Eva Bartlett's blog . She is a freelancer and volunteer in Gaza.
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– the latest
10 years ago
Wednesday, 21 January 2009
Tuesday, 20 January 2009
sprouts & video
If you assume that there's no hope, you guarantee that there will be no hope. If you assume that there is an instinct for freedom, there are opportunities to change things, there's a chance you may contribute to making a better world. That's your choice. - Noam Chomsky.
Quotes from various people about general topics here.
I found this on a billboard (not the quote, just the picture) while wandering around the neighbourhood the other day.
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A wonderful video from an Israeli woman An Open Letter to Obama . First seen on Antony Lowenstein's blog.
a way through or an opportunity lost?
A very informative newspaper article from May 19, 2008 of last year (Meshal offers 10-year truce for Palestinian state on '67 borders , Ha'aretz, Barak Ravid). No wonder Jimmy Carter only served one term. Imagine wanting to negotiate. See also here (An Unnecessary War, Jimmy Carter, January 8th, 2009).
picking up and through the pieces, and a need for nurses
From Eva Bartlett's blog - a freelancer and ISM volunteer in Gaza. Her reports have appeared in the international news throughout the war on Gaza.
On the first day of the ceasefire, 102 dead bodies were reported to have been recovered, accounted for, including another 17 from the Samouni family which had been shot-point blank or killed by the bombing of the house which they were locked into. Another 23 on the second day. These are still largely bodies from the surface. Many more will be found under the rubble when it is finally moved, they unearthed.
Already, having only had the time to visit some of the many destroyed houses in the Ezbet Abed Rabbo (east of Jabaliya), the Attatra region (in the northwest), the Wafa rehabilitation hospital in the east, the targeted, bombed Red Crescent centre east of Jabaliya, and a school in the north, I have many, many things to tell, photos to show. I have pages of notebooks and will share them as quickly as possible. At the same time, the need to be out documenting and taking these photos and testimonies is so strong that I can’t share these things all at once, there isn’t enough time. But what people are uncovering here is certainly more evidence of the war crimes Israeli authorities perpetrated here, unquestionably.
There is still some fighting going on as detailed in the blog. Though nowhere near the intensity that it was.
Even though some foreign journalists are to come to Gaza via Egypt, the war crimes may still never see the light of day. From either side, perhaps? (The firing of rockets is a war crime. So saying, they have not wrought the death and destruction that this onslaught has. And one question that never seems to get addressed in the Australian press is, why were the rockets being fired in the first place? What is the history and the context of this situation?)
This from Al Jazeera (Outcry over weapons used in Gaza) 19 January, 2009:
More than 1,300 Palestinians have been killed in the 22-day offensive, many of them woman and children, and 5,340 injured. Thirteen Israelis, including 10 soldiers and three civilians, have been killed in the same period*.
The number of civilian deaths has provoked an international outcry, with senior UN officials demanding an independent investigation into whether Israel has committed war crimes.
The likelihood of either side being subject to a war-crimes action seems remote as the International Criminal Court (ICC) has no jurisdiction to investigate because the Gaza Strip is not a state.
In addition, Israel has not signed the Rome Statute that enshrined the ICC so any investigation would require a UN Security mandate - likely to be vetoed by Israel's ally, the US.
However, Mark Taylor, an international law expert, told Al Jazeera that individual commanders and politicians on both sides could be subject to legal actions lodged abroad.
"I think that Israelis in responsible positions, as well as Palestinians in responsible positions, are going to be looking over their shoulders in the days and weeks to come," he said.
The article also discusses the Dime weapons that seem to have been used as talked about in Ha'aretz (19 January, 2009), and SBS Australia (13 January, 2009).
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*This number has always seemed a little strange to me. Surely more people get hurt in combat, no matter what kind of weapon you are using, unless it is the atomic bomb. So this is from a couple of days ago from the IsraeliHuman Rights in Gaza blog, which has been collating reports from Israeli Human Rights groups during the attacks (hence the disparity in numbers), and seems more balanced to me; though the death toll for the Israeli side is still very low, and I am not sure if those civilian injuries on the Israeli side included white phosphorous burns or amputations, though obviously anyone's hurt is a matter for attention.
Update for 18 January '09, morning (GMT+2)
Gaza: at least 1,205 killed, of them at least 410 children and 98 women. More than half those killed since the ground incursion began (580) are women and children. Over 3,520 injured, of them over 350 severely (Palestinian Ministry of Health figures).
Israel: 13 killed, of them 1 woman and 10 soldiers. Over 82 civilians injured, of them 4 severely injured, not including those treated for shock , and 113 soldiers injured, of them one in critical condition and 20 suffer moderate or severe injuries.
Oh, Gaza is in desperate need of nurses, too, apparently, if anyone has the means or inclination.
On the first day of the ceasefire, 102 dead bodies were reported to have been recovered, accounted for, including another 17 from the Samouni family which had been shot-point blank or killed by the bombing of the house which they were locked into. Another 23 on the second day. These are still largely bodies from the surface. Many more will be found under the rubble when it is finally moved, they unearthed.
Already, having only had the time to visit some of the many destroyed houses in the Ezbet Abed Rabbo (east of Jabaliya), the Attatra region (in the northwest), the Wafa rehabilitation hospital in the east, the targeted, bombed Red Crescent centre east of Jabaliya, and a school in the north, I have many, many things to tell, photos to show. I have pages of notebooks and will share them as quickly as possible. At the same time, the need to be out documenting and taking these photos and testimonies is so strong that I can’t share these things all at once, there isn’t enough time. But what people are uncovering here is certainly more evidence of the war crimes Israeli authorities perpetrated here, unquestionably.
There is still some fighting going on as detailed in the blog. Though nowhere near the intensity that it was.
Even though some foreign journalists are to come to Gaza via Egypt, the war crimes may still never see the light of day. From either side, perhaps? (The firing of rockets is a war crime. So saying, they have not wrought the death and destruction that this onslaught has. And one question that never seems to get addressed in the Australian press is, why were the rockets being fired in the first place? What is the history and the context of this situation?)
This from Al Jazeera (Outcry over weapons used in Gaza) 19 January, 2009:
More than 1,300 Palestinians have been killed in the 22-day offensive, many of them woman and children, and 5,340 injured. Thirteen Israelis, including 10 soldiers and three civilians, have been killed in the same period*.
The number of civilian deaths has provoked an international outcry, with senior UN officials demanding an independent investigation into whether Israel has committed war crimes.
The likelihood of either side being subject to a war-crimes action seems remote as the International Criminal Court (ICC) has no jurisdiction to investigate because the Gaza Strip is not a state.
In addition, Israel has not signed the Rome Statute that enshrined the ICC so any investigation would require a UN Security mandate - likely to be vetoed by Israel's ally, the US.
However, Mark Taylor, an international law expert, told Al Jazeera that individual commanders and politicians on both sides could be subject to legal actions lodged abroad.
"I think that Israelis in responsible positions, as well as Palestinians in responsible positions, are going to be looking over their shoulders in the days and weeks to come," he said.
The article also discusses the Dime weapons that seem to have been used as talked about in Ha'aretz (19 January, 2009), and SBS Australia (13 January, 2009).
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*This number has always seemed a little strange to me. Surely more people get hurt in combat, no matter what kind of weapon you are using, unless it is the atomic bomb. So this is from a couple of days ago from the IsraeliHuman Rights in Gaza blog, which has been collating reports from Israeli Human Rights groups during the attacks (hence the disparity in numbers), and seems more balanced to me; though the death toll for the Israeli side is still very low, and I am not sure if those civilian injuries on the Israeli side included white phosphorous burns or amputations, though obviously anyone's hurt is a matter for attention.
Update for 18 January '09, morning (GMT+2)
Gaza: at least 1,205 killed, of them at least 410 children and 98 women. More than half those killed since the ground incursion began (580) are women and children. Over 3,520 injured, of them over 350 severely (Palestinian Ministry of Health figures).
Israel: 13 killed, of them 1 woman and 10 soldiers. Over 82 civilians injured, of them 4 severely injured, not including those treated for shock , and 113 soldiers injured, of them one in critical condition and 20 suffer moderate or severe injuries.
Oh, Gaza is in desperate need of nurses, too, apparently, if anyone has the means or inclination.
Monday, 19 January 2009
More disturbing than Rwanda?
"Ging has said he has never experienced anything quite as disturbing as what is happening in Gaza. He said he was in Rwanda at the time of the genocide and in the Balkans during the ethnic cleansing." In the Eye of the Storm, Irish Times.com, January 17, 2009.
The head of the UNRWA speaks. John Ging, the man who said of the two children who were killed in the bombing of a school last week, " They are as indisputably innocent as they are dead ".
Note, 21st January, this is also from the article: '“This is happening in full view of the entire planet . . This is a disaster that should not be happening."' I think this is where he draws his analogy from. Best you read the whole article and draw your own conclusions.
The head of the UNRWA speaks. John Ging, the man who said of the two children who were killed in the bombing of a school last week, " They are as indisputably innocent as they are dead ".
Note, 21st January, this is also from the article: '“This is happening in full view of the entire planet . . This is a disaster that should not be happening."' I think this is where he draws his analogy from. Best you read the whole article and draw your own conclusions.
A national pastime
Killing Children, a national pastime. Also from Ha'aretz. If only our media told us as much as the Israeli media (or the opinion pages at least) do (which I know, ain't saying much).
No pilot or soldier went to war to kill children. Not one among them intended to kill children, but it also seems neither did they intend not to kill them. They went to war after the IDF had already killed 952 Palestinian children and adolescents since May 2000.
The public's shocking indifference to these figures is incomprehensible. A thousand propagandists and apologists cannot excuse this criminal killing. One can blame Hamas for the death of children, but no reasonable person in the world will buy these ludicrous, flawed propagandistic goods in light of the pictures and statistics coming from Gaza.
One can say Hamas hides among the civilian population, as if the Defense Ministry in Tel Aviv is not located in the heart of a civilian population, as if there are places in Gaza that are not in the heart of a civilian population. One can also claim that Hamas uses children as human shields, as if in the past our own organizations fighting to establish a country did not recruit children.
A significant majority of the children killed in Gaza did not die because they were used as human shields or because they worked for Hamas. They were killed because the IDF bombed, shelled or fired at them, their families or their apartment buildings. That is why the blood of Gaza's children is on our hands, not on Hamas' hands, and we will never be able to escape that responsibility.
And on the topic of human shields: Top IDF officer censured over use of 'human shields', from Ha'aretz, Amos Harel, October 21, 2007, and here and here.
No pilot or soldier went to war to kill children. Not one among them intended to kill children, but it also seems neither did they intend not to kill them. They went to war after the IDF had already killed 952 Palestinian children and adolescents since May 2000.
The public's shocking indifference to these figures is incomprehensible. A thousand propagandists and apologists cannot excuse this criminal killing. One can blame Hamas for the death of children, but no reasonable person in the world will buy these ludicrous, flawed propagandistic goods in light of the pictures and statistics coming from Gaza.
One can say Hamas hides among the civilian population, as if the Defense Ministry in Tel Aviv is not located in the heart of a civilian population, as if there are places in Gaza that are not in the heart of a civilian population. One can also claim that Hamas uses children as human shields, as if in the past our own organizations fighting to establish a country did not recruit children.
A significant majority of the children killed in Gaza did not die because they were used as human shields or because they worked for Hamas. They were killed because the IDF bombed, shelled or fired at them, their families or their apartment buildings. That is why the blood of Gaza's children is on our hands, not on Hamas' hands, and we will never be able to escape that responsibility.
And on the topic of human shields: Top IDF officer censured over use of 'human shields', from Ha'aretz, Amos Harel, October 21, 2007, and here and here.
Obama, please pick up a copy of Ha'aretz
Obama, please read this
(as if he'd be visiting the blog, anyway, but, hey, a gal's gotta dream). From the Israeli Ha'aretz again, (January 19, 2009, Obama's choice: Truman or Marshall, Avika Eldar ), in defiance of the 90% who are said to support the war ( this poll from January 12 shows less, but the majority still in favour. Note, they only surveyed 472 people).
(as if he'd be visiting the blog, anyway, but, hey, a gal's gotta dream). From the Israeli Ha'aretz again, (January 19, 2009, Obama's choice: Truman or Marshall, Avika Eldar ), in defiance of the 90% who are said to support the war ( this poll from January 12 shows less, but the majority still in favour. Note, they only surveyed 472 people).
a prime minister finds his voice (shame it's not the current one)
A former Prime Minister of Australia, Malcolm Fraser, speaks. He has become a good man since he left politics. Funny that the once-bastion of extreme conservatism (though not all of his policies were) speaks the truth, whereas Rudd, as ever, keeps his silence. Not even a token condemnation from him of the carnage that has been inflicted on the Palestinians. I wonder if this letter will have any appeal. Somehow, I doubt it.
They've been pulling bodies out of the rubble in Gaza. Posted my morning, this was the Death toll: 1310, wounded: 5600 (that's Palestinians, remember), the vast majority of whom were civilians. Some firing/fighting continues, though it is quieter. I'll post a figure tomorrow, if it has changed.
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The following is geared towards US or European readers, even though the first organisation (United Nations) is international. It was sent to me by a friend in Oman. I'll see if I can track something down for Australia. These organisations always helped, and will be called on to help more, the Palestinians. From an email I received:
The war on Gaza has been devastating on lives and properties; almost all sectors of Gaza's civil infrastructure have been destroyed. Since many of us feel helpless these days, it might make you feel better to donate whatever you can to any of the following reputable charitable organizations:
United Nations Relief and Works Agency: UNRWA is the primary institution which has been helping Palestinian refugees for the past 60 years, it provides educational, healthcare, and food distributions in all refugee camps in the Middle East. Although the organization is affiliated with the United Nations, it's mostly being funded from non UN sources. These are the details for Americans or Europeans wishing to make a donation.
Palestine Children's Relief Fund: PCRF is one of the most active organizations on the ground who specializes in helping injured Palestinian and Iraqi children; their work has directly affected thousands of lives in occupied Gaza Strip, occupied W. Bank, Iraq, and Lebanon, click here to see news coverage for PCRF's activities. (*This is an American organisation for my Aussie readers).
American Near East Refugee Aid: ANERA is a leading provider of development, health, education and employment programs to Palestinian communities and impoverished families throughout the Middle East.
It should be NOTED that all of these charitable organizations
-are not affiliated whatsoever with any political group,
-have been faithfully serving the Palestinian people (especially the refugees) for generations, and
-your donation will be tax deductible and completely legal, especially here in the United States.
My blog is not from the US, of course, but the email was generated from there.
Here is a report of the money UNRWA will need to raise, and how it will be used.
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On another tack (well, the same one as for the last three weeks, really), this story from Ha'aretz is interesting (not only because it mentions the weapons talked about in this post, but for the following information). Again, a big shout out to this blog for first highlighting the article:
Fosse [a Norweigan doctor] and a Norwegian colleague, Mads Gilbert, arrived in Gaza on December 31 and remained until January 10. They were financed by the Norwegian government. On his return, Fosse submitted a report to his government in which he accused the IDF of deliberately targeting civilians.
Fosse said he believes Israel deliberately chose to attack while Westerners working for international organizations were back home for the Christmas vacation. "The Palestinian witnesses, as medical workers, are very accurate in their reports, but if we hadn't been there to confirm their testimony, it would all have been presented as Hamas propaganda," he said.
Norway sent doctors; the Australian government and media sent their apathy and silence.
"What we are up against is not just bias, but a kind of culpable ignorance".death squads, anyone?
The latest post from Tales to Tell from the ISM volunteer in Gaza, details the story of the 110 people who were sheperded into a house in their town, Zeitoun. The house was then shelled, and the Red Cross were obstructed from getting to the survivors, including children, who sat among the corpses for four days without food or water. I touched upon it January 13, though the event was reported January 9th. This newspaper article from the Telegraph, U.K. (read this rather than my post before!) gives quite a chilling account, as does the blog itself.
Sunday, 18 January 2009
They don't want to know the truth
Abu al-Aish, a 55-year-old gynecologist, also is a known peace activist who was involved in promoting joint Israeli-Palestinian projects, and an academic who studied the affects of war on Gazan and Israeli children. He works at Gaza's main Shifa Hospital.
He lost three of his daughters and a niece in Gaza due to Israeli shelling.
"Suddenly, today when there was hope for a cease-fire, on the last day...I was speaking with my children, suddenly they bombed us. The doctor who treats Israeli patients."
His distress is apparent in the two videos below. The first video is when he contacted Israel's Channel 10, speaking through a cell phone in Hebrew as he has throughout the war. His house had just been hit, his daughters had died.
If the subtitles are difficult to read, you can get the video with English voiceover here . And actually, it gives extra information and may be more comprehensive, but the above is extemely moving.
The second is a press conference he gave in Israel and the reaction of some Israeli people after.
Kind of reminds you of the attitude of the people in the following video, Right? Especially the woman at about the 7.02 point.
As ever, I am indebted to Antony Lowenstein's blog for the first video, and Dancewater's blog for the second.
He lost three of his daughters and a niece in Gaza due to Israeli shelling.
"Suddenly, today when there was hope for a cease-fire, on the last day...I was speaking with my children, suddenly they bombed us. The doctor who treats Israeli patients."
His distress is apparent in the two videos below. The first video is when he contacted Israel's Channel 10, speaking through a cell phone in Hebrew as he has throughout the war. His house had just been hit, his daughters had died.
If the subtitles are difficult to read, you can get the video with English voiceover here . And actually, it gives extra information and may be more comprehensive, but the above is extemely moving.
The second is a press conference he gave in Israel and the reaction of some Israeli people after.
Kind of reminds you of the attitude of the people in the following video, Right? Especially the woman at about the 7.02 point.
As ever, I am indebted to Antony Lowenstein's blog for the first video, and Dancewater's blog for the second.
And then what?
The grape vines and fig trees which had flourished lay uprooted and bulldozed on what locals said is the best agricultural land for the plants.
From Eva Bartlett, a freelancer and volunteer for ISM in Gaza.
A unilateral ceasefire, see this post, too.
Two interesting posts, the first one on the above topic.
From the 15th, from a medical journal.
From Eva Bartlett, a freelancer and volunteer for ISM in Gaza.
A unilateral ceasefire, see this post, too.
Two interesting posts, the first one on the above topic.
From the 15th, from a medical journal.
Saturday, 17 January 2009
Sameh's Dad
From Sameh Habib's blog. His father wrote this. I have duplicated it in full.
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Who Is Responsible for Gaza blight?
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Who Is Responsible for Gaza blight?
Who Is Responsible for Gaza blight?
By Dr. Akram Habeeb (my Dad)
Writing from the Occupied Gaza Strip
As a Gazzan who is not affiliated to any political party; yet much concerned about what is taking place in my hometown, I meticulously track every piece of news related to the ongoing horrendous carnage which is perpetrated by the Israelis against the innocent civilians in Gaza. I was shocked when key staff of Bush’s outgoing Administration hold the Palestinian side in particular responsible for the recent onslaught in Gaza. I was also more devastated when some European officials and even few Arab leaders implicitly hold the same opinion. I am not sure though whether these officials do represent the voice and the good will of their peoples.
The most disturbing statement about the situation in Gaza was made by Dr. Rice, the American Secretary of States, when she declared that it was the Palestinian side who violated the truce and subsequently is responsible for what is happening in Gaza. Such a statement is easy to be made by Ms. Condi whose accomplishments in America’s foreign policy were spectacular! She promised that by 2008 the presidents vision of two states would be concretized.
It seems though that she succeeded in having two Palestinian cantons, one in Gaza, and the other in the West Bank ! Perhaps Dr. Rice was the most frequent visitor of the Middle East when compared with her predecessors. The normal expectation has been that Ms. Rice would have a deeper understanding of the Middle East crisis in general, and the Palestinian side in particular.
As Palestinians living in Gaza, we expected Ms. Rice to have done some research about the demography of Gaza. We also expected here to have done some investigations about the psyche of the true victims living in Gaza. We are not sure if Dr. Rice knows that more than seventy percent of the Palestinians living in Gaza are Palestinian refugees who had been kicked out of there towns and villages in Palestine .
We are not certain if Dr. Rice knows that most of the Israelis who replaced the displaced Palestinians had come from far off land, from diverse countries to establish a state on the land of other people. It seems that Ms. Rice is very happy to see the Palestinians suffer under siege ; she wants them to sing for peace in a big cage called Gaza and if they protest by sending home made rockets, she will hold them responsible for the mess! We hope though that Ms. Clinton, Condi’s successor would be the one who would improve the image of America in the Middle East and the Islamic world. We are sure that Ms. Clinton would be more objective and realistic when she deals with the Palestinian Issue.
The Palestinians have also been greatly disconcerted by the statements both President Bush and his deputy, Dick Chini . Both of them gave Israel the green light to kill the innocent civilians in Gaza. The moment they declared that Israel has the right to defend itself and hold the Palestinian side responsible for the what is happening in Gaza, Israel started mercilessly to target civilians. They started to kill complete families, small and extended. They started to target the unarmed civilians who mistakenly thought that UNRWA schools would be safe refuge for them.
History will witness that these two men had not done any good for the good Americans who elected them. They have successfully denigrated the image of America and the Americans in the Arab and the Muslim worlds. We in Palestine and in the Muslim world believe that Bush’s legacy would be a real burden for his successor, president elect Obamma. However, we strongly believe that Obama’s administration would do its best to regain the prestigious image of American in the Arab and the Muslim worlds , we are full of hope that the new administration would play the role of the objective peace broker in the Middle East. Hopefully it would be very real and realistic vision different from Bush’s vision !
Of course the copyright of the photo and all writing remain with the creators.
Sameh's Blurb:
Sameh Habeeb Gaza City, Gaza Strip, Palestine I am Sameh A. Habeeb. I'm a Palestinian born and raised in Gaza. I'm 23 years old. I have a bachelor degree in English Language and Literature. I have worked in several different fields’ pre and post of my university studies for almost 5 years. I have worked as volunteer in civil societies where I practiced tasks to help people and educate children. I worked as News Producer and a Journalist at the Ramattan News Agency which is Regional Media facility based in Gaza and the Middle East.
Dear Editors, Journalists and Friends, For more reporting, breaking news, interviews and accounts in Gaza, you could reach me on my contact info below. Please try both numbers below because there is a big problem in communication resulted in Israeli power cuts. I'm available 24 hours for media coverage in occupied Gaza. You could reach me any time in my house through this: Landline: 0097282802825 or Mob: 00972599306096 PLEASE: FORWARD THIS EMAIL IN SIPPORT OF THE OTHER SIDE OF THE STORY!
White phosphorous
From Eva Bartlett, a freelancer and volunteer for ISM in Gaza: Read the rest here, including photos.
At 4 pm on January 4th, Lada and her family were inside their house when it was shelled 4 times by Israeli tanks. The shell which landed inside her home hit the area closest to Lada. At the time, she was sitting with Mara, her 3 year old daughter, who survived the blast with equally disfiguring and painful burns. A swirl of angry red burn beards Mara’s face, dots her nose, ears and forehead, and cuts into 22% of her tiny body’s surface area.
Ali, 4, Yusef, 17, and their mother (name and age not given) also all suffered facial and bodily burns from the shelling and the chemicals.
“The whole house was filled with fire and black smoke, different than normal smoke from a fire. It was hard to breathe and swelled our throats,” a brother, uninjured, recounted.
The shells which seared the skin of 4 members of the family killed a further 5, including Lada’s father (44), three younger brothers (10, 11, 13), and a baby sister (1.5) who the mother was holding at the time.
Ambulances were called, and were prevented from arriving. Surviving family members loaded onto a tractor, driven by one of Lada’s cousins. He and another cousin, both 18, were targeted by Israeli soldiers, said the mother, shot dead. The remaining family members had no option but to walk half an hour before they were able to get transportation to a hospital for treatment for their many serious injuries.
And here, from the Guardian, the news we just do not get
The Palestinians say: "This is a war of extermination." They describe bombs which break into 16 parts, each part splintering into 116 fragments, the white phosphorus which water cannot put out; which seems to die and then flares up again.
No one I spoke to has any doubt that the Israelis are committing war crimes. According to the medics here, to reports from doctors inside the Gaza Strip and to Palestinian eye-witnesses, more than 95% of the dead and injured are civilians. Many more will probably be found when the siege is lifted and the rubble is cleared. The doctors speak of a disproportionate number of head injuries - specifically of shrapnel lodged in the brain.
They also speak of the extensive burns of white phosphorus. These injuries are, as they put it, 'incompatible with life'. They are also receiving large numbers of amputees. This is because the damage done to the bone by explosive bullets is so extensive that the only way the doctors in Gaza can save lives is by amputating.
One of the nurses said to me that the nurses and paramedics were horrified by what they were seeing. "We deal with cases all the time," she said. "But what we're seeing these days we've never seen before or imagined."
Upstairs a professor of economics, accompanying his brother, sees me staring at my notes and says: "Exaggerate. Whatever you write will not be as bad as the truth."
In the silence that followed someone put a mobile in my hand.
"Look!" On a rubble-strewn street lay the body of a roasted and charred child. Two bones were sticking out where her thighs had been. "The dogs ate her legs," he explains. For a moment I put a hand over my eyes. The phone goes round the table, each man gravely contemplating the burned child on the screen. Then someone asks: "What will it take to make the Israelis stop?"
• Ahdaf Soueif is a writer whose novel The Map of Love was shortlisted for the 1999 Booker prize
At 4 pm on January 4th, Lada and her family were inside their house when it was shelled 4 times by Israeli tanks. The shell which landed inside her home hit the area closest to Lada. At the time, she was sitting with Mara, her 3 year old daughter, who survived the blast with equally disfiguring and painful burns. A swirl of angry red burn beards Mara’s face, dots her nose, ears and forehead, and cuts into 22% of her tiny body’s surface area.
Ali, 4, Yusef, 17, and their mother (name and age not given) also all suffered facial and bodily burns from the shelling and the chemicals.
“The whole house was filled with fire and black smoke, different than normal smoke from a fire. It was hard to breathe and swelled our throats,” a brother, uninjured, recounted.
The shells which seared the skin of 4 members of the family killed a further 5, including Lada’s father (44), three younger brothers (10, 11, 13), and a baby sister (1.5) who the mother was holding at the time.
Ambulances were called, and were prevented from arriving. Surviving family members loaded onto a tractor, driven by one of Lada’s cousins. He and another cousin, both 18, were targeted by Israeli soldiers, said the mother, shot dead. The remaining family members had no option but to walk half an hour before they were able to get transportation to a hospital for treatment for their many serious injuries.
And here, from the Guardian, the news we just do not get
The Palestinians say: "This is a war of extermination." They describe bombs which break into 16 parts, each part splintering into 116 fragments, the white phosphorus which water cannot put out; which seems to die and then flares up again.
No one I spoke to has any doubt that the Israelis are committing war crimes. According to the medics here, to reports from doctors inside the Gaza Strip and to Palestinian eye-witnesses, more than 95% of the dead and injured are civilians. Many more will probably be found when the siege is lifted and the rubble is cleared. The doctors speak of a disproportionate number of head injuries - specifically of shrapnel lodged in the brain.
They also speak of the extensive burns of white phosphorus. These injuries are, as they put it, 'incompatible with life'. They are also receiving large numbers of amputees. This is because the damage done to the bone by explosive bullets is so extensive that the only way the doctors in Gaza can save lives is by amputating.
One of the nurses said to me that the nurses and paramedics were horrified by what they were seeing. "We deal with cases all the time," she said. "But what we're seeing these days we've never seen before or imagined."
Upstairs a professor of economics, accompanying his brother, sees me staring at my notes and says: "Exaggerate. Whatever you write will not be as bad as the truth."
In the silence that followed someone put a mobile in my hand.
"Look!" On a rubble-strewn street lay the body of a roasted and charred child. Two bones were sticking out where her thighs had been. "The dogs ate her legs," he explains. For a moment I put a hand over my eyes. The phone goes round the table, each man gravely contemplating the burned child on the screen. Then someone asks: "What will it take to make the Israelis stop?"
• Ahdaf Soueif is a writer whose novel The Map of Love was shortlisted for the 1999 Booker prize
between a rock and a hard place
By the way, this unilateral ceasefire (from Israel) will have this effect:
A unilateral ceasefire would allow Israel to avoid agreeing concessions with Hamas, such as easing the 18-month-old blockade of the Gaza Strip, which has prevented medical aid and basic supplies reaching the Palestinians.
Israel has previously broken many agreements, including one whereby it said it would lift the blockade if a ceasefire were sustained. (June, 2008. See this post)
Hamas is also asking that the border with Rafah, Egypt be opened. The people of the Gaza Strip, at present, cannot leave or enter the territory. Gaza is about twice the size of Washington D.C. and its population is hemmed in by walls.
From the first link above, An unnamed Israeli official told the AFP news agency that Israeli troops would remain in Gaza in the event of any such ceasefire being called.
"If they [Hamas] decide to open fire, we will not hesitate to respond and continue the offensive," the official was quoted as saying.
Caught between a rock and a hard place, right? Both literally and figuratively. Also, all of the food supplies and medicine supplies in the UN compound were lost in the direct hit it took from the Israeli forces on Thursay (watch the video at the bottom of the article). The tunnels, which are a lifeline (and yes, through which weapons are also smuggled), will definitely have taken more than a severe battering from the bombardments, and further to that, Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni signed a deal on Friday aimed at halting arms smuggling into Gaza as part of efforts to clinch a ceasefire. (so Israel negotiates with America, it's "unparalleled friend" to bring about a ceasefire?) Shell them into submission, then starve them to death. Is that the game plan?
An article from Australian ex-diplomat,Bruce Haig
A unilateral ceasefire would allow Israel to avoid agreeing concessions with Hamas, such as easing the 18-month-old blockade of the Gaza Strip, which has prevented medical aid and basic supplies reaching the Palestinians.
Israel has previously broken many agreements, including one whereby it said it would lift the blockade if a ceasefire were sustained. (June, 2008. See this post)
Hamas is also asking that the border with Rafah, Egypt be opened. The people of the Gaza Strip, at present, cannot leave or enter the territory. Gaza is about twice the size of Washington D.C. and its population is hemmed in by walls.
From the first link above, An unnamed Israeli official told the AFP news agency that Israeli troops would remain in Gaza in the event of any such ceasefire being called.
"If they [Hamas] decide to open fire, we will not hesitate to respond and continue the offensive," the official was quoted as saying.
Caught between a rock and a hard place, right? Both literally and figuratively. Also, all of the food supplies and medicine supplies in the UN compound were lost in the direct hit it took from the Israeli forces on Thursay (watch the video at the bottom of the article). The tunnels, which are a lifeline (and yes, through which weapons are also smuggled), will definitely have taken more than a severe battering from the bombardments, and further to that, Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni signed a deal on Friday aimed at halting arms smuggling into Gaza as part of efforts to clinch a ceasefire. (so Israel negotiates with America, it's "unparalleled friend" to bring about a ceasefire?) Shell them into submission, then starve them to death. Is that the game plan?
An article from Australian ex-diplomat,Bruce Haig
4 schools, a wedding and a funeral
Testing, testing. Yes, I know it gets old. However, bear with me, please:
Israel hits UN run school.
This is the fourth school run by the UN agency for Palestinian refugees UNRWA which has been hit by Israel during its 22-day-old offensive against the Gaza Strip.
Or from ABC Australia:
The raid is at least the fourth time that Israel has hit a school run by the UN agency for Palestinian refugees UNRWA during its 22-day-old war on Hamas in Gaza.
From Al Jazeera:
"The Israeli army knew exactly our GPS co-ordinates and they would have known that hundreds of people had taken shelter there," [Christopher Gunness, a UNRWA spokesman] said. (this fact seems to be getting left off the reports from Australia, though they were included when the first school got bombed, killing 40 people).
If it is the same school, I just read that 1600 people were sheltering inside it.
Weddings and funerals:
From the SBS (article linked just prior):
At least 55 Palestinians were killed on Friday, including at least 10 people who died when a tank shell slammed into their house in Gaza City during a funeral wake, according to Palestinian medics. and from Gaza Strip the Untold Story (the first link above): 1-Israeli air strike bombed a wedding hall in Rafah City
1,188 Palestinians have been killed, including 410 children. The children make up 35% of deaths, civilians make up 700 of those deaths, though that number has no doubt no increased. And not to forget the 5100, or the 5200 wounded.
Yes there are other atrocities committed all over the world. I do not think my government and media give them such overt support. And I do not know if the populations who are wiped out by such atrocities are trapped in a cage, as such, hemmed in by walls and borders that they have no permission to go into and out of, even if it were peacetime, though I know ultimately when people are slaughtered there obviously has been nowhere for them to run to. I do not know if the armies they are facing have all the latest and greatest in weaponry and combat gizmos. However, I have not heard my government clamouring to support Sudan, Congo, Mugabe in Zimbabwe, and in the case of the latter, he certainly does not get as much air time as Regev and Rutland, though I am sure business and politics are involved, and in the others, too. Maybe it does support them, maybe I am just ignorant. I do not think it should stop me from pointing out that Israel is trying to wipe out a people, or to decimate and shame them, leave them with a continuing crisis, and no infrastructure, anyway. Plus, they will not withdraw, not that they fully had anyway, and punitive and collective methods of punishment will continue. And the whole world is watching (or the whole world that is not Australia, the U.S. and Canada, anyway), and that it is going to cause great problems for everyone globally. But then, the US and Israel are armed to the gills, so as long as we are their allies we will be okay. Right? I am sure that the borders of the open air prison that is Occupied Palestine can be extended.
Israel hits UN run school.
This is the fourth school run by the UN agency for Palestinian refugees UNRWA which has been hit by Israel during its 22-day-old offensive against the Gaza Strip.
Or from ABC Australia:
The raid is at least the fourth time that Israel has hit a school run by the UN agency for Palestinian refugees UNRWA during its 22-day-old war on Hamas in Gaza.
From Al Jazeera:
"The Israeli army knew exactly our GPS co-ordinates and they would have known that hundreds of people had taken shelter there," [Christopher Gunness, a UNRWA spokesman] said. (this fact seems to be getting left off the reports from Australia, though they were included when the first school got bombed, killing 40 people).
If it is the same school, I just read that 1600 people were sheltering inside it.
Weddings and funerals:
From the SBS (article linked just prior):
At least 55 Palestinians were killed on Friday, including at least 10 people who died when a tank shell slammed into their house in Gaza City during a funeral wake, according to Palestinian medics. and from Gaza Strip the Untold Story (the first link above): 1-Israeli air strike bombed a wedding hall in Rafah City
1,188 Palestinians have been killed, including 410 children. The children make up 35% of deaths, civilians make up 700 of those deaths, though that number has no doubt no increased. And not to forget the 5100, or the 5200 wounded.
Yes there are other atrocities committed all over the world. I do not think my government and media give them such overt support. And I do not know if the populations who are wiped out by such atrocities are trapped in a cage, as such, hemmed in by walls and borders that they have no permission to go into and out of, even if it were peacetime, though I know ultimately when people are slaughtered there obviously has been nowhere for them to run to. I do not know if the armies they are facing have all the latest and greatest in weaponry and combat gizmos. However, I have not heard my government clamouring to support Sudan, Congo, Mugabe in Zimbabwe, and in the case of the latter, he certainly does not get as much air time as Regev and Rutland, though I am sure business and politics are involved, and in the others, too. Maybe it does support them, maybe I am just ignorant. I do not think it should stop me from pointing out that Israel is trying to wipe out a people, or to decimate and shame them, leave them with a continuing crisis, and no infrastructure, anyway. Plus, they will not withdraw, not that they fully had anyway, and punitive and collective methods of punishment will continue. And the whole world is watching (or the whole world that is not Australia, the U.S. and Canada, anyway), and that it is going to cause great problems for everyone globally. But then, the US and Israel are armed to the gills, so as long as we are their allies we will be okay. Right? I am sure that the borders of the open air prison that is Occupied Palestine can be extended.
A German soldier shot her dead in her bed
Oh, while I'm at it, this from Jewish British minister: "Kaufman, a frequent critic of Israel who was raised as an Orthodox Jew".
"Kaufman, ... commented on the claim that large numbers of the Palestinian victims were militants. "I suppose the Jews fighting for their lives in the Warsaw ghetto could have been dismissed as militants," he said. Kaufman urged the British government to impose an arms embargo on Israel. "My grandmother was ill in bed when the Nazis came to her home town.... A German soldier shot her dead in her bed, he said. My grandmother did not die to provide cover for Israeli soldiers murdering Palestinian grandmothers in Gaza," the MP said."
A former captian in the Israeli airforce speaks out
Children Suffer in the War on Gaza (video).
Maybe these can help people understand why the following would strike fear into the heart of the average Palestinian:
Under the terms of [a ceasefire] proposal, Israeli troops would remain inside the territory for an unspecified period, a senior Israeli government official told AFP on condition of anonymity.
No mention of the lifting of blockades or the opening of borders. No mention of a city infrastructure reduced to rubble. No mention of the ongoing human rights abuse, or placing the Israeli aggression, and the reaction to that, in the context of history.
Gazans tell of ordeal
Friday, 16 January 2009
Why would you make it up, and what can you do?
Blog from the ISM volunteer in Gaza who was in the Al Quds hospital which was struck yesterday (Patients flee as flames engulf Gaza hospital: medics. ABC Australia News, 16 January, 2009).
While there, heard shouting, went up stairs to see medic S covered in blood, he had just carried a little girl in from the street who snipers had shot in face and abdomen. We saw her father fall on the hospital stairs, having been shot in the leg. Mother was panicking, shouting there was another girl left behind. S, I and other medics went out to get her, found her not far away, S took her on his shoulders into the hospital. The other medics and I realised they were just the beginning of a stream of desperate people fleeing their buildings, many of which were on fire.
This is not an uncommon story.
Or from the ABC article above:
Desperate patients tried to flee a hospital in Gaza City this morning as it became engulfed in flames after being earlier set on fire by an Israeli tank shell, medics and witnesses said.
In scenes of utter panic, patients who had been wounded in the ongoing war in the territory could be seen trying to struggle from their beds, an AFP photographer at the scene said.
At least three prematurely-born babies were being wheeled out of the hospital in their incubators along with three patients who had been on life-support machines
And later:
Meanwhile, Bashar Murad, a doctor and the head of the ambulance services for the Red Crescent, waited helplessly.
"I have three dead bodies at 500 metres, but I can't get to them," he said. "I have numerous wounded less than a kilometre away, but I can't move without authorisation," Dr Murad said.
Before the ambulances can move anywhere, the International Committee of the Red Cross must call the Israeli army and receive a green light, he said.
My government pretty much endorses this. How about yours? This is the Australian foreign minister's email address: Stephen.Smith.MP@aph.gov.au
For Australians who want to do something other than email our foreign minister, you could look at the following email I received today, or write a letter as part of an Amnesty International campaign: http://www.amnesty.org.au/centre/action/20079/
The email:
To all supporters of Palestine in Australia
As Israel's assault on Gaza intensifies without mercy, Australians for
Palestine (AFP) and Women for Palestine (WFP) have decided to launch a
newspaper advertisement campaign calling on Australians to say "NO" to
Israel's war crimes.
The usual formal approaches to some of the organisations included in this
mail-out are not possible because of the escalating crisis, so we hope you
understand that we are contacting you to get the message out with the
greatest urgency. Today, the number of Palestinians killed exceeds 1000
with more than 4,000 wounded, a third of them children. Any help you can
give by passing this on to others whom you think would want to be included,
would be greatly appreciated. Under the circumstances, we hope you will
forgive any cross-postings.
We are seeking signatures and contributions for the attached advertisement
that we hope to place in as many Australian newspapers as possible. The
size of the advertisement will depend on the contributions received, but we
are looking at a quarter page week day advertisement in eight newspapers –
The Age, Sydney Morning Herald, The Australian, The Canberra Times, The
Herald Sun, The Courier Mail, Adelaide Advertiser, The West Australian for
publication on Friday 23 January 2009. The cost will be approximately
$40,000. If we cannot cover this amount, we may then have to allocate
smaller-sized advertisements according to readership.
We hope that there will be the same overwhelming support we received in the
two newspaper campaigns that were run last year protesting the Prime
Minister's Israel motion and Australia's request for a Palestine Motion in
parliament. As we do not have time to show the names of endorsees on the
advertisement itself, we intend to list all names on our website
www.australiansforpalestine.com to coincide with the publication of the
advertisements and we will keep updating the list for a two-week period
thereafter.
Even if there is a ceasefire, the situation for Palestinians in Gaza will be
horrendous and it will be just as important to keep up the pressure on our
government and the media so that the actual root cause of the problem –
Israel's occupation and control of Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem –
is finally addressed. If we fail in this, much of the support for Palestine
will drop away because people will assume the crisis is over. They need to
know that nothing is over until Israel ends the occupation.
The advertisement will be altered to include any new developments and
changed statistics before publication.
We have received many emails from distressed Australians wanting to know how
they can help and we believe that a campaign such as this enables everyone
to register their disgust and/or to make a contribution that will ensure as
wide publicity as possible.
We are, therefore, asking for your association's endorsement as well as of
individual members. In this way, we hope to get the list of endorsees
growing. We would also appreciate any contribution you are able to make so
that we can get the maximum coverage for this advertisement.
Endorsements should be made through Nasser Mashni,
Co-Convener of Australians for Palestine at gaza@australiansforpalestine.com
For contributions, a donation form is attached and contributions can be made
by direct transfer, cheques or online. Details are as follows and are also
listed on the form.
Bank Transfer
Account Name: Australians for Palestine
Branch: 083-171
Account: 86-641-3885
Cheque
Make out to Australians for Palestine
PO Box 2099 Hawthorn VIC 3122.
Online
Access Paypal by using our website link
http://www.australiansforpalestine.com
We thank you as always for your cooperation and goodwill in our Palestine
campaigns. These are difficult times, but together we hope to achieve an
effective and lasting voice for Palestine.
Nasser Mashni and Sonja Karkar
Co-Conveners.
Australians for Palestine
PO Box 2099, Hawthorn 3122
Melbourne – Australia
http://www.australiansforpalestine.com/
*Note, I cannot include the attachments, which include a donation form and the details of the advertisement, but if you contact Nasser Mashni, Co-Convener of Australians for Palestine at gaza@australiansforpalestine.com I am sure you can get them.
Oh, and there is always boycott. Jordan, Scandinavian countries, "...mostly Sweden Norway and Denmark" have been boycotting Israeli produce. (ynetnews.com, 16 Jan, 2009, Unfruitful Trade)
"...the boycott did not exist before the Gaza offensive was launched. "It's getting worse, and more voices can be heard calling to boycott Israeli merchandise," [Ilan Eshel, director of the Organization of Fruit Growers] said. "Until the operation began we had excellent business, though the economic recession in Europe was causing a slight fall in the market."
These rallies and events are also occurring in Perth and Fremantle, Western Australia.
While there, heard shouting, went up stairs to see medic S covered in blood, he had just carried a little girl in from the street who snipers had shot in face and abdomen. We saw her father fall on the hospital stairs, having been shot in the leg. Mother was panicking, shouting there was another girl left behind. S, I and other medics went out to get her, found her not far away, S took her on his shoulders into the hospital. The other medics and I realised they were just the beginning of a stream of desperate people fleeing their buildings, many of which were on fire.
This is not an uncommon story.
Or from the ABC article above:
Desperate patients tried to flee a hospital in Gaza City this morning as it became engulfed in flames after being earlier set on fire by an Israeli tank shell, medics and witnesses said.
In scenes of utter panic, patients who had been wounded in the ongoing war in the territory could be seen trying to struggle from their beds, an AFP photographer at the scene said.
At least three prematurely-born babies were being wheeled out of the hospital in their incubators along with three patients who had been on life-support machines
And later:
Meanwhile, Bashar Murad, a doctor and the head of the ambulance services for the Red Crescent, waited helplessly.
"I have three dead bodies at 500 metres, but I can't get to them," he said. "I have numerous wounded less than a kilometre away, but I can't move without authorisation," Dr Murad said.
Before the ambulances can move anywhere, the International Committee of the Red Cross must call the Israeli army and receive a green light, he said.
My government pretty much endorses this. How about yours? This is the Australian foreign minister's email address: Stephen.Smith.MP@aph.gov.au
For Australians who want to do something other than email our foreign minister, you could look at the following email I received today, or write a letter as part of an Amnesty International campaign: http://www.amnesty.org.au/centre/action/20079/
The email:
To all supporters of Palestine in Australia
As Israel's assault on Gaza intensifies without mercy, Australians for
Palestine (AFP) and Women for Palestine (WFP) have decided to launch a
newspaper advertisement campaign calling on Australians to say "NO" to
Israel's war crimes.
The usual formal approaches to some of the organisations included in this
mail-out are not possible because of the escalating crisis, so we hope you
understand that we are contacting you to get the message out with the
greatest urgency. Today, the number of Palestinians killed exceeds 1000
with more than 4,000 wounded, a third of them children. Any help you can
give by passing this on to others whom you think would want to be included,
would be greatly appreciated. Under the circumstances, we hope you will
forgive any cross-postings.
We are seeking signatures and contributions for the attached advertisement
that we hope to place in as many Australian newspapers as possible. The
size of the advertisement will depend on the contributions received, but we
are looking at a quarter page week day advertisement in eight newspapers –
The Age, Sydney Morning Herald, The Australian, The Canberra Times, The
Herald Sun, The Courier Mail, Adelaide Advertiser, The West Australian for
publication on Friday 23 January 2009. The cost will be approximately
$40,000. If we cannot cover this amount, we may then have to allocate
smaller-sized advertisements according to readership.
We hope that there will be the same overwhelming support we received in the
two newspaper campaigns that were run last year protesting the Prime
Minister's Israel motion and Australia's request for a Palestine Motion in
parliament. As we do not have time to show the names of endorsees on the
advertisement itself, we intend to list all names on our website
www.australiansforpalestine.com to coincide with the publication of the
advertisements and we will keep updating the list for a two-week period
thereafter.
Even if there is a ceasefire, the situation for Palestinians in Gaza will be
horrendous and it will be just as important to keep up the pressure on our
government and the media so that the actual root cause of the problem –
Israel's occupation and control of Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem –
is finally addressed. If we fail in this, much of the support for Palestine
will drop away because people will assume the crisis is over. They need to
know that nothing is over until Israel ends the occupation.
The advertisement will be altered to include any new developments and
changed statistics before publication.
We have received many emails from distressed Australians wanting to know how
they can help and we believe that a campaign such as this enables everyone
to register their disgust and/or to make a contribution that will ensure as
wide publicity as possible.
We are, therefore, asking for your association's endorsement as well as of
individual members. In this way, we hope to get the list of endorsees
growing. We would also appreciate any contribution you are able to make so
that we can get the maximum coverage for this advertisement.
Endorsements should be made through Nasser Mashni,
Co-Convener of Australians for Palestine at gaza@australiansforpalestine.com
For contributions, a donation form is attached and contributions can be made
by direct transfer, cheques or online. Details are as follows and are also
listed on the form.
Bank Transfer
Account Name: Australians for Palestine
Branch: 083-171
Account: 86-641-3885
Cheque
Make out to Australians for Palestine
PO Box 2099 Hawthorn VIC 3122.
Online
Access Paypal by using our website link
http://www.australiansforpalestine.com
We thank you as always for your cooperation and goodwill in our Palestine
campaigns. These are difficult times, but together we hope to achieve an
effective and lasting voice for Palestine.
Nasser Mashni and Sonja Karkar
Co-Conveners.
Australians for Palestine
PO Box 2099, Hawthorn 3122
Melbourne – Australia
http://www.australiansforpalestine.com/
*Note, I cannot include the attachments, which include a donation form and the details of the advertisement, but if you contact Nasser Mashni, Co-Convener of Australians for Palestine at gaza@australiansforpalestine.com I am sure you can get them.
Oh, and there is always boycott. Jordan, Scandinavian countries, "...mostly Sweden Norway and Denmark" have been boycotting Israeli produce. (ynetnews.com, 16 Jan, 2009, Unfruitful Trade)
"...the boycott did not exist before the Gaza offensive was launched. "It's getting worse, and more voices can be heard calling to boycott Israeli merchandise," [Ilan Eshel, director of the Organization of Fruit Growers] said. "Until the operation began we had excellent business, though the economic recession in Europe was causing a slight fall in the market."
These rallies and events are also occurring in Perth and Fremantle, Western Australia.
The headlines got switched
Well, the news report which was titled Israel hits refugee agency in gaza , which was by the Guardian, 15 January, 2009 and which is in my post, below, has been replaced with this title and report: Hamas interior minister reported dead in Gaza attack (same date) which somewhat details the atrocities, but makes no mention of Barak's comment of having hit the compound being a "grave mistake", or the 700 who were reportedly sheltering in the UN compound, and yes, Barak now says they were fired at, a statement which was not included in yesterday's report at the time of posting.
Well, Australia's ABC still details Barak's grave mistake, and here from the BBC, some of the details which seem not to be in the Guardian's article any more.
So many sites have linked to that original article. I hope that some people have kept an original copy, or that the Guardian restores the original link.
I think I will go google Barak's grave mistake some more.
Well, Australia's ABC still details Barak's grave mistake, and here from the BBC, some of the details which seem not to be in the Guardian's article any more.
So many sites have linked to that original article. I hope that some people have kept an original copy, or that the Guardian restores the original link.
I think I will go google Barak's grave mistake some more.
1100 dead, 5100 wounded, Amnesty International
Day 20 of Israeli War On Gaza Informative Report on Gaza War:
Death toll 1100, wounded 5100
Amnesty international is trying to send 10,000 emails to Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, in protest. Very few politicians in Australia have spoken out against this massacre.
You can follow this address: http://www.amnesty.org.au/centre/action/20079/
to the page.
_________________________________________________________________
“I’m just a working man, not Fatah, not Hamas. Just a man. Why did they bomb my house?” he’d asked. “There were 4 families in here, at least 25 children,” he’d added. From a blog of a foreign aid volunteer and journalist in the area.
Death toll 1100, wounded 5100
Amnesty international is trying to send 10,000 emails to Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, in protest. Very few politicians in Australia have spoken out against this massacre.
You can follow this address: http://www.amnesty.org.au/centre/action/20079/
to the page.
_________________________________________________________________
“I’m just a working man, not Fatah, not Hamas. Just a man. Why did they bomb my house?” he’d asked. “There were 4 families in here, at least 25 children,” he’d added. From a blog of a foreign aid volunteer and journalist in the area.
Thursday, 15 January 2009
gallows humour - 63%
Seems Israeli defence minister, Ehud Barak, has a grave sense of humour as his forces have attempted to make the headquarters of the UN refugee agency into a cemetery. (Israel hits U.N. Refugee Agency in Gaza, The Guardian, 15 January, 2009). You can find the same story all over the web. (*Please note, as of the 16th the Guardian has changed the title to Hamas interior minister reported dead in Gaza attack, Barak is now saying that his forces were fired at (disputed by the UN), and there is no mention of it being "a grave mistake". However, references to such an expression can be found at this Australian ABC article and in this BBC article. )
The headquarters of the UN refugee agency was on fire today as Israeli forces pushed deeper into Gaza City, unleashing the heaviest shelling of densely packed neighbourhoods since their military operation began nearly three weeks ago.
The compound was bombed twice, and is a well-known location in Gaza which was marked with blue UN flags
A UN warehouse containing tonnes of relief supplies was burning fiercely after the compound was hit by what a UN spokesman, Chris Gunness, said appeared to be three white phosphorous shells. Three people were reported injured, one UN staff member and two of the estimated 700 local people who had taken shelter inside from the violence.
The UN secretary general, Ban Ki-moon, angrily demanded an investigation. Ehud Barak, the defence minister, told him it was a grave mistake and he [Barak] took it very seriously. He assured [Kim] that extra attention will be paid to UN facilities and staff and this will not be repeated.
Be wary UN facilities and staff, and people sheltering in your buildings, of that kind of extra attention. And maybe Barak should be apologising to the people of Gaza for the poor eyesight of the members of his forces, rather than to Moon who seems to be happy with Barak's explanation, despite the demand for an inquiry.
Now loss of life was minimal (but still occurred), but how are those relief supplies going to get replaced, and where are they going to be stored? It beggars belief how cynical and arrogant this government is. But maybe that is the same of all governments around the world once they gain too much power.
And that is not all. Remember the IDF has the GPS of all of these civilian buildings. From the same news article:
Separately, the AFP news agency quoted witnesses as saying that a wing of the Al-Quds hospital in south-west Gaza, where hundreds more people had taken shelter early today from advancing Israeli tanks, was on fire after being struck. It was not clear if there were any injuries.
That is the same hospital that is referred to in this aid worker's blog.
and if that was not quite enough:
The headquarters of the UN refugee agency was on fire today as Israeli forces pushed deeper into Gaza City, unleashing the heaviest shelling of densely packed neighbourhoods since their military operation began nearly three weeks ago.
The compound was bombed twice, and is a well-known location in Gaza which was marked with blue UN flags
A UN warehouse containing tonnes of relief supplies was burning fiercely after the compound was hit by what a UN spokesman, Chris Gunness, said appeared to be three white phosphorous shells. Three people were reported injured, one UN staff member and two of the estimated 700 local people who had taken shelter inside from the violence.
The UN secretary general, Ban Ki-moon, angrily demanded an investigation. Ehud Barak, the defence minister, told him it was a grave mistake and he [Barak] took it very seriously. He assured [Kim] that extra attention will be paid to UN facilities and staff and this will not be repeated.
Be wary UN facilities and staff, and people sheltering in your buildings, of that kind of extra attention. And maybe Barak should be apologising to the people of Gaza for the poor eyesight of the members of his forces, rather than to Moon who seems to be happy with Barak's explanation, despite the demand for an inquiry.
Now loss of life was minimal (but still occurred), but how are those relief supplies going to get replaced, and where are they going to be stored? It beggars belief how cynical and arrogant this government is. But maybe that is the same of all governments around the world once they gain too much power.
And that is not all. Remember the IDF has the GPS of all of these civilian buildings. From the same news article:
Separately, the AFP news agency quoted witnesses as saying that a wing of the Al-Quds hospital in south-west Gaza, where hundreds more people had taken shelter early today from advancing Israeli tanks, was on fire after being struck. It was not clear if there were any injuries.
That is the same hospital that is referred to in this aid worker's blog.
and if that was not quite enough:
Reuters reported that a missile or shell had struck the Gaza tower block where the news agency and other media organisations have offices. The 13th floor of the Al-Shurouq Tower, which houses Abu Dhabi television, appeared to have been hit, injuring one of its journalists.
Reuters said it had provided Israeli forces with the co-ordinates of its office at the start of the war and had been repeatedly assured it was not a target.
What they say is true. IDF really are a killing machine. I guess Hamas was hiding in all of these places, and they were wired to the teeth with explosives. Or that is the explanation that we will get. Then retracted, then spun about some more, until Israel comes out looking all shiny and clean. You gotta have friends in the White House, hmm, and Canada, Australia, and the European Union.
From the very end of the article:
It is thought Hamas's conditions for any deal would probably include an immediate withdrawal of Israeli forces the moment a ceasefire begins. That may prove too much for Israel to accept. Hamas also wants an Israeli commitment to lift the blockade on crossings into Israel and to open the Rafah crossing into Egypt. It wants the ceasefire to be limited to six months or a year.
Is it really so much to ask? Lifting the blockade (which means people can trade, eat, and get sources and resources) has always been a point of any ceasefire brokered, and Israel has never kept its side of the bargain (Ceasefire between Gaza and Israel has not eased conditions in Gaza – [the ceasefire] has not delivered on Israeli assurances to ease entry and exit of goods and people, UN News Centre, 24 October, 2008). In addition, considering that Israel broke the ceasefire and then invaded Gaza, is the last request really so abhorrent? But then, it is apparent that Israel has no intention of implementing a ceasefire until it is well and ready, no matter what Hamas might say.
From Australia's ABC :
The Palestinian death toll from the air-and-ground offensive has risen to at least 1,055, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry in Gaza.
A Palestinian rights group said 670 of the dead were civilians.
That is civilian deaths are 63 percent of all deaths.
Thirteen Israelis have been killed - 10 soldiers and three civilians hit by Hamas rocket fire.
By the way, considering the conventions broken and the brazen war crimes committed by Israeli forces in that above ABC article, its heading (Israeli army shells Gaza, ceasefire talk gathers steam, 15 January, 2009) is shameful, really. ABC is a an Australian government run tv station. I'm coming to expect nothing less from them, the majority of our media, and our government.
I wish I didn't have to keep writing these entries.reaction and rallies
I wish to reinforce that this blog is in reaction to the current and ongoing human rights abuses and war crimes that have been perpetuated against Palestine by Israel as recorded by many international organisations, (which at the end of the day represent us all), such as the United Nations, and Amnesty International, and as detailed by the many aid organisations and human rights watch groups, such as the Israeli B'Tselem, Red Cross, Amnesty International, and Medicine without Frontiers among others.
It is in no way anti-Jewish, and I would like to point out that a lot of my information comes via Jewish or Israeli websites such as Australian writer, Antony Lowenstein's blog, Independent Australian Jewish Voices, and B'Tselem which is:
the Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories [and which] was established in 1989 by a group of prominent academics, attorneys, journalists, and Knesset members. It endeavors to document and educate the Israeli public and policymakers about human rights violations in the Occupied Territories, combat the phenomenon of denial prevalent among the Israeli public, and help create a human rights culture in Israel.
A lot of my information also comes via the joint Palestine/Israeli Alternative Information Center, and from Israeli journalist Amira Hass who writes for the fairly conservative Israeli paper Ha'aretz. I also ascribe to views put forth by writers such as, Noam Chomsky , a prominent American Jew who has always spoken out, and Canadian Naomi Klein.
This blog is aware of the bravery of refuseniks who do not serve with the IDF on humanitarian grounds, and is well aware that there are a lot of Israelis who do not support the incursion in Gaza, as detailed by this radio interview with Tel Aviv resident, Efrat Wolfson (go to this link, and click the 14 January, 2009) show, and as shown by protests within Israel itself (that youtube clip has subtitles)and even in the U.S. Though it does make one sound like a rabid conspiracy theorist nut, the media machine is very smooth and ruthless with people who speak out, as seen by Australian member for parliament, Julia Irwin's comments here, and this Guardian article about web use. I have blogged on both of those before. The kind of attitude that anyone might have to face, but especially a Jewish person, if he or she speaks out can be read about in this August 2008 post by Lowenstein.
From the Independent Australian Jewish Voices is this January, 5, 2009, this
petition against the current war, which the members condemn as "inhuman, superfluous" and "abominable" as I think any sane human would (however, there were many in the Australian media who criticised them for their standpoint). The original petition had 100 signatories, and as of January 11, 2009, it had 202. Many other countries, including Israel, have similar petitions.
I know that there is a lot of misinformation out there, and I hope that I am not adding to it. I understand that I am not an expert on Israel, Palestine or the affairs of the Middle East, yet the facts and figures provided by the various agencies above speak for themselves.
I do not fool myself that I have a readership of thousands (my blog counter clearly tells me otherwise), but I know that our media does not focus on the human rights issues of the occupied territories, and so the only way we can find such information, is independently.
It seems very likely that this massacre will continue until January 20th, if not beyond. A report from this morning, which I also posted in a prior entry:
A senior Israeli defence official told AFP that the war, which has killed some 400 civilians and has sparked outrage across the Muslim world, could well continue until the January 20 inauguration of US president-elect Barack Obama.
1038 Palestinians are dead (10 Israelis have died, and three Israeli civilians), and a further 4850 are wounded. That is the result of 19 days of carnage. Within another 5 days, I wonder what the numbers will rise to. And even if Israel pulls out on the 20th or near that date, what is left? As Julia Irwin says, from the article linked above:
And who will pick up the pieces when the bloodshed has finally stopped? The rest of the world will, of course. Through the world's contributions to the UN, its largest budget item is the UN Relief and Works Agency. With an annual $700 million budget going to support Palestinian refugees, the biggest component is being spent on Gaza.
Bolivia and Venezuela have broken diplomatic ties with Israel, and as these countries are not on particularly good terms with the U.S. it probably will not influence Israel too much, but, good on them for making a stand. Other countries, and companies, including Norway have reconsidered their not unsubstantial investment in Israeli companies.
My writings since the massacre began are not an attack against Judaism but a call for injustice to stop, and for the media and politicians to stop blinkering us from the reality, history and the actual tragedy of events which are unfurling far too quickly for any Gazan to ever escape.
Post script: I forgot to add this for people who are in Perth, Western Australia:
1.
Friday the 16th
Speakout/vigil for the people of Gaza
5:30 PM
Speak out on a megaphone about the Israeli atrocities in Gaza or alternatively bring a candle or placard and stand silently in remembrance of the 1000 people killed so far in the war on Gaza.Friday 5.30pm January 16th, Wesley Church steps, corner of Hay St & William St in the city.
0407 850 962
2.
Saturday the 24th
Direct Action public meeting: Israel's assault on Gaza and the struggle for a free Palestine
3:00 PM
Sat Jan 24,
3pmMaritime Union Hall,
2-4 Kwong AlleyNorth Fremantle
This is a forum. Entry is via donation.
0409 762 081 or email perth@directaction.org.au
3.
Saturday the 31st
Rally & march for the people of Gaza
12:00 PM
Rally & march for the people of Gaza midday
Saturday 31st January in the Perth CBD.
Venue yet to be confirmed.
The march will go ahead regardless of whetehr or not there is a ceasefire or an end to the war between now and January 31st
0407 850 962
Full details can be found here .
It is in no way anti-Jewish, and I would like to point out that a lot of my information comes via Jewish or Israeli websites such as Australian writer, Antony Lowenstein's blog, Independent Australian Jewish Voices, and B'Tselem which is:
the Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories [and which] was established in 1989 by a group of prominent academics, attorneys, journalists, and Knesset members. It endeavors to document and educate the Israeli public and policymakers about human rights violations in the Occupied Territories, combat the phenomenon of denial prevalent among the Israeli public, and help create a human rights culture in Israel.
A lot of my information also comes via the joint Palestine/Israeli Alternative Information Center, and from Israeli journalist Amira Hass who writes for the fairly conservative Israeli paper Ha'aretz. I also ascribe to views put forth by writers such as, Noam Chomsky , a prominent American Jew who has always spoken out, and Canadian Naomi Klein.
This blog is aware of the bravery of refuseniks who do not serve with the IDF on humanitarian grounds, and is well aware that there are a lot of Israelis who do not support the incursion in Gaza, as detailed by this radio interview with Tel Aviv resident, Efrat Wolfson (go to this link, and click the 14 January, 2009) show, and as shown by protests within Israel itself (that youtube clip has subtitles)and even in the U.S. Though it does make one sound like a rabid conspiracy theorist nut, the media machine is very smooth and ruthless with people who speak out, as seen by Australian member for parliament, Julia Irwin's comments here, and this Guardian article about web use. I have blogged on both of those before. The kind of attitude that anyone might have to face, but especially a Jewish person, if he or she speaks out can be read about in this August 2008 post by Lowenstein.
From the Independent Australian Jewish Voices is this January, 5, 2009, this
petition against the current war, which the members condemn as "inhuman, superfluous" and "abominable" as I think any sane human would (however, there were many in the Australian media who criticised them for their standpoint). The original petition had 100 signatories, and as of January 11, 2009, it had 202. Many other countries, including Israel, have similar petitions.
I know that there is a lot of misinformation out there, and I hope that I am not adding to it. I understand that I am not an expert on Israel, Palestine or the affairs of the Middle East, yet the facts and figures provided by the various agencies above speak for themselves.
I do not fool myself that I have a readership of thousands (my blog counter clearly tells me otherwise), but I know that our media does not focus on the human rights issues of the occupied territories, and so the only way we can find such information, is independently.
It seems very likely that this massacre will continue until January 20th, if not beyond. A report from this morning, which I also posted in a prior entry:
A senior Israeli defence official told AFP that the war, which has killed some 400 civilians and has sparked outrage across the Muslim world, could well continue until the January 20 inauguration of US president-elect Barack Obama.
1038 Palestinians are dead (10 Israelis have died, and three Israeli civilians), and a further 4850 are wounded. That is the result of 19 days of carnage. Within another 5 days, I wonder what the numbers will rise to. And even if Israel pulls out on the 20th or near that date, what is left? As Julia Irwin says, from the article linked above:
And who will pick up the pieces when the bloodshed has finally stopped? The rest of the world will, of course. Through the world's contributions to the UN, its largest budget item is the UN Relief and Works Agency. With an annual $700 million budget going to support Palestinian refugees, the biggest component is being spent on Gaza.
Bolivia and Venezuela have broken diplomatic ties with Israel, and as these countries are not on particularly good terms with the U.S. it probably will not influence Israel too much, but, good on them for making a stand. Other countries, and companies, including Norway have reconsidered their not unsubstantial investment in Israeli companies.
My writings since the massacre began are not an attack against Judaism but a call for injustice to stop, and for the media and politicians to stop blinkering us from the reality, history and the actual tragedy of events which are unfurling far too quickly for any Gazan to ever escape.
Post script: I forgot to add this for people who are in Perth, Western Australia:
1.
Friday the 16th
Speakout/vigil for the people of Gaza
5:30 PM
Speak out on a megaphone about the Israeli atrocities in Gaza or alternatively bring a candle or placard and stand silently in remembrance of the 1000 people killed so far in the war on Gaza.Friday 5.30pm January 16th, Wesley Church steps, corner of Hay St & William St in the city.
0407 850 962
2.
Saturday the 24th
Direct Action public meeting: Israel's assault on Gaza and the struggle for a free Palestine
3:00 PM
Sat Jan 24,
3pmMaritime Union Hall,
2-4 Kwong AlleyNorth Fremantle
This is a forum. Entry is via donation.
0409 762 081 or email perth@directaction.org.au
3.
Saturday the 31st
Rally & march for the people of Gaza
12:00 PM
Rally & march for the people of Gaza midday
Saturday 31st January in the Perth CBD.
Venue yet to be confirmed.
The march will go ahead regardless of whetehr or not there is a ceasefire or an end to the war between now and January 31st
0407 850 962
Full details can be found here .
a poetic interlude
Kind of back to normal for this blog. I've got to tell you, the searches that people use to get here have definitely changed.
for the civilians
too scared to leave my computer night by night
thinking one keystroke might
somehow prolong a life
a gasp a grasp knowing I
had to watch because you asked
not to be forgotten
knowing I could hear you,
but the tap of nails hardly sharp or honed enough
to prise wax from the ears of
leaders and media, rat-tail lips twitching,
mottled and streaked,
sated and sleek
they will never stand tall,
yet it is you who is stooped.
my words cannot compete
with explosions that rip you from your skin,
throw the white flag from your hand,
send your scarf flying high above you
not quite fluttering like the papers
that ordered you from your house.
my words cannot compete
with bullets swooping,
magpies greedy for the glint of your jacket as you gather
the dead, the burnt, the wounded, the ones
not vacuumed into burnt beyond-recognition. you are soon to join them.
on the roads, in the schools, in their houses
your children have nowhere to run, knowing
this I watch
knowing that once it is
black and the messages no longer come through I
will know nothing except
the piles of rubble either
devoid of people or buried beneath, a soldier atop.
once it is black,
where do they go?
once it is black
where do you go?
disconfigured bodies and half-beating hearts.
Amputated, a woman gives birth and maybe
there was joy in her voice as her child
was born into a night of screaming,
because, a heartbeat is a heartbeat, a life is a life, right?
but who will hear
once all goes dark
the murmur of his heart
what chances are there
once all goes dark
to hear it any longer?
lizardrinking (c) 2009
Part of this poem was sadly inspired by this story .
__________________________________________________________________
- 1015 dead, 4800 wounded.
Now 1033 dead, 4850 wounded (AFP, 15 Jan, 2009). That's the Palestinians. The Israelis remain at 10 soldiers and three civilians.
A senior Israeli defence official told AFP that the war, which has killed some 400 civilians and has sparked outrage across the Muslim world, could well continue until the January 20 inauguration of US president-elect Barack Obama.
As if that was not always the plan, and Hillary seems to have given them full support, though maybe that will change. I hope your media is telling you some of this. I know we are only getting pictures of bombed out buildings. A great deal of the world's media is not quite so sqeamish.
for the civilians
too scared to leave my computer night by night
thinking one keystroke might
somehow prolong a life
a gasp a grasp knowing I
had to watch because you asked
not to be forgotten
knowing I could hear you,
but the tap of nails hardly sharp or honed enough
to prise wax from the ears of
leaders and media, rat-tail lips twitching,
mottled and streaked,
sated and sleek
they will never stand tall,
yet it is you who is stooped.
my words cannot compete
with explosions that rip you from your skin,
throw the white flag from your hand,
send your scarf flying high above you
not quite fluttering like the papers
that ordered you from your house.
my words cannot compete
with bullets swooping,
magpies greedy for the glint of your jacket as you gather
the dead, the burnt, the wounded, the ones
not vacuumed into burnt beyond-recognition. you are soon to join them.
on the roads, in the schools, in their houses
your children have nowhere to run, knowing
this I watch
knowing that once it is
black and the messages no longer come through I
will know nothing except
the piles of rubble either
devoid of people or buried beneath, a soldier atop.
once it is black,
where do they go?
once it is black
where do you go?
disconfigured bodies and half-beating hearts.
Amputated, a woman gives birth and maybe
there was joy in her voice as her child
was born into a night of screaming,
because, a heartbeat is a heartbeat, a life is a life, right?
but who will hear
once all goes dark
the murmur of his heart
what chances are there
once all goes dark
to hear it any longer?
lizardrinking (c) 2009
Part of this poem was sadly inspired by this story .
__________________________________________________________________
- 1015 dead, 4800 wounded.
Now 1033 dead, 4850 wounded (AFP, 15 Jan, 2009). That's the Palestinians. The Israelis remain at 10 soldiers and three civilians.
A senior Israeli defence official told AFP that the war, which has killed some 400 civilians and has sparked outrage across the Muslim world, could well continue until the January 20 inauguration of US president-elect Barack Obama.
As if that was not always the plan, and Hillary seems to have given them full support, though maybe that will change. I hope your media is telling you some of this. I know we are only getting pictures of bombed out buildings. A great deal of the world's media is not quite so sqeamish.
Wednesday, 14 January 2009
I guess the Catholics just don't like them
The president of the U.N. General Assembly calls a genocide a genocide (January 14, 2009).
"The number of victims in Gaza is increasing by the day... The situation is untenable. It's genocide," d'Escoto said at the UN in New York.
About 970 Palestinians have been killed and 4,300 injured since Israel began its Gaza offensive on December 27, which it says is to stop Palestinian fighters attacking Israel with rockets. Other sources say 971 dead including 400 women and children. That's 41% of deaths. Israel says only 300 civilians have died (see article below) and have repeatedly used the human shield argument despite reports to the contrary (read some of the blogs of the volunteers in Gaza at present, or the Human Rights reports from the Israeli agencies. The links are in the blog roll), but repeating this argument seems to be a habit of theirs.
From the article: D'Escoto, a former Roman Catholic priest and Nicaragua foreign minister, is known for his outspoken criticism of Israel and last year likened Israel's treatment of the Palestinians to the racist apartheid system previously used in South Africa.
He is not popular with Israel and will be routinely ignored.
Unfortunately, this guy now has something to say, too, (Bin Laden Urges Jihad on Israel, Sky news, 14 Jan, 2009).
Anyone who had the power to protest could have seen it coming. Nice present you left Obama, George, though he seems only too happy to ignore it as much as his predecessor. Aaron David Miller, a former state department adviser on the Middle East said about Barack Obama in this article, (9 January, 2009): "Unless he [Obama] is prepared to adopt a policy that is tougher, fairer and smarter than both of his predecessors you might as well hang a closed-for-the-season sign on any chance of America playing an effective role in defusing the current crisis or the broader crisis." And well, Hillary's views were always known before, but just to make sure, she stated them again. Though, who knows, maybe there will be backdoor dealings and negotiations going on, but not before at least another 500 die, I predict. I hope I eat my words.
In the meantime, from Haaretz (14/01/2009): The Foreign Ministry [of Israel] considers the "Durban 2" World Conference against Racism, scheduled for April in Geneva, as the point when they can determine the extent to which Israel's standing as a democratic country that respects human rights has been damaged. Israel has rallied many countries against the conference on the grounds that it will become a platform for anti-Semitism, and has also announced, along with the United States and Canada, that it will boycott the conference.
The conference is organised by the United Nations Human Rights Council. I guess along with the Vatican, (who said that Gaza more and more resembled a big concentration camp, 9 Jan, 2001), and d'Escoto above, they must have it in for Israel, the U.S. and Canada. The world should be wary.
*Note: It looks like the reporter from Palestine who updates daily has updated his blog, but I cannot get the information at present. It looks as if it has been blocked, or maybe I just can't read it. Anyway, the post from 2 hours ago is Israeli troops attack Gaza City. It is the top blog on my blogroll. I hope others have more luck in accessing it, and that he survives to post another day. *Later: He seems to be back. Posting times have changed though. Updating, I guess.
"The number of victims in Gaza is increasing by the day... The situation is untenable. It's genocide," d'Escoto said at the UN in New York.
About 970 Palestinians have been killed and 4,300 injured since Israel began its Gaza offensive on December 27, which it says is to stop Palestinian fighters attacking Israel with rockets. Other sources say 971 dead including 400 women and children. That's 41% of deaths. Israel says only 300 civilians have died (see article below) and have repeatedly used the human shield argument despite reports to the contrary (read some of the blogs of the volunteers in Gaza at present, or the Human Rights reports from the Israeli agencies. The links are in the blog roll), but repeating this argument seems to be a habit of theirs.
From the article: D'Escoto, a former Roman Catholic priest and Nicaragua foreign minister, is known for his outspoken criticism of Israel and last year likened Israel's treatment of the Palestinians to the racist apartheid system previously used in South Africa.
He is not popular with Israel and will be routinely ignored.
Unfortunately, this guy now has something to say, too, (Bin Laden Urges Jihad on Israel, Sky news, 14 Jan, 2009).
Anyone who had the power to protest could have seen it coming. Nice present you left Obama, George, though he seems only too happy to ignore it as much as his predecessor. Aaron David Miller, a former state department adviser on the Middle East said about Barack Obama in this article, (9 January, 2009): "Unless he [Obama] is prepared to adopt a policy that is tougher, fairer and smarter than both of his predecessors you might as well hang a closed-for-the-season sign on any chance of America playing an effective role in defusing the current crisis or the broader crisis." And well, Hillary's views were always known before, but just to make sure, she stated them again. Though, who knows, maybe there will be backdoor dealings and negotiations going on, but not before at least another 500 die, I predict. I hope I eat my words.
In the meantime, from Haaretz (14/01/2009): The Foreign Ministry [of Israel] considers the "Durban 2" World Conference against Racism, scheduled for April in Geneva, as the point when they can determine the extent to which Israel's standing as a democratic country that respects human rights has been damaged. Israel has rallied many countries against the conference on the grounds that it will become a platform for anti-Semitism, and has also announced, along with the United States and Canada, that it will boycott the conference.
The conference is organised by the United Nations Human Rights Council. I guess along with the Vatican, (who said that Gaza more and more resembled a big concentration camp, 9 Jan, 2001), and d'Escoto above, they must have it in for Israel, the U.S. and Canada. The world should be wary.
*Note: It looks like the reporter from Palestine who updates daily has updated his blog, but I cannot get the information at present. It looks as if it has been blocked, or maybe I just can't read it. Anyway, the post from 2 hours ago is Israeli troops attack Gaza City. It is the top blog on my blogroll. I hope others have more luck in accessing it, and that he survives to post another day. *Later: He seems to be back. Posting times have changed though. Updating, I guess.
existence
Which countries do not officially recognise Taiwan nowadays? I wonder if it still exists? Of course that is not a case of occupier/occupied, but still it is there, despite China continuously telling us Taiwan is part of China, and the Taiwanese saying that it is something else.
From what I know of it, I do not like Sharia law, if that is what Hamas uphold. By the same token, they were an elected government, by the people, and they had infrastructure in Gaza, and by that, I mean schools, kindergartens, universities, and so on. I do not believe that all of those buildings were disguised armaments. Also, Gaza existed long before Hamas, and many of these infrastructures were also in place (take note of the past tense) long before Hamas were. Additionally, in February 2008, Hamas were offering Israel a long-term cease-fire, lasting decades (from the Jewish Daily Forward, 28 February, 2008).
This from the Israeli pro-human rights (and aren't we all pro-human rights?) journalist, Amira Hass, after a November visit to Gaza, from Israel's Haaretz (December 30, 2008). I arrived at this article via the Australian media watch Middle East Reality Check blog, and have initially taken the quote that the writer of that blog ran with.
In This is Gaza (30/12/08) Hass wrote," Gaza is the ability to tell jokes in any situation, and the burning insult of having no running water for 3 or 4 days. And yet, the children go clean and neat to school... Gaza is also parents leaving their children alone at home, without fear, or letting them go to a playground far from home, or go by themselves to their grandmother in the Jabaliya refugee camp... "
She also reports of the contradictions of the place:
"Gaza is the teacher who forces school girls to cover their heads, although senior officials* assert that this is not the education ministry's policy. It is exaggerations and false rumors, and it is also the Fatah detainees' report that cameras were installed in the interrogation room to ensure that the interrogators act within the boundaries of the law. It is the surprise when "Hamas" police restore stolen property, even before it has been reported stolen. "
*Senior officials = Hamas, I assume.
There have been human rights abuses perpetuated by both Hamas and Fatah, as detailed by B'Tselem , The Israeli Center for Human rights in the Occupied Territories (2007) (though the Israeli-perpetuated abuses still far outweigh them). Even so:
"Gaza is people's constant attempt to cling to a normal life, although Israel foists on them abnormal terms of imprisonment, isolation from the rest of the world and deterioration to a state of humiliating dependence on international charity programs."
Whether Hamas (when not under bombardment) aids or hinders that attempt, I do not know. However, as said above, Israel certainly does little to encourage it. This is not the first report I have heard of this resilience and care amongst the people under occupation.
Remember that there was a ceasefire between Gaza and Israel from June to when it was broken by Israeli forces. Here, or if you want another source, here , or if you want jocularity in the face of tragedy, this report from CNN detailing the events. Does Israel just want all out war in the area, or does it want to wipe Gaza from the map? These were "the words of Moshe Yaalon, then the Israeli Defense Forces chief of staff, in 2002: 'The Palestinians must be made to understand in the deepest recesses of their consciousness that they are a defeated people."' (Rashid Kalidi, What You Don't Know About Gaza, January 8, 2009, The New York Times). Maybe it is continuation of the sentiment.
[Note, added January 16th, an interesting article: The Conflict Within Hamas (Edward Platt, New Statesman, January 15, 2009].
The reports posted on popular "news" sites in Australia seem to be no longer reporting civilian deaths, or war crimes. The only shots they have are of burnt-out buildings, or plumes of smoke. If you want to see what photos of dead and wounded people look like, to get a real idea, you might want to go here , or to read the stories of the people, you might want to go here, or here, or here, or visit some of the Palestinian news sites or the Al Jazeera website (they operate from Qatar and CNN and the BBC and other stations often use their footage or reports [refer to the references])
Let's not forget the rest of the Palestinians while we are at it, though of course I can really only speak for myself.
Post Script: From the same link as the opening one. In February, The Jewish Daily Forward (28/02/2008), reported that the Israeli public was in favour of talks, rather than never negotiating: "...the Israeli public is ahead of its leaders. A new poll conducted by Tel Aviv University and published this week in Ha’aretz shows that 64% of Israelis favor talks with Hamas, and only 28% are opposed". Whether that remains true or not, I do not know, as it seems all reports of opinion polls indicate that the war is popular with the Israeli public (not all, I hasten to add). As with us, they do not get live coverage which involves people, and they probably get the same bombed out building as visual proof of the IDF's "successes". Though, of course, from a radio report just heard (with Israeli, Efrat Wolfson. Go to this link and listen to the Jan 14, 2009 show), those who are opposed, and who work together for peace, do not get the coverage, as is the way.
From what I know of it, I do not like Sharia law, if that is what Hamas uphold. By the same token, they were an elected government, by the people, and they had infrastructure in Gaza, and by that, I mean schools, kindergartens, universities, and so on. I do not believe that all of those buildings were disguised armaments. Also, Gaza existed long before Hamas, and many of these infrastructures were also in place (take note of the past tense) long before Hamas were. Additionally, in February 2008, Hamas were offering Israel a long-term cease-fire, lasting decades (from the Jewish Daily Forward, 28 February, 2008).
This from the Israeli pro-human rights (and aren't we all pro-human rights?) journalist, Amira Hass, after a November visit to Gaza, from Israel's Haaretz (December 30, 2008). I arrived at this article via the Australian media watch Middle East Reality Check blog, and have initially taken the quote that the writer of that blog ran with.
In This is Gaza (30/12/08) Hass wrote," Gaza is the ability to tell jokes in any situation, and the burning insult of having no running water for 3 or 4 days. And yet, the children go clean and neat to school... Gaza is also parents leaving their children alone at home, without fear, or letting them go to a playground far from home, or go by themselves to their grandmother in the Jabaliya refugee camp... "
She also reports of the contradictions of the place:
"Gaza is the teacher who forces school girls to cover their heads, although senior officials* assert that this is not the education ministry's policy. It is exaggerations and false rumors, and it is also the Fatah detainees' report that cameras were installed in the interrogation room to ensure that the interrogators act within the boundaries of the law. It is the surprise when "Hamas" police restore stolen property, even before it has been reported stolen. "
*Senior officials = Hamas, I assume.
There have been human rights abuses perpetuated by both Hamas and Fatah, as detailed by B'Tselem , The Israeli Center for Human rights in the Occupied Territories (2007) (though the Israeli-perpetuated abuses still far outweigh them). Even so:
"Gaza is people's constant attempt to cling to a normal life, although Israel foists on them abnormal terms of imprisonment, isolation from the rest of the world and deterioration to a state of humiliating dependence on international charity programs."
Whether Hamas (when not under bombardment) aids or hinders that attempt, I do not know. However, as said above, Israel certainly does little to encourage it. This is not the first report I have heard of this resilience and care amongst the people under occupation.
Remember that there was a ceasefire between Gaza and Israel from June to when it was broken by Israeli forces. Here, or if you want another source, here , or if you want jocularity in the face of tragedy, this report from CNN detailing the events. Does Israel just want all out war in the area, or does it want to wipe Gaza from the map? These were "the words of Moshe Yaalon, then the Israeli Defense Forces chief of staff, in 2002: 'The Palestinians must be made to understand in the deepest recesses of their consciousness that they are a defeated people."' (Rashid Kalidi, What You Don't Know About Gaza, January 8, 2009, The New York Times). Maybe it is continuation of the sentiment.
[Note, added January 16th, an interesting article: The Conflict Within Hamas (Edward Platt, New Statesman, January 15, 2009].
The reports posted on popular "news" sites in Australia seem to be no longer reporting civilian deaths, or war crimes. The only shots they have are of burnt-out buildings, or plumes of smoke. If you want to see what photos of dead and wounded people look like, to get a real idea, you might want to go here , or to read the stories of the people, you might want to go here, or here, or here, or visit some of the Palestinian news sites or the Al Jazeera website (they operate from Qatar and CNN and the BBC and other stations often use their footage or reports [refer to the references])
Let's not forget the rest of the Palestinians while we are at it, though of course I can really only speak for myself.
Post Script: From the same link as the opening one. In February, The Jewish Daily Forward (28/02/2008), reported that the Israeli public was in favour of talks, rather than never negotiating: "...the Israeli public is ahead of its leaders. A new poll conducted by Tel Aviv University and published this week in Ha’aretz shows that 64% of Israelis favor talks with Hamas, and only 28% are opposed". Whether that remains true or not, I do not know, as it seems all reports of opinion polls indicate that the war is popular with the Israeli public (not all, I hasten to add). As with us, they do not get live coverage which involves people, and they probably get the same bombed out building as visual proof of the IDF's "successes". Though, of course, from a radio report just heard (with Israeli, Efrat Wolfson. Go to this link and listen to the Jan 14, 2009 show), those who are opposed, and who work together for peace, do not get the coverage, as is the way.
60 years
Death toll 980 Palestinians, (many civilians), wounded 4400.
Or there are other ways to render "occupation of the country … unnecessary." Though it is just a suggestion, mind.
( Ma'an news, the agency where the second story is drawn from, is a Palestinian news agency, with a good reputation, funded by both the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark, Danish International Development Assistance (DANIDA))
Well, we did it to the Australian Aborigines, and the same occurred in the United States. Indigenous populations get wiped out by settlers, or what come to be dominant populations all the time. I think it took about a hundred years in Australia, probably longer in the U.S. as settlement occurred earlier in time, and weapons weren't quite as sophisticated. Within the West Bank, the settlers are the equivalent of setting up a town full of David Dukes, or Reverend Fred Niles, in the heart of New Orleans. Israeli forces are then provided to protect the settlers, but not the local population. Or really, as I was talking about indigenous population, it is equivalent to sending the extreme right to Aboriginal or Native American land, and giving them free reign. These same settlers were in Gaza until 2005.
With modern technology and mass media I guess 60 years is maybe just about the right continuum. I know much smaller populations do not get the attention that this incursion has attracted. I know atrocities occur all over the world. It is a cruel place. I guess either side in this case has some kind of access to media, though one side's access is much stronger than the other. And many people are watching, which of course has probably given free reign for other regimes to wipe out their troublesome populations while the world's attention is turned. With so many people exposed to 24 hour coverage (though not those who could really help change things), and with either people becoming a symbol for either religion, I do feel though, that the repercussions for this are going to affect not only the people in the region, but all over the world, as they already have.
Retrospectively, I guess our leaders will be able to chide themselves for their actions or failure to act.
Or there are other ways to render "occupation of the country … unnecessary." Though it is just a suggestion, mind.
( Ma'an news, the agency where the second story is drawn from, is a Palestinian news agency, with a good reputation, funded by both the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark, Danish International Development Assistance (DANIDA))
Well, we did it to the Australian Aborigines, and the same occurred in the United States. Indigenous populations get wiped out by settlers, or what come to be dominant populations all the time. I think it took about a hundred years in Australia, probably longer in the U.S. as settlement occurred earlier in time, and weapons weren't quite as sophisticated. Within the West Bank, the settlers are the equivalent of setting up a town full of David Dukes, or Reverend Fred Niles, in the heart of New Orleans. Israeli forces are then provided to protect the settlers, but not the local population. Or really, as I was talking about indigenous population, it is equivalent to sending the extreme right to Aboriginal or Native American land, and giving them free reign. These same settlers were in Gaza until 2005.
With modern technology and mass media I guess 60 years is maybe just about the right continuum. I know much smaller populations do not get the attention that this incursion has attracted. I know atrocities occur all over the world. It is a cruel place. I guess either side in this case has some kind of access to media, though one side's access is much stronger than the other. And many people are watching, which of course has probably given free reign for other regimes to wipe out their troublesome populations while the world's attention is turned. With so many people exposed to 24 hour coverage (though not those who could really help change things), and with either people becoming a symbol for either religion, I do feel though, that the repercussions for this are going to affect not only the people in the region, but all over the world, as they already have.
Retrospectively, I guess our leaders will be able to chide themselves for their actions or failure to act.
Tuesday, 13 January 2009
I don't know about it, I didn't see it, I'm not familiar with the phrasing
So this is who advises Bush on his Middle East policy.
The resolution was the call for the ceasefire.
Olmert's words
"When we saw that the secretary of state (Condoleezza Rice*), for reasons we did not really understand, wanted to vote in favour of the U.N. resolution ... I looked for President Bush and they told me he was in Philadelphia making a speech," Olmert said.
"I said, 'I don't care. I have to talk to him now,'" Olmert said, describing Bush, who leaves office on January 20, as "an unparalleled friend" of Israel.
"They got him off the podium, brought him to another room and I spoke to him. I told him, 'You can't vote in favour of this resolution.' He said, 'Listen, I don't know about it, I didn't see it, I'm not familiar with the phrasing.'"
Olmert said he then told Bush: "'I'm familiar with it. You can't vote in favour.'
"He gave an order to the secretary of state and she did not vote in favour of it -- a resolution she cooked up, phrased, organised and manoeuvred for. She was left pretty shamed and abstained on a resolution she arranged," Olmert said.
*My brackets and clarification.
The resolution was the call for the ceasefire.
Olmert's words
"When we saw that the secretary of state (Condoleezza Rice*), for reasons we did not really understand, wanted to vote in favour of the U.N. resolution ... I looked for President Bush and they told me he was in Philadelphia making a speech," Olmert said.
"I said, 'I don't care. I have to talk to him now,'" Olmert said, describing Bush, who leaves office on January 20, as "an unparalleled friend" of Israel.
"They got him off the podium, brought him to another room and I spoke to him. I told him, 'You can't vote in favour of this resolution.' He said, 'Listen, I don't know about it, I didn't see it, I'm not familiar with the phrasing.'"
Olmert said he then told Bush: "'I'm familiar with it. You can't vote in favour.'
"He gave an order to the secretary of state and she did not vote in favour of it -- a resolution she cooked up, phrased, organised and manoeuvred for. She was left pretty shamed and abstained on a resolution she arranged," Olmert said.
*My brackets and clarification.
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