By Gareth Porter
Asia Times
"Recent accusations from United States Defense Secretary Robert Gates that Iran is engaged in "subversive activity" sound oddly familiar. As a senior Central Intelligence Agency official and advisor to presidents, Gates has claimed for years that Iran wants weapons of mass destruction and plans terrorist attacks. And this would not be the first time Gates has used intelligence claims to torpedo an opening with an adversary...."
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Video: Ali Abunimah discusses Obama's presidency with "progressives"
Video, GRITtv, 28 January 2009
"From closing Guantanamo to lifting the gag rule Bush era policies are coming to an end. But is it a new era of progressive government?......."
"From closing Guantanamo to lifting the gag rule Bush era policies are coming to an end. But is it a new era of progressive government?......."
The shortcut to peace
A Very Good Comment
By Hasan Abu Nimah, The Electronic Intifada, 28 January 2009
"Because it is generally accepted by the so-called "international community" that Hamas is a major threat to Israel, and therefore to world peace and security, France has dispatched a frigate to participate in a new blockade of the Gaza Strip. The Sunday Times reported that United States naval ships hunting pirates in the Gulf of Aden have been instructed to track down Iranian arms shipments (25 January). Many other European states offered their navies to assist. Indeed, United Nations Security Council resolution 1860 emphasized the need to prevent illicit trafficking in arms and ammunition.
Unfortunately not one European country offered to send its navy to render humanitarian assistance to the thousands of injured, hungry, cold and homeless people in Gaza as a result of Israel's attack. Perhaps helping children dying from white phosphorus burns, or just lack of clean water, would be seen as supporting "terrorism.".......
The gunboats that Europe is sending to police the inmates of the Gaza Ghetto are not manifestations of strength, neither are they -- or the recent shocking statements of European Union Humanitarian chief Louis Michel in Gaza blaming Hamas for Israel's crimes on 26 January -- acts of responsible diplomacy in pursuit of peace and stability; they are a new prescription, if not a clear endorsement, for further bloodshed and war crimes. They are signs of a moral weakness and corruption unparalleled since Europeans stood by silently at stations and watched as their compatriots were loaded onto Nazi trains. Who could have thought that in the 21st century such things would need to be said -- and to those we thought had overcome their terrible history? But silence is not, and should not be an option any more. For years we have been told we should learn from the darkest episode in Europe's history, but never make comparisons to it lest we diminish its enormity. But the horrifying atrocities in Gaza which an Israeli official proudly predicted last March would be a "bigger holocaust" compel us to cast our reservations aside.
There is a shortcut to calm, the elimination of violence and eventually peace. It is a lesson that should have been learned many years, and countless thousands of lives ago: justice."
By Hasan Abu Nimah, The Electronic Intifada, 28 January 2009
"Because it is generally accepted by the so-called "international community" that Hamas is a major threat to Israel, and therefore to world peace and security, France has dispatched a frigate to participate in a new blockade of the Gaza Strip. The Sunday Times reported that United States naval ships hunting pirates in the Gulf of Aden have been instructed to track down Iranian arms shipments (25 January). Many other European states offered their navies to assist. Indeed, United Nations Security Council resolution 1860 emphasized the need to prevent illicit trafficking in arms and ammunition.
Unfortunately not one European country offered to send its navy to render humanitarian assistance to the thousands of injured, hungry, cold and homeless people in Gaza as a result of Israel's attack. Perhaps helping children dying from white phosphorus burns, or just lack of clean water, would be seen as supporting "terrorism.".......
The gunboats that Europe is sending to police the inmates of the Gaza Ghetto are not manifestations of strength, neither are they -- or the recent shocking statements of European Union Humanitarian chief Louis Michel in Gaza blaming Hamas for Israel's crimes on 26 January -- acts of responsible diplomacy in pursuit of peace and stability; they are a new prescription, if not a clear endorsement, for further bloodshed and war crimes. They are signs of a moral weakness and corruption unparalleled since Europeans stood by silently at stations and watched as their compatriots were loaded onto Nazi trains. Who could have thought that in the 21st century such things would need to be said -- and to those we thought had overcome their terrible history? But silence is not, and should not be an option any more. For years we have been told we should learn from the darkest episode in Europe's history, but never make comparisons to it lest we diminish its enormity. But the horrifying atrocities in Gaza which an Israeli official proudly predicted last March would be a "bigger holocaust" compel us to cast our reservations aside.
There is a shortcut to calm, the elimination of violence and eventually peace. It is a lesson that should have been learned many years, and countless thousands of lives ago: justice."
Protest EU Policy on Gaza: Sign the Petition
"To: European Union
January 26, 2009
Touring some of Gaza's worst-hit areas of Israel's 22-day assault which killed about 1,300 Palestinians, including 400 children, Louis Michel, a senior EU official and former Belgian foreign minister, described the situation as "abominable, indescribable". He then added:
"At this time we have to also recall the overwhelming responsibility of Hamas. I intentionally say this here - Hamas is a terrorist movement and it has to be denounced as such."
He then went on to state that there would be no dialogue with Hamas, saying its use of terrorism against Israeli civilians, including the use of "human shields" in Gaza meant it was not a legitimate resistance movement. He called on Hamas to recognize Israel's right to exist and to renounce violence.
Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7851545.stm
We the signators of this petition are shocked, appalled and outraged by these comments.
They are the moral equivalent of rubbing salt into the wounds of the people of Gaza.
We demand the immediate ouster of Louis Michel from his position as EU Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid. We also demand a public apology be immediately given to the people of Gaza, especially to those who have lost members of their family in Israel's 22-day attack on Gaza.
Sincerely,
The Undersigned "
Click Here to Sign the Petition
January 26, 2009
Touring some of Gaza's worst-hit areas of Israel's 22-day assault which killed about 1,300 Palestinians, including 400 children, Louis Michel, a senior EU official and former Belgian foreign minister, described the situation as "abominable, indescribable". He then added:
"At this time we have to also recall the overwhelming responsibility of Hamas. I intentionally say this here - Hamas is a terrorist movement and it has to be denounced as such."
He then went on to state that there would be no dialogue with Hamas, saying its use of terrorism against Israeli civilians, including the use of "human shields" in Gaza meant it was not a legitimate resistance movement. He called on Hamas to recognize Israel's right to exist and to renounce violence.
Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7851545.stm
We the signators of this petition are shocked, appalled and outraged by these comments.
They are the moral equivalent of rubbing salt into the wounds of the people of Gaza.
We demand the immediate ouster of Louis Michel from his position as EU Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid. We also demand a public apology be immediately given to the people of Gaza, especially to those who have lost members of their family in Israel's 22-day attack on Gaza.
Sincerely,
The Undersigned "
Click Here to Sign the Petition
UN: Israel failed in duties as occupier
UN humanitarian chief John Holmes confirms that Israel has closed the Gaza Strip border crossings in violation of international laws.
Press TV
"Israel briefly opened its border with Gaza on Tuesday. The crossing, however, was sealed the same day after an Israeli soldier was killed by a bomb blast at a Gaza crossing. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack....
"Israel has a particular responsibility as the occupying power in this context, because of its control of Gaza's borders with Israel, to respect the relevant provisions of international humanitarian law," the UN emergency relief coordinator told the Security Council on Wednesday.
Briefing the 15-member council on his recent trip to Gaza, Holmes urged immediate action from the Israeli side.
"It is therefore critical that new steps are taken immediately by the Israeli authorities to move to the sustained re-opening of crossing points," he said......."
Watch Video of Holmes and Karen Abu Zaid's Remarks at the Security Council Meeting Wednesday
Press TV
"Israel briefly opened its border with Gaza on Tuesday. The crossing, however, was sealed the same day after an Israeli soldier was killed by a bomb blast at a Gaza crossing. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack....
"Israel has a particular responsibility as the occupying power in this context, because of its control of Gaza's borders with Israel, to respect the relevant provisions of international humanitarian law," the UN emergency relief coordinator told the Security Council on Wednesday.
Briefing the 15-member council on his recent trip to Gaza, Holmes urged immediate action from the Israeli side.
"It is therefore critical that new steps are taken immediately by the Israeli authorities to move to the sustained re-opening of crossing points," he said......."
Watch Video of Holmes and Karen Abu Zaid's Remarks at the Security Council Meeting Wednesday
The Mailed Fist and the Velvet Glove
Obama speaks to the Muslim world
By Justin Raimondo
"President Obama's interview with al-Arabiya television is remarkable in several ways, but what strikes me the most is that it coincided with the first air strikes on Pakistan under his administration: 22 people were killed.....
....Even as he was speaking, American drones were snuffing out lives and his generals were planning a wider war. That seems to be the signature Obama style: cool, calm, and collected as he talks out of one side of his mouth, while he's giving the order to kill out of the other. If that doesn't scare you, then you've probably had a little too much of that sweet-tasting Obama-brand Kool-Aid........"
By Justin Raimondo
"President Obama's interview with al-Arabiya television is remarkable in several ways, but what strikes me the most is that it coincided with the first air strikes on Pakistan under his administration: 22 people were killed.....
....Even as he was speaking, American drones were snuffing out lives and his generals were planning a wider war. That seems to be the signature Obama style: cool, calm, and collected as he talks out of one side of his mouth, while he's giving the order to kill out of the other. If that doesn't scare you, then you've probably had a little too much of that sweet-tasting Obama-brand Kool-Aid........"
George Mitchell and the Middle East
The senator will need all the skill and patience he brought to the Northern Irish peace process. But Hamas must be at the table
Gerry Adams
guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 27 January 2009
".....In a peace process, the goal must be an inclusive agreement that is acceptable to all sides, is doable, deliverable and sustainable. That means enemies and opponents creating space for each other. It means engaging in real conversations and seeking real solutions. It means accepting that dialogue is crucial and that means recognising the right of the Palestinian people to choose their own leaders, their own representatives.
The Israeli government and other governments have to talk to Hamas......"
Israeli Troops Spray Racist Graffiti on Gaza Homes
(Click on cartoon by Steve Bell, The Guardian, to enlarge)
Al-Manar
"28/01/2009 A painful reminder for the Israeli aggression remained evident in Gaza in the form of blatant, racist graffiti sprayed on houses' walls by Israeli occupation soldiers.
Residents of the Zeitun neighborhood who returned to their homes once the offensive in the region was over discovered that their walls had been sprayed with slogans such as "Die you all," Make war not peace," "Death to Arabs," "Arabs must die," and "One down, 999,999 to go."
Some of the graffiti was sprayed on the ruins of the homes of the al-Samuni family, who lost dozens of its members during the war.
In response to the report, an Israeli occupation army spokesman claimed: "This is not how IDF soldiers are educated. This goes against the IDF's ethical code. The matter is being investigated and those responsible for it will be severely reprimanded." "
UN nuclear chief boycotts BBC over Gaza appeal
Julian Borger, diplomatic editor
guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 28 January 2009
"The head of the UN"s nuclear watchdog has cancelled planned interviews with the BBC in protest at the corporation's decision not to air an emergency appeal for Gaza on behalf of the Disasters Emergency Committee.
In a statement to the Guardian, Mohamed ElBaradei, a Nobel peace prize winner, unleashed a stinging denunciation of the BBC, deepening the damage already caused by the controversy.
The statement, from his office at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said the BBC decision not to air the aid appeal for victims of the conflict "violates the rules of basic human decency which are there to help vulnerable people, irrespective of who is right or wrong"......."
اسرائيل الخاسر الأكبر
اسرائيل الخاسر الأكبر
عبد الباري عطوان
".....
فأنصار حركات المقاومة يؤكدون انهم الطرف المنتصر، واعداء هذه الحركات، وفي معسكر محور الاعتدال العربي، ومن ضمنه رموز السلطة في رام الله، يرون عكس ذلك تماما، ويسخرون من ادعاءات النصر هذه، مستخدمين ما حدث من قتل ودمار وتشريد ذخيرة لدعم حججهم هذه.
لا نريد ان نقع في فخ حالة الاستقطاب المستعرة حاليا في المنطقة، ونفضل ان نناقش الامور بطريقة اكثر تعقلا، خاصة ان الحقائق بدأت تتضح على الارض، بعد ان توقف العدوان الاسرائيلي على القطاع، ولو مؤقتا، وبدأ الاهتمام ينصبّ حاليا على قضايا الاعمار، والاموال المخصصة لها، والجهة الأنسب للقيام بهذه المهمة.
.....
علمتنا تجارب الحروب السابقة ان الطرف المنتصر يحقق اهدافه في نهاية المطاف، ويفرض شروط الاستسلام على الطرف الآخر الذي لا يجد امامه اي خيار آخر غير القبول، والتوقيع على الوثائق المقدمة امامه دون مناقشة، مثلما حدث في نقطة صفوان، وبعد هزيمة العراق في حرب عام 1991، او معاهدة فرساي الشهيرة بعد الحرب العالمية الاولى، وهناك امثلة عديدة في هذا الصدد. فهل وقعت فصائل المقاومة الفلسطينية صكوك الاستسلام هذه، بعد ان رفعت الراية البيضاء، ورضخت لشروط المنتصر؟
الاجابة قطعا بالنفي، فالمقاومة ظلت تدافع عن ارضها وكرامة شعبها حتى اللحظة الاخيرة، ولم تطلب مطلقا وقف اطلاق النار وفق شروط المعتدي، ورفضت المبادرة المصرية بصيغتها المطروحة، وابدت تحفظاتها عليها دون تردد، الامر الذي دفع القيادة السياسية الاسرائيلية الى اتخاذ قرار وقف العدوان من جانب واحد، وسحب جميع قواتها من قطاع غزة تقليصا لخسائرها السياسية والعسكرية.
نستطيع ان نقول، وباطمئنان المؤمن، ان اسرائيل لم تكسب هذه الحرب عسكريا، وخسرتها سياسيا، وخرجت منها الطرف الاضعف، رغم ما خلّفته من دمار واعداد كبيرة من الشهداء والجرحى، ودليلنا على ذلك كما يلي:
.....
أليس غريباً ان يتوحد العالم الغربي بأسره مع اسرائيل والسلطة الفلسطينية ودول محور الاعتدال العربي حول هدف واحد هو كيفية منع وصول أسلحة الى المقاومة في قطاع غزة؟ الا يعكس 'تحالف الخائفين' هذا مدى أهمية، وخطورة، وتميز هذه المقاومة، مما يحتم ضرورة الالتفاف حولها ومساندتها؟
نقول، وباختصار شديد، ان الخاسر الأكبر في 'حرب غزة' الاسرائيلية هو اسرائيل وأنصارها في الغرب، وحلفاؤها القدامى ـ الجدد في الوطن العربي. فيكفي ان هؤلاء وإعلامهم في حال دفاع عن النفس، وهذه ليست من مواصفات المنتصرين في الحروب.
....."
عبد الباري عطوان
".....
فأنصار حركات المقاومة يؤكدون انهم الطرف المنتصر، واعداء هذه الحركات، وفي معسكر محور الاعتدال العربي، ومن ضمنه رموز السلطة في رام الله، يرون عكس ذلك تماما، ويسخرون من ادعاءات النصر هذه، مستخدمين ما حدث من قتل ودمار وتشريد ذخيرة لدعم حججهم هذه.
لا نريد ان نقع في فخ حالة الاستقطاب المستعرة حاليا في المنطقة، ونفضل ان نناقش الامور بطريقة اكثر تعقلا، خاصة ان الحقائق بدأت تتضح على الارض، بعد ان توقف العدوان الاسرائيلي على القطاع، ولو مؤقتا، وبدأ الاهتمام ينصبّ حاليا على قضايا الاعمار، والاموال المخصصة لها، والجهة الأنسب للقيام بهذه المهمة.
.....
علمتنا تجارب الحروب السابقة ان الطرف المنتصر يحقق اهدافه في نهاية المطاف، ويفرض شروط الاستسلام على الطرف الآخر الذي لا يجد امامه اي خيار آخر غير القبول، والتوقيع على الوثائق المقدمة امامه دون مناقشة، مثلما حدث في نقطة صفوان، وبعد هزيمة العراق في حرب عام 1991، او معاهدة فرساي الشهيرة بعد الحرب العالمية الاولى، وهناك امثلة عديدة في هذا الصدد. فهل وقعت فصائل المقاومة الفلسطينية صكوك الاستسلام هذه، بعد ان رفعت الراية البيضاء، ورضخت لشروط المنتصر؟
الاجابة قطعا بالنفي، فالمقاومة ظلت تدافع عن ارضها وكرامة شعبها حتى اللحظة الاخيرة، ولم تطلب مطلقا وقف اطلاق النار وفق شروط المعتدي، ورفضت المبادرة المصرية بصيغتها المطروحة، وابدت تحفظاتها عليها دون تردد، الامر الذي دفع القيادة السياسية الاسرائيلية الى اتخاذ قرار وقف العدوان من جانب واحد، وسحب جميع قواتها من قطاع غزة تقليصا لخسائرها السياسية والعسكرية.
نستطيع ان نقول، وباطمئنان المؤمن، ان اسرائيل لم تكسب هذه الحرب عسكريا، وخسرتها سياسيا، وخرجت منها الطرف الاضعف، رغم ما خلّفته من دمار واعداد كبيرة من الشهداء والجرحى، ودليلنا على ذلك كما يلي:
.....
أليس غريباً ان يتوحد العالم الغربي بأسره مع اسرائيل والسلطة الفلسطينية ودول محور الاعتدال العربي حول هدف واحد هو كيفية منع وصول أسلحة الى المقاومة في قطاع غزة؟ الا يعكس 'تحالف الخائفين' هذا مدى أهمية، وخطورة، وتميز هذه المقاومة، مما يحتم ضرورة الالتفاف حولها ومساندتها؟
نقول، وباختصار شديد، ان الخاسر الأكبر في 'حرب غزة' الاسرائيلية هو اسرائيل وأنصارها في الغرب، وحلفاؤها القدامى ـ الجدد في الوطن العربي. فيكفي ان هؤلاء وإعلامهم في حال دفاع عن النفس، وهذه ليست من مواصفات المنتصرين في الحروب.
....."
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Israeli army used flechettes against Gaza civilians
Amnesty International
27 January 2009
27 January 2009
(Left) A flechette embedded in a wall in a Bedouin villlage in Gaza.
"Apart from white phosphorus, the Israeli army used a variety of other weapons in densely populated civilian areas of Gaza in the three-week conflict that began on 27 December.
Flechettes are 4cm long metal darts that are sharply pointed at the front, with four fins at the rear. Between 5,000 and 8,000 are packed into 120mm shells which are generally fired from tanks. The shells explode in the air and scatter the flechettes in a conical pattern over an area about 300m wide and 100m long.
An anti-personnel weapon designed to penetrate dense vegetation, flechettes should never be used in built-up civilian areas. The Israeli army has used them in Gaza periodically for several years. In most cases their use has resulted in civilians being killed or injured.
Amnesty International's fact-finding team in Gaza first heard about the use of flechettes in the most recent conflict some ten days ago. The father of one of the victims showed the team a flechette which had been taken out of his son's body.
In its latest post on Amnesty International's Livewire blog, the team described how on Monday it visited towns and villages around Gaza and found more hard evidence of the use of flechettes. In 'Izbat Beit Hanoun, to the south-west of the town of Beit Hanoun, several flechette shells were fired into the main road, killing two people and injuring several others on the morning of 5 January.
Wafa' Nabil Abu Jarad, a 21-year-old pregnant mother of two, was one of those killed. Her husband and her mother-in-law told the team that the family had just had breakfast and were outside the house drinking tea in the sun. Wafa' and her husband were standing by the corner of the house when they heard a noise, followed by screams. They turned to go back into their house but at that moment Wafa' and several other members of the family were hit by flechettes. Wafa’ was killed outright.
That same day, at the other end of the street, 16-year-old Islam Jaber Abd-al-Dayem was struck in the neck by a flechette. He was taken to the hospital's intensive care unit but died three days later. Mizar, his brother, was injured in the same attack and still has a flechette lodged in his back.
In the village of al-Mughraqa on the morning of 7 January, a shell struck the room where Atta Hassan Aref Azzam was sitting with two of his children, Mohammed, aged 13 and Hassan, aged two and a half. All three were killed. The six other members of the family who were in the house fled to the nearest school for shelter. The team examined the bloodstained wall by which the three were killed. It was full of flechettes. "
"Apart from white phosphorus, the Israeli army used a variety of other weapons in densely populated civilian areas of Gaza in the three-week conflict that began on 27 December.
Flechettes are 4cm long metal darts that are sharply pointed at the front, with four fins at the rear. Between 5,000 and 8,000 are packed into 120mm shells which are generally fired from tanks. The shells explode in the air and scatter the flechettes in a conical pattern over an area about 300m wide and 100m long.
An anti-personnel weapon designed to penetrate dense vegetation, flechettes should never be used in built-up civilian areas. The Israeli army has used them in Gaza periodically for several years. In most cases their use has resulted in civilians being killed or injured.
Amnesty International's fact-finding team in Gaza first heard about the use of flechettes in the most recent conflict some ten days ago. The father of one of the victims showed the team a flechette which had been taken out of his son's body.
In its latest post on Amnesty International's Livewire blog, the team described how on Monday it visited towns and villages around Gaza and found more hard evidence of the use of flechettes. In 'Izbat Beit Hanoun, to the south-west of the town of Beit Hanoun, several flechette shells were fired into the main road, killing two people and injuring several others on the morning of 5 January.
Wafa' Nabil Abu Jarad, a 21-year-old pregnant mother of two, was one of those killed. Her husband and her mother-in-law told the team that the family had just had breakfast and were outside the house drinking tea in the sun. Wafa' and her husband were standing by the corner of the house when they heard a noise, followed by screams. They turned to go back into their house but at that moment Wafa' and several other members of the family were hit by flechettes. Wafa’ was killed outright.
That same day, at the other end of the street, 16-year-old Islam Jaber Abd-al-Dayem was struck in the neck by a flechette. He was taken to the hospital's intensive care unit but died three days later. Mizar, his brother, was injured in the same attack and still has a flechette lodged in his back.
In the village of al-Mughraqa on the morning of 7 January, a shell struck the room where Atta Hassan Aref Azzam was sitting with two of his children, Mohammed, aged 13 and Hassan, aged two and a half. All three were killed. The six other members of the family who were in the house fled to the nearest school for shelter. The team examined the bloodstained wall by which the three were killed. It was full of flechettes. "
Worse Than An Earthquake: Peace Activist Kathy Kelly On The Destruction In Gaza
Democracy Now!
With Amy Goodman
"President Obama has dispatched George Mitchell on his first trip as Middle East envoy. Mitchell is set to begin in Egypt today followed by Israel, the occupied West Bank, Jordan, Turkey and Saudi Arabia. My next guest has just returned from the Gaza Strip, where she witnessed the Israeli attack. Kathy Kelly is the Executive Director of Voices for Creative Nonviolence....."
With Amy Goodman
"President Obama has dispatched George Mitchell on his first trip as Middle East envoy. Mitchell is set to begin in Egypt today followed by Israel, the occupied West Bank, Jordan, Turkey and Saudi Arabia. My next guest has just returned from the Gaza Strip, where she witnessed the Israeli attack. Kathy Kelly is the Executive Director of Voices for Creative Nonviolence....."
Al-Jazeera Video: Riz Khan - The Gaza debacle - Jan 26
Part 1:
Part 2:
"Riz is joined by Daniel Barenboim and Stephen Hawking, two geniuses of their respective fields who are calling for a solution on Gaza - from outside the political system. "
Part 2:
"Riz is joined by Daniel Barenboim and Stephen Hawking, two geniuses of their respective fields who are calling for a solution on Gaza - from outside the political system. "
Moroccan Parliamentarians in Gaza
"Parliamentarians from Morocco managed to enter the Gaza Strip on Monday evening through the Rafah border terminal, in the southern Gaza Strip. The parliamentarians attempted to enter Gaza on Sunday, but were barred by the Egyptian Authorities.
This visit is considered the first to be carried out by parliamentarians in the Arab world. The nine Moroccan Parliamentarians, representing four political parties, were welcomed by Hamas officials, including Legislator Mosheer Al Masry, secretary of Hamas' parliamentarian bloc. Al Masry welcomed the visiting officials and said that this visit is very important since it comes after the Israeli offensive which targeted homes, facilities, hospitals, mosques and the infrastructure in Gaza.
Directly after managing to enter Gaza, the Parliamentarians started chanting for Gaza and its steadfastness, and said that they stand with the Palestinian people and their just cause. Mohammad Radwan, head of the foreign affairs committee, which belongs to Hamas' legislative bloc, said that this visit came as a results of talks and preparations conducted by Al Masry.
The Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) in Gaza issued a statement revealing that the Moroccan Legislators protested for two days at the Egyptian side of the crossing after Egypt barred them from entering. In its statement, the PLC said that the determination of the Moroccan legislators and their protest pushed Egypt into allowing them into Gaza......."
This visit is considered the first to be carried out by parliamentarians in the Arab world. The nine Moroccan Parliamentarians, representing four political parties, were welcomed by Hamas officials, including Legislator Mosheer Al Masry, secretary of Hamas' parliamentarian bloc. Al Masry welcomed the visiting officials and said that this visit is very important since it comes after the Israeli offensive which targeted homes, facilities, hospitals, mosques and the infrastructure in Gaza.
Directly after managing to enter Gaza, the Parliamentarians started chanting for Gaza and its steadfastness, and said that they stand with the Palestinian people and their just cause. Mohammad Radwan, head of the foreign affairs committee, which belongs to Hamas' legislative bloc, said that this visit came as a results of talks and preparations conducted by Al Masry.
The Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) in Gaza issued a statement revealing that the Moroccan Legislators protested for two days at the Egyptian side of the crossing after Egypt barred them from entering. In its statement, the PLC said that the determination of the Moroccan legislators and their protest pushed Egypt into allowing them into Gaza......."
Refugees to prime minister: End military siege of our camp
Open letter, Residents of Nahr al-Bared refugee camp, 27 January 2009
A Lebanese soldier stands near destroyed homes and shops in the Nahr al-Bared refugee camp.
"While Lebanese officials were publicly denouncing Israel's war on the Palestinians of Gaza, the Lebanese cabinet was busy making sure the Palestinians of Nahr al-Bared refugee camp in Lebanon never recover from the war waged on their community more than a year ago. For more than three months, the Lebanese army fought the Fatah al-Islam group that had infiltrated the camp. On 16 January 2009, the cabinet approved a decision to build a naval base in the area. The decision was met with stern opposition by the people of Nahr al-Bared who wrote a letter of protest addressed to Prime Minister Fouad Siniora and his ministers. The letter was published in two major Lebanese newspapers, As-Safir and Al-Akhbar, but has triggered little follow-up reaction in the press so far......."
A Lebanese soldier stands near destroyed homes and shops in the Nahr al-Bared refugee camp.
"While Lebanese officials were publicly denouncing Israel's war on the Palestinians of Gaza, the Lebanese cabinet was busy making sure the Palestinians of Nahr al-Bared refugee camp in Lebanon never recover from the war waged on their community more than a year ago. For more than three months, the Lebanese army fought the Fatah al-Islam group that had infiltrated the camp. On 16 January 2009, the cabinet approved a decision to build a naval base in the area. The decision was met with stern opposition by the people of Nahr al-Bared who wrote a letter of protest addressed to Prime Minister Fouad Siniora and his ministers. The letter was published in two major Lebanese newspapers, As-Safir and Al-Akhbar, but has triggered little follow-up reaction in the press so far......."
Ceasefire broken from day one
Eva Bartlett, The Electronic Intifada, 27 January 2009
"GAZA CITY, occupied Gaza Strip (IPS) - At 7:30am 22 January, five days after Israeli authorities declared a "ceasefire" following their 22-day air, land and sea bombardment of the Gaza Strip, Israeli gunboats renewed shelling off the Gaza city coast, injuring at least six, including four children.
Muawiyah Hassanain, director of Ambulance and Emergency Services, reported more shelling in the northwestern coastal area al-Sudaniya the same morning. Five fishermen were injured in the attacks, he said......
Israel's assault on Gaza killed at least 1,330 people, with as many as 200 more bodies expected to be recovered from under the rubble of more than 4,000 destroyed houses and 20,000 buildings.
Ninety percent of the cases in al-Shifa's ICU are civilian, and of these half are women and children, says Dr. Fawzi.
Ceasefire violations are not new. During the six-month ceasefire that began 19 June, Israeli forces killed 22 Palestinians, many of them members of resistance groups. Thirty-eight fishermen and farmers were abducted.
Israeli soldiers routinely fired upon fishermen and farmers along Gaza's eastern and northern borders, injuring 62, according to Palestinian sources."
"GAZA CITY, occupied Gaza Strip (IPS) - At 7:30am 22 January, five days after Israeli authorities declared a "ceasefire" following their 22-day air, land and sea bombardment of the Gaza Strip, Israeli gunboats renewed shelling off the Gaza city coast, injuring at least six, including four children.
Muawiyah Hassanain, director of Ambulance and Emergency Services, reported more shelling in the northwestern coastal area al-Sudaniya the same morning. Five fishermen were injured in the attacks, he said......
Israel's assault on Gaza killed at least 1,330 people, with as many as 200 more bodies expected to be recovered from under the rubble of more than 4,000 destroyed houses and 20,000 buildings.
Ninety percent of the cases in al-Shifa's ICU are civilian, and of these half are women and children, says Dr. Fawzi.
Ceasefire violations are not new. During the six-month ceasefire that began 19 June, Israeli forces killed 22 Palestinians, many of them members of resistance groups. Thirty-eight fishermen and farmers were abducted.
Israeli soldiers routinely fired upon fishermen and farmers along Gaza's eastern and northern borders, injuring 62, according to Palestinian sources."
In Gaza, only the dead have seen the end of war
Tuesday, 27 January 2009 14:26
by Vittorio Arrigoni
The Free Gaza Movement
"For the living, no truce can make up for the daily battle for survival. They have no running water, gas, electrical power, and no bread and milk to feed their children. Thousands of people have lost their homes. Humanitarian aid seeps through the passes in drips and drabs, and you get the feeling that the benevolence of the killers' accomplices is only temporary. Tomorrow, Ban Ki-Moon, the UN's Secretary General will travel to Gaza, and we're pretty sure that John Ging, Chief of the Palestinian Refugees' Agency, will have many stories to tell him after Israel bombed two UN schools, assassinated 4 of their workers, bombed and destroyed the UNRWA centre in Gaza City (which reduced tons of medicine and food supplies destined for the civilian population to ashes)......"
by Vittorio Arrigoni
The Free Gaza Movement
"For the living, no truce can make up for the daily battle for survival. They have no running water, gas, electrical power, and no bread and milk to feed their children. Thousands of people have lost their homes. Humanitarian aid seeps through the passes in drips and drabs, and you get the feeling that the benevolence of the killers' accomplices is only temporary. Tomorrow, Ban Ki-Moon, the UN's Secretary General will travel to Gaza, and we're pretty sure that John Ging, Chief of the Palestinian Refugees' Agency, will have many stories to tell him after Israel bombed two UN schools, assassinated 4 of their workers, bombed and destroyed the UNRWA centre in Gaza City (which reduced tons of medicine and food supplies destined for the civilian population to ashes)......"
Q&A: 'Gaza Will Take Years to Recover'
Mel Frykberg interviews KATHARINA RITZ of the ICRC
"RAMALLAH, Jan 27 (IPS) - Gaza will need years to recover from the devastating Israeli assault, says Katharina Ritz, head of mission of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). Israel's 22-day assault left more than 1,300 Palestinians dead, and decimated much of the coastal territory's infrastructure.
Excerpts from the interview:
IPS: How long do you think it will take for Gaza to be rehabilitated?
Katharina Ritz: Gaza will take several years at the very least to recover from the Israeli military campaign. This is the best case scenario, assuming that the border crossings are opened permanently and all the necessary aid and help is allowed in unhindered.....
IPS: Will sufficient humanitarian aid alleviate the suffering ultimately?
KR: All the humanitarian aid in the world will not alleviate the human suffering if a political resolution to the conflict is not found."
"RAMALLAH, Jan 27 (IPS) - Gaza will need years to recover from the devastating Israeli assault, says Katharina Ritz, head of mission of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). Israel's 22-day assault left more than 1,300 Palestinians dead, and decimated much of the coastal territory's infrastructure.
Excerpts from the interview:
IPS: How long do you think it will take for Gaza to be rehabilitated?
Katharina Ritz: Gaza will take several years at the very least to recover from the Israeli military campaign. This is the best case scenario, assuming that the border crossings are opened permanently and all the necessary aid and help is allowed in unhindered.....
IPS: Will sufficient humanitarian aid alleviate the suffering ultimately?
KR: All the humanitarian aid in the world will not alleviate the human suffering if a political resolution to the conflict is not found."
A Tale of Two Summits
Analysis by Adam Morrow and Khaled Moussa al-Omrani
"CAIRO, Jan 27 (IPS) - Despite declarations of Arab unity at a recent economic summit, Egyptian commentators say that fundamental differences between rival Arab camps - especially over the issue of Palestine - are far from over.....
According to Abdelhalim Kandil, editor-in-chief of independent weekly Sout Al-Umma, the issue of Arab division is largely illusory, "since both camps appear to be on the U.S.-Israeli doorstep, albeit to differing degrees."
"All these regimes are fully aware that there is no difference between Israel and the U.S.," Kandil wrote Jan. 19. "Yet despite the massacres taking place in Gaza, none of them ever considered cutting relations with Washington or expelling the U.S. military presence from their respective countries."
He added: "This, of course, is because the U.S. is in the region expressly to protect these regimes." "
"CAIRO, Jan 27 (IPS) - Despite declarations of Arab unity at a recent economic summit, Egyptian commentators say that fundamental differences between rival Arab camps - especially over the issue of Palestine - are far from over.....
According to Abdelhalim Kandil, editor-in-chief of independent weekly Sout Al-Umma, the issue of Arab division is largely illusory, "since both camps appear to be on the U.S.-Israeli doorstep, albeit to differing degrees."
"All these regimes are fully aware that there is no difference between Israel and the U.S.," Kandil wrote Jan. 19. "Yet despite the massacres taking place in Gaza, none of them ever considered cutting relations with Washington or expelling the U.S. military presence from their respective countries."
He added: "This, of course, is because the U.S. is in the region expressly to protect these regimes." "
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