Peacepalestine UPDATE and summary

["mary" <humdrum2 at libero.it>]

Peacepalestine has been pleased that most of its posts have been reprinted on Uruknet, The People’s Voice, Information Clearing House, Al Jazeera info, Amin, Tlaxcala and so many other wonderful sites. A heartfelt thanks for the support and generosity! Here are some of the latest posts up on peacepalestine

· This is the reader-participant post – Interact! Help create our very own Conflict Terminology Source Guide. Add useful links to Peacepalestine.

· Palestinians need support, not division (epilogue to a smeary-gatekeeping campaign) - Sometimes, we Internet warriors tend to forget that there are people in flesh and blood living in the Middle East who are in the real struggle. Despite immense pressure, despite the disaster that they are victims to, simply for living in a place that Israel thinks they shouldn’t be in for its own “security reasons”, they hold fast. They resist. To the brave men, women and children of Palestine and Lebanon, nothing but honour and esteem. Most of us should feel terribly sorry we haven’t been able to do enough for your just causes, for your defence against violence and aggression. But, we are so far behind, drowning in our self-righteous belief that we are the model that you should aspire to. This is a misconception. It is another of our colossal errors. Try to forgive us, and permit me to explain why I think things go wrong, using a few simple examples from the Internet battlefield.

· If Israel has Nuclear Weapons, why is Vanunu still under "Administrative Detention"?  - Now that Olmert has declared what was taboo; that Israel has Nuclear Weapons, what possible reason does Israel have to punish Vanunu. It should now be as clear as water, He told the truth and Israel does not want the truth to be known, and if one does tell the truth, one deserves to be punished! It is time Mordachai Vanunu was rehabilitated by Israel. It is time that he is allowed to be a free man.

· Gilad Atzmon - Think Tribal, Speak Universal (don't let the smear campaigners set the agenda!) - NEVER GIVE UP! That is what we can all say following the insuccess of the latest of a slew of Zionist smear campaigns directed against Gilad Atzmon. All of you who have been following this blog, and the very many other places where Gilad's work is published have witnessed many attempts to publicly defame him, to accuse him of being a racist and an anti-Semite. All of these campaigns ultimately fail, because when one looks at the actual material that is available, it is crystal clear that Atzmon is one of the strongest voices condemning racism! Every time these attacks start, they fall flat once one is given the opportunity to evaluate for themselves whether or not this strong anti-Zionism can be interpreted as being anti-Semitism, it is obvious that the attempts to silence him, to silence anyone who dares criticise Israel or Zionism, are exposed for the instrumental propaganda that they are.

And from Think Tribal: I may as well be the King of The Jews. I have achieved the unachievable, accomplished the impossible. I have managed to unite them all: Right, Left and Centre. The entirety of the primarily-Jewish British political groups: the Zionists the anti-Zionists, Jewish Socialists, Tribal Marxists, The Board of Deputies, Jewish Trotskyites, Jews Sans Frontieres, Jews Avec Frontieres for the first time in history all speak in one single voice. They all repeat exactly the same misquotes. They all hate Gilad Atzmon.

· How Low Can You Go? Anatomy of a Zionist Smear Campaign PLUS Gilad Atzmon - On Anti-Semitism - Zionism means one thing: sustaining Jewish rule, dominance and control over the land that the Zionists themselves claim shall be populated exclusively (well, that’s the goal, ladies and gentlemen) by Jews. The land they themselves have determined they are entitled to is Palestine, which happened to have already been densely populated by another national group, the Palestinians. Zionism, when we take off the blinders and look at it practically, is neither a noble mission nor a liberation movement. Those who support Zionism may not approve of every instrument it uses to keep this control, but making this land into a land for Jews automatically means engaging in unethical behaviour. It means committing some atrocities and violating international law. There is no debate here, Israel was founded in an illegitimate and unilateral manner. This is a problem that has never been resolved.

· Is Comment free at the Guardian? Only if you are running a Zionist Smear Campaign - The Guardian's blog section, Comment is Free allowed an article to be printed that was nothing but a Kangaroo Court against Gilad Atzmon. They did not allow his reply to be reprinted, but an edited version to go in the comments section for a day. Here is the full version. So that Comment is really free.

· US Senator explains how it all works... Illuminating! - I can tell you from personal experience that, at least in the Congress, the support Israel has in that body is based completely on political fear--fear of defeat by anyone who does not do what Israel wants done. I can also tell you that very few members of Congress--at least when I served there--have any affection for Israel or for its Lobby. What they have is contempt, but it is silenced by fear of being found out exactly how they feel. I've heard too many cloakroom conversations in which members of the Senate would voice their bitter feelings about how they're pushed around by the Lobby to think otherwise. In private one hears the dislike of Israel and the tactics of the Lobby, but not one of them is willing to risk the Lobby's animosity by making their feelings public.

· Stanford Prison Experiment, situationist psychology and Abu Ghraib" - A prison is a world apart, and the fact that 40% of Palestinian males have found themselves in one (almost always uncharged and then released after quite some time), makes it important to understand more about them. I actually have kind of a "fascination" with these kind of places, as my Psychology studies always brought me to read with great interest the various experiments by the Situationist Psychologists, who create a situation that the subjects live in, bringing about conclusions about social environments, many of them having to do with submission to authority and the creation of an authoritarian figure. Power dynamics in a controlled environment are indeed revealing. Irving Goffman, Stanley Milgram and Philip Zimbardo have done some important work, and whilst trawling internet, visiting my favourite sites, I hit upon one by Zimbardo, where this very interesting interview from last year was published. Take a look at it, the comparisons to Abu Ghraib are something to think about.

· Jazz and Resistance unite for Palestine - Though it is often perceived as a career suicide for artists to mix their work with political views, Atzmon’s indifference to that threat is party based on, in addition to his spirit of sacrifice, the fact that his music will stand the test on its own – beautiful enough to capture the admiration of jazz lovers regardless of their moral conscience.

· Gilad Atzmon - Palestinian Solidarity Discourse and Zionist Hegemony - Let’s face it; while the Palestinian and Arab resistance evolves into an absolute example of the ultimate heroism and collective patriotism, the Palestinian solidarity movement in the UK and around the world is not exactly what could be called a profound success story. In fact, it would be erroneous to state that this is really the fault of those who dedicate their time and energy to it. Supporting the Palestinians is a complicated subject. Though the crimes against the Palestinians have taken place in broad daylight and are not some well-kept secret, the priorities of the solidarity movement are far from being clear.

· Palestinians are the Priority!!! PETITION - an open statement of commitment to the Palestinian Solidarity Cause – Sign the petition!

 

Warm holiday greetings to everyone and wishes for a happy new year! THERE WILL ALWAYS BE A PALESTINE!!!

mary