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Post by ninathedog on Mar 29, 2010 14:25:43 GMT 4
U.S Consulate Blocks Award-Winning Journalist
from Coming to ChicagoBy Matthew Rothschild
March 19, 2010Mohammed Omer was one of two winners of the 2007 Martha Gellhorn Prize for Journalism. That prize goes “to a journalist whose work has penetrated the established version of events and told an unpalatable truth, validated by powerful facts, that exposes establishment propaganda.” The unpalatable truth Omer told was about life in Gaza. “He is a profoundly humane witness to one of the great injustices of our time,” his citation read. “He is the voice of the voiceless.” Now he himself is voiceless in the United States, since “the U.S. consulate in the Netherlands has put an extended hold” on his visa application, says Sarah Macaraeg of Haymarket Books. Omer, a Palestinian, now lives in the Netherlands. Omer was to speak on April 5th at the Newberry Library in Chicago at an event sponsored by Haymarket Books and funded by the Lannan Foundation. The topic: “Reflections on Life and War in Gaza.”
>> edited for length Bethlehem - Ma'an - Mohammed Omar, a Palestinian journalist and photographer, has received permission to visit the United States weeks after his visa application was delayed for reasons that were never made clear, a Jewish peace organization reported Saturday. MuzzleWatch, a blog affiliated with the US-based Jewish Voice for Peace organization, reported that supporters of the Gaza journalist had been putting pressure on the US Embassy in the Hague to allow Omar to participate in a speaking tour with Ali Abunimah, a Chicago-based Palestinian-American activist who founded the Electronic Intifada news and commentary Web site. Omar has lived in the Netherlands since 2008, after he was detained and severely beaten by Shin Bet interrogators upon returning to the occupied Palestinian territories from London, where he was awarded the Martha Gellhorn Award for Journalism in 2007. Human rights advocates say the US has begun a quiet campaign to prevent supporters of the Palestinian struggle for self-determination from visiting the country, delaying and denying visas to prominent activists and anti-wall campaigners. Mohammed Khatib, founder and head of the Bil'in's Popular Committee Against the Wall, was scheduled to speak at a conference and universities in California but the US Consulate in East Jerusalem reportedly never responded to his visa application. The American Civil Liberties Union has described the practice of denying visas to foreign nationals whose views the government disfavors as "ideological exclusion," a policy the ACLU says violates Americans' rights to hear constitutionally protected speech. www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=272100edit >>
U.S. Bows to Political Pressure:
Award-winning Palestinian Journalist Will VisitMar-28-2010 18:11
Salem-News.com"Reflections on Life and War in Gaza" features
Mohammed Omer: Speaking Tour on Conditions in Palestine
to Take Place as Debate Between U.S. and Israel over expanded settlements continues.(CHICAGO) - Back from the brink of cancellation, a presentation on conditions in Palestine will take place April 5th with award-winning journalist and photographer Mohammed Omer. Subjected to an extended, and unexplained, hold on his visa, Omer and supporters launched a public pressure campaign, winning his entry from the U.S. consulate today. In 2008, Omer became the youngest recipient of the prestigious Martha Gellhorn Prize for Journalism, for his firsthand reportage of life in the besieged Gaza strip. As his prize citation explained, “Everyday, he reports from a war zone, where he is also a prisoner. He is a profoundly humane witness to one of the great injustices of our time. He is the voice of the voiceless… Working alone in extremely difficult and often dangerous circumstances, [Omer has] reported unpalatable truths validated by powerful facts.” Upon attempting to return to Gaza following his acceptance of the Gellhorn award in London, Omer was detained, interrogated, and beaten by the Shin Bet Israeli security force for hours; and eventually hospitalized with cracked ribs and respiratory problems (For the full story, visit Israel's Haaretz). He has since resided in the Netherlands and continues to undergo medical treatment there for his subsequent health problems. Nearly canceling his planned speaking tour, the U.S. consulate held his visa application without explanation. Organizers decided to protest, as in recent years, numerous foreign scholars and experts have been subject to visa delays and denials that have prohibited them from speaking and teaching in the U.S.—a process the American Civil Liberties Union describes as “Ideological Exclusion.” As his hosts at Haymarket Books commented, "The issue of Palestine, and particularly the voice of Palestinians is so frequently side-stepped and marginalized in mainstream political discourse. Yet the Israeli-Palestinian conflict plays a huge role in American foreign policy, as we can see in the ongoing debate between the U.S. and Israel over expanded settlements. We believe that the conditions in Palestine represent one of the great humanitarian catastrophes of our time; and we were simply not willing to accept that Mohammed did not have the right to travel to the U.S. to share his reportage—and that Chicagoans did not have the right to hear what he has to say." Omer will visit Houston, Santa Fe, and Chicago, as planned, where local publisher Haymarket Books will host his Newberry Library event, “Reflections on Life and War in Gaza,” alongside a broad set of interfaith religious, community, and political organizations. Omer will discuss, with Ali Abunimah, Chicago-based author of One Country: A Bold Proposal to End the Israeli-Palestinian Impasse, his reportage, personal experience, and the struggle for Palestinian rights: Reflections on Life and War in Gaza: A Discussion with Palestinian Journalist Mohammed Omer
In conversation with Ali Abunimah, author One Country and founder Electronic Intifada
Monday, April 5th at 7:00 pm at the Newberry Library, 60 W. Walton, Free
Train: Chicago Red and Brown, Clark/Division Red. Bus: #66 Chicago, #29 State
Funded by the LANNAN FOUNDATION. Sponsored by HAYMARKET BOOKS
In cooperation with: American Friends Service Committee-Chicago, Committee for a Just Peace in Palestine and Israel, Episcopal Diocese of Chicago-Peace and Justice Committee, the International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network, International Socialist Organization, International Solidarity Movement-Chicago, Islamic Medical Association of Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Jewish Voice for Peace, Middle East Task Force of Chicago Presbytery, National Lawyers Guild-Loyola, Neighbors For Peace, Students for Justice in Palestine-DePaul and UIC chapters, and Ta'anit Tzedek—Jewish Fast for Gaza. Background on Mohammed OmerMohammed Omer was born and raised in the Rafah refugee camp in the Gaza strip. He maintains the website Rafah Today and is a correspondent for the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs. His home in Rafah was crushed by an Israeli bulldozer while the family was inside, seriously injuring his mother. Yet, as Omer explained in an article he wrote upon winning the award, “My ambition was to get the truth out, not as pro-Palestinian or anti-Israeli, but as an independent voice and witness.” His reportage features interviews with regular Gazans attempting to survive amidst bombing, home demolitions, and the crippling economic blockade, which has created devastating shortages of electricity, water, fuel, and other necessities for survival. In Chicago: 7:00 pm, Monday, April 5th at the Newberry Library, 60 W. Walton MOHAMMED OMER and ALI ABUNIMAH, author, One Country, and founder, Electronic Intifada.net **Mohammed Omer and Ali Abunimah are available for select interviews. To request, contact: Sarah Macaraeg, 312-315-8476, sarah@haymarketbooks. Facebook: facebook.com/#!/event.php?eid=10150127461370195&ref=ts Additional background:Haaretz: haaretz.com/hasen/spages/999330.html Salem-News.com: American Consulate Bans Award-Winning Palestinian Journalist from U.S. Tour ACLU: aclu.org/national-security/ideological-exclusion Chronicle of Higher Education: insidehighered.com/news/2007/09/25/lasso Rafah Today: rafahtoday.org/ Ali Abunimah, CNN Editorial: cnn.com/2010/OPINION/03/17/abunimah.settlements.israel/index.html?iref=allsearch www.salem-news.com/articles/march282010/mohammed-omer.php |
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Post by ninathedog on Mar 29, 2010 15:17:03 GMT 4
Exclusive /
Despite row, U.S. and Israel sign
massive arms dealBy Amos Harel, Haaretz Correspondent
Last update - 20:27 25/03/2010
Haaretz.com As Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was in Washington this week absorbing the full wrath of the Obama administration, the Pentagon and Israel's defense establishment were in the process of sealing a large arms deal. According to the deal, Israel will purchase three new Hercules C-130J airplanes (sic. Israel isn't purchasing ANYTHING. U.S. TAXPAYERS are). The deal for the three aircrafts, designed by Lockheed Martin, is worth roughly a quarter billion dollars. Each aircraft costs $70 million.The aircrafts were manufactured specifically for Israeli needs, and include a large number of systems produced by Israel's defense industry. The deal will be covered by American foreign assistance funds. The Pentagon will issue a formal announcement on the matter on Thursday evening. America and Israel have still not reached an agreement regarding the purchase of the Lockheed F-35 war plane. It is still not clear when that deal, which is estimated to be worth more than $3 billion, will finally be sealed and carried out. If that deal is signed in the near future, Israel will likely receive its first F-35 in 2014. www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1159155.html...... Written transcript available here: www.democracynow.org/2010/3/23/norman_finkelstein_responds_to_clinton_netanyahu
NORMAN FINKELSTEIN: Well, I’m sure all of your listeners and your viewers are familiar with the magnitude of US aid to Israel. I think the important development is what Amnesty International said after the invasion of Gaza. It put out a very substantial report called “Fueling Conflict.” And it said that transferring weapons to a consistent violator of human rights is illegal under international law. Israel is a consistent violator of human rights, and therefore there has to be a comprehensive arms embargo on Israel. And the report went into each country in the world, how it supplies and transfers weapons to Israel. But it has to be said, the focus was on the United States.
And Amnesty International said three main things: number one, that the US is by far the biggest supplier of weapons to Israel; number two, supplying those weapons to Israel is not only illegal under international law, it’s illegal under domestic US law; and number three, it said—and I think it’s important for your viewers to hear it—Amnesty International said what happened in Gaza could—and they describe what happened in Gaza as twenty-two days of death and destruction—what happened in Gaza could not have happened were it not for US taxpayer money. If you’re appalled by what happened in Gaza, you’re appalled by the death, the destruction, the systematic attack on mosques, the systematic attack on ambulances, the systematic attack on hospitals, on schools—
SHARIF ABDEL KOUDDOUS: And these were detailed in the Goldstone report?
NORMAN FINKELSTEIN: Yes. The 6,000 homes which were all either completely or nearly completely destroyed, Amnesty International says all of that was paid for with US taxpayer money.
And now along comes Hillary Clinton, and she’s extolling US military aid to Israel. The part that she left out is, number one, it’s all illegal under international and domestic US law, and number two, it was that US aid that made possible—you have to bear in mind—I know your program chronicled the use of the white phosphorus—every white phosphorus shell they found—you can see it in the Human Rights Watch report on the white phosphorus—every one was made in the United States. We are responsible for that war. It’s not just a cliché. It’s a factual matter. We made that massacre happen. www.democracynow.org/2010/3/23/norman_finkelstein_responds_to_clinton_netanyahu
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Post by ninathedog on Mar 29, 2010 17:18:18 GMT 4
Anne Greig & Robert Green — Sexual Abuse of Hollie Greig,
The Scottish Establishment Peadophile Ring & Case Cover UpMarch 18, 2010
RedIceCreations.com
Don't miss this important but disturbing two-hour program with Robert Green and Anne Grieg as we discuss the sexual abuse of Anne's daughter Hollie Greig and how it connects with the Scottish Establishment Peadophile Ring and their efforts to suppress exposure of this case. Robert is the spokes person for Anne and for Hollie Greig who got arrested and gagged not too long ago because of his involvement in this case. Topics Discussed: Lee Ann Davidson, Hollie's Story, Aberdeen, State sponsored attack on children, Elitist Cabal, Anne's husband, Angiolini, News of the World, Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA), Dennis Mackey, Aberdeen South, Dr Carter, Lord Actions, Crown Office, George Galloway, The murder and cover up of Anne's brother Roy Greig, Control of the media, Levy & MCrae, Peter Watson, Katherine Harper and much more.www.redicecreations.com/radio/2010/03mar/RIR-100318.php............ download hour one: www.redicecreations.com/radio/2010/03mar/RIR-100318-greiggreen-pt1.mp3download hour two: www.redicecreations.com/radio/2010/03mar/RIR-100318-greiggreen-pt2.mp3
Elite Connections to the World Wide Satanic Pedophile NetworkMarch 23, 2010
RedIceCreations.com
We follow up on the story of the Scottish establishment pedophilia ring and talk more about the horrifying case of Hollie Greig with David Icke who joins us to connect some of the dots surrounding this and other similar cases around the world. We talk about the world wide spanning satanic network and the connecting pedophile rings that have its tentacles into elite, political and illuminati circles around the world. Why? What is going on? Who are the perpetrators? Topics Discussed: Scotland, Breach of the Peace, the Law Firm, Levy and McRae, Is it a Freemasonic cover-up? The Franklin Cover-up, Pedophile Ring in Nebraska, John DeCamp, Ted Gunderson, Lawrence King, Kenny MacAskill, The Murder of Anne’s Brother Roy, Thomas Hamilton, Jersey child abuse investigation 2008 at the a youth hostel, Christopher Booker, Blackmail, High-ranking Australian Satanist Deathbed Confessions, British Premier Gordon Brown a Pedophile? The Lack of Empathy of the perpetrators, Non-Human Monsters, Demons & Reptiles, “All that is Hidden will Come to Light,” we also ask David what he believes the world will look like in 20 years from now. Don’t miss this program and don’t forget to listen to our two-hour program with Anne Greig and Robert Green as well.www.redicecreations.com/radio/2010/03mar/RIR-100323.php....... One hour: www.redicecreations.com/radio/2010/03mar/RIR-100323-dicke.mp3........ edit>> re: "Pedophile Ring in Nebraska" (Boys Town) Conspiracy of Silence —video.google.com/videoplay?docid=671022436591637860#docid=866739408240639313edit>>> VIEW WITH CAUTION. extremely graphic and upsetting material. I just remembered why I haven't watched this program even though I've been aware of its existence for several years.  This time I vow to get through it. Maybe. edit >> I got through it. It was definitely worth watching. |
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Post by ninathedog on Mar 29, 2010 19:48:20 GMT 4
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Post by ninathedog on Mar 30, 2010 0:31:49 GMT 4
Holy Fire Saturday Demonstration in Bethlehem
28 March 2010www.youtube.com/watch?v=4l4ggrZ1FkoPalestinian Christians tried to celebrate the Holy Fire Saturday* in Jerusalem by
crossing the car gate of the checkpoint "300" in Bethlehem Palm Sunday protest in Bethlehem
28.03.2010www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1uBMnPBFCQ(Many thanks to Tom V)*Holy Fire Saturday — www.google.com/search?q=holy+fire+saturdayFreedom of Worship. Freedom of Movement. THE UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS(some nice ideas put forth by the United Nations) www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/On December 10, 1948 the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted and proclaimed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights the full text of which appears in the following pages. Following this historic act the Assembly called upon all Member countries to publicize the text of the Declaration and "to cause it to be disseminated, displayed, read and expounded principally in schools and other educational institutions, without distinction based on the political status of countries or territories." PREAMBLE Whereas recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world, Whereas disregard and contempt for human rights have resulted in barbarous acts which have outraged the conscience of mankind, and the advent of a world in which human beings shall enjoy freedom of speech and belief and freedom from fear and want has been proclaimed as the highest aspiration of the common people, Whereas it is essential, if man is not to be compelled to have recourse, as a last resort, to rebellion against tyranny and oppression, that human rights should be protected by the rule of law, Whereas it is essential to promote the development of friendly relations between nations, Whereas the peoples of the United Nations have in the Charter reaffirmed their faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person and in the equal rights of men and women and have determined to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom, Whereas Member States have pledged themselves to achieve, in co-operation with the United Nations, the promotion of universal respect for and observance of human rights and fundamental freedoms, Whereas a common understanding of these rights and freedoms is of the greatest importance for the full realization of this pledge, Now, Therefore THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY proclaims THIS UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS as a common standard of achievement for all peoples and all nations, to the end that every individual and every organ of society, keeping this Declaration constantly in mind, shall strive by teaching and education to promote respect for these rights and freedoms and by progressive measures, national and international, to secure their universal and effective recognition and observance, both among the peoples of Member States themselves and among the peoples of territories under their jurisdiction. Article 1. * All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood. Article 2. * Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status. Furthermore, no distinction shall be made on the basis of the political, jurisdictional or international status of the country or territory to which a person belongs, whether it be independent, trust, non-self-governing or under any other limitation of sovereignty. Article 3. * Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person. Article 4. * No one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in all their forms. Article 5. * No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. Article 6. * Everyone has the right to recognition everywhere as a person before the law. Article 7. * All are equal before the law and are entitled without any discrimination to equal protection of the law. All are entitled to equal protection against any discrimination in violation of this Declaration and against any incitement to such discrimination. Article 8. * Everyone has the right to an effective remedy by the competent national tribunals for acts violating the fundamental rights granted him by the constitution or by law. Article 9. * No one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention or exile. Article 10. * Everyone is entitled in full equality to a fair and public hearing by an independent and impartial tribunal, in the determination of his rights and obligations and of any criminal charge against him. Article 11. * (1) Everyone charged with a penal offence has the right to be presumed innocent until proved guilty according to law in a public trial at which he has had all the guarantees necessary for his defence. * (2) No one shall be held guilty of any penal offence on account of any act or omission which did not constitute a penal offence, under national or international law, at the time when it was committed. Nor shall a heavier penalty be imposed than the one that was applicable at the time the penal offence was committed. Article 12. * No one shall be subjected to arbitrary interference with his privacy, family, home or correspondence, nor to attacks upon his honour and reputation. Everyone has the right to the protection of the law against such interference or attacks. Article 13. * (1) Everyone has the right to freedom of movement and residence within the borders of each state. * (2) Everyone has the right to leave any country, including his own, and to return to his country. Article 14. * (1) Everyone has the right to seek and to enjoy in other countries asylum from persecution. * (2) This right may not be invoked in the case of prosecutions genuinely arising from non-political crimes or from acts contrary to the purposes and principles of the United Nations. Article 15. * (1) Everyone has the right to a nationality. * (2) No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his nationality nor denied the right to change his nationality. Article 16. * (1) Men and women of full age, without any limitation due to race, nationality or religion, have the right to marry and to found a family. They are entitled to equal rights as to marriage, during marriage and at its dissolution. * (2) Marriage shall be entered into only with the free and full consent of the intending spouses. * (3) The family is the natural and fundamental group unit of society and is entitled to protection by society and the State. Article 17. * (1) Everyone has the right to own property alone as well as in association with others. * (2) No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his property. Article 18. * Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance. Article 19. * Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers. Article 20. * (1) Everyone has the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association. * (2) No one may be compelled to belong to an association. Article 21. * (1) Everyone has the right to take part in the government of his country, directly or through freely chosen representatives. * (2) Everyone has the right of equal access to public service in his country. * (3) The will of the people shall be the basis of the authority of government; this will shall be expressed in periodic and genuine elections which shall be by universal and equal suffrage and shall be held by secret vote or by equivalent free voting procedures. Article 22. * Everyone, as a member of society, has the right to social security and is entitled to realization, through national effort and international co-operation and in accordance with the organization and resources of each State, of the economic, social and cultural rights indispensable for his dignity and the free development of his personality. Article 23. * (1) Everyone has the right to work, to free choice of employment, to just and favourable conditions of work and to protection against unemployment. * (2) Everyone, without any discrimination, has the right to equal pay for equal work. * (3) Everyone who works has the right to just and favourable remuneration ensuring for himself and his family an existence worthy of human dignity, and supplemented, if necessary, by other means of social protection. * (4) Everyone has the right to form and to join trade unions for the protection of his interests. Article 24. * Everyone has the right to rest and leisure, including reasonable limitation of working hours and periodic holidays with pay. Article 25. * (1) Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control. * (2) Motherhood and childhood are entitled to special care and assistance. All children, whether born in or out of wedlock, shall enjoy the same social protection. Article 26. * (1) Everyone has the right to education. Education shall be free, at least in the elementary and fundamental stages. Elementary education shall be compulsory. Technical and professional education shall be made generally available and higher education shall be equally accessible to all on the basis of merit. * (2) Education shall be directed to the full development of the human personality and to the strengthening of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. It shall promote understanding, tolerance and friendship among all nations, racial or religious groups, and shall further the activities of the United Nations for the maintenance of peace. * (3) Parents have a prior right to choose the kind of education that shall be given to their children. Article 27. * (1) Everyone has the right freely to participate in the cultural life of the community, to enjoy the arts and to share in scientific advancement and its benefits. * (2) Everyone has the right to the protection of the moral and material interests resulting from any scientific, literary or artistic production of which he is the author. Article 28. * Everyone is entitled to a social and international order in which the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration can be fully realized. Article 29. * (1) Everyone has duties to the community in which alone the free and full development of his personality is possible. * (2) In the exercise of his rights and freedoms, everyone shall be subject only to such limitations as are determined by law solely for the purpose of securing due recognition and respect for the rights and freedoms of others and of meeting the just requirements of morality, public order and the general welfare in a democratic society. * (3) These rights and freedoms may in no case be exercised contrary to the purposes and principles of the United Nations. Article 30. * Nothing in this Declaration may be interpreted as implying for any State, group or person any right to engage in any activity or to perform any act aimed at the destruction of any of the rights and freedoms set forth herein. "Know Your Rights"www.youtube.com/watch?v=BU1i1P_alR8
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Post by ninathedog on Mar 30, 2010 20:10:35 GMT 4
Exclusive /
Despite row, U.S. and Israel sign
massive arms dealBy Amos Harel, Haaretz Correspondent
Last update - 20:27 25/03/2010
Haaretz.com As Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was in Washington this week absorbing the full wrath of the Obama administration, the Pentagon and Israel's defense establishment were in the process of sealing a large arms deal. According to the deal, Israel will purchase three new Hercules C-130J airplanes (sic. Israel isn't purchasing ANYTHING. U.S. TAXPAYERS are). The deal for the three aircrafts, designed by Lockheed Martin, is worth roughly a quarter billion dollars. Each aircraft costs $70 million.The aircrafts were manufactured specifically for Israeli needs, and include a large number of systems produced by Israel's defense industry. The deal will be covered by American foreign assistance funds. The Pentagon will issue a formal announcement on the matter on Thursday evening. America and Israel have still not reached an agreement regarding the purchase of the Lockheed F-35 war plane. It is still not clear when that deal, which is estimated to be worth more than $3 billion, will finally be sealed and carried out. If that deal is signed in the near future, Israel will likely receive its first F-35 in 2014. www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1159155.html...... Written transcript available here: www.democracynow.org/2010/3/23/norman_finkelstein_responds_to_clinton_netanyahu
NORMAN FINKELSTEIN: Well, I’m sure all of your listeners and your viewers are familiar with the magnitude of US aid to Israel. I think the important development is what Amnesty International said after the invasion of Gaza. It put out a very substantial report called “Fueling Conflict.” And it said that transferring weapons to a consistent violator of human rights is illegal under international law. Israel is a consistent violator of human rights, and therefore there has to be a comprehensive arms embargo on Israel. And the report went into each country in the world, how it supplies and transfers weapons to Israel. But it has to be said, the focus was on the United States.
And Amnesty International said three main things: number one, that the US is by far the biggest supplier of weapons to Israel; number two, supplying those weapons to Israel is not only illegal under international law, it’s illegal under domestic US law; and number three, it said—and I think it’s important for your viewers to hear it—Amnesty International said what happened in Gaza could—and they describe what happened in Gaza as twenty-two days of death and destruction—what happened in Gaza could not have happened were it not for US taxpayer money. If you’re appalled by what happened in Gaza, you’re appalled by the death, the destruction, the systematic attack on mosques, the systematic attack on ambulances, the systematic attack on hospitals, on schools—
SHARIF ABDEL KOUDDOUS: And these were detailed in the Goldstone report?
NORMAN FINKELSTEIN: Yes. The 6,000 homes which were all either completely or nearly completely destroyed, Amnesty International says all of that was paid for with US taxpayer money.
And now along comes Hillary Clinton, and she’s extolling US military aid to Israel. The part that she left out is, number one, it’s all illegal under international and domestic US law, and number two, it was that US aid that made possible—you have to bear in mind—I know your program chronicled the use of the white phosphorus—every white phosphorus shell they found—you can see it in the Human Rights Watch report on the white phosphorus—every one was made in the United States. We are responsible for that war. It’s not just a cliché. It’s a factual matter. We made that massacre happen. www.democracynow.org/2010/3/23/norman_finkelstein_responds_to_clinton_netanyahu
MPs call for review of arms exports after
Israeli assault on Gaza
Components from UK 'almost certainly' used in Operation Cast LeadRichard Norton-Taylor
The Guardian, Tuesday 30 March 2010A cross-party group of MPs will call today for a review of the way arms sales are approved after the government admitted British equipment was "almost certainly" used in the assault on Gaza last year. "It is regrettable that arms exports to Israel were almost certainly used in Operation Cast Lead [the attack on Gaza]," the Commons committee on strategic export controls says in a report published. "This is in direct contravention to the UK government's policy that UK arms exports to Israel should not be used in the occupied territories." The MPs say they welcome the government's subsequent decision to revoke five export licences for equipment destined for the Israeli navy but "broader lessons" must be learned from a review to ensure British arms exports to Israel are not used in the occupied territories in future. After the attack on Gaza, David Miliband, the foreign secretary, told the Commons that all future applications for arms-related exports to Israel "will be assessed taking into account the recent conflict". He said Israeli equipment used in the attack on Gaza "almost certainly" contained British-supplied components included in cockpit displays in US F-16 combat aircraft sold to Israel, and components for the fire control and radar systems, navigation equipment and engine assemblies for US Apache helicopters. The equipment also included armoured personnel carriers adapted from Centurion tanks sold to Israel in the late 1950s and components for the guns and radar in Israeli Sa'ar-class corvettes which took part in the operation. Miliband said the government was looking into all existing licences to see whether any of them needed to be reconsidered. He added that he believed British export controls were amongst the strongest and most effective in the world. Government-approved arms exports to Israel were worth more than £27.5m in 2008, according to the the report. Government departments approved nearly £4m worth of export licences for weapons and equipment with dual military and civil uses in the nine months after the Gaza attack, according to official statistics. Though this suggests a significant drop, the figures show Britain was continuing to sell Israel a wide range of military equipment, including small-arms ammunition and parts for sniper rifles. Most of the equipment was components for large items, including parts for ground-based radar, military aircraft engines, military aircraft navigation equipment, military communications and unmanned drones. Among approved exports were remote ground-sensor systems, electronic warfare equipment "components for sniper rifles", "small arms ammunition" and "test equipment for recognition/identification equipment". The report also reveals that the government decided to revoke a number of licences for arms sales to Sri Lanka. It says it regrets British arms were sold to Sri Lanka during ceasefire periods in the conflict with Tamil Tiger rebels. Amnesty International called on the government to act swiftly to close loopholes allowing "brass-plate" companies registered in the UK to trade arms to countries where human rights violations were committed. It backed the committee's call for a robust international arms trade treaty. Amnesty International's arms programme director, Oliver Sprague, said: "World leaders and campaigners have worked far too hard on the treaty for it to become a worthless piece of paper that will do little to protect people from armed violence." www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/mar/30/arms-british-gaza-assault(many thanks to OP) |
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Post by ninathedog on Mar 30, 2010 20:32:30 GMT 4
Gaza: Child killed by disputed firePublished today (updated) 30/03/2010 18:01
Maan News AgencyGaza – Ma'an – A child was shot and killed east of the Yasser Arafat International Airport in Rafah on Tuesday, medics said. Muawiya Hassanein, director of ambulance and emergency services in Gaza, said Muhammad Zen Ismail Al-Farmawi, 15, was shot dead near the southeasterly border by Israeli forces, while local sources who wished to remain anonymous said the death may have been an internal matter.Hassanein said ambulances had been unable to retrieve the body because of ongoing clashes in the area, while an Israeli military spokesman said he had no knowledge of the incident. The airport and surrounding area was the target of several Israeli airstrikes over recent weeks. The airport was destroyed in 2002 by Israeli strikes and has remained nonoperational. The death came amidst six separate Land Day rallies across the Gaza Strip, with residents and internationals marching toward the Israeli-imposed buffer zone, which prohibits Palestinian access to some 20% of arable lands in Gaza.The groups protest the buffer-zone by marching toward the restricted area, usually until the restricted zone is enforced by Israeli soldiers paroling the area, extending 300 meters into the Strip for the length of its border on the north, and east sides. Israeli forces pulled out of the Gaza Strip in 2005, but maintain control of the area through land and sea blockades. www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=272733(many thanks to Tom V.)........ For a list of the names of other Palestinian and Israeli children killed since 2000, please visit RememberTheseChildren.orgrememberthesechildren.orgLast updated March 27, 2010
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Post by ninathedog on Mar 30, 2010 20:37:25 GMT 4
Egyptian forces detain 12 Gaza childrenPublished today (updated) 30/03/2010 18:01
Maan News AgencyAl-Arish – Ma'an – Egyptian authorities detained 12 Palestinian children attempting to enter Egypt on Monday, through Gaza's subterranean tunnel complex. Egyptian police said they seized the boys, aged between 10 and 17, after ambushing them to reveal the location of the tunnels in use. The boys told Egyptian forces that they were attempting to flee the dire economic situation in the Gaza Strip, police said. Meanwhile, Egyptian forces raided a warehouse used to store goods for smuggling into Gaza in the Al-Barahma neighborhood near the Egyptian-Gaza border to the south. www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=272769
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Post by ninathedog on Mar 30, 2010 21:06:17 GMT 4
Bethlehem journalists strike over
PA use of force at rallyPublished today (updated) 30/03/2010 19:03
Maan News AgencyBethlehem – Ma'an – Palestinian journalists in Bethlehem will strike Tuesday, in response to Palestinian Authority security forces' decision to prevent press from covering protests in the city a day earlier. A statement released by participating journalists said the protest would begin in front of the Bethlehem government headquarters at 10am, which would be followed by a meeting with the governor, Abdul Fattah Hamayil, who was present at Monday's rally. At the meeting, reporters will officially hand over a letter to the PA demanding that those security officers suspected of assaulting journalists be reprimanded.If the PA fails to respond to the letter, journalists say they will boycott all Palestinian official visits in Bethlehem during Easter, particularly that of Prime Minister Salam Fayyad. Abdul Nasser An-Najjar, head of the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate, told Ma'an that he and the body's secretary-general fully support the protest. On Monday, PA and Israeli forces cracked down on protesters at a Bethlehem rally who were voicing dissent against the continued detention of the Palm Sunday detainees, and marking Land Day. Journalists said PA forces not only prevented them from covering the rally, but assaulted members of the press. Heated arguments ensued between journalists covering the incident and PA forces, resulting in a sit-in near Rachel's Tomb by journalists. Fatah's Bethlehem spokesman Muhammad Lahham said "Palestinian security behaved improperly, and despite the fact that we take into account security agreements with Israeli authorities, such assaults against journalists and protesters are never justified." Lahham said he had spoken with Bethlehem Security Services chief Suleiman Umran, who ensured that a committee would be established to investigate the incident, vowing to prosecute any security officer found guilty of assault against journalists or protesters. Palm Sunday detentionsIsrael detained 11 Palestinians participating in what observers called a peaceful protests on Palm Sunday over Israeli restrictions preventing Christians from participating in religious rites like the Triumphal Entry, marked on the Sunday before Easter when pilgrims retrace the steps of Jesus into Jerusalem before his crucifixion. Dozens of protesters, joined by international peace activists and Muslim supporters, took to the streets after Sunday services in the Nativity Church. Participants performed the symbolic march of Jesus Christ to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem, carrying palm branches and banners denouncing Israel's wall and continued settlement expansion. (continues below following videos)The rally reached the Gilo checkpoint, used predominantly by tourists and through which West Bankers can only pass with permission from Israel. Participants tried to transit the military installation before being barred by waiting Israeli soldiers. Border guards, some donning riot gear, were seen on the opposite side of the barrier. When protesters took the opportunity to march through a gate in the wall, which had opened for the access of Israeli military vehicles into the West Bank, they continued on the path to Jerusalem but were detained by Israeli forces. Others were ordered to return to Bethlehem, on the far side of the separation wall. www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=272662
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Post by ninathedog on Mar 31, 2010 16:36:09 GMT 4
Gaza: Child killed by disputed firePublished today (updated) 30/03/2010 18:01
Maan News AgencyGaza – Ma'an – A child was shot and killed east of the Yasser Arafat International Airport in Rafah on Tuesday, medics said. Muawiya Hassanein, director of ambulance and emergency services in Gaza, said Muhammad Zen Ismail Al-Farmawi, 15, was shot dead near the southeasterly border by Israeli forces, while local sources who wished to remain anonymous said the death may have been an internal matter.Hassanein said ambulances had been unable to retrieve the body because of ongoing clashes in the area, while an Israeli military spokesman said he had no knowledge of the incident. The airport and surrounding area was the target of several Israeli airstrikes over recent weeks. The airport was destroyed in 2002 by Israeli strikes and has remained nonoperational. The death came amidst six separate Land Day rallies across the Gaza Strip, with residents and internationals marching toward the Israeli-imposed buffer zone, which prohibits Palestinian access to some 20% of arable lands in Gaza.The groups protest the buffer-zone by marching toward the restricted area, usually until the restricted zone is enforced by Israeli soldiers paroling the area, extending 300 meters into the Strip for the length of its border on the north, and east sides. Israeli forces pulled out of the Gaza Strip in 2005, but maintain control of the area through land and sea blockades. www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=272733(many thanks to Tom V.)........ For a list of the names of other Palestinian and Israeli children killed since 2000, please visit RememberTheseChildren.orgrememberthesechildren.orgLast updated March 27, 2010
by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC & AgenciesPalestinian medical sources in the Gaza Strip reported Tuesday morning that a child was shot and killed by Israeli military fire in Rafah, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip. The child was identified as Mohammad Zeid Al Farmawi, 15, from Qishtat neighborhood in Rafah. Local sources reported that the child was shot by Israeli soldiers after he crossed through the border fence, east of the Gaza International Airport. Medics rushed to the scene but the child was already dead when they arrived; his body was moved to Abu Yousef Al Najjar in Rafah. On Saturday, a 5-year-old child died at a local hospital due to the ongoing illegal Israeli siege on the coastal region. The child, Fuad Swerih, 5, suffered respiratory issues, and Israeli prevented his transfer to hospitals outside the besieged and war- torn Gaza Strip. Swerih is from Al Nusseirat refugee camp, in central Gaza. The doctors were trying to have him transferred to an Israeli hospital but Israel rejected all applications.www.imemc.org/article/58323 |
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Post by ninathedog on Mar 31, 2010 18:23:00 GMT 4
Rising water forces evacuations in
New England A man leaps across flooded Valley Street in Providence, R.I.,
Tuesday, March 30, 2010. Heavy rains and swollen rivers
have caused flooding in the area
more PHOTOS -- news.yahoo.com/nphotos/Northeast-Storms/ss/events/us/121809atlanticstormBy ERIC TUCKER, Associated Press Writer Eric Tucker, Associated Press Writer – 23 mins ago
APCRANSTON, R.I. – The second record storm that socked the Northeast this month was reduced to drizzle as it was winding down Wednesday, but the worst of widespread flooding was yet to come, forecasters said. Rivers from Maine to New York were expected to crest later Wednesday or Thursday. And in Rhode Island, officials were bracing for what was expected to be the most severe flooding to hit the state in more than 100 years."None of us alive have seen the flooding that we are experiencing now or going to experience," Rhode Island Gov. Don Carcieri said Tuesday night. "This is unprecedented in our state's history." Interstate 95, a major East Coast thoroughfare, was closed for about a quarter-mile in Warwick, R.I., because of flooding and down to one lane in other areas of Rhode Island. Officials on Wednesday warned that stretches of the highway could remain closed for several days as the water recedes and to allow time for safety inspections. Nonessential state employees were given the day off in Rhode Island and state offices were closed. Schools and private businesses were urged to follow the same policy. State officials asked drivers to stay off the road. "If we end up with a gridlock, it's going to impact the entire state," said Amy Kempe, a spokeswoman for the governor. President Barack Obama issued an emergency declaration late Tuesday for the state, ordering federal aid for disaster relief and authorizing the Federal Emergency Management Agency to coordinate relief efforts. The rain came as residents were still recovering from a storm two weeks ago that dumped as much as 10 inches on the region. Business owners in the flood zone are still grappling with the impact of lost income. "It's definitely devastating," said liquor store owner Maria Medeiros, whose family-owned business in Providence now abuts raging rapids of water and streets barricaded by the police. "Situations like this, what can you do?" Even fishermen were hit: Shellfish beds in Rhode Island and Massachusetts were closed because of sewage overflows and failures at wastewater treatment facilities caused by flooding.National Guard troops were activated in Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Connecticut. Pockets of home evacuations were reported in those states, as well, and more than 100 people were ordered to leave an apartment complex in Milford, N.H. No deaths were reported in those states as of Wednesday. In Connecticut, heavy rains caused the earth under a Middletown apartment complex parking lot to give way, leaving two buildings teetering over the ravine of a river. Residents were taken to an emergency shelter at a local high school. Authorities also evacuated 50 units at a condominium complex in Jewett City in eastern Connecticut because a sewage treatment plant next door was under at least 4 feet of water. Crews were rushing to put sand bags down to try to save the $16 million facility. In Massachusetts, the biggest concerns were in the southeastern part of the state, where a highway was closed, said state Emergency Management Agency spokesman Scott MacLeod. A bridge gave out in Freetown, isolating about 1,000 residents, he said.
Records fell across the region.The more than 14 inches of rain that fell this month in Boston broke the previous March record of 11, according to the National Weather Service. New Jersey and parts of New York City also set March records. And by Tuesday afternoon, Providence had recorded more than 15 inches of rain in March, becoming the rainiest of any month on record. Cranston Mayor Allan Fung told ABC's "Good Morning America" on Wednesday that the city was facing "dire circumstances." A sewer pump station gave out early Wednesday, and about 130 homes had been evacuated. Warwick also was urging residents to conserve water because of a failed sewer treatment facility. In one water-weary neighborhood along the Pawtuxet River in Cranston, basements were flooded by early Tuesday morning as water levels approached waist-deep levels toward the end of the street. One resident hung a sign: "FEMA + State + City of Cranston. Buy our houses." "Right now it's bad and getting worse," said Brian Dupont, a real estate broker who owns two homes on the street. He feared the dozens of sandbags protecting the homes would offer minimal protection. Standing water pooled on or rushed across roads in the region, making driving treacherous and forcing closures. Adjutant General Robert Bray, the commander of the Rhode Island National Guard, said the area south of Providence was like a "maze" with drivers repeatedly getting stuck. In Maine, a dam in Porter let loose Tuesday morning, sending a torrent of water down country roads. No evacuations or injuries were reported. North of New York City, a man in his 70s drove past a barricade onto a flooded section of the Bronx River Parkway and had to be rescued from the roof of his truck, Westchester County police said. On Long Island, rain coupled with tides inundated a 20-mile stretch of oceanfront road in Southampton. In northeastern Pennsylvania, colder temperatures turned the storm into a surprise spring snowfall. Snowfall, which totaled more than 4 inches in some areas, caused dozens of car accidents, including a fatal crash in which a woman in her 20s lost control of her car on a snow-covered road in Dorrance Township. ___
Contributing to this report were Associated Press writers Bob Salsberg in Wayland, Mass., Stephen Singer and Pat Eaton-Robb in Hartford, Conn., Clarke Canfield in Portland, Maine, and Samantha Henry in Newark, N.J.news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_severe_weather
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Post by ninathedog on Apr 3, 2010 4:17:29 GMT 4
U.S Consulate Blocks Award-Winning Journalist
from Coming to ChicagoBy Matthew Rothschild
March 19, 2010Mohammed Omer was one of two winners of the 2007 Martha Gellhorn Prize for Journalism. That prize goes “to a journalist whose work has penetrated the established version of events and told an unpalatable truth, validated by powerful facts, that exposes establishment propaganda.” The unpalatable truth Omer told was about life in Gaza. “He is a profoundly humane witness to one of the great injustices of our time,” his citation read. “He is the voice of the voiceless.” Now he himself is voiceless in the United States, since “the U.S. consulate in the Netherlands has put an extended hold” on his visa application, says Sarah Macaraeg of Haymarket Books. Omer, a Palestinian, now lives in the Netherlands. Omer was to speak on April 5th at the Newberry Library in Chicago at an event sponsored by Haymarket Books and funded by the Lannan Foundation. The topic: “Reflections on Life and War in Gaza.”
>> edited for length Bethlehem - Ma'an - Mohammed Omar, a Palestinian journalist and photographer, has received permission to visit the United States weeks after his visa application was delayed for reasons that were never made clear, a Jewish peace organization reported Saturday. MuzzleWatch, a blog affiliated with the US-based Jewish Voice for Peace organization, reported that supporters of the Gaza journalist had been putting pressure on the US Embassy in the Hague to allow Omar to participate in a speaking tour with Ali Abunimah, a Chicago-based Palestinian-American activist who founded the Electronic Intifada news and commentary Web site. >> edited for length www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=272100edit >>
U.S. Bows to Political Pressure:
Award-winning Palestinian Journalist Will VisitMar-28-2010 18:11
Salem-News.com"Reflections on Life and War in Gaza" features
Mohammed Omer: Speaking Tour on Conditions in Palestine
to Take Place as Debate Between U.S. and Israel over expanded settlements continues.(CHICAGO) - Back from the brink of cancellation, a presentation on conditions in Palestine will take place April 5th with award-winning journalist and photographer Mohammed Omer. Subjected to an extended, and unexplained, hold on his visa, Omer and supporters launched a public pressure campaign, winning his entry from the U.S. consulate today. In 2008, Omer became the youngest recipient of the prestigious Martha Gellhorn Prize for Journalism, for his firsthand reportage of life in the besieged Gaza strip. >> edited for length Mohammed's schedule:
Speaking Tour on Conditions in Palestine to Take Place as
Debate Between U.S. and Israel over Expanded Settlements Continues
Chicago: 7:00 pm, Monday, April 5th at the Newberry Library, 60 W. Walton with ALI ABUNIMAH, author, One Country, and founder, Electronic IntifadaHosted by Haymarket Books, Contact: 773-583-7884, Free and Open to the Public
Houston: 7:00 pm, Tuesday, April 6th at the Rothko Chapel, 3900 Yupon Contact: 713-524-9839, Free and Open to the Public
Albuquerque: 11:00 am, Thursday, April 8th at UNM Student Union Building (SUB) Ballroom Hosted by the UNM Coalition, Free and Open to the Public 6:30 pm, Thursday, April 8th, at the Albuquerque Mennonite Church, 1300 Girard
Hosted by Middle East Peace and Justice Alliance, Suggested Donation: $20 (no one turned away), Contact: lorir@unm.edu
Santa Fe: 6:30 pm, Friday, April 9th at the Unitarian Church in Santa Fe, 107 West Barcelona with DAHR JAMAIL, author, Beyond the Green Zone and The Will to Resist,and co-recipient of the 2008 Martha Gellhorn Award Hosted by Middle East Peace and Justice Alliance and
Another Jewish Voice-Santa Fe, Suggested Donation: $5 (no one turned away), Contact: ngharrison1@gmail.com rafahtoday.org/news/todaymain.htm |
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Post by ninathedog on Apr 6, 2010 17:37:08 GMT 4
www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrdsLf4n5Ugmany thanks to Tom V who says
"...this is really great reporting and I encourage everyone who cares about this issue to watch." SleeplessinGaza — April 05, 2010 —
April 5, 2010: Day 36:
Why would a Palestinian need a special permit to go from the West Bank to the West Bank? From his home to his adjacent land, and the trip takes half an hour! How come a whole village can only come out and in on certain hours? If people and vehicles need special permits what about a donkey?
• Join Ashira, Susan and Aleix to the villages of Ras Atiah and Habla around Qalqilya to see with your own eyes what the occupation is all about!
• Listen to what the Israeli women have to say about occupation and its practices and why are they watching checkpoints and documenting abuse!
• Meet "Machsom Watch" and tell us:
Do you think the checkpoint commander found Ashira cute or the most annoying person he had met on duty?
In Gaza:
Celebrate Child Day with Farah who has been working very hard to make this festival a great success for the children of Gaza! What is her purpose? To give children a day of play, music and joy!
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Post by ninathedog on Apr 6, 2010 18:46:22 GMT 4
via Muzzlewatch — www.muzzlewatch.com/2010/03/31/and-end-to-public-criticism-of-israel-thanks-aipac/Israel lobby presses Congress to soften
Obama's tough stance on Netanyahu
American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) circulates
letter urging White House to 'reinforce' relationship with IsraelAmerica's main pro-Israel lobby group is mobilising members of Congress to pressure the White House over its bitter public confrontation with Binyamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister. The move, by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (Aipac), appears aimed at exploiting differences in the Obama administration as it decides how to use the crisis around settlement building in Jerusalem to press Israel towards concessions to kickstart peace negotiations. AIPAC has persuaded more than three-quarters of the members of the US House of Representatives to sign a letter calling for an end to public criticism of Israel and urging the US to "reinforce" its relationship with the Jewish state. The open letter, which has been circulating among members of Congress for the last week, says that while it is recognised that there will be differences between the two countries, they should be kept behind closed doors. "Our view is that such differences are best resolved quietly, in trust and confidence," it says. The public differences, and revelations of Obama's private snubs of Netanyahu at the White House last week, have proved embarrassing to the Israeli leader at home, where he has been accused of undermining Israel's most important relationship. >>edited for length article continues here --www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/mar/30/us-israel-lobby-pressure-obama........ Dear Secretary Clinton: We are writing to reaffirm our commitment to the unbreakable bond that exists between our country and the State of Israel and to express to you our deep concern over recent tension. In every important relationship, there will be occasional misunderstandings and conflicts. The announcement during Vice President Biden's visit was, as Israel's Prime Minister said in an apology to the United States, "a regrettable incident that was done in all innocence and was hurtful, and which certainly should not have occurred." We are reassured that Prime Minister Netanyahu's commitment to put in place new procedures will ensure that such surprises, however unintended, will not recur. The United States and Israel are close allies whose people share a deep and abiding friendship based on a shared commitment to core values including democracy, human rights and freedom of the press and religion. Our two countries are partners in the fight against terrorism and share an important strategic relationship. A strong Israel is an asset to the national security of the United States and brings stability to the Middle East. We are concerned that the highly publicized tensions in the relationship will not advance the interests the U.S. and Israel share. Above all, we must remain focused on the threat posed by the Iranian nuclear weapons program to Middle East peace and stability. From the moment of Israel's creation, successive U.S. administrations have appreciated the special bond between the U.S. and Israel. For decades, strong, bipartisan Congressional support for Israel, including security assistance and other important measures, have been eloquent testimony to our commitment to Israel's security, which remains unswerving. It is the very strength of this relationship that has, in fact, made Arab-Israeli peace agreements possible, both because it convinced those who sought Israel's destruction to abandon any such hope and because it gave successive Israeli governments the confidence to take calculated risks for peace. In its declaration of independence 62 years ago, Israel declared: "We extend our hand to all neighboring states and their peoples in an offer of peace and good neighborliness, and appeal to them to establish bonds of cooperation and mutual help with the sovereign Jewish people settled in its own land." In the decades since, despite constantly having to defend itself from attack, Israel has repeatedly made good on that pledge by offering to undertake painful risks to reach peace with its neighbors. Our valuable bilateral relationship with Israel needs and deserves constant reinforcement. As the Vice-President said during his recent visit to Israel: "Progress occurs in the Middle East when everyone knows there is simply no space between the U.S. and Israel when it comes to security, none. No space." Steadfast American backing has helped lead to Israeli peace treaties with Egypt and Jordan. And American involvement continues to be critical to the effort to achieve peace between Israel and the Palestinians. We recognize that, despite the extraordinary closeness between our country and Israel, there will be differences over issues both large and small. Our view is that such differences are best resolved quietly, in trust and confidence, as befits longstanding strategic allies. We hope and expect that, with mutual effort and good faith, the United States and Israel will move beyond this disruption quickly, to the lasting benefit of both nations. We believe, as President Obama said, that "Israel's security is paramount" in our Middle East policy and that "it is in U.S. national security interests to assure that Israel's security as an independent Jewish state is maintained." In that spirit, we look forward to working with you to achieve the common objectives of the U.S. and Israel, especially regional security and peace. Sincerely, STENY HOYER Majority Leader ERIC CANTOR Republican Whip HOWARD L. BERMAN Chairman, Committee on Foreign Affairs ILEANA ROS-LEHTINEN Ranking Republican Member, Committee on Foreign Affairs GARY ACKERMAN Chairman, Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia DAN BURTON Ranking Republican Member, Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia From AIPAC ja-jp.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=376301769579via Muzzlewatch — www.muzzlewatch.com/2010/03/31/and-end-to-public-criticism-of-israel-thanks-aipac/ |
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Post by ninathedog on Apr 7, 2010 23:35:31 GMT 4
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This time I vow to get through it. Maybe.