Prohibited items in Gaza- what is the objective?

This is an ever-changing list. There were stories awhile back about pasta not being allowed and the question was posed to an American official. The exchange was absurd.

See the latest list below.

My related posts:
http://tinyurl.com/24yofjn
http://tinyurl.com/2er9ojp

Here is the pasta question by the journalist- it didn't make it to my blog I don't think, so here it is:


Feb. 25, 2009: U.S. Department of State Daily Press Briefing by Acting Spokesman Robert A. Wood

So, I'm confused. Is pasta a weapon or not? Our own State Department can't answer this burning question that thousands upon thousands of starving Palestinians in Israel's stranglehold are dying to find the answer to.

If it's that dangerous, perhaps there should be a worldwide ban on it- along with other dangers like chickpeas, soap, toilet paper, cluster bombs, and white phosphorus.

(Times are where in the video it occurs)

3:08 The questions on Gaza start
4:58 Dual use items are discussed some
5:32 The question is asked about aid to Gaza being tied to Shalit's release (food as a political weapon)
6:20 Honoring the ceasefire is asked about
7:09 The question is asked about pasta being a weapon and Wood can't commit either way (???)

http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid1857622883?bctid=14090183001
or
http://www.state.gov/video/?videoid=14090183001

Full text-- http://www.state.gov/video/?videoid=14090183001

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Back to today- June 5, 2010....

PDF of "prohibited items" in Gaza - the current list, anyway:
http://gisha.org/UserFiles/File/HiddenMessages/ItemsGazaStrip060510.pdf


Why does Israel ban these items in Gaza?? Self defense or collecive punishment? Depriving the population of another entity to effect a "favorable" change in their government. Sounds like what some would call terrorism...

Which are used ot make bombs or rockets? Toys? Jam? A picture of a character in Toy Story shooting a gun that shoots jam runs through my head... Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, too...

Prohibited Items*
sage
cardamom
cumin
coriander
ginger
jam
halva
vinegar
nutmeg
chocolate
fruit preserves
seeds and nuts
biscuits and sweets
potato chips
gas for soft drinks
dried fruit
fresh meat
plaster
tar
wood for construction
cement
iron
glucose
industrial salt
plastic/glass/metal containers
industrial margarine
tarpaulin sheets for huts
fabric (for clothing)
flavor and smell enhancers
fishing rods
various fishing nets
buoys
ropes for fishing
nylon nets for greenhouses
hatcheries and spare parts for hatcheries
spare parts for tractors
dairies for cowsheds
irrigation pipe systems
ropes to tie greenhouses
planters for saplings
heaters for chicken farms
musical instruments
size A4 paper
writing implements
notebooks
newspapers
toys
razors
sewing machines and spare parts
heaters
horses
donkeys
goats
cattle
chicks

Gaza Flotilla- Self Defense?? Shots ot the Head and Back?

As usual, the evidence points to Israeli misconduct. Israeli official statements are proven no more true than a police state's propaganda. And an American citizen was murdered.

Will it change US policy? One can always hope.



http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/jun/04/gaza-flotilla-activists-autopsy-results

The results revealed that a 60-year-old man, Ibrahim Bilgen, was shot four times
in the temple, chest, hip and back. A 19-year-old, named as Fulkan Dogan, who
also has US citizenship, was shot five times from less that 45cm, in the face,
in the back of the head, twice in the leg and once in the back. Two other men
were shot four times, and five of the victims were shot either in the back of
the head or in the back, said Yalcin Buyuk, vice-chairman of the council of
forensic medicine.

Dr Haluk Ince, the chairman of the council of forensic medicine in Istanbul,
said that in only one case was there a single bullet wound, to the forehead from
a distant shot, while every other victim suffered multiple wounds. "All [the
bullets] were intact. This is important in a forensic context. When a bullet
strikes another place it comes into the body deformed. If it directly comes into
the body, the bullet is all intact."

The only one shot with one bullet was shot between the eyes from a longer range. That screams sniper and a shoot to kill policy, does it not? Does it say self defense to anyone?

Also, that is quite a few shots in the head and backs and backs of heads to be self defense. If you're truly in a struggle for your life, how do you shoot someone in the back of the head? What would our American courts say about that? I guess a buddy (or 5) could have come from the opposite direction to save the day. If in each of these cases, the soldier's life was hanging in the balance, and in each case that soldier had a buddy on the opposite side (to shoot the guy in the back of the head), then one could argue that the lethal situation could have been avoided.

Also, there is an account of a guy shot through the top of the head from a helicopter. If that is looked into, surely that could provide some insight as to who started it, whether Israelis acted in self defense, whether they shot ot kill, etc. Proof of shooting from the air certainly would disprove the Israeli line as well.

In the Democracy Now reports, eyewitnesses have said they heard shots before the soldiers boarded. If the soldiers are claiming the protesters stole the sidearms, I guess the shots would have come from Israeli commandos, contradicting the official Israeli line they are feeding us- protesters attacked first. We still have no credible info on who started this thing.

You have to wonder what the Israeli definition of attack is, though. I, and probably most folks, assume guns aimed at Israelis. In the past, rocks and school backpacks have justified murder by tank and automatic weapon fire, so there's no telling what they consider an "attack" or "threat".

A question that remains for me is why send commandos in to meet an aid ship about to supposedly violate the Gaza blockade that Israel contends is totally legal- much like settlements and the occupation and the rest of the collective punishment. Why not send diplomats, lawyers, etc to ask to board or discuss instead? Why not offer for UN or other international group to inspect the cargo at the Gaza port before sending in commandos?

Gaza Flotilla Murder Protest photos

I thought the protest went well. It was my first ever. I had wanted to before, especially in the run up ot the Iraq war when I was so mad that journalists had fallen asleep and weren't asking anyone anything, but just haven't until now. I was bigger on writing Congress, but when you get so many letters back about how great Israel is in response to concerns about Israel killing civilians, collectively punishing Palestinians, building illegal settlements, us supporting such horrible crimes against humanity both verbally and with billions of dollars in aid, you want to do more. Feinstein sent me a reply on Iraq once when I sent her a letter about Israeli war crimes in Palestine, as if there was any doubt that Senators didn't read my emails.

A lot of folks honked their support, waved, gave a peace sign, etc. More than I expected. I did see a middle finger and a few shouts of "I love Israel." The latter was obviously meant as a counter to us, but loving Israel and wanting them to follow the law are not opposites (we don't hate Israel), so it was a strange choice of words to counter the demonstration, I thought.

This is my sign, front and back- above and below. I bought supplies in the morning and put it together after work. The supplies. That was a near miss. The store I went ot had next ot nothing. No colored posterboard? Really? Cardstock taped together on the only foamboard I found saved the day and didn't look horrible. I was worried that the only thing I found to write on the black - window paint- wouldn't work, but with much effort, it came through for me.

I felt a bit like the kid who didn't do his homework, slapping it together in the car a few feet from the protest, but I think it turned out ok. I like making a poster. One of the few things I liked about school.

This is the end of the protest, above.

There were lots of Israeli flags present; here's a Palestinian flag. A local TV station said the Israeli flags were a counter protest, but since the event was by Jewish Voice For Peace, I'm not sure about that.

I should have moved the camera a bit to get "Free Gaza" instead of "Ree Gaza" !
Lebanon is here!

Lots of great signs!

Shouts of "Free Gilad Shalit" emanated from this corner at times...

What that has to do with Israel starving more than a milion people, forcing them to drink contaminated water, and killing those who try and help them, I sure don't know.

This criticism of Israel will undoubtedly make people say that I support terrorism and kidnapping. For the record, I don't support either.

Another great sign. Good idea with the pole. A good walking demonstration sign.

Enough is enough! was one chant. I can't remember them all.

The venue.

Poll: Should Israel face censure over an attack on a Gaza aid convoy?

Should Israel face censure over an attack on a Gaza aid convoy?

YES!!

http://www.cnn.com/WORLD/

This is a CNN poll- quick vote. Scroll to towards the bottom.

It must have been up just for one day. In the morning, yes waas leading by some 20-30 points. By evening, it was 50/50.

Israel getting away with murder- literally- Gaza freedom flotilla

So the answer to this question I posed in my last post is a yes:

"Will this be yet another non-violent tactic met with Israeli gunfire?"

I really didn't expect it to come to that; just detentions. Just detentions. Can't believe I just thought that.

"Israel cannot clean the blood off its hands through any excuse," said
Recep Tayyip Erdogan. "It is no longer possible to cover up or ignore Israel's
lawlessness. This bloody massacre by Israel on ships that were taking
humanitarian aid to Gaza deserves every kind of curse."

I wholeheartedly agree with Erdogan! It is awesome that someone is doing something- Turkey took its ambassador out of Israel.

I'm sure this will be a good account. There were supposed to be some good guests on. I hope to listen to it soon myself:

http://www.democracynow.org/2010/6/1/global_condemnation_of_israeli_armed_attack

Obama’s response to the massacre of 20 people on board whose goal was to deliver supplies to help rebuild Gaza’s infrastructure and help them get clean water on Memorial Day was the same old feeble one- “we regret the loss of life.” Nearly the same line as Israel, minus the outright blame placed solely on the aid workers. When Palestinians used to suicide bomb, they were killers, murderers, homicide bombers, etc. We had no qualms about conferring these monikers meant for the perps on the entire population. When Israel kills people, we cleanse it and remove the blame- “stuff happens” or “what can you do” or “both sides need to adopt peaceful means”, etc.

Not that the weak response was surprising. Look what we "did" with the Goldstone report on war crimes in the Gaza offensive, when Noam Chomsky was denied entry to Israel because they don't like what he writes, and then when at the UN Monday, we abstained from calling for an immediate end to the blockade, unlike the rest of the Security Council, who did its job. What did we "do"? Nothing. Which means Israel keeps committing crimes with our money, which violates our US laws, by the way. Why should that matter to us, though. We don't care when they kill our citizens, so why on earth would we care about them breaking the law?

A couple of things struck me as ironic when I heard the news due to what day it was and what I was reading at the time.

I was finishing Roxana Saberi’s book about her imprisonment in Iran on Monday when I heard about it. Israel’s demands, assertions and denials resemble Iran’s quite a bit. You can't believe a word either of them say. Why not release the names of the dead? Why not release the names of the jailed? Why not let the jailed contact family, lawyers, embassies, etc? Why are they keeping the possessions of those released - money, film, tape, cameras, equipment, etc?

We all know about Iran, but think about how Israel called their nuclear reactor a textile factory and still won't acknowledge it, even though we all know the truth, how they never confirm that their Mossad was responsible when everyone knows they were. There are too many lies associated with the conflict to properly address here.

I heard about this on Memorial Day. I read so many well wishes to troops and thank yous to the military past and present on Facebook, teh news and various places. I don't hate America, teh flag, the troops or anything else, but certain things struck me as ironic in thinking about US policy on/with Israel and the Middle East on this day.

In the USS Liberty disaster, we chose to believe Israel over our own soldiers, we chose to support Israel and bury those soldiers’ accounts and statements rather than show them the same honor many enjoyed on Memorial Day. Why? And Rachel Corrie. She wasn’t military, but she was a US citizen who fought (and was murdered) for others’ right to have what we enjoy- she made the same sacrifice as many a US soldier. Given a record like this (protecting Israel over the lives and interests of our own citizens and international law), what hope, honestly, is there for justice and fairness in the Middle East as far as the US is concerned?

It’s apparently great to thank and respect soldiers- except when their story contradicts that of Israel’s. In that case, you need to shut your mouth and be ashamed of your service and contribution to this country. If you do choose ot talk about it, you need to fall in line and lie. There aren’t always two sides to every story. In the case of Israel and the US, there is only one side. Israel’s.

Well, Israel hasn't admitted to much of anything, but they do admit that they attacked a civilian ship with attack helicopters, speedboats and commandos.

Hopefully I will organize these later...
http://www.democracynow.org/2010/6/1/global_condemnation_of_israeli_armed_attack
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/10195838.stm
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/blog/2010/may/31/israel-troops-gaza-ships
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/10196585.stm
http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/meast/05/31/gaza.protest/index.html
http://www.freegaza.org/
http://www.juancole.com/2010/05/mercy-flotilla-for-gaza-about-to-set-off-israelis-threaten-to-block-it-with-war-ships.html

http://www.jpost.com/Israel/Article.aspx?id=176998

Israel calls Gaza blockade-busting flotilla a provocation

Israel calls Gaza blockade-busting flotilla a provocation
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100526/wl_mideast_afp/mideastconflictaidflotilla

Israel claimed on Wednesday that a flotilla of pro-Palestinian activists seeking to bust the Gaza blockade is a provocation and that the aid it is carrying is "unnecessary".


"I don't see the need for any ship with these materials. We allow these materials into Gaza,"

"The sail is a provocative act that is unnecessary in light of the figures, which indicate that the humanitarian situation in Gaza is good and stable,"

Nonsense! Aid is unnecessary? A provocation? Garbage!


Gaza's markets of unaffordable goods conceal reality of people under siege
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/jun/04/gaza-flotilla-humanitarian-crisis


They are detaining the civilians and will send the supplies (or some) through border crossings. Gazans are in need because of these very border crossings that have in the past banned toilet paper, toothpaste, and pasta, among other ordinary things. Many humanitarian organizations agree that Israel lets items in, but also agree that not nearly enough is let in for the need that exists.

Court documents reveal that Israel made estimates of calories Gazans need. They are getting far below what they need to thrive due to Israel’s blockade. They say the calorie count wasn’t used in policy making, but that looks mighty suspicious, don’t you think? When one party is constantly living in "fear" of a "demographic threat," that would be an awfully convenient way to ethnically cleanse a population, wouldn’t it? (that sentence makes me want to go nuts with air quotes, btw) Did this also not happen to many a Jew in Hitler’s time?? Why can’t we see this for what it is now?

"While they have wrapped themselves in a humanitarian cloak, they are engaging in political propaganda and not in pro-Palestinian aid," said foreign ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor.

This is humanitarian aid for an area that has many times over been declared to be in a desperate humanitarian situation. Propaganda?! Unbelievable!

They have also called this humanitarian aid a provocation. Do they mean one that will get a military response? Will this be yet another non-violent tactic met with Israeli gunfire?


No humanitarian situation? Not like it hasn’t been in the news…

Amnesty International
http://blog.amnestyusa.org/middle-east/gaza-blockade-amnesty-international-delivers-23000-signatures-to-clinton/

http://www.jta.org/news/article/2010/05/27/2739353/amnesty-international-report-israel-mistreats-palestinians

Oxfam
http://www.oxfam.org.uk/oxfam_in_action/emergencies/gaza_crisis.html

2008
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7191359.stm
2009
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/story?id=6573496&page=1
2010
http://reneefrompalestine.wordpress.com/2010/03/29/update-on-the-gaza-humanitarian-situation/

http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article11272.shtml

LOST episode 617/618 - The End

617/618 The End

So, don’t call me a hater, but I didn’t love the finale. I thought it was enough, though. I’m satisfied. I’m not as mad or anxious for answers as I was during the series. What’s answered is and what isn’t isn’t and I’m ok with that. Maybe I didn’t love it because it is the end of a great show. Or maybe the great mysteries and questions throughout made it impossible for any finale to possibly live up to the phenomena that was LOST.

In this and the previous episode, characters kept saying “we’re near the end” and “it will all be over soon”. Maybe that breaking 4th wall stuff is funny for the writers, but I have to say I didn’t enjoy it in LOST. It’s either a dying fad or it was just wrong or overused in LOST. I liked how Boston Legal broke the 4th wall occasionally. That was funny, but then the show was funnier than LOST was or was supposed to be.

A line that grabbed me was when Locke said Jack didn’t have a son? So… does David exist or doesn’t he? I don’t think so. Crazy! The whole flash sideways is really a nanosecond before one “crosses over” from just dead to eternity, if that’s what one believes. They are dead and there is no “now” as Christian told Jack. Some died before Jack and some after and they are all there together in that nanosecond. But I guess in eternity time isn’t as it is here… Hard to wrap one’s head around. When characters in the flash sideways “remember” the island time line, they realize they are dead and they can see everyone they love or who meant a lot to them, so they get kind of goofy and smiley.

Jack’s ex was… Juliet! Many fans predicted this. I was really thinking it would be Sarah, his wife from the original time line. But if Jack doesn’t really have a son, then giving Jack Juliet is ok. If he did have a son, then having a different wife/mother wouldn’t make sense. Speaking of making sense, if the flash sideways is made up of dead people, how did Keamy die and why is Sawyer concerned with catching dead people (Sayid) murdering dead people? Is that a part of the place they created as Christian said? If I was going to create a place, it wouldn’t have death, murder, injustice, (or justice for that matter), etc, that’s for sure.

Jack in the flash sideways was trying to get Locke to want to have the spinal surgery and get fixed. Jacob brought these people to the island because he thought they were leading pretty sorry lives. On both Jack and Jacob’s part, I thought that was rather judgmental, presumptuous, and wrong. Who are they to intervene in people’s lives to make it turn out how they think it should and not stay out of it and leave it totally up to them? Maybe that wasn’t what I was supposed to take from it. I think I’m supposed to see that the Oceanic 815 people really were better off meeting each other and spending that time together to work out their issues. I can see that, but that’s definitely not the only message, there.

I like that Jack and Locke were betting on Desmond and neither knew which plan would actually work.

I liked Jack’s loophole for killing MIB and how we found out about it- Locke suddenly having blood in his mouth from Jack’s punch (reminded me of Jacob’s pummeling of him). Alpert also was excited when Miles found the gray hair. Nice. I kind of think, though, that maybe the light being out made MIB mortal, but that Jacob’s job changing hands may have released Alpert since they made that deal and he didn’t become immortal when the light came back on.

Hurley’s line in “What They Died For” did mean something! I had thought it meant he was going to be Jacob, but them Jack did and I gave up on it. Hurley said something like – “glad it’s not me” when Jack volunteered to be Jacob’s replacement.

I like how Ben said “that’s how Jacob ran things” when Hurley was distressed about people being confined to the island. Some think the flash sideways are Jack’s way of running things, but I think it’s Hurley’s. Hurley was definitely in the know early on in picking people up to go to the church and Jack didn’t even know he was dead, so I don’t think that was his doing.

The ending in the church. With all the hugging and all the cast there I felt it was more of a goodbye for the benefit of the cast and perhaps fans, but didn’t sit well with me plot-wise. I would have liked to see the cast hugging or taking a bow or whatever in the credits, rather than spending that much time on it in the show. But maybe that’s just me enjoying the series as a whole more than the much anticipated plot resolution.

So, Sayid’s true love is Shannon?? I was a bit disappointed in this. I liked him and Nadia together way better than him and Shannon. I guess there could be reasons it was Shannon, other than she was with the original cast and Nadia wasn’t. ☺ It could be that she was connected to his past as a torturer, the past that convinced him he was evil, so maybe to move on he couldn’t be with her. Or, it could be that the flash sideways is from Hurley’s perspective, so he saw them as good for each other. Kind of like the Jacob thing- he brought them to the island because they had sorry lives… Another thing is that Christian said these are the people most important to them. Maybe that’s really true and not anyone’s judgment.

An interesting tidbit from Geronimo Jack’s Beard on efforts to keep the finale a secret:

The script talked about the church scene as “Sun and Jin’s wedding” and they even had a Sun look-a-like in a wedding dress come around the back of the set. They shuttled the cast around in Santa Rosa vans, too. And even with heroic efforts like those, 6 pages of the script still got out. They were legit, btw.

Palestinian non-violent resistance: Renewed boycott effort

May 24, 2010 - Mosaic on LinkTV
'Palestinians intensify settlement boycott campaign'
(New TV, Lebanon)
http://www.linktv.org/mosaic/20100524/mosaic-news-5-24-10-world-news-from-the-middle-east

This latest effort has purportedly caused some 17 or so businesses in the settlements to close their doors. I really hope this continues, there and abroad. They are encouraging Palestinians to buy Palestinian. That in an of itself is probably going to improve the Palestinian economic situation.

Could Palestinian leaders be getting a spine, a conscience? Given the US position, I doubt we knew about it or gave any sort of ok. I hope they can withstand any US pressure. This doesn't exactly make up for years of bad leadership and bowing to outside interests instead of sticking to the goal of returning home and getting basic rights back, but it seems like a welcome step in the right direction.

I first wanted to call attention to this because so many say Palestinians are terrorists or cheerleaders for terrorists; they don't peacefully protest. Wrong in the first place, but here's further proof. Peaceful protest doesn't make good news- that's why you don't hear about it, not because it doesn't happen. This time, we are sitting up and noticing probably only because Israel is upset, crying foul, victim, terrorism, hostile act, etc.

Another reason to look at this is the ridiculous reaction by the settlers. They are complaining of being victims of economic terrorism! Really? When Palestinians embrace non-violence and choose a boycott rather than strapping bombs to their bodies, this is objectionable??? So when Israelis and others in the wake of a suicide bombing said Palestinians will never get anywhere with violence, they should "try" peaceful means (as though they don't or haven't)-- what exactly did they mean? Rolling over and dying, or at the very least, lining up voluntarily for wholesale incarceration of the entire population??? Will peaceful protest get Palestinians statehood and rights like everyone claims? Or will Israel react the same as if the boycott was a suicide bombing? If they try and counter boycott, they will be in violation of international law. But what's one more, right? What law? We will see.

*** *** ***

Funny line from this blog...

Settler groups, who you can imagine may see a Palestinian sneezing and call it germ warfare, have decided that this boycott amounts to "economic terror".

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/may/26/palestinian-boycott-jewish-settlement-goods

*** *** ***
MIFTAH, a great site. Here's an article on this boycott:

http://www.miftah.org/Display.cfm?DocId=22132&CategoryId=5


*** *** ***
A more pro-Israel look:

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3892107,00.html


****************************************************
More on boycott:

http://bdsmovement.net/
http://www.inminds.co.uk/boycott-israel.php
http://www.bigcampaign.org/

Australia joins Britain in sticking it to Israel over Dubai debacle

Go Australia!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/asia_pacific/10145459.stm

We in the US would never do such a thing. "Punish" a friend for acting against our interests? And by punish I mean fire them for breaking the rules. What kind of friend does that anyway? Anti-Semites of the worst kind. And don't forget the self-hating Jews.

Australia's foreign minister said these were "not the actions of a friend".

How dare they accuse Israel of not being a friend? Don't they know that Israel is always right, always a victim? Even when they trample other peoples' rights and lives. Never forget. Never again. Never again let it happen to anyone because we value human life/rights- or never let it happen to Jews again; we will trample anyone in our path?

Sarcasm aside, it's pretty sad that I think this quote is profound and worth posting, but such is the state of the US relationship with Israel. It has become so big that it dwarfs even our own interests, laws and safety.


Edit June 2010: Ireland also expels an official over this mess.
http://www.france24.com/en/20100615-ireland-expels-israeli-diplomat-over-dubai-hit

**********
**********
And Israel sticks it back to the world... banning Chomsky, yet another intellectual on their "list."

http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/after-denied-entry-to-west-bank-chomsky-likens-israel-to-stalinist-regime-1.290736

Now Chomsky, too? Add him to the list. Some democracy!

After denied entry to West Bank, Chomsky likens Israel to 'Stalinist regime.'

"The official asked me why I was lecturing only at Bir Zeit and not an Israeli university," Chomsky recalled. "I told him that I have lectured a great deal in Israel. The official read the following statement: 'Israel does not like what you say.'"

Chomsky replied: "Find one government in the world which does."

"The young man asked me whether I had ever been denied entry into other countries. I told him that once, to Czechoslovakia, after the Soviet invasion in 1968," he said, adding that he had gone to visit ousted Czechoslovak leader Alexander Dubcek, whose reforms the Soviets crushed.

Republicans want to cut spending? Let's do it!

It would be pretty funny if cutting funding to Israel went up as a suggestion on Eric Cantor's site. Doubt it's going to show up; there is probably a block on things "against" Israel. If you want them to follow the law, is that really "against"? Oh well.

This website allows citizens the opportunity to suggest government programs to cut. You guessed it--let's tell Congress that it's time to cut more than $3 billion in military aid for Israel's illegal military occupation of Palestinian territory. Let's force Congress to address this misuse of U.S. taxpayer dollars.

http://republicanwhip.house.gov/YouCut/YourIdea.htm
http://tiny.cc/tjve0


I wrote:

CUT ALL FUNDING TO ISRAEL! At least until they comply with international (and US) law and allow Palestinians equal rights, including right of return.

Mornings In Jenin

Mornings in Jenin also known as The Scar of David
by Susan Abulhawa

http://www.morningsinjenin.com/

This book is in many ways profoundly sad, but it was awesome and beautiful too. It is about time there is a book from the Palestinian perspective. It will be new territory to many, but if you're going to discuss Israel or the Middle East at all, you've got to have this perspective along with the others. It has been neglected too long.

Imagine if the Jews had to experience the holocaust several times in one lifetime and each generation had to endure such crimes- and on top of that imagine if the Nazis were able to convince people they were the victims. That is this book. That is the Palestinian experience. Massacre and loss in the past, ethnic cleansing in the future. Jews at least endured it only once, were rescued, and picked up the pieces. Palestinians have to endure it continually and many still insist they are the cause of the bloodshed.

This is the missing piece. I hope more fiction and non-fiction is written in the Palestinian narrative. Growing up, we read The Diary of Anne Frank and discuss and respect the Jewish experience- both their trials and triumphs; we graduate learning virtually nothing about the people the holocaust victims killed to make their dream come true beyond maybe some slurs and stereotypes from TV and the peanut gallery in class.

Palestinians are often spoken about, but not given a chance to speak in discussions on US-Israel relationship or the Nazi Holocaust or the Middle East in general. Even thogh the characters are ficitional, I hope this book goes a long way to educate people on the Palestinian perspective so that we remember to include that narrative (not specifically the one in the book, but of actual Palestinians) when talking about Palestine and Israel.

This book follows one family mainly and travels through time from before 1948, 1967, Lebanon 1982, and Jenin 2002.

If you want to understand the Palestinian experience like we in the US know and feel for the Jewish experience, this is the book to read. It's characters are fictional, but events and certain historical figures are accurate. Many of the things that happen to this family I have seen many times in the news and humanitarian reports. While I don't know if it is possible that all these events have actually happened to one family, it seems representative of the experience as a whole from what I have read. There is the 1948 Nakba, the truces and pacts with Jews that were violated, the feeling of temporary refugee status, the attempts to return in the years after '48, children born as refugees in the first camps and later more permanent camps, the sad realization that the tents had become concrete. Then there is 1967 with the military occupation when people are refugees a second time in their lives, the loss of much of ones family and all of ones rights and land for a second time after picking up the scant pieces after 1948. Then there is 1982 in Lebanon where unarmed civilians were brutally murdered in the worst ways after the PLO had already been chased out- women raped, people lined up and shot in the head, pregnant bellies sliced open, even babies shot- which was unbelievably declared self-defense. The book ends dramatically in 2002 with the massacre in Jenin with very few of the family we are following alive.

I thought the parallel of the Arab baby being stolen to complete a Jewish family's dream for a child was a good touch. The Jewish woman wasn't able to have kids due to the horrors she suffered by the SS and she felt entitled to this stolen child as if it was God's will or something- she refused the details of how her husband stole the child. This is a great parallel to 1948 and how Jews felt entitled to Palestinian land and were lied to that this was a "land without a people for a people with no land" and that is or was taboo in Israel to talk about what really happened- the Jewish terorrist groups that murdered and pillaged their way to a state and continue to this day. When the child grows up and finds out who he is, he feels neither Jewish nor Muslim, Palestinian nor Israeli, which brings him closer to his real Arab family and could represent Palestinian Israelis or Palestinian refugees in the literal and figurative displacement.

This book makes you think about why it was ok for Palestinians to pay for Nazi crimes, why it's not ok for Palestinians to defend themselves or have basic rights, why on earth is it considered tantamount to anti-Semitism when you compare the Holocuast to the Nakba despite the obvious similarities, or how could Holocaust survivors commit the same types of crimes against so many other humans.

Two more things stand out.

I have often thought the words thank you lacking myself and I have never known another culture or language. I have wondered what else I could do or say to express my true gratitude. Amal also noticed this upon her arrival in America from Palestine. I have to say I want to learn Arabic more now. Here are some example thank yous from the book.

May Allah bless the hands that give me this gift.
Beauty is in your eyes that find me pretty.
May God extend your life.
May Allah never deny your prayer.
May the next meal you cook be in celebration of your son's wedding ...of your mothers recovery, etc.

Also, I thought this description below was brilliant. Amal, the main character, born a refugee, tutored in West Philidelphia while in college.

"Opportunity took a detour around Thirtieth Street, and Liberty for All slouched in its chair like a lazy student."


Palestinian Solidarity Day is May 15. Read a book!


This site is a place to collect things to do with susan abulhawa, compiled by Mark Miller:
http://susanabulhawastuff.blogspot.com/

War and the Peace Prize

Elie Wiesel jointly authored a rather spurious ad that drew the criticism of US officials. This guy is a Nobel Peace Prize laureate. Granted, it was 1986, but still!

There is a lot of talk in the news that Obama is reaching the Israeli audience and changing some minds over Netanyahu's head. I don't know if that's true, but Weisel (an American) feels he needs to hit back (at Obama?). I guess.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mj-rosenberg/elie-wiesel-and-the-rest_b_544027.html


Text of ad:

It was inevitable: Jerusalem once again is at the center of political debates and international storms. New and old tensions surface at a disturbing pace. Seventeen times destroyed and seventeen times rebuilt, it is still in the middle of diplomatic confrontations that could lead to armed conflict. Neither Athens nor Rome has aroused that many passions.

For me, the Jew that I am, Jerusalem is above politics. It is mentioned more than six hundred times in Scripture—and not a single time in the Koran. Its presence in Jewish history is overwhelming. There is no more moving prayer in Jewish history than the one expressing our yearning to return to Jerusalem. To many theologians, it IS Jewish history, to many poets, a source of inspiration. It belongs to the Jewish people and is much more than a city, it is what binds one Jew to another in a way that remains hard to explain. When a Jew visits Jerusalem for the first time, it is not the first time; it is a homecoming. The first song I heard was my mother’s lullaby about and for Jerusalem. Its sadness and its joy are part of our collective memory.

Since King David took Jerusalem as his capital, Jews have dwelled inside its walls with only two interruptions; when Roman invaders forbade them access to the city and again, when under Jordanian occupation, Jews, regardless of nationality, were refused entry into the old Jewish quarter to meditate and pray at the Wall, the last vestige of Solomon’s temple. It is important to remember: had Jordan not joined Egypt and Syria in the war against Israel, the old city of Jerusalem would still be Arab. Clearly, while Jews were ready to die for Jerusalem they would not kill for Jerusalem.

Today, for the first time in history, Jews, Christians and Muslims all may freely worship at their shrines. And, contrary to certain media reports, Jews, Christians and Muslims ARE allowed to build their homes anywhere in the city. The anguish over Jerusalem is not about real estate but about memory.

What is the solution? Pressure will not produce a solution. Is there a solution? There must be, there will be. Why tackle the most complex and sensitive problem prematurely? Why not first take steps which will allow the Israeli and Palestinian communities to find ways to live together in an atmosphere of security. Why not leave the most difficult, the most sensitive issue, for such a time?

Jerusalem must remain the world’s Jewish spiritual capital, not a symbol of anguish and bitterness, but a symbol of trust and hope. As the Hasidic master Rebbe Nahman of Bratslav said, “Everything in this world has a heart; the heart itself has its own heart.”

Jerusalem is the heart of our heart, the soul of our soul.

- Elie Wiesel

A Response:
http://www.counterpunch.org/amin04212010.html

settler clash deemed intolerable?

I was encouraged by this headline, thinking the Israeli military might be coming to its senses and might start to see Palestinians as human beings with rights or something moving in that direction...

(here's the article)
Israeli military dubs settler clash 'intolerable'
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8634754.stm


Until I saw this quote:

"Violence and raising hands up against IDF [Israeli Defence Forces] soldiers is crossing the line in an intolerable manner," the statement said.

Business as usual. Shame for throwing rocks at soldiers, but forget about how Israel itself is facilitating or participating in the subjugation and torture of an entire population.

In light of what I referenced here-
http://notanotherpoliticalblog-j.blogspot.com/2010/04/more-settler-terrorism.html

the indignation at settlers' attacking the IDF is ridiculous!

(More) Settler Terrorism

There was an attack on a mosque in Harawa, West Bank April 14 by settlers. This one was just graffiti and some reports describe a burning car as well.

Sticks and stones can break my bones, but words can never hurt me. That’s how the saying goes, but in this case it is accompanied by violent acts by people who mean to terrorize and hurt others. The words (slogans, racist graffiti, etc) take on a bit more life and significance. The latest graffiti at a West Bank mosque was preceded by more burning cars, 300 uprooted olive trees and shooting at a shop. This is the point when freedom of speech and words one can ignore cross the line into viable threats and cause for action.

What will happen to these guilty settlers? And if Israelis fail to act or set the guilty free, will it be appropriate for the rest of the world to flag all settlers or all Israelis or all Jews as threats? Will it be appropriate for Palestinian security officials to assassinate the guilty parties or kidnap, imprison and interrogate them and those who know them indefinitely? No, it’s not appropriate, but that’s what happens to Palestinians.



December 2009 mosque arson:
http://notanotherpoliticalblog-j.blogspot.com/2010/01/hebrew-slogans-and-another-reason.html


April 2010 mosque attack:
Vandals Attack West Bank Mosque
http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/04/14/vandals-attack-west-bank-mosque/

“…the attack was the second on the village this week. He said that settlers has set another car on fire and shot at a shop on Monday.”

Mon-Tue
No-one saw, no-one heard: 300 Palestinian olive trees uprooted
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1163243.html


Tue-Wed
Jewish settlers suspected in West Bank mosque attack
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8619741.stm

*two burning cars, mosque graffiti

Israeli soldiers showed up after the attack and erased the graffiti. They prevented journalists from taking photographs until they completed the cleanup.

quote from http://www.alarabiya.net/articles/2010/04/14/105843.html



Is this to destroy evidence and protect settlers or are they doing Palestinians a favor?


“Price tag” again shows up as racist graffiti this time as it did in December '09. It has been described in the news so far as a “policy” as far as I have seen. Some would call such a policy of retaliating on innocent people for the actions of your own government for merely threatening to crack down on your illegal state of being (settlements) crazy, unjust, unfair, illegal, criminal, TERRORISM, but to most it remains a mere policy.

***I wonder if they are "reacting" to the Israeli human rights organization who condemned Israel for trying to push through a rather old measure that would make all West Bank residents illegal aliens and able to be "deported" elsewhere. They could be "reacting" to Obama's strong words (in the absence of actions), especially if the Israeli public seems swayed by them against settlements. "Reacting" is settlers' interpretation.

I haven't been able to find a description of what was written in the April 2010 attack that constitutes racist graffiti, but there are examples here if you are at a loss as for what to expect:

Dec 2009 arson:
http://notanotherpoliticalblog-j.blogspot.com/2010/01/hebrew-slogans-and-another-reason.html

IDF T-shirt (March 2009):
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1072466.html
http://www.khabrein.info/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=21080&Itemid=57
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7960071.stm

IDF graffiti (March 2009):
http://www.pchrgaza.org/files/campaigns/english/aftermath/5.html
"...soldiers left behind dozens of bags of faeces in the bedrooms, despite the presence of a functioning toilet, and left crude sexual diagrams on the walls. "
"Death will find you soon”
Have you ever wondered what hell looks like? Well… look around you -----! Ha ha ha”
“Die you all”, “Make war not peace”, “Arabs need to die”, a gravestone engraved with the words “Arabs 1948-2009”
“There will be a day when we kill all the Arabs”
“Bad for the Arabs is good for me”
“A good Arab is an Arab in the grave”
“Peace now, but between Jews and Jews, not Jews and Arabs”

more on T-shirts:
http://norabf.wordpress.com/2009/03/22/dead-palestinian-babies-and-bombed-mosques-idf-israeli-destruction-forces-fashion-2009/

http://www.kuna.net.kw/NewsAgenciesPublicSite//ArticleDetails.aspx?id=1984651&Language=en

There is no Christ in Christian Zionism

April 2010 edits are this color.

This link was presented in a mailing list I'm on in September 2009:
What Would Jesus Say (to a Zio-Christian)?umkahlil.blogspot.com/2009/09/what-would-jesus-say-to-zio-christian.html

This was my response:

I want to echo this sentiment.

In addition to this sentiment and the ones expressed, I'd like to present a minority (IMO) belief among Christians in this country. I belong to a rather small, conservative group of Christians, but we take great pains to live by the Bible and in so doing we reject this majority opinion (Christian Zionism) plaguing the nation and infecting the political landscape- premillennialism/Christian Zionism.

The points in this article (What Would Jesus Say) were good about the Golden Rule and relationship between Muslims and Christians being misconstrued and things like this. I would like to add a few solid, but often overlooked, points in the argument against Christian Zionism.





 *(this one added 11/14/11, but arguably a critical issue) 
What I most want to know from Christian Zionists is what about Christian Palestinians? I mean, maybe it is easy to justify denying rights to Muslims for whatever reason, but what about those individuals with whom you probably would consider brothers and sisters in Christ? Should they suffer for the sake of your false doctrine because they will go to heaven anyway in the end? Or do you as Christians bear some responsibility to help them gain dignity, safety and basic rights in this life? I'm not even talking about going over and fighting or the US invading Israel, here. I'm just talking about tossing out Israeli propaganda, learning the facts from Palestinians (Palestinian Christians if you wish- though Muslims and Christians will have pretty similar stories of loss and oppression at the hands of Israelis) and changing US policy to support justice rather than just Israel.

*A theme that runs through this blind, dogmatic support for Israel is that the Jews are still God's chosen. This is a ridiculous notion for Christians as such would render worthless the foundation of our faith and salvation- the sacrifice on the cross of Jesus that turned the page on the old and looks to the new (Hebrews ch8-10). It boggles my mind. We would also be required to follow the old law for diet, travel, animal sacrifices, etc, btw, if Jews are God's chosen today. Also absurd for a Bible believing Christian.

*Rom 2:28For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh:
29But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.

*Ephesians 2:14 For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, 15 having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace,

*Gal 3:23But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed.
24Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
25But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.
26For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.
27For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
28There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.
29And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the
promise.
*They are eager to quote Old Testament verses about God proclaiming his love for Israelites and the fact of their chosenness, but they fail to tell you the rest of the story. The Israelites' chosenness was conditional (Deut 28). God laid out the consequences- scattering, wars, desolation, famine like nothing seen before. They in fact did violate the terms God set before them and did experience the consequences. You can see even in secular history the completion of the consequences with the Roman invasion an destruction of the temple in Jerusalem in 70AD. Jesus' illustration of the tree in Matthew 21 is pretty clear about Israel's futureas a nation. The Pharisees understood it.

* In saying that 1948 is the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy, you call God a liar:
Joshua 21:45Not a word failed of any good thing which the LORD had spoken to the house of Israel. All came to pass.

*About Israelites- I also find it hard to believe that the Israelites of the old testament are in fact today's Jews (another of their claims). 2000 years in the diaspora and no intermarriage?? And to think that people literally trying to return to a figurative location (see next point) after 2000 years have more of a claim to the land than Palestinians 30-60 years removed is just crazy and unfounded.

*The return after this destruction is in fact figurative- one of Christians- Jews and Gentiles both- the destination being heaven at the end of time, not the political state of Israel in 1948.


A Christian focus on a literal return to Jerusalem in 1948 or any other time after this destruction flies in the face of Jesus' declaration (we Christians believe- God inspired declaration) that the kingdom is not of this world- John 18:36.

The belief in premillennialism can be explained by the same idea that gives rise to militant Islam- people take the word of men instead of reading it for themselves or they read bits and pieces to find what suits them and stop there.

This link below has something written by a better writer than I and he includes Bible verses- for those interested. I've also got my own study, but thought this would be sufficient and more appropriate given the forum.

http://www.christiancourier.com/articles/28-god-and-the-nation-of-israel

***
Perhaps I will post a few verses now that I'm not responding in that forum...

***

Related post:
http://notanotherpoliticalblog-j.blogspot.com/2009/07/bible-prophecy-about-iran-electionsor.html

Palestinians stop rockets; Lieberman threatens against a Palestinian state

Gaza groups agree to stop rockets
http://www.jpost.com/Israel/Article.aspx?id=172485


Good news, right?

Maybe we can expect peace and goodwill from Israel as well?


Israeli FM warns Palestinians not to declare state
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100406/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_israel_palestinians


Wrong!


Israeli FM warns Palestinians not to unilaterally declare a state??

You know, this would be funny if it weren’t for the fact that the US backs whatever Israel decides. So, as dumb as this sounds coming out of this bigoted (former?) terrorist’s mouth, it matters. ☹

Israel was allowed to declare a state on mostly Palestinian land.
Whose permission did they get?
Israel is allowed to unilaterally “disengage” from Gaza and try and dodge responsibility. Israel is allowed to do whatever in the name of security.

Palestinians, however, aren’t even entitled to basic necessities, let alone national aspirations!

Most free nations consider freedom and national identity a God-given right. Not Israel.

http://tinyurl.com/yzql4qn

Israel vs Palestinians

A few thoughts about another large scale attack on Gaza...

Most of it has been said before, I'm sure.

The Gaza attacks and the recent rocket attack for which Israel “retaliated” are always described as a Palestinian attack and Israeli retaliation- as though they are doing absolutely nothing to deserve such attacks. (???) Attacks by Palestinians always occur in a vacuum unprovoked. Israel is the eternal victim, always on the defensive, always retaliating, never the provocateur- or so they (and everyone) say.

We talk about the two as though they are equal- Israel and Palestine. It is said that both sides should stop violence and both sides have to support peace; both sides in the 2006 Gaza assault should investigate its war crimes.

They aren’t the same, though.

One is a government ordering war crimes. One is a dispossessed and occupied people who have received no compensation for their stolen land and no justice for the crimes against them. (Would any American not be ready to fight when faced with that???)

One gets massive amounts of financial, military, diplomatic and every other kind of aid possible along with the assurance of an unending and unbreakable bond from a superpower; one gets sporadic support, but mostly blame from the same superpower/mediator.

One is the Occupier attacking largely innocent people; one is the Occupied people struggling for their freedom and rights.

As highlighted by the Gaza attacks, this isn’t a struggle between two militaries; this is the Israeli military targeting the already captive and starving Palestinian people.

The Israeli government is punishing the civilian population of Palestine for crimes fringe groups perpetrate fueled by the Israeli occupation, so essentially Israel is attacking for something it is causing. The civilians (and PA- not really an applicable term anymore) are in a lose-lose situation.

“Wait the retaliation tomorrow”

Edit 4/6/10: I've been looking for more info from my favorite podcasts on NPR and the BBC, but haven't been finding nearly as much for this incredible threat for Gaza as for the pretty minor Biden snub. It figures, but it's still frustrating. Israel has bad timing for an announcement and it news. A threat for a larger scale Gaza attack? No one cares.

Near the time I wrote my last post about the handful of headlines saying Israel was building settlements, advancing on Gaza, but still “hopes for peace,” apparently things were happening in Gaza.

They were being leafleted on Thursday.

***
From
http://www.imemc.org/article/58344 :

The leaflets just stated “Wait the retaliation tomorrow”.

***
And attacked Thursday/Friday.

Israelis do love to bomb a milk factory. Perhaps this is for the “demographic threat?” Are we supposed to believe the Israeli military is that bad that it bombed these things by mistake?? I think also police stations and security training facilities were targeted. Given their propensity attacking security installations, someone please tell me how anyone can expect them to “reign in terror,” especially under the Occupation conditions of poverty, curfews and closures?

***

They bombed metal workshops, farms, a milk factory and small sites belonging to the military wing of Hamas “in retaliation” for the deaths of 2 soldiers a week or two ago.


Thirteen Israeli air strikes hit Gaza Strip
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8600285.stm


Israel pounds Gaza with missiles
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2010/04/201041224613622604.html

***

Israel threatens new Gaza offensive
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2010/04/20104265845904380.html

"If this rocket fire against Israel does not stop, it seems we will have to raise the level of our activity and step up our actions against Hamas," Silvan Shalom, Israel's deputy prime minister, told public radio on Friday.

"We won't allow frightened children to again be raised in bomb shelters and so, in the end, it will force us to launch another military operation.

"I hope we can avoid it, but it is one of the options we have, and if we don't have a choice, we will use it in the near future."

***

They don’t have a choice but to attack?? They are the only ones with a choice!!

If Israel's hope to avoid war is anything like their hope for peace, consider that a declaration of an imminent attack on Gaza a la January 2009! The minute we in the US have a national distraction on the scale of a presidential election or something, Israel will bomb Gaza and claim it's because of the rocket attacks. Or will they bomb to distract us from the settlement standoff? That way, they can stop bombing and look like they are making a concession and giving up a lot for peace.

What garbage.

When will we call a spade a spade? And boycott it?

Palestinian aspirations are clear, but what does Israel want?

Palestinian aspirations are clear, but what does Israel want?
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1160894.html

An age old question made ever more pressing by my previous post and my next one...

Israel threatens and is uncompromising, yet hopes for peace (???)

I saw these headlines at the BBC website today:

Israeli tanks 'advance into Gaza'

No change on Jerusalem, says PM

Israeli PM hopeful on peace talks

Israel 'will build in Jerusalem'

Hopeful on peace talks? Really?

Israel: Our tanks are advancing on Gaza. Despite the fact that international law says settlements are illegal and E. Jerusalem's occupied (illegal to build), Jerusalem's ours, we're building on it, and we hear you America (and the law and rest of the world), but we're still building on Occupied Territory.

How can they be hopeful for peace when they can't even follow international law, much less make concessions for peace?! What is their hope? That Palestinians will suddenly be satisfied with being prisoners on part of their land? That Palestinians will out of the blue be satisfied with no homeland, representation, freedom, justice, food, water, movement, etc??

Would/ did Jews accept that? Did we expect them to? Why are we waiting on Palestinians to do so?

Total garbage!