Archive for the 'Global issues' Category

Secretary-General calls again on Israel to ease Gaza blockade

Palestinian women walk near Israel’s barrier near Ramallah in the West Bank
19 June 2009 – Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon repeated his call on Israel to ease its blockade on Gaza during a meeting today in New York with Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman.
Mr. Ban also called for a freeze on all settlement activity, including natural growth, and for Israel to allow the resumption of stalled United Nations projects in Gaza, according to information provided by his spokesperson.

On Wednesday, a group of UN agencies and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) called for an end to the blockade on Gaza, which has now been in force for two years and has left the population of 1.5 million almost totally dependent on international aid.

In addition to Gaza, the Secretary-General and Mr. Liberman discussed a number of regional issues including Lebanon. Mr. Ban briefed the Foreign Minister on his upcoming report on Security Council resolution 1701, which ended the 2006 war between Israel and Hizbollah.

On the Middle East Peace Process, the head of the UN reiterated the need for a political process based on the two-State solution and negotiations on all core issues, as envisaged in international law, Security Council resolutions, and existing agreements.

The two men also discussed Iran, with Mr. Ban reiterating his belief that the nuclear issues can and should be resolved through peaceful means, in accordance with relevant Security Council resolutions.

What you can do:

1) Protest at Egyptians Missions and Consulates tomorrow, from 4 to 6 (see locations listed below)
2) Sign the online petition at http://www.iacenter.org/palestine/vivapalestinapetition
3) Forward this message to your listserves, post it on your social networking sites and blogs

Let the Viva Palestina Convoy into Gaza!

As we write, the Viva Palestina Convoy is being denied passage into Gaza by the Egyptian Government.

This convoy is the largest ever US humanitarian aid convoy, organized by British MP George Galloway and Vietnam Veteran and antiwar activist Ron Kovic, and is carry medical supplies for the people of Gaza, who have been the targets of brutal attacks and an ongoing blockade by the Israeli Occupation Forces.

The convoy’s delegation of about 200 people left for Cairo, Egypt from July 4th to July 7th, en route to Gaza to provide much-needed humanitarian aid to the people–wheelchairs, walkers and medical supplies. Participants include former Congressperson Cynthia McKinney, New York City Council Member Charles Barron, and members of CAIR, Middle East Childrens Alliance, Cuba Coalition, Malcolm X Grassroots Movement, MECHA, International Action Center, International Socialist Organization, Workers World Party, Answer Coalition and many more.

Sign the petition below to demand that the convoy be allowed to deliver the aid to the people of Gaza:

To: Egyptian President Mohammad Hosni Mubarak, Prime Minister Dr. Ahmed Mahmoud Mohammed Nazif, the Egyptian Government, President Barack Obama, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Vice President Joe Biden, Congressional leaders, U.N. General Assembly President d’Escoto-Brockmann, U.N. Secretary General Ban, members of the U.N. Security Council, U.N. member states, and the President, Prime Minister, Cabinet and Opposition leader of Israel

cc: Major media representatives, International Red Cross

LET THE VIVA PALESTINA HUMANITARIAN AID INTO GAZA NOW!

I am writing in support of the Viva Palestina humanitarian convoy that is currently seeking to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza. This convoy is carrying humanitarian relief to a beseiged population, and it is a violation of international law to deny them passage or to detain and harass them in any way.

This convoy was organized with the support of individuals and organizations from across the U.S., and is supported by people across the world, who stand with with the people of Gaza, who have been the target of a two-year blockade and numerous military strikes by the Israeli Occupation Forces.

I demand that the convoy be allowed safe passage, so that this vital medical aid can be delivered to the people of Gaza.

I further demand that the siege of Gaza be lifted immediately.

This book documents Israel’s war crimes in Gaza, and explains how Gazans withstood siege and war and refused to give up the right to determine their own lives. Gaza’s courage inspired a worldwide solidarity movement determined to break the blockade and deliver aid. This book exposes the role of the major powers, especially the U.S., to support the Israeli blockade. It is the most comprehensive book out in English providing a full and lively narrative of recent events in Gaza, with excerpts from the UN’s Goldstone Report and eyewitness testimony from participants in three Viva Palestina convoys, which broke the blockade and delivered aid to Gaza. It gives voice to Palestinian forces, including Hamas, and includes statements from Jewish people opposing the torture of Gaza.
Gaza: Symbol of Resistance is all ready to go to press, But it can only be published with your help.

Ramsey Clark leads Solidarity delegation in Gaza visit two years after Israeli assault

International human rights activist Ramsey Clark led a delegation that, after a day-long struggle for admission, crossed into Gaza on Jan. 4 to show solidarity with the blockaded population of the strip. Two years ago the Israeli military invaded and bombed Gaza two years ago, killing 1,450 Palestinians, almost all civilians, including many children. Among those with Clark is Co-director of the International Action Center Sara Flounders. Both are veteran solidarity activists with the struggle of Palestinians for self-determination and the right to live in peace and freedom in every part of Palestine..

The solidarity trip’s importance is underlined by the Israeli military’s threats to launch a new invasion. Israeli planes have aggressively attacked inside Gaza on Dec. 18, Dec. 24 and Dec. 25. The courage the Palestinians of Gaza showed confronting that assault has made Gaza a symbol of the determination of all Palestinians, whether in Gaza, the West Bank or in the Diaspora, to free their country.

The movement of solidarity with the people of Gaza has grown rapidly since the Dec. 27, 2008, bombing and invasion of Gaza. The ongoing Israeli blockade of the 1.5 million people living in the small territory and the continued Israeli threats have accelerated this movement’s growth. Behind this development is not only the exposure of the crimes of the Israeli occupation regime, but also the courage of Palestinians both in Gaza and the West Bank who keep on struggling against all odds.

Many young people and also older activists have organized aid delegations by land caravans and sea flotillas that bring material assistance to Gaza. Currently the Asian aid ship Salam, which started in India, is making its way toward Gaza, tracked by two Israeli warships. The caravan called Asia 1 entered Gaza yesterday. The new understanding of the oppressive character of the Israeli state has also given rise to the struggle for “Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions” against the regime there and in solidarity with the Palestinian struggle.

“All these actions are part of a global movement,” said Flounders, but “even more must be done. It is especially urgent at this time to speak out, write, demonstrate and take all kinds of actions in every possible way in defense of the still blockaded territory of Gaza. That Israel outrageously continues to bomb and Israeli officials talk openly of a new offensive call for a determined response.”

Flounders also called attention to the solidarity activists in Minneapolis, Chicago and other Midwestern cities who the FBI has targeted, subpoenaing them to appear before a Chicago grand jury: “The efforts by the U.S. government and its repressive forces to shut down solidarity with the heroic Palestinian struggle must be met by ever stronger solidarity actions.”

The delegation will be visiting with representatives of the Palestinian people in Gaza and to see the situation on the ground there. They plan to speak at public meetings when they return to the United States — which should be the second week of January — and to help bring the truth about Gaza to the people of the United States.

Clark was the U.S. attorney general during the Lyndon Johnson administration in 1967-68. He will take part in the first such meeting, scheduled for Jan. 12 at 55 W. 17th Street at 7 p.m. in New York, which will coincide with a release of the new book.

As Iranians are marking the death of Prophet Mohammad grandson they are protesting by the thousands against the regime.   Per last report at least 4 Iranians have been killed during the latest protests. The following video is of various protests taking place in Iran today December 27th.

The videos demonstrate the will of the people of Iran to stand against this regime and the brutal force that the government has put in place to oppress the voice of the masses. One video shows the Basij attacking President Khatami as he is being removed from the Masjed in Jamaran on Saturday.

Unfortunately Iranians in Iran are blocked from seeing these videos. All foreign media and social networks are currently censored in Iran.  Today is also the anniversary of the Israeli attack on Gaza. The tactics of banning foreign media is taken directly from the Israeli, Palestinian conflict in Gaza a year ago. Religious extremist and power hungry tyrants use the same tools to oppress the voice of the masses. Regardless if it is an Islamic Republic or a Jewish state.

It is unbearable to watch, let alone experience, the latest tragedy that has struck Haiti. The religious evangelist and the host of The 700 Club Pat Robertson describes how these poor Haitians have made a pack with the devil for wanting independence from the French therefore god has now struck them with this tragedy. I adhere to a different view. That is I believe the devil has designated Pat Robertson as its spokesman.

It is heartwrenching to see the tragedy that has unfolded in this Caribbean country for the past several hundred years. Under the French Colonial rule, Haiti was subjected to the worst form of human exploitation possible. The same kind that the religious leaders practiced in the Untied States at the time. With the blessing of the Christian church leaders, a system of eradication, subjugation, slavery and exploitation of natives and Africans took place. The Haiti of today is the product of the religious establishments of the west that Pat Robertson and others adhere to.

The ideology of racism, intolerance, and lack of respect for all human life by the imperialists has created a country in despair-a country that does not have a single roof over its people and can not provide shelter, food, and safety for its citizens. Shame on the west and civilized world for letting a place like Haiti exist while spending trillions on unjust wars and corrupt financial institutions.

It is in places like Haiti that corruption, extremism and violence can breed. In another corner of the world you can see the impact of another religious extremism. Look at Afghanistan as an example. War and poverty in the past 50 years has produced a land where parents have no choice but to send children to ideological Islamic fundamentalism boarding schools for a loaf of bread. You can never fight the brainwashing when its done by the person that feeds you through a barrel of a gun. Or how Yemen, a country with over 50% of the population living in poverty, is the new breeding ground of terrorists and hate. Look at the conflict in Gaza and the West Bank. 60 years of occupation has produced economic despair and created the largest open-air prison in the world in the hand of Zionist extremists and Pat Robertsons. The tragedy that is taking place for half of the world’s population living on less then 2 dollars a day can not be resolved through military industrial complex, but through creation of sustainable nations with viable economies and governments.

No country or people can exist in a state of hopelessness and despair for long. If dictators can not be overthrown through nationalistic democratic movements then the population gravitates towards the next outlet, in most cases the religious institutions. Religious governments and institutions are more oppressive compared to the dictators that they replace. Look at the current religious government of Iran. Unfortunately, as we see in countries all across the globe, the price of installing friendly dictators may cost the West its national security, or at least its wealth through unjust wars.

It would be much more beneficial if our politicians and religious leaders conducted business through diplomacy and nation building rather than through war, conflict, and exploitation by religious institutions or the military industrial complex.

The blood of innocent peace activist that died in this tragic war crime is on the hand of the countries and governments that support this ethnic and religious nepotism by the Zionist regime.  When will the leaders responsible for the largest open air prison in the world be held accountable for years of genocide and apartheid in the occupied territories?

Al Jazeera’s Jamal Elshayyal has been released by Israeli authorities following Monday’s deadly raid on the Mavi Marmara aid ship that was destined for Gaza.
Al Jazeera producer, who reported from the ship as Israel launched the raid, was on the top deck when the ship was attacked.

Here, he tells his account of what happened.

Considering an American was killed in open seas. US government provides military support for Israel and spend our tax dollars in protecting this terrorist regimes interest in the Middle East . Clearly this puts Israeli leaders in the same category as Bin Laden and the IDF in the same category as Al Qaeda.

Mavi Marmara and the attack by IDF on peace activist in open sea. The only full video that escaped the hands of IDF.
On the night of Sunday, May 30, showing a terrifying disregard for human life, Israeli naval forces surrounded and boarded ships sailing to bring humanitarian aid to the blockaded Gaza Strip. On the largest ship, the Mavi Marmara, Israeli commandos opened fire on civilian passengers, killing at least 9 passengers and wounding dozens more. Others are still missing. The final death toll is yet to be determined. Cultures of Resistance director Iara Lee was aboard the besieged ship and has since returned home safely.

Despite the Israeli government’s thorough efforts to confiscate all footage taken during the attack, Iara Lee was able to retain some of her recordings. Above is raw footage from the moments leading up to and during the Israeli commandos’ assault on the Mavi Marmara.

The Iranian government members favorite phrase is that they will take the course of action for the best interest of the regime,”Maslahat Regime “. They never once mention what is in the best interest of the people. What they are really concerned about is staying in power. The revolutionary guard of 120 thousand and the selected mullahs control an enormous wealth of Iran’s natural resources. Unlike North Korea, Iran is a rich country with the largest natural gas reserves in the world. Not to mention oil and its strategic position as a gateway to energy for the rest of the world.

The conservative government in Iran is losing its grip on power and the old revolutionary rhetoric is no longer justifying the systematic pillaging of the nation’s wealth at the hands of the few. For the Iranian government to sustain the message of anti-west and anti-democratic ideals, it needs to maintain the image of the revolution. Nothing can maintain such an image as well as confrontation with the west over its nuclear ambitions.

Appointing a defense minister who caused an uproar with the western powers is simply a step to get a military reaction from the west. Frankly, the leaders in Iran are not concerned with nuclear technology for producing energy, but to create a reaction. Any action by Israel could rally the Iranian public around the flag and regime once more. This could guarantee that they will continue to be the rulers of Iran for many years to come.

In the case of Israel, as a theocracy and an undemocratic society, a free and democratic Iran would pose a serious challenge to the principles of Zionism. How could the Muslims have a democratic society and the western backed Israel continues to oppress the millions of Arabs and Palestinians based on ethnic nepotism? It would simply be a shock to the state of Israel if Iranians enjoyed a truly democratic society. God forbid the Zionist movement would lose its muscle and grip of power by no longer having Palestinians as its enemy and needing to find a way to provide them with equal rights and protection.

This of course would also be against the interest of the religious right in the United States that have banked on an end of the world scenario for the past 100 years by supporting the state of Israel and shipping Jews from all corners of the world looking for a piece of bread and a better life to the occupied territories.

The conservative governments in Iran and Israel will both benefit from the next conflict in the region. They can both continue with the oppressive techniques that they use to stay in power. Conservative governments and ideologies are similar in action and oppression of freedom and democratic rights. They even reward each other at every opportunity that presents itself.

In case of Iranian government, the U.S. hostages that had been held for 444 days are set free on the day that Reagan and Bush got into office. It was the same conservative government during the Reagan years lead by Bush senior that helped Iran acquire weapons and bring drugs to the U.S. under the sanctions of Iran-Contra and Oliver North.

The Obama administration is dealing with multiple enemies at once. The conservatives and the evangelicals in this country who keep fueling settlements in the occupied territories, the conservative government in Israel that continues to benefit from land grabbing from the Palestinians in the occupied territory; and finally the mullahs and the revolutionary guard of Iran who want to continue to stay in power at any cost to the detriment of the population.

The question is how can this administration put pressure on these conservative governments and elements? What can be done stop the rise of tension and military conflict in the region?

First, stop the flow of money by the religious right for new settlement activity to Israel. If Hamas is a terrorist organization so are the folks that continue to build homes in the occupied territories. How could we allow the religious right in the United States to fund taking land from the Palestinians and not call it a terrorist act?

Second, stop funding Israel conservative military government. The EU and the U.S. stopped all aid to Hamas even though it was a democratically elected government simply because they did not condone the policy of Hamas. So why can’t this government stop funding Israel until all settlements have been turned over to Palestinians in the occupied territory and international borders and UN resolutions are respected by all parties?

Once the life style and the money is no longer provided by American tax payers they will reconsider their actions and be willing to negotiate.

Finally, Obama administration should ask for sanctions at the UN and freeze all accounts of the Iranian revolutionary guards, mullahs and restrict them and their family members from traveling abroad.

All these conservative Muslims, Jews and Christians use religion for personal enrichment. Ideologies are saved for the masses and the wealth is kept in the hands of the few men of cloth. If we cut the wings and the source of funding, they will all be forced to walk to the negotiations table.