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

TAKE ACTION: ISRAEL IS KILLING PALESTINIANS W/ US WEAPONS

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.

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

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]

:)

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

A View: Tanya Reinhart

Tanya Reinhart - Israeli Human Rights Defendant




Tanya Reinhart, speaking in New York, February 2007.

TANYA REINHART: So, in the present world, not only the international community does not impose sanctions on Israel. In fact, it elected to impose sanctions on the Palestinians. Since the Palestinian elections, all funds to the Palestinian Authority, all funds to the even NGO organizations have been frozen. And Israel itself is holding tax monies that it owes the Palestinian. And the Palestinian economy is completely paralyzed with no salaries, no social services, no medical care or functioning hospitals.

Just two years ago, the Western world hailed “the best of democracy in the Middle East” with Arafat departing and the Palestinian people getting ready for their elections. According to Jimmy Carter, in a report he wrote in the Herald Tribune, the Palestinian elections were, I quote, “honest, fair, strongly contested, without violence and with the result accepted by winners and losers.” Among the sixty-two elections that had been monitored by the Carter Center, these are among the best in portraying the will of the people.

In a just and well-ordered world, it would be unthinkable that a government that was elected in this kind of a process will be ignored just because Israel does not like the choice of the Palestinian people. But in a world in which the US rules, might is right, and might can define democracy as it wills. Thus, it was announced that the outcome of the Palestinian elections will not be recognized, and until this changes, the Palestinian people as a whole should be punished and starved.

What we see now, since then, is that the US is trying, together with Israel, to impose a longstanding policy that they have always had of trying to push the society into civil war. They are doing this in Palestine by supporting collaborating forces like the forces of Dahlan in Gaza. They are trying to do the same in Lebanon. They are trying this in Iraq. This is the US policy.

The Palestinian people so far have resisted this attempt to push them into a civil war, and they have managed to form a unity government. But just as we heard just yesterday, the US will not recognize—following Israel’s demand—will not recognize the new unity government and will continue the boycott.

The way this is packed is the demand of the Palestinian—the Palestinians are demanded to meet the quoted three demands, the three mantras that keep repeating. The first mantra is that the Palestinians should renounce violence, specifically Hamas should renounce violence. It’s very hard to understand the content of this demand. Already in January 2005, when the Hamas announced that they are—Hamas announced that they are going to move from armed struggle into political struggle and enter the elections, and since then, there wasn’t a single terror attack perpetrated by the Hamas. According to Israeli security sources, the Hamas didn’t even participate in launching of Kassams to Israel until the events of last summer, when Israel attacked Gaza.

The second demand is that the Palestinians should recognize previous accords. In an interview with the the Washington Post already a year ago, Hamas Prime Minister Haniyeh explained that according to the Oslo Accords in 1993, five years later in ’98, there should have been already a Palestinian state. Instead, what Israel did during this whole period was appropriate more land, continue to colonize, to build settlements, and it did not keep a single clause of the Oslo Agreements. “From now on,” Haniyeh said, “we will only accept and respect agreements that are good for the Palestinian people.”

Now, the third and crucial mantra that is being used to suffocate the Palestinian people is that the new government should recognize the existence of Israel. But the reality of the matter is that it is Israel that is not willing to recognize the right of the Palestinians to exist as a state. In the meeting of the Palestinian National Council in 1988, the Palestinian people have decided already that they are willing to accept a two-state solution within the borders of the ‘67—before the ’67 War, which for them means accepting to live in 22% of their historical land. Since then, Israel has not done a single thing to show that it’s willing accept this, to show that it’s willing to give the Palestinians a state in this little portion left of their land.

[Source]

Wake up to worst man made Humanitarian Catastrophe

Live and Direct Case: The Lybian Humanitarian Aid Vessel to Gaza & Security Coucil Crap

Lybia say: " we asked the Council to convene following Monday’s interception by the Israeli Navy of the Libyan ship Al-Marwa, which was loaded with humanitarian supplies for the benefit of the Gaza population, under almost complete siege by the Israeli authorities. The ship was explicitly threatened with destruction in case it failed to follow orders by Israeli authorities, which prevented even the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) from delivering supplies to Gaza. The ship should be allowed to enter Gaza and deliver its cargo. Libya would accept inspection of the ship by any humanitarian organization or the United Nations to verify that it had nothing but food, medicine and its crew on board. " ( by the way if Lybia was not a permanent member of the council, they would not have convened, way to go Lybia)

Israel say: "if Libya was genuinely interested in supporting peace and security in the Middle East, it would have condemned Hamas’ brutal coup against the moderate Palestinian Authority and subsequent control of Gaza, as well as the constant barrage of rockets and mortars on Israeli towns by terrorists. Like any other State, Israel had the right -– even the duty -– to defend its citizens from terrorist attacks. No United Nations Member State would allow a shipment originating from a hostile State to reach a territory that served as a launching pad for terrorist attacks against its citizens. it said that it was a “sad day” for the Security Council, which had been outrageously compelled to promote the particular agenda of one of its member States. That member State had intentionally chosen to abuse the Council’s procedures to distract it from addressing the dire problems facing the international community. Serving on the Council bore a serious and solemn responsibility, and the United Nations Charter had established clear demands of the Council’s non-permanent members to contribute to the maintenance of international peace and security. But Libya bore no such responsibility. When Israeli students were murdered last March by a Palestinian terrorist, Libya had opposed the unanimous will of the Council’s members to condemn the attack. In fact, since its election to the Council, Libya had prevented any initiative on Middle East issues that contradicted its narrow political agenda, even refusing to participate in briefings by the Israeli Mission. Those actions clearly demonstrated that Libya did not understand its role in the Council, its obligations and its responsibilities." ( thats no excuse and you will lose badly when justice prevails)

UK say : " Israel’s actions constituted piracy under the law of the sea and insisted on the need to follow proper humanitarian channels for the delivery of aid "

US Say: " the Council was confronted by a “most unusual” situation, having been asked by one of its members to meet on an issue of that country’s own making. The way Libya had proceeded was “dangerous and irresponsible”. If that country’s objective had been to provide humanitarian assistance, a number of ways existed that did not amount to provocation. The manner that Libya had chosen for delivering such assistance seemed almost designed to guarantee that it did not get aid through " (Shame on you)

South Africa Say : " the whole situation could be described as a humanitarian disaster, where innocent civilians were denied much-needed assistance. With little progress achieved on the ground following the agreements reached in Annapolis 12 months ago, it was time for the parties, the international community and the Council to act. The international community could not sit back and allow the situation to deteriorate, ending all hopes for a negotiated solution. Israel’s security should not be used as a justification for denying access of humanitarian assistance. He called on Israel to allow the delivery of much-needed support to Palestine through all crossings, including the port of Gaza. He hoped that the Council would find it possible to pronounce itself on the humanitarian situation in Palestine. It could not continue to avoid confronting such an obvious situation. " ( they have been there, so they know what exactly is going on in Gaza )

China Say: " no issue could justify collective punishment. Israel was under an obligation to ensure that the normal humanitarian needs of the population of Gaza were met, and he urged it to lift a siege and accord humanitarian assistance to the population. "

[source]

ACTION: NONE.

if you were a state member in the council how would you respond to the Israeli statement?

Things I can do

1- turn fact sheets to videos and post them on Youtube and Ikbis in a dedicated channel
2- link those videos to Queen Rania Youtube Channel
3- Network with people around the world who worked on Middle Eastern Studies and include their views and support and findings
4- Draw thoughts
5- Inspire local singers to make music that is enjoyable and hearing friendly, art work and sculptures
6- Find strength in suffering and capture photos of success and hope
7- make wikis and develop answers in appropriate and documented content and propose it to places it can get adopted
8- Celebrate every success no matter how small

will be back

FREEDOM

we don't need to be affiliated with anything to produce and we don't need massive resources or national agencies to make a difference, the things that we care for ain't gonna change by waiting for someone to hold a torch and no matter how great a person can be, he/she can't and won't score alone.

There is something I don't know if you know, but I noticed it recently; there are people around the globe who would help and understand and support our cause, but they know nothing..

The sound.
I want to make sound.


On one hand, we have this close up to our status and its awfully burdening, but on the other hand, no one knows what is going in your mind, they know nothing!!!

what cause am I talking about? I am talking about the Palestinian people. I dont want to be pro anything, pro Fateh or Hamas, Two State, One State, No State, Any State, I dont want to be part of any organization. I want to speak my mind saying that this is not right and it should not pass by and its so wrong to be silent. I don't want to use big words, I want to hear myself speaking. I have been silent for so long.

There are people who know nothing about it and are AMONG US, I dont need to go far.

I know what it feels like for us, in Jordan, the Middle East when we bring it up and how we can't foresee it solved soon but you should. I know many issues jumble the picture in the mind, really, I do know all this.

but you can't give it up, and you have to admit that you did and you do, how can you just allow people being killed miles from you? it might happen to you one day, maybe its our silence that giving it way ,, we need to say and keep saying NO loud and clear!

Those who work for UN in New York and Geneva are doing a Job at the end of the day, those who work for any government are doing a job too. its stupid, but Jobs are Jobs and roles are roles but they do not put people first. YOU KNOW THAT, YOU SEE IT EVERYDAY...

you at your job, do your job because you could be loving it, and it covers your expenses, but at the end of the day, there are people who won't even have the privilege of a safe life or a resource to depend on, living in constant fear and demolition threats of everything you ever worked for to be shattered in split second. would you allow that to happen to you now?

I didn't know what to write about Gaza, I thought to myself, I would be just another reaction to the status where no one remembers it except when it gets to a peak that the media must cover, so its just people reporting it and doing their job.

I don't care about your title, I don't care about your affliations, I really don't care about how many people listen to you and what your stance is.

but you must agree that what is going there is wrong, and my question for you now is

why are you silent ???? can you think of deliverable for a small change?

I won't let you down
I will not give you up
Gotta have some faith in the sound
It's the one good thing that I've got
I won't let you down
So please don't give me up

Mahatma Ghandi November 20th 1938

“Palestine belongs to Arabs in the same sense that England belongs to the English or France belongs to the French. It is wrong and in-human to impose the Jews on the Arabs...Surely it would be a crime against humanity to reduce the proud Arabs so that Palestine can be restored to the Jews partly or wholly as their national home."
Several letters have been received by me asking me to declare my views about the Arab-Jew question in Palestine and the persecution of the Jews in Germany. It is not without hesitation that I venture to offer my views on this very difficult question.
My sympathies are all with the Jews. I have known them intimately in South Africa. Some of them became life-long companions.

Through these friends I came to learn much of their age-long persecution. They have been the untouchables of Christianity. The parallel between their treatment by Christians and the treatment untouchables by Hindus is very close. Religious sanction has been invokes in both cases for the justification of the inhuman treatment meted out to them. Apart from the friendships, therefore, there is the more common universal reason for my sympathy for the Jews.

But my sympathy does not blind me to the requirements of justice. The cry for the national home for the Jews does not make such appeal to me. The sanction for it is sought in the Bible and the tenacity with which the Jews have hankered after return to Palestine.

Why should they not, like other peoples of the Earth make that country their home where they are born and where they earn their livelihood? Palestine belongs to Arabs in the same sense that England belongs to the English or France belongs to the French. It is wrong and in human to impose the Jews on the Arabs. What is going on in Palestine today cannot be justified by any moral code of conduct. The mandates have no sanction but that of the last war. Surely it would be a crime against humanity to reduce the proud Arabs so that Palestine can be restored to the Jews partly or wholly as their national home.

The nobler course would be to insist on a just treatment of the Jews wherever they are born and bred. The Jews born in France are French in precisely the same sense that Christians born in France are French. If the Jews have no home but Palestine, will they relish the idea of being forced to leave the other parts of the world in which they are settled? Or do they want a double home where they can remain at will? This cry for the national home affords a colourable justification for the German expulsion of the Jews.
But the German persecution of the Jews seems to have no parallel in history. The tyrants of old never went so mad as Hitler seems to have gone. And he is doing it with religious zeal. For he is propounding a new religion of exclusive and militant nationalism in the name of which any inhumanity becomes an act of humanity to be rewarded here and hereafter. The crime of an obviously mad but intrepid youth is being visited upon his whole race with unbelievable ferocity. If there ever could be justifiable war in the name of and for humanity, a war against Germany, to prevent the wanton persecution of a whole race would be completely justified. But I do not believe in any war. A discussion of the pros and cons of such a war is therefore outside my horizon or province.

But if there can be no war against Germany, even for such a crime as is being committed against the Jews, surely there can be no alliance with Germany. How can there be alliance between a nation, which claims to stand for justice and democracy and one which is the declared enemy of both? Or is England drifting towards armed dictatorship and all it means?

Germany is showing to the world how efficiently violence can be worked when any hypocrisy or weakness masquerading as humanitarianism does not hamper it. It is also showing how hideous, terrible and terrifying it looks in its nakedness. Can the Jews resist this organised and shameless persecution? is there a way to preserve their self respect, and not to feel helpless, neglected and forlorn? I submit there is. No person who has faith in a living God need feel helpless and forlorn.

Jehovah of the Jews is a God more personal than the God of the Christians, the Mussalmans or the Hindus, though, as a matter as fact in essence, he is common to all and one without a second and beyond description. But as the Jews attribute personality to God and believe that he rules every action of theirs, they ought not to feel helpless. If I were a Jew and were born in Germany and earned my livelihood there, I would claim Germany as my home even as the tallest gentile German may and challenge him to shoot me or cast me in the dungeon. I would refuse to be expelled or to submit to discriminating treatment. And for doing this, I should not wait for the fellow Jews to join me in civil resistance but would have confidence that in the end the rest are bound to follow my example. if one Jew or all the Jews were to accept the prescription here offered, he or they cannot be worse off than now. And suffering voluntarily undergone will bring them and inner strength and joy, which no number of resolutions of sympathy passed in the world outside Germany can. Indeed, even of Britain, France and America were to declare hostilities against Germany; they can bring no inner joy, no inner strength. The calculated violence of Hitler may even result in a general massacre of the Jews by the way of his first answer to the declaration of such hostilities. But if the Jewish mind could be prepared for voluntary suffering, even the massacre I have imagined could be turned into a day of thanksgiving and joy that Jehovah had wrought deliverance of the race even at the hands of the tyrant. For to the God fearing, death has no terror. It is a joyful sleep to be followed by a waking that would be all the more refreshing for the long sleep.
It is hardly necessary for me to pint out that it is easier for the Jews than for the Czechs to follow my prescription and they have in the Indian satyagraha campaign in South Africa an exact parallel. There the Indians occupied precisely the same place that the Jews occupy in Germany. The persecution had also a religious tinge. President Kruger used to say that the white Christians were the chosen of God and the Indians were inferior beings created to serve the whites. A fundamental clause in the Transvaal constitution was that there should be no equality between the whites and coloured races including Asiatics. There too the Indians were consigned to ghettos described as locations.
The other disabilities were almost of the same type as those of the Jews in Germany. The Indians, a mere handful, resorted to satyagraha without any backing from the world outside or the Indian Government. Indeed the British officials tried to dissuade the satyagrahis from their contemplated step. World opinion and the Indian Government came to their aid after eight years of fighting. And that too was by way of diplomatic pressure not of a threat of war.

But the Jews of Germany can offer satyagraha under infinitely better auspices than the Indians of South Africa. And they have organised world opinion behind them. I am convinced that if someone with courage and vision can arise among them to lead them in non-violent action the winter of their despair could be in the twinkling of an eye could be turned into the summer of hope. And what has today become a degrading man-hunt can be turned into a calm and determined stand offered by unarmed men and women possessing the strength of suffering given to them by Jehovah. It will be then a truly religious resistance offered against the Godless fury of dehumanised man. The German Jews will score a lasting victory over the German Gentiles in the sense that they will have converted the latter to an appreciation of human dignity. They will have rendered service to fellow-Germans as against those who are today dragging, however unknowingly the German name in to the mine.

And now a word to the Jews in Palestine. I have no doubt that they are going about it the wrong way. The Palestine of the biblical conception is not a geographical tract. It is in their hearts. But if they must look to the Palestine of geography as their national home it is wrong to enter it under the shadow of the British gun. A religious act cannot be performed with the aid of the bayonet or, the bomb. They can settle in Palestine only by the goodwill of the Arabs.

They should seek to convert the Arab heart. The same God rules the Arab heart who rules the Jewish heart. They can offer satyagraha in front of the Arabs and offer themselves to be shot or thrown into the Dead Sea without raising a little finger against them. They will find the world opinion in their favour in their religious aspiration. There are hundreds of ways of reasoning with the Arabs, if they will only discard the help of the British bayonet. As it is, they are co-sharers with the British in despoiling a people who have done no wrong to them.

I am not defending the Arab excesses. I wish they had chosen the way of non- violence in resisting what they rightly regarded as an unwarrantable of right and wrong, nothing can be said against the Arab resistance in the face of overwhelming odds.
Let the Jews who claim to be chosen race prove their title by choosing the way of non- violence for vindicating their position on earth. Every country is their home including Palestine not by aggression but by loving service. A Jewish friend has sent me a book called The Jewish Contribution to Civilisation by Cecil Roth. It gives a record of what the Jews have done to enrich the world? etc. Given the will, the Jew can refuse to be treated as the outcaste of the West, to be despised or

They can add to their many contributions the surpassing contribution of non-violent action.

Palestinian Political Prisoners

There are 9000 Palestinians in the Israeli jails, we should not forget them, inform your surrounding of their current status.

Updated August 2008

No issue highlights Israel’s 41-year denial of Palestinian freedom under military occupation better than that of political prisoners. Israel uses the imprisonment of Palestinians as part of its policy to quash resistance to its occupation of Palestinian land and to intimidate the Palestinian civilian population.

Out of the 3.5 million Palestinians living in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, there are few who have not been personally affected by Israel’s imprisonment policy – either through their own imprisonment or that of a family member, friend or colleague. Since 1967, Israel has detained and imprisoned almost 700,000^[3] Palestinians – almost one fifth of the Palestinian population living in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt).

Currently, almost 11,000 Palestinians are being held in Israeli prisons or detention camps, out of which around 9,000 are identified as political prisoners, including 326 minors and 94 women^[4]. Israel, in violation of several international conventions, continuously denies these prisoners their basic internationally recognized rights. Arbitrary arrests, imprisonment with no charges or trials, the absence of fair trials, torture, poor hygienic conditions, prohibition of family visits, and denial of medical treatment are all examples of the tragedy that hundreds of thousands of Palestinian prisoners have suffered during the last 41 years.

The widespread imprisonment of Palestinians, along with the inhumane treatment they receive while imprisoned, has placed the release of all Palestinian prisoners high on the national agenda. Israel’s release of high-profile prisoners during the most recent prisoners swap between Israel and Lebanon shows that Israel is capable of releasing prisoners who it claims are politically sensitive.

Today, the Palestinian people and its leadership aspire to the day when all the Palestinian and Arab political prisoners will be freed from Israeli jails.

Frequently Asked Questions:

1. How many Palestinian political prisoners are there in Israeli prisons?

There are approximately 9,000 Palestinian political prisoners in Israeli prisons or detention camps, including 94 women and 326 children. All of these have been charged with “security offenses” by Israeli authorities. Israel also detains 47 Palestinian parliamentarians. Of the total, approximately 1,150 are being held without charge^[5].

2. What does Israel consider a “security offense”?

The majority of Palestinian political prisoners are charged with offenses under Israeli military orders. These orders employ a broad definition of “security”, such that they ban, among other things, political expression.

For instance, Military Order 101 states that it is “forbidden to conduct a protest march or meeting (grouping of ten or more where the subject concerns or is related to politics) without permission from the Military Commander.” The order also prohibits the distribution of political articles and pictures with “political connotations.”^[6]

Similarly, Military Order 938 even considers “supporting a hostile organization by holding a flag or listening to a nationalist song” a “hostile action.” Military Orders 101 and 938 are only two amongst numerous orders that restrict Palestinian political life in the occupied Palestinian territory.

Because of the breadth of Israel’s definition of “security,” Palestinians can be arrested and imprisoned for practically any form of public activity, regardless of whether or not they present any legitimate security threat to Israel.

3. Do Palestinian prisoners enjoy minimum standards of due process?

No. International, Israeli and Palestinian human rights organizations have thoroughly documented the Israeli military court system’s failures in providing Palestinians with minimum guarantees of due process. Some of the failures of the system include the following:

· Palestinian political prisoners are put on trial in Israeli military tribunals. These military tribunals are made up of judges, prosecutors and translators who are all appointed by the Israeli military commander – the same individual who is empowered to make changes to Israeli military orders. Also, some of the judges appointed by the military commander do not have legal training. As a result, these tribunals fail to meet the standard required by Article 14 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political rights, to which Israel is a party, that calls for a “fair and public hearing by a competent, independent and impartial tribunal established by law.”^[7]

· Lawyers are denied the means necessary to build a proper defense. According to Addameer Prisoners’ Support and Human Rights Association, it takes an average of 30 to 45 days before a lawyer is able to meet his or her client due to a series of undue bureaucratic obstacles placed by the Israeli authorities.^[8] Additionally, lawyers are often searched at the prison before they are able to meet with their client, and client visits are often monitored by guards such that attorney-client privilege is compromised^[9].

· Palestinian detainees are often tortured, or subjected to cruel and degrading treatment during their interrogation or detention^[10]. The use of torture, combined with the absence of prompt access to an attorney compromise the veracity of confessions obtained through interrogation.

· Palestinians can be held in Israeli jails for 90 days without charge. This period can be extended by another 90 days by Israeli authorities.

· Sentences handed down by the military courts cannot be appealed to courts outside the military court system. Given that all actors within the military court system fall under a single command, and share common institutional allegiances and sets of interests, the military courts review process provides limited recourse, at best. As a result, Palestinians convicted of “security offenses” do not have access to an effective appeals process, and hence are denied the right guaranteed under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights to have a “conviction and sentence … reviewed by a higher tribunal according to law.”^[11]

4. What is “administrative detention”?

Israel has over 1,150 Palestinians locked up in what is called “administrative detention.”^[12] “Administrative Detention” refers to the detention of individuals for preventative purposes.

The practice of administrative detention as exercised by Israel is illegal.

• Israel uses administrative detention as “a quick and efficient alternative to criminal trial”,^[13] circumventing international procedural protections for the accused.^[14] Under Israeli law, administrative detention orders may last for up to six months, with Palestinians held without charge or trial during this period.^[15] Israel routinely renews the detention orders and may do so any number of times, thereby holding Palestinians without charge or trial indefinitely.

• The Israeli military detains Palestinians on a broad definition of “security threat” – a definition so broad as to include “political subversion.”^[16]

• Detainees are not informed of the reason for their detention.

• While detainees may appeal their detention, neither they nor their attorneys are allowed to access the State’s evidence, making it very difficult for them to refute the allegations against them.^[17]

5. Does Israel use Palestinian prisoners as political bargaining chips?

Yes. Israel has often used Palestinian political prisoners as bargaining chips in its history of negotiations with Palestinians. For instance, in 1994, Israel agreed to release 5,000 Palestinian political prisoners within 5 weeks,^[18] but failed to do so. Instead, it made the release of Palestinian political prisoners an issue to be renegotiated, to extract further Palestinian concessions.

In 1999, Israel agreed to release Palestinian prisoners arrested prior to May 4, 1994 in the Sharm el-Sheikh Memorandum. However, Israel failed to release these prisoners, and opted to hold onto them instead.

A more recent example is the “arrest” of 27 members of the Palestinian Legislative Council on June 29, 2006. These officials were arrested following the capture of Israeli Corporal Gilad Shalit. Only months before, Israel did not prevent these same people from running and campaigning in Palestinian elections, raising serious doubt that they presented a real security threat to Israel.

6. Is Israel committing violations against the prisoners’ families?

Yes. Families of Palestinian detainees are exposed to frequent violations, including raiding their houses, beating family members, or using family members as human shields during the arrest. In most cases, house raids are conducted after midnight, without providing the reason for the detention and opening fire against the building before entering.

In addition, since most prisoners are held outside the occupied Palestinian territory, their families are prevented from visiting them since Israel does not readily issue the permits required to enter Israel.^[19] This practice is particularly severe when it comes to relatives living in the Gaza Strip, whose right to visit the prisoners has been denied by Israel since 2005.^[20]

7. Do conditions of detention for Palestinian children meet minimum standards?

No. Under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, Israel is obligated to refrain from imprisoning children except as a measure of last resort and only for the shortest appropriate period of time. Yet, over 6,700 Palestinian children were arrested and detained between September 2000 and August 2008.^[21]

Today, about 326 children remain in Israeli jails, some as young as 12 and 13^[22]. Almost all child detainees have reported some form of torture or mistreatment, whether physical (beatings or being placed in painful positions) or psychological (abuse, threats or intimidation).^[23]

Children are routinely held in detention centers under appalling conditions: In some centers, up to eleven children have been packed into cells as small as five square meters.^[24] Children are also kept in centers with adults, all in contravention of the United Nations Convention on Rights of the Child.

A United Nations committee reported:

A few witnesses also drew the attention of the Special Committee to the appalling conditions of imprisoned minors, mixed up with adults, sometimes with women adults. They were allegedly arrested in the same way as adults, at night, taken to military camps and beaten up. They were interrogated without the presence of relatives and could not meet their lawyers for 60 days. They were subjected to various threats such as destruction of their homes, life imprisonment, beheading or rape. One youth had reportedly been confined in an isolated cell for 60 days. They were often kept three to a cell, sleeping on the floor, struggling with cockroaches and suffering poor hygienic conditions owing to lack of water. They were often exposed to ill-treatment when transferred to the court or to another prison. Unlike Israeli detainees, they had no rehabilitation or recreational programmes.^[25]

8. Do conditions of detention for Palestinian women meet minimum standards?

No. In Israel, there is just one prison for women, but no Palestinian female prisoner is held there. On the contrary, most Palestinian women are detained in jails that do not meet the minimum standards for female captives, including old jails that were built for men during the British Mandate.^[26] With bad hygienic conditions, as well as lack of food and basic services, even the two children living with their mothers in Israeli prisons are forbidden from getting toys into the jail.

Punishment against female prisoners, either individual or collective, ranges from confiscation of personal belongings and prohibition of family visits to strip-searching and late-night searches of cells conducted by male jailers. The most recurrent “faults” for which women are punished are:^[27]

a) Chatting and singing together (meaning that it might be a political meeting);

b) Doing physical activities (meaning that they are conducting military training); and

c) “Destroying public property”, which is often simply the result of the poor condition of the jails.

In addition, sexual harassment occurs frequently in Israeli prisons. Female prisoners do not have privacy and are constantly verbally abused with sexual harassment and sexual threats^[28], house demolition, or imprisonment of relatives^[29].

9. Do conditions of detention for Palestinians meet minimum standards?

No. Israel has regularly failed to ensure that the conditions under which Palestinians are detained or imprisoned meet minimum standards.^[30] Prisons and detention centers often provide prisoners little to no protection from the summer heat or the winter cold. They are poorly equipped, poorly maintained and overcrowded. In many cases, prisoners have contracted diseases as a result of poor hygiene.

In January 2006, a report by the United Nations Special Rapporteur found that:

Prison conditions are harsh: prisoners live in overcrowded and poorly ventilated cells which they generally leave for only two hours a day. Allegations of torture and inhuman treatment of detainees and prisoners continue. Such treatment includes beatings, shackling in painful positions, kicking, prolonged blindfolding, denial of access to medical care, exposure to extreme temperatures and inadequate provision of food and water.

Additionally, Israel transfers Palestinian prisoners to facilities in Israel despite its obligation to detain them within occupied Palestinian territory. Moreover, according to the UN Special Rapporteur, “family visits remain a serious problem. As prisons are held in Israel and many Palestinians are denied admission to Israel, a majority of prisoners receive no family visits.”^[31]

---

^[1] GRAFF, James (1991) Palestinian Children & Israeli State Violence. NECEF: Toronto, p. 57.

^[2] Then Israeli Transport Minister Avigdor Lieberman offered to bus Palestinian political prisoners to the Dead Sea to be drowned. Israel Radio, July 7, 2003.

^[3] United Nations, Report of the Special Rapporteur on the Commission of Human Rights, Question of the violation of human rights in the occupied Arab territories, including Palestine, January 2006 (para. 42).

^[4] Palestinian Ministry of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs, Palestinians in Israeli Prisons. August 2008.

^[5] Palestinian Ministry of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs, Palestinians in Israeli Prisons. August 2008.

^[6] Military Order 101, CONCERNING PROHIBITION OF INCITEMENT AND HOSTILE PROPAGANDA (1967).

^[7] Through its ratification of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, Israel has accepted the international agreement that sets the standard for the fundamental rights of the accused in a criminal case. The International Court of Justice in its 2004 Advisory Opinion on the Wall affirmed that the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights applies to the Occupied Palestinian Territory (See Legal Consequences of the Construction of a Wall in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Advisory Opinion (9 July 2004), para. 111 (I.C.J.).)

^[8] Lawyers often must first find out where their clients are detained. Then they must coordinate the visit with Israeli authorities, and typically can only meet with their clients during three days of the week (other days being reserved for family visits, and visits by the International Committee of the Red Cross). In order to obtain copies of material related to their clients’ cases, lawyers must schedule an appointment to use the coin-operated copy machine at the military court. Files are not translated into Arabic.

^[9] Addameer, Status of Palestinian Political Prisoners In Israeli Prisons, Detention and Interrogation Centers (June 2004), available at: < http://www.addameer.org/resources/reports/addameerSumoud.html >, last checked 6 August, 2008.

^[10] The use of torture by Israeli authorities is widespread. On 6 September 1999, the Israeli High Court ruled that the Israel Security Agency (formerly known as GSS) could no longer use a number of methods of torture (including violent shaking, tying prisoners in contorted positions to a small child’s chair, covering the prisoner’s head with a sack, and sleep deprivation). This ruling was widely reported as an end to Israel’s practice of torture. However, according to the Public Committee against Torture in Israel and B’Tselem, the practice of torture has not ceased. Methods of torture include: sleep deprivation, tying a detainee to a chair in painful positions, beating, slapping, kicking, threats, verbal abuse and humiliation, bending the body in extremely painful positions, intentional tightening of the handcuffs, stepping on manacles, application of pressure to different parts of the body, forcing the detainee to squat in a painful position (“Kambaz”), choking and other forms of violence and humiliation (pulling out hair, spitting etc.). Ill treatment in solitary confinement includes: sleep prevention, exposure to extreme heat and cold, continuous exposure to artificial light, and confinement in inhuman conditions.

See: <http://www.stoptorture.org.il/eng/background.asp?menu=3&submenu=2>; and www.btselem.org, last checked August, 6 2008; and International Federation for Human Rights, Palestinian Detainees in Israel: Inhuman Conditions in Detention, 2003 (21-22), available at: < http://www.fidh.org/IMG/pdf/ps365a.pdf>, last checked August 6, 2008.

According to Amnesty International:

“Among the thousands of Palestinians arrested after 27 February 2002, some hundreds were transferred to full-scale interrogation by the GSS [Israel Security Agency], in centers…. Amnesty International has received reports that some of the detainees interrogated by the GSS were subjected to prolonged sleep deprivation, shabeh (prolonged standing or sitting in a painful position), and being violently shaken.”

Amnesty International, Israel and the Occupied Territories: Mass detention in cruel, inhuman and degrading conditions, May 2002 (14).

^[11] International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, Article 14 (5).

^[12] Palestinian Ministry of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs. “Palestinians in Israeli Prisons”. August 2008.

^[13] B’Tselem, Prisoners of Peace: Administrative Detention During the Oslo Process, July 1997 (13).

^[14] Fourth Geneva Convention, Arts. 64 to 77; and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, Article 14.

^[15] Administrative detentions are currently carried out on the basis of Military Order No. 1229, of 1988. This Order empowers military commanders in the West Bank to detain an individual for up to six months if they have “reasonable grounds to presume that the security of the area or public security require the detention.” Commanders can extend detentions for additional periods of up to six months.

^[16] B’Tselem, Prisoners of Peace: Administrative Detention During the Oslo Process, July 1997 (18).

^[17] B’Tselem, Prisoners of Peace: Administrative Detention During the Oslo Process, July 1997 (31); and Hamoked, Annual Report, 2004 (39). Available at: <http://www.hamoked.org.il/index_en.asp>, last checked August 6, 2008.

^[18] Agreement on the Gaza Strip and the Jericho Area, Article XX (May 4, 1994).

^[19] According to the Palestinian Ministry of Detainees and Ex-Detainees, from the current number of prisoners, just 150 are Palestinians with Israeli citizenship and over 250 are holders of Jerusalem ID. The rest, over 8.000 families, are not able to visit their relatives.

^[20] http://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSL26333827 last checked August 14, 2008

^[21] Ministry of Detainees and Ex Detainees Affairs. Palestinian Child Detainees in Israeli Prisons. August 2008.

^[22] Ibid.

^[23] Defence for Children International/Palestine Section, Palestinian Children in the Judicial System, http://www.dci-pal.org/english/display.cfm?DocId=171&CategoryId=2 , last checked August 6, 2008.

^[24] Defence for Children International/Palestine Section, Press Release, Israeli Government Fails to Release Child Detainees – 330 Still in Custody, 7 June 2003. See also, International Federation for Human Rights, Palestinian Detainees in Israel: Inhuman Conditions in Detention, 2003 (15-16).

^[25] Article 37 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child states that “every child deprived of liberty shall be separated from adults unless it is considered in the child's best interest not to do so.”

The Article also states that “[n]o child shall be subjected to torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.” See Convention on the Rights of the Child, available at: http://www.unhchr.ch/html/menu3/b/k2crc.htm, last checked August 6 , 2008.

^[26] Fact Sheet “Behind the Bars: Palestinian Women in Israeli Prisons”. Addameer. July 2008. P 1.

^[27] Ibid. P 5.

^[28] UNFPA. Gender-Based Violence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. http://www.unfpa.org/women/docs/gbv_opt.pdf. last chequed August 20, 2008.

^[29] Interview with Addameer Advisor. July 23, 2008.

^[30] United Nations, Report of the Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices Affecting the Human Rights of the Palestinian People and Other Arabs of the Occupied Territories, September 26, 2005 (para. 96)

^[31] Ibid. (para. 91-96)