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Post by ninathedog on May 2, 2010 16:39:47 GMT 4
 I have some films and uploaded photos, but I have decided to hold them just a bit, due to the situation. The conditions out there are really bad. The public will see. sesq From the shore teams, for the sea teams, we are praying again what was already said once (I guess you have a good right to know what was said): SEA TEAMS: "O ETERNAL Lord God, who alone spreadest out the heavens, and rulest the raging of the sea; who hast compassed the waters with bounds, until day and night come to an end; Be pleased to receive into thy Almighty and most gracious protection, the persons of us thy servants, and the team in which we serve.SHORE TEAMS: "Preserve them from the dangers of the sea, and from the violence of the enemy; that we may be a safeguard unto the people of the world, and a security for such as we have all damaged our earth; and that they in danger's hour may return in safety to enjoy the blessings of the land,BOTH TEAMS: "with the fruits of our labor; and, with a thankful remembrance of thy mercies, to praise and glorify thy holy Name; through the Eternal God of the Ages. Amen." |
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Post by ninathedog on May 2, 2010 16:41:01 GMT 4
Report: CONFIRMED: Isis-P has been deployed!Photos and video coming as quickly as we can straighten up the audio, and try to clear the few video clips that arrived in tact, as best we can. Either way, the public will have some interesting clips VERY SOON. (We are sure that the teams have much more video and audio on board and will see what Marci wants to release later too.) The team has been under SEVERE SEAS in both locations. When they arrive safely back to shore, in keeping with Eagles' tradition, a Queen song will be played. Sea Dawg: Deployed both sets of gear, first. Under conditions everyone will soon understand from the Sea Star team videos, they achieved about a 50% time of deployment efficiency. If both sets of gear worked for 30 minutes each, that would have been a 100% efficiency, so that means that they got about 30 minutes total between the two sets. Ultimately, pins were pulled on both sets of equipment, sending them to the bottom, as the high seas began to slam the equipment around behind the deployment vessels, risking everyone on board. (This information was obtained from Sea Star, after they were informed by Sea Dawg, and Sea Star got the information out before their deployment.) The Sea Dawg vessels are sounding enroute and near shore. EPIRB's are silent (they aren't wet, meaning the vessels are afloat), our GPS sounders are tracking them fine, and they appear to be in a tight group of 3 vessels. Once the Isis-P equipment was used, direct ship to shore communications were lost and remain down. All tracking equipment indicates that the whole Sea Dawg team is SAFE at the moment, and nearing shore. Sea Star (alternate identifier name, Eagle Star, used as Mongrel keeps calling it that so it caught on): Deployed at least one set of gear, second. We do not know how well they did. We have distorted video and some audio of Marci ordering the deployment, and are working to clear it up. We also have the same of Dan yelling at one of the deployment vessels to deploy the equipment as Marci ordered. We are not sure what was going on with that. Prior to those inputs, we had 4 audio/video clips from on board Sea Star of Dan and Marci, under heavy conditions. Those video clips, KIND OF HORRIFYING FOR ME, are being prepared to be made public. Following when those clips happened, we had one ship to shore direct contact with Dan. He explained, yelling through battering winds, that attempts to use ship to ship and ship to shore communications failed unless they were outside near the sat-communications equipment. This is probably due to the weather conditions. The Sea Star deployment vessels are sounding seconds East of their deployment locations, with the Com Vessel remaining on station. We do not know why yet. EPIRB's are silent (they aren't wet, meaning the vessels are afloat), our GPS sounders are tracking them fine, and the two deployment vessels appear to be in a tight group. Once the Isis-P equipment was used, direct ship to shore communications were also lost and remain down. All tracking equipment indicates that the whole Sea Star team is SAFE at the moment.  ANGEL EAGLES TRACK IN BLUE   ANGEL EAGLES: "Just because it's the right thing to do!"Sea Dawg arrived. Crew out of energy but no injuries except Ben bruised his right leg. Steven says that the Eagles have probably sent the deployment vessels in early to get morning photos of a deployment area churn and glow if they can. I don't like that, leaving them there, but they are the team leaders. truly,.. |
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Post by sesq on May 2, 2010 18:48:19 GMT 4
NINATHEDOG: If we were to put one link, along with a description, on the front of Eagles Disobey showing the plight of the Palestinian People, what link would it be? Is there a really good "clearing house" kind of link that you could refer us to? (Dan and Marci have some notes for us, for near future things for the front page of Eagles, so I thought I would start gathering some of the information they need.) Frank  (Secret Squirrel) Hi, Frank wow, that's great!! Thank you very much for doing this and a tremendous *thank you!* to Dan and Marci too! Off the top of my head, I'd recommend Palestinian Centre for Human Rights. They have excellent libraries of documentation, including a huge collection of photos and researched reports. They are located in Gaza City, whereas the other websites may have journalists in Gaza, but they are not, or are no longer, based in Gaza. Palestinian Centre for Human Rights is my first choice and the website can be found at pchrgaza.org .
I'm going to go on and list some others that deserve to be mentioned, and of course there are many other fine sites that I won't mention, but here's a list of my favorites: Electronic Intifada is less neutral than PCHR but is filled with information about all facets of living, including the Arts, which I like. It's almost overwhelming in the amount of material it offers, and it's nicely put together. That's at electronicintifada.net/ . My personal favorite is Mohammed Omer's site Rafah Today. He's not writing for the site anymore and he's not in Gaza now, instead he's undergoing badly needed medical treatment abroad and personally I hope he never returns to Gaza (ssshhhhh...don't tell him I said that!). He's done great work as a photojournalist, starting as a teenager and working very bravely and tirelessly to bring attention to the region. He has put his life on the line and has done an incredible job bringing worldwide attention to the plight of the people living there. He's a very dear friend, a brother to me on the soul level, and beloved by many thousands of people around the world. Rafah Today can be found at rafahtoday.org . PLEASE BE WARNED, however, that much of the material presented on his site is brutal in its honesty. This is not a site for those who prefer rose-colored glasses over 20-20 vision. Please approach past reports with caution! I had the dubious distinction of being his webmaster for a period of time (well over a year) and it was emotionally the toughest job I've ever had. I was thrilled to hand the job back to the original webmaster after she'd finished her leave of absence. Another good site which Mohammed continues to write for is Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, which is essentially the printed magazine "WRMEA" posted online. Long and thorough articles. They do good work and I've met some of the administrative staff. They're good people. This site is at wrmea.org/ . Remember These Children and If Americans Knew are two more sites that I should mention. "Remember These Children" is simply a list of names and circumstances. "If Americans Knew" is a site dedicated to examining media bias. I put the two together here, I guess, because I met the two women who run these sites at the same time. In my mind they're a team, although the two sites are separate. More good people! Anyway, the site addresses are RememberTheseChildren.org and IfAmericansKnew.org respectively. So that's my short list. Thank you, Frank! Jen. / ninathedog PS If anything, rather than a feeling of despair, working on this issue has given me tremendous HOPE for humanity because it really brings out the bravery and passion in people as they stand up for the rights of those who can't stand for themselves. There are thousands of angels here on Earth. One only needs to look toward the occupied Palestinian territories to see them. Other places too, of course, but I think the bravery of the human angels in the Palestinian region is unprecedented.  Thank you! I will print this all out for them when I get home.  sesq |
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Post by ninathedog on May 2, 2010 22:55:39 GMT 4
Thank you! I will print this all out for them when I get home. sesq thank you! love, Jen. |
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Post by ninathedog on May 2, 2010 23:17:32 GMT 4
Be forewarned this is a PC production. You may not be a fan of either PC or Leo Zagami but there's a lot here to hear. This interview is relevant to Humanitarian Issues because
he discusses arms trading and other issues. www.youtube.com/watch?v=_nLfRsReGIIIt's really best to skip ahead to 5 minutes 49 seconds. That's where the interview actually begins. Majestic 12:At 57 minutes, LZ replies:
"In my personal experience, Majestic has been always an organization mentioned mostly by conspiracy theorists without foundation. I never found any realistic existence of this Majestic 12 or this Majestic organization. If you talk to me about the CFR, the Trialateral (Commission), these are realistic things that exist, they are tangible, you can touch them. The Illuminati they exist. I was into an organization, which I can show you the documents and that was the (unintelligible) de Monte Carlo, the Monte Carlo Lodge..." He finishes his thought and then continues onto the topic of the Knights of Malta.............. Oslo, Norway, February 2008 Leo Lyon Zagami, ex-member of the Comitato Esecutivo Massonico - the Masonic Executive Committee - of Monte Carlo, was, until recently, is a high level member of the Italian Illuminati. He is a 33rd degree Freemason, and a senior member of the infamous P2 Lodge. He was the 'Prince': prepared to take over after the older Illuminati 'King', Licio Gelli. He was born of a Scottish-Sicilian Illuminati aristocratic bloodline, and so has been involved in the Illuminati Order since childhood. Disgusted with satanic black magic rituals, and with the true intentions of those who regard themselves as the elite controllers of the planet, he has now made the commitment to tell the real story of those who seek to rule us all without our consent... Leo Zagami part two 2006 . www.youtube.com/watch?v=_qcfqid8oi8Leo Zagami part three 2006 |
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Post by ninathedog on May 3, 2010 1:10:18 GMT 4
50 minutes with the parents of Rachel Corrie in Jerusalemwww.youtube.com/watch?v=z_Xnl9kkMfI
SleeplessinGaza — March 28, 2010 — March 28, 2010: Day 28A: Craig & Cindy Corrie, Rachel's parents, have a long chat with Ashira and Ala' at a café in Old Jerusalem. Learn about Rachel, how they received the news of her death and their ongoing law suit in Israeli courts. We decided to leave it unedited and uncut; 50 minutes long!
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Post by ninathedog on May 3, 2010 1:42:29 GMT 4
Israel:
We need more Iron Dome systemsBy YAAKOV KATZ
02/05/2010 03:012 batteries to be deployed soon; IDF wants a dozen more. Photo by Channel 10. Israel has asked Washington for help in buying additional Iron Dome batteries needed to defend the borders with Gaza and Lebanon. In January, the Iron Dome underwent a round of tests during which it successfully intercepted barrages of mock Kassam and Katyusha rockets. The missile barrages that the system intercepted included a number of rockets that mimicked Kassam and longer-range Grad-model Katyusha rockets that are known to be in Hamas’s arsenal. The Iron Dome is supposed to be capable of intercepting all of the short-range rockets fired by Hamas from the Gaza Strip and Hizbullah from southern Lebanon. The Iron Dome uses an advanced radar – made by Elta Systems – that locates and tracks the rocket, which is then intercepted by a kinetic missile interceptor called Tamir. The Defense Ministry initially allocated around $250 million for the development of the system by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and the procurement of two batteries, which have already been delivered to the Israel Air Force’s Air Defense Division and are slated to be declared operational in the coming months. The IDF, however, would like to buy more than a dozen additional batteries, the number it requires to provide effective protection for the Gaza and Lebanese borders. As a result, the Defense Ministry negotiating with the Treasury with the aim of receiving a supplement budget to the defense budget that will be used to buy additional Iron Dome batteries. The ministry has also approached the Pentagon about the possibility of receiving assistance in funding the project. Officials said that Defense Minister Ehud Barak was supposed to have raised the issue during his talks at the Pentagon last week. While Israel receives $3 billion in annual military aid from the US, Congress has also traditionally approved a special budget for the development and procurement of the Arrow missile defense system. Last year, for example, the Pentagon allocated a special budget for the development of the Arrow 3, underway by Israel Aerospace Industries and Boeing Company.“This is an issue that we have discussed with the Americans already on several occasions,” one official said last week. “The logic from an American point of view is that it is better to help Israel feel protected and defend its cities than it is for Israel to be under attack and have to launch another operation in Gaza to protect itself.” As the IAF comes closer to declaring the system operational, the IDF is deliberating whether it will immediately deploy the batteries in the field – it has located positions for the Iron Dome along both volatile borders – or will store the systems in a military base and deploy them based on operational requirements and considerations. The system is mobile and can be deployed within several hours. www.jpost.com/Israel/Article.aspx?ID=174451Exclusive /
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  www.jewishvoiceforpeace.org/Find your elected officials:hq-salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/301/getLocal.jsp?zip=
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Post by ninathedog on May 3, 2010 12:22:21 GMT 4
Report: CONFIRMED: Isis-P has been deployed!Photos and video coming as quickly as we can straighten up the audio, and try to clear the few video clips that arrived in tact, as best we can. Either way, the public will have some interesting clips VERY SOON. (We are sure that the teams have much more video and audio on board and will see what Marci wants to release later too.) The team has been under SEVERE SEAS in both locations. When they arrive safely back to shore, in keeping with Eagles' tradition, a Queen song will be played. Sea Dawg: Deployed both sets of gear, first. Under conditions everyone will soon understand from the Sea Star team videos, they achieved about a 50% time of deployment efficiency. If both sets of gear worked for 30 minutes each, that would have been a 100% efficiency, so that means that they got about 30 minutes total between the two sets. Ultimately, pins were pulled on both sets of equipment, sending them to the bottom, as the high seas began to slam the equipment around behind the deployment vessels, risking everyone on board. (This information was obtained from Sea Star, after they were informed by Sea Dawg, and Sea Star got the information out before their deployment.) The Sea Dawg vessels are sounding enroute and near shore. EPIRB's are silent (they aren't wet, meaning the vessels are afloat), our GPS sounders are tracking them fine, and they appear to be in a tight group of 3 vessels. Once the Isis-P equipment was used, direct ship to shore communications were lost and remain down. All tracking equipment indicates that the whole Sea Dawg team is SAFE at the moment, and nearing shore. Sea Star (alternate identifier name, Eagle Star, used as Mongrel keeps calling it that so it caught on): Deployed at least one set of gear, second. We do not know how well they did. We have distorted video and some audio of Marci ordering the deployment, and are working to clear it up. We also have the same of Dan yelling at one of the deployment vessels to deploy the equipment as Marci ordered. We are not sure what was going on with that. Prior to those inputs, we had 4 audio/video clips from on board Sea Star of Dan and Marci, under heavy conditions. Those video clips, KIND OF HORRIFYING FOR ME, are being prepared to be made public. Following when those clips happened, we had one ship to shore direct contact with Dan. He explained, yelling through battering winds, that attempts to use ship to ship and ship to shore communications failed unless they were outside near the sat-communications equipment. This is probably due to the weather conditions. The Sea Star deployment vessels are sounding seconds East of their deployment locations, with the Com Vessel remaining on station. We do not know why yet. EPIRB's are silent (they aren't wet, meaning the vessels are afloat), our GPS sounders are tracking them fine, and the two deployment vessels appear to be in a tight group. Once the Isis-P equipment was used, direct ship to shore communications were also lost and remain down. All tracking equipment indicates that the whole Sea Star team is SAFE at the moment. We just cut these quick. Glowing churn like patch in Pacific from the deployment of Isis-P! (The patch left after several hours - center - looks small but is really very large.) The bottom right photo shows a close up of side of one of the Isis-P crystal mounts as it was still fizzing into the ocean after deployment. The left photo shows the side area of the Com vessel as it was passing near a patch. These photos are the reasons why the Com Vessel stayed behind on station for awhile.  (ALL IMAGES ARE COPYRIGHTED TO EAGLES DISOBEY, INC.!) The team has other photos and restricted night deployment shots too. We have to speak with Marci about those first. They show a lot of equipment. Both teams have reported and have photos of strange glowing patches forming in the waters distances from the deployment areas AFTER deployment of the Isis-P units. We do not know at this time what that means, and Dan said he'd rather not comment about the possible meanings until he can get everything and the data and remote sensing organized. EAGLES DISOBEY!WE HAVE THEM! SAFE AND SOUND!
Congratulations for the successful deployment of Isis and
for the safe return of the Eagles Team!!
THANK YOU! |
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Post by ninathedog on May 3, 2010 18:26:10 GMT 4
A Deep Breath. |
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Post by ninathedog on May 3, 2010 18:32:38 GMT 4
Kafkaesque Rules On
Gaza Goods TransfersPalestine Monitor
2 May 2010In September 2007 the Security Cabinet of Israel declared that Gaza was a hostile territory. Israel restricted the transfer of goods into Gaza not for security reasons, but rather as part of a policy to apply “pressure” or “sanctions” on Hamas. Three years later Israeli policy has degenerated into a confusion of Kafkaesque bureaucracy.“Additional sanctions will be placed on the Hamas regime in order to restrict the passage of various goods to the Gaza Strip and reduce the supply of fuel and electricity. Restrictions will also be placed on the movement of people. The sanctions will be enacted following a legal examination, while taking into account both the humanitarian aspects relevant to the Gaza Strip and the intention to avoid a humanitarian crisis.” With this nota from the Security Cabinet, Israel openly declared its intention to block goods beyond what is deemed “essential for the survival of the civilian population”, and forbids all goods that are not what they call “dual use purpose”, goods that can be used for military activities. But what Israel considers to be the “humanitarian minimum” is obscure according to Martha Myers, chairwoman of the Association of International Development Agencies (AIDA), who represents about 90 organisations from all over the world. “Experience has taught that in the past two years these clearances to Gaza change all the time. We were already told that lettuce, jam, dates, macaroni and candles were not allowed. Gaza needs about 2,000 tons of cooking gas a week, and gets just about 800 tons.” To receive more information about these restrictions, Gisha, a Legal Center for Freedom of Movement, went to the Tel Aviv District Court under the Freedom of Information Act. “At least we want to know what the criteria are for defining goods as “humanitarian”, Sari Bashi from Gisha. “For example, it is unclear why Israel allows flour into Gaza but does not allow the transfer of vinegar or coriander. Or why it suddenly allowed diapers, mops, black pepper, and za’atar herb, following intermittent bans. Nor is it clear how preventing shoes and children’s toys from entering Gaza enhances Israel’s security.” Among the documents requested was also the so-called “Red Lines” document that purportedly sets the nutritional minimum required for the subsistence of Gaza residents and includes detailed tables with the number of grams and calories of each type of food that Gaza residents should be allowed to consume, according to age and sex. “Although the court ordered the State on 21 January to reveal the requested documents in 30 days or to explain why it refuses to do so, the Ministry of Defence repeatedly extended this demand. Until now, we are waiting.” In addition to these restrictions, Israel also imposes ridiculous requirements when humanitarian organisations want to bring goods into Gaza. “I can understand that COGAT, the Coordinators Office for Government Activities in the Territories, doesn’t allow khaki T-shirts, but they really want to know precisely what colours in what sizes we want to import. Even for pencils, COGAT wants a technical description”, quotes Martha Myers. “It took months and a huge amount of diplomatic pressure to allow an elevator for a hospital in. Until then, they couldn’t use the upper floors because they were not able to get the patients there. It costs Care International twice the value of a heater dryer for a hospital, just because the Israeli’s refused the transfer three times after they had given their permission.” Israel is able to carry out its policy because it has the complete control over the crossings between its territory and Gaza and the control over the airspace and the territorial waters. After Israel closed the crossings of Karni, Sufa and Nahal Oz, everything has now to pass through the smaller crossing of Kerem Shalom. “Everything has to be palletized, as a general rule”, says Myers. “To bring in an antenna of nine meters long, that obviously cannot be palletized, it took us almost a year to get the right permission. Karem Shalom also works just a couple of days a week, and a few hours a day. “So when trucks are held-up at the Betunia checkpoint southwest of the West Bank city of Ramallah, they lose their coordination slot and can start all over again. So in the best possible case the truck drives into the scanner at Karem Shalom, unloads its goods, which are scanned again. After that, a special sterile truck between two loading bays moves the pallets for about hundred meters, where it unloads them once more. There, finally a Gaza truck loads the goods to distribute them into Gaza.” By only using Karem Shalom, Israel is attempting to squeeze supplies for 1.5 million people through only one of the four Gaza border crossings. According to Gisha, the imports are currently at approximately 25 percent of what Gaza needs, including grain and animal feed transferred not on trucks but via conveyer belt. That amounts to 2,500 truckloads of goods per month as opposed to the 10,400 truckloads per month entering before the June 2007 closure began."Since the beginning of April, Israel showed a sign of good will and decided that fashion no longer constitutes a security threat, at least temporarily. It allowed, contingent on certain conditions, the transfer of containers of clothes and footwear, at a rate of 10 trucks a day, of those containers that have been stored at Israel’s port in Ashdod or in the West Bank since the closure was imposed in 2007. However, the clothes and shoes have accumulated moisture in the many months of storage, and many of the products have either rotted completely or been partially damaged by mildew. The losses to the merchants, in addition to the costs of storage, are estimated at 30 percent of the value of each truck.” On April 28th, Israel allowed that approximately 133 truckloads of aid could enter via Kerem Shalom and 122 truckloads of wheat and animal feed through the northern Kani crossing; a contribution, but still insufficient. For Sari Bashi it is clear that Israel just wants to paralyse the whole economy of Gaza. “Israel claims that its restrictions on the movement of goods into Gaza constitute “economic sanctions” or “economic warfare” designed to weaken the economy in Gaza as part of its warfare against the Hamas regime. But it’s just a collective punishment, which is forbidden by International Law, for the rocket fire by militants and the failure of the Hamas regime to prevent such rocket fire.” The result of this economic warfare is that ninety percent of Gaza’s factories are already closed or operating at ten percent or less capacity. “In addition to the ban of construction materials and industrial fuel, Israel forbids large buckets of margarine, because these are designed for industrial use, rather than home consumption”, explains Bashi how the crossings policy is aimed at preventing economic development. “Israel says that these large buckets could be used to allow a local factory to produce biscuits, and thus engage in economic activity. Similarly is the ban of empty cans, intended for the preservation and marketing of Gaza-produced tomato paste. Israel only allows Israeli-made tomato paste. As a result of this policy, more than 80 percent of Gaza’s population is dependent on humanitarian aid.” Bashi and Myers are convinced that the indirect effect of Israel’s goods policy is the reinforcement of Hamas. By supporting a tunnel economy between Egypt and Gaza, Hamas could levy high taxes. “Until a few months ago, even INGO’s used these tunnels to dodge the restrictions”, Marta Myers confesses. “But, because the donor countries don’t want to give money to a designated terrorist organisation as Hamas, we are forbidden to use them anymore. Now we have to prove that anything we import into Gaza passes through Israel.” Martha Myers acknowledges the legitimate security concerns of Israel. “But now it takes the food out of the people’s mouth. A significant percentage of the donor’s money for humanitarian aid goes to the administration services to solve problems and to cope with all these clearances, permissions and licences.” For more info about Gisha: www.gisha.org/www.palestinemonitor.org/spip/spip.php?article1378..............  Franz Kafka Online:www.kafka-online.info/
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Post by ninathedog on May 3, 2010 23:02:20 GMT 4
 Players line up before a football match on the first day of Gaza's version of
the World Cup, in Gaza City, on May 2, 2010. (Xinhua/Wissam Nassar) Players of "Palestine" and "a foreign team" compete during the opening football
match on the first day of Gaza's version of the World Cup, in Gaza City, on
May 2, 2010. The Gaza Strip kicked off its own version of the World Cup with
teams of Palestinian footballers and foreigners representing foreign countries on
Sunday. The trophy is made out of twisted metal and rubble from last year's
war with Israel. (Xinhua/Wissam Nassar)english.people.com.cn/90001/90779/90871/6971030.html......... Gaza football World Cup kicks offMon, 03 May 2010 09:20:54 GMT
PressTV.com The Gaza Strip kicked off its own version of
the World CupThe Gaza Strip has kicked off its own version of 'World Cup Football' to highlight the humanitarian crisis in the Palestinian coastal silver under a tight blockade. The opening ceremony of the two-week Gaza World Cup was held in the Gaza stadium in Gaza City on Sunday with a match between the "Italy" and "Palestine" teams. The Italian side beat the Palestinian outfit 1-0 in the opener. Most of the teams are named after international football powerhouses like Brazil, Spain and France to simulate the real FIFA World Cup in South Africa in 2010. The competition is meant to highlight a three-year blockade that has prevented most of the tiny territory's 1.5 million residents, including athletes, from being able to travel abroad, the event's organizer Patrick McGrann said on Sunday. Some 16 teams of local and foreign players have taken part in the contest to win a trophy made out of twisted metal and rubble from last year's war with Israel. The squads have a small contingent of foreigners from these countries - mostly international aid workers who are based in Gaza. The Gaza's World Cup is free and open to the public. HRF/MTM/HRF www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=125275§ionid=3510211 |
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Post by ninathedog on May 4, 2010 0:59:27 GMT 4
For footnotes and links included in the following report, "Restrictions on the transfer of goods to Gaza: Obstruction and obfuscation," please click link to download: gisha.org/UserFiles/File/publications/Obstruction_and_obfuscation.doc.... Restrictions on the transfer of goods to Gaza:
Obstruction and obfuscationJanuary 2010
Gisha.org--------------- Introduction – restrictions not about securityBeginning in September 2007, Israel openly stated that it would restrict the movement of goods into and out of Gaza not in order to protect against security threats stemming from the transfer, but rather as part of a policy to apply "pressure" or "sanctions" on the Hamas regime. Until 2007, Israel had stated that its restrictions on the entrance of goods into Gaza stemmed from security concerns – either threats to the crossings themselves which would result in preventing passage, or security concerns stemming from the nature of the goods entering (i.e. "dual use" goods which have both a civilian as well as a military use). With the passage of a September 2007 Security Cabinet decision authorizing restrictions on the movement of goods and people into and out of the Gaza Strip, Israel declared that the entrance of goods would be limited to a "humanitarian minimum". Israel declared an intention to block goods beyond what is deemed "essential for the survival of the civilian population", halting export, economic activity and production and preventing the passage of items deemed to be a "luxury" (including, at various points, items like tea, sesame, shoes, paper, and school supplies). In the following paper, Gisha examines the policy restricting the passage of goods between Israel and the Gaza Strip, including its stated rationale, developments since its 2007 instatement, and implications for the civilian population of the Gaza Strip. Rationale for restrictions:
economic warfare or collective punishment?Israel claims that its restrictions on the movement of goods into Gaza constitute "economic sanctions" or "economic warfare" designed to weaken the economy in Gaza as part of its warfare against the Hamas regime. Israel is able to carry out its policy because of its complete control over the commercial crossings between its territory and Gaza, through which goods enter and exit the Strip, total control over the airspace and territorial waters, and indirect but substantial control over the Rafah Crossing between Egypt and Gaza. At the same time, Israel sees itself required to permit no more than the entrance of goods "essential to the survival of the civilian population" and restricts passage for reasons unrelated to security concerns emanating from threats to the crossings or from the possibility of the goods being used for military activities (dual use). Gisha addressed the September 2007 Security Cabinet decision and restrictive policy on goods in a December 2008 position paper, "Gaza Closure Defined: Collective Punishment ", the first part of which looks at the stated rationale behind the restrictions and includes statements by Israeli officials linking restrictions on the supply of civilian goods to rocket fire by militants and/or failure of the Hamas regime to prevent such rocket fire (i.e. passage of goods used as a pressure point). The state's explanation of this policy (including its articulation of a "humanitarian minimum") is described in documents submitted in response to a court petition brought by Gisha and a coalition of Israeli and Palestinian human rights groups challenging restrictions on fuel and electricity to the Gaza Strip (HCJ 9132/07 Al Bassiouni v. Prime Minister). Gisha's January 2008 briefing paper summarizes the arguments made by the State for restricting goods supply to Gaza and analyzes the court's decision. Restrictions apply to food supply,
despite promises to the contraryThe policy restricting goods includes limitations on food supply, although Israel refuses to provide details. We recall the "pasta" fiasco, in which, upon visiting Gaza, United States Senator John Kerry discovered that Israel had banned macaroni from entering Gaza because it was not considered "humanitarian" (as opposed to rice). In the wake of that incident, and ensuing reproach from U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Israel promised, in a March 20, 2009 Cabinet decision, to allow food into Gaza on an unlimited basis. When nothing changed on the ground, Gisha wrote to the army for clarification, which the army provided as follows: "on March 20, 2009 the government passed Resolution 4559, according to which the unlimited passage of food products should be allowed into the Gaza Strip. However, it should be clarified, that the resolution did not intend to lift the restrictions imposed in the past on allowing equipment and food into the Gaza Strip and by doing so, ignore Israel's overall policy toward the Gaza Strip, as stated in the Cabinet decision from September 19, 2007, following Hamas's violent takeover of the Gaza Strip, but rather to expand the list of food products whose admission into the Gaza Strip would be permitted in order to adequately meet the needs of the Palestinian population that is not involved in terror" (emphasis added). Israel's Supreme Court also provided a clarification in a decision rejecting a petition to permit the import of calves into Gaza: "Government Resolution 4559 indeed could be interpreted as removing all the restrictions that were imposed in the past on the entrance of equipment and food into the Strip. However, it has been given a restrictive interpretation by the authorized government officials" (emphasis added). A June 2009 Haaretz investigative report, entitled "Gaza bonanza ", alleges arbitrariness and corruption in the Gaza goods policy. Lack of clarity about what qualifies as "humanitarian"Since Karni Crossing, the main commercial lifeline into Gaza, was closed on June 14, 2007, followed by the closure of the Sufa and Nahal Oz crossings in 2008 and 2010 respectively, passage takes place through a smaller, alternative crossing: Kerem Shalom. In addition, the grain conveyer belt, which moves grain and animal feed from the Israeli side to the Palestinian side at Karni is occasionally operational, as it does not require the opening of the crossing for trucks. Imports are currently at approximately 25% of what Gaza needs, or about 2,500 truckloads of goods per month (including grain and animal feed transferred not on trucks but rather via the conveyer belt), as opposed to the 10,400 truckloads/month entering before the June 2007 closure began. Goods entering Gaza are limited to "humanitarian" items – approximately 70 items of foodstuffs, medicines, and grocery items (i.e. detergent, soap, etc.). Goods enter via coordination with the Palestinian Ministry of National Economy, international organizations, or some direct coordination via private importers on a more limited basis. The Palestinian Coordination Committee, operating in Gaza and subject to the authority of the Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority, composes lists of permitted goods, based on its experience with Israeli military officials. In October, Gisha filed a Freedom of Information Act petition asking for transparency regarding the Gaza goods policy, including lists of permitted and prohibited items, following failed attempts to receive information via correspondence with relevant authorities. One week before the date of the hearing in the petition (January 21, 2010), COGAT responded to our original request for information (sent in March 2009). The response did not clarify how Israel defines which items are "humanitarian" and denied the existence of lists of permitted or prohibited items. The military refused to produce the so called "Red Lines" document, alleged to contain calculations made by the military as to the caloric needs of Gaza's civilian population. Gisha is concerned about the apparent practice of the military in determining a minimum standard to which it may deliberately reduce the 1.5 million people living in Gaza. During the hearing, the court instructed the state to provide further information and relevant documents in response to our request within 30 days. Dual use goods:
A small part of the storyIn addition to the goods prohibited as part of the "economic sanctions" against Gaza, there are also goods that have been prohibited or restricted for years, because they are considered to be "dual use" – both civilian and combative. The primary legislation in this regard is the Defense Export Control Law, 5766-2007 which refers to the Wassenaar Arrangement and its control lists. Israel is not a party to this agreement, but has nonetheless incorporated the lists through legislation. By virtue of this law, the Minister of Defense, instituted two deriving directives relevant to the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt): the Directive on Defense Export Control (Monitored Dual Use Equipment), 2008 , which simply refers to the relevant lists in the Wassenaar Arrangement, and the Directive on Defense Export Control (Monitored Dual Use Equipment Transferred to the Territories under PA Responsibility), 2008, which expands the list in regard to the oPt and includes certain pipes, vehicles and communication equipment. No control list includes cement, glass, wood or paper, let alone foodstuffs, as these are not goods that are compatible for military use. Ban on construction materials
despite needsIsrael's ban on the entrance of construction materials (except for very narrow exceptions) should be viewed in context of the overall policy of what Israel calls "economic sanctions" and what human rights groups call "collective punishment". Occasionally, government spokespersons speak generally about "threats" stemming from the entrance of construction materials, but the rationale for preventing their entrance is the desire to apply pressure on the Hamas government by preventing reconstruction. Most construction materials have no "dual use" – there is nothing inherently dangerous about them, and they are not "compatible for military use" according to the guidelines of the Defense Ministry. Rather, the desire to prevent their entrance is related to the overall policy of pressure and preventing "normal life". This policy has been articulated informally by Israeli officials as one of "no development, no prosperity, no humanitarian crisis " – allowing the minimum needed for survival, but no more. The ban means that hundreds of millions of dollars pledged by the U.S. government in the wake of the December 2008-January 2009 military operation and $4.5 billion pledged by the international community at that time, all for reconstruction – are going unspent. Humanitarian projects designed to rebuild after the war cannot take place, and an estimated 20,000 people are still displaced, unable to rebuild their homes. Damage to the private sector alone is estimated to be $45 million. On the other hand, the Hamas government is able to obtain construction materials through an estimated 600-1,000 tunnels between the Egypt-Gaza border, because unlike the international organizations engaged in reconstruction – it does not require receipts and can purchase the goods smuggled into Gaza. The UN has suggested mechanisms to receive construction materials via the Israeli-controlled crossings and ensure that they reach the appropriate recipients, but thus far Israel has refused, other than with the case of glass, which beginning in late December, 2009, has been allowed into Gaza. Impact on the economyThe policy is explicitly designed to prevent the functioning of Gaza's economy. Export is banned (with the exception of a few dozen truckloads of flowers and strawberries as part of a Dutch-sponsored project) and the import of raw materials is banned. According to Amr Hamad, Deputy Secretary-General of the Palestinian Federation of Industries, about 90% of Gaza's factories are closed or are functioning at less than 10% capacity because of the inability to obtain raw materials and the inability to export finished goods. Unemployment has risen to well over 40%. Over 80% of Gaza residents are dependent on food assistance. To give an example of how the crossings policy is aimed at preventing economic development: Israel permits Gaza residents to receive small packets of margarine, considered a consumption item. Israel bans, however, the transfer of large buckets of margarine, because the buckets are designed for industrial use, rather than home consumption, meaning that they could be used to allow a local factory to produce biscuits – and thus engage in economic activity. Similarly, requests to permit empty cans into Gaza – intended for the preservation and marketing of Gaza-produced tomato paste – have been refused, but requests to transfer prepared, Israeli-made tomato paste are permitted. At the same time, an informal economy via the tunnels provides the Hamas government with a source of tax revenue and control over the entrance of goods. The unpredictability and lack of standardization of supply, the dangers of closure or attack, the high costs of transfer, the damage caused by the transfer route, and the low quality of purchased goods render the tunnels inadequate for importing raw materials or exporting finished goods for Gaza's manufacturing sector. Questions raised by the policyIsrael has explained its policy as one of "economic sanctions". Gisha disagrees (see, e.g., our position paper, "Gaza Closure Defined: Collective Punishment ") and argues that the policy violates Israel's obligations to Gaza residents under international law. We have shown elsewhere how detrimental the closure is for the well-being of Gaza residents and why it is incompatible with protection of their rights. However, even according to Israel's analysis, viewing the policy in terms of economic sanctions, a number of questions arise, including: What are the goals of the "sanctions"? Are the goals being obtained? What are the indicators to evaluate whether the goals are being obtained? What is the "timeline" for obtaining these goals? How do the restrictions on the passage of goods intersect with U.S. policy goals to strengthen moderates within Gaza? What is the effect of the restrictions on the health of a future Palestinian economy, integrated within Gaza and the West Bank? Requiring the Israeli government to answer these questions would not make the closure policy less violative of the rights of the 1.5 million people, but it might be helpful in evaluating and subsequently unraveling the internal "logic" of a policy that is causing so much hardship for the residents of Gaza. Recommendations: • Gisha asks Israel to permit the free transfer of goods into and out of the Gaza, subject only to reasonable security checks. • Gisha asks Israel to respect the right of Palestinians to engage in normal life, including trade and dignified, productive work. • Gisha asks the international community to raise questions with Israel about its policy blocking passage of goods into and out of the Gaza Strip, especially for donor-invested projects and aid. • Gisha asks the international community to take responsibility for the effectiveness of its aid to Gaza by insisting Israel provide access for donor-invested projects, especially development projects, in order to protect the right of Palestinian residents of the Strip to engage in trade and productive, dignified work. For more information, please contact us: info@gisha.org , +972-3-6244120.
Gisha is an Israeli human rights organization whose goal is to protect the freedom of movement of Palestinian residents of the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
Please visit us at www.gisha.org .
download document: gisha.org/UserFiles/File/publications/Obstruction_and_obfuscation.docGisha: Legal Center for Freedom of Movement — gisha.org |
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Post by ninathedog on May 4, 2010 16:48:02 GMT 4
Michael Franti & Spearhead :
Say Hey Music Videowww.youtube.com/watch?v=eoaTl7IcFs8(thanks, Beth! )FrantiV — August 07, 2008 — Say Hey Music Video from the NEW album ALL REBEL ROCKERS! Directed by Michael Franti and Carla Swanson. Produced by Stay Human Films, Guerrilla Mgmt, AfroReggae
Category: Music
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Post by ninathedog on May 4, 2010 17:12:16 GMT 4
DemocracyNow!
UC Berkeley Student Senate Fails to Override
Veto of Israel Divestment Measurewww.youtube.com/watch?v=C2Gdyvr46SU(many thanks to Tom V)
StartLoving3 — April 30, 2010 — UC Berkeley Student Senate Fails to Override Veto of Israel Divestment Measure
The student senate at the University of CaliforniaBerkeley has failed to override a veto of a bill calling on campus officials to divest from companies that supply weapons the Israel uses in its occupation of the Palestinian territories.ASUC Senate Hearing
Fails to Override Veto by 1 Vote
Posted by marcy/مارسي newman/نيومان under Boycott, Divestment, Student Organizing, U.S. AcademicaWe lost the vote, but won the night. 13 senators voted to override, 14 wer required. Only 5 senators voted to uphold, less than half the 13. We made a statement recorded for posterity and forced everyone to listen and watch what the nature of Israeli occupation is, to listen to Palestinian voices, from Palestine and from the US, telling their stories. These transcripts will stay preserved in recorded history, and we shall overcome. Make no mistake, we lost the vote, but we won the night. Undaunted, Cal Divest Team PS. We will post a lot of tonight’s material to this website soon. Stay tuned. usacbi.wordpress.com/2010/04/29/asuc-senate-hearing-fails-to-override-veto-by-1-vote/
an enormous win
From: "Cecilie Surasky, Jewish Voice for Peace" <cecilie@jewishvoiceforpeace.org>
Fri, April 30, 2010 5:48:39 PMDear Jennifer, I have been an activist since I was a teenager, and yet, the night of April 28 in the Pauley Ballroom of UC Berkeley will surely stand out as one of the most remarkable activist achievements I have ever witnessed. And I am grateful that you were there, represented by thousand of green stickers: each with a name, a place, an identity. While the senate at UC San Diego sent a similar proposal to a committee for further study, divestment proponents at Berkeley failed by just one vote to reverse a presidential veto of their original overwhelming vote to divest. The members of Berkeley's Students for Justice in Palestine wanted UC to divest from 2 companies that profit from killing and harming of civilians as part of Israel's occupation. Yes, companies that make money from death. From control. From destruction. They needed 14 votes out of 20 to overturn the veto. Despite truly heroic efforts on the part of countless students, including such impressive student senators, in the end they had 13 votes. The 14th abstained. And yet, if you ask the question, after weeks of multiple hearings and votes, Who really won here?, the numbers speak for themselves: Nearly 30 hours of hearings and testimony with standing room only audiences and in some cases, people flying in from other parts of the country to testify, others sending video or being Skyped in from Palestine and Gaza. The support of some 100 professors, over 40 student groups, 5 Nobel Laureates, 9 Israeli peace groups, 263 community Jews in one ad plus 40 pages and growing of notable Jewish endorsements, some 8,000 JVP supporters like you from around the globe who in just 5 days created a sea of visible support.At this last and final hearing alone, there were 500 people, standing room only. A speaker asked the supporters of divestment to stand up: nearly 80% stood. A senator announced that 62% of that night's registered speakers were pro-divest, while 38% were against. After everything, 13 of 20 senators at one of the United States' leading academic institutions stood clearly on the side of divestment. And that's why so many left with a feeling of both anger and jubilation. But more than anything, determination. If the theme of the all-night hearing in mid April-at which a final vote was tabled- was that there was every bit as much, if not more Jewish support for divestment as against it on the UC campus, the narrative running through April 28th's all-night session was that this is about the Palestinian story, Palestinian resilience, Palestinian humanity and one day, in their quest for justice and full equality, Palestinian victory. Imagine hours and hours of testimony from Palestinian and Arab student after student, each standing in front of a microphone and hundreds to tell their story- stories of broken bones, destroyed homes, arbitrary imprisonment and torture. Stories of bombs through living room windows, and strips searches at checkpoints. Stories of not being able to learn because schools are closed down for years at a time. Stories that until now seemed to have been banished from the public square because the mere fact of their telling, and in so doing asserting the full beauty and humanity of the teller, has been taken as a threat. But not on this night. Not for these hours. Not in this room.  Above: Sea of bright green: supporters before and during the epic all-night
hearing on divesting from Israel's occupation at UC Berkeley.Unless they physically plugged their ears and closed their eyes, there was not one person in that room who was not forever changed by hearing those students. Not the 80% who supported divestment. And not the 20% who didn't. Many of you personally helped make the room a sea of green of support. In just 5 days, over 8,000 people from all over the country, many from all over the world, said, "we stand with you." We printed out thousands of stickers and they became like trading cards as people poured over your names and statements. "Oh look, David is a rabbinical student from Philadelphia. Dina is a Muslim teacher from New York. Let me wear Izak, a Quaker from Boston. No, wait, I'm wearing the Zeyde (grandfather) from Atlanta." I saw more than one Palestinian student wearing a green sticker on her heart as she stood at the microphone, showing the most remarkable kind of courage. The kind required to tell your most painful family story, a story of death and heartbreak, without knowing it would actually be heard by those in front of you. But I know she was supported in telling her story by the massive visible support you showed her. We all felt it. There are so many lessons to be learned from these past weeks, from what started as a nonviolent call for Boycott, Divestments and Sanctions (BDS) from Palestinians in 2005, moved to US campuses like Hampshire and University of Michigan at Dearborn, and is now just beginning to spread across the country. Divestment is a tactic meant to build a movement for justice and equality, not an end unto itself. The outcome of the vote became far less important than the way the fight for the bill electrified the campus, the community, and thousands of people all over the world. It's impossible to convey the life changing and movement-building impact of this experience. Take Emily Carlton, an ASUC senator who sponsored the bill. She spoke eloquently of starting out as a "privileged white, mainstream" sorority member who first became educated about the issue when SJP students came to lobby her, but who then found an entirely new community of friends in a world she never before knew existed. One in which Muslim, Arab, Jewish, Christian, and other students blend easily as classmates, as friends, as activists. Her life, she said, will never be the same- and she is just one person. In the coming weeks, we will share the lessons learned, some in our own words, many in the words of UC students, staff and alum. But first let me tell you how the night ended. By the final vote, it was close to 5am. Still dark out. When the vote was announced, the room silently received the news. Supporters placed the green stickers on our mouths to protest the fact that in the end, just a few votes had blocked the will of the majority of students. A student senator stood up and told everyone to put one hand on their heart on the other in the air, symbolically holding seeds in their fist with which we would all spread the movement outside and across the community, the country, the world. So here is one seed. The supporters silently filed out to Sproul Plaza, where the original Free Speech movement began. Hundred remained outside, talking, chanting, singing, laughing, hugging, crying. Yes, students were angry, but they were exhilarated. They understood they had done something remarkable. That in so many ways, life would never be the same. It was the end of a long year, but the beginning of a new stage of the movement. And I am so grateful that you were all there in the room with us. It's clear now. It is only a matter of time until we are all able to recognize each other's full humanity, and thereby reclaim our own.  Cecilie Surasky, Jewish Voice for Peace
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Post by ninathedog on May 4, 2010 18:42:09 GMT 4
On the World Press Freedom Day, PCHR and OHCHR
Organize Honoring Ceremony Entitled Outstanding JournalistsWritten by PCHR
Tuesday, 04 May 2010 00:00
Reference: 48/2010Yesterday evening, 3 May 2010, the Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) and the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) organized a ceremony entitled "Distinguished Journalists" to honor 25 journalists, who were granted international awards in 2009 and 2010 for their works. The ceremony was attended by hundreds of journalists, representatives of media institutions and civil society organizations and public figures. This initiative of honoring journalists came due to the belief of PCHR and OHCHR in the importance of the role played by Palestinian journalists under severe conditions to ensure showing the truth regarding what is happening in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT), regardless of the risks of being targeted by the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF). Such an initiative confirms the strategic and complementary relationship between human rights defenders and journalists, who work to document violations of human rights through their cameras. The ceremony began by showing the distinguished journalistic works, which won international awards, including photographs, video clips, articles and features. After that, Jaber Weshah, Deputy Director of PCHR, delivered a speech, in which he highlighted that this ceremony constituted a confirmation of the correlation between press freedom and human rights, and between people struggling for the realization of the right to seek knowledge and people defending human rights. Weshah described Palestinian journalists as unknown soldiers working under hostile conditions, regardless of the risks surrounding them. He also stressed that they truly deserve respect and appreciation. Weshah further talked about IOF's prevention of international journalists from entering the Gaza Strip prior to the latest Israeli offensive, within the framework of IOF's efforts aiming at hiding their crimes and shield the crime scenes from the world, which failed due to the efforts of the Palestinian Journalists, who skillfully documented the crimes and violations perpetrated by IOF. In her speech, Eva Tomic, Director of OHCHR in the OPT, said that working under conditions similar to the conditions under which the Palestinian journalists work had been considered a great challenge. She added that such challenges had increased under the continuity of impunity enjoyed by perpetrators of violations of human rights, unwillingness to prosecute them and bringing them to trial, the instable political situation and unavailability of a unified political government in the OPT. In addition, the closure imposed on the Gaza Strip undermines the promotion of civil and political rights, including the right to freedom of opinion and expression. Tomic highly appreciated the Palestinian journalists' efforts as they had worked under such harsh conditions and helped in transferring stories during and after Operation Cast Lead to the public opinion at the national and international levels. In the conclusion of her speech, Tomic encouraged Palestinian journalists – not only on behalf of OHCHR and PCHR, but also on behalf of victims of violations of human rights – to continue to defend human rights issues through their reports and journalistic works. In his speech on behalf of the honored Palestinian journalists, journalist Talal Abu Rahma expressed the journalists' thanks and appreciation for PCHR and OHCHR for organizing such a ceremony. Abu Rahma explained the harsh and deteriorating conditions of Palestinian journalists due to being targeted by IOF, pointing to dozens of journalists, who were killed, wounded or detained by IOF, under impunity enjoyed by the Israeli soldiers, which allows them to perpetrate more crimes without being prosecuted. In conclusion, the honored journalists were awarded the honoring emblems. It should be noted that three of the honored journalists were from the West Bank and they could not enter the Gaza Strip to participate in the ceremony due to restrictions imposed by IOF on the freedom of movement to and from the Gaza Strip. It was decided that the bodies organizing the ceremony would take necessary measures to ensure delivering the honoring emblems to the three journalists in the West Bank within the few coming days. www.pchrgaza.org/portal/en/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=6632:on-the-world-press-freedom-day-pchr-and-ohchr-organize-honoring-ceremony-entitled-outstanding-journalists-&catid=37:pchrnews-&Itemid=30.......... ........... .......... quoted from above article: "...Abu Rahma explained the harsh and deteriorating conditions of Palestinian journalists due to being targeted by IOF, pointing to dozens of journalists, who were killed, wounded or detained by IOF, under impunity enjoyed by the Israeli soldiers, which allows them to perpetrate more crimes without being prosecuted."  Reuters journalist killed in GazaView with EXTREME CAUTION.www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9FP7VKGlc8unite2starcrosslover — April 18, 2008 — Footage of Fadel Shana, 23, being killed by a tank shell in the Gaza Strip has been released by the news agency, which said that the cameraman was hit despite clear markings that showed him to be a journalist. Footage released by Reuters shows Mr Shana filming a tank positioned a few hundred yards away in the distance, over the Israeli border.
The film shows a tank firing its shell, which explodes causing the picture to go blank as the camera is thrown from Mr Shana's hand.
It then cuts away to a film made by another cameraman positioned nearby, which shows the devastation left by the shell, including two youths who had been passing the scene lying dead in the road.
Mr Shana, who was from Gaza and had covered the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians for the last three years, died instantly. He had been covering events in Gaza for Reuters on a day of intense violence when 16 other Palestinians and three Israeli soldiers were also killed.A tribute to Reuters cameraman Fadel Shana www.youtube.com/watch?v=CIwn8zZ7bI0Ziomania — April 19, 2008 — Reuters cameraman Fadel Shana, a 23-year-old Palestinian, was killed in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday while covering events in the enclave for the international news agency. He had been filming an Israeli tank dug in about 1,000 yards (1 km) away."Human Rights Watch's investigations at the site found evidence suggesting that an Israeli tank crew fired recklessly or deliberately at the journalist's team," the New York-based group Human Rights Watch said in a statement.
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sesq
