tagged w/ Blockade
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I am posting this letter from Debra White Plume who was one of the 5 Lakota Indians who were arrested on March 5th. It may seem a little late, but her story is not over yet, they will be dealing with more and more issues like this along the way. I post this letter to add to the information and in hope that we can stand with these strong brothers and sisters.
From her letter; "We stood our ground for our land, our treaty rights, our human rights to clean drinking water and our coming generations. We did this in solidarity with the First Nations people in Canada who are being killed by the tar sands oil mine, which is so big it can be seen from outer space, it is as big as the state of Florida. It didn’t matter where the heavy haul was going, either to the tarsands oil killing fields, or another oil mine, we didn’t want it crossing our lands, until the Tribal Police could get there and determine under whose authority they got onto the Reservation." more at link....
http://jimmieanna.wordpress.com/2012/03/09/debra-white-plume-lakota-woman-standing-strong/
(Photo Credit: Keri Pickett and the attire is tradition Lakota Buckskin dress)I am posting this letter from Debra White Plume who was one of the 5 Lakota Indians... more
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The Guardian has continued its war on WikiLeaks with three new attacks over 48 hours—five days before Julian Assange’s final extradition appeal judgement in the High Court and a UK Parliamentary debate and vote on extradition abuses (both Monday, December 5). While it is often counter-productive to divert resources to dealing with PR attacks head-on, we provide here a revealing window into the behind-the-scenes realities that WikiLeaks has to deal with every day as a result of its high profile. While many attacks come from "traditional" enemies — the organizations WikiLeaks has exposed — others come from opportunists trying to work an easy socio-political sector — apparently saying what they believe these powerful enemies would like to be said, in the hope of preferment or relief in other areas. Others still, in fear of their reputations or the legal process, seek to whitewash past opportunism before natural moral or legal redress. http://www.makeahistory.com/index.php/free-stuff/43033-guardian-pr-war-against-wikileaks-qwikileaks-secrets-and-liesq-guardian-documentaryThe Guardian has continued its war on WikiLeaks with three new attacks over 48... more
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RELATIONS between Israel and Turkey, already rocky, have worsened. On September 2nd the Turkish government formally expelled the Israeli ambassador who, as it happened, was back in Israel. Military links have been suspended. Turkey’s prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, is to go to Egypt—the first visit at such a level for 15 years—to sign new military and economic agreements. Mr Erdogan may even visit the Gaza Strip, which Israel continues to blockade since it is still governed by Hamas, the Islamist movement that officially rejects Israel’s existence. That would be a real poke in Israel’s eye.
Turkey’s moves against Israel followed the publication by the UN on September 2nd of a report on Israel’s attack on a flotilla bringing aid to Gaza in May 2010, when Israeli commandos killed eight Turks and one Turkish-American. The report upheld the legality of Israel’s blockade of Gaza, and hence its boarding the flotilla outside territorial waters, but found Israel’s methods “excessive and unreasonable”.
Israel agreed to adopt the report “with reservations”. Its officials quietly exulted over the legal vindication for the blockade and the right to board, at least in principle.
Turkey’s president, Abdullah Gul, called this ruling “null and void”. Mr Erdogan said “it means nothing to us.” In a statement attached to the report, the panel’s Turkish representative, Özdem Sanberk, said that “common sense and conscience dictate that the blockade is unlawful.”.......
Continue at:
http://www.economist.com/node/21528687RELATIONS between Israel and Turkey, already rocky, have worsened. On September 2nd... more
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9 months ago
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Today, Egypt reopened the Rafah border crossing which lies on its border with Gaza, allowing Palestinians to come through, some for medical reasons, some to be reunited with family and others for business dealings. This is the first time in four years that the border has been opened, and Egypt has indicated that this move is permanent.
The Rafah border crossing was opened at 9:00am local time, and by mid-afternoon, 200 Gazans had gone through.
Israel has criticized the opening of the border, as it fears it will be used to smuggle weapons. However, according to a report in Guysen News International, analysts believe it also has positive aspects. They indicate that Israel will not need to concern itself with supplying Gaza for its basic needs, since Egypt has now become the official portal. Israeli general Giora Eiland added that attempts to break the blockade will now be unnecessary.
The rulings indicate that women, children and men under 18 and over 40 years of age are permitted free passage from Gaza to Egypt; men under 40 will be required to apply for a visa which must be granted by the authorities for entry. A great majority of Gaza's population is under 40. According to a Palestinian official, a total of 23 people were turned away due to Egyptian security concerns.
Continue reading on Examiner.com Egypt breaks siege on Gaza through opening of Rafah border crossing - National Foreign Policy | Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/foreign-policy-in-national/egypt-breaks-siege-on-gaza-through-opening-of-rafah-border-crossing#ixzz1Ngn6zVdKToday, Egypt reopened the Rafah border crossing which lies on its border with Gaza,... more
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The article says the internationally recognised president Alassane Ouattara is looking to ban the export of cocoa for a month to put pressure on the incumbent president Laurent Gbagbo, who refuses to stand down.
The move hopes to put pressure on Laurent Gbagbo, however there a worries on how the ban could be carried out since president Alassane Ouattara and his cabinet are still blockaded within a hotel.
"The European Union, US and west African states have already adopted various financial sanctions against Gbagbo and his closest allies.
Market traders and analysts say they expect the global price of cocoa to increase when trading resumes on Monday because of disruption to the global supply."-BBCThe article says the internationally recognised president Alassane Ouattara is looking... more
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G20 Protests Seoul. The Korean People's G20 Response Action Rally and March (14.00-18.00) commencing at Seoul Railway Station Plaza.G20 Protests Seoul. The Korean People's G20 Response Action Rally and March... more
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The failure of the United States to stand up to Israel's terrorism is going to isolate us along with Israel from the rest of the world. The USA and Israel are two peas in a pod.The failure of the United States to stand up to Israel's terrorism is going to... more
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Hundreds of demonstrators have stopped 375,000 gallons of fuel from leaving a depot after blockading the road to an oil refinery.
Police were forced to close the road after 100′s of protesters created several blockades along the only road route to the refinary.
One block of 12 women handcuffed themselves to lorries parked to deliberately block the main road leading to the Coryton refinery in Essex.Hundreds of demonstrators have stopped 375,000 gallons of fuel from leaving a depot... more
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When the borders of Gaza were sealed by Israel in June 2007 the population faced a situation that was, inevitably, going to deteriorate on every level very quickly. A total blockade of an overcrowded and already economically devastated country should have been condemned across the world from the beginning, but it has taken over three years to convince the international community to hold Israel to account for the suffering it is causing.
The political aim of the blockade was to foment dissent against the democratically-elected Hamas government in a blatant use of collective punishment against the 1.5 million civilians in the occupied territory. By March 2008 the blockade was so severe that many international aid and human rights groups, including Medecins du Monde UK, Oxfam, CARE and Amnesty International, drew up a report that stated the humanitarian situation in Gaza was the worse it had been since the beginning of Israeli occupation in 1967.1 It was reported by Israeli human rights organisation B'tselem that up to 80% of the Palestinians living in Gaza were below the poverty line in 2007 at the onset of the total blockade. This figure rose and the degree of poverty became more acute as the siege wore on.2
While humanitarian aid is essential in such situations, it does nothing to address the root cause of the problem. During the Israelis' military assault on and invasion of Gaza in December 2008 and January 2009, thousands of civilians were injured and over 1,400 were killed; much of the civilian infrastructure in the Gaza Strip was destroyed. Almost two years later reconstruction has not been allowed to take place; the Israelis do not class building supplies as "essential humanitarian goods" and so they are forbidden. Even when Israel does allow such goods into Gaza, the volume is nowhere near enough to allow a return to normality. It is obvious that humanitarian aid on its own is not the solution.
http://www.middleeastmonitor.org.uk/articles/europe/1582-hope-is-heading-for-reality-as-anti-siege-activism-scores-successes-against-the-oddsWhen the borders of Gaza were sealed by Israel in June 2007 the population faced a... more
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Activists with the Viva Palestina movement are determined to break the siege on the Gaza Strip with a convoy carrying humanitarian aid, including food and medicine, members said during a stop Tuesday in Istanbul.
“We will go in peace and will not stop until we reach our final destination, Gaza,” George Galloway, a former United Kingdom member of Parliament and the founder of the Viva Palestina initiative, said in a speech in Istanbul after the convoy arrived in the city.
Galloway, who has been involved in the Palestinian issue for 34 years, called for the governments of the 25 countries represented by activists joining the convoy to protect them during their journey to Gaza.
He also asked the Egyptian government and authorities to allow the convoy and the activists to pass peacefully into Gaza.
“We will comply with all formalities [Egypt] requires,” he said, adding that they had also changed their initially planned route at Egyptian authorities’ request.
Convoys from different countries will all meet in Syria before traveling to the city of al-Arish in Egypt, passing by the spot where the Mavi Marmara, a previous aid flotilla to Gaza, suffered a deadly raid from Israeli military forces on May 31.
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/n.php?n=viva-palestine-arrives-to-istanbul-2010-09-28Activists with the Viva Palestina movement are determined to break the siege on the... more
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Organizers spent year raising funds to charter plane that can land where there is no airport; flight scheduled for spring.
A U.S.-based pro-Palestinian organization is planning to fly a plane-load of aid to Gaza, in defiance of an Israeli blockade on the Hamas-ruled territory. The flight was scheduled for this coming spring.
"We intend to send an aircraft to Gaza in much the same way boats were used - without going through Israeli or Egyptian airspace," the Palestinian news agency Ma'an quoted an organizer of the initiative as saying.
In May, the pro-Palestinian organization IHH organized a flotilla of ships that sailed to Gaza carrying supplies. The Israeli Navy intercepted the ships, with clashes aboard one of the vessels resulting in the deaths of nine Turkish activists.
The California-based Free Palestine Movement sponsoring the flight has been linked to the IHH, Channel 2 reported Sunday, adding that the organizers of the flight had spent a year raising the funds required to charter the plane, which can be landed in places where there is no airport.
The current initiative to send an aircraft into Gaza poses a unique security challenge as it would be difficult for Israeli forces to intercept an airplane without causing casualties. However, diplomatic pressure could still thwart the mission.
Israel imposed the blockade on Gaza in 2007, after the Islamist Palestinian group Hamas violently seized control over the territory. The blockade aims to prevent the entry of weapons and other materials that can be used in warfare against Israel.Organizers spent year raising funds to charter plane that can land where there is no... more
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Israel is easing its blockade of Hamas-ruled Gaza to allow in virtually all consumer goods, items from household cleaners to timber that had been barred from import for years.Israel is easing its blockade of Hamas-ruled Gaza to allow in virtually all consumer... more
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The White House said Israel's blockade of the Gaza Strip was unsustainable and urged a Gaza aid vessel sent by pro-Palestinian activists to divert to an Israeli port to reduce the risk of violence.
"We are working urgently with Israel, the Palestinian Authority, and other international partners to develop new procedures for delivering more goods and assistance to Gaza," said Mike Hammer, spokesman for the White House National Security Council.
"The current arrangements are unsustainable and must be changed. For now, we call on all parties to join us in encouraging responsible decisions by all sides to avoid any unnecessary confrontations," Hammer said in a statement.
Israel was preparing to intercept the Irish-owned ship the Rachel Corrie, bound for Gaza with aid and activists, after its naval operation on Monday in which nine Turkish activists were killed on another ship when it was boarded by Israeli forces.
"It remains a U.S. priority to provide assistance to the people of Gaza," Hammer said.
"In the interest of the safety of all involved, and the safe transmission of assistance to the people of Gaza, we strongly encourage those on board the Rachel Corrie and other vessels to sail to Ashdod to deliver their materials to Gaza," he said, referring to the Israeli port.The White House said Israel's blockade of the Gaza Strip was unsustainable and... more
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The Gaza blockade has nothing to do with Israel "defending itself."
June 7, 2010 |
Apologists for the brutal siege of Gaza base their defense largely on a single, spectacularly dishonest argument: that Israel is only trying to keep arms out of Gaza -- arms that Hamas might use against Israeli civilians.
It’s a red herring of monstrous proportions, made more pernicious by the brutal effects of the blockade it supports. It’s dishonest because people around the world are not outraged by the idea of Israel keeping weapons out of the hands of Hamas. The entire world (perhaps aside from the United States and Israel) is appalled by the gradual strangulation of the people of Gaza -- young and old, innocent and guilty-- under an intentional man-made humanitarian crisis.
It’s imperative that people of good conscience not let Israel’s defenders get away with this bait-and switch. Israel’s “right to defend itself” has nothing to do with the moral outrage caused by the blockade. But it is nonetheless becoming the center of the debate.
In order to keep the focus on the real issue, here are 7 questions for those who continue to claim that the siege is all about Israel’s security. If you encounter such an argument, just concede the point that Israel has every right in the world to check incoming containers for weapons, at least for the sake of argument, and then launch right into these Columbo-style. They’re impossible to answer. (Unless otherwise noted, this is the source for the following info).
Impossible-to-Answer Question 1) What’s the connection between a hungry Palestinian population and keeping weapons out of the hands of Hamas? I know Israel says it’s letting in enough food in to prevent a humanitarian crisis, but UN officials have called the situation "grim", "deteriorating" and a "medieval siege." A bare minimum of 400 truckloads of goods needs to enter Gaza per week, and an average of 171 get in. According to the World Health Organization, 1 in 10 Gazans suffer from “chronic malnutrition,” and the UN says 6 in 10 Gaza households are “food insecure.”
Question 2) What changed? I mean, the Gaza strip has been under Israeli occupation since 1978, and in that time Israel has always prohibited the importation of weapons. Hamas has been around since 1978, and has always been an armed enemy. So if it’s all about security, why is it that Israel started preventing 75 percent of all manner of imported goods coming into Gaza only after the election of Hamas, a result rejected by Israel and the international community?
Question 3) Is Israel afraid of some sort of deadly sweet-and-savory weapon? Because I know it has, at various times, prevented chocolate, jam, sage and coriander from coming into Gaza. Just wondering what Israel’s security has to do with Gazans’ flavoring options, you know? Or are you saying that people who don’t have access to French fries, dried fruit -- or fabric, notebooks or toys for that matter -- are less likely to become terrorists?
More at the link:The Gaza blockade has nothing to do with Israel "defending itself."
June 7,... more
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Iran's Red Crescent Society will try to break the Israeli blockade of Gaza by sending food and medical supplies to the besieged Palestinian territory, an Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman said Monday.
Red Crescent official Abdul Rauf Adibzadeh said one shipment of relief goods will arrive in Gaza via Egypt by the end of the week, Iranian media reported.
The aid group is also preparing to send two relief ships to the coast of Gaza, including a hospital ship with doctors, nurses and operating rooms and another vessel with more relief goods like food and medication, the IRNA and Mehr news agencies reported.
Israel stopped a convoy of six ships trying to deliver aid to Gaza last week in defiance of an Israeli blockade, killing at least nine people in the course of boarding one of the vessels.
Adibzadeh said there is a possibility that Iranian Red Crescent ships may be attacked but added that, despite the danger, if the Iranian authorities approve, the shipments will be sent to Gaza.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said the Iranian ships will be part of a new aid flotilla organized by several Islamic countries, though he declined to say which countries are involved.
He called it "strictly a humanitarian effort for the people of Gaza."
"We are preparing two ships to head for Gaza that will provide humanitarian aid," Mehmanparast said. "Their departure depends on how soon we coordinate with other countries that are also sending aid ships. The process of organizing the operation is under way."
Separately, a "Jewish boat" is planning to try to reach Gaza, two pro-Palestinian European Jewish groups announced Monday.
"Our purpose is to call an end to the siege of Gaza, to this illegal collective punishment of the whole civilian population," Edith Lutz said on behalf of European Jews for a Just Peace in the Near East and Jews for Justice for Palestinians.
The group is not saying when the boat is sailing or where it is leaving from "in order to avoid sabotage," Lutz said.
continuedIran's Red Crescent Society will try to break the Israeli blockade of Gaza by... more
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Here, In Austin Texas in front of Whole Foods, at Sixth Street and Lamar, we spent the afternoon of the Memorial Day Massacre in protest of Israel's murderous massacre of 19 Peace Volunteers who were killed in an illegal raid on May 31, 2010. The terrorist state of Israel boarded the ships in INTERNATIONAL waters and committed unspeakable acts of violence against humanitarian workers and activists. We stand in solidarity with the Freedom Flotilla, all of Palestine and against these acts of violence.
This is a ZGraphix production.
Produced by Jeff Zavala.
Watch more at: http://zgraphix.org/links.htmlHere, In Austin Texas in front of Whole Foods, at Sixth Street and Lamar, we spent the... more
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This video is dedicated to the Courageous People in the Freedom Flotilla for Gaza. We stand with you. We mourn with your family and friends today, on this BLOODY Memorial Day Massacre Monday. Here, In Austin Texas in front of Whole Foods, at Sixth Street and Lamar, we spent the afternoon of the Memorial Day Massacre in protest of Israel's murderous massacre of 19 Peace Volunteers who were killed in an illegal raid on May 31, 2010. The terrorist state of Israel boarded the ships in INTERNATIONAL waters and committed unspeakable acts of violence against humanitarian workers and activists. We stand in solidarity with the Freedom Flotilla, all of Palestine and against these acts of violence.
This is a ZGraphix production.
Produced by Jeff Zavala.
http://www.zgraphix.orgThis video is dedicated to the Courageous People in the Freedom Flotilla for Gaza. We... more
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The Zionist Federation rallied opposite the Israeli embassy in support of the Israeli Defence Force action against the Gaza aid flotilla. London, United Kingdom. 02/06/2010
Around 500 pro Israel protests gathered opposite the Israeli embassy to express their support for the attack on the Gaza aid convoy that left more than nine aid activists dead.
They were opposed by a much smaller counter demonstration of 100 pro Palestine supporters holding banners and chancing slogans.The Zionist Federation rallied opposite the Israeli embassy in support of the Israeli... more
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