Netanyahu Attempts Another Blackmail of US Official

Israel, after recently attempting to "blackmail" the US by linking any movement on a Palestinian Peace Process to allowing military actions on Iran, yesterday issued yet another "Blackmail" order to the US.

Net-and-Yahoo met with U.S. National Security Adviser James Jones in Jerusalem and informed Jones that the “Gaza blockade won’t end until Shalit (An Israeli POW) is released.”

Israel wants to be able to invade countries at will without consequences. Unfortunately for Israel, the law of averages says that eventually you will loose. The rate, number and amount of border fighting, incursions, invasions and raids at some point would see the capture of an Israeli soldier, it’s a war, do the math. Additionally Israel does not honour the Geneva Convention, or any other International legislation that could possibly cause problems for IDF actions that to the rest of the world would be seen as outrageous. As such, Israel looks particularly ridiculous crying foul because a soldier was captured in a war.

Shalit was a legitimate capture of an enemy combatant and fair game. He was captured during a war, and is a “Prisoner of War” (POW) This does not give Israel the right to continue it’s worldwide condemned illegal siege on the entire population of Gaza. Additionally, there is no peace process at this time; technically the two sides are at war. And until such time as the war has ended then Shalit will remain a POW, that’s how it works no matter if Israel likes it or not. POW’s are traditionally released when wars end, this war continues due to Israel’s refusal to commit to peace and stop building illegal settlements on Palestinian land, another act of war.

Let us not forget there are hundreds of Palestinian POWS as well, being held in deplorable conditions and many jailed without trail. Israel has recently committed acts of international Piracy, hijacked a boat, in international and Gazan waters, then kidnapped and jailed a former US congress woman and other international figures. Those international figures have personally witnessed the terrible treatment and conditions first hand. So long as Israel holds its Palestinian POWS, then Palestine has the same right to hold Shalit. This does not give Israel the right to continue to break international laws by collectively punishing an entire population due to a captured Israeli combatant who is now a legitimate POW. Story below:

Netanyahu told Jones that Israel would not fully open the Gaza border crossings until captive Israel Defense Forces soldier Gilad Shalit was released.

Shalit was kidnapped by Gaza militants in a June 2006 cross-border raid. Hamas has demanded the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails in return for Shalit's freedom source

You can read about Israel blackmailing Obama on the peace process HERE

36 Israeli MPs & 3 Ministers Captured & Held

BREAKING NEWS:

HAMAS has captured 36 Israeli MP's and 3 Former Israeli Ministers. They have been kidnapped and imprisoned inside Palestine. This despite all international laws governing elected officials. So far, the international community has remained silent, including America, the European Union and the United Nations.

Israel pointed out that the abduction of the Representatives and the Ministers is illegal and violates the most basic laws and international treaties, which do not permit the inspection of those with parliamentary immunity, as well as the abduction, trial and practice of all methods of restraining and torturing them in order to humiliate and insult them.

"Some of them said HAMAS held detainees in ditches that had been prepared in advance; 50 to 70 people were squeezed into ditches two to three meters (6.5-10 feet) deep and some 50 meters (164 feet) wide,"

Israel called on the international community, which claims to be the keeper of international law, to apply the laws to everyone, and not to see with one eye.

Could that happen to Israel? Would America let such a thing stand unchallenged? I doubt it, but it is true, only the victims are of course Palestinians, who somehow are deemed lesser human beings, that includes their democratically elected, government. If it's not "ok" to kidnap and imprison, Netanyahu, Lieberman or Obama, why it is OK for the Gazan Government. Now, here's the truth from the Gazan Government's Website:

The occupation still kidnaps 36 MPs, 3 former ministers

- Hamas Minister of prisoner affairs, Chancellor Mohamed Faraj al-Ghoul sent a telegram of warm congratulations to the MP for the Islamic Movement of Jerusalem, Dr. Ibrahim Abu Salem, for his release after serving his sentence of 38 months.

Ghoul explained in a statement on Tuesday (7-7) that after the liberation of the MP Abu Salim from occupation prison, the number of the kidnapped representatives in prisons becomes 36 deputies out of 132 deputies, in addition to 3 former ministers from the tenth government, namely:

· Wasfi Qabha the former Minister of the prisoners; the occupation renew his administrative detention for a fifth time.

· Nasser al-Shaer, the former Minister of Education who was kidnapped three months ago in the campaign launched by the occupation authorities after the halt of prisoner exchange deal, and he was transmitted to the administrative detention for 6 months.

· Jabari Issa, the former Minister of Local Government; he was kidnapped in early January of the current year during the war in the Gaza Strip.

Al-Ghoul pointed out that the abduction of the Representatives and the Minister is illegal and violates the most basic laws and international treaties, which do not permit the inspection of those with parliamentary immunity, as well as the abduction, trial and practice of all methods of restraining and torturing them in order to humiliate and insult them.

He called on the international community, which claims to be the keeper of international law, to apply the laws on everyone, and not to see with one eye.
link AND MORE:

Agencies - Member of human rights group tells committee probing Gaza offensive that Israel held detainees held with no access to food, water, restrooms; claims they were subjected to violent Shin Bet interrogations

A member of the Public Committee Against Torture in the Zionist entity testified in Geneva on Tuesday before a United Nations investigation team looking into the Israeli offensive in Gaza about half a year ago.

"Some of them said the ZOF held detainees in ditches that had been prepared in advance; 50 to 70 people were squeezed into ditches two to three meters (6.5-10 feet) deep and some 50 meters (164 feet) wide," he said.

The PCATI representative said the detainees testified to being held handcuffed and blindfolded with no access to restrooms, food or water.

'Clear findings needed'

As for the interrogations by the Shin Bet security service, Bader said these included the use of physical and verbal abuse and threats on the detainees and their families.

Bader further complained that the detainees are prevented from meeting their lawyers and that their families could not visit them due to the Israeli blockade on Gaza.

The attorney expressed his hope that the committee would publish clear findings "that will prevent the recurrence of human rights infringements on the part of both sides.

Bader said he believed the Zionist entity’s decision not to cooperate with the committee was a mistake. "The government should not have boycotted the committee if it was confident in the moral and legal justification of its ways," he said. link

I want to point out something very important. Note that these reports are from the HAMAS government's website. Also please note that as always, they are willing to cooperate, and even willing to acknowledge that boths sides should be investigated. See this sentence here from the above article; "that will prevent the recurrence of human rights infringements on the part of both sides. The last sentence sums it up nicely, why is Israel afraid of cooperating with ANY and ALL investigations? Because they are as guilty as "sin" of crimes against humanity.

HAMAS Prisoners Take Que From Irish

"So I'll wear no convict's uniform
Nor meekly serve my time
That Israel might brand Palestine's fight
60 Years of crime"

Salama: We will not wear orange uniform Al Qassam website - The leader in Al Qassam Brigades and the prisoner in the Zionist jails, Hassan Salama said that Hamas prisoners will not wear the orange uniform which the Zionist prison service tries to impose on the prisoners even if they pay their lives for this.

Salama, who is sentenced to 48 years, said that the prisoners of his movement may be exterminated at all in the darkness of the Zionist cells, but they will not put this uniform on their bodies.

He added:”Hamas as all the liberation movements around the world wage the same battle against occupation and arrogance powers which try to entitle the resistance with terrorism. Hamas will foil this imperialistic scheme through the steadfastness of her prisoners.

Haaretz reports on this as well and notes the many connotations associated with this "new" degrading uniform. Which, is clearly a psychological attack on Palestinian Resistance Prisoners to demoralise them

Around a year ago, the Israel Prison Service issued new, orange uniforms to inmates to replace the old brown uniforms. An article in Yedioth Ahronoth last July quoted the Prison Service as saying that inmates who were issued the new uniforms, which are trimmed with reflective stripes, took them happily, as their color "is much cheerier than the gloomy brown uniforms."

(As if Israel is concerned with Palestinian Prisoners feeling "Cheerful")

Really? Attorney Majd Bader of the Public Committee Against Torture in Israel says all the inmates he has met at Israel's security prisons vehemently object to the new uniforms and refuse to wear them.

"It raises very negative associations with Guantanamo," Bader said. "There was a sense that this was an attempt to link them with Al-Qaida or attach that label. Another thing is that orange uniforms are the uniforms of death row inmates in Western countries.

Inmates who refuse to wear the new uniforms are being denied visitors and other privileges. harretz

All of this reminds me of something closer to home, once again we see analogies between two peoples struggling for their freedom and independence from a colonizing oppressor. I remember an Irish Resistance song about this very thing, called the H-Block Song. One of the five demands was not to wear a criminals Uniform. On 14 September 1976, newly convicted prisoner Kieran Nugent began the blanket protest, in which IRA and Irish National Liberation Army (INLA) prisoners refused to wear prison uniform and either went naked or fashioned garments from prison blankets.

One young man on that protest was Raymond McCartney (Born 1954 in Derry, North of Ireland) is a Sinn Féin politician, and a former hunger striker and volunteer within the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) pictured in the famous mural at the top of this post.


Following his release from prison Raymond became involved in community politics and Sinn Féin structures. Raymond was co-opted onto the Assembly team following the retirement of Mary Nelis and was a founding member of Coiste Na n-Iarchimí, the group set up to look after the interests of former political prisoners. Raymond also represents Sinn Féin on the policing and justice issue in the Programme for Government Committee and is the party spokesperson on Regional Development and is on the Long Kesh monitoring group which is overseeing the redeveloping of the former Kesh Prison site. The same site where he was on the Blanket protest and hungerstrike!

Perhaps one day, one of those Palestinian Prisoners will survive the Israeli terrorists and rise to represent their people as well. So, In solidarity to the Prisoners, I offer the H-Block Song, lyrics below, changed to reflect the Palestinian cause:

I am a proud young Palestinian
From Gaza Strip my life began
A happy boy through green fields ran
And I kept Allah's and man's laws
But when my age was barely ten
My country's wrongs were told again
By tens of thousands marching men
And my heart stared to their cause.

(chorus)
So I'll wear no convict's uniform
Nor meekly serve my time
That Israel might brand Gaza’s fight
60 Years of crime
****************
I learned of centuries of strife
Of cruel laws injustice rife
And I saw now in my own young life
The fruits of foreign sway
Protesters threatened, tortured, maimed
Divisions nurtured passions flamed
Outrage provoked rights cause defamed
This is the conqueror's ways

(chorus)
So I'll wear no convict's uniform
Nor meekly serve my time
That Israel might brand Gaza’s fight
60 Years of crime
***************
Descendant's of proud Palestine's clan
The West served cruel Israel’s plan
Man's inhumanity to man
Had spawned a trusty slave
No strangers are these bolts and locks
No new design these dark Cell-Blocks
Cruel Nakba lives while Israel stalks
The bully taunts the brave

(chorus)
So I'll wear no convict's uniform
Nor meekly serve my time
That Israel might brand Gaza’s fight
60 Years of crime
***************
Does Israel need one thousand years
Of protest, riots, death and tears
Or will this last decade of fears
Of six decades spell
An end to Palestine's agony
New hope for human dignity
And will the last obscenity
Be this grim Prison-Block cell

(chorus)
So I'll wear no convict's uniform
Nor meekly serve my time
That Israel might brand Gaza’s fight
60 Years of crime
***************

Here’s the Original song:

Israel Offers "CHICKEN" To Gaza

http://irish4palestine.blogspot.com

Israel wants to trade "Chickens and Canned Goods"for Gilad Shalit

The Zionist Entity wants to offer a "partial" lifting of the illegal siege as an incentive to get back the ZOF captured soldier Gilad Shalit. They are offering to allow these items into Gaza: coffee, tea, soups, meat, fish, canned goods, fuel, clothing, kitchenware and egg-laying chickens.

Now, I ask you, notice these things are the staples of life, not excessive items, just everyday items people need to survive. This points out the fact that the Zionist Entity is strangling human beings by an act of war illegal siege that if it occurred anywhere else in the world, America would be all over it like white on rice. I hope HAMAS tells them to "Feck Off" and holds out for a prisoner exchange, as there are hundreds of Palestinians who were kidnapped and interned, just like the recent peace activists were. HAMAS needs to tell Israel exactly where they can shove those "Chickens and Canned Goods" complete with instructions!

Israel mulling easing Gaza embargo

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel's Defense Ministry has recommended a partial lifting of the embargo on Gaza as a goodwill gesture toward the Palestinians to spur along talks to free a long-held captive soldier, an Israeli news site reported Friday.

Israel has been linking the opening of Gaza's borders to the release of Sgt. Gilad Schalit, an Israeli soldier held by Hamas militants for three years. Hamas has been pushing for a deal to trade him for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.

According to the new plan reported by the Israeli news Web site YNet, Israel would increased supplies of coffee, tea, soups, meat, fish and canned goods into Gaza ahead of the holy Muslim month of Ramadan, which begins in August, to promote a deal for Schalit.

Israel would also renew shipments of fuel, clothing, kitchenware and egg-laying chickens as part of the package.

YNet reported that the proposal had been drafted by defense officials and awaits the approval of Defense Minister Ehud Barak.
link

http://irish4palestine.blogspot.com

Palestinian Prisoners Broadcast New Radio Station!!

Wow, Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons will now begin broadcasting on radio! The radio station called “Voice of Prisoners” will be an act of resistance and will underline human rights violations of Palestinain prisoners as well as carry messages to family members inside Palestine.

PNN exclusive - Osama Al Azzeh, Kristen Ess – In an unprecedented act of resistance Palestinian political prisoners in Israeli prisons began broadcasting the “Voice of Prisoners.”

This radio program will be a part of prison life in “all Israeli prisons and detention centers nationally,” say organizers.

Ra’fat Hamduna, Director of the Center for the Studies of Prisoners, says this is an “achievement of unprecedented initiative.” He explained on Monday that the broadcast is an exercise in the rights of the some 11,000 Palestinian political prisoners being held by the Israeli administration.

“The sound will act as letters in lieu of the visits which are being prevented for all of the detained Palestinians from the Gaza Strip and the hundreds from the West Bank who are prevented familial visits under the pretext of security and other flimsy excuses.”

Hamuda said “this is positive and meaningful, and challenges the Government of Israel to ratify [policies] that crush prisoners and detainees in prisons.”

He added, “Through the voice of the prisoners there will be a link between the prisoners and the ban of visits between their families. The “Voice of Prisoners” will expose the violations against them by the occupation state and will show that the violations are contrary to democracy, human rights and international conventions.”

Hamduna predicts that the radio broadcasts will also “add to the unity among the Palestinian people, particularly the issue of prisoners as an issue of national consensus that cannot be divided.”

The Palestinian political prisoners’ unions and rights organizations are behind the project, which Saleh Al Masri, Radio Manager, confirmed to PNN on Monday is the first of its kind. “We are new and are broadcasting 24 hours per day.”

The studio that is broadcasting the messages, sent via mobile, is in Gaza. “This is so people can hear the voices of their children. It reaches out to Jerusalem, Al Aqsa, the West Bank,” Al Masri told PNN this afternoon.

Al Masri stressed, “Prisoners will discuss all of the concerns of prisoners, their security, their moral and political views, and the news of their relatives.”

Rabah Marzuk, Engineer and Executive Director of Radio Al Quds, called on Arab and international institutions to support the radio to defend the humanitarian and national cause for a wide range of prisoners inside Israeli jails who will communicate with the radio studio broadcasting from Gaza.

UPDATED Female Palestinian Prisoner Expelled to Gaza

UPDATED Palestinian Minister of Civil affairs Hussein Ash-Sheikh managed to obtain a permit from Israel to allow Ash-Sheikh to travel to the West Bank on Monday.

original story below:
After SIX years in an Israeli Jail,Sherin Sheikh Khalil, a female prisoner from the West Bank is expelled to Gaza, never to return to the West Bank. Amazing, Israel controls which part of a country a native resident of that country can live in. Israel is a true racist apartheid statelet, not a democracy but an theocracy, only Jews have full rights.

Released West Bank prisoner arrives in Gaza

Sherin Sheikh Khalil, the released West Bank Palestinian female prisoner arrived on Sunday in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip after spending six years in Israeli jails.

Sheikh Khalil crossed into the Gaza Strip through Erez Crossing between northern tip of the enclave and Israel, as she expressed mixed feelings of happiness and sadness after she was released.

"I'm happy because I was freed from prison but I'm sad because there are thousands of prisoners are still eager to smell the fragrance of freedom," she said as she was received by her mother and relatives.

Sheikh Khalil is basically from the West Bank where her father, brothers and sisters live, but her mother, who was waiting for her near the borders with Israel, is from Gaza.

"I'm so glad to meet my mother in Gaza, and I feel so sad because I wasn't able to see my father and my brothers," she said with tears as she hugged her mother. "I hope I can get back to the West Bank one day."

The Israeli prisons' authorities informed Sheikh Khalil one day before her release that she will be expelled to Gaza. Over the past five years, Israel has expelled more than 30 released people from the West Bank to Gaza.

"Gaza and the West Bank are one unity and both are the homeland of all the Palestinians. I admit I was sad when I was told that I will be expelled to Gaza, but I'm still happy and satisfied to be here with my people," said Sheikh Khalil. source