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#Post#: 9839--------------------------------------------------
Re: Genocide
By: AGelbert Date: June 9, 2018, 12:24 pm
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[center]US-Saudi-UAE War on Yemen Could Starve Millions of
Civilians[/center]
June 8, 2018
[center]As the UN warns 18.4 million Yemenis could soon face
starvation, the US is considering more direct military
intervention. Shireen al-Adeimi discusses with TRNN’s Ben Norton
how a Saudi-UAE attack on the port city of Hodeida could lead to
mass catastrophe[/center]
[center]
HTML https://youtu.be/9fv34_DdhHc[/center]
#Post#: 9840--------------------------------------------------
Re: Genocide
By: AGelbert Date: June 9, 2018, 12:28 pm
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[center]Protesters in India Are Massacred as Environmentally
Destructive Corporations Have Impunity[/center]
June 8, 2018
Police in India killed a dozen protesters in the southern state
of Tamil Nadu, after 100 days of demonstrations against the
mining corporation Sterlite 👹. Journalist Kavitha
Muralidharan tells TRNN’s Ben Norton how UK-based Indian parent
company Vedanta Resources 👹 enjoys impunity, despite its
role in environmental destruction, pollution, and violence like
the Thoothukudi massacre
[center]
HTML https://youtu.be/QpFlZlqFdaQ[/center]
#Post#: 9847--------------------------------------------------
Re: Genocide
By: AGelbert Date: June 9, 2018, 2:46 pm
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[quote]June 6, 2018
James Perloff [img width=25
height=30]
HTML http://www.createaforum.com/gallery/renewablerevolution/3-080515182559.png[/img]
@jamesperloff
Israel says shooting Razan al-Najjar, wearing a white
paramedic's uniform, was “unintentional.” THAT’S EXACTLY WHAT
THEY SAID ABOUT KILLING 34 SAILORS ON THE USS LIBERTY, WHICH WAS
FLYING THE AMERICAN FLAG. U.S. INTERCEPTS OF
ISRAELI-GROUND-TO-AIR COMMUNICATIONS PROVED THEM LIARS[/quote]
HTML https://jamesperloff.com/
#Post#: 9863--------------------------------------------------
Re: Genocide
By: AGelbert Date: June 10, 2018, 8:14 pm
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[center]Israeli Police Brutality Reaches New Extremes Against
Israeli-Palestinian Protesters (Pt 1/2)[/center]
June 9, 2018
Jafar Farah, the head of the Mossawa Center for equal rights for
Palestinian citizens of Israel, speaks to TRNN about how police
shattered his knee and how what happened to him fits into more
general colonial practices among the Israeli police
[center]
HTML https://youtu.be/iXz-PsFMxWI[/center]
[center]PART 2[/center]
[center]
HTML https://youtu.be/Flt-kIrTiqA[/center]
HTML https://therealnews.com/stories/israeli-police-brutality-reaches-new-extremes-against-israeli-palestinian-protesters-pt-1-2
#Post#: 9866--------------------------------------------------
Re: Genocide
By: AGelbert Date: June 11, 2018, 12:02 pm
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[quote author=Eddie link=topic=11170.msg155677#msg155677
date=1528733858]
[center][img
width=800]
HTML https://www.zerohedge.com/sites/default/files/styles/inline_image_desktop/public/inline-images/rsz_GettyImages-655958494-640x480_0.jpg?itok=mNLLNmmK[/img][/center]
So, Italy turned this ship back to Malta, which now has also
refused to let it dock and release its 600 plus refugees.
They've got 1300 miles to go to reach Spain, which has decided
to offer to take them. That's a week's voyage, and they have
enough food and water for one day. Refugees don't want to go to
Spain, because they know there's a lot more austerity there. The
refugees who do land there typically try like hell to get to
just about anywhere else in Europe as fast as they can......but
Spain is better than dying on a tramp steamer deck in the
Mediterranean's summer heat.
It's pretty much a given not all 629 of these poor people will
make it out of this alive.
HTML https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-06-11/spain-accept-refugee-boat-blocked-italy
HTML https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-06-11/spain-accept-refugee-boat-blocked-italy
[/quote]
[quote author=Eddie link=topic=11170.msg155680#msg155680
date=1528734346]
This vessel is owned and operated by a couple of humanitarian
NGO's who use it to rescue stranded refugees from their rafts.
It looks like this might be a record for them, as far as bodies
onboard. I'm not sure if they have any kind of way of getting
more food and water for the unfortunates now in their care.
HTML https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aquarius_(NGO_ship)
[/quote]
Thank you for posting this. There is too much going on out there
that the propaganda infested press refuses to make public.
Yemen used to be famous for its exquisitely fine tasting bee
honey. That's nostalgic history now.
At this moment over 18 MILLION people in Yemen are being slowly
and deliberately (the Saudis make no secret of said "policy"
☠️) starved to death.
We are helping. :(
[center]US-Saudi-UAE War on Yemen Could Starve Millions of
Civilians[/center]
June 8, 2018
[center]As the UN warns 18.4 million Yemenis could soon face
starvation, the US is considering more direct military
intervention. Shireen al-Adeimi discusses with TRNN’s Ben Norton
how a Saudi-UAE attack on the port city of Hodeida could lead to
mass catastrophe[/center]
[center]
HTML https://youtu.be/9fv34_DdhHc[/center]
Eddie, in a world where THAT MASSSIVE LEVEL OF GENOCIDE is swept
under the media rug, anyhting, no matter how heinous, no matter
how unprincipled and no matter how barabaric and
counterproductive to human civilization, is to be expected.
[img
width=50]
HTML http://www.createaforum.com/gallery/renewablerevolution/3-311013201604.png[/img]
#Post#: 9891--------------------------------------------------
Re: Genocide
By: AGelbert Date: June 13, 2018, 3:47 pm
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[img
width=110]
HTML https://www.afsc.org/sites/afsc.civicactions.net/files/u1752/Truthout%20logo.jpg[/img]
By Jake Johnson, Common Dreams
Published June 13, 2018
Human Rights • War & Peace
[center]With Explicit US 🦀 Backing, Saudi 👹
Attack on Yemen’s Humanitarian Lifeline Begins ☠️
😱 [/center]
SNIPPET:
ith a “green light” from the Trump administration and essential
military support from the US government, Saudi-led forces plowed
ahead with an assault on the Yemeni port city of Hodeida on
Wednesday, brushing aside dire warnings from international
humanitarian organizations and a small group of American
lawmakers that an attack on the key aid harbor could spark a
full-blown famine and endanger millions of lives.
Responding to the early stages of the attack—which began with an
estimated 30 Saudi airstrikes within half an hour, guided by US
military intelligence—Win Without War wrote on Twitter that the
attack is “a dark moment of shame for the United States. We
could have stopped this.”
Hodeidah is currently home to around 600,000 civilians, and
around 80 percent of all humanitarian aid that flows into Yemen
arrives at the city’s port, which is currently controlled by
Houthi rebels. International observers have warned that a
military fight over the port city could halt life-saving food
and medicine and cause the starvation of millions.
“Some civilians are entrapped, others forced from their homes,”
Jolien Veldwijk—acting country director for the humanitarian
group CARE, which is still operating in Yemen—told Reuters on
Wednesday as the US-backed Saudi assault on Hodeida began. “We
thought it could not get any worse, but unfortunately we were
wrong.”
Full article:
HTML https://truthout.org/articles/with-explicit-us-backing-saudi-attack-on-yemens-humanitarian-lifeline-begins/
#Post#: 9912--------------------------------------------------
Re: Genocide
By: AGelbert Date: June 14, 2018, 9:37 pm
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[center]US Congressmembers: Stop ‘Famine-Triggering Attack’ on
Yemen’s Port City Hodeida, Which Could Starve Millions[/center]
By: Ben Norton | June 13, 2018
Lawmakers from both major parties have published a letter
calling on the U.S. government to withdraw support for a
military attack on Yemen’s port city of Hodeida, which would
almost certainly unleash a humanitarian disaster that could
starve millions of people.
The letter — which follows in full below — was signed by
prominent Democratic and Republican congressmen, and is directly
addressed to Secretary of Defense James Mattis.
With blessings from the United States, military forces led by
Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates launched an attack on
Wednesday, June 13 on Hodeida, the site where some 80 percent of
humanitarian aid enters Yemen, the poorest country in the Middle
East.
The U.S. military is providing intelligence assistance to the
Saudi- and Emirati-led forces in the battle. The U.S. has played
a key role in the war in Yemen, since Saudi Arabia first
launched its bombardment campaign in March 2015, selling the
Gulf monarchy billions of dollars in weapons and providing
in-air refueling and intelligence support.
The United Nations and humanitarian organizations vociferously
spoke out against the assault on Hodeida, warning it could push
Yemen over the brink into famine. A staggering 8.4 million
Yemenis are already on the verge of starvation, and 10 million
more could face starvation by the end of 2018.
Another 250,000 Yemenis are also in danger of losing their lives
from the brutal fighting. The United Nations humanitarian
coordinator in Yemen, Lise Grande, warned, “A military attack or
siege on Hodeidah will impact hundreds of thousands of innocent
civilians.”
“In a prolonged worst case, we fear that as many as 250,000
people may lose everything — even their lives,” Grande added.
The New York Times reported, citing diplomats who were involved
in negotiations to try to stop the attack on Hodeida, that “the
Emiratis, who are leading the push for an attack, are looking to
launch their planned assault while Washington’s attention is
focused this week on the summit meeting between President Trump
and the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un.”
U.S.-backed Saudi bombing has already killed thousands of Yemeni
civilians and unleashed the largest humanitarian catastrophe in
the world. More than 100,000 Yemeni children have died from
preventable causes — with a new death every 10 minutes.
The U.S.-Saudi coalition has repeatedly bombed civilian areas,
including a newly constructed cholera treatment center on
Monday, June 11.
The letter campaign was led by Wisconsin Democratic
Representative Mark Pocan, who wrote, “The Saudi and Emirati
assault on Yemen’s major port, with US logistical aid, could
threaten 250,000 lives and force millions more to starve to
death.”
[quote]
“Democrats AND Republicans are demanding the Pentagon to stop
the operation and disclose unauthorized US participation this
war,” Pocan said.[/quote]
The Saudi and Emirati assault on Yemen's major port, with US
logistical aid, could threaten 250,000 lives and force millions
more to starve to death.
Democrats AND Republicans are demanding the Pentagon to stop the
operation and disclose unauthorized US participation this war.
pic.twitter.com/8m17mC7qgC
— Rep. Mark Pocan (@repmarkpocan) June 13, 2018
Rep. Pocan is the co-chair of the House Progressive Caucus. The
letter was also signed by Michigan Republican Justin Amash, a
self-described libertarian who chairs the House Liberty Caucus.
Happy to join @repmarkpocan on this letter. We must reclaim
congressional war powers and stop these endless wars.
HTML https://t.co/2Yr6mRiHx2
— Justin Amash (@justinamash) June 13, 2018
The other signatories on the letter were Ro Khanna (D-CA),
Thomas Massie (R-KY), Barbara Lee (D-CA), Walter Jones (R-NC),
and Ted Lieu (D-CA).
The full text of the U.S. congressmen’s letter to Secretary of
Defense Mattis follows below:
[center][font=times new roman]Urgent bipartisan call to Sec.
Mattis to avert famine-triggering attack on Yemen’s major port
and disclose full U.S. role in Saudi-led war[/font][/center]
Dear Secretary Mattis:
As members of Congress closely following the war led by Saudi
Arabia and the United Arab Emirates against Yemen’s Houthi
rebels—and the humanitarian crisis that the conflict has
triggered—we are deeply alarmed by the prospect of intensified
and prolonged hostilities. We urge you to use all available
means to avert a catastrophic military assault on Yemen’s major
port city of Hodeida by the Saudi-led coalition, and to present
Congress with immediate clarification regarding the full scope
of U.S. military involvement in that conflict. We remind you
that three years into the conflict, active U.S. participation in
Saudi-led hostilities against Yemen’s Houthis has never been
authorized by Congress, in violation of the Constitution.1
Just over a year ago, a bipartisan group of 55 members of
Congress sent a letter to the Trump Administration raising
serious concerns regarding a potential Saudi- and UAE-led
coalition attack against the Houthi-controlled port of Hodeida,
with the possible consent and support of the United States.2
Though the offensive was ultimately forestalled, the Washington
Post reports that you had “asked for approval of the rejected
Hodeida operation, including additional surveillance,
intelligence and operational assistance.”3
A renewed push by coalition forces to cut off and capture
Hodeida led the Washington Post to editorialize, “The world’s
worst humanitarian crisis could get even worse,” and experts
warn that such an assault would destroy the prospects for a
peace settlement.4 Save the Children noted that a closure of
Hodeida port would lead to a “devastating cut in the
humanitarian and commercial supply chain just when it’s needed
most,” and that an assault on the city could displace “an
additional 340,000 people.”5 In light of your April 2017 remarks
that the war must be resolved “politically as soon as possible,”
we urge you to use all tools at your disposal to dissuade the
Saudi-led coalition from moving forward with this offensive and
reject the provision of U.S. logistical, military and diplomatic
support for any such operation.6 As the Washington Post
editorial noted, the United States should “use its leverage to
stop this reckless venture.”
Additionally, in light of recent New York Times revelations that
“late last year, a team of about a dozen Green Berets arrived on
Saudi Arabia’s border with Yemen, in a continuing escalation of
America’s secret wars,” we seek immediate clarification on U.S.
participation in the coalition’s war against the Houthis.
Despite “virtually no public discussion or debate,” according to
the Times, “Army commandos are helping locate and destroy caches
of ballistic missiles and launch sites” of Houthi rebels in
Yemen—activities which “appear to contradict Pentagon
statements.”7
In light of these operations, please explain the following
remarks, which include sworn testimony and classified briefings
by Pentagon officials to Congress:
During a classified Senate briefing in March 2018, Senators
“pressed Pentagon officials about the military’s role in the
Saudi-led conflict,” yet Defense Department representatives
stated that “American forces stationed in Saudi Arabia only
advised within the kingdom’s borders and were focused mostly on
border defense.”8
On March 13, 2018, Gen. Votel, Commander of U.S. Central
Command, told the Senate Armed Services Committee that CENTCOM
is “authorized to help the Saudis defend their border. We are
doing that through intelligence sharing, through logistics
support and through military advice that we provide to them,”
yet, he added, “we’re not parties to this conflict.”9
At the request of Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, William
Castle, Acting General Counsel of the Department of Defense,
sent a letter to the Senate asserting that U.S. support “does
not involve any introduction of U.S. forces into hostilities.”10
On March 14, 2018 you wrote to the Senate that “neither
President Obama nor President Trump authorized the use of U.S.
military force against the Houthis. Our support takes the form
of intelligence sharing, military advice, and logistical
support, including air-to-air refueling. This non-combat support
is focused on improving coalition processes and procedures,
especially regarding compliance with the law of armed conflict
and best practices for reducing the risk of civilian
casualties.”11
We are concerned that in the midst of a Senate effort to
exercise its constitutional authority to end unauthorized
hostilities—including U.S. targeting and refueling assistance
for Saudi-led airstrikes against Yemen’s Houthis—the Pentagon
may have concealed key information from members of Congress
regarding the full extent of on-the-ground U.S. military
participation in the Saudi coalition-led war.
In violation of the War Powers Resolution of 1973, no specific
statutory authorization exists for U.S. military personnel that
coordinate, participate in the movement of, and accompany Saudi
forces into hostilities against Yemen’s Houthis, or into
circumstances where an imminent threat exists that Saudi forces
will become engaged in such hostilities.12 The Houthis, reported
the Times, “have not been classified by the American government
as a terrorist group,” and are not covered by any existing
Authorization for Use of Military Force.13
The New York Times editorial board concluded that “the Pentagon
and the Trump administration apparently have misled Americans
about growing military involvement in a war in Yemen that we
should have nothing to do with.”14 The Saudi-led coalition, the
editorial board added, is “the main driver of the misery” in
Yemen, “with its air bombardments against civilian areas, and a
land, air and sea blockade that is keeping large quantities of
food, fuel and medicine from reaching millions of people.”15
We call on you to immediately disclose the full extent of the
U.S. military role in the Saudi-led war against Yemen’s Houthis,
including the use of special operations forces; disclose any
role that the Pentagon is currently performing, has been asked
to perform, or is considering performing regarding an attack on
the port of Hodeida; and issue a public declaration opposing
this impending assault and restating the Administration’s
position that Saudi Arabia and other parties to the conflict
should accept an immediate ceasefire and move toward a political
settlement to resolve the conflict.
In light of a possibly disastrous offensive on Hodeida, we
remind you that under Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution,
Congress alone has the power to declare and authorize war, and
the War Powers Resolution allows any individual member of
Congress to force a debate and floor vote to remove U.S. forces
from unauthorized hostilities. The Senate Foreign Relations
Committee explicitly declared in 1973 that provisions of the War
Powers Resolution were intended to “prevent secret, unauthorized
military support activities” and avert “ever deepening ground
combat involvement” in foreign conflicts, including via “U.S.
‘advisers’ to accompany” foreign armed forces into imminent
hostilities.15 Your prompt responses will better enable us to
exercise our exclusive constitutional responsibility to
authorize and oversee the offensive use of U.S. military force.
Sincerely,
[Members of Congress]
CC: Secretary of State Mike Pompeo
Gen. Joseph Votel, head of United States Central Command
William Castle, Acting General Counsel of the Department of
Defense
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer
Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chair Bob Corker
Senate Foreign Relations Committee Ranking Member Robert
Menendez
House Speaker Paul Ryan
House Minority Leader Pelosi
House Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Ed Royce
House Foreign Affairs Committee Ranking Member Eliot Engel
[1] Ro Khanna, Mark Pocan and Walter Jones, “Stop the
Unconstitutional War in Yemen,” New York Times, October 10,
2017.
HTML https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/10/opinion/yemen-war-unconstitutional.html
[2] “Bipartisan Effort: 55 U.S. Representatives Call on Trump to
Come to Congress Before Taking Military Action in Yemen,” Apr
11, 2017.
HTML https://pocan.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/bipartisan-effort-55-us-representatives-call-on-trump-to-come-to
[3] Karen DeYoung and Missy Ryan, “Despite U.S. warnings, Yemeni
forces backed by UAE advance toward crucial port,” Washington
Post, June 4, 2018.
HTML https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/despite-us-warnings-yemeni-forces-backed-by-uae-advance-toward-crucial-port/2018/06/04/08a1af40-6765-11e8-bf8c-f9ed2e672adf_story.html
[4] “The world’s worst humanitarian crisis could get even
worse,” The Washington Post, May 28, 2018.
HTML https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/global-opinions/the-worlds-worst-humanitarian-crisis-could-get-even-worse/2018/05/28/cadc952e-6040-11e8-b2b8-08a538d9dbd6_story.html;<br
/>“Martin Griffiths, Special Envoy for Yemen makes his first
briefing to the Security Council,” April 17, 2018.
HTML https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/martin-griffiths-special-envoy-yemen-makes-his-first-briefing-security-council-enar
[5] “Save the Children Statement on Hudaydah,” Save the
Children, May 30, 2018.
HTML https://www.facebook.com/notes/save-the-children-yemen/save-the-children-statement-on-hodeidah/1930895286930016/
[6] “Bipartisan Group of 16 Lawmakers Threaten to Block U.S.
Military Escalation in Yemen if not Briefed by Pentagon,” May 3,
2017.
HTML https://pocan.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/bipartisan-group-of-16-lawmakers-threaten-to-block-us-military
[7] Helene Cooper, Thomas Gibbons-Neff and Eric Schmitt, “Army
Special Forces Secretly Help Saudis Combat Threat From Yemen
Rebels,” New York Times, May 3, 2018.
HTML https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/03/us/politics/green-berets-saudi-yemen-border-houthi.html
[8] Ibid.
[9] Eric Schmitt and Thomas Gibbons-Neff, New York Times,
“Before Saudi Visit, Congress Questions U.S. Support for Yemen
Campaign,” March 18, 2018,
HTML https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/18/us/politics/trump-saudi-yemen.html
[10] Akbar Shahid Ahmed, “Legal Scholars Trash Pentagon’s Effort
To Prevent Senate Debate On Yemen War,” Huffington Post, March
6, 2018.
HTML https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/legal-scholars-trash-trump-pentagon-effort-to-prevent-senate-debate-on-yemen-war_us_5a9f0d99e4b002df2c5e895d
[11] Letter to Congressional leaders, March 14, 2008,
HTML http://apps.washingtonpost.com/g/documents/world/defense-secretary-jim-mattiss-letter-to-congressional-leaders/2837/
[12] U.S. Congress, War Powers Resolution of 1973, Section 8(c)
50 U.S.C. 1541–1548.
[13] Cooper, Gibbons-Neff, Schmitt, “Army Special Forces
Secretly Help Saudis,” New York Times.
[14] Editorial Board, “Why Are American Troops in the Yemen
War?” New York Times, May 3, 2018.
HTML https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/03/opinion/american-troops-yemen.html
[15] Editorial Board, “America’s Role in Yemen’s Agony Can End
on Capitol Hill,” New York Times, March 19, 2018.
HTML https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/19/opinion/mohammed-bin-salman-america-yemen.html
[16] U.S. Congress, S.Rept. 93-220, p 24.
HTML https://therealnews.com/columns/us-congressmen-stop-famine-triggering-attack-on-yemens-port-city-hodeida-which-could-starve-millions
#Post#: 10440--------------------------------------------------
Re: Genocide
By: AGelbert Date: July 18, 2018, 4:42 pm
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[center]Freedom Flotilla: Swedish MP Calls on Sweden’s
Government to Impose Sanctions on Israel[/center]
July 18, 2018
Jeanette Escanilla of Sweden’s Left Party says protecting
Palestinian rights requires Sweden to go beyond recognition of
the State of Palestine
[center]
HTML https://youtu.be/mDPrg1aPcTo[/center]
[center]Story Transcript[/center]
DIMITRI LASCARIS: This is Dimitri Lascaris, reporting for The
Real News from the port in Naples, Italy. I’m seated here in
front of the one of the ships to Gaza with Jeannette Escanilla.
She’s a member of the Swedish parliament for the Swedish Left
Party, and also the chair of the Swedish Boat to Gaza, I
understand. Thank you for joining us.
JEANNETTE ESCANILLA: Thank you, Dimitri. [Good to] meet you.
DIMITRI LASCARIS: So you’ve, you recently, in your capacity as a
member of the Swedish parliament, you had an interaction with
Sweden’s foreign minister about the flotilla. Could you please
explain to us what happened?
JEANNETTE ESCANILLA: Yes. For me is very important to act like a
member of the Swedish Parliament, because the situation of Gaza
is very difficult. I ask the government and the foreign minister
Margot Wallstrom in Sweden to answer me, the people of Sweden
and everybody who can see that, to answer the question about the
situation of Gaza and what Sweden can do, or are doing, for the
human rights of the people in Palestine in Gaza. And also to, to
know that we are going to Gaza with our boats, four boats, three
from Sweden. And so what she thinks about that, and what they
are going to do to protect our boats and the people who are
going there.
DIMITRI LASCARIS: And how did she respond to your inquiry?
JEANNETTE ESCANILLA: Well, I get an answer, a very good answer.
But I hope that she is going to act after this answer, because
the Swedish government, she answered that we are protecting the
human rights of the people of Gaza. We are against the blockade,
and this has to stop. And the answer about our trip to Gaza with
the boats, that they have already and conversations with the
Israelis to protect are boats in the international sea. We are,
the Swedish government are protecting the international sea, the
law about, to be in thee free to be in the sea, international
water. So it’s a very good answer, but I hope that they really
make action when the boats are near Gaza.
DIMITRI LASCARIS: So Foreign Minister Wallstrom has previously
angered the Israeli government. Could you tell us why, and what
the consequences have been for her?
JEANNETTE ESCANILLA: Well, Sweden have a tradition of solidarity
country for many, many years. In Sweden when the Social
Democrats won the elections for now, so they decide together
with the Left Party and the Green Party to recognize Palestine.
And this was not good news for the Israelis. And then after that
saw Margot Wallstrom and the Swedish government there are
consequently in the position of, they are against the blockade
and against their occupation of the, of the land of the
Palestinians. So that’s why she’s not welcome to Israel. And
it’s a big mistake of the Israelis to don’t have, to not listen
to the government of Sweden, because the government of Sweden
tries even to work around the world to make the world open their
eyes and stop the criminal state of Israel. They are killing the
Palestinian people.
DIMITRI LASCARIS: So despite the efforts of the Swedish
government and Foreign Minister Wallstrom, do you think that the
Swedish government should be doing more, and in particular on
the question of sanctions? You know, in the last few days the
Irish Senate passed a bill that I think is unprecedented in the
European Union, the West really, banning the importation of
products made in Israel’s illegal settlements. There is
virtually no form of economic sanction, as I understand it,
being imposed by any government, and Sweden-. With that possible
exception in Ireland. Do you think that the sanctions are really
what we need here? Do you think the Swedish government should be
doing more in that regard?
JEANNETTE ESCANILLA: Yes, the Swedish government can do more.
The sanctions is very important to make, stop this, this
criminal action of Israel. So yes, but just now Sweden has not
taken this, this decision to make sanctions official. So it
could be my, my next step to make a new question asked about
that. But just now they’re, we are doing something. We are
sending the boats. It’s also a good action to do, in practical
things to show the world and to break the silence about the
situation in Gaza. So everything we can do. Yes. And we can do
more. So I’m going to prepare a question to Margot Wallstrom
about this to do more. The sanction is very important.
DIMITRI LASCARIS: I’d like to thank you very much for joining us
today, Jeannette, and I wish you an excellent voyage.
JEANNETTE ESCANILLA: Thank you very much, Dimitri.
DIMITRI LASCARIS: And this is Dimitri Lascaris, reporting from
the port of Naples, Italy for The Real News Network.
HTML https://therealnews.com/stories/freedom-flotilla-swedish-mp-calls-on-swedens-government-to-impose-sanctions-on-israel
#Post#: 10441--------------------------------------------------
Re: Genocide
By: AGelbert Date: July 18, 2018, 4:54 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
[center]Obama 😈 Abandoned Palestinian Rights, Will
Ocasio-Cortez?[/center]
July 17, 2018
Ali Abunimah of the Electronic Intifada discusses Barack Obama’s
abandonment of Palestinian rights and why, after recent comments
that drew concern, new progressive star Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
should be encouraged to defend them
[center]
HTML https://youtu.be/jx2-ruIhtr8[/center]
[center]Story Transcript[/center]
AARON MATE: It’s The Real News. I’m Aaron Mate. We’re talking to
Ali Abunimah, who is co-founder of the Electronic Intifada.
So, Ali, in the first part we were discussing Gaza, the ongoing
Israeli 👹🦍 attacks there. And you mentioned that
the Obama administration, during the last major Israeli assault,
we armed Israel. Which reminded me of a recent piece in the New
Yorker that was called “The Maps of Israeli Settlements that
Shocked Barack Obama.” And it’s a piece basically saying that
Obama was presented with some maps of the West Bank near the end
of his presidency showing massive settlement growth cutting up
Palestinian land. And it includes this line. It says, “Ben
Rhodes, one of Obama’s longest-serving advisers, said the
president was shocked to see how systematic the Israelis had
been at cutting off Palestinian population centers from one
another.” And he talks about how this led to concern amongst the
Obama administration officials and a strong desire on their part
to to to address it.
So, Ali, you were critical of this piece when it came out. As
someone who was critical all along of the Obama administration’s
policy when it comes to Israel-Palestine, I’m was wondering your
thoughts upon hearing that someone claiming that Obama was
shocked at the massive Israeli settlement growth during his
tenure.
ALI ABUNIMAH: I find the notion that Barack Obama suddenly
learned in 2015, you know, seven years into his presidency,
about the extent of Israeli colonization and was shocked by it
to be utterly absurd and incredible, and an insult to our
intelligence. And it’s, it’s entirely untrue that Obama learned
something in 2015 that he didn’t know for many, many years. And
my shock comes from having known Obama in the years before he
was president, when he was my local state senator in Chicago,
and having attended a number of sessions with him where these
issues were talked about, and knowing that he was very
well-informed. Remember his first envoy was George Mitchell, who
had, who was very familiar with the realities on the ground. Who
had written a report on Israeli settlements some years earlier
for the U.S. government.
So Obama was very well informed. What this article seems to be
doing, I think, is to somehow whitewash Obama and absolve him of
his direct complicity in and support for Israel’s deepening of
its occupation, settler colonialism, and apartheid. And I think
what’s critical to understand, too, is I don’t think this was
somehow negligence on the part of the Obama administration. I
think that the Palestinians were used as sacrificial lambs for
the bigger policy of the Obama administration, which was
securing the Iran nuclear deal. And the dynamic was simply that
the more Israel and its lobby whined and cried about the Iran
deal, the more Obama 😈 you know tried to assuage their
anger by letting them go wild on the Palestinians. I think that
is essentially the dynamic. And now they’re trying to whitewash
their horrific complicity, which includes not only rearming
Israel while it was slaughtering 11 children a day in Gaza
during the summer of 2014, but also just a few months before he
left office signing with Israel the biggest military aid
package, the biggest military aid giveaway in human history; $38
billion dollars with which Israel can continue its occupation
and colonization, but also expand its aggression and war in the
region.
It’s been using, for example, the F-35 fighter jets that Obama
gave Israel in its attacks in Syria. That’s Obama’s legacy. He
knew all this, and it was all done willfully and with with
malice of forethought, let’s say.
AARON MATE: And speaking of legacy, and placating a Middle East
ally, I mean, we know that that dynamic you described was also
on display when it comes to Saudi Arabia and Yemen. We know from
reporting that basically the Obama administration gave early
support for the Saudi attack on Yemen as a way to placate it for
its, its rejecting Saudi Arabia’s objections to the Iran nuclear
deal. So as a way to sort of buy off the Saudis, Obama gave
intense support to the Saudi attack on Yemen.
But in terms of Obama, I remember you were one of the first
people to sound the alarm about him. Many people, myself
included, were feeling optimistic back in the day when he was
first coming up. And I recall you relaying a conversation that
you had with him where, if I remember right, he seemed to
acknowledge to you that, you know, that the Palestinian issue
was a very real one and a serious one. But I believe he even
said to you in private conversation that he was constrained in
how much he could say publicly.
ALI ABUNIMAH: That’s right. That happened in 2004, when he was
running for the Democratic primary, for the U.S. Senate. And he
eventually, of course, did win that seat. And that happened at
the home of a mutual friend of ours in Chicago. And I wrote that
account in an article that is easy to find called “How Barack
Obama Learned to Love Israel” that I wrote in 2007, laying out
some of Obama’s relationship with the Palestinian community in
Chicago. He was close to a number of people.
I wasn’t and never claimed to be a close friend of Barack Obama.
There are some sort of right-wing nutty websites that claim he
was. My relationship with him was as someone who lived in his
neighborhood, who attended some of the same events as him, who
met him on a number of occasions at different people’s homes,
and who had several conversations with him about Palestine. And
he was well informed and concerned. I mean, he might not have
been a world expert, but he knew what the basic issues were. And
I think he made a calculated choice that in order to climb up
the rungs of power, the Palestinians, like so many other causes
he once claimed to support or feigned supporting, the
Palestinians, like them, had to be thrown under the bus. And I
think that’s really the story of Barack Obama, is, is that he
always climbs up the next rung, and leaves the people who helped
him get there behind. Yeah. So I don’t think it’s more
extraordinary than that. It’s the story of a quite cynical
politician.
AARON MATE: And that’s why to me it’s not just a story about
Barack Obama, but just about politicians in general. That it’s a
lesson, I think his lesson is one we can apply to many
Democratic politicians, that for them to be able to recognize
basic Palestinian human rights, as was the case with Bernie
Sanders, it’s not a realization that they came to on their own.
That took place because of intense grassroots pressure.
ALI ABUNIMAH: That’s, that’s the key point. I mean, let’s look
at what’s happening now with Alexandrea Ocasio-Cortez, who won
this stunning victory in the primary in the 14th District in New
York despite, or maybe even because, she had made statements
condemning the Israeli massacre in Gaza, and had stood with
Palestinians. And that was really quite significant, I think,
that she was able to defeat an establishment incumbent while
supporting Palestinians.
But look what’s happened since that primary, where the whole
full weight, the crushing weight of the Democratic establishment
and the media is coming up against her. And she made these
comments on the PBS NewsHour sort of backing away from some of
her support for Palestinian rights.
SPEAKER: You used the term ‘the occupation of Palestine.’ What
did you mean by that?
ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ: Oh. I think what I meant is the
settlements that are increasing in some of these areas, and
places where more Palestinians are experiencing difficulty in
access to their housing, and homes.
SPEAKER: Do you think you can expand on that?
ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ: Yeah. I mean, I think I’d also just-.
I am not the expert on geopolitics on this issue. You know, for
me, I’m a firm believer in finding a solution on this issue, and
I’m happy to sit down with leaders on both of these. For me I
just look at things through a human rights lens. And I may not
use the right words. I know this is a very intense issue.
ALI ABUNIMAH: I think that’s, you know, again, my advice to
people is don’t make it about Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, don’t
make it about Bernie Sanders whose record has been very spotty.
The key issue is to keep up the pressure from the grassroots to
hold all of these politicians accountable, and to change the
paradigm so that talking about Palestinian human rights, talking
about Palestinians as humans, becomes not only possible but
necessary in order to win political power. That’s, I think, the
lesson we have to take from Obama, as well.
AARON MATE: And on a possibly encouraging note, in that same PBS
interview I believe Ocasio-Cortez also said that she doesn’t
know very much about the issue, and she’s open to learning. It
was striking to see the interviewer press her for calling the
occupation of the West Bank and Gaza an occupation, as if that
was somehow a questionable thing to say. But I saw, personally,
in Ocasio-Cortez an openness to learning more about the topic.
And that’s exactly where I think what you’re describing comes
in. It will take grassroots pressure and activism to be able to
help educate her on the topic, and resist the temptations and
pressure she’ll face from right-wing, anti-Palestinian
interests, of which there are many in Washington. Ali Abunimah,
final thoughts, as we wrap.
ALI ABUNIMAH: I think that’s right. I’m sure that Ocasio-Cortez
and Bernie Sanders and any number of other politicians are going
to say things that, that you know, those who support Palestinian
rights don’t like. I think the key message is eyes on the prize,
keep up the pressure, keep building the campaign, you know,
building the campaigns for Palestinian human rights. And that is
what is changing the atmosphere and changing the political
landscape. That’s making it possible for people to talk about
these issues. And it’s work that people have been doing for
many, many years on the margins, being ignored, being pushed to
the side, being maligned, being smeared. But it is work that is
now really helping to change the national landscape in
conversation. To me, that is the good news story out of this.
AARON MATE: Ali Abunimah, co-founder of the Electronic Intifada,
thank you.
ALI ABUNIMAH: Thank you, Aaron.
AARON MATE: And thank you for joining us on The Real News
Network.
HTML https://therealnews.com/stories/obama-abandoned-palestinian-rights-will-ocasio-cortez
#Post#: 10507--------------------------------------------------
Re: Genocide
By: AGelbert Date: July 28, 2018, 5:17 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
[center]Israeli Activist 🕊 Who Grew Up In A Kibbutz
Sails To Gaza On The Freedom Flotilla[/center]
July 27, 2018
Zohar Regev Chamberlain says the injustice she witnessed as a
child in Israel moved her to defend Palestinian human rights
[center]
HTML https://youtu.be/BEDv-OIuQuo[/center]
[center]
[color=navy]Story Transcript[/color][/center]
DIMITRI LASCARIS: This is Dimitri Lascaris, reporting for The
Real News Network from Palermo, Sicily.
I’m here today with Zohar Regev Chamberlain. She’s an Israeli
national and she is the representative for the Spanish campaign
for the Freedom Flotilla. Thank you very much for joining us
today.
ZOHAR REGEV CHAMBERLAIN: Thank you.
DIMITRI LASCARIS: So I understand you, you were born and raised
in a kibbutz. And I’m curious to know about your evolution from,
you know, a child growing up on the kibbutz to what you are
today, which is a human rights activist for the Palestinian
cause. Could you sort of explain that?
ZOHAR REGEV CHAMBERLAIN: Okay. The evolution is, you know, part
of me growing up. And I can say that as a child, already I’ve
encountered injustice in the treatment of Israelis towards
Palestinians. And one of the incidents I remember is my own
kibbutz being, very much pushing for a Palestinian family’s
house to be demolished quite close to us, and my parents helping
those people by bringing them a tent, and you know, just showing
solidarity with them, and how my peers on the kibbutz reacted to
that. So saying, like, why are you helping these people?
They’re, you know, sort of like, coming in towards us. And you
know, they are human beings that we’re building on their land.
They don’t have a house. There were children my age, and I just
felt, you know, this wasn’t right.
So this was, you know, part of my family history, always being a
part of the demonstrations against the settlements. I remember
in ’82, 1982 after the Sabra and Shatila massacre, part of that
demonstration asking, you know, demanding that there will be an
investigation, and a lot of similar actions they have
participated in. So my family’s always been, like, a dissident
family. And it wasn’t accepted, it was a little bit
nonconformist. And for me it was natural to grow from that. And
as the situation gets worse, become more of an activist, try to
do something more.
DIMITRI LASCARIS: And ultimately you emigrated to Spain, where
your feelings about the Palestinian cause and the way that
Palestinian people were being treated, part of your motivation
for leaving the country.
ZOHAR REGEV CHAMBERLAIN: Yes. I left in 2004. And this was after
or during the Second Intifada, depending on how you look at it.
But you know, I could see that Israelis were sort of, like,
claiming their right to go to a cafe while the Palestinians were
maybe using violence. But they were just resisting, you know,
occupation that’s been going on for too long. And the
frustration after the Oslo Accords never actually, were never
implemented.
And the feeling that I had was that if you stay in that
situation as an Israeli citizen, with all the privileges that a
Jew in Israel has, you’re collaborating. You pay taxes, but you
also just accept living normally in a situation that shouldn’t
be accepted by anyone. So by moving away, I was just trying to
keep my own sanity, keep the sensitivity towards the suffering.
But actually, it’s, of course I feel as a human being that, you
know, this injustice inflicted on the Palestinians is a problem.
But as part of, you know, the group that’s oppressing them I
feel a double obligation to do something about it, or to, you
know, to try out.
I was raised with the, you know, history of the Holocaust, and
saying how could the world be silent when we were, you know,
being taken to the gas chambers. And I say, you know, you don’t
have to go to the gas chambers. It’s enough when you dehumanize
somebody that ultimately you’ll get there. So you need to cry
out way before. And now when people criticize Israel they’re
being blamed, being anti-Semites, or whatever. I just feel that
it’s totally hypocritical against the way I was brought up.
DIMITRI LASCARIS: What’s your assessment of the state of the
Zionist project, and your prediction, acknowledging it’s very
difficult to predict the sorts of things, about the future of
the Zionist project?
ZOHAR REGEV CHAMBERLAIN: I think, first of all, the work we do
here as the Freedom Flotilla, direct action to try to challenge
the blockade, is all about human rights. But I think the fact
that Zionism has neglected to respect the human rights of the
indigenous people, you, know, the original residents of
Palestine, makes it impossible to create a safe place for Jews,
which was the original reason for Zionism. So I think it’s
doomed to fail, and I just hope that it wouldn’t cause too much
suffering before it ends.
DIMITRI LASCARIS: Lastly, I’d like to talk to you about the
country you currently reside in. Spain seems to be, in many
ways, on the forefront of the battle for Palestinian rights
within the European Union. A number of communities, I believe
you’re from Cadiz, and Cadiz is an example of a community that
has taken a strong stand in defense of Palestinian rights. I
believe it may have actually expressed some support for
sanctions, the boycott movement. Valencia, a very large city in
Spain, has declared itself an apartheid-free zone, Barcelona.
And other cities, of course.
So on a local level there appears to be very strong support, and
burgeoning support for the Palestinian cause in Spain. However,
the national government doesn’t seem to be particularly
interested in taking concrete measures to protect the rights of
the Palestinian people. How do you explain that disparity
between the grassroots support and the policies of the national
government?
ZOHAR REGEV CHAMBERLAIN: I don’t think Spain is so much
different to other countries in this respect. I think Western
democracies 💵 🎩 🍌 😈 👹
don’t really listen to their people. 😟 I think people in
Spain generally support the Palestinian cause, or at least
traditionally supported. I think with time Israeli propaganda
has filtered. And it’s true that we have a big network of local
government and civil society groups that support human rights,
defend human rights through the BDS movement. And there’s a
whole network of Israeli apartheid-free zones in Spain.
But it’s still to be seen whether they’ll be able to put
pressure on the central government to actually sanction Israel,
because Israel is not held accountable. If they don’t feel the
consequences of their policies. I don’t think there will be an
end to it. And I think it needs to come from international
pressure. I don’t believe that Israeli society itself can bring
this change from within.
DIMITRI LASCARIS: I’d like to thank you very much, Zohar, for
joining us today.
ZOHAR REGEV CHAMBERLAIN: Thank you.
DIMITRI LASCARIS: And this is Dimitri Lascaris, reporting for
The Real News from Palermo, Sicily.
HTML https://therealnews.com/stories/israeli-activist-who-grew-up-in-a-kibbutz-sails-to-gaza-on-the-freedom-flotilla
[center][quote][font=times new roman] [b]Micah 2 New
International Version (NIV)
1 Woe to those who plan iniquity,
to those who plot evil on their beds!
At morning’s light they carry it out
because it is in their power to do it.
2 They covet fields and seize them,
and houses, and take them.
They defraud people of their homes,
they rob them of their
inheritance.[/b][/font][/quote][/center]
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