If you have problems following what you're about to read then I suggest you watch 'Occupation 101', which focuses on the root causes of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and details life under Israeli military rule.
Palestine will always pull the short-straw because of the seemingly unequivocal American support for Israel. Even after the events of the 1948 Arab-Israeli War and 1949 Armistice Agreement, Israel continued to illegally capture land and expand into the West Bank. Many thousands of Palestinians lost their homes and lives, fleeing the conflict zone and becoming refugees. During the 1967 Six Day War, Israel further expanded into eastern Jerusalem, the Gaza Strip, the Sinai Peninsula, the West Bank, and the Golan Heights and has since continued it's land theft, expulsion, colonialism, occupation, apartheid domination and oppression of Palestinians, even celebrating these crimes at Yom Yerushalayim.
Terrorism, invasion, demolition, land theft, ethnic cleansing, massacres, illegal occupation, separation, evacuation, ghettoisation, blackouts, mass imprisonment, air strikes on civilians, births and deaths at checkpoints, torture and murder of children, abuse and violation of human rights. These are just a handful of the atrocious acts that Israel has committed against Palestinian refugees who have no right to return to their homes after being evacuated by force, separated by barriers and controlled by threat of violence and death. Additionally, we cannot forget Israel's recent war crimes against Lebanon.
Therefore, it is the responsibility of citizens of all countries with a interest in the region to demand that their governments stop aiding and supporting Israel until it ends its occupation of the Arab territories. With the use of sanctions where necessary, we must defend the Palestinian causes, denounce brutal Israeli crimes and criticise the disastrous Israeli policy of expansion and oppression in Palestine.
We don't have to be diplomats or politicians to appreciate that any agreement must be enforceable with meaningful penalties, and should at least include the return to the pre-1967 borders, with Israel withdrawing from ALL occupied Palestinian territories (including the West Bank and East Jerusalem), allowing Palestine to control its own borders and recognising Palestinian rights, including the rights to life, freedom, movement and the return to homelands.
Although we know that America may not be a successful peacemaker in the Israel/Palestine conflict, we must continue to demand to know when the United States is going to "stand up to Israel", cease providing Israel with financial and military support, and at least be "even-handed in its approach to Israel and Palestine".
Article comments
1 - Spamster
This shameful quote is taken from one of the links of this pathetic article:
"A Muslim is, by definition, a follower of Islam, and is therefore, by definition, “Islamic.” Therefore, if a Muslim who is considered too “Islamic” due to their love for peace, prayer, submission to the Will of Allah, and belief that Islam is the solution to the worlds problems, is then by definition considered “radical”, should we not all strive to be “Radical Muslims”?"
So far, Islam is the cause of all world's problems - not the solution. As long as it is a problem the free people of the world will stand to the radicals
2 - Dr Dreadful
So far, Islam is the cause of all world's problems
So Islam caused Amazon deforestation, Atlantic overfishing, hyperinflation in Zimbabwe and homelessness in Los Angeles?
Dang!
3 - jamal
Spamster, please tell me why "Islam is the cause of all world's problems - not the solution".
4 - JohnZ52
The author cribbed the title for his article from one appearing on CounterPoint. That said, the author's primary point an accusation is definately on the money. AIPAC, Anti-Defamation and a host of other Jewish lobby groups do hold sway over U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East. Don't think that Congress just increased the military aid to Israel because they like Barbra Streisand.
Israel has murdered U.S. servicemen (USS Liberty), spied on the U.S. (Pollard case and the most recent conviction of two former representatives of AIPAC.) Yet the U.S. continues to pour more and more money into Israel at the expense of our own infrastructure. think of how many bridges could be retro-fitted for $30 billion which we just signed an agreeement to give to Israel.
Israel has violated international law and countless U.N. resolutions and the U.S. continues to use its all powerful veto to protect Israel from any sanctions. Israel has refused to sign the IAEA treaty or allow inspectors into their nuclear facilities yet they demand that Iran be bombed for having the audacity to having a nuclear program. Iran has signed the IAEA treaty and allowed numerous inspections of their facilities on the other hand. Israel has also engaged in ethnic cleansing of Palestine for 59 years without so much as a peep from the U.S. Yet Americans are consistently beaten over the head about events of WWII by Jewish groups. Ironically nothing is ever mentioned about the 10 million Chinese civilians that perished at the hands of the Japanese during the same war, or the 12 million Russians who perished at the hands of the Russsian Jewish dictator, Josef Stalin.
The U.S. policies in the Middle East are blatantly 100% in favor of Israel. Until the U.S. takes a more balanced approach toward its foreign policy with the Palestinains there will never be peace in the Midddle East and Americans will continue to pay the price for the blind support of a rogue nation like Israel.
5 - Ruvy in Jerusalem
Most of this article is garbage. People who habitually blog for a fictional entity that exists in the minds of murderous propagandists who think that killing children with pencil bombs and kidnapping them in schools is "liberation" will turn this stuff out on a regular basis. The author is only being true to himself...
But comment #4 shows how many idiots can find this magazine. Let's look at the giveaway line that pushes this comment into the idiot section, and makes it not worth even responding to.
"...or the 12 million Russians who perished at the hands of the Russsian Jewish dictator, Josef Stalin."
Stalin's dictatorship did not kill twelve million Russians - it killed fifty million Russians, making Hitler look like a piker by comparison. And Yosef Dzhugashvili was the son of a Gruzian (Georgian) Orthodox priest. When he died, he was planning to send millions of Russian Jews to Siberia - for the crime of being Jewish.
Try learning a little history, John. You'd be surprised how it is at variance with your version of reality...
6 - Dave Nalle
You have a valid point, Ruvy.
The article is simplistic, but it's important because it clearly expresses a legitimate point of view on Israel which needs to be addressed by those who support the nation.
#4 on the other hand, shows the anti-semitic lunacy which goes hand in hand with the more rational anti-zionism of the article itself.
It's always good to remember that the two are not necessarily the same thing.
Dave
7 - Zedd
jamal
I think that America's policy won’t change unless the American people require for it to change.
Articles such as this are helpful in informing the public.
For sometime (since 1979 with the Iranian hostage crisis) the American public has had a negative idea of Muslims and Arabs. What the Iraqi crisis has done is re-humanize this population and bring some sanity to our irrational and over emotionalized view of this region and its people. Israel's attack on Lebanon also helped to reduce the love affair that we once had with that nation. The news stories have now shifted and tend to portray the political situation in the region with a more even hand.
What is also going to be significant is for the Arab and Muslim community to do is to understand the importance of Public Relations. The grand standing and defiant proclamations, however legitimate, only prolongs the suffering of the Palestinians. It is crucial for those who are concerned about this issue to take a mature approach towards solving it. The image of the socially immature Arab or Muslim knuckle heads screaming in the streets about one issue or another does a great deal of harm to the image of this community. What prevails is an image of out of control people with no ability to reason, who are lead by dogma, who cant think beyond their latest emotion and who are fed by their adolescent fantasies of become bigger than life (hence the extremism). There must be a serious and concerted approach to stamp this portrayal out. While that manner of communicating my have relevance within the Muslim or Arab community, outside of it, it only implies lunacy and dangerous instability.
Also, what are the Palestinians willing to concede? In order to resolve a problem both sides must be prepared to give up what they covet. What would that be for the Palestinians?
8 - OneVoice
Israel has hid behind the USA for many years. Palestinian people deserve to have their heritage and live in peace just as much as the Israel people need their peace. The media paint the poor the mistreated as evil. Wake up you guys it is all about the people with money wanting to keep it and trampling on the rights of the palestinian people who can only attack them with what they have.
9 - Arch Conservative
If it's about money and oppression then how do you explain the adoration the palestinians had for Arafat?
That motherfucker had billions of dollars and lived a life of unimaginable luxury while palestinians lived in absolute poverty. He never used his power or money to bring about better relations with Israel or better the lives of the palestinians in any way and yet they worshipped him.
Fuck the Palestinians.
A couple of leftist anti-semites wanna come on blogcritics and tell me how evil Israel is and how noble but oppressed the Palestinain people are and I'm supposed to have tears rolling down my face by the end of the article?
[Personal attack deleted]
The next time a group of fundamentalist islamic terrorists kill a bunch of civilians in a westernized nation and the so called "peaceful, tolerant" muslims don't say two fucking words to condemn it why don't you take a minute to ask yourself why islam is getting such a bad rap amongst those in the west [Personal attack deleted]...
10 - jamal
Here we go again!
Israel's continuing massive military strikes on Gaza are an outrage that the international community must not allow to continue (Reports, 30 December). Palestinian rocket attacks that traumatise the lives of communities in southern Israel are also utterly unacceptable. Both sides must cease fire. Israel's actions are disproportionate and counterproductive to achieving either security for the people of Israel or peace in the Middle East. Physicians for Human Rights (Israel) have warned that "targeting of civilians and of medical facilities is a breach of international humanitarian law. The targets chosen by the Israeli military include also clearly civilian installations."
The White House has given its tacit backing to Israel's military operation against Hamas and the Gaza Strip, a flare-up that is threatening to seriously complicate any peace efforts envisaged by the incoming administration of President-elect Barack Obama.
In other words, evil Israel can do as it pleases!
11 - Ruvy
Ya Jamal,
You never did answer Zedd's legitimate question: what are the Palestinians willing to concede?
That's because you are unwilling to concede anything. You want all of us Jews dead, no matter how much bullshit you dress up your demands in. Now that our air corps is killing off the sons of bitches who have screamed mawt al-yahud for decades and carried out those words, YOU become a fuckin' humanitarian? You're a day late and a dollar short, Jamal. We don't give a fuck for your humanitarianism anymore - we have no reason to.
Ya Jamal!
AL-ARAB KLABNA!
12 - Al Barger
I too am frustrated with the Israeli government. They bend SOOOOOOOOOOOO far over backwards trying to be self-critical and minimize largely utterly illegitimate criticism that they continue being besieged year after year.
The proper response - and better for whatever Palestinians are left - would be for Israel to utterly destroy their enemies, with much less regard than present for the "civillians" they surround themselves with as human shields.
Specifically as it regards Gaza, the Israelis should pretty well wipe the place clean and kill however many people in it they have to until they say uncle. There, they cannot try to say that Hamas is just the actions of a few radicals in their midst.
No, Hamas is an elected government. They are widely supported. People voted for them. The proper consequence of this is that the people should suffer and suffer horribly until they put a leash on their own dogs.
And if they dysfunctionally insist on continuing or increasing their support for Hamas, then they need to be exterminated like the overgrown cockroaches they have proven themselves to be by their own actions.
Israel CAN put this shit down with a hurry, if they were willing to use all the means at their disposal to do so. The US surely would in a similar situation. Our 9/11 is peanuts compared to the decades of fear and terror and murder the Israelis have had to endure - and endure worse every time they make a liberal gesture, such as de-occupying Gaza.
If they bombed Gaza thoroughly enough, that would absolutely certainly resolve that problem. Rubble doesn't cause trouble.
13 - Jamal
What are the Palestinians willing to concede?
Ruvvy, they've been compelled to concede too much already. Israel is killing innocent people and this must be condemned.
If it was up to me id advise Palestinians to leave Israel with the land they have and cease hostilities, as it pointless to fight a losing battle. Israel is supported by the West and always will be, no matter what atrocities it causes. Therefore Palestinians must either ceasefire for good, or at least until a time when they can successfully beat Israel.
However, even if this was done Israel would continue to expand by illegally taking more Palestinian land. So all in all, its a no win situation and I'd like to see people/citizens in the West condemn Israel. Nonetheless, if a reaction doesn't happen this time, sooner or later Israel will go too far and become a victim of its own aggression.
14 - STM
Perhaps eveyone could go back to the agreed mandated original borders, and then start from there.
The bulk of Arabs and Palestinians say publicly this is what they want. (Privately, many will admit they want to see Israel gone althogether)
I wouldn't hold my breath, though, hoping anything will change even if that did happen. It's no longer about borders.
Israel does have a right to defend itself, but it's shown itself to be remarkably heavy-handed in the past in doing so - so Israel needs to share part of the blame for this problem that seemingly will never go away.
It can't blithely carry on about Palestinian and Arab terrorism when it carries out actions like this, knowing full well it is killing women and children in these strikes and inflaming the situation to the point of complete and utter madness.
15 - Ruvy
Stan,
Perhaps everyone could go back to the agreed mandated original borders, and then start from there.
Now there is a thought!
The original borders of the Palestine Mandate were set according to the Resolutions on Palestine, 24-25 April, 1920, taken at San Remo, Italy. Mind you, Stan, the High Contracting Powers who divided up the Turkish Middle East vested sovereignty over what they called Palestine - the Land of Israel - in the Jewish People, and (by extension, its successor in interest,) therefore, the State of Israel.
Let's take a look at them, shall we?
The term "Israel" appearing in the title of this book is used to denote all areas of the historical Land of Israel, including both Cisjordan and Transjordan that were part of the mandated area of Palestine. It also includes those parts of the
historical Land of Israel that were illegally excluded when the boundaries of Palestine were determined by Great Britain and France in 1920 and 1922: Southern Lebanon up to the bend of the Litani River, the Bashan (including the Golan) north of the Yarmuk River, and at least half of the Sinai Peninsula.
This is from the book, "The Legal Foundation and Borders of Israel under International Law" (Mazo Publishers), by Howard Grief, an Israeli attorney.
Now, based on the principle of of estoppel, a contract law concept applied to international law, Israel can no longer claim the eastern Sinal or the Kingdom of Jordan. They signed peace treaties with Egypt delineating the international border at where it was in 1913, and with Jordan.
However, the rest is OURS; we retain full sovereignty over it, and the Geneva Convention, UN Resolutions 181, 242 or any other acts of the UN do not apply here.
Go read the book, or suffer me quoting chapter and verse from it, Stan. Either way, you will not like what you see there.
By the way, just a reminder for the rest of the crowd who might be reading this: this book is based on international law - which we all know is just the law of the jungle wearing a suit, tie and watch farb.
16 - Ruvy
Ruvy, they've been compelled to concede too much already. Israel is killing innocent people and this must be condemned.
Ya Jamal!
Like I said elsewhere, you weren't able to find it in your humanitarian heart to protest when a rabbi and his wife were tortured, murdered and sexually mutilated by Moslem terrorists who targeted them IN MUMBAI!! There was not one peep out of you. So, sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander. If you feel comfortable massacring us - in fights that we have nothing to do with - than my sympathy for non-combatants in Gaza stuck amongst the terrorists they supported and voted for is strictly limited. At least my Moslem colleague in Mumbai did say something, and to him, I have to speak differently than to you. He has earned my respect. You haven't.
17 - Jamal
They were murderous scum just like these IDF Israelis are and all who support them. The main fact you constantly appear to approve of murder of innocents when an Israeli pulls the trigger means you will never earn my respect, nor any of those like you.
"..George Bush, the current US leader, has also remained silent on Israel's attacks although the White House has offered its support to Israel."
Israeli IDF claims to bomb "terror mosque". And Israeli terrorist occupiers also claim to bomb "terror hospitals", "terror ambulances", "terror universities", "terror nurseries", "terror houses", "terror schools", "terror shops", and "terror boats". The reality is that these people you support are killing INNOCENT people.
18 - Ruvy
Let's move from the phony humanitarianism of an Arab who is pissed off that other Arabs are being pummeled and killed in war to the comedy and irony that this story is bringing out.
First, some background.
Four and half to five years ago, this nation was being convulsed by a debate over whether to expel Jewish residents from Gush Qatif, who are now internal refugees living in gussied up cardboard boxes. One of the activists in the national camp (the side I'm on), Nadia Matar of the Women In Green, wrote a letter to the in-charge of the evacuation, Jonathan Bassi, who has since resigned that position.
Bear in mind that to people like Jamal, these Jews who employed Arabs and supplied Europe and the Middle East with insect-free delicious vegetables were "evil settlers" in the eyes of people like Jamal, who froth at the mouth now that Arabs are being killed (finally) for engaging in terror.
In her letter Nadia Matar wrote, "The truth is that you are a modern version of the Judenrat - actually, a much worse version, because then, during the Holocaust, this was forced upon those Jewish leaders by the Nazis, and it is extremely difficult for us, today, to judge them. Today, no one stands with a gun to your head and forces you to collaborate in the crime, without any conscience pangs."
She continued, "the bloody price that we will have to pay for our retreat. If the criminal Oslo accords cost us more than 1,000 victims, Sharon's deportation plan will give such a push to the Nazi Arab terror (for the Arabs will see that Israel's folding is proof that terror pays) that I fear to think how many Jews will pay with their lives for Sharon's 'disengagement'."
Nadia Matar was attacked viciously for her letter. She defended it and warned in a press conference that that it was justified by the situation, because the Disengagement will lead to "Katyushas and rockets fired from Gaza."
That is the background of this story from Arutz Sheva.
She was charged under a left-over British Mandatory statute with "insulting a public official".
Originally, the charges were dismissed by Jerusalem Magistrates Court Judge David Mintz in September 2006, when it came to trial. Judge Mintz ruled that the law had been applied selectively after hearing examples of incendiary statements by left-wing activists and politicians who were not prosecuted. However, the State appealed the decision and succeeded in having the case returned to the lower court, with the stipulation that the prosecution be allowed to counter the assertion that speech laws have been applied selectively.
The new trial was to begin in Judge Mintz's court-room today. But now, according to Arutz Sheva, it will have to be postponed until 19 February.
Why?
Let's allow Nadia Matar's attorney to explain:
"Let it be written in the protocol that Attorney [Erez] Padan has been called up for the reserves as a direct result of the fact that his place of work, the Supreme Court, described the expulsion from Gush Katif, against which my client was protesting and for which she now stands trial, as something positive that will improve the security situation of Israel when today we know that it is that expulsion that brought upon us Katyushas in Be'er Sheva, Ashdod and Yavne. That is why Attorney Padan has been called up for reserves and my client is sitting on the bench of the accused."
It is not for nothing that I have repeatedly called these people in the Israeli government scum whose necks should be stretched for treason. Not only do they discriminate against Arabs, allowing employers to pay Arabs sub-standard wages; they also persecute believing Jews like Nadia Matar, and selectively enforce the law. Nevertheless, the bitter irony and comic element in all this cannot go without notice.