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July 6, 2008 Tikun - Caterpillar Kills Israelis Too Israeli politicians are once again baying for collective blood-vengeance against East Jerusalem residents despite that fact that a single individual was responsible. They have conveniently forgotten that collective guilt violates not only international law, but Jewish law as well.... Vice Premier Haim Ramon (Kadima) told Army Radio on Thursday morning that Israel should treat the East Jerusalem neighborhoods of Jabel Mukaber and Zur Baher as Palestinian villages, and revoke the permanent residency status of their residents. B'tselem warns of grave water shortage in the West Bank The chronic water shortage in the West Bank, resulting from an unfair distribution of water resources shared by the Palestinians and Israel, will be much graver this summer because of this year’s drought. In the northern West Bank, water consumption has fallen to one-third of the minimal amount needed.... Average per capita consumption throughout the West Bank is 66 liters, two-thirds of the minimal amount needed according to the WHO. These figures include water for livestock, meaning that the water consumed for personal use is even less. In comparison, average daily water consumption in Israeli cities is 235 liters, and 214 liters in local councils, 3.5 times higher than Palestinian consumption in the West Bank.
July 3, 2008 TorStar - Death by bulldozer in Jerusalem Comment - The paragraph below is paragraph 19 in the article from the Toronto Star article on the rampage of the Arab Israeli bulldoze driver in Jerusalem yesterday. I wonder what we would do if someone was going to destroy our home? Israel has demolished thousands of Palestinians homes in Israel and the Occupied territories. Violence must be condemned no matter who the guilty party is but ignoring or minimizing the root causes will only perpetuate the conditions leading to the violence. Dwayyat had been fined $50,000 for building his house without a permit, and a demolition order was on file, said Hassib Nashashibi, head of a group that defends Palestinians against such orders. That might explain Dwayyat's motivation in the attack, and the circumstances might also influence Israel's decision about whether to destroy the house as punishment. July 1, 2008 CPNO - Finding one's humanity in Nablus Report from Ben, a Jewish friend and member of NION (Not In our name - Jewish voices opposing Zionism (Ottawa), currently in the West Bank. They seemed to find some common humanity in me. They were smiling and joking, machine guns slung to their side, asking me where I was from. "Weren't you scared of what would happen if they caught you" the cute young soldier with the big brown eyes said with a smile, a sly knowing smile, a smile that seemed to say we're on the same side. Reliefweb - “Horrible situation for children”, Israel blocks UN committee from entering ‘Half of the population of Gaza is made up by minors: their current situation is horrible and could worsen still’, said a special UN committee that accused Israel of having forbidden its access to Gaza ‘to hide the violations of human rights perpetrated against Palestinians’. In Cairo, Prasad Kariyawasam, president of the committee and Sri Lanka’s ambassador to the UN, said that Israeli authorities have blocked the group’s access to Gaza, forcing it to ‘interview local witnesses by phone and to speak with humanitarian operators to understand what is happening on the ground’. June 29, 2008 Gulf News - Sarkozy hits Israel where it hurts France's President Nicolas Sarkozy's state visit to Israel on June 22-24 was striking for the candour with which he addressed his hosts.... This was the speech the US President George W. Bush should have made when he attended Israel's 60th birthday celebrations in May; the speech Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama should have made when he addressed Israel's US lobby, American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), in early June; the speech German Chancellor Angela Merkel should have made when she was in Israel in March; the speech Tony Blair should have made when he was Britain's prime minister.... Meanwhile back here in Canada, Stephen Harper receives an International Human Rights Award from B'nai Brith for his unconditional support of Israel's Apartheid policies. Letter to Stephen Harper regarding his Human Rights award from B'nai Brith. It is announced with some apparent pride that you are the first Canadian to receive the B’nai Brith International President’s Gold Medallion, "in recognition of your Government’s efforts to fight discrimination and uphold human rights in Canada and around the world"..... Apparently you share this dubious prize with the likes and infamy of Ben Gurion and Golda Meir, two people that advocated and carried out policies of ethnic cleansing, theft of land, discrimination..... June 27, 2008 DFAIT News Release 123 - Canada reaffirms support for Palestinian Reform The Honourable David Emerson, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, and the Honourable Beverley J. Oda, Minister of International Cooperation, today provided details of Canadian contributions to Palestinian reform efforts. Canada is providing $15.8 million to a range of United Nations programs, including for emergency food aid, employment and health care. Canada is also providing assistance to Palestinian refugees in the West Bank and Gaza. Canada is a strong supporter of Palestinian security system reform, particularly through our contribution to the mission of Lt. General Keith Dayton, the U.S. security coordinator, and to the European Union Police Coordinating Office for Palestinian Police Support. (Comment: Food aid is certainly much needed because the Israelis have destroyed the economy in both the West Bank and Gaza. But will it get through to those in need? The Harper government has certainly not uttered a word of criticism in regards to the Gaza blockade or the 400 plus roadblocks and checkpoints in the West Bank. What good is money for health care when the Israeli military prevents travel to access it? As for the "security reform" that is not aid to Palestinians, it is about protecting Isarelis and enforcing the occupation. "Aid" will not have any positive effect without justice.) This site seldom runs news about what is happening on the ground in Palestine - many other sites do that. Anyways, it is the same every day. Here is a small sampling....... IOA bulldozes thousands of dunums of PalestinianIsraeli occupation authority's bulldozers on Monday morning started destroying thousands of dunums of Palestinian lands in Beit Hanina village in occupied Jerusalem. Israeli army uproot 500-year-old olive grove in Beit Hanina near [Read more news directly from Palestine] June 24, 2008 Report from Ben, a Jewish friend and member of NION (Not In our name - Jewish voices opposing Zionism (Ottawa). A couple of months ago a friend of mine told me that the occupation steals time from Palestinian society. As I experience the apartheid system of transportation here, albeit with the privilege of an ‘international’, I’m beginning to understand what she was referring to… IMEMC - On the destruction of Muslim charitable institutions in Hebron by Israel By Maread Mguire, Nobel Peace Laureate June 22, 2008 The Alliance of Concerned Jewish Canadians (ACJC) endorses and supports the call by the New Democratic Party for Canada to participate in the Durban Review Conference....Those who are uncritical of Israel and cast a blind eye towards the issue of Palestinian human rights have supported the boycott and attacked the NDP for its principled position.June 20, 2008 Western News - Speech obscures Palestinian suffering Letter to UOW President David Davenport from faculty members With utter dismay we read Paul Davenport's speech at the Jewish National Fund (JNF) dinner held at the Best Western Lamplighter Inn on June 1. June 3, 2008 Culture Magazine - Heating Up: The Battle for the Jewish voice and the Jewish soul Dear Mom, Dad, your Zionist friends, and Bob Dylan too, I've got news for you all: The times they are a changin'! Remember last Passover? Remember when we sat around the Seder table and listened to you rant about Israel`s victimhood? About how ethnic cleansing really isn't that bad? And about how if they try to kill the Jews this time, we will at least take them all with us? Remember the rolled eyes of my cousins and the looks we exchanged thinking you were all nuts? Tadamon - ASSÉ Against Israeli Apartheid Today students in Quebec are now joining the international boycott campaign in large numbers including L'Association pour une Solidarité Syndicale Étudiante (ASSÉ), an important Quebec-wide student federation representing over 42,000 students.
June 1, 2008 CPNO - Counter-demonstration on the March to Jerusalem May 25, 2008 Bruce Katz - An open letter to Michael Ignatieff This is a must read open letter on Michael Ignatieff's speech delivered at Holy Blossom Temple in Toronto in which Mr. Ignatieff apologized for having stated that Israel's 2006 attack on the United Nations observation post at Qana was a war crime. The points made in this article exemplify what is wrong with the Liberal party and why it is failling Canadians who value their country's reputation for peace building and support of human rights. In their misguided quest to curry Zionist favour, the Liberals are abandoning the values that inspired Canadians and made them the ruling party of Canada for the better part of the 20th century. Unfortunately, the Conservatives are worse - but the differences are becoming so minor that it is unlikely that the coming century will be dominated by the Liberal party. Which, under the circumstances will be as it should - but one has to fear for the future of this country if the political left fails to unite to challenge the dismal Liberals and the even more dismal Conservatives. Bruce Katz is a founding member and current Co-President of Palestinian and Jewish Unity/ Palestiniens et Juifs Unis (PAJU), a member of the executive committee of the Coalition for Justice and Peace in Palestine, and a member of Independant Jewish Voices. South Africans' statement on 60 th anniversary of Apartheid Israel We fought apartheid; we see no reason to celebrate it in Israel now! May 21, 2008 YaYaCanada - Jews and Arabs united against Israel@60 celebrations Full photo report of the exciting demonstration of Jewish/Arab solidarity that took place at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa last evening, May 20, in protest of the Symphony Association' s celebration called " Israel@60 ". May 19, 2008 Independent Jewish Voices (Montreal) Letter to Prime Minister Stephen Harper We read with dismay and sadness the report of your remarks in the Montreal Gazette with regard to those who criticize the State of Israel. As Jews, and as Canadians, we are deeply offended by your allegations that objections to Israeli policies that include the occupation, forced eviction, and denial of human rights to Palestinians living in Gaza and the West Bank.... Ma'an News - Rafah incursion devastated Gazan agriculture Gaza – Ma'an – Israeli military bulldozers destroyed ten poultry farms and vast areas of farmland in the Shoukah area east of the city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, the Gaza-based Ministry of Agriculture said in a statement on Sunday. More on the destruction of Gaza - Family farm of Ottawa resident and Canpalnet friend destroyed by Israeli forces. May 15, 2008 The Independent (UK) - Blast kills Gaza teacher in front of her children The UN is demanding an investigation into how the Israeli military killed one of its Palestinian school teachers by blasting open the front door of her Gaza home with explosives in the presence of three of her children. (No doubt this operation was essential to the security of Israel) May 14, 2008 The Guardian (UK) - Hamas condemns the Holocaust But it should be made clear that neither Hamas nor the Palestinian government in Gaza denies the Nazi Holocaust. The Holocaust was not only a crime against humanity but one of the most abhorrent crimes in modern history. We condemn it as we condemn every abuse of humanity and all forms of discrimination on the basis of religion, race, gender or nationality. May 11, 2008 Christian Peacemakers Teams - HEBRON: International NGOs rally to rescue Hebron orphanage [YEP folks, the brave Israeli Defence Forces are shutting an orphanage - for security reasons no doubt.] May 10, 2008 CTV News - Israel ambassador's comments 'unjustified': critics "Israeli Ambassador to Canada Alan Baker on Thursday defended comments he made to a national newspaper regarding Canada's Muslim population. WRITE TO PARTY LEADERS AND TELL THEM WHAT YOU THINK OF ALAN BAKER'S RACIST COMMENTS. [Addresses and sample letter] Comment by Toronto Star Columnist Haroon Siddiqui. May 9, 2008 Ottawa Citizen - Harper condemns criticism of Israel as thinly-veiled anti-Semitism (Someone should tell Harper that the old "criticism of Israel is anti-semitism line" just does not fly anymore. Jimmy Carter, Desmond Tutu, Nelson Mandela and scores of other individuals and organizations have described Israel as an apartheid state. The use of the term "anti-semitism" to describe criticism of Israel's brutal and illegal policies towards the Palestinians is also extremely dangerous for Jews as it so dilutes the term that it can desensitize people to real anti-Jewish racism when it does occur.) Canpalnet (Vancouver) Nakbah ad runs in The Georgia Straight in Vancouver and The Now in Toronto Thursday, May 8
May 7, 2008 Montreal Gazette - States creation had ugly side [Note: The Montreal Gazette is a Canwest newspaper. It should be congratulated for this balanced and truthful article letters@thegazette.canwest.com ) The creation of Israel had an ugly side to it which shouldn't be forgotten or ignored. It is the destruction of a people and the creation of the world's largest refugee population and longest- lasting refugee crisis. Albert Einstein commented on these events, which are at the core of this problem, 60 years ago. In a letter he wrote on April 10, 1948 to the executive director of American Friends of the Fighters for the Freedom of Israel, in response to a request for a meeting, he wrote, "When the real and final catastrophe should befall us in Palestine the first responsible for it would be the British and the second responsible for it the terrorist organizations built up from our own ranks. I am not willing to see anybody associated with these misled and criminal people." May 2, 2008 PAJU - Gaza being starved to death Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter has called Israel's blockade of Gaza a crime and an atrocity. Speaking at the American University in Cairo, Carter said Palestinians in Gaza were being "starved to death," receiving fewer calories a day than people in the poorest parts of Africa. Independent (UK) - Blockade puts Gaza on brink of serious food crisis, says UN Showing that Palestinians are having to spend a higher and higher share of their shrinking incomes on food, the findings are that the proportion of Gazan incomes now going on food is 66 per cent – significantly higher than the 61 per cent recorded for Somalia. Seventy per cent of Gazans are at a "deep poverty" income level of $1.20 (60p) per head per day or less. April 20, 2008 This resolution is an extremely significant landmark for the Palestinian solidarity movement in Canada. It represents the first time in North American history that a national union has passed a BDS resolution. The resolution recognizes Israel as an apartheid state and expresses CUPW's support for boycott and divestment from Israel. It was passed almost unanimously after nearly one hour of discussion on the convention floor. CUPW represents more than 50,000 postal workers across Canada... It was another of those routine tragedies that are never publicized. At eight in the morning we at ICAHD (the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions) received a call that the Border Police, Israeli police and Jerusalem Municipality bulldozers were massing below the Palestinian village of Anata, poised to begin another day of home demolitions....Tens of thousands of Palestinian families live with demolition orders on their homes, some 22,000 in East Jerusalem alone, where fully a third of Palestinian homes face demolition at any time.
April 17, 2008 EI - Israel moves to shut Hebron orphanages, schools The Guardian UK - Area C strikes fear into the heart of Palestinians as homes are destroyed Israelis defend rules that reject 94% of non-Jewish building applications In the end it came down to a single-page letter, written in Hebrew and
Arabic and hand-delivered by an Israeli army officer who knocked at
the front door. The letter spelt the imminent destruction of the
whitewashed three-storey home and small, tree-lined garden that Bassam
Suleiman spent so long saving for and then built with his family a
decade ago. Apriil 14, 2008 Torstar - Ignatieff apologizes for Israeli war crime comment (This is a must read article. After his elaborate apology, Ignatieff says that : "instead of using the term "war crime," he might better have noted Israel "may have failed to comply with the Geneva Convention of the laws of war." A spade, by any other name is still a spade. I wonder if he will be called upon to apologize for this part of his apology. ) Full text of Ignatieff's speech at Holy Blossom Temple in Toronto. April 11, 2008 Windsor Star - Students solve Mideast crisisAn event meant to shed light on the “crisis in Palestine” was cancelled at the University of Windsor on Tuesday following complaints that it would incite anti-Jewish and anti-Israeli bigotry. (These Jewish students to think that shutting down free speech is a laughing matter.
The flippant title of this article and the concluding quote from the campus radio host ( “So we've decided we are going to solve the Middle East crisis,” said Goldstein to laughter. “And we feel confident that we can do it.”) indicate that they find this coup quite humourous. They won't find it so funny when Israel goes the way of its apartheid counterpart South Africa as it inevitably will. April 5, 2008 Haiven - Jewish dissent not covered by the Canadian media Maybe I'm just getting old, but in my day newspapers and more broadly "the media" covered international speakers -- especially radical or provocative speakers-- who toured Canada. .... However Ilan Pappe wasn't the only critic of Israel in the last week who was not covered by the press. There was the Alliance of Concerned Jewish Canadians' first national conference on the weekend. [See below]April 4, 2008 Shalom Toronto - Independent Jewish Canadians unite to create alternative to the CJC More than 100 Jews from 26 cities across Canada met March 28-30 to form an organization committed to promoting real peace and justice in the Middle East. Convened by the Alliance of Concerned Jewish Canadians (ACJC), the conference brought together Canadian Jews belonging to 18 different groups to offer an alternative to the uncritical support of Israeli policies by the Canadian Jewish Congress, the Canada-Israel Committee and B'nei Brith, as well as those of the Harper government. ( Journalist and author Naomi Klein (The Shock Doctrine ) delivered the keynote address for the conference. View Videos on Youtube) We have resolved to promote the expression of alternative Jewish voices, particularly with respect to the grave situation in the Middle East, which threatens the future of both Israelis and Palestinians as well as the stability of the whole region. Visit our Archives listing for other interesting and informative articles
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