Israel/Palestine
Related: About this forumIsraeli activists protest Gaza violence outside air force base
Fifteen Israeli activists arrived at the Haztor Air Force base in southern Israel to protest Operation Protective Edge. The activists wore white overalls stained with red paint and held signs against the killing in Gaza.
The protesters declared that military violence and killing of civilians will continue to feed the cycle of bloodshed and hatred that must be stopped. We came here to express our opposition as Israelis for the attack which is done in our name. Entire neighborhoods in Gaza have been demolished, and Israeli residents of the south live in continue fear that no force or weapons will be able to solve. We are calling to stop the attack on Gaza, remove the siege and start genuine dialogue.
Since the beginning of the operation, over 1,000 residents of Gaza have been killed, as well as over 50 Israelis, three of them civilians. Most of those killed in Gaza were civilians, including over 200 children.
Source : http://972mag.com/nstt_feeditem/photo-israeli-activist-protest-gaza-operation-outside-air-force-base/
bemildred
(90,061 posts)NEW YORK Nine Jews were arrested inside the office building that houses the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations Monday during a protest against Israels military action in Gaza.
Outside the building, about 70 protesters read the names of Israelis and Palestinians killed during the current round of fighting and recited the Mourners Kaddish.
Organizing under the name #ifNotNow, the protesters called for the Conference of Presidents to join their cause.
Executive vice chairman and CEO of the Conference, Malcolm Hoenlein, who was out of the office at the National Leadership Assembly for Israel in Washington, called Mondays action very small, relatively insignificant. In fact, very insignificant.
http://www.jpost.com/Jewish-World/Jewish-News/9-young-Jews-arrested-at-NYC-anti-Israel-protest-369365
bemildred
(90,061 posts)In an interview with Fusion TV, Hillary Clinton argued Hamas plants its rockets among civilians partly because there is not enough room in Gaza to put them elsewhere.
Clinton explained that the current round of fighting in Gaza began because Hamas, "which has its back against the wall" and "intended to provoke Israel," began firing rockets into Israel, "Israel said 'we have to stop the rockets,' and then they discovered all these tunnels." Israel was exercising its right to self defense, she said. She also tried to explain why there were many civilian casualties among Gazans, but wound up making a curious claim when she described Hamas's human shield tactic.
"I'm no a military planner," she said, "but... Hamas puts its rockets, its missiles, in civilian areas part of it is that Gaza's pretty small, and it's very densely populated. They put their command and control, of Hamas military leaders, in those civilian areas. Israel, I know has sent warnings and tried to get people to move, but in any kind of conflict there are going to be civilian casualties, and we need to try to get to a ceasefire as soon as possible."
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/183507
bemildred
(90,061 posts)Britains biggest supermarket chain, Tesco, will will no longer sell products originating from the Israeli-occupied West Bank starting September 2014, the Jewish Chronicle reports.
Meanwhile two health and beauty product suppliers told the Jewish Chronicle that Tesco had asked them to list all their products and ingredients originating in the occupied territories.
A Tesco spokesman indirectly confirmed that the move was testimony to the success of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Movement (BDS), saying:
We have received some questions from customers about products we sell that are sourced from Israel or the West Bank.
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO1407/S00340/britain-tesco-boycotts-products-from-occupied-west-bank.htm
bemildred
(90,061 posts)The Turkish group that organized the Mavi Marmara flotilla in 2010 is planning to launch another aid convoy to the Gaza Strip, this time with an armed Turkish military escort.
According to a Gulf Online report published in English by The Middle East Monitor on July 26, IHH (Humanitarian Relief Foundation) chairman Bulent Yildrim said his organization has started the process for obtaining a permit to launch another aid flotilla to the Gaza Strip and that Turkish army troops will accompany the ships to protect [them] from any potential attack.
Yildrim emphasized that the organization demanded the protection for them as Turkish citizens.
On July 27, the IHH published a Facebook status that indicated that discussions about sending out another flotilla were still ongoing.
http://www.jspacenews.com/turkey-send-another-flotilla-gaza/
bemildred
(90,061 posts)Hanoch Sheinman, a law professor at Bar-Ilan University, is under fire after sending an email to his students that began with a statement of sympathy for all of the victims of the conflict between Israel and Gaza, triggering criticism from students, faculty and administrators.
Intended to reassure students that an additional final exam date would be provided due to the ongoing security situation, Sheinmans email, reported by the Haaretz daily, began by saying he hoped that the message finds you in a safe place, and that you, your families and those dear to you are not among the hundreds of people that were killed, the thousands wounded, or the tens of thousands whose homes were destroyed or were forced to leave their homes during, or as a direct result of, the violent confrontation in the Gaza Strip and its environs.
The rest of the email related to the added exam, Haaretz reported.
Students complained to the dean of the law faculty, Professor Shahar Lifshitz, because Sheinman did not distinguish between Israeli and Palestinian victims of the conflict.
http://www.timesofisrael.com/academic-rebuked-for-expressing-sympathy-for-gaza-victims/
bemildred
(90,061 posts)Jerusalem - Three youths were in custody over the savage beating of two Palestinians by a Jewish mob in the east Jerusalem settlement of Neve Yaakov, Israeli police announced on Wednesday.
"A Jerusalem court has to decide whether to extend the detention of the three Jewish men suspected of attacking two east Jerusalem residents on 25 July", a statement said.
Amir Shweiki, aged 20, and Samer Mahfouz, also 20, were out walking last Friday evening when they were approached by a Jewish mob who asked them for cigarettes and then produced iron bars and began hitting them, one of the victims told newspaper Haaretz.
Both were taken to Hadassah Ein Kerem hospital, where Shweiki was treated in intensive care.
http://www.news24.com/World/News/Jewish-teens-accused-of-savagely-beating-Palestinians-20140730
bemildred
(90,061 posts)---
Christian Aid believes that whilst the scale of destruction and suffering in Gaza is unprecedented, the current crisis should not be a surprise to anyone. It is the result of decades of political failure and continuous Palestinian displacement. We call for an immediate end to all violence against civilians and honest and concrete measures to demonstrate to all those who breach international law that they will be held to account.
This latest outbreak of violence is not about Gaza. The people who are now dying in their hundreds are paying the price for a lethal combination of international political impotence and indifference to decades of Palestinian dispossession and displacement. It appears from its actions that Israel disregards the most basic rights of Palestinians.
Those who have died deserve us to be honest about what is happening. The world cannot claim to be unaware, as it has been paying for the consequences of consistent political failure, weak Palestinian leadership and Israels actions since the first Palestinian refugees were forced from their homes in 1947. Billions have been poured into Palestinian development aid, while Israeli actions have fuelled de-development and undermined a viable Palestinian economy by occupying more land for illegal settlements in east Jerusalem and the West Bank and restricting access and movement for people and goods.
Israel controls and impacts on almost every aspect of Palestinian life. This includes forcing them through humiliating checkpoints; allowing settler violence to go unpunished; imposing a seven year blockade on Gaza; arresting and holding thousands without charge and demolishing homes and livelihoods.
http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/node/20693
bemildred
(90,061 posts)Colombo - Israeli holiday makers were evacuated from their Maldivian resort after one of them tore up an anti-Israeli placard equating the Nazi Swastika to the Israeli flag, officials said Wednesday.
Some 30 Israeli surfers were moved out to safety from Thulusdhoo island, near the capital island Male, as residents of the overwhelmingly Sunni Muslim archipelago protested the pulling down of anti-Israeli placards.
Tensions rose after an Israeli man tore down the placard daubed with a Swastika which had been pinned to a coconut tree.
Minister at the President's Office, Mohamed Shareef, said they evacuated the tourists for their own safety.
http://www.news24.com/Travel/International/Israeli-tourists-leave-Maldives-resort-after-Gaza-demo-20140730-2
bemildred
(90,061 posts)El Salvador recalled its Israeli ambassador from Tel Aviv on Wednesday to protest the military operation in Gaza, making it the fifth Latin American country to do so.
Brazil, Chile, Ecuador and Peru have already recalled their ambassadors.
Yigal Palmor, the spokesman for Israel's Foreign Ministry, said recalling ambassadors encourages Hamas.
"Israel expresses its deep disappointment with the hasty decision of the governments of El Salvador, Peru and Chile to recall their ambassadors for consultations," said Palmor. "This step constitutes encouragement for Hamas, a group recognized as a terror organization by many countries around the world."
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/1.607915
Jefferson23
(30,099 posts)Armed conflict
Update: July 18, 2014
MSF sent additional staff and resources into Gaza on Thursday to support Gaza Citys al Shifa hospital, but one surgeon was refused entry at the border, reportedly because of a paperwork discrepancy. During a brief lull in the bombing, 28 patients managed to reach MSFs clinic in Gaza City, more than had been able to access the facility since Israel's current military campaign begin.
With the onset of a ground invasion by the Israeli Defense Force and the resumption of aerial bombing, however, mobility has once again become constricted and medical facilities are preparing for new waves of casualties from a campaign that has already resulted in more than 200 deaths, a frighteningly high percentage of them civilians, including many women and children, in the densely packed Gaza Strip.
MSF staff in KhanYounis and Rafah distributed dressing kits for patients living in the south of the Gaza strip, where growing numbers of people whove evacuated their homes after warnings by the IDF to do so are seeking whatever shelter they can find.
http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/country-region/occupied-palestinian-territory
bemildred
(90,061 posts)Britains foreign secretary warned Wednesday that longtime ally Israel is undermining support from the West as civilian casualties mount in the Gaza Strip.
The nearly month-long conflict has claimed the lives of more than 1,250 Palestinians, according to Gaza health officials. Fifty-three Israeli soldiers have died since the offensive was launched on July 8, and three Israeli civilians have been killed by militants' rockets.
http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/middle-east-unrest/public-support-israel-shifting-amid-gaza-war-britain-warns-n168366
bemildred
(90,061 posts)---
"When one thinks that this is what is necessary for Israel to survive, that the Zionist dream is based on the repeated slaughter of innocents on a scale that were watching these days on television, that is really a profound, profound crisis and should be a profound crisis in the thinking of all of us who were committed to the establishment of the state and to its success," Siegman says. Responding to Israels U.S.-backed claim that its assault on Gaza is necessary because no country would tolerate the rocket fire from militants in Gaza, Siegman says: "What undermines this principle, is that no country and no people would live the way that Gazans have been made to live
The question of the morality of Israels action depends, in the first instance on the question, couldnt Israel be doing something [to prevent] this disaster that is playing out now, in terms of the destruction of human life? Couldnt they have done something that did not require that cost? And the answer is, sure, they could have ended the occupation."
http://www.democracynow.org/2014/7/30/henry_siegman_leading_voice_of_us
Jefferson23
(30,099 posts)bemildred
(90,061 posts)In a flagrant violation of international law, Israel's assault on Gaza has killed hundreds of civilians and devastated civilian infrastructure.
http://fpif.org/violating-international-law-gaza/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=violating-international-law-gaza
bemildred
(90,061 posts)In few other places in the Middle East and North Africa is Europe more relevant. The EU and its member states are the main funders of the Palestinian Authority (PA) and of the UN agency that assists Palestinian refugees (UNRWA). The Union is also the main trade partner of Israel, accounting for almost 30 billion euros ($40 billion) of imports and exports in 2013, up from 19.7 billion euros a decade earlier.
Often unfairly and inaccurately defined as a "payer not a player," the EU has repeatedly outlined its vision for the solution of the conflict centered on the two-states solution.
A relevant part of Europe's support for the two-states option is the commitment to institution-building for the PA both in terms of transfer of expertise and good practices and in terms of funding. On the Israeli side, ever greater integration with Europe has increasingly implied compliance with EU rules and positions, particularly with the EU's policy of differentiation between Israel proper and Israeli activities in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
For instance, Israel is the only non-European country that was invited to join the big EU research scheme Horizon 2020, on the condition that no EU funds go to Israeli academic institutions in the occupied West Bank. Germany was among the first to implement this policy of differentiation earlier this year, restricting its funding of joint research projects to a list of Israeli entities outside of the occupied territories.
http://www.dw.de/europe-must-overcome-mideast-status-quo/a-17822194?maca=en-rss-en-world-4025-rdf
Jefferson23
(30,099 posts)More often than not, celebrity sympathies have been leaning in favor of Palestinians as the Israeli assault on Hamas rolls into its fourth week and the death toll keeps rising.
Zayn Malik of the British boy band One Direction was the latest boldface name to voice his concern when he posted "#FreePalestine" on his Twitter account Sunday.
As of Tuesday, his message had been retweeted 220,000 times, and favorited just as often, among his 13 million followers worldwide.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=716935
oberliner
(58,724 posts)Critical to know what they are tweeting!
Jefferson23
(30,099 posts)oberliner
(58,724 posts)Otherwise why post the article?
Jefferson23
(30,099 posts)presumption that I posted it? I will reiterate, how you interpret the post, is up to you.
I'm not interested in what you think, truthfully. What I am seeing in your posts is
unbecoming and snarky, at best. Bye.
R. Daneel Olivaw
(12,606 posts)Jefferson23
(30,099 posts)parents complain.
By Or Kashti | 20:17 29.07.14 |
Bar Ilan University students, faculty and administrators are up in arms over a law professors email to his students that opened with an expression of sympathy for all victims of the Israel-Gaza war, implicitly reminding them that the overwhelming majority of those victims are Gazans.
Prof. Hanoch Sheinmans email was sent to reassure his second-year law students that because the security situation had disrupted many students routines, there would be an additional date scheduled for his courses final exam. Sheinman opened the email, however, by saying that he hoped the message finds you in a safe place, and that you, your families and those dear to you are not among the hundreds of people that were killed, the thousands wounded, or the tens of thousands whose homes were destroyed or were forced to leave their homes during, or as a direct result of, the violent confrontation in the Gaza Strip and its environs.
Sheinman then proceeded to inform the students of the additional testing date.
Sheinmans reference to the victims of the fighting with no reference to their national affiliation led many students to complain to the dean of the law faculty, Prof. Shahar Lifshitz, who issued an urgent message to the students yesterday. I was shocked to learn of the email sent to you by Professor Sheinman, Lifshitz wrote. It was a hurtful letter, and since this morning we have been justifiably flooded with messages from students and family members, many of whom are involved during these very days in the battles in the south.
Lifshitz added, Both the content and the style of the letter contravene the values of the university and the law faculty. The faculty champions the values of pluralism, tolerance, and freedom of expression, but the inclusion of positions as were included in the administrative message sent by Prof. Sheinman to the students on a matter relating to exams does not fit into the framework of academic freedom or freedom of personal expression in any acceptable sense. This constitutes the inappropriate use of the power given to a lecturer to exploit the platform given to him as a law teacher to convey messages reflecting his positions, in a way that, as noted, seriously offended the students and their families.
Dean apologizes for profs letter
Lifshitz apologized for Sheinmans letter and promised that the matter will be handled with the appropriate seriousness.
Bar-Ilan University responded by saying, In his letter to his students, Prof. Sheinman made inappropriate use of the platform given to him as a lecturer to convey messages reflecting his political positions, in a way that offended the students and their families. Sheinmans response could not be obtained.
Yesterday the Coordinating Council of the University Faculty Associations, which represents the senior faculty at all of Israels universities, wrote to the Committee of University Heads in response to warnings issued a few days ago by Tel Aviv and Ben-Gurion universities against extreme and inappropriate expressions, on the Internet by students and faculty members.
Sanctifying the principles of democracy means respecting the right to protest and criticize, and not to limit it, the council wrote. [The right to] freedom of expression is meant [to protect] outrageous statements, not pleasant statements.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/.premium-1.607888
bemildred
(90,061 posts)The International Federation of American Football (IFAF) has announced it is pulling its Flag Football World Championship out of Israel due to the escalation of violence with Palestine.
The tournament was scheduled to be held in Jerusalem from August 12 to 15, but IFAF officials have elected to switch the biannual event to Italy,
They will now take place from September 10 to 12.
In a statement the IFAF said: "IFAF recognises the short-term change and will try to help to ensure the most national teams can participate in the event."
http://www.insidethegames.biz/sports/non-olympic-sports/1021600-american-football-follows-swimming-by-pulling-out-of-israel
bemildred
(90,061 posts)bemildred
(90,061 posts)WASHINGTON (AP) -- The United States is condemning the shelling of a U.N. school in the Gaza Strip that was sheltering displaced Palestinians. Israel has acknowledged the shelling.
The U.S. did not say who's responsible for shelling the school. Gaza officials say Israel shelled the school, killing 15 and wounding 90. The Israeli military said it fired back after soldiers were targeted by mortar rounds launched from the vicinity of the school.
White House spokeswoman Bernadette Meehan says the U.S. is also "extremely concerned" that thousands of Palestinians aren't safe in U.N.-designated shelters in Gaza.
Meehan says the U.S. also condemns those responsible for hiding weapons in U.N. facilities in Gaza. She says the escalation shows the need for a cease-fire as soon as possible.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_UNITED_STATES_ISRAEL?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2014-07-30-13-35-35
Jefferson23
(30,099 posts)By Haaretz | Jul. 30, 2014 | 5:30 PM
Comedian Jon Stewart's latest target in the Middle East is not Israel, John Kerry or the United Nations this time he takes on United States foreign policy throughout the region.
Stewart opened by harking back to the criticism he received for chastising Israel's current military campaign in Gaza. "The Middle East, this is a dangerous region, even for the people who do not live there; say [also for those] who only express the mildest concern about the humanitarian tragedy of civilians who have nothing to do with the warring factions."
Stewart continued by discussing the role the United States has historically played in the region - attempting to help bring in peace, democracy and freedom. Unfortunately, he noted, that when that did not work out so well, the U.S resorted to a different strategy handing out bombs. Stewart said the U.S. is "like the Oprah of Middle East Weapons systems, you get some bombs, you get some bombs, everybody gets some bombs!"
http://www.haaretz.com/news/video/1.608052
bemildred
(90,061 posts)olivia on Wednesday renounced a visa exemption agreement with Israel in protest over its offensive in Gaza, and declared it a terrorist state.
President Evo Morales announced the move during a talk with a group of educators in the city of Cochabamba.
It means, in other words, we are declaring (Israel) a terrorist state, he said.
The treaty has allowed Israelis to travel freely to Bolivia without a visa since 1972.
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/07/30/bolivia-declares-israel-a-terrorist-state-over-attack-on-gaza/