Saturday 23 January 2010

PTT: Proposals to Rectify Common Activist Errors. What about Your Sins?? Updated


Common Activist Errors and Some Proposals to Rectify Them

A Palestine Think Tank Editorial (After Rizzostine decleration )


WRITTEN BY Yousef Abudayyeh, Mohamed Khodr, Mary Rizzo, Haitham Sabbah and Saja

Activism and activists for Palestine have been getting some media attention recently. This is absolutely great news. Itis an opportunity that we need to take advantage of, especially since Palestinians themselves are denied space in almost all mainstream mass media. Reflecting on this fact, we at PTT have decided to express some of our observations, thoughts and suggestions in order to enhance the work of all activists, ourselves included. This is a summary of some of the things that we believe are some common activist errors and our proposals for avoiding that errors lead to damage. In the coming weeks we will elaborate on each of these points in essays. We hope that our observations and proposals can be of use for ourselves and for those who commit their time and energy to the Palestinian cause. MORE


Yesterday, I wrote the following before reading the Proposals:


What about the Un-commom ones committed by three of the above five editorials??


Few Samples:


1- Queen of Cencorship:


Bilal said... My comment was not published, can't imagine why??
Mary Rizzo

"we had written clearly, and you can see it, that we would no longer allow the comments section to turn into a space for personal insult and if you want it, go to another site that loves that stuff to do it. I see you did, so no harm done, UP is happy."


The claimed Personal Insult:


"I CANNOT comprehend how Haitham could defend Egypt's conduct against Viva Palestina and their despicable wall. I am with Nahida, Jeff and UP on this." Bilal editor of from Leeds to Palestine

Here Haitham is above criticism, even "Littlewood takes direct suggestions from Haitham, that no one should ever have had been put in a condition to be begging or bargaining with Egypt. If you do it, then be prepared to do it. If you don't want to do it, say so and don't pretend, and if you want to break the siege, you break the siege, as Free Gaza was able to do, without genuflecting to anyone."

But when Littlewood followed Galloway and crossed the "Soliderity borders" his following articles never appeared on PTT (I mean Rizzostine)


2- "Mubarak is no Abdul Nasser and Galloway is no Salah Eddin" Yousef Abudayyeh


Galloway has another Agenda


"And why are people surprised that someone like Galloway is in this for a reason other than breaking the siege ?"


"People, and I can name many Palestinian national leaders benefited from the suffering of our people many times and many are still are. So why someone like Galloway is beyond this ?".


"I believe that knowing the facts will help our people and their true supporters weed out the bad apples. "

Indeed our people shall weed out the BAD APPLES

3- Grand Neopatriot


Haitham Sabbah – Surround me with songs of deliverance: crossing the borders of solidarity
Nadia Quoted Haithan Saying:


  • Let's assume that the Egyptian government was replaced with new democratically elected one, what do you think would happen?
  • Believe me, it is very simple.The tag Is ready: Eygpt for is a terrorist state. Full Stop!
  • Who can guarantee that the newly elected government and its president will not be the same as the previous regime?
  • Israel will rush to occupy Gazan borders again (let's say they will intensify their occupation and bring back their soldiers to Gaza/Egypt borders).
  • The Zionists will find it the moment of history when they can establish their dream of Greater Israel. They might not only occupy Sinai, but invade Egypt across the Red Sea until Israel reaches the Nile.
  • What may happen next is another story.
  • If the existing regime in Egypt or a newly elected one opens the borders with Gaza in the present conditions of Palestine, without any international guarantees that Palestine is going to be autonomous in controlling its own borders for the good of the people in Palestine and not to serve factions whose agendas are not acceptable to any patriot.
LONG LIVE MUBARAK AND THE IRON WALL Check It here and here

And "Salah Eddin"


A call to put Gaza under an international custody… to allow people to rebuild what Israel destroyed and what Ramallah corrupted. (comment 11)
Flashback: Sami Jamil Jadallah: We need UN to release our people form being held hostage by Israel PLO, Hamas, Fatah, Islamic Jihad, etc..




And a great comment (27)


nahida on January 8th, 2010 at 2:30:


sami jamil jadallah on January 4th, 2010 at 12:06: in post # 11, said:
“…..I called for the operation of Gaza Sea Port under a joint US/NATO with both organizations taking total operational and security control
==========================================
Am I reading correctly or is it just my eyes playing tricks with me?????
Are these real words am seeing or did I lose my ability to comprehend???
If I still have some reasoning ability, and if I haven’t gone totally crazy, it appears to me that Sami Jamil Jadallah is suggesting to us that the USA, NATO and their allies as the saviours of Palestine !!!!
No … No… in fact he CALLED for the US/NATO to take TOTAL OPERATIONAL and SECURITY CONTROL of Gaza Sea Port!!
Is Sami Jamil Jadallah offering himself as the Chalabi or kharazi of Palestine????

Related:
How easy it is to be WHEELCHAIR critics!
Littlewood, Neo-Pan Arabs, Neopatriots On: Viva Palestina, Siege, Wall of Shame, and Liberating all Palestine
Ramullah Traitor, Neopatriots of Rizzostine On: Viva Palestina, Siege and the Wall of Shame
So your job is smearing Haitham and his sites and work? Thus Said Mary Rizzo
"So, UP site has become the Tony Greenstein site".."Now, the Queen will say a few things"


Comment:


I would comment only on the first point, being the core of the document, reflecting the real agenda of its writers.

"1. Not Emphasising Unity and Being Divisionist Among Ourselves.
"Perhaps the most overriding issue that precedes all others is that of Unity. On Unity, there are two kinds: one is fundamental, the other is merely beneficial. Fundamental Unity is that between Palestinians as a People.
"Palestinians have a common enemy: the occupier, the adversary of Zionism/The Jewish State, and a common goal that should be shared by all: the recognition of all of their rights and implementation of the same. Sectarian divisions simply must be overcome as they are indeed overcome in the Zionist camp."

"Palestinians are scattered all over the world, with most of them living in Exile."
Yes Palestinians are scattered all over the world, but claiming that most of them are living in Exile is not true, and misleading, to give more weight to Diaspora Palestinians in General and in Particular to Diaspora Palestinians in Europe and America, and therefore to serve the political agenda of the writers.

Today the Palestinian population worldwide is estimated to be 10.1 million, with more than half (approximately 5.2 million) living in the Diaspora.

According to Wikipedia, 55.9% of Palestinian lives in Palestinian land occupied in 1948 and 1967. 10.9% are refugee in Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, and Iraq. 27.2% live in Jordan as Jordanian Citizens.3.3% live and work in Saudi, Yemen and Gulf states, without permanent residency. 2.8% live in North and south Americas, most of them are citizens. No figures are available in Wikipedia, about Palestinians living in Europe. However, they will not considerably change the above ratios.

So it's safe to say that more than half of the Palestinians are living under occupation, and consequently the most overriding issue that precedes all others is Unity of Palestinians to support their struggle for liberation, and their political and democratic choice.

Moreover, unlike the writer's claim, it's those Palestinian rooted in Palestinian land who kept their cause in liberation and our right to return alive the last 27 years.
<><><><><><><><><> 
%TotalPopulationRegion



Under Occupation


2,407,681West Bank


209,000Jeruselem


1,551,859Gaza


1,377,200Arab 48
0.5586030925,545,740
Total







Refugees


573,000Syria


405,425Lebanon


34,000Iraq


70,245Egypt
0.1090535821,082,670
Total




0.2719616052,700,0002,700,000Jordan






250,245Saudia


50,000Kuwait


25,000Yemen
0.032760797325,245
Total






50,000Chili


67,842USA


54,000Hoduras


50,000Brazil


23,975Canada


15,000Australia


12,000Colombia


1,400Guatemala
0.027620924274,217
Total

9,927,8729927872Grand Total


"The struggle over the last 62 years has been sustained and the name "Palestine" has survived because of the sacrifices of the Palestinians in Lebanon, Jordan, Syria, the Gulf States, Europe and elsewhere."

The above statement is general and miss-leading, designed to discredit the sacrifices of Palestinians in Gaza and WB, under the slogan of: Palestine is bigger than Gaza, bigger than Gaza and West Bank, to serve the other misleading claim that the most of Palestinians are living in Exile, and therefore should have the final say.

I would correct and say, the struggle over the period from 1948 to 1967 has been sustained and the name "Palestine" has survived because of the sacrifices of the Palestinians, mainly the REFUGEES in Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, and Gaza. But the struggle continued after 1967, after 1972 (Black September), and especially after 1982 (Lebanon Invasion) with sacrifices of Palestinians in Gaza and West Bank (First and Second Intifadas), with the sacrifices of FREEDOM FIGHTER who forced Sharon to leave Gaza without conditions, and stopped re-invading Gaza. It is them, being occupied resisting ethnec clencing, and brutal occupation, fighting occupation with all available means, and palestinian refugee especially those who refused to sell their cause for a western Pasport who has and should always have the final say.


The writer's deliberate generalization, discrediting the sacrifices of occupied Palestinians over the last 27 years should lead to the following misleading conclusion.


"We should not allow this national struggle to be reduced to the issue of the fate of a Hamas rule in Gaza and a very limited self governance "State" led by Abbas in what's left of the West Bank. Hamas and Fatah are two political parties, they are not the supreme voice of all Palestinians around the world, nor can they propose themselves as such."


"It is tragic that the clashes between these parties have derailed the Palestinian aspirations, and that any opponents to either of these parties have been silenced, jailed or even killed. This is not what Palestinians have sacrificed their lives for. Nothing can occur in Palestine as long as Hamas and Fatah, each with outside supporters, are divided. It is a dramatic and damaging situation to have a Palestinian population divided along sectarian lines, and this division is precisely what Israel hopes will remain in their policy of Divide and Rule."


Here, the writers follow the steps of their fellow Sami Jamil Jaddalla in putting all Palestinians in one basket, putting all Palestinian factions in one Basket. Claiming that "Palestinian population divided along sectarian lines," Ignoring that the Issue is not Fateh and Hamas, it’s the fate of the Palestinian cause, surrender or keep the cause alive.

The National struggle in short as Josef Massad rightfully stated, is against Oslo process and the Palestinian elite that took charge of the PA to ensure that the Oslo process continues and that the elite remain in control of all the institutions that guarantee the survival of the "process". It is against all the structures, institutions and classes created by Israeli and Palestinian architects to guarantee the structural survival of the Oslo "peace process"


  • "What the elite did not anticipate was that they could lose control to Hamas, a public opponent of the Oslo process that in accordance with expectations had boycotted the 1994 gerrymandered and Fatah- controlled elections. The 2006 elections, which Fatah was confident it would win, constituted an earthquake that could destroy all these structural guarantees and with them the "process" they were designed to protect. Hence the panic of the Americans who engineered the coup with the aid of Israel and PA security under Mohamed Dahlan to topple the Hamas government, which included kidnapping its members of parliament, government ministers, and politicians and holding them hostage in Israeli jails, and finally staging a violent takeover of Gaza that backfired. All attempts since the American failed coup in Gaza have focused on perpetuating the peace process through maintenance of its structures under PA control and away from the democratically elected Hamas. Indeed, the destruction of Palestinian democracy was a necessary price to pay, insisted Israel and the Americans, pushed forward by the military efforts of Lieutenant General Keith Dayton. This situation became possible because of the funding strategy of the US, Israel and Arab oil producing states towards the Palestinian struggle. ….."
  • "In short, the goal of the Oslo process, which has been reached with much success, is not the establishment of Palestinian independence from Israel's illegal occupation, but rather to end Palestinian independence as a future goal and as a current reality. Seen from this angle, Oslo continues to be a resounding success."
Putting all Palestinians, all factions in one basket under the slogan of "nationalism and patriotism do not belong to parties, but to a People" is tragic and shall serve neither "the establishment of Palestinian independence from Israel's illegal occupation", nor the right of return of Diaspora Palestinian.

Yes " To be divided is to serve Zionist interests" but "our free mind writers" are putting the blame on both Oslo architects who divided Palestine, and reduces Palestine to 22% of Historical Palestine, and Palestinians/ factions opposing Oslo, insisting on One Palestine from river to sea. "Our Free mind thinkers" are reducing the Majority of Palestinians to Current Leader"

"If current leaders do not want that, other leaders will emerge and earn widespread support."

Current leaders including the wheel chaired Ahmad Yasin emerged through the path of struggle and blood, they were elected by Occupied Palestinians to save the National constants (Liberation and ROR).

Yes, "A united Palestine that is back to its Arab body is the greatest threat to Israel,", but looks like our free mind thinkers are living on another planet, ignoring that it's Fatah, who drive the fist nail on the coffin of the Arab nationalist movement lead by Jamal Abd-El-Naser. 

I wonder what Arab body they are taking about. Is it the Moderate Arabs body Lead by Hosni Mubarak?? Having read what I read on PTT the last two weeks, I would say they mean anybody but not the Resistance Arab/ Islamic body. Their fellow the Ex Marine Sami called and still calling for a US/Natto operation to break the siege and Liberate Palestinian from both Hamas and Fatah. I am sure he knows that Fatah is Apointed and Funded by the "Liberators" 

"'and elections must take place, because Palestinians, like all other people, have a right to choose their own leaders."

They did it and put the whole Oslo process under threat as Joseph Mossad said. Occupied Palestinians, surprised Oslo architects and selected their own leader.

The call of our "Free mind thinker" for a new elections while Palestinians true leaders are in Israeli and Dayton's Jails, and Gaza under siege is call save "all the structures, institutions and classes created by Israeli and Palestinian architects to guarantee the structural survival of the Oslo "peace process"  

The call for Unity not based on the resistance option and the national constants, is a call for the return of Dayton Army to Gaza. A call for a Palestinian Civil War.


Yes, ideally elections should include all "Palestinians worldwide, which should produce their political leadership that is able, willing and ready to tackle the issues that face ALL Palestinians: the liberation of Palestine and the Return of the Palestinians to their original homes and villages" but I am sure that our "Free mind thinkers" know that such elections never happened and can't happen within the given situation, neither in Diaspora nor under occupation.  

So their call for Unity while Gaza under Siege and Hamas under attack in WB is a call for Unity under Oslo process, unity to sell our right of return and a forever masked occupation. 

They are stupid if they think they may fool our People or may blackmail  Hamas with Oslo Enginner's propaganda.

Take it from the mouth of Mashaal “The authority was imposed on our people; we did not choose it, but as long as it was imposed on the people, it must be a righteous authority (and not a corrupt one) that protects the people and not the Zionist enemy,”

If they can't rectify their SIns their silence would be apreciated

If they can't

River to Sea
Uprooted Palestinian

DID YOU KNOW THAT VINEGAR IS A KNOWN SECURITY THREAT?


Via DesertPeace

January 23, 2010 at 2:18 pm (Believe it or not, Extremism, Gaza, Israel, Palestine, zionist harassment)
Another ‘Believe it or not’…..

Vinegar is a Known Security Threat

Via Gisha, the IDF refuses to explain why some food items that aren’t security threats are con­sid­ered security threats and barred from Gaza while other food items that aren’t security threats and aren’t con­sid­ered security threats either are allowed into Gaza. Does this make any rational sort of “sense”? Of course not. It’s what happens when soldiers and bureau­crats who consider a pop­u­la­tion sub-human are given respon­si­bil­ity for tending to that population’s human needs. Max Ajl, by the way, is also still barred from Gaza, because jour­nal­ists, too, are con­sid­ered a “security threat.” Better to stall them for weeks in Cairo.
Thursday, January 21, 2010 – At a court hearing held today in the Tel Aviv District Court, the Court ordered the State of Israel to produce documents related to its Gaza access policy within 30 days or to explain why it refuses to do so. Gisha — Legal Center for Freedom of Movement filed the petition under the Freedom of Infor­ma­tion Act, asking the Ministry of Defense and the Coor­di­na­tor of Gov­ern­ment Activ­i­ties in the Ter­ri­to­ries (COGAT) to reveal their policies relating to the entry of food and other goods to the Gaza Strip. Among the documents requested was the so-called “Red Lines” document that pur­port­edly sets the nutri­tional minimum required for the sub­sis­tence of Gaza residents as a guideline for how much Israel can restrict supply.
The petition was filed following six months of attempts by Gisha – all of them unsuc­cess­ful – to find answers to the most basic questions from the author­i­ties – infor­ma­tion which they are obligated by law to reveal: what are the goods that are permitted or pro­hib­ited for entry into Gaza? What are the criteria for defining goods as “human­i­tar­ian”? And what are the pro­ce­dures that guide COGAT’s activ­i­ties? For example, it is unclear why Israel allows flour into Gaza but does not allow the transfer of vinegar or coriander. It is also unclear why Israel suddenly allowed diapers, mops, black pepper, and za’atar herb into Gaza two months ago, following inter­mit­tent bans. Nor is it clear how pre­vent­ing shoes and children’s toys from entering Gaza enhances Israel’s security. COGAT has refused to explain how it manages to meet “minimum human­i­tar­ian needs” while simul­ta­ne­ously and con­tin­u­ously refusing to define what this minimum consists of.
It is not clear why the Coor­di­na­tor of Gov­ern­ment Activ­i­ties, a bureau­cratic clerk, insists on hiding infor­ma­tion,” Gisha’s Adv. Tamar Feldman said after the hearing. “If Israel believes that its policy on goods transfer to Gaza is justified, why not reveal it?”


The Court rejected the State’s argument that it need not reveal the “Red Lines” document, because it is an internal draft, and ordered the State to produce it or other cal­cu­la­tions within 30 days or to explain why it refuses to do so.

River to Sea
 Uprooted Palestinian

Hussein slams Egypt for using sovereignty pretext to build its iron wall


PIC

[ 23/01/2010 - 04:38 PM ]

AMMAN, (PIC)-- Hasan Hussein, a noted Palestinian writer and the former information director of the Palestinian national council, expressed his shock and dismay at the Egyptian decision to build an iron wall on its borders with Gaza at the pretext of sovereignty.

In a press statement to the Palestinian information center (PIC), Hussein also condemned the subsequent smear campaign waged by some Egyptian journalists against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip.

“What if Uganda built a dam on the Nile preventing water from reaching Egypt at the pretext of the Ugandan sovereignty?” he questioned.

The writer pointed to the legal opinion issued by many international law experts which confirmed that this wall violates international law.

Commenting on the first anniversary of the Israeli war on Gaza, he said that it was a three-dimensional war waged by Israel and the US in collaboration with those he described as “apostates” who renounced the path of the Palestinian revolution.

“This tripartite trend tried to achieve several objectives that serve all parties, the first one was to restore the Strip and to kill whomever they want, the second goal was to eliminate Hamas Movement within two to three days and the last one was to release Zionist captive Shalit,” the writer emphasized.

The writer also underscored that these parties miserably failed to achieve their goals and were not able to damage the military infrastructure of Hamas, adding that the war, on the contrary, damaged Israel’s reputation worldwide after the mass destruction and killing it caused in Gaza.

River to Sea
 Uprooted Palestinian

Abu Sha’ar: Over 55 thousand Jerusalemites deprived of basic services




PIC

Jerusalemites has the options: Killing, or Ethnic Cleansing, or Transfer.


[ 23/01/2010 - 03:34 PM ]

GAZA, (PIC)-- Dr. Taleb Abu Sha’ar, the Palestinian minister of religious affairs, said Saturday that more than 55,000 Jerusalemite citizens living in the neighborhoods of the eastern part of the occupied city of Jerusalem are isolated and deprived of basic human services as a result of the Israeli segregation wall.

In a press statement, Dr. Abu Sha’ar added that this policy of isolation pursued by Israel is aimed to force those citizens to willingly leave their homes and lands.

The minister also deplored the Israeli settlers’ attack on Jerusalemite citizens in the neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah under police protection, noting that more than 300 settlers physically assaulted them and kidnapped some of them.


In another context, Yoram Meital, the Chaim Herzog center for diplomacy and middle east research in Ben-Gurion university, said that the iron wall being built by Egypt on its border with Gaza is an example of the services provided by the Egyptian regime for Israel.

In an article published Saturday by Haaretz newspaper, Meital added that the elimination of Hamas Movement in Gaza is a common goal for both sides.

He underlined that Egypt’s iron wall and its closure of Rafah border terminal harmonize with the demands of Israel and the US for preventing the entry of food and medical aid into Gaza through the Egyptian territory.

River to Sea
 Uprooted Palestinian

Celebrities Plead for Haiti but Not for Iraq, Afghanistan, Gaza

Hollywood celebs and mainstream musical artists put on a show for Haitian relief last night. You couldn't miss it if you turned on the TV, it was on all the major channels. Reports are that over $1 billion so far has been given worldwide for Haiti. That's well and good if the money is not siphoned off down a rabbit hole of corruption.


But where are the benefit concerts for the man made US disasters of war?

Conspicuously absent ...

Who Hates Haiti? The Iraqis Ought To.

In the 7th year of the illegal and unconstitutional war against Iraq, an earthquake struck Haiti. With thousands dead, with whole towns leveled, the United States acted. It sent millions of dollars in aid; it sent thousands of relief workers; it sent ships; it sent soldiers. It permitted hundreds of thousands of Haitians illegally in the U.S. to remain indefinitely. American grocery stores and pizza parlors set out canisters to collect money for Haitian relief. The plight of Hispaniola's benighted western half was the talk of gym rats. It was on the front pages of daily newspapers.

It was a natural disaster.

Iraq is a man-made disaster.

It has been ignored by the man in Congress and the man in the street. It has been disregarded by the media and by the church.

Why? There are millions dead, murdered with malice aforethought by American soldiers and mercenaries. There are millions of refugees, living hand to mouth in poor Middle-Eastern countries. There are thousands given asylum in the United States and Europe. The country itself is in ruins, bombed and shelled with poisonous uranium, with little electricity, with little potable water, and with barely-functioning sewage treatment.

It's policy. Iraqis are Sand Niggers. Worse, most are Muslim. And Israel sees them as a threat.

And what Israel sees, America believes. {more - Michael Springmann}

I did like Sting's 'Driven to Tears' last night, great lead guitar tone and horns. Too bad he and the others such as Jack Nicholson and Julie Roberts won't take a stand against war and its victims as they have for Haiti.



Neil Young is one of the few 'stars' to actively speak out against war. He looking old but that's to be expected.


Posted by kenny's sideshow at 8:50 AM  
River to Sea
 Uprooted Palestinian

Hezbollah, Iran and Jumblatt Slam Kouchner’s “Hateful” Remarks


Batoul Wehbe Readers Number : 334

23/01/2010 In a Friday statement Hezbollah slammed French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner’s statements regarding Israel following his yesterday’s meeting with Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri.

Kouchner has reportedly stated that Lebanon’s problem is with Hezbollah and not Israel, because the resistance group “could launch an attack against Israel to appease Iran.” “If there was a threat to Lebanon, it will only come from a military adventure carried out by Hezbollah in the best interest of Iran,” Kouchner claimed.

Hezbollah added that Kouchner’s positions oppose United Nations reports on Israeli violations. Also, the statement said that the French FM is covering for Israeli aggressions and that his positions contradict France’s past resistance to occupations.

Hezbollah said Kouchner was an accomplice to Israel and supporting the country in its aggression against Lebanon. The statement called on French authorities to be more responsible since they pretend to care about Lebanon’s sovereignty.

Tehran also moved to reject Kouchner’s accusations that it might try to fuel insecurity in southern Lebanon because of an "internal crisis." Kouchner made the accusation that Iran might try to use Hezbollah to create a conflict with Israel.

Iran's Foreign Ministry condemned the "interfering" remarks. "Kouchner has apparently made the comments under the influence of Israelis," Ramin Mehman-Parast, a spokesman for the ministry, said. He said such "unwise" approaches by the French would not meet the interests of the national unity government in Lebanon and would solely feed Israeli agenda.

"It is clear to all that the Zionist regime [Israel] is the root cause of threats and occupation. It attacks innocent people … every day and deprives them of their basic rights," he said.

For his part, Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblatt said in an interview with As-Safir newspaper on Saturday that he disagrees with Kouchner’s statement that Iran might export its internal crisis to Lebanon by inciting Hezbollah to wage war against Israel.

The PSP head said Hezbollah’s arsenal is the key guarantee for confronting a possible Israeli attack - particularly, according to Jumblatt, after US President Barak Obama’s recent comments on the difficulty of achieving a Middle East peace settlement.

Jumblatt said the Lebanese have agreed on principles, of which the national defense strategy is the most important. “More than ever, we believe the defense strategy is in place to fight any aggression,” he added.

River to Sea
 Uprooted Palestinian

ANOTHER FRIDAY …. ANOTHER DEMO IN SHEIKH JARRAH

DesertPeace
January 23, 2010 at 1:54 pm (Activism, Human Rights, Illegal Evictions, Illegal Settlements, Israel, Occupied West Bank, Palestine, Status of Jerusalem, zionist harassment)

Palestinian, foreign and Israeli left-wing activists participate in a demonstration in the east Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah, Friday.
Photo: AP

Sheikh Jarrah Roundup 23/1/2010

Posted by Joseph Dana in Jerusalem on January 23rd, 2010

The Israeli Foreign Service should be thanking each and every protester in Sheikh Jarrah. The international media is now carrying stories about Israelis that want an end to separation and racism. Israelis that will face police brutality and go to jail if necessary. This is a face of Israel that needs to be seen and thanks to the dedication of the direct action peace camp in Israel, the message is getting across. Forget about field hospitals in Haiti, images from Sheikh Jarrah, Bil’in, Nil’in and Nebi Salah of Israeli battling the occupation head on with non violence are the best thing for the state.

A week after the arrest of high profile non violent protesters in the weekly Sheikh Jarrah protest, the remnants of the Israeli left joined the Friday afternoon display of direct action. Amongst the protesters on Friday were leftist leaders such as Hadash chairman MK Mohammed Barakeh, former Meretz chairman Yossi Sarid and former MK Avraham Burg.

Below is a video of the event from Yisrael Putermam, who is doing excellent work documenting the weekly events of direct action protest throughout Israel and the West Bank.


Source
River to Sea
 Uprooted Palestinian