de Alon Ben-Meir

PERPETUATING HISTORIC VICTIMHOOD BREEDS NEW VICTIMS Jan 23, 2013 Even a cursory review of the Israeli and Palestinian political landscape conspicuously and sadly reveals the overall self-resignation and apathy expressed by many on both sides, strongly suggesting that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is simply beyond resolution. The sorry truth is that while polls consistently show that a majority of Israelis and Palestinians believe that only the co-existence of two independent states offers a viable solution, they still refuse to divorce themselves from a deep sense of victimhood. Both parties continue to define themselves as historic victims, and to nourish a kind of vicarious victimhood which ultimately serves to justify the policies and goals they pursue, however counterproductive they may be to a solution. The genocide perpetrated during the Holocaust was surely something new in history: never before had a powerful state turned its immense resources to the industrialized manufacturing of corpses; never before had the extermination of an entire people been carried out with the swiftness of an assembly line. The question, however, is: does the Jewish people’s unprecedented historical suffering somehow transform them from “victims” to “Victims,” guaranteeing them, and by extension the State of Israel, an unconditional status of moral untouchability? The French philosopher Alain Badiou is right to suggest that we need to question the presumption “that, like an inverted original sin, the grace of having been an incomparable victim can be passed down not only to descendants and to the descendants of descendants but to all who come under the predicate in question, be they heads of state or armies engaging in the severe oppression of those whose lands they have confiscated.” The Israelis’ sense of being Victims has led to a lack of empathy towards the Palestinians’ plight. It has further manifested itself through the usurpation of Palestinian land and a shirking of Israeli responsibility toward the refugee problem, all the while promoting self-righteousness. Israelis who would continue occupying land belonging to a future Palestinian state must realize that we do not and cannot honor the dead when we use their memory, and what they suffered, to dishonor and disinherit the living. For the Palestinians, the experience of the Nakba (the “catastrophe”), precipitated by the 1948 war, was no less calamitous. From their perspective, they were living for centuries in their own land and are absolutely convinced that during the 1948 war, they were forced out of their homes by Israelis– a tragedy that has lasted for decades and which they continue to endure to this day, leaving an indelible impression on their psyche. This traumatic experience has served to bind Palestinians together in the same way that the Jews coalesced following the Holocaust, with each side believing that their tragic historical experiences are unparalleled in scope and magnitude. The Palestinians, as a result, have hardly made any serious effort to appreciate the psychological implications of the Jews’ historical experience. They have either denied the Holocaust altogether, or bemoaned that if it did happen they should not be held responsible or pay any price for the Jews’ historic tragedy—an attitude reinforced by Israel’s building of settlements on their land. Israelis and Palestinians alike (especially those who, like Hamas, seek the destruction of Israel) must become more self-critical in their use of victimhood; both sides need to realize that neither has a monopoly on the position of “the victim,” and neither is granted a morally unimpeachable status as a consequence of their historical experiences or the changed reality on the ground. Israel’s national security concerns, however legitimate, have been used as an excuse for the expropriation of land and expanding the settlements under the guise of creating defensible borders. Successive Israeli governments continue to occupy Palestinian territory and by its own actions offers no sign that the occupation will end any time soon, thereby denying the Palestinians not only a contiguous land mass but also the right to live in freedom and dignity. The Palestinians too (Hamas in particular) must understand that their belief in some day recapturing all of Palestine is an illusion, as is the return of nearly 5 million Palestinian refugees (since that would mean the obliteration of Israel through demographics). Such hopes then cannot be fulfilled if the Palestinians want to coexist peacefully and forsake the use of violence to achieve their political objectives. Neither side’s sense of victimhood can be mitigated by reverting to their historical experiences. It is this state of mind that continues to haunt the majority in both camps while allowing the extremist minority to manipulate the conflict in order to stifle any progress. Together, these sentiments and mindsets inherently endure, particularly when reinforced by Israeli and Palestinian officials’ public narrative that openly promotes the rejection of the other’s claim and rights. Perhaps this explains why Israeli and Palestinian leadership have devised policies and made demands that the other could not accept without abandoning decades-old self-serving political agendas (however skewed) to justify their actions. Moreover, being that Israel and the Palestinians are politically factional, coupled with the lack of visionary and courageous leaders around which they can coalesce, there is little hope that their current leadership, which has lost its moral compass, can change course and accept not only each other’s reality but each other’s rights. For these reasons, the task must now fall on the shoulders of the silent majority in both camps; it is they who must leave complacency behind, go out to the streets by the hundreds of thousands, loudly and clearly proclaim that enough is enough and that the conflict must come to an end. The time has come for the Israeli and Palestinian masses to engage in collective civil disobedience, lasting as long as it takes to force the leadership in both camps to change course and seek a peaceful solution to the conflict. This means, of course, that both sides must break with the mechanical way of reacting to injury or harm; namely, by nursing the hurt and resolving to hurt the other in return. Palestinians and Israelis must forsake, once and for all, this logic of revenge, which insists on holding on to the hurt (the sense of victimhood) and in refusing to let it go traps us in the past. If revenge involves taking a bit of the past and letting it determine our future, in effect we have no future; the success, then, of non-violent resistance absolutely rests on its peaceful nature. The smallest violent incident distracts from the purpose of the message and allows extremists on both sides to exploit such incidents to their advantage. Although civil disobedience must not be limited to women, imagine the impact that tens of thousands of Israeli and Palestinian women demonstrating in every major city will have domestically and internationally. The women who no longer want to see their young children die in vain or deprived of a bright future only to serve a blind cause that has long since lost not only its merit but has been rendered morally bankrupt. Although civil disobedience is essential, it may well be that the Israelis and the Palestinians can no longer resolve their conflict on their own and need an outside power or powers to mediate, pressure, coerce or even threaten both parties to change course before it’s too late. The United States, which has a tremendous stake in the Middle East and enjoys great influence on Israel and the Palestinians, remains pivotal to helping them reach an agreement. Led by Germany, UK and France, the European Union is already preparing a proposal that provides the basis for the immediate resumption of peace negotiations. Outside powers, particularly the US, will have far more leeway and justification to push for a peace plan when tens of thousands of Israelis and Palestinians are on the street demanding the same. Indeed, unless the people who are paying with their own blood, who are making the sacrifices and suffering for it; the fathers and mothers who want their children to grow up in peace, who seek a better future, better prospects and an opportunity to prosper and flourish; those who want to chart their own destiny; they, all, Israelis and Palestinians alike, have the inherent right to dream, hope and live in peace. The United States must support collective acts of civil disobedience by making every effort to facilitate peace. This is what the Israeli and Palestinian silent majority needs and hopes for, but they must first do their share by going to the streets and making their voices heard. The continuation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is now creating a third generations of victims—not the victims of the Holocaust or the victims of el-Nakba but the victims of misguided leaders. So-called leaders, like Prime Minister Netanyahu (who may well form the next government and continue to lead the Israelis astray), are bringing them ever closer to the precipice-- he and his like on the Palestinian side, such as Hamas’ Ismail Haniyeh, must be stopped by the public outcry to head off a potentially catastrophic development.

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Novela gráfica y cómic

Gracias a Inés Westphalen por los envíos

Crónicas de Jerusalén
 (ed atisberri 2012)

Novela gráfica del dibujante canadiense Guy Delisle sobre Jerusalén, su vida allí y el eterno conflicto entre Israel y Palestina. Leer a Guy Delisle tiene la mágica recompensa de trasladarnos de primera mano a una zona y poder conocer esas pequeñas situaciones que acontecen en el día a día. La mirada de Delisle va acompañada de una mezcla entre la realidad del lugar y de sus gentes con la experiencia que tienen tanto él como su familia viviendo en un país extranjero. La combinación entre los dibujos y el texto hace siempre imprescindible y extraordinaria la obra de Delisle .

Jerusalem: Chronicles from the Holy City, originally published in French asChroniques de Jérusalem, is a graphic novel  written and illustrated by Guy Delisle

Otra:

ítulo: Palestina: en la franja de Gaza
Autores: Joe Sacco
Edita: Planeta-DeAgostini Comics.
Formato: Obra completa. Tomo tapa dura con sobrecubierta, 304 pgs b/n. Colección Trazado.
Info: Incluye un extenso prólogo (5 pgs) de Edward Said, profesor de literatura comparada en la Universidad de Columbia y autor de varios libros relacionados con el conflicto palestino, así como un breve prólogo del autor (1 pág.). 

Autobiográfico. Joe Sacco, periodista de profesión, nos narra en forma de cómic el viaje de dos meses que hizo a Palestina durante el invierno de 1991-92, durante la primera intifada contra la ocupación israelí. A modo de "diario de viaje", Sacco nos muestra la situación que encontró en la zona y los testimonios de la gente que conoció, mostrando en sus viñetas el miedo, la tristeza, la frustación, la desesperación e incluso, a pesar de todo, la esperanza de los que viven allí.

La obra ha atraido la atención de círculos ajenos al mundo del cómic, como lo demuestra que en 1996 fuera galardonada con uno de los prestigiosos American Book Awards y que este 2002 (de nuevo de actualidad por el recrudecimiento del conflicto en Palestina) haya recibido el premio a la Mejor Novela Gráfica en la Book Expo America. 

(Palestine is a graphic novel written and drawn by Joe Sacco about his experiences in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip in December 1991 and January 1992.)

de Juan Gelman sobre el odio a los judíos negros en Israel

http://www.pagina12.com.ar/diario/contratapa/13-212234-2013-01-20.html

Uri Avnery: Cold revenge

Gracias a Eduardo Mosches por el envío
http://zope.gush-shalom.org/home/en/channels/avnery/1354963364/

Chomsky: Gaza bajo ataque

http://www.jornada.unam.mx/2012/12/09/opinion/021a1mun

Condenan París, Londres y Washington la extensión de las colonias israelíes.

Gracias a Néstor Braunstein por el envío.
http://www.lemonde.fr/proche-orient/article/2012/12/01/hillary-clinton-l-extension-des-colonies-israeliennes-fait-reculer-la-cause-de-la-paix_1798726_3218.html

Clinton condena los planes de asentamiento en Jerusalén

Gracias a Néstor Braunstein por el envío.
http://www.timesofisrael.com/us-struggles-to-get-israel-palestinians-to-peace-talks-as-clinton-condemns-jerusalems-housing-announcement/

Uri Avnery sobre el reconocimiento de Palestina

Gracias a Eduardo Mosches por el envío

http://zope.gush-shalom.org/home/en/events/1354127234

Análisis de M. Warschawski: "Hubris: why Israeli leaders failed in Gaza"

http://www.alternativenews.org/english/index.php/news/opinion/5746-hubris-why-israeli-leaders-failed-in-gaza-.html

AIC TV - análisis

http://blip.tv/aicvision/pillar-of-defense-the-aftermath-of-israel-s-military-operation-on-the-gaza-strip-6456228

Farid Kahhat analiza el conflicto entre Israel y Gaza

Gracias a Inés Westphalen por el envío
http://puntoedu.pucp.edu.pe/noticias/analisis-conflicto-israel-gaza/?utm_source=Mailchimp&utm_medium=email&utm_content=Enlaces-desde-boletin-de-noticias&utm_campaign=Boletin-Puntoedu

Entrevista con Nurit Peled sobre su libro

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=SUdWxaOOJCQ

Nota sobre Uri Avnery en La Jornada - Robert Fisk

http://www.jornada.unam.mx/2012/11/25/opinion/022a1mun

AIC: fotos de la cosecha de olivos

http://www.alternativenews.org/english/index.php/news/features/5716-photos-2012-olive-harvest-solidarity-challenges-occupation.html

Testimonio de soldado israelí de 1948 sobre la Nakba.

Testimonio de protagonista. No se lo pierdan.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=p8IjnRsRPCQ

Ricardo Forster: Israel, lo judío, los palestinos y los dilemas de la historia

Gracias a Daniel Zappi por el envío
http://www.pagina12.com.ar/diario/elmundo/4-208389-2012-11-23.html

Antes de que muera el próximo bebé

Ezeldeen Abu el Aish, el médico de Gaza que había perdido a sus hijas (cuya entrevista en Telesur posteamos a fin de mayo de este año)

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4308413,00.html

Video de Gaza: esperanzas, deseos, vida.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yh677_lSNEA

Carta de Eduardo Mosches a La Jornada

Estimada Directora: por este medio solicito la inclusión de este texto en la sección adecuada-

El gobierno israelí, representante de la extrema derecha, ha lanzado hace una semana una brutal campaña electoral. Dentro de dos meses deben realizarse elecciones generales en Israel. Netanyahu y su cofradía de expansionistas confesos, han planificado concienzudamente los actos  que han llevado a la actual situación de muertes masivas. Realizan la acción de asesinar a un líder político- militar de Hamas,el cual había  participado en reuniones con representantes israelíes, con la intención de lograr algunos puntos de acuerdos. El asesinato dio como resultado lo esperado, la reacción violenta de grupo político palestino con la descarga de cohetes. La campaña electoral continúa.  Los ataques y bombardeos al territorio de Gaza han dado como resultado la matanza de más de cien personas, mayoritariamente civiles, de toda edad y género. Por otro lado, tres israelíes  fueron muertos. La excusa israelí es su derecho a la defensa. Hablando de un régimen,  que ha   basado su política de expansión territorial desde 1967. La anexión, ya olvidada y legitimada, de las colinas del Golán, territorio sirio, que ha sido anexado por los israelíes, donde tienen excelentes viñedos, cuyos productos exportan. Asimismo,  la instalación en territorio palestino de centenares de poblaciones militarizadas, con casi un millón de colonos israelíes viviendo y subdividiendo ese territorio, que deberá ser la base de conformación del estado palestino. El ataque contra la población civil, encubierta en excusa del enfrentamiento a la resistencia  armada de Hamas,  los llamados terroristas, es la acción contra el mayor gheto creado, , de más de un millón y medio de personas, por el propio estado israelí. Como potencia ocupante ha realizado una política de bloqueo y encierro de la población palestina, dando como resultado, una situación planificada de desnutrición permanente de la misma, básicamente niños. Ahora, la acción de masacre militar ha llevado a que un 84% de la población israelí apoye las acciones militares, tarea cumplida en la campaña electoral. El cinismo de los gobernantes israelíes es total, ahora exigen que para alcanzar una tregua, los palestinos deben erradicar totalmente  los ataques con cohetes. Si realmente pensaran en la protección de su propia población,  lograr la paz y la seguridad, las medidas a realizar, por su parte, sería  el desalojo inmediato de las colonias y sus colonos armados de territorio palestino, el regreso a las fronteras de 1967, como un acto primario de solución del problema histórico. Dolorosamente, lo que continúa son los bombardeos y las muertes. Pero, en esta campaña electoral, no todo es perfecto,  también se han dado voces  de israelíes que se han negado a participar en el ejército y madres que denuncian y se oponen radicalmente a estas acciones de matanzas como solución del problema. En estas voces se encuentra la esperanza de solución.

Eduardo Mosches

Aplicación creada por adolescente alerta a israelíes de ataque con misiles

Gracias a Inés Westphalen por el envío (con los deseos de que esta tecnología pueda también encontrarse del lado de Gaza)
http://elcomercio.pe/actualidad/1499469/noticia-aplicacion-creada-adolescente-alerta-israelies-ataque-misiles

Médicos a favor de los derechos humanos - Israel: en el día internacional del niño

24 niños fueron muertos en la franja de Gaza en los últimos seis días. 252 niños fueron heridos, 80 de ellos menores de 5 años. En Israel fueron heridos un bebé y un niño.
Hoy es el día internacional del niño. En este día se pide a los gobiernos que privilegien las necesidades de los niños, escucharlos y darles bienestar y seguridad. El miércoles 14 de noviembre Israel inició un ataque militar en la franja de Gaza. Esta situación tiene importantes consecuencias en la situación de niños y niñas que resultaron muertos, heridos, afectados psicológicamente, o que perdieron algún familiar. Los niños que no fueron heridos ni perdieron a algún familiar están expuestos a otras consecuencias, las explosiones y los estallidos causan temores y tensiones, y dejan a las niñas y los niños con heridas psicológicas.

http://www.phr.org.il/default.asp?PageID=60&ItemID=1653

Historias narradas desde abajo

http://imeu.net/news/article0023240.shtml

Amnistía Internacional reclama embargo de armas a Israel

http://www.europapress.es/internacional/noticia-amnistia-reclama-embargo-internacional-armas-israel-hamas-20121120135714.html

Una cuarta parte de los 112 muertos palestinos son niños

http://internacional.elpais.com/internacional/2012/11/20/actualidad/1353399168_098318.html

Objeción de conciencia

Gracias a Eduardo Mosches por el envío

To military prison, instead of Gaza

Israeli Conscientious Objector Natan Blanc

To be imprisoned this morning

 

Today, Monday November 19th, Natan Blanc, a 19 years old Israeli from old  Haifa, will show up at the recruitment bureau, inform officers there of his refusal to serve in the IDF, and will likely be sent immediately to the military prison. His act of conscientious refusal is directly connected to the current situation and the army's acts in Gaza. He took this decision even before hearing the terrible news of five women and four children being killed today by a single Israeli Air Force bomb:

 

I began thinking about refusing to join the Israeli Army during the 'Cast Lead' operation in 2008. The wave of aggressive militarism that swept the country then, the expressions of mutual hatred, and the vacuous talk about stamping out terror and creating a deterrent effect were the primary trigger for my refusal.

 

Today, after four years full of terror, without a political process [towards peace negotiations], and without quiet in Gaza and Sderot, it is clear that the Netanyahu Government, like that of his predecessor Olmert, is not interested in finding a solution to the existing situation, but rather in preserving it. From their point of view, there is nothing wrong with our initiating a 'Cast Lead 2' operation every three or four years (and then 3, 4,5 and 6): we will talk of deterrence, we will kill some terrorist, we will lose some civilians on both sides, and we will prepare the ground for a new generation full of hatred on both sides.

 

As representatives of the people, members of the cabinet have no duty to present their vision for the futures of the country, and they can continue with this bloody cycle, with no end in sight. But we, as citizens and human beings, have a moral duty to refuse to participate in this cynical game. That is why I have decided to refuse to be inducted into the Israeli Army on the date of my call-up order, November 19, 2012.

 

Natan Blanc

 

Natan can be contacted by email: nathanbl@walla.com

For updates during the day call Moriel 

Más que "nombres"

Gracias a Inés Westphalen por el envío
http://internacional.elpais.com/internacional/2012/11/17/actualidad/1353166819_694563.html

Todo humano tiene un nombre

Hace casi cuatro años, cuando comenzó esta iniciativa, se trató de dar testimonio por cada uno de los muertos de esta guerra absurda (como toda guerra). Se nos acusó de dar cuenta sólo de los muertos "de la otra parte" (léase "el enemigo"). No es así. Empezamos una nueva lista que les invitamos a leer. No pierdan la paciencia porque aparecen nombres de ambas partes, sólo que la diferencia en cantidad es abrumadora.

Todo humano tiene un nombre (como versa la canción israelí)

posteado Sahar M. Vardi 

לכל איש יש שם...

1- Ahmad Al-Ja’bary, 52 years old.
2-Mohammed Al-hams, 28 years old.
3- Rinan Arafat, 7 years old.

4- Omar Al-Mashharawi, 11 moonths old.
5-Essam Abu-Alma’za, 20 years old.
6-Mohammed Al-qaseer, 20 years old.
7- Heba Al-Mashharawi, six-month pregnant, 19 years old.
8- Mahmoud Abu Sawawin, 65 years old.

9- Habis Hassan Mismih, 29 years old.
10- Wael Haidar Al-Ghalban, 31 years old.
11- Hehsam Mohammed Al-Ghalban, 31 years old.
12- Rani Hammad, 29 years old.
13- Khaled Abi Nasser, 27 year old.
14- Marwan Abu Al-Qumsan, 52 years old.
15- Walid Al-Abalda, 2 years old.
16- Hanin Tafesh, 10 months old.
17- Oday Jammal Nasser, 16 years old.
18- Fares Al-Basyouni, 11 years old.
19- Mohammed Sa’d Allah, 4 years old.
20- Ayman Abu Warda, 22 years old.
21- Tahrir Suliman, 20 years old.
22- Ismael Qandil, 24 years old.
23- younis Kamal Tafesh, 55 years old.
24- Mohammed Talal Suliman, 28 years old.
25- Amjad Mohammed Abu-Jalal, 32 years old.
26- Ziyad Farhan Abu-Jalal, 23 years old.
27- Ayman Mohammed Abu Jalal, 44 years old.
28- Hassan Salem Al-Heemla’, 27 years old.
29- Khaled Khalil Al-Shaer, 24 years old.
30- Ayman Rafeeq sleem, 26 years old.
31- Ahmad Abu Musamih, 32 years old.

At 8:20 am, as a result to an Israeli inhumane attack on Deel Al-Balah, central Gaza, three people were killed. The list of murdered victims goes longer>>>

32- Osama Abdejjawad
33- Ashraf Darwish
34- Ali Al-Mana’ma

At 8:45 am_ 9:00 am, warplanes attacked several places including Rafah, Khan-Younis, and Tal Al-Sultan, southern Gaza, leaving three killed>>

35`- Mukhlis Edwan
36- Mohammed Al-Loulhy, 24 years old.
37- Ahmad Al-Atrush

In a series of attacks on several places on central Gaza at noon, two more people fell victim:

38- Abderrahman Al-Masri

39- Awad Al-Nahhal
40- Ali Hassan Iseed, 25 years old, killed in an attack on his motorbike in Deer Al-Balah, central Gaza, at 8:10 pm, Novebmer 17.

IOF attack another motorbike in Deer Al-Balah at 8:20 pm, leaving two more killed:
41- Mohammed Sabry Al’weedat, 25 years old.
42- Osama Yousif Al-Qadi, 26 years old.

In an attack on central Gaza, to the west of Al-Masdar area, at 9:10 pm, two more people people killed:
43- Ahmad Ben Saeed, 42 years old.
44- Hani Bre’m, 31 years old.

At 9:40 pm, Israel attacked Qdeih family’s house in west Khan-Younis, Southern Gaza and a woman got killed.
45- Samaher Qdeih, 28 years old.
46- Tamer Al-Hamry, 26 years old, died after being seriously injured in an attack on Deer Al-Balah.

On November 18, the fifth day of the Israeli ongoing aggression on Gaza:

Israeli warplanes shelled the house of Abu-Alfoul family in northern Gaza, killing two children and injuring at 13 at least, mostly children and women.

47- Gumana Salamah Abu Sufyan, 1 year old.

48- Tamer Salamah Abu Sufyan, 3 years old.

An Israeli warplanes fired missiles at a house that belongs to the family of Abu Nuqira in Rafah killing one person:

49- Muhamed Abu Nuqira

An Israeli war plane fired a missile at a house in an agricultural land east of Bureij camp, in the Central Gaza Strip, killing one child and injuring 2 other children:

50- Eyad Abu Khusa, 18 months old.

Two people were killed, one of them a child, when an Israeli missile hit a beachfront refugee camp in Gaza City:

51- Tasneem Zuheir Al-Nahhal, 13 years old.

52- Ahmad Essam Al-Nahhal, 25 years old.

Medics also reported finding the body of woman under the rubble of a house in eastern Gaza City who had been killed in a strike earlier in the morning.

53- Nawal Abdelaal, 52 years old.

At 3:10 pm, November 18, Israel rocked a house belongs to Al-Dalou family in Sheikh-Redwan area, west Gaza, killing at least 10 people, including 4 women and 4 children.

54- Mohammed Jamal Al-Dalou, the father.
55- Ranin Mohammed Jamal Al-Dalou, 5 years old.
56- Jamal Mohammed Jamal Al-Dalou, 7 year old.
57- Yousef Mohammed Jamal Al-Dalou, 10 years old.
58- Ibrahim Mohammed Jamal Al-Dalou, 1 year old.
59- Jamal Al-Dalou, the grandfather.
60- Sulafa Al Dalou, 46 years old
61- Samah Al-Dalou, 25 years old
62- Tahani Al-Dalou, 50 years old
63- Ameina Matar Al-Mzanner, 83 years old.
64- Abdallah Mohammed Al-Mzanner, 23 years old.
Soon after Al-Dalou massacre, 2 more were killed, including a child, in an attack on a car for water supply in northern Gaza.
65- Suheil Hamada

66-Mo’men Hamada

In an airstrike that targeted Nussairat camp after that two people were murdered and 10 at least got injured

67- Atiyya Mubarak.

68- Hussam Abu Shaweish,

69- Samy Al-Ghfeir, 22 years old, killed in an attack on Shijaiyya area, west Gaza.

70- Mohammed Bakr Al-Of, 24 years old, killed in an attack on Al-Yarmouk st. in Gaza city.

At 8:00 pm, November 18, the ministry of health in Gaza has reported that Israel has risen the death toll in Gaza to 69, including 20 children, 8 women, and 9 elderly people. Moreover, Over 660 person got injured since Wednesday, including 224 children, 113 women, and 50 elderly people.
At 10:00 pm, November 18, an Israeli warplane attacked a motorbike near the ministry of finance roundabout, west Gaza, killing a father and his son:
71- Ahmad Abu Amra
72- Nabil Ahmad Abu Amra
At 10:10 pm, November 18, an Israeli warplane rocked a house belong to Nasser family near Abu-Sharekh crossroad in northern Gaza, killing a child and his father.
73- Hussein Jalal Nasser, 8 years old.

74- Jalal Nasser

On November 19, the sixth day of the Israeli ongoing aggression on Gaza:

At 12:10 am, an Israeli warplane attacked Mahmoud Al-Hashash house in Rafah killing one woman.

75- Sabha Al-Hashash, 60 years old.

At 1:00 am, an Israeli warplane rocked a car in Rafah killing two people:

76- Saif Al-Deen Sadeq

77- Ahmad Hussein Al-Agha.

78- Emad Abu Hamda, 30 years old, killed after being seriously injured in as a drone fired a rocket at Beach camp, west Gaza.

79- Mohammed Jindiyya, mentally disabled, killed in an attack on Helles roundabout in Shijaiyya, west Gaza.

At 4:10 am, Israel committed another atrocious crime shelling a house belong to Azzam family that is full of children. 3 people were killed in this attack and at least 40 injured. Medics said that more than 15 children have arrived Shifaa hospital, three of them are in a very critical condition.

80- Mohammed Iyad Abu Zour, 5 years old.

81- Nisma Abu Zour, 19 years old.

82- Ahed Al-Qattaty, 38 years old.

83- Al-Abd Mohammed Al-Attar, killed in an attack on Beit-Lahya, northern Gaza at 6:00 am.

84- Rama Al-Shandi, 1 year old, killed as four F16s airstrikes hit former security compound Al-Saraya in Gaza City.

Three Israeli citizens were also killed:
Aharon Smadga, 49 years old
Itzik Amsalem, 24 years old
Mirah Sharf, a 26 years old

Los verdaderos blancos de Benjamín Netanyahu

Gracias a Gaby por el envío.
http://sur.infonews.com/notas/los-verdaderos-blancos-de-benjamin-netanyahu

La OMS pide apoyo a la comunidad internacional para proveer medicinas a Gaza

Gracias a Inés Westphalen por el envío
http://www.latercera.com/noticia/mundo/2012/11/678-493893-9-la-oms-pide-apoyo-a-la-comunidad-internacional-para-proveer-medicinas-a-gaza.shtml

Llamado de AIC (ONG binacional) a la solidaridad con el pueblo palestino

http://www.alternativenews.org/english/index.php/news/opinion/5670-aic-calls-for-international-solidarity-with-the-palestinian-people.html

Israel ataca oficinas de medios en Gaza

http://www.alternativenews.org/english/index.php/news/news/5667-israel-bombs-media-offices-in-gaza-eight-injured-.html

Poema de Raffef Ziadah: "las tonalidades de la ira"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=nVbXfnTDwQ0

de Jewish Voice of Peace

http://rabbibrant.com/2012/11/16/outrage-in-gaza-redux/

Texto escrito por mujeres del sur de Israel que salió publicado hace dos días en el diario Haaretz

Gracias a Lev Grinberg por el envío.

A message to Israel's leaders: Don't defend me - not like this

As she listens to the rockets mortar bombs raining in her yard, a resident of Kibbutz Kfar Aza asks the government to rethink its operation on the Gaza Strip.

By Michal Vasser | Nov.15,

The first thing I want to say is: Please don't defend me. Not like this.

I am sitting in my safe room in Kibbutz Kfar Aza and listening to the bombardment of the all-out war outside. I am no longer able to distinguish between "our" bombardments and "theirs." The truth is that the kibbutz children do this better than I do, their "musical ear" having been developed since they were very young, and they are able to differentiate between an artillery shell and a missile fired from a helicopter and between a mortar bomb and a Qassam. Good for them.

Is this what "defending the home" looks like? I don't understand - did all our leaders sleep through their history classes? Or maybe they studied the Mapai school curriculum or that of Education Minister Gideon Sa'ar (to my regret, the difference is not all that great) - and have wrongly interpreted the word "defense"? Does defending the well being of citizens mean a war of armageddon every few years? Hasn't any politician ever heard of the expression "long-term planning?"

If you want to defend me - then please: Don't send the Israel Defense Forces for us in order to "win." Start thinking about the long term and not just about the next election. Try to negotiate until white smoke comes up through the chimney. Hold out a hand to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Stop with the "pinpoint assassinations" and look into the civilians' eyes on the other side as well.

I know that most of the public will accuse me of being a "bleeding heart." But I am the one who is sitting here now as mortar bombs fall in my yard, not Sa'ar, not Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and not Labor MK Shelly Yacimovich or Yesh Atid party head Yair Lapid, either. I am the one who has chosen to raise her children here even though I had and still have other options.

It is possible to accuse me of a lack of Zionism, it is possible to accuse me of flabbiness and weak-mindedness but it is impossible to accuse me of hypocrisy. My children have served in combat units in addition to their contribution of "year of service" for the country, voluntarily. We live here and we love this country.

Our war is a war for the coloration of the state, not its borders. For its democratic nature and for human dignity in it. For sanity. So please stop killing civilians on the other side of the fence in order to defend me.

If you are interested in stopping the hostile actions from the other side - open your ears and start listening. If we are important to you - please stop defending us by means of missiles, "pinpoints" and "aeronautical components." Instead of Operation Pillar of Defense embark on Operation Hope for the Future. This is more complicated, you need more patience and it is less popular - but it is the only way out.

Julie Lévesque: “La guerra contra el antisemitismo global” en la era de la islamofobia

http://www.rebelion.org/noticia.php?id=159228

Gaza: Reporte del hospital

http://www.alternativenews.org/english/index.php/news/features/5661-no-safe-haven-civilians-under-attack-in-the-gaza-strip.html

Bebé de 11 meses de periodista de BBC falleció en ataque a franja de Gaza

Gracias a Inés Westphalen por el envío.
http://www.larepublica.pe/15-11-2012/bebe-de-periodista-de-bbc-fallecio-en-ataque-franja-de-gaza

AIC: Israeli premeditated offensive against Gaza

http://www.alternativenews.org/english/index.php/news/news/5640-israeli-premeditated-offensive-against-gaza.html

Detalle de la escalada de ataques, por Sergio Yahni

Manifestantes israelíes contra "Pilar de defensa"

Gracias al Negro Gómez por el envío.

http://972mag.com/watch-israelis-protest-military-operation-against-gaza/59927/

Noticias de guerra

Gracias a Inés Westphalen por el envío y por su comentario: "no deja de causar cierta impresión cuando se contrasta el título con el recuento de muertos y heridos del lado palestino (entre ellos una niña)"

http://internacional.elpais.com/internacional/2012/11/15/actualidad/1352965950_479478.html

Protesta de niña palestina

Gracias a Inés Westphalen por el envío
http://sipse.com/noticias/183733-nina-palestina-convierte-celebridad-video.html

Uri Avnery sobre el cinismo de "Pilar de defensa"

Gracias a Eduardo Mosches por el envío

Avnery:

 

Netanyahu and Barak have decided to deliberately violate a cease-fire which had just been stabilized.

 

At the price of great and ongoing suffering on both sides of the border, the government's aim  had been accomplished: social issues will be removed from the public agenda and the election campaign

 

"Binyamin Netanyahu and Ehud Barak have decided - for the second time in a row the State of Israel will conduct general elections under the shadow of war in the Gaza Strip. The cease-fire which already started to stabilize has been broken deliberately and shattered to pieces. The inhabitants of the communities of southern Israel , who just started to breathe freely, are sent right back to air raid alarms and to running to shelters" said  former Knesset Member Uri Avnery of Gush Shalom.

 

"At the price of great suffering on both sides of the border, the government's aim has been accomplished: the social issues, which threatened to assume prominence in these elections, have been pushed aside and removed from the agenda  of the elections campaign. Forgotten, too, is the brave attempt of Mahmoud Abbas to address the Israeli public opinion. In the coming weeks, the headlines will be filled with constant war and death, destruction and bloodshed. When it ends at last, it will be revealed that no goal has been achieved and that the problems remain the same, or perhaps exacerbated. "
Details:
Adam Keller, Gush Shalom             +972-54-2340749      

Jewish Voice of Peace

http://jewishvoiceforpeace.org/blog/jvp-statement-on-israels-operation-pillar-of-defense

JVP Statement on Israel's Operation "Pillar of Defense"

Submitted by Alissa Wise on Wed, 11/14/2012 - 12:32pm

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Rabbi Alissa Wise, alissa@jvp.org

Jewish Voice for Peace Statement on Israel’s Operation "Pillar of Defense"

As Israel launches operation “Pillar of Defense” in Gaza, Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) calls for an immediate cessation of the air strikes and naval bombardment into Gaza and an end to the ongoing siege of Gaza. JVP urges Israel not to exploit its asymmetric power to exacerbate the instability in the region. We urge President Obama to  take a stand against these attacks and to use the power of the United States to insist that Israel pursue all diplomatic measures possible for the sake of life, safety and security on all sides.  JVP also urges the end of  rocket attacks from Gaza into civilian communities in Israel, which we believe is never justifiable, and which only serve to derail efforts for a just resolution to the conflict. 

This operation is named in reference to a  biblical passage in which a pillar of cloud protects the Israelites as they wandered in the desert after leaving bondage in Egypt.

And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; that they might go by day and by night.                                                                                                         Exodus 13:21

It is unseemly to invoke the protection afforded the Israelites wandering in the desert when Israel is the dominant military power in the region. JVP rejects the possibility that such a military operation and escalation of violence will be of any protection for Israelis or Palestinians. As Israel continues to control Gaza by air, land and sea, Israel holds responsibility for the well-being and safety of Palestinian civilians in Gaza who will be traumatized, injured and killed through this escalation of violence. 

JVP calls on our chapters, members, and supporters to join us in redoubling our efforts to advocate for an end to the U.S.’s unconditional military aid to Israel and to intensify our calls for divestment from all companies that profit from this escalation of violence and Israel’s ongoing siege of Gaza.

You can follow live updates from Gaza here: https://twitter.com/theIMEU/watching-gaza

_________________________________________________________________________________
Jewish Voice for Peace is a national organization dedicated to promoting a US foreign policy in the Middle East based on peace, democracy, human rights and respect for international law.
With offices in New York and California, over 100,000 supporters and 30 chapters, a Rabbinic Cabinet, and a youth wing, JVP’s board of advisors includes Tony Kushner, actor Ed Asner, writer Naomi Klein, Noam Chomsky and other respected rabbis, artists, scholars and activists.  
http://jewishvoiceforpeace.org/

Gaza 2012: "Pilar de defensa" Análisis en El País de Jesús A. Nuñez

http://blogs.elpais.com/extramundi/2012/11/pilar-de-defensa-suma-y-sigue-en-gaza.html

Entrevista con Michael Warshavsky: "Israel no existe más que por la guerra"

"Israel tiene necesidad de un enemigo. Debe estar en estado de guerra permanente. Sin mucha exageración, Israel no existe más que por la guerra. Israel no es apoyado por los Estados Unidos (3,5 millardos de dólares por año) más que porque juega un papel militar en la región. La peor catástrofe que puede ocurrirle a Israel es que no haya guerra, que no haya enemigo, ni amenaza. Siempre se trata, por tanto, de identificar una nueva amenaza. Hemos tenido el terrorismo que se ha convertido en el terrorismo islamista y que luego se ha generalizado al islam. No es suficiente. Entonces se coge a Hezbolá, pero éste es demasiado pequeño. Hay que encontrar algo más grande, llegaría incluso a decir que hay que vender a Washington que ese enemigo no amenaza solo a Israel, sino que amenaza la civilización judeo-cristiana en su conjunto. Así llegamos a la ecuación general de que la civilización judeo-cristiana está amenazada por el islam representado por la República Islámica de Irán."

Para leer la entrevista completa: http://www.rebelion.org/noticia.php?id=159164&titular=%22israel-no-existe-m%E1s-que-por-la-guerra%22-

Daniel Barenboim: Lucho contra la ignorancia de israelíes y palestinos

http://www.jornada.unam.mx/2012/11/14/cultura/a08n1cul

Carta de The Other Voice a Netanyahu y Barak: "A country at war rarely spares a thought for the children of the enemy"

Gracias a Eduardo Mosches por el envío
http://adam-keller2.blogspot.co.il/2012/11/a-country-at-war-rarely-spares-thought.html

Noam Chomsky: "Gaza, la prisión al aire libre más grande del mundo"

http://www.jornada.unam.mx/2012/11/11/mundo/022a1mun

Detenidos israelíes y extranjeros (algunos diplomáticos) del barco sueco "Estelle" rumbo a Gaza

Gracias a Eduardo Mosches por el envío.

Entre los activistas detenidos y que sufrieron de los abusos de los servicios se inteligencia israelíes se encontraba Elik Elhanan, el hijo de la madre de negro Nurit Peled. También se encontraba el miembro del parlamento griego Evangelis. "Quince naves armadas contra un barco civil que llevaba juguetes para los niños de Gaza" y la certeza de aferrarse más a la lucha pacifista.

Swedish Ship to Gaza
Activists in Israel  

Press Release Oct. 22, 2012

The Israeli activists detained on board the "Estelle" were released
Elik Elhanan: excessive force was used against us, without any reason

Electric shocks by taser out of vengeful hatred
A Greek MP was beaten by Shabak Security Service interrogators

"I am now on my way home, but I keep thinking of my shipmates, my fellow activists from abroad who are still imprisoned under harsh conditions and undergo  interrogation by the Shabak Security Service, among them Parliament Members from several countries," said Elik Elhanan, one of the Israeli activists who had sailed aboard the Gaza-bound Swedish ship "Estelle". Today, the court ordered his release and that of two other detained Israelis, Yonatan Shapira and Reut Mor. "At first they tried to charge us with all kinds of very serious felonies, such as 'aiding the enemy'. The court rejected this out of hand. Today they tried a article on the law books called "Attempted infiltration into a part of the Land of Israel which is not part of the State of Israel" (sic). But the court threw out this charge, too". The detained activists were represented by Attorney Gaby Lasky and her team, who have considerable experience with Human Rights cases.

The released detainees were cheerfully greeted by peace activists who arrived at the courtroom, among them Elik Elhanan's  parents - Rami Elhanan and Nurit Peled-Elhanan, who is the daughter of the late Major General Matti Peled. Smadar Elhanan, Elik's sister, was killed in a suicide bombing at the center of Jerusalem – a harsh experience which made surviving family members all the more determined to strive for peace between Israel and the Palestinians, so as to prevent further casualties on either side.

"I have gone though difficult days, but I certainly do not regret sailing on that boat. I knew what I was getting into" said Elik Elhanan. "During the voyage I made a special contact with Evangelis, a Member of the Greek Parliament who sailed with us. When the Naval Commandos came aboard and while we were blocking their way to the bridge, Evangelis told me we have generated in him a love for the people of Israel and a hope for a better future in the Middle East. Shortly afterwards they separated us. Yesterday evening, when they put Dror Feiler in our cell, he told us that Evangelis had been beaten by the Shabak interrogators. The Shabak lied shamelessly to the Consuls and representatives of foreign countries, telling them that their citizens and MPs were being treated well." Dror Feiler, who was born in Israel and whose  mother Pnina lives in Kibbutz Yad Hana, gave up his Israeli citizenship after moving to Stockholm, and was therefore separated most of the time from the Israeli detainees.

"They used a completely disproportional amount of force against us" continues Elhanan. "When the Navy arrived to take us over, Yonatan Shapira counted no less than fifteen vessels surrounding us on all sides. Large and small ships and boats, a ship carrying a helicopter, as well as the Zodiacs of the Naval Commandos. Fifteen armed naval vessels against one small civilian boat carrying games for the children of Gaza. We must have disturbed very much the Navy and those who give orders to the Navy.

When they came aboard and we blocked their way, the soldiers knew exactly who I was. They shouted in Hebrew: 'Elhanan, you will pay for your Leftism!' and used the taser to give me electric shocks. Even after they completed their takeover of the boat, they continued to use the taser and administer more shocks. But if they think they could deter me and those who sailed with me, they are mistaken. The siege of Gaza is an ongoing crime and it must be ended. We will continue the struggle".  

Contact:
Elik Elhanan +972-2-5700112 or via Nurit Peled-Elhanan +972-547-578703
Adv. Gaby Lasky +972-54-4418988

Uri Avnery 79 años después de la guerra de Yom Kipur

Gracias a Eduardo Mosches por el envío

http://zope.gush-shalom.org/home/en/channels/avnery/1348845384/

Petición de académicos del mundo para impedir el cierre del departamento de Cs. Políticas en la Universidad de Beer Sheva.

Por favor, se agradece a los académicos que deseen firmar y difundir.

Here is a petition concerning the closure of the Politics and Government Dept. in Ben Gurion University, Beer Sheva - please sign and circulate widely.

http://www.petitionbuzz.com/petitions/academyunderattack

For those interested in writing a letter, this is a link to more information:

http://isacademyunderattack.wordpress.com

Traducción del artículo de Gideon Levy: "¿Cuántas patrias tenéis'"

Gracias a Rolando Gómez por la traducción y el envío.

¿Cuántas patrias tenéis?

Por: Guidón Levi

Haaretz, 20 de septiembre del 2012

Al momento en que las intensivas negociaciones con los palestinos se encuentran en su apogeo, y todo pareciera solucionarse, Israel presenta sorpresivamente un nuevo reclamo: sin que haya indemnización a los refugiados judíos de los países árabes, no acordará pronunciarse por el fin del conflicto.

Todo se solucionó; verdadero fin al conflicto, y ahora vamos a arremeter contra otro pequeño objetivo en el camino a la paz justa que maduró y se encuentra a la vuelta de la esquina.

Ya existe un documento de propuesta sobre el tema por parte del Consejo de Seguridad Nacional, publicado por Barak Ravid en “Haaretz”, y también una campaña de propaganda dirigida por el viceministro del exterior, Dani Aialón, quien tiene derechos paternales sobre el asunto (su padre nació en Argelia).

Luego de que nos enseñaran a lo largo de generaciones enteras que la Aliá (Ascención -en el lenguaje místico sionista, significa inmigración judía a Israel.  N. de T.) de los países árabes fue un acto sionista, de repente resulta que se trató de una ola de refugiados.

Cuando pensábamos que Israel ya hubiera roto todos los récords posibles de la desfachatez, viene esta campaña y nos muestra que hay otros récords que es capaz de romper.

Es difícil saber por dónde comenzar a refutar la ridícula comparación entre el destino de los refugiados palestinos al de los judíos, pero es posible despejar una preocupación: el documento de propuesta del Consejo de Seguridad Nacional no ve ningún lugar a la comparación.  El destino de los refugiados (judíos) lo señala como “tragedia”, mientras que el destino de los palestinos es un “tópico”.  Y el colmo: la culpabilidad por ambos recae sobre los países árabes.  Difícil de creer: Israel no tiene arte ni parte en el problema de los refugiados palestinos.

Con razón evitó Israel desde su creación toda alusión al tema; entendió que la tierra arde bajo sus pies.  Hasta que el gobierno de Biniamín Netaniahu se atrevió a meter las manos en el fuego.  Tal vez ahora –pensaron en Jerusalén- que no hay posibilidades de nada, es posible traer a colación este asunto; tal vez gracias a él recoja Israel unos cuantos cupones en las sinagogas de los judíos de origen árabe en Estados Unidos.

Israel reclama indemnización a la propiedad de 800 mil refugiados de los países árabes.  No propone ningún tipo de indemnización por la propiedad perdida por unos 650 mil refugiados palestinos, sobre cuyos escombros se construyó un Estado.  Eso que lo pague el mundo, no Israel.

La relación será de 2 a 3 a favor de Israel, calculó el Consejo de Seguridad Nacional.  ¿A lo de 1948, lo de 1967 y todo lo que pasó desde entonces?  ¿A las casas que se destruyeron y las tierras que se saquearon, las canteras que se explotaron y los recursos que se aprovecharon?  ¿A todo eso acordará Israel pagar indemnización?  No hagan reír a la gente inteligente.

El Consejo de Seguridad Nacional también hace caso omiso de la categórica diferencia entre el destino de las dos comunidades de refugiados: los judíos emigraron –por decisión propia o no, decisión de Israel- al Estado que a los ojos de ellos consideran su patria.  Los palestinos fueron expulsados o forzados a escapar contra su voluntad hacia campos de refugiados y a la dispersión.  A los unos se les decretó una vida de libertad y respeto en su país.  A los otros se les decretó una vida de ocupación y diáspora.  Los unos no quieren regresar, los otros sí.  Encontrad vosotros la diferencia.

Así como Israel no se avergüenza de devolver propiedades judías de antes de 1948 a sus dueños, desde Jevrón y hasta Sheij Yara, por medio de la expulsión de palestinos de sus casas, nunca pensó en hacer lo mismo en relación a la propiedad palestina.  ¿Con qué derecho?   No se pregunta.  No lo hará nunca.  Si aceptará ahora discutirlo, es porque se trata entonces de una conquista colosal para los palestinos.

¿Se devolverá a los palestinos a sus casas, como a los judíos de Jevrón?  ¿o lamentablemente se los indemnizará por su sufrimiento, como reclaman los judíos?  Si no, se trata de otro engaño que está destinado a eliminar el problema de los refugiados palestinos del orden del día.  O se trata de otro paso nacionalista, de aquellos que no reconocen la igualdad de derechos entre palestinos y judíos.

En la base de este asunto se erige la cuestión de principios, que el Miembro del Parlamento Ajmed Tibi expresó tan bien: “¿Cuántas patrias tenéis?”, le preguntó a Aialón en la televisión, y su pregunta se quedó suspendida: ¿Es Israel la patria?  ¿O acaso Irán?

Hasta el mismo idioma hebreo tiene dificultades para expresar “patrias” en plural.

Israel quiere justicia para sus refugiados.  Vamos a hacer justicia a todos; a todos los refugiados de este terrible conflicto, desde Bagdad hasta Yafo.

Hasta entonces, mejor que nos conformemos con poner fin a la adversidad de aquellos que sufren la política que se inició en el año tashaj (año hebreo 5708, o 1948; año de la creación del Estado de Israel.  N. del T.) y no se interrumpió ni por un momento hasta este mismísimo día.

Traducción del hebreo: Rolando “el negro” Gómez

Coyoacán, 20 de septiembre del 2012

Fuente en hebreo: http://www.haaretz.co.il/opinions/1.1826718

Fuente en inglés (para suscriptores): http://www.haaretz.com/opinion/how-many-homelands-do-the-israelis-get-to-have.premium-1.465702

Soldados israelíes denuncian los abusos contra niños y adolescentes palestinos

Gracias a Inés Westphalen por el envío.
http://internacional.elpais.com/internacional/2012/08/26/actualidad/1345997855_853212.html

Más de cien activistas internacionales de la campaña "Bienvenidos a Palestina" pedirán pasar a los territorios ocupados de Cisjordania desde Jordania

Gracias a Eduardo Mosches por el envío

More than a hundred international activists, invited to Bethlehem, will demand admittance to the West Bank over Jordan bridges tomorrow (Sun. Aug 26)    

 

Press Release from the Welcome to Palestine Campaign

Over one hundred delegates from Europe and North America will show up on Sunday at the King Hussein/Allenby Bridge linking Jordan to the Occupied Palestinian Territories of the West Bank. All of them are participants to this new version of the Welcome to Palestine campaign. They respond to an invitation launched by the Governor of Bethlehem and several civil society organizations of this West Bank city. They carry with them over one ton of stationery to give to Palestinian children who are about to go back to school these days, and with their eyes and cameras, they are ready to document life under occupation and apartheid, during a week-long series of encounters with the population.

 

 

 

We are well aware of what happened to two previous versions of the Welcome to Palestine campaign: they were faced with illegal repression by the Israeli authorities, although their only supposed crime was admitting that they were visiting Palestine. Israel even went to the extreme of providing a fabricated list of 1,200 individuals to European airlines to deny them boarding, not one of those people was a security threat. Israel made Ben Gurion Airport into a virtual military camp with hundreds of extra security personnel to restrict entry to those they falsely claimed were intent on disruption and trouble-making.

 

 

 

This new version has started in Amman, Jordan, where our delegates have arrived at the middle of last week, visiting this country – and the numerous Palestinian refugee camps it hosts - before heading to the bridge over the River Jordan.

 

 

 

Contrarily to the previous versions, the visitors’ trip does not encroach, even as a very provisional step, an inch of Israeli national territory. Yet, it is known for a fact that the Israeli government routinely makes light of respecting the International Laws and regulations warranting the right to travel and visit friends. The French government, while warning the participants of the Welcome to Palestine mission about the risk of being denied entry to the West Bank by the Israeli army, felt the necessity to reaffirm this week its strong commitment to the right to enter the Palestinian territories, and announced a decision to mobilize its diplomatic network in the area in order to be able to provide assistance to its nationals, if needed. Such a message was passed to the Israeli authorities, the French Foreign ministry added.

 

 

 

What will happen on Sunday at the Jordan/West Bank border, illegally manned by Israel ? Are the participants of Welcome to Palestine, aged 9 to 82 year-old, a so-called “security risk”? And a “security risk” for whom? For Israel? They do not go to Israel this time.

 

 

 

Having the might, the Israeli government has the choice between playing by the minimal rules of a civilized world, or again, as it so often does, violating elementary rights of the citizens. We would appreciate the Israeli public opinion know about that.

 

 

 

Welcome to Palestine, Saturday 25th of August 2012

 

Contacts : 00 33 6 73 38 24 84 (in Europe) or 00 33 6 80 88 71 54 (currently in Amman, Jordan)

 

 

 

The Israeli movement Gush Shalom (Peace Bloc) called upon the government to admit the international activists and rectify the mistake made in the previous two times they tried to arrive in the Palestinian territories and were treated as "enemies". "The Palestinians, just like us, have the right to invite guests from abroad to visit them. As long as the state of Israel insists as acting as the gate-keeper and controlling the access to the Palestinian territories, it has the obligation pf observing the common courtesies and letting the Palestinians' invited guests come visiting" was the text of a letter sent to Defense Minister Barak.

 

 

 

Contact:

 

Adam Keller, Gush Shalom Spokesperson +972-3-5565804 or +972-54-2340749

Carta abierta de Gaza a la Unión Europea

Gracias a Gladis Banegas por el envío.
http://www.ticovision.com/cgi-bin/index.cgi?action=viewnews&id=10574

Entrevista a Lea Tsemel, abogada israelí de los palestinos (subtitulada en español)

Pedro Brieger entrevista a Lea Tsemel. Gracias a Gabriela W. por el envío.

http://rocagenocida.blogspot.com.ar/2011/06/lea-tsemel-en-vision-7-internacional.html

Policía agrede a niño en Hebrón -B'tselem

Gracias a Inés Westphalen por el envío

http://internacional.elpais.com/internacional/2012/07/03/actualidad/1341304344_442425.html

Futbolista arrestado

Gracias a Inés Westphalen por el envío.
http://internacional.elpais.com/internacional/2012/06/13/actualidad/1339578820_716438.html

Un breve mensaje para difundir

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=I6sPCSJu31U

Noticias de Ta'ayush

http://972mag.com/watch-settlers-set-fire-to-palestinian-olive-grove-man-shot/46876/