The global Intifada events are accelerating. Tunisia is asking Saudi Arabia to extradite ex-President Bin Ali to stand trial for serious crimes including consipracy to murder and theft of public money. The Egyptian people continue to push for more changes and for real democracy even as there is now moves to freeze billions of stolen assets. Neither of the two countries developed in the direction of civil war or have evolved into a theocracy as their ex-dictators and Zionist leaders have claimed would happen. The Bahraini ruling family of thugs which normalized with Israel are now claiming their detractors are funded from Iran. The lunatic Libyan leader's son came on Libyan TV in a rambling speech threatening the Libyan people with even more massacres as his airplanes bombed protesters and his goons cut off all land and wireless commnications (Qaddafi ruled with an iron fist for 40 years). But the people of Libya have already liberated many areas including most of the city of Benghazi and they are now in heated battles in the capital Tripoli. Already many units in the army defected and two jets landed in Malta after tehir pilots refused to obey orders of bombing civilians. In Yemen, the 30 year dictator Saleh (a close ally of the US) is under siege. All these brutal dictators blamed everyone and everything from their supposedly ignorant public to "foreign" TV stations. The great sacrifices of the Egyptian, Tunisian, Bahraini, Libyan and other Arab people inspire and humble many of us. We go out and demonstrate in the streets where we live (and everyone should do that). But we must do much more if we are to live with our conscience. Each of us can do far more than what we are doing. Writing to media, writing to politicians, civil disobedience in our cities, and 101 ways that we can show that we are one people called humanity and that this global uprising must be supported and must lead to giving us, the people, collectively the power over ouer own lives. Human rights and democracy are basic demands.
More repercussions came of the US veto at the UN against the wishes of the rest of their world (a veto of its own language also!). The US and Israel are increasingly isolated and are left as spectators as geopolitics is reworked. By this veto, the US administration now solidified its reputation for hypocrisy in the Arab world and more people will rise against the dictators beholden to US-Israeli policies. With Egypt and Tunias down, there are 20 to go. We pointed out 20 years aho this hypocricy was evident when the US formed a coalition to attack Iraq and liberate Kuwait but continued to pump billions of dollars annualy to Israel which occupied other people's lands for decades and refused to comply with International law (e.g. on the return of Palestinian refugees). But now the whole world sees it. The unbalanced Oslo accords are dead and more and more Palestinians are vocally demanding a reconstitution of the Palestinian National Council (PNC) to represent all 11 million Palestinians and to start preparation for massive movements by the millions to end our repressive colonial apartheid regime.
Actions in Palestine
-Thursday 24/2/2011 at noon: Palestinian NGO network (PNGO) representing over 80 NGOs in Palestine calls you for a demonstration in Al-Manara Square in Ramallah
-Friday 25/2/2011: A non-violent demonstration in front of the closed Shuhada Street. Gather in front of the Hebron Municipality building in Ein Sarah at 12 pm that same day OR AFTER Friday Praying from Ali Baka mosque in haret al shaikh. For more information please call: 0599240994 Or email : info@youthagainstsettlements.org. see also http://openshuhadastreet.org/?p=1011
-Friday 4 March 2011 after prayers: Demonstration and March in Al-Walaja village
Action to be done from anywhere: My friend Dr. Haidar Eid is stuck outside of Gaza and thousands like him are stuck on both sides of the crossing. Call on Egypt to open Rafah's crossing by writing the nearest Egyptian embassy or consulate. The new administration should not be complicit in this crime against humanity of a siege on 1.5 million people to please the apartheid state. For listing of Egyptian embassies and consulates, see http://www.embassyworld.com/Embassy_Of_Egypt/
Ethnic cleansing in practice: Must see Video about the destruction of the Palestinain village of Al-Arakib http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3crZgJ5U0AA
Egypt's revolution and Israel: "Bad for the Jews", Ilan Pappe,
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article11803.shtml
After being passed over for promotion, the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations’ only Palestinian professor is leaving Yale. Hala Nassar, assistant professor of modern Arabic culture and literature, was not promoted to associate professor this year. According to Yale’s promotion policies, Nassar — the department’s only professor of Palestinian descent and only expert on modern Palestinian culture and thought must leave at the end of this spring.
Story at: http://tinyurl.com/6fdscnn
http://www.yaledailynews.com/news/2011/feb/14/nelc-loses-last-palestinian-prof
(Hala is a good friend and tried her best to stay away from taking any politically controversial positions. It was merely that she is Palestinian. I myself was at Yale for five years and my contract was not renewed after some pressure from Zionist groups. I and Hala regret nothing.)
PA elections announced, but democracy a long way off ; Jillian Kestler-D'Amours, The Electronic Intifada
"There are Palestinian laws about freedom of assembly and demonstrations and so forth and [the PA is] not obeying it. I think the indications are very negative for our own democracy. Eventually people here are going to rise up," Qumsiyeh said. "My advice to all leaders, Palestinians, Egyptians, Israelis ... they better start looking for what the people want," he added. "The people want democracy. They want freedom. This is the big picture. There's a global uprising that's happening and empowerment of people. If the leaders want to keep going with the status quo, it won't succeed."
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article11808.shtml
"There are Palestinian laws about freedom of assembly and demonstrations and so forth and [the PA is] not obeying it. I think the indications are very negative for our own democracy. Eventually people here are going to rise up," Qumsiyeh said. "My advice to all leaders, Palestinians, Egyptians, Israelis ... they better start looking for what the people want," he added. "The people want democracy. They want freedom. This is the big picture. There's a global uprising that's happening and empowerment of people. If the leaders want to keep going with the status quo, it won't succeed."
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article11808.shtml
Ethnic cleansing in practice: Must see Video about the destruction of the Palestinain village of Al-Arakib http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3crZgJ5U0AA
Egypt's revolution and Israel: "Bad for the Jews", Ilan Pappe,
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article11803.shtml
After being passed over for promotion, the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations’ only Palestinian professor is leaving Yale. Hala Nassar, assistant professor of modern Arabic culture and literature, was not promoted to associate professor this year. According to Yale’s promotion policies, Nassar — the department’s only professor of Palestinian descent and only expert on modern Palestinian culture and thought must leave at the end of this spring.
Story at: http://tinyurl.com/6fdscnn
http://www.yaledailynews.com/news/2011/feb/14/nelc-loses-last-palestinian-prof
(Hala is a good friend and tried her best to stay away from taking any politically controversial positions. It was merely that she is Palestinian. I myself was at Yale for five years and my contract was not renewed after some pressure from Zionist groups. I and Hala regret nothing.)
I've enjoyed receiving your e-mails since this Summer, and am looking forward to having some interactivity here on the blogosphere.
ReplyDeleteI've been working with Philly BDS on the boycott of Sabra and Tribe. Thank you for your inspiration (I met you at Bethlehem Biblical College during the Summer, when I was with the Holy Land Trust). I still carry your guiding words of clarity on the Israeli Apartheid with me.
In solidarity,
Matt Graber
Mazin, so happy you are undertaking this new way of spreading your valuable work! Always have enjoyed everything I have ever read by you, thousands of things!
ReplyDelete