I am compiling this page to assist the many people who are searching for information, views, and activities in aid of the Gaza 1,5 million victims of Zionism’s latest war crime. I will try to keep up with the pressure of events, though this seems at times impossible. I tried to keep some logical order of subjects, but reality proved to be quite illogical,
especially in this case, so I am sorry if it seems at times hurried and disordered; in that it reflects the severity of the situation. Because of the huge variety and volume of coverage, I am limiting myself to few key publications, such as BBC, The Guardian, NY Times, Ha’aretz, and Al Ahram. Obviously my selection is affected my my outlook, so apologies to those who find pacifism repugnant. (Logo above left – “I am also against the Gaza War” Hebrew. Copy and paste it in your blog!).
from the ‘Palestinianmothers.com’ website, sent by Chantal Cameron
Demonstrations and actions timetable
Check here to find out the up-to-date list, on the PSC site, for all parts of the UK.
SATURDAY 3rd JANUARY 2009
NATIONAL DEMONSTRATION AND RALLY
HANDS OFF GAZA: STOP THE BOMBING: FREE PALESTINE
Assemble 12:30pm Along Embankment, by Embankment tube station
Nearest tube Embankment or Charing Cross Join us to call for an end to the killing and an end to the siege of the people of Gaza! Please contact the PSC office if you can help on the day: info@palestinecampaign.org or call 02077006192
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Red Hand over Gaza
War on Gaza: Annie Lennox ‘Shaken To The Core’
Stars call for ceasefire in Gaza
Singer Annie Lennox has joined high-profile campaigners to call for an end to Israel’s bombing of the Gaza Strip. At a news conference in London, she said TV footage of the attacks, which have killed more than 400 people, had left her “shaken to the core”.
This is the full clip of her speaking, longer than the one above, and a long article about the context. Watch and read!
Tel Aviv Demo against the war
Event: Critical Mass Against The War “מסה קריטית נגד המלחמה” critical mass against the occupation Start Time: Tomorrow, 01 January at 17:00 End Time: Tomorrow, 01 January at 20:00 Where: Rabin Square
Photos from Gaza
The photographs on this page, on the above link, have been sent to me by my good friend Avner Faingulernt, who lives few miles from Gaza, on the Israeli side. Obviously most were taken by local residents, though I do not their names. The photos speak for themselves, and are unfortunately extremely disturbing. This is the kind of image seen by many in the Arab world, through Al Jazeera, and censored by the media barons in the west, and obviously in Israel. Would it make a difference if they were shown in Israel, together with the Al Jazeera footage? I do not for a moment believe so. Most Israelis have set their mind to the auto-pilot setting of war times, and no amount of information will change it.
Video clips from Gaza
on the link above, you can view a small collection of the many video clips now available, describing graphically the the ongoing massacre. In the full view of the international community, and with the assent of most of it, including some of the Arab countries, Israel has started a genocidal attack on 1.5 million Palestinians, 64% of them children. This has happened after two years of blockade, in which fuel, medicines, food , water and gas were not allowed into Gaza, starving its whole population. Their crime? They do not accept the brutal occupation by Israel, after 41 years, and they believe they should elect their own representatives, rather than those Israel wants them to. Please watch and send to others!
Things you can do!
To see a detailed list of activities, press here
Activities
Some examples of what works
Updates from Gaza
For daily updates on the Gaza crisis go to the OCHA website
www.ochaopt.org
News from Palestine
Excellent site with many clips and well up to date.
Latest News and View
Published on January 4, 2009
Gazans say experiencing ‘another Nakba‘: YNet News
Residents in northern Strip fear expansion of IDF operation, flee Beit Lahiya homes to ‘safer areas'; many areas plunged into darkness; water, sewage systems breaking down.
Gaza: 4 soldiers injured, 3 Palestinians killed: YNet News
Fighting takes first toll, claims life of one Israeli soldier, leaves another critically injured. Over 25 troops sustain minor injuries in various clashes with Gaza gunmen.
Nur das „Eröffnungskapitel“ einer Offensive? Von Hans-Christian Rößler: Frankfurter Allgemeine
04. Januar 2009 Das dumpfe Donnern der Explosionen, das am Sonntag unablässig aus dem Gazasteifen nach Israel hinüberhallte, passte zur gedämpften Tonlage, die Politiker und Kommentatoren wählten. Ministerpräsident Ehud Olmert wandte sich in seiner ersten Rede nach dem Beginn des Einmarsches an die Mütter der Soldaten: Wäre nicht alles Erdenkliche getan worden, damit sie wieder sicher nach Hause zurückkehren, hätte er der Bodenoffensive nicht zugestimmt, versicherte er ihnen.
El Ejército israelí rodea la ciudad de Gaza y divide la franja en dos: El Pais
Muere el primer soldado israelí tras nueve días de ofensiva.- Una mujer palestina y sus cuatro hijos mueren durante el bombardeo de la capital.
Like The NY Times, Al Pais also found it necessary and correct to front its edition with the coffin of the ONE Israeli soldier killed in the Gaza invasion! The 500 and more Palestinians have not attained such an honour. Oh well, they are just Palestinians, and have no names and faces, of course.
Ballet diplomatique au Proche-Orient pour obtenir un cessez-le-feu dans la bande de Gaza: Le Monde
BALLET DIPLOMATIQUE. La région connaît une activité diplomatique particulièrement dense. Moins de 24 heures après le déclenchement de l’offensive terrestre israélienne dans la bande de Gaza, l’Union européenne a dépêché une délégation de diplomates, qui fait étape dimanche en Egypte, avant de se rendre à Jérusalem, Ramallah et Amman.L’objectif est d’obtenir un cessez-le-feu. Emmenée par le chef de la diplomatie tchèque Karel Schwarzenberg, dont le pays assume la présidence tournante de l’UE, cette mission est en outre composée des chefs de la diplomatie français et suédois, de la commissaire européenne aux relations extérieures Benita Ferrero-Waldner, et du porte-parole de la diplomatie de l’UE Javier Solana. Les Européens croiseront le chemin de Nicolas Sarkozy, qui arrive lundi dans la région pour une tournée deux jours qui doit lui permettre de rencontrer les principaux dirigeants de la région : lundi, le président égyptien Hosni Moubarak, le président de l’Autorité palestinienne Mahmoud Abbas et le premier ministre israélien Ehoud Olmert, puis mardi, le président syrien Bachar el-Assad à Damas – soutien du Hamas, avec l’Iran – et les dirigeants libanais .
Israeli Troops Advance, Bisecting Gaza: NY Times
GAZA — Israeli troops advanced into Gaza on Sunday under cover of heavy air, tank and artillery fire after opening a ground war against the militant group Hamas on Saturday night.
The NY Times also found it necessary and correct to front its edition with the coffin of the ONE Israeli soldier killed in the Gaza invasion! The 500 and more Palestinians have not attained such an honour. If you wish to link to its front page, here is the link:
http://www.nytimes.com/ I prefer not to help them by showing it here.
And there lie the bodies, By Gideon Levy: Ha;aretz
The legend, lest it be a true story, tells of how the late mathematician, Professor Haim Hanani, asked his students at the Technion to draw up a plan for constructing a pipe to transport blood from Haifa to Eilat. The obedient students did as they were told. Using logarithmic rulers, they sketched the design for a sophisticated pipeline. They meticulously planned its route, taking into account the landscape’s topography, the possibility of corrosion, the pipe’s diameter and the flow calibration. When they presented their final product, the professor rendered his judgment: You failed. None of you asked why we need such a pipe, whose blood will fill it, and why it is flowing in the first place.
Sarkozy: Hamas to blame for Gaza suffering: Ha’aretz
French President Nicolas Sarkozy told three Lebanese newspapers that Hamas bore “a heavy responsibility for the sufferings of the Palestinian people” and that its rocket attacks had to stop. Sarkozy’s comments will be published on Monday, the same day he arrives in Israel as part of the French and European effort to broker a cease-fire to end the war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
Decision of arms not diplomacy in Gaza: BBC
This conclusion is inevitable in the face of a determination by the Israeli government that it faces an unacceptable threat from Gaza that must be dealt with.
By delaying ground operations for a week, it gave Hamas a chance to back down and call a halt to the firing of rockets into Israel. But Hamas chose confrontation, probably fearing that to do otherwise would be to show weakness.
The Palestinian Association of University Teachers in Gaza: Call for Action
Urgent call for action by the Gaza Universities, all of which have been bombed!
oxfam Call for action
Oxfam supported health worker killed and ambulance destroyed in Israeli shelling in Gaza Israeli offensive puts families’ and aid workers’ lives at risk, Oxfam warns. It calls for a suspension of the EU upgrade for Israel.
Why Gaza’s Message Is Threatening To Some?: PalestineRemembered.com
By Salah Mansour
The Israeli war on Gaza hasn’t been only unprecedented in its ferocity, but it has been unprecedented in the support it received from the so called “Moderate” Arab Regimes** as well. In all circles, the Israeli attack was expected but not with this ferocity, however, the open alliance between the “Moderate” Arab Regimes with the Israeli policy makers never been this clear and obvious.
Official EU Presidency Statement concerning the situation in the Middle East: EU 2009
The only official standpoint of the Czech EU Presidency concerning the actions of the Israeli ground forces in the Gaza Strip.
I would like to apologise for the misunderstanding which occurred on 3 January 2009 about the reaction of the Czech Presidency to the actions of the Israeli ground forces in the Gaza Strip according to which the operations were seen as an act of self-defence. The only official standpoint of the Czech Presidency is the following:
“It is not surprising that the Israeli forces have launched land operations in the Gaza Strip. There were indications that Israel had been considering this step. But even the undisputable right of the state to defend itself does not allow actions which largely affect civilians. We call for the facilitation of humanitarian aid to the inhabitants of the Gaza Strip, and in accordance with the position agreed by the EU Foreign Ministers in Paris on the 30th December 2008 we call for the establishment of a ceasefire.”
Jiří F. Potužník
He seems to have changed his mind about resigning…
The Gaza Ghetto Uprising: Joseph Massad in Electronic intifada
One is often baffled by the ironies of international relations and the alliances they foster. Take for example the Israeli colonial settlement that had declared war on the Palestinian people and several Arab countries since its inception while at the same time it built alliances with many Arab regimes and with Palestinian leaders.
Eyewitness: ‘We live with worry’: BBC
BBC journalist and Gaza resident Hamada Abu Qammar reports from Gaza as Israeli ground forces clash with Hamas fighters:
Last night where I live, in the central part of the Gaza Strip, we could hear bombing, artillery fire and also shooting from helicopters. I was watching from the top of my brother’s house. It was terrifying. I also went out into the streets in our area. It was virtually empty of people.
EU President Czech Republic: Israeli ground incursion defensive, not offensive action: Ynet
Europe backs IDF incursion
EU President Czech Republic: Israeli ground incursion defensive, not offensive action. European Union president, the Czech Republic, said on Saturday an Israeli ground incursion in Gaza was “defensive, not offensive” action.
“At the moment, from the perspective of the last days, we understand this step as a defensive, not offensive, action,” Czech EU presidency spokesman Jiri Potuznik said.
Czech Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg is leading an EU delegation to the region on Sunday, and Potuznik said the presidency will wait to see the results of that visit.
However, France condemned Israel’s move to send ground forces into Gaza.
“France condemns the Israeli ground offensive against Gaza as it condemns the continuation of rocket firing,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
“This dangerous military escalation complicates efforts by the international community and in particular the European Union and France, the members of the Quartet and the states in the region to end the fighting, bring immediate aid to civilians and reach a permanent ceasefire,” the statement said.
‘Luxury of telling the truth’
The Czech Republic already defended Israel’s strikes against Hamas last week. At the time, Foreign Minister Schwarzenberg said Israel had the right to defend itself.
Palestinians: Mother, 4 children killed in IDF Gaza offensive: Ha’artez
Gaza medical personnel said a woman and four of her children were among the 35 Palestinians killed on Sunday during an Israel Defense Forces ground offensive in the coastal territory.
The deaths came as IDF ground troops and tanks cut swaths through the Gaza Strip early Sunday, cutting the coastal territory into two and surrounding its biggest city as the new phase of the devastating 9-day offensive against Hamas gained momentum.
Peres: No Gaza truce right now, Hamas needs a ‘real lesson’: Ha’aretz
President Shimon Peres on Sunday rejected the possibility of a cease-fire as the IDF pressed its offensive against Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip, but said Israel does not intend to occupy Gaza.
“We don’t intend neither to occupy Gaza nor to crush Hamas, but to crush terror. And Hamas needs a real and serious lesson. They are now getting it,” Peres said in an interview on the ABC News program “This Week.”
Knesset panel okays call-up of tens of thousands of IDF reservists: Ha’aretz
A Knesset committee on Sunday approved Defense Minister Ehud Barak’s request for the call-up of tens of thousands of reservists in light of the ground operation in Gaza that Israel launched on Saturday against Hamas.
Despite approving the measure, the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee clarified that not all of the Israel Defense Forces reservists would be called up immediately.
European Union Chief Calls Israel’s Action in Gaza ‘Defensive, Not Offensive’: The Media Line
A description of Mr. Potuznik position, as well as the rest of the propto-fascists in Prague
Gaza conflict: Reaction in quotes: BBC
You can read some infuriating quotes, including the now famous one from Mr. Potuznik
universities-of-palestine: Press Release
As evening closed in on Saturday 3rd January 2009 F-16 fighter planes renewed their bombing of one of the most densely populated areas of land in the world, killing more Palestinian civilians. In seven days Israel has killed over 500 Palestinians and injuring thousand of innocents. And now it has embarked on a full-scale ground invasion.
To read the whole call, press the link above
MASSIVE DEMONSTRATION AGAINST THE WAR: Gush Shalom
At the same time as Ehud Barak was ordering the army to start the bloody ground offensive against Gaza, some ten thousand protesters from all over Israel marched in Tel-Aviv in a massive demonstration against the war.
“One does not build an election campaign over the dead bodies of children!” shouted the protesters in Hebrew rhymes. “Orphans and widows are not election propaganda!”, “Olmert, Livni and Barak – war is no game!”’ “All cabinet ministers are war criminals!!” Barak, Barak, don’t worry – we shall meet you in The Hague!”, “Enough, enough – speak with Hamas!”
Israeli airstrikes turn the American School in Gaza into a pile of rubble
A pictorial report on this school, one of many, which was totally destroyed. A great blow against the Hamas, obviously.
Spokesperson of the Czech Republic President, Mr. Jiri Potuznik resigns after he calls Israel’s action ‘defensive’
See Haim Bresheeth’s letter demanding his resignation, and his answer that he has indeed resigned! the-spokesperson-of-the-eu-current-president
Qu’est-ce qu’un crime de guerre ? : Gilles Dever, 20 Minutes.fr
Douloureux à rappeler quand Israël est en cause, mais c’est le statut du tribunal de Nuremberg qui le premier a posé la définition du crime de guerre.
En droit de la guerre, la césure reste l’Allemagne nazie. Les conventions internationales qui traitaient de la guerre, datées de 1899 et de 1907, concernaient essentiellement les soldats, et de manière indirecte les populations civiles. Avec les nazis, l’ordre des choses s’est inversé : la mort des civils est une réalité, et un but de la guerre.
Two children killed in tank shelling as ground invasion joins air attack, 477 Palestinians killed: Palestine News Agency
Gaza / PNN – On the ninth day of major air attacks on the Gaza Strip Israeli ground forces invaded. Members of the armed resistance are fighting back. The number of Palestinians killed since last Saturday has reached 477. The aerial bombings continue along with the invasion on ground. Israeli warplanes and Apache helicopters hit 45 “targets.”
An Israeli tank shell killed three children in the northern Gaza Strip’s Beit Lahia. Ambulances are unable to reach three Palestinians who were killed in Gaza along with those injured.
Thirty Israeli soldiers and more settlers from Sderot were injured. The injuries are described as “light to moderate.”Israeli source say they are fighting the resistance across the Strip. The Israeli military says that no soldiers were killed or captured since the ground invasion began.
free-gaza-call
On Monday, December 29 we sent our small ship, the DIGNITY, to besieged Gaza in an act of civil resistance against Israel’s ongoing massacre and blockade. We attempted to bring doctors, journalists, human rights workers and over three tons of emergency medical aid to the suffering people of Gaza in the midst of the worst attacks against them in over 40 years. In a
cowardly act of aggression the Israeli navy deliberately, repeatedly, and without warning rammed our unarmed ship, causing significant structural damage and endangering the lives of our passengers and crew. For CNN’s
coverage of the incident, see:
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=EZeNdIGI8os&feature=related and
http://www.freegaza.org/index.php?module=latest_news&id=ca72ff9b346077717c7a
acb1545c7919&offset=
This was an act of terror meant to prevent us from accessing the people of Gaza. We will not be intimidated. We will not let
Israel’s terror tactics stop us from trying to reach the people of Gaza and doing all that we can to directly confront and challenge Israel’s violence against the Palestinian people and ongoing affront to humanity.
To read the whole call, press the link above
Israeli troops clash with Hamas: BBC
Israeli ground forces are battling Palestinian fighters in the Gaza Strip, after Israel stepped up its operation to halt rocket attacks by militants.
ISRAELI GROUND TROOPS BISECT GAZA STRIP: Palestinians: 19 killed in Gaza since midnight: Ha’aretz
Gaza doctors and hospital officials said Sunday said that 19 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s ground offensive in the strip since midnight. They said that just three of the dead are Hamas gunmen, and the rest civilians.
Also Sunday, the Israel Air Force struck and wounded Husam Hamdan, a senior Hamas militant responsible for the Qassam rocket infrastructure in the Gaza town of Khan Yunis and the firing of Grad rockets on Be’er Sheva and Ofakim. The strike also wounded Hamas militant Mohammed Hilo, a member of Hamas’ special forces who helps supervise the construction and firing of Qassams from Khan Yunis.
Published on January 3, 2009
GROUND ASSAULT STARTED IN GAZA Jan 3 at 17:30
Israeli ground forces enter Gaza in escalation: Yahoo News
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip – Israeli tanks and troops launched a ground offensive in the Gaza Strip Saturday night with officials saying they expected a lengthy fight with Hamas militants in the densely populated territory after eight days of punishing airstrikes failed to halt rocket attacks on Israel. Hamas vowed that Gaza would be a “graveyard” for Israelis forces.
Link to the above to see fotoage of the night invasion.
Security Council to Hold Urgent Meeting in Coming Hours: Palestine News Agency
NEW YORK, January 4, 2009 (WAFA)- the International Security Council announced, late Saturday, that an urgent special session is to be held in the coming few hours to discuss the Israeli attack on the Gaza Strip. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas had called, earlier tonight, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and urged him to hold an urgent Security Council meeting to issue a resolution calling on an immediate ceasefire in the Strip. In the past eight days, 465 Palestinians were killed and more than 2350 wounded in Israeli raids on the strip.
Beit Lahiya mosque hit, 460 Palestinians killed: Palestine News Network
Both warplanes and ships continued to bomb the Gaza Strip throughout Saturday, leaving 460 Palestinians dead and 2,300 injured as of 8:20 pm. Temperatures have dropped, residents are living in bitter cold and without any sense of security. The repeated cry today has been, “There is nowhere safe in Gaza.” Dr. Muawiya Hassanein, Director General of Ambulance and Emergency in the Gaza Strip’s Ministry of Health said today that 75 Palestinian children have been killed since the bombings began
Les troupes israéliennes sont entrées dans la bande de Gaza: Liberation
Un «nombre important de forces» militaires participent à la «deuxième phase» de l’opération contre la bande de Gaza, précise un communiqué de l’armée israélienne.
European protesters urge end to attacks on Gaza: Southern Illinois Homepage
By JILL LAWLESS
LONDON – Tens of thousands of people demonstrated in European cities on Saturday against Israel’s bombardment of Gaza, including protesters who hurled shoes at the tall iron gates outside the British prime minister’s residence in London.
Amid increasing criticism of Israel, international diplomatic efforts are growing to end the strikes, which have killed more than 460 people and left 1,700 injured. Late Saturday, Israel launched a ground offensive, sending tanks and infantry into Gaza.
In London, at least 10,000 people, many carrying Palestinian flags, marched past Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s Downing Street residence to a rally in Trafalgar Square. Outside Downing Street, hundreds of protesters stopped and threw shoes at the gates that block entry to the narrow road.
A Gaza: «Nous n’avons rien, nous avons besoin de tout»: Liberation
Les eaux usées baignent les rues, le prix du pain a triplé en une semaine, les médecins craignent d’opérer faute d’être sûr de disposer d’anesthésique ou d’électricité. Sous les bombardements israéliens quotidiens, la situation devient chaque jour plus critique dans la bande de Gaza.
Israeli attack on Gaza enters the second week, Death toll climbs to 450: Ramattan News Agency, Gaza
Gaza, January 3, 2009, (Ramattan)- The Israeli attacks on Gaza entered the second week and the Israeli war planes continued on Saturday air strikes on various targets in the Gaza Strip killing and wounding several Palestinians. At least 8 Palestinians were killed and tens others wounded when an Israeli jet fighter bombarded a mosque in Beit Lahia, north of Gaza.
Tirs d’artillerie israélienne dans la bande de Gaza: Le Monde
Israël a franchi, samedi 3 janvier, une nouvelle étape dans son offensive contre le Hamas en déclenchant des tirs d’artillerie contre la bande de Gaza, ont rapporté des témoins des deux côtés de la frontière. Les tirs de l’artillerie ont commencé à 16 h 30, heure locale (15 h 30 à Paris), notamment à Beit Hanoun, Jabaliya, dans le nord de la bande de Gaza, et dans le secteur de Khan Younès dans le sud. Selon Reuters, les tirs ont provoqué une puissante explosion dans la ville de Gaza. On ignore s’il y a des victimes.
L’incursion israélienne à Gaza, minute par minute: Le Monde
2h34 : Une réunion extraordinaire du Conseil de sécurité des Nations unies est annoncée dans la soirée.
22h08 : La France “condamne l’offensive terrestre israélienne contre Gaza” et estime que “cette escalade militaire dangereuse complique les efforts engagés par la communauté internationale” pour obtenir un cessez-le-feu, a déclaré samedi le ministère des affaires étrangères, se distinguant ainsi de la position émise par la présidence tchèque de l’Union européenne.
Barak: Gaza invasion won’t be short, and it won’t be easy: Ha’aretz
Defense Minister Ehud Barak said Saturday that Israel’s campaign against
Islamic Hamas militants in Gaza will not be short, nor will it be easy.
Israel launches a ground operation in the Gaza Strip: Ha’aretz
Initial reports from both Israel and Gaza indicated that Israel Defense Forces troops had killed dozens of Hamas gunmen as they traded heavy fire upon entering the Strip.
Israel launches ground assault into Gaza: Los Angeles Times
Reporting from Jerusalem — Israeli troops and tanks crossed into the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip this evening, widening a week-old assault aimed at halting the militant Palestinian group’s rocket fire into Israel.
A column of tanks, some firing their weapons, rolled into the northern part of the coastal enclave as Israeli combat helicopters flew overhead, according to Palestinian residents. Israeli television channels broadcast images of troops marching into the territory.
The New Meaning of an Old Battle in the Mideast: NY Times
WASHINGTON — In unleashing a series of punishing attacks in Gaza last week, Israel clearly aimed to hand Hamas a defeat from which it could not recover anytime soon. The campaign may succeed, experts here and in Israel say, but it could also backfire. Either way, the political consequences could reverberate throughout the Middle East, all the way to Iran, and help determine the ability of President-elect Barack Obama to pursue his stated goals of calming the Middle East through diplomacy.
Israeli Troops Launch Attack on Gaza: NY Times
JERUSALEM — Israeli tanks and troops swept across the border into Gaza on Saturday night, opening a ground war against the militant group Hamas after a week of intense airstrikes.
Jour de colère en Palestine: L’Humanite
Pour la septième journée consécutive, Israël poursuivait vendredi son offensive aérienne dans la bande de Gaza, où le bilan des bombardements s’établit à 412 morts et plus de 1800 blessés. Des dizaines de milliers de manifestants pour le “jour de colère” du Hamas en Cisjordanie.
Gaza, iniziata l’offesiva di terra Bombardata una moschea: 16 morti: Corriere Della Sera
Forze di terra israeliane sono entrate stasera in due diversi punti della Striscia di Gaza. È stata una piccola colonna di blindati israeliani a penetrare all’interno della Striscia da due località a nord, nei pressi di Beit Lahiya, lo stesso posto dove è stata colpita la moschea. Le truppe dell’Idf avanzano appoggiate da elicotteri d’attacco ma non è stato precisato sin dove siano arrivate. Israele inoltre ha posto in stato di allerta il nord del paese, in previsione di possibili ostilità anche in questa regione che confina col Libano e con la Siria. Lo ha riferito il Canale 10 della Tv.
Israel lanza sus tropas terrestres sobre la Franja de Gaza: El Pais
Caía la noche y la embestida de las fuerzas armadas israelíes por tierra, mar y aire, ha atronado en Gaza. La artillería ha entrado en acción por primera vez en el octavo día de la guerra para barrer la zona fronteriza de la franja de norte a sur. Buques de la Marina, cazabombarderos y helicópteros castigaron también el territorio palestino matando a una treintena de personas. Los milicianos de Hamás aumentaron la frecuencia de sus andanadas de cohetes en una batalla desigual como pocas. Poco después de las ocho de la noche, los carros de combate invadían por tierra atravesando el muro de hormigón por el norte de la franja.
L’armée israélienne est entrée dans la bande de Gaza: Le Mond
L’armée israélienne a franchi une nouvelle étape dans sa lutte contre le Hamas, samedi 3 janvier, en lançant une offensive terrestre d’ampleur contre la bande de Gaza. “Je peux confirmer que des troupes israéliennes sont entrées” dans le territoire, visé depuis le 27 décembre par une vaste opération israélienne, a indiqué samedi soir une porte-parole de l’armée.
Sarkozy prépare une tournée à risque au Proche-Orient: Le Figaro
La France et la Turquie continuent à s’activer pour désamorcer la crise israélo-palestinienne.
US gives Israel free rein on whether to invade Gaza
1 day ago
WASHINGTON (AFP) — US President George W. Bush on Friday urged all able parties to press Hamas to stop firing rockets at Israel and secure a lasting ceasefire, after a week of heavy Israeli air strikes on the Gaza Strip.
His administration meanwhile gave Israel free rein over whether to send ground troops into Gaza, despite growing criticism over its handling of a conflict that has killed more than 400 Palestinians, including civilians.
Destroying Gaza, Delaying Palestine
By Bashir Abu-Manneh in ZMag
We watch in horror as Israel unleashes yet another war on the dispossessed and weak. Hundreds are killed (mostly police and civilians, not trained militants), thousands are injured, and a million and a half are terrorized, punished for defying the will of their besiegers and refusing to submit. Again the media colludes and sells a barbaric aggression on a basically defenseless and deprived population as a war between two sides, mystifying fundamental inequalities of power through words like “disproportionate response” and “ceasefire.” Again “shock and awe” is bandied about as military currency, as if it worked the first time round in Iraq, or the second in Lebanon 2006. Again we hear a cocksure military commander say that the targeted area will be sent back decades in time, as if Israel has complete control over historical temporality: “In attacking Hamas’ regime in the Gaza Strip, the Israel Defense Forces will try to ‘send Gaza decades into the past’ in terms of weapon capabilities while achieving ‘the maximum number of enemy casualties and keeping Israel Defense Forces casualties at a minimum,’ GOC Southern Command Yoav Galant said.”[1]
Even in Sderot, Israelis say NO to Enfless War
One of the more moving voices of dissent is coming out of Sderot and other Israeli communities around Gaza. A group called “The Other Voice” has published a petition calling for the Israeli government to prevent escalation and restore calm to the area (the petition and an article on the group are included as the first items below). The petition was written in November and is gaining more publicity now, for obvious reasons. It states” We prefer an option of a cold war in which not a single rocket is fired to a hot war with tens of innocent victims and casualties from both sides.” So far more than 2,300 Israelis have signed it, including more than 500 people from Sderot. (Adam Horwitz also reported on it in Huffington Post, above)
Israeli troops ‘move into Gaza’ BBC
Israeli ground troops have started to enter the Gaza Strip, Israeli military officials have confirmed, a week after the offensive against Hamas began.
An Israeli military spokeswoman said the intention was to “take control” of areas from which Palestinian militants have been firing rockets into Israel.
The BBC has woken up, 2 hours after the event, and is now reporting it!
Gaza protest at Israeli embassy BBC
Demonstrators are gathered close to the Israeli embassy in London, following a day of protests across the UK against Israeli air strikes on the Gaza Strip. Up to 5,000 protesters have been involved in a stand-off with police in Kensington. Some have burned Israeli flags and thrown missiles at officers. Earlier, up to 12,000 demonstrators marched through central London, hurling shoes at the gates of Downing Street. Other rallies took place in cities including Manchester and Glasgow.
As usual, th BBC heroic team is behind the police cordon! The report itself is biased and misleading. The number of 12 thousands is a joke! There were more than 50 thousands at the London March!
A group ,of protestors tells Israeli pilots what they think of their murder in Gaza
Tens of young protesters wear blood-stained clothes and lie on the road to Sde Dov airport in Tel Aviv – watch the clip below:
Land, sea, sky: all will kill you
Mohammed is burying his family. So is Jamal. Haider doesn’t feel safe in his flat so is sheltering in his car. In a series of phone calls to friends besieged in Gaza, one writer reveals the reality of life under daily attack.
An excellent, moving, non-sensational, accurate and analytical piece in the Guardian by Karma Nabulsi
Israel’s righteous fury and its victims in Gaza
Ilan Pappe, The Electronic Intifada, 2 January 2009
My visit back home to the Galilee coincided with the genocidal Israeli attack on Gaza. The state, through its media and with the help of its academia, broadcasted one unanimous voice — even louder than the one heard during the criminal attack against Lebanon in the summer of 2006. Israel is engulfed once more with righteous fury that translates into destructive policies in the Gaza Strip. This appalling self-justification for the inhumanity and impunity is not just annoying, it is a subject worth dwelling on, if one wants to understand the international immunity for the massacre that rages on in Gaza.
‘I expected an ambulance, but a donkey cart carried the injured’
Ewa Jasiewicz
The Guardian, Saturday 3 January 2009
Ewa Jasiewicz is a journalist and activist. She is currently the project co-ordinator for the Free Gaza Movement, and one of the only international journalists on the ground in Gaza. Here is her account of a week spent trying to document the attacks.
Palestinian self-determination is the real issue
The letters page in the Guardian today, one of the best ever. Read the letters.
Ground assault preceded by heavy artillery fire
By Amos Harel, Yoav Stern and Yanir Yagana, Haaretz Correspondents,
Israel entered the second week of its offensive against rockets from Hamas-ruled Gaza on Saturday evening by launching a much-expected ground operation into the coastal strip.
Israel okays call-up of tens of thousands of reservists as Gaza ground op gets underway
By Haaretz Service and Reuters
Israel’s government has approved the call-up of tens of thousands of reservist soldiers, it was annnounced Saturday, almost simultaneously with the launch of a Gaza ground incursion aimed at halting rocket fire on Israel’s southern communities.
Propaganda war: trusting what we see?
By Paul Reynolds: World affairs correspondent, BBC News website
Israel has tried to take the initiative in the propaganda war over Gaza but, in one important instance, its version has been seriously challenged.
Gaza facing ‘critical emergency’
The UN has warned that Palestinians in Gaza are facing a serious health and food crisis, as Israeli air strikes continued for a seventh day. The “critical emergency” comes despite an increase in humanitarian shipments, said Maxwell Gaylard, the UN’s chief aid co-ordinator for the territory. The UN believes that at least 100 of some 400 Palestinians killed by Israeli action so far were civilians.
Israel steps up offensive on Gaza
The Israeli military has stepped up its attacks on Gaza, as the offensive on Hamas enters its second week.
Israeli artillery and tanks bombarded the territory for what is thought to be the first time during the offensive, and further air strikes were launched. Later, a column of military vehicles crossed into northern Gaza, Palestinian witnesses said.
Thousands of Israeli Arabs protest Israel’s Gaza raids
By The Associated Press, in Ha’aretz
ANALYSIS / Israel must prepare to turn its military might from Gaza to Iran
By Amir Oren
Read this to find out the next round of fun prepared by the Israelis, which may well lead to the total destruction of what is left of the international order, such as it is. You better believe Israel when it says things like that.
Palestine’s Guernica
Mustafa Barghouti* cuts down the myths Israel spins in the media to justify its most recent campaign of slaughter; Al Ahram Weekly
Raining death
Saleh Al-Naami reports from Gaza on the carnage wreaked by five days of Israel’s bloody aerial assault; Al Ahram Weekly
Criminals vs cowards
The current uproar in Arab streets might not be of any direct help to Gazans but it draws battle lines between the masses and their regimes, notes Sherine Bahaa
Gaza op rallies in Tel Aviv
MK Erdan: protestors show sane majority supports Gaza op; anti-war rally held at Rabin Square: Vered Luvitch
Published: 01.03.09, 19:13 / Israel News/Ynet
A week after the launch of operation “Cast Lead” in the Gaza Strip, both supporters and objectors are holding separate rallies in Tel Aviv.
About 300 people arrived at the city’s King David Boulevard in order to express their support for the IDF operation. Participants were chanting slogans in favor of eliminating Hamas and held signs reading “Let the IDF win” and “We’ve had enough, eliminate Hamas.”Meanwhile, hundreds of people arrived at Rabin Square in Tel Aviv in order to pretest against the Gaza war. The protesters were marching in the streets and carrying flags reading “Stop the fire” and “Children in Gaza and Sderot wish to live.”
Well if this is the size of the demonstrations in Te Aviv, Olmert, Brak and Livni have nothing to worry about – the Israeli nation is fully behind their war crimes (HB).
Published on January 2, 2009
United Nations: Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
GAZA HUMANITARIAN SITUATION REPORT
2 January 2009 as of 14:30
“There is no humanitarian crisis in Gaza”
Tzipi Livni (Israel’s Foreign Affairs Minister)
Thursday 1 January 2009, Paris.
israel has no intention of granting a palestinian state
An excellent article By JENNIFER LOEWENSTEIN
Israel claims success in the PR war
This is a nauseating article in the Jewish Chronicle: how to explain and justify murder and destruction!
international-call-3
STOP THE WAR IN GAZA! Call by The coalition of Israeli and Palestinian organisations against the war
Clegg calls for suspension of Israel/EU agreement
The European Union should use today’s emergency meeting of foreign ministers to suspend a new co-operation agreement between the EU and Israel, Liberal Democrat Leader Nick Clegg has said. The proposed agreement, due to be voted on in the European Parliament next month, would give Israel access to EU funding programmes which in some areas are only enjoyed by full members of the EU. Commenting, Nick Clegg said:
“The continuing bombardment of Gaza is intolerable and self-defeating. It goes far beyond Israel’s right to defend itself.”
Opinion: Where’s the Academic Outrage Over the Bombing of a University in Gaza?
By Neve Gordon and Jeff Halper in Chronicle of Higher Education
מבצע “עופרת יצוקה” | אזור הדמדומים | גלי צה”ל
Gideon Levy – מאת גדעון לוי An excellent article about the the hypocricy and silence of the media in Israel. Unfortunately not translated by Ha’aretz! They now delay or avoid translations of Gideon Levy. Instead, they did translate another article, below:
Gideon Levy / Amid exploding rockets, Negev life carries on
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1052049.html
IDF is sending Hamas a message: now it’s personal
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1052051.html
ABC News Video: Huge Free Gaza Demonstration in San Francisco, USA on December 30,2008
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lP3NzdAY294
Another Voice: Israeli citizen from the Sderot Region against the war
Petition can be read and signed on the address above
Published on January 1, 2009
Despite It’s Military Might, Israel is a Weak and Dying State: The Self-Defense of Suicide
By OREN BEN-DOR, COUNTERPUNCH
“THE RADIO REPORTED THAT MY FRIEND WAS UNDER THE RUBBLE”
By Dr. Haider Eid, Live from Palestine, 31 December 2008
I was lying in my bedroom when the first strike happened, around 1:30 in the morning. A strike isn’t just one
explosion, it’s a series of explosions. Boom, boom, boom, boom. The whole building shook. I woke up and went to the
bathroom first, and within 30 seconds the second strike hit. F-16s were bombing the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
building, about 500 meters away. I could hear glass shattering everywhere. Dr. Haider Eid reports from the besieged Gaza Strip.
Harm to civilians during the fighting in Gaza and Southern Israel
Israeli human rights organizations have launched a bi-lingual blog providing
information on human rights violations and harm to civilians during the
fighting in Gaza and Southern Israel
Is the UN complicit in Israel’s massacre in Gaza?
Omar Barghouti, The Electronic Intifada, 1 January 2009
UN fails to make progress on Gaza:BBC
The UN Security Council has discussed a draft resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire to halt the Israeli-Palestinian violence.
Operation Cast Lead: Five sisters killed whilst they sleep
56% of Gazan are Children: Israel wages war on 800,000 children
press-release-from-richard-burden-mp
A statement just released by 57 MP and some House of Lords members
Hamas leader killed in air strike: BBC
A senior Hamas leader has been killed by an Israeli air strike on his home in the Gaza Strip, Hamas officials say.
Truth From Israel: The Draft resistors speak
Watch this amazing film made by the Shministim! Contrary to Israeli war party propaganda in the US, not all Jews and not all Israelis support Israel’s Nazi-like conduct in the Occupied Territories. This simple fact is probably the single most censored piece of news in the United States.
Here are some young people heading to prison because they won’t join the genocide.
You can support these brave kids here:
Write: http://december18th.org
IDF tries to sink the Dignity en route to Gaza
On the third day of the current round of Israeli war crimes in Gaza, two or more Israeli IDF patrol boats have tried to sink the boat Dignity, the Free Gaza vessel, veteran of delivering medicines to the blockaded Gaza. You can watch the eyewitness reports, including those of the CNN reporter on board, clearly putting the lie to Israeli claims that this was ‘an accident’. Instead, this is another example of Israel’s illegal behaviour at home and abroad, in this case operating as pirates, in international waters, 90 miles off the coast. I have put together six clips about the Dignity!
U.S. balks at Arab push for UN resolution to impose Gaza truce: Ha’aretz
The UN Security Council, meeting for emergency consultations Wednesday night, rejected an Arab request for a legally binding resolution that would condemn Israel and halt its attacks.
AMIRA HASS / Thousands of Gazans near Rafah displaced by IAF bombing of tunnels
Rafah residents came to the realization on Tuesday that the air force has adopted a new method for destroying weapons smuggling tunnels in the town. On Monday, the military fired 10 missiles which are believed to have destroyed 10 tunnels. Palestinians say IAF drones fired seven missiles on Tuesday at the same number of tunnels.
IAF strike in Gaza kills Hamas political leader Nizar Rayyan
By Haaretz Service and News Agencies
An Israel Air Force strike on a home in the Gaza Strip on Thursday killed a senior Hamas political leader, Hamas security sources said.
Poll: Most Israelis support continuing Gaza military op
By Yossi Verter, Haaretz Correspondent, and Haaretz Service
A decisive majority of respondents support continuing the army’s air campaign against Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip without endangering the lives of Israel Defense Forces soldiers in a ground offensive, according to a Haaretz-Dialog public opinion poll.
Israelis who blame Israel are not helping the Palestinians: Ha’aretz
This pathetic and denuded defence of the murder and destruction by Ari Shavit, is as criminal as the war crimes he praises. May his callous words come to haunt him yet! It has to be read to be believed:
“Operation Cast Lead is an intelligent, impressive operation. The element of surprise was total, the intelligence was precise and the timing was brilliant.”
Robert Fisk: The rotten state of Egypt is too powerless and corrupt to act: The Independent
There was a day when we worried about the “Arab masses” – the millions of “ordinary” Arabs on the streets of Cairo, Kuwait, Amman, Beirut – and their reaction to the constant bloodbaths in the Middle East. Could Anwar Sadat restrain the anger of his people? And now – after three decades of Hosni Mubarak – can Mubarak (or “La Vache Qui Rit”, as he is still called in Cairo) restrain the anger of his people? The answer, of course, is that Egyptians and Kuwaitis and Jordanians will be allowed to shout in the streets of their capitals – but then they will be shut down, with the help of the tens of thousands of secret policemen and government militiamen who serve the princes and kings and elderly rulers of the Arab world.
Donald Macintyre: Lessons of Lebanon return to haunt Israel: The Independent
Although their proposals differ in detail, two of Israel’s best-known writers, Amos Oz and David Grossman, have joined the calls for a ceasefire after several days of Israel’s offensive.
Israel continue Gaza assault: The Independent
By Nidal al-Mughrabi, Reuters
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said today that Israel was fighting Hamas with an “iron fist”, his words backed by more Gaza air strikes but challenged by rocket fire that continued to hit Israeli cities.
Gaza violence goes into sixth day: BBC
Violence has continued in the Gaza Strip for a sixth day, after calls for a UN-backed ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian militants foundered.
ochaopt protection of civilians weekly
OFFICE FOR THE COORDINATION OF HUMANITARIAN AFFAIRS – UN
Turkish mass rallies demand Israeli boycott
The Turkish public has reacted with anger to the Israeli air strikes on Gaza by appearing in huge numbers at rallies aimed at condemning Israel for the onslaught, which has taken the lives of almost 400 Palestinians.
Israel’s War Crimes,
By Richard Falk. Published in The Nation The Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza Strip represent severe and massive violations of international humanitarian law as defined in the Geneva Conventions, both in regard to the obligations of an Occupying Power and in the requirements of the laws of war.
קונספירציה ושמה עזה
יגאל לביב טוען שאין מנוס ממחשבה שהמתקפה בעזה התחילה מלא יותר מאשר תכנית הישרדותית של קדימה והעבודה לאור ניצחונו הצפוי של הליכוד בבחירות על פי העולה מהסקרים. הוא גם מביא סימוכין מהתנהלותה התמוהה של הממשלה סביב מה שקדם למבצע הזה, החל בהפרת הרגיעה מצד ישראל כדי שיהיה טריגר לפעולה ועד לשימוש הלא הגיוני בצנזורה
Cast Lead in the Foundry
a commentary from the editors of Middle East Report, is now available in Middle East Report Online:
Published on December 31, 2008
Israel claims success in the PR war
From The Jewish Chronicle, by Anshel Pfeffer A most revealing article on Israel’s PR success, so far, in its war of aggression on Gaza. Note how preparations had started months earlier, refuting all current Israeli claims that their war was in “retaliation” to whatever the Palestinians have done a couple of days earlier.
Gaza aid boat ‘rammed by Israel’ – Further details on the Dignity emergency mission
A boat delivering 3.5 tonnes of Cypriot medical aid to the Gaza Strip has been rammed by Israeli naval vessels in international waters, activists say. See the clip included