This is a letter about the situation in Gaza by Dore Stein
Hi Guys
Last Saturday seems a lifetime ago.
Earlier today Israel and Hamas agreed to72 hour unconditional humanitarian ceasefire to start Friday morning. (Israel/Palestine is 10 hrs ahead of SF)
American heavy weaponry and tax dollars have sponsored the civilian carnage in Gaza. The latest Gazan death toll is 1441 (80% civilian) and almost 300 children killed in 24 days. To grasp the scale of these numbers, the equivalent death toll in the U.S. would be 252,175 Americans killed, including 50,435 [20%] children.
The horror and pain for Americans would
There are two key reasons among several:
1) Framing and accepting the dehumanization of Palestinian life
2) The concept that self-defense justifies everything.
Israel certainly gets high grades for protecting its population. During the 3 week war on Gaza two Israeli civilians and one Thai worker have died from Hamas rockets. That's still 3 too many.
Israel has the right to defend itself against rocket attacks and tunnels that lead into Israel, but it must do so in accordance with occupation law and not other laws of war. Self-defense does not entitle an occupying power to violate the principle of proportionality and has an obligation to protect civilians under its occupation. This applies whether militants are in the vicinity or not.
Dropping bombs and missiles from air, sea and land on a population of 1.8 million people trapped in a sealed 139 square mile cage is an impossible equation.
Self-defense does not result in whole neighborhoods leveled to rubble, families given 3 minutes to evacuate before a 2000 ton bomb dropped from a US F-16 incinerates the area.
Self-defense does not target UN schools/shelters
Self-defense does not target civilian infrastructure including destroying Gaza's only power plant
Self-defense does not result in whole neighborhoods leveled to rubble, families given 3 minutes to evacuate before a 2000 ton bomb dropped from a US F-16 incinerates the area.
Self-defense does not target UN schools/shelters
Self-defense does not target civilian infrastructure including destroying Gaza's only power plant
This was Amnesty International's reaction earlier today:
“The strike on the power plant, which cut off electricity and running water to Gaza’s 1.8 million residents and numerous hospitals has catastrophic humanitarian implications and is very likely to amount to a war crime. There can be no justification for targeting a civilian structure that provides crucial services to so many civilians. The scale of the consequences of this attack are devastating and could amount to collective punishment of Gaza’s population,” said Philip Luther, Director of the Middle East and North Africa Programme at Amnesty International.
“The strike on the power plant, which cut off electricity and running water to Gaza’s 1.8 million residents and numerous hospitals has catastrophic humanitarian implications and is very likely to amount to a war crime. There can be no justification for targeting a civilian structure that provides crucial services to so many civilians. The scale of the consequences of this attack are devastating and could amount to collective punishment of Gaza’s population,” said Philip Luther, Director of the Middle East and North Africa Programme at Amnesty International.
Self-defense does not bomb children in a playground nor mow down children playing soccer on a beach in front of journalists.
Self-defense does not target hospitals, ambulances, medical workers, mosques or the media.
With the use of drones and an arsenal of modern weapon technology, Israel has the ability to target single individuals and limit civilian casualties. In my opinion the only way the most modern state-of-the-art precision guided weaponry results in an 80% civilian death rate is if it is intentional.
See below articles:
1) Israel is finding it harder to deny targeting Gaza infrastructure
With blackouts, food shortages and sewage in the streets, observers say the IDF either targets civilians or has terrible aim
2) Gaza civilian death toll raises questions about Israeli military trainingExperts ask whether poor soldiering skills and tactics are to blame, or if avoiding civilian casualties is just not a priority
3) Israeli attacks designed to “terrorize” Gaza population, international law experts say
1) Israel is finding it harder to deny targeting Gaza infrastructure
With blackouts, food shortages and sewage in the streets, observers say the IDF either targets civilians or has terrible aim
2) Gaza civilian death toll raises questions about Israeli military trainingExperts ask whether poor soldiering skills and tactics are to blame, or if avoiding civilian casualties is just not a priority
3) Israeli attacks designed to “terrorize” Gaza population, international law experts say
Yesterday two separate massacres occurred.
You may have missed the news yesterday if you rely on American media but the headlines were plastered front and center in the international media:
World stands disgraced' as Israeli shelling of school kills at least 15
UN condemns IDF attack on sleeping children as violation of international law
World stands disgraced' as Israeli shelling of school kills at least 15
UN condemns IDF attack on sleeping children as violation of international law
After digesting the news for 24 hours, today the White House changed its tune on the school bombing:
Excerpt from Guardian UK: US says Israeli attack on UN school was 'totally unacceptable'
President Barack Obama’s press secretary, delivering an unusually forthright response, called the attack “totally unacceptable” and “totally indefensible”.
In what amounted to the strongest and most explicit condemnation of Israel since the Gaza conflict began, President Barack Obama's press secretary on Thursday called the attack "totally unacceptable" and "totally indefensible". He also said the administration was urging Israel to do more to avoid civilian deaths and said US officials were taking issue with "specific military decisions" by Israel. "It is clear that we need our allies in Israel to do more to live up to the high standards they have set themselves."
The EU issued a similar statement.
US officials had initially declined to apportion blame for the shelling, even though the UN said all of the evidence pointed to Israel. On Thursday, after Israel conceded it was operating in the area and said it was possible that "stray Israeli fire" hit the school and killed 16 Palestinians, the White House shifted its stance.
Media Imbalance:
As of this writing I did not find any mainstream American print media with the above headlined news.
The closest I found was in the N.Y. Times with the following paragraph buried at the very bottom of a story headlined:
(N.Y. Times)
"The White House on Thursday came closer than it had since the conflict began to criticizing Israel’s actions, saying it did not dispute the United Nations’ conclusion that Israel was responsible for the shelling."
This is the 6th UN school operating as a shelter for the internally displaced that has been targeted by Israeli missiles. According to the United Nations, more than 240,000 Palestinians are now staying in U.N. shelters in Gaza. Another 200,000 Palestinians have been displaced and are staying with other families. 440,000 Gazans internally displaced is almost 25% of the entire population in 24 days.
There was a 4 hour humanitarian cease-fire agreed to by Israel and Hamas yesterday. Desperate people raced outdoors to gather urgent supplies before resuming life under 24/7 bombs and shells. The people in already battered Shujayea only found out after several air strikes landed in the market that they were exempt from the cease-fire.
Mass casualties as Gaza market area bombed
At least 17 killed and 200 injured in Shujayea, an area Israel said was not included in four-hour humanitarian window.
“Liberal” Zionist Peter Beinart's recent post on his Facebook page comes to mind. I find the last two lines of his post chilling.
"Can anyone say, with confidence, that there is any action the Israeli government could take that American Jewish leaders would not seek to justify? I can't, and that terrifies me."
Mass casualties as Gaza market area bombed
At least 17 killed and 200 injured in Shujayea, an area Israel said was not included in four-hour humanitarian window.
“Liberal” Zionist Peter Beinart's recent post on his Facebook page comes to mind. I find the last two lines of his post chilling.
"Can anyone say, with confidence, that there is any action the Israeli government could take that American Jewish leaders would not seek to justify? I can't, and that terrifies me."
Peter's most recent column is called What American Jews Haven’t Been Told about Gaza and appeared in July 30 Israeli newspaper Haaretz and also as a blog entry on his website.
The above article is a must read.
Let me leave you with a couple of Tangents Hall-of-Famers and their activism regarding the war on Gaza.
Brian Eno wrote this piece that appears on David Byrne's website. (thanks to Jeffrey Blake for the heads up)
Brian Eno wrote this piece that appears on David Byrne's website. (thanks to Jeffrey Blake for the heads up)
Eno Excerpt:
"I sense I'm breaking an unspoken rule with this letter, but I can't keep quiet anymore.
Why does America continue its blind support of this one-sided exercise in ethnic cleansing?
As for the Peace Process: Israel wants the Process but not the Peace.
Like it or not, in the eyes of most of the world, America represents 'The West'. So it is The West that is seen as supporting this war, despite all our high-handed talk about morality and democracy...The war has no moral justification that I can see - but it doesn't even have any pragmatic value either."
"I sense I'm breaking an unspoken rule with this letter, but I can't keep quiet anymore.
Why does America continue its blind support of this one-sided exercise in ethnic cleansing?
As for the Peace Process: Israel wants the Process but not the Peace.
Like it or not, in the eyes of most of the world, America represents 'The West'. So it is The West that is seen as supporting this war, despite all our high-handed talk about morality and democracy...The war has no moral justification that I can see - but it doesn't even have any pragmatic value either."
And Peter Gabriel is also outspoken as he advocates an Israeli arms embargo.
Peter Gabriel and Brian Eno are among 21,000 people who have signed an open letter to David Cameron, the British prime minister, demanding an immediate halt to the arms trade between the UK and Israel.
Jemima Khan said: “Where is the world-wide uproar? Shame on our leaders who would speak up if this were happening to any other country on Earth.”
Jeremy Corbyn told journalists today: “The UK has a very close relationship with Israel, including buying and selling arms, and it’s time that this relationship was brought to an end since Israel is now under investigation for war crimes over the bombing of Gaza.
“I received an email from Dr. Mads Gilbert, working in Shifa hospital [in Gaza City], and it brought tears to my eyes when he was describing the pools of blood, the electricity cut off, the lack of clean water and the continuous surge of the dead and injured pouring into the hospital. It’s people like that who are saving lives, and Israel which is taking lives.”
Ken Loach told reporters: “It’s disgraceful that our government is arming the State of Israel to continue its slaughter of civilians, of women and children. Everyone must be devastated by the sight of the maimed and the dead in Gaza, and everyone must direct their anger towards the Israeli war machine.”
Jemima Khan said: “Where is the world-wide uproar? Shame on our leaders who would speak up if this were happening to any other country on Earth.”
Jeremy Corbyn told journalists today: “The UK has a very close relationship with Israel, including buying and selling arms, and it’s time that this relationship was brought to an end since Israel is now under investigation for war crimes over the bombing of Gaza.
“I received an email from Dr. Mads Gilbert, working in Shifa hospital [in Gaza City], and it brought tears to my eyes when he was describing the pools of blood, the electricity cut off, the lack of clean water and the continuous surge of the dead and injured pouring into the hospital. It’s people like that who are saving lives, and Israel which is taking lives.”
Ken Loach told reporters: “It’s disgraceful that our government is arming the State of Israel to continue its slaughter of civilians, of women and children. Everyone must be devastated by the sight of the maimed and the dead in Gaza, and everyone must direct their anger towards the Israeli war machine.”
I will not remain silent in the face of human slaughter in Gaza.
Until the brutal blockade is lifted in Gaza and basic human rights and freedoms are restored, rights that most people in the world take for granted, I will use the weekly 11p Gaza Corner feature to focus on Gaza and play Palestinian artists during the 11p hour.
I will contribute my proceeds from the upcoming Aug 15 Tangents living room concert with Israeli guitarist Itamar Erez (tickets still available) to Berkeley based Middle East Children's Alliance (MECA) on the ground work in Gaza. Founder Barbara Lubin will be leaving for Gaza in a couple of weeks with urgently needed emergency supplies. Dr. Mona El-Farra, Director of Gaza Projects for MECA was been writing a blog on MECA's website with first hand accounts of surviving under 24/7 bombs and shells and also treating hundreds of patients daily.
Read her lastest blog Unknown child #6: horrible tales from my day at the Red Crescent Clinic
Read her lastest blog Unknown child #6: horrible tales from my day at the Red Crescent Clinic
Be generous and give the gift of healing. Help MECA provide urgent help to the thousands of Gazan children injured with American weaponry and tax dollars.
Thank-you!
I received this email from Paul Larudee:
Feeling you haven't done everything you can to stop Israel's assault on Gaza? To change our government's policy? Then join us for a FEET TO THE FIRE letter-writing party to public officials.
Next to an in-person visit and possibly a phone call, nothing makes an impact on members of Congress and the President like a handwritten letter. ISM - Northern California will bring writing materials, stamps and food, but we welcome your contributions, as well.
We will write letters and discuss messaging and strategies, with a goal of 500 letters to our members of Congress and the President. Please come and bring your friends.
WHERE: 2022 Blake St., Berkeley, off Shattuck between Ashby and Berkeley BART stations
WHEN: 11:00 - 2:00 Sunday, Aug. 3
INFO: ism-norcal.org, solidarity@ism-norcal.org, 510-236-4250
Feeling you haven't done everything you can to stop Israel's assault on Gaza? To change our government's policy? Then join us for a FEET TO THE FIRE letter-writing party to public officials.
Next to an in-person visit and possibly a phone call, nothing makes an impact on members of Congress and the President like a handwritten letter. ISM - Northern California will bring writing materials, stamps and food, but we welcome your contributions, as well.
We will write letters and discuss messaging and strategies, with a goal of 500 letters to our members of Congress and the President. Please come and bring your friends.
WHERE: 2022 Blake St., Berkeley, off Shattuck between Ashby and Berkeley BART stations
WHEN: 11:00 - 2:00 Sunday, Aug. 3
INFO: ism-norcal.org, solidarity@ism-norcal.org, 510-236-4250
peace thru music and lifting the blockade and occupation
Dore
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