Here is an amazing video of the late Vittorio Arrigoni, journalist and activist, in which he explains his commitment to Gaza (thanks to Max Blumenthal):
Because his grandfathers fought the Nazi occupation of Italy
Because he sought to do what the United Nations was failing to do, and is charged with doing, enforcing international law-- he was willing to serve as a "human shield" against violent Israeli encroachments on human freedom in occupied Gaza
Because arriving by boat in 2008 [his date in video is wrong] he helped to restart the International Solidarity Movement which had been stymied by Israel's killings of American Rachel Corrie and Englishman Tom Hurndall in 2003
We mourn the lionhearted Vittorio's death. And while we recognize that he was killed by a radical Palestinian faction, and we condemn radical Islamism, this in no way diminishes our own commitment to ending the cruel occupation.
Why would the brave Vittorio Arrigoni be killed now ?
Why have there been 4 suspicious sets of murders since Bibi promised Bar Ilan 2 ?
Why has this happened in the same week that AIPAC started a campaign to rescind the Goldstone Report ?
link to aipac.org
Why don’t you just come out and say it: You believe Israel is behind the murder, even though video, responsibility taken, and all other evidence clearly points to an Islamist al-Qaeda inspired group.
Then again, in these parts, where the “Israel did 9/11″ theme pops up all too often in the comments, I can see why you might not believe an al-Qaeda inspired group could have killed Arrigoni,
where the “Israel did 9/11″ theme pops up all too often in the comments
how illuminating. you shouldn’t have any trouble providing some links and copy/pastes then. funny, larry just implied the same thing. who’s bringing up 9/11 around here today and why? so spit it out, you’ve certainly got an entire archive to work with. if you don’t mind could you at least give us some current examples. say from the last year. and no getting off w/the mere ‘had a warning’ or anything. it’s the ‘did it’ ‘theme that pops up all too often’ i want to read.
thanks.
annie, you’ve seriously never heard any commenters blame Israel/Jews for 9/11 in the comment section here?
Well, this is how these thugs work, after all. They can’t engage in a meaningful debate and they sure as hell aren’t motivated to treat people as anything other than useful pawns to either push along or knock down, so they very quickly try to slander anyone in their way. “You’re an anti-Semite! You’re a 9/11 conspiracy nut! You’re a secret Muslim! You sympathize with terrorists!”
It’s funny. A few decades ago, back when the slander de jeure was “You’re a Communist!” right along side it was the “slander” that “You’re a Jew!” It’s too bad that some people are destined to repeat history, even if it means doing the nasty things to other people that their own parents were the brunt of.
There’s lots of evidence to suggest that Israel had some prior knowledge about 9/11 events. Israeli guys in white van celebrating on a bridge ring any bells?
I mean it’s not like Israel show much compunction about breaking laws or the murder of foreign nationals. Iranian nuclear scientists assassinated in broad daylight by guys on motorcycles?
But let’s get back on topic…
“We mourn the lionhearted Vittorio’s death. And while we recognize that he was killed by a radical Palestinian faction, and we condemn radical Islamism, this in no way diminishes our own commitment to ending the cruel occupation.”
Phillip Weiss knows it was a radical Palestinian faction, because that’s where all the evidence points.
Where is your evidence that Israel was responsible for all those murders? Coincidence doesn’t mean squat.
Where was your evidence that Hamas was building a tunnel from Gaza to kidnap a soldier on November 4th, 2008? Physician, heal thyself.
It would have been far easier to instigate Juliano Mer Khamis’s murder – just for example by spreading a rumor or something that he was “violating” someone’s sister or daughter and I’m sure they have the infiltrators/spies in Jenin sufficient to do exactly that.
I think it would be more difficult for Israel to instigate Vittorio Arrigoni’s murder, but certainly possible, and it’s clear they have motive. They surely have some sort of undercover presence in Gaza, and the capability of placing more agents there who with time and patience could possibly recruit local Islamists and so forth. Web sites claiming responsibility are the easiest part of it.
The murder of two foreign (to the occupied Palestinian territories) Palestinian solidarity advocates in the short space of time is pretty suspicious – it doesn’t make a pattern however.
If Israel is seriously trying to go after and subvert the pro-Palestine movements, this is exactly what they’d do for best achievement towards that goal. It would be a real coup from every angle to have Palestinians murder them.
Motive and opportunity are not proof of guilt, but we know already that Israel is happy to murder pro-Palestinian activists, as well as happy to send agents to other countries for the purpose of assassination.
@seafoid: Why have there been 4 suspicious sets of murders since Bibi promised Bar Ilan 2 ?
Which are the 4 murders?
The settlers at Itamar- nobody charged
The UK lady who died in a bombing in West Jerusalem- nobody charged
Juliano Mer Khamis in Jenin-nobody charged
Vittorio Arrigoni- Salafis implicated. Like that makes sense . How did they know about Vittorio Arrigoni?
You have no political murders in the West Bank for a protracted period and suddenly a settler family is wiped out and 2 prominent volunteers are murdered? Why? And why so many now? And see how the hasbaradim are loving it
link to dailymail.co.uk
link to youtube.com
Thanks seafoid,
I didn’t even know about the lady in west Jerusalem. Its terrible that innocent people are being used as bait against the flotilla
seafoid, i found the article here your daily mail link isn’t working for me.
Utterly misguided as he was, and as much as his death at the hands of Islamic extremists illustrates Israel’s challenges in the region, and indeed, the region’s challenges, the death of any human being is a tragedy.
He is no more lionhearted than those who have gone to Sderot to demonstrate solidarity with the victims of terror there.
Yes, said Sderot solidarity demonstrators are courageous too since, even though misguided, it’s really tough on them to have the IDF, local Israeli police, and Mossad fully supporting them. Such a burden!
I think he means the victims of Najd who were ethnically cleansed, no one’s that stupid.
Yes Hophmi. It would have been far better if he had been killed in a tragic accident by the IDF in support of Jewish self-determination .
There’s no corpse these vultures won’t circle, is there?
Wow, hophmi, never miss an occasion to belittle and twist someone’s life into your little paranoid delusional world. What you say makes him more a giant, because he was worth a thousand of the likes of you.
This is not a conflict of islamism versus enlightened zionism.
S’derot is built on the ruins of former palestinian villages. The people living there have not suffered nearly as much as the people of gaza.
There is no comparison.
Hophmi is just baiting and talking to himself.
hophmi wrote: “Utterly misguided as he was”
Gosh, I never thought I would say this to anyone here but one has to be a complete psychopath to call Vittorio Arrigoni “utterly misguided”.
Hophmi
“Utterly misguided as he was..”
Certainly no more misguided than the settler family who lived illegally in Palestine. They didn’t deserve to die any more than Vittoria deserved to die. Vik knew he was hated by some Israelis; he knew he was taking a risk. We all know we take a risk when we go to Gaza or the West Bank. Strangely, it is never Palestinians we fear. We still don’t.
Vik was in Gaza because he was invited there by the people of Gaza living on their own land.
I don’t know why the settler family was in Palestine, uninvited by Palestinians and living on Palestinian land.
Merkwürdig, or curious:
Arrigoni’s name used to be on this hit list.
“Rogues Gallery
Here we will profile ISM individuals and expose them. Find out who is active in the ISM and see what they really say and do.”
link to stoptheism.com
Now the list is suddenly blank.
From the stoptheism web site.
“it is our intention to reveal to the American public the key players of the ISM here in the USA, Canada and Europe and to educate the public who they really represent: the PLO, the PFLP, Hamas and other terrorists under Yasser Arafat. And we promise results.
Over the last year Stop the ISM has enlisted people in the U.S. and Canada as well as the U.K. to infiltrate the ISM and report to the Israeli authorities. ”
Note: “And we promise results.”
i visited that site last night the list was still there.
It must have been a painful visit, the stoptheism group is frightening.
Did the National Press Club really have a “Al-Jazeera and Global Jihad Conference” and host Lee Kaplan of Stop the ISM on April 1st?
I wouldn’t worry about “Stop the ISM” as it’s a one man band, not a group.
It’s run by a rather obsessive individual called Lee Kaplan, who sadly isn’t playing with a full deck. He makes all kinds of crazy allegations and misspelled rants. Depending on your point of view, he’s either someone to pity for being mentally ill, or simply a Zionist clown.
someone captured the ‘hitlist’ before it was scrubbed and posted it on youtube here. i hope people make copies of this before youtube scrubs it. it lists the others with details.
Annie, this is horrifying. I can’t help but to be really sensitive to this.
The language, and Kaplan’s calls for hits on these individuals. To contact the Israeli government if the “targets” are spotted.
Did the National Press Club really host Kaplan? Did they have him speak at a sponsored event as he claims on his web site?
If this is true, there is a grave and serious disconnect and complicity in criminal thuggery going on at the National Press Club.
Keep up the detective work, Annie.
Thanks Annie. The youtube video has a link to this which is the document and it is vile.
link to scribd.com
It is much harder for the hasbaradim to clean the record these days.
annie, i downloaded it just to be safe.
thanks maggie
“Merkwürdig”? Ellen, do you write from Germany?
Thomson,
No, but I speak and read German (and write it poorly). Sometimes I think in German and sometimes a German word captures the essence of a thought better than English. All languages are rich in their own way.
And German can be strong, exacting in many ways and “merkwürdig” is so much richer than simply “curious.” More fitting here.
Sort of like “Fahrvergnügen…..”
this video, hearing his voice and his beauty, the beauty of his mind .. just brings tears to my eyes.
so many lost brave lives for palestine. so many gazans.
Annie, I’m at a loss for words myself to express how I feel about losing, yet again, another courageous human being like Vittorio Arrigoni. I can barely read the computer screen through my tears at the moment.
But I will say this, we will bring the scum who murdered him and so many others like him, who gave their lives while standing up against brutal occupation, oppression and human rights abuse, to justice. One way or another. And that’s a promise.
A true hero.
Anyone who stands up and fights oppression and injustice in the world is a great human being. His death is a loss to all those fighting injustice all over the world.
Your post reminded me of this poem, Dr Gonzo
Unlucky at Cards
by Mishari
The small scar over your upper lip
Makes me weak in the knees.
The way you launched yourself
At a man beating a donkey
(And you just a slip of a girl)
Made me wish the whole world
Were like you: but they’re not.
It’s why everything I do
Is a fire for you
To warm your slim hands by.
I agree its a very apt poem.
These recent murders of individuals who are Palestine sympathetic are too illogical and suspicious.
It makes no sense for a Palestine militant to have done this.
This smells like an Israeli operation.
Agreed. It fits the pattern of past atrocities, timed significantly whenever there is some prospect of movement away from the iron fist.
which past atrocities?
Operation Wrath of God? Does that ring a bell?
yeah, I’ve seen Munich.
I love how you recycle your talking points in the oddest of situations. it’s like your Palestinian hasbara bot malfunctions or something.
You’ve seen a Spielburg movie and THAT’S where your perspective on history comes from? Where did you learn about World War II? Inglorious Basterds?
Say “talking points” like twelve more times. That will beat the irony into the ground with a sledgehammer.
Even Hamas admits that it was the Salifists. Your obsession with crackpot conspiracy theories really does nothing for the Palestinian people.
Your suggestion is that palestinians quit violence ? Well that has tryied before, result was x 2 settlers ( after Oslo agreement ) . Any other idea ?
Guys? I have to confess I think you’re going overboard, here. We do need some kind of proof that this was anything other than some nasty terrorist cell doing what terrorist cells do.
I don’t know about you, but I used to defend Israel’s actions automatically, without thought.
I’ve really tried hard to understand the ongoing onslaught, demolishing and arbitrary killing of those who’re deemed ‘our enemies.’
Is there a fog of war in the I/P conflict?
I, personally don’t think so.
Europe should have given ‘us’ a haven…, but we were turned away from the shores of the UK and US, before WW II.
Whenever I visit this site, I both feel happy and sad. Happy because I’ am not alone in my train of thoughts. Sad, because so many out there are or feel lonely without your or mine personal commitment.
That’s why I want to raise a toast to all of you [and especially this web site] who have the courage, the energy and the endurance/stamina to pursue the dream of adhering to the truth.
You know who you are and I laud you all for that ability to see through the cracks, sift through the rubble ans try, honestly, to remain objective.
I honor you.
If only I had a magic want and turn this world into…
That’s the problem with magic…
Sometimes I’m really confused. I’m an atheist, hopefully ‘liberal-minded’ to boot, but then again I really believe Ron Paul makes a lot of sense…
True honesty, whether inspiring or misguided, is just that. Without being able to access all the data available, I’ll never be able to see the ‘full picture’ or draw the ‘unbiased conclusion.’
Fortunately this site really tries to project some of ‘our’ humane instincts towards the outside world onto the web.
“Fortunately this site really tries to project some of ‘our’ humane instincts towards the outside world onto the web.”
Daniel, whom do you mean by ‘our’? A majority (not all) of the regular contributors to this site, whether Jewish or non-Jewish, appear to be non-Zionist, post-Zionist, or anti-Zionist. The general (not exclusive) theme is relief and justice for the Palestinians.
This afternoon two Grad rockets were fired from Gaza, at Ashkelon and at Ashdod. This last week has been quiet, and there was no earlier IDF operation.
Who is trying to wreck the fragile ceasefire? Is it connected to the group that murdered Arrigoni? I doubt that the IDF will retaliate very forcefully, three days before Passover.
i didn’t realize israel and hamas had agreed to a ceasefire. was that just recently jon?
Hamas begged for a ceasefire annie. Just a question, who do you follow for news about the ME?
Incoming “All Arabs lie — especially the journalists!” canard.
Last I head, Hamas was pushing to get it established but both Israel and the extremist “jihadi” al-Qaeda-style groups were opposed to it. Pretty much for the same reasons.
Chaos,
The salafists didn’t fire missiles, it was Hamas and IJ. I do dig your new talking point though, “Hamas is struggling with Al Qaeda terrorists.” It would be more fitting if Qadaffi didn’t try the same line last month.
Seriously, you guys are creeps. An Italian foreign activist is dead and all you care about is your vendetta against depriving Palestinians of human rights and statehood.
You know, not everybody seeks to cash in on their religious or ethnic identity the way you do, Mr. Schwartzman.
There may have been a behind-the scenes de facto agreement to mutually de-escalate. Fact is that the last week was quiet. No Israeli government will intentionally provoke a situation which might cause hundreds of thousands of civilians to spend the upcoming holiday in shelters.
Gee, can’t let that inconvenience you on a holiday, huh? Never mind that it’s an Israeli policy to assassinate people (and you know, “collateral damage” a fair chunk of the rest of the congregation out of existence) who are leaving a mosque after prayers. Or even pitching that and bombing the mosque wholesale during prayers.
Question for you, jon: How often have Palestinians attacked synagogues? And of those attacks, how many of them were perpetrated by anyone other than a lone gunman?
Recreating it by taking the lives of first-born sons of several Palestinian families, huh? Stay classy, Israel.
congratulations for the help! our world needs people like Arrigoni! Bravo
One clarification re Vittorio’s comments on the video about ISM and Phil’s elaboration that “he helped to restart the International Solidarity Movement which had been stymied by Israel’s killings of American Rachel Corrie and Englishman Tom Hurndall in 2003″: Those comments refer to ISM activity in the Gaza Strip. The ISM remained (and remains) active on the West Bank despite the 2003 killings. In fact, if I remember correctly, those killings, especially of Rachel Corrie, led to a large jump in the number of people volunteering for ISM in the West Bank.
The sad fact is that people who do not understand geopolitics, often need to have the details spoon fed to them. And even then, they are quick to dismiss them as conspiracy theories. That which the mind cannot comprehend, the mind dismisses.
Just remember that wisdom comes suddenly.
Lord Almighty, I wish the term “conspiracy theory’ would disappear from the lexicon. It’s like drawing a stick man for a body that is Rubenesque.
Chris Lehane and Mark Fabiani made the term up in the White House (early 1995) to, get this: counter the really awful people who were — uhm, I’m telling on you — using listserv entries on something called the Internet or using email to send stories to British editors who were publishing them, and then the stories were coming back to the US as real stories. (Called the Media food chain, in their parlance, when in fact it was simply the new media flowchart.)
I’m not making this shit up.
They used Larry King in the summer of 1995 to introduce the term as a slur.
“Communications Stream of Conspiracy Commerce” is the name of the original report, and if you read it, was itself a gigantic conspiracy theory.
Summary here (not that I agree with the summary): link to dagmar.lunarpages.com
WaPo calling it a scandal theory: link to washingtonpost.com
People forget that reporters like Cokie Roberts (on whatever Sunday morning show she was on with Sam Donaldson) in 1998 was sneering at the web and web-based news. They’re all a bunch of conspirators, and they think they are going to replace us? (sniff) One of the sections was called: SOURCES WITHOUT CREDIBILITY PUSHING STORIES INTO MAINSTREAM PRESS. [The irony is that those same vaunted newspapermen & editors Roberts cites as impeccable judges of real news were the ones allowing the 'sources without credibility' to get by them, weren't they?]
From: link to dagmar.lunarpages.com
It is just wrong to accuse Israel of this murder when a Salafi group has admitted to it. If evidence does show up showing some Israeli involvement I would not be surprised but for now no such evidence exists. We need to protect our credibility.
People seem to be making the argument that there is nothing to gain by a Palestinian to engage in such an assassination. But it was Salafists that helped start the civil war in Iraq between the Sunni and Shia. This turned into a complete disaster for the Sunni, they lost big time. These Salafists must be the most self destructive fools alive. They are quite capable and have a proven track record to perform such self destructive acts.
just out of curiosity toivos, have you read anything about the history of who funds groups like this? what about the taliban? Jundallah? baluch separatists?
But it was Salafists that helped start the civil war in Iraq between the Sunni and Shia.
a civil war that placed the US in the position of playing ‘o thee moderate one’ in the midst of two warring parties. just out of curiosity what roll do you think the US would have preferred? have you ever read anything about how COIN works? have you ever heard of infowarfare? psyops? do you tend to believe everything your government tells you about conflicts? does it ever occur to you they might not be telling you the truth about how things work? have you ever heard of gladio? years of lead? the history of false flags operation?
update, i urge everyone to watch the democracynow video kates posting on the front page or here’s the link and transcript
hmmm
…Huh. I have to confess I find myself surprised and re-assessing my previous stance on the matter.
A new ‘documentary’ just came out under the title: Hijacking the Holy Land: Palestine, Propaganda and Peace (2011)
Ironically, this documentary is classic Israeli Hasbara. It advances the idea that Palestinians seek to destroy “Jewish culture”.
This ‘documentary’ has already been rated high on Blockbuster.com. It’s even available for purchase at Best Buy, J&R, and Borders.
Happy Hasbara.
Per Vittorio:
link to youtube.com
E le genti che passeranno
Ti diranno «Che bel fior!»
«È questo il fiore del partigiano,
morto per la libertà!»