‘The Palestine Cables’: WikiLeaks dox expose Netanyahu’s vision of Palestinian bantustan: The Latest from Mondoweiss for 12/16/2010

 

Email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser. Here are the headlines from Mondoweiss for 12/16/2010: The Guardian calls it: The peace process is dead, but some don't want the party to end When in Rome, do as the Israelis do 'The Palestine Cables': WikiLeaks dox expose Netanyahu's vision of Palestinian bantustan The shame, the shame! 'I got him to crap himself' is boast in new soldiers' testimonies about occupation Secret House resolution says No to Palestinian statehood Poll says most Israeli Jews back rabbis' anti-Arab letter, and Arab lawmakers say the letter originated in Knesset Alia Malek on Rula Jebreal Why I was willing to risk arrest at the AIPAC annual dinner 'It is ethnic cleansing' Thoughts on a Jewish freedom-fighter, Masha Bruskina The Guardian calls it: The peace process is dead, but some don't want the party to end Dec 16, 2010 05:38 am | Matthew Taylor The Guardian UK has this to say about the death of the peace charade: The Middle East peace process died a quiet, undramatic death with the statement last week that the US had given up trying to persuade Binyamin Netanyahu to stop building on occupied land as a prerequisite to direct talks with the Palestinians. Few, however, are interested in burying the corpse. . . The US is unwilling to set a date for the funeral, because to recognise that a death had taken place would entail an inquest and an examination of 18 fruitless years of failed attempts. And that is the last thing a US president fighting re-election will do. The radical part of Barack Obama's Middle East strategy has already been and gone. He has spent his political capital and needs to conserve the dimes in his pocket. All of these are compelling short-term reasons for doing nothing, for saying, as if this has not been said often enough in the past, that the time is not ripe, the leaders are too weak, the sides are not ready. But they are dreadful long-term ones. Israel will continue to impose its own one-state solution, with separate roads, and separate governance for Jew and Arab. The Palestinian leadership will continue weak and divided. The argument that Hamas and other militant groups use, that Israel makes territorial concessions only when it is forced to, will grow in resonance. And, inch by inch, the next conflict – be it in the form of a strike on Iran, or a third Palestinian uprising – will come closer. Doing nothing is not just the counsel of despair. In the asymmetry of relations between the growing state of Israel and the shrinking non-state of Palestine, doing nothing is a deeply partisan act. Good oped about how Israel and its U.S. enablers have a vested interest in keeping this zombie on its feet, Weekend at Bernie's style. Look, Bernie can walk! Look, Bernie can dance! Look, Bernie can hold indirect talks! To rephrase the above poster, "The peace process would be the perfect host for a Palestinian state, except for one small thing... it's dead. Also, that was never the goal in the first place... only more Israeli settlements and more land theft. Let's party!" The Guardian tells it how it is - when will the New York Times tell its readers in the US the same truth? Comment on this article > When in Rome, do as the Israelis do Dec 15, 2010 06:18 pm | Philip Weiss Scott McConnell wrote recently that because of the special relationship, we have gotten a lot of really bad ideas in our country from the Israelis, like occupying Arab lands and Islamophobia. Well, this is from the Washington Post, reported by Tara Bahrampour. Notice the euphemistic headline, "Muslims criticize handling of Israelis' stay at D.C. hotel". What does that mean? Muslim employees of the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Washington said they felt discriminated against after being barred over the weekend from floors where an Israeli delegation was staying, a Muslim advocacy group said. One hotel worker whose duties involve going to all the hotel's floors said he was preparing for his shift Friday when his supervisor told him to steer clear of the eighth and ninth floors, where Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak and his delegation had booked rooms. "I said, 'Why?'" said the worker, who is Muslim and wanted to remain unidentified to protect his job. He said his supervisor told him, "They're Israelis there, and they don't want no face-to-face with Muslims.".. "I don't care about Israel. To me, it's just another country," he said. "I work for [the hotel] 12, 14 hours a day, and they profile me like I'm a criminal, like I'm going to harm them. I'm like, 'If I'm going to harm them, why would you keep me in your hotel even one day?'€Š" In a similar case in 2004, a Muslim security guard at the Madison Hotel was told to stay away from the 10th floor while an Israeli delegation was there. Comment on this article > 'The Palestine Cables': WikiLeaks dox expose Netanyahu's vision of Palestinian bantustan Dec 15, 2010 01:38 pm | Alex Kane Last week Alex Kane began a series called The Palestine Cables, based on Wikileaks data. His second entry. The Obama administration's failure to bribe Israel's right-wing government into accepting a three-month settlement "freeze" should have ended talk about the "peace process," but Obama's Middle East team is still crawling towards a two-state solution with little light at the end of the tunnel.  State Department cables released by WikiLeaks will dim the lights further.  The cables show that Israeli officials' stated vision of a Palestinian state is one that is feeble and toothless--a vision that could snuff out any remaining hope of a viable Palestinian state. During an April 2007 meeting with Congressman Gary Ackerman (D-NY), an ardent supporter of Israel, then-opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu said that "a return to the 1967 borders and dividing Jerusalem was not a solution since further withdrawals would only whet the appetite of radical Islam."  Netanyahu also referred to the Palestinian right of return as an "acid test," saying that "the Palestinians must drop the right of return and accept Israel's right to exist," and that "not one refugee could ever return."  Another cable, which describes a meeting Netanyahu held with a U.S. Congressional delegation two weeks after the 2009 Israeli elections, shows Netanyahu repeating his vision of a Palestinian bantustan.  According to the cable, Netanyahu's vision of a Palestinian state is one where Palestinian sovereignty is "refined," meaning "without an army or control over air space and borders." Once he assumed the office of prime minister, Netanyahu's conception of a Palestinian state stayed the same.  A cable describing an April 2009 meeting with another Congressional delegation notes that Netanyahu said that "a Palestinian state must be demilitarized, without control over its air space and electro-magnetic field, and without the power to enter into treaties or control its borders." The image of a sovereign-less, still-occupied state for the Palestinians isn't just confined to the leader of the right-wing Likud party; the leader of Kadima, which is routinely described as a "centrist" party, also shares that image.  In a January 2007 document meant to prepare Condoleeza Rice for an upcoming trip to Israel, the author references a Ha'aretz interview where Livni said her vision of "an interim agreement with the Palestinians" was one in which the illegal "separation barrier would serve as the border." The negotiations brokered by the Obama administration have not changed Israeli leaders' insistence on creating a sliced-up Palestinian entity that lacks any real power.  Newsweek, relying on "a Palestinian official involved in the talks and an Israeli source familiar with the details," lately reported on the September 2010 round of negotiations: Netanyahu told the Palestinians they had to accept Israel's "security concept" before he would discuss other issues, including borders. The concept involved keeping Israeli troops stationed along territory on the Palestinian side of the barrier Israel has built in the West Bank to protect what Israel calls its "narrow waistline." That strip would be several kilometers wide at some points, says the Palestinian negotiator, and run along much of the seam line. Also, to protect itself against the possible rise of a hostile Islamic state in Jordan, say both sources, Netanyahu insisted Israeli troops would remain posted in the Jordan Valley for years. Though Netanyahu didn't present maps, Abbas and his negotiators calculated that Palestinians would be left with just 60 percent of the West Bank. This conception of a Palestine that lacks some of the core attributes a nation-state possesses--the ability to defend themselves with a military, and control over their air space and borders--is wholly inconsistent with international law and the United States' past statements. But there George Mitchell is, still talking to both Israeli and Palestinian officials and trying to jump start the moribund "peace process" once again.  And for what? As the WikiLeaks cables reveal, not much of anything.  Alex Kane is a freelance journalist and blogger based in New York City. He blogs on Israel/Palestine and Islamophobia in the United States at alexbkane.wordpress.com. Follow him on Twitter @alexbkane. Comment on this article > The shame, the shame! 'I got him to crap himself' is boast in new soldiers' testimonies about occupation Dec 15, 2010 01:23 pm | Philip Weiss Shocking new anonymous soldiers' testimonies collected by Breaking the Silence are now being posted at +972. Go and read them. They're from the ongoing occupation. And if they don't make you, I don't know what, well, then check your pulse. Joseph Dana speaks of the moral corruption of Israeli society. A couple excerpts: Invasion/occupation: What was the point of the checkpoint? To show the presence of the IDF inside the village. Inside the village, where the women go shopping, where the children play, just to show presence, and to enter a firefight, which within a second we didn't know if we would get it there. In the end we got out  without  a  scratch,  without  anything  happening,  but  the  company  commander lost it. He asked one of the grenade launchers to fire a riot control grenade toward the demonstrators, the children. The grenade launcher refused, and afterwards he was treated terribly by the company commander. He didn't receive a punishment because the  company  commander  knew  it  was  an  illegal  order,  but  he  was  treated  really disgustingly by the staff. In the end that's how it ended. Another story was going into Tubas at three in the morning in a safari, with stun grenades and just throwing them in the street. For no reason, waking people up. For what purpose? "We are here. The IDF is here." In general, they told us that some terrorist, if he were to hear the IDF presence in the village then maybe he would leave. He never left. It seems that the objective was just to show the local population that the IDF is here, and it's a policy which repeats itself: "The IDF has here, in the territories, and we'll make your life bitter until you decide to stop the terror." We, the ones who were throwing the grenades didn't understand why we were doing it. We threw agrenade. We heard the "boom" and we saw people waking up. When we got back they said to us: "Great operation," but we didn't understand why. It was every day. Qalqilya is a ghetto: Especially in Qalqilya, the area of Qalqilya, is closed on all sides and it has only one gate. Enclosed with a wall and a fence. It won't help, what is it if not a ghetto? It's just closed. There is one gate, maybe there are more gates. When I was there they decided, there was something, they decided there would be no more gates, that they are closing them. There is one gate through which they exit and enter the city, Qalqilya.... Humiliation of the most sordid sort: You saw situations where people went to the bathroom in their pants? Yes. Why? From being beaten, for the most part. Being beaten to death, and threatened, and screamed at, you are just terrified. Especially if it's in front of your kids, they yell and threaten and scare them, so you also are scaring the kids. One time, again, there was some man we stopped with his kid, the kid was small, like four or something. They didn't beat up the kid, but the policeman was annoyed that the adult brought the kids so they would have mercy on him. He says to him: "You bring your kid so they'll have mercy on you, let's show you what that is." He goes and beats him up, screams at him, saying, "what, I'll kill you in front of your boy, maybe you'll feel more…" It's terrifying. Again, there are a lot of stories of honor. Did he piss his pants out of fear? Yes. In front of the boy. Yes.  A  lot  of  stories  of  honor,  like  check  me  out,  I  got  him  to  crap,  I  got  him  to whatever. They talked about it routinely all the time, it's not some kind of… Where did they talk about it, in the cafeteria, in front of the officers? Was it openly? It was openly. Comment on this article > Secret House resolution says No to Palestinian statehood Dec 15, 2010 11:35 am | Philip Weiss The US Campaign to End the Occupation is pushing urgent action to condemn an Israel lobby resolution circulating in the House to block international efforts to recognize a Palestinian state. From the US Campaign: We are outraged to learn that Rep. Howard Berman, Chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, is trying to push through Congress today a resolution "condemning unilateral declarations of a Palestinian state." As Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote in his famous "Letter from a Birmingham Jail," the worst stumbling block to freedom's advance is the person who "paternalistically believes he can set the timetable for another man's [or woman's] freedom." Yet, this is exactly what Rep. Berman's resolution seeks to do: subjugate Palestinian freedom and self-determination to Israel's indefinite timeline. As MLK said, "'Wait' has almost always meant 'Never.'" We're asking you to take action now because this resolution will be voted on today. (By the way, the text of the resolution isn't even public yet, but we got our hands on a copy of it, which we're publishing below.) Here's what you can do: 1. Sign our petition to Rep. Berman letting him know that it is wrong for the United States to put a timeline on Palestinian freedom and self-determination.... [Talking points] * It is wrong for Congress to condemn Palestinian attempts to achieve freedom and self-determination.  Congress has no business putting a timeline on Palestinian human rights. * Israel has shown repeatedly that it prefers to colonize Palestinian land, rather than end its illegal 43-year military occupation of the Palestinian West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Gaza Strip and negotiate in good faith to establish an independent Palestinian state.  Under these circumstances, Palestinians cannot be blamed for seeking alternatives ways to establish an independent state.  * This resolution paternalistically demands Palestinians "resume direct negotiations with Israel immediately" even while Israel continues to illegally colonize Palestinian land supposedly designated for a future Palestinian state. From Berman's resolution: urges Palestinian leaders to— (A)     cease all efforts at circumventing the negotiation process, including efforts to gain recognition of a Palestinian state from other nations, within the United Nations, and in other international forums prior to achievement of a final agreement between Israel and the Palestinians, and calls upon foreign governments not to extend such recognition; ...Calls upon the Administration to: (a) lead a diplomatic effort to persuade other nations to oppose a unilateral declaration of a Palestinian state and to oppose recognition of a Palestinian state by other nations, within the United Nations, and in other international forums prior to achievement of a final agreement between Israel and the Palestinians; Comment on this article > Poll says most Israeli Jews back rabbis' anti-Arab letter, and Arab lawmakers say the letter originated in Knesset Dec 15, 2010 11:32 am | Seham and other news from Today in Palestine: Settlers/ Land, Property, Resource Theft & Destruction/Ethnic Cleansing Two homes demolished in Sour Baher and Ras al-Amoud Two Palestinian homes were demolished in the East Jerusalem neighborhoods of Sour Baher and Ras al-Amoud yesterday. The demolitions were carried out by Jerusalem Municipality officers accompanied by a large force of Israeli soldiers and police. Further details to follow. http://silwanic.net/?p=9154 IOA razes Jerusalemite home, endorses construction of 24 Jewish housing units The Israeli occupation authority bulldozed a Palestinian home in Ras Al-Amoud suburb in occupied Jerusalem, near Silwn town, on Tuesday at the usual pretext of lack of permit. http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6 U.N. says IDF is demolishing water cisterns of Bedouin community near Hebron settlement The latest report from the U.N. on house demolitions includes the following information:  The Jerusalem Municipality this morning carried out two demolitions in East Jerusalem, both of houses under construction. In Ras al Ahmud (on the old Betlehem road), the Municipality demolished a Palestinian house of around 300 SF. The house belongs to a family of 7 people, including 5 children. In Sur Baher, the Municipality demolished a one-floor Palestinian house of around 1800 SF. http://mondoweiss.net/2010/12/u-n-says-idf-is-demolishing-water-cisterns-of-bedouin-community-near-hebron-settlement.html Activism/Solidarity/Boycott, Divestment & Sanctions On Adeeb Abu Rahmah's release, Rebecca Vilkomerson On a personal note, I remember very clearly the weekend that Adeeb was arrested. I was still living in Israel, and a friend from Anarchists Against the Wall was arrested with him.  This friend was detained for over 24 hours, blindfolded, etc.  This was fairly harsh treatment for a Jewish Israeli, and he told me all about it on our way to visit Tristan Anderson.  It's still amazing to me to think that Adeeb spent a year and a half in jail for doing EXACTLY what an Israeli spent 24 hours in jail for. It's so thrilling to see him at home, but so infuriating that he was there at all…. http://theonlydemocracy.org/2010/12/on-adeeb-abu-rahmahs-release/ 'Hey AIPAC leave Iran alone!' –Flashmob strikes AIPAC event in Oakland– 7 arrests We don't need AIPAC control... Hey AIPAC, Leave Iran alone! Hey AIPAC, Leave Congress alone!  One of the arrested is Rae Abileah, who heckled Netanyahu in New Orleans... Note the frankly realist poster: Put US Interests First! http://mondoweiss.net/2010/12/hey-aipac-leave-iran-alone-flashmob-strikes-aipac-event-in-oakland.html 86-year-old Holocaust survivor joins flashmob at Best Buy in St. Louis: 'We don't want your dirty [Motorola] phones', Philip Weiss More than 40 pro-Palestinian activists hit a Best Buy in St. Louis 10 days ago in a flashmob song-n-dance about boycotting Motorola. Video is just out. Truly inspired, lovely, funny, Christmas spirit. Hedy Epstein, 86, is at 3:10 or so. Says Anna Baltzer, another member of the troupe, "One of the participants got arrested at the end. Call the police in North St Louis and you're lucky if someone shows up, but disrupt 3 minutes of Christmas shopping and you are busted!" http://mondoweiss.net/2010/12/86-year-old-holocaust-survivor-joins-flashmob-at-best-buy-in-st-louis-we-dont-want-your-dirty-motorola-phones.html #BDS: CODEPINK Boston singing Ahava boycott carols at Lord & Taylor This past Saturday, CODEPINK Boston sang Ahava boycott carols outside Lord & Taylor. You can check out the Stolen Beauty web site for a description of how to organize your own holiday caroling protest. You can download a song sheet and watch a video of a sample carol performed by the staff of Global Exchange. In response to the planned Ahava protest the American Jewish Committee of Boston organized an Ahava buycott, and claim to have "cleaned out the shelves" in Lord & Taylor. Way to go, AJC, in supporting occupation profiteering and the subsidy of two illegal settlements in the West Bank. http://youthanormalization.blogspot.com/2010/12/bds-codepink-boston-singing-ahava.html Activists protest Israeli army sergeant's campus propaganda visit On 2 December, the Western Massachusetts Coalition for Palestine organized a protest of an event entitled "Overcoming Terror: A True Story" which took place on the University of Massachusetts campus in Amherst. http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article11674.shtml?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+electronicIntifadaPalestine+%28Electronic+Intifada+%3A+Palestine+News%29 Former EU leaders call to sanction and boycott Israel According to letter: Israel, "like any other state," should answer for "the consequences" and "a price tag" for construction of housing in West Bank. Twenty-six former European Union leaders, including the EU's former top diplomat, Javier Solana, issued a letter last week calling for boycotts and sanctions targeting Israel due to settlement construction. http://www.jpost.com/International/Article.aspx?id=199012 Israel boycotts now official NSW Greens policy GREENS Senator-elect Lee Rhiannon has helped push through a policy to prevent trade between Australia and Israel, and stop Israeli sportspeople and performers coming to Australia.  At its state conference last weekend – held in the run-up to the NSW election in March – the NSW Greens passed a proposal by consensus for Australians and the Australian Government to "boycott Israeli goods, trading and military arrangements, and sporting, cultural and academic events as a contribution to the struggle to end Israel's occupation and colonisation of Palestinian territory, the siege of Gaza and imprisonment of 1.5 million people and Israel's institution of a system of apartheid". http://youthanormalization.blogspot.com/2010/12/bds-httpwwwjewishnewsnetauisrael.html #BDS: Arab actor: Boycott Israeli cinema Director of 'Jenin, Jenin' Mohammad Bakri tells Turkish daily he's being persecuted in Israel over his political opinions; says Ankara's response to deadly flotilla raid was not harsh enough. http://youthanormalization.blogspot.com/2010/12/bds-arab-actor-boycott-israeli-cinema.html Freedom Flotilla 2 To Sail To Gaza Next Spring Freedom Flotilla 2 solidarity ships will be sailing to the Gaza Strip next spring in order to challenge Israel's siege on the Gaza Strip by delivering much needed humanitarian and medical supplies. http://www.imemc.org/article/60162 BDS Update: "Besiege Your Siege!" Last month Canada's controversial Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper continued his campaign to support Israel through thick and thin at an international conference hosted by the Canadian Parliamentary Coalition to Combat Anti-Semitism (CPCCA), where he solemnly warned participants, "History shows us, and the ideology of the anti-Israel mob tells us all too well, that those who threaten the existence of the Jewish people are in the longer term a threat to all of us." http://dissidentvoice.org/2010/12/bds-update-%e2%80%98besiege-your-siege%e2%80%99/ Why Academic Boycott? Last week I thoroughly dealt with the not-so-scholarly and o-so-fallacious Nobel Laureates' statement on BDS.  In almost pure cosmic irony I just got a link from a friend to a Prime Minister's Office "non-tender": Request for information about improving Israel's image on U.S.A campuses.  Now that those talkback-esque arguments are out of the way, let's get into the direct cynical use the Israeli government makes of the academia, in order to further its propaganda. http://pulsemedia.org/2010/12/15/why-academic-boycott/ Anti US credit card companies "Visa, Mastercard and PayPal all enable donations to be made to US-registered groups funding illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank in defiance of international law.  It appears at least one of the major credit cards also enables donations to an extremist Jewish group that has placed a bounty on the lives of Palestinians.   All three have in the last week ceased enabling donations to WikiLeaks. Neither Mastercard nor Visa have   explained the basis for their decision to do so."   "At this stage WikiLeaks has breached no international law and no laws of any country, but Mastercard, Visa and PayPal have all blacklisted it. Yet all three continue to enable the support of settlements that are in breach of international law, in some cases of Israeli law, and in defiance of US policy on settlements under successive Republican and Democrat administrations." http://angryarab.blogspot.com/2010/12/us-credit-card-companies.html #BDS: Strauss reposts IDF-support commitment on website The Strauss Group, one of the country's foremost food and beverage companies, has returned its website banner in support of the IDF after it was removed following pressure and boycott threats in the US. Three weeks ago the Post reported that the BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions) movement in Philadelphia had initiated a campaign against Sabra and Tribe humous, produced by Strauss under its American logo, the Sabra Dipping Company, purportedly in protest of the company's public support for the IDF.  BDS activists held demonstrations in supermarkets and called on them to stop selling Strauss's products. http://youthanormalization.blogspot.com/2010/12/bds-strauss-reposts-idf-support.html Siege/Rights Violations/Restriction of Movement Living conditions of Palestinian refugees worse than believed - study BEIRUT: Palestinian refugees in Lebanon are two times more likely to live in poverty than other Lebanese people, preliminary report findings released Tuesday have shown. The "Socio-Economic Survey of Palestine Refugees in Lebanon" is the first comprehensive evaluation of its kind. http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=1&article_id=122554 Lebanon Storms Crush Palestinian Settlement After months of drought, storms pounded Lebanon during the weekend, destroying or damaging most of the 60 homes in Jal al-Bahr, one of Lebanon's poorest communities of Palestinian refugees.  On the shores of the Mediterranean in southern Lebanon, water laps onto the walls of the tin and concrete houses still standing in this tiny Palestinian community. Residents say waves, between six- and nine-meters high, crushed or permanently damaged most of the homes in this community. http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900SID/VVOS-8C5REW?OpenDocument&RSS20=02-P Civil rights for Palestinian refugees As the Palestine Civil Rights Movement launches 'Round Two' of the struggle to secure civil rights for Palestinian refugees in Lebanon, international community involvement is essential, beginning with education among the European Union countries of the squalid conditions in Lebanon's camps and EU solidarity with encouraging Lebanon's parliament to fulfill its obligations and avoid a growing demand for international sanctions against Lebanon. Among actions being organized is the pending lawsuit in Washington DC to cut off all US aid to Lebanon as required under the 1961 US Foreign Assistance Act to countries, such as Lebanon, who engage in a pattern of denying civil rights to refugees. http://sabbah.biz/mt/archives/2010/12/15/civil-rights-for-palestinian-refugees/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+SabbahsBlog+%28Sabbah+Report%29 Gulf delegation led by Saudi prince arrives in Gaza [Saudi post Wiki PR] A gulf delegation led by Saudi prince Turki Bin Talal Bin Abdul Aziz arrives in Gaza Strip on Wednesday accompanying two plane-loads of relief material to the Palestinian people in the Strip. http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%2bc Israel Now Builds Separation Wall With Africa CAIRO, Dec 15, 2010 (IPS) - After the separation barrier against Palestinian territories, Israel has begun to build a new wall, this one to keep migrants from Africa out. The new wall is coming up on the Egyptian border, and with Egyptian support. http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=53868 Wishing Qalandiya Away, Joharah Baker for MIFTAH My eight-year old summed up her three "genie wishes" the other day in a way that made me want to cry and laugh all at once. The first wish, she said, was to have her grandfather cancer-free "forever". The second wish, she said, was that the "checkpoint" – she was referring to the Qalandiya crossing between Ramallah and Jerusalem - would disappear, again "forever". Eight year olds tend to speak in absolute terms where "forever" is basically as long as she is around to remember it. The third wish was the only one with any hint of childish desires. "I wish we would all grow wings," she said very matter of fact. Satisfied, she looked at her older brother, who only had one very specific wish. "I wish I had loads of money." http://www.miftah.org/Display.cfm?DocId=22926&CategoryId=13 Inside the moral corruption of Israeli society, Joseph Dana After being arrested in a Palestinian demonstration near Hebron some time ago, I was handcuffed and blindfolded then sat in the direct sun along with another Israeli activist. After some time, an IDF commander arrived on the scene and asked one of his soldiers, "why are those two in the sun?" The soldier reported that he just put us next to some Palestinians that were arrested in the same demonstration. The commander, clearly upset with his young soldier, ordered that we be moved to the shade because 'they are Jews." Then he personally inspected the zip-tie handcuffs of the Palestinians, making sure that they were as excruciatingly tight as possible. This was one of my first concrete experiences in the West Bank in which I was able to see just how soldiers viewed Palestinians. It was as if they were not fully human or at least, not as human as Jews. http://josephdana.com/2010/12/inside-the-moral-corruption-of-israeli-society/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=inside-the-moral-corruption-of-israeli-society What does occupation mean? What does occupation mean for the daily lives of Palestinians? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s7TQxHBa3Zw&feature=player_embedded Racism and Discrimination Poll: 55% back rabbis' anti-Arab ruling Survey shows 41% of secular Israelis support municipal religious leaders' call not to rent apartments to non-Jews, as do 64% and 88% of Israel's traditional and haredi Jews, respectively. http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3998010,00.html Arab lawmakers: Rabbis' letter originated in Knesset Knesset discusses rabbis' petition calling not to rent apartments to Arab residents. 'Publish photos of these anti-Semite racists around world, they are no better than Bin Laden,' says MK El-Sana. http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3999700,00.html Law to Keep Jews and Arabs Apart, Jonathan Cook The pretty two-storey home with a red-tiled roof built by Adel and Iman Kaadan looks no different from the rows of other houses in Katzir, a small hilltop community in northern Israel close to the West Bank.  But, unlike the other residents of Katzir, the Kaadans moved into their dream home this month only after a 12-year battle through the Israeli courts.  The small victory for the Kaadans, who belong to Israel's Palestinian Arab minority, dealt a big blow to a state policy that for decades has reserved most of the country's land for Jews. http://dissidentvoice.org/2010/12/law-to-keep-jews-and-arabs-apart/ Repatriated Sudanese kids didn't get chance to say goodbye Advocates worry about 150 asylum seekers sent back; children's school principal fails to understand why secrecy was necessary. http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/repatriated-sudanese-kids-didn-t-get-chance-to-say-goodbye-1.330740?localLinksEnabled=false Violence/Aggression Two Palestinian workers wounded in IOF shooting Two Palestinian citizens were wounded in northern Gaza Strip on Tuesday morning when Israeli occupation forces (IOF) opened machinegun fire at them. http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k IOF troops storm house of MP Halaika Israeli occupation forces (IOF) stormed the house of MP Samira Al-Halaika in Shuyukh town, Al-Khalil district, at noon Tuesday, the MP said. http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%2bcO Israeli MKs call for assassinating Bishara, expelling Arab MKs from Knesset Deputies in the Israeli Knesset (parliament) have called for assassinating former Arab MP Azmi Bishara, describing him as "terrorist". http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k% Detainees (held by Israelis and the PA) Israeli army detains 7 Palestinians in WB West Bank, December 15, (Pal Telegraph) – Israeli occupation forces (IOF) detained Wednesday seven Palestinians from different cities in the West Bank.  Local sources reported that huge forces of the Israeli army raided Hebron, Tolkarem, Jenin and Ramallah where they broke into number of  houses and detained seven citizens who were transferred to unknown place.  In addition to, IOF erected military checkpoints at the entrance of Bait Fjar town and other near Al-Khader town in south of Bethlehem, the sources said.  Israeli forces roamed Takoua town, no detention reported there, the sources added. http://www.paltelegraph.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=7723:Israeli-army-detains-7-Palestinians-in-WB&catid=59:west-bank&Itemid=135 Seven Arrested in Overnight West Bank Raids; Troops Photograph Mosque Ramallah – PNN - In a series of Israeli military raids in and near the cities of Tulkarm, Tubas, Jenin, and Ramallah, seven Palestinians were arrested before Wednesday morning.  In the village of Tamoun, near the northern West Bank city of Tubas, 22-year-old Abdul Sitar Khaled Nebi Awda was taken away after his home was searched and military checkpoints were set up outside his village. http://english.pnn.ps/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=9272&Itemid=64 Hamas: PA security detained 23 supporters BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- Hamas officials in the West Bank accused the Palestinian Authority of detaining 23 of its supporters from areas across the West Bank, a statement said on Wednesday.  The alleged arrests, which could not be confirmed by Ma'an, were carried out in the northern districts of Nablus, Salfit, and Qalqiliya as well as southern districts of Hebron and Bethlehem. http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=342159 Prisoner Khalifa exposed to torture by PA interrogators Islamic Jihad said that prisoner Faisal Khalifa is being exposed to excruciating torture at the hands of interrogators from the Palestinian authority in Tulkarem city. http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%2 IOA isolates prisoner for persisting in hunger strike The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) said that the Israeli occupation authorities had isolated prisoner Linan Abu Ghulma in Hasharon jail. http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%2 Family committee: The six hungers strikers may die any moment The family committee of Palestinian detainees in West Bank jails said that the six hunger strikers in PA jails could die any moment after their critical health conditions reached a deadly level. http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?x War/Occupation Crimes What's really wrong with the Goldstone Report, Jerome Slater The usual rightwing "pro-Israel" circles are gleeful over the reported resignation of Christian Tomuschat, a German jurist who has been heading the UN committee charged with implementing the Goldstone Report. For example, B'nai B'rith International welcomed the resignation, commenting that it would further undermine the credibility of the "odious claim" that Israel deliberately attacked civilians in its attack on Gaza ("Operation Cast Lead") two years ago. Similarly, Jennifer Rubin of the Washington Post chortles (quoting "a friend") that "the biased UN probe now has no leader, and is in disarray." http://mondoweiss.net/2010/12/whats-really-wrong-with-the-goldstone-report.html The Corrie Trial in Israel: Seeking Answers And Accountability Transparent. Credible. Thorough. These were the words used by Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon in 2003 when setting forth the terms under which the investigation into the killing of Rachel Corrie would be conducted to George W. Bush, one day after Rachel was crushed to death by an Israeli military bulldozer. Both the scene at the courtroom in Haifa, where the Corrie family's civil case is proceeding against the state of Israel, and the testimony of the bulldozer driver who killed Rachel, expose the hollowness of those words. http://www.wrmea.org/component/content/article/362/10206-the-corrie-trial-in-israel-seeking-answers-and-accountability.html Political Developments Hamas holds massive Gaza rally Resistance group throws 23rd anniversary rally, as tight Israeli siege makes Gaza's Hamas rulers increasingly unpopular. http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2010/12/20101214135412759764.html Fatah members, in their own divided words An excerpt from an online study shows supporters of Abbas's faction to be ambivalent, at best, about peace. http://www.jpost.com/Features/FrontLines/Article.aspx?ID=199332&R=R1 Poll: 69% Support Signing Peace Treaty with Israel Ramallah – PNN - The results of a recent poll conducted by Near East Consulting show a rise in the popularity of Fatah, a corresponding fall in the popularity of Hamas, and that a majority 69% of Palestinians support signing a peace treaty.  The poll was conducted between December 5 and 7, with 850 Palestinian respondents from around the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, and Jerusalem. The margin of error was 3.4%.  The results are largely the same as they were in November 2010 (68%) and higher than during July (59%).  Sixty-two percent support a change in Hamas' position to allow Israel to exist, while 38% support holding that position. http://english.pnn.ps/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=9269 Palestinians to Mitchell: U.S. must demand talks based on 1967 borders U.S. envoy meets with Abbas, who says Palestinians have already submitted their stance on core issues and that the U.S. must now turn to Netanyahu with demands. http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/palestinians-to-mitchell-u-s-must-demand-talks-based-on-1967-borders-1.330623?localLinksEnabled=false Report: Mitchell presented Abbas with offers Al-Hayat says US envoy offered Palestinians a debate on Jerusalem, but no return to 1967 borders. http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3999404,00.html Netanyahu agrees to discuss core issues in indirect talks with Palestinians UN Mideast envoy: Credibility of countries sponsoring Israeli-Palestinian peace process is at stake. http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/netanyahu-agrees-to-discuss-core-issues-in-indirect-talks-with-palestinians-1.330698?localLinksEnabled=false US Congress Warns PA on Revived Peace Negotiations The US Congress mounted pressure on the Palestinian Authority to resume peace talks, warning against a unilateral declaration of statehood, media sources reported. http://www.imemc.org/article/60167 Report: Dennis Ross in Israel for secret talks TEL AVIV, Israel (Ma'an) -- Veteran US diplomat Dennis Ross arrived in Israel Tuesday evening and is scheduled to hold talks with Israeli security officials, Israeli daily newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reported Wednesday.  Ross, a prominent US policy maker, was allegedly sent by US president Barak Obama and his Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to check out what security coordination would be necessary if a final peace agreement was reached in the region. http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=342200 Israel redefines the definition of Chutzpah, Joseph Dana After failing to take an incentive package from the United States in exchange for a freeze on settlement activity, Israel is asking for the incentive package anyway. Israel was reportedly offered 20 advanced war planes from the United States in exchange for a settlement freeze which would lead the way to renewed peace talks. However, Israel refused the idea of freezing settlement construction and Bloomberg is reporting today that Israeli Ambassador Michael Oren, is still expecting to receive the war planes. http://josephdana.com/2010/12/israel-redefines-the-definition-of-chutzpah/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=israel-redefines-the-definition-of-chutzpah Other News Hamas launches a public relations offensive Many people say Hamas's transition into a political party has reduced its appeal. Now the group has also taken its image campaign into the streets and classrooms. Nicole Johnston reports now on Hamas's efforts to bolster its image. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e59WRSEqrow&feature=youtube_gdata A farmer named Suha Arafat? WikiLeaks documents reveal American diplomats were puzzled by request for Tunisian citizenship made by former Palestinian Authority chairman's widow in 2006. One of benefits – owning agricultural land – did not seem very attractive as 'Mrs. Arafat is not known to be an aspiring farmer'. http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3999405,00.html Jordan will not receive deported Palestinians: official The Jordanian government refused Monday receiving any Palestinians deported by Israel from the Occupied Territories under the pretext that they do not have legal residence permits.  A top Jordanian official stressed that Jordan neither received nor will receive Palestinians deported from Palestinian lands occupied by Israel, according to the Jordanian independent newspaper al-Arab al-Yawm. http://www.alarabiya.net/articles/2010/12/14/129593.html Fire scandal: Israel dismissed firefighting aircraft Massive firefighting plane was offered to Israel on blaze's first day but rejected, company rep says http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3999198,00.html Picasso to Ramallah A joint initiative between Ramallah's International Art Academy Palestine and the Van Abbemuseum in Eindhoven, Netherlands, is trying to bring an original masterpiece by the Spanish artist Pablo Picasso to Ramallah to be placed at the academy, for public viewing. http://www.imemc.org/article/60178 Analysis/Op-ed Josh Ruebner: Settlement Reversal Threatens Obama's Israeli-Palestinian Peace Efforts The United States missed a major opportunity to reassess its unrealistic strategy to achieve Israeli-Palestinian peace when Hillary Clinton addressed the invitation-only crowd assembled at the Brookings Institution last Friday. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/josh-ruebner/settlement-reversal-threa_b_795890.html A long Palestinian struggle has ended Partition, maybe?, Philip Weiss I keep wanting to do a big post on how the Palestinians have won and Partition is over. I need to collect my string first, I might be wrong. Hillary Clinton would say that the Palestinians are big losers if Partition is over, Tom Friedman also says that the Palestinians need Partition; but who is he to speak for the Palestinians, a man who was lecturing his classmates in high school on the greatness of the Israeli victory of '67? But if you look at this issue with historical sweep, the Palestinians did not want Zionism, didn't want immigration, didn't want a Jewish state, didn't want the armistice line, and have been resisting these facts forever, etc. People in the west call this attitude rejectionist, but really would we have done any differently? Would anyone? http://mondoweiss.net/2010/12/a-long-palestinian-struggle-has-ended-partition-maybe.html Instead of befriending neo-fascists, Israel should make peace True, the scope of settlement construction was four times larger during the premiership of Ehud Barak; but remember, that's also why negotiations with the Palestinians ended. http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/opinion/instead-of-befriending-neo-fascists-israel-should-make-peace-1.330495 New language for Middle East peace The recent passage by Israel's Knesset of a law requiring either a two-thirds Knesset majority or approval by an unprecedented national referendum before Israel can "cede" any land in expanded East Jerusalem to a Palestinian state has been widely recognized as making any "two-state solution" even more inconceivable than before. http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=2&article_id=122548 Israel, Obama and the Bomb, CONN HALLINAN This past July, a nuclear-armed nation, in violation of an international treaty, clandestinely agreed to supply uranium to a known proliferator of nuclear weapons.  China and North Korea? No, the United States and Israel.  In a July 8 article entitled "Report: Secret Document Affirms U.S. Israeli Nuclear Partnership," the Israeli daily Haaretz revealed that the Obama Administration will begin transferring nuclear fuel to Israel in order to build up Tel Aviv's nuclear stockpile.  There is profound irony in the fact that while the U.S. and some of its allies are threatening military action against Iran for enriching uranium, Washington is bypassing the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) while aiding Israel's nuclear weapons program, the only country in the world that has actually helped another nation construct and test a nuclear device. http://www.counterpunch.com/hallinan12152010.html Bidding Farewell to the Two-State Solution, Rania Zabaneh As the US administration abandons its efforts to persuade Israel reinstate a partial settlement freeze in the occupied Palestinian territory, the ailing Middle East peace process suffers another setback.  Israel made its choice clear, Palestinians say -- in spite of a generous incentives package from Washington, the Netanyahu government chose settlements over resurrecting the peace process based on the two-state solution. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rania-zabaneh/bidding-farewell-to-the-t_b_796672.html Restructure the mediation in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Sam Bahour Now that Palestinian-Israeli talks appear to be stalled, the United States is at a crossroads in its mediation of Middle East peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians. The Obama administration can no longer walk on the Israeli side of the line - which is exactly where the US has been since Israel's creation - while continuing to pay lip service to the illusion of walking on the thin line. http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=5&article_id=122538 If Yaffa saw me–really saw me–wouldn't it at least love me a little?, Tala Abu Rahmeh "Habibi don't see me" --Suheir Hammad. I went to Yaffa on Friday night. I have a permit that expires next month, so my friends are taking me all over the place to milk it before I become illegal. It's almost funny that my ability to drive 20 minutes outside of Ramallah in the direction of Jerusalem will actually expire on a specific date.  I have always avoided Yaffa, I never had a relationship with the city aside from my family's stories of being uprooted from their homes and the smell of the sea, but every time I go there I feel incredibly rejected, like nothing I will ever be or say will ever make me worthy of this city. It is obviously an unhealthy relationship.  After we approached a row of stunning lights shining from Ben Gurion Airport, our car slowly began sinking into Yaffa's streets that were dimmed in anticipation of Saturday. There was something incredibly sad about such an ordinary ritual, like a child being forced to sleep and go to a terrible school in the morning. http://mondoweiss.net/2010/12/if-yaffa-saw-me-really-saw-me-wouldnt-it-at-least-love-me-a-little.html Schnabel says 'Miral' was delayed because 'the world' isn't ready for its message, Philip Weiss Last night at Alwan for the Arts in New York they staged a cultural event that might even be historic it was so important in subtle/oozing ways. Julian Schnabel read passages from the novel Miral, by the Palestinian-Italian journalist Rula Jebreal, and the two answered questions, Jebreal about her childhood in occupied East Jerusalem and Schnabel aobut his film based on Jebreal's book. The importance of the evening was literal and symbolic. A leading Jew in the arts and an Arab stood together in an Arab-American space, to give life to the Palestinian story. They did so in ways that punctured the Israeli story (Deir Yassin, ethnic cleansing, Gaza onslaught were all touchstones) but also actually honored a Jewish cultural understanding. There was a sense that Jebreal could only tell her Arab woman's story outside the Middle East, and that in the U.S. a Jewish artist could help in facilitating its expression. http://mondoweiss.net/2010/12/schnabel-says-miral-was-delayed-because-the-world-isnt-ready-for-its-message.html Fear and loathing in Long Island Tonight the UJA-Federation of New York will be hosting a Jewish community-wide event in a Nassau County (Long Island) suburb. In this season of peace and goodwill, what might this event have as its focus? One might think it would center around learning about and assisting those who are spiritually and/or financially needy. Others might think that the community might get together to learn more about Judaism, the real meaning of Hanukkah, and the concept of being a true "light among nations". Maybe some might believe that they would learn about the state of religious pluralism in Israel. Unfortunately, all of these assumptions would be wrong. http://mondoweiss.net/2010/12/fear-and-loathing-in-long-island.html Listening to Palestinians, Nancy Kanwisher Now that the Obama administration's efforts to reach an agreement between Israel and Palestine are finally moribund, it is worth stepping back to ask what is really going on in this troubled part of the world. Understanding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict requires not only a grasp of cold facts and statistics, but an understanding of the daily experience of the real people who live on each side. American news media heavily emphasize Israeli perspectives, but provide few opportunities to hear directly from Palestinians. To help counter this imbalance, I am posting video clips of some of the Palestinians I spoke with on a recent trip. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/nancy-kanwisher/listening-to-palestinians_b_796630.html Book review: Humanity and warmth in "Letters from Palestine" Western publishers have too often neglected the perspective of Palestinians and other Arabs when it comes to books on Israel and the Palestinians. Letters from Palestine, a new collection of Palestinian writing edited by Kenneth Ring and Ghassan Abdullah, is thus a welcome initiative. http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article11675.shtml?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+electronicIntifadaPalestine+%28Electronic+Intifada+%3A+Palestine+News%29 Aslan: Everything they are saying about Muslims they said about Jews and Catholics before them Get ready for the diverse future or get out of the way. Arnie Cooper of Miller-McCune talks to Reza Aslan: http://mondoweiss.net/2010/12/aslan-everything-they-are-saying-about-muslims-they-said-about-jews-and-catholics-before-them.html Hussein Ibish Troubled With Anti-Israel Activism By Students Hussein Ibish sounds deeply troubled by authentic pro-Palestine activism on US campuses.  He is admonishing pro-Palestine students to not be "anti-Israel."  He may now start reaching out and cooperating with Daniel Pipes and Campus Watch.  "You've got both models out there — confrontation and cooperation," said Hussein Ibish, a senior fellow at the American Task Force on Palestine, a Washington-based organization that favors two states for two peoples. "It's crucial for pro-Palestinian activists to be pro-Palestinian rather than anti-Israel," http://ikhras.com/2010/12/hussein-ibish-troubled-with-anti-israel-activism-by-students/ Ziad Asali Praising The "Servant of the Two Holy Mosques" The relationship between members of the "Arab Lobby" in Washington and pro-US tyrannical regimes in the Arab world remains strong.  Ziad Asali, the President of The American Task Force on Palestine (ATFP), the public relations firm for Israeli-sponsored, Western-funded, American-supervised, collaborationist authority in occupied Ramallah, was interviewed by one of the Saudi family newspapers.  The paper described this empty black-tie-tuxedo who signs his name to articles Hussein Ibish writes for him as someone "with a strong presence on the political scene." http://ikhras.com/2010/12/ziad-asali-praising-the-servant-of-the-two-holy-mosques/ Lebanon Israel spies on Lebanon telecom network Along the Lebanese southern border one comes across a large number of transmission poles. Some officials and experts say they have been set up by Israel for the purpose of infiltrating Lebanon's telecommunications system and spying on the movement of civilians and even of the united nations interim forces stationed there.  They further say such poles enable Israeli intelligence officers to communicate with agents they have in southern Lebanon, the stronghold of Israel's arch rival, Hezbollah. http://www.presstv.ir/detail/155489.html Michel Sulayman is implicated--yes "Almost as damaging, Murr's testimony directly implicates the Lebanese president Michel Sleiman. In March 2008, at the time of the conversation, the Lebanese president was army chief of staff. And Murr told his American friends that he had already instructed Sleiman that the Lebanese army should not get involved 'when Israel comes.' http://angryarab.blogspot.com/2010/12/michel-sulayman-is-implicated-yes.html Israel: Next Lebanon strike will eclipse 2006 BEIRUT: Israel has warned it will strike Lebanon with "10 times" the force of its 2006 onslaught in the event of provocation by Hizbullah. In an interview which was published Tuesday by Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronot, an unidentified senior Israeli Army northern command officer also alleged that Hizbullah had continued to receive "all kinds of rockets" from neighboring Syria. http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=2&article_id=122563 I find Cohen to be least unreasonable of the New York Times' crowd "Dahiye, the Hezbollah-controlled southern Beirut suburb flattened by Israel in 2006, now bustles with construction and commerce, including state-of-the-art juice bars and risqué lingerie stores. It feels about as threatening as New York's Canal Street."  I notice that not a single white journalist who passes through Lebanon, does not get invited for a meal with Walid Jumblat.  That guy really--I mean, really--loves the company of the White Man--even if it was Jeffrey Feltman, for potato's sake.  Of course, I don't attack Jumblat just because he called me "crazy" in a published interview.  I did not like him during his "progressive" phase, and I liked him less during this "imperialist" phase.  And I like him now even less during his detour. http://angryarab.blogspot.com/2010/12/i-find-cohen-to-be-least-unreasonable.html More on the reporting of Ruthie Ackerman from her "fixer" in Lebanon I told Moe Ali Nayel (whose fed-up letter I posted under the headline of an angry Arab fixer) that many Western journalists go to Lebanon claiming that they want to study potatoes when they really want to write about other matters.  He wrote me this:  "To tell you the truth now that you pointed out the fact that some come to Lebanon pretending they are doing fluff stories like she tried to do, I remember that when I first met her she started asking about HA and how they use the internet to mobilize people and then later in the conversation when I was explaining that people use internet cafes a lot in Lebanon, she asked me if we could go to HA areas, villages etc and talk to people in internet cafes, I refused. Another day when we met she said that she heard HA has many hackers and would it be possible to talk to them. I was surprised and said it's impossible to do such things. I had a weird feeling about her after she kept insisting on doing things in HA areas, that's the term she kept using, and I decided that I was going to keep her away from doing any story about HA. She kept insisting until I finally gave her the number for...Honestly, sometimes I meet journalists who come to Lebanon and are only interested in HA, and their insistence makes me suspicious and I might be wrong but I just avoid them and let them go. [continued] http://angryarab.blogspot.com/2010/12/more-on-reporting-of-ruthie-ackerman.html Iraq Iran/Iraq refugees die in Australia boat tragedy (AFP) AFP - At least 27 refugees, believed to be from Iraq and Iran, died Wednesday after their wooden boat shattered in violent seas off Australia before horrified witnesses, with fears as many as 50 could have perished. http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/iraq/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20101215/wl_mideast_afp/australiaimmigrationaccident Tuesday: 7 Iraqis Killed, 69 Wounded At first, it seemed the religious holiday of Ashuraa would result in fewer reports of violence, but several large attacks have occurred in the last few days, today included. At least seven Iraqis were killed and 69 more were killed across the country in the latest brutalities. The holiday culminates on Thursday and, incidentally, highlights the schism between Sunnis and the Shi'ites who are marking the martyrdom of Hussein ibn Ali. Shi'ite processions and trips to Karbala make these pilgrims easy targets for violence. http://original.antiwar.com/updates/2010/12/14/tuesday-7-iraqis-killed-69-wounded/ Iraqi forces face key security test over Ashura ceremonies KARBALA, Iraq: Iraqi forces will provide security for Ashura ceremonies this week in Karbala with no active support from US forces, in a key test of their capabilities ahead of an American pullout in a year.Heavy security is being deployed in the Shiite Muslim shrine city for Ashura, which marks the slaying of the revered Imam Hussein by the armies of the Caliph Yazid in 680. http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=2&article_id=122542 Shiites pour into Iraqi shrine city for Ashura (AFP) AFP - Shiites in their hundreds of thousands were descending on Iraq's holy city of Karbala on Wednesday ahead of the climax of Ashura ceremonies, surrounded by heavy security over fears of attacks. http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/iraq/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20101215/wl_mideast_afp/iraqreligionshiiteashura Iraq seizes Iranian truck bomb An Iranian truck carrying explosives was found in the parking lot of Basra International Fair which is due to open in a few days hosting a number of foreign companies, Basra Police Command said.  5 suspects involved in this incident were arrested including two Iranians thought to have taken turns in driving the truck through, the Police Command said.  The truck arrived on Tuesday to Basra from Iran through Al Shalamja border passage, Basra Police Chief Brigadier Adel Dham told Alsumaria News. A box filled with explosives was found inside the truck, he added.  First reports say that the truck was going to be used to bomb Basra International Fair. http://www.alsumaria.tv/en/Iraq-News/1-57627-Iraq-seizes-Iranian-truck-bomb.html Sunni-backed politician to join Iraqi government (AP) AP - The head of a Sunni-backed political party will join the Shiite-led government being assembled by his top rival, a spokeswoman said Tuesday, clearing a final hurdle to end months of tortuous, postelection dealmaking. http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/iraq/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101214/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_iraq The dirty footprints of Chalabi via Wikileaks The role of Iraqi exile Ahmed Chalabi has fascinated me for years. The corporate press used him as a key source over Iraq's alleged WMDs. Oops. http://antonyloewenstein.com/2010/12/15/the-dirty-footprints-of-chalabi-via-wikileaks/ FEATURE-Iraq business elite flourish in Jordan safe haven ZARQA, Jordan (Reuters) - In the luxury of his smart office in a Jordanian duty free zone, Iraqi entrepreneur Sahib Al-Haddad takes orders for his new milk powder factory from merchants in Baghdad.  Visitors are met by a painting of Iraq's once mighty Tigris river and lush palm trees, hundreds of miles from Al-Haddad's factory in the dusty Jordanian re-export zone. http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/feature-iraq-business-elite-flourish-in-jordan-safe-haven Iraqi shoe thrower signs his first book in Beirut (AP) AP - The Iraqi journalist who threw his shoes at former President George W. Bush said Tuesday he is suing Iraq's prime minister for his detention and alleged torture during the nine months he spent in custody. http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/iraq/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101214/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_iraq_shoe_thrower Is free Iraq becoming a more Islamic state? (Reuters) Reuters - A group of men recently ordered Siham al-Zubaidi to close down her Baghdad hair salon for two months for Shi'ite religious festivities. She had no idea who they were but complied because she feared for her life. http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/iraq/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20101215/wl_nm/us_iraq_crackdown Wikileaks/U.S. and other world news WikiLeaks founder bail challenged Swedish prosecutors have opted to appeal a British court's decision to grant WikiLeaks' founder Julian Assange bail. http://english.aljazeera.net//news/europe/2010/12/20101214152619154294.html Jailed Assange awaits Sweden appeal WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange spends at least one more night in jail while Swedish authorities challenge his bail. http://english.aljazeera.net/news/europe/2010/12/2010121513186654405.html Swedish Prosecutor Raises Possible Extradition of WikiLeaks Founder to U.S. The Swedish prosecutor who asked British authorities to detain Mr. Assange and send him to Sweden for questioning about possible sex crimes, discussed the possibility of sending him to the United States in a statement posted on the Swedish Prosecution Authority's Web site on Tuesday. http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/12/14/swedish-prosecutor-raises-possible-extradition-of-wikileaks-founder-to-u-s/ ? Attorney: Swedish Case is a "Holding Charge" to Get Julian Assange Extradited to U.S. WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange remains in a London prison after Swedish authorities challenged the court's decision to release him on bail with conditions. Assange's attorney Mark Stephens joins us to discuss his possible extradition to Sweden for questioning on alleged sexual crimes amidst rumors the Obama administration has convened a grand jury to indict Assange in the United States. http://www.democracynow.org/2010/12/15/lawyer_alleged_swedish_sex_crime_is John Pilger: Global Support for WikiLeaks is "Rebellion" Against U.S. Militarism, Secrecy The award-winning investigative journalist and documentary filmmaker John Pilger is one of many high-profile public supporters of Julian Assange and his organization WikiLeaks. Pilger has attended Assange's court proceedings in London and has offered to contribute funds for his more than $300,000 bail. Pilger's latest film, The War You Don't See, includes interviews with Assange. Pilger says that WikiLeaks is revolutionizing journalism and galvanizing public opinion to stand up to global elites. http://www.democracynow.org/2010/12/15/john_pilger_journalists_must_support_julian Gillard may get me killed: Assange WIKILEAKS founder Julian Assange says Prime Minister Julia Gillard has put his life and freedom at risk by publicly pre-judging his actions as "criminal". http://www.dailymercury.com.au/story/2010/12/12/WikiLeaks-julian-assange-gillard/ We Support WikiLeaks Stand with Daniel Ellsberg, Barbara Ehrenreich, Arundhati Roy, Noam Chomsky and others-- add your name at the bottom of the page! http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/592/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=5343 WikiLeaks Protests: Julian Assange Supporters Demonstrate Outside London Courthouse Dozens of demonstrators descended upon the City of Westminster Magistrate's Court in London Tuesday, jostling for room as they protested in support of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, who currently faces sexual assault charges.  As the BBC is reporting, about 100 supporters took over the sidewalk outside of the courtroom, carrying banners which read "Justice for Julian," and "show trial," a reference to a statement reportedly used by Assange's attorney to describe the direction he felt legal proceedings were taking. Others chanted statements like, "free Julian now!" and "don't shoot the messenger." http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/12/14/wikileaks-protests-suppor_n_796708.html Video: Sydney Wikileaks Protest http://wikileaksfan.com/video/sydney-wikileaks-fans-protest USAF blocks media sites over Leaks United States Air Force has barred access to news websites containing material from WikiLeaks' disclosure of US files. http://english.aljazeera.net/news/americas/2010/12/2010121512126390761.html Restored WikiLeaks.org Hosted by US Web Host The newly restored WikiLeaks.org site does not contain any of the controversial leaked cables or content that it previously had prior to being shut down. http://www.thewhir.com/web-hosting-news/121410_Restored_WikiLeaksorg_Hosted_by_US_Web_Host_Silicon_Valley_Web_Hosting WikiLeaks Exposes Pakistan's Rhetoric The cables show that contrary to what was said in public the military leadership, including General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani, approved drone strikes against Al Qaeda targets and approved US Special Forces being embedded within the Pakistani army fighting in the north-west. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/aparna-pande/wikileaks-exposes-pakista_b_796290.html CNN: Is Julian Assange a 'journalist or terrorist'? It's one thing to maintain neutrality while reporting on a controversial topic. It's another to adopt over-the-top rhetoric as if it's serious or real.  In its coverage of the so-called "Cablegate" scandal, CNN appears to be attempting both.  During a Dec. 12 broadcast, the network compared Assange and his supporters to old-west bank robbers Bonnie and Clyde, among others, suggesting the outcry over the WikiLeaks founder's imprisonment is much like the flurry of support for other famous criminals.  "[Julian Assange] may be the Robin Hood of data or information," Greg McCrary, an FBI profiler, told the network. http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2010/12/julian-assange-journalist-terrorist-cnn-wonders/ Maher Arar: Enough Hypocrisy: WikiLeaks Is Filling a Vacuum Instead of blaming WikiLeaks, governments should blame themselves. The solution is more transparency on their party. Only then will WikiLeaks be deprived of its audience. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/maher-arar/enough-hypocrisy-wikileak_b_796238.html Inside Story - Policing online content WikiLeaks and its founder Julian Assange continue to be under fire.Who controls the flow of information on the internet? Who sets the rules and under what terms? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jh_XQkU3Z9A&feature=youtube_gdata US Kills 4 People In Pakistan Four persons were killed in a US drone attack on a vehicle in Miranshah tehsil in North Waziristan Agency on Tuesday. http://www.pakistantimes.net/pt/detail.php?newsId=17253 U.S. intelligence reports cast doubt on war progress in Afghanistan The assessments contradict defense officials' optimistic outlook. They contend that large swaths of the country remain at risk of falling to the Taliban and that Pakistan is still supporting militants, officials say.  Two new assessments by the U.S. intelligence community present a gloomy picture of the Afghanistan war, contradicting a more upbeat view expressed by military officials as the White House prepares to release a progress report on the 9-year-old conflict. http://feeds.latimes.com/%7Er/latimes/middleeast/%7E3/dDJ7LIjvXZE/la-fg-afghan-review-20101215,0,6765262.story Deadly bomb attack on Iran city A bomb attack in the south-eastern Iranian city of Chabahar kills at least 38 people and injures many more, Iranian news sources say. http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/int/news/-/news/world-middle-east-11997679 Mideast deal would free Arabs to focus on Iran: Rudd An Israeli-Palestinian peace deal would free up the Arab world to "exclusively focus" on the problem of Iran's nuclear program, Australia's top diplomat said in remarks published on Wednesday. http://www.alarabiya.net/articles/2010/12/15/129688.html Terrorist by Association: The Justice Department targets nonviolent solidarity activists September 24 began like any other Friday for Joe Iosbaker and Stephanie Weiner. Then, at 7 a.m., FBI agents knocked on the door of the Chicago couple's house in the city's North Side.  Armed with a search warrant, more than 20 agents examined the couple's home, photographing every room and combing through notebooks, family videos and books, even their children's drawings. Some items were connected to their decades of anti-war and international solidarity activism, but others were not. "Folders were opened, letters were pulled out of envelopes," says Weiner, an adult education professor at Wilbur Wright College. "They had rubber gloves and they went through every aspect of our home." (See video interview with Weiner and Iosbaker below.) http://www.inthesetimes.com/main/print/6745/ Berkeley School SUED By U.S. After Denying Teacher Unpaid Leave For Muslim Pilgrimage WASHINGTON — The federal government sued a suburban Chicago school district Monday for denying a Muslim middle school teacher unpaid leave to make a pilgrimage to Mecca that is a central part of her religion.  In a civil rights case, the department said the school district in Berkeley, Ill., denied the request of Safoorah Khan on grounds that her requested leave was unrelated to her professional duties and was not set forth in the contract between the school district and the teachers union. In doing so the school district violated the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by failing to reasonably accommodate her religious practices, the government said. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/12/14/berkeley-school-sued-by-u_n_796578.html 1 small town's battle for tolerance SIDNEY CENTER, N.Y. – The cemetery lies beneath a grove of maples on a hill overlooking the farm. On a crisp November day in 2009, it received its first guest — a 28-year old stonemason killed in a car accident two days earlier.  Somberly, his Sufi Muslim brethren carried his coffin up the hill, their colorful turbans and baggy tunics a striking contrast to the rolling hills all around. Beneath a vibrant green headstone — the color of the Osmanli Naksibendi Hakkani order, which runs a 50-acre farm and mosque here — the shrouded body of Amir Celoski was lowered into the ground. Mourners bowed their heads and prayed: May he rest in peace.  But that was not to be.  Instead of peace, Celoski's burial ignited a war — one that would erupt nine months later, hurling Sidney into the national spotlight, bitterly dividing some residents while transforming others who say their lives and their town will never be the same. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101213/ap_on_re_us/us_turbans_on_the_hill Sweden's far-right wants Islamist debate STOCKHOLM: The far-right Sweden Democrats demanded a debate in parliament on Islamic extremism Tuesday following the weekend's twin blasts in Stockholm, probably designed to wreak carnage among Christmas shoppers. "The Sweden Democrats demand a current debate in parliament about violence-prone Islamic extremism. http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=2&article_id=122552 Hundreds of refugees held captive in Egypt, report reveals Smugglers imprison asylum seekers in steel containers, raping and torturing them while the relatives of the refugees are made to listen, until they pay thousands of dollars in ransom. http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/hundreds-of-refugees-held-captive-in-egypt-report-reveals-1.330771?localLinksEnabled=false Sudan arrests women at rally against police whipping KHARTOUM: Sudanese authorities arrested about 30 women who tried to hold a protest in Khartoum Tuesday against the brutal police whipping of a young woman shown in a video posted on YouTube and charged them with disrupting public order.An AFP journalist said the arrests took place in central Khartoum near the Justice Ministry where the demonstrators wanted to deliver a protest letter. http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=2&article_id=122544 Media watchdogs condemn Kuwait for closing Al-Jazeera KUWAIT CITY: International media watchdogs condemned Tuesday the Kuwaiti government's closure of Al-Jazeera satellite television's office in the emirate for covering police use of force at a public gathering. "Reporters Without Borders (RSF) firmly condemns the government's closure of the Kuwait City bureau of the Doha-based satellite TV station Al-Jazeera. http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=2&article_id=122545 Saudi Arabian Foreign Policy: Limits of Being Helpful It was Saudi Arabian intelligence which helped prevent the explosion of bombs hidden in printer cartridges on aircraft in Britain and Dubai. Riyadh has recently been politically active in a number of conflicts in the wider Middle East, but will decline suggestions it should become a pivotal power in the region. http://www.chathamhouse.org.uk/publications/twt/archive/view/-/id/2095/ www.TheHeadlines.org Comment on this article > Alia Malek on Rula Jebreal Dec 15, 2010 10:55 am | Alia Malek Rula Jebreal and Julian Schnabel were at Alwan for the Arts the other night, talking about her book Miral, and Schnabel's movie about the book. Weiss posted on their presentation. He saw Alia Malek, author of A Country Called Amreeka, at the event and asked her to respond to his post. It's funny how different people focus on different aspects. So let me give you my reactions and thoughts to the panel.  First and foremost, I'm not sure how fair it is to analogize Jewish-Americans acknowledging the Nakba to Arab-Americans acknowledging sexual abuse and gender inequalities. Denying gender inequalities is not central to any Arab nationalism, the way that denying the Nakba is sort of central to Zionism or its apologists. So it's less of a "challenge to our very essence" for Arab-Americans to sit and hear about sexual abuse and gender issues... And I think that is in part because of how Rula Jebreal presented it -- which is why I think the comparison to Ayan Hirsi Ali is quite unfair as well. Had Rula presented her mother's rape as a function of the essence of Arab men, or Arab culture, or Muslim men or Muslim culture, then I think many of us would have been up in arms. and that's what Ayan Hirsi Ali does and why she is so disliked or dismissed. Rula didn't essentialize at all. She told us about her mother's personal experience. And she also told us how her adopted father loved her and cared for her even though she wasn't his own.  Also, last night I watched an interview with Jebreal: It's in Italian, but she was vehement when the interviewer tried to ask her about "Islamic countries" that such a notion is false. She is in fact very much un-Ayan Hirsi Ali in that way. Her grandmother taking on a new husband after she was widowed... while that might have been the tradition at the time, it's hardly the situation that every stepfather comes in and is a rapist or an abuser. I don't think she was blaming the tradition for her mother's rape. And unfortunately, life is full of mothers turning the other cheek from the abuse of their daughters for whatever reason... and that is happening down the street as much as it is happening in Arab countries.  Also im curious why you noted there was a veiled woman (i only saw one) when noting that no one went up in arms over the sexual abuse/inequalities theme .... that seems to assume that a veiled woman would be more tolerant of gender inequality and abuse... I think that's a false assumption... especially considering this woman was the one behind the video camera etc. I'm not sure I heard her say that only in Europe could she share her tale... I think that's contradicted by the fact that it's been subtitled in Arabic (by her) and that it was shown in Doha, Dubai, Ramallah film fests etc. I think those in fact were HIS assertions, when challenged by the female Italian cinematographer about him making the film etc... and remember, she was sent to Italy for education and on scholarship but also worked as a journalist in the middle east. And she pointed out the sexism culturally not of Palestine, but of Italy...I think her point about conservative Arab mores was that, one does not air dirty laundry about family sexual abuse, or about the father not being her real father, etc. and that of course will bother viewers. But the main difference is, according to them, the movie has been embraced bu folks in the middle east (Arabs) ... Jewish Americans have yet to have that opportunity. Comment on this article > Why I was willing to risk arrest at the AIPAC annual dinner Dec 15, 2010 10:34 am | Noura Khouri Though I've been a community organizer for several years, Monday night was the first time I was willing to get arrested for an action. Though unfortunately, we didn't get the chance to finish performing our dance and sharing our message before we got 'escorted' out, I felt we accomplished our mission. As I sat in jail, with the 6 additional activists, for 6 hours Monday night, I had a chance to reflect on why I was willing to risk arrest to disrupt AIPAC's annual dinner in Oakland. I, as well as the hundreds of protesters present last night, wanted to make a statement that AIPAC, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, was not welcome here in the Bay Area. We wanted to send a loud and clear message that though (for now) they may be able to get away with their domination and intimidation in DC, proudly boasting on their website that they are "the most important organization affecting America's relationship with Israel", we were there to say a loud no, to the lobby for war and occupation. We also wanted the elected officials who went, or sent a delegate in their place, to think twice next time they accept an invitation from those who advocate sending our hard earned and desperately needed tax dollars-here in our communities, to Israel....while they hob nob in their fancy suits and dresses, seemingly oblivious to the policies that they represent. As if supporting and representing the criminal policies of the Israeli government wasn't bad enough, it is common knowledge that AIPAC was one of the main proponents of the war in Iraq and escalating the 'wars on terror'. In fact, despite the transparent veil of WMD's as the justification to bomb Iraq, they have the audacity to hope for and be mobilizing their vast arsenal of funds and power to urge the US Congress to attack Iran for exactly the same 'justification'. In fact, if they had it their way, we would've been there and done that, long ago (as they publicly boast on the front page of their website http://www.aipac.org/) and are in addition, plotting how to pursue Syria and Lebanon with their dreams of more unending war: http://www.aipac.org/Legislation_and_Policy/default.asp. For more on the policies and politicians that support them you can go to: http://www.stopaipac.org/policies.htm. However, ironically, those who are most affected by these bankrupt policies are the ones who know the least about the pariah lobby - mainly poor people of color here, who are bombing poor people of color there. As was also evidenced by many of the officers that arrested and booked us, that asked what AIPAC was, not knowing that perhaps they had no small part to play as to why 80 Oakland cops have been laid off just this year. If (as it seems) those in Washington - Republicans, Democrats and Independents alike, do not challenge such viscous policies - then that is where they (AIPAC) should stay - and we will keep our tax dollars for our local communities! For more on ending US aid to Israel see: http://www.twopeoplesonefuture.org/   Here in the Bay Area, folks who know what this lobby is responsible for came together as a coalition of dozens of diverse and local community groups, from all different economic, ethnic and religious backgrounds. We wanted to send a message to say we will confront and challenge AIPAC as they continue with their business as usual, and say that we believe that their criminal policies are leading to the economic and moral collapse of the US, and our universal human values. As the senseless and reckless wars rage on indefinitely, endangering the lives of people of the Middle East, and Americans - we hope that you will join the growing numbers of those who and stand up and say NO to the lobby for more war, the destruction of local communities, and of future generations being able to live in peace. 'Together we can break down the wall. Yes together we will break down Israel's wall': http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GbIbnkL7t3Y&feature=player_embedded Noura Khouri is with American Friends Service Committee and a community organizer in the Bay Area. Comment on this article > 'It is ethnic cleansing' Dec 15, 2010 10:14 am | Philip Weiss The video above is of Joyce Ajlouny, who heads the Friends' School in Ramallah in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. It was posted at Huffpo yesterday by the interviewer, Nancy Kanwisher, a brain scientist, actually the Walter A. Rosenblith Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience at MIT. Kanwisher's headline is "Listening to Palestinians," and this is a conversation about occupation between two highly-educated women. Ajlouny is obviously a lovely and privileged woman. You can see for yourself-- her earrings, her haircut, her manners. And by the way, she drives. The climax of the video comes at 15:00 or so when Ajlouny tells Kanwisher simply, "It is ethnic cleansing," to describe the Palestinian experience under occupation. Why does she say this? Ajlouny is conveying the conditions of Palestinians since Oslo. Her mother was born and raised in Jerusalem, in the Old City. "It is our capital....She can't go there. You can go. She can't go." And Ajlouny herself was born in Jerusalem but she can't go there. All the Palestinian organizations have moved to Ramallah. Israel is crushing our identity, crushing our rights, she says. All to make our life "hellish," she says, and we want to leave. "Do you think that is the purpose of a lot of this?" Kanwisher asks. Ajlouny hums with agreement. "It is ethnic cleansing." The intent is to get the people of means and education to leave, and many of them have. How many of us are comfortable using the term "ethnic cleansing" to describe what is going on over there? I don't feel comfortable myself saying that, even though I do sometimes. Because it is such an epithet, from the former Yugoslavia. And I don't live there. But Ajlouny lives there, and she says it, and I believe she has earned the right to say it, and this video should be seen by all Americans who support the unending occupation and rightslessness of Palestinians. Yesterday Hillel's president issued guidelines on what young Jews are allowed to talk about and still be in the campus Jewish organization. Demonizing and delegitimation are against the rules. So if you said Israel practices ethnic cleansing you would be bounced from Hillel. Young Jews, please bring this video into your Hillels and ask the leaders, Is this woman lying? Comment on this article > Thoughts on a Jewish freedom-fighter, Masha Bruskina Dec 15, 2010 10:03 am | Donna Nevel This piece appeared lately at Occupation Magazine: Recently I went to an exhibit, Shifting the Gaze: Painting and Feminism, at the Jewish Museum in New York City.  I was particularly struck by Nancy Spero's canvas about Masha Bruskina, a 17 year old Communist partisan--a volunteer nurse and leader of the Minsk resistance movement--who was arrested by the German authorities and publicly hanged. Before her execution, she was paraded around the streets with a sign that said, "We are partisans and have shot at German soldiers." Despite being tortured, she never revealed the other members of her group and as she was about to be hung, refused to look at the crowd where the guards tried to force her gaze. I was reading and looking at this piece when I got flashes of that morning's news. The Jewish boat to Gaza had been intercepted by Israeli forces, but not before they made their voices heard along with the many other boats trying to contribute to the movement to break the siege of Gaza. I was so moved by Masha Bruskina and challenged to think about the one life we live and how we live it. At seventeen years old, she chose to resist injustice at all costs. Tragically, she lost her life but never did she lose her integrity. I read about Masha Bruskina and it makes me think more deeply about resistance. My thoughts go back to the news of the Jewish boat. I challenge myself about my own commitment. I wonder what this young Jewish woman, an activist passionately committed to justice, would be doing if she were alive today. I think about this in the context of recent Israeli government actions--for example, the ongoing siege of Gaza, the loyalty oath, and the Judaization of East Jerusalem. I imagine Masha Bruskina engaging with one or more of the many forms of resistance, reverberating within Palestine and without, responding to these and other Israeli government actions and demanding justice for the Palestinian people, the global Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement called for by Palestinian civil society; the Jewish boat and the flotillas of boats from around the world; the organizing on the ground opposing the Wall and the occupation; the cultural resistance through theatre and music and film; and the ongoing work of solidarity among communities everywhere. Masha Bruskina got inside my soul. Her courage, her integrity. Maybe part of it is that when she was resisting fascism, she was the age of my daughter whom I see growing up with a tremendous commitment to pursuing justice. As someone who draws inspiration from those parts of Jewish history where injustice was not tolerated, I want to keep the memory of Masha Bruskina alive; to me, that is one meaningful way I, as a Jew, can both remember our freedom fighters and re-commit myself to standing with the Palestinian people in the struggle for dignity and for justice. Donna Nevel, a community psychologist and educator, is a long time organizer on Palestine-Israel. Comment on this article > Your donation to Mondoweiss ensures we will continue to cover the most important issues surrounding Israel/Palestine and US foreign policy. Please donate today.   Follow Mondoweiss on Twitter and Facebook   Upcoming Events Thurs, November 11 Church of Gethsemane 1012 Eighth Avenue (bet 10th St. & 11th St.) Brooklyn NY Jewish Perspectives on the BDS Movement A respectful dialogue on BDS—whether you already have a position on it or you want to clarify for yourself the complex issues it raises.  This event will provide an opportunity to hear from people who disagree about whether BDS is an appropriate and effective strategy.

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Being happy–is it good for the Jews? "Before Professor Dershowitz accused me of being an anti-Semite (news to me), I was a happy person. Since then, I'm still a happy person". –Michael Santomauro

An antisemite condemns people for being Jews, I am not an antisemite.--Michael Santomauro

Most of us are mentally trapped to think Jewish. Actually, it is safe to say that virtually every mainstream publication or or other type of media organ is "nothing more than a screen to present chosen views." The great battle over the last century has been a battle for the mind of the Western peoples, i.e., non-Jewish Euros. The chosen won it by acquiring control over essentially the complete mainstream news, information, education and entertainment media of every type, and using that control to infuse and disseminate their message, agenda and worldview, their way of thinking, or rather the way they want us to think. Since at least the 1960s this campaign has been effectively complete. Since then they have shaped and controlled the minds of all but a seeming few of us in varying degree with almost no opposition or competition from any alternative worldview. So now most of us are mentally trapped in the box the chosen have made for us, which we have lived in all our lives. Only a few have managed to avoid it or escape it, or to even sometimes see outside of it, and so actually "think outside of the (Jewish) box." --Michael Santomauro

Thank you and remember: 

Peace is patriotic!

Michael Santomauro

253 W. 72nd Street

New York, NY 10023

Call anytime: 917-974-6367

E-mail me anything:

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