The following clips are a a good summary of the several days of siege from CNN, al-Arbiya, al-Jazeera and Democracy Now! which give a fair idea of the Israeli idea of “ceasefire” — i.e. “you ceasefire, while we carry on with impunity.” They kill and kidnap Palestinian civilians while the Western governments — at best — remain silent and the Western mainstream media does not report on Palestinian deaths not caused by infighting.
From acclaimed actor to pariah, Mohammad Bakri, producer of Jenin Jenin, is facing a trial and jail time in Israel. Even if he doesn’t go to jail, a civil suit from Israeli soldiers claiming libel has been filed.
Brainwashed. They don’t know anything about what’s going on. They don’t know anything. And I don’t blame the Americans. I blame the government.
I believe the US media plays as big, if not a bigger, role in making sure that Americans remain uninformed or misinformed, which then shields politicians from pressure to end the blind and endless support for Israel and the occupation.
The primary coverage of this story in the US, came only from Democracy Now
Why isn’t this news??
Robert Naiman addresses the issue on the Huffington Post
…There’s nothing on the web sites of the New York Times, the Washington Post, or the Los Angeles Times, not even a wire story.
Those who blame the Palestinian people for their fate, attributing it to Palestinian violence, and faulting the Palestinians for not emulating Gandhi, King, or Mandela (whose role in the “armed struggle” is always conveniently elided for the purpose of this comparison) should periodically ask themselves, when Palestinians do engage in nonviolent protest, and are subjected to brutal repression as a result, how come the mainstream U.S. media don’t pay any attention?
Maguire:
“I was invited with my friend to attend a nonviolent conference in Bilin, a village outside Ramallah [in the West Bank], and to give a talk there, which I did. At the end of the conference, we were invited to participate in a nonviolent demonstration with some of the Palestinian members of parliament and Israeli peace activists and local villagers and international visitors.”
“We walked along to try to walk up toward the separation wall, and it was a totally nonviolent protest. And we were viciously attacked by the Israeli military. They threw gas canisters into the peace walkers, and they also fired rubber-covered steel bullets.
“As I tried to move back and help a French lady, I was shot in the leg with a rubber-covered steel bullet, and the young Israeli soldier who shot me was only 20 meters from me. I was stunned by it, and then later on, after having some treatment by the ambulance medics, I went back down to the front line with the peace activists, and we were again showered with gas. I was overcome and had a severe nosebleed and had to be taken by stretcher to the ambulance and treated.”
“And I witnessed there … an old Palestinian man with blood on his face. These were over 25 unarmed peace people who had been viciously attacked by the Israeli military. And it was a completely peaceful protest. It was absolutely unbelievable. I never in all my years of activism witnessed anything so vicious as from the Israeli military.”
Ana Nogueira is an independent documentary filmmaker who has footage of Maguire being shot. www.imemc.org — the web page of the International Middle East Media Center.
Other Coverage in the United States:
Common Dreams Israeli Military Shoots Nobel Peace Laureate
Visit Democracy Now for the entire interview with Noam Chomsky and Howard Zinn on on a variety of issues.
Amy Goodman interviews Noam Chomsky, who accuses Alan Dershowitz of launching a “Jihad”, based on lies, to prevent Norman Finkelstein From obtaining tenure at Depaul University.
In an incredible contrast, the print media including the Internationsl Herald Tribune present the conflict between Dershowitz and Finkelstein as a “scholarly conflict, … to destroy each other’s professional reputation and career.”
It would be more accurate to say that Finkelstein exposes Dershowitz for the lying, plagiarizing, enemy of civil and human rights that he is. He does it carefully, methodically, with facts and with proof. Dershowitz responds by simply trying to malign Mr. Finkelstein and destroy his career with unsubstantiated, in fact easily dismissed, attacks.
part 1
Evidently Mr. Dershowitz has done the same thing to Noam Chomsky which is described here in part 2. Chomsky describes Dershowitz as a liar, even lying about an Israeli court decision. He also describes him as a supporter of atrocities and a passionate opponent of civil rights.
Part 2
Petition To Support A Fair Tenure Process for Dr. Norman Finkelstein:
Text of Petition:
To:
Dennis H. Holtschneider, President, DePaul University
Helmut P. Epp, Provost, DePaul University
and the
Trustees, Deans, Faculty and Students of DePaul University
We are deeply concerned about reports of outside interference into the
tenure and promotion case of Dr. Norman Finkelstein, and that as a
result he may not be awarded tenure from DePaul University.
We value Dr. Finkelstein’s scholarship, his public talks and debates, and his well-argued, fact-based critiques of issues relating to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
In our opinion, his association with DePaul University has enhanced DePaul University’s reputation.
We understand his department has recommended tenure. We will be troubled if Dr. Finkelstein is denied tenure and will be concerned about the integrity of the tenure process at DePaul University.
We support a fair tenure process for Dr. Finkelstein.
Israeli border guards have been caught on camera beating a 17-year-old Palestinian student in a West Bank village near Nablus. The incident was filmed by a local resident on Wednesday. The beating occurred after the Israeli guards questioned and detained three Palestinian youths who had just left school. This is Bassem Eid, the head of the Palestinian Human Rights Monitoring Group Head.
Bassem Eid: “I think that beating Palestinians today has become as a kind of a disease among the Israeli soldiers and border police and even the Israeli regular police. Our organization almost received a lot of complaints from Palestinians. Not only children, but even elder people, woman that has been beaten at the checkpoints by the Israelis.”
10 year old Abir Abramin was shot in the back of the head with a rubber coated bullet on Friday, January 19, by Israeli border police. She was outside playing during school recess.
No outrage or talk of savage killing by Charles Gibson, no Breaking News headlines at CNN. Just another Palestinian child killed by an Israeli soldier protecting Israel.
Her father Bassam Aramin, helped found combatants for peace, an organization of former israeli soldiers and Palestinian militants working together toward peace for all. He issued a statement saying:
We have no choice but to continue to save more children from falling in this dirty conflict.
Unfortunately the New York Times once again provides mouthpiece to another bull shit story from Israeli officials who are claiming that Abir was struck by a stone throwing Palestinian. Evidently an Israeli autopsy could not determine whether Abir was hit by a stone or the rubber coated bullet found at the scene.
In Haaretz, Gideon Levy asks what difference it makes how she was killed. What were the border police doing there?
Twilight Zone / ‘I’ve lost my heart’
By Gideon Levy
Was it the stun grenade that hit her head, the shock caused by its explosion or the rubber bullet fired by the Border Police? Does it make any difference? Did the Border Policeman intend to kill a child of 11 - or not? What difference does it make? The real question is why Border Policemen come almost daily to Anata, doing the devil’s work, as it were, just when children are on their way home from school? What are they looking for, for heaven’s sake, near a school in Anata, a West Bank town located northeast of Jerusalem? The Border Police come, the schoolchildren throw stones, the police fire and kill another innocent little girl - and nobody is called to account. The Shai (Samaria and Judea) police district is investigating, but not the Police Investigation Department.
Two More Palestinian Children were Wounded by Israeli Gunfire in Northern Gaza on Saturday from IMEMC.org
Dr. Mo’awiya Abu Hasaneen, director of the Emergency Department at the Alshifa Hospital in Gaza, confirmed that Yousef Hajouj,16, and Mohammad Abu Hashish, 16, were shot and wounded.
Since the agreement on a ceasefire on November 26th, the Israeli Army has been frequently opening fire in northern Gaza, wounding at least 23 local Palestinian farmers.
Condi denies linkage between Iraq and current initiative
The suggestion of the Iraq study group may actually have led to Condi’s current diplomatic initiative in the Middle East including an attempt to jumpstart the peace process in Palestine/Israel. In a press conference in Israel however, Ms. Rice said that Palestinians deserve a state on its own merit and not because of the US need for help in Iraq from other Arab states.
Ok, Condi, you haven’t done a thing for the Palestinians or for the peace process for the past six years except starve and punish the Palestinian people for exercising their choice at the ballot box. Now you’re desperate, you need Arab support in Iraq and suddenly you’re making an attempt to jumpstart the peace process. OK, we understand you’re desperate and any relief would be welcome in Palestine and Iraq, whatever your reasons. However denying the linkage just makes you look ridiculous.
Add to that the announcement by Israel (while you’re visiting) that it will expand more settlements in the occupied West Bank and it’s clear once again that you are there only to do Israel’s bidding.
JERUSALEM - Israel has approved a new settlement in the West Bank to house former Jewish settlers from the Gaza Strip, officials said Tuesday, breaking a promise to the U.S. to halt home construction in the Palestinian territories.
Construction in the northern West Bank town of Maskiot began months ago, but the project only received final approval from the Defense Ministry last week, said Dubi Tal, head of the Jordan Valley regional council.
State Dept. Rebukes Israel Over Settlement Construction
Meanwhile, the Israeli’s government’s plan to build a new settlement inside the West Bank has drawn rare criticism from the Bush administration. On Wednesday, the State Department said the new settlement would violate existing agreements and harm future peace negotiations.
Pressed by Washington to help build up Mr. Abbas, Mr. Olmert last week promised to give him $100 million in Palestinian funds withheld by Israel, about 20 percent of the amount being held, but only for humanitarian purposes. Abbas aides, however, say the money will be used to strengthen his Fatah movement and pay salaries to Fatah loyalists. Mr. Olmert also promised to dismantle 27 of the 400 or so checkpoints in the West Bank, despite criticism by the Israeli commander of the region.
In Israel and the Occupied Territories, new figures released by the Israeli human rights group B’Tselem show Israeli forces killed six-hundred and sixty Palestinians this year. B’Tselem says that’s three times more than in 2005. The figure includes one hundred and forty-one children. Nearly half of the total dead were not involved in hostile acts.
Rachel Corrie play: censored in Toronto by artistic producer Martin Bragg of the CanStage theater.
Reporting for Variety on Dec. 22nd RICHARD OUZOUNIAN wrote:
“It didn’t seem as powerful on the stage as it did on the page,” said artistic producer Martin Bragg after seeing the production at Gotham’s Minetta Lane Theater.
But in a situation eerily similar to the one that faced Nicola, it appears that pressure has been brought upon Bragg from some of his board members not to alienate the Toronto Jewish community.
Jack Rose, from the CanStage board — while admitting he has neither read nor seen the script — said that “my view was it would provoke a negative reaction in the Jewish community.”
