Palestine – Breaking News

Mumbai tragedy unleashes Muslim bashing
by Iqbal Jassat
(Sunday, November 30, 2008)

"Despite bearing the hallmarks of military precision and the unexplained failure by Indian intelligence to intercept the operation, it is astonishing that South African media would allow the proliferation of stereotypical reports."

While panic, fear and alarm are natural outcomes during terror attacks of the type India experienced in Mumbai recently, it amazes me that many armchair critics, usually paraded as “terror experts”, also experience paralysis of thought resulting in wild speculation.

The article by Paul Moorcraft“Joining the dots of blood in Pakistan’s badlands” [Business Day, November 28] is a perfect specimen of this. It not only indulges in irresponsible guessing, it also seeks to spread paranoia. And against whom is his mistrust directed towards? You don’t have to guess: Muslims and Islam!

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Statement from the family of Rachel Corrie

We thank all who continue to remember Rachel and those who, on this sixth anniversary of her stand in Gaza, renew their own commitments to human rights, justice and peace in the Middle East. The tributes and actions in her memory are a source of inspiration to us and to others.

Friday, March 13th, we learned of the tragic injury to American activist Tristan Anderson. Tristan was shot in the head with a tear-gas canister in Ni’lin Village in the West Bank when Israeli forces attacked a demonstration opposing the construction of the annexation wall through the village’s land. On the same day, a Ni’lin resident was, also, shot in the leg with live ammunition. Four residents of Ni’lin have been killed in the past eight months as villagers and their supporters have courageously demonstrated against the Apartheid Wall deemed illegal by the International Court of Justice—a wall that will ultimately absorb one-quarter of the village’s remaining land. Those who have died are a ten-year-old child Ahmed Mousa, shot in the forehead with live ammunition on July 29, 2008; Yousef Amira (17) shot with rubber-coated steel bullets on July 30, 2008; Arafat Rateb Khawaje (22) and Mohammed Khawaje (20), both shot and killed with live ammunition on December 28, 2008. On this anniversary, Rachel would want us all to hold Tristan Anderson and his family and these Palestinians and their families in our thoughts and prayers, and we ask everyone to do so.

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National Canadian Jewish organization votes to boycott Israel

The following press release was issued on 16 June 2009:

Independent Jewish Voices (Canada) voted to join the growing international campaign in support of the Palestinian call for boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) against Israel, at its first Annual General Meeting this past weekend. This decision makes IJV the first national Jewish organization in the world to do so. The adopted resolution states that IJV will "Support the Palestinian call for a campaign of boycott, divestment and sanctions until Israel meets its obligation to recognize the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination and complies with the precepts of international law, including the right of Palestinian refugees to return to their homes and properties as stipulated in UN resolution 194."

"Independent Jewish Voices has voted to join the international boycott campaign because we stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people and support their right to self-determination," says Diana Ralph, co-chair of IJV. "We are calling on the Canadian government and all Members of Parliament to push for immediate sanctions on Israel."

"The time has come for people around the world to rise to the challenge in Israel/Palestine, as we did for South Africa," says Fabienne Presentey, Steering Committee member of IJV. "All voices that can be raised against this injustice must be."

The resolution, which passed with the support of 95 percent of voting delegates, also calls on the Canadian government to "1) cease its one-sided and uncritical support for Israel and 2) insist that Israel abide by international law."

The international call for BDS originated from 170 Palestinian civil society organizations and has sparked a growing global movement, modeled on the international campaign that successfully ended South African apartheid. Many prominent organizations around the world have joined the BDS campaign, including the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU), UNISON (UK), Transport and General Workers’ Union (UK), Canadian Union of Postal Workers, Canadian Union of Public Employees-Ontario, six Norwegian trade unions, Irish Congress of Trade Unions, Scottish Trades Union Congress, and Intersindical Alternativa de Catallunya.

Independent Jewish Voices is a member-led organization, with chapters in Vancouver, Winnipeg, Toronto, Hamilton, Ottawa, Montreal, and Halifax.

Sorced from Electronic Intifada

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African National Congress (ANC) president, Jacob Zuma, is to meet with members of the ulema on Tuesday afternoon in what the Muslim Judicial Council (MJC) has described as a “historic” meeting. Western Cape premier, Ebrahim Rasool, is also expected to be present at the meeting. The meeting – which will be closed to the media – will take place at the MJC headquarters in Athlone, starting at 4pm and ending just before Maghrib.

Read More »Mjc to ask Zuma help on mpl