Posted by: "mechel samberg" mechelsamberg2@yahoo.com msgiri_bebl
Tue Dec 23, 2008 10:41 pm (PST)
POSTED BY: mechel samberg
This must be a real shocker. These must be "peaceful weapons".
"In the past three days, 6 Palestinians, including 4 children, were
injured as a result of the continuation of the misuse of weapons. "
-----Inline Attachment Follows-----
PCHR
Palestinian Centre for Human Rights LTD (non profit)
Lawlessness and Proliferation of Weapons
Misuse of Weapons by Armed Groups and Security Forces
Field Update
23 December 2008
6 Palestinians, Including 4 Children, Injured in Gaza Due to Misuse of
Weapons
In the past three days, 6 Palestinians, including 4 children, were
injured
as a result of the continuation of the misuse of weapons.
The wounds of 3
children were described as serious. The Palestinian Centre for Human
Rights
(PCHR) remains deeply concerned over the re-occurrence of such incidents
that are part of the state of security chaos and misuse of weapons
plaguing
the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT).
According to investigations conducted by PCHR, at approximately 16:15 on
Monday, 22 December, 2008, 3-year-old Myassar Mousa Wahdan, was injured
in
the abdomen and chest and her 5-year-old brother, Mohammed, was injured
in
the head by shrapnel from a locally produced rocket that was fired by
members of the Palestinian resistance.
The rocket fell on agricultural land
near Beit Hanoun Agriculture College in the north to Beit Hanoun town in
the
northern Gaza Strip. The two children were immediately transferred to
Beit
Hanoun Hospital for treatment. Medical sources described the wounds of
Myassar as serious and reported that she was admitted into the intensive
care unit. The wounds of Mohammed were described as moderate.
In another incident, at approximately 17:30 on Sunday, 21 December,
2008,
Hanan Sohwail, 32, was lightly wounded by shrapnel to the right hand
when a
locally produced rocket exploded near her house in al-Zaytoun quarter in
the
west of Beit Hanoun Town. She was immediately taken to Beit Hanoon
Hospital
for treatment.
At approximately 14:40 on Saturday, 20 December, 2008, a locally
produced
rocket fired by members of the Palestinian resistance fell near a group
of
children who were playing in a bystreet to the east of the industrial
zone,
west to Beit Hanoon town. Shrapnel from the rocket wounded two children.
The
two children were taken to Beit Hanoun Hospital for treatment and then
transferred to the intensive care unit at Shifa Hospital in Gaza City,
since
their wounds were serious. The two children were identified as Sari
Mana'a
al-Sama'ana, 9, and Safi 'Eid al-Sama'ana, 8.
Also on Saturday, 20 December, 2008, at approximately 00:30, gunmen on a
motorcycle fired at Nayef Nasser al-Mahmoum, 20, while standing near his
house in al-Tannour neighborhood in Rafah town in the southern Gaza
Strip.
Al-Mahmout was wounded by a bullet to the left arm. He was taken to
Martyr
Mohammed Yousef al-Najjar Hospital for treatment.
PCHR is gravely concerned over increasing casualties resulting from the
misuse of weapons, which is part of the state of security chaos
prevailing
in the OPT.
PCHR calls upon concerned authorities to investigate these
attacks and bring the perpetrators to justice. PCHR calls also upon
Palestinian resistance groups to be far away from civilian populated
area
when conducting military actions.
Public Document
************ ********* ********* ********
For more information please call PCHR office in Gaza, Gaza Strip, on
+972 8
2824776 - 2825893
PCHR, 29 Omer El Mukhtar St., El Remal, PO Box 1328 Gaza, Gaza Strip.
E-mail: pchr@pchrgaza. org
http://www.pchrgaza .org
------------ --------- --------- -----
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21. Acceptable Deaths!
Posted by: "Amar Singh Azad" azadamarsingh@yahoo.co.in msgiri_bebl
Tue Dec 23, 2008 10:42 pm (PST)
POSTED BY: Amar Singh Azad
Acceptable Deaths!
By Aditi Munot
Countercurrents. org
There is always a lot of hue and cry about any terrorist attack
anywhere in the world. Be it The Twin Towers in US or the bombings in
Britain or the recent terror attacks in Mumbai….. these incidents get
a whole lot of public attention and criticism, media footage, global
attention.
There is no denial that these attacks are a question on the
sovereignty of any country. Such hideous crimes are unacceptable and
actions must be taken to prevent them. These macabre incidents
deserve to be condemned and are worthy of public ire.
But honestly, there are numerous other acts which are far more
deplorable and horrendous but unfortunately get little or no
attention at all. The loss of life is far higher and more painful due
to these incidents but most of the world is oblivious to these
deaths. These events do not boil the public blood.
In the past five years, over 150000 farmers have committed suicide in
India alone. That is a huge number, especially when compared with the
200 people killed in Mumbai or the few thousand killed in the 9/11
attacks. 150000 farmers have been forced into giving up their lives
and no questions have been asked. The ruthless economic structure
that created the circumstances which compelled so many deaths is
acceptable as a part of life.
Millions of people die each year due to starvation and malnutrition.
Millions each year! Millions of tons of toxic wastes disposed by
factories everyday result in various diseases, disabilities and
deaths everyday, every year. Innocent people are condemned to slow,
painful deaths by these acts every year. But no questions are asked.
These killings are considered `business as usual' and forgotten. The
newspapers and television channels never scream about these deaths,
there are no protest rallies against these unmerciful killings.
Children, adults are being executed every single day all over the
world in the name of this `business as usual' but it catches no ones
attention.
Over a million people have been killed in Iraq and hundreds of
thousands in Argentina, Brazil, Indonesia, Chile and the likes. All
these deaths…. Or murders to be precise have been committed in the
name of war or dictatorship. But the obvious reason- draconian
economic policies is conveniently ignored. These detestable deaths
have not received global ire.
From Union Carbide in the Bhopal Gas tragedy to Pacific Gas and
Electric in US to De Beers blood diamonds to any and all such gory
acts committed by big corporations resulting in thousands of deaths….
None have touched the heart of the common man. The general public has
not registered these terrible incidents as acts of terror against
humanity. Most are not even aware of these atrocities. Far more
people have been killed in these incidents than any or all terrorist
attacks put together.
The question is why are we not angered and hurt to the same extent by
all these brutal episodes as we are by terrorist attacks? Millions of
people are murdered on the economic altar of governments and big
corporations every year but we just don't seem to take notice. Why
does our heart not bleed for these murdered and why don't we put are
foot down on these issues? Why are certain forms of killings more
acceptable and others not?
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22. Arabs' Deadly Silence: All Quiet on the Gaza Shore
Posted by: "Romi Elnagar bluesapphire48@yahoo.com" Romi Elnagar bluesapphire48@yahoo.com msgiri_bebl
Wed Dec 24, 2008 2:51 am (PST)
POSTED BY: Romi Elnagar bluesapphire48@ yahoo.com
Subject: Arabs' Deadly Silence: All Quiet on the Gaza Shore
*Arabs' Deadly Silence: All Quiet on the Gaza Shore* 'The
complicity of the Arab states in abetting the Israeli siege.' (Photo: AP) *By
Rannie Amiri*
*"�a person who hears the voice of a man who calls the Muslims to his help
but he does not respond to him, is not a Muslim." -- Prophet Muhammad*
**
Gaza is an island.
Although located in the middle of the Arab world and bordering one of its
principal and most populous countries, it could very well be in the middle
of the ocean, isolated and unbeknownst to anyone. Its residents, if given
the choice, may actually prefer this setting than bear witness to the
malignant neglect afforded them by their fellow Arabs as Gaza inexorably
withers under the barbaric Israeli siege.
If there were any doubts of its dire situation, they were removed by Dr.
Richard Falk, UN Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in the
Palestinians Territories.
On Dec. 9, Falk clearly and forcefully stated that, "An urgent effort should
be made at the United Nations to implement the agreed norm of a
responsibility to protect a civilian population being collectively punished
by policies that amount to a Crime Against Humanity."
Yes, crimes against humanity are being committed in Gaza according to a
Jewish-American professor of international law, and nary a peep was heard
from Cairo, Amman, Riyadh or Doha.
"If the UN says that the tight siege on the Gaza Strip is a war crime, we
wonder why Arab leaders do not demand the reopening of the Rafah crossing,"
said Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum, in reference to the land border crossing
shared with Egypt.
The UNHRC harshly reprimanded Israel for its policies toward Palestinians
generally and its blockade of Gaza specifically, calling for an end to their
"cruel, inhuman and degrading" punishments. Falk also insisted the UN
International Criminal Court investigate Israel's behavior and actions in
order to "determine whether the Israeli civilian leaders and military
commanders responsible for the Gaza siege should be indicted and prosecuted
for violations of international criminal law."
In the face of Dr. Falk's and the UNHRC's findings and conclusions,
President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt, King Abdullah of Jordan, King Abdullah of
Saudi Arabia, the princes, sheikhs and emirs of the Gulf fiefdoms, and the
feckless Arab League, all remained silent.
*Some Ships Set Sail � and Others Don't*
**
Gaza's 1.5 million citizens have been cut off from the rest of the world
since June 2007. That is when Hamas exerted full authority over the tiny
strip of land and its borders were subsequently sealed by Israel and Egypt.
Since then, the Israelis have imposed ever more severe restrictions on what
may enter the territory, now significantly limiting even the most basic of
humanitarian supplies including food, fuel, clothing, cooking oil and
medicine. As a result, according to Iran's Press TV, hundreds of patients
have died, 40 percent of ambulances have stopped running due to lack of
fuel, and 75 percent of Gaza's children suffer from malnutrition. As
reported in the Dec. 14 Sunday Times, some families have now resorted to
eating grass. The United Nations Relief and Works Agency just announced it
has been forced to suspend food distribution to the 750,000 Gazans who
depend on them for assistance. It has run out of flour and with all border
crossings closed by Israel, there is no way for its trucks to enter and
replenish empty food stockpiles.
Attempts have been made to break the siege on Gaza. Who has tried, and who
has not, is most telling.
The U.S.-based Free Gaza Movement has successfully landed four ships on its
shores, bringing humanitarian relief along with academicians, journalists
and doctors, and leaving with patients in need of medical attention and
students otherwise prohibited from studying abroad.
Heroic grassroots movements such as this have raised needed awareness of
Gaza's plight, but the question remains: where are the ships from the Arab
countries?
In early December, a Libyan cargo vessel carrying 3,000 tons of food,
powdered milk and blankets to Gaza was turned away by Israel under the
pretext of not having diplomatic relations with Libya. That has been the
only attempt made by an Arab or Muslim country to challenge the Israeli
blockade.
A Qatar-based aid group, simply named Qatar Charity, was set to send a
shipment of $2 million in cancer medication shortly after the Libyan
endeavor. Under intense pressure from the Israeli government, however, Qatar
capitulated and cancelled the trip just hours before departure.
Within the last week, Iran's Red Crescent Society stated its intention to
send a relief ship with 1,000 tons of supplies including wheat, sugar, rice,
cooking oil, and medical supplies.
"Unfortunately so far the Egyptian government had not allowed us to send the
relief items to them by air," said its Secretary-General, Ahmad Moussavi.
And that aptly summarizes the second heinous crime being committed against
Gaza: the complicity of the Arab states in abetting the Israeli siege.
**
*Protests From Afar*
**
There have been large rallies in Tehran in support of Palestinians and in
protest against Israeli actions, with equal venom directed at Hosni Mubarak
for not opening the Rafah crossing to allow in humanitarian aid. This caused
Iran's Ayatollah Ahmad Khatami (no relation to former President Mohammad
Khatami) to declare:
"Certain Arab leaders should be tried as 'betrayers' for all Israeli crimes
in the occupied lands and the Gaza Strip."
Mubarak replied to Iran's criticism by characteristically warning of a
"Persian" invasion of Arab countries; an all too tired and racist refrain
which avoids addressing the matter at hand. Sporadic and smaller
demonstrations have taken place in Beirut and by the banned Muslim
Brotherhood in Egypt.
*The Real Threat Posed by Gaza: Democracy*
**
No one should be surprised at the Arabs' foot dragging (at best) or
collusion with the Israelis (at worst) in maintaining the siege.
Egypt is the most egregious offender of course, easily able to open the
Rafah crossing at will, or permanently, to allow desperately needed supplies
in, and civilians in need of medical care, out. The deafening - and deadly -
silence from Saudi Arabia, Jordan and the Gulf states is not unexpected. In
the July 2006 invasion and destruction of Lebanon for example, the leaders
of all of these nations gave their tacit approval to the Israeli onslaught
in the hopes that Hezbollah would ultimately be destroyed.
But what threat does Hezbollah and Hamas pose to them?
These groups are looked at much differently in the Middle East than in
Western Europe or the United States. Whereas the latter two narrowly
question how they may imperil Israel, the Arab leaders question what
ramifications the democratic elections they call for, or were elected by,
may have on their own grip on power.
Hence the unelected monarchs and dictators such as Mubarak and the Kings
Abdullah find parties such as Hamas and Hezbollah anathema, for they have
used the power of the ballot as a stamp of their legitimacy. That is
something those rulers have never had, or if so, in nothing more than sham
elections. For this reason alone, the Israeli siege of Gaza remains
tolerated and unchallenged by the regions' U.S.-supported dictators, kings,
princes and emirs. The entire population of Gaza is paying dearly for their
experiment in democracy, which elected Hamas in 2006, and they will continue
to do so for some time.
The vast majority of human rights activists, advocates and people of
conscience are rightly condemning Israel for its cruel blockade. But what
they have wholly failed to denounce is the acquiescence of the Arab and
Muslim countries to it.
Hezbollah Secretary-General Sayyid Hasan Nasrallah, in a recently televised
speech, called for open-ended demonstrations until the siege is lifted. He
also addressed the Arab heads of state directly:
"Where are your Arab sensibilities? When a million-and- a-half Arab people in
the Gaza Strip are living under a siege, in hunger, under threat? My
humanitarian, religious, Islamic, and Arabic sensibilities call on me to
take part in actions and protests against it."
When the siege of Gaza ends - and it will end, but only after a terrible
price has been exacted -and its citizens in future years and generations are
asked why it was allowed to continue on for so long, they will point east,
west and south, and say:
"We had met the enemy. And they were us."
*- Rannie Amiri is an independent commentator on the Arab and Islamic
worlds. He contributed this article to PalestineChronicle. com.*
http://www.palestin echronicle. com/view_ article_details. php?id=14507
,_.___
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