Hommes de L'Ombre : Palestine, Triste Passé Sombre Avenir feat. Calibre XII

Never Before Campaign video

Israelisk nolltolerans mot kulturtillställningar i Jerusalem

Israelisk polis har attackerat en kulturfestival i Jerusalem, rapporterar SvD och The Guardian. Bland de närvarande fanns bl.a. den svenske succéförfattaren Henning Mankell. På senare tid har israelisk polis infört en nolltoleranspolicy mot kulturevenemang i östra Jerusalem, som man hävdar kan vara finansierade av palestinska källor.

Mankell jämförde stormningen av festivalen med situationen i Sydafrika under apartheid, och manade mötesdeltagarna att inte förlora hoppet.

Arrangörer för kulturfestivalen var bl.a. British Council och FN-organet Unesco. Festivalen kommer att försätta på Västbanken, i städer som Ramallah och Jenin.

Festivalen kan följas på twitter.

Bloggat: PGS, INput, Paolo, Motbilder, Kristen Vänster, Esbati, Bröder

DFLP welcomes pope's visit to Palestine

From the DFLP website;

The coming visit of the pope to Palestine during this particular period will be of "great spiritual and political significance" to people around the globe, announced the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP) on Saturday.

Member of the party's central committee Nehad Abu Ghoush said the "pope's visit to Palestine will remind the whole world of the suffering of the Palestinians due to the Israeli occupation and their need for peace, freedom and independence like all other citizens around the world."

He expressed hope that the pope will mark the many Israeli violations of human rights in Palestine, of the attacks on civilians and the concrete separation wall as he visits the Ayda Refugee Camp on his way to the Nativity Church in Bethlehem Wednesday.

"We hope he notes the attacks on Christian and Muslim Holy Sites in Jerusalem when he visits there," Abu Ghoush said, and that he will pressure the Israeli government into respecting international resolutions and conventions and make peace in the region.

Read also: "Israel shuts down Palestinian press center ahead of pope's Jerusalem visit", from Maan

Newslinks on the Papal visit: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17
Blogs: Esbati, Forúm Palestina, Bröder

Ali Esbatis 1:a maj-tal

Esbati ger, i sitt 1:a majtal i Borås, en skrämmande påminnelse av Gazamassakerns förbrytelser. Se videon.

On donor complicity

This blog had earlier noted how the attitudes of the international community towards 'reconstruction' aid to Palestine in fact cements the occupation. Now a group of Palestinian and Israeli NGOs have come out with a report, calling on international donors not to bail out Israel. The report states that donors "by repeatedly covering the cost of the occupation, without demanding accountability from Israel," are "implicitly encouraging violations of international law".

The report asks international donors to "demand specific, concrete assurances from the State of Israel." It also stated that reconstruction aid must be accompanied by "strict conditions and assurances from the State of Israel. Otherwise, the taxpayers of the international community will continue to support an endless cycle of aid-destruction-aid-reconstruction."

It is an encouraging sign that the United Nations has now demanded that Israel pay for the damage done to UN facilities during the Gaza massacre.

Newslinks: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7
Blogs: Röda Malmö, HD Sören, Esbati

May Day in Palestine

This is a bit late, the blog haven't been updated the past week, but anyway here's a video (via ISM) of the massive May Day rally held in Gaza City.

The rally was organized by the Left Front (PFLP, DFLP, PPP)

Report at PPP website, May Day declaration of the Progressive Labour Bloc, report at PFLP website, May Day declaration of the United Labour Bloc.

Other International Workers Day meetings were held throughout Palestine. Below a video from the protests in Bil'in.

Israel, kärnvapen och krigsförbrytelser

DN noterar i en artikel Israels vägran att understeckna NPT, icke-spridningsavtalet för kärnvapen. Israel, den enda kärnvapenmakten i regionen, vägrar konsekvent att avveckla sin arsenal av massförstörelsevapen. Israel hotar gång på gång sina grannar. Inte minst Iran, som undertecknat NPT och tillåtit inspektioner av kärnkraftsanläggningar (vilket Israel inte gör), utsätts för hot om militära attacker.

Läs också artiklar i SvD och HD om utredningarna om israeliska attacker mot FN under Gazamassakern.