http://www.australiansforpalestine.com
This week has been one of high activism around the world for Palestine. Hard on the heels of the Gaza Freedom March, which brought some 1400 internationals to Cairo in the hope of entering Gaza (only 80 ended up going) to remember last year’s war that decimated Palestinian society and to protest Israel’s continuing draconian siege, came the Viva Palestina convoy. After many obstructions, delays and violence, most of the vehicles carrying aid got into Gaza for 48 hours and “Democracy Now” has a good video interviewing the British MP George Galloway who initiated and has led Viva Palestina since its first Gaza mission one year ago. In New Zealand this week, activists have protested against the Israeli tennis player Shahar Peer for not taking a stand against Israel’s apartheid policies and practices. Five were arrested for using megaphones to convey their protest messages outside the tennis centre and when activists continued their campaign the next day, another two were arrested. You can see the pictures and read about their fearless stance on our website.
Another deeply moving plea has come from Nurit Peled Elhanan who is widely known for her courageous and riveting address “A Mother’s Plea” to the European Parliament on International Women’s Day in 2005. She fears for the moral integrity of Israel’s children as they are drawn deeper and deeper into the net of hatred and violence against the Palestinians. Then there is Alison Weir who responds passionately to Bono’s hope “that people in places filled with rage and despair, places like the Palestinian territories, will in the days ahead find among them their Gandhi . . .” by telling him that Palestine already has many Gandhis if he would only look. Gideon Levy despairs at Israel’s treatment of a teacher who dared to tell his students the truth about the occupation and what they should do to end it. And Nadia Hijab wonders how much killing and more horrors will constitute genocide in Gaza.
There is also the remarkable video “The Road to Gaza” which you should all take the time to watch so there can be no way you can say “I didn’t know” about what is happening in Gaza. It is directed by Paul Hanes an Australian filmmaker living in London and is the work of two intrepid activists Patrick Ward and Stewart Halforty from the London Stop the War Movementin just 48 hours. Hearing the description of the doctor who was there throughout the 3 weeks of bombardment and who treated the wounded and the dying in his hospital while every night wondering if he and his own family would be spared the same horrific injuries or even death, will haunt you for days.
As always, there is much more under the sections in the right hand column. These are constantly updated as well. Please spare some time to inform yourself about the latest developments. As you do, know that Israel is bombarding parts of Gaza again. Who in our part of the world would know this when our media barely mentions any attacks unless it can say that the Palestinians are the violent, terrorising aggressors who give Israel no option but to retaliate? What happened last year in Gaza was only the prelude to what is likely to happen over and over again with even greater ferocity leading to the very genocide referred to by Nadia Hijab in her article. Can we live with ourselves if we allow another holocaust in the 21st century to occur without a murmur? That is a question we must ask ourselves because all the tears and memorials later will mean nothing if we cannot say we tried our best to stop it.
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LINK: http://australiansforpalestine.com/weir-calling-bono
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LINK: http://australiansforpalestine.com/peled-elhanan-a-year-after-the-gaza-war
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LINK: http://australiansforpalestine.com/levy-teacher-of-a-lifetime
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LINK: http://australiansforpalestine.com/hijab-when-does-it-become-genocide
(Submitted by Ingrid B. Mork)