The Pure Palace of Palestine - VICTIMS OF LIES

LSE OCCUPATION CONTINUES INTO FIFTH DAY

2009-01-20T00:52:00.000-08:00

Press Release
LSE OCCUPATION CONTINUES INTO FIFTH DAY AS OTHER UNIVERSITIES START PROTESTS

Students occupying a lecture theatre at the London School of Economics have continued their demonstration in to the fifth day.Over fourty students started the occupation in solidarity with Palestine last Thursday afternoon demanding that the LSE condemns Israeli aggression, divests from BAE, a firm that arms Israel, and provides material support for Palestinians. The students are demanding that the LSE waivers application fees and provides more scholarships for Palestinian students, sends surplus computers and books to Palestine and facilitates a cross-campus collection for Medical Aid for Palestine.

The move came after the Students' Union voted to condemn Israel for the attacks on Gaza.The occupation has attracted several high profile speakers including Tony Benn, George Galloway, Lindsey German and Alex Callinicos to rallies and public lectures inside the occupied theatre.

The line-up of speakers for Tuesday includes Baroness Jenny Tonge, Haim Bresheeth, Moshe Machover and Paul Gilroy.Tony Benn endorsed the occupation, "May I congratulate you all for having organised this occupation. I have seen the statement of intent that you have made and I agree with it one hundred percent." He said, "Don't think that you're an isolated little group at the LSE. In my judgement I believe there is mass support for what you are doing from all over the world."Over 350 students attended the lecture with Tony Benn. Since its start, the core group of the occupation has doubled to about 80 students, with dozens more coming in daily to express their support.One of the students, Mira Hammad, addressed 10.000 people at Saturday's Trafalgar Square rally. "Now, this is the age of human rights, this is the age when we stand up for the people who have no voice, we are giving a voice to the silenced," she said, adding, "We urge all students: Forget NUS, forget the government. Stand up yourselves, and make a statement: Start the movement now"George Galloway expressed his support for the occupation outside the occupied theatre today, "I want to thank you on the action that you have taken, rescuing the honour of the London School of Economics. It has been dishonoured by the silence of Howard Davies in the face of the war crime involved in the deliberate destruction and bombardment of the Islamic University in Gaza.", he said.

The group has received messages of support from LSE Staff against the war, a large number of academics and students from other universities and members of the public. Over 350 LSE students have signed a petition in support of the occupation.Occupations have also been taking place at SOAS and Essex Universities and other student groups plan to start occupations in the coming days.The group today expressed optimism that the School is close to meeting their demands.

A spokesperson said, "The School appears to have agreed in principle to our reasonable demands regarding providing support for Palestinians. We look forward to meeting with them to discuss the details of the support the LSE community can provide and our request that they issue a statement and divest from BAE. Unfortunately, they are currently arguing that they will not speak with us further until the occupation has ended. This is unsatisfactory to us as in the past they have used this tactic to avoid making firm commitments. We hope to meet with them shortly."The spokesperson added, "LSE is an institution founded on the Fabian values that were the precursor of the human rights agenda of modern politics. LSE must restate those values and condemn state criminality. It is not a matter of politics, it is a matter of humanity. For an academic institution to profit from firms that arm Israel is unacceptable."

NOTES TO EDITORS
1) Please view our blog for updates and past news releases. http://lseoccupation.blogspot.com/
2) The identity of other universities who will start occupations is being kept secret. Contact us: lseoccupation@googlemail.com
3) For more information on the SOAS occupation: http://soassolidarity4gaza.blogspot.com/
4) For more information on the Essex occupation: http://www.visitpalestine.asia/page.cfm/id/98207
5) For the motion on Gaza passed by the Students' Union: http://lseoccupation.blogspot.com/2009/01/student-union-passes-motion-condemning.html
6) The video of Mira's speech can be found here: http://lseoccupation.blogspot.com/2009/01/lse-students-to-speak-at-trafalgar.html
7) The video of Tony Benn's speech can be found here: http://lseoccupation.blogspot.com/2009/01/videos-now-uploaded-tony-benn-lindsey.html
8) The video of George Galloway's speech can be found here: http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=22IMP8EbgFg&feature=channel_page

Western diplomats: Israel seeks to control reconstruction of war-torn GazaBy

2009-01-20T00:46:00.000-08:00

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1056791.htm

News Agencies, Haaretz,Last update - 17:02 19/01/2009

Israel intends to exert control over the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip following its 22-day offensive, and is seeking guarantees that no projects will benefit Hamas, Western diplomats said on Monday.Israel, which declared a unilateral ceasefire on Sunday, retains full control over Gaza's commercial crossings, through which goods and other materials for rebuilding must pass.Smuggler tunnels under Gaza's border with Egypt, which were used by Hamas and many ordinary Palestinians to get around the Israeli-led blockade, were heavily bombed during the war and are, at least temporarily, out of commission.That gives Israel enormous power to shape the recovery effort, which will be largely financed by the international community.

Preliminary estimates put the damage at nearly $2 billion. Saudi Arabia said it would donate $1 billion.Western diplomats, speaking to Reuters on condition of anonymity, said Israel has asked the United Nations and other aid groups to provide a detailed list of goods, equipment and personnel that they want to bring into the Gaza Strip, both to meet immediate needs and for rebuilding.Israel told the aid groups it would consider expanding the list of materials authorized to enter the Gaza Strip. Before the war, Israel blocked entry of most cement, steel and cash, saying Hamas used them for bunkers, rockets and militia salaries.

On Sunday, Israel and the militant Palestinian group Hamas announced separate cease-fires, ending the offensive that destroyed vast swaths of Gaza.Hamas militants wrested control of the Gaza Strip from Abbas's Palestinian Authority in a bloody 2007 coup. Abbas, who still controls the West Bank, is seen as weak and ineffectual by leaders of some Arab countries like Syria.On Sunday, six key European leaders on Sunday pledged to work to prevent Hamas from rearming. The commitments were offered both at the Sharm al-Sheikh summit in Egypt and at a meeting in Jerusalem with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.

The six leaders were British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, French President Nicolas Sarkozy, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero and Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek, who currently holds the European Union's rotating presidency. They offered to provide troops and technological assistance to prevent Hamas from smuggling weapons and terrorists into the Gaza Strip, in cooperation with Egypt and the United States.The leaders expressed support for the cease-fire in Gaza and for an end to Palestinian rocket fire on southern Israel. Olmert said that he also received on Saturday a letter from EU leaders pledging cooperation in halting the arms smuggling into Gaza.

The six leaders met with Olmert following a conference in Sharm al-Sheikh, where they spoke with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Abbas.UN Chief Ban urges Arab states to back Abbas in Gaza crisisMeanwhile, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Monday urged Arab leaders to join together in backing Abbas' efforts to reunite the war-ravaged Gaza Strip with the Fatah-ruled West Bank.Ban also said that Arab unity was crucial if the three-week Gaza conflict was not to be repeated in the future."The Palestinians themselves must face the challenge of reconciliation, and work to achieve a unified government under the leadership of President Abbas," Ban told an Arab League summit expected to approve $2 billion in aid to rebuild Gaza."I call on all Arab leaders to unite and support this endeavour. We cannot rebuild Gaza without Palestinian unity," he added.

At the same conference, Saudi Arabian King Abdullah announced on Monday that his country would donate $1 billion for reconstruction in Gaza."I announce on behalf of your brothers in Saudi Arabia that the kingdom will offer $1 billion as a contribution under the program proposed by this summit for the reconstruction of Gaza," said King Abdullah.The Gaza conflict has divided Arab countries, as recent meetings of Gulf states have shown.Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, who negotiated with both Hamas and the Israelis to get a ceasefire, called for uniting all Palestinian factions in his speech at the summit. Syrian President Bashar Assad, whom Israel accuses of financing Hamas, voiced support for "Palestinian resistance".Ban has been touring the Middle East for a week urging Israeli leaders and Arab governments to do everything in their power to end the fighting in Gaza and prevent the humanitarian crisis for the coastal territory's 1.5 million people from worsening.He told reporters during the flight to Kuwait that if Arab states remain divided on Abbas and Palestinian unity, there was "no guarantee this [the Gaza conflict] will not happen again."In his speech in Kuwait, Ban reiterated that Israel must reopen border crossings with Gaza, allow humanitarian aid in and withdraw from the Gaza Strip. Likewise, he urged Hamas to stop firing rockets at southern Israel.But a permanent solution, he said, would require a return to the stalled Middle East peace process.

"A true end to violence, and lasting security for both Palestinians and Israelis, will only come through a just and comprehensive settlement to the Arab-Israeli conflict," he said.

"The occupation that began in 1967 must end."

Does boycotting work?

2009-01-19T14:42:00.000-08:00

from www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=67659507672

Before I answer that let me ask you- even if it were to have no impact at all, can you still drink a can of Coke or have a KitKat or shop in M & S knowing that these companies actively supported the massacre of innocent people in Gaza with the profit of what you bought?

Some like Nestle intend to open their main head office in occupied lands. If you are comfortable will that at night, then the whole idea of boycott is not for you. However, boycotting does work!

1) It worked with the apartheid regime of South Africa which eventually led to the dismantling of the apartheid system

2) It worked with the Danish products which made losses of 100's of million of poundshttp://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article723266.ece

3) Even if we were to boycott one big company and it felt the effect of the boycott, dont you think they will think twice before they sponsor Israel? Dont you think others will think three times before they do the same!

4) I am working with other organisations to draw a list of the top 10 products/companies and if we all boycott the worst offenders IT WILL HAVE AN IMPACT

5) I will be compiling a list of 'ALTERNATIVE STORES/PRODUCTS' which a lot of you have asked for. Please help by sending it to my inbox so that I can compile a full list of ALTERNATIVE STORES/PRODUCTS that do not support Israel ieASDALIDLMORRISONS(for general shopping) Instead of: TescoSainsburysPret A Manger instead of Starbucks and so on..... DO YOUR BIT.

YOU BOYCOTT FIRST AND THEN TELL OTHERS. invite everyone from your contacts to join

www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=67659507672

This is no ceasefire - 3rd National Demo for Gaza

2009-01-18T10:21:00.000-08:00

3rd National Demonstration For Gaza: Saturday 24 January
Israel Out Of Gaza Now: Lift The Blockade
Assemble BBC Broadcasting HousePortland Place, London, W1A 1AA
(Nearest Tube Oxford Circus)March To Trafalgar Square
More details to come [www.stopwar.org.uk]
[http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=69458225624&ref=nf]
*PLEASE INVITE ALL OF YOUR CONTACTS TO THE EVENT FOR THIS DEMO AND ORGANISE COACHES TO LONDON ASAP FOR THE NATIONAL MOBILISATION. MORE DEATILS WILL BE MADE AVALIABLE ON FACEBOOK EVENT AND www.stopwar.org.uk WEBSITE.******************
1200 dead, 6000 injured: Enough for now says Israel.gaza children mourn babyThis is no ceasefire. Israel has momentarily stopped bombing schools, mosques, hospitals, universities and residential buildings."We have achieved our objectives, and more," says Israeli prime minister Olmert. So 1200 dead, 350 of them children, is slaughter enough for now.Injuring 6000 people, bombing hospitals and ambulances, killing medical staff -- that will do for now, says Israel.

But, says Israel, it may start again any time it wishes.

As for lifting the blockade, which has starved 1.5 million Gazans of essentials such as food, fuel and medical supplies for the past three years - not a word. As for opening Gaza's borders, which have locked the population into one giant concentration camp -- not a word.The cost to Israel in the past three weeks: three civilians killed and ten soldiers killed, four of them by their own troops, tells its own story against the mass murder suffered by Palestinians in Gaza.

Only one Israeli was killed by Hamas in the year before Israel unleashed the last three weeks of carnage. Hamas's rockets were always a pretext for a long planned war to erase the memory of Israel's defeat in Lebanon in 2006 and to bolster the electoral prospects of Tzipi Livni and Ehud Barak in Israel's general election next month.Instead of offering Israel the use of the British navy against Hamas, the legitimate government in Gaza, Gordon Brown should be announcing a complete ban on all arms trade with Israel, as he would if any other country had carried out war crimes on such a scale and violated so many international laws and the articles of the United Nations Charter.Israel has "achieved its objectives, and more"...

The morgues of Gaza's hospitals are over-flowing. The bodies in their blood-soaked white shrouds cover the entire floor space of the Shifa hospital morgue. Some are intact, most horribly deformed, limbs twisted into unnatural positions, chest cavities exposed, heads blown off, skulls crushed in.Family members wait outside to identify and claim a brother, husband, father, mother, wife, child. Many of those who wait their turn have lost numerous family members and loved ones. Blood is everywhere.Hospital orderlies hose down the floors of operating rooms, bloodied bandages lie discarded in corners, and the injured continue to pour in: bodies lacerated by shrapnel, burns, bullet wounds. Medical workers, exhausted and under siege, work day and night and each life saved is seen as a victory over the predominance of death.****************

Join the facebook group to support the university occupations in solidarity with Gaza [http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=126620265110&ref=mf]

Hamas and allies declare ceasefire

2009-01-18T07:51:00.000-08:00

Hamas and their allied Palestinian factions have announced an immediate one-week ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, giving Israel a week to pull out of the territory.
The move, following a meeting of the factions in Damascus on Sunday, comes a day after Israel called a unilateral truce, ending its 22-day offensive in Gaza which led to the deaths of 1,203 Palestinians.

"Hamas and the factions announce a ceasefire in Gaza starting immediately and give Israel a week to withdraw," Ayman Taha, a senior Hamas official talking from Cairo, said.
Hamas also demanded that Israel open all of the Gaza Strip's border crossings to allow in food and other goods to meet the "basic needs for our people".

The Palestinian factions at the Damascus meeting also included Islamic Jihad, Al Nidal, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) and al Saeqa.

Israel had already said on Sunday that it will not consider a timetable for withdrawing all of its forces from the Gaza Strip until Hamas and other groups cease their fire.
Cease rocket fire
Palestinian factions have continued to fire rockets into southern Israel since the beginning of the offensive, killing three Israelis, out of a total of 13 Israelis that have died since the begining of the war.

They have also been fighting Israel's ground forces which enterd the Gaza Strip in the second week of the offensive.
An end to rocket fire from the Gaza Strip into Israel was the stated aim of the Israeli offensive.
Israel declared a unilateral ceasefire on Saturday, with Ehud Olmert, the prime minister, stating that they had achieved their objectives.
"We have reached all the goals of the war, and beyond," he said. "[But] if our enemies decide to strike and want to carry on, then the Israeli army will regard itself as free to respond with force."

Olmert also said the war boosted Israel's deterrence and that Hamas's actions would decide when the military would withdraw.
"This operation strengthened the deterrence of the state of Israel in the face of all those who threaten us," he said.
"If Hamas completely stops its attacks, we will judge at what moment we will leave the Gaza Strip."
'Symbolic victory'
However, Ayman Mohyeldin, Al Jazeera's correspondent in Gaza City, said some in the Gaza Strip are claiming a victory for Hamas and other Palestinian factions on an operational and symbolic level.

"On an operational level on the last day of the war and even after the war Palestinian factions are still capable of firing rockets, no doubt about that.
Hamas and Israel declared independent ceasefires each with separate terms [AFP]"In fact, more than a dozen or so have been fired today according to the factions here on the ground.
"On a symbolic level, at the end of the day the Palestinian people remain here on the ground, having paid a very heavy price though.
"Their position was one of steadfast defiance. The fact that they can stay and essentially ... claim that they have been able to stave off this aggression, in terms of the leadership and the command and control structure of Hamas and the government here, is certainly a sign for many here that they have been victorious."

At least 13 rockets were fired from the Gaza Strip into Israel on Sunday morning after Israel declared their ceasefire, with Israel responding with air attacks into Gaza, according to Israeli sources.

fantastic gaza track

2009-01-18T05:34:00.000-08:00

listen and download free here!

http://www.michaelheart.com/Song_for_Gaza.html

Israel attacked Al-Quds hospital

2009-01-17T12:11:00.000-08:00

Isarel attacked Al-Quds hospital while 500 employees and patients inside the hospital.

The main quarter of UNRWA agency in Gaza city was attacked also.New U.N school which protect civilians who escape their homes in dangerous places was attacked by forbidden White phosphorus weapons.
Even cemeteries have not been spared from the shelling !!!

YouTube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6oXFRTXi2tkBBC:http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7829912.stm

AlJazeera English:http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2009/01/20091177657498163.html

To have more details about these horror weapons, please follow this link.

Images: http://images.google.com/images?q=phosphorus bomb

Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_phosphorus_(weapon)

Palestine Activists Getting Targeted

2009-01-15T23:12:00.000-08:00

http://www.uruknet.info/?p=50830

10 MIN HISTORY OF PALESTINE AND ISRAEL

2009-01-15T11:31:00.003-08:00

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=Qf3BgnXwZVQ&feature=related

GAZA DEATH TOLL REACHES OVER 1000

2009-01-15T02:03:00.000-08:00

http://www.actionpalestine.org/campaigns/do-something-for-gaza/

The morning after the President of the UN General Assembly condemned Israel for what he calls is "genocide" in Gaza, the Israeli 'Defence' Force has continued its systematic destruction of the Palestinian civilians of Gaza. Despite our tears and grief and heart felt mourning for the beautiful cute children of Gaza, hungry and sick from the smell of their burnt flesh, the deaths of the martyrs cannot and SHALL NOT be in vain.

We as humanity, as the civilised people of the world, have the matches to light the candles of hope for those in blackness, with no electricity fuel or warmth in Gaza. These matches are the fourth geneva convention, these matches are the countless Israeli violated UN resolutions, these mathces are democracy, our strength as workers and students to organize, our unions.

Our power to boycott as the mass pool of consumption that perpetuates the thorns and weeds that strangle the sign of peace, the sign of harvest, the Palestinian olvie tree, these thorns and weeds being the stubborn apartheid wall and illegal Israeli settlements.

We as the students of the Palestinian diaspora, refugees of the countless genocides since 1948 call on our brothers and sisters in all that is good in the world to act, and ACT NOW.The candle has already been burning in SOAS university whose students are currently occupying a racist imperialist exhibition of the MOD highlighting the links between British imperialism which is the coal of the black smoke of zionism, choking the world and suffocating babies to death.

At Manchester University the zionist sympathyzers who danced on the graves of our martyrs were silenced on Sunday by hundreds of workers and students who occupied Albert Square. Horrifyingly, one of the zionist sympathyzers included the general secretary of our Student Union in Manchester. Unfortunatly, for unknown reasons his contact details are unavailable.

Many more actions are planned, and it is your duty to the Palestinians who have suffered from the inactions of the global proletariate for the past 60 years to MAKE IT STOP:

MAKE HISTORY MAKE OUR GENERATION BE THE LAST 68 MAKE IT STOPACTIONS IN MANCHESTER COMING UP:

1. Public Meeting to discuss strategy of what we can do here in Manchester to make it stop, 3 o clock, Jan 17th Friends Meeting House

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=43749713836&ref=mf2.

Mass action against Lyods TSB who are trying to block aid to Gaza, 11 oclock Jan 17th, Lyods TSB market street

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61408003&ref=profile#/event.php?eid=44108158935&ref=mf3.

Demonstration against Foreign Secretary David Miliband on Jan 22nd http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61408003&ref=profile#/event.php?eid=57244072808&ref=mf4.

PLEASE INVITE ALL YOUR FRIENDS TO THESE EVENTS AND IF YOU CAN OFFER YOUR SERVICES ANY MORE THAN JUST ATTENDANCE SUCH AS FLYERING, POSTERING, AND ANYTHING ELSE GET IN TOUCH ASAP.OTHER ACTIONS YOU CAN DO TO HELP:

1. Invite people to this group! And send this information and ideas for actions to all your contacts. http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=42463811529#/group.php?gid=42463811529

2. Attend the demonstrations happening around you for a list of demonstrations/vigils please visit: http://www.actionpalestine.org/home/demonstrations/If there is no demonstration happening near you, coordinate with others people/groups to organise one. And send us the information so we can advertise it on the website. And send it on to the group.

3. Watch the media and contact them to ask them to improve their coverage (for more info: http://www.actionpalestine.org/home/contacting-the-media-about-gaza/)

4. Contact your MP and ask pressingly for urgent action, don’t take any diplomatic answers, this is a life or death matter and they need to know you care!! Call and email your government representatives (for more info: http://www.actionpalestine.org/home/contacting-the-government-about-gaza/)

5. Sign the petitions:http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/Arms-embargo/http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/Israel-Sanctions/

6. You can also donate to MAP Medical Aid for Palestinians:http://www.map-uk.org

Or Interpalhttp://www.interpal.org/donate/donate.html

For blogs from inside Gaza see:www.ingaza.wordpress.com

www.talestotell.wordpress.com

www.palsolidarity.org

SORRY...WHO BROKE THE CEASEFIRE AGAIN?!

2009-01-15T02:02:00.000-08:00

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=SILJxPTqjAM

GAZA TRACKS - FREE DOWNLOADS

2009-01-13T13:01:00.000-08:00

FANTASTIC WORK...CHECK IT OUT!
www.myspace.com/5abotage

FANTASTIC TRACK AND VIDEO

2009-01-12T01:53:00.000-08:00

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=GO5Cay6GUkM

interesting news links on response of Jews to Gaza‏

2009-01-12T01:35:00.000-08:00

with the letters: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jan/11/gaza-israelandthepalestinians

To the government of Israel

We are writing this letter as profound and passionate supporters of Israel. We look upon the increasing loss of life on both sides of the Gaza conflict with horror. We have no doubt that rocket attacks into southern Israel, by Hamas and other militant Palestinian groups, are war crimes against Israel. No sovereign state should, or would, tolerate continued attacks and the deliberate targeting of civilians. Israel had a right to respond and we support the Israeli government's decision to make stopping the rocket attacks an urgent priority. However, we believe that only negotiations can secure long-term security for Israel and the region.We are concerned that rather than bringing security to Israel, a continued military offensive could strengthen extremists, destabilise the region and exacerbate tensions inside Israel with its one million Arab citizens. The offensive and the mounting civilian victims - like the Lebanon war in 2006 - also threaten to undermine international support for Israel.

We stand alongside the people of Israel and urge the government of Israel and the Palestinian people, with the assistance of the international community, to negotiate:

• An immediate and permanent ceasefire entailing an end to all rocket attacks and the complete and permanent lifting of the blockade of Gaza.

• International monitoring of the ceasefire agreement, including measures to ensure the security of the borders between Israel and Gaza as well as the prevention of weapons smuggling into Gaza. It is our desire to see a durable solution for ordinary people and our view that an immediate ceasefire is not only a humanitarian necessity but also a strategic priority for the future security of Israelis, Palestinians and people of the region.

Rabbi Dr Tony Bayfield

Sir Jeremy Beecham

Professor David Cesarani

Professor Shalom Lappin Michael Mitzman

Baroness Julia Neuberger

Rabbi Danny Rich

Rabbi Professor Marc Saperstein

Rabbi Dr Michael Shire

Sir Sigmund Sternberg

Paul Usiskin

at the rallies: http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2009/jan/12/gaza-israelandthepalestinians

The sign taped to the front of 10-month-old Ezra Wiesenberg read: "The IDF don't hide behind me! Stop Hamas abuse of children shields." Strapped to his mother Ann's chest, Ezra and his family had travelled with thousands of other Jews to London's to Trafalgar Square in London yesterday for a pro-Israeli rally calling for peace in the Middle East but also supporting the Israeli government's actions in Gaza.

Across the street, behind a cordon, the Rabbi Avraham Greenberg took his Israeli passport from its plastic wallet and slowly set it on fire with a gas lighter until its ashes floated around him. He explained to the small crowd on the pavement that he had been born in the state of Israel but he was ashamed to hold a passport from that country. He stood with more than a dozen Orthodox rabbis who joined in chants of "Judaism here to stay, Zionism no way".
But many more thousands of Jews attended in support of the rally rather than opposing it, waving Israeli flags and placards saying End Hamas Terror and wearing Stars of David on their faces.

Henry Grunwald, president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, told the crowd, which was estimated at 15,000 by the organisers: "We are the people who want peace and who want life for Israel." The chief rabbi, Sir Jonathan Sacks, gave a message to Hamas: "Stop wanting Israel to die, start wanting your children to live. Why, Hamas, do you hold in contempt, not only Israeli lives but Palestinian lives?"

To applause, Ron Prosor, the Israeli ambassador to the UK, said: "The age of terrorism must be brought to a close so that together we can build an age of peace. Our soldiers are doing their duty with honour, dignity and sacrifice."

Listening to the speeches, Myer Malin, an 85-year-old Normandy veteran from Pinner in London, stood wearing his own medals and those of his father, who fought in the first world war. "I have come in support of Israel because they are under attack by Hamas and they have been unfairly represented in the press and media generally. Hamas provoked a war quite deliberately, the way they seized power in Gaza is comparable to the way Hitler seized power in Germany – they got themselves in a good position with the welfare service and promptly evicted the opposition.

"In this case, I think there is no such thing as disproportion, if you have got a war to fight then you fight."

Tania Schwartz, from north London, was furious and wanted to know where the media had been "for the last eight years when the rockets have been landing in Israel". She shouted: "Do you know that kids there wet the bed from fear? The moment the rockets stop, the Israeli soldiers will stop, they are desperate to get out of there and get home. But if it doesn't stop, the next time it will be Tel Aviv and Israel will be extinct."

Standing nearby, David Fordham, 49, from Hatch End, said his reasons for coming were very much different to those of Schwartz. "Some of us are here not because of Israel, but because we are concerned for our Jewish kids on the street, because there are Muslim kids who think if they beat up a Jewish kid or smash up a Jewish shop they are striking a blow for Kashmir or Palestine. People are shouting deaths to Jews and running amok in Golders Green. We are saying " Jews cannot get pushed around in this country". I have got kids at university and I am really concerned for them."

As the crowd around the square's frozen fountains sang the British and Israeli national anthems, Ann Wiesenberg, originally from New York, said of the protest sign on her baby son: "We feel that very often Hamas is actually putting children in front of them. We are highlighting the point that the IDF don't hide behind ci©vilians. They are putting their own soldiers at risk so as to kill as few civilians as possible."

Her husband, Andrew, said: "Hamas terrorism is like a cancer really – unfortunately. When you treat cancer you kill some of the innocent blood cells. We regret any loss of human life. The cancer analogy is very important – you don't stop before you finish the course of treatment, otherwise it will come back stronger."

As he spoke, a well-dressed middle-aged woman walked past – clearly not having planned to attend the rally – and shouted: "Shame on you Israel."The crowd, marshalled by hundreds of officials from the Community Security Trust, the organisation in charge of security for Britain's Jews and their institutions, as well as by the Metropolitan police, mostly dispersed after an hour, though a die-hard bunch lingered to exchange shouts across the barricades with the counter demonstrators. They pushed at the fluorescent yellow line of police officers that held them in as a speaker with a megaphone said: "now you know what it is like to be squeezed into a small piece of land and pushed by an oppressor".

©The rally followed a large protest against the military action in Gaza in London on Saturday, during which violent clashes broke out.

and the academic: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jan/07/gaza-israel-palestine

The only way to make sense of Israel's senseless war in Gaza is through understanding the historical context. Establishing the state of Israel in May 1948 involved a monumental injustice to the Palestinians. British officials bitterly resented American partisanship on behalf of the infant state. On 2 June 1948, Sir John Troutbeck wrote to the foreign secretary, Ernest Bevin, that the Americans were responsible for the creation of a gangster state headed by "an utterly unscrupulous set of leaders". I used to think that this judgment was too harsh but Israel's vicious assault on the people of Gaza, and the Bush administration's complicity in this assault, have reopened the question.

I write as someone who served loyally in the Israeli army in the mid-1960s and who has never questioned the legitimacy of the state of Israel within its pre-1967 borders. What I utterly reject is the Zionist colonial project beyond the Green Line. The Israeli occupation of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip in the aftermath of the June 1967 war had very little to do with security and everything to do with territorial expansionism. The aim was to establish Greater Israel through permanent political, economic and military control over the Palestinian territories. And the result has been one of the most prolonged and brutal military occupations of modern times.
Four decades of Israeli control did incalculable damage to the economy of the Gaza Strip. With a large population of 1948 refugees crammed into a tiny strip of land, with no infrastructure or natural resources, Gaza's prospects were never bright. Gaza, however, is not simply a case of economic under-development but a uniquely cruel case of deliberate de-development. To use the Biblical phrase, Israel turned the people of Gaza into the hewers of wood and the drawers of water, into a source of cheap labour and a captive market for Israeli goods. The development of local industry was actively impeded so as to make it impossible for the Palestinians to end their subordination to Israel and to establish the economic underpinnings essential for real political independence.

Gaza is a classic case of colonial exploitation in the post-colonial era. Jewish settlements in occupied territories are immoral, illegal and an insurmountable obstacle to peace. They are at once the instrument of exploitation and the symbol of the hated occupation. In Gaza, the Jewish settlers numbered only 8,000 in 2005 compared with 1.4 million local residents. Yet the settlers controlled 25% of the territory, 40% of the arable land and the lion's share of the scarce water resources. Cheek by jowl with these foreign intruders, the majority of the local population lived in abject poverty and unimaginable misery. Eighty per cent of them still subsist on less than $2 a day. The living conditions in the strip remain an affront to civilised values, a powerful precipitant to resistance and a fertile breeding ground for political extremism.

In August 2005 a Likud government headed by Ariel Sharon staged a unilateral Israeli pullout from Gaza, withdrawing all 8,000 settlers and destroying the houses and farms they had left behind. Hamas, the Islamic resistance movement, conducted an effective campaign to drive the Israelis out of Gaza. The withdrawal was a humiliation for the Israeli Defence Forces. To the world, Sharon presented the withdrawal from Gaza as a contribution to peace based on a two-state solution. But in the year after, another 12,000 Israelis settled on the West Bank, further reducing the scope for an independent Palestinian state. Land-grabbing and peace-making are simply incompatible. Israel had a choice and it chose land over peace.

The real purpose behind the move was to redraw unilaterally the borders of Greater Israel by incorporating the main settlement blocs on the West Bank to the state of Israel. Withdrawal from Gaza was thus not a prelude to a peace deal with the Palestinian Authority but a prelude to further Zionist expansion on the West Bank. It was a unilateral Israeli move undertaken in what was seen, mistakenly in my view, as an Israeli national interest. Anchored in a fundamental rejection of the Palestinian national identity, the withdrawal from Gaza was part of a long-term effort to deny the Palestinian people any independent political existence on their land.
Israel's settlers were withdrawn but Israeli soldiers continued to control all access to the Gaza Strip by land, sea and air. Gaza was converted overnight into an open-air prison. From this point on, the Israeli air force enjoyed unrestricted freedom to drop bombs, to make sonic booms by flying low and breaking the sound barrier, and to terrorise the hapless inhabitants of this prison.
Israel likes to portray itself as an island of democracy in a sea of authoritarianism. Yet Israel has never in its entire history done anything to promote democracy on the Arab side and has done a great deal to undermine it. Israel has a long history of secret collaboration with reactionary Arab regimes to suppress Palestinian nationalism. Despite all the handicaps, the Palestinian people succeeded in building the only genuine democracy in the Arab world with the possible exception of Lebanon. In January 2006, free and fair elections for the Legislative Council of the Palestinian Authority brought to power a Hamas-led government. Israel, however, refused to recognise the democratically elected government, claiming that Hamas is purely and simply a terrorist organisation.

America and the EU shamelessly joined Israel in ostracising and demonising the Hamas government and in trying to bring it down by withholding tax revenues and foreign aid. A surreal situation thus developed with a significant part of the international community imposing economic sanctions not against the occupier but against the occupied, not against the oppressor but against the oppressed.

As so often in the tragic history of Palestine, the victims were blamed for their own misfortunes. Israel's propaganda machine persistently purveyed the notion that the Palestinians are terrorists, that they reject coexistence with the Jewish state, that their nationalism is little more than antisemitism, that Hamas is just a bunch of religious fanatics and that Islam is incompatible with democracy. But the simple truth is that the Palestinian people are a normal people with normal aspirations. They are no better but they are no worse than any other national group. What they aspire to, above all, is a piece of land to call their own on which to live in freedom and dignity.

Like other radical movements, Hamas began to moderate its political programme following its rise to power. From the ideological rejectionism of its charter, it began to move towards pragmatic accommodation of a two-state solution. In March 2007, Hamas and Fatah formed a national unity government that was ready to negotiate a long-term ceasefire with Israel. Israel, however, refused to negotiate with a government that included Hamas.

It continued to play the old game of divide and rule between rival Palestinian factions. In the late 1980s, Israel had supported the nascent Hamas in order to weaken Fatah, the secular nationalist movement led by Yasser Arafat. Now Israel began to encourage the corrupt and pliant Fatah leaders to overthrow their religious political rivals and recapture power. Aggressive American neoconservatives participated in the sinister plot to instigate a Palestinian civil war. Their meddling was a major factor in the collapse of the national unity government and in driving Hamas to seize power in Gaza in June 2007 to pre-empt a Fatah coup.

The war unleashed by Israel on Gaza on 27 December was the culmination of a series of clashes and confrontations with the Hamas government. In a broader sense, however, it is a war between Israel and the Palestinian people, because the people had elected the party to power. The declared aim of the war is to weaken Hamas and to intensify the pressure until its leaders agree to a new ceasefire on Israel's terms. The undeclared aim is to ensure that the Palestinians in Gaza are seen by the world simply as a humanitarian problem and thus to derail their struggle for independence and statehood.

The timing of the war was determined by political expediency. A general election is scheduled for 10 February and, in the lead-up to the election, all the main contenders are looking for an opportunity to prove their toughness. The army top brass had been champing at the bit to deliver a crushing blow to Hamas in order to remove the stain left on their reputation by the failure of the war against Hezbollah in Lebanon in July 2006. Israel's cynical leaders could also count on apathy and impotence of the pro-western Arab regimes and on blind support from President Bush in the twilight of his term in the White House. Bush readily obliged by putting all the blame for the crisis on Hamas, vetoing proposals at the UN Security Council for an immediate ceasefire and issuing Israel with a free pass to mount a ground invasion of Gaza.
As always, mighty Israel claims to be the victim of Palestinian aggression but the sheer asymmetry of power between the two sides leaves little room for doubt as to who is the real victim. This is indeed a conflict between David and Goliath but the Biblical image has been inverted - a small and defenceless Palestinian David faces a heavily armed, merciless and overbearing Israeli Goliath. The resort to brute military force is accompanied, as always, by the shrill rhetoric of victimhood and a farrago of self-pity overlaid with self-righteousness. In Hebrew this is known as the syndrome of bokhim ve-yorim, "crying and shooting".

To be sure, Hamas is not an entirely innocent party in this conflict. Denied the fruit of its electoral victory and confronted with an unscrupulous adversary, it has resorted to the weapon of the weak - terror. Militants from Hamas and Islamic Jihad kept launching Qassam rocket attacks against Israeli settlements near the border with Gaza until Egypt brokered a six-month ceasefire last June. The damage caused by these primitive rockets is minimal but the psychological impact is immense, prompting the public to demand protection from its government. Under the circumstances, Israel had the right to act in self-defence but its response to the pinpricks of rocket attacks was totally disproportionate. The figures speak for themselves.

In the three years after the withdrawal from Gaza, 11 Israelis were killed by rocket fire. On the other hand, in 2005-7 alone, the IDF killed 1,290 Palestinians in Gaza, including 222 children.
Whatever the numbers, killing civilians is wrong. This rule applies to Israel as much as it does to Hamas, but Israel's entire record is one of unbridled and unremitting brutality towards the inhabitants of Gaza. Israel also maintained the blockade of Gaza after the ceasefire came into force which, in the view of the Hamas leaders, amounted to a violation of the agreement. During the ceasefire, Israel prevented any exports from leaving the strip in clear violation of a 2005 accord, leading to a sharp drop in employment opportunities. Officially, 49.1% of the population is unemployed.

At the same time, Israel restricted drastically the number of trucks carrying food, fuel, cooking-gas canisters, spare parts for water and sanitation plants, and medical supplies to Gaza. It is difficult to see how starving and freezing the civilians of Gaza could protect the people on the Israeli side of the border. But even if it did, it would still be immoral, a form of collective punishment that is strictly forbidden by international humanitarian law.

The brutality of Israel's soldiers is fully matched by the mendacity of its spokesmen. Eight months before launching the current war on Gaza, Israel established a National Information Directorate. The core messages of this directorate to the media are that Hamas broke the ceasefire agreements; that Israel's objective is the defence of its population; and that Israel's forces are taking the utmost care not to hurt innocent civilians. Israel's spin doctors have been remarkably successful in getting this message across. But, in essence, their propaganda is a pack of lies.

A wide gap separates the reality of Israel's actions from the rhetoric of its spokesmen. It was not Hamas but the IDF that broke the ceasefire. It di d so by a raid into Gaza on 4 November that killed six Hamas men. Israel's objective is not just the defence of its population but the eventual overthrow of the Hamas government in Gaza by turning the people against their rulers. And far from taking care to spare civilians, Israel is guilty of indiscriminate bombing and of a three-year-old blockade that has brought the inhabitants of Gaza, now 1.5 million, to the brink of a humanitarian catastrophe.

The Biblical injunction of an eye for an eye is savage enough. But Israel's insane offensive against Gaza seems to follow the logic of an eye for an eyelash. After eight days of bombing, with a death toll of more than 400 Palestinians and four Israelis, the gung-ho cabinet ordered a land invasion of Gaza the consequences of which are incalculable.

No amount of military escalation can buy Israel immunity from rocket attacks from the military wing of Hamas. Despite all the death and destruction that Israel has inflicted on them, they kept up their resistance and they kept firing their rockets. This is a movement that glorifies victimhood and martyrdom. There is simply no military solution to the conflict between the two communities. The problem with Israel's concept of security is that it denies even the most elementary security to the other community. The only way for Israel to achieve security is not through shooting but through talks with Hamas, which has repeatedly declared its readiness to negotiate a long-term ceasefire with the Jewish state within its pre-1967 borders for 20, 30, or even 50 years. Israel has rejected this offer for the same reason it spurned the Arab League peace plan of 2002, which is still on the table: it involves concessions and compromises.
This brief review of Israel's record over the past four decades makes it difficult to resist the conclusion that it has become a rogue state with "an utterly unscrupulous set of leaders". A rogue state habitually violates international law, possesses weapons of mass destruction and practises terrorism - the use of violence against civilians for political purposes. Israel fulfils all of these three criteria; the cap fits and it must wear it. Israel's real aim is not peaceful coexistence with its Palestinian neighbours but military domination. It keeps compounding the mistakes of the past with new and more disastrous ones. Politicians, like everyone else, are of course free to repeat the lies and mistakes of the past. But it is not mandatory to do so.

• Avi Shlaim is a professor of international relations at the University of Oxford and the author of The Iron Wall: Israel and the Arab World and of Lion of Jordan: King Hussein's Life in War and Peace.

and general article: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jan/11/gaza-israel-letter-british-jews

A group of Britain's most prominent Jews has called on Israel to cease its military operations in Gaza immediately, warning that its actions, far from improving the country's security, will "strengthen extremism, destabilise the region, and exacerbate tensions inside Israel".
Describing themselves, as "profound and passionate supporters" of Israel - and supporting its right to defend itself against the "war crime" of Hamas rocket attacks - they added that the current tactics threatened to undermine international support for Israel.

The intervention, in a letter published in today's Observer, came as fears grew that Israel was to launch a "new phase" of its military offensive inside the Gaza strip. Yesterday warplanes dropped leaflets warning Gazans "not to be close to terrorists, weapons warehouses and the places where the terrorists operate". The two-week-old campaign has already killed more than 800 Palestinians, while 13 Israelis have died, three of them civilians killed by Hamas rockets.
Although individual Jewish writers and religious figures have expressed their opposition to the conduct of Operation Cast Lead, the letter represents the most significant break with Israel's tactics from a group of UK Jews.

Prominent rabbis, academics and political figures are among the signatories, including Rabbi Dr Tony Bayfield, head of the Movement for Reform Judaism; Sir Jeremy Beecham, former chair of the Labour party; Professor Shalom Lappin of the University of London; Baroness Julia Neuberger; Rabbi Danny Rich, chief executive of Liberal Judaism; Rabbi Professor Marc Saperstein, principal of Leo Baeck rabbinical training college; and lawyer Michael Mitzman, who set up Holocaust Memorial Day Trust for the Home Office.

Their demand comes amid increasing pressure on Israel from the diplomatic community to halt its operations, and rising criticism of the humanitarian impact on Palestinian civilians, including allegations of potentially serious breaches of international humanitarian law. Demonstrations around the world yesterday called for a ceasefire.

"We look upon the increasing loss of life on both sides of the Gaza conflict with horror," reads the letter. "We have no doubt that rocket attacks into southern Israel, by Hamas and other militant Palestinian groups, are war crimes against Israel. No sovereign state should, or would, tolerate continued attacks and the deliberate targeting of civilians. Israel had a right to respond and we support the Israeli government's decision to make stopping the rocket attacks an urgent priority.

"However, we believe that now only negotiations can secure long-term security for Israel and the region."
The letter was written before the escalation of ground fighting in Gaza City itself signalled by Israel yesterday.

"There can be no alternative to a negotiated solution," said Beecham. "Israel should be demonstrating, along with the Palestinian Authority, that there are economic and political benefits to be gained from peaceful engagement rather than violent confrontation."
His sentiments were echoed by Lappin: "Relying on overwhelming military force to respond to terrorist provocations invariably imposes horrendous suffering on innocent Palestinian civilians while entrenching the agents of terror in their midst. We have no alternative but to pursue rational, long term political options that promote moderation and marginalise extremists."
In London violent clashes broke out near the Israeli embassy as tens of thousands marched in protest. Helmeted riot police with batons and shields charged a group of demonstrators who hurled sticks, shoes and traffic cones back at them while chanting "Free Palestine!"
Protesters tried to force entry to the north gate of Kensington Palace Gardens and six climbed an adjoining wall, setting fire to an American flag. The windows of a Starbucks opposite the embassy were smashed.

The police charges created waves of panic. Protester Ahmed Mohammad, 23, claimed he saw women and children get hurt: "It was a peaceful protest until the riot police came. I've seen a mother and little girl pushed to the ground."

Some protesters attempted to throw barriers and other missiles at police.
The Stop the War Coalition, which organised the event, claimed that "at least" 100,000 people had made it "the biggest demonstration of solidarity with the Palestinian people in the history of this country". The Metropolitan Police estimated the total at 12,000.

Earlier, Speakers' Corner at Hyde Park was turned into a sea of Palestinian flags and banners condemning Israel. Speakers included human rights advocate Bianca Jagger, singer Annie Lennox and the Rev Garth Hewitt, canon at St George's Cathedral in Jerusalem.

Israel resumes deadly Gaza attacks

2009-01-07T23:18:00.000-08:00

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2009/01/20091812722995597.html

Violence has resumed in the Gaza Strip after a three-hour lull that allowed beleaguered residents to look for food and fuel.

Al Jazeera's Zeina Awad, reporting from the Israel-Gaza border in the early hours of Thursday, said it was clear that Israeli air attacks had intensified and explosions could be heard over Gaza as the Israeli assault entered its 13th day.

There were reports that the presidential palace in Gaza had been hit as well as police stations. Al Jazeera confirmed that a mosque had been hit, injuring 15 people.

Wednesday's lull was followed by news that Israel's security cabinet had approved an expansion to the offensive in Gaza as part of its stated aim to halt Hamas cross-border rocket attacks.
Offensive to broaden

Despite the onslaught in Gaza, eight rockets were fired from the territory into southern Israel on Wednesday.

Ehud Olmert, the Israeli prime minister, chaired the security cabinet meeting in Jerusalem which "approved continuing the ground offensive, including a third stage that would broaden it by pushing deeper into populated areas," a senior defence official said.

The final decision would be left to Ehud Barak, the Israeli defence minister, the official added.
Israel warned thousands of people in the Rafah zone on the Egyptian border to leave their houses ahead of planned air raids on Thursday.

"You have until 8am [06:00 GMT]," said leaflets which were dropped by the Israeli military.Witnesses said that a house and a suspected smuggling tunnel were hit in two raids early on Thursday.

At least 700 Palestinians, including 219 children, have died in Gaza since Israel began its assault on December 27. More than 3,080 people have also been wounded.

Seven Israeli soldiers and three civilians have died in the same period.

Onslaught continues

Soon after the three-hour lull on Wednesday, an Israeli air raid on a car in Beit Lahia, near Gaza's northern border with Israel, killed three children and their father, who was described as a civilian by medical workers in the besieged strip.

Palestinians and aid workers in and around Gaza City had used Wednesday's brief respite to recover dead bodies, treat the wounded, and gather much-needed supplies in and around Gaza City.

The military announced a three-hour lull in fighting to open a 'humanitarian corridor' [AFP]Peter Lerner, an Israeli military spokesman, announced "offensive" military action across the strip would be suspended for three hours every alternating day, although the timings may vary.
Despite this, Israeli air raids were reported in other parts of the Palestinian territory during Wednesday's announced timeframe of 1pm-4pm.

Most of Wednesday's clashes occurred in northern Gaza, with explosions reported in Jabalya and Beit Lahia.

In Gaza City, four people were killed and seven injured outside a mosque in the Sheik Radwan neighbourhood.

Two people were also killed earlier when the Zeitoun district was targeted from the air.
Further south, air raids hit the towns of Khan Yunis and Rafah, where over 20 houses were destroyed.

Around 15,000 Palestinians have had to flee the fighting so far, but have found few places safe, with even schools converted into UN shelters being hit.

An Israeli attack on a school run by the UN Relief and Works Agency in the northern town of Jabaliya on Tuesday left 43 Palestinians dead and around 100 wounded.

Israeli officials said missiles were fired from the UN building and that their troops were simply returning fire.

Heba, a Gaza resident and mother of two, told Al Jazeera there was no place left in Gaza that could be considered safe. "What happened in the school was a hugely offensive and inhumane thing. We never expected that people who sought refuge in a UN building would be attacked and killed," she said.

Active Muslims Advise The Government

2009-01-07T23:10:00.000-08:00

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jan/08/islam-gaza

Gaza conflict fuelling anger in UK, Muslims warn Brown
Riazat Butt, religious affairs correspondent
The Guardian,
Thursday 8 January 2009

Anger within Britain's Muslim communities over the Gaza conflict has reached "acute levels of intensity" that could have repercussions for national security, leading Muslims will warn Gordon Brown today.

In a letter to the prime minister, representatives of Muslim organisations will say the Israeli government's use of "disproportionate force" to combat threats to its security has "revived extremist groups" and "empowered their message of violence and perennial conflict".
The letter, a copy of which can be read on the Guardian's Comment is Free website, also says that the "current, partisan and simplified narrative" emanating from the White House is of "serious and direct harm" to relations between the UK, North America and Arab countries.

Among the signatories are Dr Usama Hasan, imam of Al-Tawhid mosque, London, Dilwar Hussain, head of the policy research centre at the Islamic Foundation, Zareen Roohi Ahmed from the British Muslim Forum and Ed Husain, co-director of the anti-extremism thinktank the Quilliam Foundation. All are active in tackling extremism in the UK and overseas.
They say it is imperative for the UK to distance itself from the Bush government. The letter goes on: "We urge you to make concerted and successful efforts to convince the US administration of the dangers of its approach and to ensure the incoming Obama administration forges a more enlightened direction. We also believe the UK - bilaterally and as part of the EU - has an important role to demonstrate to Israel that the threshold of acceptable behaviour has been perilously transgressed."

The letter adds: "As you are aware, the anger within UK Muslim communities has reached acute levels of intensity. The Israeli government's use of disproportionate force ... has revived extremist groups and empowered their message of violence and perennial conflict. For Muslims in the UK and abroad, we run the risk of potentially creating a loss of faith in the political process."
Their intervention follows a meeting on Tuesday between Bill Rammell, foreign and commonwealth affairs minister, and 30 people drawn from Muslim organisations such as the Muslim Council of Britain and the Islamic Society of Britain.

In what was said to be a testy meeting, representatives told Rammell the government's position on Gaza could provoke UK terrorist attacks. One of those present was Dr Hany el-Banna, youth worker and co-founder and president of the charity Islamic Relief.

He told the Guardian: "We are all working tirelessly to try and cool them down. I am telling them to change and bring something positive, but they see these images and they trigger extremist thoughts in the simplest individuals. Many millions of people will see these images in the media, what do you think the affect will be?

"The government is responsible for the country and its foreign policy. I don't want something to happen here."

Another participant in the discussion, Khurshid Drabu, said there was widespread concern about radicalisation. "What we are looking for is equality of treatment when international law is breached. When a Muslim country does that the weight of the world is on them, why does Israel have such impunity?"

A perceived double standard hasalarmed the Young Muslims Advisory Group (YMAG), which the government launched last October to help prevent violent extremism. The group sent a letter to Brown this week saying government failure to condemn Israeli action against Palestinians was undermining efforts to reduce homegrown radicalisation.

The letter, first published in Muslim Youth, said: "We are in grave danger of sending a message to youth today that the mass murder of civilians can be justified if the right grievances are cited. In the current climate there is a real danger young people who witness the impotence of institutions that are supposed to be protecting innocent life will turn to other organisations in an effort to make their voices heard and the violence stop."

Arms Embargo petition on Downing Street Website

2009-01-07T23:05:00.000-08:00

Israel's massacre in Gaza has resulted in the bloodiest toll of lives yet, more than 700 Palestinians have been killed, half of whom were women and children.

Israel wouldn't be able to commit these atrocities if it didn't have the arms to do so.The government's own figures show Britain is selling more and more weapons to Israel. In 2007, our government approved £6m of arms exports.

In 2008, it licensed sales 12 times as fast: £20m in the first three months alone.

Please show your opposition to this and sign the petition demanding "the Prime Minister to do everything in his power to impose an arms embargo on Israel" and "to apply pressure on countries supplying Israel with arms that breach international agreements with the intention of restoring lasting peace to the region"

Link to petition:http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/Arms-embargo/

Please circulate to all your lists

The Demolition of Rafah

2009-01-07T23:01:00.000-08:00

For Immediate Release

The Demolition of Rafah

7th January 2009

Hi-resolution photos from Rafah 07/01/2009 available

https://rcpt.yousendit.com/639988532/6e3cb78cad71d57a17c79e22d82af48b

http://flickr.com/photos/ismpalestine/

Jenny Linnel a British ISM volunteer in Rafah said, "Shortly before midnight on the 6th of January, missiles began raining down on Rafah in one of the heaviest Israeli air strikes since the current atrocities began. Continuous sorties pounded the southern Gaza city for over 12 hours. Many homes were destroyed or severely damaged, especially in the neighbourhoods along the border with Egypt." According to Fida Qishta Rafah resident and ISM activist, "Papers dropped from planes in Rafah neighborhood ordered people to leave their homes in the areas stretching from the borderline all the way back to Sea Street, the main street running through the heart of Rafah, parallel to the border. This area is hundreds of metres deep and the site of thousands of homes. Most of these areas are refugee camps, where residents are being made refugees yet again, some for the third or fourth time following the mass home demolitions of 2003 and 2004 by Israeli military D-9 bulldozers.

People are told to leave their homes but even if they leave they are attacked. Nowhere is safe in the Gaza strip. Where will these families go? They are afraid to seek sanctuary in local UNRWA schools following yesterday's massacres in Jabaliya. They are afraid to drive somewhere and be shot down on the road like the Sinwar family was. They are being temporarily absorbed by the rest of Rafah's population – friends, neighbours, relatives."Jenny added: "We have a friend in Yibna, directly on the border, who refuses to leave his home.

We spoke to one woman in Al Barazil who has a family of 12 and simply doesn't know where to go and another woman in Block J who is literally in the street tonight. Her father is in his nineties. The family home where ISM volunteers are staying is on the other side of the city centre and has become a refuge for three other families tonight. The house is filled with excited chatter and lots of children. Palestinians have a long-learned talent of making-do, but there is no escaping the deep sense of uncertainty.."Referring to hundreds of homes that were demolished in Rafah along the Egyptian border in 2002 former Israeli OC Southern Command, Yom Tov Samiah, contended in an interview to the " Voice of Israel" on the 16 January 2002.January 2002 that, "These houses should have been demolished and evacuated a long time ago, because the Rafah border is not a natural border, it cannot be defended…

Three hundred meters of the Strip along the two sides of the border must be evacuated… Three hundred meters, no matter how many houses, period." The six hundred meter buffer zone that the former OC Southern Command of the Israeli Occupation Forces referred to seven years ago seems to be Israel's goal in the latest wave of demolitions.ISM media coordinator Adam Taylor stated, "Israel wants a buffer zone in Rafah in order to besiege Gaza more effectively. The tunnels that ran under the border with Egypt have become Gaza's life line during the prolonged Israeli siege and served as the only source for basic necessities such as fuel and medicine that Israel did not allow into the Gaza strip.

This recent wide scale destruction of private property of the occupied people of Rafah is not a military necessity. One war crime is being committed in order to reinforce another - that of collective punishment."

Adam Taylor – International Solidarity Movement

Please contact:In Rafah:Jenny Linnel - Britain (English) - +972 59 8765377

Fida Qishta - Palestine (English and Arabic) +972 599681669

Haled Abu Gali - +972 599 768228

Jabaliya:Alberto Arce Spain - (Spanish) - +972 59 8786094

Eva Bartlett - Canada (English) - +972 59 8836308

Ewa Jasiewicz – Coordinator of the Free Gaza movement in Gaza. Poland/Britain (Polish, English and Arabic) + 447749421576

Gaza City: Sharon Lock - Australia (English) - +972 59 8826513Vittorio Arrigoni - Italy (Italian) - +973 59 8378945

Dr. Haider Eid - South Africa (English and Arabic) - + 972 59 9441766

Dr Assed Shark - +972 824613 or +972 599 322636

Natalie Abu Shakra - Lebanon (Arabic and English) +972 59 8336 328

For More General Information, Please Contact:

Adam Taylor - ISM media office in Ramallah - +972 598 503 948

For blogs from inside Gaza see:www.ingaza.wordpress.com

www.talestotell.wordpress.com

www.palsolidarity.org

Venezuela expels Israeli ambassador

2009-01-07T11:24:00.000-08:00

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/americas/2009/01/200916214856254298.html

Venezuela expels Israeli ambassador

Hundreds of Palestinians have been killed inthe Israeli offensive [AFP]
Venezuela has expelled the Israeli ambassador to protest against the country's assault on Gaza, after the Venezuelan president described it as a "holocaust".
The move on Tuesday came hours after 40 Palestinians were killed at a UN school where civilians had taken shelter amid the offensive.

"The Holocaust, that is what is happening right now in Gaza," Hugo Chavez, the Venezuelan president, said in televised comments.

"The president of Israel at this moment should be taken to the International Criminal Court together with the president of the United States."
At least 660 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since Israel began its offensive on December 27, in what it says is an attempt to halt Palestinian rocketfire from Gaza.

'State terrorism'

Venezuela's foreign ministry said in a statement that Israel's campaign constituted "flagrant violations of international law" and the use of "state terrorism".
"For the reasons mentioned above, the government of Venezuela has decided to expel the ambassador of Israel and part of the personnel of the embassy of Israel," the statement said.
On Monday, Chavez, a strong critic of Israel and the US, had accused Washington of poisoning Yasser Arafat, the late former Palestinian president, to destabilise the Middle East and justify US-backed Israeli incursions.

The United States, which Chavez describes as a decadent empire, firmly backs Israel, its principal ally in the region.
On Tuesday, the White House said it would support an "immediate" ceasefire in Gaza but only if it was likely to be "durable".

UNITING AND EDUCATING MUSLIMS AND JEWS

2009-01-07T11:23:00.000-08:00

http://www.thecitycircle.com/more.php?ann_id=143

Upcoming Event Details

Subject:
THE GAZA CRISIS - DISCUSSION & FUNDRAISER
Speaker:
Dr. Richard Stone (Alif Aleph UK), Abu Muntasir (JIMAS), Ziad al-Runi (Islamic Relief)
Venue:
Abrar House, 45 Crawford Place, London W1H 4LP (nearest tube: Edgware Rd / Marble Arch)
Date:
6.45-8.45pm, Friday 16th January 2009
PLEASE NOTE - THIS EVENT HAS BEEN POSTPONED BY A WEEK

Richard Stone and Abu Muntasir, Founder-Presidents of Alif Aleph and JIMAS charity organisations respectively, will suggest ways in which British Muslims and British Jews can work together to lobby for a meaningful peace process in the Middle East. Perhaps it is time for British Muslims and Jews to openly condemn the killing of civilians by both Hamas and Israel, and for more balanced voices on both sides to come together and marginalise extreme elements? Join us for a passionate discussion, which will be followed by a fundraiser for Islamic Relief's humanitarian operation in Gaza, to include a live audio link-up with a relief worker on the ground there.

DR. RICHARD STONE was on the panels of the Stephen Lawrence Inquiry and served as Vice-chair of the Runnymede Trust and spent 6 years on its Islamophobia Commission, from 2000 to 2004 as chair. He is President of the Jewish Council for Racial Equality, and founder and co-chair of Alif-Aleph UK, a group of British Muslims & British Jews.

ABU MUNTASIR worked as a software engineer at BT's Martlesham Laboratories in Suffolk for over 20 years. In 1984 he founded JIMAS, which has become a UK charity dedicated to serving humanity regardless of religion and building local communities on the basis of universal Islamic principles. He is also a trustee of Ipswich Community Radio.

ISLAMIC RELIEF is one of the largest aid agencies working on the ground in Gaza and has begun distributing emergency medical supplies and equipment, as the immediate needs include medical disposables and first aid kits. It is continuing to work in Gaza following the Israeli ground operations, despite the increasingly difficult security situation.

ALL WELCOME - FREE ENTRANCE (no need to register)

For more information, contact Usama on 07980 834340 .

How Israel brought Gaza to the brink of humanitarian catastrophe

2009-01-07T11:19:00.000-08:00

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jan/07/gaza-israel-palestine

Oxford professor of international relations Avi Shlaim served in the Israeli army and has never questioned the state's legitimacy. But its merciless assault on Gaza has led him to devastating conclusions
Avi Shlaim
The Guardian, Wednesday 7 January 2009

The only way to make sense of Israel's senseless war in Gaza is through understanding the historical context. Establishing the state of Israel in May 1948 involved a monumental injustice to the Palestinians. British officials bitterly resented American partisanship on behalf of the infant state. On 2 June 1948, Sir John Troutbeck wrote to the foreign secretary, Ernest Bevin, that the Americans were responsible for the creation of a gangster state headed by "an utterly unscrupulous set of leaders". I used to think that this judgment was too harsh but Israel's vicious assault on the people of Gaza, and the Bush administration's complicity in this assault, have reopened the question.

I write as someone who served loyally in the Israeli army in the mid-1960s and who has never questioned the legitimacy of the state of Israel within its pre-1967 borders. What I utterly reject is the Zionist colonial project beyond the Green Line. The Israeli occupation of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip in the aftermath of the June 1967 war had very little to do with security and everything to do with territorial expansionism. The aim was to establish Greater Israel through permanent political, economic and military control over the Palestinian territories. And the result has been one of the most prolonged and brutal military occupations of modern times.

Four decades of Israeli control did incalculable damage to the economy of the Gaza Strip. With a large population of 1948 refugees crammed into a tiny strip of land, with no infrastructure or natural resources, Gaza's prospects were never bright. Gaza, however, is not simply a case of economic under-development but a uniquely cruel case of deliberate de-development. To use the Biblical phrase, Israel turned the people of Gaza into the hewers of wood and the drawers of water, into a source of cheap labour and a captive market for Israeli goods. The development of local industry was actively impeded so as to make it impossible for the Palestinians to end their subordination to Israel and to establish the economic underpinnings essential for real political independence.

Gaza is a classic case of colonial exploitation in the post-colonial era. Jewish settlements in occupied territories are immoral, illegal and an insurmountable obstacle to peace. They are at once the instrument of exploitation and the symbol of the hated occupation. In Gaza, the Jewish settlers numbered only 8,000 in 2005 compared with 1.4 million local residents. Yet the settlers controlled 25% of the territory, 40% of the arable land and the lion's share of the scarce water resources. Cheek by jowl with these foreign intruders, the majority of the local population lived in abject poverty and unimaginable misery. Eighty per cent of them still subsist on less than $2 a day. The living conditions in the strip remain an affront to civilised values, a powerful precipitant to resistance and a fertile breeding ground for political extremism.

In August 2005 a Likud government headed by Ariel Sharon staged a unilateral Israeli pullout from Gaza, withdrawing all 8,000 settlers and destroying the houses and farms they had left behind. Hamas, the Islamic resistance movement, conducted an effective campaign to drive the Israelis out of Gaza. The withdrawal was a humiliation for the Israeli Defence Forces. To the world, Sharon presented the withdrawal from Gaza as a contribution to peace based on a two-state solution. But in the year after, another 12,000 Israelis settled on the West Bank, further reducing the scope for an independent Palestinian state. Land-grabbing and peace-making are simply incompatible. Israel had a choice and it chose land over peace.

The real purpose behind the move was to redraw unilaterally the borders of Greater Israel by incorporating the main settlement blocs on the West Bank to the state of Israel. Withdrawal from Gaza was thus not a prelude to a peace deal with the Palestinian Authority but a prelude to further Zionist expansion on the West Bank. It was a unilateral Israeli move undertaken in what was seen, mistakenly in my view, as an Israeli national interest. Anchored in a fundamental rejection of the Palestinian national identity, the withdrawal from Gaza was part of a long-term effort to deny the Palestinian people any independent political existence on their land.

Israel's settlers were withdrawn but Israeli soldiers continued to control all access to the Gaza Strip by land, sea and air. Gaza was converted overnight into an open-air prison. From this point on, the Israeli air force enjoyed unrestricted freedom to drop bombs, to make sonic booms by flying low and breaking the sound barrier, and to terrorise the hapless inhabitants of this prison.
Israel likes to portray itself as an island of democracy in a sea of authoritarianism. Yet Israel has never in its entire history done anything to promote democracy on the Arab side and has done a great deal to undermine it. Israel has a long history of secret collaboration with reactionary Arab regimes to suppress Palestinian nationalism. Despite all the handicaps, the Palestinian people succeeded in building the only genuine democracy in the Arab world with the possible exception of Lebanon. In January 2006, free and fair elections for the Legislative Council of the Palestinian Authority brought to power a Hamas-led government. Israel, however, refused to recognise the democratically elected government, claiming that Hamas is purely and simply a terrorist organisation.

America and the EU shamelessly joined Israel in ostracising and demonising the Hamas government and in trying to bring it down by withholding tax revenues and foreign aid. A surreal situation thus developed with a significant part of the international community imposing economic sanctions not against the occupier but against the occupied, not against the oppressor but against the oppressed.

As so often in the tragic history of Palestine, the victims were blamed for their own misfortunes. Israel's propaganda machine persistently purveyed the notion that the Palestinians are terrorists, that they reject coexistence with the Jewish state, that their nationalism is little more than antisemitism, that Hamas is just a bunch of religious fanatics and that Islam is incompatible with democracy. But the simple truth is that the Palestinian people are a normal people with normal aspirations. They are no better but they are no worse than any other national group. What they aspire to, above all, is a piece of land to call their own on which to live in freedom and dignity.

Like other radical movements, Hamas began to moderate its political programme following its rise to power. From the ideological rejectionism of its charter, it began to move towards pragmatic accommodation of a two-state solution. In March 2007, Hamas and Fatah formed a national unity government that was ready to negotiate a long-term ceasefire with Israel. Israel, however, refused to negotiate with a government that included Hamas.

It continued to play the old game of divide and rule between rival Palestinian factions. In the late 1980s, Israel had supported the nascent Hamas in order to weaken Fatah, the secular nationalist movement led by Yasser Arafat. Now Israel began to encourage the corrupt and pliant Fatah leaders to overthrow their religious political rivals and recapture power. Aggressive American neoconservatives participated in the sinister plot to instigate a Palestinian civil war. Their meddling was a major factor in the collapse of the national unity government and in driving Hamas to seize power in Gaza in June 2007 to pre-empt a Fatah coup.

The war unleashed by Israel on Gaza on 27 December was the culmination of a series of clashes and confrontations with the Hamas government. In a broader sense, however, it is a war between Israel and the Palestinian people, because the people had elected the party to power. The declared aim of the war is to weaken Hamas and to intensify the pressure until its leaders agree to a new ceasefire on Israel's terms. The undeclared aim is to ensure that the Palestinians in Gaza are seen by the world simply as a humanitarian problem and thus to derail their struggle for independence and statehood.

The timing of the war was determined by political expediency. A general election is scheduled for 10 February and, in the lead-up to the election, all the main contenders are looking for an opportunity to prove their toughness. The army top brass had been champing at the bit to deliver a crushing blow to Hamas in order to remove the stain left on their reputation by the failure of the war against Hezbollah in Lebanon in July 2006. Israel's cynical leaders could also count on apathy and impotence of the pro-western Arab regimes and on blind support from President Bush in the twilight of his term in the White House. Bush readily obliged by putting all the blame for the crisis on Hamas, vetoing proposals at the UN Security Council for an immediate ceasefire and issuing Israel with a free pass to mount a ground invasion of Gaza.

As always, mighty Israel claims to be the victim of Palestinian aggression but the sheer asymmetry of power between the two sides leaves little room for doubt as to who is the real victim. This is indeed a conflict between David and Goliath but the Biblical image has been inverted - a small and defenceless Palestinian David faces a heavily armed, merciless and overbearing Israeli Goliath. The resort to brute military force is accompanied, as always, by the shrill rhetoric of victimhood and a farrago of self-pity overlaid with self-righteousness. In Hebrew this is known as the syndrome of bokhim ve-yorim, "crying and shooting".

To be sure, Hamas is not an entirely innocent party in this conflict. Denied the fruit of its electoral victory and confronted with an unscrupulous adversary, it has resorted to the weapon of the weak - terror. Militants from Hamas and Islamic Jihad kept launching Qassam rocket attacks against Israeli settlements near the border with Gaza until Egypt brokered a six-month ceasefire last June. The damage caused by these primitive rockets is minimal but the psychological impact is immense, prompting the public to demand protection from its government. Under the circumstances, Israel had the right to act in self-defence but its response to the pinpricks of rocket attacks was totally disproportionate. The figures speak for themselves. In the three years after the withdrawal from Gaza, 11 Israelis were killed by rocket fire.

On the other hand, in 2005-7 alone, the IDF killed 1,290 Palestinians in Gaza, including 222 children.
Whatever the numbers, killing civilians is wrong. This rule applies to Israel as much as it does to Hamas, but Israel's entire record is one of unbridled and unremitting brutality towards the inhabitants of Gaza. Israel also maintained the blockade of Gaza after the ceasefire came into force which, in the view of the Hamas leaders, amounted to a violation of the agreement. During the ceasefire, Israel prevented any exports from leaving the strip in clear violation of a 2005 accord, leading to a sharp drop in employment opportunities. Officially, 49.1% of the population is unemployed. At the same time, Israel restricted drastically the number of trucks carrying food, fuel, cooking-gas canisters, spare parts for water and sanitation plants, and medical supplies to Gaza. It is difficult to see how starving and freezing the civilians of Gaza could protect the people on the Israeli side of the border. But even if it did, it would still be immoral, a form of collective punishment that is strictly forbidden by international humanitarian law.

The brutality of Israel's soldiers is fully matched by the mendacity of its spokesmen. Eight months before launching the current war on Gaza, Israel established a National Information Directorate. The core messages of this directorate to the media are that Hamas broke the ceasefire agreements; that Israel's objective is the defence of its population; and that Israel's forces are taking the utmost care not to hurt innocent civilians. Israel's spin doctors have been remarkably successful in getting this message across. But, in essence, their propaganda is a pack of lies.

A wide gap separates the reality of Israel's actions from the rhetoric of its spokesmen. It was not Hamas but the IDF that broke the ceasefire. It di d so by a raid into Gaza on 4 November that killed six Hamas men. Israel's objective is not just the defence of its population but the eventual overthrow of the Hamas government in Gaza by turning the people against their rulers. And far from taking care to spare civilians, Israel is guilty of indiscriminate bombing and of a three-year-old blockade that has brought the inhabitants of Gaza, now 1.5 million, to the brink of a humanitarian catastrophe.

The Biblical injunction of an eye for an eye is savage enough. But Israel's insane offensive against Gaza seems to follow the logic of an eye for an eyelash. After eight days of bombing, with a death toll of more than 400 Palestinians and four Israelis, the gung-ho cabinet ordered a land invasion of Gaza the consequences of which are incalculable.

No amount of military escalation can buy Israel immunity from rocket attacks from the military wing of Hamas. Despite all the death and destruction that Israel has inflicted on them, they kept up their resistance and they kept firing their rockets. This is a movement that glorifies victimhood and martyrdom. There is simply no military solution to the conflict between the two communities. The problem with Israel's concept of security is that it denies even the most elementary security to the other community. The only way for Israel to achieve security is not through shooting but through talks with Hamas, which has repeatedly declared its readiness to negotiate a long-term ceasefire with the Jewish state within its pre-1967 borders for 20, 30, or even 50 years. Israel has rejected this offer for the same reason it spurned the Arab League peace plan of 2002, which is still on the table: it involves concessions and compromises.
This brief review of Israel's record over the past four decades makes it difficult to resist the conclusion that it has become a rogue state with "an utterly unscrupulous set of leaders". A rogue state habitually violates international law, possesses weapons of mass destruction and practises terrorism - the use of violence against civilians for political purposes. Israel fulfils all of these three criteria; the cap fits and it must wear it. Israel's real aim is not peaceful coexistence with its Palestinian neighbours but military domination. It keeps compounding the mistakes of the past with new and more disastrous ones. Politicians, like everyone else, are of course free to repeat the lies and mistakes of the past. But it is not mandatory to do so.
• Avi Shlaim is a professor of international relations at the University of Oxford and the author of The Iron Wall: Israel and the Arab World and of Lion of Jordan: King Hussein's Life in War and Peace.

FASCISTS SPEAK MORE LIES...BUT THE JEWISH COMMUNITY ARE TOO CLEVER TO FALL FOR IT

2009-01-07T02:11:00.000-08:00

DO NOT FALL FOR THE FASCISTS LIES. THEY ARE HITLERS SONS...JUST TRYING TO GET SUPPORT FROM INNOCENT JEWS, WHO DO NOT DESERVE THE ATTACKS THEY HAVE BEEN GETTING IN ANY WAY.

http://azvsas.blogspot.com/2009/01/neo-nazi-british-national-party.html

Tuesday, 6 January 2009

Neo-Nazi British National Party Supports Israeli Attack on Gaza

No don’t adjust your eyesight. You don’t have double vision. That’s right. Yup, that's right. The fascist British National, whose leader believes that the Nazi holocaust is a hoax, is overjoyed at the genocide in Gaza. And why not? They're killing Muslims so it can't be bad.

For all the nonsense about it being ‘anti-Semitic’ to support the Palestinians, it is the Holocaust denying British National Party, founded by devoted Hitler lover, John Tyndall, that has come out most fulsomely in support of the genocidal Israeli attack on Gaza.

Under the title Europes Jews Face Marxist Wrath Over Gaza with a sub-heading ‘Rise In Attacks On Europe's Jews’ we read that:

Attacks on Jews in Britain and Europe are rising as the violence in Gaza continues.’ It quotes the Zionist Community Security Trust, a group of mainly ex-Israeli military dedicated to protecting Jews from the influence of anti-Zionism that ‘there have been 24 incidents in Britain since December 29.

We are told, in horrified tones, that ‘This includes an arson attack on a synagogue in London.’ something the BNP would never have dreamed of doing! The Thurrock Patriot goes on to quote the CST’s Mark Gardner:

There has been a significant rise in the number of anti-Semitic incidents, especially when compared with what is usually a very quiet time of year for racist, anti-Jewish attacks," spokesman Mark Gardner said.... In the attack on the synagogue in Brondesbury north west London, arsonists tried to smash a window.

Fortunately ‘They failed because of the toughened protective glass.’ And it goes on to describe a series of similar attacks, all with suitable disapproval.

We are told of a number of similar incidents across Europe and they quote Lib Dem spokesperson, Chris Hune MP thus:

I am deeply concerned by the evidence in the Community Security Trust's report that the Israeli invasion of Gaza is being used as a pretext for threats against the Jewish community in Britain.

But this is nothing new. On April 10th 2008, the Guardian carried a story ‘BNP seeks to bury antisemitism and gain Jewish votes in Islamophobic campaign’.· Ruth Smeed of the Board of Deputies of British Jews explained that

The BNP website is now one of the most Zionist on the web - it goes further than any of the mainstream parties in its support of Israel.

For those who are still mystified the BNP’s fuhrer, Nick Griffin is more than willing to explain:
When the overwhelming majority of the instinctively patriotic people of our nations feel threatened by an alien force which is self-evidently evil by Christian and democratic secular values alike, to place oneself in the position whereby our political opponents can portray you as an enemy sympathiser, a collaborator, a traitor, is political suicide.However there are some fools and clowns who haven’t got the message. One is Israel Shamir, a virulent anti-Semite and according to Gilad Atzmon a ‘unique and advanced thinker’. He was most upset with the BNP’s support for Zionism.

I do not feel at ease accusing you and your comrades of betraying the Britons and joining with the Jews, but if I'd keep mum, stones won't. I'd publish your response, and I hope you'll spread mine among your readers and members.

But although the Thurrock Patriot and the grass-roots of the fascists are all in favour of Israel murdering as many Palestinians and Muslims as possible, the BNP’s Chairman Nick Griffin has been slightly more circumspect. In an article Israel and Gaza on 5th January 2009 he purports to take a neutral stance, which in fact is anything but neutral:

We have said nothing, quite simply, because it’s nothing to do with Britain, and therefore nothing to do with the British National Party…. The fighting in Gaza is not a proper concern for a British political party… unless there are clear issues of our own national interest to give us the right, and our government the duty, to interfere....

endless television coverage of dead or injured Palestinian children (the anti-Israeli bias of the leftist BBC is particularly marked) will inflame Islamist extremists against not only Israel but also against other Western states, including the UK and our soldiers currently stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Most of us were under the impression that the BBC had been wholly supportive of the arguments in favour of Israel's attack on Gaza, endlessly repeating the spurious arguments about an Israeli 'reaction' to Hamas's rockets. Griffin continues:

Indeed, the destruction of Israel (which is the generally stated aim of all the far-left and Muslim demonstrators screaming and on occasion rioting outside the Israeli Embassy in London, and the generally unstated aim of the far smaller number of neo-Nazi cranks siding with them on the Internet) would most definitely not placate a single hardline Muslim.

The destruction of Israel would not send Islam back into a peaceful slumber, but would merely inspire and radicalise a whole new generation of Jihadist fanatics with the idea that the hour of their final triumph against the ‘Crusaders’ had been signalled by the collapse of the latter’s ‘Zionist outpost’ on the eastern edge of the Mediterranean.

And Griffin proceeds to outline the horrific scenarios that might result, including a Muslim India and the colonisation of the United States!

While Israel’s no-holds barred self-defence undoubtedly gives Islamist recruiters good material with which to radicalise some of their less motivated brethren, Israel’s extinction would provide them with even stronger arguments in favour of Jihad. The most elementary study of their rhetoric shows that they do not regard Israel as the great enemy, merely as the catspaw of Christendom….

Thus while we would oppose any move to entangle Britain in war on behalf of Israel, it is in our clear national interest that it should survive. Whether that survival is made any more or less likely by responding on such a scale to the cynical provocations by Hamas is another matter, but that judgement is for Israelis to make at the ballot box, and not for us….. Our people must understand that Islam is not a mutated version of Christianity with a pacifist core in which the Meek will inherit the earth; it’s a creed of War and the Sword.... Nor is it about guerrilla warfare successes of the kind seen in Afghanistan and Lebanon, which may yet emerge in Gaza.
But in June 2006 Lee Barnes, the BNP's head of legal affairs wrote on the party's website:As a Nationalist I can say that I support Israel 100% in their dispute with Hizbullah. In fact, I hope they wipe Hizbullah off the Lebanese map and bomb them until they leave large greasy craters in the cities where their Islamic extremist cantons of terror once stood. [the link was http://www.bnp.org.uk/columnists/brimstone2.php?leeId=80 but the article has been removed].

So despite all the nonsense from the Zionists and their echo chambers in the press it is quite clear. The main fascist and neo-Nazi party in Britain supports Israel's attack on Gaza! So much for anti-Semitism.
Tony Greenstein

YOUNG MUSLIMS ADVISORY GROUP...ADVISE THE GOVERNMENT ON GAZA

2009-01-07T01:43:00.000-08:00

http://www.muslimnews.co.uk/index/press.php?pr=259

Israeli killings ‘state terrorism,’ Brown told by advisory group

The Young Muslim Advisory Group (YMAG) has raised concerns in a letter to Prime Minister Gordon Brown about the failure by the Government to condemn Israel’s killing of more than 500 Palestinians in Gaza as an ‘act of state terrorism.’

“By not doing so, we are in grave danger of sending a message to the youth today that the mass murder of civilians can be justified if the right grievances are cited,” said the group in a copy of the letter obtained by The Muslim News.

“In the current political climate there is a real danger that young people who witness the impotence of institutions that are supposed to be protecting innocent life, will turn to other organisations in an effort to make their voices heard and the violence stop,” Brown was also warned.

The YMAG was launched in October last year by the Government and consists of a selected group of 22 young Muslim leaders from different parts of the country. It is aimed to voice the views and opinions of young Muslims in four key areas identified by the Government – on discrimination, increasing employment levels, Preventing Violent Extremism and boosting civic participation.
“As a group, we have defined 'violent extremism' as being the indiscriminate killing of innocent people, wherever and by whoever this is perpetrated,” the group said in their letter.
“With over 450 innocent Palestinians killed in Gaza at the hands of the Israeli Government, the British Government must see this as an act of 'state terrorism' and as a form 'violent extremism', it must be clearly condemned,” the Prime Minister was told.

“Our failure to take clear action also jeopardises our efforts to achieve the objectives of the PREVENT agenda, as we will be seen to be inconsistent and hypocritical in our approach,” he was warned. YMAG said it looked forward to working with the Government in the future, to help prevent all acts of violent extremism and to create a cohesive and harmonious society both in Britain and across the wider world. It expressed hope that Brown would “take decisive action to assist us in achieving this goal.”

For further information contact us on 020 8863 8586 or 077 68 241 325 .
Please acknowledge The Muslim News when using the press release

http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.php?nn=8710170510

Advisory Group Terms Israeli Killings State Terrorism
TEHRAN (FNA)- The Young Muslim Advisory Group (YMAG), set up by the British government last year, has raised concerns to Prime Minister Gordon Brown about the failure to condemn Israel's killing of more than 500 Palestinians in Gaza as an "act of state terrorism".

"By not doing so, we are in grave danger of sending a message to the youth today that the mass murder of civilians can be justified if the right grievances are cited," the group said in a letter to Brown, Muslim News reported. "In the current political climate there is a real danger that young people who witness the impotence of institutions that are supposed to be protecting innocent life, will turn to other organizations in an effort to make their voices heard and the violence stop," the letter further warned. T
he YMAG was launched in October 2008 to voice the views and opinions of young Muslims in four key areas identified by the government - on discrimination, increasing employment levels, Preventing Violent Extremism and boosting civic participation.

"As a group, we have defined 'violent extremism' as being the indiscriminate killing of innocent people, wherever and by whoever this is perpetrated," said the group, composed of 22 young Muslim leaders from different parts of the country.

"With over 450 innocent Palestinians killed in Gaza at the hands of the Israeli Government, the British Government must see this as an act of 'state terrorism' and as a form 'violent extremism', it must be clearly condemned," the letter told the prime minister.
"Our failure to take clear action also jeopardizes our efforts to achieve the objectives of the PREVENT agenda, as we will be seen to be inconsistent and hypocritical in our approach," it warned. YMAG said it looked forward to working with the government to help prevent all acts of violent extremism and create a cohesive and harmonious society both in Britain and across the wider world. It expressed hope that the British prime minister would "take decisive action to assist us in achieving this goal."

http://www.islamophobia-watch.com/islamophobia-watch/2009/1/6/governments-failure-to-condemn-israeli-state-terrorism-under.html

Government's failure to condemn Israeli state terrorism undermines PREVENT agenda, says YMAG

The Young Muslim Advisory Group (YMAG) has raised concerns in a letter to Prime Minister Gordon Brown about the failure by the Government to condemn Israel's killing of more than 500 Palestinians in Gaza as an "act of state terrorism". "By not doing so, we are in grave danger of sending a message to the youth today that the mass murder of civilians can be justified if the right grievances are cited," said the group in a copy of the letter obtained by The Muslim News.

"In the current political climate there is a real danger that young people who witness the impotence of institutions that are supposed to be protecting innocent life, will turn to other organisations in an effort to make their voices heard and the violence stop," Brown was also warned.

"As a group, we have defined 'violent extremism' as being the indiscriminate killing of innocent people, wherever and by whoever this is perpetrated," the group said in their letter.

"With over 450 innocent Palestinians killed in Gaza at the hands of the Israeli Government, the British Government must see this as an act of 'state terrorism' and as a form 'violent extremism', it must be clearly condemned," the Prime Minister was told. "Our failure to take clear action also jeopardises our efforts to achieve the objectives of the PREVENT agenda, as we will be seen to be inconsistent and hypocritical in our approach," he was warned.
Muslim News, 6 January 2009

http://www.pickledpolitics.com/archives/2643
Muslim group asks Brown to condemn ’state terror’
by Ala on 6th January, 2009 at 11:14 am
The Young Muslim Advisory Group (YMAG) has warned Gordon Brown that if he doesn’t condemn the killing of civillians in Gaza as an “act of state terrorism”, the government will jeopardise its initiative to prevent violent extremism at home. The YMAG was launched in October last year by the Government to voice the views and opinions of young Muslims in four key areas identified by the Government: discrimination, employment, Preventing Violent Extremism and civic participation.

In its letter to the PM, the group said:
By not doing so [condemning 'state terrorism'], we are in grave danger of sending a message to the youth today that the mass murder of civilians can be justified if the right grievances are cited.

In the current political climate there is a real danger that young people who witness the impotence of institutions that are supposed to be protecting innocent life, will turn to other organisations in an effort to make their voices heard and the violence stop.
As a group, we have defined ‘violent extremism’ as being the indiscriminate killing of innocent people, wherever and by whoever this is perpetrated.

With over 450 innocent Palestinians killed in Gaza at the hands of the Israeli Government, the British Government must see this as an act of ’state terrorism’ and as a form ‘violent extremism’, it must be clearly condemned.

Our failure to take clear action also jeopardises our efforts to achieve the objectives of the PREVENT agenda, as we will be seen to be inconsistent and hypocritical in our approach.

MORE DEMONSTRATIONS

2009-01-07T01:35:00.000-08:00

WHAT CAN YOU DO?

1) There is a demonstration outside the Israeli Embassy on High Street Kensington, London between 5.30 and 7 tomorrow, Wed the 7th.

2) There is a UK wide NATIONAL DEMONSTRATION on SATURDAY 10TH OF JAN at 12pm assembling in HYDE PARK London and marching to the Israeli Embassy. Here is the event, http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=56528633376
Invite all your contacts, last week we got 50 000, if we each bring one more person that is 100 000.

Information on coaches to the demonstration:

DERBY
There will be a coach from Derby organised by Stop the War on Saturday contact 01332382321.

BIRMINGHAM
8.30am, opposite Moor St Station, Call Nick Burke for more info or to buy tickets on 07977 057 902 .

LEEDS
coaches leave at 07.15am Leeds University parkinson steps Harehills Pakistani Centre and West Yorkshire Playhouse Please phone early to book: 01274 666799 or 01924 442000 Mobile 07980 294410

BRADFORD
Bradford coaches leaves at 07.15am outside the Old Building, Bradford College, Gt Horton Road.Please phone to book: 01274 666799 or 01924 442000 Mobile 07980 294410

MANCHESTER#
1Chorlton Library 7am Manchester Rd.Salle on 0161 861 8491 salle_e_dare@yahoo.co.ukTickets £25/20 waged, £15 unwaged, £10 unwaged.#2 North Manchester Against Wars7am Brideoak Street/Cheetham Hill Rd (outside Al Kizra Mosque),Alice 07896 593 813 alice498@btinternet.com£20 waged - £10 concessionswww.mancsagainsttanks.org

HUDDERSFIELD
The Huddersfield coach will be leaving:7:30amSt Georges Sq,Huddersfield
Tickets cost £20 / £10 concessions
For tickets or more information call Roger 07814709853
Huddersfield will also be having a local protest:3pm, Market CrossHuddersfield Town Centre (near McDonnalds)

BURY
Whitefield coach Starts Bury Art Gallery, 7am Rose 01706 821 910 or Geoff 07857 610 426 burystw@googlemail.com £20 waged/£10 unwaged

RUSHOLME
7am Jaffa Cafe, Wilmslow Rd/Park CrescentNahellla 07988 572 976 nahella_ashraf2002@yahoo.co.ukTickets £25/20 waged, £15 unwaged, £10 unwaged

SALFORD
7am - pick ups to be confirmedContact Sufiya 07813 276 913 or email sufiya1@hotmail.com

BOLTON
For more details contact Neil on 07931 382 398

CHELTENHAM
A car share will be organised for those travelling from Cheltenham. Cars leave at North Place carpark 8.45am. Contact Jo at olgaismycat@yahoo.co.uk, 07931 532519 .

NAILSWORTH
A car share will be organised at Nailsworth to bring people to the demo. The cars leave at 8.30 from Somerfield Carpark. Contact Jo at olgaismycat@yahoo.co.uk or 07931 532519 .

STROUD
Car share leaves 9am from train station car park. Contact Jo at olgaismycat@yahoo.co.uk or on 07931 532519

SWANSEA
Swansea leaving Uplands for national Demo in London. Contact me Ally on 07969556592 or Fred 0779270667.

CHESTERFIELD
Chesterfield coach leaves Town Hall, Rose Hill at 8.00am. Tickets£20 & £10 (unwaged)URGENT APPEAL TO JOIN THIS VITAL DEMONSTRATION AGAINST ISRAELI WARCRIMES IN GAZA.PLEASE LET US KNOW ASAP IF YOU ARE ABLE TO ATTEND. We need to get a sense of likely numbers in the next day or so. Phone / text07778480484, or 01246203552 or by email stopthewarchesterfield@tesco.net

YEOVIL AND SHERBOURNE
We intend to run transport. Leave Yeovil about 8:15, Sherborne 8:30am £10 ~ £12 per person, time (These details are provisional at the moment) If you are interested please reply to this message or contact 07855 320041 .

PRESTON
Coaches will leave from three locations in Preston (Deepdale, Frenchwood,University of Central Lancashire) at 6am. Tickets cost £20 (children under15, travelling with an adult £5)To book a place on the Deepdale bus phone Zubir on 07525040913To book a place on the Frenchwood bus phone Mohammed on 07707724468To book a place on the Central bus (leaving from Uclan) contact eitherAbdul on 07878725871 or Michael on 07739729214.

LIVERPOOL
Monday, 05 January 2009Coach tickets are now on sale at News From Nowhere Bookshop, in Bold St, Liverpool City Centre priced £20 & £15 (concessions)

BRISTOL
Coaches from Bristol leave at 8.15am from Anchor Rd(opposite @Bristol)For a map see: http://www.multimap.com/maps/?hloc=GBbs1%205dbTickets£14 waged, £7 unwaged. To reserve a ticket please emailbristolstopwar@hotmail.com as soon as possible, giving your name, address & phone number. Or phone 07810 000083 . CARDIFFCoaches stopping 8 am, Museum Steps, Cardiff & 8.30 Bus Station, NewportTickets - £16 waged / £10 unwagedContact - Adam Johannes, cardifftroopsout@googlemail.com or 07940108146 to book

SOUTHEND
Phone Tim or Pam on 07748 686581 or email southendcoalition@blueyonder.co.uk3) Sign the petition: http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/Israel-Sanctions/?signed=dc6501d.b28f1d#detail, write to your local MP: http://findyourmp.parliament.uk/commons/l/, email the foreign secretary: private.office@fco.gov.uk. 4) Forward this message to all your contacts and all groups you administrate. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------For more information:http://www.actionpalestine.org/http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=42463811529For those unsure of who Hamas is, Harvard University Academic Dr. Sara Roy, daughter of Holocaust Survivors on Hamas:http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=ReH3D1lrB0Y

Letter to the Egyptian Taghoot

2009-01-07T01:33:00.000-08:00

***SEND TO THE EMAIL ADDRESSES BELOW AND FORWARD ON TO YOUR EMAIL LIST***

To the Egyptian Government and Affiliates,I would say “asalam Alaykum”, but I do not believe that your government is worthy of that title.
I write this because your actions in the last few days are not befitting of a human being, let alone a muslim. To imply as you do that you are a muslim government whilst muslims are being slaughtered on a gross scale just over the border in Gaza is a claim that cannot be accepted by any rational human being.

In the last few days, over 500 muslims in Palestine have been killed through mass attacks upon the civilian government by Israel. The targets have included Schools, Universities, Hospitals and other elements of infrastructure. Israel has shown no mercy in its shameless destruction of a muslim population.

Your government, on the other hand, has been in a position to help. You have closed the border at Gaza for some time, and when the bombardment started instead of opening this to allow civilians to flee, you have opened fire on them.Your government has not even uttered one word of condemnation, and indeed seems to be tacitly supporting the attack on Gaza by Israel. You could help financially, militarily, and by simple words, yet instead you have shown yourselves to be as impotent, oppressive and vindictive as the muslims around the world and in Egypt perceive you to be.

I call on you to have some self-respect as a nation and as an inhabitant of this earth to stop the slaughter of innocent men and women in Palestine. I for one and I am sure many others will not visit your country and spend our western currency to prop up an ailing dictatorship that not only oppresses and victimises its own population, but in addition to this oppresses and victimises the muslims of Palestine.I urge you to stand up to the shameless oppression of your government, and I urge you to help the muslims of Palestine.

May Allah(swt) be the witness that I have spoken the truth to one of the tyrant rulers of taghut, and may Allah(swt) give the people of Egypt and Palestine something better than you offer them, ameen, ameen, ameen.
Regards,

SEND TO :-
Cultural Office: Egypt.culture@btconnect.com
Commercial Office: London@tamseel-ecs.gov.eg
Press Office: info@egpressoffice.com
Egyptian Tourist Office: Egypt@freenetname.co.uk
Egyptian Consulate in the UK : info@egyptianconsulate.co.uk
Egypt State Information Service : feedback@sis.gov.eg
Egyptian Armed Forces : mmc@afmic.gov.eg

CNN clip proving Israel broke the ceasefire

2009-01-07T01:31:00.000-08:00

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=KntmpoRXFX4

Israeli shelling kills dozens at UN school in Gaza

2009-01-07T01:30:00.001-08:00

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jan/06/gaza-israel-death-un

Israeli missiles hit a UN school being used as a shelter from the ongoing Gaza assault

The civilian death toll in Gaza increased dramatically today, with reports of more than 40 Palestinians killed after missiles exploded outside a UN school where hundreds of people were sheltering from the continuing Israeli offensive.

Two Israeli tank shells struck the school in Jabaliya refugee camp, spraying shrapnel on people inside and outside the building, according to news agency reports.

The medical director of the hospital in Jabaliya told the Guardian 41 bodies had been brought in so far and more could be on the way. Reuters journalists filmed bodies scattered on the ground amid pools of blood and torn shoes and clothes. In addition to the dead, several dozen people were wounded, hospital officials said. The Israeli military said it was looking into the reports.
A United Nations official in Gaza said the school was clearly marked with a UN flag and its location had been reported to Israeli authorities. John Ging, director of operations in Gaza for UNRWA, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, said that three artillery shells landed at the perimeter of the school where 350 people were taking shelter. "Of course it was entirely inevitable if artillery shells landed in that area there would be a high number of casualties," he said.

Asked whether there were Hamas militants in the area at the time of the attack, Ging said it was the scene of clashes "so there's an intense military and militant activity in that area." He said UN staff vetted Palestinians seeking shelter at their facilities to make sure militants were not taking advantage of them. "So far we've not had violations by militants of our facilities," he said. Ging called for an independent investigation of the strikes near UN facilities.

"I saw a lot of women and children wheeled in," Fares Ghanem, a hospital official told the Associated Press. "A lot of the wounded were missing limbs and a lot of the dead were in pieces."
Majed Hamdan, an AP photographer, who rushed to the scene shortly after the attacks, said many children were among the dead. "I saw women and men parents slapping their faces in grief, screaming, some of them collapsed to the floor. They knew their children were dead," he said.

"In the morgue, most of the killed appeared to be children. In the hospital, there wasn't enough space for the wounded."

Elsewehere, at least 12 members of an extended family, including seven young children, were killed in an air strike on their house in Gaza City. The bodies of the Daya family were pulled from the rubble of a house in Gaza city's Zeitoun district after it was hit by two Israeli missiles. The dead included seven children aged from one to 12 years, three women and two men. Nine other people were believed to be trapped in the rubble.

Hours earlier, three young men – all cousins – died when the Israelis bombed another UN school, the Asma primary school in Gaza City. They were among about 400 people who sought shelter there after fleeing their homes in Beit Lahiya in northern Gaza.

The UN, which said the school in Jabaliya was clearly marked, said it was "strongly protesting these killings to the Israeli authorities and is calling for an immediate and impartial investigation".

"Where it is found that international humanitarian law has been violated, those responsible must be held to account. Under international law, installations such as schools, health centres and UN facilities should be protected from attack. Well before the current fighting, the UN had given to the Israeli authorities the GPS co-ordinates of all its installations in Gaza, including Asma elementary school."

The killings take the total toll in Palestinian lives since the Israelis launched their assault on the Gaza Strip 11 days ago to above 600. Doctors at Gaza hospitals say that at least one-fifth of the victims are children and a large number of women are among the dead.

Israel continues to insist that the bulk of those killed are Hamas and Islamic Jihad fighters, although its claim to be going to extraordinary lengths to target only "terrorists" has been undermined by one of its own tanks firing on a building being used by Israeli troops, killing four.
The sharp spike in the number of civilian casualties came as Israeli troops and tanks moved into Gaza's second largest city, Khan Younis, for the first time today, supported by intensive artillery strikes as the military pledged to press on with its attack.

In a separate attack earlier in the day, three Palestinians were killed in an air strike on another school run by Unwra, the UN relief agency.

Nine Israelis, including three civilians hit by rocket fire, have been killed in the conflict. At least five rockets fired from Gaza landed in Israel today, including one that hit the town of Gadera, 17 miles from Tel Aviv, police said. A three-year-old girl was wounded.

The heaviest fighting has been in northern Gaza, with witnesses reporting wave after wave of bombing strikes across the north of the territory accompanied by gunfire from helicopters and artillery from land and sea. Thousands of Palestinians have been ordered to leave their homes or forced to flee the fighting.

In Shajaiyeh, east of Gaza City, Israeli troops seized control of three apartment blocks and set up gun positions on the rooftops. Residents were locked in their homes and soldiers confiscated their mobile phones, neighbours said.

Three of the four Israeli soldiers killed by friendly fire died when a tank mistakenly fired on a building where the soldiers had taken up positions. There was heavy artillery fire to cover the evacuation of 24 soldiers who were injured, including the commander of the Golani infantry brigade, one of Israel's key fighting forces.

Israel's defence minister, Ehud Barak, said his country's troops would continue their operation despite mounting Palestinian casualties and growing international calls for a ceasefire.
"Hamas has so far sustained a very heavy blow from us, but we have yet to achieve our objective, and therefore the operation continues," Barak said.

The Israeli foreign minister, Tzipi Livni, said the offensive was intended to change permanently the shape of Israel's conflict with Hamas. "When Israel is targeted, Israel is going to retaliate," she said. Israel has rejected calls for a ceasefire.

The military said it had bombed more smuggling tunnels across the border with Egypt, in the south, and hit more than 40 other sites across Gaza including buildings storing weapons and rocket launching areas.

In Gaza, Mahmoud Zahar, the most senior leader of Hamas in the strip and a hardliner in the movement, appeared on the party's al-Aqsa television station and gave a defiant speech threatening attacks not only in Gaza but elsewhere.

"The Zionists have legitimised the killing of their children by killing our children. They have legitimised the killing of their people all over the world by killing our people," Zahar said. He urged Hamas fighters to "crush your enemy".

Another Hamas figure, a recognised military spokesman called Abu Ubaida, said thousands of Hamas fighters were waiting in Gaza to take on the Israeli military, and that rocket attacks would increase. More than 40 were fired into southern Israel yesterday, including one that landed in an empty kindergarten, which, like all schools near the Gaza border, has been closed since the conflict began.. Israeli police said a total of 520 rockets had been fired in the past 11 days of fighting.

Israeli troops are now deployed in and around the major urban areas of Gaza, particularly to the north, in Beit Hanoun, Beit Lahiya and Jabaliya. Using leaflets, telephone calls and radio announcements, they have ordered residents in many areas to leave their homes, forcing at least 15,000 Palestinians to flee to safety elsewhere. At least 5,000 are staying in 11 different UN schools and shelters.

The UN said more than 1 million Gazans were still without electricity or water and that it was increasingly difficult for staff to distribute aid or reach the injured. It said more industrial diesel was needed to reopen the strip's sole power plant, which has been shut for a week. Ten transformers have been damaged in the fighting.

More wheat grain is needed for food handouts, and the UN said Karni, the main commercial crossing, should be reopened to allow it in. Four ambulances and three mobile clinics were destroyed when bombs hit the headquarters of the Union of Health Care Committees in Gaza City.

John Holmes, the UN emergency relief coordinator, said Gaza represented an "increasingly alarming" humanitarian crisis, and that the territory was running low on clean water, power, food, medicine and other supplies since Israel began its offensive. Israeli leaders claim there is no humanitarian crisis.

SIGN THE PETITIONS

2009-01-07T01:27:00.000-08:00

Dear All UK residents or/and residents,Please sign the petition to sanction Israel, Israeli must be punished for its failure to adhere to the Geneva convention concerning the collective punishment of the citizens of Gaza. Israeli tactics are cruel, malicious and demonstrate that Israel is not interested in the peace process or a Palestinian State. They are creating the ideal breeding ground for extremism, sabotaging peace efforts and squandering the good will they have been given.
Here is the link:http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/Israel-Sanctions/?signed=dc6501d.b28f1d#detail

Kindly forward to all your networks,

ALSO - WHEREVER YOU ARE...SIGN

http://www.petitiononline.com/gaza2812/petition.html

ACTION-GAZA: Can we Spare 60 Minutes? Can we Walk the Talk?

2009-01-07T01:03:00.000-08:00

http://muslimmatters.org/2009/01/04/action-gaza-can-we-spare-60-minutes-can-we-walk-the-talk/

Posted by Amad on January 4th, 2009

Tiny Link to this page: www.tinyurl.com/action-gaza-now

Bismillah, before continuing, please check all pessimism and hopelessness at the gate, otherwise do not read any further. Feel free to use this post, in part or entirety, and circulate as much as possible. Copyright rules are waived for it.

ACTION PLAN : We have compiled a list of action-items (many from readers’ comments) into one list that, inshaAllah, will empower us all. We have all read enough about Gaza to know the grave situation that our brethren find themselves in. Now, it’s time to do something. This is OUR 60-90 minutes action-guide that WE should go through at least once. Repeat one or more of the actions as often as you are able to. Do as much as you can, whenever you can.

NO ACTION IS INSIGNIFICANT.

Once you are done taking ANY or all actions, come back and add a comment to record your small contribution(s), but with great reward towards OUR cause. The purpose of checking back in is to encourage others to do the same. A small logo for this post will be added to front page, on the right side:

OUR 60-Minute Action-Gaza Plan (one-time, not daily):

MAKE Du’a 10 minutes REPEAT Everyday
Print out the du’as in this attachment and post it on your fridge or any other prominent location. Read the du’as now and move on.

DONATE 10 minutes Make a donation. Every one of you can make a small donation, even $5.CAN WE MEET A TARGET OF $10,000 SET FOR MM??

Islamic Relief USA
KinderUSA
Palestine Children’s Relief Fund
American Near East Refugee Aid
In UK: Islamic Relief and Human Relief International
Helping activists/movements: International Solidarity Movement (ISM)

JOIN MM’s new DIGG Club on FACEBOOK 5 minutes This is a means to increase the power of the word-of-mouth for important news articles or analysis:
Learn about these tools: DIGG and Stumbleupon.
Join the new FB group by clicking here (make sure you ONLY join if you are COMMITTED to spending 5 minutes maximum per day). Here’s how it will work:
As soon as there is a significant/fair article (on MM or elsewhere) brought to our attention, we will send a message on FB to the entire group.
All members of the group are required to do their part: to DIGG, SU, Reddit, whatever, within 48 hours of receiving notice (it takes only 1 minute to do it).
You have suddenly become part of blitzing truth over falsehood.
Return to Contents

CALL GAZA {OPTIONAL}
Call any random number in Gaza, and tell them that you are calling from North America (or wherever you are), make Duaa for them and tell them all their brothers and sisters around the world are with them; this will give them moral support and courage ! How to call? > Very simple!
Dial any of these number and replace the last 4 digits by any random ones, try 4 or 5 times and you’ll reach a family insha’Allah ! Even if you don’t speak Arabic, talk to them with very slow and simple English. Here’s what you can say in Arabic. We’ll have an audio version of this by tomorrow i/a:(011)9728284-XXXX (011)9728282-XXXX (011)9728255-XXXX
PLEASE BE MINDFUL OF TIME-ZONES! (7 hrs ahead of US EST, 2 hrs ahead of UK)
Return to Contents

SIGN PETITION 2 MINUTES
CAIR has launched an online petition drive to collect one million signatures. Be part of it by clicking here.
Return to Contents

WRITE or CALL your Congressional Representative 15 minutes
Click here to locate your U.S. Representative, and click here to locate your Senators. Talking points at the bottom. You can be much more detailed than the letter to the editor.
You should also consider sending a quick note to the Saudi Arabia’s ruler (see MR’s post on this).

WRITE a Letter to the Editor 20-50 minutes REPEAT for other newspapersLetters to editor is the most-read section in the entire newspaper, and is read by local leaders as a means of keeping up with the pulse of the community.
Write a letter to your local newspaper (you can find it from the list here). You have a better chance of getting published than writing to one of the national newspapers.
Consider these guidelines to increase your chance of getting published. The most important point: Make ONE point, even if you have a hundred swarming in your head. Be very succinct and add some “color” or “reasoned emotion”, it may increase your chance of getting published.

CIRCULATE (EXTRA BONUS AJAR)
Cross-post on your blog. Email it. Post to your facebook profile.
Print out this hard-copy of this “Action-Gaza”, make copies and distribute.

YOUR IDEAS (DOUBLE-POINTS)
Post your ideas in comments. Also use this space to inform people of any rallies or special events in your area for Gaza.

Talking Points for Letters to Editor & Congressional Representative [remember keep scope of letter limited]:

President Bush and Secretary Rice should exert diplomatic pressure to immediately re-instate a ceasefire. Israel’s military assault is disproportionate, inhumane, and immoral. The U.S. is the only country that has the capability to effectively halt this vicious cycle of violence.
All human life is sacred. Israel must stop its collective punishment of Palestinians, and allow critically needed medical supplies and food to be delivered to the residents of Gaza.

The Gaza Strip is smaller than the Isle of Wight, but it is crammed with 1.5 million people who can never leave. They live out their lives on top of each other in vast sagging tower blocks, jobless and hungry. From the top floor, you can often see the borders of their world: the Mediterranean Sea, and the Israeli barbed wire. When bombs begin to fall — as they are doing now with more deadly force than on any day since 1967 — there is nowhere to hide.
The Israeli government did indeed withdraw from the Gaza Strip in 2005 - in order to be able to intensify control of the West Bank. Ariel Sharon’s senior advisor Dov Weisglass was unequivocal about this, explaining: “The disengagement [from Gaza] is actually formaldehyde. It supplies the amount of formaldehyde that’s necessary so that there will not be a political process with the Palestinians… Effectively, this whole package that is called the Palestinian state has been removed from our agenda indefinitely.”

The election of Hamas was in a free and democratic election, and it was not a rejection of a two-state solution. The most detailed polling of Palestinians, by the University of Maryland, found that 72 percent want a two-state solution on the 1967 borders, while fewer than 20 percent want to reclaim the whole of historic Palestine. Rather than seize this opportunity and test their sincerity, the Israeli government reacted by punishing the entire civilian population. They announced they were blockading the Gaza Strip in order to “pressure” its people to reverse the democratic process. They surrounded the Strip and refused to let anyone or anything out. They let in a small trickle of food, fuel and medicine - but not enough for survival.

According to Oxfam, this November only 137 trucks of food were allowed into Gaza this November - to feed 1.5 million people. The UN says poverty has reached an “unprecedented level.”

It was in this context - under collective punishment designed to topple a democracy - that some forces within Gaza did something immoral: they fired Qassam rockets indiscriminately at Israeli cities. These rockets have killed 16 ordinary Israeli citizens. This is abhorrent: targeting civilians is always murder. But it is hypocritical for the Israeli government to claim now to speak out for the safety of civilians when they have been terrorising civilians as a matter of state policy.
Only 16 civilians have died due to the small unsophisticated rockets in all these years. Israel killed that many civilians in less than 24 hours.

Only one in 500 Qassam rockets causes a fatality. How many thousands of Israeli bombs, missiles, rockets, grenades and tank-shells have been blasted into the crowded city and towns of the Gaza Strip by Israel’s high-tech weaponry?

Hamas offered a ceasefire in return for basic and achievable compromises. According to the Israeli press, Yuval Diskin, the current head of the Israeli security services Shin Bet, “told the Israeli cabinet [on the 23rd] that Hamas is interested in continuing the truce, but wants to improve its terms.” Diskin explained Hamas was requesting two things: an end to the blockade, and an Israeli ceasefire on the West Bank. The cabinet - high with election-fever, and eager to appear tough - rejected these terms.

The sound of Gaza burning should be drowned out by the words of the Israeli writer Larry Derfner. He says: “Israel’s war with Gaza has to be the most one-sided on earth…. If the point is to end it, or at least begin to end it, the ball is not in Hamas’ court - it’s in ours.”

“Israel left Gaza in order to create an opportunity for peace.” FALSE.

Israel never left Gaza. It still occupies Gaza’s airspace and coastal waters and controls all entrances and exits.

Israel had failed to abide by the terms of the cease-fire. For the overwhelming majority of the six-month truce, Israel had refused to ease its military blockade of Gaza to any significant degree. In addition, it was the initial violator of the cease-fire when it sent tanks and aircraft into Gaza and killed six Palestinians on November 4, 2008.

In the interest of peace, Hamas, and especially Fatah, have firmly established that they are willing to participate in negotiations that are based on internationally recognized borders and rights. The Hamas leader in Gaza, Ismail Haniyeh, said in November that his government was willing to accept a Palestinian state alongside Israel within the 1967 borders. Haaretz Israel News, Nov. 9, 2008

Institutions of higher learning are supposed to serve the needs of their countries and are also supposed to be a place where diverse views are debated. The indiscriminate bombing of this university simply cannot be justified. Last year, when there was a British proposal to boycott Israel universities, and the speed and enthusiasm with which certain American universities and academics jumped to attack the proposed boycott of Israeli universities was a spectacle to witness. They claimed they were championing academic freedom. I wonder where these same universities and academics are now, when an entire University is bombed, its facilities destroyed, and professors assassinated. The only reasonable answer seems to be that in the eyes of these academics, Palestinians don’t really deserve the same freedoms as Israelis do. In other words, some freedoms are just more sacred than others.

The claim that only 60-odd people were civilians out of the nearly 400+ killed is utter misinformation. The UN yesterday issued a “conservative” estimate of the number of civilians killed in three days of unprecedentedly fierce aerial bombardment, putting the death toll at 62. It is a deliberately conservative estimate because it excludes all men in the Gaza City area to ensure that it does not accidentally include uniformed personnel. The Palestinian Centre of Human Rights said that “most” of the more than 300 casualties were civilian but their tally includes Hamas policemen. Under the laws of war, police and police stations are presumptively civilian unless the police are Hamas fighters or taking a direct part in the hostilities, or police stations are being used for military purposes. We already know that some of the police officers targeted were mere cadets/recruits, let alone fighters!

JEWS AGAINST ZIONISM

2009-01-07T00:49:00.000-08:00

WWW.JEWSAGAINSTZIONISM.COM

Traditional Jews Are Not Zionists

Although there are those who refuse to accept the teachings of our Rabbis and will continue to support the Zionist state, there are also many who are totally unaware of the history of Zionism and its contradiction to the beliefs of Torah-True Jews.

What is Zionism?

One of our most oft-asked questions is "what is Zionism?"

Theodor Herzl

Zionism is a movement founded by Theodor Herzl in 1896 whose goal is the return of Jews to Eretz Yisrael, or Zion, the Jewish synonym for Jerusalem and the Land of Israel.The name of "Zionism" comes from the hill Zion, the hill on which the Temple of Jerusalem was situated.

Supporters of this movement are called "Zionists".The purpose of this website is to explain why traditional Jews do not support Zionism (the return to the land called "Israel") and why the Zionist idealogy is totally contrary to traditional Jewish law and beliefs and the teachings of the Holy Torah.

Three Strong Oaths
The true Jewish position on Zionism and the state called Israel is found in the Scriptures in the Talmud and in the oral traditions transmitted to us by our parents and teachers.
At the outset of the Jews' exile to Babylonia, the Prophet Jeremiah, in chapter 29 of his book proclaimed G-d's message to all the exiled…Verse seven reads, "Seek out the welfare of the city to which I have exiled you and pray for it to the Almighty, for through its welfare will you have welfare." This has been a cornerstone of Jewish "foreign policy" how to behave in the lands of the nations throughout our ensuing exiles till this very day.

There Jeremiah adds in the name of G-d (verses 8 and 9), "Do not let your false prophets among you and your sorcerers seduce you, do not head your dreamers which you cause them to dream. For they speak falsely to you in My name. I did not send them." This too has applied to all the would-be misleaders of Jewry whether they presented themselves as prophets or as sorcerers or as dreamers of national aspirations.

King Solomon in Song of Songs thrice adjured the "daughters of Jerusalem" not to arouse or bestir the love until it is ready." The Talmud explains That we have been foresworn, by three strong oaths, not to ascend to the Holy Land as a group using force, not to rebel against the governments of countries in which we live, and not by our sins, to prolong the coming of moshiach; as is written in Tractate Kesubos 111a .

Throughout the seventy years of the Babylonian exile, throughout the 200 years of the Hellenic exile and throughout the 1917 since the destruction of G-d's Holy House, we have steadfastly maintained our loyalty to G-d and have not transgressed His oaths. And we have prayed for the welfare of the cities and the countries of our host nations that did not oppress us, and in their welfare we indeed always found ours.

Whoever violates Jeremiah's principles or Solomon's oaths immediately imperils the welfare of Jews locally and elsewhere in the world.

Maimonides, Iggeres Teiman – Letter to Yemen
[Maimonides wrote this Letter to the Jewish Community of Yemen almost 1,000 years ago]
And as King Solomon knew with divine inspiration that the Jewish People would face the consequences of this and that suffering would come upon them, and warned the Jewish People not to do this (i.e. violate the Three Oaths), and in a metaphorical way made them swear not to commit these acts, as it is written in Song of Songs, 3,5: I made you swear Daughters of Jerusalem by the deer and gazelles of the field should you arouse or awaken love until it is so desired.

Therefore, you, dear brethren, must accept the Oath and do not attempt to arouse the love until the proper time when the Alm-ghty shall remember us and you with his trait of mercy to gather his portion from Exile to behold his glory at his holy Temple and redeem us from the Valley of the shadow of Death where he has placed us, thereby removing the darkness from our eyes and the fog from our hearts. He will then fulfill in our days and in yours the verse from Isaiah 9:1 The nation wandering in darkness shall see a great Light, and a Light shall shine on those residing in the land of the shadow of death. At that time G-d shall darken the eyes of all those who rise up against us, and fulfill the verse from Isaiah 9:2 Verily darkness shall cover the land and fog shall cover nations, but the light of G-d shall shine upon you, and you shall display his honor.

The Maharal of Prague (Rabbi Betzalel Lowy who lived in the 17th century) explained that the prohibition of violating the Three Oaths applies even if the other nations force the Jewish People to do so.

In addition, he wrote in his book Netzach Yisroel (Chapter 24) that these Oaths may not be modified so as to affect the decree of Exile, and he expanded on the description in the Midrashic text on Song of Songs 2:18.

“Even if the nations wanted to kill the Jews with terrible torture, the Jews are forbidden to change the applicability of the Oaths. This is relevant to every one of these oaths and must be understood.” Therefore, not only is it forbidden to leave the Exile even with the permission of the nations, but even if they force the Jewish People to do so under pain of death, it is forbidden to violate these Oaths in the same way it is required to give up one’s life rather than accept another religion.

Even during the forced conversions under the kingdom of Portugal in the late 15th century it was forbidden to violate the Oath.

Rabbi Avraham Galanti, who other rabbis described as outstanding in his level of holiness, and who was a student of the great kabbalist Rabbi Moshe Cordovero in the 16th century, explained aspects of the Three Oaths in his book Zechus Avos [Merit of the Patriarchs] where he recounts how some Jews in Portugal wanted to revolt against the kingdom rather than submit to forced conversion. A rabbi quoted the verses from Song of Songs to the people who wanted to revolt, and pointed to the Talmudic tractate Ketuboth p. 111 which states that G-d made the Jewish People take three Oaths – one was that they should not rebel against G-d by rebelling against the nations. Thereafter the Jews submitted to death rather than forced conversion. Although the description in Ketuboth does not say that the Oaths involve directly rebelling against G-d, it is clear that the very violation of these Oaths is rebellion against G-d himself.

WORDS OF THE RABBIS
Rabbi Michael Dov Weissmandl ZT"L Dean of Nitra Yeshiva

TEN QUESTIONS TO THE ZIONISTS

1. IS IT TRUE that in 1941 and again in 1942, the German Gestapo offered all European Jews transit to Spain, if they would relinquish all their property in Germany and Occupied France; on condition that:

a) none of the deportees travel from Spain to Palestine; and
b) all the deportees be transported from Spain to the USA or British colonies, and there to remain; with entry visas to be arranged by the Jews living there; and
c) $1000.00 ransom for each family to be furnished by the Agency, payable upon the arrival of the family at the Spanish border at the rate of 1000 families daily.

2. IS IT TRUE that the Zionist leaders in Switzerland and Turkey received this offer with the clear understanding that the exclusion of Palestine as a destination for the deportees was based on an agreement between the Gestapo and the Mufti.

3. IS IT TRUE that the answer of the Zionist leaders was negative, with the following comments:
a) ONLY Palestine would be considered as a destination for the deportees.
b) The European Jews must accede to suffering and death greater in measure than the other nations, in order that the victorious allies agree to a "Jewish State" at the end of the war.
c) No ransom will be paid

4. IS IT TRUE that this response to the Gestapo's offer was made with the full knowledge that the alternative to this offer was the gas chamber.

5. IS IT TRUE that in 1944, at the time of the Hungarian deportations, a similar offer was made, whereby all Hungarian Jewry could be saved.

6. IS IT TRUE that the same Zionist hierarchy again refused this offer (after the gas chambers had already taken a toll of millions).

7. IS IT TRUE that during the height of the killings in the war, 270 Members of the British Parliament proposed to evacuate 500,000 Jews from Europe, and resettle them in British colonies, as a part of diplomatic negotiations with Germany.

8. IS IT TRUE that this offer was rejected by the Zionist leaders with the observation "Only to Palestine!"

9. IS IT TRUE that the British government granted visas to 300 rabbis and their families to the Colony of Mauritius, with passage for the evacuees through Turkey. The "Jewish Agency" leaders sabotaged this plan with the observation that the plan was disloyal to Palestine, and the 300 rabbis and their families should be gassed.

10. IS IT TRUE that during the course of the negotiations mentioned above, Chaim Weitzman, the first "Jewish statesman" stated: "The most valuable part of the Jewish nation is already in Palestine, and those Jews living outside Palestine are not too important". Weitzman's cohort, Greenbaum, amplified this statement with the observation "One cow in Palestine is worth more than all the Jews in Europe".

There are additional similar questions to be asked of these atheist degenerates known as "Jewish statesmen", but for the time being let them respond to the ten questions.
These Zionist "statesmen" with their great foresight, sought to bring an end two two-thousand years of Divinely ordained Jewish subservience and political tractability. With their offensive militancy, they fanned the fires of anti-Semitism in Europe, and succeeded in forging a bond of Jew-hatred between Nazi-Germany and the surrounding countries.

These are the "statesmen" who organized the irresponsible boycott against Germany in 1933. This boycott hurt Germany like a fly attacking an elephant - but it brought calamity upon the Jews of Europe. At a time when America and England were at peace with the mad-dog Hitler, the Zionist "statesmen" forsook the only plausible method of political amenability; and with their boycott incensed the leader of Germany to a frenzy. And then, after the bitterest episode in Jewish history, these Zionist "statesmen" lured the broken refugees in the DP camps to remain in hunger and deprivation, and to refuse relocation to any place but Palestine; only for the purpose of building their State.

The Zionist "statesmen" have incited and continue to incite an embittered Jewish youth to futile wars against world powers like England, and against masses of hundreds of millions of Arabs.
AND THESE SAME ZIONIST "STATESMEN" HEEDLESSLY PUSH THE WORLD TO THE BRINK OF ANOTHER TOTAL WAR - REVOLVING ENTIRELY AROUND THE HOLY LAND.
What may befall the Jewish inhabitants of Palestine, of the Arab crescent, Europe, or the USA; is of no concern to these Zionist leaders. The rising anti-Semitism in the Western World is the product of their "statesmanship".

Under the guise of "love of Israel", the Zionist "statesmen" seduced many Jews to replace devotion to the Torah and its Sages with devotion to the scoundrel who founded Zionism. It is of no little significance that Herzl originally sought conversion of the Jews as a solution to the problems of the Diaspora. When he realized that this was not acceptable to the Jewish masses, he contrived Zionism as a satisfactory alternative!

THE UNHEEDED CRYThe gripping story of Rabbi Weissmandl, valiant holocaust leader who battled both Allied indifference and Nazi hatred.Available in our Bookstore
A look into history reveals that this very same type of "statesmen" opposed the call of Jeremiah the prophet to yield to the minions of Nebuchadnezzar at the destruction of the first Temple. Five centuries later, Rabbi Yochonon Ben Zakai appealed to the people to surrender to Titus the Roman to avoid bloodshed. The "statesmen" rejected this appeal, and the second Temple was destroyed by the Romans. --- And now for the past fifty years, the Zionist "statesmen" rebuff the leadership of our Sages; and continue in their policy of fomenting anti-Semitism. When will they stop?? Must every Jew in America also suffer?? - Even the Nazi monsters had more sense, and gave up their war before all Germany was destroyed. The Zionist "statesmen" ridicule the sacred oath which the Creator placed upon the Jews in the Diaspora. Our Torah, in Tractate Ksubos, folio 111, specifies that the Creator, blessed be He, swore the Jews not to occupy the Holy Land by force, even if it appears that they have the force to do so; and not rebel against the Nations. And the Creator warned that if His oath be desecrated, Jewish flesh would be "open property", like the animals in the forest!! These are words of our Torah; and these concepts have been cited in Maimonides' "Igeres Teimon", "Be'er HaGola", "Ahavas Yehonosson", and in "Toras Moshe" of the Chasam Sofer.

IT IS COMMON KNOWLEDGE THAT ALL THE SAGES AND SAINTS IN EUROPE AT THE TIME OF HITLER'S RISE DECLARED THAT HE WAS A MESSENGER OF DIVINE WRATH, SENT TO CHASTEN THE JEWS BECAUSE OF THE BITTER APOSTASY OF ZIONISM AGAINST THE BELIEF IN THE EVENTUAL MESSIANIC REDEMPTION.

Yidden - merciful sons of merciful fathers - how much longer must holy Jewish blood continue to be shed??

The only solution is:
The Jewish people must reject, outright, a "Jewish State".
The Jewish people should accept the US compromise.
We must depose the atheist-Zionist "statesmen" from their role as Jewish leaders, and return to the faithful leadership of our sages.

We beseech the Nations to open all doors to immigration - not only the doors of Palestine.
Peaceful, non-Zionist religious personalities in Palestine, (particularly from the native population) and their counterparts in the Diaspora, should engage in responsible, face-to face negotiations on behalf of the Jewish people, with the British and the Arabs; with an aim of amicable settlement of the Palestine issue.

Every Jew is obliged to pray to the Blessed creator, for in Him lies all our strength. Let us bear in mind that our prayers be forthright. One should not entreat the Creator to provide a banquet on Yom Kippur, and one can not perform a ritual ablution with a dead bug in his hand. Similarly, we should avoid the untenable position of the robber who prays for Divine help in carrying out his crime. We should pray that Zionism and its fruits vanish from the Earth, and that we be redeemed by the Messiah with dispatch.

A prisoner is released only when he has served his time, or if he is pardoned by the President for good behavior. If he attempts escape and is apprehended, his term is lengthened, besides the beating he receives when he is caught.

Faithful Jews- for over three and one-half thousand years, in all parts of the world, through all trials, our grandfathers and grandmothers marched through seas of blood and tears in order to keep the Faith of the Torah unswervingly. If we have compassion for ourselves, for our women and children, and for the Jewish people, we will maintain our golden legacy today. We have been sentenced to exile by the King of Kings because of our sins. The eternal blessed be He, has decreed that we accept the exile with humble gratitude until the time comes, or until we merit His pardon through repentance if we seek to end the exile with force, G-d will catch us, as our sages have forewarned, and our sentence becomes longer and more difficult.

Many times in the past have segments of our people been defrauded by false messiahs - but none of the false messiahs has been as fallacious and delusory as the lie of Zionism. With our historical experience as our guide, no retribution has been or will be greater than the retribution for giving credence to Zionism. If we wish our exile-sentence commuted, we must appeal through repentance; and through total physical and spiritual observance of the Sabbath, laws of family purity, and study of Torah.

Let it be clearly understood that never in Jewish history (even in the time of Jeroboam or Achav) have such hostile atheists stood at the helm of the Jewish people as today.

How can we plead to the Almighty for mercy while we tolerate these vile, "wicked" leaders as spokesmen! Beloved brothers - let us cleanse our ranks and cleanse our midst; let us entreat the Almighty through prayer, repentance, and fulfillment of mitzvos that He alone redeem us, immediately.

10 POINT GUIDE TO HELPING GAZA

2009-01-07T00:38:00.000-08:00

http://www.iengage.org.uk/component/content/article/1-news/193-engage-10-point-guide-to-active-intervention

ENGAGE 10 Point Guide to Helping Gaza

Tuesday, 30 December 2008 12:09

What can YOU do to help the Palestinian people of Gaza? Read the ENGAGE 10 Point Guide and get working TODAY!

'During the last seven years, 14 Israelis have been killed by mostly homemade rockets fired from the Gaza Strip, while more than 5,000 Palestinians were killed by Israel with some of the most advanced US-supplied armaments in the world', Seumas Milne, The Guardian, 30 December 2008.1. Contact your MP by phone and in writing via email.
You can find contact details for your MP on the Parliament website, http://www.parliament.uk/ or you can find your MP through the search facility on http://www.theyworkforyou.com/. Phone your Member of Parliament TODAY and make sure that s/he notes your dismay and disappointment at the Government’s refusal to condemn the assaults on Gaza and its refusal to demand an immediate stop to all military activity. Ask your MP why Israel's bombings of mosques and university buildings in Gaza have gone uncriticised.

MPs do work for you, so get writing and insist on your MP seeking clear answers on your behalf from the Foreign Secretary to questions such as these:

(a) Why has the UK not clearly condemned the savage bombardment of Gaza by the Israelis?

(b) Does the UK Government accept that the Israeli action is barbaric and a crime against humanity?

(c) How does the UK Government think it will be able to legitimately defend its position as a member of the Quartet brokering peace in the Middle East when it fails to condemn the actions of a state which threatens beyond all doubt prospects for a lasting peace?

(d) Does not the Government’s refusal to condemn the Israelis insinuate complicity in the latter’s attempt to rout a democratically elected government and seek peace on its term and its terms alone? Is this the Government’s idea of a lasting peace in Palestine?

(e) The Government failed in summer 2006 to call for a ceasefire while the Israelis bombed Lebanon repeatedly destroying much of the country’s infrastructure. Refuse to allow it to sit back and do nothing once again.

(f) Does the UK Government not accept that its refusal to condemn the Israelis renders hollow all its protestations on its commitment to peace in the Middle East and its PREVENT agenda, on tackling the causes of radicalization in the UK?

2. Call for a Debate in the Houses of Parliament

Ask your MP to raise the brutal Israeli bombardment in Gaza as a matter for debate in the Houses of Parliament.

What reasons does the Government have for remaining silent on this matter?

Why has it not been more forthright in its utter condemnation of the atrocity?

Does the Government think that committing funds to humanitarian aid absolves it from addressing the causes of the disaster?

3. Government representations to the UN Ask your MP to insist that the Government condemn the murderous actions of the Israelis in the UN. The UN is another member of the Quartet (along with the US, EU and Russia) and is similarly responsible in forcing Israel to halt military action and cease its belligerent breach of international law.4. Demonstrate Demonstrate against the outrageous conduct of the Israelis. Much of what Israel seeks to do is to compel others to accept that it is the victim in this war. Demonstrate against its lies and deception and show your solidarity with the true victims of Israeli attacks.

The Stop the War Coalition are organizing demonstrations all this week. Also check the website, http://www.stopwar.org.uk/ for further details of these and other demonstrations across the country.

Join as many demonstrations as you can and urge others to come with you. Keep up the pressure, vote with your feet, and show that you will not sit back and allow this massacre to go unchallenged. Remember, silence is complicity.

5. Raise Your Voice and Your Pen

What is happening in Gaza is all over the news, on TV, on radio and on internet discussion forums. The Israeli Media Strategy document procured by ENGAGE shows clearly that dominating the news, controlling the dissemination of information and framing the war is as much a part of Israel’s assaults on Gaza as the raining down of missiles. Challenge what you see and hear and be the voice of the Palestinian people who are prevented from speaking for themselves.
(a) Is the news dominated by Israeli spokespeople? If so, ask why. There are two sides in this war and the views of both must be made available to us. How else are we to judge who is the victim and who the aggressor? Say no to Israeli spin and Israeli centred news coverage.

(b) Is the radio coverage unbalanced? What interviewees are invited to take part on news programmes on the Gaza assaults? How often do you hear Palestinian and Hamas representatives?

(c) Call in to news programmes, on your local radio station or national radio stations, and contribute your comments and views to what is going on. Don’t restrict your outrage and fulminating to shaking your fists at the television. Do something, speak out. Contact details for major TV stations:BBC: www.bbc.co.uk/complaints 03700 100 222 ITV:

dutyoffice@itv.com
0844 881 4150 Channel 4: http://help.channel4.com 0845 076 0191 Sky News:
news@sky.com
0870 240 3000 ITV Teletext:
webmaster@teletext.co.uk
020 8323 5000

Newspapers:
Daily Telegraph - 020 7931 2000
The Guardian - 020 7278 2332
The Independent - 020 7005 2000
The Times - 020 7782 5000
Financial Times - 020 7873 3000
Daily Mail - 020 7938 6000
Daily Mirror - 020 7293 3000
Daily Express - 0871 434 1010
The Metro - 020 7651 5242
The Sun - 020 7782 4000
The Scotsman - 0131 620 8620

The Herald - 0141 302 7000

6. Blogs and Discussion Forums

The internet is among the most popular forms of present day news consumption. Some internet blog sites are read by more people than some national newspapers. Capitalise on the trend of consuming news online and join in on discussion threads and post comments to blogs and news items that are discussing the events in Gaza.

Your comments will be read by a multitude. Don’t be swayed or alarmed by false or incendiary posts.

Keep calm and write with clarity and conscience.

Reject the lies and propaganda of the Israeli media and PR machine.

Don’t allow Zionists to dominate and distort the public’s perception of what is taking place in Gaza.

7. In the Mosques

Go to your local mosque and ask them to formally write an urgent letter TODAY to your MP making the points above and demand a meeting with the MP.

Ask your local mosque to begin collections for the Palestinians and to make the issue of Gaza the content of the Friday sermon. Ensure that your mosque uses its position in the local community to protest on the community’s behalf on what is taking place in Gaza.

While Muslims pray for the souls of those that have lost their lives in recent days, take steps to prevent the further loss of life. Make sure your mosque is actively involved in more than just being a place for prayer.

8. Interfaith Initiatives

Ask your local mosque and community centres to seek out Christian and Jewish places of worship and centres in your local community and join together in initiatives to bring peace to Palestine. Muslims, Jews and Christians reside in the Palestinian Territories and all faith groups should be working together to denounce the murderous actions of the Zionists in Israel and work for interfaith harmony and social peace.

9. Online petitions

Create or sign online petitions to be presented to your MP and the Government demanding that they call for an immediate stop to all military activity by Israel. Urge all your friends to sign a petition and insist that your elected representatives heed the protests of their electorate. A petition calling for the Government to impose economic sanctions against Israel is currently underway and you can sign it here.

10. British Banks and Charities working for the PalestiniansWrite to Lloyds TSB and Barclays Bank anew and insist that the banks reverse their decisions on closing the bank accounts of Interpal and Ummah Welfare Trust. The work of these charities will be needed now more than ever. Insist that the banks re-open the charities’ accounts so that you might donate and contribute to the provision of emergency aid to the embattled Gazans.

SOME FANTASTIC INFORMATIVE LINKS

2009-01-07T00:24:00.000-08:00

http://www.isocnews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=168&Itemid=5

There is something catastrophic going on in Gaza at the moment. Headlines give you soundbite interpretations of a deep, complex conflicts. Whether you're keenly following the headlines or remain indifferent, or even apathetic to the seemingly never-ending conflict in Palestine, the reality is that this current invasion has a context, a history and roots. Contrary to what we are led to believe, this is not a ‘war’ between two equally level armies. This is not a ‘war’ where international laws of combat hold any weight.

This is not even a ‘war’ where the army on the offence is even slightly troubled by international condemnation- let alone receptive to it.

In fact, this war is exceptional because it is borne from exceptional circumstances with an exceptional history. In order for us as Muslims to understand how and why we are witnessing such seemingly relentless attacks on a defenceless population, we need to dig deeper than the world’s media ever trouble themselves to go.

The role of aid agencies, from the inside:
Charities and NGOs are supposed to stand for swift relief in disaster zones, whether as a consequence of natural disasters (cyclones, tsunamis, floods, earthquakes) or man-made conflict. There are long-term development goals and short-term relief efforts. No two relief efforts are alike- every country an NGO works with presents its own challenges and advantages. In Burma, we were fighting against a military junta opposing any international aid into the country. In Afghanistan, we were facing the challenge of reaching scattered populations in inaccessible regions as road and transport infrastructure had been destroyed.
And now Gaza.

With the population of Gaza living under Israeli blockades, these past two years have seen an economy broken down, random cuts in electricity, fuel and medical supplies and one of the most densely populated regions in the world dependent on food hand outs. Even with a permanent field office in Gaza, aid in the form of medical supplies, food, shelter, medicine and safe water supplies cannot get into Gaza from abroad.

So what have we done? We send money and have medical equipment and other supplies bought internally into Gaza whilst taking advantage of the limited time Egypt decide to open the Rafah crossing into Gaza. The work can still go on, with a permanent field office inside Gaza- we are best able to assess the immediate needs of the victims and respond accordingly. After making consistent and sincere du’a that Allah eases the suffering of our brothers and sisters in Gaza, spend from that which you love and donate towards charities working on the ground in the region.What exactly is the Gaza Strip?

The Gaza Strip is a roughly rectangular territory surrounding the city of Gaza, wedged between the Mediterranean Sea and Israel. To the southwest, it shares a seven-mile border with Egypt. The region has a long history of occupation—by the ancient Egyptians, the Philistines, the Arabs, the Christian Crusaders, and the Ottomans. After World War I, the Gaza area became part of the British Mandate of Palestine, and it was occupied by Egypt in 1948, in the aftermath of the first Arab-Israeli war. Israel took control of the region during the Six-Day War in 1967, along with the West Bank, eastern Jerusalem, the Golan Heights, and the Sinai Peninsula.

The most wrenching event that Palestinians encountered was the 1948 disaster (nakba), but for the Gazans it was not the only or the last one. Gaza was a battle ground in World War I (WWI), occupied twice by Israel, started the first uprising (intifada), created Hamas movement and opted for armed resistance rather than engage in endless negotiations, declared enemy entity by Israel and the US and today the Gazans are being massacred by Israel and abandoned by Arab states. And how did it all begin?

1947
The UN General Assembly passes Resolution 181, which would partition Palestine into Jewish and Arab states. The Jewish state would receive 56.47 percent of the land of the Palestine Mandate, the Arab state about 43.53 percent.

1948
Violence escalates. The British mandate ends. Israel declares statehood on May 14. Egypt, Syria, Iraq,Lebanon, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia declare war on Israel. The war results in a divided Jerusalem and some 650,000 to 750,000 Palestinian refugees. The UN General Assembly passes Resolution 194 calling for the cessation of hostilities and establishing the Right of Return for refugees who wish to live in peace.

1949–1950
At the end of the war, Israel holds about 78 percent of the territory of the Palestine Mandate. The UN Relief and Works Agency is established to care for the Palestinian refugees until they can return to their homes.

1950
Israel enacts the Law of Return stating that every Jew has the right to become a citizen.

1964
The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) is established. At the time, its aim is to destroy Israel.

1967
The Six-Day War occurs. Israel conquers the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, East Jerusalem, the Sinai, and the Golan Heights, creating additional Palestinian refugees. principle.

1973
Egypt and Syria attack Israel, beginning the Yom Kippur War. Israel pushes back both armies.

1978
Israel invades Lebanon, occupying its southern border in response to the violence of the PLO.

1980
Israel declares Jerusalem its eternal, undivided capital, affirming the annexation of East Jerusalem.

1981
Israel annexes the Golan Heights.

1982
Israel invades Lebanon a second time, laying siege to Beirut.

1987
An Intifada, a Palestinian popular uprising, begins in Gaza and spreads to the West Bank.

1995
The Oslo Accords establish three areas of control in the West Bank: Area A under Palestinian control, Area B under Palestinian civilian control and Israeli security control, and Area C under exclusive Israeli control. Prime Minister Rabin is assassinated in Tel Aviv.

1997
Israel imposes closures on Palestinian communities in the West Bank and Gaza.

2000
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak, Palestinian Chairman Yassir Arafat, and U.S. President Bill Clinton meet at Camp David in a failed attempt to negotiate a settlement on final status issues. The Al-Aqsa Intifada begins following a visit to the Temple Mount/Haram al-Sharif by Israeli opposition leader Ariel Sharon. The violence escalates rapidly and continues.

2003
The United States, the European Union, the UN, and Russia release the Road Map to Peace, which contains a process to guide Israelis and Palestinians toward peace. Israelis and Palestinians acting as individuals, and not as representatives of any government, release the Geneva Initiative, containing a vision for a two-state peace.Yassir Arafat dies. 2005Mahmoud Abbas is elected president of the PNA. Hamas, wins majority in the Palestinian Legislative Council elections

January 2006: Israel fires artillery rounds into Gaza and bombs buildings after Hamas wins Palestinian elections

June 2006: Operation Summer Rain follows the capture of an Israeli soldier. A total of 240 Palestinians are killed in two months of bombing and ground raids

November 2006: Operation Autumn Clouds, a six-day ground invasion of Beit Hanoun, results in at least 50 Palestinian deaths. Another 18 from one family are killed in artillery shelling

June 2007: Israel steps up air raids after Hamas seizes control of Gaza

January 2008: A total of 18 Palestinians are killed in one day in an Israeli incursion into al-Zaytoun

February 2008: Israeli troops go into Jabaliya; around 120 Palestinians are killed in five days

December 2008: Operation Cast Lead is launched. At least 360 Palestinians are killed in the first four days

http://www.isocnews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=166&Itemid=5
This is not just any boycott. This is an M&S boycott

This is not just a rock. This is the rubble of an apartment complex levelled to the floor by Israeli mortar. This is not just a school. This is a school full of displaced families targetted by air. This is not just blood. This is the blood of a 3 year old smashed by F16 missiles. This is not just any boycott... this is an M&S boycott.

As we impotently watch the events unfolding in Gaza, there are text messages flying around asking us to boycott Israeli goods or companies that have close relations with Israel. But we've been here before haven't we? We need to ask ourselves why have previous boycotts failed and what lessons can we learn from them.There are a few problems with boycotts. One of the main problems with boycotting companies that support Israel is the sheer volume. On one website there were over 100 diverse companies, everything from GAP to Shreddies. Just remembering the list is impossible, let alone acting on it. It is impractical to boycott all of them, so the majority of us boycott none of them.The other problem is that it makes no sense to quietly boycott a company. Will anyone really notice if Ahmed from Swindon decides not to buy KitKat bars and instead switches over to Dairy Milk? Not really. By boycotting something in private, the effect is limited to an individual and no statement is being made. It also makes it easier for the person to go back to the product or company he was boycotting as no one will know that they've failed except themselves.

The final problem with boycotting is something much more profound, yet basic. Many people feel that they've "done their bit" by boycotting a company. It soothes our fragile conscience and makes it easier for us to switch the channel when the news comes on. If the reason behind a boycott is to help our brothers and sisters, then it is very hard to see tangible results and this leads to demotivation. Why should we inconvenience ourselves when nothing seems to happen from the boycott?

The solutions to the above problems are the following:
1. Reduce the number of companies being boycotted to a few at a time. Target companies that can be effectively and totally boycotted to produce real results. Don't stop until they collapse or reconsider their actions.
2. If you are boycotting a company, tell your family, friends and even strangers. Stick posters up everywhere and make a big deal about it. Encourage others to follow your principled stand until walking into an M&S store would become worse than walking into a pub disco on laylatul Qadr. Oh, and don't forget to send an email to the company you are boycotting informing them that their support for Israel has cost them the most important thing in the world to them - money.
3. Remember and remind others that boycotting is not the answer - merely a part of it. The real answer lies in the Muslims uniting together on Islam and breaking down barriers of mistrust, nationalism and sectarianism that has led to the situation where 1.3 billion can be terrorised by 13 million. Boycott all nationalist events, boycott all secular muslim groups and gatherings, boycott all those who call for keeping the muslims divided based on madhab or ethnicity. From now on, unity based on Islam is our desperate need and those who stand in the way - especially Muslims - are our greatest enemies.

So here is the recommeded boycott list we ask that you follow:
1. MARKS & SPENCERSFew companies are as public and proud of their support for Israel and Zionism. What makes matters even worse is the fact that their always moaning about declining profits and making a loss, yet still find money and time to support a desperately unpopular foreign "state." M&S has been the focus of boycotts for years, but during this economic crisis they are especially vulnerable. For the store founded by Zionism cheerleaders, it is about time we boycotted them into bankrputcy - and encouraged all people of justice to do the same.
2. STARBUCKSNot only does Starbucks have a chairman who is a committed supporter of Israel, but they also have supported and funded various events and possibly websites that raise money for it. Added to this they have even donated an antire store to US troops in Afghanistan and free coffee beans for those in Iraq. In two words - Starbucks sucks.
3. L'OREAL & ESTEE LAUDERThe chairman of Estee Lauder, Ronald Lauder has personally led a rally in Jerusalem and co-founded a right wing Israeli think tank. L'Oreal was given the Jubilee award by Israel for services rendered and even has a special product line (on permanent display in Lakeside shopping Centre) called L'Oreal Israel. Boycott these muppets - believe me, despite the adverts - they're not worth it.