Blog Archives
Why I’m really not Charlie Hebdo
By: Sandip Roy
Source: alternet.org
Je suis Charlie?
Well, not quite. I really am not Charlie Hebdo.
Nothing – no cartoon, no book, no song – justifies the kind of shooting rampage that happened in Paris. As Hassen Chalghoumi, the imam of Drancy mosque in Paris says, “These are criminals, barbarians. They have sold their souls to hell.”
And he is not talking about the cartoonists of Charlie Hebdo. He is talking about those who mowed them down and fled.
But the spontaneous outpouring of the #JeSuisCharlie hashtags also elides over the really thorny issue of free speech. While we want free speech to be absolute, in the real world, it is not. And even as we stand with Charlie Hebdo we cannot pretend not to understand that.
Why Does Israel Keep Changing Its Story On Gaza? (Video)
Israel’s continued military offensive in Gaza has many around the world questioning its objectives. Israel has put forth different reasons over time, but the question remains: what is its endgame in Gaza?
Is Israel losing Latin America?
Source: http://www.aljazeera.com
In 2009, Venezuela and Bolivia cut diplomatic ties with Israel, expressing disgust at the country’s actions during “Operation Cast Lead” – a three-week conflict that included an Israeli ground invasion of the Gaza Strip and caused heavy civilian casualties.
The following year, after Israel’s raid on the Mavi Marmara flotilla that killed 10 people, Nicaragua announced it would suspend ties with Israel.
Since the beginning of Israel’s current offensive on the Gaza Strip against Hamas, five Latin American countries – Ecuador, Brazil, Peru, Chile and El Salvador – have withdrawn their ambassadors to Israel in protest. Meanwhile, Bolivia has dubbed Israel a “terrorist state” and rescinded its visa-free policy for Israeli travellers, and Chile has also suspended free-trade negotiations with Israel.
Shujayea: Massacre at Dawn (Video)
Source: http://www.aljazeera.com
Amid a renewed cycle of escalating tensions and violence, Israel launched a military offensive on the Gaza Strip on July 8, 2014.
On the 13th day of the assault on Gaza, Israel intensified its campaign with a ground offensive. The densely populated district of Shujayea in Gaza City came under intense bombardment
Filmmakers: Amjad Almalki and Ahmad Ashour
BBC news is absolutely pathetic
By: Mohammed Zeyara
BBC news is absolutely pathetic! ‘Kids killed by a misfiring Hamas rocket’??? And they are getting their news from the IDF?? Is this some kinda joke? You expect IDF to tell you they are children killers? Does the IDF and BBC really think people are that stupid? Tweet @BBCbreaking. We should not let this go. This is extremely offensive and disrespectful.
Footage: Four minutes of Israel intensely shelling civilians in Shuja’iyya (Video)
Please take caution when watching this video. The footage is extremely distressing.
By: Sami Kishawi
Source: http://smpalestine.com/
On July 20, Israel launched an offensive against the Gaza City neighborhood of Shuja’iyya, claiming it to be a stronghold for Palestinian armed resistance factions. More than 70 Palestinians were killed in the first day of the operation. Previously uncovered footage shows the aftermath of the assault which includes young children charred and strewn about throughout the streets. Many family members are seen wailing beside the bodies of their loved ones.
This footage shows the intensity of the shelling as it happened. It is unclear how many of the people seen in the footage made it out alive. We urge you to take caution when viewing this footage. The sights and sounds are extremely distressing.
This Week In Civilian Discontent: Protest In The Occupied West Bank, A Vigil For MH17 And More (Video)
From a Palestinian protest over the Israeli military offensive in Gaza, to a vigil for MH17’s victims in Amsterdam, to a demonstration in Venezuela, AJ+ highlights the acts of civil disobedience both big and small you might have missed this week.
Watch more on Israel and Palestine…
Gaza Conflict: Thousands Gather In London For Protest Against Israeli Military Action (PICTURES) (VIDEOS)
Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/
Thousands of protesters have gathered in London today to call for an end to Israeli military action in Gaza and “justice and freedom” for Palestine.
Up to 15,000 people are thought to have marched through the capital from Downing Street to the Israeli embassy in Kensington after Israel launched a ground invasion of Gaza on Thursday.
This was the latest and one of the more peaceful demonstrations as rallies take place across the globe in recent days.
Sarah Colborne, director of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, said London has “already shown its outrage at Israel’s attacks on the mostly refugee population of Gaza, with people turning out in their thousands last week.
“Today’s national demonstration will give people from across the country the chance to say enough is enough, Israel’s siege of Gaza and its occupation of Palestinian land has to end now.
“People want justice and freedom for the Palestinians, and they will be voicing this in their thousands.”
Labour MP Diane Abbott was among the speakers to address protesters as they gathered in Whitehall.
“I am here to show solidarity with the people in Gaza,” she said.
“We call for an end to the occupation and justice for Palestinians.”
Pro Palestine supporters carried placards with the messages “Gaza, stop the massacre” and “stop Israel’s war crimes”.
Many took to Twitter to post pictures of the event:
Protesters arrived at the Israeli embassy but were met by a police blockade preventing them from getting near to the building.
A number of high-profile Palestine supporters addressed the crowd near to the embassy.
Organisers repeatedly told the crowds to spread out during the speeches over fears people were being crushed.
Two children were pulled over a barrier close to the stage and one organiser said 10 people had fainted in the crowd.
Respect MP George Galloway said nearly 300 passengers aboard the Malaysia Airlines MH17 flight had been killed “without a reason” by “fanatics”.
He went on: “The 300 Palestinians are completely ignored by the same newspapers, by the same television stations and by the same political leaders who are threatening sanctions and war against Russia but who are supporting, with weapons and money and diplomatic political and media support, the Israeli killers.
“In fact, if whoever fired that missile in Ukraine had fired it instead at the beach in Gaza, the media could have knocked off for an early lunch and saved themselves all of this work.
“Why the double standard? Why is the blood in Ukraine so much more noteworthy than the blood in Gaza?”
Addressing the crowd, Baroness Jenny Tonge said: “What on earth is Israel doing? It has lost its legitimacy, it is no longer a democratic state.
“It breaks international law, Geneva conventions, it has no respect for human rights. Israel must leave the international family of nations.”
Meanwhile, Prime Minister David Cameron and US president Barack Obama have discussed the worsening situation in Gaza during a phone conversation, Downing Street said.
A No 10 spokeswoman said: “Both leaders reiterated their support for Israel’s right to take proportionate action to defend itself from the barrage of rocket attacks from Gaza.”
The two leaders also discussed Iran’s nuclear programme and “agreed that we should keep up our efforts to negotiate a lasting agreement which gives the world confidence that the nuclear activities of Iran are exclusively for peaceful purposes”.
Yesterday a group of pro-Palestinian demonstrators had to be ejected from the Cabinet Office after staging a protest against Israeli military action in Gaza..
Police officers were called to remove the small group, who were chanting anti-Israel slogans and carrying banners reading “Stop arming Israel”.
Israel and militants within the Gaza strip have been exchanging fire for 11 days, leading to the deaths of 235 Palestinians from air force and naval fire, the Gaza Health Ministry says.
One Israeli has been killed by rockets from Gaza. According to the IDF, Hamas militants have fired more than 1,300 rockets into the Israeli heartland.
On Wednesday, horrifying pictures emerged after four Palestinian children were killed in Gaza when Israeli shelling struck a group playing football on a beach.
The attack was witnessed by scores of foreign journalists, many who rushed to help the children that survived the attack.
Below are the latest pictures from the Israeli invasion of Gaza:
A Palestinian man burns a tire during clashes with Israeli soldiers following a protest against the Israeli offensive in Gaza, outside Ofer, an Israeli military prison near the West Bank city of Ramallah, Friday, July 18, 2014.
___________________________________________________________________________
Smoke rises after an Israeli missile strike in Gaza City, northern Gaza Strip, Friday, July 18, 2014.
___________________________________________________________________________
An Israeli tank moves into position near the Israel and Gaza border, Friday, July, 18, 2014.
___________________________________________________________________________
An Israeli border policeman aims his weapon during clashes with Palestinians following a protest against the Israeli offensive in Gaza, outside Ofer, an Israeli military prison near the West Bank city of Ramallah, Friday, July 18, 2014.
___________________________________________________________________________
Palestinians inspect damage of an apartment building after it was hit by an Israeli missile strike in Gaza City, Friday, July 18, 2014.
___________________________________________________________________________
Palestinians inspect the rubble of a building to pick up their usable belongings after it was hit by an Israeli missile strike in Gaza City, Friday, July 18, 2014.
___________________________________________________________________________
A Palestinian carries a gas cylinder as he and others salvage from the rubble of their destroyed homes in an apartment building after it was hit by an Israeli missile strike in Gaza City, Friday, July 18, 2014.
___________________________________________________________________________
Palestinians salvage their usable belongings from the rubble of their homes in an apartment building after it was hit by an Israeli missile strike in Gaza City, Friday, July 18, 2014.
___________________________________________________________________________
Smoke rises after an Israeli missile strike in Gaza City, northern Gaza Strip, Friday, July 18, 2014.
___________________________________________________________________________
The smoke trail of multiple missiles fired by Palestinian militants from inside northern Gaza Strip, is seen as they make their way towards Israel, Friday, July 18, 2014.
___________________________________________________________________________
Palestinians firefighters stand in the rubble of a house after it was hit by an Israeli missile strike in Gaza City, Friday, July 18, 2014.
___________________________________________________________________________
Smoke rises after an Israeli missile strike in Gaza City, Friday, July 18, 2014.
___________________________________________________________________________
Smoke rises after an Israeli missile strike in Gaza City, Friday, July 18, 2014.
___________________________________________________________________________
Smoke rises after an Israeli missile strike in Gaza City, Friday, July 18, 2014.
___________________________________________________________________________
Smoke rises after an Israeli missile strike in Gaza City, Friday, July 18, 2014.
___________________________________________________________________________
Smoke rises after an Israeli missile strike in Gaza City, Friday, July 18, 2014.
___________________________________________________________________________
Smoke rises after an Israeli missile strike in Gaza City, Friday, July 18, 2014.
___________________________________________________________________________
A Palestinian man stands in the rubble of a house after it was hit by an Israeli missile strike in Gaza City, Friday, July 18, 2014.
___________________________________________________________________________
Turkey warns Israel over Gaza offensive
Source: https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/
Turkish President Abdullah Gul said that Israel must immediately stop its air-strikes on Gaza and not to embark on any ground operation.
In a written statement on Friday, Gul condemned Israeli air-strikes as well as the rising waves of violence in the region.
Gul called on Israel to return to the provisions of the 2012 cease-fire and to restart its negotiations with Palestinians, and to allow humanitarian aid to reach Gaza.
Prime minister Recep Tayyib Erdogan warned Israel, saying unless it halts its operation, relations between the two countries will be jeopardised.
In a speech he delivered before his supported in the central Turkish city of Yuzgat on Thursday, Erdogan said his government has called on the international community and the UN “to immediately act to stop this injustice.”
“Until when will humanity remain silent about what Israel is doing against a wronged people,” Erdogan said. “Here is Israel, disproportionately striking innocent civilians with 300 or 400 bombs. Let’s prevent it from doing that, so as to achieve peace.”
Erdogan pointed out that Turkey is a party to the conflict in Gaza, since one of Turkey’s conditions for the resumption of normal ties with Israel has been lifting the siege on Gaza. “It seems that Israelis do not have the intention to do this,” he said.
He insisted that the restoration of normal ties with Israel is not viable with the continued injustice by Israel.
A number of Turkish cities witnessed protests following the Friday prayer, where protesters chanted against Zionist occupation and expressed solidarity with Palestinians.
PASS THE KNOWLEDGE (LIGHT & LIFE) 