Desertpeace

Click HERE
or
HERE to listen to a live radio broadcast direct from Gaza… with Mohammed Omer reporting.

To donate to his site Rafah Today, please click HERE.

Mohammed’s site, Rafah Today, can be found HERE…
Updated news reports can be found HERE…

Please repost this on your Blog…. the truth has to get out!

Carlos Latuff
I was SHOCKED to see THIS article on the Ynet site last night. I guess it’s what you can call a case of ‘reverse prejudice’ that caused me to feel the way I do.

Here is a woman that literally worked herself up from nothing to become America’s ‘Talk Show Queen’. I was under the impression that she is a woman that understood poverty and suffering.

But…. my impressions were crushed when I read the article, she apparently is a woman that enjoys being in the limelight, a woman that wants to maintain her high ratings and a woman that cares more about what her sponsors think than what is happening to the Palestinians.

It was Elie Wiesel that extended the invitation to visit, saying Israel is where “the major war against terror is currently taking place.” I only hope that if she comes here she will visit places like Ramallah, Jenin, Gaza, Bethlehem…. the list goes on. Let her see with her own eyes who the real terrorists are in this area. Let her watch the demolition of a home in East Jerusalem, let her visit the site of the disabled children’s home demolished a few weeks ago.

Let her visit with Bassam Aramin, the father of 10 year old Abir, murdered by Israeli soldiers while at play in her schoolyard. Let her stand at a checkpoint and watch a pregnant Palestinian woman be prevented from going to the hospital to have her child.

All the things I suggested she see are not on the standard Lobby tour of the Holy Land… let’s see if she sees them on her own…
Somehow I doubt that, and it saddens me. I did expect better from Oprah… I guess I was wrong.

According to Palestinian and International reports at least three Israeli military divisions comprising of 20,000 troops are on stand-by near the Gaza border apparently ready for a full-scale ground invasion. Palestinian Minister of Information Dr Mustafa Barghouthi, “Israel has given itself the right to kill and destroy everything and target every Palestinian regardless of whether he is a man, a woman or a child.
Israel has reached an unprecedented degree of arrogance when its Army announced that they killed only 3 Palestinian civilians in the raid on Gaza on Sunday. This implies that 3 innocent civilians are not important but this is by itself a recognition by the Israeli Army that they have committed the crime of killing the innocent Palestinians. Joining us to talk about the current situation inside the occupied Gaza Strip is Mohammed Omer. Mohammed is a free-lance correspondent, photojournalist and reporter with the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs. He speaks to us now from Rafah: via KPFA Radio… Click HERE to listen.
The above text is taken from the commentators introduction on KPFA

Image by the late Ismael Shammout

So much is not known about the plight and suffering of the millions of Palestinian refugees throughout the world. The only way to fight this injustice is to know the facts…

This is a threefold repost.. from Bonsoir to Jews sans Fronieres to DesertPeace.
Take THIS test and leave your score in the comments… feel free to repost this as well on your own Blogs…

How long will the world continue to look away from the truth and bury its head in the sand when it comes to Israel?

Just ask yourselves the following questions….
Are they doing something wrong?
Are they breaking international laws?
Are their crimes so heinous that they are ashamed?

I can only guess that the answer is yes to all of the above. Why else would Israeli guards be shooting live ammunition at a group of five journalists who tried to approach people demonstrating against the fence near the West Bank settlement of Efrat on Monday afternoon.

The biggest question is… how can a country that has laws guaranteeing the Freedom of the press and the Freedom of assembly continue to support a country where this is obviously not the case.

Read THIS Ynet report about the incident. Judge for yourselves if these journalists were guilty of crimes. Then try to answer the question I started this post with.

Twice in as many days I wrote about our dear photojournalist Mohammed Omer. I published a letter that he wrote to his friends.

We had not heard from him in a few days and were quite concerned.
The reason was that he was in the field working. Nothing can stop that courageous young man from gathering the information needed to spread the truth.

BBC News got hold of him in Gaza City a few minutes ago and just published the FOLLOWING. It is a must read.
It’s a short statement by Mohammed, followed by another by a 21 year old student named SHAIMAA NAJI.

At least we know now that Mohammed is OK…. we hope and pray that he stays that way.

We almost lost this beautiful young man yesterday. The madness in Gaza is continuing, but when someone you know and love is involved it literally ‘brings it home’.

Mohammed Omer is a photographer in Gaza, I have posted many of his works and have written about him. The following is an email that he sent to friends… I can feel his fear and sadness.

After reading it, messages of support and good wishes for him can be posted on this thread or HERE. Thanks.
________________________________________________________________
Dear friends,

I’m scared, I was almost killed or at least bleeding
till death. Three militants were closing all roads and
they suddenly, they told me to stop for the curfew, I
stopped and then the masked-men opened fire at me
hitting the ground under my feet. I thought I’d been killed;
I couldn’t even scream because the shooting was louder than my screams.

Finally I was able to be heard and said:” No,
don’t do that, stop stop, please”. Oh, I was in tears,
this is the first time I’m begging someone not to kill
me, and then a militant standing by said, “We don’t want to kill
him, lets shoot him in his legs and leave him to bleed”.
I said, “What? why?” and then he said, “your ID”. I showed them
my press card and then they let me go. I was
scared that they would shoot me as soon as I turned my
back, but Alhamdllah this didn’t happen. I was scared,
scared, scared to death.

This was not a pleasant experience,
and after this, I got stuck
and could not find transport back home, so I went
walking in the streets. I’m scared to death. Those are
just evil and terrible people. I don’t wish to be in
that position again. I can’t stand on my feet
anymore, I feel pain and scared. Those people are working for
preventive security, which is working closely with the
Israelis. I was wearing my bullet proof vest, but this
didn’t protect me enough. Today, more than 10 were
killed and tens were injured, many by Israelis, but
still some by Palestinian clashes between Hamas and
Fateh. They don’t want this to be reported. I didn’t
tell my mother about this, she will be scared again!

Sad greetings! Mohammed

REST IN PEACE YOLANDA DENISE KING

In my last post we celebrated the 95th birthday of a great American, Studs Terkel. In this post we mourn the tragic, untimely death of Yolanda Denise King, the eldest child of Martin Luther King Jr, at age 51.

Yolanda was the most politically active of her siblings, she was referred to by Al Shapton as ”the torch bearer for her parents and a committed activist in her own right.”
Her death comes less than a year and a half after her own mother’s death, Coretta Scott King. When I saw the photo I posted I thought it was Coretta, the resemblance is unbelievable.

The Progressive Movement in America, the Civil Rights Movement in particular suffered a tremendous loss with her passing.

May she rest in peace in a world at peace. Her obituary that appears in the New York Times can be read HERE.

It’s always a great feeling to find out that one of your heroes, that you thought was long gone, is still around, alive and well.

Today I was told that it’s Studs Terkel’s 95th birthday today. He is one of those heroes I was referring to.

In my teens his books inspired me to become the activist I became. His knowledge of the Working Class history of America was unquestionably one of the most extensive. His radio programme was aired only in Chicago in those days so I never heard it, those horrible days before Internet Radio…. oh well…

He’s been relatively quiet for a number of years now, but I guess at age 95 that is to be expected. His life’s story and history can be read HERE…a most interesting writeup. I was not aware that his son was named after another one of my heroes, Paul Robeson…. it’s a small world and there are lots of great people in it. Studs Terkel is one of them.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY STUDS! MANY MORE YEARS OF GOOD HEALTH TO YOU!!

Carlos Latuff
In their continuing ‘War Against Truth, Justice and The American Way’ Daily Kos banned two other writers who dared to speak the truth. My dear Brother Haitham of Sabbah’s Blog and my Sister Nancy of Umkalil.

As for Daily Kos’ investment in progressive and liberal issues like civil and human rights, the word is that Kos the owner doesn’t care one way or another about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, even though it is a core issue in American foreign policy. That’s an interesting prospective when a Left Wing Democrat does not care about human rights issues. Because many people believe that the Left Wing of the Democratic party is taking its lead from the netroots, places like Daily Kos, which is the largest political blog on the internet, not giving a damned one way or another about human rights issues is not exactly what a typical liberal or progressive Democrat would expect from a blog that purports to be liberal or progressive. Leadership in civil and human rights is certainly not what any liberal or progressive Democrat will find at Daily Kos.

The above paragraph was taken from THIS essay entitled ‘Daily Kos Bans Two Palestinian Peace Activists’, by Joe Shergald for a Blog he contributes to called the Booman Tribune. Joe, himself, was also banned from DK a few months back for the same reasons.

It’s sad to watch so called Democrats destroy Democracy in front of our very eyes.

SHAME ON YOU DAILY KOS!

The gates of hell opened wide yesteday to welcome its latest resident, Jerry Falwell. A man dedicated to hatred, in the name of Christianity.

The Christ he supposedly followed was a Man of love, a Man of peace, yet this ‘follower’ of Him twisted the teachings to preach just the opposite.

One can always tell what a man truly was by what others have to say after he’s gone, and by who says it. In Falwell’s case, here is just a sampling of the eulogies…
_________________________________________________
ADL SADDENED BY THE DEATH OF REV. JERRY FALWELL

New York, NY, May 15, 2007 … The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) today expressed sadness at the passing of the Rev. Jerry Falwell, a passionate leader of Christianity in America and a dear friend of Israel.

Abraham H. Foxman, ADL National Director, issued the following statement:

Despite our many disagreements through the years, we were saddened to learn of the loss of the Rev. Jerry Falwell. He was a passionate leader of Christianity in America and a dear friend of Israel. Rev. Falwell will always be remembered as one of the most influential leaders on the American religious scene.

Rev. Falwell was a towering figure of the Religious Right, and while we often did not see eye-to-eye with him on many key issues of the day, we always respected his strong devotion to his views, his outspoken advocacy for the positions he took on behalf of America’s conservative Christians, and his ability to listen to even his most ardent critics. He will be greatly missed.

——————————————————————————–

Israeli Ambassador Sallai Meridor Reacts to the Passing of Rev. Dr. Jerry Falwell

For Immediate Release May 15, 2007

WASHINGTON –Upon the passing of Rev. Dr. Jerry Falwell, the Ambassador of Israel, H.E. Sallai Meridor released the following statement:

“It was with both shock and sorrow that I learned of the tragic and sudden passing of Rev. Dr. Jerry Falwell, whose support for Israel spanned many decades. On behalf of myself and the Embassy of Israel, I wish to express our heartfelt condolences and deepest sympathy to the Falwell family, as well as to his congregation and to Liberty University, which he founded and guided for these many years. May his family and friends know no further sorrow.”

————————————————————————-
May 15, 2007

President and Mrs. Bush Saddened by Death of Jerry Falwell

Laura and I are deeply saddened by the death of Jerry Falwell, a man who cherished faith, family, and freedom. As the founder of Thomas Road Baptist Church in Lynchburg, Virginia, Jerry lived a life of faith and called upon men and women of all backgrounds to believe in God and serve their communities. One of his lasting contributions was the establishment of Liberty University, where he taught young people to remain true to their convictions and rely upon God’s word throughout each stage of their lives.

Today, our thoughts and prayers are with his wife Macel and the rest of the Falwell family.

******************************************************************

This short video portrays Falwell as he really was… a man of hate, not a Christian at all.

It all started a few weeks ago when a pro Palestinian group plastered the walls of the Washington D.C. subway system calling for an end to the occupation.
Posters such as the one below were used in this…

The text on one of the posters was, in part,… ”Imagine if this were your child’s path to school. Palestinians don’t have to imagine,’ the poster states, before continuing to call for an end to US aid for ‘Israel’s brutal military occupation… paid for by US taxpayers like you,”

Under the guise of…”Israel is not fighting children. It is defending itself against extremists like Hamas, Hezbollah and Islamic Jihad whose charters call for Israel’s obliteration and whose terrorist attacks target civilians, including school children and toddlers” , the zionists launched their own poster campaign with the following two posters as a start…

A press release sent by SWU (Stand With Us) said the group “will launch a month-long ad campaign in mid-May through June 11, urging Palestinians to teach their children peace instead of hate, and urging Palestinian extremists to reform.”

It’s always the Palestinians that are wrong it seems. They are calling for an end to the occupation in their campaign, they are calling for PEACE!
Yet, the zionists are declaring that they do not have a peace partner…
Who is the occupier? Who is building a wall of apartheid? Who is killing innocent children at play? Who is demolishing homes occupied by peaceful citizens?
And the BIG question is who is financially backing all of this?
The anti occupation campaign answers that… “We in the United States have a special obligation to protest Israel’s illegal military occupation because it is our government that provides Israel with the uncritical military, economic, diplomatic, and corporate support that it needs to sustain and expand its control of the Palestinian West Bank, Gaza Strip, and East Jerusalem.”

So let’s STOP BLAMING THE VICTIM and END THE OCCUPATION NOW!

A Ynet report on this situation can be read HERE.

Details on the anti occupation campaign can be seen HERE.

Today marks 59 years on the Gregorian calendar of the signing of Israel’s Declaration of Independence, which in reality is a Declaration of Oppression. The establishment of the State of Israel was seen as a progressive move at the time, one of the first ‘blows’ against British Imperialism. It was a move that united both the Soviet block and the United States just years before the Cold War brought up walls between them.

The Declaration of Independence was not meant to be a death sentence to the nation of Palestine, the ‘partition’ was meant to see the creation of two states side by side.

Instead we have seen one state literally occupy the other, literally putting up a different type of a partition; a wall of apartheid. Wednesday will mark another anniversary for Israel, the 40th year of official occupation of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.

My Brother Haitham of Sabbah’s Blog posted about the plight of the Palestinian refugees yesterday. The plight which is a direct result of Israel’s two anniversaries this week. To read about the suffering and the struggle to return to their homeland click HERE which will take you straight to his post.

After reading what Haitham had to say, after reading what I have been repeating constantly, can anyone say what is happening here is right? Is it right to celebrate the victories of one nation while the ‘other’ nation has literally been suffering from the spoils of war for so many years? How long does Israel intend to continue this occupation and oppression? How long will the world be silent about it?

One good and positive move was the announcements of the European Union and United States governments that they will not participate in Jerusalem Day celebrations. That is not enough, they must not participate in any official Israeli government function, not until the occupation ends. It is obvious that Israel has no intention to end it on their own, they must be forced to.

It wold be a dream come true for millions of people if Palestine also celebrated a day of National Independence very soon.

INSHALLAH!! WITH GOD’S HELP!!! B’ZRAT HASHEM!!!

Image by the late Ismael Shammout
So it was written, so it shall be! But only once a year? What about the other 364 days?
Hallmark and their fellow ‘card dealers’ decided for us that there should be one specific day set aside to honour our mothers. To that I say ‘RUBBISH’! My mother, as well as yours deserves to be honoured every day. Not a card exists that is good enough to express the love and gratitude I have for my mother.

She is the one that carried me in her womb for nine months.
She is the one that nursed me with nutrition from her own body.
She is the one that stood over me and protected me from all harm.
She is the one that loved me no matter what I did.
She was my mother, that’s what they do….
You are who you are today because of your mother, never forget that.
She loved you every day of your life, never forget that either.

I wrote this poem, many years ago, dedicated to my mother. I read it at her funeral. Although she is long gone, I still honour her daily, not just on this so-called Mother’s Day.

Image by Charles White
<span style=”color: rgb(51, 51, 255);font-size:130%;” Mother

8 May, 1983

Nine months of discomfort and some pain,

Nine months of wondering, hoping…

Are there regrets?

Hope not.

Years of commitment,

Years of unselfishly giving,

Was there more to give?

If only you could.

So much to teach,

So much to share,

How can one be expected to do it all?

But it was done.

Out of the holocaust there came a commitment,

We shall remain and flourish,

Can it be done?

Hope so.

So much to tell the world,

So many wrongs to right,

Will there be help?

There must be strength.

Now you must rest,

Your work is done,

Are there regrets?

Hope not.

Please take a minute, click THIS link and sign the petition. Every little bit helps…

This is their aim….
Our last billboards were vandalized by a few extremists who don’t want to see peace in the region. We will not let them silence us, so we’re putting our billboards back up in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem where decision-makers will see them.

But we need to show big support and to hit our target of 100,000 signatures – so please, take a moment right now to invite your friends and family to take action with you.

Hat Tip to Ben for this one.

It was Richard Nixon’s ‘Ping Pong Diplomacy’ of the early 70’s that led to diplomatic relations being established between the United States and The People’s Republic of China. Today it is Shimon Peres that is initiating a new type of diplomacy, one that will take place on a soccer field.

It is known by my readers that I am not a big fan of Shimon Peres, but I am willing to support any effort that might lead to the recognition of Palestine and Israel by each other. If David Becham can play a role in this endeavor I will support his efforts as well.

The following Ynet report deals with the situation I am writing about, sounds like a great idea and I personally plan to be at the game wearing my Bnei Sachnin colours (Israel’s only Arab/Jewish Team).

Let’s hope Peres is as successful as Nixon…. here is the report…
*********************************************************************
David Beckham accepts Peres Center invitation to visit Israel

Soccer superstar and his Real Madrid teammates to play exhibition match against team of Israeli, Palestinian players

Itamar Eichner Published: 05.11.07, 08:25 / Israel News

Soccer superstar David Beckham is scheduled to visit Israel next summer along with the rest of his Real Madrid teammates.

The Spanish club was invited to by the Peres Center for Peace, and will play an exhibition match against a team of Israeli and Palestinian players.

The team is set to arrive in the country on June 19, just before Beckham is expected to leave for the United States, where he signed a multi-million dollar deal with the Los Angeles Galaxy.

During their visit the Real Madrid players will also meet with Palestinian and Israeli children from the Peres Center’s Twinned Peace Soccer Schools.

“The arrival of such huge stars to the country will contribute to the removal of the hate barriers that exist between Jewish and Palestinian children,” Vice Premier Shimon Peres said.

“There is no doubt that through soccer we can show that peace is possible.”

Israel is doing it’s darnedest to make sure Jerusalem never gets officially divided to serve as two State Capitals. One of the demands of the Hamas government is that Jerusalem be their capital…. not all of Jerusalem, the Arab side, East Jerusalem. This is a demand that Israel refuses to even discuss.

For years, the zionist municipality has refused to issue building permits to Palestinian residents of East Jerusalem, eventually demolishing the homes that were either built or expanded without such permit. This year alone there have been 48 home demolitions there, including a home for disabled young people earlier in the week (which I posted about here).

BUT….. permission was just granted to build three (not homes) NEIGHBOURHOODS in East Jerusalem…. Jewish neighbourhoods.
Is this justice? Is this an overture to peace? Or is this telling the Palestinian people who the boss is and who intends to remain the boss?

Once again, WELCOME TO THE HOME OF THE SECOND CLASS CITIZENS!

You can read the report from HaAretz HERE, concerning the new neighbourhoods.

Bishara and Telhami in Jordan on Thursday

For the first time since the ‘trial and execution’ of Azmi Bishara began, he granted an interview to a Ynet reporter in Jordan. Needless to say he refuted all accusations against him. The report follows….

Bishara refutes accusations
In first interview with Israeli press, former Knesset member rejects suspicions of passing on information to enemy during Second Lebanon War

Ynet Published: 05.10.07, 14:37 / Israel News

Former MK Azmi Bishara mocked the treason allegations against him in his first interview with the Israeli press since his abrupt departure from the country in April.

Yedioth Ahronoth reporter Assa’ad Telhami met with the former MK in Jordan on Thursday, where he was given the opportunity to tell his side of the story directly to the Israeli public.

“What intelligence information could I have? If anything, Hizbullah could sell me information,” Bishara said.

Bishara refuted claims of his suspected role in directing Hizbullah rockets during the Second Lebanon War.

“In the conversation that they recorded, I said, ‘How come the rockets are falling on Arab villages? We understand that as far as Hizbullah is concerned, it is targeting Haifa, so why fire at Arab villages, what’s going on here?’ That was the daily small talk every single Arab had at the time. That’s what they call handing Hizbullah information?”

Bishara also said that he did not leak any sensitive information that was not already circulating.

“If I tell a friend, a Lebanese reporter, ‘Listen, there are rumors that some sort of operation by Hizbullah was foiled during the war. All the journalists are saying it, they just haven’t published it yet.’ Is that disclosing information? Shin Bet views the Lebanese reporters I spoke to as foreign agents.

“Should I fear that the Shin Bet is watching me? I know it’s watching me. If I’m afraid of anything, it’s the atmosphere of incitement against me, which could cause people to act. I’m not afraid that Israel, as an institution, would dare to assassinate anyone. That’s not the situation today.”

When Telhami asked him if there was a chance of him returning to Israel, Bishara said that he would, but not as a “security criminal that has to defend himself”.

The former MK also commented on the likelihood of Syria reaching a peace agreement with Israel, and said that Syrian President Bashar Assad, who he considers a friend, was more capable of achieving peace than Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.

He also said that Assad was “much stronger” than former prime ministers Ehud Barak and Benjamin Netanyahu. “He is younger than them, qualified, open, and has more confidence in making decisions, including on the issue of peace,” he said.
Bishara advised against going to war with Syria, saying that the people of Israel had no reason to believe that things would be different this time around.

“What’s changed? Has the Israeli army fixed all its mistakes in a few months?” he asked, “We need to change the approach to the entire region by accepting the Saudi peace initiative.”

The Israeli army saved the nation from a vicious plot yesterday. There was a home in East Jerusalem that served as a home to twenty disabled children. We all know what a dangerous scenario that could be.

Twenty disabled children living in a home that did not have a license. Twenty disabled children being taught skills that could make them proud, independent citizens in the future. CRIMINAL! How could the army allow that to happen? It’s unheard of.

In most cases a license is applied for and is either denied or is delayed for an unreasonable length of time…. during which the bulldozers are called in to demolish.
Twenty disabled children now homeless because of hatred… no other reason. Was a crime committed? Yes there was! By the state of Israel, the Municipality of Jerusalem in particular for not issuing the license required.

This case is not isolated, since the start of 2007 48 buildings have been demolished. Click HERE to download a report on the situation… a situation that must not be tolerated.

Following is a report from the Ma’an News Agency on the latest demolition…

Jerusalem – Ma’an – The Israeli forces demolished a centre for disabled children in east Jerusalem early on Tuesday morning.

The Israeli authorities said that the centre, which houses an association for disabled children in the Wadi Joz neighbourhood of Jerusalem, had no license.

Our Jerusalem correspondent reported that the Israeli military forced the disabled children to evacuate the building and then began demolishing it.

The 70 m² building, which is owned by Palestinian Jerusalemite Hani Tatah, houses more than 20 disabled children.

This latest demolition brings the number of buildings demolished by Israel since the start of the current year to 48; the Israeli authorities claim the buildings have no license.

The following is the best description I have seen of Bush…. click and enjoy…

Hat Tip to Robin for this one…

Adding some seriousness to this post, watch this one now… also from Robin…