Thursday, January 29, 2009
Support Bob Simon's coverage "60 Minutes" story
If you watched "60 Minutes" on Sunday or if you have seen a replay of the story Bob Simon did on Palestine, please support his unbiased reporting by writing to CBS to let them know you appreciate his work: http://www.jstreet.org/ (J Street is primarily Jewish pro-Israel, pro-peace organization for promoting American leadership for peace and security in the Middle East.) IIf you missed the "60 Minutes" segment: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/01/23/60minutes/main4749723.shtml?mpid=1732#ccmm (note: you'll have to watch a few seconds of an anti-smoking ad at the beginning)
Conflict Spills Over into International Sports
Sent to me by my son Tim - how the politics of Palestinian Israeli relations is being played out in sports, from http://www.edgeofsports.com/:
Politics on the pitch: When Gaza and Sports Collide
By Dave Zirin
In January 2008, Egyptian soccer star Mohamed Aboutreika followed a goal by raising his shirt to reveal the slogan "Sympathise with Gaza". His actions were meant to put a spotlight onto the economic embargo that Israel had imposed on Palestinians in Gaza after the election of the Hamas government.
Days before the ceasefire halted the carnage in Gaza city this month, history repeated as Sevilla (Spain) striker Fredi Kanoute raised his shirt after scoring a goal to reveal a shirt that said "Palestine" in multiple languages. Kanoute is not an obscure player. In 2007, he was named African player of the year, even though he was born in France (his family is from Mali).
After earning a £3,000 fine for his political gesture, famed Barcelona coach, Jose Guardiola stood up for him, saying: "The fine is absolutely excessive. If they always banned these type of things, then journalists would not be able to write columns. ... Every war is absurd, and too many innocent people have died for us to be fining people for things like this."
Welcome to 2009, when Israel's offensive on Gaza, ceasefire or no, is finding expression in the sports world. It's a development that should give supporters of Israel's actions in Gaza a great deal of pause..... Read more: http://www.edgeofsports.com/
Politics on the pitch: When Gaza and Sports Collide
By Dave Zirin
In January 2008, Egyptian soccer star Mohamed Aboutreika followed a goal by raising his shirt to reveal the slogan "Sympathise with Gaza". His actions were meant to put a spotlight onto the economic embargo that Israel had imposed on Palestinians in Gaza after the election of the Hamas government.
Days before the ceasefire halted the carnage in Gaza city this month, history repeated as Sevilla (Spain) striker Fredi Kanoute raised his shirt after scoring a goal to reveal a shirt that said "Palestine" in multiple languages. Kanoute is not an obscure player. In 2007, he was named African player of the year, even though he was born in France (his family is from Mali).
After earning a £3,000 fine for his political gesture, famed Barcelona coach, Jose Guardiola stood up for him, saying: "The fine is absolutely excessive. If they always banned these type of things, then journalists would not be able to write columns. ... Every war is absurd, and too many innocent people have died for us to be fining people for things like this."
Welcome to 2009, when Israel's offensive on Gaza, ceasefire or no, is finding expression in the sports world. It's a development that should give supporters of Israel's actions in Gaza a great deal of pause..... Read more: http://www.edgeofsports.com/
Monday, January 26, 2009
Thirteen Minutes to Understanding Peace Prospects in Isarel/Palestine
Kudos to CBS coverage of peacemaking in Israel/Palestine!!!!!!
Spend 13 minutes and take a look at Bob Simon's report on yesterday's 60 Minutes. He does an excellent job with on-site interviews and video footage of what is happening on the ground in Israel/Palestine to show why peacemaking is so difficult: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/01/23/60minutes/main4749723.shtml?mpid=1732#ccmm (the report comes on after a short anti-smoking commercial)
Spend 13 minutes and take a look at Bob Simon's report on yesterday's 60 Minutes. He does an excellent job with on-site interviews and video footage of what is happening on the ground in Israel/Palestine to show why peacemaking is so difficult: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/01/23/60minutes/main4749723.shtml?mpid=1732#ccmm (the report comes on after a short anti-smoking commercial)
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Song for Gaza
Watch this video - a song of hope for the people of Gaza in their suffering:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dlfhoU66s4Y
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dlfhoU66s4Y
An Israeli Jewish Woman Laments What She Has Seen
All of us are on pilgrimage. What we see and experience shapes who we become.
When I visited Israel in June, we met with Hannah, one of the volunteers with Machsom Watch. She, along with 500 other Israeli women, many of them grandmothers, monitors the checkpoints - documenting the way Palestinians are treated and helping them get through the checkpoints when she can. She told us that there are no rules for the checkpoints. It is up to each commander and each soldier how people are treated - what documentation is requred to pass, how long people must wait, how they are treated as they wait. I was very moved by her story and have told it often to people who ask about my trip (read it on my July 9 blog: http://apilgrimstales.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2008-07-22T11%3A04%3A00-06%3A00&max-results=3
Hannah did not come to her conclusions about the destructive nature of Israel's occupation of Palestinian lands easily. Her family and her community does not agree with her actions, but she sees how treating Palestinians as less than human in a system that allows freedom for Israeli Jews, but not for Palestinians, has dehumanized everyone - especially since every Israeli is required to serve in the military at age 18.
Here is another Jewish woman's story of how she experiences Israel's treatment of Palestinians. She, too, is part of Machsom Watch. She has seen what happens at the checkpoints - her lament:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EcGm-gxmxHw
When I visited Israel in June, we met with Hannah, one of the volunteers with Machsom Watch. She, along with 500 other Israeli women, many of them grandmothers, monitors the checkpoints - documenting the way Palestinians are treated and helping them get through the checkpoints when she can. She told us that there are no rules for the checkpoints. It is up to each commander and each soldier how people are treated - what documentation is requred to pass, how long people must wait, how they are treated as they wait. I was very moved by her story and have told it often to people who ask about my trip (read it on my July 9 blog: http://apilgrimstales.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2008-07-22T11%3A04%3A00-06%3A00&max-results=3
Hannah did not come to her conclusions about the destructive nature of Israel's occupation of Palestinian lands easily. Her family and her community does not agree with her actions, but she sees how treating Palestinians as less than human in a system that allows freedom for Israeli Jews, but not for Palestinians, has dehumanized everyone - especially since every Israeli is required to serve in the military at age 18.
Here is another Jewish woman's story of how she experiences Israel's treatment of Palestinians. She, too, is part of Machsom Watch. She has seen what happens at the checkpoints - her lament:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EcGm-gxmxHw
Monday, January 19, 2009
Israelis and European Jews Protest Against the War in Gaza
- Protesters in Tel Aviv: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mc9DN2Oi0-w&NR=1
- Gerald Kaufman, Jewish British MP, raised orthodox and Zionist, denounces Israel's actions in Gaza, comparing them to the Nazis who killed his grandmother in Poland, says "Israel was born out of Jewish terrorism," including the actions of Tzipi Livni's father, commander in the Irgun, which bombed the King David Hotel, killing 91 people in 1946: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qMGuYjt6CP8&feature=related
Friday, January 16, 2009
More News We Don't See....
Genocide in Gaza
These are some VERY DIFFICULT-to-see photographs of what is happening on the ground in Gaza - a memorial to the 1000+ people - many of them women and children - who have been killed in the fighting. Please view them ONLY if you are prepared to see some horrific shots of the mayhem inflicted by the bombs and shelling of Gaza: http://www.elfarra.org/gallery/gaza.htm
I link you to these photos, not because I want to sensationalize the attacks on Gaza or manipulate you to action. I viewed these photos simply because I cannot imagine what it is like to be living in Gaza - or anywhere in the Palestinian Territory - where soldiers can come in any time of the day or night and attack. Whether you are being attacked by planes and tanks in Gaza or you are sitting at your breakfast-table in East Jerusalem and the soldiers come with a demolition order and give you two hours to vacate your home before the bulldozers come to turn it into rubble. I am so lucky to live in the U.S., where this cannot happen and I need to never forget that this is not the way of life for most people on this planet.
Article by Dr. Mona El Farra, Gazan pediatrician
Read this article from the Guardian, written by a Palestinian pediatrician from Gaza, who is currently in London. She talks about the deaths, especially of her cousin (no pictures here): http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/dec/30/gaza-doctor-victims
Demonstrations Across Palestine Protest Israeli Attacks on Gaza
While world attention focuses on what is happening in Gaza, Palestinians are rallying to support their brothers and sisters in Gaza - these demonstrators, too, are being attacked for expressing their views. Read the news story from Palestine News Network: http://english.pnn.ps/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4523&Itemid=1
Israelis Oppose Attacks on Gaza
Although public opinion in Israel supports the Army's attacks on Gaza, there are small groups of Israelis who oppose the attacks. Some of these stories are listed here:
Nine Israeli human rights organizations call for investigations into human rights violations by the Israeli Army: http://www.btselem.org/English/Press_Releases/20090114.asp
Ometz L'Sarev (Courage to Refuse) demonstration in front of the Ministry of Defense in the heart of Tel Aviv; video includes interviews with multiple refusers and advocates of refusal: <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1cMs0nai4JQ>.
Reservist Refuses to Serve: Ha'aretz reports that at least one reserve soldier has already been jailed for refusal to serve: <http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1054861.html>.
Commentary by an Israeli protester
Sharon Dolev: "A lefty in Israel." Accompanying video shows firefighters hosing protesters outside of the air force base: <http://news.walla.co.il/?w=/4560/1416660>.
Resistance in Sderot - (from Jewish Peace News) a little Israeli town that has been bearing the brunt of rocket fire from Gaza for over 7 years now. Its population is mostly Middle Eastern Jews and new immigrants from the former USSR - both are groups whose worldview tilts right, especially with regards to Israel-Arab relations. Its mayor Eli Moyal has been extremely vocal in demanding heavy-handed IDF attacks on Gaza.
Yet, Sderot is not monolithic. Jewish Peace News received a posting from Israel, written (in Hebrew) by a member of Kol Aher (Another Voice http://www.othervoice.org/welcome-eng.htm) - a Sderot-based peace group:
Sderot War Diary, Naamika Zion, Sderot, 8.1.09
"I talk with Sderot people and everyone's cheeks are rosy again", boasted Fuad on the war's second day [Fuad is Benjamin Ben Eliezer, a long-time centrist Labor minister - Assaf]. "The heavier the blow we deliver - the wider the hearts get".
Hey Fuad, not everyone. Even if I was the only one around Sderot feeling differently - and I am not - my voice should be heard.
Not in my name and not for me you went to war. The current bloodbath in Gaza is not in my name and not for my security. Destroyed homes, bombed schools, thousands of new refugees - are not in my name and not for my security. In Gaza there is no time for burial ceremonies now, the dead are put in refrigerators in twos, because there is no room. Here their bodies lay, policemen, children, and our nimble reporters play acrobatically with Hasbara strategies in view of "the images that speak for themselves". Pray tell me, what is there to "explain"? [Hasbara literally means "explanation" - Assaf] What is there to explain?
Read the entire text, translated from the Hebrew on Jewish Peace News (scroll down to the second piece on the page): http://jewishpeacenews.blogspot.com/2009/01/dissident-voices-everywhere.html
"Shministim" Resist Service in Occupied Palestine
Nearly 2000 Israeli military personnel and high school students ("Shministim") refuse to serve in the Occupation, sometimes as great cost to themselves. Interviews with some of these "refusniks" are found in Ronit Chachem's excellent book, Breaking Ranks. Learn more and meet some of these courageous young people: http://december18th.org/
These are some VERY DIFFICULT-to-see photographs of what is happening on the ground in Gaza - a memorial to the 1000+ people - many of them women and children - who have been killed in the fighting. Please view them ONLY if you are prepared to see some horrific shots of the mayhem inflicted by the bombs and shelling of Gaza: http://www.elfarra.org/gallery/gaza.htm
I link you to these photos, not because I want to sensationalize the attacks on Gaza or manipulate you to action. I viewed these photos simply because I cannot imagine what it is like to be living in Gaza - or anywhere in the Palestinian Territory - where soldiers can come in any time of the day or night and attack. Whether you are being attacked by planes and tanks in Gaza or you are sitting at your breakfast-table in East Jerusalem and the soldiers come with a demolition order and give you two hours to vacate your home before the bulldozers come to turn it into rubble. I am so lucky to live in the U.S., where this cannot happen and I need to never forget that this is not the way of life for most people on this planet.
Article by Dr. Mona El Farra, Gazan pediatrician
Read this article from the Guardian, written by a Palestinian pediatrician from Gaza, who is currently in London. She talks about the deaths, especially of her cousin (no pictures here): http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/dec/30/gaza-doctor-victims
Demonstrations Across Palestine Protest Israeli Attacks on Gaza
While world attention focuses on what is happening in Gaza, Palestinians are rallying to support their brothers and sisters in Gaza - these demonstrators, too, are being attacked for expressing their views. Read the news story from Palestine News Network: http://english.pnn.ps/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4523&Itemid=1
Israelis Oppose Attacks on Gaza
Although public opinion in Israel supports the Army's attacks on Gaza, there are small groups of Israelis who oppose the attacks. Some of these stories are listed here:
Nine Israeli human rights organizations call for investigations into human rights violations by the Israeli Army: http://www.btselem.org/English/Press_Releases/20090114.asp
Ometz L'Sarev (Courage to Refuse) demonstration in front of the Ministry of Defense in the heart of Tel Aviv; video includes interviews with multiple refusers and advocates of refusal: <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1cMs0nai4JQ>.
Reservist Refuses to Serve: Ha'aretz reports that at least one reserve soldier has already been jailed for refusal to serve: <http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1054861.html>.
Commentary by an Israeli protester
Sharon Dolev: "A lefty in Israel." Accompanying video shows firefighters hosing protesters outside of the air force base: <http://news.walla.co.il/?w=/4560/1416660>.
Resistance in Sderot - (from Jewish Peace News) a little Israeli town that has been bearing the brunt of rocket fire from Gaza for over 7 years now. Its population is mostly Middle Eastern Jews and new immigrants from the former USSR - both are groups whose worldview tilts right, especially with regards to Israel-Arab relations. Its mayor Eli Moyal has been extremely vocal in demanding heavy-handed IDF attacks on Gaza.
Yet, Sderot is not monolithic. Jewish Peace News received a posting from Israel, written (in Hebrew) by a member of Kol Aher (Another Voice http://www.othervoice.org/welcome-eng.htm) - a Sderot-based peace group:
Sderot War Diary, Naamika Zion, Sderot, 8.1.09
"I talk with Sderot people and everyone's cheeks are rosy again", boasted Fuad on the war's second day [Fuad is Benjamin Ben Eliezer, a long-time centrist Labor minister - Assaf]. "The heavier the blow we deliver - the wider the hearts get".
Hey Fuad, not everyone. Even if I was the only one around Sderot feeling differently - and I am not - my voice should be heard.
Not in my name and not for me you went to war. The current bloodbath in Gaza is not in my name and not for my security. Destroyed homes, bombed schools, thousands of new refugees - are not in my name and not for my security. In Gaza there is no time for burial ceremonies now, the dead are put in refrigerators in twos, because there is no room. Here their bodies lay, policemen, children, and our nimble reporters play acrobatically with Hasbara strategies in view of "the images that speak for themselves". Pray tell me, what is there to "explain"? [Hasbara literally means "explanation" - Assaf] What is there to explain?
Read the entire text, translated from the Hebrew on Jewish Peace News (scroll down to the second piece on the page): http://jewishpeacenews.blogspot.com/2009/01/dissident-voices-everywhere.html
"Shministim" Resist Service in Occupied Palestine
Nearly 2000 Israeli military personnel and high school students ("Shministim") refuse to serve in the Occupation, sometimes as great cost to themselves. Interviews with some of these "refusniks" are found in Ronit Chachem's excellent book, Breaking Ranks. Learn more and meet some of these courageous young people: http://december18th.org/
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
