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Mr Erekat said Israel's decision further undermined its credibility as a partner for peace.
"Israel's decision to approve the construction nullifies any effect that a settlement freeze, when and if announced, will have," Mr Erekat said.
"Given the choice between making peace and making settlements, they have chosen to make settlements," he added.
WEST BANK SETTLEMENTS
Construction of settlements began in 1967, shortly after the Middle East War
Some 280,000 Israelis now live in the 121 officially-recognised settlements in the West Bank
A further 190,000 Israelis live in settlements in occupied East Jerusalem
The largest West Bank settlement is Modiin Illit, where 38,000 people live
There are a further 102 unauthorised outposts in the West Bank which are not officially recognised by Israel
The population of West Bank settlements has been growing at a rate of 5-6% since 2001
From PressTV: Netanyahu is turning a blind eye to the repeated calls by the global community including its main ally, the US, to halt its settlement expansion in the West Bank.
The EU foreign ministers in a meeting in Stockholm on Saturday also called on Israel to freeze its settlement expansion in the region.
But, EU foreign policy Chief Javier Solana had expressed hope during the meeting that the European states could persuade Israel to change its position.
"The negotiations with Israel have not finished and we have some weeks to go. I hope very much that we'll be able to get a change of that position" on Israeli settlements during the UN general assembly in New York next month, Solana said. http://www.presstv.com/detail.aspx?id=105432§ionid=351020202
Video is at the link if this one is not working. (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8242981.stm)
People that want peace dont do this sort of thing. If peace was a true goal, there would have been no going off the original plan. Israel deceives again.Mr Erekat said Israel's decision further undermined its credibility as a partner... more
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I guess if she was holding a white flag, they would have shot her from long range. This is totally f*ckin unacceptable..AGAIN! How dare Israel kill children? How dare they kill innocent people?
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On Friday afternoon, 4 September 2009, the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) killed a 14-year-old child, Ghazi al-Za’anin, in Beit Hanoun town in the northern Gaza Strip. IOF troops shot the child from close range, while he was walking with his family. This child was the second to be killed by IOF in less than a week.
Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) investigations, and eye-witness testimony, indicates that, at approximately 13:40 on Friday, 4 September 2009, Maher Ghazi al-Za’anin drove his four children, including Ghazi, 14, to their farm, 500 meters away from the border with Israel, in the northeast of Beit Hanoun town. Before arriving at the farm, al-Za’anin and his children stepped down from the car and approached their land on foot. On their way to the farm, they were surprised by an Israeli military jeep that stopped opposite to them. Al-Za’anin and his children were frightened, and ran away. IOF soldiers who were inside the jeep immediately opened fire. Ghazi was wounded by a bullet to the head and fell to the ground. The father carried the child to their car, whereupon IOF soldiers fired at the car, hitting it with two bullets. The father drove to Beit Hanoun Hospital and the child was transferred to al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City as he was in a critical condition. Ghazi was admitted to the intensive care unit, where he was pronounced dead on the following morning, Saturday, 5 September 2009.
-------------more of this horrifying story at the link as well as at other news sourcesI guess if she was holding a white flag, they would have shot her from long range.... more
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Sweden's foreign minister abruptly called off a visit to Israel this week, an Israeli spokesman said Sunday, amid a feud over a Swedish newspaper article and a growing gulf between Israel and the international community over West Bank settlement construction.
Foreign Minister Carl Bildt has called off a trip to Israel planned for this Friday, according to Yigal Palmor, spokesman for Israel's Foreign Ministry. Palmor, who would not comment on a possible reason for the move, said Sweden informed Israel's embassy in Stockholm of the decision on Friday.
----------more at link
The growing unpopularity of Israel. I wonder why? hmmm, couldn't be one of these, could it?
1. Resolution 42: The Palestine Question (5 March 1948) Requests recommendations for the Palestine Commission
2. Resolution 43: The Palestine Question (1 Apr 1948) Recognizes "increasing violence and disorder in Palestine" and requests that representatives of "the Jewish Agency for Palestine and the Arab Higher Committee" arrange, with the Security Council, "a truce between the Arab and Jewish Communities of Palestine...Calls upon Arab and Jewish armed groups in Palestine to cease acts of violence immediately."
3. Resolution 44: The Palestine Question (1 Apr 1948) Requests convocation of special session of the General Assembly
4. Resolution 46: The Palestine Question (17 Apr 1948) As the United Kingdom is the Mandatory Power, "it is responsible for the maintenance of peace and order in Palestine." The Resolutions also "Calls upon all persons and organizations in Palestine" to stop importing "armed bands and fighting personnel...whatever their origin;...weapons and war materials;...Refrain, pending the future government of Palestine...from any political activity which might prejudice the rights, claims, or position of either community;...refrain from any action which will endager the safety of the Holy Places in Palestine."
5. Resolution 48: The Palestine Question (23 Apr 1948)
6. Resolution 49: The Palestine Question (22 May 1948)
7. Resolution 50: The Palestine Question (29 May 1948)
8. Resolution 53: The Palestine Question (7 Jul 1948)
9. Resolution 54: The Palestine Question (15 Jul 1948)
10. Resolution 56: The Palestine Question (19 Aug 1948)
11. Resolution 57: The Palestine Question (18 Sep 1948)
12. Resolution 59: The Palestine Question (19 Oct 1948)
13. Resolution 60: The Palestine Question (29 Oct 1948)
14. Resolution 61: The Palestine Question (4 Nov 1948)
15. Resolution 62: The Palestine Question (16 Nov 1948)
16. Resolution 66: The Palestine Question (29 Dec 1948)
17. Resolution 72: The Palestine Question (11 Aug 1949)
18. Resolution 73: The Palestine Question (11 Aug 1949)
19. Resolution 89 (17 November 1950): regarding Armistice in 1948 Arab-Israeli War and "transfer of persons".
20. Resolution 92: The Palestine Question (8 May 1951)
21. Resolution 93: The Palestine Question (18 May 1951)
22. Resolution 95: The Palestine Question (1 Sep 1951)
23. Resolution 100: The Palestine Question (27 Oct 1953)
24. Resolution 101: The Palestine Question (24 Nov 1953)
25. Resolution 106: The Palestine Question (29 Mar 1955) 'condemns' Israel for Gaza raid.
26. Resolution 107: The Palestine Question (30 Mar)
27. Resolution 108: The Palestine Question (8 Sep)
28. Resolution 111: " ... 'condemns' Israel for raid on Syria that killed fifty-six people".
29. Resolution 113: The Palestine Question (4 Apr)
30. Resolution 114: The Palestine Question (4 Jun)
31. Resolution 127: " ... 'recommends' Israel suspends its 'no-man's zone' in Jerusalem".
32. Resolution 138: Question relating to the case of Adolf Eichmann, concerning Argentine complaint that Israel breached its sovereignty.
33. Resolution 162: " ... 'urges' Israel to comply with UN decisions".
34. Resolution 171: " ... determines flagrant violations' by Israel in its attack on Syria".
35. ---------- CONTINUED BELOWSweden's foreign minister abruptly called off a visit to Israel this week, an... more
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The movement to call Israel to account for its crimes against the Palestinian people is growing, it is "invading the mainstream discourse, becoming part of the constant and unrelenting drumbeat against Israel." It could eventually threaten the existence of the Jewish state by undermining the support it receives from its strongest backer, the U. S. government.
That was the message of alarm delivered by the Executive Director of the American Israel American Israel Public Affairs Committee, Howard Kohr, to the AIPAC Policy Conference on May 3.[i]
AIPAC is one of the principal organizations that lobby publicly on behalf of Israel in the United States, where it is an important influence on foreign policy. Among the 6,000 dignitaries who attended its policy conference were more than half of the members of the Senate and a third of the members of the House of Representatives. Featured speakers included Vice President Joe Biden, Senator John Kerry, former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and Israeli President Shimon Peres.
AIPAC and its allies are often alleged to act as a kind of shadow government in Washington, distorting policy in Israel's interest rather than that of the U.S. This stands reality on its head. The pro-Israel lobby carries real weight in the halls of power, but only because the U.S. and Israel share the same fundamental interests. The U.S. relies on Israel to keep the Arab states of the Middle East divided, weak, and under constant threat of attack, thus ensuring that they remain subservient to Washington. For its part, Israel could not continue to exist in its present form without the strong political and material support it receives from the U.S. It received more than $2.5 billion in military aid from the U.S. in 2009.[ii] Israel and the United States may be partners with shared objectives, but the relationship is a highly unequal one.
------------------more at link
Like I've mentioned before, this movement has so much momentum that many BDS meeting are happening across the globe. There's even an Israel Apartheid Week conducted in cities across the globe. The more the left defends Israel, the more energy is given to this movement. When the left defends Israel, they show their arrogance and inhumanity towards a defensless and innocent people of Palestine. It's all about money, natural resources and land people. Thats what the Israeli government is after, no matter how many innocent lives it takes with it.
BOYCOTT Israel!The movement to call Israel to account for its crimes against the Palestinian people... more
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Reuters: There is significant evidence that Israeli forces violated international law and human rights in their invasion of Gaza between late December and mid-January, the United Nations human rights chief said on Friday.
A report by U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay lambasted the "nearly total impunity" for the violations.
The already critical human rights situation in the occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT) deteriorated further during the war, she said in the report, the first of a series of periodic reports ordered by the U.N. Human Rights Council in January during Israel's "Operation Cast Lead".
The 34-page report is one of two -- together with a forthcoming one by South African jurist Richard Goldstone who has been conducting hearings in Gaza -- that will be presented to the council next month.
"...significant prima facie evidence indicates that serious violations of international humanitarian law as well as gross human rights violations occurred during the military operations of 27 December 2008 to 18 January 2009, which were compounded by the blockade that the population of Gaza endured in the months prior to Operation Cast Lead and which continues," Pillay said.
Pillay said rights violations included arbitrary detention, torture and ill-treatment, extrajudicial execution, forced eviction and home demolition, settlement expansion and related violence and restrictions on freedom of movement and expression.
"While these violations are of deep concern in their own right, the nearly total impunity that persists for such violations (regardless of the responsible duty bearer) is of grave concern, and constitutes a root cause for their persistence," the former South African high court judge said.Reuters: There is significant evidence that Israeli forces violated international law... more
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Israeli forces shoot Israeli and Palestinian demonstrator with live ammunition in the West Bank village of Ni’lin.
Palestinian residents, alongside Israeli and international supporters, have been demonstrating today since 12:30pm.
Around 4pm, eyewitnesses reported that the Army began to shoot live ammunition towards demonstrators.
David Reeb, an Israeli citizen and prominent artist, was shot in his thigh with live ammunition from around 20 meters. Reeb frequently films Ni’lin demonstrations.
Hamoudeh Saeed Amirah, a Ni’lin resident, was shot in his foot with live ammunition, though the bullet did not enter. Amirah films the Ni’lin demonstrations for distribution to the media.
more info at link---Israeli forces shoot Israeli and Palestinian demonstrator with live ammunition in the... more
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Talk about the sh*t hittin' the fan! Israel devastated much of Gaza including their water treatment facilities besides the 90% civilians that were brutally murdered. Looks like God has a plan: Send all the Palestinians dirty water and sewage to Israel! Talk about Karma!---here's the story:
The top United Nations humanitarian official in the occupied Palestinian territory today joined aid agencies in calling for the immediate opening of Gaza’s crossings to allow the entry of spare parts and materials critical to restoring the area’s water and sanitation services.
“The deterioration and breakdown of water and sanitation facilities in Gaza is compounding an already severe and protracted denial of human dignity in the Gaza Strip,” Maxwell Gaylard said in a joint statement issued today with the NGO Association for International Development Agencies (AIDA).
“At the heart of this crisis is a steep decline in standards of living for the people of Gaza, characterized by erosion of livelihoods, destruction and degradation of basic infrastructure, and a marked downturn in the delivery and quality of vital services in health, water and sanitation,” added Mr. Gaylard, the Deputy UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process and UN Humanitarian Coordinator.
Israel’s closure of Gaza’s crossing points, imposed since June 2007, has meant that equipment and supplies needed for the construction, maintenance and operation of water and sanitation facilities have not been able to enter the area, leading to the deterioration of these services.
Currently, some 10,000 people do not have access to the water network, while another 60 per cent of Gaza’s population of 1.5 million do not have continuous access to water.
In addition, some 50 to 80 million litres of untreated and partially treated waste-water have been discharged daily into the Mediterranean Sea since January 2008, due to damage to sewage treatment facilities, lack of treatment capacity because of postponed plant upgrade projects, and a critical shortage of fuel and electricity necessary to operate them.
Mr. Gaylard and the non-governmental organizations (NGOs) called on the Israeli Government to take immediate steps to ensure the entry into Gaza of the necessary construction and repair materials to respond to the water and sanitation crisis.
“Without addressing both the immediate basic needs of the population and facilitating the longer-term development and management of the degraded water and sanitation sector, public health and the wider environment will remain at significant risk,” said the Humanitarian Coordinator.
“Pollution does not recognise borders or barriers, and communities throughout the region are threatened by the deficiencies of Gaza’s water and sanitation system,” he added.
Also read:
New UN report spotlights humanitarian crisis triggered by blockade of Gaza
UN, aid agencies call for opening of Gaza crossings to allow rebuilding of schoolsTalk about the sh*t hittin' the fan! Israel devastated much of Gaza including... more
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No taxation by a foreign government without representation" is a basic American principle. Yet, the taxation currently endured by US taxpayers because of the Israel Lobby far exceeds the level of taxation by the British that led to the American Revolution. Pro-Israel organisations do everything possible to prevent Americans from openly discussing the fact that they are being taxed without consent.
Through subversion Israel advocates have orchestrated passage of the Patriot Act, Homeland Security abuses, and other erosions of civil liberties. Pro-Israel organisations file lawsuits to keep the question of Israel investments off local ballots. Jewish communal organisations bribe elected public officials with free trips to Israel to gain their support - even against the will of the majority of their constituents!
Financing Israel at the expense of basic American values victimises every citizen to benefit a very small sub-group of the population and also creates worldwide anti-US hostility, which puts all Americans at risk of terrorist retaliation. Obeying the Israel lobby goes against all logical American self-interest. Obeyi ng Zionist pressure to invade several countries at once means watching America commit suicide, economically and politically, for the sake of Israel. Zionist activists are a real and present danger to the USA. They should be stripped of their US citizenship and sent to Guantanamo for interrogation.
America's free press, justice system, and democracy are dependent upon the separation of American from Israeli interests. To survive, America must disentangle itself from the Zionist web of control. The common Zionist argument that Jews should get to keep what they stole just because they've been sitting on other people's property for so many years is not a valid legal argument. International law as defined by the post-WW2 Nuremburg Tribunals does not confer upon occupiers any entitlement to "security." Zionism is nothing less than a criminal ideology that completely rejects the fundamental American principle of sacred property rights.
America stands for equal rights, which applies to property and residency rights and other legal norms such as use of public transportation and voting. The US has acknowledged the injustice involved in colonising America at the expense of the native population. Even though economic disparities still remain, Native Americans have US citizenship and are allowed to rent, buy and sell property just like other citizens. This is not true for millions of Palestinian refugees who are denied any passports while they live under Israeli curfews and martial law. It is even against Israeli law for sympathetic Jews voluntarily to reconvey stolen property that they currently hold without legitimate title to the original, rightful owners. In general, Jews cannot even sell homes to Arabs. Yet Germany returned homes stolen from the Jews in World War II to their descendants.
Many Americans are aware that the subsidisation of the Israeli military at the expense of the US taxpayer puts all Americans at risk of retaliation. Yet the criminal acts begin right under our noses here in America by bankers and real estate agents. With the deep enmeshment of Israeli agents in the United States political spectrum, the Israel Lobby acts as a mafia facilitating the looting of billions of dollars via US military acquisitions from Jewish-owned defense corporations like General Dynamics and via capital transfers including ongoing complex beneficiary-obscuring transactions. In addition to ongoing US foreign aid for weapons purchase, the USA buys billions of dollars of weapons, declares the weaponry to be obsolete and then consigns it to Israel at practically no charge. Using full-scale militarised equipment supplied and paid for by the United States, the Israeli government uses US tax money to pay the IDF to force the non-Jewish Palestinian rightful owners to vacate their own property so ----------continued belowNo taxation by a foreign government without representation" is a basic American... more
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The Soda Club, an Israeli run company based in the Palestinian West Bank, is being scrutinized under EU trade policies.
All Israeli goods imported into the European Union (EU) do not receive duties; however, the Soda Club is operated in an Israel settlement not recognized by the EU. The Hamburg Finance Court must decide to either deny or allow The Soda Club products into Germany with or without a duty. The decision will be a proxy on all EU-Israeli relations due to Israeli settlement in Palestinian occupied land.
----------the story:
The Israeli settlement known as Maale Adumim sits fortress-like atop a red stone plateau. In the Bible, the road to the plateau was known as the "steep red road."
As the largest Israeli settlement in the Palestinian-administered areas of the West Bank, Maale Adumim is home to 40,000 people. Bulldozers are clearing lots for new houses on its outskirts. Its population is growing by the week and, in recent years, it has grown faster than any other settlement.
----------------more at the linkThe Soda Club, an Israeli run company based in the Palestinian West Bank, is being... more
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Norway has decided to divest from the Israeli arms firm Elbit over its role in the construction of the West Bank separation wall.
Norway's finance minister, Kristin Halvorsen, made the announcement at a press conference in Oslo on Thursday the Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported.
In response, the Israeli Foreign Ministry summoned Norway's ambassador, stating that "Israel will consider further steps of protest in the future."
Halvorsen said the decision was based on the recommendation of a Norweigan Ministry of Finance council whose role is to ensure that government investments abroad meet ethical guidelines, the Israeli newspaper stated.
"We do not wish to fund companies that so directly contribute to violations of international humanitarian law," Halvorsen was quoted as saying in a report on the Norwatch Web site.
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More at link
More and more countries and entities are divesting from Israel. This is what we need. Hit 'em in the pocket where it hurts. Israeli government worships the shekel-the dollar-the Euro. For if it weren't for money, the world would not see this inhumane and corrupt government we have here in this world.Norway has decided to divest from the Israeli arms firm Elbit over its role in the... more
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Need I say more? With the indictment of one of Israels top leaders recently, this is only the beginning of sending the insane Israeli government to a place they deserve.
The story can be found at the linkNeed I say more? With the indictment of one of Israels top leaders recently, this is... more
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The State Prosecutor's Office filed official corruption charges against former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert Sunday. This is the first time in Israel's history that a former PM will face a criminal indictment.
More at the link.
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Seems like this is what Israel IS, has been and will always be. Now lets bring on the war crimes against this crooked and blood soaked country.The State Prosecutor's Office filed official corruption charges against former... more
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Watch out! The Israeli secret police actually took people in custody...in SPAIN no less! They are quite out of their jurisdiction I would say. Who made them GOD? These people were peacefully boycotting the Israeli team. Here's the story---and wake up! Don't let Israel dictate what freedom is!
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Several dozens of activists gathered together in the entrances of Prince Felipe Pavillion and handed out leaflets and flyers explaining the Boycott calls regarding the presence of Israeli teams in Europe. They are considered “cultural ambassadors” of the State of Israel. They play whitewashing the face of Apartheid, colonialism and occupation.
Once inside, they showed banners and palestinian flags as well as shouted slogans in solidarity with Palestine when the spanish police in full coordination with israeli secret service agents forced them out of the premises and took some of them for interrogation. No arrests were made but the organizers are absolutely astonished to feel the impunity with wich plain clothes israeli security agents move around a place where they should not have any kind of jurisdiction.
Specially since 2005, Maccabi Tel Aviv has faced the same kind of Boycott activities both in Barcelona, Catalonia, and Alava, Basque Country. Everytime Israeli teams play in european cities, the face interrumptions and protests.
The Boycott activity in Zaragoza will be followed in the coming weeks by a general declaration of Maccabi Tel Aviv as “non grato” in the Spanish State.Watch out! The Israeli secret police actually took people in custody...in SPAIN no... more
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Nobel Peace Prize winner for his work in Apartheid Africa Desmond Tutu says Palestinians are paying the price for the Jewish Holocaust. He also slammed Jewish organizations in the United States, saying they intimidate anyone who criticizes the occupation and rush to accuse these critics of anti-Semitism. Tutu recalled how such organizations pressured U.S. universities to cancel his appearances on their campuses.
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"The lesson that Israel must learn from the Holocaust is that it can never get security through fences, walls and guns," Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu of South Africa told Haaretz Thursday.
Commenting on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's statement in Germany Thursday that the lesson of the Holocaust is that Israel should always defend itself, Tutu noted that "in South Africa, they tried to get security from the barrel of a gun. They never got it. They got security when the human rights of all were recognized and respected."
The Nobel Prize laureate spoke to Haaretz in Jerusalem as the organization The Elders concluded its tour of Israel and the West Bank. He said the West was consumed with guilt and regret toward Israel because of the Holocaust, "as it should be."
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"But who pays the penance? The penance is being paid by the Arabs, by the Palestinians. I once met a German ambassador who said Germany is guilty of two wrongs. One was what they did to the Jews. And now the suffering of the Palestinians."Nobel Peace Prize winner for his work in Apartheid Africa Desmond Tutu says... more
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Last week Sweden’s largest daily newspaper published an article containing shocking material: testimony and circumstantial evidence indicating that Israelis may have been harvesting internal organs from Palestinian prisoners without consent for many years.
(Picture used here is the FBI arrest of several Jewish Rabbis accused of buying and selling human organs and having the money sent to Israel. Courtesy of www.netdor.com)
Worse yet, some of the information reported in the article suggests that in some instances Palestinians may have been captured with this macabre purpose in mind.
In the article, “Our sons plundered for their organs,” veteran journalist Donald Bostrom writes that Palestinians “harbor strong suspicions against Israel for seizing young men and having them serve as the country’s organ reserve – a very serious accusation, with enough question marks to motivate the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to start an investigation about possible war crimes.”1/
An army of Israeli officials and apologists immediately went into high gear, calling both Bostrom and the newspaper’s editors “anti-Semitic.” The Israeli foreign minister was reportedly “aghast” and termed it “a demonizing piece of blood libel.” An Israeli official called it “hate porn.”
Commentary magazine wrote that the story was “merely the tip of the iceberg in terms of European funded and promoted anti-Israel hate.” Numerous people likened the article to the medieval “blood libel,” (widely refuted stories that Jews killed people to use their blood in religious rituals). Even some pro-Palestinian writers joined in the criticism, expressing skepticism.
The fact is, however, that substantiated evidence of public and private organ trafficking and theft, and allegations of worse, have been widely reported for many years. Given such context, the Swedish charges become far more plausible than might otherwise be the case and suggest that an investigation could well turn up significant information.
At the Link are a few examples of previous reports on this topic.
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At first, I was in disbelief as well as "lets wait for more evidence" mode. Now, I am still in this mode, however, I am starting to lean towards the initial story by the Swedish Newspaper. I am cautious to go full tilt on this because this is a serious allegation. I dont want to hurt anyone who is innocent. But tallying up all the human rights violations and bloodshed the Israeli government has committed----besides breaking International laws repeatedly--and the new evidence presented in this story, my feelings are that there is some substance to these allegations. I still want to find more evidence. It is just too hard to believe that humans would do this kind of evil. I don't want to believe it. But like I said, my feelings are starting to lean to 'believing'.
Read the story, and come to your own conclusions. Below, in comments, I posted what evidence and news articles (from known sources) that were used to back up the writers story. I'm still hoping it is not true.Last week Sweden’s largest daily newspaper published an article containing... more
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- Bryan Schwartzman, Staff Writer Area rabbis, (USA) joined by Christian clergy and other supporters, staged a Center City protest last week against Israeli policy regarding Gaza. (Photo by Greg Bezanis)
A group of local rabbis is calling on Jews to observe a fast day in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.
The group, part of a coalition of 60 rabbis around the country called Ta'anit Tzedek: Jewish Fast for Gaza, is advocating that Israel lift its three-year-old economic blockade, which it claims has resulted in "collective punishment" for Gaza's civilians due to the activities of extremists.
Israel's government maintains that it works to get humanitarian supplies into Gaza, but is hampered by security concerns.
More at the link
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Its good to see people seeing thru the Israeli inhumanity. Especially in the US- Bryan Schwartzman, Staff Writer Area rabbis, (USA) joined by Christian clergy and... more
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According to attorney Dan Yakir, the legal adviser of the Association of Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI), "A secret detention facility contradicts basic principles of every democracy - transparency and public supervision over the governmental authorities. And those principles are especially important in relation to the deprivation of freedom - which is one of the most severe infringements of human rights. The existence of a lockup like this gives rise to a double concern: first, of secret arrests and `disappearances' of people; and second, an abuse of power, unfair treatment, violence and torture."
As will be seen, attorney Yakir's concerns are well founded.
-------------the story at the linkAccording to attorney Dan Yakir, the legal adviser of the Association of Civil Rights... more
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Interesting video from one of the most trusted news sources in the world shows that the deliberate actions of the Israeli government is in fact Apartheid in action.
Wanting peace is not giving your opposition a reason to fight. Taking away from people what is theirs, forcing them to be separate is not the road to peace. In this video you will see the tactics and people involved.
Israel needs to rethink their strategy. They need to rethink how people should be treated. Israel needs to be rethought.
There is a peaceful way.
The Insanity needs to stop now.Interesting video from one of the most trusted news sources in the world shows that... more
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Israel has declared the shooting of unarmed American demonstrator Tristan Anderson in the West Bank to be an “act of war” in a bid to avoid compensating his family.
The Israeli Ministry of Defense sent a letter containing this declaration to the Anderson family’s lawyers, according to attorney Leah Tsemel who is perusing a civil suit against the Israeli government.
Anderson was critically injured on 13 March 2009 when Israeli soldiers shot him in the forehead with a high velocity tear gas canister during a demonstration against the separation wall in the West Bank village of Ni’lin. He remains unconscious in Tel Aviv’s Tel Hashomer Hospital, where he recently underwent another surgery to reattach part of his scull that was removed during life-saving surgery five months ago. Prospects for his recovery remain unclear.
Tsemel, the civil suit attorney, told Ma’an that the “act of war” designation automatically releases the government from paying compensation under a recently-amended tort law. Israel makes this designation “all the time,” in tort cases involving Palestinian victims, she said.
She also said the Andersons’ lawyers would “exhaust all possibilities in Israeli courts,” and in international courts if necessary, to hold the government accountable. A court date has not yet been set.
Phone calls to the Israeli Ministry of Defense seeking comment were not returned.
Tsemel also reiterated that overwhelming evidence shows that Anderson was not a combatant and presented no threat to the Israeli soldiers. In an eventual court proceeding, she said, Anderson’s lawyers would present eyewitnesses, videotape, a medical report, and even the Israeli soldier’s own reports to prove this.
“If a process by which unarmed civilian demonstration is classified by Israel as an ‘act of war,’ then clearly Israel admits that it is at war with civilians,” said Attorney Michael Sfard, who is handling the criminal side of the Anderson case, in a statement circulated by the International Solidarity Movement (ISM).
On the criminal side of the case, ISM said Israeli police have completed their criminal investigation and passed the file to the district attorney of the Central District of the Israeli prosecutors’ offices. Sfard, is awaiting their decision.
Anderson was shot at a distance of 60 meters while standing with a group of Palestinians and international activists, hours after the demonstration had been dispersed from the construction site of the Wall.
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So, I guess Israel is at war with the USA. Anything to get out of paying compensation and taking responsibility. The poor guy was standing minding his own business.Israel has declared the shooting of unarmed American demonstrator Tristan Anderson in... more
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This report documents the humanitarian impact of the blockade imposed by Israel since June 2007 on the 1.5 million people living in the Gaza Strip. It focuses on the effects of the import and export restrictions and the travel ban to and from Gaza on livelihoods, food security, education, health, shelter, energy and water and sanitation. The report also describes how the recurrent cycles of violence and human rights violations, stemming from the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and Hamas’s rule over Gaza, have compounded the suffering of the population in Gaza.
Executive Summary
Following the Hamas takeover of the Gaza Strip in June 2007, Israel has imposed an unprecedented blockade on all border crossings in and out of the Gaza Strip.1 The blockade has ‘locked in’ 1.5 million people in what is one of the most densely populated areas on earth, triggering a protracted human dignity crisis with negative humanitarian consequences. At the heart of this crisis is the degradation in the living conditions of the population, caused by the erosion of livelihoods and the gradual decline in the state of infrastructure, and the quality of vital services in the areas of health, water and sanitation, and education.
The blockade, now in its third year, has taken place alongside recurrent cycles of violence and human rights violations, stemming from the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and Hamas’s rule over Gaza. The denial of Palestinians’ right to leave Gaza, or to move freely to the West Bank, particularly when their lives, physical integrity, or basic freedoms are under threat, is another key component of the current human dignity crisis. This denial had a devastating impact during Israel’s “Cast Lead” military offensive, launched on 27 December 2008, contributing to the significant loss of civilian life and the large number of seriously injured and traumatized people as a result.
The three week-long Israeli offensive also involved the widespread destruction of homes, infrastructure and productive assets. The ongoing restrictions on the movement of people and goods to and from Gaza through the crossings has limited the ability of all relevant actors to address the immense needs and challenges that emerged as a result of the most recent military offensive.
Over the past three months, Israel has allowed entry into Gaza of a small number of truckloads carrying goods previously prevented from entering, including limited construction, water, sanitation and education materials. While these are welcome steps, their actual impact when compared to the current level of needs in Gaza remains negligible.
This blockade has been characterized by the UN’s most senior humanitarian official, John Holmes, as a form of collective punishment on the entire Gazan population.2 The UN, the ICRC, many states and humanitarian organizations have repeatedly urged the Government of Israel to remove the restrictions on Gaza’s borders; to allow free access to agricultura areas within Gaza, and to allow unrestricted fishing in Gaza’s territorial waters.3 These are the urgent first steps needed to start the reconstruction of homes and infrastructure, the revival of the economy and the restoration of human dignity in Gaza.This report documents the humanitarian impact of the blockade imposed by Israel since... more
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