Weiss's Lincoln post this morning was about an incredible radical American political movement that began operating on the mainstream over six years in the 1850s in response to an outrage, slavery. The same political movement is required today, over Palestine, as Anna Baltzer writes in her latest email [emphases mine]:
As I receive more invitations to
speak than I can even accept, as I receive requests to join the
movement all day long, I am increasingly aware that times are changing
in the United States. It may not be perceptible from any one town or
city, but as someone who travels from place to place, the overall
trend is clear: Americans are more and more skeptical of US foreign
policy in the Middle East and increasingly sympathetic towards the
plight of the Palestinians. It's not just in the big liberal
cities–it's in the smallest Midwestern towns, it's on conservative
southern ranches–it' s everywhere. In every corner of the country,
there is a middle-aged couple who just came back from Bethlehem or a
soldier who just came back from Iraq who is outraged. We have reached
a critical mass.
The significance of Obama's campaign and subsequent victory cannot be
overstated. Obama tapped into the critical mass of disillusioned
citizens who were either passive or separately active, and focused
them all into one powerful voice that could not be ignored.
I believe the same can be said about the US movement for justice in
Palestine today. People are anxious to see change, but many take no
action and those who do often act separately. The middle-aged couple
does a presentation for their church; the Iraq veteran talks to
whoever will listen; the musicians make hip-hop; the artists paint
murals; the labor unions put out joint statements; the ordinary
citizen writes a letter to the editor or to congress; the community
groups demonstrate or vigil; the organizers put on educational events;
the mosques host fundraisers; the teachers talk to their students; the
college students work on divestment resolutions; the high school
students join facebook clubs…
I found my answer in the Five for Palestine campaign organized by the
American Association for Palestinian Equal Rights (AAPER)… Learn about AAPER at www.americansforpalestine.org
You've already started by reading this email. Now visit the website….Sign up for the campaign at www.fiveforpalestine.org
Did it! Thanks, Anna.
Just a few years ago in the 2003 Iraq invasion, myself and some other guys were watching the events on television, cheering for the death of the Arabs. We were still stung from the events of 9/11. Speaking for myself, I would have told anyone who did not see the Israelis as a victim and Arabs as inhumane monsters, deserving only the business end of an M4, to F___ off.
For various reasons, all seeming to originate from the increased focus and investigation into the regional conflict did most of us see our perspectives as terribly warped. Turns out, this wasn't a conflict of Israeli martyrs and evil Arabs after all.
From my perspective, there are many people who used to be blindly sympathetic to the Israeli point of view, but now see the more complex historical picture and have moved into more neutral territory. I guess, in the scope of U.S. politics, a neutral position is pretty far from the U.S. stance in the region, but its one that you will probably see more argument from as more Americans learn about the conflict. Myself and others around me wouldn't see ourselves as pro-Palestinian. We are reacting against finding out that our previous opinions, fuled by biased information sources, pain from 9/11, and ignorance, that we adopted a hard-core pro-Israeli resulting from efforts to tie Israeli problems to 9/11 and consistently depict Israeli grievances while never portraying Palestinian (or Arab ones). Despite some of the cantankerous interactions myself and some of my friends get on the internet and in public discussing the Israeli/Palestinian issue with pro-Israeli types, we wouldn't see ourselves on the other side of that fence as "pro-Palestinian." As a matter of fact, I think I've seen one person of Palestinian descent in those discussions. What you have is what appears to be an increasingly entrenched core group of emotionally pro-Israeli supporters and an increasing group of people looking for balance that come from all walks of life.
This isn't about sympathy, its about fairness, justice, and ending a U.S. foreign policy that is a leading cause of hostility to our country.
From my perspective, there are few people who used to be blindly sympathetic to the Israeli point of view, but now many see the more complex historical picture and have moved into more supportive territory for israel based on fact and reason and not just a blind knee jerk to islamic terrorism.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1063097.html
Last update – 18:34 10/02/2009
Amnesty International: Hamas carrying out 'deadly campaign' against opponents in Gaza
By Haaretz Service
Tags: fatah, israel news, hamas
Amnesty International group on Tuesday accused Hamas of carrying out a "deadly campaign" against its Palestinian opponents and critics in the Gaza Strip, particularly those they accuse of "collaborating" with Israel.
"Hamas forces in the Gaza Strip have carried out a deadly campaign of abductions, killings, torture and death threats against those they accuse of 'collaborating' with Israel, as well as opponents and critics," the human rights group wrote in its latest report, released on Tuesday.
"At least two dozen [Palestinian] men have been shot dead by Hamas gunmen and scores of others have been kneecapped, beaten or otherwise tortured or ill-treated," according to the report.
The rights group said that most of the victims were kidnapped from their homes and then released, either dead or wounded, in isolated areas or in local morgues. Others were shot dead at the hospital while being treated for their wounds, according to the report.
Amnesty International succeeded in gathering testimonies from a number of victims, but said many others refused to come forward for fear of retribution from Hamas.
In its report, the rights group urged Hamas to "immediately end the campaign of abuses" and to allow an impartial force into the Gaza Strip to investigate the allegations."
Tensions between Hamas, who seized control of Gaza in a bloody 2007 coup, and opponent groups such as Fatah have flared again in the wake of Israel's 22-day offensive on the Gaza Strip. The sides have held negotiations on reconciliation, but to little avail.
Amnesty's findings come in the wake of numerous media reports and quiet complaints by Fatah activists of similar instances.
Late last month, Hamas announced that it had begun reasserting control in the Gaza Strip and rounding up suspected collaborators with Israel, drawing accusations from the rival Fatah group that its members were being targeted.
"The internal security service was instructed to track collaborators and hit them hard," said Ehab al-Ghsain, spokesman of the Hamas Interior Ministry, without singling out Fatah members by name.
"They arrested dozens of collaborators who attempted to strike the resistance by giving information to the occupation about the fighters," he said, using a Hamas term for Israel.
Whenever sympathy for Palistinians reaches a critical mass, some "Arab terrorist" (yeah, sure, we believe that!) decides to attack Israel or the US or Western Europe.
Church of England Divested from Caterpillar
Over this weekend, 7th and 8th February, the Church of England clarified their position on their investments in companies profiting from the illegally occupied Palestinian territories and now wish to make clear that late last year they removed over £2.2 million in Caterpillar, a company whose bulldozers and heavy plant equipment are been used to destroy the homes of Palestinians by the Israeli government.
Church of England Divested from Caterpillar
Organized Jewry's propaganda and tight hold on our MSM, starting with that old Exodus movie and book is slowly being penetrated–the 3 week Gaza massacre helped, assisted by the first open public forum the masses have, the internet. Full blinders will increasingly be ripped off by the American grass roots–and around the world.
Go critical mass, go! Madoff's economy is helping too.
Hamas: Torture of Hamas cadres in WB will not go unpunished
KHAN YOUNIS, (PIC)– The Hamas Movement stated Monday that all those involved in the killing and torture of Hamas cadres and supporters in the West Bank would not escape punishment and would pay dearly sooner or later.
Hamas spokesman in Khan Younis Hammad Al-Raqb warned, in a statement received by the PIC, the PA security apparatuses in the West Bank of the consequences of their crimes against Palestinian dignitaries, resistance fighters and citizens, adding that they would be held accountable for all their repressive actions against those innocent people.
A prominent Hamas figure Mohamed Al-Haj had been declared dead Sunday evening after being subjected to excruciating torture in the preventive security jail in Jenin.
Raqb called on the West Bank people to revolt against the criminals and confront the plots intended for the liquidation of the Palestinian cause.
For his part, MP Mushir Al-Masri, the secretary-general of the Hamas parliamentary bloc, said in a press statement published today that the efforts to initiate inter-Palestinian dialog are useless in light of the ongoing political arrests in the West Bank.
Regarding the Egyptian invitation of Palestinian factions to participate in dialog sessions later this month, MP Masri said that it was agreed with the Egyptian side on the formation of a committee to resolve the issue of political arrests in the West Bank before going to Cairo and sitting at the dialog table.
In a statement, the Hamas Movement in the West Bank held Ibrahim Ramadan, the director of the preventive security apparatus, directly responsible for the killing of Haj in his jails, accusing him of supervising the torture of the slain victim.
The statement refuted the PA allegations that the slain victim committed suicide in his cell, saying that everyone knows especially those ex-detainees in PA jails that these security apparatuses do not lock up the prisoners in cells before 10 to 20 days of ongoing torture in special corridors.
The statement emphasized that Hamas would not go for dialog before the release of all political prisoners in PA jails
The statement underlined that the declarations made by ex-PA chief Mahmoud Abbas or his allied institutions about the formation of committees to probe such violations are no longer useful after what has been committed by Abbas's security apparatuses against innocent people.
The statement added that Hamas rejects such investigation committees if they do not unveil the names of those involved in these crimes as a prelude to bringing them to public trials.
Hamas: Torture of Hamas cadres in WB will not go unpunished
Fayyad's government embezzles 16 million dollars donated by West Bankers to Gaza
RAMALLAH, (PIC)– Sources in the "National Campaign" for the relief of Gaza that was formed by the Ramallah authority have accused the unconstitutional government of Salam Fayyad of embezzling 16 million dollars donated by the West Bankers to their brethrens in Gaza Strip.
According to a member in the campaign who refused to be identified, Fayyad's government deposited the money in private bank accounts and banned the transfer of any amount to the beleaguered Strip.
He said that the campaign which is chaired by Fayyad's economy minister Fathi Abu Maghli and sports minister Tahani Abu Dakka collected 16 million dollars from the public and private sectors in the West Bank, but the government of Fayyad refused to remit the money to Gaza, insisting to transfer them through "private channels".
The source added that Fayyad's government pledged to the donors that the money will be in Gaza once the war is over, but, he added the government that faces sharp budget deficit preferred to use those money to cover its expenses in the West Bank.
Furthermore, the anonymous source revealed that although the Fayyad government announced 55 million dollar relief plan to Gaza Strip, the private sector was surprised by the decision of the government to consider what had been collected from the people as part of the plan.
Fayyad's government embezzles 16 million dollars donated by West Bankers to Gaza
Dan Kelly
Its going to be tough for you to push this narrative once Bibi's coalition gets power. We've received these stories here in America for a while now. We're now seeing the other sides.
"Critical mass" will atrophy unless we Jews express our displeasure with Israel's inordinate clout in the U.S., with Israel's abominable Middle East policies, to non-Jews.
Nothing of substance can change until they feel free: free from "collective guilt," free from fear of being branded anti semitic when they dare to criticize Israel, and free from the almost certain negative consequences of speaking freely.
We must express our feelings in public fora, in newspapers, and on TV whenever we get the opportunity–particularly in smaller cities and towns across the U.S.
I often do sections critical of Israel's less than laudable connivances in the Middle East in a publication that goes to individuals and prominent universities here and abroad in 26 countries. And I do not hide the fact that I do so as a Jew. Believe it or not, the only hate mail I get is from Jewish academics. Others get the message that if a Jew can criticize Israel, so can they.
Dan Kelly
Its going to be tough for you to push this narrative once Bibi's coalition gets power. We've received these stories here in America for a while now. We're now seeing the other sides.
I don't understand what this comment means.
Those kids occupying the University halls were 12 when 9/11 happened. 9/11 is 'ancient' history for them.
They have had 8 years of lies and phoney wars and neocon propaganda. They can smell the BS and futhermore they are politically correct so the neocon smear machine will have it's work cut out.
It's going to take a while, but I'm hopefully that this generation will engage on the I/P issue with an independent mind.
About that critical mass..it's true, it's everywhere, even in small towns, and it's been happening for sometime now, the recent Gaza carnage just let it rip wide open for the public.
By my observation even thoses who don't follow the I-P and ME became increasing leary and questioning the past two or three years of the Israel story…one reason being that they heard the same rote excuses and one sided talking points over and over and over and over…never changing, always the same old yada,yada,yada from the zionist. So finally people began to say…wait a minute, something here smells..it's "always" the Palestines fault'?…it's "always" anti semitism?. So people were already questioning the Israel spin. Israel's rampages in Lebanon and Gaza just tipped the public from being 'suspicous' of the same old US zionist and Israeli cover stories to full blown 'outrage' at finally finding out the truth.
When W&M did their first paper in the London Review, before they even announced a book, I wrote to them and said "keep going, the public is catching up". They did, Carter did Tutu did, some US Jewish writers 'came out' ..and now the public is fully caught up.
Catching Washington up on the public's opinions and demands for I-P is another story.
Nothing of substance can change until they feel free: free from "collective guilt," free from fear of being branded anti semitic when they dare to criticize Israel, and free from the almost certain negative consequences of speaking freely.
Don't worry. Us gentiles are smart enough to realize that Jews and Arabs are semites – and we can be smart enough to realize that you can criticize a country, no matter who happens to live there. It is unfortunate that people have to lose their jobs over this criticism. What is largely unfortunate is the overt abuse of the term "anti-semite" as a political bludgeon to where it is losing its meaning.
FROM DAN KELLY, ABOVE: "I don't understand what this comment means."
ME: Don't worry about it, "……" did not understand why you made the 2 posts demonstrating the corrupt nature of the Palestine Authority (Israel's lackeys/'house Negroes').