MRN

by Muntadhar al-Zaidi

(source: AntiWar.com)

Muntadhar al-Zaidi, the Iraqi who threw his shoe at George Bush gave this speech on his recent release. 

In the name of God, the most gracious and most merciful.

Here I am, free. But my country is still a prisoner of war.

Firstly, I give my thanks and my regards to everyone who stood beside me, whether inside my country, in the Islamic world, in the free world. There has been a lot of talk about the action and about the person who took it, and about the hero and the heroic act, and the symbol and the symbolic act.

But, simply, I answer: What compelled me to confront is the injustice that befell my people, and how the occupation wanted to humiliate my homeland by putting it under its boot.

And how it wanted to crush the skulls of (the homeland’s) sons under its boots, whether sheikhs, women, children or men. And during the past few years, more than a million martyrs fell by the bullets of the occupation and the country is now filled with more than 5 million orphans, a million widows and hundreds of thousands of maimed. And many millions of homeless because of displacement inside and outside the country.

Read More »The story of my shoe

(source: Washington Post) Myth: “From 1948 to 1967 Jordan denied Israelis access to their holy sites in East Jerusalem, including… Read More »Myth vs facts Isarael restricts freedom of worship in jerusalem

Goldstone Report finds Israel guilty of War Crimes

By Dr Firoz Osman

The MEDIA REVIEW NETWORK notes with interest media reports on the Goldstone Report, which found Israel guilty of war crimes and possibly crimes against humanity for its invasion of Gaza in December and January 2008/9. 

This investigation of Israeli war crimes corroborates the findings of many other organisations such as Amnesty International, the International Committee for the Red Cross, Human Rights Watch, Physicians for Human Rights-Israel and others.

Israel, not surprisingly, arrogantly rejected the findings, dismissing it as biased and one-sided. Israel refused to cooperate with the Goldstone Commission, denying it permission to enter its territory. The Hamas government ruling Gaza fully cooperated with the Goldstone investigation, allowing it free access throughout the territory.

One thousand four hundred Palestinians were brutally killed, five hundred of them women and children. In contrast, only thirteen Israelis were killed during the conflict. Whilst the Goldstone Commission also accuses Palestinian militants of war crimes, Hamas cites International Law that permits it the right of self defence.

The overwhelming criticism of the 574 page report condemns the Israeli Defence Force for failing to avoid civilian deaths and injury; for the use of white phosphorus in civilian areas; firing high-explosive artillery shells on hospitals; using Palestinian civilians as human shields; and deliberately attacking food supplies.

Israel has violated International Law with impunity for the last sixty years. The MEDIA REVIEW NETWORK awaits with interest the action, if any, will be taken by the United Nations Security Council against Israel. 

Read More »Mrn press release

Press Conference on Report of United Nations Fact-Finding Mission on Gaza Conflict

(source:United Nations Website)

There was evidence indicating Israel had committed serious violations of international human rights and humanitarian law during the Gaza conflict and actions amounting to war crimes and possibly crimes against humanity, it was reported today by the United Nations fact-finding mission on the Gaza conflict, upon the release of the mission’s official report and recommendations.

The 575-page report, which was forwarded to the Government of Israel and the Palestinian Authority this morning and posted on the website of the Human Rights Council, also concluded that evidence exists that Palestinian armed groups committed war crimes, as well as possibly crimes against humanity, in their repeated launching of rockets and mortars into southern Israel.

Read More »Un press release