tagged w/ Current News USA
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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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PARKER, Colo. -- A 22-year-old woman who claimed a Parker police officer beat and raped her after she was kicked out of a bar was arrested Thursday on charges of false reporting.
Emily J. Petersen, of Castle Rock, will also be charged with an attempt to influence a public servant and forgery, both felonies.
On June 13, at around 1:30 a.m., Petersen and several friends were at the Tailgate Tavern in Parker, and were asked to leave because the bar was closing.
Petersen became uncooperative because she didn't want to leave so bar staffers called police for help, Douglas County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Cocha Heyden said.
Petersen was escorted out of the bar by two uniformed Parker police officers.
Later that morning, Petersen reported that she was "beaten and raped" by one of those officers.
The Parker Police Department asked the Douglas County Sheriff's Office to investigate the case to avoid a conflict of interest.
Douglas County detectives conducted a two-month investigation and determined that Petersen was not assaulted by anyone. Detectives discovered significant evidence including video footage and phone records that showed her report was untrue, Heyden said.
"The Douglas County Sheriff's Office and the Parker Police Department take false reporting cases very seriously because they do a grave disservice to actual victims and waste valuable resources," Sheriff David A. Weaver said.
Peterson is being held on $3,000 bond.PARKER, Colo. -- A 22-year-old woman who claimed a Parker police officer beat and... 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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The 21st Century list of priorities has changed.
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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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A transient from Bangor was arrested Tuesday afternoon by an Old Town police officer after an alleged “dine and dash” incident at an Old Town pizzeria.
Less than 12 hours later, after he was released on bail, Elias Elias, 58, was summoned by a Bangor police officer for the same crime, namely eating a meal at a restaurant and skipping out without paying the tab.
The first incident occurred around lunchtime, when Elias reportedly had lunch at Johnny’s Pizza in Old Town and left without paying for his meal, Old Town police Sgt. Travis Roy said. He said Officer Lee Miller arrested Elias and charged him with felony theft and took him to Penobscot County Jail in Bangor. He was released on bail shortly thereafter.
At about 11 p.m. that night, Elias was summoned for theft by Bangor police Officer Rob Angelo after he ordered a meal at a downtown eatery and left without paying, Bangor police Sgt. James Hodges said in a news release.
“From the description given, Officer Angelo suspected Mr. Elias has a history of similar activities,” Hodges said. (Dawn Gagnon, BDN)A transient from Bangor was arrested Tuesday afternoon by an Old Town police officer... 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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What happens when an Israeli professor speaks his mind about the Israeli occupation? Let’s find out.
Take a look at Ben Gurion University Prof. Neve Gordon, who by the way, is a member of Jewish Voice for Peace’s Advisory Board and is also a member of the Committee to Support Ezra Nawi.
He published an op-ed in the Los Angeles Times, titled Boycott Israel: An Israeli comes to the painful conclusion that it’s the only way to save his country.
(above from Muzzle Watch)
Article:
Boycott Israel:
An Israeli comes to the painful conclusion that it's the only way to save his country.
By Neve Gordon
August 20, 2009
Israeli newspapers this summer are filled with angry articles about the push for an international boycott of Israel. Films have been withdrawn from Israeli film festivals, Leonard Cohen is under fire around the world for his decision to perform in Tel Aviv, and Oxfam has severed ties with a celebrity spokesperson, a British actress who also endorses cosmetics produced in the occupied territories. Clearly, the campaign to use the kind of tactics that helped put an end to the practice of apartheid in South Africa is gaining many followers around the world.
Not surprisingly, many Israelis -- even peaceniks -- aren't signing on. A global boycott can't help but contain echoes of anti-Semitism. It also brings up questions of a double standard (why not boycott China for its egregious violations of human rights?) and the seemingly contradictory position of approving a boycott of one's own nation.
It is indeed not a simple matter for me as an Israeli citizen to call on foreign governments, regional authorities, international social movements, faith-based organizations, unions and citizens to suspend cooperation with Israel. But today, as I watch my two boys playing in the yard, I am convinced that it is the only way that Israel can be saved from itself.
I say this because Israel has reached a historic crossroads, and times of crisis call for dramatic measures. I say this as a Jew who has chosen to raise his children in Israel, who has been a member of the Israeli peace camp for almost 30 years and who is deeply anxious about the country's future.
------------more at linkWhat happens when an Israeli professor speaks his mind about the Israeli occupation?... more
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Israeli Forces Continue Systematic Attacks against Palestinian Civilians and Property in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT) and Continue to Impose a Total Closure on the Gaza Strip
- A Palestinian child was wounded when Israeli forces fired at fishing boats in Rafah.
- Israeli forces used force against peaceful demonstrations organized in protest to the construction of the Annexation Wall in the West Bank.
- Israeli forces conducted 26 incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank.
- Israeli forces arrested 28 Palestinian civilians, including 3 children and one woman, in the West Bank, and two fishers in the Gaza Strip.
- Israeli forces demolished 3 car maintenance workshops.
- The State of Israel has continued to impose a total closure on the OPT and have isolated the Gaza Strip from the outside world.
- Israeli troops positioned at military checkpoints in the West Bank arrested 8 Palestinian civilians, including two children and two women.
- Israel has continued measures aimed at establishing a Jewish majority in occupied east Jerusalem.
- Israeli settlers seized a Palestinian house in Silwan village.
- Israeli forces attacked religious sites in Jerusalem.
- Israeli forces have continued settlement activities in the West Bank and Israeli settlers have continued to attack Palestinian civilians and property.
- 116 donums1 of land in Ya'bad village, southwest of Jenin, were confiscated by Israeli forces.
- Israeli forces ordered the demolition of 9 houses in Slem village, east of Nablus.
- An international human rights defender was injured and 4 others were arrested by Israeli forces during protests against Israeli settlement activities.
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I'll try to get this each week to people concerned. I'll get blasted of being biased in what I bring here to post, but the fact of the matter is that people report what interests them the most that NEEDS to be highlighted. Some people concentrate their posts about Sudan, about Cruelty to animals, Global Warming, etc. I choose to report on the injustice in this region. And, if you've read my profile, you'll see that I do not HATE anyone. Its the common defense of defenders of this injustice to call people names and accuse of siding with the enemy. Obviously, this is not the case. Those defenses are moot and only designed to cloud the reality of what is happening in the area. President Obama, in my opinion, is trying to make it better there, I only wish he would move quicker to hasten the cruelty that goes on there to many innocent people. We need Peace there, and for that to happen, the Israeli government needs to have their clothes put on the clothesline for everyone to see.
I entertain ALL commentators that have some positive input. Whether you are pure right wing or even in the government, I'd like to find a half way point that encourages a turn around in how the Palestinians are being treated. Most of them want peace. Most Israelis want peace. What most of the world sees is that Israel wants all the land to themselves and to destroy the culture and people who are Palestinians. If this is not the case, lets see some major changes now. Not tomorrow, not next week...NOW!Israeli Forces Continue Systematic Attacks against Palestinian Civilians and Property... more
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Friday, August 21, 2009
A Phoenix woman accused of torturing, killing and dismembering a man in a wheelchair confessed to the crime and said she enjoyed committing it.
Angela Simpson, 33, told FOX affiliate KSAZ from prison that she murdered Terry Neely because he was a snitch.
Simpson said in a calm voice that she lured 46-year-old Neely to her apartment with a promise of sex and drugs.
Once he arrived, Simpson said, she beat Neely with a tire iron, pulled out his teeth and strangled him with a television cable during three days of torture.
Simpson said she dismembered Neely's body and set it on fire.
Neely's remains were found burning in a trash container outside a church Aug. 5. Autopsy results show a 3-inch nail had been driven into his head.
Simpson said she has no remorse for her actions and actually enjoyed killing Neely.Friday, August 21, 2009
A Phoenix woman accused of torturing, killing and... more
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President Obama has asked Israel to make some changes that have been largely ignored. President Jimmy Carter said, "The blockade of Gaza has brought death, destruction, pain and suffering to the people there. The International community must not ignore their cries for help." and "...the people of Gaza are being treated "like animals," and has called for "ending of the siege of Gaza" that is depriving "one and a half million people of the necessities of life."
One of the world's leading authorities on Gaza, Sara Roy of Harvard University, has said that the consequence of the siege "is undeniably one of mass suffering, created largely by Israel, but with the active complicity of the international community, especially the U.S. and European Union."
The law is clear. The conscience of humankind is shocked.
Yet, the siege of Gaza continues.
The people of Gaza have exhorted the international community to move beyond words of condemnation.
It is time for us to take action!
The Long March toward Freedom
To mark the anniversary of Israel's bloody 22-day assault on Gaza the International Coalition to End the Illegal Siege of Gaza will dispatch contingents from around the world to Gaza.
On January 1, 2010 we will march alongside the people of Gaza in a nonviolent demonstration that breaches the illegal blockade.
The march is inspired by decades of nonviolent Palestinian resistance from the mass popular uprising of the first intifada to the West Bank villagers currently resisting the land grab of Israel's annexationist wall.
It draws inspiration from the international volunteers who have stood by Palestinian farmers harvesting their crops, from the crews on the vessels who have challenged the Gaza blockade by sea, and from the drivers of the convoys who have delivered humanitarian aid to Gaza.
It draws inspiration from Mahatma Gandhi.
Gandhi called his movement Satyagraha-Hold on to the truth. We hold on to the truth that Israel's siege of Gaza is illegal and inhuman.
Gandhi said that nonviolence requires more courage and is more effective than violence. We want to prove the truth of Gandhi's beliefs with our deeds.
We are not afraid, we won't turn back, we won't let Gaza die.
Gandhi said that the purpose of nonviolent action is to "quicken" the conscience of humankind. We want to bring humankind not just to deplore Israeli brutality but actively to stop it.
Those of us residing in the United States also draw inspiration from our Civil Rights Movement.
If Israel devalues Palestinian life then-just as northern whites went down South during Freedom Summer-we must both interpose our bodies to shield Palestinians from Israeli brutality and bear personal witness to the inhumanity that Palestinians daily confront.
If Israel defies international law then-just as federal marshals were sent in to enforce the law of the land against racist southern sheriffs-we must send nonviolent marshals from around the world to enforce the law of the international community in Gaza.
We take no sides in internal Palestinian politics. We side only with international law and basic human decency.
We conceive this march as yet another link in the chain of nonviolent resistance to Israel's flagrant disregard of international law.
The siege is illegal.
The wall is illegal.
The settlements and house demolitions are illegal.
The closures and curfews are illegal.
The roadblocks and checkpoints are illegal.
The detention and torture are illegal.
The truth is that if international law were enforced the occupation would be unsustainable.
The march can only succeed if it arouses the conscience of humanity.
If we join ranks with the people of Gaza in the march for freedom, and millions more around the world watch the march on the internet, we can breach the siege without a drop of blood being shed.
If the whole world is watching, Israel can't stop us.
Please join us.President Obama has asked Israel to make some changes that have been largely ignored.... more
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Is this Israels way of exterminating millions of people in Gaza needing health care and medicine to save or make better the lives of all these people? Israel is blocking much needed medical supplies among other life saving and living items.
Israel needs to answer this insanity-ALL the insane things Israel does to Gaza and the Palestinians.
No civilized country int eh world would not let this happen? We need to stand up and not let this happen to millions of innocent people.
Story:
Arafat Hamdona, 20, has been confined to the cancer unit of As-Shifa, Gaza's primary hospital, since he was diagnosed with maxillary skin tumours in June 2008. Red lesions protrude from his face, his features are distorted and his eyes swollen shut.
In April, Arafat was permitted to travel to Augusta Victoria Hospital in East Jerusalem where he received three series of chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatment. He was scheduled to return for further treatment, but has not been granted permission by the Israeli authorities to leave Gaza.
"He is only given pain killers," said Arafat's father, Faraj Hamdona, explaining that that is all As-Shifa has to offer.
According to a July 2009 report published by the World Health Organization (WHO) in Jerusalem, Gaza doctors and nurses do not have the medical equipment to respond to the health needs of the 1.5 million people living in the Gaza Strip.
Medical equipment is often broken, lacking spare parts, or outdated.
WHO attributes the dismal state of Gaza's healthcare system to the Israeli blockade of the territory, tightened in June 2007 after Hamas, considered a terrorist organization by the West, seized control. The poor organization of maintenance services in Gaza compounds the problem, reports WHO.
Medical equipment sits idle
Some 500 tons of donations of medical equipment which flooded the Strip after Israel's military offensive ended on 18 January sits idle in warehouses. Few donors consulted the health ministry or aid agencies working in Gaza to find out what provisions were needed. According to the health ministry, 20 percent of the donated medications had expired. WHO said much of the equipment sent was old and unusable due to a lack of spare parts.
WHO also said suppliers were unable to access medical equipment for repairs and maintenance and "since 2000, maintenance staff and clinical workers have not been able to leave the Strip for training in the use of medical devices".
The Israeli Defence Ministry says it is not obliged to allow into Gaza anything other than basic humanitarian supplies necessary for survival, and is concerned certain medical technology could be used for other more sinister means. Gaza's only other connection to the outside world is its border crossing with Egypt, which is closed most of the time.
The lack of proper medical care in Gaza can have dire consequences.
"The largest number of deaths due to the siege is among cancer patients," Gaza deputy health minister Hassan Halifa said. "Radiotherapy for cancer patients is not available due to the lack of equipment, and chemotherapy is generally not available due to the lack of drugs."
Lack of drugs, medical supplies
In July, 77 out of 480 essential drugs and 140 out of 700 essential medical supplies in Gaza's health ministry were out of stock, according to WHO.
Ismail Ahmed, a 66-year-old from Shujayah, also lies in the cancer unit of As-Shifa, with a catheter for urination flowing into a wastebasket.
"We lack necessary equipment for the patients," Abdullah Farajullah, a nurse at the unit, said.
Suffering from bladder cancer, Ismail requires blood transfusions.
"There are not enough IV [intravenous] bags. The nurses put blood into plastic water bottles to transfer into my IV bag," Ismail said.
------------more at the linkIs this Israels way of exterminating millions of people in Gaza needing health care... more
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