tagged w/ George Galloway
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Pre-Iraq war George Galloway delivers a great speech in Seattle.
http://youtu.be/dm8SInuEi5wPre-Iraq war George Galloway delivers a great speech in Seattle.... more
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MP George Galloway is an advocate of and participant in BDS (boycott, divestment and sanctions) toward Israel.
Anyone who participates in boycotting, divesting from or sanctioning anything that supports Israel is part of BDS. It includes those who defend Israel itself but oppose and boycott Israeli settlements in the West Bank, and it includes those who oppose anything and everything that has to do with Israel, up to and including its very name. The critical Zionist's limited boycott of settlement products helps the rejectionist's total boycott and vice versa.
There is no single standard for BDS, no single person who speaks for the entire movement, no wrong way to practice BDS. No one can be excommunicated or found in violation of the movement's principles. All may participate in their own way. The error is to think that there is a formal apparatus or coalition that speaks for everyone.
To be sure, there is a group calling itself the Palestinian BDS National Committee (BNC). However, that group appears to speak less for Palestinians and more for western groups, with carefully crafted policies and statements designed to assure that Zionists critical of Israel are not offended by anti-Zionist statements. Thus, for example, this group was quick to issue a disclaimer that Galloway's refusal to debate an Israeli Zionist did not come within its BDS policies. However, this does not mean that Galloway's action is not a form of BDS and that he is not one of many advocates for this form of protest.
The BNC appears to have started in 2005 as a largely Palestinian movement with the issuance of a statement signed by more than 170 Palestinian organizations. However, it has progressively relied less on Palestinian support and more on western collaboration, including that of "soft" Zionists, to the extent that it modified its statement of objectives to comply with their preferences, without consulting its Palestinian board or the signatories of the original statement. We must therefore conclude that the current BNC represents a different constituency today than it did in 2005 and is thus only a portion of the overall movement.
This is not to say that the anachronistically-named BNC is not performing a useful function by organizing a section of the BDS movement. All BDS efforts are welcome. However, it would be a mistake to imagine that it speaks for the entire movement or even for significant number of Palestinians. Truth be told, it is hardly known in Palestine and neighboring countries, although the accomplishments of the BDS movement of which it is a part are celebrated widely. On the other hand, it is rare for Palestinians in the Middle East to hear about those achievements through the BNC.
We all have a responsibility to participate in BDS even if we may have different reasons for doing so. George Galloway has his own standards for participation, and many applaud him and his integrity, while others may disagree. This does not mean that he is acting counter to BDS, but only to a particular group's standards for BDS. No group should claim to set the standard for everyone else, but all should be transparent about who they are, whom they represent and the processes and motivations that drive their statements and policies.
http://www.aljazeerah.info/Opinion%20Editorials/2013/March/4%20o/George%20Galloway%20Speaks%20for%20Boycotting%20Apartheid%20Israel,%20BDS,%20as%20Much%20as%20Anyone%20By%20Paul%20Larudee.htmMP George Galloway is an advocate of and participant in BDS (boycott, divestment and... more
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A big fuss blew up last week when British MP George Galloway, invited to Oxford University to debate the motion “Israel should withdraw immediately from the West Bank”, walked out of the chamber when he heard that the student opposing the motion was an Israeli.
At Oxford, something Eylon Aslan-Levy said prompted Galloway to ask, “Are you an Israeli?”
“Yes,” came the reply.
“I don’t debate with Israelis. I have been misled, sorry,” said Galloway putting on his coat. “I don’t recognise Israel and I don’t debate with Israelis,” he added and left.
The following message then appeared on Galloway’s Facebook: “The reason is simple: no recognition, no normalization. Just boycott, divestment and sanctions, until the apartheid state is defeated. I never debate with Israelis nor speak to their media. If they want to speak about Palestine – the address is the PLO.”
The PLO, of course, is recognized as the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people.
Galloway’s point was that BDS (boycott, divestment and sanctions), in his terms, means “no purchase of Israeli goods or services, no normal contacts with individuals or organizations in Israel who support the existence of the racist Apartheid creed of Zionism. That’s what I mean by boycott. That’s what I do. Israelis who are outside of and against the system of Zionism are comrades of mine… My opponent at Oxford University did not meet this test.”
Aslan-Levy is reported to have told The Guardian that Israel’s withdrawal should not be immediate but “in the context of a negotiated peace treaty, which would recognize both Israeli and Palestinian states”. According to the Daily Mail he also said: ‘”To refuse to talk to someone just because of their nationality is pure racism, and totally unacceptable for a Member of Parliament.”
A lot of people have criticized Galloway for his behavior in this matter. However, anyone arguing against an immediate end to the brutal and illegal 65 year-old occupation and offering silly excuses for prolonging the misery – like more lopsided ‘negotiations’ when international law and UN resolutions have already spoken – deserves to feel the cold blast of boycott, Galloway-style.
The attacks on Galloway seem to come mainly from people in the BDS movement itself who are supposedly on the same side. Press reports mention cries of “racism”. But notice that Galloway said he doesn’t debate with Israelis, not Jews. Others may not wish to debate with North Koreans or Afghan tribesmen. Our own foreign secretary apparently has no intention of chatting with his Iranian opposite number while turning the sanctions screw on the Iranian people. Obama when he visits the Holy Land to pay homage to Netanyahu won’t drop in on Haniyeh in Gaza to discuss football.
And it is pretty rich for a national of a racist state to call anyone else a racist.
The Palestinian BDS National Committee (BNC), which claims to set the guidelines for the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement, says it does not call for a boycott of individuals because she or he happens to be Israeli or because they express certain views, but adds: “Of course, any individual is free to decide who they do and do not engage with.”
OK, so why is Galloway getting flak?
http://palestinechronicle.com/boycotting-israel-galloway-style/#sthash.R6ZlRyeQ.dpufA big fuss blew up last week when British MP George Galloway, invited to Oxford... more
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George Galloway vs American Israeli Leader on Iran & Iraq - MUST WATCH
http://youtu.be/aAthjftE4lkGeorge Galloway vs American Israeli Leader on Iran & Iraq - MUST WATCH... more
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George Galloway walks out of a debate at Christ Church college at Oxford University on Wednesday. He was speaking for the motion that 'Israel should withdraw immediately from the West Bank'. When the Respect MP for Bradford West learned that Eylon Aslan-Levy, a student opposing it, was an Israeli citizen, he leaves, saying 'I don't debate with Israelis'. Attendees are heard accusing Galloway of racism
http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/video/2013/feb/21/george-galloway-debate-israelis-videoGeorge Galloway walks out of a debate at Christ Church college at Oxford University on... more
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George educates another person on the trouble in Syria!
http://youtu.be/GZo_ytO5Wz0
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Christopher Hitchens vs George Galloway - Iraq War Debate [2005]
http://youtu.be/8CLSu5NZ3LUChristopher Hitchens vs George Galloway - Iraq War Debate [2005]... more
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George Galloway doing what he does best.
http://youtu.be/gMoIaA-i-HU
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George Galloway MP and author Jonathan Steele, former foreign editor of The Guardian, discuss the irony of al-Qaeda -- supposedly America's motivation for the 'war on terror' and for the Afghanistan war -- now being on the same side as the United States in Syria. Both Galloway and Steele oppose all foreign intervention in Syria, whether by al-Qaeda or by the US and its allies.
http://youtu.be/SjWoNqFC3mQGeorge Galloway MP and author Jonathan Steele, former foreign editor of The Guardian,... more
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British media regulator OFCOM have removed Iranian Press TV Ltd’s broadcasting license, with SKY satellite being the first to remove Press TV from British viewing. Includes list of alternative viewing options for U.K residents. George Galloway tells what is behind OFCOM’s decision and why this indicates censorship for other networks.
http://youtu.be/okdGX4JjFyYBritish media regulator OFCOM have removed Iranian Press TV Ltd’s broadcasting... more
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British MP and leader of the Respect party George Galloway has once again warned the son of the Bahraini king not to enter the UK during the 2012 Olympics.
The warning comes as Sheikh Nasser bin Hamad al-Khalifawas, who is known as a sadistic torturer and a human rights abuser, was invited by the British government to attend the sports event while being given privileged services during his stay in London.
Bahraini regime's brutal crackdown against anti-regime protesters including women and children led to three prominent detainees, who testified being victims of Nasser inflicting violence and torturing them personally. Nasser has also been involved with the torture, beating and imprisonment of 150 Bahraini athletes.
On the evening program Comment, broadcasted on Press TV on July 26, Galloway said, “I’ve warned Prince Nasser that if he shows up in London, I’m going to try to arrest him and many others are too. So my last minute appeal to you Princy is don’t risk it because your life is going to be a misery and we’re going to have to hunt you down, all over London."
http://www.presstv.com/detail/2012/07/29/253372/galloway-warns-nasser-not-to-enter-uk/British MP and leader of the Respect party George Galloway has once again warned the... more
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George Galloway talking about how the Brits gave Israel Palestinian territories
http://youtu.be/Sk9C_5CICiUGeorge Galloway talking about how the Brits gave Israel Palestinian territories... more
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George Galloway warns against western intervention in Syria.
http://youtu.be/uTuZeHYABaYGeorge Galloway warns against western intervention in Syria.... more
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“Ofcom decided that we were not fit and proper people to hold a television license,” said George Galloway.
“Rupert Murdoch on the other hand, whose operation seems to have been a nest of organized crime, well, the last time I looked he was still broadcasting, on Sky,” he added.
A couple of weeks ago the siege breaking Bradford to Gaza convoy, Viva Palestina Arabia left from Bradford and is now heading south towards Palestine.
They convoy is also called Abu Bakr Caravan. It is named after Abu Bakr Rauf who was an active member of Galloway’s election campaign as well as being a leader of the local Palestine Solidarity Campaign and a supporter of the convoys to Gaza.
In March 2012, Rauf passed away at the age of 28.
http://www.presstv.com/Program/239971.html“Ofcom decided that we were not fit and proper people to hold a television... more
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