Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Canada's Unconditional Support For Israel & Indifference to the Deaths of Palestinian Men, Women & Children

“If you are a bad person, a whining enemy or a strong-arm occupier, you are not my brother, even if you are circumcised, observe the Sabbath, and do mitzvahs. If your scarf covers every hair on your head for modest, you give alms and do charity, but what is under your scarf is dedicated to the sanctity of Jewish land, taking precedence over the sanctity of human life, whosoever life that is, then your are not my sister. You might be my enemy. A good Arab or a righteous gentile will be a brother or sister to me. A wicked man, even of Jewish descent, is my adversary, and I would stand on the other side of the barricade and fight him to the end.”

a passage in “The Holocaust Is Over, We Must Rise From Its Ashes,” by former Israeli Knesset speaker and Jewish National Fund chairman Avraham Burg.


Anyway it appears Canada like the US does support Israel unconditionally and will support Israel in its invasion of Gaza. Even though the UN and the Red Cross and other Humanitarian organizations & NGOs claim that Israel has committed War Crimes and Crimes Humanity Canada is not interested in such allegations because Israel is always right. Is Canada's unwavering support of Israel because Israel is supported by the US. Is Canada fearful of being labeled Anti-Israel or Anti-Semitic if it does not support Israel. Is Harper's government interested in the facts on the ground in Gaza or just what the Israelis tell them. Is Canada just indifferent to the suffering of Palestinians . Is this a case of racism.
Divine Right of Israel to reclaim the Land given to them by God /Yahweh

Is the Harper government under the spell of the Old Testament and believes Israel has the right to collectively punish all the citizens of Gaza that is even if Israel decided to kill every man woman and child in Gaza. Does the Harper government believe that Israel has a divine right to occupy Gaza and to eventually drive the Palestinians out of the Occupied Territories.

Israel and Anti-Semitism

At what point do we say no to Israeli actions and that they can not merely rationalize their crimes against humanity because of what the Jewish people suffered during the Holocaust and how they suffered during some 1700 years of oppression by Christianity.


Why though is it that national leaders from around the world do not band together to insist that the Israeli IDF and its government be charged for War Crimes or at least a resolution passed by the UN General Assembly condemning Israel for its War crimes in Gaza and that it be labeled a Rogue State and that the General Assembly threaten to have Israel ejected from the UN. Surely there must be legal mechanisms in the UN for taking such actions.

No this will not occur and once Israel finally stops bombing Gaza all will be forgotten as Israel, America, Canada and other nations will continue to blame the Palestinian People and Hamas for this entire episode.

Canada for instance was the only nation to cast a negative vote against a UN "resolution condemning the ongoing military operation in Gaza" - was this to appease the Israelis or the Americans . Does this mean that Canada refuses to condemn countries committing War Crimes or violating human rights if we happened to be friendly with that country. So all our claims about our belief in human rights does not apply when those who are treated unfairly , unjustly happen to be Palestinians. So all of Harper's talk about Canadian values is a lot of horseshit when it comes to people he does not like. Does being fanatically pro-Israel make the Canadian government racist by its indifference to the suffering of the citizens of Gaza while expressing solidarity and sympathy for the Israeli people.


Pro-Israel Rally Attended by Big-Time NY Dems Descends into Calls for 'Wiping Out' Palestinians By Max Blumenthal, AlterNet. Posted January 13, 2009.

Attendants of a rally joined by Sen. Chuck Schumer and Gov. David Paterson in support of Israel's attacks on Gaza went far beyond the pale.

But hatred was plentiful at the rally Paterson addressed. Right in front of the stage, a man held a banner reading, “Islam Is A Death Cult.” Rally attendees described the people of Gaza to me as a “cancer,” called for Israel to “wipe them all out,” insisting, “They are forcing us to kill their children in order to defend our own children.” A young woman told me, “Those who die are suffering God’s wrath.” “They are not distinguishing between civilians and military, so why should we?” said a member of the group of messianic Orthodox Jewish Chabad-Lubavitch group that flocked to the rally.

No one I spoke to could seem to find any circumstance in which they would begin to question Israel’s war. No number of civilian deaths, no displays of extreme suffering -- nothing could deter their enthusiasm for attacking one of the most vulnerable populations in the world with the world’s most advanced weaponry. There are no limits, no matter what Israel does, no matter how it does it.

The rally made me think of a passage in “The Holocaust Is Over, We Must Rise From Its Ashes,” a powerful new book by former Israeli Knesset speaker and Jewish National Fund chairman Avraham Burg:

“If you are a bad person, a whining enemy or a strong-arm occupier, you are not my brother, even if you are circumcised, observe the Sabbath, and do mitzvahs. If your scarf covers every hair on your head for modest, you give alms and do charity, but what is under your scarf is dedicated to the sanctity of Jewish land, taking precedence over the sanctity of human life, whosoever life that is, then your are not my sister. You might be my enemy. A good Arab or a righteous gentile will be a brother or sister to me. A wicked man, even of Jewish descent, is my adversary, and I would stand on the other side of the barricade and fight him to the end.”


UN human rights body to send fact-finding mission to Gaza" 12 January 2009

– The United Nations Human Rights Council today adopted a resolution strongly condemning the ongoing Israeli military operation in Gaza, and decided to dispatch a fact-finding mission to investigate human rights violations committed in the territory.

Canada cast the only negative vote for the non-binding resolution, which received the support of 33 of the Council’s 47 members, while 13 countries abstained.

In adopting the text, the Geneva-based body demanded that Israel – which launched the latest offensive 17 days ago with the stated aim of ending Hamas rocket attacks into Israel – immediately end its attacks and withdraw its military forces from Gaza.

The Council’s action came as it wrapped up a special session begun last Friday to consider “the grave violations of human rights in the occupied Palestinian territory, including the recent aggression in the occupied Gaza Strip.”

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay stressed to the Council on Friday that international human rights law must apply in all circumstances and at all times, and strongly urged the parties to the conflict “to fulfil their obligations under international humanitarian law to collect, care for and evacuate the wounded and to protect and respect health workers, hospitals, and medical units and ambulances.

“Accountability must be ensured for violations of international law,” she said, suggesting that the Council consider a mission to assess violations committed by both sides in the conflict in order to establish the relevant facts and ensure accountability.


Gaza clinics destroyed by raids" By Donald Macintyre, The Independent
Tuesday, 13 January 2009


Israeli warplanes have attacked two fully equipped medical clinics in Gaza, causing hundreds of thousands of dollars of damage, the Christian organisations which fund them reported yesterday. The Catholic relief group Caritas said its clinic in the al-Meghazi area of Gaza had been "completely destroyed" by a missile on Friday, and that 20 nearby homes had been damaged. Because local families had already fled their homes, no one was hurt, Caritas said, but equipment worth $10,000 (£6,700) was lost.

Twenty-fours later, another clinic funded by Christian Aid was also demolished in an air strike; it followed a telephone warning to the building's owners to leave within 15 minutes. Janet Symes, Christian Aid's head of Middle East Region, said the clinic had "standing room" only for mothers bringing their children for check-ups when she visited it last year. She added: "Now the whole clinic lies in ruins.


"Israel Is Committing War Crimes:Hamas's violations are no justification for Israel's actions."By GEORGE E. BISHARAT "Wall Street Journal" Jan. 12, 2009

-- -Israel's current assault on the Gaza Strip cannot be justified by self-defense. Rather, it involves serious violations of international law, including war crimes. Senior Israeli political and military leaders may bear personal liability for their offenses, and they could be prosecuted by an international tribunal, or by nations practicing universal jurisdiction over grave international crimes. Hamas fighters have also violated the laws of warfare, but their misdeeds do not justify Israel's acts.

The United Nations charter preserved the customary right of a state to retaliate against an "armed attack" from another state. The right has evolved to cover nonstate actors operating beyond the borders of the state claiming self-defense, and arguably would apply to Hamas. However, an armed attack involves serious violations of the peace. Minor border skirmishes are common, and if all were considered armed attacks, states could easily exploit them -- as surrounding facts are often murky and unverifiable -- to launch wars of aggression. That is exactly what Israel seems to be currently attempting.

Israel had not suffered an "armed attack" immediately prior to its bombardment of the Gaza Strip. Since firing the first Kassam rocket into Israel in 2002, Hamas and other Palestinian groups have loosed thousands of rockets and mortar shells into Israel, causing about two dozen Israeli deaths and widespread fear. As indiscriminate attacks on civilians, these were war crimes. During roughly the same period, Israeli forces killed about 2,700 Palestinians in Gaza by targeted killings, aerial bombings, in raids, etc., according to the Israeli human rights group B'Tselem


"The "Generous Offer" Update:Two Years of Starvation Followed by Fire-bombing By Mike Whitney "Information Clearinghouse" Jan. 13, 2009

-- Apart from the slaughter of 900 Palestinians and the vast destruction from 14 days of aerial bombardment, the Israeli invasion of Gaza has failed to achieve any of its strategic objectives. The Palestinian resistance is still intact, the rocket-fire has continued, and Hamas is stronger than ever. So, what has been gained? Hamas has withstood the ferocious Israeli assault without knuckling under or making any concessions. They've proved that they are the legitimate representatives of the Palestinian people and the standard bearers of the national liberation movement. Their place at the head of the government is now assured thanks to Israel's blunder. In contrast, Mahmoud Abbas and the PA have ended up looking like cowards and quislings kowtowing to Tel Aviv. This is probably the end of the road for Abu Mazen.

For Israel, the military campaign has been a public relations disaster. Despite an impressive media blitz that stuck to its talking points and portrayed Israel as the victim; incriminating photos on the internet of bloodied and dismembered children rushed off to make-shift hospitals or wrapped in their funereal shrouds has generated unprecedented sympathy for the plight of Palestinians. Israel has come across as a bully. The establishment media has also suffered a blow to its credibility. They lost the propaganda war hands-down through their inability to control the narrative or shape public opinion. This could be a tipping point for the corporate media. Arab news channels have come of age while more and more westerners are turning to independent media for their news. To a large extent, the spinmeisters on CNN and FOX have been left on the sidelines.


and so much for Democracy and equality and justice for all in Israel- only those who support the governments military actions are permitted to take part in elections

If this had been done in America the Democratic party or even members of the Republican Party if they had been seen as against the policies of the Pentagon or US Military or the Bush Regime would not have been allowed to run in the November election in the US. This was in fact part of the strategy of the Republican Party of John McCain and Palin that anyone against the Iraq War or other policies on the War On Terror were characterized as being anti-American or UnAmerican or not real Americans and therefore inelligible to take power in the US..


"Israel Bans Arab Parties From Election" by JOSEF FEDERMAN -JERUSALEM (AP) Jan. 12, 2009


— Israel on Monday banned Arab political parties from running in next month's parliamentary elections, drawing accusations of racism by an Arab lawmaker who said he would challenge the decision in the country's Supreme Court.

The ruling by parliament's Central Election Committee reflected the heightened tensions between Israel's Jewish majority and Arab minority caused by Israel's offensive in the Gaza Strip. Arabs have held a series of demonstrations against the offensive.

Parliament spokesman Giora Pordes said the election committee voted overwhelmingly in favor of the motion, accusing the country's Arab parties of incitement, supporting terrorist groups and refusing to recognize Israel's right to exist. Arab lawmakers have traveled to some of Israel's staunchest enemies, including Lebanon and Syria.

The 37-member committee is composed of representatives from Israel's major political parties. The measure was proposed by two ultranationalist parties but received widespread support...


Inside Story - Israeli War Crimes in Gaza?- January 12 - Part 1- Aljazeera

Inside Story asks: what are the chances of pursuing Israel legally? What, if any, recourse has the international community to punish those alleged to be accountable? Would senior Israeli political and military leaders bear personal liability for their offenses, and could they be prosecuted by an international tribunal? Maryam Nemazee discusses.



And so Israel is accused of committing War Crimes . Supposedly according to Israel's supporters anyone who makes such claims about the Israeli military are Anti-Israel and anti-Semitic . So the Red Cross , Red Crescent, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, B'Tselem are all racist anti-Semites. But Israel says it asks its attorneys about whether an action is legal under international law. So like Bush & Co. Israeli authorities claim whatever they do is legal. Whether it is right or moral is of no interest to the Israelis. Besides they know very well like the Americans they can get away with War Crimes and Crimes Against Humanity . And if these two nations can do as they please then so can other countries can justify doing whatever they want. International Law and the United Nations and human rights organizations are therefore irrelevant. The spoils of war belong to those with superiour military power or those willing to do what it takes to win. Does this mean that the rule of law is absolutely meaningless?

"Demands grow for Gaza war crimes investigation"by Chris McGreal, The Guardian /Jan. 13, 2009

...John Ging, head of the UN Palestinian refugee agency in Gaza, said: "It's about accountability [over] the issue of the appropriateness of the force used, the proportionality of the force used and the whole issue of duty of care of civilians.

"We don't want to join any chorus of passing judgment but there should be an investigation of any and every incident where there are concerns there might have been violations in international law."

The Israeli military are accused of:

• Using powerful shells in civilian areas which the army knew would cause large numbers of innocent casualties;

• Using banned weapons such as phosphorus bombs;

• Holding Palestinian families as human shields;

• Attacking medical facilities, including the killing of 12 ambulance men in marked vehicles;

• Killing large numbers of police who had no military role.

Israeli military actions prompted an unusual public rebuke from the International Red Cross after the army moved a Palestinian family into a building and shelled it, killing 30. The surviving children clung to the bodies of their dead mothers for four days while the army blocked rescuers from reaching the wounded.

Human Rights Watch has called on the UN security council to set up a commission of inquiry into alleged war crimes.

Two leading Israeli human rights organisations have separately written to the country's attorney general demanding he investigate the allegations.

But critics remain sceptical that any such inquiry will take place, given that Israel has previously blocked similar attempts with the backing of the US.

Amnesty International says hitting residential streets with shells that send blast and shrapnel over a wide area constitutes "prima facie evidence of war crimes".

"There has been reckless and disproportionate and in some cases indiscriminate use of force," said Donatella Rovera, an Amnesty investigator in Israel. "There has been the use of weaponry that shouldn't be used in densely populated areas because it's known that it will cause civilian fatalities and casualties.

"They have extremely sophisticated missiles that can be guided to a moving car and they choose to use other weapons or decide to drop a bomb on a house knowing that there were women and children inside. These are very, very clear breaches of international law."

Israel's most prominent human rights organisation, B'Tselem, has written to the attorney general in Jerusalem, Meni Mazuz, asking him to investigate suspected crimes including how the military selects its targets and the killing of scores of policemen at a passing out parade.

"Many of the targets seem not to have been legitimate military targets as specified by international humanitarian law," said Sarit Michaeli of B'Tselem.

Rovera has also collected evidence that the Israeli army holds Palestinian families prisoner in their own homes as human shields. "It's standard practice for Israeli soldiers to go into a house, lock up the family in a room on the ground floor and use the rest of the house as a military base, as a sniper's position. That is the absolute textbook case of human shields.

"It has been practised by the Israeli army for many years and they are doing it again in Gaza now," she said...


and so it goes,
GORD.

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