Commenter Profile

Total number of comments: 15 (since 2010-07-14 02:02:58)

Sue Wood

Website: http://I'maconcernedcitizenfromUK,livinginLondon,wholovesthiswebsite!

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  • International attention must be paid to the Palestinian nonviolent movement
    • Sue Wood May 19, 2012 at 12:59 pm

      @Kathleen: Popular Resistance in Palestine by Mazin Qumsiyeh tells of countless instances of non-violent resistance over the last century.

  • Presbyterian investment committee recommends divestment from Caterpillar, Hewlett-Packard and Motorola over complicity in the occupation
    • Sue Wood February 17, 2012 at 6:57 pm with 1 replies

      link to youtube.com

      Don't know if this is being posted as a link as I'm not so computer savvy, but if not just key in on the you tube search bds + chicago. I couldn't resist this in view of the discussion over the last two or three days; it just came into my head after reading th
      e above: BDS It's easy to divest........

  • Norman Finkelstein slams the BDS movement calling it 'a cult'
    • Sue Wood February 17, 2012 at 2:15 pm with 1 replies

      PS. When I wrote "BDS is working. Don't knock it." I wasn't refering to you Hostage, or, indeed, anyone in particular. Just wanted to add, about Omar Bargouthi and others thinking that the statehood bid could do more harm than good: I think part of that could be about the idea that recognition could preclude the PLO, which speaks for ALL Palestinian people, whereas the PA only speaks for those in the Occupied Terrotories. Mahmoud Abbas stated that this wouldn't happen and in fact reiterated this, more than once, during the bid and during his UN speech. Whether this is true or not remains to be seen.

    • Sue Wood February 17, 2012 at 1:53 pm

      I'm with you Danaa! Haven't people stopped to think that lawyers and barristers have been working on this for years? What good are ICJ 'advisory' rulings? Though it has to be said that this is what prompted the call for Boycott Divestment and Sanctions (sorry Norman, but it is a bit of a mouthful when not actually explaining to people what it is). Furthermore, many, many BDS activists are far from young, and we're sick and tired of all these so-called processes, and it's time for civil society, worldwide, to take matters into their own hands. And as I said on +972, BDS does not advocate for one or two states: simply three basic rights: an end to occupation, equal rights for ALL those living in Israel 'proper' and the right of return for the refugees (if all of the world's Jews have the right to go and live there, why not the ethnically cleansed and their offspring?). Again, it's about equal humanity! Whilst people within the BDSmovement may have their own views on 1s/2s, (many think 2states are impossible now, for example), it is not our job to advocate for either, but simply to inform people about the facts on the ground. And don't forget that the anti-apatheid movement started very, very small, and if one compares the time-scale, BDS has had significant successes, such as government banks and pension plans divesting from Israeli arms companies for one, or two or three. A drop in the ocean maybe, but more and more people are becoming aware of the stark realities and are voting with their pockets. I think somebody said something about few BDS successes outside the US or something to that effect; in actual fact, despite Israel being a member of the EU in all but name, and despite the EU's complicity, there has been much more success in Europe than in the US. Agrexco, Israel's one time largest fruit, veg and herb exporter, for example, went bust thanks to a concerted campaign in Europe. Why, Hostage, do you think the settlement project has gone into overdrive? Why do you think the Zionists are fighting BDS full on? (There never used to be any Zionists at meetings I went to until a couple of years ago). Because BDS is working like nothing else has. Don't knock it.

  • 'Flytilla' protest rocks the Israeli status quo in a sacred place - the airport
    • Sue Wood July 11, 2011 at 1:03 pm

      Haytham: it wsas Martin Luther King in his 'I have a dream' speech. Now anyone with eyes or ears knows that Palestinians living in the West Bank are also cut off from the outside world: they're not allowed to receive visitors.

  • A desperate encounter at the U.N.
    • Sue Wood March 27, 2011 at 9:55 am

      Just to say that I only know one thing about Lord Andrew Phillips: He's a great champion of the Palestinian cause; I've seen him speak more than once

  • The Palestinian parallels
  • Entry 22: Deborah Fink of J-BIG
    • Sue Wood January 1, 2011 at 10:17 am

      I first 'met' Debbie when I saw her solo vocal protest at the Israel Anniversary Parade online. Even then my first thought was about how courageous this lone protester was, surrounded, as she was, by all those people celebrating what she was protesting. So great was the impression she made, that I never forgot her name. I finally met her last summer. She is tireless in her activism and is still attracting attention. At our vigil at the Israeli Embassy on 27th of December, her singing caused people across the road to stop and listen to the alternative Christmas carols. Also due to her singing, we met some Dutch BDS activists who were very interested in our song sheets, which they want to utilise in Holland next year. Not only is Debbie totally committed to her cause, but she is also great fun to be with! And her nominee, Bruce, is also a hero in my eyes. I thoroughly endorse his nomination of Debbie for the Mondo Awards.

  • Yo, heads up, Mondo Awards roll-out begins this a.m.!
  • Tony Blair's lips are moving. But he's saying...nothing.
    • Sue Wood December 23, 2010 at 2:21 pm with 2 replies

      I agree with you Matthew. I'm afraid his comments are not substantive enough for my liking. He speaks of "genuine security worries". Really? Why the arrogance and sense of impunity that the Israeli leadership displays in that case? And as for his comments on Palestinians' advances in bringing security to the West Bank, doesn't that simply mean that they're doing the Israelis' dirty work for them in the areas that they control? Excuse my cynicism, but having known about the Iraq War in August 2002 because my sister-in-law told me that her son from a previous marriage (in the army) was going there, I'm afraid that I haven't believed a word that that man has said ever since. In fact before then: when, in 2000 or 2001 he was asked in parliament why he had bombed Iraq, he obviously didn't give a very convincing answer because I've never voted for his political party since that day. And Matthew, I just want to say that I think you're a hero for what you did at Netanyahu's speech in New Orleans, and I thoroughly enjoyed the article you wrote as to why you did it afterwards. We here in the UK try to do what we can here, but you people in the US have the biggest and most difficult task (Israel notwithstanding). But, the tide is slowly, slowly turning (It must be if Blair is praising Palestinians and ostensibly requesting action from Israel) and it's thanks to many wonderful people in the US (and Israel) who are helping the powerless to get their message out.

  • BBC badgers Barak as no American outlet would: What is the US getting for its billions in aid?
    • Sue Wood December 16, 2010 at 11:47 am with 2 replies

      Yes, well done Matt Frei, but I have to say that the BBC are hugely criticised in the UK for it's bending over backwards so as to not offend Israel. BBC World News America is on BBC News 24 at some time past midnight in the UK; not many viewers then. I heard the other day that the UN Human Rights Council's report on, and damning of Israel, as regards the murderous attack on the Mavi Marmara was mentioned very briefly on BBC News 24, but on no other BBC News channel, whether TV or radio. Glad to hear Matt Frei was brave enough to do that though, as the BBC have twice investigated Jeremy Bowen for his reporting in the Occupied Territories (they must be inundated with complaints from the rabid "Israel can do no wrong" contingent).
      One more point: the BBC refused to air an appeal for the people of Gaza under a multi-charity umbrella after "Cast Lead", followed by Sky News, whereas the independent channels had no doubts about airing the appeal, which was a purely humanitarian one.

  • Help Mondoweiss continue to grow – give a tax deductible donation today
    • Sue Wood September 15, 2010 at 1:54 pm with 1 replies

      Yes, Kathleen and Annie, What Mohammad said sent me all "gooey" too. I agree with everyone here: this site is so valuable to us all. I only regret that I could only donate so little at the moment (I teach English as a Foreign Language and a year ago my boss closed our school in the afternoons, thereby cutting my teaching hours and pay in half). Nevertheless, I'll see how things go and will maybe make a small monthly contribution (you're all worth it) in the near future. If we can all do that, then at least Phil and Adam will know they have a nominal amount coming in every month. Love to you all. Keep up the good work.

  • The 'oil curse' explains Iraq power struggle better than Sunni-Shiite divide
    • Sue Wood August 21, 2010 at 10:29 pm

      Alexco mentioned the Samarra bombing. Yes, and I remember some British soldiers were caught in a car in Basra dressed as Arabs, with explosives. Divide and rule and all that. Naturally, we never heard any more about this. And Oscar mentioned the trillions of dollars worth of natural resources in Afghanistan, which an American geologist said had been known about for some time. Now they say they've "discovered" oil, notwithstanding the gas pipeline deal with the Taliban which fell through when Karzai was Chief Exec of Unical! I agree with a lot of what others have said about Israel and also what Jim Haygood says, but of course everything is pegged to the US dollar, and with the US and Israel both thriving on their military-industrial complexes, it's difficult to see how their strangleholds/impunity can be broken. Also, Israel has held talks twice in the past with British Gas about the gas off the coast of Gaza (no wonder they want to control the sea out there), yet I think its possible that the way Israel is going it will implode in on itself. But what struck me when I first saw the article under discussion was the term the "oil curse";an Iraqi friend of mine once said that there IS a weapon of mass destruction in Iraq: OIL. How right he was/

  • Deja vu: new neocon shop in Paris and London calls Israel the West's 'front line' against chaos
    • Sue Wood July 20, 2010 at 2:27 pm

      Furthermore, He joined the Friends of Israel Initiative the day after the flotilla attack

    • Sue Wood July 20, 2010 at 2:27 pm

      You should know, if you don't already, that a member of this group, The Friends of Israel Initiative, is David Trimble, who is now an observer on the Israeli Committee investigating the attack on the Mavi Marmara. He's described as a nobel peace laureate: this is true in that he, a Northern Irish British loyalist, along with a member on the Republican side in Northern Ireland, were jointly awarded this prize when it was finally agreed that negotiations would replace the fighting. Suffice it to say, I would not call him an impartial observer.

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