Join the rally in Brisbane to commemorate the anniversary of Al Nakba on Friday the 18th of May in King George Square at 5pm – find out about how you can participate with the theme of the rally.
Samah Sabawi reviews Phil Monsour’s Ghosts of Deir Yassin album:
The video for Ghosts of Deir Yassin was filmed in January 2012, in a number of refugee camps in Jordan and Lebanon and features the Palestinian spoken word artist Rafeef Ziadah reciting Fadwa Tuqan’s poetry: “I hope one day to return to my beloved homeland, to the flowers and roses, I no longer fear their power, I will return.”
The song Ghosts of Deir Yassin is an affirmation of this vow to return. The video features Palestinians of all ages in the refugee camps carrying the names of their villages of origin some of which were wiped out by Israel in 1948.
But other songs on the album are equally potent. The music alternates from anthem rock style to folk ballads and the themes range from the romantic “I left my heart in Palestine” about love at a checkpoint, to the tragic “Dark Tunnels” which was written when Monsour was denied entry into Gaza because of his Arab origin while the rest of his group was allowed to pass.
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The album Ghosts of Deir Yassin is available at CDbaby and other outlets. One-fifth of the money raised by CD sales will be donated to projects in the Middle East involving Union Aid Abroad, a humanitarian aid agency run by the Australian Council of Trade Unions.
Related Links
Stop the Wall office in Ramallah raided in the middle of the night by fascist Israeli military
Slamming the door to justice on Palestinians
The ICC prosecutor’s deeply troubling decision to let Israel off the hook sent Israeli authorities the signal that it was safe to close the file on the Samouni massacre. And if Israel saw no crime in that brazen case, then don’t expect Israel to hold itself accountable for any other killings.
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Given how determined the United States and its clients are to block all official channels for redress and justice for Palestinians, it is clear that Palestinians and those who support their rights must intensify their efforts by other means.
This would include mass mobilisation, the option of resistance through all legitimate means and building international solidarity especially through the campaign of boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) on Israel.
Right now the battle is being waged by more than 1,500 Palestinian political prisoners on hunger strike, subjected to a cruel system of prolonged detention without charge or trial, or conviction by Israeli military kangaroo courts, and to inhumane and illegal conditions of imprisonment.
The most urgent cases are of ten hunger strikers, who are gravely ill and close to death, and who are still being denied family visits and access to independent doctors and lawyers.
The Susan Rices and William Hagues of the world are not only silent about these crimes, but fully complicit in them.
Former prisoners and hunger strikers have said that even the smallest demonstration, the smallest acts of solidarity anywhere in the world – which those still in Israel’s jails might hear about on smuggled radios – make an enormous difference to their morale.
So we must not sit by in despair; it remains up to all of us to put as much pressure on Israel and its accomplices as citizens can.
Ex-United Church of Christ minister experiences life inside the Gaza gulag
In ruling against hunger strikers, Israel high court shows its fear of security services
New French president says boycott of Israeli goods “illegal,” but Paris court acquits more BDS activists
NGO Monitor hasbarises shamelessly in Jwire, using the never-adopted EUMC draft definition of antisemitism.
Miriam Margolyes speaks out for Palestinian prisoners and BDS against apartheid Israel.
When zionists attempt to Christianwash Israel’s oppression, remind them of their fascist regime’s treatment of the Halabi family.
Great article with comprehensive analysis of the significance of the current mass hunger strike by Palestinian prisoners against Israel’s totalitarian regime, one of the largest hunger strikes in history.
Nutanyahoo’s regime is in contempt of court
Israeli fascist appropriates a Bob Marley song to use for racist, genocidal propaganda
An important affirming document from PACBI “Respecting BDS Guidelines: Self Determination and International Solidarity”
“Consistency aside, we wish to offer the rationale for our position, as we maintain that we should be consulted in the process of planning events that involve Israeli institutions in whole or in part, especially when such events fall within gray areas of the BDS guidelines. The insistence of Palestinians to set and interpret the guidelines may lead to misunderstanding, but it is an important, yet sensitive, element of building a social movement in solidarity with Palestinians. This insistence is related to the importance of self-determination and empowering a disempowered, colonized community. It is the oppressed who can best decide what they need from others in the struggle for self-determination, and for others to then decide to what degree, if at all, they are capable and willing of heeding the call of the oppressed.”
Israeli occupation cost to Palestine economy amounts to $ 7bn a year
APAN calls on Government to terminate Bill Shorten’s trip to Israel
Zionists wet seats to ‘sterilise’ them of Arabs [Hebr]
Columbia prof Katherine Franke joins academic boycott of Israel and will not speak at the Equality Forum
?”Jewish and feminist democracy” ? – Israeli woman arrested for denying husband divorce
“Two states for two peoples” means genocide of Palestinians and denial of their human rights.
Apartheid Israel jazzwashes in NY City.
Growing BDS movement in Kuwait – could gain inspiration from BDS Maroc and Qatar recent successes
While the hasbaroid tabloids spin Palestinian apathy, here’s the resistance
Yousef Munayyer unwinds some of the hero myths syncretised into zionism to prop up its mythology that attempts to excuse the theft of Palestine.
Susan Abulhawa responds to Halper’s latest views exposed by Frank Barat recently, which gave me the impression that Halper was speaking on behalf of Palestinians and expressing his own annoyance that they would not come up with a strategy to appease his requirements.