On the war:
“…Israel must lose. It is not enough to call for another ceasefire, or more humanitarian assistance. It is not enough to urge the renewal of dialogue and to acknowledge the concerns and suffering of both sides. If we believe in the principle of democratic self-determination, if we affirm the right to resist military aggression and colonial occupation, then we are obliged to take sides… against Israel, and with the people of Gaza and the West Bank.
We must do what we can to stop Israel from winning its war. Israel must accept that its security depends on justice and peaceful coexistence with its neighbours, and not upon the criminal use of force.
We believe Israel should immediately and unconditionally end its assault on Gaza, end the occupation of the West Bank, and abandon all claims to possess or control territory beyond its 1967 borders. We call on the British government and the British people to take all feasible steps to oblige Israel to comply with these demands, starting with a programme of boycott, divestment and sanctions.”
On the humanitarian consequences:
“…casualty data are indicative of a military campaign being waged in an indiscriminate, disproportionate, and therefore under International Humanitarian Law, illegal fashion. Failure of the international community to ensure legal culpability would provide military forces around the world with a clear message that the Geneva Conventions can be discarded with impunity, as in Gaza today. If this happens, children and women will continue to pay heavily in future conflicts.”
University College London, CIHD
Update 22.01.09: British students are also taking action in at least eight Universities, adopting various protest tactics.
Protests over Gaza spread to eight English universities
Students stage university protest
Cambridge University joins the protests
17+ Universities have now taken action
The Cambridge University Gaza solidarity blog can be read at: http://cambridgegazasolidarity.blogspot.com/
Update 29.01.09:
http://queenmaryoccupation.blogspot.com/
http://shuoccupation.blogspot.com/
Update 03.02.09:
Nottingham University has forcibly evicted students engaged in a sit-in. Security guards manhandled and apparently assaulted students last night to force an end to the protest. A video is available here
More details at: http://occupationnottingham.wordpress.com/
A blog with news on all the different university protests can be read at: http://occupations.org.uk/
Ode to Eddie
Who are you, Eddie? Who are you…???
A pleasant spectacle, you eddying
Onto this website
Enjoy yourself, Eddie, enjoy yourself
With refutations of truth
And spanners in the works of conscience
Be triumphant, always! Triumphant!
Stiffen your resolve, solidify your mind
Never flinch from what must be done
To the inferior races
Israel, Israel, uber alles…
Friends, Londoners, persons of the land
and the spirit
Watch out for the eddies
Of blood lest they dull your vision
And plant your fingers to the notes
Of futility and despair
Steer your prow through the rapids
And let the eddies wash and flow into
Nothing
Who are you, Eddie, who, who, who, who?
Who are you, who, who, who, who?
Cause I really wanna know
Tell me…
Who are you, Eddie, who, who, who, who?
Craig;
I wish to have your comment on this please.
I've listened to Muhammad Hasanin Haykal, highly respected Egyptian journalist. analyzing the war on Gaza, he mentioned many things that baggers belief.
One thing for sure, if Haykal said something, he must have strong evidence on it.
He said, the congregation of European leaders visiting Israel two days before the end of war, was suggested campaigned for, and organized by Tony Blair.
He aimed at giving Israeli officials immunity and personal support before the anticipated war crime investigations begin.
The other disturbing point is the scale of damage, Israelis deliberately brought as much destruction as possible, not only houses and infrastructure, but Universities, all official and government buildings, factories, schools, industrial areas.. people has been left with nothing.. this is to create new urgent need for palestinians more important than occupation, Rebuilding.
Blair talked so many times about economical aids and the need to build palestinian economy as a foundation for peace, Natanyahu mattered alot about the same… now you have it…. everything is destroyed, and the need to rebuild is imperative. EU countries will step in to rebuild Gaza.. and enforce their own agenda .. they will form the society they want… away from resistance… and turn palestinians into beggars and slaves for EU money.
Why is morrisons still selling israel tomato's
"Although completely unreported by the U.S. media and government, the answer to the Iraq enigma is simple yet shocking ?" it is in large part an oil currency war. One of the core reasons for this upcoming war is this administration's goal of preventing further Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) momentum towards the euro as an oil transaction currency standard"…
http://tinyurl.com/4jecr
"The Petro Dollar,Iraq,Oil and Bush"
"Hussein was selling Iraq's oil in EUROS,the U.S. invaded to take control of the oil to sell in U.S. Dollars"…
http://tinyurl.com/2fgsc8
"Oil leaders' private debate televised by mistake"
"'Kill the cable, kill the cable,' shouted the security guard as he burst through the double doors into the media room at the Intercontinental Hotel in Riyadh, followed by Saudi police. It was too late"…
http://tinyurl.com/3btz8x
"Lidl and Aldi donating revenue to Israel for Gaza campaign?"
"inminds.co.uk"
12 January 2009
"Chain emails and SMS's have been circulating calling for a boycott of Lidl and Aldi supermarkets claiming that:"
"Lidl and Aldi supermarkets declared publicly on TV from their HQ's in Germany that they will donate all their takings/ revenue to Israel during this war on Gaza."…
http://tinyurl.com/aktmep
@ Writerman
My point is this:
There are several precendents of the Just War. However, for a war to be Just it must be declared as a war by the aggressor and it is thus incumbent upont the agressor to provide his reasons for so doing.
Israel has taken action which is clearly warlike, it has provided what it regards as a justification, but it has not declared a war on Hamas – nor has it identified 'who' Hamas actually is. If Israel had declared a war on a sovereign state that might be a different matter.
This is almost as preposterous as Bush declaring a War on Terror – without identifying what that means – and using that declaration to justify any and all of his actions against anyone he chose. Thus the 'enemy' could be quite literally anyone at any time – depending on his view (or possibly depending even on what he may have had for breakfast).
Chuck,
We need to revive and strenghten the 'Just War' concept, complex, which has been severely undermined. How long is it since the United States or anyone else declared war on anyone? It must be decades.
These days declaring war is almost seen as an agressive act in itself, and as all our wars, are, by defintion 'defensive' in nature, this wouldn't do. I suppose this is why the ministry of war became the defence ministry, and the Israeli Army suddenly changed into the Israeli Defence Force. Western nations cannot be agressors in any way shape or form. This is convenient.
Democracies, (and this isn't meant to be a criticism of Israel specifically), do not go to war with one another, is another bold statement. Couldn't one argue that as Hamas won the last Palestinian election, and the election was praised by neutral, international observers as the fairest, most open and democratic ever, in any Arab country; couldn't one argue that Israel, a democracy, attacked another, fledgling democracy, the first and best in the entire Middle East?
I wonder if this is a good 'signal' to send to the rest of the Middle East? That we support democracy, but in a modified form, where elections are encouraged and 'free', but the 'price' for chosing the 'wrong' party can be severve.
Of course one can argue that Hamas is a fascist, Islamist, anti-democratic movement dedicated to destroying democracy. Yet did with give them a chance to prove their democratic credentials? We refused to recognise their election victory and passively supported Israel's illegal seige of Gaza. Then we, and this is tendentious, gave Fatah the green light to launch a coup attempt against Hamas which failed disasterously in Gaza but was successful in the West Bank.
Perhaps one of the reasons for attacking Gaza was an attempt to destroy Hamas before it established itself and was de facto recognised by the international community? If Hamas really is a Iranian proxy, then obviously this would support this contention.
Oh God! Thanks, George – Lidl and Aldi, too, eh?! Where exactly is one meant to shop for basics in the midst of this deepening recession? It's so deeply enmeshed in everday life, much more so than South Africa ever was – except in relation to gold and diamonds, of course, but those are macroeconomic things and discrete substances easily avoided. Still, one must keep in mind that the inconveniences and difficulties some of us are encountering are as nothing to those of the Palestinians. So you're quite right, George, thanks for pointing out the Lidl-Aldi thing. Forgive my momentary exasperation.
Suhayl Saadi
You have to read all the link…
"The public revulsion at the slaughter in Gaza is such that fearing a mass consumer boycott both companies have reacted quickly and issued statements that they do not fund Israel, that the rumours are not true."
"Aldi's press release states:"
"Following the communication of unfounded rumours, Aldi confirms that it does not provide Israel with any source of financial funding or support the Israel ?" Gaza conflict. Aldi has never declared that it will donate store revenue to Israel during the conflict and any such claims are completely untrue. One of Aldi's core principles is to remain independent of any political views and situations."
It then goes on to say…
"It should be pointed out that whilst Lidl and Aldi may not be sending their revenue to Israel, along with other supermarkets like Tesco, Sainsbury's, Morrisons, Marks & Spencer, and Waitrose they stock fruit and vegetables stolen from the Palestinian occupied territories and exported under the Israeli label Carmel Agrexco. For example both stock israeli sweet potatoes:"…
http://tinyurl.com/aktmep