Double Standards
Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign | 24.01.2004 01:04 | Analysis | Repression
Israel's terrorisation of the Palestinian people have obviously driven the Palestinian people to the edge of despair. The hatred thus engendered is multiplied by the record of Western politicians who so often display double standards by demanding a condemnation of Palestinian terrorism while turning a blind eye to Israel's terrible crimes.
Selective Condemnations of Terrorism Yet Again
We note with dismay that Charles Kennedy has sacked Jenny Tonge, the Liberal Democrats' spokeswoman for children, following her statement that, while not condoning Palestinian suicide bombers, she understood the hopelessness and despair which Israeli ethnic cleansing of Palestinians produces and which leads some young people to such dreadful acts. We note also that Dr Tonge has been accused of "giving the green light to terrorism".
We are six people from Scotland currently in Palestine observing at first hand the cruelty of Israeli policy towards all the people of Palestine. Israel's terrorisation of the Palestinian people and Israel's record, past and present, of mass killings, collective reprisals, and destruction of
a whole nation have obviously driven the Palestinian people to the edge of despair. The hatred thus engendered is multiplied by the record of Western politicians who so often display double standards by demanding a condemnation of Palestinian terrorism while turning a blind eye to Israel's terrible crimes against the Palestinian section of humanity.
when ever Israel kills Palestinian civilians- which is the daily fact of life in Palestinian that the western media never mentions any more- even the most progressive in the west -particularly Britain- is one of "regret for the innocent loss of life" accompanied by the usual line "Israel has the right to protect it self", we believe that this in fact is the real GREEN LIGHT FOR STATE TERRORISM.
Mick Napier,
Chair, Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign
( from occupied palestine)
We note with dismay that Charles Kennedy has sacked Jenny Tonge, the Liberal Democrats' spokeswoman for children, following her statement that, while not condoning Palestinian suicide bombers, she understood the hopelessness and despair which Israeli ethnic cleansing of Palestinians produces and which leads some young people to such dreadful acts. We note also that Dr Tonge has been accused of "giving the green light to terrorism".
We are six people from Scotland currently in Palestine observing at first hand the cruelty of Israeli policy towards all the people of Palestine. Israel's terrorisation of the Palestinian people and Israel's record, past and present, of mass killings, collective reprisals, and destruction of
a whole nation have obviously driven the Palestinian people to the edge of despair. The hatred thus engendered is multiplied by the record of Western politicians who so often display double standards by demanding a condemnation of Palestinian terrorism while turning a blind eye to Israel's terrible crimes against the Palestinian section of humanity.
when ever Israel kills Palestinian civilians- which is the daily fact of life in Palestinian that the western media never mentions any more- even the most progressive in the west -particularly Britain- is one of "regret for the innocent loss of life" accompanied by the usual line "Israel has the right to protect it self", we believe that this in fact is the real GREEN LIGHT FOR STATE TERRORISM.
Mick Napier,
Chair, Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign
( from occupied palestine)
Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign
e-mail:
secretary@scottishpsc.org.uk
Homepage:
http://www.scaottishpsc.org.uk
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[ei] Benny Morris | Impact of the wall | Israel's WMD | MLK Hoax | Diaries |
24.01.2004 11:39
[ei] Benny Morris | Impact of the wall | Israel's WMD | MLK Hoax | Diaries | Refugees
Date:
Sat, 24 Jan 2004 03:49:37 -0600 (CST)
UPDATE FROM THE
ELECTRONIC INTIFADA
24 January 2004 -- 1000 GMT
_______________________________
Opinion/Editorial:
MORAL DECAY AND BENNY MORRIS
Ali Abunimah, The Electronic Intifada, 24 January 2004
When does the banishment of an entire people become morally
justified? That such a question can even be posed in today's Israel
is dismal testament to the transformation of Zionism into what it
claims to abhor. EI's Ali Abunimah comments on two recent,
extraordinary documents -- an article in The Guardian and an
interview with Ha'aretz -- in which Israeli historian Benny Morris
approves of Israeli "ethnic cleansing" of the Palestinians in 1948,
calls it "necessary" and prepares the ground for Israel to justify
any future atrocity including renewed expulsion of all the
Palestinians from their homeland.
Diaries:
JOURNEY INTO PRISON
Toine van Teeffelen, Live from Palestine, 20 January 2004
My family's costs for the journey from Bethlehem to Amman and the
return trip almost equalled a flight trip, per person about $200,
including the costs of special taxis, border taxes, the entry
authorization from Jordan, and a hotel in Amman. Not for poor
people. "Back to the abnormal life," Mary is used to saying upon
entering Palestine. It was raining heavily. The taxi driver was
nervous about soldiers checking the car, as he is not allowed to
carry passengers without the relevant permits, and wanted to drop my
family somewhere before 'Azzariyyeh (Biblical Bethany). Toine van
Teeffelen writes from Bethlehem.
Development:
THE IMPACT OF THE SEPARATION BARRIER ON REFUGEES IN JERUSALEM
Report, UNRWA, 23 January 2004
Israel's construction of a separation barrier will severely impact
the lives of Palestinians in the Jerusalem area in wide-ranging
activities from education to health care to relief and social
services, according to a report released today by the UN Relief and
Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA). The report, the first
in a series of regular updates, notes that 260 students out of a
total 7,246 attending UNRWA schools, along with 86 out of 263
teachers, will be affected in their daily movements by the barrier,
which will cut them off from places of learning.
Opinion/Editorial:
PUTTING ISRAEL'S WEAPONS ABOVE THE LAW
Hasan Abu Nimah, The Electronic Intifada, 22 January 2004
Apartheid South Africa, which Israel increasingly resembles in the
eyes of the world, taught an important lesson: the nuclear weapons
which the apartheid regime developed with Israeli assistance were no
defence against a majority population struggling for its freedom. EI
contributor Hasan Abu Nimah argues that none of the excuses for the
world ignoring Israel's weapons of mass destruction hold water, and
Middle East disarmament should begin with the one state that
possesses deployed nuclear weapons aimed at its neighbors.
Israel Lobby Watch:
ISRAEL'S APOLOGISTS AND THE MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. HOAX
Fadi Kiblawi & Will Youmans, The Electronic Intifada, 19 January 2004
Many of Israel's apologists, and even former Israeli prime minister
Benjamin Netanyahu, quote Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. declaring,
"anti-Zionist is inherently anti-Semitic, and ever will be so."
There's only one problem with this famous quote: King never said it,
because its a hoax. EI contributors Fadi Kiblawi and Will Youmans
investigate the use and abuse of Dr. King's legacy to justify
Israeli abuses, and silence criticism of Israel.
Human Rights:
LIVING WAR: PALESTINIANS REFUGEES IN LEBANON
Stefan Christoff, The Electronic Intifada, 22 January 2004
The youth who play football on the small streets and narrow alleys
of Bourj El Barajneh represent an entire generation of Palestinian
refugees in Lebanon who live in a day-to-day low intensity war. This
is a war waged against Palestinian refugees by the Lebanese
government. It is not waged through military campaigns as in the
Lebanese civil war, but through policies and laws which are slowly
choking the life from Lebanon's Palestinian refugee camps. Stefan
Christoff reports from Beirut.
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social justice 4 palestine
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Sacking Seems Unjustified
24.01.2004 12:35
It is quite clear that her comments were merely a statment of (her) understanding of the Palestinian situation.
Brian B
No hope in the Lib Dems
24.01.2004 13:21
He says "There can be no justification, under any circumstances, for taking innocent lives through terrorism", and sacks someone for suggesting that the "taking innocent lives" for the last 50 years, might just have something to do with people being desperate enough to blow themselves up!
Despite having no faith in party politics, there's this tiny little bit of me that wants to think of the Lib Dems as being slightly more principled than the tory's and neo-labour. Once again Charles Kennedy has reminded me why we should continue to look beyond parties like his for any kind of change...
Poon