National demonstration for Gaza, London, May 16

Anzoátegui in solidarity with Gaza

Video of solidarity & cultural activity for Gaza by social movements in Anzoátegui, Venezuela.

Easter in Gaza

"Israël, Criminel, Boycott!" - Manifestation in Paris

Video: Solidarity Cáceres-Gaza

A proposal has been raised in the city of Cáceres, Extremadura, Spain, to initiate twin city cooperation with Gaza City, Palestine. Four political groups have endorsed the proposal. See video below of press conference of the the Platform of 'Cáceres Citizens in Solidarity with Palestine';

Video: Barranquilla, Colombia; Manifestation in solidarity with Palestine

Ronnie Kasrils on Israeli Apartheid

Ronnie Kasrils writes on the parallels between South Africa and Israel, and how the advocates of Apartheid in South Africa saw Israel as its ally. Link to the text at Pragoti.

PFLP holds memorial for martyr Hassan Hijazi in Jabaliya camp - demand Hamas killers be held accountable

The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine organized a memorial service in Jabaliya refugee camp, Gaza strip, in memory of PFLP martyr Hassan Hijazi. Hijazi had been kidnapped and executed by Hamas fighters. At the function, speakers demanded that the killers be held accountable. In his speech PFLP Central Committee member Hussian al-Jamal stated that the PFLP won't lose its compass and would continue to bear in mind that the occupation is the main enemy, but that it would demand justice for martyr Hassan Hijazi and other victims of Hamas attacks. A speaker representing the Abu Ali Mustapha Brigades (see photo) stated that the killers of Hijazi must be brought to justice and incidents such as Hijazi's murder must not be allowed to be repeated.

Source: PFLP website

"IDF is the most moral army in the world"

If you believe the above statement is true, you really ought to read this article.

Blogs: Anna W, Esbati, Ung Vänster, Jinge, Moments of Gaza, Clipmarks, Tikun Olam
News links: Dagbladet, Telegraaf , DN

مهرجان تضامني مع الشعب الفلسطيني في تركيا

آلاف الشيوعيين الأتراك وأصدقائهم احتشدوا في اسطنبول دعما لفلسطين

غابة من الرايات الحمراء والأعلام الفلسطينية غطت، على مدى ساعات، فضاء ميدان كادوكي في العاصمة التركية اسطنبول على شاطئ بحر مرمره وممراتها ومداخلها رفعها آلاف الشيوعيين وأصدقائهم في المهرجان الخطابي والفني التضامني الذي دعا إليه الحزب الشيوعي التركي ، يوم الأحد 15/1/2009 دعماً للشعب الفلسطيني وقضيته العادلة

من حزب الشعب الفلسطيني

PPP: Recognition of Israel not discussed in Cairo

"The issue of whether a new Palestinian government will recognize the state of Israel was not discussed at the Palestinian unity talks in Cairo, the Secretary-General of the Palestinian People's Party, Bassam As-Salhi said on Thursday night.

As-Salhi disputed reports that tensions in the meetings between the rival factions centered on whether Hamas would formally recognize Israel.

In a televised interview As-Salhi said that the discussions centered around "the government's program and its ability" to solve the current crises in the West Bank and Gaza.

He also said there was an agreement to accept a one and a half year truce with Israel according to understandings Hamas had previously negotiated with Israel. He said a truce would allow Palestinian political processes to take their course.

The Palestinian unity talks adjourned on Thursday without a final agreement. Palestinian leaders did say that they had agreed in principle to form a coalition government that will prepare for new elections in January 2010. They also planned to continue negotiations at a later date that was not specified."

Source: Maan News Agency

"السالفادور تنعطف يساراً"

تكتب صحيفة الحرية عن الانتخابات الرئاسية السلفادورية

بيان من جبهة فارابوندو مارتي للتحرير الوطني بشأن مجزرة غزة ، في اللغة الإسبانية

Haaretz publishes soldiers' testimonies from Gaza

Today both Haaretz and the Israeli news portal Ynet carries the news story on the emerging testimonies of Israeli soldiers in combat during the Gaza massacre. Haaretz has promised further testimonies will be published in days to come.

Read today's articles here and here.

Some excerpts;

From the Ynet article:

The NCO [Non-Commissioned Officer] also related a story about an old woman who was crossing a main route who was shot by the soldiers. "I don't know whether she was suspicious, not suspicious, I don't know her story... I do know that my officer sent people to the roof in order to take her out... It was cold-blooded murder."

Another NCO told of an incident in which a family was killed. "We had taken over the house... and the family was released and told to go right. A mother and two children got confused and went left... The sniper on the roof wasn't told that this was okay and that he shouldn't shoot... you can say he just did what he was told... he was told not to let anyone approach the left flank and he shot at them."

"I don't know whether he first shot at their feet or not (per IDF engagement instructions), but he killed them," the NCO said.

From Haaretz:

"The squad leader said he argued with his commander over the permissive rules of engagement that allowed the clearing out of houses by shooting without warning the residents beforehand. After the orders were changed, the squad leader's soldiers complained that "we should kill everyone there [in the center of Gaza]. Everyone there is a terrorist."

The squad leader said: "You do not get the impression from the officers that there is any logic to it, but they won't say anything. To write 'death to the Arabs' on the walls, to take family pictures and spit on them, just because you can. I think this is the main thing: To understand how much the IDF has fallen in the realm of ethics, really. It's what I'll remember the most.""

Article: Israeli groups demand independent enquiry into war crimes allegations

Blogs: Röda Malmö, Henric A, PGS, Tommy, Annalisa, QoL, Rolling

Also, another reminder of how the Israeli state functions; house of family of caterpillar-driver erased. When IOF soldiers kill civilians in Gaza, are there any calls to make their families homeless?

PFLP protest in Beit Lahiya, in support of dialogue and unity

The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, in cooperation with the National Democratic Rally, organized a manifestation in Beit Lahiya, northern Gaza strip in support of the Cairo dialogue and national unity. The protestors condemned the failure of Palestinian factions to reach an agreement in Cairo. In his speech Mahmoud Salman, the leader of PFLP in Beit Lahiya, called on Palestinian factions to realize the dangers of the incoming Israeli far-right government, based on Zionist hatred against Arabs. The internal divisions amongst the Palestinians enables the enemy to continue the "...policies of the occupation of the land, killing and terrorism, Judaization of Jerusalem and the displacement of people and the building of settlements, and the campaigns of arrest and assassination of leaders and continuing our activists, as well as the continuation of the Apartheid wall, doubling the number of checkpoints in the West Bank, and the continuation of the unjust embargo on our people."

Source: PFLP website

Leftwing victory in El Salvador

In case you've missed out on the news, the leftist opposition party FMLN won yesterday's presidential election in El Salvador. This is a significant shift in the relation of power in the Central American region, the US has lost its last firm ally in the vicinity.

Amongst other issues, FMLN stands up for an independent foreign policy. Just as a reminder, the party took a strong position against the Gaza massacre. Their statement from December 28, 2008 can be read in full here (en castellano).

Blogs: Esbati, SKP, Biologi & Politics, Hans Linde, Ida Legnemark, Esteban, Frasse, KABOBfest, Pulse, Pragoti, VSF
News links: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

Bosnian concert for Gaza

Concert in Sarajevo, February 15, 2009. Hafiz Aziz Alili sings the song 'Šehidi' (Martyr).

'Donors' complicit in the Gaza massacre

Perhaps not directly, but indirectly it is the willingness of the international community to finance 'reconstruction' of Gaza which allows Israel to continue its killings and massacres with impunity. In some cases, European taxpayer-funded project have been rebuilt three times in the past ten years, every time Israel destroys, EU opens its pockets to pay for the destruction. There is a clear division of labour established, Israel bombs, EU/USA rebuilds. For the Palestinians 'reconstruction' becomes a Sisyphean task. For Israel, 'reconstruction' becomes an indirect subsidy in case building materials are bought on the Israeli market.

I'm not by any means opposed to sending humanitarian aid to Gaza, but when it comes to rebuilding infrastructure and institutions it should be clear who should pay. Israel destroyed schools, factories, roads, police stations etc., in clear violation of international law. Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt has testified that industries in the Gaza strip were consciously destroyed, and not by aerial bombardments. Israel, and noone else, should bear the financial burden of reconstruction. Only then will there be an incentive for Israel to stop its murderous assaults on the Palestinian people.



News links: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22
Blogs: Palestine Updates, Syria News Wire

Iran asks Interpol to arrest 15 Israeli war criminals

Iran has sent a request to Interpol to arrest 15 Israeli war criminals, responsible for mass killings of people of Gaza. In December 2008, Iran had set up a court to try Israeli war criminals in absentia.

Source: Paltoday

Worchester-Gaza

The Worchester city council is looking at the possibility of twinning with Gaza City. Worcester, a city in England, is already twinned with Le Vesinet in France, Kleve/Niederrhein in Germany, and Worcester, Massachussetts, USA. Video below.



In Swedish Göteborg, the Left Party requested that Göteborg be declared a sister city of Gaza City. Similar demands were raised in other parts of Sweden, blog/news links: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

British Medical Journal on hasbara and orquestrated hate-campaigns

We all know it. Anyone who has even published a journalistic article, a book, made a public statement or even done the most mundane act of starting a blog, and has combined this act with even the most discrete criticism of Israel will probably experience the opening of floods of hate-mails and accusations. They wary from attempts to remove guilt from the Israeli government by blaming others (Hamas, Iran, the Bogeyman or anyone else) to outright racist diatribes against Palestinians and Muslims in general. I have tons of unpublished racist, pro-Israeli comments sent to this blog. We know that these comments and letters are part of coordinated campaigns, in which the Israeli state itself takes part. This mechanism is known as 'hasbara'.

Fiona Godlee and Tony Delamothe, editor and deputy editor of BMJ, writes that

"And it’s not only the small fry who are cowed. John Kampfner, chief executive of Index of Censorship, detected signs of caution in the BBC’s recent coverage of the Gaza conflict following earlier criticisms of pro-Palestinian bias10 (and this before the corporation refused to broadcast the Disasters Emergency Committee’s fundraising appeal for Gaza11).

Avoiding topics where medicine and politics collide is not an option for the BMJ. It’s not possible to remove medicine from politics or politics from medicine.12 Nor is this what our readers want. In an online poll on bmj.com less than a quarter of respondents wanted less space devoted to political issues in the BMJ.13

Oxfam was describing conditions in Gaza as a "humanitarian crisis" a year ago.14 Since then Israel’s invasion of the Gaza strip has left 1300 Palestinians dead, 5500 injured, and much of Gaza in ruins. The journal cannot avert its gaze from the health and human rights consequences of this catastrophe, no matter how "political" the issue."

"The best way to blunt the effectiveness of this type of bullying, counsels O’Donnell, is to expose it to public scrutiny. We have taken his advice and will try to follow Freedland’s too—to grow a thicker skin. We’ll give future orchestrated email campaigns as much credence as film producer Sam Goldwyn gave verbal contracts. He famously dismissed these as "not worth the paper they’re written on.""

Read the full article at the BMJ website. BMJ also carries articles by Karl Sabbagh on 'Perils of criticising Israel' (with samples of hate-mail sent to BMJ and a historical background on how the Israel lobby ganged up against the magazine World Medicine in 1981, after having reported on the 1948 Deir Yassin massacre) and by Micheal O'Donnell on 'Standing up for free speech'.

Blogs: Vindskupan, Jinge, Motbilder, Tikun Olam, Beyond the Fringe, Jews sans frontiers, Wadström, BRV
Articles in Jerusalem Post on Hasbara: 1, 2
Articles on 'Norwegian anti-semitism' accusations: 1, 2, 3, 4