Commemorating Al Nakba
• Join Actions in Defense of Palestine
• Worldwide Demonstrations Defend Palestine
• Popular Conference for Palestinians in the U.S.
Radio Free Palestine
Activists Disrupt Event for 60th Anniversary of Israel “Schlockettes” Oppose Zionism at Radio City Protesters Denounce U.S.-Israeli Apartheid Right of Return in Aida Refugee Camp Gaza Humanitarian Crisis Escalates The Palestinian Death Toll Keeps Rising Presidential Candidates Silent on al NakbaStatements by Presidential Candidates on Israel’s 60th Anniversary
End All U.S. Backing of Israel!
Join Actions in Defense of Palestine
Voice of Revolution calls on all to join in actions defending Palestine and to organize to end all U.S. backing of Israel. Support activities across the country, including participating in upcoming conventions in defense of Palestine and signing petitions demanding that Congress stop all military funding for Israel — including almost $3 billion this year and $30 billion over the next ten years. Be part of worldwide actions, including tens of thousands in Palestine, demanding the right of return for the more than 7 million Palestinians refugees and an end to U.S.-Israeli genocide. As speakers in Palestine put it, any peace agreement that does not include “the full implementation of the rights of the refugees is in no way a solution and no more than an insulting and deceptive way of conflict management.”
The Palestinians have strengthened their organized resistance despite every effort to exterminate them. The Gaza siege, a brutal U.S.-Israeli crime against humanity, continues. Killings of civilians, Israeli bombings and raids into Palestine, continued construction of the illegal Apartheid Wall, are also continuing crimes organized and paid for by the U.S. In the same way that the vast majority of Americans are standing to say no funding for war in Iraq, now is the time to insist on no funding for war and occupation against the Palestinians.
President George W. Bush traveled to Israel and openly celebrated the 60-year-long crimes made possible by U.S. support and protection from day one. He emphasized, “The alliance between our governments is unbreakable.” With complete disregard for Palestinians, Bush used the anniversary of al Nakba, the catastrophe of massive ethnic cleansing against the Palestinians, to salute Israel and some of Israel’s worst war criminals, like Ariel Sharon and David Ben-Gurion, Israel’s first prime minister. He applauded the “courageous choices Israel’s leaders have made,” repeated choices of war, occupation and genocide of the Palestinians.
Like the U.S., and because of U.S. backing, Israel acts against international law and world public opinion, refusing to end the occupation of Palestine and recognize the right of return. It is precisely the “unbreakable alliance” with the U.S. that permits these crimes, making the U.S. the greatest criminal. For peace to emerge, the U.S. must break its ties with Israel, end all funding of all kinds and submit to international law, recognizing the rights of Palestinians, including the right to return.
Instead, Bush termed the Palestinian resistance “terrorism” and broadly condemned any who oppose Israel. He again did so in the name of democracy:
“We believe that democracy is the only way to ensure human rights. So we consider it a source of shame that the United Nations routinely passes more human rights resolutions against the freest democracy in the Middle East [Israel] than any other nation in the world.
“We believe that religious liberty is fundamental to a civilized society. So we condemn anti-Semitism in all forms — whether by those who openly question Israel’s right to exist, or by others who quietly excuse them.
“We believe that free people should strive and sacrifice for peace. So we applaud the courageous choices Israeli’s leaders have made. We also believe that nations have a right to defend themselves and that no nation should ever be forced to negotiate with killers pledged to its destruction.”
In this manner, Bush applauds the lawlessness and crimes of Israel and the U.S. In the name of democracy, he refuses to recognize the right of Palestinians to elect their own government, and the necessity for Israel to negotiate with whomever the Palestinian people decide, not the U.S. In guaranteeing the “unbreakable alliance” with Israel, Bush guarantees continued U.S.-Israeli state terrorism against the peoples. It is Bush and the U.S. government that are the terrorists and utterly shameful in their racism and brutality against the peoples.
Let all reject U.S.-style democracy and U.S.-Israeli crimes against humanity.
Americans stand with the peoples worldwide in saluting the resistance in Palestine and demanding the right to return for all refugees now!
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Worldwide Demonstrations Defend Palestine
On the 60th Anniversary of Al-Nakba, worldwide demonstrations are taking place to demand an end to the U.S.-Israeli occupation of Palestine and the recognition of the right of return for the millions of displaced Palestinians. In London 15,000 demonstrated on May 10. In Canada, the main actions took place in Montreal, Toronto, and Vancouver (see cpcml.ca, May 12 for reports and photos). Actions in France, Jordan, Lebanon and many other countries also saw demonstrators united in demanding self-determination and the right of return for Palestinians.
In the U.S. numerous demonstrations, meetings, and other activities are taking place (see Calendar of Events, VOR update May 12, 2008.). New York City saw demonstrations on May 9 and again on May 16. San Francisco also had actions May 9 and a demonstration took place in Los Angeles May 18. More than 300 U.S.-based organizations delivered a letter to the House Appropriations Committee demanding that Congress end military funding to Apartheid Israel. The organizations included 25 national organizations and local organizations from 40 states and Washington, D.C. President George W. Bush’s budget for 2009 includes $2.55 billion in military funds for Israel, a 9 percent increase. Funding of $30 billion over ten years is expected, an increase of 25 percent. This funding makes the U.S. guilty of genocide, as Israel unleashes killings and bombings of civilians in Gaza.
Palestine itself saw some of the largest demonstrations since the start of the second Intifada in September 2000. More than 50,000 demonstrated in Ramallah on May 15, marching from Muqata to the central Manara Square. 21,915 black balloons were released, one for each day of the Nakba. Speakers emphasized that any “peace agreement” that does not include “the full implementation of the rights of the refugees is in no way a solution and no more than an insulting and deceptive way of conflict management.”
In Gaza, Hamas called for demonstrations near the border between northern Gaza and Israel on Thursday, May 15. “The Hamas movement calls on the Palestinian people to head for the crossing point of Erez on Thursday as a step to increase defiance of the blockade imposed by Israel on the Gaza strip,” a statement said. A spokesperson added, “The protest at Erez crossing will be a strong message to the Zionist enemy that we can never accept this suffocating blockade and slow death.” He added that Palestinians in Gaza “are determined to defy the blockade by all means, and their patience is running out.” The action took place at a customs house about a mile from the border crossing.
Three thousand more rallied in Nablus, on the West Bank. Protesters held keys, many of them real keys to their homes stolen by Israel. 1500 protested in Hebron, including many women. Alongside demands for the right of return were those denouncing the lack of food and rising prices stemming from the Israeli occupation and restrictions. All across Palestine people marched to Israeli checkpoints, demonstrating their defiance and determination to defend Palestinian rights.
Earlier in the month, the Palestinian National Authority’s (PNA) High National Committee for Commemorating the Nakba organized a one-hour strike on May 8 at 12:00 noon for Palestinians inside the Palestinian territories, including Gaza, West Bank and refugee camps in neighboring Arab countries. The committee, responsible for arranging ceremonies to mark the Nakba called on Palestinians to participate in activities “against the celebrations of the occupation’s state which was built on the ruins of our people, villages and cities,” including raising Palestinian and black flags on rooftops and sit-in protests across Palestinian lands. The statement also urged Palestinians to hold fast to the right of return.
The committee and the subsidiary committee of Al-Bireh and Ramallah held a ten day camp near the presidential compound in Ramallah that included the mass demonstration and other national activities, symposiums, cultural and art exhibitions and oral narration from refugees expelled from their homeland.
Omer A’saf, a member of the committee said that “over the coming 12 hours there will be live television broadcasts of protests from the cities of Ramallah, Beirut, Cairo and Paris in addition to other activities including a lecture on Palestine history and geography, a gallery, and documentaries and the distributing of pamphlets for the youth and children.”
Among other activities to commemorate the Nakba, the cultural center of the village of Beit A’nan and a number of the organizations of the civil community in the area north west of Jerusalem organized a rally on May 9. More than 500 children participated, each wearing a uniform carrying banners, keys and Palestinian flags under the slogan “So that we will not live the Nakba twice.” The demonstrators started at a local school in the nearby village of Beit Ijza and marched to the adjacent village of Bedu, where a festival was held commemorating the Nakba.
On May 8, in the northern Israeli village of Saffouri, near Nazareth, a demonstration of 5,000 people to mark the Nakba was organized. Participants assembled with defiant spirit, waving Palestinian flags, banners and signs depicting the names of their destroyed villages of origin. The march was well organized, with specific contingents of school children and youth. Israeli riot police attacked the marchers, firing tear gas and viciously beating the protesters, including an Arab member of Israel’s parliament and a BBC cameraman. Others were arrested. This incident clearly exposes the lie that Israel is a democratic state for all its citizens. It is another example of Israeli repression of the right to dissent and freedom of association of its Palestinian citizens.
The stand in Palestine, the U.S. and all the actions worldwide was firm: End the U.S.-Israeli Genocide! Defend the Right of Return! Free, Free, Palestine![TOP]
Popular Conference for Palestinians in the U.S.
Efforts to convene a popular conference for Palestinians in the United States on August 8, 2008, in Chicago, Illinois continue unabated. It has been little over a year since the call for a popular conference for the Palestinian people in the U.S. was circulated. Since then, the response has been enthusiastic and more meetings were convened. More ideas were exchanged. Students, youth, workers, housekeepers, artists, and teachers who are spearheading this endeavor recognize the imperative of holding a community-wide meeting of Palestinian Americans for the purpose of making our community’s contribution to the Palestinian struggle more effective and united.
The conference will be an arena for the larger sector of our community to assert its voice for a Free Palestine, and in support of persecuted Palestinians, whether they live in Gaza, Haifa, Nablus, Nazareth, Baghdad, Lebanon, Chicago, or Tampa. Equally important, the conference will prove wrong those who are urging the Palestinian people to forfeit their legitimate national and human rights due to an unfavorable balance of power.
Palestinians in the U.S. are doubly obligated to assume a central role in the struggle for a Free Palestine — they constitute one of the most affluent Palestinian communities in the shataat, and their country of residence, the United States, has been actively engaged in subverting and destroying the Palestinians’ rights, aspirations, and lives.
The Conference will serve as an open arena where individuals and organizations will come together to coordinate and refine strategies, link efforts, plan united actions, and inform one another and the community about their work on behalf of Palestine.
Therefore, we call on our fellow Palestinians and their supporters in the U.S. to join this much-needed effort to unite and maximize the effectiveness of our community. We take as our terms of reference the common aspirations of our people, whether in exile or under occupation — self determination, equality, implementation of the right of return, and ending the occupation and colonization of Palestine.
Get involved and participate in the efforts to organize the Popular Conference. For more information: contact palestineconferenceusa@yahoo.com[TOP]
18-hour International Broadcast Salutes Resistance
Radio Free Palestine
Join the International Middle East Media Center in Bethlehem (Palestine), in collaboration with KBOO 90.7 FM in Portland Oregon, CKUT 90.3 FM in Montreal, CHRY 105.5 FM and CKDU 88.1 FM in Halifax (Nova Scotia, Canada) for a historic international radio discussion on the Palestinian Nakba (catastrophe). Contributions include those from Pacifica Radio and Democracy Now! The broadcast begins at midnight, Thursday, May 15.
May 15, 2008 commemorates 60 years of the Palestinian Nakba. In 1948, eighty-five percent of Palestinians living in what is today the state of Israel became refugees. More than 500 Palestinian villages were depopulated and then destroyed to prevent the return of the displaced native population. 60 years later, there are upwards of 7 million Palestinian refugees dispersed throughout the world. Palestinians are the world’s oldest and largest refugee population, making up more than one-fourth of all refugees. Israel continues to occupy and colonize Palestinian land through the construction of Jewish only settlements, the Apartheid Wall in the West Bank, and the collective punishment of civilians in the Gaza Strip.
On Thursday, May 15 from 12:00am until 6:00pm (EST), “Radio Free Palestine” will broadcast on these and many other topics concerning the ongoing Nakba of the Palestinian people.
For links to listen online, a complete schedule and archive of the program visit: www.imemc.org[TOP]
Activists Disrupt Event for 60th Anniversary of Israel
In response to Israel’s 60th anniversary celebrations, dozens of activists demonstrated opposition to Israel’s 60-year-old policy of dispossession, highlighting the often-silenced struggle of Palestinian refugees. U.S. backing for Israel was also condemned. Twenty Jewish activists were arrested.
For more than two hours, activists disrupted San Francisco’s anniversary event, bunkering against the main atrium inside the Jewish Community Center (JCC). In conjunction, Jewish and Palestinian supporters held a rally outside the center to call attention to ongoing Israeli policy of apartheid against the Palestinian population. With banners reading, “Jews in Solidarity with 60+ years of Palestinian Resistance,” activists declared the anniversary, “No Time to Celebrate.” The Israeli Consulate and the Jewish Community and Relations Council (JCRC), who have attempted to silence any and all criticism of Israeli policy, were the sponsors of this event.
“The dire humanitarian crisis in Gaza is a brutal example of Israel’s long history of ethnic cleansing and collective punishment against Palestinians,” Sara Kershnar, one of the activists arrested. “We are here today to condemn the JCRC’s celebration of this history along with the unconditional economic and political support by the U.S. for Israeli policy.”
“As Jews of conscience, acting in solidarity with 60-plus years of Palestinian resistance, we are here today to promote an “Independence” that does not depend on an ethnically or religiously exclusive state or on the displacement of indigenous people,” said Eric Romann, International Jewish Solidarity Network (IJSN) organizer. “We want joint liberation, not isolation.”
The action in San Francisco, organized by the local IJSN, is part of “No Time to Celebrate,” a national Jewish campaign opposing Israel’s 60th Anniversary celebrations, while simultaneously amplifying the American Jewish community’s critique of Israeli policy.
The activists presented the JCRC with a statement, with the following demands:
• To stop the targeting of non-Jewish -organizations, particularly organizations serving communities of color in the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond, that criticize Israel and/or express solidarity with Palestine
• To stop claiming that anti-Zionism and criticism of Israel are anti-Semitic
• To acknowledge that they do not speak for the organized Jewish community — that Jewish voices that criticize Israel and Zionism are legitimate voices of dissent within Jewish communities
• To criticize Israeli Deputy Defense Minister, Matan Vilnai’s threat of a “shoah” [holocaust] against the people of Gaza and demand a public apology for the exploitation of the Nazi genocide against the Jewish people for the continued ethnic cleansing of Palestinians[TOP]
“Schlockettes” Oppose Zionism at Radio City
A group of anti-Zionist Jews calling themselves “Schlockettes” and their giant Handala puppet provoked stares, anger and intense conversations at Israel’s 60th Anniversary Celebration at Radio City Music Hall May 8 with a high-kicking musical protest. The group of fifteen sang, danced and performed a cheerleading routine in front of, and at times in the midst of, crowds of attendees waiting in line to enter the event. Across the street a Palestinian solidarity rally was also held. The actions were the beginning of two weeks of events throughout New York City that many activists have pledged to disrupt under the banner of “It’s No Time to Celebrate.”
“People forget that there was no -consensus among Jews that ethno-nationalism would save them in 1897, there was no consensus in 1948, and there sure as hell is not a consensus now,” said Louisa Solomon, one of the organizers.
“A shonda! A shame! No occupation in our name!” shouted the activists, dressed in matching black, as they led their banner reading “Jews Honor Palestinian Resistance” and an 8-foot tall puppet of Handala through the crowd. Handala is a cartoon character representing Palestinian refugee children created by cartoonist Najy al-Ali, and shonda is Yiddish for shame.
The New York protests mirror other events taking place across the nation. Hundreds of Jews and allies have signed an on-line pledge called “No Time to Celebrate” calling for peaceful demonstrations and alternative events demonstrating opposition to U.S.-backed Zionism and solidarity with Palestinian communities.
“Sixty years ago, Zionist militias destroyed more than 500 Palestinian villages and made more than 800,000 Palestinian people refugees in order to create a Jewish state in a land where the majority was not Jewish,” reads the online pledge, which has over 500 signatures. “This does not deserve to be celebrated.”
As part of their choreographed dance routine, the New York activists cheered: “We’re gonna shake off, shake off this racist occupation! All people deserve self-determination.”[TOP]
Rutgers University, New Jersey
Protesters Denounce U.S.-Israeli Apartheid
A group of protesters gathered on May 8 in front of the Rutgers University auditorium where Alan Dershowitz was scheduled to speak. He was invited to Rutgers to deliver the keynote for the 60th Anniversary of Israel celebration. The protesters, many of whom were involved in Rutgers Against the War Campus Antiwar Network held signs such as “Jews Against the Occupation,” “Settlements = Ethnic Cleansing,” and “End Israeli Apartheid.” Protesters also distributed literature.
The highlight of the night was when Dershowitz came out to speak to the protesters. He approached with the police watching and said “It is good you are bringing up the Nakba because I am going to mention it in my speech. The Nakba is self inflicted!” Dershowitz then refused to respond to incredulous replies. When asked about his statements supporting torture he offered, “I do not support torture. I believe the government should get a warrant first.” He then started to walk away. One of the protesters replied, “Should they get a permit before they bomb Palestinian villages?”
Though most of the event attendees were over the age of 60, they could not ignore the growing size of university-based protests against the Israeli occupation of Palestine, the role the U.S. plays in backing this occupation and the involvement of an increasing number of supportive American Jews.
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Right of Return in Aida Refugee Camp
Voice of Revolution is publishing below a public letter by Ayed Al Azzeh on the recent initiative in Aida Refugee Camp, Bethlehem, to build a gigantic structure in the shape of a keyhole along with a key. The key represents the Right of Return, symbolizing the keys to the homes and land stolen from Palestinians as well as the right of return being the key to opening the door to peace and progress. The campaign aims to raise awareness about the unsolved problem of Palestinian refugees. It also aims to make the international world more active in demanding that the Israeli occupation yield to the United Nation’s many resolutions, particularly UN Resolution 194, which grants Palestinian refugees their Right of Return to their homes and lands from which they were expelled.
***
Even the toughest of people could’t stop their eyes from dropping some tears on the scene of the mounting of the Right of Return Key. The largest key my eyes had ever seen. It’s the largest, I presume, anyone has ever seen. Munther Ameera, the sole creator of this “crazy” idea, said, “I consider myself hard-hearted, but today my eyes are as full of tears as everyone else’s. This key symbolizes our hope of return to our homes and lands that we have been unjustly forced out of. It is our hope in the future that the day of return is close and no one can deny us this right and hope. Even the elders of the crowd cried and said today we will die knowing our children and grandchildren are faithful to our legacy that we should and will return. The new generations are determined, even more now, of their right of return. This key is as big as our dream of return. It’s as big as our hopes and ambitions. It’s as big as our confidence in the actuality of justice.
“We are so confident that at the end, our new generations at one point will utter the famous ‘Justice has been Served.’ It will be worthwhile no matter the hardships and sacrifices we make along the way. Our Right of Return is not just an empty slogan that we like the sound of. It has been engraved in the minds and souls of our people. It will never cease nor vanish with time. Those on the other side who count on its disappearance in time will die tired, also in time before this will happen. This Key in Aida refugee camp is one nail in the coffin of the Apartheid Zionist Regime called ‘Israel.’ This key stands opposite of the Israeli military encampment called ‘Rachel’s Tomb.’ It will spread fear and confusion in the minds and hearts of Zionists who come daily to the area.
“I thought, as many others, that we had failed to be creative in our war against the Apartheid Regime; but today, Munther Ameera proved us wrong in his idea of building the largest key along with the largest gate of return at the entrance of Aida camp. All major and non-major news media were here in Aida camp to witness this creative symbol of Palestinian resistance. The whole world was at this Return Gate. It brought new light to the western world that “The Refugee Problem is the core of any solution to the Israeli-Palestinian Problem.” No solution will capture the so-called comprehensive and lasting peace without the just solving of the refugee problem. Any other solution will fall short of this so-called comprehensive lasting peace.
“We have contacted the people of the [Guinness Book of World Records] to enlist our Return Key as the largest key in the world. The key is made of steel, is about 30 feet long and weighs approximately 2 tons,” Ameera announced, adding, “It has been mounted on a wall in the shape of a key hole at the entrance of Aida Refugee camp. It will become, as we hope, a historic site in the Bethlehem area and an address for the refugees in Palestine along with their friends from all over the world who share their solidarity with them.”
Please share with me your thoughts on this, I will appreciate your correspondence.
Peace to all,
Ayed Al Azzeh
ayidalazzeh@yahoo.com
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Gaza Humanitarian Crisis Escalates
The number of victims killed by Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) has increased amid continued escalation of its attacks on, and incursions into, the Gaza Strip recently. According to Al Mezan Center’s monitoring and documentation, IOF stepped up their human rights violations and committed breaches of international humanitarian law (IHL) systematically in the Gaza Strip.
According to Al Mezan’s statistics, 69 Palestinians have been killed by IOF in the Gaza Strip since the start of April 2008. Of them, 20 were children and one was a woman. This brings the toll of Gazans killed by IOF since the beginning of 2008 to 316, including 62 children and 16 women. During the same period the IOF carried out 30 incursions into the Gaza Strip. During these incursions, 127 Palestinians were detained; 17 of them are still under detention. Furthermore, IOF razed 372 dunams (1000 square meters) of agricultural land, and destroyed 15 homes.
Both IOF’s aggression and blockade have caused paralysis to Gaza’s economy, as they increased the poverty and unemployment rates, and hindered production and distribution of agricultural goods. The restriction of fuel supply, including cooking gas, has also encroached severely on the lives of the population and their livelihood.
According to Al Mezan’s investigations, during April, the IOF allowed the entry of 1,692,286 gallons of industrial diesel to operate the power plant, with an average 56,409 gallons daily. This represents a decrease by over 50 percent when compared with the amount IOF allowed into Gaza before October 2007, when it imposed the restrictions on fuel. Also, IOF permitted 2,229 tons of cooking gas during the same month, with a daily average of 74.3 tons. This amount is less than 30 percent of the previous rates allowed into Gaza, which was over 250 tons per day.
The quantity of ordinary diesel for transportation and electricity generators that entered the strip that same month is 345,117 gallons, a daily average of 11,504 gallons; i.e. less than 10 percent of the pre-October 2007 rate. As for benzene, IOF allowed 35,666 gallons to enter during April. This is an average of 1,189 gallons per day, only 20 percent of the pervious rates.
Al Mezan renews its condemnation of IOF escalation of its aggression and collective punishment on the Gaza Strip. These acts have brought about serious violations of human rights and are considered as grave breaches of IHL and human rights norms. Al Mezan believes that the occurrence of these violations is, at least partly, a result of the continued international silence as such violations occurred over a long time.
Al Mezan therefore reiterates its calls upon the International community to take urgent action to provide effective protection for civilians in the Gaza Strip and halt the Israeli violations, some of which mount to the level of war crimes and crimes against humanity. It also calls on the international community to intervene to lift Israel’s blockade of Gaza, and bring an end to the illegal collective punishment of civilians.[TOP
Post-Annapolis The Palestinian Death Toll Keeps Rising
The Annapolis Conference was held on November 27, 2007 under the auspices of U.S. President George W. Bush and was aimed at restarting negotiations on a two-state solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. The conference ended with a joint statement issued by both parties.
Following are excerpts from the text of the joint declaration by Palestinians and Israelis pledging to pursue a peace deal by the end of 2008. It follows:
“We express our determination to bring an end to bloodshed, suffering and decades of conflict between our peoples; to usher in a new era of peace, based on freedom, security, justice, dignity, respect and mutual recognition; to propagate a culture of peace and non-violence; to confront terrorism and incitement, whether committed by Palestinians or Israelis.
“In furtherance of the goal of two states, Israel and Palestine, living side by side in peace and security, we agree to immediately launch good-faith bilateral [negotiations] in order to conclude a peace treaty resolving all outstanding issues, including all core issues without exception, as specified in previous agreements.
“We agree to engage in vigorous, ongoing and continuous negotiations and shall make every effort to conclude an agreement before the end of 2008.”
The following table gives an outline of the number of Palestinians killed by the Israeli Occupying Forces and Jewish settlers since the Annapolis Conference in November 2007. There are also approximate figures stated for how many of these deaths are of civilians (including women and children). Alarmingly, the number of civilian deaths continues to rise:
November 29-30, 2007: 20 Palestinian deaths, 5 civilians including 3 dead from denial of access to medical treatment
December 2007: 49 Palestinian deaths, 6 civilians
January 2008: 89 Palestinian deaths, 10 civilians
February 2008: 230Palestinian deaths, 95 civilians, including 1 from lack of medical care
March 2008: 24Palestinian deaths, 4 civilians
April 2008: 63 Palestinian deaths, 36 civilians
From November 29, 2007 until April 30, 2008, there have been a total of 479 Palestinian deaths (by the IOF and settlers combined), in comparison to 26 Israelis. Of this figure, an estimated 153 of them have been civilians [not part of armed Palestinian groups], although this figure is possibly higher as some reports did not specify the civilian quota.
Overall, the humanitarian situation on the ground has worsened. Since Annapolis, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has reported increases “in the number of structures demolished [in the West Bank], IDF search operations and curfews on Palestinian villages”.
In as early as January 2008, former Palestinian information minister and head of the Palestinian National Initiative, Dr. Mustafa Barghouthi, presented data showing that Israeli military killings of, and attacks against Palestinians have soared by 100 percent since Annapolis, confirming an intensification of Israeli military violence against the Palestinian people post- November 2007.
In order for any semblance of peace, improvements on the ground are most important in the Palestinian territories, as the Palestinian public is increasingly skeptical of the prospects of peace through negotiations because of the steady and ongoing deterioration in their quality of life. As is evident from the ongoing killings, humanitarian crises and continued settlement expansion, peace is still a far-off reality.
RESOURCES
• Palestinian Center for Human Rights http://www.pchrgaza.org • Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics http://www.pcbs.gov.ps/ • Palestine Red Crescent Society http://www.palestinercs.org/ • AFP News Wire • Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs www.mfa.gov. • Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) • Maan News Agency http://www.maannews.net
Reprinted from: www.miftah.org[TOP]
The Right of Return — A Basic Right Still Denied
• Palestinian refugees represent the longest suffering and largest refugee population in the world today.
• In 2005, there were approximately 7.2 million Palestinian refugees, equivalent to 74 percent of the entire Palestinian population which is estimated at 9.7 million worldwide.
• The breakdown of the refugee population is as follows:
Daily life in tents for 6,000 Palestinian residents of Nahr Al-Barid Refugee Camp in Tarablus, Lebanon, 1952. Today, the population of the camp is more than 40,000.
1. During the creation of the Zionist state in 1948, approximately three quarters of a million Palestinians were forced to become refugees. Together with their descendants, more than 4.3 million of these refugees are today registered with the United Nations while over 1.7 million are not. According to The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA), one-third of the registered refugees live in 59 U.N.-run camps in Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria, and in the West Bank and Gaza Strip sections of Palestine. The majority of the rest live in and around cities in the West Bank and Gaza Strip and of neighboring countries.
2. Approximately 32,000 Palestinians also became internally displaced in the areas occupied in 1948. Today, these refugees number approximately 355,000 persons. Despite the fact that they were issued Israeli citizenship, the Zionist state has also denied these refugees their right to return to their homes or villages.
3. When the West Bank and Gaza Strip were occupied in 1967, the U.N. reported that approximately 200,000 Palestinians fled their homes. These 1967 refugees and their descendants today number about 834,000 persons.
4. As a result of home demolitions, revocation of residency rights and construction of illegal settlements on stolen Palestinian owned-land, at least 57,000 Palestinians have become displaced in the occupied West Bank. This number includes 15,000 persons so far displaced by the construction of Israel’s Annexation/Apartheid Wall.
• The Right to Return has a solid legal basis:
1. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights Article 13 affirms: “Everyone has the right to leave any country, including his own, and return to his country.”
2. The International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination [Article 5 (d)(ii)], states: “State parties undertake to prohibit and to eliminate racial discrimination on all its forms and to guarantee the right of everyone, without distinction as to race, color, or national or ethnic origin, to equality before the law, notably in the enjoyment of ... the right to leave any country, including one’s own, and to return to one’s country.”
3. The International Convention on Civil and Political Rights [Article 12(4)], states: “No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of the right to enter his own country.”
Moreover, the Principle of Self-Determination guarantees, inter alia, the right of ownership and domicile in one’s own country. The UN adopted this principle in 1947. In 1969 and thereafter, it was explicitly applied to the Palestinian people, including “the legality of the Peoples’ struggle for Self-Determination and Liberation,” (GAOR 2535 (xxiv), 2628 (xxv), 2672 (xxv), 2792 (xxvi)). International law demands that neither occupation nor sovereignty diminish the rights of ownership. When the Ottomans surrendered in 1920, Palestinian ownership of the land was maintained. The land and property of the refugees remains their own and they are entitled to return to it.
• In 1948, the international community felt a deep sense of responsibility for the mass dispossession, ethnic cleansing and the Zionist transfer policy that began then. United Nations Mediator Count Folke Bernadotte, who was later assassinated by a Zionist terrorist hit squad, stated: “It would be an offence against the principles of elemental justice if these innocent victims of the conflict were denied the right to return to their homes, while Jewish immigrants flow into Palestine” (UN Doc Al 648, 1948). This remains true today as any Jew, regardless of national origin, can gain automatic citizenship while Palestinian Arabs are denied their right to return to their own homeland.
• Consistent with International Law, The United Nations General Assembly adopted Resolution 194 on December 11, 1948. Paragraph 11 states: “the [Palestinian] refugees wishing to return to their homes and live at peace with their neighbors should be permitted to do so at the earliest practicable date, and that compensation should be paid for the property of those choosing not to return and for loss of or damage to property which, under principles of international law or in equity, should be made good by the Governments or authorities responsible.”
• UN General Assembly Resolution 194 has been affirmed by the UN over 130 times since its introduction in 1948 with universal consensus except for Israel and the U.S. This resolution was further clarified by UN General Assembly Resolution 3236 which reaffirms in Subsection 2: “the inalienable right of Palestinians to return to their homes and property from which they have been displaced and uprooted, and calls for their return.”
• Israel’s admission to the UN was conditional on its acceptance of UN resolutions including 194. Denying the right of Palestinian refugees to return to their homes and lands is a war crime and an act of aggression which deserves action by the international community. The international community can apply sanctions on Israel until it complies with international law.
• The right of refugees to return is not only sacred and legal but also possible. Demographic studies show that 80 percent of Israelis live in 15 percent of the land and that the remaining 20 percent live on 85 percent of the land that belongs to the refugees. Further, of the 20 percent, 18 percent live in Palestinian cities while the remaining 2 percent live in kibbutzim and moshavs. By contrast, more than 6,000 refugees live per square kilometer in the Gaza Strip, while over the barbed wire their lands are practically empty. Ninety seven percent of the entire refugee population currently lives within 100 km of their homes. Fifty percent live within 40 km, while many live within sight of their homes.
• The inalienable rights of refugees are not negotiable. International law considers agreements between an occupier and the occupied to be null and void if they deprive civilians of recognized human rights including the rights to repatriation and restitution.
• The U.S. is bound by its laws not to fund regimes that violate human rights and basic freedoms. There is no more elemental right than one’s right to his/her home and to live in his/her land. The U.S. could use the leverage of the massive financial support it gives to the State of Israel to press for this right.
(Sources: Dr. Salman Abu Sitta; Palestine Land Society; Badil Resource Center for Refugee Rights; Shaml -- The Palestinian Diaspora and Refugee Center, United Nations Relief and Works Agency)[TOP]
Presidential Candidates Silent on al Nakba
The three presidential candidates, Senators Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and John McCain recently issued statements in support of Israel. They all echoed statements by Bush that the “alliance between our governments is unbreakable.” Like Bush, they also described Israel as a “vibrant democracy,” and characterized the situation as one where it is Israel that is “unsafe” and “threatened.” No statements were issued to commemorate al Nakba, the catastrophe for Palestinians, marked on May 15. There was no denunciation of the brutal crimes of Israel, from its founding to today, condemned repeatedly by world public opinion and the United Nations. On the contrary, Senator Obama, for example, went out of his way to applaud Zionist criminals like Theodore Herzl and David Ben-Gurion, calling them “visionary leaders.” Ben-Gurion specifically called for and organized the ethnic cleansing of Palestine, saying it was necessary to found Israel. Obama, like Bush, Clinton and McCain, also turned reality on its head concerning the source of terrorism, saying “the United States will always stand with Israel to ensure it can defend itself against threat of terrorism and violence, from as close as Gaza and as far as Tehran.” In this manner, all of them put forward that it is resistance to U.S.-Israeli aggression that is the problem, not the terrorism and crimes committed against the Palestinians.
Facts on the ground are rendered non-existent. Gaza is currently under siege, with Israel refusing to provide fuel, forcing the closure of the power plant, hospitals, and bringing even ambulances to a standstill. A siege against 1.5 million people is a crime in itself according to international law. Hundreds of Palestinians, many women and children, are being killed, using U.S.-supplied weapons, planes and drones. Millions of Palestinians have been blocked from returning, an illegal Apartheid Wall continues construction — yet it is the Palestinians who threaten Israel! It is like saying it is African Americans who threaten the U.S. government, when the problem is U.S. genocide against African Americans. Indeed, Bush commented on the “shared principles” both countries used in their founding. These are “principles” of genocide, annexation, and forcing people into reservations and open-air prisons. These are “principles” seen in the racist mass incarceration of African Americans today.
Hillary Clinton repeated the U.S. disinformation that Israel “faces serious challenges to its security and threats to its existence.” She too emphasized that she will continue to strengthen the “strong bonds of friendship,” with Israel.
Both candidates should explain why is there no friendship with the Palestinians? Why are they, as a people, singled out for occupation, oppression, and starvation and in actual fact, efforts to exterminate them? Israel, with one of the most powerful armies in the world and unending backing from the U.S. is not in any way threatened.
The real concern of Bush and the candidates is that the continued U.S.-Israeli crimes and the empire they support are threatened. The racist conception of a Jewish state on Palestinian land is threatened. The legitimacy of U.S.-style democracy in the U.S. and Israel as threatened, as use of force and state terrorism against the peoples is rejected and resistance defended.
Palestinians and Jews, in the U.S. and Palestine are standing up for the rights of the Palestinians and the necessity to work out arrangements for the peoples of the region to live together on the basis of the respect for the rights of all. This will give rise to the flourishing of Palestinians and Jews alike.
Senator John McCain equally spoke of the “deep and enduring relationship” between Israel and the U.S. He too presented Israel as the one being threatened, claiming that as those “threats continue, it is incumbent upon all free people to stand by Israel in her defense of our common values and ideals.”
McCain, like Obama, Clinton, and Bush, reflect the united stand of the U.S. ruling class to defend Israel as the representative of the U.S. in the region. Israel exemplifies U.S.-style democracy, with both states having a present and past of genocide, aggression, brutal exploitation, enslavement and racism.
U.S.-style democracy is also a democracy in crisis, as it cannot meet the needs of modern society to empower the people themselves. The U.S. is rabidly anti-Palestine as the Palestinian people have refused to bow down and defiantly organize for their rights, including their right to elect their own government. When the Palestinians elected Hamas, voting for resistance, the U.S. refused to honor the election. Together with Israel, they have been attempting to destroy Hamas and the Palestinian resistance ever since. They are failing and it is this failure that threatens their outdated democracy.
It is characteristic of U.S.-style democracy to claim it can select and install governments in other countries, through force of arms — and then proclaim these crimes the fulfillment of democracy! This is a democracy that has no place in the modern world. If any of the presidential candidates wish to actually stand for democracy and change, they must of necessity embrace the valiant struggle of the Palestinians for their rights, and the struggle of Americans for a democracy that empowers the people.[TOP]
Statements by Presidential Candidates on Israel’s 60th Anniversary
Joining President George W. Bush in celebrating Israeli Zionism and 60 years of crimes against the Palestinians, all three presidential candidates echoed Bush’s words, of “deep friendship” and U.S. readiness to “always stand by” Israel. Reference to Palestine was either absent, or again echoed Bush’s condemnation of Palestine and its resistance as “terrorism.” We reprint their statements below. No statements were issued concerning Al Nakba and the ongoing U.S.-Israeli crimes against the Palestinians.
Senator Barack Obama
This week marks the 60th anniversary of the fulfillment of a dream — the independence of the State of Israel. Throughout many centuries, Jews held fast to the hope of returning as free people to the land of their ancestors. Blessed with visionary leaders like Theodore Herzl and David Ben-Gurion, in the 20th century they began to take the practical steps necessary to build a modern state. Against all odds, and overcoming obstacles from international indifference, to hostile opposition in the region, to the murderous crimes of the Nazis, the leaders of the Zionist movement declared the establishment of the State of Israel in May 1948. In their moment of triumph, they were immediately plunged into a war for their new nation’s very survival. Because of the courage and commitment of its people, Israel did survive. While threats to its existence have endured, Israelis have built their nation into a strong, vibrant democracy, with a prosperous economy, a rich cultural life, and a deep friendship with the United States that benefits both our peoples in so many ways. Even in hard times, Israelis have so much to be proud of. As the Jewish State continues to grow and prosper, the United States will always stand with Israel to ensure it can defend itself against threat of terrorism and violence, from as close as Gaza and as far as Tehran. We must never waver in our unshakeable commitment help Israel achieve its goal of true security through lasting peace with its neighbors.
On this happy occasion, I send congratulations and warm wishes to President Peres, Prime Minister Olmert, and the Israeli people, and I join with Jews and friends of Israel everywhere in celebrating Israel’s 60th Independence Day.
Senator Hillary Clinton
I offer my heartfelt congratulations to the people of Israel on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the establishment as a state and homeland for the Jewish people, and I join all the friends of Israel who celebrate today with joy and pride.
Emerging after the tragedy of the Holocaust, the Jewish State was reborn after two thousand years, fulfilling the biblical prophecy of a return to Zion. Since then, in just three score years, Israel has welcomed Jewish exiles from Europe, the Arab world, Africa, and the former Soviet Union.
From my first trip to Israel in 1982 to my most recent visit in 2005, I have seen for myself Israel’s achievements — and its challenges. The people of Israel, proud and free and always triumphing in the face of adversity, have built a strong and vibrant democracy, a diverse and rich society, and an innovative and thriving economy.
Yet today, even as we celebrate all that Israel has achieved, we know that the Jewish state is still not safe. In every generation, Israel faces serious challenges to its security and threats to its existence. And just as the United States recognized Israel at birth, and has always stood by Israel when its survival and well-being were challenged, so too do the American people stand by Israel today, united by shared values and strong bonds of friendship.
As President of the United States, I will be proud to continue and strengthen these bonds, so that the State of Israel will continue to grow, from generation to generation, in security and peace.
Am Yisrael Chai! (Long live the people of Israel!)
Senator John McCain
I join all Americans in offering my heartiest congratulations to the Israeli people on the 60th anniversary of their state’s founding. When President Harry Truman recognized the new State of Israel 60 years ago, he formalized a deep and enduring relationship between two great peoples. In so doing, President Truman undoubtedly knew that the Jewish state would face great challenges in its early years, and he signaled American partnership in the face of these threats.
Yet those tests were not confined to the early years after Israel’s independence. Challenges to Israel have perhaps been the norm, rather than the exception, and its people have been tested in the crucible of conflict time and again. Those threats continue, and it is incumbent upon all free people to stand by Israel in her defense of our common values and ideals. Survival in the face of these enduring trials would be impressive; flourishing would seem out of the question. Yet Israel has thrived, and her people have built a nation that is an inspiration to all those who cherish freedom.
The close and enduring U.S.- Israel relationship has thrived as well, and I am proud to support the vital ties between our two countries. Our bond will be of great importance in order to continually fulfill that aspiration sounded so eloquently in the HaTikva: ‘to be a free nation.’ As Israelis celebrate 60 years of independence, let no one doubt that, while the challenges will continue, Israel will survive and it will flourish. There will always be an Israel, and there will always be a vital bond between our two peoples.[TOP]