Children Singing for Freedom

Grown-ups never understand anything by themselves, and it is tiresome for children to be always and forever explaining things to them.

Antoine De Saint Exupery

Peace is a full time Job, Peace Keepers on the ground

Peace is not just a colored ribbon, its more than a wrist band or a T-shirt.
Its not just a donation or a 5 K race.It's not just a folk song, or a white dove. And peace is certainly more than a celebrity endorsement. Peace is a full time job. It's protecting civilians, overseeing elections, and disarming ex-combatants. The UN has over 100,000 Peacekeepers on the ground, in places others can't or won't go, doing things others can't or won't do. Peace, like war, must be waged.

a story among many

Majeda Al Saqqa, January 10th
Majeda Al Saqqa, 2009-01-10

Virtual Gaza

Logic is my key for today.
I want to apologize to all the musicians in the world for calling the sounds of bombing an orchestra.
After a horrific night of tank shelling, bombardment by F16s, maybe an Apache too, the drone and, most scary of all, the smell of phosphorus gas reaching the edge of our neighborhood, today, I want to apologize to all musicians.
No, war sounds are far more frightening and ugly.
Today I will not joke.
I will think logic and talk logic.
Not enough food at home.
Children frustrated, wanting out of this prison.
It's not going to end today.
It might last for much longer.
Demands are increasing at all levels and from every side.
So, best is to act.
No safe place in Gaza Strip.
If my own bed is not safe,
then the market is not safe.
But it might be safer than, or at least as safe as my bed could be....
So, I'm up early.
I call the children: "Come we'll all go to the vegetable market."
"Is the war over?" screams Arslan, my 5-year-old nephew happily.
"No, but there will be a ceasefire, a 'safe corridor' from 1 to 3 pm," I tell him.
"Is it 1 pm?" Arslan asks.
"What's a ceasefire?" Wael asks my sister Najat, at the same time.
"Is a safe corridor like the one we use next to our bathroom?"
Najat is exhausted. She hasn't slept for two nights now. She looks at Wael and breaks
out in laughter: "Similar.... it's the shit in the pot!"
I answer Arslan: "It's 8 am now. We'll go now."
For me it seems safer to get out before the ceasefire because it doesn’t seem that there
really is one, or at least that it's observed....
I catch Arslan's eye: "Looks like there's movement in the streets, so we'll try to go
now."
I haven't seen the children so happy. They don't wait for me to get the car out from the garage. Like birds escaping the cage, they all start singing and dancing on the door step of our house.

A woman in the street asks me if I can give her a lift.
"I came here because they are distributing vegetables to poor people," she tells me.
"I'm not at an UNRWA school, I'm with my sister's family. Nobody knows about us.
"We're not registered, we're not refuges, so no one wants to help us. This kind man living in your neighborhood asked me for my ID. I gave it to him yesterday. Today I came and he gave me some vegetables. I have no idea what we will do with them -- we have no wood, no gas and no electricity. We haven't even had water for the last four days."
I looked at her in the rearview mirror and say: "Sell it and buy canned food."
"Who will buy it?"
"Many people will," I assure her.
"Will you take me to the vegetable market?" she asks.
"I'm going there, I'll take you."
She looks out the car window and says to herself: "It's better like this, I'll sell it and
buy milk for the kids and some kerosene."
The market
I decide that I will only look in the mirror or straight in front of me.
I don't want to see anything around me.
I love Khan Younis.
I can't do anything for Khan Younis today but wait patiently and survive, so tomorrow we all can do something.
Halfway to the market, we're the only car in the street.
Wael is laughing and telling Arslan to look at the old man we've just passed.
"He's hiding behind the door and looking.
"But I saw him.
"Look at that woman too! I saw her!
"She's hiding behind the door, peeking out..."
Arslan is looking out on the other side of the road. He screams: "Hey look, our kindergarten! They destroyed the building near our garden!"
Majed, my 6-year-old nephew, asks me "Who did this?"
I answer, "The airplane."
"I know, but who is in the airplane?"
I look at the woman and say: "You can sell your vegetables here."
Majed repeats his question
"Who did this destruction?"
I look at him and say: "The Israelis. But don't ask me who they are now because if you look just in front of you, you'll see where we'll buy our stuff."
There was huge truck distributing flour to people.
We sat and waited until some families got their quota and then they sat in the sun and started selling half of what they'd received.
An old woman was sitting covering her face.
I went to her and asked if I could buy from her.
"Yes, please, I have to get back quickly. If my sons know I am here, they'll be upset with me. I came because we have nothing left at home. And we have twelve children at home who need to eat three times a day."
I asked her why she is selling the flour in this case.
"Because we got two bags from UNRWA, we'll use one and with the money of the other one we'll buy vegetables."
"Ok, then how much is this?"
"NIS180."
"Why? It was 90, I say.
"Everyone in the market is selling at this price."
"Ok then, I will take it."
Some young men come and help me put it in the trunk.
When I switch the car on, Dima asks: "Why did you buy that sack of flour? It's got 'Not for Sale' written on it"
I look at her jokingly: "I bought it, I will not sell it, because it is not for sale."
What else do we need, Dima?"
She looks at the small paper where my mother has listed all her needs.
"We still need everything, you only bought one thing."
"Sugar, my grandmother said: 'don't forget sugar,'" Arslan offers.
We look everywhere but find nothing but vegetables.
So we buy what we like. And then what we don't like, just in case.
And we drive back, with my eyes staring only straight ahead.
I hear Wael, Arslan, Dima and Majed playing their new game "I see something different."
I'm not ready to look.
Shelling starts in Khan Younis.
Strikes somewhere not far, but far.
I drive quickly, passing down the main market road – a road I've not been able to drive down for the past 20 years because it's always so packed full of people and
stands.
Today I can drive as fast as I want.
It's totally empty.
Back home
We reach home and everyone's happy.
Finally, we've managed to get flour, which is most important.
Wael enters the house and announces to my mother:
We brought you flour.
But no sugar.
The toy shop is closed.
The supermarket is closed.
The woman who sells the flour doesn't have any chocolate.
She doesn’t sell cars or airplanes.
She is covering her face.
She didn't want us to know her.
The phone rings.
Wael runs to answer.
"Hello. Who is it?"
He's silent for a moment, then: "No, we don't have any..."
A few more seconds of silence.
"But we need sugar.
"And I want a car and an airplane with a remote control."
I run to pick up the second phone. This boy is out of control. He has to stop asking my friends to buy him things every time they call:
"Hello?..."
It's a recorded message from the Israeli military.
The message repeats:
"If you have guns at home you should get rid of them.
"If you are hiding any of the militias, report them at the following number...
"If you have information you want to share, call the following number…"
I look at Wael. He looks back at me, his eyes are asking my permission to request the caller to buy chocolate for his brothers too. I give him the Ok.
So he adds: "Bring some for Majed and Arslan and Dima too."
Precisely at 1pm, the cease fire starts.
I was right in my calculation and logic.
The military planes are back in the sky, performing their daily shock and awe show, complete with the sound and motion. But today they've added flying balloons and they're drawing lines across the sky with the smoke of the airplanes.
The chorus of kids crying their hearts out starts up across the neighborhood again.
I secretly congratulate myself -- going to the market before the ceasefire was a wise choice. But now it's time to go comfort and hug the kid.

Are you free from 4:00-9:00 pm?

Starting Tomorrow Sunday, January 11th, you can lend a hand at the Aramex warehouse where a great deal of donations need to be sorted and packaged. The warehouse, located in Al-Qastal (see map) will be open to volunteers between 4pm and 9pm every single day until the job is done.

the faster the job gets done, the quicker the trucks move, the faster it reaches to people in need. money doesn't immediately get the aid there, please help if you could manage to reach the warehouse.

at the end of each day, this little contribution is as big as the world and makes all the difference and your action will awaken a numb, will heal a wound, and will write a future..

volunteering with Aramex in UAE

Thanks to Ali, I learned about the donation campaign by Aramex going in UAE

[click to enlarge poster]

I went to mall of emirates, I found the guys and I signed my name and telephone to volunteer with them and they will call me tomorrow to tell me where they need people, I donated a stepper and leg support that my mother doesn't use anymore after she recovered from a broken leg, the guys told me that they are focusing on Medical items & Clothes. I took the flyer and photocopied it and distributed it in the compound and among my colleagues at work, and its been circulating by mail in the whole corporate. The Campaign will be on till the 11th of January.

Emirates Red Crescent is also gathering money donations and has booths in most of the malls.

The police in Sharjah at the lake has been asking anyone who hangs a keffiyeh inside the car to remove it and wherever they see a group of guys with more than 4 people together, they ask them to disperse.

Day by day in every way, the world keeps getting better and better

TOKYO 30/12/2008



JERUSALEM 1/1/2009



MONTREAL



SAN FRANCISCO CALIFORNIA





ATHENS



SYDNEY , INDONESIA



SWEDEN


FRANCE


NEW ZELAND

Israel sends recorded threat messages to Gazans

Lybia: no other Srbrenica or Rwanda to be added to history.

Security Council Meeting Dec 31st.

GIADALLA A. ETTALHI ( Libya) recalled that a truce had been reached between the Palestinians and Israelis last June under Egyptian sponsorship. As part of that truce, Israel had pledged to open the border crossings while the Palestinians had observed the truce “religiously” despite at least 190 Israeli violations that had killed 25 citizens. The crossings had never been completely opened, and on 4 November, the Israeli Army had entered the eastern part of Gaza, unprovoked, and killed six Palestinians. The Palestinians had never fired a single bullet except in response to an Israeli violation of the truce. Since 5 November, the Israelis had imposed a full blockade on Gaza, including blocking UNRWA.

Those actions constituted a crime of genocide, a crime against humanity and a war crime according to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, he said, pointing out that 80 per cent of Palestinian families were suffering from hunger and a collapse in water and sewerage services. Gazans could only get clean water once a week, according to the United Nations, while 150 basic medicines were unavailable. More than 400 Palestinians had died due to lack of treatment, a fact known to all, including the Council, which, however, had never lifted a finger. “What do you expect from people living under those conditions?”

Since 27 December, there had been air raids and bombardments which had led to the massacre that had claimed some 400 dead and 2,000 injured, most of them civilians, including large numbers of children. Buildings, schools, mosques, official buildings and the fragile infrastructure had been destroyed.

On the night of 27 December the Council had met in a closed session and issued a press statement calling for an end to the military action and the opening of the crossings, he recalled. The Israelis had not responded, despite pleas by the Secretary-General, the European Union, the Quartet and many Member States. Israel had said it would expand the attacks and that its ground forces were massing at the border. Israelis had proved once again that they were not interested in peace, but in seizing land, terrorizing Palestinians and expelling them from their homes by any possible means, including killing and starvation. No disrespect for international law and international humanitarian law could exceed what the Israelis had done in the Gaza Strip.

He then introduced a draft resolution that included a clear condemnation of the Israeli military attacks, a call upon Israel immediately to cease its attacks and abide scrupulously by its obligations as the occupying Power, and a call for immediate protection for the Palestinian civilian population. The draft also called for the reopening of the border crossings to allow unrestricted, unhindered access of humanitarian aid and basic supplies, while stressing the need for the restoration of calm in full. Libya appealed to the Council to adopt a quick and binding measure so that no other Srbrenica or Rwanda would be added to history.

ISRAEL IS AFTER CIVILIANS & DESTRUCTION

As far as Ms. AbuZayd could tell, “people are not blaming Hamas, they’re blaming Israel, they’re blaming that entity that is bombing it each day and creating this problem; they are not taking any second step on that”, she replied to another question.

Mr. Holmes added that all the reports spoke of fear and panic among the population because of “the constant nature of it, the unpredictability of it, the bloody nature of it”.

“On the humanitarian side, the situation [in Gaza] remains alarming,” John Holmes, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, told correspondents today at a Headquarters press conference.

It had become harder to get reliable figures because of restrictions on movement and communications inside Gaza, he informed them, adding “whatever the exact figures we may have or may quote”, he said, “this is a very bloody operation by anybody’s standards, even by the standards of that part of the world, and it’s hard to exaggerate the degree of constant fear, I think, felt by those in Gaza, in particular, as the attacks continue every 20 minutes or so, I think in many cases, both during the day and during the night. And of course there is stress on the Israeli side, too, because of the constant threat of rockets, which have continued to fall and falling in new towns and cities as the range increases.”

Mr. Holmes was joined through video link from Gaza by Karen AbuZayd, Commissioner-General for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), who said that, conservatively, between 20 and 25 per cent of the known dead were civilians. UNRWA had not distributed any food for two weeks, which meant that 20,000 people a day had been without the food that they expected. Food distribution was set to begin tomorrow, however, and six or seven food distribution centres were set up for 20,000 people apiece, each day. The Israel Defense Forces had all the coordinates and had pledged to protect those areas and not have any air strikes near them.

Opening the briefing, Deputy Spokesperson for United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Marie Okabe, said Mr. Ban was holding daily intensive meetings with United Nations officials, who were on the ground in the region. He was also continuing to work the phones. Yesterday, he had spoken with Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and United States Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. He had also had a teleconference with the principals of the Middle East Quartet, and her Office had supplied a readout on that. Today, the Secretary-General had spoken with the foreign ministers of Brazil and Canada, and he would be on full alert over the coming days as he continued to do what he could to work towards a ceasefire.

Returning to the casualty figures, Mr. Holmes said the last confirmed figure on the Palestinian side was from yesterday -- 318 dead. That number was probably significantly higher now, but he was unable to put an exact figure on it presently, not least because the air attacks were continuing at regular intervals. The range of numbers being quoted was between 320 and 390, with the figures being given on a range of those injured of between 1,500 and 1,900. He was trying to verify those and hoped to “have some better numbers fairly soon”.

On the question of civilian casualties, he could not say much more than he had said on Monday, because of the lack of information and difficulties defining “civilian” casualties, “but it is clear that the civilian casualties are significant, whatever definition you use, and they are certainly too many”. On the Israeli side, the latest figures indicated that 4 people had been killed from the rocket and mortar attacks and some 30 people had been wounded.

Hospitals were struggling to cope with the casualties, he said. Medical supplies were entering Gaza, but the situation was “difficult and fragile”. He reiterated his concern about the power situation, for the hospitals in particular, because without power, the back-up generators had to work constantly. That meant they only had limited fuel for perhaps 10 to 14 days, if they had to work in that constant way. There was also the problem of reliability and lack of spare parts.

He reported that no fuel had entered Gaza since Monday, so the power plant, as predicted, had shut down yesterday. That meant that some 650,000 people in central and northern Gaza would have power cuts of 16 or more hours a day until more fuel reached the enclave. The Kerem Shalom crossing point had remained open for the past couple of days, and yesterday, 55 truckloads of goods had been allowed to pass, including 28 truckloads of humanitarian supplies -- mainly food and medical supplies -- and five ambulances. He had hoped that would have grown to 90 truckloads today, but only around 60 had gotten through. Some medical supplies, ambulances and generators had entered Gaza through the Rafah crossing. UNRWA was planning to resume food distribution tomorrow, but as long as the Karni conveyor belt was not being used for bulk wheat grain, the stocks remained virtually non-existent.

Apart from medical supplies, the major needs were grain and wheat flour, and fuel, as well as cash for UNRWA, in order to enable people to buy supplies. He was liaising closely with the Israeli military and civilian authorities on all those fronts, and they were cooperative, in principle, about those supplies, “but we need to see more results, particularly in the key areas I talked about”. Access out of Gaza for severely injured people in need of treatment was through Rafah into Egypt -- around 30 cases had gone that way; none were currently going into Israel for treatment, although it was not clear why.

Putting the issue of the supplies and crossings into context, he said that 60 truckloads a day were presently entering Gaza, as compared to 125 truckloads daily in October 2008 and 475 truckloads per day in May 2007, just before the Hamas takeover.

The damage to infrastructure remained a concern, but so far, he thought it had been limited to the key parts of the infrastructure. Nevertheless, at least two serious water wells had been hit, and there had been damage to schools and other infrastructure. UNRWA had launched an appeal yesterday for $34 million for food, medical supplies and other goods, and there were good indications that donors would respond generously. More widely, the consolidated appeal was being used for the Occupied Palestinian Territory as a whole, and that appeal was for $462 million for 2009, which was similar to the figure for 2008. A new humanitarian emergency response fund was being set up.

He appealed to all parties to respect international humanitarian law, in whatever actions they were taking, particularly, to respect the distinction between combatants and civilians, and to respond proportionately to any attacks. “That had been conspicuous mostly by its absence so far,” he added. Apart from that, the biggest need remained an immediate ceasefire, fully respected by all sides. Everyone was very disappointed that the proposal for a 48-hour lull, or ceasefire, had been rejected, but he hoped that diplomatic efforts to achieve a ceasefire would bear some fruit in the coming days.

Ms. AbuZayd echoed Mr. Holmes’ disappointment about the lull, adding that word about that possibility had travelled around among those who had ventured out and into the markets. Hopes had been raised that they would have a brief respite from the noise of the bombs and drones overhead, at least for a few days.

She said that nearly 100 trucks had gotten in yesterday, 35 of which had been for UNRWA. People were working at the warehouses through the night. UNRWA needed 100 trucks a day at Karni alone, with just its bulk grain flour, and she was pretty sure that would not open. She had spoken with the Coordinator for the Territories earlier this evening, who had been adamant that there were still security threats there and that operations would have to continue at Kerem Shalom.

Describing the offloading and loading process between Israeli and Palestinian trucks at the crossings, she said the Palestinian trucks had only two hours, because they never got in before 3 p.m. and then they had to shut down operations at dark. So, although people were working through the night, the trucks were unable to get in. UNRWA was unable to get most of the things it had ordered into Gaza since much of it, normally, went through Karni crossing, so it was borrowing food from the World Food Programme and flour from its own West Bank Programme, but donors were sending desperately needed things. She thanked two donors -- the Hashemite Foundation from Jordan and the Egyptian Red Cross.

The $34 million appeal concentrated on food, cash assistance, shelter and fuel, she said, adding that there had already been some indications that there would be pledges for the additional appeal to the consolidated appeal that went out only a few weeks ago. Food distribution would begin tomorrow; six or seven food distribution centres had been set up, each to service 20,000 a day. The Israel Defense Forces had the coordinates and had pledged to protect those areas.

She said that only one person -- an injured UNRWA student -- had gotten out of Gaza to an Israeli hospital following the air strike that had killed eight others, but he died this morning. “So that was a bit of sad news for us on top of everything else today.”

To several questions about the fuel, Mr. Holmes said the reasons why the fuel was not getting through “are really for the Israelis to explain”. He had been pressing very hard for the Israelis to allow the fuel supply to resume. They had said there were security threats and violence around the crossing point where the fuel pipeline crossed, and they, therefore, could not open the fuel pipeline now. He hoped they would open it tomorrow, but there was no guarantee of that. Until it was opened, the power plant would remain closed, which meant a very limited power supply in Gaza.

A lot of medical supplies were entering Gaza, he replied to another question, adding that most of the hospitals were able to operate “just about” on what they had now, but supplies of basic drugs were running very low. Surgical kits would be supplied in the coming days, sufficient to treat 10,000 casualties.

In terms of coordination with the Israelis, Ms. AbuZayd said the Agency had longstanding lists of things it was trying to bring in and now was in “constant contact” with the Israelis. But, there was a lot more outside than could be gotten in on a daily basis. The Israelis watched distributions and UNRWA movement, and they alerted the Agency about any air strikes. “So there is good coordination, but we’re not getting enough in; the logistics are just not good enough yet.”

The damage to United Nations facilities was mostly collateral damage -- “we’re just near where there is a strike, somehow”, she said, adding that that was what had happened to the warehouses and schools pictured in the media today. In the case of the Office of the United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East (UNSCO), that had been “smack up against the presidential guest house”, and when that had been hit, the UNSCO building had suffered serious damage.

As for whether Israeli authorities had been asked to investigate the deadly attack involving students coming out of a United Nations facility, Ms. AbuZayd said UNRWA had taken up the matter with the International Organization Department of Israel’s Foreign Affairs Ministry, which had itself approached the Agency saying it believed the incident should be investigated.

Replying to a question about hunger, she said that people were doing badly, and everyone she knew was sharing what they had, and not just with their family, but with their neighbours as well. She had not seen widespread hunger, but for the first time in her eight years on the job, she was seeing people begging.

Regarding the source of information about a possible 48-hour lull, she said she thought it was widespread in the media. She had seen the story herself in the Israeli English newspapers, which had made its way into the Arab newspapers. So, people had believed it, she added.

Asked if she believed the crossings were closed because of security threats, she said had spoken with the Coordinator for the Territory just before the briefing and he was “quite insistent” that there was intelligence about serious preparation for security operations at all of those places. “We wonder if it’s serious enough to really keep things completely closed and to keep people, you know, on the edge of subsistence, but that’s what we’re told all the time,” she said.

Mr. Holmes acknowledged that there were questions about how real the security risks were, but the crossing points had at times been targeted by rockets and from within Gaza. So, there was some evidence for that.

Replying to follow-up questions on the fuel issue, Mr. Holmes said the fuel supply had been cut off since 26 December, with the 650,000 people in central and northern Gaza facing 16 hours or more of power cuts per day. That was an urban environment where power was a daily necessity. As for resuming the power supply, he thought it was simply a matter of turning on the tap.

All five mosques that had been attacked were said to be Hamas mosques, Ms. AbuZayd replied to a question about whether those temples had harboured weapons or militants.

Regarding the trauma, she said it was hard to describe. Everybody was traumatized about what was happening each day and about the future; they were just expecting the worst.

Mr. Holmes added that all the reports spoke of fear and panic among the population because of “the constant nature of it, the unpredictability of it, the bloody nature of it”.

As far as Ms. AbuZayd could tell, “people are not blaming Hamas, they’re blaming Israel, they’re blaming that entity that is bombing it each day and creating this problem; they are not taking any second step on that”, she replied to another question.

Asked about preparations for a possible ground invasion, she said contingency planning was under way. UNRWA was setting up emergency centres for shelters and distributions, and it was already in touch with the Israelis about protecting those areas. She thought the scope and duration of what might come was different from past offensives, but she had been assured by the Israelis that UNRWA would be kept well-informed and that humanitarian activities would be protected.

Please be informed

I am not writing this to blame anyone ; but people. read this;

In a press release that was out yesterday over a press conference for the humanitarian situation in Gaza reported from the united nations, I quote:

Asked if the Gaza population at large was aware that the current attacks were the result of Hamas unilaterally terminating the truce and firing rockets, Ms. AbuZayd Commissioner-General for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) said that, in general, they did not think that the truce had been violated by Hamas. They had seen that Hamas had observed the truce quite strictly for almost six months, and that they had gotten nothing in return. The deal was that if there were no rockets, the crossing would be opened. The crossings, however, were not opened. Also, before Hamas started launching any rockets, there had been an incursion into Gaza to target militants, seven of whom had been killed. After that, the rockets were fired and that was the end of the truce.

As for the rest of the press conference, ...

Donate Blankets, Clothes, and Canned food to Gaza from Amman

People.

There is a 48-hr campaign that will start Tomorrow to collect Blankets, Canned Food, and Clothes for Gaza. It is organized by Action Committee and 7iber . I don't have further details yet.

All details will be announced on the the Black Iris & I quote :

The people at 7iber and the Action Committee are organizing an emergency clothes and food drive for the people in Gaza.

It’ll be a 48-hour campaign starting tomorrow morning, with the goods being delivered to Gaza by coming weekend.

This is all going to be driven through the virtual community, with contributions of Jordanian bloggers and their readers, as well as Facebook, emails and just about anyone connected online. It’s the fastest way to spread the word in a short period of time.

Right now, this post is under construction, with this preliminary message designed to get you in the right frame of mind and prepared. For starters, we’ll be looking for canned goods (no meats) as well as blankets and jackets (in good condition). So start putting those things by your front door (preferably in boxes, if not, then double bagged). We are going to try and mobilize and get this off the ground as quickly as possible, as time is of the essence.

The logistics and the details are forthcoming, and will be posted on 7iber accordingly. You can also check here for updates.

Stay tuned!

Update Through Kinzi:

From Facebook:

Please bring canned food items (no meat), clothing, blankets, and jackets - all in good condition - to Cosmo Center 7th Circle from 6:30-8:30PM on Tuesday, Dec. 30th.

Action Committee and 7iberDotCom are working together to collect needed items for Gaza. The Hashemite Charity Commission will deliver the items to Gaza.

For more information or details:
editor@7iber.com
0777467733
0799692006

Do you know what will stop the raids on Gaza?

one way and its the only way to win this situation, at least to stop the uglier tomorrow:

If the international community acknowledged Hamas it would force Israel to back off. but who has the guts to do that?

none of the boats going to Gaza were allowed in in the name of a Government. no one got approved or dared to, hence First Qatari Aid / Lybian Ship were denied in.

All Boats were allowed in the name of humanitarian aid donations from people and various peace relief groups & movements.

the 17th of December 1850 resolution was indeed to frame Hamas and to give Israel a signal to go in.

My wish is: If every Arab Leader, Latin American Leader, 2 European States & Canada just PHONED Ismail Hanieh and expressed sorrow and support for Gaza.

the whole world including the US and Israel will have to listen.

The worst thing we do and are good at is abandoning our people.

LEGALLY.

Abbas Calls Free Gaza Movement a Silly Game

The Free Gaza Movement is sending the Dignity on its fifth mission to Gaza with envoys on board from civil society organizations in Qatar. The boat also carries journalists, human rights observers, and Palestinians who want to return home and have been prevented from doing so by the Israeli occupation.

On the eve of this voyage, the Free Gaza Movement would like to correct a few the statements made by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in a December 11 interview with Al-Sharq al-Awsat newspaper. In that interview, Abbas suggesting that our efforts are coordinated with the Israelis – that the Israelis check the passports of the passengers aboard our ship and officials from the Israeli Embassy in Larnaca, Cyprus, check our boat before we leave the port.

And as a result of this interference, President Abbas stated that ours is a "silly game" and that we are not really breaking the siege.

We do not coordinate any of our actions with the Israelis. Israel has grossly abused its authority as an occupying power by collectively punishing the people of Gaza and denying them basic human rights. As such, we neither seek Israel's permission, nor submit to their searches, to assert the right of the Palestinian people to have access to the outside world, which includes the right to invite and welcome us to Gaza.

So, why do we get in, while other efforts are stopped by the Israeli authorities? Because we remove the "security" pretext with which Israel tries to justify its brutal actions and inhumane policies towards the Palestinian people. Amongst other things, we publicize our passenger list; we depart from Cyprus, a neutral European country; and we submit to a search by the Cypriot Port Authorities to verify that we are not carrying anything that can be considered a threat to Israel's security. We sail from Cyprus waters, into international waters, directly into Gaza's territorial waters, without entering Israeli waters. Israel realizes that it cannot stop us without using force against us, because we will not be turned around easily.

President Abbas' statement that we coordinate with the Israelis was misinformed. However, Abbas was correct when he said that we are not really breaking the siege on Gaza. Our boats cannot break the siege alone. Our hope is that we have started something that others can build on. We have shown that the concerted efforts of ordinary civilians working together in the name of justice can confront and successfully challenge Israel's brutal policies and hope we have inspired other people to break their silence over Israel's war crimes in the Gaza Strip and throughout the occupied Palestinian territory. From the continued and accelerated Judaization of Jerusalem and the rabid violence of the settler movement, to the vicious racism of Israeli politicians, Israel is committing massive violations against the people Gaza and Palestine as a whole. The world must stand up to this.

The Free Gaza Movement will continue to send boats to Gaza to challenge Israel's imprisonment of 1.5 million Palestinians, and we will continue to work for freedom and justice for all of the Palestinian people. We do not need Israel's permission and we will never ask for it. We do need President Abbas, the Arab world, and the entire international community to join us.

[Source]

Why are you NOT hearing anything about Free Gaza Boats in mainstream media? WHY??

Photo by Mike Cushman, you can see more from the 4th Dignity Trip here

Resolution 1850, Absence of a Legal Voice and The US Policy

Resolution
The full text of resolution 1850 (2008) reads as follows:

“The Security Council,

“Recalling all its previous relevant resolutions, in particular resolutions 242, 338, 1397, and 1515 and the Madrid principles,

“Reiterating its vision of a region where two democratic States, Israel and Palestine, live side by side in peace within secure and recognized borders,

“Welcoming the 9 November 2008 statement from the Quartet and the Israeli‑Palestinian Joint Understanding announced at the November 2007 Annapolis Conference, including in relation to implementation of the Performance-Based Roadmap to a Permanent Two-State Solution to the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict,

“Noting also that lasting peace can only be based on an enduring commitment to mutual recognition, freedom from violence, incitement, and terror, and the two-State solution, building upon previous agreements and obligations,

“Noting the importance of the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative,

“Encouraging the Quartet’s ongoing work to support the parties in their efforts to achieve a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in the Middle East,

“1. Declares its support for the negotiations initiated at Annapolis, Maryland, on 27 November 2007 and its commitment to the irreversibility of the bilateral negotiations;

“2. Supports the parties’ agreed principles for the bilateral negotiating process and their determined efforts to reach their goal of concluding a peace treaty resolving all outstanding issues, including all core issues, without exception, which confirm the seriousness of the Annapolis process;

“3. Calls on both parties to fulfil their obligations under the Performance-Based Roadmap, as stated in their Annapolis Joint Understanding, and refrain from any steps that could undermine confidence or prejudice the outcome of negotiations;

“4. Calls on all States and international organizations to contribute to an atmosphere conducive to negotiations and to support the Palestinian government that is committed to the Quartet principles and the Arab Peace Initiative and respects the commitments of the Palestinian Liberation Organization, to assist in the development of the Palestinian economy, to maximize the resources available to the Palestinian Authority, and to contribute to the Palestinian institution‑building programme in preparation for statehood;

“5. Urges an intensification of diplomatic efforts to foster in parallel with progress in the bilateral process mutual recognition and peaceful coexistence between all States in the region in the context of achieving a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in the Middle East;

“6. Welcomesthe Quartet’s consideration, in consultation with the parties, of an international meeting in Moscow in 2009;

“7. Decides to remain seized of the matter.”

I think Hamas got framed by the UN's seal on this resolution, a seal that the whole world irreversibly agreed to, to carry on with a clearly a too vague post Annapolis negotiations that puts Palestinians out balance against Israel, trashing 2006 elections, raising international aid donations and pushing the subject matter off to 2009, loosely allowing more settlers colonization without any penalties set by a third party or the international community..

What is Ironic is that the whole, mostly our world is silent. we - the first hand concerned people - we, the same people are never there in the legal arena. look at us, we are legally illiterate, legally voiceless when its us who supposed to be talking and I blame media, academia, and common home education ... the International Intervention never was in favor of Palestine and Palestinians and the massive support for a two state solution became so strong when physically it stood impossible to work for a Palestinian autonomous state in 14% of Palestine that looks like Swiss cheese! bad news is that is two states solution is not around the corner neither. what can people do in this case?


Freedom for Palestine 6 by ~Johny-60 on deviantART

Answer: support civic peace movements & educate people and earn a voice. a Legal voice.

Thanks to Post Zionist thinkers, there are people advocating a Palestinian State and are seeking a redefinition for a state of Israel.

But if established a state of Palestine over the 1967 Territories, do you think the relation between Palestine - Israel as a state would ever be similar to Jordan - Israel? ever ? can you take a look at an anticipated state ? How will the legal system be like? how will the resources interdependency be like?

what if the united states no longer supported Israel?
the states' vote is either against or abstention..

but again, what if..



Enjoy!

DIGNITY LEAVES GAZA WITH 11 PALESTINIAN STUDENTS

(GAZA PORT, GAZA - 11 December 2008) - The Free Gaza Ship “Dignity,”
departed from Gaza International Port at 22:10 hours, Thursday 11
December. Aboard the ship were eleven Palestinian students who had been
denied exit by Israel to attend their universities abroad. Over 700
students are currently trapped in Gaza, unable to obtain permission from
Israel to continue their education.

Accompanying the students are two British academics, Jonathan Rosenhead
and Mike Cushman, of the London School of Economics and the British
Committee for Universities for Palestine (BRICUP), an organization of
UK-based academics responding to Palestine's Call for an Academic Boycott
of Israel.

According to Rosenhead and Cushman, “As academics we are particularly
pleased to be traveling on the Dignity on this mission to enable at least
some of the hundreds of students trapped in Gaza by the Israeli siege to
get out and take up their places at universities round the world. This
siege is an affront to any idea of academic freedom or human rights. How
can anyone justify preventing young people from fulfilling their potential
and learning how to serve their community more fully?”

In an act of nonviolent defiance to the ongoing Israeli Occupation of
Palestine, the Free Gaza Movement has been running civil resistance ships
to Gaza for several months. This voyage is the fourth such trip, helping
to reunite families, and delivering medical supplies, mail, and
international humanitarian and human rights workers to besieged Gaza.

Free Gaza spokesperson Ewa Jasiewicz stated that, “Though we carried in a
ton of medical supplies and high-protein baby formula on our ship, our
mission in Gaza was not to provide charity, but to give our solidarity to
the people of Palestine, break the silence of the world over this
continuing calamity, and physically break through the blockade of Gaza in
an act of direct resistance against the siege. In the end, the oppression
and humiliation of Occupation assaults the humanity of both occupier and
occupied and cannot and must not be tolerated any longer.”

For over two years, Israel has imposed an increasingly severe blockade on
Gaza, dramatically increasing poverty and malnutrition rates among the 1.5
million human people who live in this tiny, coastal region.

Osama Qashoo, another Free Gaza spokesperson, explained their success by
saying that, “the sea passage to Gaza is open. Our fourth mission was a
quick response to Israel denying earlier attempts by Libya, Qatar and by
Palestinians from 1948 to also break through the siege. We hope that other
nations, civil society organizations, and activists around the world will
learn from our experience, be strategic in their planning, and not let
Israeli threats and aggression stop them from coming to Gaza. Freedom of
movement and of education, and to live in peace is everyone’s right.”

[Source]

For More Information, please contact:
(Gaza) Caoimhe Butterly, +972 598 273 960
(Cyprus/Gaza) Lubna Masarwa, +972 505 633 044
(Cyprus) Ramzi Kysia , +357 99 081 76

Further Reading [Here]

:)

4th Blockade-Defying Boat Docks Gaza Port =)

YEAAAAH BABY! THEY MADE IT =DDD

;)

WOOOHOOO :D

FREE GAZA PEOPLE ARE AMAZING!!



Dignity the fourth boat from Free Gaza Movement reached Gaza Port on Tuesday with 1 Ton of Humanitarian Aid, Humanitarian workers, Activists and Academia from London University to take 16 Gazan students to pursue their studies, Students whom Israel did NOT allow to leave Gaza.

YES! FREE GAZA DID IT THROUGH ACTIVISTS AND DONATIONS FROM NORMAL PEOPLE WHO CONNECTED THROUGH THE INTERNET AND THROUGH PEACE ORGANISATIONS AND THEY ARE MAKING A DIFFERENCE AND THEY SERIOUSLY NEED HELP

we can donate money, we can send poetry in, we can make paintings and send our drawings, you can help them if you were a journalist, we can make videos, music, we can arrange a peaceful walk for freedom in our countries.

we can :) yupp I believe that

REALLY!! WHAT IS HAPPENING IS AWESOME :D

HURRRAAAAY :D

would you change??

ENJOY!

pro-palestinian protests infront of the Saudi Embassy in Tehran

Meh! this is absolutely terrible to be put under a "NO COMMENT" section by EuroNews

I think silence and ignorance do cost. Protests here are no better, what people are screaming to say is the same in essence, people vs. governments as always, people want their authority in their countries but is this way effective? is it not the time to give up governments and think about the people.. it pays off and is rewarding :)

I hate how media portrays Iran as a country that promotes Terror! there are fanatics everywhere and there are good people too.

end result for me,

Gulf Political inaction is wrong because they have the authority.
its ok to let the people express their frustration.
pouring strength in violence costs.

but should that make the Saudis pay for more protection against Iran and become more pro-Israel ??

sigh.

no one is contributing in essence. whats wrong with the world

I Love you FreeGaza.org and you too Anis