psychic abilities from infiltrating any IDF soldier or potential witnesses inside Israel or the West Bank who may have had evidence to confirm the reports.

The Goldstone Commission was established in advance in order to find Israel guilty, Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said on Thursday

"The Goldstone Commission is a commission established with the aim of finding Israel guilty of crimes ahead of time

SUPPORT ISRAEL AGAINST THE "UGLY" WAR CRIMES

Let's all support the "pretty" war crimes and IGNORE the "ugly" ones. That's what some Israeli's want us to do. I have a BIG point to make today regarding the Swedish article that has many in an uproar. If you can’t apply the same logic to one victim of a war crime, then you shouldn't believe any of them, this will be the “new” mantra of the Israeli government on the heels of the Swedish article. Aside from freedom of the press issues, what we are really talking about are “Crimes” and the reporting of alleged “Crimes” this is not Anti-Semitic. What this is really about, is furthering the censorship agenda by Israel and laying precedence for future rebuttal by Israel over War Crimes accusations. What's the difference between these:







And THIS;


Nothing, they are all war crimes, so why treat them any differently. But, we are meant to ignore these "ugly" war crimes, and support for Israel is coming from some unusual places. Today Israel is happy, it is happy because many Jews who were supportive of helping Palestine have now joined with the Israeli government over the Swedish article. The Israeli government will see this as a victory, a coming together of Jews, a chink in the armour of the peace movement and a call for censorship and a reining in of journalists who write about Israeli war crimes. Haaretz has become supportive of the Zionist plot to censor the media. Yesterday an entire piece was published HERE and another HERE regarding the Swedish article about Organ Harvesting from Palestinians. Why would they support the Israeli government stance on censoring these Swedish journalists, when Haaretz themselves have published hundreds of articles based on reports of alleged Palestinian victims of other Zionist war crimes. Why would self proclaimed pro-peace, pro-Palestinian equality Jews suddenly have a problem with this Swedish article? I wondered about that.

I can understand the horror of having to face the possibility that soldiers from Israel would be capable of such a crime. But, I am equally certain that the American public felt the same thing when American soldiers were first accused of the atrocities of rape, grotesque perverted torture in Abu Ghraib and make shift prisons in Iraq. That is, until more came out over years of journalists doing interviews with alleged victims. However, leading up to what is now common belief about the American military actions regarding those events which were common place and emanated from high above within the American government no less; there were hundreds of stories reported, years before anything was proven. Amazingly enough, we did not see the American Bush government strong arming other countries with threats about publishing reports based on statements of alleged victims or witnesses. Of course we did see counter reporting and statements from the American government and military as expected. But that is fair game, fair reporting and fair journalism, FREEDOM of the press, let the reader make up their own minds. It is not censorship, it is not threats, and it is not creating an international crisis over an article about an alleged war crime. So, why is Israel allowed to get away with this now? And more importantly why would anyone purporting to want justice for Palestinians support Israel in it's attempts to censor journalists.

What about war crimes? How are they to ever be uncovered or investigated if the victims and witnesses are never allowed to tell their story because the crime is “too gruesome” to fathom. Using this type of mentality the abuse and torture in Abu Ghraib would have never seen the light of day.

And to the defenders of Haaretz and Israel’s stance over this: What about the Rabbi’s in New Jersey, or Bernie Madoff? Is the reporting of those crimes “Anti-Semitic” as some have claimed in Israeli papers who called the FBI investigation an “anti-Semitic plot?”

Reporting crimes is not anti-Semitic. Crimes like these have recently been committed by Rabbis in New Jersey with links to Israel. Those rabbis were capable of getting kidneys from Israel and selling them. Where did they get them from and who supplied them? In that light, I should think that these new recent claims should be investigated, instead of covered up by threats and intimidation. Where are the threats to sue America and the FBI for investigating and arresting these Rabbi criminals? Where is the international crisis over this? Same thing, it’s all about illegal organ trafficking, the only difference is one takes place in America, and one takes place in Palestine. However, they are, as usual, not treated equally. And guess which side gets the lopsided treatment? Never mind though, as I’m 100% sure that before this FBI case comes to trial, the organ trafficking part will be dropped as a favour to Israel. AIPAC will get going soon and begin their arm twisting and bribing for Israel as is standard operating procedure in America.

Until now, many in the Israeli peace movement have supported investigation into Zionist war crimes. Those War crimes were drawn up on reports by alleged witnesses and victims who are Palestinian. Going back to the Palestinians who made the recent claim about Organ trade, I ask this: What is the distinction between believing the statements of Palestinians who said Israel dropped white phosphorous on civilians, or shot at point blank range a Palestinian child, or kidnapping and interning a Palestinian without trail for years, or taking control of a Palestinian home during “Cast Lead” and then urinating and defecating all over it. Shooting innocent people at checkpoints, removing Palestinians from their homes, Settlers shooting and murdering Palestinians with the support of the IDF and government. Letting Palestinian children die for lack of treatment and supplies, starving people, forcing them to live for generations in refugee camps whilst they still have the keys to their homes which you stole. How is it “ok” to believe all of this on the words of Palestinian witnesses and victims, yet NOT apply the same logic to the organ harvesting claims of abuse, also coming from Palestinians who claim they are victims? War crimes are just that and some are more gruesome than others, but they are still war crimes, and those victims have the right to tell their story just the same as the victims of white phosphorous or any other Palestinian who has been a victim during Israel’s siege and genocide.

Is this an ugly subject? Yes it is, and it is understandable why Israelis find it distasteful. But it may be true, and by attempting to defend this or by supporting the Israel government stance, people are effectively helping to lay precedence. Meaning that this same “logic” will now be used by Israel to deflect from other war crimes Israeli’s see as “less ghoulish and ugly” but they are STILL war crimes and people were STILL left dead. Being murdered at a checkpoint or having white phosphorous dropped on your head may be more palatable than having ones organs removed, but both victims are dead. And that’s the reality. Now here are a few examples of this same “logic” on journalism, note the irony:

1. America demands that all journalists stop writing about Iraqi war atrocities committed by American soldiers, this includes all articles about torture and abuse both in Iraq and Abu Ghraib detention centre. As this type of reporting of alleged victims stories are nothing more than Anti-American journalism and should not be allowed.

2. Iran demands journalists immediately stop publishing articles about its President and elections. As these articles are based on reports from unverified Internet sources they are clearly biased and are anti-Iranian in nature. Additionally, Iran insists that reporters stop publishing reports that say Iran is making a nuclear weapon. There is no evidence of this, yet these reports continue on a daily basis. They are clearly designed to fan the flames of Anti-Iranian hatred, and as such should stop being published immediately.

3. Germany demands all journalists write no more articles about Hitler, the Holocaust, or German Nazi death camp crimes, as these articles are clearly anti-German journalism. Stories from alleged witnesses and victims are clearly racist and anti-German.

Imagine if Germany had taken the same stance as Israel now. What if Germany had censored journalists from ever writing about crimes from alleged victims of Nazi torture and death camps. It was the Jewish victims personal stories that uncovered Israel’s “holy grail holocaust” and the Palestinians should have the same right to tell their stories. Even if they are just as hard to hear as the Nazi stories were to Germans, or the Iraqi torture stories were to Americans.

We can never have an investigation, because Israel does not cooperate. There will never be any investigation our outcome as was in America over Abu Ghraib. So, all we have are the stories of the victims, and now Israel wants to stop them from talking. I’m done here, point made.

BOYCOTT OF ISRAEL VICTORIES

16-08-2009,11:18

The international campaign of boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) against Israel has won several important victories in recent months. At this summer's trade union conferences in Britain, BDS activists have made significant progress.

While the campaign has been building momentum in unions globally since the 2005 Palestinian call for BDS, Israel's winter invasion of Gaza has spurned several trade unions and union federations in Britain and Ireland to pass motions more explicitly in favor of BDS. Several are calling for BDS for the first time.

Tom Hickey, a member of the University and College Union's (UCU) national executive committee, said, "The question of the moral rightness or wrongness [of BDS against Israel] has effectively already been decided."

Although the Trade Union Congress (the British union federation) has not yet passed a BDS motion, affiliated unions have begun taking up the Palestinian call themselves. So far this summer, the public sector union PCS, the UCU and the Fire Brigades Union have all passed strong motions explicitly calling for a general policy of boycott of Israeli goods, divestment from Israeli companies and government sanctions against the state.

Unions such as public sector union UNISON, the National Union of Teachers, USDAW and the Communication Workers Union (CWU) have this summer passed softer motions calling for elements of BDS. These are usually calls for a boycott of settlement goods, or for the government to suspend arms sales to Israel. The CWU and others have condemned the infamous 13 January 2008 statement of the Israeli trade union federation in support of Israel's invasion of Gaza, which read: "The Histadrut recognizes the urgent need for the State of Israel to operate against the command and control centers of the organizational terror network ..."

In April, the independent Scottish Trade Union Congress (STUC) for the first time voted to endorse a report recommending "boycott and disinvest from Israeli companies" and a "call for sanctions against Israel" at their annual delegates' congress.

This decision was not arrived at overnight. STUC Assistant Secretary Mary Senior said, "it was very important we carefully considered the issue." A motion passed at the 2007 congress called on the leadership to "explore the merits of the calls" for BDS. In February-March of this year, Senior participated in an official STUC delegation to Palestine. It was this visit that formed the basis of the report recommending BDS.

The delegation met with Israeli and Palestinian officials, trade unionists and civil society groups in the occupied West Bank and in Israel. Almost all of the representatives were asked their opinion on BDS.

The report criticized the Israeli trade union federation, stating "At no time did Histadrut acknowledge that the West Bank is occupied" -- an occupation that delegation members witnessed first hand.

The report ultimately concluded "there was strong support for BDS amongst Palestinian trade unions and civic society."

Senior believes this report was vital, and that if the vote had been held two years earlier, it might not have passed. "It was important to have ... the consultation and the delegation. That helped to bring all of our affiliates on board," she said.

Not So Fast.......enter thug David Miliband:

Miliband said he would dispatch Ivan Lewis to dissuade union leaders from the boycott. Lewis is the new foreign office minister for the Middle East, and is also a member and former vice-chair of the lobbying group, Labor Friends of Israel.

Sorry David, the UNIONS are not buying it:

Union activists have been less than impressed. UCU's Blackwell stated that the British government "should do more to enforce human rights and to put pressure on Israel to comply with international law." The STUC replied the following day with its own statement, rejecting Miliband's remarks: "The UK Government is out of step with the views of workers on this matter." STUC's Senior added that the organization was "very surprised he would say that."

Martial Kurtz, Campaigns and Events Officer of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, said, "We are not all that worried about Lewis or Miliband going around trying to stop this ... BDS is well on its way and their response smacks of desperation." source

Israel Killers~Innocent Again

Well, at least you can't say that the Evil Rogue State is not consistant in acting with impunity. This time it's not for killing Palestinians, but for killing their own:

JERUSALEM, Aug. 9 (UPI) -- Israel's military Sunday blamed four friendly fire incidents in January's Gaza operation on operational errors, so no one involved will face charges. link

Obama Says "Reward The Criminals"

Here's Obamas brilliant plan to pay off Israel to stop building settlements. Of course, this will be after they finish building all the big ones and move their Zionist land grabbers in. Even though the settlements are Illegal, Obama's answer is to reward the criminals instead of making them do the right thing. Using this same logic, perhaps Obama will be rewarding Bernie Madoff soon with a "Get Out Of Jail Free Card" This is one of the inherent problems and mistakes in dealing with Israel. The "rewards" are never enough, each one is ferreted away and added to the heaping pile of past "rewards" and incentives. As such, they are never forced to adhere to the rules, never made to do the right thing and never held accountable to anyone including America. Instead, they are always given more "Prizes" to add to their collection. More after this:

US asks Arab nations to reach out to Israel

The White House has asked at least seven Arab countries to consider what they might do in return for an Israeli pledge to freeze construction of settlements in the West Bank.

George Mitchell Says:

“We have made good progress,” said Mr. Mitchell emerging from a two-hour meeting with the Israeli leader. The two are reportedly close to a compromise deal in which America would sanction the completion of settlement construction in its final phases in return for Israeli assurances it would freeze all other building for an as yet undetermined amount of time.

Notice the last 4 words? "undetermined amount of time" what this REALLY means is that America wants Arab states to actually reward Israel for freezing settlement activity for an "undetermined" amount of time. This could be three weeks, three months or three seconds. Not so Fast Obama, you are not the Messiah, the Arabs so far seem too smart for this fairytale:

Regional powerhouse Saudi Arabia will not recognise Israel until it withdraws from occupied Arab land and makes committed steps toward a lasting two-state solution, a senior official said on Wednesday.

Foreign ministry spokesman Osama Nugali also called Israeli policy "schizophrenic" and said it was jeopardising attempts to revive Middle East peace talks aimed at creating an independent Palestinian state.

"Our position is well known. It is Israel that has to move seriously towards the peace process," Nugali said.

"As we all know, Israel is continuing to take unilateral measures by changing the geographic and demographic facts on the ground, by building settlements and expanding the existing ones," he told AFP.link

Thank You Saudi Arabia, Now if only Egypt would wake up!

Sinn Fein's MacLochlainn Calls for Prosecution of IDF Commanders

Just noticed this in my email. Sinn Fein calls for International Tribunal for the Prosecution of IDF commanders for inflicting "genocidal" war crimes against the people of Gaza.

Israeli war criminals must be prosecuted-MacLochlainn

Sinn Féin Councillor Gerry MacLochlainn, who recently visited Gaza as part of the European Convoy of Hope, has called for the establishment of an International Tribunal for the prosecution of Israeli Army commanders for genocidal war crimes against the Palestinian people after thirty Israeli soldiers exposed outrageous and criminal targeting of civilians in the Gaza strip during Israel’s invasion in December 2008 and January 2009.

Gerry MacLochlainn said, “This isn’t the first time that soldiers have come forward and exposed the outrageous and criminal activities of the Israeli army. Time and again the Israeli army has been exposed for its human rights abuses yet the international community fails to act."

“Today’s report, from thirty of Israel’s own soldiers, highlights the callous and indiscriminate targeting of Palestinian civilians during the invasion of December 2008 and January 2009. This includes commanders urging soldiers to shoot first and worry later about sorting civilians from combatants."

“This must not be allowed to go unchecked. There must be an international inquiry and we need to see prosecutions of the genocidal war criminals entrenched in the Israeli regime. There must be consequences for the actions of the Israeli Government and its army – and these should include the introduction of economic sanctions against Israel.

“Israel’s practice of conscripting recruits and forcing them to serve in occupied Palestinian territories needs to come to an end along with the policy of locking up conscientious objectors who refuse to serve in the army."

“It is vital that the international community must ensure that soldiers involved in the publication of today’s report are protected from reprisals from the Israeli military.”ENDS

Mass Murder Confirmed

IDF soldier says of Palestinians in Gaza:

"You feel like an infantile little kid with a magnifying glass looking at ants, burning them."

Reality breaks through into Israel's alternate universe and is once again ignored.

Members of the most "moral" army in the world recently published reports covering how they were encouraged to murder Palestinians for the Mother Land Israel. Although I have no clue why reporters, or anyone else for that matter, bother to even ask any Israeli official for a response as it's always the same. Right on que Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak replied (Can you guess the answer folks?) "Criticism directed at the IDF by one organization or another is inappropriate and is directed at the wrong place."

No fair Barak the Whack, He fooled us by adding this: "and is directed at the wrong place" to the "standard" retort, gosh darn it! Well, in fairness he has a partial point, he is right that it is not just Israel responsible, it is the United States for supplying Israel with weapons of mass destruction which it then used not for defense but rather to collectively punish an entire population. But the blame does not stop there, no it doesn't. The policy of "look the other way" adopted by the majority of influential countries like Britain, Canada, France, Germany and others that has existed for years towards Israel, they are culpable as well for the Gaza Holocaust. Report from "Breaking The Silence" below, more after article:

Israeli soldiers who served in the invasion of Gaza in January were instructed to “shoot first, ask later,” a policy that led to killings of innocents, according to testimonies released by the organization Breaking the Silence on Wednesday.

The Israeli organization published the interviews with some 30 soldiers in a booklet and on its website.

"Better hit an innocent than hesitate to target an enemy," is how one soldier explained the instructions given soldiers before the ground invasion that began in the second week of the three week offensive.

“The minute we got to our starting line, we simply began to fire at suspect places,” said another.

"In urban warfare, anyone is your enemy. No innocents."

Another soldier offered the following description on the briefings: “At briefings on places I entered, we were told that if we engage at close range, we should know that normally, at night the Arab is asleep in his bed and has no business outdoors at this time, so we should really be careful.”

(So Arabs are not into the "Night Life" what a racist statement. There are hundreds of legitimate reasons for an Arab to be outside after dark, how moronic. According to that "logic" if America was invaded and you ran out of milk after dark, then you dared to nip to your local 7-11 shop YOU ARE A TERRORIST. Suddenly the phrase "Got Milk" has a whole new meaning)MORE:

“We weren't told outright to shoot anything we saw moving but that was the implication,” the soldier testified, “I asked, ‘What if I see a girl outside?’ She has no business being outside. "So what do I do?" Check if she's armed – then shoot her.”

(Nah, no need to "check if she's armed" and here's proof)MORE:

Another soldier described carrying out the same policy, shooting an elderly woman for no other reason than that she was outside of her house in an area controlled by the army.

Some soldiers descriptions went even further, describing the dehumanization of the Palestinians: "You feel like an infantile little kid with a magnifying glass looking at ants, burning them."

According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, more than 1,500 Palestinians were killed by the Israeli onslaught, the vast majority of them civilians. Israel maintains that only 1,166 and only 295 dead were civilians. Israel however counted policemen as combatants although they are classified as noncombatants under international law.

Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak responded to the Breaking the Silence document on Wednesday saying, "Criticism directed at the IDF by one organization or another is inappropriate and is directed at the wrong place. The IDF is one of the most ethical armies in the world and acts in accordance with the highest moral code." source

What is contained in this report is bad enough, but here is much more: Israel's Policy To Kill Children HERE and HERE, then there is the INDOCTRINATION OF IDF SOLDIERS as well.

Israel Foils Potential Terrorist Plot

Thanks to Israel’s very quick thinking, a plot to annihilate Israel via the Erez border crossing was averted. The threat in question, was a 5 month old Palestinian baby, who was accompanying the mother and 5 year old sister who were traveling to Israel for medical treatment. As the IDF policy is to consider all Palestinian children as potential terrorists, the threat from the tiny but possibly dangerous 5 month old was deemed to be far too dangerous for the Israeli officials to allow the baby to pass through into Israel alongside the Mother and sister. An IDF spokesman stated that it's not about size, it's about the danger of the tiny baby's ability to spew deadly baby spit-up onto Israelis. A threat Israel was just not willing to risk.

Israel refuses to let 5-month old baby from Gaza leave the Strip with his mother and sister

Israeli forces at the Erez crossing stopped a 5-month old baby from crossing into Israel. His mother and five-year old sister both had a permission to leave the Strip, so the 5-year old girl could receive medical treatment in Israel.

As Israeli troops refused the infant to enter Israel, the mother and both her children were forced to turn back home without receiving medical treatment and might be unable to receive another permission to enter Israel.The five-year old girl needed medical help in Israel, as doctors in Gaza were unable to diagnose why the girl has been suffering from chronic fevers.The mother decided to take her baby with her, because she didn’t know how long the treatment would take, assuming that a five-month old infant didn’t constitute any threat for the state of Israel.The permits the mother and her daughter received were only valid on Tuesday and they had a hospital appointment for Tuesday afternoon in the Al-Maqased hospital in Jerusalem

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Oh Look~Israel Pretends Justice

What do Iran's Government and Israel's Government have in common? Plenty, when it comes to how they treat protesters.

Here's a little thought for you. Notice how the world was so outraged at the Iranian governments response to protesters? Germany, Britain, America, France, Canada, all outraged. Compare that to the world reaction Israel gets when it does the very same thing to protesters, including American protesters like Rachel Corrie and Tristan Anderson.

Israel's highest court has ordered stronger charges against two military personnel over the shooting of a bound Palestinian in the West Bank last year.

The sergeant and his commanding officer were originally charged with improper conduct, which would have carried a maximum penalty of one year in prison.

The court called for charges reflecting the gravity of the offence, which was filmed by human rights activists.

(Translation: Oh Crap, we were caught red handed by the camera. "Oh Shite, we now have to punish them, or at the very least, pretend to punish them)

The victim was not seriously injured by the rubber-coated steel bullet.

(So, what about Tristan Anderson and Rachel Corrie then? What punishment will you mete out for her murder and his attempted murder which was also filmed?)

The video footage showed the soldier, acting on orders from his commander standing next to him, shooting Ashraf Abu Rahma in the foot at point-blank range.

(This only goes to show that it is a "Policy" of the ZOF to torture and kill Palestinians and even Americans like Rachel Corrie and Tristan Anderson for protesting. And people think Iran is insane? Pot Kettle Black)

The Supreme Court ordered the military to issue a new indictment with more severe charges that would "accurately reflect the circumstances and the actions taken".

"It is a cruel act that deserves a punishment which reflects this," the judges said in a statement.

"The moral gap between the nature of the act described in the indictment and the manner of evaluation in the indictment - as the offence of 'improper conduct' - is so deep that it cannot stand," they wrote.

The sergeant and his colonel had said they intended only to frighten Mr Abu Rahma, who had been protesting against construction of Israel's separation barrier near the West Bank village of Nilin.

Palestinians and human rights organisations have long complained about harsh treatment of civilians by Israeli troops in the occupied West Bank, and light sentences handed down to abusive soldiers. source

My bet is that he will get a slap on the wrist publicly, then magically disappear like Bernie Madoff's money.

Israel Gives FATAH its Reward

The Jewish Jihadist Terrorists are moving forward with their evil racist plan of wiping the Palestinians off the map. Their greed, arrogance and lack of respect for the law knows no boundaries. They are a Thieving Racist Band of Greedy Terrorists hell bent on grabbing by force or theft, as much land as possible, before they are forced to behave like human beings, instead of vermin.

Ever notice how Israel supports corrupt FATAH in the West Bank? Ever notice how FATAH’s “talks” with Israel and cooperation with Israel has done nothing to stop them stealing more land? Wonder why no settlements are in Gaza? And yet people want to condemn HAMAS for fighting back? When for years the people have seen the “rewards” FATAH has received for its attempts at making peace with Israel? Yet people have the audacity to question HAMAS’ armed struggle and cannot see that it is a natural reaction as FATAH have made no gains what so ever for their non-violent stance and attempts at talks. For Israel, talks are seen as only one thing, an opportunity to expand their settlement activities, whilst at the same time appearing to want to move forward in so called talks. Additional settlements are the reward FATAH has received from Israel, additional settlements are what the USA have received for its attempts at “talking” with Israel. Time to increase actions against Israel, talking does nothing except give them more time to steal and ethnically cleanse Palestinians off their own land.

Israel defies US with plan for 240 new homes on Palestinian land

Israel's defence ministry has proposed legalising 60 existing homes at a Jewish settlement in the occupied West Bank, and building another 240 homes at the site, despite US calls for a halt to settlement growth.

It said the construction plan was put forward for public inspection shortly after the Israeli government was formed this spring and was first approved by Ehud Barak, the defence minister. It was now awaiting final approval.

The plan, which follows a pattern over many years of settlement growth, appears to challenge directly Barack Obama's administration, which has issued several clear calls for an end to the practice.

In an interview yesterday Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, said arguing about settlement activity was a waste of time. Last week, the US secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, told Israel's foreign minister, Avigdor ¬Lieberman, that Washington wanted "to see a stop to the settlements".

Bimkom said the plan covered 86 hectares (212 acres) and stretched across agricultural land belonging to the village of al-Jania, which is home to 1,200 Palestinians. The only way the farmers could reach their land was along a road which, under the new plan, would become an internal part of the settlement and therefore off-limits to Palestinians. "The new plan, which incorporates part of the road, will disable residents of al-Jania to work their lands and will greatly damage their freedom of movement," Bimkom said.

Water Reservoir Hill was mentioned in a 2005 report for the Israeli government by the lawyer Talia Sasson, who found it was neither authorised nor approved by the Israeli government and was built without an approved, detailed, plan. Some of it is built on privately owned Palestinian land and the site is far from the main settlement blocs and several miles inside the West Bank.

Today I am biting my tongue in order to not say that I wish someone would return the favour and wipe them off the map as they are doing to Palestine. Ooooops, I said it. So hard not to hate and despise them, for their own actions create the very hatred they are now experiencing. When day after day, atrocities after atrocities, racist action after racist action, theft after theft, murder after murder, kidnap after kidnap, internment after internment, enslavement after enslavement, over 60 UN resolutions broken, defiance after defiance, hundreds of babies, children and women murdered, Illegal use of weapons, white phosphorous, DIME missiles, collective punishment of an entire population. So this begs the question; “What’s left to Like?” nothing really, and that is Israel’s self created destiny and self created problem.

Even with all the billions spent on their “Hasbara Machine” with the most recent folly being the “Tel Aviv” beaches being built around the world in an obvious effort to “re-brand” themselves as “normal” people, nothing will work this time. There is simply not enough money to make people forget what they have done and continue to do on a daily basis. Here is Obama’s recent answer to the Zionists:

US cancels Netanyahu meet over settlements:
JERUSALEM (AFP) — Washington called off a meeting between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the US Middle East envoy because of Israel's refusal to halt settlement growth, an Israeli newspaper said.

The mass-selling Yediot Aharonot, quoting an unnamed Israeli official, said that Washington issued a "stern" message to Netanyahu to halt all settlement activity on occupied Palestinian land, including so-called "natural growth" within existing settlements.

"Once you've finished the homework we gave you on stopping construction in the settlements, let us know. Until then, there's no point in having (US Middle East envoy George) Mitchell fly to Paris to meet you," the official said.

This is not enough from Obama. I did a wee experiment the other day; I searched for blogs in support of Palestine. And guess what I found? Literally too many to count, with the majority of them having come into creation both during and after the Gaza Genocide, just like this blog. The tide has turned for the Zionist Entity, the mask has slipped, the world has now seen the evil face of Zionism and we don’t like it and don’t want it advancing it’s evil in the Middle East any longer. Today Palestine has more support than it has ever had, we must not waste this, we must not stop protesting, blogging and making convoys to Gaza. This is how we fight against the terrorists of the Zionist Entity, by continually reminding the world, each and every day of their continuing crimes against their neighbors, and continually calling on our own countries and politicians to stop the Zionist Cancer that is eating Palestinian land and killing its people.Old Irish Saying: Ní síocháin gan saoirse= no peace without freedom