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Vol. 13 No. 29…Dedicated to the Dialogue on Race…Ju1y 18, 2010
Intuit's Vibe
1 Corinthians 13
King James Version
1. Though I speak with the
tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding
brass, or a tinkling cymbal.
2. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and
all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains,
and have not charity, I am nothing.
3. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and
though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me
nothing.
4. Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not;
charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,
5. Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not
easily provoked, thinketh no evil;
6. Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;
7. Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all
things, endureth all things.
8. Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies,
they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be
knowledge, it shall vanish away.
9. For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.
10. But when that which is perfect is come, then that which
is in part shall be done away.
11. When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought
as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.
12. For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know
in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.
13. And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of
these is charity.
Charity and Love or a Gift of Hate
By John Burl Smith
Like Amos, I was not trained as a
prophet nor am I the son of a prophet. I simply believe that through the love
and mercy of Jesus Christ everyone has hope of redemption in this life and
salvation in whatever comes afterward. Reading a recent New York Times article
- Tax-Exempt Funds Aid Settlements in the West Bank (7-5-10) - the
thought occurred, everyone has the right to use their money in any way they see
fit. However, charity emanates from love and is not a stealth process
undertaken to accomplish some covert desire.
The article paints an ugly
picture of Christians using biblical prophesy to justify supporting Israeli
expansion in the building of illegal settlements. They use everything from the
claim of "The Promised Land" to helping to usher in the "second
coming of Christ." It was astonishing that Christians, especially those
who profess to believe in a literal interpretation of the Bible, to make such
statements. Two chapters from the Bible - Jeremiah 19 and 1 Corinthians 13 --
are a more informative dichotomy of old and new for Christians.
First, "The Promised Land" reasoning does not hold water because
after leading the Children of Israel out of Egypt, guiding them with fire and
clouds, feeding them and providing them with water from a rock, they turn their
backs on the covenant God made that entitled them to "The Promised
Land." Jeremiah Chapter 19 contains prophesy for Jews that reflects more
accurately the situation in Israel
today.
Next, no Christian truly believes that man's actions can speed up the decisions
and actions of God. For it is written, "I will come as a thief in the
night. No man know the day or time." Such a doomsday perspective is not
about living the teachings of Jesus Christ, it seems more like a "get all
you can now because we will not be here much longer" philosophy of man.
Avoiding such false prophets is probably why God understood it would be best to
keep such knowledge as the return of His son from man in the beginning.
The old and new dichotomy
reflected in the Bible is more than just the Ten Commandments and the Children
of Israel's promise "To have no other God before Thee." It is about
the promise of a "new covenant," if the children of Israel repent.
That new covenant was embodied in Christ, who brought a new concept into the
world "Love thy neighbor as thy self." This is the base of charity
Paul talks about in 1 Corinthians 13.
The use of tax-exempt status to aid settlement building and settlers in the
West Bank and East Jerusalem, though some of
the donations go to humanitarian purposes, is not about "loving thy
neighbors," which is what charity is all about, it is about hating Arabs.
Bulldozing Palestinian homes while claiming a right to exist but denying the
same right to others is most uncharitable.
Israeli bulldozers destroyed six
buildings (7-13-10), including at least three homes, in contested east Jerusalem on Tuesday,
resuming the demolition of Palestinian property. Palestinians claimed three of
the demolished structures were homes and one was a warehouse. Daybeds and bags
crammed with children's clothing and kitchen utensils were strewn outside one
of the buildings.
Since October, Israel has played a "cat and mouse"
game with the US
over the settlement issue. No houses had been demolished in the eastern sector
of the city until Tuesday, after Israel
secured what it wanted from the US.
The demolitions seemed to indicate a move away from the unofficial freeze,
which Israel imposed after
much criticism from Washington.
On Monday, a Jerusalem
municipal committee gave preliminary approval to 32 new apartments in a Jewish
neighborhood in east Jerusalem,
rolling back a decision earlier this year to quietly put new projects on hold.
And in recent weeks, the municipality has begun demolishing small, uninhabited
structures, such as sheds, built without permits in east Jerusalem.
Saeb Erekat, an aide to
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, condemned the demolitions, declaring,
"This government of Israel
has been given the choice between settlements and peace and it is obvious that
it chose settlements." Israel
says it is only enforcing the law against building violations, but Palestinians
say discriminatory planning practices make it impossible for them to get permits,
leaving them no choice but to build illegally and risk demolition.
Twice a year in Har Bracha, West
Bank, American evangelicals show up at a winery in this Jewish settlement in
the hills of ancient Samaria;
they claim to play a direct role in biblical prophecy, "picking grapes and
pruning vines." Believing that Christian help for Jewish winemakers here
in the occupied West Bank foretells Christ's
second coming. They are recruited by a Tennessee-based charity called HaYovel
that invites volunteers "to labor side by side with the people of
Israel" and "to share with them a passion for the soon coming jubilee
in Yeshua, messiah." It is difficult to understand Christians that put
their "souls" in jeopardy trying to usher in the "second
coming" by working with people who do not believe in the "first
coming."
"These people are filled with ideas that this is the Promised Land and
their duty is to help the Jews," said Izdat Said Qadoos of the neighboring
Palestinian village. "It is not the Promised Land. It is our land."
HaYovel is one of many groups in the United
States using tax-exempt donations to help Jews establish
permanence in the Israeli-occupied territories -- effectively obstructing the
creation of a Palestinian state, widely seen as a necessary condition for Middle East peace.
The New York Times examination of public records in the United States and Israel
identified at least 40 American groups that have collected more than $200
million in tax-deductible gifts for Jewish settlement in the West Bank and East Jerusalem over the last decade. Some of the money
goes to pay for questionable commodities such as guard dogs, bulletproof vests,
rifle scopes and vehicles to secure outposts deep in occupied areas.
Christians should follow the
example of Presbyterian leaders who strongly backed a proposal (7-3-10) that
included a call to end U.S.
aid to Israel
unless the country stops settlement expansions in disputed Palestinian
territories. Church delegates approved the report by an 82 percent vote during
the church's general assembly in Minneapolis.
The question for Christian should
be which matters more, the love of Jesus Christ which is symbolized by true
acts of charity or hatred for Arabs. Whose soul hangs in the balance with the
latter, yours or the Arabs?
Hood Notes
Presbyterians Propose Ending Israeli Aid
On July 9, 2010, Presbyterian
leaders strongly backed a proposal calling for an end to U.S. aid to Israel unless the country stops
settlement expansions in disputed Palestinian territories. The church's annual
convention was held in Minneapolis
July 3-10.
The 172-page report, which
details the church's approach to issues in the Middle East,
also called for a sincere effort to mend long-standing fractures between the
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and Jewish groups.
The church's position earned qualified praise and criticism from pro-Israel
organizations, which have long taken issue with various Presbyterian statements
on Middle East peace. The denomination's
relationship with Jewish groups soured in 2004, when the church's general
assembly voted to authorize "divestment in multinational corporations
operating in Israel"
because of Israeli Palestinian policies. And, while this year's general assembly
delegates voted down a divestment amendment to the Middle
East report, delegates approved the report by an 82 percent vote.
The church's Middle
East report is meant to serve as a comprehensive guide to the
denomination's more than 2 million members on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
According to Rev. Karen Dimon,
pastor at Northminster Presbyterian Church in North Syracuse, N.Y.,
and chairwoman of the report's committee, "We feel we've brought together
people who previously had trouble talking about some of these issues."
Ethan Felson, vice president of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, said he
still took issue with major aspects of the report, but said it contained
"important signals" that could lessen long-standing tension between
Presbyterians and pro-Israel Jews. He said it strengthens support for Israel's right
to exist and removes comparisons of Israeli policy to apartheid.
The Anti-Defamation League said the report managed to "avoid a rupture
with Jewish people, but bias against Israel continues." The Simon Wiesenthal
Center said it
"takes definite sides in a complex struggle." However, Rev. J.C.
Austin, who helped draft the report and directs the Center for Christian
Leadership at New York City's
Auburn Seminary, disagreed. "We are refusing to designate a winner or
loser," said Austin.
Despite the strong convention
vote, some delegates expressed concern that the Middle
East report remained too slanted toward a Palestinian perspective.
But supporters stressed that the
overarching goal of the report is to encourage activism toward peace in the Middle East. (Source: Associated Press)
Bit of History
USS Liberty (1967)
"The history of the
race, and each individual's experience, are thick with evidence that a truth is
not hard to kill and that a lie told well is immortal." Mark Twain
On June 8, 1967, the fourth day
of the Six Day War between Israel
and the Arab States
of Egypt, Jordan and Syria,
the USS Liberty was savagely attacked without warning or justification
by air and naval forces of the state of Israel. Clearly identified and
sailing international waters in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea, Liberty's
crew did not know Israel had
warned the US
they would sink the ship, if it was not removed. Prior to commencing its
75-minute assault, Israeli reconnaissance planes flew overhead. Its pilots and Liberty's
crew smiled and waved to each other. By the time Liberty received the threatening
message, it was taking on water.
At
1400 hours, while approximately 17 nautical miles off the northern Sinai coast
and about 25 nautical miles northwest of El Arish, USS Liberty's crew
observed three surface radar contacts closing with their position at high
speed. A few moments later, the bridge radar crew observed high speed aircraft
passing over the surface returns on the same heading. Within a few short
moments, and without any warning, Israeli fighter aircraft launched a rocket
attack on USS Liberty. The aircraft made repeated firing passes,
attacking USS Liberty with rockets and their internal cannons. After
the first flight of fighters exhausted their ordnance, subsequent flights of
Israeli fighters continued the attack with rockets, cannon fire, and napalm.
During the air attack, USS Liberty's
crew had difficulty contacting Sixth Fleet to request assistance due to
intense communications jamming. The initial targets on the ship were the
command bridge, communications antennas, and the four .50 caliber machine guns,
placed on the ship to repel boarders. After the Israeli fighter aircraft
completed their attacks, three Israeli torpedo boats arrived and began a
surface attack about 35 minutes after the start of the air attack. The torpedo
boats launched a total of five torpedoes, one of which struck the side of USS Liberty,
opposite the ship's research spaces.
Of a crew of 294 officers and men
(including three civilians), the ship suffered thirty four (34) killed in
action and one hundred seventy three (173) wounded in action. The ship itself,
a $40 million dollar state of the art signals intelligence (SIGINT) platform,
was so badly damaged that it never sailed on an operational mission again and
was sold in 1970 for $101,666.66 as scrap.
While aircraft carriers in the Mediterranean
launched fighter jets in response to Liberty's
distress signal. Defense Secretary Robert McNamara, on orders from President
Lyndon B. Johnson recalled the fighters. He did not want to embarrass Israel or incur the wrath of the Jewish lobby;
the Liberty
and its crew were expendable.
Unlike the Japanese attack on the
US gunboat Panay (1937),
North Korea's seizure of the
Navy intelligence ship Pueblo
(1968), and the terrorist attack on the Navy destroyer Cole (2000),
there was no public outcry and demand that the perpetrators be punished over
the Israeli attack on the USS Liberty. President Johnson went on
television and announced that ten sailors were killed in the "six minute
accidental" attack.
Under threat of court-martial, sailors were ordered not to discuss the
incident. Congress did not investigate it; a naval review did not mention Israel's role.
With witnesses gagged, the Navy Board of Inquiry concluded the attack was
"a friendly fire incident."
Survivors and many key government officials believe Israel
deliberately targeted the ship to prevent US
discovery of an Israeli massacre of Egyptian prisoners of war, killings that
were not reported until 1995, conceal its planned attack on Syria to seize the Golan
Heights and blame Arabs for the USS Liberty attack. A US
retaliation would ensure an Israeli victory.
In defiance of evidence to the
contrary, Israel has
steadfastly maintained it mistook the Liberty
for the out-of-service Egyptian horse carrier El Quseir and that the US
brought the attack upon itself by operating in a war zone without displaying a
flag. Whatever its motives and explanations, the Israeli attack violated
international law. Moreover, its deliberate destruction of life rafts released
from the Liberty
constituted a war crime. Since no statute of limitations exists for murder or
war crimes, Liberty survivors and
supporters believe Israel
may still be brought before the bar of justice for its illegal actions.
(Sources: www.usslibertyveterans.org, www.history.navy.mil and www.ussliberty.org)
Venue for an Artist
A Massacre Is Not a
Massacre
By Ghassan Hage
I don't write poems.
But, in any case,
poems are not poems.
Long ago, I was made
to understand
Palestine
was not Palestine.
I was also informed
Palestinians were not
Palestinians.
They also explained
to me
Ethnic cleansing was
not ethnic cleansing.
And when naive old me
saw freedom fighters
They patiently showed
me
They were not freedom
fighters
Resistance was not
resistance.
And when, stupidly, I
noticed
Arrogance, oppression
and humiliation
They benevolently
enlightened me so I can see
Arrogance was not
arrogance,
Oppression was not
oppression,
And humiliation was
not humiliation.
I saw misery, racism
Inhumanity and a
concentration camp.
But they told me that
they were experts in misery,
Racism, inhumanity
and concentration camps
And I have to take
their word for it:
This was not misery,
racism
Inhumanity and a
concentration camp.
Over the years
they've taught me so many things:
Invasion was not
invasion,
Occupation was not
occupation,
Colonialism was not
colonialism
And apartheid was not
apartheid.
They opened my simple
mind to even more
Complex truths
My poor brain could
not on its own compute
Like "having
nuclear weapons"
Was "not having
nuclear weapons,"
"Not having
weapons of mass destruction"
Was "having
weapons of mass destruction."
And, democracy (in
the Gaza Strip) was not democracy.
Having second class
citizens (in Israel)
was democracy.
So you'll excuse me
If I am not surprised
to learn today
There were more
things
I thought were
evident that are not:
Peace activists are
not peace activists,
Piracy is not piracy,
The massacre of
unarmed people is not
The massacre of
unarmed people.
I have such a limited
brain, my ignorance is unlimited.
And they're so
f*cking intelligent. Really.
About Me: Ghassan Hage
is professor of anthropology and social theory at the University of Melbourne.
News You Use
'Ten Big Media Lies'
about Israel
Michel Collon, a Belgian
journalist and author, in his book "Israel,
Let's Talk about It," slams European media over decades of
"lying" to people in order to support Israel. Collon recounts "10
big lies" spread by Western media in order to "justify the existence
and actions of Israel."
They are concisely presented below:
1. The first lie is that Israel
was established in reaction to the massacre of Jews during the World War II.
This notion is completely wrong. Israel
is in fact a domineering project which was approved in the First Zionist
Congress in Basel, Switzerland,
in 1897, when nationalist Jews decided to occupy Palestine.
2. The second justification for
establishing and legitimizing Israel
is that the Jews are returning to their forefathers' land, from where they had
been driven away in 70 A.D. This is a tale. I have spoken to the famous Israeli
historian Shlomo Sand and other historians and they all believe that there has
been no "exodus," so "return" is meaningless. The people
living in Palestine
have not left their land in the ancient era.
In fact, descendent of Jews
residing in Palestine are the people who are
currently living in Palestine.
Those who claim they want to return to their lands originate from Western and
Eastern Europe and Northern Africa. Sand says
there is no Jewish nation. The Jews do not have common history, language or
culture. The only common thing between them is their religion, and religion
does not make a nation.
3. The third lie is that when
Jewish immigrants occupied Palestine,
it was an empty and uninhibited country. However, there are documents and
evidences that prove that in the 19th century the agricultural products of Palestine were exported to different countries, including France.
4. Fourth, some people say
Palestinians left their country on their own free will. This is another lie,
which lots of people believed, including myself. Until Israeli historians like
Benny Morris and Ilan Pappe said that Palestinians were driven away and
banished from their lands by using force and terror.
5. It is said that today Israel is the only democracy in the Middle East and it should be protected; it is the
"government of law." But in my opinion not only it is not the
government of law; it is the only regime that no law defines its territory and
boundaries. All the countries of the world have a constitution which defines
their boundaries, but no such thing applies to Israel. Israel
is an expansionist project which knows no boundary, and its law is completely
racist; according to this law Israel
is the country for Jews, and its non-Jew citizens are not considered human.
Such law is a contradiction to democracy.
6. It is said that the US tries to protect democracy in the Middle East
by protecting Israel.
And we know that the US
annual financial aid to Israel
amounts to 3 billion dollars. This money is used for bombarding Israel's
neighbor countries. But America
is not after establishing democracy in the Middle East;
it wants the undisturbed flow of oil.
7. They pretend that the US seeks an agreement between Israel and Palestine.
This is also completely wrong and a lie. EU former Foreign Policy Chief Javier
Solana told the Israel
that "you are the 21st country of the European Union." The European
weapons industries cooperate with the Israeli military industries and support
them financially. But when Palestinians elected their government, Europe did
not recognize it and gave the green light to Israel to attack the Gaza Strip.
8. When one talks about these facts and the history of Israel and Palestine,
when one reveals the US
interests in this situation, they call you anti-Semite to keep you silent. But
we should say that when we criticize Israel, it is not racism or
anti-Semitism. We criticize a government that does not believe in the equality
of Jews, Christians and Muslims, and so destroys the peace between followers of
different religions.
9. The mass media say that
Palestinians cause violence and terrorism. We say Israel army's occupation is
violence, the policy that has stolen land and home from Palestinians is
violence.
10. An issue which is often
raised is that there is no way for resolving this situation, and there is no
solution for the hatred and the grudge caused by Israel and its accomplices. But
there is a solution. The only thing that can stop this process is the public
pressure on the accomplices of Israel in the US and Europe and other parts of
the world; public pressure on the mass media which refrain from telling the
truth about Israel; and using the Internet or any other media outlet to publish
real news about Palestine. (Source: www.presstv.com)
Politics Y2K10
Turkey Looks for Light at the End
of the Tunnel
By John Burl Smith
An astonishing transformation has
taken place, it seems overnight. Turkey has gone from being a
"lap dog" close friend to antagonists, perched on the brink of enmity
in the eyes of the West. Today, no longer blindly abiding by decisions taken in
Washington or Brussels, Turkey
is showing it is an increasingly modern, free, democratic state,
internationally respected for its independence. It is no longer a
military-dominated, economic-crisis-ridden state dependent upon the West but a
self-confident regional power with a growing economy and stable society. This
has thrown Western powers into debate over "Who lost Turkey?"
Recently, Robert Gates, US
secretary of defense, and Jose Manuel Barosso, president of the European
Commission, faced off in dueling press conferences, one blaming the other for
losing Turkey. Gates in London early in June
opened fire on the EU, "The deterioration in the relationship between Turkey and Israel over the past year or so is
a matter of concern. … I personally think that if there is anything in the
notion that Turkey is, if you will, moving eastward, it is, in my view, in no
small part because it was pushed and pushed by some in Europe refusing to give
Turkey the kind of organic link to the West that Turkey sought."
Barroso, loaded up and unleashed
both barrels in The New York Times, "I was surprised by those remarks.
They don't conform to the facts. The distance Turkey
started to show [from NATO partners and the West] started with the invasion of Iraq and the pressure put on Turkey by the previous US
administration."
Just 10 years ago, Turkey
had a budget deficit of 16% of gross domestic product and inflation of 72%. Turkey is well
on the way to getting its inflation down, now running at 8%. Back then, Europe
held its nose while considering Turkey's
request to join the EU. There was little appetite for adding 80 million Turkish
Muslims to EU's 20 million (Pakistani Brits, North African French, Turkish
Germans, etc.). Church attendance in Europe is
in steep decline while thousands of mosques are filled to overflowing. However,
already under the 60% ceiling on government debt, at 49% of G.D.P., and headed
for an annual budget deficit below the 3% benchmark, Turkey may no longer see the EU as
an attractive bridegroom.
Closer to fulfilling the criteria
for adopting the euro than most of the troubled economies already in the euro
zone -- Greece, Spain and Portugal in particular - not to mention the support
burden for debt-weary Europe, which will be lucky to eke out a little more than
1% growth this year, Turkey's economic renaissance -- a stunning 11.4% for the
first quarter, second only to China -- poses a completely new question: who
needs the other one more -- Europe or Turkey?
The US side of the equation
really created the inequality, with its unconditional support for Israel. The
earthquake began with the Israeli invasion of Gaza in January 2009, which killed 1,400
Palestinians to only 13 Israelis. The aftershocks continued with the recent
Israeli commando raid aboard a humanitarian flotilla of Turkish vessels bound
for Gaza with
relief supplies. Israel
branded the civilians aboard terrorists in the Islamic group Insani Yardim
Vakfi (IHH), on par with al Qaeda. But IHH is also a key supporter of Prime
Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's ruling party. Prime Minister Erdogan's rise to
power was the result of combining social conservatism with fiscally cautious
economic policies and the support of Islamist fundamentalists to make his
Justice and Development Party or A.K.P. the most dominant political movement in
Turkey
since the early days of the republic.
Irking the US, Mr. Erdogan warmly embraced Iran's Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in Istanbul
as "a dear friend" and his opposition to further sanctions against Iran (voted June 9 by the U.N. Security Council)
mark Turkey's
break with Western conventional diplomacy. Considered a major shift away from
the West by Washington, Mr. Erdogan declined
to call Hamas a terrorist organization, and he no longer sees Turkey's role
in NATO as a priority. This all signaled dark days ahead for the US, while Turkey can see light at the East
end of the tunnel.
Such dramatic moves in the past would have drawn a sharp reaction from Turkey's
military, which considered itself guardian of the secular state against
Islamist encroachment. Preemptively, Mr. Erdogan moved to guard against the
possibility of the country's military staging what might have been a fifth coup
since 1960 to oust a civilian government by ordering the arrest of 52 military
commanders, who purportedly plan to blow up mosques and museums as a signal to
overthrow the Islamic-oriented government back in February. Prosecutors in the
ongoing investigation have jailed about 400 people, including soldiers,
academics, politicians and journalists.
The US has viewed Turkey's
changing role in international affairs as a doomsday scenario for the region.
This has caused many in the Middle East to
wonder, "are US' plans as benign as claimed?" Had the US planned to use Turkey
as a staging area against Iran
in a fifth Middle East war, as the Bush
administration planned to do leading up to the Iraq War? Avoiding war seems to
be Mr. Erdogan's chief motivation. He believes he can persuade Iran to suspend its nuclear program and,
instead, follow the examples of Japan
and Brazil,
countries that have the wherewithal to produce such a weapon in six months.
Turkey's
efforts to find a diplomatic solution to the nuclear crisis with Iran are in the West's interest, if the West
wants to avoid another disastrous war in the Middle East.
Having at least one member of NATO on speaking terms with Iran, Hezbullah
and Hamas would be a benefit to the West. Turkey's efforts to get Sunni Arabs
involved in the political process should be applauded. Turkey's efforts at a negotiated, peaceful
resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian problem are more trustworthy than the US' and are not
radicalizing young Arabs.
Turkey has said that its
1,750 soldiers in Afghanistan
will not be part of any combat operation and it is reviewing whether to
increase its commitment to NATO's mission in Afghanistan
as the US
reviews it planned troop withdrawal. Mr. Erdogan, like most world leaders, had
high hopes for President Barack Obama. But now they see he is unable to master
the US
'dysfunctional' system of government. Mr. Obama may lose one or even both
houses of Congress in November. And, the war in Afghanistan
appears to be headed towards a debacle comparable to Vietnam
circa 1975 (when Congress stripped South Vietnam
of military aid, in effect inviting North Vietnam to administer the
coup de grace). As Turkey
gazes into the future, lights in the Eastern sky are far brighter these days.
Mailbox: E-Mails, Faxes and
Telephone Calls
Email www.independent.co.uk
...Exposed: The Truth About Israel's Land Grab in the West Bank...Jewish
settlers, who claim a divine right to the whole of Israel, now control more
than 42 per cent of the occupied West Bank, representing a powerful obstacle to
the creation of a Palestinian state, a new report has revealed. The
jurisdiction of some 200 settlements, illegal under international law, cover
much more of the occupied Palestinian territory than previously thought. And a
large section of the land has been seized from private Palestinian landowners
in defiance even of an Israeli supreme court ruling, the report said, a finding
which sits uncomfortably with Israeli claims that it builds only on state land.
Drawing on official Israeli military maps and population statistics, the
leading Israeli human rights group, B'Tselem, compiled the new findings, which
were released just as the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, arrived
in Washington
to try to heal a gaping rift with US President Barack Obama over the issue of
settlements.
Email http://english.pnn.ps... 'Citizens
Action to Dismantle Nuclear Weapons Completely' has prepared a 33 page report
showing the presence of tens of tons of depleted uranium in the Gaza Strip. The
Israeli attacks of late December 2008 and January 2009 are the culprit, report
the international organization. "The quantity of depleted uranium may
amount to no less than 75 tons found in the soil and subsoil in the Gaza
Strip," is the study's quote. As many have suggested, the Israeli military
used or may have used depleted uranium in the ground and air assaults on the
Strip during the operation in the period between 27 December 2008 and January
18, 2009. The report indicated that Norwegian Dr. Mads Gilbert, during the
first few days of participation in voluntary humanitarian work at Gaza City's
Al Shifa Hospital, condemned the presence of radioactive material that may have
been depleted uranium in the bodies of the victims.
Email 1bigtree@comcast.net
...The Photo Album Netanyahu Didn't Share With Obama
http://desertpeace.wordpress.com/2010/07/08/the-photos-no-one-showed-to-obama/.
Netanyahu for sure didn't bring along this album….. strangely enough, neither
did Abbas on his last visit. Seems that President Obama never saw these….Maybe
it's time...NOT A WORD NEEDS TO BE SAID….. THE PHOTOS SAY IT ALL ...And so does
this graffiti on the last remaining portion of the wall that once surrounded
the Warsaw Ghetto:
https://desertpeace.wordpress.com/2010/07/01/gaza-freedom-graffiti-in-the-warsaw-ghetto/.
(Copy and paste the links in your web browser)
