Massive demonstrations have taken place all over the UK against the continuing massacre in Gaza. There appears for the last three decades, to be a massive gulf between the attitude of the population of the United Kingdom towards the continuing genocide of the Palestinians, and the attitude of the political class across all mainstream political parties.
The divorce of the political class from the people – commonly referred to in the media as the decline of trust, as though it were the people’s fault – has been a huge phenomenon of recent times. In the case of the vocal and unreserved support of the political class for Zionism, it really does seem to be as simple as the constant pumping of pro-Zionist money to the politicians. Actually, this makes it a useful marker for how the entire rotten system works.
And the same phenomenon is clearly visible with regard to Islam. The BBC in particular, broadcasts with glee, when it has identified anyone considered a “terrorist” especially if they appear to be a follower of the Muslim faith.
It continues to puzzle me that when our government, even without the will of the people, chooses to send its own citizens to a foreign country to kill brown skinned people, it is to be officially considered honourable & brave.
On the other hand, when the decision to do the same is taken by an individual, that individual is considered by the British state to be subversive, dangerous & a threat to national security.
I applaud neither scenario but the double standards reveals for all to see, the vested interests of the political, moneyed & aristocratic classes.
Thank you Craig. The image is chilling. Imagine the pain caused by just one of those flechettes embedded in flesh.
Jon Snow is in Israel. Is it just another journalistic mission? Does he care about the Palestinians’ plight? Probably yes. But then they move on. I am sure he will have no difficulty in staying ‘balanced’. They all do.
Snow arrives in Israel
http://blogs.channel4.com/snowblog/gaza-conflict-transit-war/24214
IMHO the local lack of political will is unfortunately a manifestation of the international lack of will on the subject. Where the permanent members of the security council hold the right of veto…its means that there are intense power struggles between those 5 countries, rather than making the right decision for the planet. Very sad.
As I said in another thread – non Zionists need to get involved in politics to counter their influence.
Over half of seats are safe seats. MPs are selected, not elected, by small cliques of party members. If the UKs 2.4 million Muslims for example got involved in that process… became members of parties… they could sweep away the 80% of Conservative MPs who are in Friends of Israel. And counter the scapegoating and demonisation we see against them with the schools etc.
The Green Party is against Israeli occupation and settlements.
2 points from peoples points
The state sending people to war is completely different to an individual choosing to fight in another country’s (civil) war (and I am not a fan of a state sending people to war)
I think you will find that labour has many more people that are friends of Israel than the tories (on a different it was a pleasure to see the war toting Hague go last week)
Those flechette shells are just high-tech nail bombs.
Those of us who are old enough will remember the utter
horror and opprobrium they attracted to the IRA when
they were used in the Hyde Park and Regents Park bombings.
Even the horses got sympathy, but when deployed against
Palestinians all our politicians can do is regurgitate
the line about Israel’s right to defend itself.
Couldn’t agree more.
To succeed in Westminster it seems one has to become first a friend of Israel ,then go on a Jolly Zion tour where the FOI becomes indoctrinated and “indebted” to their hosts.It’s as effective as AIPAC but slightly less visible.
They have all come out with this ” Israel has a right to defend herself ” as they flatten Gaza.Not one shred of evidence has been put forward to support their” theory” that the 3 young Israeli’s were kidnapped by Palestinians or Hamas to be more accurate.
More Israeli’s choke to death on olives than die at the hands of Palestinians.
The UN’s response is comical.You would think that no-one was being killed. The EU could put pressure on Israel with trade embargo’s but do the opposite.FIFA could halt Israel from playing in European and International competition until they stop bombing to death youngsters whose only crime was playing or watching football on a beach.
There have been quite a few Israeli deaths by now,but 90% of them are soldiers. With Israel 90% of them are civilians.The flechette’s are like flying nail bombs but much deadlier and as indiscriminate as the millions of cluster bombs that Israel left in their wake in Lebanon.
No doubt UKIP has already been wooed to bits by Tel Aviv and FOI.Just makes one feel more impotent than the day before.
A young soldier with a young family from a practising Sunni Islam community is sent to defend farming villages on the other side of Kirkuk. The Pershmerga are the thin blue line between the Israeli Caliphate and Kurdistan. All is clear, then suddenly ISIS armed with US rifles shoot from the top of Date palms.
The Pershmerga are the thin blue line between ISIS and breakfast. The wives and children, animals and savings of Kurdish or Syrian or Afghani or Pakistani villagers will feed the British-born wives accompanying ISIS. Just another day of looting and pillaging which has gone totally unnoticed for so many years at the hands of Taleban or hundreds of other groups of roaming Israeli mercenaries.
What is happening in Gaza is the IDF glorifying in its own theocratic fatwahs of hate and believing in its own macho-brutality. I cannot find a hair of difference between what Al Qaida and IDF are doing in the name of their religions.
Obviously US Senators like John McCain are aware of this carnage against honest worshippers of either religion because he is often photographed, a fat billionaire, with them. UK politicians, who previously created the troubles in Northern Ireland by their own hands, pretend to be unaware of the actual effect of their pro-Zionist policies on the ground in Syria or Libya.
I have no doubt that if they thought an air assault on Syria would have caused as much human distress as the ground assault by Al Qaida, they would have voted for it unanimously in Parliament.
The biggest incongruity I find is between the jovial freedom of multi-ethnicity and multi-faith UK urban and village society and the threadbare fatwas of hate being enacted in Muslim countries. The scholars whom I have asked in the mosque about what is going on in Syria, who campaign for New Labour at local elections, have stated that it is merely a political struggle and no concern of jihad for Islam.
But they let the cat out of the bag when they pray for the Taleban ( Hisbullah for them ) in Sham ( Syria ). Mulla gian/ More tea, Vicar? Oh you’re fasting, but while you’re fasting your fatwas are killing innocent Muslim soldiers, men women and children in the -stans.
All this political taking of sides. Who is right, West/Israel or Hamas/Palestinian polity? Both are wrong in my opinion. Condemning Israel’s invasion as genocide while ignoring the rocket-armed terrorism of Hamas, I don’t want to hear any of it. Everyone has a political agenda when approaching this issue. All this finger pointing tells more about the critics of Israel and/or Hamas than the truth of the Israel-Palestinian conflict itself.
OEM
Here is a clue. The ones killing hundreds of unarmed civilians, after decades of stealing their land because God told them it was OK, and herding them into camps, are not the good ones. Does that make it any easier for you?
Derailing attempts aside!
As Gilad Atzmon clarifies the extent of the issues at hand.
Further, it ought to be understood that the current political arrangements are designed to coerce and compel those potential nascent future political actors/aspirants must take on board that without their subscription to the imperatives of the political body’s they have joined, their future as political actors is none existent.
Following from there, regardless of the engagement with/in the political processes, the activists will find themselves as front line soldiers who are good enough to go on leaflet drives and on the knocker without ever achieving anything other than helping the selected few to legitimise their lien on the seats of power for the benefit of the wider audiences whom are duped into believing there exists a democratic process.
As Craig points out the degrees of disdain of the political classes is reflected in their apportioning blame on their constituents “apathy”, and not the total disconnect of the aspirations of their constituents and the brand of ideology peddled by these classes as well as the evident universal principles of genuflection to all things zionists, and principles thereof regardless of the depth of the feeling of the population, they are supposedly representing.
Finally taking a leaf out of the Reagan’s book; Mr Cameron why don’t you end your governments support for the barbaric, inhuman, racist, and fascist regime in Israel?
Actually, this makes it a useful marker for how the entire rotten system works.
You may not be old enough to remember when the USP of the British Empah was that it didn’t go in for corruption in high places, unlike the benighted foreign persons it was destined to rule. OK, that was a lie too, but we’re not even pretending now. So much easier not to live up to standards when you haven’t got any standards.
The unapproachably truthful Martin Rowson puts it more directly. I think Rowson will be remembered (like Gilray and Hogarth in their time) long after the posturing bellends who invited his derision are footnotes in unread histories:
http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2014/7/20/1405890645813/Martin-Rowson-21.07.14-014.jpg
Internalised imperatives in the Western societies
To further clarify the current lopsided antagonisms and intolerance extended to dissenters.
The Israeli government is in contravention of International law, natural law and in particular its own Mosaic law.
“Thou shalt not kill
O/T Can anyone please shed light on this?
http://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2014/07/air-disaster/comment-page-3/#comment-468396
Maybe I should have mentioned that the young Kurdish Sunni Pershmerga soldier was my mother-in-law’s cousin, buried last week. Orphaned himself, he leaves 3 young children without a father. This was my tribute to him.
Brilliant post Craig.
“Israel has the right to defend itself”. Do not the Palestinian children have the right to life and to play on the beach without the fear of being shot.
The good old EBC try their hardest to ignore the unpalatable reality and illegality of GAZA, is this their own view or is the great British establishment giving EBC the direction of travel and the script that is to be used.
The EBC is just the establishments mouthpiece and compliant propaganda machine be it GAZA or Scottish referendum.
Dear John [Goss].
Craig Murray has some stupid mods.
In all probability they are 20-somethings, deriving from the Indian subcontinent, naive and poorly paid, whome you would never engage with in a pub – [mainly because they would never set foot in such place].
The loss of the Malay airliner is a terrible misfortune for the relatives,the difference in the coverage and the voluminous propogander aimed at Russia without any substantial proof being provided.
Contrast this with the massacre ongoing in gaza and the complete compliant attitude of british ruling class with the Zionist shows that nothing has changed within the political system since the nineteenth century, the poor plebs of the working class have disenfranchised with there being no difference between any the major parties.It can be seen that what ever party that is government the are there to promote the interests of british capitalists and to vote is make yourself a party to grand fraud.
A couple of points:
We a ruled by a political class who have nothing but contempt for ordinary people and their views.
There is, in my mind, no moral difference between a lone terrorist and a government going to war. They both use the same techniques (violence, the threat of violence), have the same aim (the imposition of their political goals on others) and are both are evil and cause immense suffering (generally a government causes far more however).
States have no right to defense – individuals do, and can form collective organisations to defend themselves. States are not voluntary collectives, they are the imposition of a ruling class upon the majority (this is why pacifists, anti-war activists and anarchists are persecuted – they undermine the central principle of states and that terrifies politicians far more than opposing politicians).
I thought the comment of Guano at 1.28 pm was off topic but having read the article he links it makes a plausible point that the passenger plane was shot down at the same time as Israel mounted its recent despicable offensive against the Gazan civilian population. It makes the further point that two Malaysian passenger planes have recently been downed (apparently) and that Malaysia has been very vocal in accusing Israel of war crimes. With all the false flags in the world today it is not inconceivable that the two events did not occur by chance.
It can be seen that what ever party that is government the are there to promote the interests of british capitalists and to vote is make yourself a party to grand fraud. (Seydlitz)
Illustrated here for light relief…
http://procartoonists.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/bell_logos.jpg
Dear friends,
The British Council/Choir of London Bursary Scheme gives young Palestinian musicians the chance to visit the UK for a short period of study, based around a residential music course with their British counterparts, followed by a residency in London playing and studying with professional musicians and teachers from London’s top orchestras and music colleges.
This year’s Bursary winners Sari Tarazi (trumpet, 14, from Jerusalem), Rashed Zarour (viola, 16, from Jenin), Ibrahim Masri (violin, 14, from Nablus) and Lamar Elias (violin, 14, from Bethlehem) arrived in the UK last week and are currently attending Pro Corda Chamber Orchestra course in Suffolk before coming to London for a five-day residency at the Royal Academy of Music. During the residency the students will take daily individual classes as well as participating in chamber music rehearsals, songwriting workshops, and masterclasses covering baroque performance, improvisation, and conducting.
Sadly, at the time of writing, it looks increasingly unlikely that this year’s fifth Bursary student, 14-year-old pianist Sara Aqel, will be able to travel from Gaza in order to attend the London residency. We look forward to welcoming her to the UK in the future.
Sari, Rashed, Ibrahim and Lamar warmly invite you to a Showcase Concert and drinks reception at the Mosaic Rooms, Earls Court on 29th July at 7.30pm. Featuring chamber music performances, solos from each of the students, traditional Arabic and British folk music and collaborations with professional musicians, the concert marks the end of their two weeks in the UK and celebrates the connections made and experiences that will be carried with them back to Palestine.
Joining the students will be the Choir of London, fresh from their 2013 tours to Palestine (leading the Palestine Choral Festival) and Australia (performing Bach’s Christmas Oratorio with the Australian Chamber Orchestra), conducted by Jeremy Summerly. The concert will also feature guest musicians who have worked with the students throughout their residency, including John Reid (piano), Heidi Bennett (trumpet), Charis Jenson (violin), Sophie Rivlin (cello) and singer/songwriter Sam Swallow.
Free tickets are available by emailing [email protected] – seating in this intimate and friendly venue is limited so reserve your ticket early to avoid disappointment. For information about the concert you can visit the page on our website, and for more information about the Bursary Scheme and the Choir of London's plans for the future, please email us at [email protected].
We do hope to see you there! Please do pass this email on to anyone who you think may be interested in hearing about the Bursary Scheme.
John Harte & Michael Stevens
The Choir of London
http://us5.campaign-archive1.com/?u=811bba409be9a67b5d5b7a95b&id=43b443fe56&e=aea0ae67c4
~~~
Do go if you can. Sadly, I cannot go this year but I heard them play last year. It was a wonderful concert at Kings Place. They are very talented children, especially so in view of the lives they are living under occupation.
Watching Turkish TV today, the reports are live from the shelled hospital in Gaza;
Watching Greek Cypriot TV the financial pressures are still top of the agenda;
Watching Russian TV the live presentation from their Pentagon have Ten Questions for the Yanks,
Meanwhile on the BBC, Claire Boulding is wandering somewhere picturesque…
Personally I’ve no idea which story is designed to eclipse which other story, just have to say that those Russkies in their press conference looked madder than a bear in a hornets nest!
Does anyone in the Beeb not think it’s absolutely time to start pushing ‘Protect & Survive’ again?
Channel 4 has joined me in noticing the eerie silence emanating from Quartet’s Middle East Envoy, Tony Blair, for the last six days or so, as Israel’s enhancement of the horror in Gaza continues.
http://www.channel4.com/news/tony-blair-middle-east-speech-london-gaza-live-video
This may be relevant: after his Progress speech today, Blair said that he would not be heading to North Britain to give his support to the No campaign, despite favouring a continuation of the Union. It could be that he has at last realised that he is a toxic brand, and that supporting the No’s would more or less guarantee a Yes vote. And it could be that he knows his fantasy of being an honest broker in the ME has at last run onto the rocks of countervailing fact. I hope.
> rotten system
Do you know who was immune to pro-Zionist money? They are nearly all
gone now; and they and their few successors are objects of contempt
and derision among right-minded people. They are indeed among the few
categories of persons upon whom it is not only safe but laudable to
heap obloquy: old, white, wealthy aristocratic men.
When that 1% or so of the population ran our affairs, campaign
fund-raising and focus groups were not among their concerns.
Principles counted for much – see the Trent Affair[1], something whose
modern counterpart would be inconceivable.
Now we have Democracy. Our rulers are professional politicians who go
wherever the wind blows, provided it is not quite too far for an
apathetic, ignorant and disengaged electorate. Since any adult can
vote, a vote is virtually worthless and the voters cast them (or not)
accordingly.
This is why we have a rotten system and why nothing will stop it.
1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trent_affair
What a contrast there is in the West’s reaction to unfolding events in Ukraine versus how it responds to Gaza and the Palestinian crisis.
Antony Goddard
21 Jul, 2014 – 10:51 am
“The Green Party is against Israeli occupation and settlements.”
All the parties are “officially” against this because the occupation and settlements are illegal under international law but…………………………………………….
Ukraine and Gaza Statement
Nothing in the way of help for the Palestinians’ plight coming from Cameron. It’s really all their fault sending the rockets and refusing to join in nice Mr Netanyahu’s ceasefire/truce. Sorry for the deaths and woundings. Weasel words from Ms Harman followed as Ed is in Washington. Two state solution, blah blah…..
The pocket pols are men and women of straw with some exceptions.