IDF in Awarta

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Today the village of Awarta, near Nablus, is facing the second day of a severe curfew imposed by the Israeli military, following Friday morning’s murder of a settler family in the settlement Itamar . Three ISM activists–Cinda, 23, Chad, 25, from Sweden, and Cissy, 53, from Norway–are currently trapped in the village. Anyone caught stepping outside of their house is arrested. Soldiers have said that they’ll maintain the curfew until they’ve apprehended the settler family’s murderer. The army hasn’t presented any evidence that the murderer was from Awarta, and villagers have said to the ISM that they strongly doubt the murderer was even Palestinian as the settlement is so heavily guarded it would be impossible to break in. Soldiers are beating people and continuing their house raids: destroying houses from the inside, cutting off electricity, and polluting the drinking water by throwing mud in the water-tanks. 30 homes were occupied by soldiers last night. Computers and phones have been destroyed and money and property were stolen by the soldiers. In the last two days soldiers have been throwing sound grenades inside and outside the houses, and shooting in the air. The ISM activists may be arrested soon, but they intend to stay as long as possible because they feel their presence improves the behavior of the soldiers, and villagers have asked them to stay. As of 12:30pm the ISM activists are locked in a room with the children of the family that they’ve been staying with while soldiers search the house. They've heard an unconfirmed report that 100 village men were taken into detention at the school for interrogation a few hours ago.

For more information:
Cinda, ISM activist inside the village: +972 59 741 4023
ISM Media Office, Ramallah: +972 59 760 6276



I Salute EuroPalestine

On Monday March 7 I performed with the OHE at The Resistance Bookstore in Paris : http://www.librairie-resistances.com/spip.php?article538" 

 It gave me the opportunity to learn more about the activities of the French association EuroPalestine.

 

EuroPalestine is engaged in spectacular and frequent BDS actions (that the Israeli lobby and the French government try relentlessly to block  through trials).

 

Shame, Shame on H&M ! from belkacem on Vimeo.

 

Here are some images of EuroPalestine’s  BDS Tour in France http://www.europalestine.com/spip.php?article5912


 

EuroPalestine brings people to Palestine. It  Join forces with Palestinian committees for popular resistance

Christmas mission : http://www.europalestine.com/spip.php?article5786


 

Gaza Freedom March : 

http://www.europalestine.com/spip.php?article4668


Gaza Freedom March von belkacem_93

 

This summer you may want to join thousands of activists  and  travel to East Jerusalem and the West Bank.  No  hiding or lying to Israeli government. It will be done in the open. The tide has changed

http://www.BienvenuePalestine.com  (English version available on this website)



David Halpin Writes to William J Hague

In response to the inevitable question about the universal jurisdiction law which has prevented various Israeli dignitaries from visiting the UK for fear of arrest, Gould said: "We got ourselves into a bit of a mess because of a legal anomaly that needs to be fixed. A legal amendment to the law has been introduced, he said, and is working its way through the parliamentary process. "All three major political parties support the change." Gould was confident that the amendment would pass into law "in months not years."

Her Majesty's ambassador

http://www.thejc.com/news/uk-news/37963/interview-matthew-gould-ambassador-israel

 to Israel refers of course to our Geneva Conventions Act 1957.  He confirms, if we did not knowit, that an amendment is being pressed in the Mother of Parliaments in response to requests from Tel Aviv.   He did not have the courage to say that the threatened arrests of Israeli leaders came directly out of their criminal actions.  It is normal and principled is it not for nations to uphold their laws rather than finding ways of accomodating the perpetrators of the  most heinous crimes?  But we see that Mr Gould is consistent in bending his knee before criminals.

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Gilad Atzmon: The Shekel Has Dropped

in , , , ,
A few days ago, I published a short piece about a BBC global poll gauging attitudes towards various countries worldwide.  In the poll, Israel came pretty much at the bottom. The world seems to dislike the Jewish State, and this is not a big surprise.
 
The text of the BBC Poll can be found here.
 
The text is actually far more revealing than I had initially realised.
 
The following diagram illustrates the popularity and unpopularity of Israel in various countries.


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Gilad Atzmon: What About A No Fly Zone for The Palestinians?

in , , , , , ,

“Even the Israelis in Gaza, when they moved into the Gaza Strip, they moved in with tanks to fight such extremists. It's the same thing here” Muammar Gaddafi (France 24)

In the last few days the UN have paved the way for a no-fly zone in Libya.

David Cameron and Barack Obama have also agreed to draw up "the full spectrum" of military responses to the crisis in Libya.

British PM David Cameron outlined his conversation with Obama, saying "We have got to prepare for what we might have to do if he [Gaddafi] goes on brutalising his own people…”

I find myself overwhelmed by Cameron's humanist stand -- it seems he really cares about the Libyan people.

And yet, I am left puzzled, for I have never observed Cameron, Obama or the UN being so touched in the same manner by the death of Palestinian civilians, who are also butchered on a daily basis by Israeli air raids. As it seems, in the quote above, Muammar Gaddafi performs far more integrity than Cameron, Obama and the UN. Gaddafi clearly manages to question the Western moralist agenda. If the UN is so enthusiastic to bomb Libya, shouldn’t it really start with Israel?

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Gilad Atzmon Talks about music, Palestine, Zionism and Islam

We are touring all over Europe at the moment

I met Underyourskin in my hotel room in Vienna just before our concert.

We spoke about everything...

politics, Palestine, Zionism, Left, Jewish Left, Islam, resistance...:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M2cOMHRi3wY

and also about music, art funding, the art of resistance,  beauty..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iccWsQHjFf0

 

This is where we play this month:

Gilad Atzmon & the OHE

Europe

March  6,  su        Vienna/AU                   Porgy & Bess   

March 7, Mo         Paris/Fr                        Libraire Résistances (talk & concert)

March  8, tue        Redange/Lux                L'inouï

March  9, we         Frankfurt/Ger               Kulturfabrik      

March 11, fri         Klosters/Sw                  Kulturverein      

March 12, sa         Chur/Sw                        3 Könige 

March  13, Su        Freiburg/Ger                  Cafe Palestine (a talk)

March 13, su         Freiburg/Ger                   Jazzhaus          

March 14, mo         Pforzheim/Ger                 Domicile             

March 15, tue         Saarwellingen/Ger           Jazzclub             

March 16, we          Zürich/Sw                       Moods         

March 17, thu          Karlsruhe/Ger                 Tempel  (Talk & Concert)                            

March 18, fr             Köln/Ger                       Altes Pfandhaus      

March 19, sa            Heilbronn/Ger                Jazzclub  

Latin America

March  21 San José Costa Ricca J Interview with Radio-Universidad and university- newspaper

March 22  Turrialba, Costa Ricca  Working with circus group .

March 23 village of Tres Equis, Costa Ricca  village of Tres Equis.

March 24 Turrialba: Workshop with students of youth  Orchestera. 5pm Concert together with Fantazztico in Turrialba

March 25 Siquirres  5 pm Concert with Fantazztico

March 26 Village of Alegria: 11 am together with a small circus group
March 27 village of St. Marta: 11 am together with circus

March 28  San José: 5pm Conference at university Of San Jose  

March 29 Concert at Jazz Café / Escazu 9pm

 


Amazon.co.ukAmazon.co.uk

Gilad Atzmon: The Penny Has Dropped

Ynet reported yesterday , that in a BBC global poll gauging  attitudes towards various countries worldwide, Israel came pretty much at the bottom --  There were just three countries less popular than the Jewish State – Pakistan, North Korea and Iran.

The Israelis must find it hard to accept that their  state is one of the least popular countries in the world.   Seemingly,  Zionism -- that presented itself as a  promise to bring about  a civilised and lovable Jewish state --  has totally failed.  

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Gilad Atzmon: American Bloody Pragmatism

After killing hundreds of thousands of Muslims in the name of democracy, the White House has now decided that ‘stability in the region’ is by far, much  more important.

On Saturday, The Wall Street journal reported that the Obama administration is devising a new Middle East strategy in the face of ongoing Arab world turmoil, preferring stability over democracy for key allies in the region.

Here in Britain not many people believed Bush and Blair when they preached democracy and moral interventionism -- And I guess that the new American strategy cannot be taken at all seriously either.
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VERA MACHT: THE NAMES OF THE INNOCENT WHO ARE KILLED

This article is about Omar Maruf. What makes this one so important when every day dozens of innocent people die all over the world? Why an article about this one?


Omar Maruf was killed by a soldier who was heavily armed, and well equipped with everything the latest Western military industry has to offer. Omar was wearing old, dirty clothes, and collecting stones with his donkey. Omar was not even a so-called "collateral damage" who was unfortunately hit by a misguided bullet or bomb during a military attack. In our modern wars, where everything is precisely calculated, sometimes someone is just at the wrong time at the wrong place. But it wasn’t like that. No, a young soldier, heavily armed and well equipped, targeted Omar, who was standing there, with shabby clothes and stones in his hands, and decided to shoot him. A young soldier on a sunny winter morning felt the need to kill a man his same age who he probably considered as not so important. He knew that this act would never have any consequences. That he wouldn’t have to justify that deed to anyone. Because it was a Palestinian who has no rights, whose life doesn’t count.

 

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VERA MACHT: THE PIRATES OF THE MEDITERRANEAN

Government measures on the sea, even if they are illegal, are not an act of piracy, according to international law. The actions of the Israeli military are not likely to have been considered in the implementation of this law. The cousins Mustafa, 42, Mahmoud, 30, and Hjazi ElLaham, 27, were on the morning of the 19th February 2011, like every morning, fishing with their boat off the coast of Gaza. They were in the same area in which they are always located, 2.5 nautical miles from the coast, well inside the allowed zone. The Oslo agreement had assured the fishermen of Gaza bilaterally 20 nautical miles of fishing. Israel later unilaterally reduced this distance to 6 miles, and since the blockade was declared the fishermen are only allowed to fish within 3 nautical miles.

It was a stormy day, the cousins were almost alone on the sea. While the other fishermen had stayed at home because of the weather, the three couldn’t afford to lose a day of work. They were just pulling in their net, when an Israeli warship approached. The soldiers on the ship began to shoot at their net. The three fishermen began to work faster, they couldn’t risk to lose their net, and started the engine. Until then, it was an ordinary day. "We are shot at by Israeli warships almost daily," says Mustafa, the eldest, “we are used to that.” Then they were ordered over loudspeakers to stop the engine, or the soldiers would shoot the captain's hand. The three stopped the boat and pulled the motor out of the water. The Israeli warship began to circle around the small boat, so fast that they generated waves that made the fishing boat almost capsize.

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Gabi and Vera Raised 11.7000 Euro

Gilad Atzmon, London: Following our appeal and thanks to your support, we have now managed to raise more than 11.700 Euro. This money is sent directly to the people of Gaza. For the first time I feel that we can make a real change. It is down to us to transform solidarity into a meaningful event.

 

Gabi Weber, Freiburg:

DEAR FRIENDS,

Usually I dont feel happy when I distribute my newsletters with all the sad stories about Palestine.

Today is different.

It is really an incredible pleasure for me to tell you that our call for donation was so successful that until today we received more than 11.700 Euro!

THIS IS UNBELIEVABLE!!!

People from Australia, Canada, Europe and the United States were so generous. We are truely overwhelmed! THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH!!!

Vera Macht, her friends from ISM Gaza and also Nasser and his children started to regain hope because they don´t feel that lost and alone any more. And - we are starting to develop realistic plans to build a house for Nasser and his family. I AM CONVINCED THAT WITH YOUR HELP WE CAN MAKE IT!

Below you find Vera´s THANK YOU and two new texts about the awful situation in Gaza. 

Please don´t stop spreading our messages and calls for donation. 

PEOPLE IN GAZA WANT TO HAVE THE HOPE FOR A BETTER LIFE - WE CAN HELP THEM ON THEIR WAY!

Best  wishes and THANK YOU AGAIN!

Gabi Weber, Freiburg

Vera Macht, Gaza:


"I would like to thank you a thousand times. Me, the ISM members, and all of us here are overwhelmed and touched by your incredible support and generosity. We haven’t expected that. I want to thank you for the confidence in us and in our work, which you showed us. I want to thank you for having donated to ISM Gaza. There are many humanitarian aid organizations here, but we are primarily a political organization. We believe that what people need here is less charitable gifts, but fundamental human rights, and for that we work. "We don’t want food or clothes," a farmer from the border area told me, "we want to live in safety, we want our children to be able to sleep at night." "I want to live in freedom," a friend told me yesterday. "I want a life like everyone else, I want to study and travel, and not to vegetate in this prison."
I want to thank you for the courage to donate to ISM, and thus recognizing that the suffering of the people of Gaza is a political and not a humanitarian problem, that what happens to them here is wrong.
I want to thank you for enabling us with this money to continue our work, so that we can stay here to work for free. That we will be able to report about what is happening here, that we can support people in peaceful resistance, through demonstrations, or student groups which call for an academic boycott of Israel. Or through the everyday resistance of farmers in the border area, when we accompany them on their fields which are rendered extremely dangerous to enter by the Israeli military.
And of course, especially, I want to thank you on behalf of Nasser and his children, who will get a large part of the money. His suffering is a political one too. Without the Israeli military he, his wife and his children would be a happy family of farmers. But his wife was killed by a flechette shell, his fields are no longer accessible, and Nasser lives in fear of his life and that of his children in a tent. It was you who have given this family through your generous donation the means to live. None of the many charities of Gaza had helped until we became involved, because of the risk their international staff are not even allowed to go so close to the border. Thanks to all of you, the family has food now, clothes, blankets, mattresses, and a second tent. And since there is still money left, and we hope for donations of cement, we will dare to build him against all danger a new house. I want to thank you a thousand times, for the hope that we now see in the faces of this family when we visit them. Hope they got from the fact that they no longer feel abandoned, that they see how people "out there" show not only compassion, but also recognize the injustice that has befallen them.
I would like to thank you for reading my articles, for you not only sharing my and all our despair and helplessness in the face of the situation in Gaza, but also relieving it. I want to thank you that you do not look away.
I want to thank all of you a thousand times that you have shown us and the people here that Gaza is not forgotten.

Vera Macht ISM Gaza

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To donate via Jazza Production’s Paypal

To donate via bank transfer:

Beneficiary: Vera Macht

Account Number: 2007474881 (for transfer inside Germany only)
Bank Code Number: 20130600 (for transfer inside Germany only)
Bank: Barclays Bank PLC

Reason for Payment: 4906386296166705

BIC: BARCDEH1

IBAN-Nr.: DE02201306002007474881

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Coexistence- An Incredible Photo

ADDING INFORMATION TO CAPTION A member of Neturei Karta, a fringe of ultra-Orthodox movement within the anti-Zionist bloc in Israel, talks with a masked Palestinian youth as he shows his support during clashes with Israeli police in the Arab east Jerusalem neighbourhood of Silwan on April 25, 2010. Palestinian protesters clashed with Israeli police as dozens of ultra-nationalist Jews carried Israeli flags through Silwan to assert Jewish sovereignty of all of Jerusalem, according to the organisers of the march.A member of Neturei Karta (Torah Jews), a fringe of ultra-Orthodox movement within the anti-Zionist bloc in Israel, talks with a masked Palestinian youth as he shows his support during clashes with Israeli police in the Arab east Jerusalem neighbourhood of Silwan on April 25, 2010. Palestinian protesters clashed with Israeli police as dozens of ultra-nationalist Jews carried Israeli flags through Silwan to assert Jewish sovereignty of all of Jerusalem, according to the organisers of the march.

http://www.daylife.com/photo/004L3IT0tI95w?q=israel

 

 

 

 

 

AlJazeera: Arab Jews Being Nostalgic (must see)

In 1948, a group of Jewish Arab musicians from Baghdad and Cairo were amongst the streams of Jewish immigrants coming to the new state of Israel from all over the world. Cafe Noah in Tel Aviv became the one place where their music and culture could survive. A look into live in cultural exile in Israel.

 

How long will it take before Arab Jews in Israel realise that the Palestinians, Egyptians, Iraqis, Libyans, Tunisians and  Moroccans are their real brothers?