grad Akka, odnosno Akko (ili Acre), IzraelIsraeli police arrest three Jewish residents from Akka for vandalizing vehicles
Najugroženije životinjske vrste
One In Four Mammals Risks Extinction
Of the 4,651 mammals for which scientists have data, 1,139 species were under threat of extinction. An updated "Red List" said that 16,928 species, or 38 percent, were threatened out of a total of 44,838. Among animals most at risk are amphibians, such as frogs and toads. Schipper said governments urgently needed to work out ways to protect life on earth.
'My Daughter's Dream Became a Nightmare': The Murder of Military Women Continues
Dennis Kucinich on the Democrats' Bailout Betrayal
Obama has always served his corporate masters. He opposed Rep. John Murtha's call for immediate withdrawal from Iraq and supported continued funding for the war. He voted in July 2005 to reauthorize the Patriot Act. He did not support an amendment that was part of a bankruptcy bill that would have capped credit card interest rates at 30 percent. He opposed a bill that would have reformed the notorious Mining Law of 1872, which allows mineral companies to rape federal land for profit. He did not back the single-payer health care bill HR 676, sponsored by Kucinich and John Conyers. He advocates the death penalty and nuclear power. He backed the class-action "reform" bill-the Class Action Fairness Act (CAFA)-that was part of a large lobbying effort by financial firms, which make up Obama's second-biggest single bloc of donors. CAFA would effectively shut down state courts as a venue to hear most class-action lawsuits. Workers, under CAFA, would no longer have redress in many of the courts where these cases have a chance of defying powerful corporations. CAFA moves these cases into corporate-friendly federal courts dominated by Republican judges.
Izraelski izvori su u petak (17. listopada) izvijestili da je izraelska policija u Acreu uhitila 3 židovska građana za koje se vjeruje da su sudjelovali u uništavanju automobila palestinskih vlasnika tijekom sukoba koji su između Palestinaca i Židova izbili uoči židovskog blagdana Yom Kippur. Od početka nereda policija je uhitila 78 osoba i podigla 4 optužnice. Jedan od trojice uhićenih u petak kasnije je pušten iz zatvora i stavljen u kućni pritvor. Oko 1000 policajaca je raspoređeno u gradu uz pripadnike specijalnih snaga koje su odgovorne za održavanje reda i sigurnosti na nemirnim područjima. Shimon Koren, zapovjednik policije za to područje, je izjavio da podržava dijalog između vjerskih i političkih čelnika palestinske i židovske zajednice u gradu s ciljem da ostatak židovskih blagdana prođe u miru. Policija tvrdi da i dalje traga za svima koji su sudjelovali u neredima. Tawfik Jamal, Palestinac koji je na Yom Kippur vozio židovskom četvrti, što je izazvalo bijes i nasilničke reakcije lokalnih židovskih mladića, u srijedu je stavljen u kućni pritvor, te mu je na 1 mjesec oduzeta vozačka dozvola.
Venezuela's Support for Palestine, a model for third world democracy
Chavez, however, broke with this tradition when he announced in 2006 that he was withdrawing his senior diplomat from Israel in response to their invasion of Lebanon.[2] Chavez chose to take this course not because of any action Israel had taken against Venezuela, but because of Israel's treatment towards Palestinian and Lebanese civilians.[3] Chavez publically compared Israel's actions towards Palestinians and Lebanese to the holocaust stating that "Israel is doing what Hitler did, killing innocent children and entire families." [4] Chavez went on to stop Venezuela from issuing tourist visas to Israelis and during a trip to Beijing called for Israel to be tried for genocide before the International Criminal Court.[5] Chavez also visited Syria and made a joint statement with the Syrian government calling on Israel to end its illegal occupation of the Golan Heights, abide by UN resolutions and for an end to double standards towards Israel internationally.[6] Chavez also sent a Boeing 707 with 20,000 tons of humanitarian aid to help alleviate the humanitarian crisis caused in Lebanon and Palestine due to Israel's aggressive actions.[7] Chavez has publicly criticized UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon for not doing enough to strop repression by Israel.[8] These statements and actions have made Chavez one of the most popular leaders in the Arab world and have led opposition political parties in Arab countries to urge their governments to copy Venezuela's actions towards Israel. [9] Venezuela previously had military ties with Israel but chose to abandon them in favor of standing up for Palestinian rights.[10]
Chavez's actions towards Israel is something that all members of the international community should be emulating to stop the genocidal policies of the Israeli government. Stephen Lendmen in an article about holding Israel accountable for international law violations stated that when nations ignore Israel's crimes such as their violations of UN Resolutions, the Geneva Conventions and the UN Charter or tacitly cooperate with it while they are committing these crimes, they are indirectly responsible for aiding their crimes and are "criminal accomplices" under Article 6 of the Nuremberg Charter.[11] Unfortunately, most nation states like India have chosen to ignore Israel's crimes during the last decade by continuing to increase military and cultural ties with them thus arguably becoming criminal accomplices in their crimes.
Gideon Levy: Killer of the year
Indeed, our man of the year is a declared killer. Whether by box-cutter or car bomb, his craft is killing. His killer instincts are our source of pride, the peak of our creativity. We should be thankful to Rosen and friends: They did not even try to sugar-coat anything. They did not pick a humanist, a scientist, an industrialist or an author; Attorney General Menachem Mazuz came in second and Olmert third, but Dagan is our killer of the year. He himself is not the problem. Rather, it's the disgusting worship of people of his kind. Never has the head of the Mossad been such a dark figure with so much blood on his hands. Never has anyone thought of picking the Mossad chief, of all people, as man of the year. It is doubtful whether there is any other free country where the top journalists would consider choosing the head of such an organization as man of the year. Only in Israel. Only in Israel are Dagan's past activities still censored. He is responsible for much of the blood that was shed in Gaza in the 1970s and Lebanon in the '80s. A shocking expose prepared by two reputable journalists a few years ago about his doings in Lebanon was never published. That report would have only made the Channel 2 dream team panel worship Dagan even more, and supported his image as a killer with a knife in his teeth.
Muslim Children Gassed at Mosque After 'Obsession' DVD Hits Ohio
On Friday, September 26, the end of a week in which thousands of copies of Obsession: Radical Islam's War Against the West -- the fear-mongering, anti-Muslim documentary being distributed by the millions in swing states via DVDs inserted in major newspapers and through the U.S. mail -- were distributed by mail in Ohio, a "chemical irritant" was sprayed through a window of the Islamic Society of Greater Dayton, where 300 people were gathered for a Ramadan prayer service. The room that the chemical was sprayed into was the room where babies and children were being kept while their mothers were engaged in prayers. This, apparently, is what the scare tactic political campaigning of John McCain's supporters has led to -- Americans perpetrating a terrorist attack against innocent children on American soil.
karma has a liberal bias
colorado delegate gabriel nathan schwartz at the republican national convention in st. paul
Remarks to commemorate the Second International Day of Nonviolence
Gandhi's and King's successors in the twenty-first century have carried out further experiments in the power of nonviolent truth to achieve justice and peace in every corner of the world—including, in the last two months, Gaza. The Free Gaza Movement has succeeded in breaking the siege of Gaza by nonviolent direct action. After sailing from Cypress, 44 activists from 17 countries landed their two small wooden boats at Gaza Port on August 23, 2008, where a beleaguered people welcomed them. This nonviolent initiative allowed Palestinians to enter and leave their own country freely for the first time in over 60 years. As Richard Falk, UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territories noted, it is now a question of whether the courage and commitment of the Free Gaza Movement “can awaken the conscience of humanity to an unfolding tragedy”.
New Israeli weapon kicks up stink
Three weeks ago, Israeli soldiers burst into Awwad Sror's small family home in the Palestinian West Bank town of Nilin. Mr Sror's family say that when he intervened as troops arrested his younger brother, Aqal, he was shot from close range with at least three rubber-coated steel bullets. One hit him in the chest, another smashed his jaw, while a third entered his right eye socket and fractured his skull.
Fiction meets fact in Hebron film
U Hebronu, najvećem gradu na Zapadnoj obali, živi oko 160 000 Palestinaca i nekoliko stotina ilegalno naseljenih izraelskih židovskih kolonista koje osigurava nekoliko stotina izraelskih vojnika. Ilegalni izraelski kolonisti naseljeni su u centru grada, a pod izlikom njihove „sigurnosti“ u Hebronu su postavljene brojne kontrolne točke i blokade koje otežavaju i onemogućavaju kretanje Palestincima. Palestincima je onemogućeno kretanje nekad glavnom gradskom ulicom Shuhada, koja povezuje sjeverni i južni dio grada, zbog „sigurnosti“ ilegalnih kolonista. Samo jedan zapanjujući primjer iz ovog BBC-jevog članka koji je zapravo posvećen novom filmu Graduation izraelske redateljice Yaelle Kayam: Prije 5 godina izraelska je vojska zavarila jedina vrata koja iz kuće obitelji Qafisha vode na ulicu Shuhada. Od tada 10-člana obitelj iz kuće izlazi kroz neravne kamene stepenice kojima se penje na krov kuće, s kojeg onda prolaze kroz derutnu rupu u vanjskom zidu na krovu susjedne kuće. Zatim se stepenicama spuštaju kako bi izašli kroz susjedova vrata.
Gideon Levy: Blindfolded
This was a routine year, another year of the occupation of which no end is in sight. From Rosh Hashana 5768 to Rosh Hashana 5769 our forces killed 584 Palestinians, 95 of them minors. Many fewer than in 2002, when 989 were killed; many more than in 2005, with 190 killed. Eighteen Israelis were also killed in the past year, many more than in the previous year, when just five were killed, and much less than in 2002, when 184 Israelis were killed. All in all, an average year for bloodshed.
Jonathan Cook: Israel's army and settlers fall out; The Souring of a West Bank Romance
Ilegalni kolonisti sada napadaju i izraelske vojnike na Zapadnoj obali. Na jednog su vojnika kolonisti nahuškali psa, drugom slomili ruku, a trećeg su pretukli kad je u Hebronu pokušavao spriječiti maloljetne koloniste da kamenjem gađaju Palestince. Prošli mjesec, kad je kolonistima dojavljeno da vojska planira ukloniti jednu kolonističku obitelj iz privremenog kampa kod Yad Yaira, zapadno od Ramalle, razrezane su gume na 10 vojnih vozila. Nasilje kolonista na Zapadnoj obali je u porastu, no većina napada na Palestince nije ni registrirana jer izraelske vlasti u velikoj većini slučajeva ne procesuiraju koloniste za napade na Palestince i njihovu imovinu, pa Palestinci većinom ni ne prijavljuju napade izraelskim vlastima. Prema podacima izraelske organizacije za ljudska prava Yesh Din, manje od 1 u 10 prijavljenih napada na Palestince rezultira podizanjem optužnice. U većini tih slučajeva kolonisti su oslobođeni krivnje. Prema podacima organizacije Peace Now oko pola milijuna ilegalnih izraelsih kolonista ima kontrolu nad više od 40% teritorija Zapadne obale i Istočnog Jeruzalema. Organizacija za ljudska prava B'Tselem upozorava da je vojska podržavala aneksiju velikih dijelova zemlje od strane ilegalnih naselja istočno od izraelskog ilegalnog Zida, a ta će naselja prva biti iseljena u postizanju dogovora s Palestincima. U tim se naseljima također nalazi najviše militantnih kolonista. Vojska često pere ruke od odgovornosti za sprječavanje zločina i napada kolonista ili im čak pomaže, no prema međunarodnom pravu izraelska vojska ima obavezu, kao okupacijska sila, zaštiti palestinsko stanovništvo. Kolonisti i vojska su godinama usko povezani: ilegalna naselja u svojim su počecima bila vojni položaji, vojnici brane ilegalna naselja, čak i ona čiju uspostavu izraelska vlada službeno nije odobrila, a vojska koloniste snabdijeva oružjem. U vojsci postoje posebne jedinice čiji pripadnici su isključivo kolonisti i dopušteno im je da služe vojni rok na okupiranim područjima u blizini ilegalnih naselja u kojima žive. Mnogi se kolonisti nalaze na visokim funkcijama u izraelskoj vojsci.
Learning from South Africa
Similarities between the two apartheid states can be found in their policies on citizenship, their use of detention without trial, and laws which limit freedom of movement and the right to live in one's own home with one's family. Just as apartheid South Africa gave citizenship to white South Africans and relegated blacks to "independent homelands" (i.e. Bantustans), Zionism gives all Jews the right to citizenship in the State of Israel, while denying citizenship to Palestinians -- the indigenous inhabitants of the land. While Apartheid used race to determine citizenship, the state of Israel uses religious identification to determine citizenship. Just as the apartheid state made laws criminalizing free movement of blacks on their ancestral land, Israel uses a military occupation infrastructure composed of checkpoints, Jewish only settlements and roads, the apartheid wall, combined with a myriad of legal regulations that govern Palestinian daily life and are designed specifically to restrict how they work and live.
100 Israeli settlers beat farmers, internationals and destroy vehicles during olive harvest
Više od 100 izraelskih kolonista je u ponedjeljak (20. listopada) napalo i pretuklo palestinske poljoprivrednike i međunarodne volontere koji su brali masline u blizini Jabal Odale, predgrađa grada Kafr Kadum, sjeveroistočno od Kalkilije na Zapadnoj obali. U napadu kolonista ozlijeđeno je nekoliko berača i oštećeno nekoliko vozila, a nasilna gomila potjerala je iz maslinika palestinske poljoprivrednike i njihove pomagače, te su im potom zapriječili put i nisu ih pustili da nastave berbu. Cilj kolonista je bio spriječiti berbu maslina. Predsjednik gradskog vijeća Kafr Kaduma je pozvao humanitarne organizacije da interveniraju kako bi se taj grad zaštitio od učestalih kolonističkih napada. Kafr Kadum je česta meta napada kolonista iz ilegalnog izraelskog naselja Kedumim koje je uspostavljeno na prisilno konfisciranoj zemlji koja zapravo pripada Kafr Kadumu.
Palestinian granted posthumous entry to Israel
Shin Bet je Mahmoudu Abu-Amri, 58-godišnjem pacijentu koji je bolovao i umro od raka, rekao da ne može nastaviti svoje liječenje u Izraelu jer jedan od njegovih sinova ima bradu i moli u džamiji. Shin Bet mu je savjetovao da svom sinu naredi da prestane odlaziti u džamiju, te da se pobuni protiv Hamasa.
Tunnels feed besieged Gaza
Između Egipta i Pojasa Gaze prokopano je na stotine tajnih tunela kroz koje se, zbog nemoralne i zločinačke izraelske blokade i opsade Pojasa Gaze, dio osiromašenih Palestinaca u Pojasu Gaze snabdijeva hranom i gorivom. Tuneli su nekad služili za krijumčarenje oružja, no danas se njima „krijumčare“ nužno potrebne osnovne namirnice. Najmanje je 35 ljudi izgubilo živote u urušavnaju nekih od tih tunela od početka 2008. Navodno oko 6000 Palestinaca sudjeluje u „krijumčarenju“ namirnica u Pojas Gaze.
Livni: the making of an Israeli "dove"
Last spring, Livni expressed her honest arrogance by demanding that Palestinians erase the word "Nakba" (the Arabic term for the Palestinians' forced dispossession of their homeland) from their lexicon if there was to be any chance of a "Palestinian state" and "peace" -- hardly the statements of a "dove."
We Should All Celebrate Rosh Hashanah
Tijekom židovskih blagdana Palestincima s okupiranih područja je u potpunosti onemogućen ulazak u Jeruzalem i Izrael, čak i kad se židovski blagdani preklapaju s muslimanskim i kršćanskim blagdanima, pa su Palestincima na taj način vrlo često kršene vjerske slobode i prečesto svoje blagdane ne mogu provesti sa svojom rodbinom s druge strane.
Kao što smo vidjeli iz nereda u Acreu i iz ovog članka (koji između ostalog govori i o Yom Kippuru u Jeruzalemu), za vrijeme Yom Kippura u Izraelu i okupiranom Istočnom Jeruzalemu zabranjen je promet za sva vozila, tj. uz židovske (kojima tako nalaže njihova vjera) u to vrijeme ni muslimanski, kršćanski, pripadnici ostalih vjera, agnostici ni ateisti ne smiju voziti automobile, a ortodoksni židovski vjernici često eventualne vozače gađaju kamenjem. Istočni, palestinski Jeruzalem, na Yom Kippur je zatvoren za promet vozila, iako u njemu pretežno žive muslimani i kršćani, a ne židovi.
Izraelska mornarica ponovo napala palestinske civilne ribarske brodiće
Izraelska mornarica je 06. listopada 2008. pravim streljivom, granatama i vodenim topom napala palestinske i međunarodne civile -- palestinske ribare i međunarodne aktiviste -- koji su lovili ribu samo 4 milje od obale Pojasa Gaze u teritorijalnim vodama Pojasa Gaze. U napadu nitko nije ozlijeđen, ali su neke od granata koje je ispalila izraelska mornarica pale vrlo blizu ribarskih brodića. Od ribarske industrije u Pojasu Gaze preživljava oko 40 000 ljudi, no zbog izraelskih ograničenja prava palestinskih ribara da love ribu u svojim teritorijalnim vodama, te zbog nestašice goriva uzrokovane nemoralnom i zločinačkom izraelskom blokadom, ulov ribe znatno se smanjio. Prema podacima ribarskog sindikata u Pojasu Gaze, ribarima je dnevno potrebno 40 000 litara goriva i 40 000 litara prirodnog plina kako bi mogli loviti ribu u sezoni. Svake godine u travnju ribe se sele iz delte Nila prema turskim vodama i prolaze kroz palestinske teritorijalne vode obično na udaljenosti od 10 milja od obale. Izraelske vlasti palestinskim ribarima brane da ribu love dalje od 3 milje od obale. Protekle godine izraelska je vojska zarobila više od 70 palestinskih ribara jer su prešli tu, od strane Izraela, arbitrarno i jednostrano nametnutu granicu. Zahvaljujući ilegalnoj izraelskoj blokadi i totalnoj opsadi Pojasa Gaze palestinski ribari danas ulove oko 500 tona ribe godišnje, znatno manje od 3000 tona godišnje koliko je njihov prosječni ulov iznosio tijekom 1990-tih. Uz to, palestinski ribari su zbog izraelskih ograničenja i blokade prisiljeni ribu loviti u zagađenoj vodi, jer se svaki dan u Sredozemno more iz Pojasa Gaze, zahvaljujući nestašici goriva koja je posljedica nečovječne izraelske blokade, ispusti oko 50 milijuna litara otpadnih kanalizacijskih voda.
Kolonisti napali izraelske vojnike
Oko 12 kolonističkih ekstremista je u srijedu (22. listopada) toljagama napalo izraelske vojnike koji su štitili palestinske berače masilina u okolici Hebrona na Zapadnoj obali. Napadači, koji su u napadu ozlijedili 1 vojnika, su uspjeli pobjeći.
Ostali linkovi:
Lawyers say UK Guantánamo Suspect Has No Hope of Fair Trial
Howard Zinn: From Empire to Democracy
Let's face a historical truth: we have never had a "free market", we have always had government intervention in the economy, and indeed that intervention has been welcomed by the captains of finance and industry. They had no quarrel with "big government" when it served their needs. It started way back, when the founding fathers met in Philadelphia in 1787 to draft the constitution. The first big bail-out was the decision of the new government to redeem for full value the almost worthless bonds held by speculators. And this role of big government, supporting the interests of the business classes, continued all through the nation's history.
This Crisis Is Also a Big Opportunity
But now we know. The ideology was given free rein - and it has come to this. If you recreate the economic conditions of 1928, 1929 soon follows. Franklin D Roosevelt introduced rules watching big businesses closely for fraud or gambles that could bring the whole system crashing down. Politicians Greenspanning across the 1980s and 90s - both Republican and Democratic, Conservative and Labour - rolled it all back, so businesses could suddenly behave in risky and bizarre ways again. Corporations were now allowed to sell houses to people with terrible credit ratings at astronomical interest rates, while risking virtually no capital of their own. They could then repackage these lousy mortgages as bonds and scatter them throughout the global banking system like landmines. We have deregulated ourselves to the brink of a depression.
Momentum Builds As Cluster Ban Signing Approaches
More than two dozen African governments announce their intent to sign the treaty on 3 December 2008
Women Who Took On the Taliban -- and Lost
Of five prominent Afghani women interviewed three years ago by The Independent, three are dead and a fourth has had to flee.
One Nation under Capitalism: It's Time for a Crucifixion
How about we do nothing? Most of those who stand to benefit from a 'bailout' of any dollar amount are all about the 'free market' and 'law of the jungle' capitalism. It's sad how quickly those in the moneyed class cast aside their 'principles' when adversity slaps them in the face. 'Dog-eat-dog' is their mantra when they’re fighting tooth and nail to cut spending on socially beneficial programs, rewarding mass firings by increasing stock values, pushing for increased regressive taxes and decreases on progressive taxes, and slaughtering millions of innocents in resource wars. But when these uber-predators become prey, they expect the rest of us to charge to their rescue. So what of Paulson and the rest of the power elite who are coming to the working and middle classes on bended knee, begging for a hand-out? Let them twist in the wind and pray they start hurling themselves out of windows.
Savage Attacks Progressive Film Company for Telling the Truth
Michael Savage hates Muslims
David Ray Griffin: The Bush Doctrine & The 9/11 Commission Report: Both Authored by Philip Zelikow
The Ultimate 9/11 'Truth' Showdown: David Ray Griffin vs. Matt Taibbi
Incompetence cannot explain, for example, why three steel-frame high-rise buildings came down at virtually free-fall speed; why virtually all of the buildings' concrete was pulverized into tiny dust particles; why clusters of steel columns, weighing thousands of tons, were ejected out horizontally some 500 feet from the towers; why hundreds of tiny bone fragments were found on the roofs of nearby buildings; why some of the buildings' steel melted, even though the fires could not have gotten within 1,000 degrees F of the requisite temperature; why steel from the buildings had been thinned because of oxidation and sulfidation (which the New York Times called "perhaps the deepest mystery uncovered in the investigation"; why explosions were going off in the buildings long after all the jet fuel had burned up; why Giuliani's people knew in advance that the Twin Towers and WTC 7 were going to collapse; and why 125 people were killed in a part of the Pentagon that could not have been hit by an airliner, especially one flown by an amateur.Venezuela's Support for Palestine, a model for third world democracy
Chavez, however, broke with this tradition when he announced in 2006 that he was withdrawing his senior diplomat from Israel in response to their invasion of Lebanon.[2] Chavez chose to take this course not because of any action Israel had taken against Venezuela, but because of Israel's treatment towards Palestinian and Lebanese civilians.[3] Chavez publically compared Israel's actions towards Palestinians and Lebanese to the holocaust stating that "Israel is doing what Hitler did, killing innocent children and entire families." [4] Chavez went on to stop Venezuela from issuing tourist visas to Israelis and during a trip to Beijing called for Israel to be tried for genocide before the International Criminal Court.[5] Chavez also visited Syria and made a joint statement with the Syrian government calling on Israel to end its illegal occupation of the Golan Heights, abide by UN resolutions and for an end to double standards towards Israel internationally.[6] Chavez also sent a Boeing 707 with 20,000 tons of humanitarian aid to help alleviate the humanitarian crisis caused in Lebanon and Palestine due to Israel's aggressive actions.[7] Chavez has publicly criticized UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon for not doing enough to strop repression by Israel.[8] These statements and actions have made Chavez one of the most popular leaders in the Arab world and have led opposition political parties in Arab countries to urge their governments to copy Venezuela's actions towards Israel. [9] Venezuela previously had military ties with Israel but chose to abandon them in favor of standing up for Palestinian rights.[10]
Chavez's actions towards Israel is something that all members of the international community should be emulating to stop the genocidal policies of the Israeli government. Stephen Lendmen in an article about holding Israel accountable for international law violations stated that when nations ignore Israel's crimes such as their violations of UN Resolutions, the Geneva Conventions and the UN Charter or tacitly cooperate with it while they are committing these crimes, they are indirectly responsible for aiding their crimes and are "criminal accomplices" under Article 6 of the Nuremberg Charter.[11] Unfortunately, most nation states like India have chosen to ignore Israel's crimes during the last decade by continuing to increase military and cultural ties with them thus arguably becoming criminal accomplices in their crimes.
Gideon Levy: Killer of the year
Indeed, our man of the year is a declared killer. Whether by box-cutter or car bomb, his craft is killing. His killer instincts are our source of pride, the peak of our creativity. We should be thankful to Rosen and friends: They did not even try to sugar-coat anything. They did not pick a humanist, a scientist, an industrialist or an author; Attorney General Menachem Mazuz came in second and Olmert third, but Dagan is our killer of the year. He himself is not the problem. Rather, it's the disgusting worship of people of his kind. Never has the head of the Mossad been such a dark figure with so much blood on his hands. Never has anyone thought of picking the Mossad chief, of all people, as man of the year. It is doubtful whether there is any other free country where the top journalists would consider choosing the head of such an organization as man of the year. Only in Israel. Only in Israel are Dagan's past activities still censored. He is responsible for much of the blood that was shed in Gaza in the 1970s and Lebanon in the '80s. A shocking expose prepared by two reputable journalists a few years ago about his doings in Lebanon was never published. That report would have only made the Channel 2 dream team panel worship Dagan even more, and supported his image as a killer with a knife in his teeth.
Muslim Children Gassed at Mosque After 'Obsession' DVD Hits Ohio
On Friday, September 26, the end of a week in which thousands of copies of Obsession: Radical Islam's War Against the West -- the fear-mongering, anti-Muslim documentary being distributed by the millions in swing states via DVDs inserted in major newspapers and through the U.S. mail -- were distributed by mail in Ohio, a "chemical irritant" was sprayed through a window of the Islamic Society of Greater Dayton, where 300 people were gathered for a Ramadan prayer service. The room that the chemical was sprayed into was the room where babies and children were being kept while their mothers were engaged in prayers. This, apparently, is what the scare tactic political campaigning of John McCain's supporters has led to -- Americans perpetrating a terrorist attack against innocent children on American soil.
karma has a liberal bias
colorado delegate gabriel nathan schwartz at the republican national convention in st. paul
Remarks to commemorate the Second International Day of Nonviolence
Gandhi's and King's successors in the twenty-first century have carried out further experiments in the power of nonviolent truth to achieve justice and peace in every corner of the world—including, in the last two months, Gaza. The Free Gaza Movement has succeeded in breaking the siege of Gaza by nonviolent direct action. After sailing from Cypress, 44 activists from 17 countries landed their two small wooden boats at Gaza Port on August 23, 2008, where a beleaguered people welcomed them. This nonviolent initiative allowed Palestinians to enter and leave their own country freely for the first time in over 60 years. As Richard Falk, UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territories noted, it is now a question of whether the courage and commitment of the Free Gaza Movement “can awaken the conscience of humanity to an unfolding tragedy”.
New Israeli weapon kicks up stink
Three weeks ago, Israeli soldiers burst into Awwad Sror's small family home in the Palestinian West Bank town of Nilin. Mr Sror's family say that when he intervened as troops arrested his younger brother, Aqal, he was shot from close range with at least three rubber-coated steel bullets. One hit him in the chest, another smashed his jaw, while a third entered his right eye socket and fractured his skull.
Fiction meets fact in Hebron film
U Hebronu, najvećem gradu na Zapadnoj obali, živi oko 160 000 Palestinaca i nekoliko stotina ilegalno naseljenih izraelskih židovskih kolonista koje osigurava nekoliko stotina izraelskih vojnika. Ilegalni izraelski kolonisti naseljeni su u centru grada, a pod izlikom njihove „sigurnosti“ u Hebronu su postavljene brojne kontrolne točke i blokade koje otežavaju i onemogućavaju kretanje Palestincima. Palestincima je onemogućeno kretanje nekad glavnom gradskom ulicom Shuhada, koja povezuje sjeverni i južni dio grada, zbog „sigurnosti“ ilegalnih kolonista. Samo jedan zapanjujući primjer iz ovog BBC-jevog članka koji je zapravo posvećen novom filmu Graduation izraelske redateljice Yaelle Kayam: Prije 5 godina izraelska je vojska zavarila jedina vrata koja iz kuće obitelji Qafisha vode na ulicu Shuhada. Od tada 10-člana obitelj iz kuće izlazi kroz neravne kamene stepenice kojima se penje na krov kuće, s kojeg onda prolaze kroz derutnu rupu u vanjskom zidu na krovu susjedne kuće. Zatim se stepenicama spuštaju kako bi izašli kroz susjedova vrata.
Gideon Levy: Blindfolded
This was a routine year, another year of the occupation of which no end is in sight. From Rosh Hashana 5768 to Rosh Hashana 5769 our forces killed 584 Palestinians, 95 of them minors. Many fewer than in 2002, when 989 were killed; many more than in 2005, with 190 killed. Eighteen Israelis were also killed in the past year, many more than in the previous year, when just five were killed, and much less than in 2002, when 184 Israelis were killed. All in all, an average year for bloodshed.
Jonathan Cook: Israel's army and settlers fall out; The Souring of a West Bank Romance
Ilegalni kolonisti sada napadaju i izraelske vojnike na Zapadnoj obali. Na jednog su vojnika kolonisti nahuškali psa, drugom slomili ruku, a trećeg su pretukli kad je u Hebronu pokušavao spriječiti maloljetne koloniste da kamenjem gađaju Palestince. Prošli mjesec, kad je kolonistima dojavljeno da vojska planira ukloniti jednu kolonističku obitelj iz privremenog kampa kod Yad Yaira, zapadno od Ramalle, razrezane su gume na 10 vojnih vozila. Nasilje kolonista na Zapadnoj obali je u porastu, no većina napada na Palestince nije ni registrirana jer izraelske vlasti u velikoj većini slučajeva ne procesuiraju koloniste za napade na Palestince i njihovu imovinu, pa Palestinci većinom ni ne prijavljuju napade izraelskim vlastima. Prema podacima izraelske organizacije za ljudska prava Yesh Din, manje od 1 u 10 prijavljenih napada na Palestince rezultira podizanjem optužnice. U većini tih slučajeva kolonisti su oslobođeni krivnje. Prema podacima organizacije Peace Now oko pola milijuna ilegalnih izraelsih kolonista ima kontrolu nad više od 40% teritorija Zapadne obale i Istočnog Jeruzalema. Organizacija za ljudska prava B'Tselem upozorava da je vojska podržavala aneksiju velikih dijelova zemlje od strane ilegalnih naselja istočno od izraelskog ilegalnog Zida, a ta će naselja prva biti iseljena u postizanju dogovora s Palestincima. U tim se naseljima također nalazi najviše militantnih kolonista. Vojska često pere ruke od odgovornosti za sprječavanje zločina i napada kolonista ili im čak pomaže, no prema međunarodnom pravu izraelska vojska ima obavezu, kao okupacijska sila, zaštiti palestinsko stanovništvo. Kolonisti i vojska su godinama usko povezani: ilegalna naselja u svojim su počecima bila vojni položaji, vojnici brane ilegalna naselja, čak i ona čiju uspostavu izraelska vlada službeno nije odobrila, a vojska koloniste snabdijeva oružjem. U vojsci postoje posebne jedinice čiji pripadnici su isključivo kolonisti i dopušteno im je da služe vojni rok na okupiranim područjima u blizini ilegalnih naselja u kojima žive. Mnogi se kolonisti nalaze na visokim funkcijama u izraelskoj vojsci.
Learning from South Africa
Similarities between the two apartheid states can be found in their policies on citizenship, their use of detention without trial, and laws which limit freedom of movement and the right to live in one's own home with one's family. Just as apartheid South Africa gave citizenship to white South Africans and relegated blacks to "independent homelands" (i.e. Bantustans), Zionism gives all Jews the right to citizenship in the State of Israel, while denying citizenship to Palestinians -- the indigenous inhabitants of the land. While Apartheid used race to determine citizenship, the state of Israel uses religious identification to determine citizenship. Just as the apartheid state made laws criminalizing free movement of blacks on their ancestral land, Israel uses a military occupation infrastructure composed of checkpoints, Jewish only settlements and roads, the apartheid wall, combined with a myriad of legal regulations that govern Palestinian daily life and are designed specifically to restrict how they work and live.
100 Israeli settlers beat farmers, internationals and destroy vehicles during olive harvest
Više od 100 izraelskih kolonista je u ponedjeljak (20. listopada) napalo i pretuklo palestinske poljoprivrednike i međunarodne volontere koji su brali masline u blizini Jabal Odale, predgrađa grada Kafr Kadum, sjeveroistočno od Kalkilije na Zapadnoj obali. U napadu kolonista ozlijeđeno je nekoliko berača i oštećeno nekoliko vozila, a nasilna gomila potjerala je iz maslinika palestinske poljoprivrednike i njihove pomagače, te su im potom zapriječili put i nisu ih pustili da nastave berbu. Cilj kolonista je bio spriječiti berbu maslina. Predsjednik gradskog vijeća Kafr Kaduma je pozvao humanitarne organizacije da interveniraju kako bi se taj grad zaštitio od učestalih kolonističkih napada. Kafr Kadum je česta meta napada kolonista iz ilegalnog izraelskog naselja Kedumim koje je uspostavljeno na prisilno konfisciranoj zemlji koja zapravo pripada Kafr Kadumu.
Palestinian granted posthumous entry to Israel
Shin Bet je Mahmoudu Abu-Amri, 58-godišnjem pacijentu koji je bolovao i umro od raka, rekao da ne može nastaviti svoje liječenje u Izraelu jer jedan od njegovih sinova ima bradu i moli u džamiji. Shin Bet mu je savjetovao da svom sinu naredi da prestane odlaziti u džamiju, te da se pobuni protiv Hamasa.
Tunnels feed besieged Gaza
Između Egipta i Pojasa Gaze prokopano je na stotine tajnih tunela kroz koje se, zbog nemoralne i zločinačke izraelske blokade i opsade Pojasa Gaze, dio osiromašenih Palestinaca u Pojasu Gaze snabdijeva hranom i gorivom. Tuneli su nekad služili za krijumčarenje oružja, no danas se njima „krijumčare“ nužno potrebne osnovne namirnice. Najmanje je 35 ljudi izgubilo živote u urušavnaju nekih od tih tunela od početka 2008. Navodno oko 6000 Palestinaca sudjeluje u „krijumčarenju“ namirnica u Pojas Gaze.
Livni: the making of an Israeli "dove"
Last spring, Livni expressed her honest arrogance by demanding that Palestinians erase the word "Nakba" (the Arabic term for the Palestinians' forced dispossession of their homeland) from their lexicon if there was to be any chance of a "Palestinian state" and "peace" -- hardly the statements of a "dove."
We Should All Celebrate Rosh Hashanah
Tijekom židovskih blagdana Palestincima s okupiranih područja je u potpunosti onemogućen ulazak u Jeruzalem i Izrael, čak i kad se židovski blagdani preklapaju s muslimanskim i kršćanskim blagdanima, pa su Palestincima na taj način vrlo često kršene vjerske slobode i prečesto svoje blagdane ne mogu provesti sa svojom rodbinom s druge strane.
Kao što smo vidjeli iz nereda u Acreu i iz ovog članka (koji između ostalog govori i o Yom Kippuru u Jeruzalemu), za vrijeme Yom Kippura u Izraelu i okupiranom Istočnom Jeruzalemu zabranjen je promet za sva vozila, tj. uz židovske (kojima tako nalaže njihova vjera) u to vrijeme ni muslimanski, kršćanski, pripadnici ostalih vjera, agnostici ni ateisti ne smiju voziti automobile, a ortodoksni židovski vjernici često eventualne vozače gađaju kamenjem. Istočni, palestinski Jeruzalem, na Yom Kippur je zatvoren za promet vozila, iako u njemu pretežno žive muslimani i kršćani, a ne židovi.
Izraelska mornarica ponovo napala palestinske civilne ribarske brodiće
Izraelska mornarica je 06. listopada 2008. pravim streljivom, granatama i vodenim topom napala palestinske i međunarodne civile -- palestinske ribare i međunarodne aktiviste -- koji su lovili ribu samo 4 milje od obale Pojasa Gaze u teritorijalnim vodama Pojasa Gaze. U napadu nitko nije ozlijeđen, ali su neke od granata koje je ispalila izraelska mornarica pale vrlo blizu ribarskih brodića. Od ribarske industrije u Pojasu Gaze preživljava oko 40 000 ljudi, no zbog izraelskih ograničenja prava palestinskih ribara da love ribu u svojim teritorijalnim vodama, te zbog nestašice goriva uzrokovane nemoralnom i zločinačkom izraelskom blokadom, ulov ribe znatno se smanjio. Prema podacima ribarskog sindikata u Pojasu Gaze, ribarima je dnevno potrebno 40 000 litara goriva i 40 000 litara prirodnog plina kako bi mogli loviti ribu u sezoni. Svake godine u travnju ribe se sele iz delte Nila prema turskim vodama i prolaze kroz palestinske teritorijalne vode obično na udaljenosti od 10 milja od obale. Izraelske vlasti palestinskim ribarima brane da ribu love dalje od 3 milje od obale. Protekle godine izraelska je vojska zarobila više od 70 palestinskih ribara jer su prešli tu, od strane Izraela, arbitrarno i jednostrano nametnutu granicu. Zahvaljujući ilegalnoj izraelskoj blokadi i totalnoj opsadi Pojasa Gaze palestinski ribari danas ulove oko 500 tona ribe godišnje, znatno manje od 3000 tona godišnje koliko je njihov prosječni ulov iznosio tijekom 1990-tih. Uz to, palestinski ribari su zbog izraelskih ograničenja i blokade prisiljeni ribu loviti u zagađenoj vodi, jer se svaki dan u Sredozemno more iz Pojasa Gaze, zahvaljujući nestašici goriva koja je posljedica nečovječne izraelske blokade, ispusti oko 50 milijuna litara otpadnih kanalizacijskih voda.
Kolonisti napali izraelske vojnike
Oko 12 kolonističkih ekstremista je u srijedu (22. listopada) toljagama napalo izraelske vojnike koji su štitili palestinske berače masilina u okolici Hebrona na Zapadnoj obali. Napadači, koji su u napadu ozlijedili 1 vojnika, su uspjeli pobjeći.
Ostali linkovi:
Lawyers say UK Guantánamo Suspect Has No Hope of Fair Trial
Howard Zinn: From Empire to Democracy
Let's face a historical truth: we have never had a "free market", we have always had government intervention in the economy, and indeed that intervention has been welcomed by the captains of finance and industry. They had no quarrel with "big government" when it served their needs. It started way back, when the founding fathers met in Philadelphia in 1787 to draft the constitution. The first big bail-out was the decision of the new government to redeem for full value the almost worthless bonds held by speculators. And this role of big government, supporting the interests of the business classes, continued all through the nation's history.
This Crisis Is Also a Big Opportunity
But now we know. The ideology was given free rein - and it has come to this. If you recreate the economic conditions of 1928, 1929 soon follows. Franklin D Roosevelt introduced rules watching big businesses closely for fraud or gambles that could bring the whole system crashing down. Politicians Greenspanning across the 1980s and 90s - both Republican and Democratic, Conservative and Labour - rolled it all back, so businesses could suddenly behave in risky and bizarre ways again. Corporations were now allowed to sell houses to people with terrible credit ratings at astronomical interest rates, while risking virtually no capital of their own. They could then repackage these lousy mortgages as bonds and scatter them throughout the global banking system like landmines. We have deregulated ourselves to the brink of a depression.
Momentum Builds As Cluster Ban Signing Approaches
More than two dozen African governments announce their intent to sign the treaty on 3 December 2008
Women Who Took On the Taliban -- and Lost
Of five prominent Afghani women interviewed three years ago by The Independent, three are dead and a fourth has had to flee.
One Nation under Capitalism: It's Time for a Crucifixion
How about we do nothing? Most of those who stand to benefit from a 'bailout' of any dollar amount are all about the 'free market' and 'law of the jungle' capitalism. It's sad how quickly those in the moneyed class cast aside their 'principles' when adversity slaps them in the face. 'Dog-eat-dog' is their mantra when they’re fighting tooth and nail to cut spending on socially beneficial programs, rewarding mass firings by increasing stock values, pushing for increased regressive taxes and decreases on progressive taxes, and slaughtering millions of innocents in resource wars. But when these uber-predators become prey, they expect the rest of us to charge to their rescue. So what of Paulson and the rest of the power elite who are coming to the working and middle classes on bended knee, begging for a hand-out? Let them twist in the wind and pray they start hurling themselves out of windows.
Savage Attacks Progressive Film Company for Telling the Truth
Michael Savage hates Muslims
David Ray Griffin: The Bush Doctrine & The 9/11 Commission Report: Both Authored by Philip Zelikow
The Ultimate 9/11 'Truth' Showdown: David Ray Griffin vs. Matt Taibbi
Najugroženije životinjske vrste
One In Four Mammals Risks Extinction
Of the 4,651 mammals for which scientists have data, 1,139 species were under threat of extinction. An updated "Red List" said that 16,928 species, or 38 percent, were threatened out of a total of 44,838. Among animals most at risk are amphibians, such as frogs and toads. Schipper said governments urgently needed to work out ways to protect life on earth.
'My Daughter's Dream Became a Nightmare': The Murder of Military Women Continues
Dennis Kucinich on the Democrats' Bailout Betrayal
Obama has always served his corporate masters. He opposed Rep. John Murtha's call for immediate withdrawal from Iraq and supported continued funding for the war. He voted in July 2005 to reauthorize the Patriot Act. He did not support an amendment that was part of a bankruptcy bill that would have capped credit card interest rates at 30 percent. He opposed a bill that would have reformed the notorious Mining Law of 1872, which allows mineral companies to rape federal land for profit. He did not back the single-payer health care bill HR 676, sponsored by Kucinich and John Conyers. He advocates the death penalty and nuclear power. He backed the class-action "reform" bill-the Class Action Fairness Act (CAFA)-that was part of a large lobbying effort by financial firms, which make up Obama's second-biggest single bloc of donors. CAFA would effectively shut down state courts as a venue to hear most class-action lawsuits. Workers, under CAFA, would no longer have redress in many of the courts where these cases have a chance of defying powerful corporations. CAFA moves these cases into corporate-friendly federal courts dominated by Republican judges.
