new on peacepalestine

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

· Jews Against Zionism? More like Jews Against the Palestinian Street - Ostracising Hamas is the dilemma, and not a simple task either, because they are considered to have a legitimate political goal, to enjoy popular support by the Palestinian people who see this group as succeeding where the PA has failed, and who they have democratically elected by a large majority with continual consensus not only in the Gaza Strip. To make blanket statements that are not factually established, but rather based on typically racist insults is something one would expect from those who really would like to undermine the legitimacy of the choices that the Palestinians make for themselves to bring about the end of their domination by the Zionists. http://peacepalestine.blogspot.com/2005/10/jews-against-zionism-more-like-jews.html

· Akiva Orr - Gaza Games: Sharon vs God 1-0 - This is not the beginning of the end of Zionism but it is the end of the beginning. There is still a long way to go before Zionist ideology falls apart, but a crack of doubt has shattered the naive trust that Zionism represents Judaism. A crack cannot be undone. It can only widen. http://peacepalestine.blogspot.com/2005/10/akiva-orr-gaza-games-sharon-vs-god-1-0.html

· Ramzy Baroud - Real Disengagement Plan Now at Work - The Sharon government is determined to closely monitor and control the narrative surrounding its pullout from Gaza. On the one hand, it wants to convey to its right wing constituency that the move is merely tactical and aimed at strengthening Israel's control over the more strategic settlements of occupied East Jerusalem and the West Bank. On the other hand, it is promoting the pullout internationally as a painful concession for the sake of peace with its ever-ungrateful Palestinian neighbors. http://peacepalestine.blogspot.com/2005/10/ramzy-baroud-real-disengagement-plan.html

· Sharon's one and three-quarter States  - In the past few days, the Israeli press has been bubbling with hints from key officials at further unilateral pullouts, this time from the West Bank. The scenario seems to be that Sharon sits tight for now, sees off Bibi, fights, wins an election next year - and then stages a series of mini-disengagements. Dr Gary Sussman, an analyst at Tel Aviv University, says the map for those withdrawals is already laid out. "The fence is the border," he says, confident that Israel would pull back, more or less, to the line traced by the wall, or security barrier, it has built through the West Bank. That would entail dismantling a few isolated settlements - and keeping the large settlement blocs. http://peacepalestine.blogspot.com/2005/10/sharons-one-and-three-quarter-states.html

· On a mission from God - Bush's “global war on terrorism” killed thousands of Iraqis and Afghans, including women and children - two sovereign nations have been destroyed - how can this be called a divine mission? http://peacepalestine.blogspot.com/2005/10/on-mission-from-god.html

· What Gandhi had to say about Zionism - The Jews born in France are French in precisely the same sense that Christians born in France are French. If the Jews have no home but Palestine, will they relish the idea of being forced to leave the other parts of the world in which they are settled? Or do they want a double home where they can remain at will? This cry for the national home affords a colourable justification for the German expulsion of the Jews. http://peacepalestine.blogspot.com/2005/10/what-gandhi-had-to-say-about-zionism.html  

· Parents of Assassinated Journalist sued for Defamation  - We want the world to remember what happened in Mogadishu, and to find out why an investigative reporter who had discovered some very uncomfortable relationships between the Italian Cooperation in the Third World, politicians in Italy and abroad, the war in Somalia and the disposal of toxic waste in regions of Somalia was executed with a gun to her head, and the material of her cameraman taken. We are outraged that her parents, in their quest for justice are treated as common delinquents. http://peacepalestine.blogspot.com/2005/10/parents-of-assassinated-journalist.html

· No Two Easy Pieces - Linguistics Professor at Berkeley, George Lakoff, in his book “Don’t Think of an Elephant” mentions the power of an original mental image of something, of a concept, especially. Whatever image we have developed in our earlier childhood is the image that will remain, and other competing images must forcefully supersede that. It is most common that many Palestinians see the image of entire Palestine (pre-1948 Palestine) as Palestinian land, since it has historically been so. (If Jews stake a claim dating back 2000 years, why should several decades be problematic if we are talking about the rights a person has to his homeland? Such would go a logical argument). Many Jews, and not only in Israel, see the entirety of Israel, together with the West Bank, as the single Jewish State. They state that their claim is divinely inspired and dates back over 2000 years. In both instances, what is perceived as Palestine or as Israel is not an image of Two States, but rather the same land being Palestine or Israel. The great difference would be that Israel is an exclusivist State, inclusive as far as rights go, only to Jews. Present-day Israel has adopted this pattern, and the vision of Eretz Yisrael is a powerful one to secular and religious Jews alike. Palestine has never claimed to be a State of an exclusive ethnic or religious group, and in its administrative history, was able to permit the coexistence of a multiplicity of ethnic groups, yet, it too envisions Palestine in land that has been inhabited by the Palestinian people for generations, and that means the entirety of Historical Palestine. http://peacepalestine.blogspot.com/2005/10/no-two-easy-pieces.html

· Another Israeli Walk on the Wild Side - Well-informed Palestinian sources unveiled about 43 organizations, centers, institutions, and Jewish schools in the USA and Europe that revamped gathering funds to promote settlements in Jerusalem city, especially within its old walls where such campaign was being run by settlement committees supported by political Likud members in the Knesset and the blocs council of settlements in Jerusalem and the West Bank. http://peacepalestine.blogspot.com/2005/10/another-israeli-walk-on-wild-side.html

· Dorothy tells us of Lina's Kidney Transplant - I had asked the wonderful Dorothy Naor if she would like to write something for my blog. She replied that at the moment, she was very busy with working on helping organise a kidney transplant for a child, and later would do so.

At any rate, I just got this email in and thought to share it. I don't think Dorothy would mind. It is a message of love and hope from an amazing woman who is dedicating all of her energy to making the world a decent place to live in. (God bless little Lina and keep her from harm's way). http://peacepalestine.blogspot.com/2005/09/dorothy-tells-us-of-linas-kidney.html

· Reference vs Meaning - a Reflection by Gerry Hiles  - In any event there is no "democracy", never was and never can be. And the reality is oligarchy usually, i.e. olig = few + archy = government, so all the nonsense, from left, right and centre, about "democracy" is mere sophism, propaganda, or simply ignorance of how things really are, e.g. a continuance of European-originating imperialism, as is amply evidenced by the Washington Empire and the rhetoric about "democracy", whilst manifestly really being hell-bent on ruling the world. http://peacepalestine.blogspot.com/2005/09/reference-vs-meaning-reflection-by.html

The Lost Presidential Speech - transcribed by Zaki Boulos - One of the corrispondents of Peacepalestine, expert in telecommunications, happened upon an ether transmission late one night. The voice was recognisable, and this appears to be the original speech for the United Nations General Assembly, substituted at the last minute. For the sake of documentation we are pleased to present The Speech. http://peacepalestine.blogspot.com/2005/09/lost-presidential-speech-transcribed.html