Ali Abunimah, Nigel Parry and Michael F. Brown18 May 2004
The Electronic Intifada urges all concerned people to contact international and government officials to demand immediate action to halt Israel’s assault on Rafah refugee camp in Gaza. Israel is in the process of committing major war crimes with total impunity. The United States continues to give a green light to Israeli war crimes. In recent days, Secretary of State Colin Powell half-heartedly criticized the destruction in Gaza. Today, however, as the atrocities continue in Rafah, President Bush declared in a major address to the pro-Israel lobby AIPAC that Israel “has every right to defend itself from terror.” Bush made no criticism whatsoever of the Israeli attack on Rafah. Read more about Urgent: Protest Israeli war crimes against civilians in Rafah; Gaza
The American news media have been largely eyeless in Gaza (save for Molly Moore did write a moving though haunting piece about Rafah for the Washington Post of May 16). According to UNRWA 1,100 Palestinians were made homeless in the first 10 days of May. Has that appeared in your local newspaper? Can you imagine the hue and cry if Palestinians somehow had the capacity to force 1,100 Israelis out of their homes in Ashkelon just a touch north of Gaza? The story would lead the newspapers — as it should — even if Palestinians said they were simply moving back to the land they were pushed out of more than 50 years ago. The point to make to the newspapers, and to CNN, is that both Israeli and Palestinian suffering should be covered. All too often, Palestinian casualties are ignored or downplayed. Read more about Speak out now for Rafah
A New York City judge has imposed unprecedentedly harsh penalties on a group of anti-war protesters who blocked traffic on 5th Ave. last spring, in a move activists warn is intended as a message for those planning to demonstrate at the upcoming Republican National Convention. Four of the protesters still await sentencing and may face jail time. Judge Robert Stoltz called the protest “an imposition” of protesters’ opinions on “the people of New York City,” and told his courtroom that people attend political demonstrations out of “lack of confidence.” Twelve activists were slapped with to a total of 90 days community service, and fines totalling more than $2,000. Four protesters—who face potential jail time—still await sentencing on May 26. Read more about NYC plays hardball with Rachel Corrie protest defendants
A new activist group, P10K, seeks to bring 10,000 western citizens to Palestine in exchange for a ceasefire by Palestinian militant groups. The following “International Notice” to US President George W. Bush informs him of the plan and outlines the reasoning behind the initiative. The P10K website states that “The presence of P10K would be a huge act of solidarity with the Palestinian people, would show them that there are indeed millions of people in the west who despise the policies of their governments, and that thousands of them are actively willing to do something about it.” Read more about Letter to Bush informs of P10K intent to bring 10,000 Western citizens to Palestine
In a response, more than 1,250 organizations, networks, coalitions, grassroots activists, community leaders, and intellectuals from across the world have joined in few days the “International Response” to the declaration made by President George W. Bush supporting the policies of Ariel Sharon. The Palestinian Right to Return movement in its entirety and organizations representing Palestinian refugees and those exiled took the lead in standing firm and unified in their collective demand to exercise the inalienable right to return. On May 15, 2004, this response and signatories will be sent to all members of the United Nations. Read more about Civil society response to Bush declaration on right of return
Biddu is a beautiful Palestinian village, surrounded with vines and fruit orchards, a few miles to the east of the Israeli border of 1967. In the last couple of months, the village, that has lived in peace with its Israeli neighbors even during the present Intifada, has become yet another symbol in the history of Israel/Palestine. The misfortune of this village is that its lands, as well as the lands of the other small Palestinian villages nearby, border the “Jerusalem corridor” - a sequence of Israeli neighborhoods to the North of Jerusalem. Israeli control of this land would enable territorial continuity “clean of Palestinians” from this corridor to the settlement of Givat Zeev, built deep inside the occupied West Bank, close to Ramallah. Read more about Biddu: The struggle against the Wall
The Peace Cycle will begin at a rally in London’s Trafalgar Square on 14th August 2004. People from all kinds of faiths and backgrounds will come together to begin an amazing journey to Jerusalem. For six weeks they will cycle through France, Switzerland, Italy, Greece, and into Israel. They will ride into the West Bank and cycle through Palestinian towns and villages to Jerusalem, and on to Bethlehem’s Manger Square. Muslims, Jews and Christians, people from all races and religions, will ride side by side to show they believe in peace and justice for all the people of the Middle East. Read more about End the Cycle of Violence - Join the Cycle for Peace
The new appeal for a global concert for the Palestinians - now open for endorsement at concert4palestine.org - has been launched by Gazzella, an Italian NGO that helps rehabilitate Palestinian children wounded in Israeli ground and air attacks on Palestinian cities and villages. The appeal is available at www.concert4palestine.org in English, German, French, Italian, Portuguese and Spanish, and will soon be published on the site in Arabic and Hebrew. Read more about Campaign for a global concert in defense of Palestinian human rights
“Arafat is filthy swine, there is no Palestine,” and “Thank you for killing my cousins in Israel,” were some of the more polite slogans shouted at EI’s Ali Abunimah and Benjamin Doherty and me as we protested silently at the annual “Walk With Israel” on Chicago’s lakefront today on May 6, 2001. Abunimah tells a story of how Chicago’s leading Zionist organization met peaceful free speech with threats of violence, abuse and an effort to limit the constitutional right to free speech on public property. Read more about Spat upon, threatened, we stood for Palestine
The International Secretariat of OMCT has been informed by Defence for Children International - Palestine section and Al-Haq of the unlawful killing of seven children, the youngest of which was 4 years old, and the beating and use of a 13 year old boy as a human shield. OMCT expresses its grave concern over these events. The International Secretariat of OMCT requests your urgent intervention and asks you to write to the Israeli authorities urging them to order a thorough and impartial investigation, in order to identify those responsible, bring them to trial and guarantee adequate reparation to the victims. Read more about Seven children killed and one boy used as human shield by Israeli forces
