More than 15,000 Jewish settlers were added in one year to bring
the total colonial settlers living in
the West Bank to 650,000. Does any one still think a two-state solution is possible? In parallel, settler violence increased many
folds in the past few years (see When settlers attack: A sobering
study of the skyrocketing Jewish colonial settler attacks on native
Palestinians http://www.thejerusalemfund.org/ht/a/GetDocumentAction/i/32678 ).
Israel is enjoying unprecedented Western government support. The US Republican
Presidential candidate Mitt Romney is making his pilgrimage here to pay homage
to those who will help elect him. This has become a ritual among US
presidential candidates hoping to live in the White House in Israeli-occupied
Washington. Not to be out-staged, President Obama signed an enhanced
"security" arrangement with Apartheid Israel the day before Romney
lands here. More tax money is thus diverted to Israel and Israel promoted
wars while the USeconomy keeps suffering. Romney will also meet with
Salam Fayyad who seems content to keep repeating that we want a state in 1967
borders (and not mentioning the refugees which is THE central issue) but in his
interview with the independent seemed resigned that Palestine is now
marginalized. European and other Western governments hold meetings about
Syria and abuses of human rights there (while supporting such abuses both in
Syria and elsewhere). No one demanded such meetings about Israel and its abuses
(see the recent article by Saul Landau http://www.counterpunch.org/2012/07/20/does-it-matter-what-israelis-do/)
or Bahrain or Saudi Arabia or Rohingya or Libya post Qaddafi or others.
Even when these governments know that there are abuses they
continue business as usual. For example the British government reported
widespread abuse of Palestinian Children (http://worldpressnetwork.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=18513)
but business is business and British officials continue to cooperate
economically and in other ways with apartheid. The European Union
leadership considers Jewish colonial settlements to be violations of
International law and yet give Israel a most favored nation status and
regularly trade! Everyone likes to pretend there are no problems and the status
quo can continue. The monarchies of Arabia (or the gang of
kleptocracies) seem content in their dictatorships untouched by the Arab spring
and seem happy that they are now using it to their advantage; witness “Saudi”
Arabia’s junta dibbing their hands into Syria and claiming they want to promote
“democracy.” They seem satisfied. The Kings of Jordan and Morocco give
some power to governments that they hope will absorb public discontent. The
USA supports all these ruling families. Everyone pretends that the
people’s discontent can be absorbed for a long time or manipulated to serve
Western and Israeli interests. Even Hamas and Fatah leadership
(though not many of their members) pretend that continuing down the path of the
last few years will be OK and are not willing to “rock the boat”. Many
are bidding time and hoping for some outside miracle. Maybe Obama
will be better in his second term. Maybe the Arab Spring will work
in our favor. Maybe this or that will happen. Meanwhile, the rich
get richer and the poor get poorer and our mother earth is devastated.
As in all human history, the only positive changes come from
citizens finally realizing that they hold power in their hands. Once people
realize that tyranny only lasts as long as apathy dominates, that is when
revolutionary change happens. We the people, not governments, made history in
the past and will make history in the future. Many ask what common
people like us can do about certain issues like the pivotal problem of
Palestine. Here are 64 suggestions for this issue (one for every
year of the ongoing Nakba) but many can be equally applicable to environmental
issues or to human rights violations in Bahrain or Saudi Arabia: http://qumsiyeh.org/whatyoucando/
Palestinian Investments Require Divestment, Sam Bahour
July 27,12
Over the years, not only has Israel prohibited the
emergence of a new Palestinian economy -- it structurally and systematically
has made certain that even the buds of such a productive economy would never
see the light of day…. Palestinian civil society and
Palestinians -- Christians and Muslims alike -- have urged everyone interested
in seeing peace with justice to divest from the occupation. http://bit.ly/Investments-Require-Divestment
Israel coined the term "Nakba" and is still
implementing it by Ilan Pappe http://electronicintifada.net/content/israel-coined-term-nakba-and-still-implementing-it/11518).
(Action) Thirsting for Justice: Join the Campaign for
Palestinian Water Rights
With Sudden Greenland Ice Melt, Reiterating Declaration of
Planetary Ecological Emergency by Dr. Glen Barry
NASA reported that Satellites see Unprecedented Greenland
Ice Sheet Melt
Stay human
Mazin Qumsiyeh, PhD
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