Palestina/Izrael:
Canada's boat to Gaza must go
A host of flotilla boats are expected to set sail for Gaza over the next 12 months, separately or in groups -- estimated at over 40 -- characterized in the Israeli press as "the mother of all flotillas." When asked if the Canadian government would come to the defence of a Canadian vessel if it was hijacked on the high seas, Foreign Minister Lawrence Cannon said the rules set by Israel, not international laws of the sea, should be followed, thus further legitimizing Israel's illegal blockade of Gaza. The Canada Boat Gaza Committee, with support from organizations and individuals across a broad spectrum of Canadian society -- from Christian, Jewish and Muslim backgrounds -- has targeted $300,000 for a campaigning boat -- not including the aid cargo, largely expected to be donated. Recently, the committee was happy to announce a third of its goal has now been reached.
Summary of the UN Human Rights Council's Fact‐Finding Mission Report
“[T]here is clear evidence to support prosecutions of the following crimes... wilful killing, torture or inhuman treatment, wilfully causing great suffering or serious injury to body or health.” Finally, the Fact‐Finding Mission (FFM) considered humanitarian organizations that wish to intervene in situations of long‐standing humanitarian crisis where the international community is unwilling to take positive action. While it distinguished between activities taken to alleviate the crises and action to address the causes creating the crisis (i.e., political action), the FFM classified both activities as forms of humanitarianism and called for recognition of “an agreed form of intervention” by civil society in humanitarian crises.
Sam Bahour & Charles Shamas: Can the OECD stand up to Israel?
This is only the second time that the meeting has been held outside Paris. Israel will conduct itself as the host and as an OECD member based on the Israeli ministry of tourism's unlawful unilateral extension of its jurisdiction to include occupied East Jerusalem, the Syrian Golan Heights and touristic sites and businesses in those parts of the West Bank reserved for Israeli settlement. Israel's ministry of tourism website clearly lists tourist sites in occupied territory, such as the Dome of the Rock and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, as Israeli sites. The ministry's websites also publicise settlement-based tourist services licensed by the ministry and receiving Israeli state financial support under the ministry's auspices. They present maps that depict the entire territory of historic Palestine west of the Jordan river, as well as the Syrian Golan, as territory of Israel that falls under Israel's national tourism-related and cultural heritage-related responsibility. Despite OECD efforts to the contrary, photographs of touristic sites in occupied territory have been incorporated in a website that Israel has constructed under OECD auspices.
Is Israel manipulating media?
Viva Palestina 5
U ponedjeljak 18. listopada 2010. međunarodni humanitarni konvoj još je uvijek čekao u sirijskoj luci Latakia da egipatske vlasti odobre iskrcavanje aktivista i humanitarne pomoći u egipatskoj luci Al-Arish i siguran prolaz konvoja do graničnog prijelaza Rafah i Pojasa Gaze. Egipatske vlasti trenutno na egipatski teritorij odbijaju pustiti 18 aktivista iz konvoja, uključujući britanskog parlamentarca Gallowaya i najstarijeg sudionika konvoja - jednog 83-godišnjeg Jordanca. U međuvremenu je i izraelska vojska ponovo zaprijetila međunarodnim humanitarnim "flotilama", pa organizatori konvoja Viva Palestina pretpostavljaju da se to odnosi i na brodove koji će njihova vozila i humanitarnu pomoć prevesti iz Sirije u Egipat. Usprkos izraelskim prijetnjama i poteškoćama s egipatskim vlastima, aktivisti najavljuju da ih ništa neće odvratiti od dostave humanitarne pomoći Palestincima u Gazi i proboja izraelske ilegalne i nečovječne blokade.
Egypt urged to let Viva Palestina Activists pass through to Gaza
Nakon 16 dana čekanja konvoj Viva Palestina je konačno isplovio iz luke Latakia u Siriji prema egipatskoj luci Al-Arish u utorak 19. listopada. Oko 30 aktivista za ljudska prava, među kojima su i neki koji su preživjeli izraelski napad na humanitarnu flotilu u svibnju, putovat će zajedno s vozilima i humanitarnom pomoći brodovima do Egipta, dok će ostali u Egipat stići avionom. Konvoj bi u Egipat trebao stići u srijedu navečer, a aktivisti se nadaju da će u petak biti u Gazi.
Izvor: Viva Palestina
New Gaza peace flotilla to have up to 20 boats: organisers
Organizatori najavljuju da će se slijedeća humanitarna flotila za Gazu sastojati od do 20 brodova (19. listopad 2010.)
Španjolski aktivist Manuel Tapial najavio je u Madridu u utorak da će u slijedećoj flotili za Gazu ploviti između 12 i 20 brodova s humanitarnom pomoći. Tapial je bio jedan od aktivista na brodovima flotile koju su u svibnju napale izraelske snage. 16 organizacija iz 16 zemalja - Australije, Belgije, Kanade, Francuske, Grčke, Indonezije, Irske, Italije, Malezije, Nizozemske, Norveške, Španjolske, Švedske, Švicarske, Turske i SAD-a - sudjelovat će u slijedećem putovanju brodovima u Gazu koje planiraju za proljeće slijedeće godine. Cilj flotile i proboja izraelske ilegalne blokade je humanitaran, ali i politički. Izvještaj istražne skupine UN-ovog Vijeća za ljudska prava pokazao je da postoje čvrsti dokazi za zakonski progon Izraela zbog ubojstava i mučenja tijekom napada na brod Mavi Marmara. Izvještaj je aktivistima također dao pravnu osnovu za daljnje akcije protiv izraelske ilegalne blokade.
U.S. BOAT TO GAZA/REPORT FROM GENEVA
First, about the timing: after much discussion, the decision was made by the international group to wait until Spring of 2011 to sail. This is in response to the outpouring of people who want to join this effort from more countries, to have more boats and more of civil society participating. The international movement is growing and voices of condemnation against illegal Israeli policies are stronger now than ever before. ... The Israeli military, with impunity, carries on committing the crimes of occupation. Arrogantly and shamelessly officials from the Israeli government recently made public statements, threatening to attack the next flotilla with sniper fire and attack dogs. It is unconscionable to deliver public pronouncements of planned, unprovoked violence against unarmed people, civilians and press who will be on board. As these statements get issued from Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, U.S. government officials remain silent, failing to uphold international law and bring Israeli government and military officials to account for their crimes.
Susan Abulhawa v.s Dershowitz, Boston Book Festival, Part 1
Susan Abulhawa vs Dershowitz, Boston Book Festival Part 2
Susan Abulhawa v/s Alan Dershowitz, Boston Book Festival Oct 16, 2010 PART 3
Carter in Syria: Israel must Fully Lift Gaza Blockade
Despite the U.S. and the European Union's labeling of Hamas as a terrorist organization, The Elders met with exiled Hamas politburo leader Khaled Meshal, as Carter has done during previous regional visits. Following their talks with Assad and Meshal, The Elders said people in the region have "very low expectations" that the current U.S.-led talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, which excluded Hamas, would succeed. Carter, who has visited the Gaza Strip several times in recent years, did not accompany the rest of the delegation on their trip there Saturday. Despite his absence from Gaza, Carter renewed calls for Israel to lift its blockade of the Hamas-governed Gaza Strip. Israel imposed the blockade in 2007 after Hamas wrestled control over the territory in a violent coup. "The blockade is one of the most serious human rights violations on Earth and it must be lifted fully," said Carter from Syria. Besides Carter, the Elders delegation includes former Irish president Mary Robinson and former UN envoy Lakhdar Brahimi. While in Gaza, the group described Israel's blockade as an "illegal collective punishment" and "an impediment to peace."
Ostalo:
JE LI USTAVNI SUD ODLUČIVAO O REFERENDUMU TEMELJEM USTAVA I USTAVNOG ZAKONA O USTAVNOM SUDU?!
Građani su svoju političku volju iskazali više nego dovoljnim brojem potpisa, unatoč rigidnim zakonskim odredbama koje snažno obeshrabruju inicijative građana za raspisivanjem referenduma. Sukladno Ustavnom zakonu o Ustavnom sudu, zadaća Ustavnog suda bila je utvrditi je li sadržaj referendumskog pitanja u skladu s Ustavom i jesu li ispunjene pretpostavke iz Ustava za raspisivanjem referenduma, a ustavna pretpostavka kaže da će Hrvatski sabor raspisati referendum u skladu sa zakonom ako to zatraži deset posto od ukupnog broja birača u Republici Hrvatskoj. Iz navedenog slijedi da se prilikom donošenja odluke o referendumu Ustavni sud nije vodio odredbama Ustava i Ustavnog zakona o Ustavnom sudu već nekim drugim kriterijima. Ovakva odluka obeshrabruje svaku buduću inicijativu građana za raspisivanjem referenduma, te ograničava zajamčeno pravo propisano prvim člankom Ustava: narod ostvaruje vlast izborom svojih predstavnika i neposrednim odlučivanjem. Nažalost, kao zainteresirani građani i kao organizacija koja prati rad i funkcioniranje tijela javne vlasti, uočili smo i već ukazivali na neke okolnosti koje dovode u pitanje povjerenje građana u funkcioniranje Ustavnog suda: kroz nekoliko ciklusa izbora suci Ustavnog suda izabrani su gotovo preko noći, bez široke javne rasprave i uvažavanja mišljenja stručnjaka, iako je javnost dovodila u pitanje njihov profesionalni, stručni i drugi integritet. Odlukom o neodržavanju referenduma, kao i politički intoniranim izjavama predsjednice suda i sudaca, Ustavni sud opasno se približio političkim interesima i stavovima nositelja vlasti i time doveo u pitanje svoj status neovisnog i temeljnog čuvara Ustava.
