Archived Articles for January 2006

January 29, 2006

Yaya Canada - The Israeli-Arab Conflict for Brass Tack Dummies and Kudos to Potlucks for Peace

Why is the history of modern Palestine such a matter of debate? Why is it still regarded as a complex, indeed obscure, chapter in contemporary history that cannot be easily deciphered? Any abecedarian student of its past who comes to it with clean hands would immediately recognize that in fact its story is very simple.  Ilan Pappe on Beyond Norman Finkelstein's Chutzpah

Letter to Stephen Harper from Canada Palestine Association

We read with interest and surprise your statement, quoted in The Globe & Mail, Jan. 27. You state that "The new Conservative government wants clear evidence before recognizing the Palestinian group's democratic credentials". We understood that Canada, the US and other governments have been calling for the introduction of democracy in the Middle East. The Palestinian people, under occupation, have freely expressed their wishes in a free election, confirmed by international observers. Is that not what we call democracy? Surely, this must be accepted by all, regardless of whether one may approve of the views of this elected authority.

January 27, 2006

G&M - There are good reasons for Hamas's victory

The hysteria brigades are already on the march in North America, Israel and other quarters where Hamas and fellow Arab Islamist political groups are seen primarily through the lens of their attitude to Israel, with which they are at war. The twin priorities now are for Hamas to wield its new power with responsibility and wisdom, and for Israel and the United States not to repeat the mistakes of the past two decades that have promoted Hamas's ascent to power.

"Paradise Now" wins Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film

The New York Times said it "accomplishes the tricky feat of humanising the suicide bombers depicted in the film". The paper dubbed the film "a taut, ingeniously calculated thriller".

January 26, 2006

Canadian Press - Hamas sweeps Palestinian elections, capturing 76 seats in parliament

Hamas won a clear majority in Wednesday's vote, capturing 76 of the 132 seats in parliament, according to official, near-complete results released Thursday....

Hamas leaders immediately took to the international - and even Israeli - airwaves to send out a moderate message. "Don't be afraid," Ismail Haniyeh, a Hamas leader, told the BBC.

Mahmoud Zahar, another Hamas leader, said the group would extend its year-old truce if Israel reciprocates. "If not, then I think we will have no option but to protect our people and our land," he said.

January 25, 2006

Ed Corrigan - Zionist Distortion of History

Erich Fromm, the eminent Jewish scholar, stated that the Arabs in Israel had a much more legitimate claim to Palestine than the Jews. Fromm wrote: "The claim of the Jews to the Land of Israel cannot be a realistic political claim. If all nations would suddenly claim territories in which their forefathers lived two thousand years ago, this world would be a madhouse."

January 22, 2006

Lowi - Sharon - the end of an era?

A veteran of the October 1973 "Yom Kippur" war ("Harb Ramadan"), Henry Lowi writes: "Sharon wantonly sacrificed his young soldiers and officers in crossing the Suez Canal, for the glory of Arik Sharon and to preserve the conquests of Zionism...

I learned an important lesson about Sharon, and about Zionism, in October 1973: for Arik Sharon, Jewish lives are not worth anything except to the extent that they serve the interests of Zionist expansionism.

ACJC - Open letter to the Jewish Communities of Canada on behalf of the
Alliance of Concerned Jewish Canadians

The lives of Jewish Canadians, as well as the lives of Israelis, have been adversely affected by the policies carried out by the various governments of Israel. Despite growing international opposition to these policies, Israel continues to pursue a primarily military strategy while claiming to speak in the name of Jewish people around the world.

January 16,2006

Keenan: Open letter regarding Liberal Parliamentarians for Israel

.... five of the twelve members of the Cabinet Committee dealing with Global Affairs and Canada/U.S. Relations belong to the Liberal Parliamentarians for Israel (LPFI).  They are Jacob Austin, James Scott Peterson, Irwin Cotler, Guiseppe (Joseph) Volpe, Jacques Saada, and Parliamentary Secretary Bryon Wilfert.  (Source: PMO)

Clearly, as evidenced by the fact that its members comprise more than one-fifth of the Cabinet (8 out of 38), LPFI exerts enormous influence on behalf of Israel within the government.

CPNO - Liberal MP puts Ottawa Arab community in its place

Although not a member of the Liberal Parliamentarians for Israel, Mr. Belanger, seems to understand what it takes to remain a member of the Zionist funded Neo-Liberal Paul Martin/ Gerry Schwartz team.

In response to another question, Mr. Belanger attempted to buy the support of the audience by informing us that the Liberal government has contributed millions to the Palestinian Authority for development and the promotion of democracy.

Torstar - 1953 Sharon raid burns in psyche

Muslim propriety prevents Ibrahim Mohammed Hamad, 63, from rejoicing in Sharon's demise. But one week after a devastating stroke, as Sharon battles back from the brink of death, Hamad finds it difficult to hear world leaders such as George W. Bush praise the ailing "man of peace" without choking on his hummus.
"As human beings, we do not make fun of the death of others," said Hamad, who was 9 years old the night Sharon's crack paratroop unit brought down his town, detonating 42 homes and a schoolhouse with 500 kilos of explosives.

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Aftenposten - Why an Economic Boycott of Israel is Justified

01/15/06 "Aftenposten" -- The recent proposal that Norway boycott Israeli goods has provoked passionate debate. In my view, a rational examination of this issue would pose two questions: 1) Do Israeli human rights violations warrant an economic boycott? and 2) Can such a boycott make a meaningful contribution toward ending these violations? I would argue that both these questions should be answered in the affirmative.

January 6,2006

Human Rights Watch letter to President Bush regarding expanding settlements
in the West Bank

Israel's continuing settlement activity is a violation of international humanitarian law (IHL), United Nations Security Council resolutions, and Israel's own commitments under the U.S.-sponsored Road Map of April 2003.

The Israeli government's policy of encouraging, financing, establishing, and expanding Jewish-only settlements in the OPT violates two main principles of IHL: the prohibition on the transfer of civilians from an occupying power's territory to the occupied territory, and the prohibition of creating permanent changes in the occupied territory that are not for the benefit of the occupied population. In particular, Article 49(6) of the Fourth Geneva Convention states that "[t]he Occupying Power shall not .transfer parts of its own civilian population into the territory it occupies." Under the road map, Israel agreed to freeze all settlement activity, including "natural growth," and to dismantle all settlement outposts created since March 2001.

January 1,2006

Stop the Wall - Quebec Launches Campaign for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Against the Occupation and Israeli Apartheid!

On Monday, 12th of December, the Coalition for Just Peace in Palestine (CJPP) in Montreal held a press conference to launch its Campaign for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) against the Occupation and Israeli Apartheid and for the respect of international law.

Responding to the Palestinian call to Isolate Israel, the CJPP had worked for months to prepare a comprehensive BDS campaign to be initiated all over Quebec. The Campaign is currently promoted by a large range of social and political forces in the Canadian province. At the press conference, not only Palestine solidarity activists, but also the Women's Federation of Quebec, Artists for Peace, union leaders and representatives of progressive political forces and initiatives showed their support for the Campaign