ISRAEL–PALESTINE: MASSACRE & RESISTANCE
Worldwide Protests Escalate in Response to Israel's Ground War on Gaza
08 Jan 2009 11:26 GMT
On Saturday January 3rd, Israeli troops entered the Gaza Strip with the stated goal of destroying the elected government in Gaza, Hamas, and the suspected goal of helping two senior Israeli politicians in upcoming elections (see [1] | [2] | [3]). The ground assault came after eight days of air strikes, which were launched in response to small scale rockets that killed four Israelis. At writing, at least 660 Palestinians have been killed and 3000 injured, an estimated 50 percent of which are civilians. Reports: IMEMC.org | Cyprus Indymedia | Indybay
Resistance and solidarity continues to grow in Israel and the West Bank ([1] | [2]), despite serious repression. Three demonstrators in the West Bank have been killed and hundreds in Israel have been jailed for protesting the killing spree. In Gaza, seven medics killed by Israeli forces, five since the ground invasion began.
As the troops were amassing, protests were taking place in hundreds of cities across the globe calling for Israel to cease aggressions, and have continued to grow since. At least 700,000 people have rallied and marched on embassies and politicians' offices around the world, calling for international intervention and decrying silence as complicity. In Norway, over 7,000 people have joined Socialist Left Party's Facebook call for expelling the Israeli ambassador. On Wednesday in Toronto, a group of Jewish women occupied the Israeli Consulate until police removed them by force (Audio Report Here). In the United States, a nation-wide demonstration has been called for Saturday, January 10. Internationally, a growing network of organizations is calling for coordinated boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) against Israel and Israeli corporations ([1] | [2]). Roundups of Protest Coverage: Aotearoa: Jan4 and Dec30 | Australia: Jan4 and Dec29-31 | Ireland | United Kingdom | United States: Dec31 and Jan4 | | | IMEMC.org | endtheoccupation.org | tadamon.ca
Commentary: world leaders sit on the fence while people burn from Indymedia UK | Semantics of a Massacre | Israel's self-proclaimed 'propaganda war' backfires in Youtube controversy | The fight for peace from inside Israel from Sydney Indymedia | Indymedia turba la destra israeliana, l'informazione dal basso colpisce ancora
excelente repotaje
imuris valle 08.Jan.2009 18:21
he traducido el articulo porque me parece muy claro, si además se le unen ciertas protestas a nivel global (como boicot a marcas Kosher) será muy pertinente para reproducirlo al menos aca en méxico, gracias por todo su trabajo INDYMEDIA, estoy interesada en seguir traduciendo al español su trabajo.
Phosphorus Bombs and Corporate Media Crimes
Petros Evdokas, petros@cyprus-org.net 09.Jan.2009 14:50
"Photographs published on the pages of Israel IndyMedia provide clear and concrete evidence of more Israeli army atrocities: the use of Phosphorus bombs against Gaza."
Please visit and add your comments,
Petros
Solidaridad con Gaza desde Mexico
+_+ 09.Jan.2009 19:33
Hola amig@s:
http://mexico.indymedia.org/?article291
El 6 de nero hubo una manifestacion frente a la embajada de Israel en Mexico, solidarizandose con la poblacion de Gaza. Aqui abajo el enlace:
Palestina defender, clase obrera al poder!!!
way to peace
irrelevant 09.Jan.2009 23:47
if only the arabs didnt hate the jewish morality...if the arabs culture didnt sexploite women..
if the arabs werent thievs in business...we could live together without worrying about our daughters
virginity.......but some haters dont respect such traditions..... look at the wealthy palestinians
living "large", in the u.s.,,,europe, and canada....spewing the rhetoric...they never invest what they
make to improve the lives of country men they have claimed are not part of there lives... even though they play politics to weild the tricks.... may the activist with a good heart get their head out of thier perverbial you know what....
Barcelona summary of 100,000 -175,000 strong demo - sat 10 jan 2009
dunk 12.Jan.2009 19:18
First they came for the communists, now they are coming for the Palestinians
http://www.indymedia.ie/article/90538 + 
http://itsafunnyoldworld.wordpress.com/2009/01/12/gaza/
First they came for the communists, now they are coming for the Palestinians
And now its our time to speak, boycott, demand expulsions, act!
100 - 175,000 march in Barcelona against Gaza massacre and call for Israeli boycott. Due to the ongoing massacres being carried out in the Gaza strip at present, 700+ Palestinians killed, mostly women and children, the protest in the streets of Barcelona was attended between 100 and 175 thousand people, thats about 2 full Croke Parks. Activists, at some stage, mounted a construction scaffolding and attached a banner in Catalan which was a slight modification to the famous poem “First they came…” about the Nazis coming for, removing and disappearing all those they then opposed: the communists, the jews, the trade unionists, the Catholics, the intellectuals, the last of which was the poems author, Martin Niemöller (1892–1984), was part of. Yesterdays banner included “Now they are coming for the Palestinians”
Israeli state being likened to past horrific acts of the Nazis
Spain with its history of the civil war which was won with the full support of nazi power and weaponry, its later fascist dictatorship with raised arm salutes, its existing problems with neo nazis killing foreigners and left wing political activists, its ongoing fascist / nazi sybolism being graffitid on walls… with all this, Spain, and especially Barcelona knows only too well all that lyes behind the symbolism of nazism, their rotated swastika. An interesting thing from yesterdays demo was the number of flags, banners, stickers with the isreali flag without its Jewish star and instead that swastika, or else that star with the equal symbol and the swastika. Basically many here, both Spanish /Catalan and foreigner made, held and displayed such banners etc. Also last week, one of the popes cardinalls likened the present situation in Gaza to Nazi concentrations camps. This is not, as some try to make out, Jews bad, muslims good. It is a political statement against the, what might yet be deemed as, war crimes and state terror being orchestrated by the Jewish Zionist state of Israel, with the present support of George Bush and the present US regime, which yet again obstructs the UN from bringing a halt to the senseless killings. To emphasise that the Israeli state does now speak for or act for all Jews, this week 8 Canadian Jews occupied the Israeli embassy. Equally in Israeli itself, where both young men and women are drafted into the army and given orders to go out and kill, some brave people choose to not serve and to flee their state or do time in prison instead. These people, and more who feel like doing the same, should be supported. Also there is much protest from “Israeli” Jews and non-jews in Jewish cities, who are eually horrified by the actions of their state.
Regarding Urban warfare
After the atrocities of Guernica, which was commerated by the communist artist Picasso, his then city, Barcelona was used as the urban laboratory for HItlers “Blitzkreig”, the act of arial bombardment and spreading of terror on urban dwellers, of which today in Gaza we sadly still see happening. As to the reasons, Norman Finkelstein, pointed out on Fridays Democracy Now show that perhaps it is, amongst other things, to show the mite of isreal while it can prior to the US presedential changeover, with Obama saying he means change for the region, it is perhaps also a tool in the lead up to upcoming Israeli elections. Whatever the reasons, nearly 800 Palestinians have been killed directly from bombs and bullets, 1000’s are injured and who knows what the full fall out will be due to hunger, lack of medicines etc due to infrastructure breakdown, non entry of supplies… etc. This is a complete massacre and has to end.
He also pointed out who exacthly “threw the first stone”;
Well, the record is fairly clear. You can find it on the Israeli website, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website. Mr. Indyk is correct that Hamas had adhered to the ceasefire from June 17th until November 4th. On November 4th, here Mr. Indyk, I think, goes awry. The record is clear: Israel broke the ceasefire by going into the Gaza and killing six or seven Palestinian militants. At that point—and now I’m quoting the official Israeli website—Hamas retaliated or, in retaliation for the Israeli attack, then launched the missiles.
This call, which it seems has been lost or hidden in the main stream media, was repeated by former US president Jimmy Carter on Democracy Now: Carter: Israel Broke Gaza Truce
Meanwhile, former President Jimmy Carter has denounced the Israeli attack on the Gaza Strip. Writing in the Washington Post, Carter criticizes Israel for breaking the six-month ceasefire by launching its November 4th attack that killed seven Hamas militants. He also faults Israel for failing to uphold its commitment to ease the humanitarian blockade of Gaza.
How to stop the massacre
- To the streets
Taking to the streets, is the first step, and thankfully many have taken that step. For many it was their first “political” step. From that experience or built on prior feelings many are seeking more ways of helping bring a quick end to the killings.
- Boycott
From that an international boycott is growing, boycotting Israel and all those who support the state somehow through economic, sporting, and cultural / educational means. This tool was part of the success in the end to Apartheid in South Africa, about which Christy Moores rendition of the tune “Dunnes Stores” tells how all small actions play their part. The use of the word and mechanism of Boycott comes from our own troubled history in fighting for similar desires of peace and humility, which the Palestinians seek today, during the time our own population was being quartered (@8+ > 2+ million…) due to unfair imperialsist systems that had us starve, emigrate or be executed.
- Expulsion of Israeli embassadors
Venezuala was the first to expell their Israeli embassador.
In Ireland Fianna Fail TD Chris Andrews has made a similar call from which people are urging the IPSC to push for likewise.
Tony Benn has recomended the same in Britain.
Yesterday Jordan recalled their embassador from Israel
Im not sure where else the call has been made, but im sure its in many more places
First they came…
(Original Translation with highlighted modification inspired by Yesterdays Catalan show of support for Palestine)
When the Nazis came for the communists,
I remained silent;
I was not a communist.
When they locked up the social democrats,
I remained silent;
I was not a social democrat.
When they came for the trade unionists,
I did not speak out;
I was not a trade unionist.
When they came for the Jews,
I remained silent;
I was not a Jew.
When they came for me,
there was no one left to speak out.
Now they are coming for the Palestinians
and now its our time to speak, boycott, demand expulsions, act!
eyewitness accounts direct from Gaza
reposter 15.Jan.2009 00:43
Read eyewitness accounts direct from Gaza, see photos, by a human rights activist out there, working with ISM and the Red Crescent, currently in hospital & ambulances:
talestotell.wordpress.com
Pass word on about this blog.