While Nutanyahoo postures about Iran’s non-existent nuclear weapons in an effort to clutch a flimsy veil of victimhood over Israel’s fascist expansionism, Israel is terrorising the defenceless people of Gaza vigorously, with continued bombings and executions. It is Israel who is the belligerent, expansionist invader and its latest aggression occurs while Hamas implores militants not to fire rockets at the zionist usurper.
Electronic Intifada highlights the fate of another casualty of Israel’s hideous siege on Gaza – the murder of sick 20 year old Anas Saleh by Israel’s official siege flunkeys.
Meanwhile, Palestine-based human rights organizations have called for a criminal investigation into the death of a 20-year-old Gaza resident, as Israeli officials prevented him from leaving Gaza in order to receive life-saving medical treatment for advanced liver disease.
Several human rights organizations — including the Gaza-based Al-Mezan Center for Human Rights, Adalah – The Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel and Physicians for Human Rights-Israel — have demanded prosecution against Israeli officials for their culpability in his death. In a public statement, the organizations report that Israeli authorities had known about Saleh’s critical medical needs, and had denied his permit to leave Gaza nevertheless (“Human rights organizations demand criminal investigations into the death…,” 6 January 2011).
“… [T]he denial of an exit permit in these circumstances is an act against the legal obligation to provide medical treatment to save the life of the patient, an act which brought about, or at least hastened, the death of the deceased,” the statement read. “The aforementioned act, or failure, raises the suspicion of manslaughter, and/or causing death by negligence …”
If Im Tirzu has its way, there will be no ‘leftwing’ human rights organisations to report on Israel’s crimes against humanity. As usual, this ziofascist organisation omits to mention the massive tax deductible donations received from the international community including Australia, for illegal apartheid Israeli settlements and other land theft by Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
Israel’s collective punishment of the people of Gaza is completely unacceptable and illegal.
The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) released a report on 10 December on Israel’s use of collective punishment against the civilian population of the Gaza Strip (“The Illegal Closure of the Gaza Strip: Collective Punishment of the Civilian Population,” 10 December 2010 [PDF]).
In its report, PCHR states that by enforcing the blockade since June 2007, Israel is in grave violation of international law and reiterates that “nothing substantial has changed” since Israel’s alleged “easing” of the closure in June 2010.
“The closure is prohibited as a form of collective punishment and results in the infliction of great suffering on the civilian population, which is a grave breach of the Geneva Conventions,” PCHR states in the introduction to the 102-page report. “It is a crime that entails individual criminal responsibility for those involved in this policy at various levels, especially at the level of planning, organization and active implementation of the closure. Ultimately, the closure may amount to persecution, which is a crime against humanity.”
PCHR stated that the international community is mandated to take action to “put an end to the illegal closure of Gaza, which is inherently illegal and criminal in its nature.”
“By failing to do so,” PCHR added, “the international community bears responsibility for the intentionally manufactured socio-economical crisis that is progressively destroying Gaza, and depriving its people of their most fundamental human rights and dignity.”
Now is the time to ramp up boycotts, divestments and sanctions of apartheid Israel. As governments have failed, and continue to fail to act to stop Israel’s iniquity, all people of conscience must do so.
And as for us? we’re still flooded in. If it doesn’t rain tonight, we’ll doubtless be able to escape our paradise to collect the mail tomorrow morning. Not so lucky are the people of Brisbane who are awaiting a flood peak at 4 a.m. tomorrow morning. Please stay safe, don’t take chances and use your brains!
Palestine / Israel Links
Striking Israeli diplomats refuse to provide assistance to citizens abroad – As part of its sanctions against the foreign ministry, employees announce that they will not help citizens who lose their passport, need medical attention or face legal troubles around the world.
Israel blacklists 163 foreign charities suspected of supporting terrorism (fails to blacklist its own land-thieving JNF associated Keren Hayesod and United Israel Appeal charities)
Meridor tells Haaretz: Knesset plan to probe left-wing NGOs is dangerous
Israel begrudges Palestine its fragile tourism
#Israeli blood diamonds, forever on your conscience. #BDS campaign for Valentines day #Palestine
MKs demand names of Israeli firms boycotting settlements
Al-Jazeera reporter asked to remove bra by Shin Bet
‘Gentile sperm leads to barbaric offspring’
Birthright Israel calls on its alumni to ‘take back Zionism’
Asa Winstanley appearance on Epilogue, Ken Livingstone’s book review show
Fayyad meets outgoing NZ ambassador
Israel’s public relations policy: never apologise, always confuse
Wikileaks Links
Drug companies tried to get rid of Helen Clark when she was health minister, leaked US Embassy cables claim
Wikileaks have WMDs say US, Evening Standrd poster, Brick Lane, Shoreditch, Hackney, London, UK
Assange fears of trial in US justified, says expert
Irony Plus : Remarks to the Washington Center’s “Politics and the Media” Seminar Students
Other Links
Australia floods threaten Queensland capital; 14 dead, dozens missing
Drift had been asked by engineers to open windows and doors to let the river through – they will either sink or be washed away. They won’t have flood insurance, because they’re right on the river.
Clinton to Yemen: Murder Those Anti-American Muslims!
Brisbane braces for massive floods
Queensland Flood: What You Can Do