From ISM
November 23rd, 2008
Abu Kamel of the Al-Kurd family, evicted by Israel from their home in Occupied East Jerusalem on the 9th November, has died after suffering from a severe heart-attack.
This comes two weeks after he was taken immediately to hospital following the night-time invasion and forcible eviction from his home of 52 years by Israeli forces.
The funeral will be held at 11am, 23rd November in Sheikh Jarrah, Occupied East Jerusalem.
Of course, I support any move towards peace but when I see the above site referring you to Progressive Zionists, I cringe : contradiction in terms. Zionism is racist is retrograde, is doomed anyway.
November 18, 2008
CONTACT:
Greta Berlin, France +33 49 34 24 309
Angela Godfrey-Goldstein, Jerusalem +972 547 366 393
Osama Qashoo, U.K. +44 78 33 38 16 60
Paul Larudee, U.S. +1 510 236 5338
The Free Gaza Movement today issued this open letter to all organizations delivering humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip
Israel’s closure of its land borders with Gaza, and Egypt’s submission to Israeli pressure to close the Rafah border is a humanitarian disaster for 1.5 million Palestinians. The United Nations announced last Thursday that inside Gaza it had run out of the food essentials to supply 750,000 desperately needy citizens. “This has become a blockade against the United Nations itself,” a spokesman said.
Therefore, the sea route to Gaza must be considered as a viable option to deliver essential supplies. Since August 2008, the Free Gaza Movement has delivered aid and personnel to Gaza three times without Israeli or Egyptian intervention. Our boat, the DIGNITY, sailed directly from international waters to the waters of Gaza.
The Free Gaza Movement now has an inspection procedure in place in Cyprus to ensure the boat and contents comply with international regulations. In addition, we publish information about our passengers and cargo that ensures nothing and no one harmful is on board. Israel has shown itself willing to accept such assurances from us.
The Free Gaza Movement therefore encourages all agencies to consider the sea route to deliver aid to Gaza. Furthermore, a concerted effort to use the sea will make it all but impossible for Israel to close this vital route.
We are available to assist interested parties and to offer our services. Please contact one or more of the people listed on this release.##########
The Free Gaza Movement, a human rights group, sent two boats to Gaza in August 2008. These were the first international boats to land in the port in 41 years. Since August, two more voyages were successful, taking Parliamentarians, human rights workers, and other dignitaries to witness the effects of Israel’s draconian policies are on the civilians of Gaza.
Media Team
www.freegaza.org
www.flickr.com/photos/29205195@N02/
Mordecai Briemberg on battle with Canadian media major over satire of Middle East coverage
In early November, Canadian media giant Canwest Mediaworks dropped its lawsuit against Mordecai Briemberg, a lawsuit which alleged that he infringed on Canwest’s trademark rights.
The case pertained to the creation of a parody of one of Canwest’s many papers, The Vancouver Sun. The parody satirized what its creators see as Canwest’s biased coverage of the Israel-Palestine conflict; and while there was no evidence that Mordecai had any role in the creation of the paper, Mordecai posits that it was the building of public pressure that caused Canwest to drop the suit, as they had known about the absence of evidence for months.
While Mordecai suit was dropped, Canwest has refused to drop its suit against the two others who have taken responsibility for the creation of the parody. Mordecai contends that parody is a cherished tradition of dissent in the society and that Canwest’s lawsuits amount to an attack on freedom of speech.
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Actions needed: As time runs out Gazans slowly dying
Source: www.freegaza.ps/english
Power, food, medicine, treatment and all aspects of live vanished from the Gaza strip. The 7 crossings are totally closed with no glimpse of hope to reopen them again. Israel went on more deep flagrant violations of all human laws as it blocked the UNRWA aids into Gaza.
750.000 UNRWA’s beneficiaries are exposed to hunger and lack of food.
On Saturday, the United Nations offices closed its food aid distribution centers and 20,000 Gazans walked away empty-handed from the UN food distribution centers.
More than 1 million live in deep darkness since 2 days as 80% of Gaza strip out of power.
John Ging, UNRWA operation director along with MP. Gamal El Khoudary, head of Popular Committee against Siege PCAS appealed to MR. Banki Mon UN Secretary general and Beneta verira EU Commissioner as well as all International officials to pressure on Israel to end siege and deadly collective punishment policy.
The situation in the Gaza Strip is shifting from “collective punishment to genocide,” said Jamal Al-Khudari, member of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) and head of the popular committee against the siege in Gaza.
Please act now, please do something!
Will you let us die?
Please contact your representatives and ask them to use all their political might to break the Israeli blockade of Gaza!
Please demonstrate in front of the Israeli and Egyptian embassies in your country and ask them to open the borders!
Please STOP THE GENOCIDE before it will be too late !
Please let us know which kind of action you intend to do. May be we will not be able to read our emails due to the lack of power but try it :
In Gaza: freegaza.ps@gmail.com
If not Gaza’s facts will go deeper than the info below!
In Gaza, Palestinian people are subjected to medieval siege and forgotten by the international community. The borders are totally closed.
-Around 80% of Gaza populations live under poverty line.
– 1.100.000 peoples depend on humanitarian aids provided by UNRWA, Arab, Islamic and foreign organizations.
-Unemployment ratio reached 65%
– 60% of Gaza’s children suffer from Malnutrition.
-About 97% of factories and workshops stopped working, specifically 3900 factories. The industrial zone of Gaza is completely closed.
– Individual income 650$ per year and 2 $ a day..
-Freedom of movement from Gaza to the West bank, Jerusalem and outside world is being blocked.
– Around 260 people died due to blocking them from either travel for treatment or lack of medicines.
– Nearing to 40% of siege victims are from children.
– About 150 of medicines sorts are not available in Gaza.
– The only medical factory is halted due to shortage of raw materials.
– Projects of constructing and developing hospitals, clinics and educational bodies are being suspended!
– There are still daily power cuts
We ask you to support the resistance of the people by mobilizing against Gaza Siege and Israeli occupation which kill gradually people. We call on whoever still believes in justice, humanity, liberation, and resistance against tyranny to stand with us and:
Ask an immediate end of the Gaza Siege
Expose Israeli occupation, apartheid, and colonialism
Reach out to your media!
Reach out to your political representatives!
Stop support Israeli apartheid!
—
Popular Committee Against Siege(PCAS),
PCAS Manager,
Sam AKi
Gaza – Palestine
Website: www.freegaza.ps/english
Videos: http://freegaza.blogspot.com/
اللجنة الشعبية لمواجهة الحصار
Individual consumers can show their opposition to Israel’s project by participating in a consumer boycott of Israeli goods and services. A consumer boycott works in two ways: firstly by generating bad publicity for the offender and secondly by applying economic pressure for change.
The Israeli barcode starts with 729
Raise awareness among consumers about the consequences of buying Israeli goods and services. Pressurise supermarkets and shops into removing goods with barcode 729 – denoting Israeli origin – from their shelves. Encourage companies who make use of Israeli technology and components to find alternatives and join the boycott. Focus the attention of the world on Israeli occupation and apartheid and expose those who bankroll the Israeli regime; and to foster an environment in which it is unacceptable to promote Israeli policies.
Individual consumers can show their opposition to Israel’s project by participating in a consumer boycott of Israeli goods and services. A boycott can also put pressure on companies whose exports are linked to some of the most evident aspects of the Israeli occupation and apartheid.
Agrexco export fruit and vegetables for sale all over Europe and the US under the trade name Carmel. Much of its produce is grown on confiscated Palestinian land in the Jordan Valley, and the Israeli government owns 51% of the company. Jaffa Oranges were famous for centuries before Israelis successfully colonised the Palestinian name along with the city of Yafa.
Israeli forces and settlers watch as an occupation bulldozer destroys a Palestinian water tank
For lists of boycotted foods, machineries etc; look here
ADC on Anti-Arab remarks of Emmanuel’s father
Tuesday, November 11th, 2008
From Josh Landis : I just received the following email from the ADC:
The American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee urges you to take immediate action by using the contact info below to express your disappointment to President-Elect Obama and Congressman Rahm Emmanuel for the detestable anti-Arab remarks Emmanuel’s father made this past week.
ADC wrote a letter to Congressman Emmauel and President-Elect Barack Obama asking the congressman to publicly repudiate the derogatory comments his father made. Benjamin Emmanuel was quoted by numerous Israeli and American publications as saying “Obviously he will influence the president to be pro-Israel. Why wouldn’t he be? What is he, an Arab? He’s not going to clean the floors of the White House.”
There should be no place for such demeaning rhetoric and these comments are contrary to the very type change the President-Elect promised he would bring to America.
Contact President-Elect Obama by fax at 202.228.5417 or through this online contact form .
Contact Congressman Emmanuel by fax at 202.225.5603 or via E-mail at emma.jurado@mail.house.gov
Here is some language I wrote up the a few days ago that may be useful in formulating a response:
The anti-Arab remark made by Rahm Emanuel’s father is not consistent with the spirit of change and ethnic equality that President Elect Obama promises to bring to the White House. Arab Americans have put great hope in his election. They believe that they have a part to play in building a new and more equal America.
A public statement by Rahm Emanuel explaining that he does not approve of his father’s remark would go a long way in reassuring us that the president elect and new administration value Arab Americans. We all hope to move beyond the divisiveness of the past to create a future of mutual respect. By distancing himself from his father’s remark, Rahm Emanuel will demonstrate that he does not share his father’s opinion of Arabs and will help the new administration act as an honest broker in the Middle East and at home.
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