Israëlische en Palestijnse transport vakbonden eens over samenwerking

Een positieve en bemoedigende ontwikkeling: Israëlische en Palestijnse transport vakbonden gaan samenwerken, en daarbij worden 'gevoelige' kwesties niet gemeden:

"In particular the committee aims to deal with the difficult and sensitive issue of the problems faced by Palestinian transport workers at military checkpoints. This is a major concern for Palestinian drivers who complain of too many checkpoints and unnecessary delays. The Israeli Histadrut transport union says it is committed to trying to help where it can play a positive role. The committee intends to set up a process for dealing with incidents on a case by case basis and the Palestinian union will set up a telephone "hot line" for drivers. Relevant cases will be handled in coordination with the Israeli union. It was agreed that the Israeli union would request the Israeli security services to participate in the committee's work when issues such as checkpoints and barriers are under discussion."

Hier zouden de Britse vakbonden, die menen vrede dichterbij te kunnen brengen met allerhande boycots tegen Israël, een voorbeeld aan kunnen nemen.

 

Ratna
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Israeli and Palestinian transport unions forge cooperation
2 August 2007
http://www.itfglobal.org/news-online/index.cfm/newsdetail/1487

Israeli and Palestinian transport unions have forged a groundbreaking cooperation agreement at a special meeting held under the auspices of the ITF.

 

Around 20 Israeli and Palestinian transport union representatives met together in Limassol, Cyprus on 31 July - 1 August as guests of the ITF's Cypriot affiliate the Federation of Transport, Petroleum and Agricultural Workers. There they discussed common issues such as collective bargaining, delayed payment of wages, loss of union membership and the increasing outsourcing of work to contractors. They agreed to establish a joint liaison committee to provide a mechanism for dealing with practical problems faced by transport workers in the region and for building trust between Israeli and Palestinian transport unions.

In particular the committee aims to deal with the difficult and sensitive issue of the problems faced by Palestinian transport workers at military checkpoints. This is a major concern for Palestinian drivers who complain of too many checkpoints and unnecessary delays. The Israeli Histadrut transport union says it is committed to trying to help where it can play a positive role. The committee intends to set up a process for dealing with incidents on a case by case basis and the Palestinian union will set up a telephone "hot line" for drivers. Relevant cases will be handled in coordination with the Israeli union. It was agreed that the Israeli union would request the Israeli security services to participate in the committee's work when issues such as checkpoints and barriers are under discussion.

 

This agreement was set out in a joint declaration signed by Avi Edri Chairman of the Histadrut Transportation Workers' Union; Naser Yunes, President of the Palestinian General Federation of Transport Workers Unions and David Cockroft, ITF General Secretary.

According to ITF President Randall Howard who chaired the meeting: "The participants were remarkable for their commitment to getting a job done which they believe will not only bring real benefits for transport workers, but in a small way set a direction for building wider trust and cooperation. People did not agree about everything, there were some raw and difficult moments, but they agreed to respect each other and try to work together. This joint declaration is, in my view, a remarkable achievement and a dramatic leap forward in defending and advancing the interests of Palestinian and Israeli transport workers."

 

During the meeting Naser Yunes welcomed the declaration. He said: "The priority was to deal with transport workers' problems. We have to show our members that such initiatives can work. I believe that by working together we can really bring real and practical improvements for trade union members."
Avi Edri added: "We are very serious about this cooperation. I believe we can make a real difference working together."

Both union leaders called on the ITF to maintain its role in supporting this initiative. Meanwhile David Cockroft committed himself to visiting both unions during the next 12 months. The declaration commits both unions to regular meetings of the joint liaison committee.

 

Related documents

Signed Joint Declaration of Israeli and Palestinian transport unions (87kb PDF) Text of the Joint Declaration of Israeli and Palestinian transport unions (37kb DOC) Text (Arabic) of the Joint Declaration of Israeli and Palestinian transport unions (30kb DOC) Text (Hebrew) of the Joint Declaration of Israeli and Palestinian transport unions (31kb DOC)

Related pages

Video: Israeli and Palestinian unions make breakth View a video clip of the signing ceremony Avi Edri,...

Related press

2 August 2007 Israeli and Palestinian unions make breakthrough agreement Israeli and Palestinian transport trade unions yesterday...

Pro-Syrisch zomerkamp op de Golan hoogvlakte

Ik moest het twee keer lezen, om het te kunnen geloven:

A pro-Syria summer camp for Druse children has started on the Israeli side
of the Golan Heights, it was reported on Thursday.

Ooit gehoord van een pro-Israëlisch zomerkamp in Syrië, Libanon of Saoedi-Arabië? In het laatste land mogen Joden geen voet aan de grond zetten, en in Libanon wordt je - zodra je je wat te kritisch uit naar Sister Syria and the resistance  - geliquideerd.

There were also sections of the summer camp shown draped with Palestinian
and Lebanese flags, dedicated to Druse who identified with the two
respective causes.

"We want to free Arab Palestine," children were heard chanting.

De volgende stap is een workshop over 'martyrdom operations' en de heilige plicht om te sterven voor Allah.

Druzen kunnen, vanwege hun Israëlische paspoort en bovendien betere banden met Joodse Israëli's dan andere Arabieren in Israël, een speciale rol spelen in het Palestijnse verzet en de bevrijding van Palestina. Er gaat niks boven een patriottische opvoeding, toch?

Het is uiteraard ondenkbaar dat een land het toelaat dat kinderen op zijn eigen grondgebied in een kamp (of waar dan ook) worden aangezet tot haat tegen dat land, en tot partij kiezen voor haar vijanden. Druzen in de Golan zijn Israëlische staatsburgers met een Israëlisch paspoort, en zij betalen belasting en ontvangen sociale voorzieningen zoals iedere andere Israëli. Het staat ze uiteraard vrij naar Syrië te emigreren (als Syrië ze toelaat). Het staat ze uiteraard ook vrij om zich - net als vele Joodse Israëlis - in te zetten voor een einde aan de bezetting.

Ratna   
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Pro-Syria summer camp starts in Golan
JPost.com Staff, THE JERUSALEM POST Aug. 2, 2007
www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1186066368231&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

[ for video in Hebrew:
www.keshet-tv.com/VideoPage.aspx?MediaID=20772&CatID=250 ]


A pro-Syria summer camp for Druse children has started on the Israeli side of the Golan Heights, it was reported on Thursday.

Syrian flags could be seen in the footage, aired by Channel Two, and children were heard proudly singing the Syrian national anthem.

The kids were seen split into small groups where they expressed their dedication to what they called their "homeland."

"Syria will remain free," they chanted.

The children spoke of how they aspired to return to Syria and visit their families. They said their "souls" were connected to Syria.

Head of the Druse community in the Golan, Fazi Abu Jabal, said that that the children considered Syria as their country. "It is close to the children's hearts," he said.

In the camp, each tent is named after a different Syrian village captured by Israel.

There were also sections of the summer camp shown draped with Palestinian and Lebanese flags, dedicated to Druse who identified with the two respective causes.

"We want to free Arab Palestine," children were heard chanting.

Channel Two reported that the camp's organizers were attempting to raise money to set up similar camps in other Druse areas of the Golan.

--------------------------------------------
IMRA - Independent Media Review and Analysis
Website: http://www.imra.org.il

Hamas toont bewijzen van corruptie PA onder Arafat

Hamas kan natuurlijk niet als een neutrale bron beschouwd worden, maar Palestijnse journalisten die de documenten inzagen beoordeelden ze als authentiek.

Dat lijkt ook aannemelijk, daar de corruptie onder Arafat al jaren algemeen bekend was. Het wordt zelfs als voornaamste reden gegeven waarom de Palestijnen in januari 2006 in grote getalen op Hamas stemden. Als een rijke suikeroom (sommigen zouden zeggen: als een maffia peetvader) deelde Arafat geld uit om loyaliteit te kopen, en ook zijn vrouw in Parijs werd goed voorzien. Geld van de PA wel te verstaan, dat grotendeels van internationale hulp en van belastinggeld afkomstig was.

 

Wouter

____________________________________

Hamas shows proof of PA corruption

---

Khaled Abu Toameh, THE JERUSALEM POST

Aug. 1, 2007

---

Two paintings worth $66,000 were presented as a gift to a woman in Paris by the PA, which also paid millions of dollars to cover the personal expenses of senior Fatah officials and their families, according to documents released by Hamas on Tuesday.

The documents, which were seized by Hamas at various PA institutions in the Gaza Strip in mid-June, were presented to the Palestinian public by top Hamas leader Mahmoud Zahar during a press conference in Gaza City.

The 30 documents that were released Tuesday are related to the period when Yasser Arafat was chairman of the PA, between 1994 and 2004.

Fatah officials in Ramallah reacted with fury to the revelations, accusing Hamas of seeking to mislead the Palestinians through lies and forgery. But Palestinian journalist who examined the documents said they all appeared to be authentic and that there was no reason to doubt their credibility.

One of the documents showed that Arafat had approved the payment of some $30,000 to cover university tuition fees in London for the daughters of his media adviser. Another one revealed that Arafat had approved an annual payment of $9,000 to cover the university tuition of the son of another senior official who was studying in Germany.

The documents also showed that the PA had invested international funds in various economic projects, especially in Lebanon. In one case, a senior Fatah official living in Lebanon was given hundreds of thousands of dollars to purchase houses and luxurious vehicles. He also received $40,000 to pay for his son's wedding and another $130,000 as compensation for damages caused to his daughter's car.

Zahar also presented documents that showed that the Fatah-controlled PA security forces had been involved in commercial activities and in tax-collection, in violation of PA laws.

He said some of the activities were carried out when current PA Prime Minister Salaam Fayad served as finance minister under Arafat.

Fahmi Za'areer, a Fatah spokesman in the West Bank, called on Hamas to inform the Palestinians about the fate of millions of dollars that the Islamist movement received from Iran and Qatar over the past two years.

Meanwhile, Ihab al-Ghissin, a top official at the Hamas-run Interior Ministry in the Gaza Strip, announced that his movement was planning to establish a new intelligence service in the coming weeks.

"The new force will be called the Internal Security Apparatus and it will replace the Preventive Security Force that has been dismantled in the Gaza Strip," he said.

He said members of the former Fatah-controlled security forces in the Gaza Strip would be permitted to join the new service.

 

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This article can also be read at http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1185893685593&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

Soedan: 'Joden achter problemen in Darfoer'

Wat er ook gebeurt, geef de Joden de schuld. Als Europa daar eeuwenlang mee wegkwam, waarom Soedan dan niet? 'We zijn zeer ontvankelijk voor Europese waarden.' Zal Soedans minister van defensie iets dergelijks gedacht hebben, toen hij het volgende toevertrouwde aan een Saoedische interviewer?

"The Darfur issue is being fuelled by 24 Jewish organizations, who are making the largest amount of noise over the issue, and using the Holocaust in their campaigning," the Sudanese defense minister replied.

"Are these Jewish groups supporting (the rebels) financially?," the interviewer from Okaz asked Hussein.

"Yes, they provide political and material support through their control over the media and across American and British circles," Hussein said, adding that Jewish groups were using "all means to fuel these conflicts."

He added that Western reports of 200,000 people dying in Sudan were false, and said: "We talk about 9,000 dead as a result of either government or rebel actions."

Stilzwijgen is een vorm van toestemmen. Zolang wij Soedan niet op haar walgelijke daden en ideeën aanspreken, zolang wij de 'zachte hand van de diplomatie' willen gebruiken en toelaten dat zij iedere poging om echt wat aan de humanitaire crisis te doen en de Afrikaanse bevolking adequate bescherming te bieden, effectief dwarsboomt, zal er niks veranderen. Dat weten we heel goed. Maar we houden ons zelf graag voor dat we doen wat we kunnen, en we nou eenmaal Soedans goedkeuring en medewerking nodig hebben om deze crisis tot een einde te brengen.

Ratna 
___________________________________________

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3431281,00.html

Sudan: Jews behind Darfur conflict
Sudanese defense minister says '24 Jewish organizations fueling conflict in Darfur'
Yaakov Lappin

Published: 07.29.07, 20:29 / Israel News

Sudan's defense minister, Abdel Rahim Mohamed Hussein, has accused "24 Jewish organizations" of "fueling the conflict in Darfur" last week in an interview with a Saudi newspaper.

Hussein was interviewed during an official state visit to the Saudi kingdom last week.

A journalist from Saudi Arabia's Okaz newspaper asked Hussein: "Some people are talking about the penetration of Jewish organizations in Darfur and that there is no conflict there?"

"The Darfur issue is being fuelled by 24 Jewish organizations, who are making the largest amount of noise over the issue, and using the Holocaust in their campaigning," the Sudanese defense minister replied.

Hussein added that the Darfur conflict was driven by "friction between farmers and herders and shepherds. Among the biggest problems is that of water, which is used to exploit the differences and fuel the conflict."

"Are these Jewish groups supporting (the rebels) financially?," the interviewer from Okaz asked Hussein.

"Yes, they provide political and material support through their control over the media and across American and British circles," Hussein said, adding that Jewish groups were using "all means to fuel these conflicts."

He added that Western reports of 200,000 people dying in Sudan were false, and said: "We talk about 9,000 dead as a result of either government or rebel actions."

'We came to Israel to look for a better place'
Several days ago, Sudan's Interior Minister, Zubair Bashir Taha, lashed out at Sudanese refuees who had sought asylum in Israel, and accused "Isaeli authorities of encouraging the Sudanese refugees to come to their country."

He added that his ministry was "very confused" by Sudanese citizens who came to Israel."

The Sudan Tribune quoted a Sudanese refugee as telling al-Jazeera television: "We were surprised when we came here. We met good people, who welcomed us and gave us food. We feel that we are extremely happy. We hope that the Israeli government would find a solution for us and our children. We came here to look for a better place."

Meanwhile, in the US, a number of Jewish organizations have attempted to raise awareness over the plight of Sudanese citizens who face mass killings and ethnic cleansing from the Sudanese government. Some 20 Jewish organizations joined the 'Save Darfur Coalition,' along with other religious communities and American civil rights groups.

Europees Parlement ondersteunt NGO-conferentie tegen Israël

 

Het "Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People", en de "International Coordinating Network for Palestine", twee VN organisaties gericht op het ontmantelen van een VN lidstaat, organiseren jaarlijks een conferentie over, inderdaad, de onvervreemdbare rechten van de Palestijnen op geheel Palestina en het doden van Joden die daar maar niet weg willen gaan.

Oeps, sorry, men organiseert een conferentie over vrede, met workshops over de bezetting, de muur, activiteiten tegen de bezetting en natuurlijk de bezetting. Het Europees Parlement vond een dergelijk gevariëerd en evenwichtig programma reden deze conferentie dit jaar financiëel te ondersteunen.

Over het "Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People (CEIRPP)":

De DPR (Division for Palestinian Rights) ondersteunt en financiert het in 1975 opgerichte "Comité voor het Uitoefenen van de Onvervreemdbare Rechten van het Palestijnse Volk" (CEIRPP), waarin 20 VN-leden zitting hebben, en dat formeel onder de Algemene Vergadering van de VN valt. De CEIRPP probeert via publicaties, rapporten en conferenties diplomaten, VN-functionarissen en NGO's te beïnvloeden om de kant van de Palestijnen en tegen Israël te kiezen.
De CEIRPP claimt een netwerk van meer dan 1.000 NGO's (non-gouvernementele organisaties) op allerlei gebied te hebben die de Palestijnse zaak steunen. Ze biedt NGO's die opkomen voor de rechten van de Palestijnen tal van voordelen zoals financiële bijstand, publicaties, en promotie via internet. Door deze steun verkrijgen zij legitimiteit en bekendheid, en dit is een drijfveer voor NGO's op bijvoorbeeld het gebied van vrouwenrechten, arbeidsrechten etc. om aan hun activiteiten een pro-Palestijnse agenda te koppelen.
Hun invloed bleek onder meer uit de NGO conferentie tegen racisme van 2001 in Durban, die ontaardde in een beschamende anti-Israël en antisemitische manifestatie.

 

Via deze en andere NGO conferenties zijn resoluties aangenomen om Zionisme als racisme te bestempelen, de boycot van de Hamasregering te beëindigen, Israël te boycotten en isoleren, en de 'bezetting sinds 1948' (de oprichting van Israël) te beëindigen.

 

 

Ratna
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European Parliament to Host UN NGO Conference Promoting anti-Israel Campaign
NGO Monitor July 31 2007
For annotated report:
http://blog.ngo-monitor.org/durban-conference/european-parliament-to-host-un-ngo-conference-promoting-anti-israel-campaign/

   The United Nations has scheduled an "International Conference of Civil Society in Support of Israeli-Palestinian Peace", to be held in the European Parliament in Brussels, August 30-31. This misleading not withstanding, this annual conference is held under the auspices of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, and the International Coordinating Network for Palestine - frameworks that promote the conflict through NGOs involved in implementing the Durban agenda of demonization.

 

This year, for the first time, the exercise is gaining the legitimacy of sponsorship by the European Parliament, further highlighting the role that the Europe Union plays in supporting the NGO campaign. While the speakers list is secret until the conference, highlighting the violation of transparency in the UN and EU, past speakers have included radical figures such as Jeff Halper (from the EU-funded ICAHD (and allied with Sabeel), Raji Sourani from PCHR, Michael Warschawski, of the Alternative Information Centre, and Jamal Juma' Ja'afreh, from the "Anti-Apartheid Wall Campaign".

 

Topics include "The situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and civil society response",  "Action by civil society organizations working in the Occupied Palestinian Territory", workshops on "Fortieth anniversary of occupation: building on action taken by civil society.", and "Strengthening campaigns to end occupation, including grassroots campaigns against the wall, rallying around Bil'in" ( the site of violent attacks organized by NGOs in order to provoke Israeli responses).  The program and further information can be found at http://unispal.un.org/unispal.nsf and through representatives of the European Union and parliament.

--------------------------------------------
IMRA - Independent Media Review and Analysis
Website: www.imra.org.il

De Rafah grensovergang tussen Egypte en de Gazastrook

De wapensmokkel over (of onder) de grensovergang bij Rafah, en de Egyptische maatregelen daartegen zorgen voor veel problemen bij de bewoners van het Egyptische grensstadje...

 

__________________________________________

http://www.nrc.nl/buitenland/article747084.ece/Wij_worden_de_dupe_van_de_wapensmokkel

'Wij worden de dupe van de wapensmokkel'

De Egyptische regering wil de grensstrook met de Gazastrook ontruimen om wapensmokkel naar het Palestijnse Hamas onmogelijk te maken. De bewoners protesteren.

Door Alexander Weissin

Rafah, 1 augustus. In het deprimerende Egyptische grensplaatsje Rafah zit een groepje mannen gehurkt op een zandpad tussen twee huizen. Met gedempte stemmen praten ze over het plan van de Egyptische regering om de 14 kilometer lange grensstrook tussen Egypte en Gaza volledig te ontruimen. „Onze huizen zullen met de grond gelijk worden gemaakt", zegt Mohammed Mahmoud (58), de oudste van de groep, uitkijkend op de muur die hen scheidt van de Palestijnse Gazastrook. „Sssssht", klinkt het wanneer een ander zijn stem verheft. Op de hoek staat een man op de uitkijk voor het geval agenten van de veiligheidsdienst in de buurt komen.

Egypte staat onder zware druk om de wapensmokkel via honderden tunnels vanuit de Sinaï naar Gaza tegen te gaan. Volgens Israël heeft de moslimfundamentalistische organisatie Hamas zich via de tunnels met machinegeweren, granaatwerpers en explosieven kunnen bewapenen zodat het in juni het concurrerende Fatah uit de Gazastrook kon verjagen. Ook de onderdelen voor de zelfgemaakte raketten die vanuit de Gazastrook op Israël worden afgevuurd zouden via de tunnels worden aangeleverd.

Israël zegt dat Hamas in de afgelopen maand meer explosieven Gaza heeft binnengesmokkeld dan ooit tevoren. Het Amerikaanse Congres heeft gedreigd de jaarlijkse militaire hulp aan Egypte met 200 miljoen dollar te korten als het de grensbewaking niet verbetert. Kairo zegt er alles aan te doen de tunnels onschadelijk te maken. Na de Israëlische terugtrekking uit Gaza bijna twee jaar geleden heeft de Egyptische grensbewaking 138 tunnels onklaar gemaakt. Sinds de machtsovername door Hamas zou er juist minder worden gesmokkeld.

„Onze regering doet alles om Israël een plezier te doen, maar ze bekommert zich niet om haar eigen mensen", klaagt Mahmoud. De mannen wonen in een rustige buurt van het toch al slaperige stadje. Door de zinderende hitte is er bijna niemand op straat. Ruim 100 betonnen woningen staan tot zo'n 50 meter van de grensmuur. Daartussen liggen boomgaarden en groentevelden.

Ambtenaren van de gemeente zijn al langs geweest om de huizen in kaart te brengen en een schatting te maken van de te betalen compensatie. „Mijn buurman kreeg te horen dat hij 60.000 pond (8.400 euro) kan verwachten. Dat is veel te weinig. Hij heeft 250.000 pond geïnvesteerd", vertelt Mahmoud. Tot grote ergernis van de politie hadden ze twee weken geleden een demonstratie georganiseerd. Nu plannen ze in het geheim een vervolgactie.

„De veiligheidsdienst heeft Kairo wijsgemaakt dat de ontruiming weinig voorstelt. Ze sturen foto's van tenten en rieten hutten om het te laten lijken of we allemaal bedoeïenen zijn", zegt Mahmoud. „Maar dat klopt niet. We wonen hier al ons hele leven in echte huizen, die onze vaders en grootvaders gebouwd hebben. Ze moeten het hele oude deel van de stad vernietigen om een vrije zone te krijgen."

„Niemand ontkent dat er misschien wel duizend tunnels zijn", zegt Mahmoud. „Maar waarom moeten wij de dupe worden van de smokkelaars? Als het ze om de tunnels te doen is, waarom gaan ze daar dan niet achteraan?", vraagt hij de anderen." „Als je nu je bek niet houdt, dan vermoord ik je", snauwt een man die zich net bij de groep heeft gevoegd en Ismail wordt genoemd. „We gaan hoe dan ook niet weg. Ook al moeten ze de huizen opblazen terwijl we erin zitten", verkondigt hij luidkeels. De rest van de groep zwijgt. Een voor een staan ze op en gaan hun eigen weg.

Kort daarna, onder vier ogen met Abdallah al-Shar (47) in zijn huis aan de grens, wordt duidelijk waarom Ismail boos werd. „Hij is een van de smokkelaars", legt Abdallah uit. „Vroeger had hij niet eens een hut voor zichzelf. Nu bezit hij verscheidene huizen en auto's en rookt alleen maar Marlboro-sigaretten. Hij doet alsof hij zich bij onze beweging heeft aangesloten, maar in feite gaat het hem alleen maar om zijn handel. Hij misbruikt onze campagne." Abdallah is een van de leiders van de protestactie. Zakken met cement en dozen met tegels voor zijn huis geven aan dat hij niet van plan is te verhuizen. Hij werkt als ambtenaar bij de lokale dienst van het ministerie van Religieuze Zaken, maar vreest nu voor zijn baan.

Abdallah verwerpt de mededeling van de regering dat de politie er alles aan doet om de tunnels te ontmantelen. „Als de politie met veel bombarie een vondst bekendmaakt, is het alleen maar doordat ze door buurtbewoners is getipt of doordat rivaliserende smokkelaars elkaar hebben verraden. Maar systematische huiszoekingen doet ze niet."

In Rafah is algemeen bekend wie de smokkelaars zijn. „Je hoeft hen alleen maar te volgen, maar dat gebeurt niet", aldus Abdallah. Hij vertelt dat de smokkelaars worden beschermd door corrupte politieofficieren. „Op hoog niveau zijn hier zwakke geesten die makkelijk worden verleid", zegt hij. „In plaats van die officieren weg te halen, willen ze onze huizen slopen. Maar zolang de politie samenwerkt met de smokkelaars, kun je het probleem van de tunnels niet oplossen."

Abdallah heeft zijn drie neefjes in de gevangenis zien verdwijnen. Een tunnel liep uit op hun achtertuin. Hij had al opgemerkt dat ze dure kleding droegen en telkens nieuwe mobiele telefoons hadden. „Ik had ze nog zo gewaarschuwd, maar ze konden de verleiding niet weerstaan. Er is hier geen werk te vinden voor jongeren. Alleen de smokkel van wapens en drugs levert geld op."

Even later, buiten op straat, wordt Abdallah door twee agenten van de binnenlandse veiligheidsdienst opgepakt. Op het bureau wordt hij uitgemaakt voor bedoeïen en oproerkraaier. De agenten weigeren desgevraagd te zeggen wat Abdallah heeft misdaan. Na enkele uren wordt hij weer vrijgelaten met de boodschap niet nog eens met buitenlandse journalisten te spreken. „Ziet u, zo proberen ze ons de mond te snoeren."

Kairo, 1 aug. - Een jonge bedoeïen die maandag door kogels werd getroffen tijdens gevechten tussen betogers en de Egyptische politie bij de grens met de Gazastrook, is gisteren overleden. Oproerpolitie joeg maandag met geweld een betoging uiteen van duizenden bedoeïenen en andere Egyptenaren die protesteerden tegen het besluit van de autoriteiten de 14 kilometer lange grensstrook bij Rafah geheel te ontruimen. Doel van dat overheidsplan is om smokkel van wapens en andere goederen naar de Gazastrook tegen te gaan. Daarbij zullen hun woningen en andere bezittingen met de grond gelijk worden gemaakt. Bij de schermutselingen rakaten vijftien 15 burgers en twintig politiemannen gewond. (AFP)

BBC tolerantie en antisemitisme

Een paar weken geleden verscheen onder andere het volgende commentaar van een lezer op de website van de BBC:

 

"Zionism is a racist ideology where jews [sic] are given
supremacy over all other races and faiths. This is found in the Talmud.
There is a law called Baba Mezia which allows jews to lie as long as its
to non-jews. Many pro jewish supporters will cringe at this being
exposed because they know it exists, yet they keep quiet about it, hey
frip, jla and co [the aliases of other people taking part in the
discussion]. The Law of Baba Mezia!! Tsk tsk tsk! It's in the Talmud."

 

 

De BBC weigerde vervolgens dit racistische bericht weg te halen ondanks klachten van lezers, en meldde dat het hun richtlijnen niet schendt. Deze houden in:

 

The BBC's own House Rules state: "We reserve the right to fail messages which are considered likely to disrupt, provoke, attack or offend others" and "are racist, sexist, homophobic, sexually explicit, abusive or otherwise objectionable."

 

 

Als dit bericht deze regels niet schendt, wat dan wel??

 

"Iron Naz" die boven geciteerde reactie schreef, was duidelijk gesterkt door dit tolerante beleid van de BBC, en produceerde nog meer interessants over de Joden en hun religie:

 

"Why are Jews allowed to attack non-jews, and if a non-jew fights back, he must be killed?" and "please comment on these two quotes from Jewish religious texts: A pregnant non-Jew is no better than a pregnant animal." Coschen hamischpat 405  And another "The souls of non-Jews come from impure sprits and are called pigs." Jalkut Rubeni gadol 12b. now is this what Britians jews think of non-jews?"

 

 

Dit is wat sommige Britse niet-Joden blijkbaar over de Joden denken, en in plaats van het hard te veroordelen, vond de BBC dat dit bijdraagt aan het debat en aan een beter begrip van de zaak:

 

In the email from BBC Information, it further added: "If people see a posting on a message board that they think may contain factual inaccuracies then we suggest that they post to the board to correct the other person's mistake, or misapprehension.(...) This is more beneficial to the debate, as the initial poster, along with all of the other readers and posters to the message board, will be able to read the correction or alternative viewpoint and gain a greater understanding of the issues."

 

 

Iron Naz ziet het zo, en iemand anders kan daar een alternatieve visie tegenover zetten. Hitler had ook een interessante visie op de Joden. Zou de BBC ook zo tolerant zijn waar het islamofobie betreft? Je zou het haast uit willen proberen, maar hoewel de kans groot is dat het betreffende bericht dan onmiddelijk zou worden verwijderd, wil ik het risico niet lopen dat het blijft staan en een hoop mensen op nog een haat-reactie worden getracteerd.

 

 

Ratna

 

(PS: nadat de protesten maar bleven aanhouden en het hele internet overgingen, is de BBC uiteindelijk alsnog voor de druk gezwicht en heeft de gewraakte passage verwijderd.)

______________________________________

 

BBC allows anti-Semitism

by: Leslie Bunder

www.somethingjewish.co.uk/articles/2441_bbc_allows_anti_semi.htm

 

The BBC has said that anti-Semitic postings and links to Jewish hate sites on its message boards do not breach its own guidelines and even though they may cause offence, harm and distress, they will be allowed to stay.

SomethingJewish contacted BBC director general Mark Thompson and director of Future Media & Technology Ashley Highfield asking why the corporation has allowed its message boards to be used for attacks on Jews and forcing the Jewish community to be constantly on the defensive to respond to hate fuelled postings and mis-quotes of the Torah.

 

In an email from BBC Information, which claims that Thompson "has authorised us to reply on his behalf" the BBC is sticking to its position that anti-Semitic postings, such as those recently posted, but were eventually removed after pressure are suitable for the BBC to show.

 

In a response to SomethingJewish regarding a series of postings on the 5 Live Message boards earlier this month by "Iron Naz" in which statements such as "Why are Jews allowed to attack non-jews, and if a non-jew fights back, he must be killed?" and "please comment on these two quotes from Jewish religious texts: A pregnant non-Jew is no better than a pregnant animal." Coschen hamischpat 405  And another "The souls of non-Jews come from impure sprits and are called pigs." Jalkut Rubeni gadol 12b. now is this what Britians jews think of non-jews? (sic)" were allowed to stay up, the BBC said:

 

"The moderators read all posts on the Five Live news board and remove those that are seen to break the House Rules of the site. They do not fact check the content posted by the public when they read contributions to the board, nor do they remove or edit postings containing factual inaccuracies regardless of the subject matter, even when alerted to them, as being factually incorrect - either partially or completely - is not against the House Rules."

 

The BBC's own House Rules state: "We reserve the right to fail messages which are considered likely to disrupt, provoke, attack or offend others" and "are racist, sexist, homophobic, sexually explicit, abusive or otherwise objectionable."

 

Mark Gardiner from the Community Security Trust has said of the BBC's approach to dealing with hate and racism on its own message boards: "The BBC obviously no longer recognizes anti-Semitism even when it slaps it in the face. It is bad enough that it is up to readers to police what the BBC publish on their own Web sites, but it is far sadder that this public body should actively refuse to remove the filth."

 

In the email from BBC Information, it further added: "If people see a posting on a message board that they think may contain factual inaccuracies then we suggest that they post to the board to correct the other person's mistake, or misapprehension. Subsequent to this post being made, many people did indeed post to the board to explain why the posting was incorrect. This is more beneficial to the debate, as the initial poster, along with all of the other readers and posters to the message board, will be able to read the correction or alternative viewpoint and gain a greater understanding of the issues."

Jewish Leadership Council chief executive Jeremy Newmark told SomethingJewish: "One would expect the BBC to treat anti-Semitism in the same way as any other form of racism – with a zero tolerance approach.  This is a worrying development coming so soon after a parliamentary inquiry warned of the spread of antisemitism on the internet."

 

 

Hat tip: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MewBkd/

 

Hamas leider Khaled Mash'al over zelfmoordaanslagen en de Israëlische Holocaust

"Israël moet met Hamas praten", hoor je tegenwoordig vaak, en Blair moet met Hamas praten en de Nederlandse Tweede Kamerdelegatie had met Hamas moeten praten. De linkse parlementariërs die dit inderdaad - tegen de afspraken in - deden, zullen dit soort taal zeker niet te horen hebben gekregen:

"I want to make it clear to the West and to the German people, which is
still being blackmailed because of what Nazism did to the Zionists, or to
the Jews. I say that what Israel did to the Palestinian people is many times
worse than what Nazism did to the Jews, and there is exaggeration, which has
become obsolete, regarding the issue of the Holocaust. We do not deny the
facts, but we will not give in to extortion by exaggeration. As for the
Zionist holocaust against the Palestinian people, and against the peoples of
the Arab and Islamic nation - this is a holocaust that is being perpetrated
in broad daylight, with the coverage of the media of globalization. Nobody
can deny it or claim that it is being exaggerated."

Dit soort ideeën worden gereserveerd voor de Arabische media, zodat Mariko Peters en Martijn van Dam kunnen blijven geloven dat het zogenaamde extremisme en antisemitisme van Hamas een Zionistisch verzinsel is. En zodat veel mensen het als 'progressief' blijven beschouwen om ook begrip te hebben voor de positie van Hamas.

Ratna
______________________________________________


The following are excerpts from speeches delivered by Hamas leader Khaled Mash'al and Sheikh Yousef Al-Qaradhawi at a conference honoring Al-Qaradhawi.

The speeches aired on Al-Jazeera TV on July 16, 2007.

To view this clip visit: http://www.memritv.org/search.asp?ACT=S9&P1=1515.


Hamas leader Khaled Mash'al: "The support we got from Sheikh Al-Qaradhawi is different from the support of anybody else, because of his religious status, his status in terms of morale, and his ability to draw the attention of the nation and the world to the issues of the nation, particularly the issue of Palestine. This support was of great value to us, to the Palestinian people, in the first and second Intifadas, and in all matters pertaining to the Palestinian cause. He has publicly declared his support for the resistance factions, unequivocally and without any hesitation or embarrassment, without fawning over anyone. From day one to the present, the sheikh, may Allah reward him, has not hesitate to support the jihad and the resistance, and to support the fighters, and the resistance factions. One of the most notable manifestations of this support was when we relied - after Allah - on his support of martyrdom operations. He never hesitated to issue rulings in support of these operations, and there were times when we were in dire need of these rulings."

[...]

"This is because some of the nation's religious scholars - and we do not underestimate them, for they are good people... But due to a certain confusion, they had dissenting views on the martyrdom operations, and this caused us great embarrassment. However, in his unequivocal fatwa, the sheikh, may Allah reward him, considered martyrdom operations to be the most noble level of jihad. That was unparalleled support for the people of Palestine, because, brothers and sisters, you cannot imagine how difficult it is psychologically for a young Palestinian man or woman to sacrifice themselves or what is most dear to them, only to encounter a conflict in their minds and hearts as to whether they are on the path of righteousness, or whether they are committing a religious violation."

[...]

"I want to make it clear to the West and to the German people, which is still being blackmailed because of what Nazism did to the Zionists, or to the Jews. I say that what Israel did to the Palestinian people is many times worse than what Nazism did to the Jews, and there is exaggeration, which has become obsolete, regarding the issue of the Holocaust. We do not deny the facts, but we will not give in to extortion by exaggeration. As for the Zionist holocaust against the Palestinian people, and against the peoples of the Arab and Islamic nation - this is a holocaust that is being perpetrated in broad daylight, with the coverage of the media of globalization. Nobody can deny it or claim that it is being exaggerated."

[...]

Sheikh Yousef Al-Qaradhawi: "I support the Palestinian cause. I support the resistance and the jihad. I support Hamas, the Islamic Jihad, and Hizbullah. I oppose the peace that Israel and America wish to dictate. This peace is an illusion. I support martyrdom operations, and this was the straw that broke the camel's back... What am I supposed to do? This great terrorist next to me will get me into trouble... He gave me a picture of Jerusalem and of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, and showed me respect - that's it, my guilt has been proven."

[...]

"Our brothers in Palestine were forced to resort to martyrdom operations. The divine destiny is just, and so it gave these brothers something the enemy lacks. Give them planes, tanks, missiles, and smart bombs, and they won't have to use martyrdom operations. They use martyrdom operations because they don't have all those things. Their enemy is bombing them from above and below, right left, and center, and all they want is [to sacrifice] their own lives. The Palestinian man or woman booby-trap themselves - they turn themselves into human bombs - and sacrifice themselves for the sake of Allah, in order to strike fear in the hearts of their enemies."


*********************
To view this Special Dispatch in HTML, visit:
http://www.memri.org/bin/opener_latest.cgi?ID=SD167207.

The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) is an independent, non-profit organization that translates and analyzes the media of the Middle East. Copies of articles and documents cited, as well as background information, are available on request.

PCHR bezorgd over aanval op advocaat door Al-Qassam leden

In de Gazastrook hebben de Al Qassam Brigades (gewapende tak van Hamas) de taak overgenomen om de orde te handhaven, en daar hebben ze zo hun eigen methodes voor. Nadat een advocaat van het Palestinian Centre for Human Rights is aangevallen, eist deze organisatie:

 

"... stopping all illegal actions perpetrated by El-Qassam Battalions, including administering detention centers, carrying out detentions and interrogations, and perpetrating torture and other forms of inhumane treatment. The Centre reminds that administering detention centers, carrying out detentions, and questioning are the mandate of official law-enforcement agencies only."

 

 

PCHR Palestinian Centre for Human Rights Press Release

Ref: 76/2007

Date: 31 July 2007

Time: 10:00 GMT

PCHR Gravely Concerned over the Attack on One of Its Lawyers by El-Qassam Members

PCHR is gravely concerned over the attack by armed members of Izzedeen El-Qassam Battalions, the armed wing of Hamas, on one of the Center's lawyers who was performing his work. The gunmen seized legal documents from him during his return from a mission in Khan Yunis. The Centre calls for investigating this attack and prosecuting the perpetrators. The Centre calls for stopping all illegal actions by El-Qassam Battalions.

The lawyer, Shareef Mustafa Abu Nassar (45) works in PCHR's Legal Unit. At approximately 14:00 on Monday, 30 July 2007, he went to the town of Bani Suheila east of Khan Yunis. He went to the house of Dr. Salem Abu Sa'ada, the Mayor of Bani Suheila and also a Director-General in the Ministry of Civil Affairs. The purpose of the visit was to get an affidavit and documentation regarding the confiscation of his jeep by members of the Executive Force and E-Qassam Battalions at approximately 9:30 in the morning of the same day. At approximately 15:30, Abu Nassar left Abu Sa'ada's house, and headed to PCHR's branch in Khan Yunis. About 500 meters away from Abu Sa'ada's house, a vehicle intercepted the taxi in which Abu Nassar was traveling. Three gunmen in civilian clothes got out of the car. One of them identified himself as a member of El-Qassam Battlions. He asked Abu Nassar to get out of the car. Abu Nassar refused, and was asked to hand over the file that he was carrying. He also refused and informed the member of El-Qassam that he works in the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights. The other two gunmen searched the taxi; and the gunman asked for the file a second time. Abu Nassar refused to hand over the file.

The gunmen made a call on his mobile phone; and then informed Abu Nassar that the file will be confiscated, by force if necessary. The gunmen took the file against Abu Nassar's will and searched it. He took Abu Sa'ada's affidavit and a copy of the registration documents of Abu Sa'ada's jeep. The empty folder was returned to Abu Nassar. After getting the empty folder, Abu Nassar asked the gunman about his name. The gunman replied, "We are from El-Qassam Battlions, eastern part of Khan Yunis, Bani Suheila. No need for my name. The address I gave should be enough to reach us.

PCHR made several contacts with relevant parties. And at approximately 17:30, the file was returned to the Center's branch in Khan Yunis, and an apology was submitted to the Centre and the lawyer.

PCHR strongly condemns this attack, and:

1. Affirms that El-Qassam Battalions are not a police force or a law-enforcement agency. Its members are not entitled to any authority to deal in civilian matters; and any actions they take in this regard are illegal.
2. Reminds of the rights and privileges of lawyers in accordance with Law #3 of the Year 1999 regulating lawyers' work that states, "It is illegal to detain or pursue a lawyer for any action taken in fulfillment of professional duty…" and "a Lawyer's office cannot be searched except in the presence of the President of the Bar Association or a representative of the President…."
3. Calls for stopping all illegal actions perpetrated by El-Qassam Battalions, including administering detention centers, carrying out detentions and interrogations, and perpetrating torture and other forms of inhumane treatment.[1] The Centre reminds that administering detention centers, carrying out detentions, and questioning are the mandate of official law-enforcement agencies only.

Public Document

**************************************

For more information please call PCHR office in Gaza, Gaza Strip, on +972 8 2824776 - 2825893

PCHR, 29 Omer El Mukhtar St., El Remal, PO Box 1328 Gaza, Gaza Strip.

Webpage: http://www.pchrgaza.org

-----------------------------------

If you got this forwarded and you want to subscribe, send mail to  request@pchrgaza.org

and write "subscribe" in the subject line.

---

[1] For more information, refer to PCHR's press release dated 16 July 2007 on the death of a prisoner after detention and torture in Mashtal Prison in Gaza.

.

 

 

Een ander Hezbollah geluid: zonder staakt-het-vuren had Hezbollah zich overgegeven

Een ander geluid van een Hezbollah officier over de oorlog tegen Israël vorig jaar. Had de oorlog nog tien dagen langer geduurd, dan was Hezbollah verslagen. En men vuurde bewust raketten vanuit stedelijk gebied af.

"The officer also said that many Hizbullah commanders were ordered to hide
before the war started, and that the gunmen who remained were forced to fire
Katyusha rockets from inside urban populations because of the IDF's
efficiency in destroying launchers minutes after a launch had been detected."

_____________________________________________

'Our men would surrender if the war lasted 10 more days'
JPost.com Staff, THE JERUSALEM POST Jul. 31, 2007
www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1185893683874&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

"The cease-fire acted as a life jacket for the organization [at the end of the Second Lebanon War]," a Hizbullah officer said in an interview aired by Channel 10 on Tuesday.

In the interview, the unnamed officer said Hizbullah gunmen would have surrendered if the fighting last summer had continued for another 10 days.

His statement sharply contrasted with those made by Hizbullah leader Hassan Nasrallah on several occasions since the monthlong war.

At the end of the war, Nasrallah said his organization had gained a "divine victory."

The officer shown on Channel 10 said the organization's gunmen had been running low on food and water and facing rapidly diminishing arms supplies.

The officer also said that many Hizbullah commanders were ordered to hide before the war started, and that the gunmen who remained were forced to fire Katyusha rockets from inside urban populations because of the IDF's efficiency in destroying launchers minutes after a launch had been detected.

He said that when the gunmen relocated to cities and villages, they knew innocent civilians would be hurt as a consequence.

The quick arrival of IAF jets at rocket-launch sites, sometimes only four to five minutes after a Katyusha was fired, "surprised" Hizbullah, the officer said.

--------------------------------------------
IMRA - Independent Media Review and Analysis
Website: www.imra.org.il
--------------------------------------------

Persvrijheid door Hamas beknot in Gazastrook

Het mag niet verbazen dat Hamas niet blij is met haar onwelgevallig nieuws, en dit - naast het gevangennemen van medewerkers van haar niet goed gezinde kranten - letterlijk buiten de deur probeert te houden door de import van 'foute' kranten te verbieden. Maar dit wordt Hamas door westerse sympathisanten van de Palestijnen niet kwalijk genomen. Het ligt uiteraard allemaal aan de bezetting, of misschien juist aan het einde ervan?

 

Ratna

-------------------------

Hamas Executive Forces condemned for "inhibiting press freedom"

Date: 30 / 07 / 2007  Time:  12:31
www.maannews.net/en/index.php?opr=ShowDetails&ID=24392

Khan Younis - Ma'an - The chairperson of the oversight and human rights committee in the Palestinian Legislative Council, Dr. Faisal Abu Shahla, condemned Hamas' Executive Forces for attacking press freedom in the Gaza Strip Monday.

He said the Executive Forces had detained workers from three newspapers, Al Ayyam, Al Quds, and Al Hayyat Al Jadeedah, for three hours, describing the incident as "a dangerous act."

Earlier Monday, the Executive Force froze imports of newspapers in the Gaza Strip for an hour as a warning to end defamatory reports against Hamas in the press.

In a press statement, Abu Shahla said, "The incident was a serious blow to press freedom and a dangerous sign for the local media, especially since those newspapers are considered to be independent ones."

Abo Shahla praised the newspapers for reporting the news even under the harsh conditions imposed by Israeli occupation.

A spokesperson for the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) also condemned the Executive Force's actions, saying the ban on paper imports directly inhibits the freedom of the press.

The PFLP spokesperson appealed to Hamas to stop these actions as it "reflects a bad image of democracy and public freedom."


***Updated at 19:54 Jerusalem time

--------------------------------------------
IMRA - Independent Media Review and Analysis
Website: www.imra.org.il

--------------------------------------------

 

 

Een Palestijnse vrouw in een Israëlische gevangenis

 

Onderstaande foto uit een documentaire over Palestijnen in Israëlische gevangenissen zorgde voor ophef bij de nabestaanden van één van de slachtoffers van deze vrouw.

Hieronder een recensie uit de New York Times, gevolgd door de reactie van de Israëlische familie.

 

Wouter

________________________________

 

Television Review | 'Hot House'

An Odd Understanding Reached in Israeli Prisons

HBO Films

Ahlam Tamimi in a scene from the documentary "Hot House." Ms. Tamimi is among about 10,000 Palestinians being held in Israeli jails.

By NEIL GENZLINGER

Published: June 27, 2007

"Hot House," Shimon Dotan's absorbing look at Palestinians held in Israeli jails, is full of remarkable interviews. Prisoners talk about how they issue orders to followers on the outside via smuggled cellphones. A former Palestinian newscaster, Ahlam Tamimi, recalls the day she dropped a suicide bomber off at his target, then coolly went on television to report on the resulting bombing.

Mr. Dotan, who grew up in Israel, is so successful at revealing the world inside the prisons, where about 10,000 Palestinians are held, that by the end of "Hot House" you may feel more than a little annoyance at the two sides in this endless conflict. These enemies know each other absurdly well. They learn from each other, and talk openly about doing so. Yet they can't seem to break the cycle: a cat and mouse addicted to their own game.

The film, shown tonight on Cinemax, is centered on the 2006 Palestinian elections; some of the prisoners are members of Parliament. And it has a timeliness to it because life in the prisons mimics life outside: there is a Hamas faction, a Fatah faction and so on.

Mr. Dotan too often lets the prisoners he interviews spout the usual hogwash ("We treat all human beings as brothers," says a Hamas inmate), but he also zeros in on what makes the prisons so fascinating. "The Israel security service does such a good job that the whole military, political and social leadership is here," says Col. Ofer Lefler, a spokesman for the Israeli Prisons Authority.

And that leadership isn't making license plates. Prisoners talk about how they have used their time — decades, for some — to learn more about their own cause. Some entered as boys, but now, through newspapers, television and talks with other inmates, they know what they were fighting for back then.

They pursue university degrees — in Hebrew. "The Palestinian prisoners have turned the Israeli jails into academies and universities," says Samir Masharawi, a Fatah leader.

The Israelis, in turn, learn about the Palestinians by watching the prison populations. The film, though, is necessarily ambiguous as to whether all this will lead either side to be more accommodating or will simply result in smarter warriors.

HOT HOUSE

Written, directed and produced by Shimon Dotan; Arik Bernstein, executive producer; produced by Yonatan Aroch and Dikla Barkai; co-produced by Danny Rossner; edited by Ayala ben Gad; Ron Klein, composer; Philip Bellaiche, Shai Goldman and Hanna Abu Saada, cinematographers. An Alma Films, Talisma Productions, Meimad Barkai Productions, Cinequest Films presentation.

___________________________________________________________

Today's New York Times carries a review of a film called "Hot House" that goes inside Israeli prisons and examines the lives of Palestinian prisoners. We're not recommending the film or the review. But we do want to share our feelings with you about the beaming female face that adorns the article. You can see it here.

The film is produced by HBO. So it's presumably HBO's publicity department that was responsible for creating and distributing a glamor-style photograph of a smiling, contented-looking young woman in her twenties to promote the movie.

That female is our child's murderer. She was sentenced to sixteen life sentences or 320 years which she is serving in an Israeli jail. Fifteen people were killed and more than a hundred maimed and injured by the actions of this attractive person and her associates. The background is here.

Neither the New York Times nor HBO are likely to give even a moment's attention to the victims of the barbarians who destroyed the Sbarro restaurant in Jerusalem and the lives of so many victims. So we would be grateful if you would pass along this link to some pictures of our daughter whose name was Malki. She was unable to reach her twenties - Hamas saw to that.

Though she was only fifteen years old when her life was stolen from her and from us, we think Malki was a beautiful young woman, living a beautiful life. We ask your help so that other people - far fewer than the number who will see the New York Times, of course - can know about her. Please ask your friends to look at the pictures - some of the very few we have - of our murdered daughter. They are [here].

And remind them of what the woman in the Israeli prison - the woman smiling so happily in the New York Times - said last year. "I'm not sorry for what I did. We'll become free from the occupation and then I will be free from prison."

With so many voices demanding that Israel release its terrorist prisoners, small wonder she's smiling.

With greetings from Jerusalem ,
Frimet and Arnold Roth

On behalf of Keren Malki

__________________________________________________________

Eén van de foto's van de genoemde dochter, de 15-jarige Malki:

 

Het falen van de Palestijnse Autoriteit en van de Israëlische regering

President Abbas heeft een commissie ingesteld om de overname van de Gazastrook door Hamas te onderzoeken. Volgens deze commissie heeft Hamas de coup al jaren geleden voorbereid, door op grote schaal de veiligheidsdiensten van de Palestijnse Autoriteit te infiltreren en een ondergronds gangenstelsel te bouwen.

"They dug tunnels under buildings, security installations, major roads and the president's residence," he said. "They claimed that these tunnels were supposed to be used against Israel, but this was untrue. They were preparing for a coup."

De commissie is uitermate kritisch over de veiligheidsdiensten, en stelt het ontslag van 60 hoge veiligheidsambtenaren voor. Ook heeft men harde kritiek op diverse Fatah leiders waaronder Moahmed Dahlan, die onlangs uit zichzelf al ontslag nam als nationale veiligheidsadviseur.

Dit doet mij denken aan de Winograd commissie, die in zijn voorlopige rapport over de Tweede Libanon Oorlog felle kritiek uitte op de Israëlische regering en de legerleiding. De stafchef van het Israëlische leger had voor het uitkomen van het rapport uit zichzelf al ontslag genomen, sommige anderen uit het leger volgden later, en de minister van defensie is vervangen door de nieuwe leider van de Arbeidspartij, Ehud Barak. Het definitieve rapport is met een jaar uitgesteld, waarschijnlijk omdat Olmert vreest dit politiek niet te kunnen overleven.

Op het eerste gezicht doet een dergelijke opruiming na zo duidelijk falen in cruciale zaken verfrissend aan, maar het ontslaan van de verantwoordelijken alleen leidt niet automatisch tot een betere regering. Zowel in de Palestijnse Autoriteit als in de Israëlische regering zijn fundamentele veranderingen noodzakelijk om de uitdagingen die beide te wachten staan het hoofd te kunnen bieden.

Ratna

______________________________________________

 

Jul. 29, 2007 23:14 | Updated Jul. 30, 2007 9:27
'Gaza fell because Hamas infiltrated PA security'
By KHALED ABU TOAMEH

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?apage=1&cid=1185379034604&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

 

Hundreds of Hamas members have infiltrated the Palestinian Authority security establishment over the past two years, thanks to an open-door policy that allowed many unqualified and "hostile" - to Fatah - elements to join the various security forces, a member of the PA commission of inquiry into the Hamas takeover of the Gaza Strip said on Sunday.

Ali Muhana, a lawyer who served on the commission, which presented its findings to PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas over the weekend, said Hamas members had exploited the open-door policy to join the security forces starting in 1995.

"This proves that Hamas was planning to launch a coup in the Gaza Strip," he said. "We reached this conclusion after seeing maps, documents and films implicating Hamas." According to Muhana, Hamas built a network of underground tunnels in the Gaza Strip as part of its plan to overthrow the PA. "They dug tunnels under buildings, security installations, major roads and the president's residence," he said. "They claimed that these tunnels were supposed to be used against Israel, but this was untrue. They were preparing for a coup."

Muhana's remarks are seen by some Palestinians as implicit criticism of Abbas, who was responsible for the open-door policy after he was elected in January 2005.

The commission recommended that the PA security forces undergo major changes and reforms, Muhana said. He called for merging the security forces into three bodies: General Intelligence, Internal Security and National Security.

Muhana said personal rivalries and "laziness" among the senior brass of the PA security forces in the Gaza Strip also facilitated the Hamas takeover. "Top officers and commanders should not remain in their jobs for more than two years," he added. "The loyalty of the policemen should be to the Palestinian national project and not to the commanders."

The commission recommended in its 200-page report that 60 security officers be dismissed and court-martialed. The panel also recommended disciplinary measures against several senior Fatah political and security leaders, including Muhammad Dahlan, who recently resigned as PA national security adviser, and Rashid Abu Shabak, whom Abbas fired last month as the top Fatah security commander in the Gaza Strip. Abu Shabak fled the Strip immediately after Hamas militiamen raided his villa in Gaza City and killed six of his bodyguards.

Hafez Barghouti, editor of the PA's Al-Hayat Al-Jadeeda newspaper, criticized the commission for limiting its focus to the security establishment. He also attacked Abbas for failing to motivate the members of the security forces.

"I have repeatedly called on the president to offer hope to the security establishment because this is the duty of the leader," he said. "The motivation for fighting [Hamas] did not exist because of the lack of a noble cause. The policemen were victims of narrow factional interests."

Barghouti condemned the open-door policy as a "disaster." He said the PA political echelon bore as much responsibility for the Hamas takeover as the security establishment. "The president is first and foremost responsible for what happened," he said. "The president has been deceived by Hamas and by many of those surrounding him, including his security commanders and Fatah warlords. They played a role in destroying the security forces and Fatah. A failed officer is led by a failed politician."

In another development, Ahmed Abdel Rahman, a senior aide to Abbas, said on Sunday that the Gaza Strip was now being governed by a "gang of terrorists."

Referring to threats by some groups in the Strip to assassinate PA Prime Minister Salaam Fayad, Abdel Rahman said: "Such threats prove that the Gaza Strip is controlled by a gang of terrorists. If these gangsters are threatening to kill the prime minister and other leaders, can you imagine what they are doing to the ordinary citizen? They are imposing a regime of terror and intimidation in the Gaza Strip."

A liberal's lament - David Forman van Rabbis for Human Rights

 

David Forman, oprichter van Rabijnen voor Mensenrechten, worstelt in onderstaand artikel tussen het behoud van zijn lichaam en zijn ziel.

Winston Churchill had het over het conflict tussen hart en verstand, in zijn door met name linkse jongeren verguisde uitspraak:

 

"Show me a young Conservative and I'll show you someone with no heart. Show me an old Liberal and I'll show you someone with no brains". 

 

Over zowel Formans artikel als over Churchills uitspraak gaat Ratna's lament op IMO.

 

 

Wouter

________________________________________

 

Counterpoint: A liberal's lament
David Forman,
THE JERUSALEM POST 
Jul. 19, 2007
 
Having grown up in a home of diehard New Deal Democrats, with a wider family circle that included hard-core socialists and communists, and having come of age in the United States during the turbulent 1960s, every fiber in my body is filled with political and social liberalism.

Throughout the years, I have tried to maintain a universal outlook on life, no matter the winds of change that continually blow across the international arena, relentlessly testing my ideological worldview - especially over the 35 years I have lived in Israel and, particularly, the last 10.

Since the onset of the second intifada, the rise of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Hamas's takeover of Gaza, the encroachment of Hizbullah, I am fighting forces within me that are edging to the political right - all the while desperately holding on to a progressive philosophical mindset. In the deepest recesses of my being, I am finding it difficult to maintain my usual equilibrium.

I am constantly doing battle with two competing inclinations - one to preserve my body (my physical well-being) and one to preserve my soul (my moral integrity). And, right now, the urges of my body seem to be getting the upper hand. I feel my corporeal self under siege from all sides. I ache with the historical burden of persecution knocking at my door every minute of the day, fired by forces like those that engulfed us during the Crusades - read Hamas - and expelled us during the Inquisition - read Hizbullah - and led by the warriors of anti-Semitism like Chmelnitski - read Hassan Nasrallah - and those who slaughtered us mercilessly like Hitler - read Ahmadinejad.

HOW DO I maintain a sense of justice for Palestinians whose freedoms have been compromised under Israel's 40-year occupation and continue to advocate for their human rights, when I know they are being swept up by a pan-Islamism characterized by Islamist extremism? No wonder the Israeli Left has gone underground. Many of our cherished values have gone up in smoke.

We hate the security barrier because it steals Palestinian lands, divides villages and separates families, but we sleep better knowing our children no longer play Russian roulette with their lives when they venture out in public. We deplore targeted assassinations, but when the IDF kills terrorists on their way to fire rockets into Sderot, we breathe a sigh of relief - even if innocent Palestinians are caught in the cross fire.

Has the Right read the political map better than we have? Everything that those who opposed the unilateral withdrawals from Lebanon and Gaza predicted would happen has happened. Hizbullah in the north and Hamas in the south are squeezing us and, at a moment's notice, could wreak havoc upon the country. The internecine fighting in Gaza, where Palestinians killed each other with impunity, proved a harsh reality: These Muslim fanatics are out for anyone's blood that gets in the way of their ultimate goal - spilling the last drop of Jewish blood.

SO, WHAT'S an Israeli liberal Jew to do - turn to our leftist sympathizers abroad to gain some perspective and objectivity? Who are they - the American Center for Constitutional Rights that has issued warrants for the arrest of Moshe Ya'alon and Avi Dichter for war crimes; the International Solidarity Movement or the Christian Peacemaker Teams whose Web sites are veritable wellsprings of anti-Semitic drivel?

You see why I feel besieged - even my natural allies put me on the defensive.

We activists for decency and fair play for the other can no longer bury our heads in the sand. We must find a way to reconcile our ideological liberalism with the harsh political realities of a bellicose neighborhood and an indifferent at best, hostile at worst, world community that allows the UN Human Rights Commission to single out Israel for permanent scrutiny. (Silent complicity strikes the Jews again.) Only America has consistently stood by us.

So as not to further darken the gathering storm hovering above, we liberals will have to temper our views and moderate our behavior. Does this mean that we limit self-criticism and curtail what we say and what we do because our words and actions can supply ammunition to our detractors and to those who decry our legitimacy as a state? Does it mean that we sacrifice our moral conscience on an altar of fear? No! But, it does mean that we must carefully weigh the possible consequences of our rhetoric and activities.

It also means that we who are sympathetic to Palestinian suffering cannot become mirror images of our right-wing adversaries - abandoning any sense of balance, thus discounting Israeli pain. More so, even as we concede Israeli offenses, we must acknowledge Palestinian violence and, more importantly, its global implications. With the radicalization of Gaza, surely to be exported to the West Bank, Palestinians are part of a growing Islamist threat to Western stability, and we stand at the forefront of its eventual onslaught.

For those of us born with a liberal spoon in our mouths, the challenge is formidable - almost frantic. Painful memories of our history, presently reflected in the mirror of a dangerous new reality, compel us to examine and reexamine, evaluate and reevaluate our deeply held principles - even as we resolutely cling to our ideals, steadfastly advancing a social agenda that impels Israel to be a "light unto the nations."

 

Engeland loopt vooruit op 'final status negotiations'

 

Mustafa Barghouti, onafhankelijk lid van de Palestijnse wetgevende raad, vindt dat de Britse minister van buitenlandse zaken David Miliband, niet had mogen zeggen dat de Palestijnse vluchtelingen niet zullen kunnen terugkeren naar Israël. Hiermee zou hij vooruitlopen op de 'final status negotiations' en daarmee de pogingen om tot een rechtvaardige oplossing van de Palestijnse kwestie te komen schaden.

Wel, oké, maar dan mogen buitenlandse politici, internationale bemiddelaars, speciale gazanten en wat dies meer zij ook geen uitspraken doen over Israëlische nederzettingen en de status van de Westelijke Jordaanoever of Oost-Jeruzalem. Daarmee lopen zij immers eveneens vooruit op de onderhandelingen over een final status akkoord.

Hier is Barghouti het uiteraard niet mee eens:

Dr. Barghouthi also protested the announcement by Israeli
settlers to build a new outpost adjacent to Efrat, an Israeli
settlement located between the Palestinian cities of Bethlehem and
Hebron. He called on the international community to take immediate
action, and to stop ignoring the ongoing development of Israel's
settlement enterprise which is continuing at full speed.

Ik ben het met hem eens dat de nederzettingen een rechtvaardige vrede in de weg staan, maar dat geldt evenzeer voor vasthouden aan een onbeperkt recht op terugkeer van de vluchtelingen. Dit zal immers een einde maken aan Joodse zelfbeschikking, en daarmee een 'rechtvaardige oplossing' van het conflict onmogelijk maken. Of zou Barghouti Joodse zelfbeschikking als het belangrijkste obstakel tot vrede beschouwen?

Ratna
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UK should not hint at final settlement results before actual negotiations have started, says PLC member Barghouti
Date: 25 / 07 / 2007  Time:  14:37


Ramallah - Ma'an - Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) member Dr. Mustafa Barghouti criticised statements made by the British Foreign Minister, David Miliband, who said that the solution of the Palestinian issue will not include the right to return for Palestinian refugees.

According to Barghouti, these statements represent an attempt to specify the outcome of final status negotiations before they have actually started, and show a bias in favour of the Israeli side.

In a press release issued on Wednesday, Barghouti added that "such statements will strongly harm the peace efforts and any possibility of finding a just solution to the Palestinian issue and ending the conflict in the region."

Barghouti asserted that the duty of the United Kingdom "is to carry the moral and historical responsibility for what happened to the Palestinian people. [.] It should be more reasonable and balanced towards such a sensitive case like the refugee issue."

Dr. Barghouthi also protested the announcement by Israeli settlers to build a new outpost adjacent to Efrat, an Israeli settlement located between the Palestinian cities of Bethlehem and Hebron. He called on the international community to take immediate action, and to stop ignoring the ongoing development of Israel's settlement enterprise which is continuing at full speed.

Dr. Barghouthi highlighted the illegality of all Israeli settlements and their associated infrastructure under international law, and emphasised that they pose serious obstacles to the achievement of a peaceful resolution of the conflict, and of a just peace in the region.

http://www.maannews.net/en/index.php?opr=ShowDetails&ID=24259