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UN Human Rights Investigator: Israel's Seizure of Aid Ship for Gaza "Unlawful."
GENEVA, July 2 (Reuters)
Richard Falk, the United Nations special rapporteur on human rights in the Palestinian territories, said the move was part of Israel's "cruel blockade of the entire Palestinian population of Gaza" in violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention prohibiting any form of collective punishment against "an occupied people".
Falk, an American expert on international law, said Israel's two-year blockade of Hamas-ruled Gaza restricted vital supplies such as food, medicine and fuel to "bare subsistence levels".
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said in a report this week that Israel was also halting entry to Gaza of building materials and spare parts needed to repair damage from its 22-day invasion late last December.
"Such a pattern of continuing blockade under these conditions amounts to such a serious violation of the Geneva Conventions as to constitute a continuing crime against humanity," Falk said in a statement released in Geneva.
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The Rich Man's Terrorism
By Justin Head
It is no stretch for one to conclude that terrorism has replaced socialism as the new perceived threat to America. Our government has found it exponentially more convenient to use mythical terrorist threats to scare US citizens into saluting the flag and pledging support for all horrendous atrocities being carried out in our names. These scare tactics are to be expected post Cold War because America needs a new reason to justify its empire, as well as its increasing control over the lives of the population. However, a recent court case has me questioning the arbitrary definition our government has placed on terrorism.
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to read the entire column..
Where We Stand
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We believe that the Israeli government’s occupation of the West Bank and Gaza (the longest occupation in modern history), the blockades against Gaza, and the illegal Jewish-only settlements in the West Bank are all sources of continual violence, and that the Israeli government needs to bring them to an end for peace to ensue.
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We are morally outraged by the recent 22 day “war” in Gaza, which left at least 1,370 Palestinians and 13 Israelis dead. One third of the Palestinians killed were children, and at least 80% were nonviolent civilians. This was a lengthy aerial bombardment against a defenseless people. We consider this attack a massacre.
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We seek genuine peace and civil rights for all Israelis and Palestinians, and believe that under current circumstances, Palestinians are systematically and perpetually denied their basic human rights, as outlayed in the Geneva Convention and confirmed dozens of times by the UN General Assembly, UN Human Rights Commission, the UN Security Council, Amnesty International, The Red Cross, and every other prominent international human rights organization.
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We believe that the U.S. government, which gives billions of dollars in military aid to Israel every year, could play a major and necessary role in the dismantlement of the Occupation.
We understand that these are bold, and perhaps startling claims. If you look into what we have to say, however, and verify the credibility of our sources (which we hope you do!), we strongly believe that you will see this conflict from a viewpoint similar to ours.
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to read the rest of this column.
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"Peace cannot be kept by force; it can only be achieved by understanding"
-Albert Einstein
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Israel/Palestine for Dummies
Why are we calling for an end to the occupation of Palestinian Territories? Why have Israelis and Palestinians been fighting for so long? What is going on?
We know it's complicated, but hopefully this section will provide you with a good place to start learning about the conflict.
We believe this brief introduction outlines the most salient issues in the Israel/Palestine conflict from an objective viewpoint--a rare find within the relevant media. The article is titled: "Palestine, Israel and the Arab-Israeli Conflict:
A Primer," by Joel Beinin and Lisa Hajjar. It was published by the Middle East Research and Information Project.
Click here to read the primer.
Join our Campaign!
If you are a student at Ole Miss and interested in joining our campaign, click on the peace sign to learn more.
“Like the bee gathering honey from the different flowers, the wise person accepts the essence of the different scriptures and sees only the good in all religions.”
- Mahatma Gandhi
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Campus Antiwar Network at Ole Miss
In January 2009, Three Ole Miss students hosted the first meeting of their chapter of the Campus Antiwar Network. Since then, the group has been at the forefront of the political scene on campus. From protesting Colin Powell's speech at the Ford Center to challenging the allure of military recruiters and launching an integrative Israeli Arms divestment campaign, Ole Miss CAN has surpassed everyone's expectations. As the Fall semester of 2009 grows closer, CAN is well underway developing plans for a new semester of activism. Iraq, Afghanistan, and the Occupied Palestinian Territories all continue to suffer from the afflictions of American foreign policy, and we will continue to fight for peace!
“Some things you must always be unable to bear…injustice and outrage and dishonor and shame. No matter how young you are or how old you have got… Just refuse to bear them.”
- William Faulkner
ASB Divestment Resolution
“Rebels Resisting Apartheid” began with the introduction of Resolution 09-05 in the Associated Student Body (ASB) Senate at Ole Miss. This resolution called for the divestment of university funds from nine corporations that willfully supply arms to the Israeli military. The legislation cited several authoritative declarations of the Israeli military’s violations of human rights laws, especially those enumerated in the Geneva Convention (Protocol I).
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to read more about the ASB Resolutions.
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Israeli and Palestinian Children Killed
September 29, 2000 – Present
123 Israeli children have been killed by Palestinians and 1,487 Palestinian children have been killed by Israelis since September 29, 2000.
Is Israel an Ally to the U.S.?
By Dan Blazo
Is Israel an ally to the U.S.? We know what the politicians have to say about U.S.-Israel relations, but what do the facts say? Here are a few issues to consider:
1. The War in Iraq
Israel has not provided any troops to the “coalition” of countries engaged in the Iraq War (Operation Iraqi Freedom), although former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and the Israel lobby pressured the U.S. to invade Iraq and overthrow Saddam Hussein prior to the March 2003 invasion. The invasion and occupation of Iraq since 2003 has cost more than four thousand American lives and more than $500 billion...
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to read the entire column..
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The Campus Antiwar Network's Offical Newsletter:
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Corporations Targeted for Divestment:
Boeing produces the AH-64 Apache Attack Helicopter, used by the Israeli military against Palestinian civilians. Some of the other Boeing weapons in Israel’s arsenal include other helicopters, fighter planes, and missiles. Israel owns 98 Boeing F-15 Eagle jets, each costing $38 million.
Caterpillar continues to sell armored bulldozers—used to demolish Palestinian homes and uproot olive trees—to the Israeli military.
General Dynamics manufactures the 20mm guns for Israel’s F-16 jets and has supplied Israel with approximately one thousand M60A3 Main Battle Tanks.
General Electric manufactures and sells the engines for Apache Helicopters sold to the Israeli military.
Lockheed Martin manufactures the Patriot Missile and the F-16 Fighting Falcon jet, the latter of which Israel military possesses 237, each costing $34.3 million.
Northrop Grumman manufactures and sells radar and weapons systems of diverse specifications and functions for the Israeli military.
Oshkosh Truck Corporation produces tactical military trucks for the Israeli military.
Raytheon produces a number of missiles used by the Israel military against the Palestinians, including the AGM 65 Maverick, Patriot, and AIM 9 Sidewinder.
United Technologies, through a subsidiary—Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation, produces the Blackhawk Helicopter and the CH-53D Sea Stallion Helicopter, and Sikorsky President Dean Borgman declared in a February 1, 2001 press release: “Our company’s relationship of more than 40 years with Israel is a source of pride,” while announcing that his firm was awarded a $211.8 million contract with the Israeli Air Force.
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