#Israel stop the killing of children [cross-post - 05-07-2014]

Stop the killing of children in Israel

                Letters to the Editor

          Austin American Statesman 

                      July 4, 2014

           By Tura Campanella Cook

Text:  

'Re:  July 1 article, "Bodies of Israeli teens discovered in West Bank."

Killing children is wrong, as in the case of three Israeli teenagers.  That's also true of 1,384 Palestinian children killed by the Israeli military since 2000, as Israeli human rights group B'Tselem reports.That's one child killed every three or four days.  Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's

repeated calls for vengeance in the form of collective punishment - mass arrests, killings and even missile drops on Gaza - should trouble any person who believes in the law. This use of terror will not bring justice, nor make anyone safe.'

                       - Tura Campanella Cook

                                                     

Take Action - Tell the JNF Not to Evict Palestinians from East Jerusalem - Rabbis for Human Rights

From Rabbis for Human Rights, November 28, 2011:

'Himnuta, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Jewish National Fund in Israel (KKL-JNF), planned to evict the Sumarin family from their home in Silwan, a neighborhood of East Jerusalem on November 28. The Sumarins, a family of twelve, including five children, a pregnant mother, and a grandfather on dialysis, have lived in their home for more than forty years.

'Due to public outcry, led by Rabbis for Human Rights-North America (RHR-NA), Rabbis for Human Rights (RHR) in Israel, and our supporters, the Jewish National Fund announced on November 24 it was delaying the eviction of the Sumarin family.
Now we must redouble our efforts to convince the Jewish National Fund to cancel the eviction permanently.'

Take Action

And, here is a copy of the customizable form letter which I edited to suit myself:

'I was very pleased to hear that, thanks to JNF intervention, on November 24 the eviction order against the Sumarin family has been delayed and that on November 28 the Jerusalem court legally froze the eviction.

'I implore you now to help guarantee that the Sumarin family can remain in their home without threat of eviction, for good.

'This eviction is a violation of both Jewish and human rights law.

'An agnostic wonders: In Jerusalem, of all places, are the cries for justice, mercy and righteousness to fall on deaf ears?'

Sincerely yours,

Diane V. McLoughlin

No. 56 - on Why Not to Bomb Iran

by Diane V. McLoughlin
      


One small nuclear bomb did this to Hiroshima. Today's
nuclear weapons hold ten to fifteen times the destructive force.

August 18, 2010 - Comment No. 56:  I cannot get over the dreadful feeling that, on the business of speaking out against aggressive, unnecessary military action I am perpetually a dollar short and a day late no matter how hard I try. Today I read that John Bolton is telling the Israelis that in light of Russia's impending delivery of fuel rods for nuclear energy generation in Iran, there is but eight days left for Israel to strike. (see in J-Post.) Meanwhile, the U.S. is spending more on nuclear weapons funding (2) than in any time in U.S. history, New START or no New START. Enough false starts. Let's try something new: Full STOP.

- editor, mcloughlinpost.com

----------------------------

To:  'Why Not to Bomb Iran'; Robert Wright; Aug. 17, 2010; NYT

(1)  'Israel has 8 days to strike Iran'; J-Post.com staff; Aug. 17, 2010
http://www.jpost.com/IranianThreat/News/Article.aspx?id=185044

(2) 'Obama wants 80 billion to upgrade nuclear arms complex'; Susan Cornwell, Phil Stewart; Reuters; May 13, 2010
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE64C5KP20100513

*My Amazon recommend:  'The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine' - by Israel-based historian Ilan Pappe

FREE GAZA - dialogue with an Israel supporter

by Diane V. McLoughin

The following is an interesting personal message sent to me which is critical of my recent piece, 'FREE GAZA'.

I responded using the greater-than (>) sign to pin my points where I respond. I feel bad about the acrimony:

Dear Ms. McLoughlin,

This article is an example of distorted news coverage.

>I disagree.

While there is legitimately much to criticize in the way that Israel responds

>This paints Israel as the victim - *reacting* - never instigating - revealing a misinformed bias;

I object to one-sided, dishonest and manipulative reporting

>I also have objections: to one-sided, dishonest and manipulative responses;

I object to a double standard

>Me, too

Israel being painted as the sole villain while Hamas is exonerated despite exploiting its own people and committing terrorism

>Hamas is the democratically-elected representative political party of the Palestinian people; the P.A. exploits its people in my opinion, and colludes with the occupier, Israel; you are woefully uninformed as to who and what Hamas is and what Hamas proposes (1), which is most unfortunate, considering your apparent engagement in the public square;

There has been both a continuous Jewish presence and a continuous Arab presence in the holy land since antiquity

>This is a complete misrepresentation of the historical facts. Palestine was an Arab region with a tiny Jewish minority. Jews, misguided by fanatical, lieing political and religious leadership, in their European plight, were hoodwinked into immigrating to 'a land with no people' - which was a complete, out-and-out lie.

And in recent times, additional Jews, and additional Arabs, have migrated there from other lands.

>Again, misrepresentation.

Both people have a right to live there in peace.

>Yes. But what I take you to really mean to say is that Jewish settlers, then, have an equal right to outright steal - murder, if necessary - that which is not theirs, because there is an 'equal' claim.

It is equally tragic when civilians are killed, whether they are Arab or Israeli.

>Show me where I ever stated otherwise.

However, you are misrepresenting history. Example; The map of Israel that you have labeled "Israel 1949-1967" is actually a map of Israel after the 6 Day War of 1967. Israel annexed this land in 1967, only after being threatened with annihilation on all fronts by its Arab neighbors.

>I suggest accessing real history books, such as Ilan Pappe's, 'The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine'.

I support Palestinian statehood, but not at the cost the destruction of Israel.

>Define 'destruction of Israel'. I suspect it will be racist in nature, that is, that to you, if Israel is not exclusively Jewish in character, then it is not 'Israel'. 23% of Israel proper is Palestinian-Israeli; plus besieged Gaza, plus occupied West Bank, plus the refugees, plus, plus, plus. The fact of the matter is that the numbers of Palestinians to Jews is pretty close to a perfect 50-50 split. The chorus grows ever louder for one
bi-national state.

I accept legitimate criticism of Israel, as I do of my own country, the USA, but I can't accept slander in either case.

>The typical Zionist slant: All time taken up with attack, a pastiche at the end saying that of course, legitimate criticism of Israel is permitted - but admission of Israel's crimes never actually transpires.

I am trying to figure out if you are just misinformed or you are being paid to tell lies.

>I am informed. Paid?  No, I am not in anybody's pocket.
I don't like getting personal - I am trying to help - but your insults border on slander. So the truth of it is that in my opinion you are brainwashed with bromides that are lies. And until enough people like you are able to see the situation for what it is, Israel, that which you care about so, will never have peace, because her supporters do not realize her self-destructive ways and so do nothing to steer her clear from rocky shoals. Is it peace you want, though?

>Or land.

In either case, the truth matters.

>Yes, that would be what I care about. The truth. Justice. And peace.

--------------
Footnote:  The woman wrote back to say that her main objection was that in her opinion the map which accompanies my FREE GAZA article is inaccurate.  I wrote her back again with a few observations to share while expressing my sincere regret at the poor tone of our original exchange.

(1)  'Hamas renews offer to end fight if Israel withdraws'; with editing by Kevin Liffey; Reuters; May 30, 2010; http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE64T2AM20100530

letter to editor verified, bounced yet again by Ottawa Citizen - this one on nuclear energy

Letters to the editor of the Ottawa Citizen, usually verified - now not published. Controlling the message.  My July letter on nuclear energy, in respone to their uninformed 'Suddenly Lights Out'; July 8, 2010:

Over many years the Ottawa Citizen's editorial board has maintained a steadfast belief in the superiority of nuclear energy, without providing any proof that alternative energy could not sustain us, or that nuclear energy could. Nuclear does not gear up and go by itself without massive, massive taxpayer funds in the billions of dollars. Nuclear energy production is always oversold as to its long-term reliability, when evidence clearly shows that these plants break down like all other things man-made. Nuclear plants can become catastrophically dangerous when they degrade - yet we seem to assume that society will be forever stable enough to deal with nuclear plant breakdowns, and that no unexpected disruptive event could occur to inhibit us from doing so (plague, war, earthquake, e.g.). Nuclear energy plants incur gigantic cost overruns to overhaul and maintain them - again, at our expense. I recall hearing the analogy that if every rooftop in the greater Toronto area had solar panels, there would be enough energy to power the entire province. True? False? Let's find out what we can do. The province should not so hastily decide not to subsidize production of solar energy. Costs and benefits must be weighed carefully. Power that travels vast distances, as electricity must do coming from distant nuclear generating stations, is extraordinarily inefficient - so much electricity is lost per kilometer travelled down electrical lines. Nuclear fuel is a finite energy source that will run out. We have never come up with safe storage solutions for lethally toxic nuclear waste byproduct. Faith in nuclear looks more like religious belief rather than knowledge based on fact. The age of oil is coming to an end. We cannot afford to make any errors in which ways we decide to go in searching for our long-term energy solutions.

                          - Diane V. McLoughlin

Gifted Education - A Parent Joins the Debate

by Diane V. Mcloughlin

July 4, 2010:  My son is a gifted young man who is at risk of becoming a high school drop-out. I am far from the only parent to face this sinking boat.

Some things he is good at and some things he isn't. He has needed help. Perhaps because of the label, he has been browbeaten plenty. He has never received help - or recognition and fostering of his strengths.

One of his strengths appears to be irretrievably lost. He was retested in Grade Six. A new school, considering his performance, didn't believe he was gifted. Could we do a few tests? Sure, I said.

In some ways he was struggling. This was clear. Great. Fantastic. So you'll help him? Oh, no, we don't have the resources to help him.

In other ways? Still gifted. Spec. Ed. teacher of forty-years plus experience told me she had never had a kid score as he did in science; in point of fact she couldn't tell me with any accuracy his aptitude. For the first time she ran out of questions to ask, somewhere in the third year of university on the hypothetical scale. (He did very well on other parameters, as well.)

But try to suggest science when thinking about careers - after his scholastic experiences? Tragic.

My son was tested and formally identified at the end of second year kindergarten. I had noticed some things early on and discussed testing with a doubtful but kind teacher. This is an interesting facet of the gifted issue: teachers do not do well statistically at picking out gifted kids. You can't tell by looking at kids whether they're gifted. Sometimes they are bored and disengaged. Sometimes a learning disability is masking the giftedness, in what is referred to in the biz as a dual exceptionality.

He was placed in a highly gifted class in Grade One.

There is a misconception about gifted kids' parents; some of them, anyway. When I first noticed my kid doing unusual things (two and a half yrs old) - like, when out for walks he'd point to vehicles and tell me, 'Mazda; Civic; Ford...'. I was scared: Of boredom. Dropping out. Arrogance...few things are worse than thinking you are smarter than everybody else with little to no evidence to the contrary in one's day to day.

Identification is one thing; which teachers migrate to gifted classes is another. A few gifted classroom teachers, in this parent's experience, are seemingly there for all the wrong, resume-fattening reasons. They cannot relate to their mentally fleet young charges. Some teachers become overtly hostile - to polite, inquisitive young children who love to learn - go figure.

Anyone who believes that a gifted kid can wait until he is older before being tested and appropriately placed, anyone who thinks that the gifted kid in kindergarten is merely learning to tie his shoes and learn his letters and numbers like everyone else - is going to cause a lot of damage if they have any authority.

LIke the kid who, in kindergarten, wanted to know all about wars. He devoured books on the topic - adult books. The kindergarten teacher, his mother lamented to me when we met a few years hence, plunked her little boy in a corner with a stack of books and left him there. 'What am I supposed to do?', the resentful teacher asked the broken-hearted mother, whose son came off the school bus every day crying because the other kids shunned him and called him a freak - '...the other kids don't even know their letters. I have to get them ready for Grade One.'

To delay gifted testing is to say that it is ok to allow receptive minds to rot - for years. We value the gifted sprinter; the star quarterback; but the lightning-quick mind?

'Don't worry Dad; I'm sure I'll learn something next year' - gifted boy to his worried father, first day of Grade Four.

The most perverse experience, beyond leaving union-protected hostile teachers in the gifted class, is that, at least where I live, gifted kids are placed in their own classrooms (if they are lucky enough to win the lottery and get one of few limited spaces) but the school board refuses to alter the curricula - they are still expected to drag their intellects at the regular pace.

Sometimes you'll get good teachers who will explore subjects more deeply. Bonus!

Sometimes report cards come home and you've got B's and C's or whatever on them, when tests and assignments were A's. Not good. A teacher thinks, wrongly, she must mark harder. Get a teacher like that in the latter grades of high school when your kid is trying to apply to university admissions, and you have an interesting fight on your hands. Thus, for the last grade or two many parents in my district will encourage their gifted kids to migrate back to the regular program so their marks are not screwed up.

A third of high school drop-outs have averages of A or B. That's my understanding. Can we afford to lose them? From everything we see? I fear not.
-------------------------------------------
My Comment No. 3, to NYT Room for Debate blog post, 'The Pitfalls in Identifying a Gifted Child'; July 4, 2010

G20 - Canadian news blackout on what the protests are all about

by Diane V. McLoughlin

June 26, 2010:  To All CBC/CTV News Anchors, Journalists, Reporters and Media Top Brass,

Welcome to Totalitarian Police State Canada. And thank you, Canadian mainstream media, for your participation and cooperation. With your acquiesance, free speech has been replaced with, how shall we say?, something more massaged, more comforting to the ruling class.
 
The crime of squelching the truth is not limited to the CBC. Coverage, or total lack thereof, interestingly, is identical at CTV, as well.
 
But most interestingly, although U.S.-based, CNN's brief snapshots look entirely different. There, we are actually privy to see on-screen what some of the protest signs look like, if nothing else.
 
In Canada? The only protest sign that got wide coverage was one - one! - for organized labor. And actually hear what any organization is protesting about? Forget it.
 
Israel-Palestine, oil wars/war crimes, environmental destruction, political corruption, undue corporate influence, foreign government moles, poverty, civil liberties, free speech, the shredding of constitutional rights - and agents provocateurs a la Montebello - thanks to Canada's flacid, timid, cowardly and cowering media we are blind, deaf and dumb; no harm of being exposed to uncomfortable truths.  
 
In Canada, Fascism is a lock.

In God We Trust Mr. President - All Others Pay Cash

Diane V. McLoughlin, comment No. 1 to, 'Don't Get Mad, Mr. President.  Get Even.'; Frank Rich, NYT; June 6, 2010

Hoping Obama reads today's Frank Rich - spot on. (Bob Herbert's on fire these days, too.)
                                                                      ~
Faith, trust, deference - in business or government?! Nuts. As Rich adroitly lays out, in BP's case also unnecessary; there is all kinds of evidence pointing to what kind of animal Obama is dealing with.

Otherwise, as my mother's second husband would sagely impart to me - rather interesting superior country tone - should he find me wailing about this slight or that betrayal, that everyone's an A-hole until they prove otherwise - eyebrow lift - few ever will. Made me feel better, actually.

Time to hang up the basketball shorts. President has the letter 'I' in it; team don't.

I found it most disturbing in his Larry King interview that Obama believes that it is his role not to 'interfere' in the workings of the Department of Justice. Really? You really want to let them get on with shredding what's left of the Constitution, Mr. President? Really? Want to give the faceless levers of the state the perpetual power to lock up anyone, including Americans, indefinitely without charge or trial? That's what's cooking now, in that black box. Hardly worth mentioning I suppose, that the right to assassinate Americans without charge or trial is cooking, too; have to say that I do not support this Presidential hand-washing of such critical Constitutional crimes.

 Found this in a 'shredding the constitution' Google image search, on a site I am unfamiliar with called 'SodaHead' - there was no attribution - brutal editorial cartoon.

As for the BP oil spill, sorry again, shades of Tony Hayward for the President to claim lots is being done. Russell Honore has it right: The U.S. must declare nothing less than war on this - in fact, by his astute assessment, he should immediately be put in charge.

McNamee, Getty Images

War means at least temporary receivership of BP. War cranks up industry to crank out weapons - in this case, materiel such as Kevin Costner's donated centrifuge inventions that are capable of doing the job of separating oil out of sea water on massive scale to something like 97% water purity.

Or the polymers that turn oil into a floating solid mat.

War mobilization. I would add the powers of no and yes, appropriately applied. Oh and thinking for yourself, too. That's a good one.

Don't trust. Expect. Get. Or else.

No-state Netanyahu

by Diane V. McLoughlin

Netanyahu was already scheduled to schmooze in Canada. Thus, this USA Today fluff about Netanyahu being invited by Rahm Emanuel to visit the White House, last minute as it were, appears to be a photo-op sop for something already long in the works. It should be clearly understood that Netanyahu is not a man of peace. He is a tribalist chieftain of an apartheid state. It is not necessarily so that the opinions of the father are always adopted whole-cloth by the son, but Emanuel's father is on record inferring that Arabs are lower lifeforms than himself - a representative sample of the attitude of Israel's extremist ruling faction, a faction that in recent days has been categorized by one human rights organization as being the most racist in the entire history of the State of Israel.

Through the ethnic cleansing of the Palestinians by Israel, who have been squeezed into razor-wire enclosed ghettos surrounded by IDF armed guards, Israel herelf has seen to it that a two-state solution is a virtual impossibility. The violent, racist settlers, one might note, have the vote, while the oppressed Palestinians in their own lands in the West Bank do not. The situation is unsustainable. A one-state solution with equal rights for both Jews and Palestinians is the only viable solution left open. This intrinsically peaceful and democratic proposal is virulently attacked by those who support the racist status quo; those who propose a peaceful one-state solution are smeared with the tired charge of antisemitism - a spurious accusation made by those who would deflect calm political analysis of Israel's criminal behavior - at all costs.
-----------------------------------------------
Commenting on, 'Emanuel invites Netanyahu to the White House - The Oval: tracking the Obama Presidency'; Kathy Kiely; May 26, 2010, USA Today

In Canada On Israel - Defending Oppression - Criminalizing Dissent

May 5, 2010 (revised and updated May 8, 2010)

From:  Diane V. McLoughlin, writer, peace activist
          Website: mcloughlinpost.com
          Twitter: McLoughlinPost
          YouTube: dianevmc
          E-mail: contact at mcloughlinpost.com


The Canadian Parliamentary Coalition Combating Antisemitism (CPCCA) has taken it upon itself to study and make recommendations to Parliament on ways to combat antisemitism; they have included in their mandate something referred to as 'the new antisemitism'.

According to the CPCCA website, 'Nazi' and 'apartheid' are offensive words used to describe Israel's supporters and the State of Israel, respectfully.  The site alludes that individuals and certain states call for the destruction of the State of Israel, 'which is claimed to have no right to exist', and that individuals and states also call for the destruction of 'its inhabitants'. Altogether, the above is antisemitic. [1 a]

This is a lot to digest. Calling for the destruction of anyone is bad.  But the CPCCA is making sweeping generalized claims without naming names, citing sources or with proof backed by facts. 

To some it is antisemitic, as well as 'an existential threat' to the State of Israel to suggest that Israel should be one bi-national state with equal rights for all its citizens.

To some it is antisemitic to suggest that Jews and Palestinians, in both Israel proper and within the occupied territories, should have the right to citizenship, political representation, equal rights and the vote.

I believe that it is crucial to understand and note this facet of the discussion.  Because to some, to call for democratic reform is actually viewed as a call for Israel's 'destruction'.

Others might be tempted to call tis a new form of fascism - but- they would probably be denounced as antisemites, which is an effective weapon used to shut critics up.

Twenty percent of Israel's population within Israel proper are not Jewish - they are Palestinian-Israelis. Many to the right on Israel's political spectrum want minorities to swear a loyalty oath to Israel as a Jewish state - not as a state for all its citizens. In the original wording of the Knesset-proposed bill, any Arab-Israeli who refused to uphold the exclusively Jewish character of Israel would be subject to imprisonment. [1 b]

On the demographics, if we count in occupied Gaza, East Jerusalem and the Occupied Palestinian Territories, otherwise known as the West Bank, Jews comprise around six million and Palestinians four million. A little further out again, there are the hundreds of thousands of Palestinian refugees in Jordan and Lebanon who want to go home. Under international law they continue to have every right to do so.  In real terms, the guns of the Israeli Offense Forces keep them out, penned in deplorable conditions in displacement camps - for decades.

Outlawing criticism of the State of Israel closes one door and opens another.  It will become legal to harass intellectuals, academics, civic and religious leaders as well as peace activists - to silence them.

State-sanctioned legal chill backed by the raw power of the state is a form of violence.

The Canadian Civil Liberties Association maintains that we must respect freedom of expression.  Censorship is not the solution to sensitivities around criticism of Israel. [1 c]

The feelings of Jewish students on campus is a prime motivator of the workings of the CPCCA; their site explains that the 'problem is especially prevalent on campuses where Jewish students are ridiculed and intimidated for any deemed support for the 'Nazi'; and 'apartheid'; State of Israel, which is claimed to have no right to exist.' [1 c i]

But as Archbishop Desmond Tutu points out, their discomfort in exposure to ideas counter to their own surely pales in comparison to how the beaten, occupied and oppressed Palestinians feel. (More on the Archbishops' thoughts further in the discussion, below.)

Those who argue that Israel is an apartheid state, or that Israel should be one bi-national state with equal rights for all its citizens, seem to be a target of the CPCCA agenda. That would include me.  But if it becomes illegal hate speech to propose what may be the best hope for peace then the liklihood of peace is diminished.  And it must be said that some people do not want peace - they want what Palestinians have - Palestinian land.

The word 'apartheid' comes in for special attention with the CPCCA.  The suggestion is that its use in and of itself to describe the State of Israel is antisemitic. 

But as Palestinian civic leader, nonviolent peace activist and 2010 Nobel Peace Prize nominee Dr. Mustafa Barghouti proffers, you see the separation wall, far longer than the Berlin Wall; the roads reserved for illegal Jewish squatters (referred to euphemistically as 'settlers') cutting through Palestinian land, and the severe punishment for any Palestinian caught walking or driving on them; the hundreds of armed checkpoints controlling every aspect of daily Palestinian life; the military harassment; the home demolitions; the expulsions; the political prisoners; the barbed wire; the beatings; the kidnapping and terrorizing of Palestinian children; deliberate destruction of Palestinian farms and orchards; attacks on mosques and schools; the arbitrary requirement for the carrying of unattainable military-issued identification papers; the political assassinations - you don't like the word apartheid?  Fine. No problem.  Give me another word to describe it.  (From notes taken attending Dr. Barghouti's speech given at University of Ottawa, Marion Hall, May 7, 2010.) 

Making the expression of the above illegal is a threat to civil liberties. It is a threat to the promotion of conditions necessary for peace. I believe that these truths are self-evident - that all men and women are created equal. It is impossible to square the circle of maintaining the purity of the racial makeup of a country while maintaining the fiction that any country that attempts to do so will protect its minorities' rights.  The far-right in Israel view it as normal to assume a 'population transfer' of Palestinian Israelis out of Israel, if a two-state solution should ever come about.

So getting back to the business of the CPCCA, the repercussions of outlawing criticism of Israel's racist behavior could have untold and far-reaching negative consequences for promoting peace, anywhere, because
the shield we erect to prevent criticism of one state will be shields other states will clamor for, as well.

Ironically, political leaders in Israel have been speaking far more openly about the one-state two-state debate, than here in Canada.  The topic of apartheid itself is broached.

Knesset speaker Reuven Rivlin (Likud):

"I would rather [have] Palestinians as citizens of this country over dividing the land up"; [1 d] 

Next - racist, but to the point:

"If the day comes when the two-state solution collapses, and we face a South African-style struggle for equal voting rights (also for the Palestinians in the territories), then, as soon as that happens, the State of Israel is finished" - Prime Minister Ehud Olmert [2]

Another prime minister, now currently Israel's defense minister, Ehud Barak:

"If, and as long as between the Jordan and the sea, there is only one political entity, named Israel, it will end up being either non-Jewish or non-democratic... If the Palestinians vote in elections, it is a binational state, and if they don't, it is an apartheid state." [3]

Members invited to sit on the CPCCA committee to deliberate on these matters are now no doubt fully aware that the CPCCA meets against a global backdrop wherein the world is beginning to turn its full attention to the reality that Palestinians are oppressed under an odious, cruel and racist apartheid regime.  There is little if any difference to this awakening of civil society with regard to Israel today and Apartheid South Africa of before. 

For an account of the current state of affairs for Palestinians I recommend the Settler Violence Report from the Alternative Information Center - to wit, settlers are armed and backed by the full force of the fourth largest army in the world.  Palestinians on the other hand, are denied the basic human right to self-defense.  In sum no Palestinian, no place, anywhere is safe from harm free to live in security and peace. [4]

In recent days, compounding by orders of magnitude Palestinian insecurity, is the upgrade to Israel's law governing the military occupation of the West Bank and East Jerusalem. In essence, if you don't have the proper military-issued documents, the IDF is empowered to deport you within 72 hours - making you pay the equivalent of $2,000 in cash for your own expulsion - or alternatively throw you in jail for seven years. [5]

Problem:  The military has, in reality, issued almost no papers.  The combined Palestinian population for the occupied West Bank and occupied East Jerusalem (but excluding Gaza and also Israel proper) is 1.73 million. Alarmed human rights groups assert that tens of thousands of Palestinians are at risk of forced expulsion. [5 a]

The military rules regarding military-issued papers are pure bureaucratic evil; rules made up as the occupation chooses, when it chooses, and for whom it chooses. [6]

I invite CPCCA members to consider that if criticism of a state is criminalized, Canada risks pariah status having positioned itself on the side of oppression. Canada, in my view, will be at very real risk of being seen as a hollow shell of a former democratic state.

Just as in the United States, one could argue that Canada's military is at increased risk overseas (although for me the best way to eliminate that risk entirely is to bring our troops home) - as long as the Israel-Palestine problem grinds on.

In written testimony to the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee, Tuesday, March 16, 2010, General David Petraeus, commander of the U.S. military's Central Command, shared this view:

“The enduring hostilities between Israel and some of its neighbors present distinct challenges to our ability to advance our interests,” he said in the written testimony. “Arab anger over the Palestinian question limits the strength and depth of US partnerships with governments and peoples in the [Middle East] and weakens the legitimacy of moderate regimes in the Arab world.” [7]

A tectonic shift in awareness is happening. Across the U.S. and Canada, student associations on campuses from coast to coast are finding ways to support the cause of freedom for the Palestinians.  The method of choice is to join the BDS movement:  boycott, divest and sanctions.  (This dovetails with the Palestinian embrace of nonviolent resistance.  Paradoxically, as the power of nonviolent resistance is realized and takes hold, violence against Palestinians appears to be increasing.) 

A few weeks ago, the University of California Berkeley Students Association, after months of painstaking research into the university's investment portfolio, crafted a motion to recommend that the university divest from two American companies - General Electric, and United Technologies.

From the motion:

1. WHEREAS, General Electric holds engineering support and testing service contracts with the Israeli military and supplies the Israeli government with the propulsion system for its Apache Assault Helicopter fleet, which, as documented by Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, has been used in attacks on Palestinian and Lebanese civilians, including the January 4, 2009 killings of Palestinian medical aide workers¹¹; and

1.     WHEREAS, United Technologies supplies the Israeli government with Blackhawk      helicopters and with F-15 and F-16 aircraft engines and holds an ongoing fleet management contract for these engines, and, Amnesty International has documented the Israeli government’s use of these aircraft in the bombing of the American School in Gaza, the killing of Palestinians civilians, and the destruction of hundreds of Palestinian homes; therefore, be it resolved...';  [7a]

When the evening arrived when the motion was to be put to the floor the venue had to be changed several times to hold the growing crowd.  Hundreds showed.  Nobel peace prize winners wrote their support, including Archbishop Desmond Tutu. The Archbishop's letter concludes:

'To those who wrongly accuse you of unfairness or harm done to them by this call for divestment, I suggest, with humility, that the harm suffered from being confronted with opinions that challenge one’s own pales in comparison to the harm done by living a life under occupation and daily denial of basic rights and dignity. It is not with rancor that we criticize the Israeli government, but with hope, a hope that a better future can be made for both Israelis and Palestinians, a future in which both the violence of the occupier and the resulting violent resistance of the occupied come to an end, and where one people need not rule over another, engendering suffering, humiliation, and retaliation. True peace must be anchored in justice and an unwavering commitment to universal rights for all humans, regardless of ethnicity, religion, gender, national origin or any other identity attribute. You, students, are helping to pave that path to a just peace. I  heartily endorse your divestment vote and encourage you to stand firm on the side of what is right.' [8 a]

The debate raged into morning: students, rabbis, politicians, civic leaders [8 b] and people of all faiths and backgrounds.  The vote passed 16 - 4.  It was subsequently vetoed by one vote - by the student's association president, Will Smelko, who wasn't even there that night.

A few weeks later, again, the vote was brought around to overturn the veto and permit the original results of the first vote to hold.  Again, overflow crowd of hundreds; room changed; hours of debate into morning. 

I followed inspiring tweets on Twitter from students such as isaacnoah.

This year, the Berkeley initiative inexplicably failed. You could have heard a pin drop when it did. Somehow, an overwhelming vote in favor by 13 - 5 was not enough - again, failing by one vote. 

But the future is clear.  Tonight: University of California San Diego (follow on Twitter at #ucsddivest .) 

Here is a glimpse of the humanity shining through:

'Many will say this resolution is biased — and we could not agree more. This resolution is biased for human rights, justice and equality. It is biased against bombs and military occupation. Many will also try to argue that this resolution is singling Israel out, and is therefore anti-Israel. However, this bill does not condemn one oppressive apartheid regime more than any other. If Spain were occupying Palestine, then this resolution would note that Spanish occupation and seek to divest from it...do not fall victim to the fiction that the current military policies of the state of Israel represent the Jewish identity. There are an increasing number of Jewish and Israeli voices calling for an end to the occupation, including organizations such as B’Tselem, Jewish Voice for Peace, Meretz-Yachad, Gush Shalom and many others. These organizations see the occupation as both morally wrong and harmful to Israeli society. These broad coalitions include Holocaust survivors, rabbis and many other people of conscience who object to the terrible indignity that is forced upon the Palestinian people by right-wing extremists in their name.

'In fact, occupation is a right-wing political platform in Israel. Many Jewish citizens oppose it. So, if someone tells you that he is “for Israel” but only represents this side of the controversy, he’s not telling you the full story.

'Let this resolution become the piece of legislation that defines our generation...'. [9]

- Update:  The divestment from General Electric and United Technologies motion by The Association of Students University of California San Diego was shelved.

For an idea of the polarity of views involved, a pro-Israel campus group, Tritons for Israel (TFI), does not even have agreement on whether or not, ' “occupancy” is an accurate word to describe Israel’s actions in the Palestinian territories.' [10]

So to the Canadian Parliamentary Coalition Combating Antisemitism, please do not turn Canada into a McCarthyite regime. This is what you are being asked to do.  Voting to criminalize criticism of the Apartheid regime of Israel is something straight out of Orwell's '1984': War is peace; occupation is freedom; discrimination is equality; oppression is democracy, and the notion that all men are created equal is antisemitic.

It is impossible to become any more Alice Through the Looking Glass than this.  The highest democratic ideals will be rendered thought crimes. Web sites and independent publications such as mine will be forcefully shut down without notice. Ideas will be examined and cross-examined probing for these peaceful and just beliefs.  People will be fired and blackballed and financially ruined.  In the ensuing witch hunt, suspected antisemites, under this new draconian definition, will be forced to account for themselves in kangaroo courts where they will be guilty until proven innocent.  Careers, families and lives will be destroyed.

The nightmare described above happened, of all places, in the United States of America. There were two distinct periods in the twentieth century, each known as the Red Scare. In the second case, anyone suspected of having communist sympathies, and, of course, anyone with an enemy holding a personal grudge could find themselves targeted.

If it can happen there, societal insanity can happen anywhere. It is up to each generation to uphold and protect civil liberties from being whittled, weakened or co-opted.

These are the fundamental choices you are being asked to make. Choose wrong and Canada will cease to be the True North, strong and free.

Most sincerely yours,

Diane V. McLoughlin

Respectfully requesting the Office of the Secretariat disseminate copies to the members of the committee, with heart-felt thanks.

References:

[1a] CPCCA Frequently Asked Questions; http://www.cpcca.ca/faqs.htm

[1b] 'Israel debates loyalty law'; Al Jazeera English; June 1, 2009;
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2009/05/200952716164623556.html

[1c]  'CCLA urges effective and democratic measures to combat antisemitism'; September 2nd, 2009;  http://ccla.org/?p=2528

[1 c i] ibid; http://www.cpcca.ca/faqs.htm

[1d] 'Knesset speaker hints at one-state'; Al Jazeera English; May 2, 2010
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2010/04/2010429194642122928.html

[2]  'Olmert to Haaretz: Two-state solution or Israel is done for'; Haaretz; Nov. 29, 2007;  http://www.haaretz.com/news/olmert-to-haaretz-two-state-solution-or-israel-is-done-for-1.234201

[3]  'Ehud Barak breaks the apartheid barrier'; The Economist; Feb. 15, 2010;   http://www.economist.com/blogs/democracyinamerica/2010/02/israel_demography_democracy_or_apartheid

[4]  Alternative Information Center March - April 2010 Report:
http://www.alternativenews.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2582:settler-violence-report-march-april-2010&catid=164:settler-violence-reports&Itemid=907  )

[5]  Israel Defense Force's Order 1650 (English translation) PDF:
http://www.jmcc.org/documents/Order_regarding_prevention_of_infiltration_amendment.pdf

[5a] 'OPT: Week in Review - Israeli Law Threatens Mass Deportation'; Relief Web; Apr. 17, 2010; http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900SID/AZHU-84LTAZ?OpenDocument

[6]  'New law could deport thousands of West Bank Palestinians'; Dan Izenberg; Apr. 12, 2010; Jerusalem Post
http://www.jpost.com/Israel/Article.aspx?id=172917

[7]  'Arab-Israeli conflict hurts US'; Leila Krieger; Jerusalem Post; March 18, 2010;  http://www.jpost.com/International/Article.aspx?id=171255

[7a]  ASUC Elected Officials Blog; Blog Archive; SB 118: Amended - Passed; Mar. 18, 2010; http://blogs.asuc.org/2010/03/18/announcements/sb-118-amended-passed/

[8 a]  'Archbishop Desmond Tutu to UC Berkeley: Divesting is the Right Thing To Do'; Palestine Center; April 11, 2010; http://www.thejerusalemfund.org/ht/display/ContentDetails/i/10147/pid/895

[8 b] Hedy Epstein, Holocaust survivor, speaks at Berkeley students association divestment vote meeting.  YouTube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h95mitkbg9M&feature=player_embedded

[9] 'Taskforce Guest commentary in UCSD Guardian - Historic Opportunity at Hand'; Anfal Awwad, Benjamin Balthaser, Oliver Birchill, Amal Dalmar  and Aaron Dimsdale; UCSD Divest For Peace; May 3, 2010; http://www.ucsddivestforpeace.org/

[10] 'Talks Fail to Bring About Compromise - UCSD Guardian'; by Angela Chen; May 6, 2010; http://www.ucsddivestforpeace.org/2010/05/talks-fail-to-bring-about-compromise-ucsd-guardian/

Embarrassed for blind Zionism supporters

by Diane V. McLoughlin
main website:  mcloughlinpost.com

Apr. 30, 2010:  I'm an agnostic, so don't get me wrong, I'm not using the following quote to try to shill for any particular religion, but it seems to me that no truer words could possibly be spoken on the issue of blind defense of Israel than Christ's words attributed to him from the cross: 'forgive them, they know not what they do'.

Israel is not 'their' land, as is so blithely referred to of Jewish Zionists, not those portions owned and lived upon for millenia by Palestinians. Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians have been murdered or rendered homeless. When one asserts that Palestinian land is not Palestinian, what you are telling the world is that you are for murder.

The process of getting rid of the Palestinians is called ethnic cleansing. It is a disgusting racist enterprise that values one race over another. Let me give you a very direct example of precisely how racist the settler movement can actually be. In recent days, around November of last year, two extremist settler rabbis published a book comprising approximately 230 pages that define when and under what particular circumstances it is permissible to murder non-Jews - including babies.

(See: http://coteret.com/2009/11/09/settler-rabbi-publishes-the-complete-guide-to-killing-non-jews/ )

So when individuals describe themselves as proudly Zionist, one can't help but be more than a little embarrassed for them. I'm naive; I have a need to believe in the inherent goodness in most people, so I continue to assume that most people who instantly come out swinging in defense of 'Israel' have no idea what it is that they defend.

They are like 'Good Germans' of that evil era. Thing is, most people do not seem to be all that forgiving of the 'good German'- Germans who claimed they didn't know what was going on and thought they were just being good citizens supporting their country.

The only real peace possible at this point, in light of how much land has been stolen from the Palestinians, with the continual squeezing of the Palestinians into smaller and smaller prison-like compounds (Jews know such compounds in their European history as 'ghettos') - is one bi-national state with equal rights for all its citizens.

Imagine:: The one thing that Zionists fear above all else is to be forced to accept Palestinians as equal citizens with equal rights. They intrinsically believe that Palestinians are lesser human beings; that this would be the equivalent of the end of the world.

It would not be the end of the world if Israel were one embracing country of all its citizens both Jewish and Palestinian. It would be the beginning of a brighter, more peaceful and more just one. It will require dedicated advocacy from American grassroots organizing, because America's leadership tends to follow rather than lead. This brighter tomorrow must come, it will come and we must all do all that we can to help it to fruition.

Comment on Israel is Also Guilty « From a Different Angle

by Diane V. McLoughlin, writer, peace activist, Apr. 22, 2010
main website mcloughlinpost.com

Dear Mr. Dahov-Halevi,

It is my considered view that the most serious threat to Jews in Israel are the extremists within who are bent on the ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people, and the blind apologists without, who, in most cases, I believe really have no idea that their dream of Israel does not match with the reality of Israel’s odious, immoral, cruel behavior.

More than one testament I have read of a Jew’s shocked and painful exposure to the reality of the outrageous mistreatment of the Palestinians. You are a researcher. I am not familiar with your work, but I did read a good piece of yours recently that refuted the black propaganda that smeared Palestinians suggesting they were marrying off girls of ten years of age. I appreciated it.

A researcher must have an unbiased approach and a ceaseless, ruthless need to ferret out the truth no matter in which direction it may lay. To me, your article on Israel's defense  suggests you would tailor the facts to support your bias. I could be wrong. I hope I am. Israel’s very insecurity lies in its being torn between right and wrong.

Your beef is that Israel is guilty of not coming out with a strong enough defense against the serious charges of war crimes committed in Gaza. If Israel were truly defensible, surely one would begin – now – today; asking the questions, seeking the facts, then answering the questions and refuting the charges.

If there is any truth to the charges, what then? For a country, as well as a loved individual, do we allow them to continue on the path to self-ruination? Or do we take the harder more rewarding path of reflection, moral conviction, and right choices moving forward? No country, no individual, can reasonably expect blessed peace while committing gross injustices against others. I fear being misunderstood or attacked; I fear my dependence on my own words – poorly chosen and woefully inadequate to the hope – of peace.

Israel is Also Guilty « From a Different Angle; Dahov-Halevi; Shalom Life

To U.K. Socialist Steve on Terrorism and Foreign Occupation

by Diane V. McLoughlin, writer, peace activist, Apr. 22, 2010
main website:  mcloughlinpost.com

Dear Steve,

I am writing with regard to a letter you apparently submitted to socialist papers in England and Wales, a copy of which you posted to the Yahoo Progressive Talk group (see below.)

There were many points made. I do not wish my non-addressing of all of them to be considered tacit endorsement or rejection of any of them - save one.

There is one argument you and many others make I do wish to respond to, and that is to the issue of whether or not we - Canada, the U.S., Great Britain, et al  - should continue our presence in either Iraq or Afghanistan or Pakistan, etc.

Your position:  That to leave allows space for radicals to claim victory; that to leave would lead to a 'big upsurge in terrorist atrocities around the world'; that we should stay to minimize risk to ourselves.

My position:  When you are in a hole, stop digging.  I categorically reject bloodless, positive-spin notions on foreign occupation and the subjugation of other nations. 

To restate, you argue that withdrawing would permit a surge in terrorist activities around the world.  That we should, 'stay there, limiting attacks to a minimum, until radicalisation (sic) of the world in a positive, socialist/liberal, direction leads us into a situation where a tiny number of fanatics are massively outnumbered and neutralised (sic).'


Define 'neutralized'.

How is 'radicalization' done in a 'positive' way to 'reduce' fanatics to a 'tiny' number whereby they are 'massively' outnumbered -  I mean, seriously, what the hell are you talking about?  Because it sounds as if you are slapping a dime-store happy face sticker on f*cking slaughter, mate.

Let's make something crystal-clear:  In Iraq alone we are responsible for the murder of over a million people; millions more are refugees; continuing to terrorize and oppress and murder people in foreign lands has a far greater likelihood of encouraging retaliatory actions against ourselves.

People like socialist Steve might gloat when the next terrorist strike occurs on domestic soil that we didn't neutralize enough of them over there to prevent it.  On the contrary: we killed more than sufficient numbers of them to cause them to want us dead.  After all, presumably the thinking goes that if they neutralize enough of us, maybe the killing of them would end.

'Do unto others as you would have others do unto you':  Self-defined 'do-gooders' along with the profiteers, sociopaths, narcissists and troglodytes fail to grasp this simple, obvious rule; how this could elude them continues to reside somewhere far beyond my limited powers of comprehension. 

Sincerely,

Diane V. McLoughlin, writer, peace activist
mcloughlinpost.com

______________________________________________________________________

--- In ProgressiveTalk@yahoogroups.com, Steve Wallis <revolutionarysocialiststeve@...> wrote:
>
> [I submitted the following yesterday, way past the deadlines to Socialist Worker and The Socialist, newspapers of the SWP and Socialist Party of England and Wales respectively, urging them to print it nevertheless to contradict the negative coverage of the LibDem surge that they were otherwise bound to include in their papers. I emailed several of the leaders of the various parties including Alex Callinicos and Peter Taaffe to ensure that their leaderships had a chance to discuss the possibility of such an extraordinary act. I also emailed a slightly extended version of the letter to the Weekly Worker, in time for their deadline. It should appear, probably edited, at http://cpgb.org.uk tomorrow; the SWP have declined to include it this week but the Socialist Party may do so; hopefully they will next week anyway...]
>
> Some polls are showing the Liberal Democrats above both the Tories and Labour, and this upward trend for the Lib Dems is bound to continue. The second live TV debate is on foreign affairs and a certain issue of Iraq is bound to help Nick Clegg! The Sun on 20 April has revealed that foreign secretary David Miliband said that they shouldn't have gone to war if they knew there were no weapons of mass destruction, contradicting the positions of both Tony Blair and Gordon Brown. Meanwhile, shadow foreign secretary William Hague is vague! When asked the same question, he said he would answer it after the inquiry ends, conveniently after the general election!
>
> The Lib Dems do not favour an immediate withdrawal from Afghanistan. But they certainly don't support the Labour and Tory positions of supporting a war without end, effectively being there forever. Many on the left do mistakenly call for immediate withdrawal, which would give a massive propaganda boost to al-Qaeda and the Taliban, leading to a big upsurge in terrorist atrocities around the world. The answer is to stay there, limiting attacks to a minimum, until radicalisation of the world in a positive, socialist/liberal, direction leads us into a situation where a tiny number of fanatics are massively outnumbered and neutralised. Obamna's deadline for withdrawal is about right. This radicalisation is happening quickly at this very time, largely due to Nick Clegg's brilliant performances and the actions of many ordinary socialist, anarchist and liberal activists in Britain and around the world.
>
> The final live TV debate between Clegg, Cameron and Brown is on the economy. The Lib Dems are the only party to have included costings in their manifesto (of the main three, that is, the Green Party have too). Hopefully, Clegg will point out in the debate that the Tories favour big cuts in corporation tax, highlighting the point that they really intend to give big handouts to their friends in the city and their claims about reducing the deficit are an utter sham!
>
> The radicalisation affect things like football. The two richest clubs in the world, Manchester City and Chelsea lost on Saturday. Those bitter and twisted people who never smile like Arsene Wenger suffer too, hence Arsenal throwing away a two goal lead to Wigan in the last ten minutes to lose 3-2 and any chance of winning the title.
>
> The BNP and UKIP will be marginalised due to this radicalisation. Nick Griffin was utterly demolished and exposed by Nicky Campbell and ordinary listeners on Radio 5 Live on 19 April. The no platform for fascists strategy is out-of-date, but the fascist boot boys in the English Defence League (and their Scottish and Welsh counterparts) should still be confronted on the streets.
>
> The Liberal Democrats are often criticised by Marxists as being "middle class" or "do-gooders". It is my contention, encapsulated in my New Good Intentions Manifesto (google that to find it on the web), that people who genuinely want to help make the world a better place are better allies than those of the same class. After all, many members and supporters of far right organisations (such as the BNP, UKIP and EDL) are working class!
>
> It now looks very likely that the Lib Dems will win the next general election, despite the appallingly undemocratic electoral system being stacked against them. The main barrier to them getting an overall majority will be their record under the ugly right-wing prat Nicol Stephen in the coalition with Labour in the Scottish parliament, voting through measures that they didn't agree with. A minority government, such as with the SNP at present, is far better. This discrediting of the Scottish Lib Dems is reflected by them losing to Solidarity's Tommy Sheridan in the Glasgow North East by-election (and Tommy must stand a good chance of getting elected for the Scottish Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition in Glasgow South West, as must Colin Fox in Edinburgh standing for the Scottish Socialist Party against chancellor Alistair Darling). Perhaps the best outcome for socialists is a Lib Dem minority government relying on socialist and green MPs for support.
>
> Whatever the result of the general election, a mass revolt like in Greece is highly likely, either when cuts are attempted or when international financiers pull the plug on UK plc. It is vital that socialists have an alternative programme to the cuts (or the right will particularly blaming immigration). I particularly advocate closing tax havens and loopholes, plus nationalising all the banks, only compensating pension schemes, and running them democratically from below with most control in the hands of borrowers, savers and workers. That way, what is left of the huge amount of bailout money already spent can be used for the benefit of all!
>
> PS You are strongly encouraged to read the new newsletter of the Foundation for Proportional Representation-based Socialism, with main heading "Vote Socialist, Green or Liberal Democrat and prepare for Greece-style revolt" from http://PRsocialism.org.
>
> --
> Steve Wallis (Manchester, England)
> Preferred email address: revolutionarysocialiststeve@...
> Super-blog: http://www.twitter.com/socialiststeve

Excerpt: ShalomLife - B'Tselem Director Shocked at Senior Member's Extreme Blog

By: ELAD BENARI Published: April 19th 2010 Tempers are raging in Israel and within B’Tselem, following statements made by Lizi Sagi, the organization’s information director. As part of her duties at B’Tselem, Sagie is responsible for collecting and putting together the information found as part of the organization’s research. In an article published Sunday in Globes, Israel’s financial newspaper, some of Sagie’s recent statements from her blog were revealed. The statements were first put together in another article in News1. Sagie stated, among other things, that Yom Hazikaron (the Remembrance Day for Israeli Fallen Soldiers and Victims of Terrorism) is a “pornographic circus” aimed at shutting mouths, and that she does not stand during the siren. She also said that torches should not be lit on Yom Ha’atzmaut since the Jewish state has stolen properties, murdered, and starved (among others), all in the name of Judaism. Perhaps one of the most shocking statements made by Sagi, if not the most shocking, is her accusation that Israel is adhering to Nazi values: “Israel is causing the greatest horrors of humanity ... Israel proves adherence to the values of Nazism. The answer to the Holocaust is not the State of Israel but rather the struggle against racism. The State of Israel itself demonstrates adherence to the values of Nazism: racial superiority, nationalism, linking a man with his country with as an existential necessity, the separation policy, the connection between loyalty and citizenship, demonizing the ‘other’ that ‘threatens’ survival and more ... in the face of it all, Israel cuts many coupons at the expense of Holocaust ... “So what kind of nation are we? We do not set up gas chambers and extermination camps, but if such things existed, how many people would be actively opposed to this practice? We set up ghettos ... elected officials and clerics incite against Arabs and no one shuts them up ... So we are also killers, slaughterers (see Gaza lately), expellers, separate between a mother and her children by checkpoints... What kind of morals do we have?????? We do not have any! Our morality is an illusion and nothing more ...”... ShalomLife - B'Tselem Director Shocked at Senior Member's Extreme Blog Diane_V._McLoughlin RATE IT: 1 0 Apr 21st 2010 7:43 PM Totally agree with Lizi Sagie’s profound analysis of Israel’s current extreme political mindset. What is shocking is the ignorance of anyone who continues to blindly defend Israel’s outrageously racist, cruelly inhumane treatment of the Palestinian people. I would say to commenter Rick Abrams, that the first rule in intelligent effective argument is to know what you are talking about. That helps. For Shalom Life readers’ interest, in recent days Israel has passed changes to military orders governing the illegal occupation of the West Bank. The change provides cover such that virtually tens of thousands of Palestinians could find themselves wrenched from their homes in both East Jerusalem and the OPT, their pockets emptied of up to the equivalent of $2,000 to cover their expulsion’s expense, or alternatively thrown in jail for seven years, all for the want of a piece of paper that even Palestinians born in the occupied territories cannot, could not get, were never given. This is precisely the kind of cold-blooded, calculating, bureaucratic evil that the Nazis were genius at - any Jews who survived Nazi Germany could tell you all about that. And it is this form of loathsome treatment and suffocating environment that Palestinians are daily subjected to in their own land. 1 Your comment Please Login or Register to post comments Post new comment

ShalomLife - B'Tselem Director Shocked at Senior Member's Extreme Blog