Free Gaza // Current

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3 days ago

U.N. Warns Gaza at Risk From Winter Elements

A senior U.N. official said this past week that thousands of Palestinians in Gaza made homeless by Israel’s invasion nine... more

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Turkey to Israel: We Will Not Condone Genocide’

Turkey and Israel’s once-close relations have been hurt by the Gaza war. Turkey canceled military exercises this week, while... more

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Israel defies US demands to stop building in Jerusalem

By Ben Hubbard in Jerusalem

Thursday November 19 2009

Israel pressed ahead with work on a new housing complex for Jews in east Jerusalem yesterday, brushing off President Barack Obama's criticism that construction in the disputed part of the holy city undermines efforts to relaunch Middle East peace talks.

Israel defied American, European and Palestinian demands to stop settlement activity by announcing it will press forward with construction of 900 apartments in another Jewish area in east Jerusalem.

Speaking in Beijing yesterday, Mr Obama criticised the plan to build hundreds of homes in Jerusalem's Gilo neighbourhood, saying such moves make it harder to achieve peace in the region and embitter the Palestinians in a way he said could be dangerous.

The Palestinians claim the West Bank and east Jerusalem -- areas captured by Israel in the 1967 Middle East war -- for their hoped-for state and have refused negotiations until Israel stops settlement construction in these areas. The Palestinians say the continued growth of settlements on land they claim will make it impossible for them to establish a viable country.

The Israeli government declined to respond to Mr Obama's comments. But earlier in the day, Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said Israel had no intention of stopping the Gilo construction.

The future of east Jerusalem is the most intractable issue in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The area includes Jerusalem's walled Old City -- home to Jewish, Christian and Muslim holy sites. Israel annexed east Jerusalem immediately after the 1967 war and claims the city as its eternal capital. The annexation was never recognised by other countries.

Tensions

Speaking in parliament yesterday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not address the tensions with the US. Instead, Mr Netanyahu reiterated his call for an immediate resumption of peace talks and criticised the Palestinians for refusing to return to the table.

As he spoke, however, Israel faced a growing torrent of international criticism. The EU expressed "dismay" over the Gilo project. It said that settlement activity, demolition of Palestinian homes in east Jerusalem and evictions of Palestinian families from contested properties, undermined negotiations and "threatened the viability of a two-state solution".

In the West Bank, Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat welcomed the international criticism. He said the Gilo project "provides 900 more reasons why hopes for salvaging the two-state solution and restarting genuine negotiations are rapidly fading, and why Israel is not a partner for peace".By Ben Hubbard in Jerusalem Thursday November 19 2009 Israel pressed ahead with work on a new housing complex for Jews in... more

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9 days ago

Jewish Settlers cut olive trees south of Nablus

group of 25 settlers from Yitzhar settlement, south of Nablus, cut down 97 olive trees in the village of Burin this morning. The attack comes on the heels of a similar attack made 5 weeks ago, and a continued campaign of intimidation and harrassment of Burin’s residents from nearby settlements Yitzhar and Bracha.

Approximately 25 settlers began hacking the trees to pieces at 3am this morning. Although cutting manually, the noise awoke a Palestinian resident, whose house is located close to the scene on the Yitzhar ’side’ of Burin. After alerting the village, the Palestinians arrived in the olive grove as it became light to survey the damage, amongst them the owner of the land, Burin farmer Akram Brahim Embran. They counted 97 trees destroyed.

It is not the first time this year that Burin’s olive trees have been caught in the middle of territorial violence, for which Yitzhar settlers are notorious. On 4 October, a neighbouring grove was wiped out when 25 settlers took to the trees with axes in the early hours of the morning, just one day before the village’s olive harvest was due to commence. Previous years have seen fields burnt and crops stolen, in addition to continual settler harrassment and intimidation. The havoc it wreaks on Burin’s economy is obvious, agriculture its main source of income – and identity.

The village of Burin and its surrounding neighbours have been subject to numerous violent attacks from the two illegal settlements of Bracha and Yitzhar that sandwich the local Palestinian villages. Burin village as also lost thousands of dunams of land from annexation by settler construction or proximity, in addition to the repeated attacks on its remaining farmland. In 2006 settlers from the settlement of Bracha fired homemade rockets on the village, burning a house down.

Settlements are illegal under international law and both settlements have numerous outposts that continue to annex further Palestinian land in violation of both Israeli and international law.group of 25 settlers from Yitzhar settlement, south of Nablus, cut down 97 olive trees in the village of Burin this morning. The... more

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1 month ago

Israeli soldiers buried Palestinians alive during the war on Gaza

GAZA, (PIC)-- Palestinian human rights activist Nashaat Al-Wahidi, revealed Monday that the Israeli occupation forces (IOF)... more

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1 month ago

Michigan Public Radio Censoring Announcement on Palestine event

Michigan Radio (WUOM 91.7), an affiliate of National Public Radio (NPR), is censoring a program announcement.

The local chapter of the nonprofit organization If Americans Knew, whose mission is to inform Americans on topics of importance that are under reported or misreported in the American media, is attempting to place the following paid announcement on the radio station:

“’If Americans knew dot org,’ a non-profit organization focused on media coverage of the Palestine-Israel conflict: Executive Director Alison Weir will visit southeast Michigan the week of Oct 12th. Details on the web at "If Americans Knew dot org".”

Michigan Radio has refused to air the announcement, violating its ethical obligation as a publicly funded station not to censor information. While the station eventually agreed to run amended spots (cost: $1,000), it still refuses to include the organization’s name, If Americans Knew.

Weir, who has traveled throughout Gaza and the West Bank as a freelance journalist and speaks widely throughout the United States, said that she will fight Michigan Radio’s censorship, saying: “It is exactly this type of activity – to prevent people from learning the facts on Israel-Palestine -- that is causing the perpetuation of this tragic conflict and that is behind the $7 million per day of American tax money that goes to Israel, a misuse of our money at any time, but especially when American schools, seniors, children, veterans, and businesses are desperate for help.”

Weir said that her organization will fight Michigan Radio’s censorship: “Americans should not allow censorship of our public airwaves. A free and vigorous press is essential to our democratic republic. To maintain a strong, healthy, free and prosperous nation it is critical that we hold onto our most basic Constitutional rights and principles. We will fight Michigan Radio’s highly unethical and extremely destructive attempt to prevent its listeners from learning about an organization and allowing listeners to decide for themselves what they think of the facts it presents.

Weir, whose organization is based in Oregon, is a 1969 Journalism graduate of the University of Michigan and was a Senior Editor at the Michigan Daily. She said it is especially troubling to find this censorship at a station based at the University of Michigan, since in her studies at Michigan her professors had emphasized the importance of a free press and ethical journalism.Michigan Radio (WUOM 91.7), an affiliate of National Public Radio (NPR), is censoring a program announcement. The local... more

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1 month ago

U.N. body backs Gaza war report

Reporting from Jerusalem and The United Nations - In a vote likely to complicate U.S. efforts to revive Middle East peace talks,... more

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1 month ago

Boycott Settlement Goods Protest

On 11th October 2009, activists protested inside Sainsbury’s on Cromwell Street, West London to highlight the sale of... more

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1 month ago

Netanyahu: No war crimes trials for Israelis

JERUSALEM – Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday vowed never to allow Israeli leaders or soldiers to stand trial on war crimes charges over their actions during last winter's military offensive in the Gaza Strip, furiously denouncing a U.N. report in a keynote address to parliament.

Netanyahu's fiery rhetoric — and his decision to open the high-profile speech with remarks on the report — reflected the deep distress felt among Israeli leaders after a U.N. commission accused Israel of intentionally harming civilians when it launched a massive attack in Gaza to stop years of rocket fire.

"This distorted report, written by this distorted committee, undermines Israel's right to defend itself. This report encourages terrorism and threatens peace," Netanyahu said in his address at the opening of parliament's winter session. "Israel will not take risks for peace if it can't defend itself."

The U.N. report, compiled by a team led by former war crimes prosecutor Richard Goldstone, accused both Israel and Hamas of war crimes and possible crimes against humanity. It specifically accused Israel of using disproportionate force, deliberately targeting civilians and destroying civilian infrastructure, and using people as human shields. It accused Hamas of deliberately targeting civilians and trying to spread terror through its rocket attacks.

Israeli officials across the board have condemned the report, saying their country had little choice but to take harsh action against militants who were terrorizing southern Israel. They also blame Hamas for civilian casualties, saying the Islamic militant group took cover in residential areas during the fighting. However, Goldstone's strong credentials as a respected South African jurist, his Jewish faith and past support for Israeli causes have made it hard for Israel to dismiss the claims.

Netanyahu angrily noted the report's portrayal of Israeli leaders as war criminals. "The truth is exactly the opposite. Israel's leaders and its army are those who defended the citizens of Israel from war criminals," he said, before vowing to defend the country's wartime leaders.

"We will not allow Ehud Olmert, Tzipi Livni and Ehud Barak, who sent our sons to war, to arrive at the international court in the Hague," he said.

While Netanyahu has repeatedly lashed out at the U.N. report, Monday's comments appeared to be a direct response to a new Palestinian push for a vote on the report in the U.N.'s Human Rights Council. If the vote takes place, the matter could be referred to higher U.N. bodies that could theoretically push for war-crimes prosecution.JERUSALEM – Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday vowed never to allow Israeli leaders or soldiers to stand trial on... more

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1 month ago

Israelis Facing Hundreds of War Crimes Cases?

Israeli officials respond to unconfirmed reports that almost 1,000 war crimes suits have been filed against ministers and military officers.

Israeli officials were taken aback by reports that there are almost 1,000 war crimes lawsuits against Israeli military officers and ministers outstanding around the world.

Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman was reported as estimating that there were 964 international lawsuits outstanding against Israeli citizens around the world.

Israeli officials were mum when asked about Lieberman's reference to almost 1,000 outstanding cases.

"I'm not sure we even have a number and I don't know where they get this from," Yigal Palmor, a spokesperson for Israel's Foreign Ministry told The Media Line. "Minister Lieberman generally gives radio interviews. Perhaps the interviewer mentioned a number and then it was attributed to the minister, but we don't have a number like this."

Lieberman's office could not confirm that the minister had made reference to an exact number, but acknowledged that he may have made an estimate while speaking with the press.

Both Israel's Justice and Foreign Ministries refused to comment or provide the number of such cases Israelis are known to be facing.

"There are a few subjects that we don't speak about," said a Justice Ministry official on the condition of anonymity. "This is one of them."

"There are many different departments dealing with this: the Justice Ministry, the Foreign Ministry, the Prime Ministers Office and the Israeli Defense Forces," the official added. "But the chance that you'll get any of them to talk about it is very slim."

Israel has been struggling for weeks to come to grips with the potential legal consequences of a UN report calling for the Jewish state to be dragged before the International Criminal Court and for the country's military leaders to face international prosecution for war crimes.

The 575 page report on Richard Goldstone's investigation into the Gaza war, released by the UN Human Rights Council last month, called on Israel to launch "genuine, impartial and independent" investigations into possible war crimes. Should Israel fail to do so, Goldstone recommended that Israel face the International Criminal Court and that individual countries use "universal jurisdiction" to prosecute perpetrators of war crimes.

Israelis traveling without diplomatic protection face the threat of arrest in a number of countries that allow universal jurisdiction, in which a case can be filed against the citizen of a foreign country for war crimes, crimes against humanity, or genocide.

Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak avoided arrest on a visit to the UK late last month after a court ruled he had diplomatic immunity. A week later Israeli Deputy Prime Minister Moshe Ya'alon then cancelled a trip to the UK.Israeli officials respond to unconfirmed reports that almost 1,000 war crimes suits have been filed against ministers and military... more

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1 month ago

Robert Fisk: Obama, man of peace? No, just a Nobel prize of a mistake

The US president received an award in the faint hope that he will succeed in the future. That's how desperate the Middle East... more

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1 month ago

US Rabbis Protest Israel’s Policy Over Gaza

London, October 5, 2009, (Pal Telegraph) - A group of 13 American Rabbis and some of their congregants in Los Angeles, Chicago,... more

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1 month ago

When Leaders Fail; We the People Must Lead

USA, October 5, 2009, (Pal Telegraph) - On October 2, 2009, The Washington Times reported that "Obama agrees to keep... more

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1 month ago

Israeli official cancels UK visit on fears of arrest

Gaza, October 5, 2009, (Pal Telegraph) - Israeli vice Prime Minister Moshe Ya'alon has canceled a planned trip to Britain... more

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1 month ago

Committee formed to investigate the postpone of Goldstone report

Gaza, October 5, 2009, (Pal Telegraph) - Early Monday a committee was formed to investigate the circumstances of the Palestinian Authority agreeing to back-off from the Goldstone Report. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton asked the Palestinian leadership to support postponing a vote to accept the findings that proved the Israelis committed war crimes in Gaza. The public has taken to the streets for demonstrations, the most major being in central Ramallah's Manara Circle this afternoon.

The committee formed is considered to be of political importance because it is the first time that Mahmoud Abbas and his capacity as Chairman of the Palestinian Authority and Palestine Liberation Organization, and as President of Palestine, is being seriously investigated.

On the home front several accusations are flying and none of them are good. The investigating committee is composed of three figures, led by member of the PLO Executive Committee Hanna Amira. The Secretary of the Central Election Commission and the Commissioner-General of Public Accountability are also involved.

Palestinian official Yasser Abed Rabbo announced today that the Committee's task is "a thorough investigation into the circumstances of postponing the decision of the United Nations Council for Human Rights on the Goldstone report of on war crimes and possible crimes against humanity committed during the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip, as well as to determine the responsibilities in this regard."

Abed Rabbo said that the committee was formed after discussions with President Abbas and members of the Executive Committee, along with Prime Minister Salam Fayyad. He noted that the Commission would submit its report during the meeting of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization within two weeks.

The Arab League has also registered a complaint, saying that it had not been consulted nor informed. Its sources found that the US has pressured Arab countries as well as the Palestinian leadership to withdraw the report, and not merely postpone the debate.

Given the fact that the Palestine Liberation Organization only has observer status at the United Nations and is not a permanent member, the acceptance of any request by the UN of the Palestinian mission is called into question.

Meanwhile leftists in the West Bank are asking whether the "clean members of Fateh" will rectify the situation, or whether the Palestinian "leadership" will become on entirely disconnected from the people and run instead from Washington.Gaza, October 5, 2009, (Pal Telegraph) - Early Monday a committee was formed to investigate the circumstances of the Palestinian... more

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2 months ago

War

Arab Phoenix your name is Gaza. A documentary by Fulvio Grimaldi. (7 July 2009)

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2 months ago

Israel has nuked itself?

UK, September 17, 2009 (Pal Telegraph)- Could anyone imagine as a result of your own actions you are killing your own troops and your own population? This is now the case in Israel.

Many weapons used by the IDF in Gaza contained uranium components and upon impact set off huge volumes of aerosol particles that then drifted back over the border into Israel with devastating results.

It has been some time since the Israelis bombed Lebanon and the Gaza Strip and in both cases the weapons used left behind a trial of misery for all those that lived downwind. We can now start to see the results of those actions and I must say the term "What goes around comes around" rings true in the ears of the residents of Israel. Some interesting health statements have been released that prove when you play with dirty weapons it can all come back to you. It would now appear that we have a situation whereby Israelis are killing Israelis.

In May this year we saw the following headline appear in the Haaretz:
"Quality of Israeli sperm down 40% in past decade" The quality of Israeli sperm has declined alarmingly in the last decade, according to recent research conducted at Jerusalem's Hadassah University Hospital, Mount Scopus. The cause for the decline is not known, but it's believed by some researchers to be connected to the exposure of children and pregnant women to hormones and other contaminants in food and water.

This month started to see some more statistics appear out of Israel which again indicates that contamination by DU may well be the cause. The next headline was even more alarming: "More women diagnosed with cancer in Israel than in Europe" Israel's health ranking is dropping compared to those of developed European nations, the Israel Medical Association said yesterday. Israel lags behind the European average in disease prevention.

The report gave a clear message that something in the environment may be causing these dramatic increases. The comparison gave the number of new female cancer patients as follows: 290 per 100,000 compared to an average of 179 in Europe. The report went of the say that for men the average was much the same but again was showing a steady rise since 2005.

When you think you have heard the last of the bad news you are then confronted with another shocking headline from the IMA: Hodgkin's lymphoma is a distinct primary solid tumour of the immune system that shows wide variation in incidence among different geographic regions and among various races. It was previously suggested that susceptible people living in certain parts of Israel had a higher risk of HL because of exposure to unidentified environmental factors in these regions. Compared with other parts of Israel, these regions were characterized by a higher proportion of Israeli-born Jews.

A total of 4812 Jewish cases of HL were reported to the Israel Cancer Registry during the study period 1960-2005. There has been a persistent increase in the age-standardized incidence rate of HL, all subtypes pooled, in Israeli-born Jews in both men and women. The age distribution pattern in both genders was bimodal in all periods. The highest incidence was observed in the 20-24 year age group: for women (9.13 per 100,000 per year) during the period 1988-1996, and for men (6.60 per 100,000 per year) during the period 1997-2005.UK, September 17, 2009 (Pal Telegraph)- Could anyone imagine as a result of your own actions you are killing your own troops and... more