Facebook, Israel and Bullshit

I am posting this on my blog, because Facebook wouldn't let me post the direct link to the article to my wall due to it being a message which "contains blocked content that has previously been flagged as abusive or spammy."  I will post this article on Facebook via my blog. 


From the Ma'an News Agency: "Israeli Investigation Doubts Death By Tear Gas" [Tue 4 Jan 2011]

Israeli investigation doubts death by tear gas

Published today 13:00

 

JERUSALEM (AFP) -- Israel's military sought to cast doubt Monday on reports that tear gas fired by its troops caused the death of a Palestinian protester, prompting fierce rebuttals from activists.

Jawaher Abu Rahma died overnight Friday after inhaling massive amounts of tear gas at a demonstration against Israel's separation barrier, according to Israeli and Palestinian activists and staff at a Ramallah hospital.

But a high-ranking Israeli military official told AFP that the "army doubts the authenticity of that version, because the initial inquiry has uncovered many contradictions and improbabilities, which raise questions."

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the hospital listed Abu Rahma's cause of death as "tear gas inhalation, according to the family," and questioned why the family's opinion was given on the death certificate.

The official also contended that tear gas disperses rapidly in the air over open ground and does not kill protesters, questioning whether Abu Rahma was even at the December 31 demonstration in the West Bank village of Bil'in.

"Rahma does not appear in any photos taken during the protest in question and it's possible she didn't participate in it," he said.

Activists and Abu Rahma's relatives slammed the Israeli military for seeking to cast doubt on the death through anonymously given quotes, asking why military officials were not willing to address the issue on the record.

"Their claims are based on absolutely no fact. They bring absolutely no evidence to any of these claims," said Jonathan Pollak, an Israeli activist who told AFP he attended the demonstration with Abu Rahma and saw her there.

"We, on the other hand, have the testimony of the doctors at the hospital. There were numerous witnesses who have seen her at the demonstration," he said.

"We will soon have a report from the Red Crescent saying that she was evacuated from the demonstration due to tear gas inhalation."

He ridiculed Israeli military claims that Abu Rahma was suffering a terminal illness, saying her employer could testify she worked the day before the protest, "which is not something someone with a terminal illness would do."

Hospital director Mohamed Eideh told AFP that Abu Rahma arrived at the hospital with her parents, suffering lung failure.

"Her parents, who accompanied her in the ambulance, said she had inhaled a large amount of tear gas and said she had no pre-existing serious medical condition," he said.

"The lung failure and the liquid that was coming out of her mouth when she arrived at the hospital were signs or symptoms that she was exposed to tear gas."

On Friday, the army said it had used unspecified "means of dispersing demonstrations" against some 250 violent protesters taking part in a weekly rally against the Israeli separation barrier near the West Bank village of Bil'in.

Photos showed clouds of tear gas billowing around stone-throwing protesters.

Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad also attended the protest but was unhurt.

---

This site contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc. We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.

URGENT: Action needed in support of Mazin Qumsiyeh

From Stanley Heller of "We Support Mazin Qumsiyeh:"


Mazin Qumsiyeh former of the faculty of Duke and Yale and now teaching at Bethlehem University has been arrested for objecting to an exapnding settlement in a Palestinian town. (details below)



The best time to make contact on arrests is immediately, before anything goes too far. Note from Jesse Qumsiyeh that they’ve already thrown water on the prisoners.



CALL CALL CALL





the U.S. office in Jerusalem for the Territories is

011-972-2-622-7221 or 011-972-2-622-7207

from 1 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. Eastern Standard Time





at all other times for emergencies like arrests use this number

011-972-2-622-7250

[ I just called so they do know the facts. What they need to see is that lots of people are behind Mazin ]





ask to speak to a duty officer





also make an email JerusalemACS@state.gov





Explain that you’re worried that American citizen Mazin Qumsiyeh will be mistreated, that the reason for the arrest is false, that Israelis have no right to build or expand a settlement on Palestinian land.



The arrest took place in the West Bank, in Al-Walaja, in Beit Sahour near Bethlehem. If you didn’t get Jesse’s email the main part is below





The other person to contact is Richard Blumenthal, the current Attorney General of the State of CT, Mazin’s last address. (Blumenthal was just elected Senator, but he still is AG) I’ve spoken to him in the past about Mazin.



attorney.general@ct.gov 

Civil Rights/Torts Department 
(860) 808-5160








Let me know what reaction you get. And let your friends know about this.







********************************************

from Jesse



Link to the pictures of arrests http://tinyurl.com/3xjky9j



If you are currently in the Bethlehem area, please join us for a demo set for this Friday morning December 24, 2010 at 9 a.m. at Al-Walaja. Contact 0569956478 for information.



This afternoon at around 2:30 Mazin said that we have to go to Al-Walaja immediately. He said he just got a call from the villagers that Israeli bulldozer was clearing an area in a different side of the village (the villagers were still trying to figure out the legal situation) than the familiar site where illegal Israel wall construction has been going on for the past year. We were at his office at Bethlehem University at the time. We dropped everything we were doing and took off. When we arrived at the site, the bulldozer was idle with a dozen solders and private security personnel around. We found out from the 20 some villagers gathered there that they managed to asked the work to be stopped pending further instructions. Thirty minutes later, some military spokesperson came to talk to the villagers in Arabic (which I don't understand.) He came along with more armed forces - there were about 50 to 60 by then, more than the number of the local villagers present. If I understood correctly through Mazin's brief translation, Israeli spokesperson was saying that their work was based on the 2006 order (but that order has expired and currently there is a supreme court case pending.) So as the bulldozer resumed, and the soldiers spreaded out getting villagers away from the work site and started arresting people who simply were hanging around there. While I was taking picture of a Palestinian male being taken away by Israeli soldiers, I suddenly noticed Mazin was surrounded by soldiers in a lower level terrace from where I was standing trying to speak to the solders (probably telling them they don't have any valid work order and should not resume the bulldozing.) Right at that moment, they decided to take him away. That was around 3:20 p.m., less than an hour after we got there. I only remembered to take a picture of him being taken away from a distance. In rapid succession, Israeli soldiers snatched more Palestinian villagers - in all eight of them, including an older gentlemen, two teeagers, three other gentlemen, and Sheerin Al-Araj whom I knew as the vocal activist from the village.



Mazin was not reachable by phone after that for two hours. Then I reached him by phone and took down some notes from him during a short conversation. He said that they are detained outside Bethlehem Checkpoint 300 at the time. An Israeli soldier named Almog Kahalani was very rough with them. He beat the two young Palestinian men, causing one with stomach problem. The soldiers were very rough with Sheerin that I can hear in the background while talking with Mazin on the phone. Three of them had metal handcuffs, he and the rest were tied with plastic handcuffs that was very tight and causing circulation problem. A young men's handcuff was so unbearably tight but Israeli soldiers refused to loosening it. The soldiers had just untied the plastic ones after about two hours (but kept the metal ones on the other three, Sheerin was one of them) and that's why Mazin was able to use his hand to hold his phone and speak with me. They were asked to sign on a piece of paper (don't know what's the content but must be in Hebrew that nobody understand). But everyone of them refused to sign as advised by a Palestinian lawyer who was present there. While detained there, they tried to speak to the soldiers about international law, but the soldiers were saying that they don't give a f--- about international law and you people and they only care about obeying orders. Mazin reasoned to them that German soldiers were also obeying orders during the Nazi regime. The Israeli solders responded by saying that German soldiers would have shot you by now. 



Another hour later, I got another update from Mazin that they have been transferred to Atarot (I don't know where is this, but people familiar with this said it is near Ramallah.) They are waiting to appear in front of a judge. They are cold and hungry. The Israeli personnel there sprayed cold water on them and claiming it is an accident.

FUCK!!!

I fucking swear, even if i don't blog about it every day, i assure you that i keep up with the world and CRY every day about the plight of the world--mostly due to United States policy.  That is NOT a "figurative" 'cry'--i literally shed tears.  I wish i had a million of me to give up life in the cause of justice in Palestine, in Kashmir, in Sri Lanka, in Burma, in Tibet, the Philippines, in Dafur, in Rwanda, in Myanmar, in Nepal, in--well, i could name all the non-Western world.  There is always a picture or a story that overwhelms me.  Always.  Fucking look at the rest of my blog.  Look at the evil.  How can humans be so cruel?  We do not deserve to live. None of us.  Life would be so much better if there were no humans around to fuck it up.  Where is a damn big ass asteroid when you need one?!! 


FUCK!!!


PS:  Crying does NOT make me weak. Let me tell you what weak is. It is letting yourself be brainwashed by Rush Limbaugh or Glenn Beck or FOX or CNN or MSNBC or The New York Times or the Federal Government or the Military, for that is truly a sign of a WEAK person!  In which, i cry for you too (just slightly).

This made me cry.

I just saw this pic on the Facebook page, "Israel? No it's Palestine."  It made me cry.

A Palestinian child was waiting for the Fleet to arrive and having a
bunch of flowers in his hand.. Please share..
Un enfant palestinien
avec des fleurs qui attendait l'arrivé des bateaux de liberté qui ne
sont jamais arrivé merci de partager cette photo!
طفل فلسطيني يحمل
ورودا لقافلة الحرية التي التي لم تصل!رجاء إنشروا هذه الصورة

On 31 May 2010, the ship Mavi Mamara, one of six in a a flotilla of ships sponsored by the Turkish NGO, Foundation for Human Rights and Freedoms and Humanitarian Relief (IHH), which was bringing humanitarian aid to the besieged people of Gaza, was boarded by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) in international waters.  The IDF commandos killed 9 humanitarian workers and injured 30 others.  The flotilla was diverted to the Israeli port of Ashdod for inspection.  Any items not approved by Israel will not be transfered to the people of Gaza. 


 The need to try to break the illegal sea and land blockade around Gaza is great because Israel strictly limits the amount of material into the Gaza strip.  After 2008-09's Operation Cast Lead, in which Israel killed nearly 1400 Gazans (including 300+ children) and further devastated the infrastructure, destroying 11,000+ homes, 200 factories, 15 of 27 hospitals, 280 schools,
Israel still does not let in enough food or medical supplies to sustain the 1.5 million Palestinians of Gaza it holds captive in what has become the world's largest open-air prison.  Israel will not let in ANY building materials such as cement, rebar, wood, glass.  Meanwhile, Gazans sit in rubble--hungry, homeless and jobless.


-ry


x

Fighting Occupation in Palestine

The following is reprinted from War On Want. Access the site  HERE.

Fighting occupation in Palestine

The UN reports that 70% of Palestinians are now living in poverty. Four out of five people in Gaza are now dependent on food aid to survive.

Palestinians are not victims of a natural disaster. The poverty they face is an acknowledged product of the Israeli occupation, a fact recognised by the UK Department for International Development, which has stated that "Poverty in the Occupied Palestinian Territories is a product of occupation and conflict." Only by ending the Occupation can the root causes of poverty be addressed.

In 1967 Israel invaded the West Bank, Gaza and the Golan Heights and has been illegally occupying them ever since in defiance of UN resolutions and global outrage.

Through the continuing occupation, Israel has engaged in excessive and disproportionate force, including targeted assassination, and also demolished homes, detained minors, held people without trial, destroyed water supplies, razed schools and hospitals, denied people access to food and attacked medical personnel and equipment. The Occupation has destroyed any semblance of a Palestinian economy.

In addition, millions of Palestinians live in refugee camps, where they face human rights abuses and crushing poverty.

The international community has largely ignored international law with respect to Israel's crimes. Instead the British government amongst others has rewarded Israeli aggression with financial, military and diplomatic support.

Palestine is in crisis. We must put pressure on our government to play its part and end the injustice.

White phosphorus: Israeli and American War Crimes

Below is an article on the effects of White Phosphorus on human victims.  White phosphorus has been used on civilian populations by both the US and Israel.  The people of Fallujah, Iraq are experiencing major health problems including an alarming increase in cancer cases and their children are being born with horrific deformities and defects due in part to white phosphorus and other chemicals America used on the city during the Gulf War.  It is now said that the population there is suffering as much as the population of Hiroshima, Japan after the atomic bomb was dropped.  

This article features the story of a man from Gaza, Palestine.  During a 23 day period in 2008-09, Israel attacked the Gaza Strip (Operation Cast Lead) in response to sporadic [homemade] rocket attacks from within its borders.  Over 9 years, approximately 30 Israelis were killed by such rockets; In 23 days, Israel killed about 1,400 Palestinians, over 300 of whom were children. In the attack, Israel used white phosphorus, it says, to light the battlefield.  The evidence suggests differently.  As for a "battlefield," the Gaza Strip is one of the most densely populated places on Earth with more than 1.5 million people packed into 139 square miles.  The "battlefield" is actually an urban area.  With closed borders and a sea blockade, civilians had no where to run.  The picture in the article below is of an occupied school with white phosphorus raining down upon it.  It was one of 280 schools destroyed by the Israeli terrorist state.  In addition, Israel destroyed 11,000+ homes, 200 factories, 15 of 27 hospitals, well the list goes on.  All war crimes.  

The use of white phosphorus on civilian populations is a WAR CRIME!

The following article is reprinted in its entirety from the Middle East Monitor.  The original post can be accessed HERE.

White phosphorus burns

Wednesday, 28 July 2010 16:00

(The Lancet) In January, 2009, an 18-year-old man presented to the emergency department after suffering an attack with an incendiary shell. He had many painful patches of full-thickness burns, which were surrounded by sloughed tissue. His wounds covered 30% of his body surface area, and were distributed on both upper and lower limbs, and his right shoulder.

There were no signs of inhalation burns. After a clinical diagnosis of white phosphorus burns was made, the airway was secured, resuscitation fluid was initiated, and wounds were irrigated with diluted sodium bicarbonate solution before wet dressing.

¹day after admission to the burns unit, white smoke was noticed emanating from the wounds, which now contained extensive necrotic tissue and had extended into the underlying tissue.

He was urgently transferred to the operating room for debridement and excision of necrotic tissue, and removal of white phosphorus particles. During debridement, a white phosphorus particle was accidentally dislodged resulting in a superficial burn on a nurse's neck.

We transferred our patient to the intensive care unit for monitoring of vital signs, electrolyte disturbance (in particular hypocalcaemia), and electrocardiogram (ECG) changes.

After 8 days in hospital, our patient was relatively well, and was discharged without any systemic complications.

At 16-month follow-up, our patient was well; however, hypertrophic, mildly tender scars remained on his chest, arm, and thigh.

White phosphorus is a smoke-producing, waxy, yellow transparent combustible solid,¹ which is used mainly in military and industrial settings. In the presence of oxygen, it spontaneously ignites with a yellow flame and produces dense smoke; it extinguishes only when deprived of oxygen or totally consumed.²

On contact with exposed skin, white phosphorus produces painful chemical burns;3 these typically appear as yellowish, necrotic, full-thickness lesions due to both chemical and thermal components. Because white phosphorus has high lipid solubility, the injuries often extend deep into underlying tissues with resultant delayed wound healing.

White phosphorus can also be absorbed systemically resulting in multiple organ dysfunction syndrome because of its effect on erythrocytes, kidneys, liver, and heart.²,⁴

First aid management of white phosphorus burns includes removal of the patient's clothes and application of saline or a water-soaked dressing.

1 On the basis of animal studies and case reports, in the emergency department, continuous irrigation with water is recommended to minimise the complications of the burn,¹, ², ⁴ and large easily identifiable particles of white phosphorus should be debrided. Wood lamp (ultraviolet light) or a solution of 0·5% copper sulphate can be used to facilitate the extinction of embedded particles.⁴

In critically ill patients, excision of the necrotic tissue and skin grafting, plus appropriate fluid replacement, and close monitoring of electrolytes and ECG are required to avoid predictable complications like hypocalcaemia, hyperphosphataemia, and cardiac arrhythmia. White phosphorus burns are associated with significant morbidity often necessitating lengthy hospital stays. Extreme cases can be fatal. We cannot give an estimate of the number of such cases in our burns unit because it is in a war situation in which no formal recording was done; these burns are rarely encountered in practice and literature describing cases is limited.

According to the UN Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons it is prohibited to make civilians the object of attack by incendiary weapons.

Contributors Patient management: NS, SS, LB; writing the report: LB, NB. Written consent to publish was obtained.

Source: Medical Aid for Palestinians


References
¹ Lisandro I. CBRNE-incendiary agents, white phosphorus. http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/833585-overview. (accessed May 21, 2010).
² Eldad A, Simon GA. The phosphorous burn-a preliminary comparative experimental study of various forms of treatment. Burns 1991; 17: 198-200. CrossRef | PubMed
³ Chou TD, Lee TW, Chen SL, et al. The management of white phosphorus burns. Burns 2001; 27: 492-497. CrossRef | PubMed
⁴ Davis KG. Acute management of white phosphorus burn. Mil Med 2002; 167: 83-84. PubMed a Faculty of Medicine, Al Quds University, Abu-Deis, Jerusalem, occupied Palestinian territory b Department of Surgery, Shifa Medical Centre, Gaza Strip, occupied Palestinian territory c Department of Plastic Surgery and Burns, Shifa Medical Centre, Gaza Strip, occupied Palestinian territory d Al Nasser Pediatric Hospital, Gaza Strip, occupied Palestinian territory Correspondence to: Loai Nabil Al Barqouni, Faculty of Medicine, Al Quds University, Abu-Deis, Jerusalem, 00970 occupied Palestinian territory.

---

This site contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc. We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.

Israel makes 300 Arabs HOMELESS.

This is ROUTINE behavior for Israel. It happens ALL THE TIME to Palestinians in the West Bank and here, to Bedouins. This is ETHNIC CLEANSING and YOU (americans) are funding it through the massive amount of foreign aid the USA gives to Israel.  

Here the claim is that these Bedouins, who have been in this, their homeland, for CENTURIES did not have proper building permits and thus must have their housing destroyed. Hmmm...and Israel was founded when? 1948? Hmmm....

The following article is reposted here in its entirety from PressTV for your education. The original post may be accessed HERE.

Israel renders 300 Bedouins homeless

Tue, 27 Jul 2010 15:58:28 GMT

Israeli forces demolished several houses and evicted some 300 Bedouins from their village in the Negev desert.

Hundreds of Israeli forces have attacked Bedouins living in the Negev desert, demolishing their village and leaving about 300 villagers homeless.

According to rights activists, more than 1,500 Israeli police forces arrived at the al-Araqib village shortly before dawn on Tuesday to bulldoze the entire area.

Israeli forces razed all houses and uprooted hundreds of olive trees belonging to the villagers, the activists who tried to prevent the demolishing told AFP.

Violence also broke out as Israeli police forces attacked the villagers and the activists who tried to stop the police from destroying the houses.

Several people were wounded and some others were arrested, activists said.

Israeli officials claimed that the homes had been built without legal permits.

Bedouins are predominantly desert-dwelling Arabs who have been living in the Negev desert for hundreds of years.

AGB/CS/MMN

---

The following article is reposted in its entirety here from Mondoweiss for your education. The original post may be accessed  HERE.

1000s of Israeli police said to be evacuating/erasing historical Bedouin village

by PHILIP WEISS on JULY 26, 2010 · ike

"Thousands of police are in the Negev desert village of el-Araqib right now (5:30 a.m. in Israel), beginning a mass evacuation, demolition, and erasure of this historical Bedouin village," writes Yeela Raanan of the Regional Council for the Unrecognized Villages (RCUV).

"If you have access to the media, please send them to this village as soon as possible! The village of el-Araqib is between Rahat and Beer Sheva, and in a location that the Goldberg commission deemed outside of the areas allowed for the Negev Arabs... an area designated only for Jews...

"The JNF (Jewish National Fund) is planting a forest on this village lands - to make sure that the Bedouin cannot live on their village lands or use them for agriculture.The villagers turned to the Israeli courts, as the JNF were planting this forest at the behest of the Israeli government, but against Israeli law...

"The people of el-Araqib won the court battle... but this morning it seems that the Government of Israel has started a war -- of the Government against its own citizens."

---

This site contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc. We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.