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Stop the Bullets! Activism in the Buffer Zone
24 June, 2010 — The Only Democracy?
By Abu Waleed, Popular Campaign for Security in the Buffer Zone and Ellen Stark, International Solidarity Movement
Stop the bullets!
A call to stop the use of live ammunition by Israel against unarmed citizens in the Gaza ‘buffer zone’
An Israeli sniper
The catastrophic Israeli attack on the Gaza Freedom Flotilla, which left 9 dead, has rightly horrified the international community. However, lethal force by the Israeli military is nothing new to Palestinians. In the Gaza ‘buffer zone’, live ammunition is routinely used against unarmed demonstrators and farmers.
The ‘buffer zone’ is illegal
The Israeli military violently enforces a zone of 300 meters to 2 kilometers along Gaza’s lengthy border with Israel, in direct violation of the Oslo Accords of the 1990’s. This zone claims 30% of Gaza’s farmland, and some of its most fertile.
The Israeli military shoots unarmed farmers
Farmers attempting to cultivate land in the ‘buffer zone’ are routinely met with barrages of live ammunition and occasional artillery shells. Exacerbating widespread poverty and malnutrition, farmers cannot access one third of their land without facing extreme danger.
Women attempting to farm
Farmers have launched a campaign of popular non-violent resistance
Unarmed demonstrations are held in the ‘buffer zone’, internationally recognized as Gazan land, to protest the illegal confiscation of farmland which has such grave consequences for Gaza’s struggling population.
Live ammunition is used as a form of ‘crowd dispersal’ against unarmed demonstrators, with deadly consequences
Unarmed demonstrators in the ‘buffer zone’ are intentionally shot with live fire. In April 2010 alone, at least six demonstrators were injured by bullets. This includes Maltese activist Bianca Zammit who was shot in the thigh while filming the demonstration in clear view of soldiers. The following week, 19-year-old Ahmad Dib was shot at a demonstration and bled to death two hours later.
concerned women monitor the location of the Israeli Army
The international community cannot remain silent
Human rights activists are prevented from entering Gaza;
prevented from documenting and reporting on the humanitarian crisis. Israel uses live ammunition against unarmed demonstrators and farmers because it is shielded from international scrutiny. Tell Israel to stop shooting unarmed civilians on Gazan land.
ISM volunteers
TAKE ACTION:
1. Contact your representatives to Israel to demand that Israel be held accountable for violence against unarmed activists and end the siege on Gaza.
Write your own or use the provided letter at the end of this email
2. Support the call from Palestinian Civil Society for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions against Israel
After the recent attack on International activists aboard boats of the Gaza Freedom Flotilla, the Boycott National Committees have called for an intensification of BDS campaigns and actions around the world While the raid is no longer in the news, Israeli armed forces are still targeting Gazan non-violent activists. Every week near the ‘buffer zone’, demonstrators and farmers are shot at with live ammunition. The violence against these activists, just as the violence against the Freedom Flotilla, cannot be ignored. The BDS Movement website has lots of suggestions about how to start or support a local campaign
Sample Letter to your representative:
Dear Ambassador,
If unarmed farmers and protesters were being shot with live ammunition in the United States, Europe or any country which claimed democratic credentials, the international community would be justifiably outraged. Yet Gazans attempting to farm or demonstrate in the illegal ‘buffer zone’ are routinely shot with live ammunition. In the past twelve months, at least 220 Israeli attacks have been carried out in the ‘buffer zone’, with 116 coming since the beginning of 2010 (as of April 30th).* In the first four months of 2010, over 50 Gazans were injured, and 16 were killed in these attacks.
30% of Gaza’s arable farmland, and some of it’s most fertile, lies within the ‘buffer zone’.* Farmers who attempt to work in the zone face routine live fire and crop destruction, in addition to occasional artillery shells. Israel shoots farmers trying to grow crops on Gazan land for an impoverished and malnourished society.
Unarmed demonstrations in the zone, internationally-recognized Gazan territory, are organized by Gazan farmers. In April alone, at least six demonstrators were shot and injured by live ammunition fired by Israeli snipers. Among the injured was Maltese activist Bianca Zammit, who was shot in the thigh while standing in clear view, filming the demonstration. The following week, 19-year-old Ahmad Dib was shot in the leg and died two hours later from blood loss.
For the Palestinians who escape only with gunshot injuries, the impact extends far beyond initial pain. Daily cleaning of the wound is required, metal plates replace shattered bones, and permanent disabilities are frequent. Such injuries are devastating, as the wounded are frequently the only wage-earner in a large extended family.
The attack on the Freedom Flotilla brought international criticism of Israel’s ongoing human rights violations, but criticism alone is not enough. It is clear that the international community cannot remain silent as the humanitarian crisis in Gaza is perpetuated through policies such as this. The use of live ammunition in the ‘buffer zone’ must end.
Sincerely,Your Name
Additional Resources
*PCHR Fact Sheet:The buffer zone in the Gaza Strip
BDS Movement
International Solidarity Movement
Fishing Under Fire
Farming Under Fire -
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A petition I wrote on Freedom for Palestine-freedom for humanity, it'll be a worldwide effort By M Khodr MD
23 June, 2010 — Palestine Think Tank
http://palestinethinktank.com/2010/06/23/mohamed-khodr-petition-a-world-united-for-the-freedom-of-humanity-freedom-of-palestine/
The Article is the Petition, please click on the petition address to sign it. The goal of freeing Palestine and working for freedom for all humanity from any form of subjugation is above all consideration of turf wars, jealousy and infighting. We’re all working toward the same goals so let’sunite to achieve that goal, God willing in our lifetime.
Please disseminate it far and wide.
God bless and may peace reign in the Holy land and in our world.
Mohamed Khodr M.D
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InI
US Fear Factory kills free speech By Yvonne Ridley
23 June, 2010 — Witness Gaza – Free Gaza
AMERICA is still embarrassed by the infamous McCarthy Hearings which ruined the lives of thousands of innocents during the Fifties.Anyone then, suspected of being linked to communism was arrested, interrogated and either imprisoned or forced to give names of others suspected of communist tendencies.
And so the fear and intimidation spread like a great plague across the USA.
Names were blacklisted, careers and lives ruined as the authorities ruthlessly traded on peoples’ fears, paranoia and weaknesses. With little or no evidence people were found guilty and anyone daring to question any of the actions and the wild accusations also had suspicion cast upon them.
But hey folks, that was back in the Fifties and various administrations resolved the same insane hysteria, hatred and fears would never again cast a dark shadow across the Land of the Free.
Sadly, the Salem-style witch hunts have returned, but the new villains are no longer communists. The Red Scare has been replaced by those who shout Viva Palestina!
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VTJP Palestine/Israel Newslinks 23 June, 2010: War crimes suit filed against Barak, Livni in Belgium
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URUK Net 23 June, 2010: Termination Notice: McChrystal Sideshow Masks Murderous Reality
Murder with Malice Aforethought, or: Screw You — My Dick Is the Biggest!
Arthur Silber
June 23, 2010 – As the murderous destructiveness of the Death State increases in every direction, nauseating charades of this kind will no doubt also occur with increasing frequency. I have absolutely no interest whatsoever in analyzing what so many others consider to be questions of significance: whether McChrystal violated the sacraments of the civilian-military command structure, what Obama had to do to maintain his authority as Commander-in-Chief, and so on. I would further suggest that, if you remain a civilized human being to any measurable degree, such questions should be of no concern to you. That these and similar issues of allegedly vital interest have dominated the national debate about McChrystal’s “insubordination” tells you everything you need to know about how disgustingly uncivilized the United States government and its ancillary media culture are today…
Read the full article / Leggi l’articolo completo: http://www.uruknet.de/?p=67301
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URUK Net 22 June, 2010: Continued Ethnic Cleansing and Measures Aimed at Creating Jewish Majority in Occupied Jerusalem
Gaza’s humanitarian crisis is not a surprise—it’s what we wanted
By Geoffrey Aronson
June 22, 2010 – …The failure of the international community to confront Israel’s decision to isolate Gaza from Israel and the West Bank is at the root of the web of crises centered on Gaza today. However understandable the international focus on Gaza’s humanitarian emergency, what is at issue is the fact that Gaza’s current nightmare is the consequence of Israel’s continuing effort to separate the political, economic, and security destiny of the West Bank from that of the Gaza Strip—an objective that the international community has tacitly supported because of opposition to Hamas’ rule in Gaza…
Read the full article / Leggi l’articolo completo: http://www.uruknet.de/?p=67280
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Black Agenda Report 23 June, 2010: No Solution to U.S. Crises / Black Politics Ends / U.S. Social Forum Begins / Fascism Enters Through “Terror” Door
23 June, 2010 — Black Agenda Report
America Can’t Solve Crises Because It’s a Company-Owned Town
by BAR executive editor Glen Ford
The Great Gusher in the Gulf is a political, not simply an economic and environmental, crisis. “No amount of public disgust at BP has moved Obama to behave as if he is beholden to the majority that elected him – for the simple reason that he is not.”
Freedom Rider: The Death of Black Politics
by BAR editor and Senior Columnist Margaret Kimberley
New York Rep. Charles Rangel is among the many Black elected officials that make periodic political and physical pilgrimages to Israel, swearing undying loyalty. In a shamelessly groveling performance last week, Rangel took part in a Times Square press conference where he “claimed a bizarre connection between the freedom flotilla and the Cuban missile crisis of 1962.”
InI
From Great Man to Great Screwup: Behind the McChrystal Uproar By Norman Solomon
23 June, 2010 — Norman Solomon
When the wheels are coming off, it doesn’t do much good to change the driver.
Whatever the name of the commanding general in Afghanistan, the U.S. war effort will continue its carnage and futility.
Between the lines, some news accounts are implying as much. Hours before Gen. Stanley McChrystal’s meeting with President Obama on Wednesday, the New York Times reported that “the firestorm was fueled by increasing doubts — even in the military — that Afghanistan can be won and by crumbling public support for the nine-year war as American casualties rise.”
InI
Israel: A History of Impunity By Yousef Munayyer
22 June, 2010 — Jerusalem Fund – Palestine Center
Palestine Center Brief No. 205 (22 June 2010)
Policy Brief
Last week the government of Israel announced the launch of an investigation into the events surrounding the deadly Memorial Day flotilla raid which left nine activists dead. Many international bodies including the United Nations (UN) and the European Union (EU), as well as human rights groups like Amnesty International, are calling for an independent and impartial, international investigation into the incident. In fact, The UN Human Rights Council has already called for an investigation and chosen a principle investigator. Turkey too has decided to launch its own investigation. The Mahmoud Abbas-led Palestinian Authority (PA) in Ramallah, which can in no way be construed as a pro-Hamas entity, also slammed the Israeli investigation.
There are obvious questions that arise when an alleged perpetrator, in this case the government of Israel, is left in charge of investigating themselves. To mitigate such concerns, Israel has allowed two international observers to participate. One of them, David Trimble, raises questions on his own. He has a Nobel Peace Prize on his resume, but he is also known for having antipathy towards human rights groups whom he has accused of aiding terrorists, and was recently part of an initiative to launch a pro-Israel campaign in his native land. The other observer, Ken Watkin, is the former head of Canada’s military judiciary.
But for the sake of argument, let’s assume that the international observers can keep any biases they may have out of their deliberations. Will they be able to come up with an accurate assessment of the events? It’s not likely, since any information “almost certain to cause substantial harm to [Israel's] national security or to the State’s foreign relations”[1] will not be made available to the international observers. Basically, the international observers, hand-picked by the state of Israel, are only permitted to observe what the state of Israel wants them to observe. A farce, if there ever was one.
The Editor
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G-20: Is state debt the great threat?
21 June, 2010 — The Real News Network
Dean Baker: Most G-20 leaders are pushing the same policies that led the world into the Great Depression
Bio
Dean Baker is co-director of The Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR). He is the author of several books including, The United States Since 1980; Social Security: The Phony Crisis (with Mark Weisbrot); and The Benefits of Full Employment (with Jared Bernstein). He appears frequently on TV and radio programs, including CNN, CBS News, PBS NewsHour, and National Public Radio.
Transcript
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Action Alert – NYT, WaPo Misremember Gaza War
21 June, 2010 — FAIR
Blaming Hamas rockets bolsters Israeli PR
In the aftermath of Israel’s May 31 raid on the Gaza humanitarian aid flotilla that killed nine activists, the Washington Post and New York Times have propagated an inaccurate historical context that serves to bolster Israeli claims.
The conventional rendition is that Israel invaded Gaza at the end of 2008 in order to stop a near-constant stream of rockets fired by Hamas. This history signals to readers that Israel was merely reacting to intolerable and persistent acts of violence. But that is wildly misleading. For much of the second half of that year, a truce between Hamas and Israel largely eliminated rocket fire from the Gaza Strip into Israel; the remaining handful of rockets were launched by rival Palestinian groups. That cease-fire was essentially shattered on November 4, when an Israeli incursion killed several Hamas members (Guardian, 11/5/08). Efforts to renew the cease-fire failed, and the ensuing violence culminated in the full-scale Israeli invasion (FAIR Media Advisory, 1/6/09).
But the papers’ revisionist history has been common throughout the flotilla coverage:
“…Israel’s three-week military campaign in Gaza, which began in late December 2008, after years of rocket fire against southern Israel.”
(New York Times, 6/18/10)“Hamas and other groups fired rockets from the territory toward Israeli towns until Israel launched a large-scale offensive against the strip in December 2008, an operation that killed more than 1,000.”
(Washington Post, 6/16/10)“Israel…invaded in late 2008 to stop a flow of rockets and destroyed thousands of buildings.”
(New York Times, 6/11/10)“With Hamas unable to send bombers into Israeli cities with the tightening of the blockade in 2007, rockets became the main form of violence until the war in Gaza. Since the three-week war ended in January 2009, there has been a lull in rocket fire, leading some to suspect that Hamas is rebuilding its arsenal.”
(Washington Post, 6/7/10)“The crisis is the latest in a series of Israeli decisions devised to secure the nation…. Those actions included…invading Gaza in response to Hamas rocket fire.”
(New York Times, 6/3/10)“The shift came after Israel invaded Gaza in December 2008, saying it needed to retaliate after thousands of rockets had been fired into civilian neighborhoods.”
(New York Times, 6/2/10)
What’s most interesting is the fact that their current reporting contradicts the papers’ coverage of the rockets just before Israel’s assault on Gaza. On December 19, 2008, the Times’ Ethan Bronner reported that Hamas had been “largely successful” in seriously curtailing rocket fire from Gaza, adding that “Hamas imposed its will and even imprisoned some of those who were firing rockets.” And the Washington Post editorialized on November 2, 2008, that thanks in part to “a cease-fire deal with Hamas, Israel has been more peaceful in recent months than it has been in years.”
So why do outlets that have previously reported these facts accurately no longer recall them? Part of Israel’s strategy of defending its attack on the humanitarian flotilla has been to stress the dangers posed by Hamas rule in the Gaza Strip; those PR efforts should not persuade news outlets to rewrite relevant history.
ACTION: Ask the New York Times and the Washington Post to correct their inaccurate reporting on the cause of the Gaza War.
CONTACT:
New York Times Public Editor
public@nytimes.com
Andrew Alexander
Ombud, Washington Post
ombudsman@washpost.com
