First it was called a "conference", then a "summit" and the latest preferred terminology is "meeting". But whatever you call it, the Annapolis Conference/Summit/Meeting planned for November 27 is not being taken seriously. Just over a week away and there have been no invitations sent out, no joint declaration – not even a consensus on which countries will actually participate.
Be Good Victims.
November 19, 2007
The usual game is being played out, however.
While Israel convinces the world that this is some kind of concession, we know better. Freezing settlement expansion is not only a significant requirement of the Roadmap, but reflects the barest of moves towards full compliance with international law – which demands that expansion cease on the basis that the colonies should never have been built to begin with.
Meanwhile, yet another sick Palestinian has died while attempting to get permission to leave Gaza for medical treatment. And Israeli troops continue to terrorize Palestinians in both Gaza and the West Bank, most of which goes largely unreported. Israeli soldiers have maintained a virtually permanent presence in Gaza for the last two months, arresting, bulldozing, killing – all unnoticed apparently.
It seems the Jewish state expects all 1.5 millions Gazans to be good victims, despite the Israeli-inflicted problems of a destroyed economy, inhuman living conditions and total isolation from world.
But perhaps the Palestinians should be thankful for Israel’s generosity. Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni said yesterday that Israel will allow Israeli Arabs to remain in Israel if a Palestinian state is ever realized. How nice of her not to strip the citizenship of 20% of Israel’s population. Now that really IS generosity.
www.uruknet.info?p=38392
Mazuz OKs Cuts to Gaza's Electricity
http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2007/11/386084.html
ALERT: Annapolis a Charade: Olmert Plotting Massive Aggression
In Germany, according to historian Richard Evans, in 1931-1932, if enough Germans of conscience had begun to say No -- history would have had an entirely diferent outcome.
If we go any further down this road the tears will be those of conservatives as well as progressives. They will be (Israeli) tears.
The time for weeping has to stop; the time for confronting must begin.
Adapted from "American Tears"
www.huffingtonpost.com/naomi-wolf/american-tears_b_68141.html
The timing is interesting, given the upcoming "Annapolis Conference", which serves to be about PR alone, as Olmert has already ruled out any Negotiations or Compromise in the name of peace.
If you follow the events surrounding Israel's "Disengagement" from Gaza, you will quickly understand that this was the plan all along. While Israel was making a public spectacle of "forcing Jews to leave their homes", it was quietly surrounding the Strip with artillery emplacements, in an operation ominously named "First Rain".
Under this operation, Gaza basically became a "Free-Fire Zone", and several artillery and gunship strikes killed a high number of civilians. Finally, when one of these batteries fired upon and murdered a Palestinian family - picnicking on a beach that had been Segregated "Jews Only" only weeks before, Hamas finally decided to call an end to its unilateral, two-year cease-fire.
(In essence, they took Israel's bait. After all, you can't excuse your Aggression and label it "defense" if you're not being intermittently attacked. Never mind the hypocrisy underlying the entire media's framing of that whole debate ...)
When the Palestinians responded by electing Hamas to power (yes, elected), Israeli Extremists and their Ideological, bought foreign co-conspirators imposed unilateral sanctions on Gaza, a bit of Collective Punishment which increased the hardship of those stuck in the world's largest Concentration Camp.
When they felt Gaza had been substantially weakened, the US and Israel undertook a Coup attempt, using corrupt elements within the Fatah Party, provoking a violent response by Hamas, which expelled the group. Most of the world's media ignored the events leading to this "crisis", and instead only repeated the Propaganda emanating from the US and Israel, which used this to further increase sanctions against Gaza.
Most recently, Israel stepped up its Collective Punishment, except that human rights groups and legal advisors to the Government halted some of its approved measures, because they run contrary to International Humanitarian Law.
This was sold as another "response to rocket attacks" (again highlighting the hypocrisy of the debate's Framing - are the Palestinians allowed to defend themselves from strikes which actually KILL people ... ?), even though high-ranking officials said that this was NOT, in fact, a response to these attacks, but a way to "distance Israel from Gaza's infrastructure".
The real reason for this whole episode, of course, has been to "soften up" the Gaza Strip for a long-planned military attack, a way to undermine the resolve, and hopefully rid this territory of Palestinians altogether.
Olmert signalled long ago that he would not entertain any serious discussions at this summit, essentially selling out the Israeli public's desire for peace.
http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2007/11/386082.html
November 19, 2007
The usual game is being played out, however.
While Israel convinces the world that this is some kind of concession, we know better. Freezing settlement expansion is not only a significant requirement of the Roadmap, but reflects the barest of moves towards full compliance with international law – which demands that expansion cease on the basis that the colonies should never have been built to begin with.
Meanwhile, yet another sick Palestinian has died while attempting to get permission to leave Gaza for medical treatment. And Israeli troops continue to terrorize Palestinians in both Gaza and the West Bank, most of which goes largely unreported. Israeli soldiers have maintained a virtually permanent presence in Gaza for the last two months, arresting, bulldozing, killing – all unnoticed apparently.
It seems the Jewish state expects all 1.5 millions Gazans to be good victims, despite the Israeli-inflicted problems of a destroyed economy, inhuman living conditions and total isolation from world.
But perhaps the Palestinians should be thankful for Israel’s generosity. Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni said yesterday that Israel will allow Israeli Arabs to remain in Israel if a Palestinian state is ever realized. How nice of her not to strip the citizenship of 20% of Israel’s population. Now that really IS generosity.
www.uruknet.info?p=38392
Mazuz OKs Cuts to Gaza's Electricity
http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2007/11/386084.html ALERT: Annapolis a Charade: Olmert Plotting Massive Aggression
In Germany, according to historian Richard Evans, in 1931-1932, if enough Germans of conscience had begun to say No -- history would have had an entirely diferent outcome.
If we go any further down this road the tears will be those of conservatives as well as progressives. They will be (Israeli) tears.
The time for weeping has to stop; the time for confronting must begin.
Adapted from "American Tears"
www.huffingtonpost.com/naomi-wolf/american-tears_b_68141.html
The timing is interesting, given the upcoming "Annapolis Conference", which serves to be about PR alone, as Olmert has already ruled out any Negotiations or Compromise in the name of peace.
If you follow the events surrounding Israel's "Disengagement" from Gaza, you will quickly understand that this was the plan all along. While Israel was making a public spectacle of "forcing Jews to leave their homes", it was quietly surrounding the Strip with artillery emplacements, in an operation ominously named "First Rain".
Under this operation, Gaza basically became a "Free-Fire Zone", and several artillery and gunship strikes killed a high number of civilians. Finally, when one of these batteries fired upon and murdered a Palestinian family - picnicking on a beach that had been Segregated "Jews Only" only weeks before, Hamas finally decided to call an end to its unilateral, two-year cease-fire.
(In essence, they took Israel's bait. After all, you can't excuse your Aggression and label it "defense" if you're not being intermittently attacked. Never mind the hypocrisy underlying the entire media's framing of that whole debate ...)
When the Palestinians responded by electing Hamas to power (yes, elected), Israeli Extremists and their Ideological, bought foreign co-conspirators imposed unilateral sanctions on Gaza, a bit of Collective Punishment which increased the hardship of those stuck in the world's largest Concentration Camp.
When they felt Gaza had been substantially weakened, the US and Israel undertook a Coup attempt, using corrupt elements within the Fatah Party, provoking a violent response by Hamas, which expelled the group. Most of the world's media ignored the events leading to this "crisis", and instead only repeated the Propaganda emanating from the US and Israel, which used this to further increase sanctions against Gaza.
Most recently, Israel stepped up its Collective Punishment, except that human rights groups and legal advisors to the Government halted some of its approved measures, because they run contrary to International Humanitarian Law.
This was sold as another "response to rocket attacks" (again highlighting the hypocrisy of the debate's Framing - are the Palestinians allowed to defend themselves from strikes which actually KILL people ... ?), even though high-ranking officials said that this was NOT, in fact, a response to these attacks, but a way to "distance Israel from Gaza's infrastructure".
The real reason for this whole episode, of course, has been to "soften up" the Gaza Strip for a long-planned military attack, a way to undermine the resolve, and hopefully rid this territory of Palestinians altogether.
Olmert signalled long ago that he would not entertain any serious discussions at this summit, essentially selling out the Israeli public's desire for peace.
http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2007/11/386082.html
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