Al-Jazeerah, December 11, 2006
Today is International human rights day. It is a start of a new week
after a week of rabid racist and anti-human rights rhetoric and work
carried around the US by the usual suspects (joined by a few others who
finally outed themselves as racists). The US media has had little coverage
of human rights issues. Instead the vicious attacks on Jimmy Carter
continue even though many of us consider his book far too leaning and
accommodating to racist Zionism (see below). Behind the scenes and with no
debate allowed, a a bill passed in Congress to apply draconian sanctions
on Palestinians, collective punishment, until they "elect" (I put quotes
because people under occupation do not have full freedom to engage in
modalities of elections as International and Human Rights laws require)
more acceptable leaders who will agree to Israeli and US demands of
surrender.
The sanctions will make life even more miserable in the occupied
territory nearly 40 years after Israel illegally occupied these
territories contrary to international law and UN resolutions. (Action
alert on this at bottom, please take action). In Congress, racists like
Tom Lantos stand with straight face to denounce Palestinians and declare
his allegiance to Israel instead of the US. On CNN, Glenn Beck vilifies
Muslims by questioning the loyalty of the one newly elected member of
Congress who happens to be Muslim.
While there are more Muslims in the US than Jews, over 43 members of
Congress are Jewish and only one is now Muslim. Beck then goes on to
vilify Palestinians (Christians and Muslims) claiming they were backward
"wandering nomads with few goats" ignoring the facts that over 2500
thriving villages and towns existed before the State of Israel proceeded
with its ethnic cleansing. His racism is not unique.
It is common on TV and talk radio (Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Mark
Levin, Bill O’Reilly) and many more. It is common rhetoric from Mort
Zuckerman (editor and publisher of US Report and World News) and of
"commentators" (racist pundits) like Jeff Jacoby, Charles Krauthammer, and
Thomas Friedman. Does anyone really think that all of these racist attacks
are not connected in any way? More importantly, do we, US citizens and
taxpayers who are footing the bill, swallow the language and actions of
hate or challenge it?
I think more and more people are beginning to challenge it. Perhaps
that is why the aforementioned Zionists are becoming more shrill and
louder (they are beginning to worry that the message is not getting
through). I think that is why they need to be challenged with the truth.
They should be challenged to public debates and dialogues on the issues.
Many will shy away from that (Alan Dershowiz refuses to debate Norman
Finkelstein for example).
I have debated Morton Klein (President of the Zionist organization of
America), David Harris (American Jewish Committee) and over 11 other
Zionists. None of them (with the exception of one person) has the courage
to have another public dialogue with me. I urge all readers to write to
the media and write to the pundits themselves and question why they will
not debate post-Zionist or anti-Zionist Jews or even knowledgeable
Palestinians. Would love to debate Morton Klein myself and people like him
(anywhere/any time).
To go back to Human rights, why don’t we all write to the media and ask
why Human Rights (and International Law) have been missing from the "road
map to peace" and from the Iraq Study Group Report. How can we restore
human rights (and constitutional protections) recently stripped by the
administrative and legislative branches of government (and likely now to
be endorsed by a reformulated supreme court)? Can we mobilize enough
people to speak truth to power (and realize that collectively we do make a
difference)? Freedom and human rights ofcourse will not be granted to
anyone by the oppressors, there must be a struggle for these. Can we
struggle together? Have a good Global Human Rights day (and year).
New Groups
American Council on Middle Eastern Policy
http://www.mideastcouncil.org Architects & Planners for
Justice in Palestine
http://www.apjp.org New Website by Ramzy Baroud, The
Second Palestinian Intifada: A Chronicle of a People’s Struggle
http://www.ramzybaroud.net/
President Jimmy Carter when asked about the use of the term Apartheid
said he was talking about the areas occupied by Israel in 1967. That is
sad since Israel practiced apartheid since 1947 when 70% of the native
Palestinians where expelled in the area that became Israel by 1949. 530
villages were completely depopulated but over 100 of the remaining
villages were never "recognized" by the Jewish state (so they get no
water, no electricity, no roads, no government services). and Israel is
now going to demolish more homes in these "unrecognized" villages.
See below: "The Israeli interior minister, Roni Bar-On, declared that
his ministry has planned the demolition of more than 42,000 homes of
Palestinian Bedouins that were built even before 1948 when Israel was
proclaimed. The minister, speaking at a session for the Israeli
parliament's interior committee, claimed that all those houses were
"illegal" and warned that any new homes built in the so-called
"unrecognized" villages in the Negev [Naqab] desert would be razed.
According to PIC, the regional council for those villages, not
recognized by Israel, said in a statement commenting on the minister's
statement said that what the minister threatened meant the destruction of
an entire community. On the ground, the Israeli authorities on Wednesday
demolished 17 houses in Tawil village, Negev [Naqab] desert, and assaulted
an old woman and four young men who tried to stop them."
http://www.albawaba.com/en/countries/Palestine/207111
Fascinating developing discussion on Jewish opposition to Zionism
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/rosnerGuest.jhtml?itemNo=796902
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?apage=3&cid=1164881826112&
pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
http://www.jewishpress.com/page.do/20074/Letters_To_The_Editor.htm
Delusional fabrication: Propaganda tools of Israel and American
Zionists By Paul J. Balles
http://www.redress.btinternet.co.uk/pjballes40.htm
Two-state solution is dead, and Israel killed it. By: Jeff Halper,
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=17508024&BR
D=1425&PAG=461&dept_id=154727&rfi=6
Apartheid Israel: A Beacon of Hope? By Prof. VIRGINIA TILLEY
Counterpunch, 5 December 2006 (excellent article, MUST READ)
http://counterpunch.org/tilley12052006.html
Jewish Groups To Challenge Ethics Reform, By Nathan Guttman, Forward, 1
December 2006 (this does not really address the bigger scandal of the
powerful AIPAC and its refusal to register or disclose under the foreign
lobby rules- MQ) Two of America's most influential Jewish organizations
are gearing up for their first direct confrontation with the incoming,
Democratic-led Congress.
The topic: Democratic proposals for congressional ethics and lobbying
reform. At issue are two key congressional perks, targeted for
elimination, that Jewish organizations rely on to achieve community goals:
overseas junkets, including dozens of trips to Israel each year, funded by
Jewish organizations; and an estimated $25 million a year in earmarked
funds for Jewish communal projects. Both the trips and the earmarked
funding face possible elimination as part of the Democrats' pledge to
fight corruption on Capitol Hill.
http://www.forward.com/articles/jewish-groups-to-challenge-ethics-reform/
A regrettable indifference, By Amira Hass Haaretz 6 December 2006 (On
Israel holding of about 10,000 Palestinian Political Prisoners)
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/797419.html
ACTION 1: Contact the White House NOW by phone 202-456-1111, by fax
202-456-2461, and by email comments@whitehouse.gov and ask the President
to veto S.2370, the Palestinian Anti-Terrorism Act. Tell the President
that the United States should not be sanctioning people for exercising
their right to vote.
ACTION 2: Buy Palestine Products this holiday
http://www.palestineonlinestore.com/
http://www.zatoun.com
http://www.needleinthegroove.org
Mazin Qumsiyeh
http://qumsiyeh.org
|