Petition to the High Court: Halt construction in Ofra Settlement
Five Palestinian landowners and human rights organizations Yesh Din
and B'Tselem claim in first petition of its kind: Ofra is an illegal
outpost built mostly on private land. http://www.btselem.org

Website
The new PSC website has now been launched!  Please visit
www.palestinecampaign.org.

Construction disrupted, 23 injured in Nailing [Anarchists Against
The Wall]
01/06/2008
After a relatively calm demonstration on Friday since no
construction was taking place, a general strike was declared in the
village today as the bulldozers resumed destroying the olive
orchards. At around eleven am, over 300 people set out to the lands
to stop the bulldozers. The demonstrators were met by a massive
contingent of soldiers who rained volleys of teargas, concussion
grenades and rubber-coated steel bullets on them. Nevertheless, in
the nearly four hours of clashes, protesters have managed to
intermittently get to the bulldozers and disrupt the construction
three times. http://www.awalls.org

AT-TUWANI: Israeli settler kills goats with car in South Hebron
Hills
At the beginning of June at around 5:00 pm an Israeli settler
driving in the South Hebron Hills killed three goats and injured two
others while on the settler bypass road, Route 317.  A local
Palestinian shepherd from the village of Ma'in was on his way home,
bringing his flock across the road from a field he had been grazing
nearby.  The settler saw the flock on the road, aimed his car, and
rammed into three of the goats.  He then redirected his car and
aimed for more, hitting another two.  Three goats were killed and
two others were injured with broken legs. http://www.pnn.ps

Israel denies unregistered Palestinians ability to obtain ID cards
Israel refuses to provide a solution for residents of the West Bank
and Gaza Strip whose parents did not register them in the population
registry at birth. Living without ID cards, these persons are often
barred from realizing basic rights such as the right to work, to
education, to family life, and more.http://www.btselem.org


Inside the US-Israel lobby
By  Rob Winder in Washington DC
"Built to last" is the theme of this year's American-Israeli Public
Affairs Committee (Aipac) policy conference and the lobby group has
made sure that the US-Israeli relationship has solid foundations.
Thousands flocked to the influential organisation's annual
conference in Washington DC on Tuesday to find an agenda dominated
by one subject - Iran.

Aipac has been accused of leading a push toward military action
against Iran, much as it was accused of pushing the US to invade
Iraq.
The Republican message from the three-day conference was clear.
Condoleezza Rice, the US secretary of state, described Iran as
a "violent and extremist" state and called for Europe to do more to
increase the diplomatic and economic pressure on the Islamic
republic. http://english.aljazeera.net

Testimony: Israel prevents Gaza cancer patient from receiving
medical treatment
Nufuz al-Husni 44, a mother of six, suffers from intestinal cancer,
for which she had been treated in Israel. In February 2008, she
sought to return to Ichilov Hospital, in Tel Aviv, for treatment,
but Israeli officials have not allowed her to enter the country.
http://www.btselem.org

Hamas welcomes Abbas calls for dialogue - Summary:
Taher al-Noono, spokesman of the deposed Hamas government in Gaza,
told reporters "the government welcomes the initiative and accepts
it. http://www.informationclearinghouse.info

Obama Offers Forceful Support For Israel
The U.S.-led Iraq war has allowed Iran to build its influence, "and
the United States and Israel are less secure," he said. Condemning
its leader for denying the Holocaust, threatening Israel, trying to
attain nuclear weapons and arm Hamas and other organizations, Obama
said, "Israel's security is sacrosanct. It is non-negotiable."
http://www.whiotv.com/politics/16492990/detail.html


Full Text: Obama speech at AIPAC "Policy" Conference
I want you to know that today I'll be speaking from my heart, and as
a true friend of Israel.
http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/06/04/prepared-remarks-obama-at-
aipac-policy-conference/

Obama lavishes praise on Israel, angering Palestinians
On his first day as presumptive Democratic nominee, Barack Obama
Wednesday vowed "unshakeable" support for Israel, and stiffened his
offer of talks with Iran with a tongue-lashing for its leaders.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080604/wl_mideast_afp/usvotemideastobam
a

Obama toughens Iran stance, backs Israel on Jerusalem
Barack Obama toughened his terms for diplomacy with Iran and backed
Israel's stance on Jerusalem on Wednesday in his first foreign
policy speech since capturing the Democratic nomination for U.S.
president.
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N04444172.htm

Abbas slams Obama Jerusalem comment
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas rejected Barack Obama's call on
Wednesday for Jerusalem to be the undivided capital of Israel and
repeated his demand for a Palestinian capital in the city.
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/MAC464709.htm

Third Annual Conference on Nonviolent Resistance in Bilin starts
The third conference on popular struggle started in the village of
Bilin on Wednesday morning with the presence of a number of local
and international officials and peace activists.
http://www.imemc.org/article/55298



Israeli attack kills Palestinian girl in Gaza- medics
A young Palestinian girl was killed by an Israeli shell in the Hamas-
controlled Gaza Strip on Thursday, medical workers said. The army
confirmed it carried out an air strike targeting a 'militant' near
Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip.
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L0563564.htm

A 4-year-old girl killed, her mother wounded in an Israeli air
strike on Gaza
The 4-year-old Aya Alnajjar, was killed on Thursday afternoon, and
her mother was wounded after an Israeli air strike hit the southern
Gaza Strip village of Kheza'a.
http://www.imemc.org/article/55316

An American consulate employee of Palestinian origin dies at Israeli
roadblock
A 63-year-old American of Palestinian origin died on Tuesday at an
Israeli military roadblock in Beit Hanina, occupied Jerusalem, local
Palestinian sources reported.

Five injured during Israeli army attack targeting villages near
Hebron
five Palestinian civilians were injured by Israeli army fire during
an invasion targeting the village of Beit Omer and Dora near the
southern West Bank city of Hebron on Thursday midday. The army also
conducted a number of invasions targeting several town and cities
located in various parts of the West Bank and kidnapped 16
Palestinian civilians on Thursday morning.
http://www.imemc.org/article/55311

IOF troops storm charity building, wound 4 citizens in Al-Khalil
Israeli occupation forces at dawn Thursday stormed Shuyukh village
to the northeast of Al-Khalil and broke into and confiscated
property of the Islamic charitable society branch in the town.

PA security arrest two Hamas-affiliated university students
The Hamas movement said on Wednesday that the Palestinian
Authority's (PA) security services arrested two Hamas loyalists on
Tuesday evening. The movement pointed out in a statement issued on
Wednesday that the representative of the Islamic bloc in the
students senate at Birzeit University in Ramallah in the central
West Bank, Murad Sanuri, was arrested for the second time while he
was leaving the university campus.
http://www.maannews.net/en/index.php?opr=ShowDetails&ID=29712

Two injured as Israeli forces disperse anti-wall demonstration in
Ni'lin
Two Palestinians were were hit by rubber-coated metal bullets when
clashes erupted between protestors and Israeli soldiers during a
peaceful rally protesting the separation wall in the central West
Bank village of Ni'lin west of Ramallah on Wednesday.
http://www.maannews.net/en/index.php?opr=ShowDetails&ID=29707

Occupation forces beat demonstrators, hospitalize a child and the
leader of the Popular Committee
The actions in Ni'lin continued yesterday, part of nearly daily
demonstrations against the last phase of the construction of the
Wall. 14 persons were injured. 8 year old Omar Ibrahim 'Amira was
hospitalized along with the leader of the Ni'lin Popular
Committee, 'Ahed Khawaje.
http://stopthewall.org/latestnews/1668.shtml

Qafien village protest against the Israeli illegal Wall
Scores of Palestinians from Qafien village near the northern West
Bank city of Tulkarem supported by international and Israeli peace
activists marched on Thursday afternoon against the illegal Israeli
wall built on the village land.
http://www.imemc.org/article/55321

Israeli forces arrest newlywed Palestinian in Nablus
Israeli forces arrested a Palestinian man from the village of Sarra
west of Nablus in the northern West Bank on Wednesday. Local sources
told Ma'an's reporter that an Israeli force stormed the village
discharging gunfire and sonic bombs before seizing 22-year-old newly-
wed, Hatim Ghanim.Ghanim got married just a week ago.
http://www.maannews.net/en/index.php?opr=ShowDetails&ID=29706

One Israeli killed, five others wounded in a shell attack on nearby
Israel
One Israeli citizen was killed and five others wounded after a
homemade shell landed on the Israeli settlement town of Nir Auz, in
the southern Israeli region of Negev, near the Gaza Strip.
http://www.imemc.org/article/55314

Money changer arrested for delivering money to Hamas in West Bank
Palestinian security officers arrested a money changer in the West
Bank city of Nablus on Tuesday on suspicion of delivering millions
of US dollars to the Hamas movement in the West Bank, a Palestinian
security source told Ma'an.
http://www.maannews.net/en/index.php?opr=ShowDetails&ID=29693

Palestinian employee at Nahal 'Oz terminal seriously injured by
mortar shell
The de facto government in the Gaza Strip stated its rejection of
such assaults against the fuel delivery line. "Such attacks harm the
Palestinian people's interests, and the perpetrators are either
collaborating with the Israelis, or they are seeking personal
benefit," the de facto interior ministry said.
http://www.maannews.net/en/index.php?opr=ShowDetails&ID=29715

Hamas military wing fires RPGs at Israeli targets; claim injured
Israeli soldier
Gaza – Ma'an – The military wing affiliated to Hamas, the Al-Qassam
Brigades, claimed responsibility on Wednesday for firing five mortar
shells at an Israeli infantry force in the Al-Bureij refugee camp in
the central Gaza Strip. They also claim to have fired a rocket-
propelled grenade (RPG) at an Israeli military bulldozer in Khuza'a
in the southern Gaza Strip.
http://www.maannews.net/en/index.php?opr=ShowDetails&ID=29713

Arab MK demands Dichter improve conditions of Palestinian female
detainees
Arab member of Knesset, Mohammad Baraka, sent on Wednesday a letter
to the Israeli Internal Security Minister, Avian Dichter, demanding
him to improve the living conditions of the Palestinian political
female detainees imprisoned by Israel in Ha-Sharon detention
facility.
http://www.imemc.org/article/55300

Aqsa foundation warns of repeated Zionist attempts to desecrate Aqsa
Mosque
The Aqsa foundation for the reconstruction of Islamic holy shrines
warned that the Zionist settlers repeatedly attempt to break into
and desecrate the Aqsa Mosque.

Norwegian technicians repair part of Gaza Strip's power station
A Norwegian technical team were in the Gaza Strip last week to
repair parts of the power station. Head of the Palestinian power
authority in the Gaza Strip, Kan'an 'Ubaid, told Ma'an on Tuesday
that "the Norweigian delegation visited the station five days ago to
assess the situation. They then began mending faults. On Monday,
they completed one unit and they continued to work on the other unit
on Tuesday."
http://www.maannews.net/en/index.php?opr=ShowDetails&ID=29688

Gazan children leave for medical treatment in the US
Five children left the Gaza Strip through the Rafah crossing on
Sunday for medical treatment in the US, after months of wrangling
over their exit permits. Suhail Flaifl, from the Gaza-based US
organization The Palestine Children's Relief Fund, told Ma'an that
it took six months to secure the permits and this had only been
possible with the intervention of the Egyptian authorities and the
help of the Egyptian office at the UN.
http://www.maannews.net/en/index.php?opr=ShowDetails&ID=29686

Popular committee: The per capita income in Gaza is two dollars (£1)
per day
The popular committee against the siege reported that the daily
average per capita income in the Gaza Strip is estimated at two US
dollars.

Black market soars as Hamas rations fuel in Gaza
For the past five days Abdullah Naqbil has been waiting outside the
car he parked at a service station fuel pump, planning to be the
first person served when the next shipment of diesel arrives.
Sometimes I even sleep in the car," he says as he sits on the
sidewalk.
http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5gYP7mYmu8iVKtDonHrXRyb90qW4g

Israel uses term "unlawful combatant" to justify detention without
charges
The ministry of detainees stated that the Israeli intelligence
started using the term "unlawful combatant" to justify the detention
of Palestinian prisoners for an indefinite period without charge.

Abbas drops demand for Hamas to relinquish Gaza before talks
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called Wednesday for the first
time for renewed dialogue with Hamas without demanding the militant
Islamic group first relinquish control of Gaza.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/990230.html

Abbas calls for talks with Hamas
Palestinian president says his Fatah party should aim for state
unity.
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/8FD440B3-7155-4FB2-BB11-
4AED4548368B.htm

Hamas welcomes Abbas calls for the resumption of internal talks
Dr. Ahmad Bahar, the acting head of the Palestinian Legislative
Council, a senior political leader of the Islamic Resistance
Movement, Hamas, welcomed on Wednesday the statements of the
Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, in which he called for the
resumption of internal talks between Hamas and Fateh, and the rest
of the Palestinian factions.
http://www.imemc.org/article/55302

Report: Abbas to meet Meshal in bid to renew Fatah-Hamas dialogue
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will meet in the coming weeks
with top Hamas official Khaled Meshal in Damascus, a Lebanese daily
reported on Thursday.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/990573.html

Hamas must be included in Middle East talks, says Hain
Veto on discussions is crippling the Middle East peace process,
claims former cabinet minister.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/jun/05/israelandthepalestinians.
middleeast?
gusrc=rss&feed=worldnews

Mubarak: No real negotiations until building in territories ceases
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak said that "there will be no real
negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians as long as the
Israeli government continues building settlements."
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3551999,00.html

Blair fears 'harming' Gaza talks
Tony Blair says he will not visit the Hamas-run Gaza Strip until he
is sure it will "help rather than harm" peace efforts.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/2/hi/uk_news/politics/7437630.stm

Gaza agency working with Blair seized by Hamas
Hamas has seized control of the Palestinian water agency that is
spearheading Middle East envoy Tony Blair's signature project in the
Gaza Strip, Palestinian and Western officials said on Thursday.
http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSL0518488020080605

Jordan's king urges more world help on Middle East crisis
King Abdullah II of Jordan on Wednesday 4th June made an impassioned
plea for peace in the Middle East, calling on the world to come
together to help reconcile Israelis and Palestinians.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080604/wl_mideast_afp/britainjordanroya
lsmideastisraelpalestinians

Slow Death in Gaza; "The Europeans seem to be quite satisfied acting
as America's puppet states."
No change in American policy is on the horizon, as "the rot in
America goes beyond this administration, and so does the rot in
Israel." The "abomination," as Desmond Tutu describes it, against
1.6 million people in Palestine shows the hypocrisy of American and
Israeli pretences to civilization.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article20040.htm

No refuge from responsibility
Seth Freedman: Attacks on UNRWA are disingenuous and serve only to
absolve Israel of culpability for the squalor and limbo in which
Palestinians exist.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/may/29/norefugefromrespo
nsibility?
gusrc=rss&feed=worldnews

Hebron settlers seek to join leftists' petition
The Jewish settler community in Hebron has asked the High Court of
Justice to be added as a party to a petition filed by left-wing
group Breaking the Silence. The move would allow the settlers to
have their day in court to argue that they have been the victims of
police discrimination.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/990409.html

"An experiment in building a better world"
"Freedom Clothing Project is an experiment in building a better
world -- I know that sounds a bit grand, but we wanted to try to
make a clothing company unlike any other." Freedom Clothing Project
Ltd is a UK not-for-profit cooperative founded in 2005, comprising a
small handful of friends and relations. The Electronic Intifada
contributor Natasha Tsangarides spoke to project director Joe Turner
about his work and the current trading obstacles.
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article9584.shtml

The big change on the Israel peace front is happening in America
Last month's launch of J Street marks the culmination of a two-
decades-old evolution within the pro-Israel community in the US. J
Street, which defines itself as "the political arm of the pro-Israel
and pro-peace movement", states that it was founded "to promote
meaningful American leadership to end the Arab-Israeli and
Palestinian-Israeli conflicts peacefully and diplomatically… [and]
support a new direction for American policy in the Middle East.
http://www.imemc.org/article/55267

John McCAIPAC
Tone deaf to Israel's 'brutalisation' of the Palestinians, McCain
called Israel "an inspiration to free nations everywhere."
http://www.progressive.org/mag_wx060308

Andrew's post concerning the Gaza students is way out of date. In fact
things moved on a couple of days ago. See this news from 2nd.June:-

http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/06/02/gaza.fulbright/index.html

   "WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The U.S. has restored Fulbright scholarships to
seven Gaza-based students, saying it erred last week when it rescinded
the awards because of travel restrictions that Israel imposes on the
Palestinian territory.

  In e-mails to the students on Sunday, the U.S. Consulate in Jerusalem
said the United States was working with Israeli authorities to let them
leave the Hamas-ruled zone to study at American universities.

The scholarships were reinstated after Secretary of State Condoleezza
Rice expressed outrage about the initial decision, State Department
spokesman Sean McCormack said Monday........"

Keep it moving!

Dear Friends

Just letting people know about the Love Music Hate Racism/ Unite
Against Fascism Midsummer Festival on June 22nd at the Trinity Centre,
Bristol. The Free afternoon festival starts at 2pm with music, kids
activities, food and campaign stalls including Palestine Solidarity
Campaign. This will be followed by a gig in Trinity from 7pm. Headline
band The Beat will be joined by 5 other bands and DJS all for £10,
Tickets and further information from 07806772682.  All welcome.

Israeli Spy Operations in the United States
Posted: 03 Jun 2008 10:22 AM CDT

Israeli Spy Operations in the United States - Upload a doc Read this doc on
Scribd: Israeli Spy Operations in the United States A SPECIAL INVESTIGATIVE
REPORT FROM AMERICAN FREE PRESS Israeli Spy Operations on U.S. Soil ISRAELI
SPIES IN AMERICA? Massive Federal Cover-Up Exposed! Why are they in...
http://windowintopalestine.blogspot.com/2008/06/israeli-spy-operations-in-united\
-states.html or http://tinyurl.com/3ggb7f


And the winner is ... the Israeli lobby

atimes.com — They're all here - . The three United States presidential
candidates - John McCain, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. Madam House speaker
Nancy Pelosi. Most US senators and virtually half of the US Congress.
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/JF03Ak01.html


Iran Accusations Merit Skepticism according to CIA Officer

antiwar.com — The specific charges against Iran curiously lack supporting
evidence.There are sure signs that what the Israelis are putting out is
disinformation. Until better evidence is provided, the American public should
remain skeptical.
http://www.antiwar.com/orig/giraldi.php?articleid=12932


Shocking Bush 'Pep Talk' to His War Cabinet on Iraq: 'We Are Going to Wipe Them
out!'
By Tom Engelhardt, Tomdispatch.com

"Kill them." Gen. Ricardo Sanchez's memoirs contain a transcript from a
bloodthirsty and over the top private speech by Bush. Read more »
http://www.alternet.org/waroniraq/86890/

US accused of using prison ships to hold terrorism suspects
Duncan Campbell and Richard Norton-Taylor

"The United States is operating "floating prisons" to house those arrested in
its war on terror, according to human rights lawyers, who claim there has been
an attempt to conceal the numbers and whereabouts of detainees."
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/jun/02/usa.humanrights

John McCain At AIPAC. watch!

youtube.com — John McCain at the AIPAC summit this morning: "I strongly
support the increase in military aid to Israel." This isn't about Anti anything,
this is purely about learning the reasons how and why we are doing unnecessary
things in the world today. It's time to wake up. This is the United States Of
America, Israel is NOT a state of ours.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IISydoynTfg


http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Action4Palestine/


       __________________________________________________________
Sent from Yahoo! Mail.
A Smarter Email http://uk.docs.yahoo.com/nowyoucan.html

Bush's Dwarf Diplomacy, Israel, and the Seven Gazans

huffingtonpost.com — Bush has talked about freezing settlements, freezing
checkpoints, negotiating final borders, and proving to the Palestinian public
that Hamas is not the answer. All sounds nice. And then there were the seven
students from Gaza. Seven students--they can't get seven students out of Gaza in
order to study in the U.S.More…
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/daniel-levy/bushs-dwarf-diplomacy-and_b_104417.htm\
l

The Siege on Gaza Continues: Israel Denies Exit Visas to Would-be Fulbright
Scholars

Today the news reported that the U.S. State Department has withdrawn the
prestigious Fulbright grant from seven Palestinian students who live in the Gaza
Strip because Israel will not give these students exit visas to leave the
country. [Should be able to send a pre-written suggested (which u can easily
personalise) message to Condy Rice from here and it shouldn’t take 2 minutes:

http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/301/t/1849/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=24743
or http://tinyurl.com/6mdfmm


http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Action4Palestine/


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Sent from Yahoo! Mail.
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US congressmen demand UNRWA reform

jpost.com — Congressman Engel: Palestinians have been used as pawns, and UN
has been part of problem.

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1211872830830&pagename=JPost%2FJPArti\
cle%2FShowFull or http://tinyurl.com/63hy8y

Welcome to 'Palestine Peace Not Apartheid' the Book

[Cheers to DD from WindowintoPalestine for this]

peacenotapartheidbook.blogspot… — Here you can find Palestine Peace Not
Apartheid On the right hand side is the table of contents. Be sure to click on
the images so you can clearly see. This blog is for review reference purposes
only,
http://peacenotapartheidbook.blogspot.com/

Expanding the illegal settlements at Bil'in

bilin-village.org — The West Bank village of Bil ’in has become famous for
several years now as the site of weekly protests against the construction of the
wall. The route of the wall separates the village itself from 60% of its
farmland (mostly olive groves). Israeli settlers under the protection of the
Israeli army started on Monday morning to install homes on land
http://www.bilin-village.org/english/

Freedom Theater: Artistic Excellence in Occupied Palestine

thefreedomtheatre.org — The vision of The Freedom Theatre builds upon a unique
project, Care and Learning, run by Arna Mer Khamis in Jenin Camp during the
First Intifada and documented in the film Arna's Children (2004). Arna's project
focused on using theatre and arts to address the children's immediate trauma,
chronic fear and depression resulting from the violence...
http://www.thefreedomtheatre.org/


http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Action4Palestine/


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Today in Palestine ~ Headlines 30-05-08 ~

Housing Ministry to issue tender for building 120 homes in Har Homa
Days before Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's departure for Washington,
Housing Minister Ze'ev Boim announced on Friday that his ministry
will issue a tender on Sunday for the construction of hundreds of
housing units in two controversial East Jerusalem neighbourhoods:
120 units in Har Homa and 700 units in Pisgat Ze'ev.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=988733

British academic union (UCU) overwhelmingly passes all three pro-
Palestinian motions
http://www.normanfinkelstein.com/article.php?pg=11&ar=1731

Tutu meets Hamas leader, raps Israel for barring entry
Nobel Peace Prize winner Archbishop Desmond Tutu criticized Israel's
refusal to allow him entry to the country, in his role as head of
the U.S. special committee to investigate the November 2006 incident
in Beit Hanun where 19 Palestinians were killed by Israeli fire.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/988172.html

Tutu: 'Silence on Gaza blockade shames us all'
Archbishop Desmond Tutu has denounced the international community
for its 'silence and complicity' on what he called
Israel's 'abominable' 11-month blockade of Gaza.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/tutu-silence-on-
gaza-blockade-shames-us-all-836771.html

Israelis and Palestinians Launch Web Start-Up
Reaching across the Israeli-Palestinian divide, G.ho.st is
developing a free, Web-based virtual computer.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/29/technology/29compute.html?partner=
rssnyt&emc=rss

Projection of Israel's West Bank Partition Plan - 2008
http://fmep.org/maps/map_data/west_bank/projection_of_west
_bank_partition_2008.html

Bush's "Big Picture" Defined by Israel's Settlement Map
The goal of the Annapolis process, launched by President George W.
Bush in November 2007, was to reach an Israeli-Palestinian peace
agreement by the end of 2008. Until now, U.S.-led diplomacy has
failed to provide PLO chairman Mahmoud Abbas with any meaningful
achievements on the two indivisible issues--settlements and borders--
that will define the territory of the Palestinian state intended to
be established by mutual agreement.
http://fmep.org/reports/vol18/no3/01_bushs_big_picture.html

PCHR Weekly Report: 9 Palestinians killed, 34 wounded in Israeli
attacks
According to the Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR)'s Weekly
Report, during the week of 22 - 28 May 2008, 9 Palestinians,
including a child and an elderly farmer, were killed by Israeli
forces in the Gaza Strip. In addition, 33 Palestinians, including 21
civilians, were wounded by Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip, and a
Palestinian child was wounded by Israeli forces in Jenin refugee
camp, in the West Bank.
http://www.imemc.org/article/55167

Israeli siege on Gaza claims the lives of 54 children
Rami Abdo, spokesperson of the Popular Committee Against the Siege
stated that the Israeli occupation is committing crimes against the
children in the Gaza Strip, as a large number of children were
killing during Israeli shelling against Gaza in addition to 54
children who died due to the ongoing siege.
http://www.imemc.org/article/55162

Gaza woman dies of wounds after Israeli fire: medics
A 60-year-old Palestinian woman died on Friday of wounds she
sustained when gunshots were fired from an Israeli military position
near her home in the Gaza Strip, medics and relatives said.
http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5gIon-1MUMK8Hxx7-9mp8IyY5BerA

Israel uses gunfire to repel Hamas border rally
Israeli troops used gunfire and teargas on Friday to keep more than
3,000 Hamas supporters from approaching one of the Gaza Strip's main
border crossings with Israel, wounding at least six Palestinians,
witnesses said.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080530/wl_nm/palestinians_israel_gaza_dc

Report: 6 Palestinians injured by IDF fire in Gaza
Hamas organizes rally near Sufa crossing in protest of siege imposed
on Strip by Israel. Palestinians say soldiers opened fire at
thousands of protestors approaching crossing.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3549890,00.html

The villagers of Al Khader conduct their weekly nonviolent protest
Around 200 villagers from Al Khader village near Bethlehem, in the
southern part of the West Bank protest on Friday the Israeli wall
and settlements constructed on the village land.
http://www.imemc.org/article/55171

Dozens treated for tear gas inhalation at the weekly Bil'in protest
Villagers from Bil'in, located near the central West Bank city of
Ramallah, supported by international and Israeli peace activists
conducted their weekly nonviolent protest against the illegal
Israeli wall built on the village's land on Friday.
http://www.imemc.org/article/55172

Ni'lin defies Israeli military curfew to protest construction of
apartheid wall on village lands
Villagers from Ni'lin defied an Israeli military curfew today to
converge on the site where the apartheid Wall is being constructed
on village lands.
http://www.palsolidarity.org/main/2008/05/29/nilin-defies-israeli-
military-
curfew-to-protest-construction-of-apartheid-wall-on-village-lands/

The Israeli army attacks a nonviolent protest near Bethlehem and
kidnaps one civilian
The Israeli army attacked the nonviolent protest organized by the
villagers of Al-Mesara village south of Bethlehem on Friday morning
and kidnapped one protester.
http://www.imemc.org/article/55170

Al Mezan meets with UN fact finding mission concerning November 2006
massacre in Beit Hanoun
On 28 May 2008, a delegation from Al Mezan Center for Human Rights
met with a UN High Level Fact-Finding Mission led by the Archbishop
Desmond Tutu and Professor Christine Chinkin in Gaza City. The
Mission arrived in Gaza nearly a year and a half late because of
Israeli restrictions. They entered the Strip via Rafah Crossing on
Tuesday, 27 May 2008. Al Mezan's delegation included the Center's
Director, Mr. Issam Younis, Field Work Unit Coordinator, Mr. Samir
Zaqout, and Communications Coordinator, Mr. Mahmoud Abu Rahma. The
Human Rights Council adopted a resolution on 15 November 2006 in
which it decided to send the Mission to investigate the Israel
Occupation Forces (IOF) shelling of Al Athamneh family's homes,
which claimed the lives of 19 civilians, including seven children
and six women. Seventeen of the victims were from one family.
http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900SID/SKAI-7F4S3Y?Open
Document&RSS20=02-P

Soldiers block a main road linking two areas in Hebron
The Christian Peace Maker Teams (CPT), stationed in the southern
West Bank city of Hebron, reported on Thursday that Israeli soldiers
blocked the road between the village of At-Tuwani and the city of
Yatta using three of the concrete blocks.
http://www.imemc.org/article/55158

PLC slams the Israeli abduction of assistant of the detained
Legislative Council head
The Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) slammed the Israeli army's
kidnapping of Abdul-Qaher Srour, head of the office of the detained
head of the Palestinian Legislative Council, Dr. Aziz Dweik.
http://www.imemc.org/article/55161

A detainee from Gaza behind bars for 36 years
Palestinian researcher, specialized in detainees' affairs at the
Census Department of the Palestinian Ministry for Detainees, Abdul-
Nasser Farawna, stated on Thursday that detainee Saleem Ibrahim Al
Kayyal, 56, has been imprisoned by Israel since 26 years.
http://www.imemc.org/article/55163

Al-Jazeera Video: The uncertain life for Palestinian detainees - 29
May 08
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHPjdmk7BdA

Palestinian detainee in a critical health condition
One of the lawyers of the Nafha Society for Defending Human Rights
and Detainees Rights managed to visit detainee Zuheir Lubbada, 54,
who is currently at the Al Ramla Prison Hospital and suffering from
kidney failure in addition to several other health issues.
http://www.imemc.org/article/55159

U.S. Withdraws Fulbright Grants to Gaza
The American State Department has withdrawn all Fulbright Grants to
Palestinian students in Gaza, because Israel has not granted them
permission to leave.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/30/world/middleeast/30gaza.html?
partner=
rssnyt&emc=rss

Testimonies of Soldiers on the Front Line
"We demand from Israeli society to hear the voices of its soldiers
serving on the front lines. Israel must claim responsibility for the
actions being done in the occupied territories."
http://fmep.org/reports/vol18/no3/03_testimonies_of_soldiers.html

Leftist factions in Palestine attempting to form a unified front
The political bureaus of the Popular Front for the Liberation of
Palestine (PFLP) the Democratic Front for the Liberation of
Palestine (DFLP) and the Palestinian People Party (PPP) held a
meeting in Damascus and agreed to form a unified leftist front which
will also welcome other factions.
http://www.imemc.org/article/55160

Transcript of Finkelstein interview on Democracy Now
http://www.democracynow.org/2008/5/29/israel_bars_one_of_its_most

Thoughts Are Free, Entry Is Not
Unfortunately, Palestinians are no longer surprised at Israel's
racist policies. Discrimination against Palestinians and those who
support them has become the rule, not the exception. Still, when the
Shin Bet, Israel's internal intelligence agency, banned renowned
American academic and author Norman Finkelstein from entering Israel
on May 23, even the Palestinians' jaws dropped. Finkelstein was
reportedly interrogated for nearly 24 hours before being put back on
a plane to Amsterdam and abruptly informed that he would not be able
to return to Israel for 10 years.
http://palestinechronicle.com/view_article_details.php?id=13832

Gulf News: Adalah rally outside UAE UN office in New York
Dubai: A Jewish-Palestinian advocacy group held a thank-you rally
outside the UAE's representative office in New York on Tuesday over
the country's stand on not allowing a controversial Israeli
businessman from opening a store in Dubai.
http://www.palsolidarity.org/main/2008/05/29/gulf-news-adalah-rally-
outside-uae-un-
office-in-new-york/

Jayyous students to Dubai: boycott settlement-builder Leviev
http://www.palsolidarity.org/main/2008/05/29/jayyous-students-to-
dubai-boycott-
settlement-builder-leviev/

Take 10 and give back 1 if the Palestinians behave, then repeat!
The following follow-up comment, posted by Project Humanbeingsfirst
here, to its article "Celebrating Israel's 60th Birthday in the 60th
year of the Nakba" may be of some interest to your think-tankers.
Perhaps you can reprint it with the above title.
http://palestinethinktank.com/2008/05/30/take-10-and-give-back-1-if-
the-palestinians
-behave-then-repeat/

Break The Siege On Gaza! Action postponed until 27th June
There is still time to get involved! People of conscience from
around the world are gathering in Egypt now. The demonstration has
been changed to June 27th to accommodate people continually
arriving. People will attempt to enter Gaza in an act to break the
murderous siege and to stand in solidarity with those inside.
http://www.palsolidarity.org/main/2008/05/29/break-the-siege-on-gaza-
action-
postponed-until-27th-june/

Smoking on the decline in the West Bank and Gaza Strip
PCBS published new figures indicating the smoking is on the decline.
Palestinians who smoke decreased by 10.4 percent between 2000 and
2006. Smoking in general, based on observation, increases during
invasions and times of curfew. In the West Bank's Bethlehem Al Azzeh
Refugee in 2002 several chain-smokers said, "What else do we have to
do? We are sitting here waiting to be arrested."  When small amounts
of food aid was being brought in, residents said, "We don't want
food; we want cigarettes." The same sentiment has been echoed in the
Gaza Strip over the past several months.
http://english.pnn.ps/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2841
&Itemid=1

Haredi autopsy protest turns violent
Ultra-Orthodox Jews riot in capital: Throw stones at police, burn
garbage cans in protest of autopsy to be performed on body of 25-
year old man killed in car accident on Monday.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3549594,00.html

Bin Laden turns his mind to Israel
Al-Qaida is focusing its rhetoric on fighting Israel as it competes
with more successful militant groups for legitimacy and popularity.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/may/30/middleeast

Israeli poll finds Netanyahu would win elections
Hardline Likud Party leader Benjamin Netanyahu would win national
elections if a corruption probe topples Prime Minister Ehud Olmert,
an Israeli poll showed Friday. The Dialog poll indicates that
popular Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni would come in second and
Defense Minister Ehud Barak would come in third.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080530/ap_on_re_mi_ea/israel_poll_2

A one-state solution for Palestinians and Israelis
London - In 2005, I was invited to do something most Palestinians
can only dream of: visit the house from which my family had been
driven in 1948. Of all people, a New York Times correspondent
discovered that his apartment was built over my old home. When I met
him there, the Jewish occupants who showed me around were almost
apologetic, perhaps aware how that incident encapsulated the central
story of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict: the expulsion of
Palestinians and their replacement by Jews. Yet when I asked the
reporter how he could still write articles that betray this reality,
he was evasive.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/csm/20080530/cm_csm/ykarmi

New type of migrant settles in Sderot
In the last few years, a growing number of collaborators from Gaza
have ended up in the Israeli town of Sderot, the place that, more
than any inside Israel, has come under missile fire from Palestinian
militants in Gaza. It is one reason, the collaborators say, that
life is not easy.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7424283.stm

Britain looked to Israel for lessons in military deception
LONDON - When British military leaders set up a special task force
in 1969to study how best to use deception to achieve their
battlefield aims, they focused on tactics used by the Israelis.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/988684.html

More Sunnis joining Iraq's National Police
BAGHDAD, Iraq - Some 800 Sunni Muslims are among 2,000 newly trained
recruits in the Iraqi National Police, a force that a Pentagon
report a year ago called a brutal organization infiltrated by Shiite
militias and even death squads.
http://www.mcclatchydc.com/iraq/story/38899.html

Rogue Sadr militias roam Baghdad
The Christian Science Monitor - Nadir Hamid Shamkhi has not stepped
outside since March 24, when she retrieved her kidnapped husband's
tortured body from a Baghdad morgue, buried him, and fled to her
relatives' house in Risala ??? a slum in southwestern Baghdad.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/csm/20080530/wl_csm/orisala

Iraq set for anti-US protests
Muqtada al-Sadr, the Shia leader of the Mahdi Army, has called for
the demonstrations after Friday prayers to pressure the Iraqi
government into abandoning the proposed agreement.
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/0643B9BD-C9E2-416E-A4FA-
39A615648981.htm

Iraqi music school battles violence, persecution
Reuters - Gunmen threaten to kill their relatives, roadside bombs
make journeys to school hazardous and religious hardliners persecute
them -- but the children of Iraq's Music and Ballet School have an
antidote to war: music.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080530/wl_nm/iraq_school_dc

Iraqi PM, in Sweden, offers 'privileges' to returning refugees
Iraq wants its refugees to return home and those who do can
expect "privileges", Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said
during a visit to Sweden on Friday.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080530/wl_mideast_afp/iraqswedenrefugee
s

Moving forward slowly
Some Sunni-Shia reconciliation, but the Kurds are still a problem,
writes Saif Nasrawi.
http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2008/899/re3.htm

Marine 'lied' over Haditha deaths
A US marine lied to cover up a squad's killings of 24 Iraqi
civilians in Haditha in 2005, prosecutors say at a court martial.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/2/hi/middle_east/7426429.stm

Marine says he was ordered to delete Iraq photos
A Marine who took pictures of Iraqi men, women and children killed
by U.S. forces testified Thursday that he deleted the photos under
an officer's orders and later lied repeatedly to investigators about
what happened to the images.
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hNUaTPsL6OBHarjCDUGxJ0EYsm9AD90VL8
OO1

'Nothing the White House can do to stop it:' 109 countries agree to
ban cluster bombs
After more than a year of contentious negotiations, diplomats from
109 countries meeting in Dublin agreed Wednesday on a treaty that
would outlaw the use, production, transfer and stockpiling of
cluster munitions, which have killed and wounded thousands of
civilians over the last four decades.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?
edition_id=1&categ_id=2&article_id=92579

John Hagee's Not-So-Bright Vision
The recent uproar surrounding Pastor John Hagee is only remarkable
in the sense that it took so long in coming. The fundamentalist
pastor of the 19,000-member Cornerstone "mega-church" in San
Antonio, Texas has long shown himself to be not just anti-Semitic,
but also anti-Islamic and anti-Catholic.
http://palestinechronicle.com/view_article_details.php?id=13830

Disturbing 2008 Global Peace Index Report
The Global Peace Index (GPI) was launched in May 2007 and claims to
be the first study of its kind ranking nations according to their
peacefulness. Last year's report covered 121 countries. The latest
increased it to 140. Australian entrepreneur Steve Killelea
conceived the idea and won some dubious endorsements. Among them,
the Dalai Lama.
http://palestinechronicle.com/view_article_details.php?id=13834

Army suicides rise again despite new focus by military
WASHINGTON ??? The number of U.S. soldiers committing suicide rose
again last year, according to a U.S. Army report released Thursday,
despite the military's heightened efforts to encourage troops to
seek care.
http://www.mcclatchydc.com/iraq/story/38915.html

Abu Ghraib: Dark side of democracy
Two American documentary-makers have trained their sights on the
abuses that took place in Iraq's notorious Abu Ghraib prison. They
tell Sheila Johnston what they found They were the photographs that
shocked the world: the inmates of Abu Ghraib, taunted and tormented
by gloating US soldiers. The images have been endlessly analysed and
you might think that there is nothing new to say about them.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?
xml=/arts/2008/05/30/bfabughraib130.xml

from Micheline/ISM France

Sadly (?) I have an all day job interview tmoz, so my time is limited for this.
ajs

Dear friends,

We urgently need your help!It is very simple and it doesn't cost you much, just
a bit of clicking!

  You may remember that I sent you an e-mail some time ago in relation to a clown
project in Palestine. A major Dutch newspaper is holding a contest for the best
project proposal ('ideal') for which the winner will win 7500 euros in order to
realize the project. Thanks to the support of many of you, the clown project is
presently in the top 10!!! In order to become number one, it has to be read
(clicked on) 10,000 more times in the coming 2 days!!!!!!! Kristal, the Dutch
initiator of the project, is therefore sending requests to solidary persons
around the world to please click on the link below as many times as possible in
the coming 2 days, in the hope that she will become number one!

http://idealen.trouw.nl/idealen/laatste/bus-vol-clowns

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Action4Palestine/


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I've just read and signed the petition: Suspend EU-Israel Association Agreement

You can view this petition at: http://www.thepetitionsite.com/tell-a-friend/727853

:
-----

Hi, I signed the petition "Suspend EU-Israel Association Agreement".

 I'm asking you to sign this petition to help us reach our goal of 25,000 signatures.

I care deeply about this cause, and I hope you will support our efforts.

ThePetitionSite.com provides tools and empowers individuals to make a difference and effect positive change through online activism. Get connected with the causes you care about, take action to make the world a better place, and start your own petition at http://www.ThePetitionSite.com!

ThePetitionSite.com is powered by Care2, the largest and most trusted information and action site for people who care to make a difference in their lives and the world. www.care2.com

Minutes of the Bristol PSC Meeting, 7.30 pm, 22 May 2008

Present: Caroline, Cliff, R, Katt, Jafar, Jim, Wendy, Monica (midway
through meeting)

Apologies: Janine, Robbie, Giles

Next business meeting: Thursday 26 June, 7.30pm  at St. Werburgh's CC

Agenda:
Report on past events
	 Stall , Nakba Conference, National demo, Nakba 60 Day
Questionnaire from National PSC
Future events
        Monthly stall / Fairs and festivals, Autumn public meeting
New website
AOB

Report on past events
Stall
Monthly stall on 12 April on Gloucester Road received a good response.
Interest was shown in the Nakba conference with a lot of leaflets
about the event being distributed.

Nakba Conference
All agreed that the day had been a great success and congratulations
should go to all who helped the event take place. Over 150 people had
come to the event and feedback on the day was very positive. R has
produced a brief report about the conference and the Nakba-60 events
that will be sent to the national office.
Finances: the final costings are still being finalised, however,
through the funds raised from the food, donations and stall sales
approximately £900 was raised which should cover the costs.
Comments
Overall: getting all groups who support Palestine to come together at
the event was very useful and should be maintained. Lots of new faces
came to the event. Ilan Pape spoke particularly well. Surprised that
Kerry McCarthy seemed a little unprepared to have to defend the Labour
Party's position and actions in relation to Palestine and Israel.
Workshops: they were effective, although suggestion about using a
question on the flip boards to encourage their use. The banner
produced was in the workshops is a good practical thing to have come
directly from the event. Suggest having an arabic dance workshop next
time.
Food: the catering for the event was excellent. Thanks to those who
were responsible for coordinating the menu. Suggestion that next time
a rota for the kitchen should be drawn up so that people in the
kitchen get a break to enjoy the event themselves.
Contacts: 2 new members and another contact made by a woman who is
going to Palestine soon for three months, was impressed with the Nakba
events around Bristol and would be willing to speak at a meeting on
her return.
Another one…
It was agreed that the event was a success and another event should be
considered later on in the year. Contact should be made with other
groups again for a future event.
Student contacts – it was suggested to ask the Stop the War student
societies about the potential of setting up a PSC group again at one
of the universities and that information about the Freshers Fairs in
the autumn should be obtained so a presence at the events can be made.


Nakba Social
The social was attended by fewer people than the conference,
approximately 50 people. It was agreed that it was a sign of success
that the conference had been the main pull for people. The audience at
the social was also quite different in its make up appearing to be
somewhat attended by people just out for the social rather than
specifically for Palestine. It was suggested in future to limit the
time between the two parts of the day and maybe suggest that the break
is for a meal with the social following. Nevertheless, the social was
enjoyed by all who attended and the food and entertainment were great.

National demo
40 people went down on the coach for the national demo, other members
had also gone independently. The banner produce at the conference was
put to good use and a Bristol contingent was clearly visible on the
demonstration.
With the takings on the coach and the tickets sold at the conference
the cost of hiring the coach has been covered.

Nakba 60 Day
The tree planting was successful. Indymedia currently have a full
report of the event with pictures of the event. Following the planting
boycott stalls outside Morrisons and then the Co-op in the centre were
held. To round of the days events the vigil in the centre was attended
by over 30 people to mark 60 years since the Nakba.
Nb. Caroline has been informed that tree needs to be relocated to
another part of Narroways and the small placard that was left next to
the tree must be removed.

Questionnaire from National PSC
This is a questionnaire that has gone round to all PSC branches asking
questions about the activities that the group undertakes, what it
would like to see from national PSC and other such bits of
information. The questionnaire was gone through and suggestions made
with Cliff taking responsibility for the final fill in.

Future events
Stalls – it was agreed that a stall should be taken to the following
events:
Ed Hill film premiere at The Cube, 8pm  Monday 2 June
Benefit gig for permaculture project Palestine at The Polish Club, 8pm
  Saturday 7 June
Love Music Hate Racism at Trinity, 7pm Sunday 22 June  (Caroline to
look into booking a stall)
St Werburghs Farm Fair during the day Saturday 7 June – it was agreed
that people should flyer the event if they are available.
August – Amnesty International Fair, at Goldney Hall, Sunday 3 August
– stall to be booked
	   St Marks Road Fair, Saturday 16 August – stall to be booked.

Autumn public meeting
R has been contacted by a member of Exeter PSC regarding a speaking
tour they are planning for a holocaust survivor, Hedy Epstein. She has
been speaking against the Israeli occupation of Palestine for many
years. For more on Hedy Epstein see an interview with her here:
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article19044.htm
It was agreed that we should put on a meeting at which she could
speak. R will contact Exeter PSC to confirm details.

New website
A new Yahoo list has been set up due to problems with the previous
one. It was also mentioned that members should only use the list for
sharing information related to the group and not to inundate the list.

AOB
Other meetings were announced
Cliff drew peoples attention to a Palestinian women who has been
accepted onto a course at UWE but requires accommodation.

Memories of Iraq Haunted Soldier Until Suicide
by: Halimah Abdullah, McClatchy Newspapers

“Until the day he died, Sgt. Brian Rand believed he was being haunted by the
ghost of the Iraqi man he killed. The ghost choked Rand while he slept in his
bunk, forcing him to wake up gasping for air and clawing at his throat.�
http://www.truthout.org/article/memories-iraq-haunted-soldier-until-suicide

This kind of reminded me of that book (Toplis: The Monocled Mutineer) again but
not a bit I featured in a recent blog post.

THE PROFITS OF WAR & PROPAGANDA: SAINTS & MUTINEERS!
http://palestinian.ning.com/profiles/blog/show?id=1970466%3ABlogPost%3A19125 (YO
PERC! GET THIS!)

As articled in Chapter 7, a sandy-haired 17 year-old youth, already a three-year
veteran, having signed up at 14, Victor Silvester, recounted his time at Etaples
behind the Passchendale frontline of WW1.

“He was posted to Commandant Thomson’s office as a messenger. There an
officer congratulated him on the crossed rifle sign on the lower part of his
left sleeve, indicating that he was a first-class marksman who had passed a
musketry range test. Silvester would be just right for occasional ‘special
duty’.

The next day he discovered to his horror the real significance, as between
messages he was idling through a thick wad of foolscap sheets, headed Army
Orders – Part 1, when the full, sinister meaning of ‘special duty’ dawned
on him.

There were fifty sheets, each one relating to a particular soldier whose
interests in the war had ceased with dawn execution.

[So basically he had earned his place in the firing squad to shoot deserters,
people who nowadays would have been diagnosed with Shellshock, or maybe PTSD
even.]

By the time I had taken part in four more such dawn executions, I did not have
to feign illness. Like the other executioners, I was screaming in my sleep and
physically ill every day. I was put into a hospital and strapped down to prevent
me running away. I was then sent away from Etaples and all its horrors to the
Italian Front. The simple business of being twice wounded there was less
injurious by far than all the mental scars that Etaples left with me for the
rest of my life.�

Yeh well, where's my White Poppy?

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Action4Palestine/


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Israeli press: Israel presented new map of West Bank during
negotiations
Monday May 26, 2008 - 00:04
In a report that is unsubstantiated by official sources, the Israeli
newspaper, the Jerusalem Post, has reported that Israel has
presented a map of the West Bank in which Israel will control 8.5
percent of the land (including the most fertile land and the water
sources). This is while negotiations are still ongoing between the
Fateh-led portion of the Palestinian Authority and Israeli
authorities in Egypt.
http://www.imemc.org/article/55061

Israeli peace activist wounded during a protest against roadblocks
in Hebron
Monday May 26, 2008 - 01:00
Palestinian sources reported on Sunday that an Israeli peace
activist was wounded and three supporters were detained after the
Israeli army attacked a peaceful protest conducted by the activists
at the entrance of Al Sammoa' village, south of the southern West
Bank city of Hebron.
http://www.imemc.org/article/55062

Israeli authorities imprison, deport and ban Jewish professor from
Israel
Saturday May 24, 2008 - 23:59
Norman Finkelstein, a prominent U.S. Professor who is an outspoken
critic of the Israeli occupation, was denied entry into Israel
Friday, and banned from the country for ten years.
http://www.imemc.org/article/55050

Revealed: the US plan to start a Palestinian civil war
Report, The Electronic Intifada, 4 March 2008
United States officials including President George W. Bush and
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice participated in a conspiracy to
arm and train Contra-style Palestinian militias nominally loyal to
the Fatah party to overthrow the democratically-elected Hamas
government in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, an investigative
article in the April 2008 issue of Vanity Fair has revealed.
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article9366.shtml

Former British Prime Minister almost shot down by Israeli airforce
Sunday May 25, 2008 - 01:11
Tony Blair, the former Prime Minister of Great Britain and the Envoy
for the Quartet for Mideast Peace had a 'near-hit' on Friday when
Israeli fighter jets mistook his plane for an 'enemy aircraft', and
were within seconds of shooting him down.
http://www.imemc.org/article/55052

Israeli army invades Gaza areas as homemade shells fire continues
Sunday May 25, 2008 - 13:47
The Israeli army troops invaded into the eastern Gaza neighborhood
of Alshijaiya early on Sunday morning, as a number of tanks rolled
into the vicinity of the Sufa commercial crossing in southern Gaza
Strip.
http://www.imemc.org/article/55059

Israel reopens Eritz crossing and allows limited shipments of fuel
into Gaza
Sunday May 25, 2008 - 13:01
The Israeli authorities reopened on Sunday the Eritz checkpoint in
northern Gaza Strip to allow entry of patients in need of medical
care outside of Gaza, (Israeli media sources)
http://www.imemc.org/article/55058

ACTION ALERT: Israel Arrests Norman Finkelstein

sabbah.biz Flood the Israeli Ministry of Interior with faxes, emails, calls.
DEMAND THAT DR. FINKELSTEIN BE PERMITTED TO ENTER ISRAEL IN ORDER TO REACH THE
OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY!
http://sabbah.biz/mt/archives/2008/05/24/action-alert-israel-arrests-outspoken-a\
cademic-norman-finkelstein/


http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Action4Palestine/


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_______________________________________________
BIGPlan mailing list
BIGPlan@...
https://lists.aktivix.org/mailman/listinfo/bigplan

I'm some e-mails from the B.I.G. Campaign to the Bristol yahoo group as I
think they will be of interest, that is if you are not already aware of the
information in these e-mails.

Caroline

-----Original Message-----
From: bigplan-bounces@...
[mailto:bigplan-bounces@...] On Behalf Of
thewallmustfall@...
Sent: 15 May 2008 10:25
To: bigplan@...
Subject: [BigPlan] [Fwd: [bhpsc] good TU news]

---------------------------- Original Message ----------------------------
Subject: [bhpsc] good TU news
From:    Zoë Mars <z.mars@...>
Date:    Thu, May 15, 2008 2:07 am
To:      bhpsc@...
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

TSSA Conference
-----Original Message-----
From: Bernard Regan [mailto:bernard.regan@...]
Sent: 14 May 2008 22:36
Subject: TSSA Conference


Andy Bain President of TSSA (Transport Salaried Staffs) and Dave Barnes of
Exec of TSSA both contacted me to say that the union has passed a motion on
solidarity and calling for some sort of boycott - haven't yet seen text.

Importantly they voted (by narrow majority  38-33 or something) to
disaffiliate from Trade Union Friends of Israel!

This is politically important and good work by Dave and Andy and others in
TSSA.
--
Bernard Regan
PSC Trade Union Officer
bernard.regan@...


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Palestine
EI's Internet & Technology section offers reports about Palestinian
appropriation of the Internet, the experience of the Palestinian IT
community, reviews of websites, and news. Quality submissions are
welcomed. http://www.electronicintifada.net


Institute for Palestine Studies commemorates Nakba on the Web
Announcement, Institute for Palestine Studies, 22 May 2008

The Institute for Palestine Studies (IPS) has created a special on-
line resource to commemorate the Nakba (catastrophe) of 1948. "1948:
Sixty Years On ..." draws on the Institute's rich archives and its
flagship Journal of Palestine Studies to provide wide public access
to incisive articles, analyses, memoirs, detailed maps, and
chronologies. These materials illuminate the events leading up to
and culminating in the establishment of the state of Israel and the
beginning of the Palestinian tragedy.



Critically ill patients from Gaza appeal to Israeli court
Report, The Electronic Intifada, 22 May 2008

JERUSALEM, 22 May (IRIN) - Ahmed al-Baghdadi's doctors said he must
leave the Gaza Strip and travel to Israel to receive urgent life-
saving medical care if he hopes to fight the tumours in his body.
Rada al-Khadir, aged 22, needs to get treatment immediately, her
Israeli doctor said, or her liver disease could prove fatal. Both
patients have been denied permission to leave by the Israeli
military.



A Nakba inherited
Rami Almeghari, Live from Palestine, 21 May 2008

At the southernmost area of the Gaza Strip, where the Philadelphia
route separates the coastal enclave from Egypt, there are scores of
knocked down buildings. The destruction dates back to 2002, when
Israeli army bulldozers demolished the houses of the Palestinian
inhabitants of this border line. Among the houses that used to stand
here was that of Ali Shaath, a 75-year-old Palestinian refugee from
the Beer al-Saba' village of historical Palestine. Rami Almeghari
writes from the occupied Gaza Strip.



Acknowledging the tragedy
Raja Shehadeh, The Electronic Intifada, 21 May 2008

I grew up hearing about what my own family lost in Jaffa, the
coastal city from which Jewish militias drove them in 1948. There
were occasional references to Deir Yassin -- where more than 100
unarmed Palestinian villagers were massacred -- and the role it
played in the psychological war against the Palestinians, who fled
fearing for their lives. Raja Shehadeh writes from Ramallah.




New report critiques West Bank development projects
Report, The Grassroots Palestinian Anti-Apartheid Wall Campaign, 21
May 2008

With the Palestine Investment Conference (PIC) underway in Bethlehem
and the celebrated reforms and development projects proposed last
year by the Salam Fayyad appointed government, understanding
development in Palestine is more important than ever. Both the PIC
and the Fayyad development programs have already elicited severe
criticism from Palestinian civil society, political opposition and
local communities.



Investors warned about access to occupied Palestine
Press release, Campaign for the Right to Entry, 21 May 2008

As hundreds of international investors begin arriving in Bethlehem
for the Palestine Investment Conference scheduled for 21-23 May, the
threat of being barred from entering the occupied West Bank by
Israeli officials is likely to be foremost on everyone's mind. Those
hoping to actually invest in Palestine will be looking for answers
regarding who will guarantee unhindered access in the future for
themselves, their staff and the suppliers needed for investments to
succeed in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.



Refugees are the key
Sam Bahour, The Electronic Intifada, 20 May 2008

Today there are over 5.5 million Palestinian refugees and displaced
persons who have never been allowed the choice to return to their
homes or given redress for their losses. The continued denial of
their rights encapsulates the decades-long strife,
disenfranchisement and dispossession the Palestinians have suffered.
EI contributor Sam Bahour comments.



Israeli siege hits Gaza's special needs children
Report, PCHR, 20 May 2008

Every day parents call the Atfaluna Society for Deaf Children in
Gaza City and ask Suad Lubbad when the school will re-open. Suad is
the Administrative Director of the school, which has 275 pupils aged
4-17, and was forced to close without notice in mid-April. Because
of chronic fuel shortages, the buses that normally transport the
pupils to school were suddenly grounded.



Film review: "Territories"
Stefan Christoff, The Electronic Intifada, 19 May 2008

Territory is a central theme in all political conflicts in the
world, as national borders across the globe have consistently
shifted. EI contributor Stefan Christoff reviews Territories, a new
feature documentary by Montreal filmmaker Mary Ellen Davis that
explores the photographic work and global journeys of Larry Towell,
of the world-renowned photo agency Magnum, who travels along the
world's most conflicted border zones, from Latin America to the
Middle East.



Rights org: "Fog of war" no cover for Gaza killings
Report, Al-Haq, 19 May 2008

At approximately 9:15 am on 14 May 2008, 17-year-old Hamdi Salemeh
Khader was riding his bicycle on al-Karama Road near a local cement
factory in the northern Gaza Strip when he was shot twice (once in
the shoulder and once in the upper right quadrant of the chest) by
machine gun fire emanating from the tanks, killing him instantly.
Hamdi's death is just one of many willful killings perpetrated by
Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip.

The following digest is in connection with worldwide commemoration of the Nakba.
It supplements previous NYCLAW postings on Palestine, located at:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/LaborAgainstWar/messages


REMEMBERING THE NAKBA

ARAB-ISRAELI RECALLS ETHNIC CLEANSING IN 1948

"One morning in September 1953 we heard the explosions. We thought a new war had
started. We climbed a hill to see what was happening," Maghzal says. "They
bombed our village. I cannot describe the sadness and anger on the faces of our
people."  As the state of Israel celebrates six decades, the elderly Arab
Christian says he still holds on to the hope of the right to live again in his
village. "For us Biram is holy land," Maghzal said, "more sacred than
Jerusalem."
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=2&article_id=9178\
1

ISRAEL'S ARAB MINORITY NOT CELEBRATING INDEPENDENCE DAY

A monument in Kufr Qassem's center commemorates the events of 1956 when nearly
50 villagers - unaware that a curfew had been imposed on Israeli Arabs on the
eve of Israel's Sinai Campaign - were shot to death by Israeli border police as
they returned home after the deadline. Every year, thousands of Arab Israelis
gather at the monument, and local residents frequently refer to the massacre by
way of emphasizing that they will stay in their village, regardless of what
happens.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3540821,00.html

FALLING FROM HEAVEN: ETHNIC CLEANSING OF PALESTINE

Today, as Israel celebrates "60 years of independence", the Al Nakba of the
Palestinian people continues. On May 5, the Israeli newspaper, Haaretz published
a report which noted that since the creation of the Israeli state 60 years ago,
there have been 1,634 Israeli civilians killed and 14,000 injured by "acts of
terror". What the article did not mention, however, was that in the much shorter
period of 7.5 years (from September 2000 to March 2008 since the beginning of
the Al Aqsa intifada) that more than 3615 Palestinian civilians have been killed
by Israeli state "acts of terror" and 25,650 Palestinian civilians had been
wounded. The Haaretz article, also failed to mention that since its creation 60
years ago, the Israeli state has continued the ethnic cleansing of the
Palestinian people via a war of attrition and in the name of "security".
http://palestinechronicle.com/view_article_details.php?id=13781

PALESTINE: THE CRIME OF PARTITION

The past and current Israeli dispossessions of Palestinians represent grave
violations of human rights. However, it is arguable that the U.N. partition
resolution was an even greater crime. In a misguided effort to atone for the
horrific human tragedy of the Holocaust, the U.S. led the effort that forced
Palestinians to pay the price for atonement.
http://palestinechronicle.com/view_article_details.php?id=13794

PALESTINIANS MOURN 60TH ANNIVERSARY OF 'THE CATASTROPHE'

While Israelis celebrated the 60th anniversary of their nation's birth with
fireworks and barbecues, sirens wailed across the Palestinian territories today
in mourning. It was a day of grief for Palestinians, who refer to the founding
of Israel as the Catastrophe, or al-Nakba. Thousands took to the streets to
commemorate those exiled or killed in the conflict that followed the creation of
the state of Israel in 1948. More than 700,000 Palestinians fled or were
expelled, their property was expropriated and they have not been allowed to
return.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/may/15/israelandthepalestinians
Slideshow:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/gallery/2008/may/15/israelandthepalestinians.pho\
tography?picture=334155195

NAKBA FOR THE THIRD GENERATION

[F]or me the Nabka is more than fleeing your homeland and losing your identity;
it is, in point of fact, not having one single memory of the homeland from where
your grandparents and your parents came from. It is not having anything to tell
your children about the taste of your land's fruit, the smell of its sand, the
times spent with the people there.
http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900SID/LSGZ-7EMD44?OpenDocument&RSS20=02-P

FOR PALESTINIANS, MAY 14 MARKS THE DAY MANY WERE TURNED OUT OF THEIR HOMES

The Israeli Jewish woman of Austrian origin who let her in was surprised by how
my grandmother quickly found the bathroom with no directions."This is my home,
where my children were born and where I planted the fruit trees whose fruits you
now arrange in the bowl on the kitchen table," explained my grandmother.
Defensively, the woman replied, "This is a sad story but the same thing happened
to us in Austria. In any case, I bought this house from the Israeli government."
My grandmother replied, "Madam, you bought stolen property that should be
returned to its rightful owner. And given what you have suffered in Austria at
the hands of the Nazis, you should be the last ones to do this to us." My
grandmother left her home in tears.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080513.wcomment0514/BNStory\
/International/home


ONGOING NAKBA

BLAST KILLS GAZA TEACHER IN FRONT OF HER CHILDREN

Wafer Shaker al Daghma, 34, a teacher at a local UN Relief and Works Agency
(UNRWA) elementary school, was killed last Wednesday as she stood preparing to
open the wooden door of her home to the troops. According to UNRWA and relatives
who found her body, the military used an explosive device on the door which blew
most of her head from her body. They then confined the traumatised children --
aged from two to 13 -- for five hours while the body lay outside the door of the
room where they were held.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/blast-kills-gaza-teacher-in-\
front-of-her-children-826265.html

GAZA LIVES BEING PUT AT RISK

As the grueling Gaza fuel crisis continues, so does the strain on local public
transport services, including ambulances, across the Gaza Strip. Approximately
15 percent of local public services are operating across Gaza, whilst up to 90
percent of private cars remain off the roads, and all of Gaza's 450 fuel
stations remain closed. For ambulance drivers, the situation is particularly
fraught, as demands for their services have soared over the last two months due
to an almost complete lack of alternative transport to hospitals.
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article9540.shtml

SLIDESHOW: INSIDE A PALESTINIAN REFUGEE CAMP

Sixty years ago many Palestinians fled or were forced to leave their homes in
what is now Israel and some of those people found their way to refugee camps
such as Shatila in Lebanon.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7398071.stm

ID CARDS SPLIT PALESTINIAN FAMILIES

All Palestinians hold ID cards that essentially dictate where they can live,
work and move.
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/70166EA0-93E8-47F6-AF75-CF5B7AF61C8A.htm

PALESTINIANS ON THE VERGE OF A MAJORITY

Former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is reported to have believed while in
office that "the bantustan plan was the most suitable solution to [Israel's]
conflict."15 Yet Israeli leaders rarely speak publicly of Bantustans, instead
using euphemisms like "separation," "disengagement" or "convergence." While
emphasizing their goal of a "two-state solution," they continue to support
construction of walls, Jewish-only settlements and roads and other
infrastructure across the West Bank that are incompatible with full withdrawal,
viable Palestinian statehood or territorial contiguity.
http://www.thejerusalemfund.org/images/informationbrief.php?ID=192

PALESTINE: 20 QUESTIONS ABOUT ISRAEL

The ethical choice, surely, is a single state with Jews living alongside their
Arab neighbours as equal citizens and sharing the land within a common legal and
democratic framework. That, after all, was the original intention, and the
developments of the last 60 years are a gross perversion and betrayal. Only the
Palestinians themselves have had the courage to resist it.
http://www.uruknet.info/?p=m42547&hd=&size=1&l=e

ISRAEL'S ANXIETY AS JEWS PREFER GERMANY

[M]any Jews who once might have considered emigrating to Israel - making their
Aliya - have in the past few years been choosing to head to Germany instead. . .
. Israel lobbied hard - and ultimately successfully - to persuade Germany to end
its generous immigration laws for Jews which encouraged hundreds of thousands to
head to the reunited European state after the collapse of communism.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/main.jhtml?xml=/opinion/2008/05/14/do1406.xml

OBAMA'S PANDERING TO ISRAEL

Praising Israel in a speech about racism is like praising the history of White
South Africa in a speech about civil rights. Has the fact that Israel is a
Zionist state completely escaped the minds of all the Obamakins?
http://counterpunch.org/mowrey03262008.html


PALESTINIAN RESISTANCE TODAY

HAMAS SUPPORTERS DEMONSTRATE AGAINST ISRAELI BLOCKADE

Thousands of Islamic Hamas movement's supporters demonstrated on Thursday
against the ongoing Israeli blockade near Erez crossing on the border between
northern Gaza Strip and Israel. Witnesses said that several dozens of
demonstrators tried to reach the crossing area of Erez, adding that Israeli
soldiers stationed at the crossing opened warning shots to prevent them from
approaching the crossing area. Paramedics said that several teens were shot and
wounded by Israeli soldiers' gunfire, adding that Palestinian ambulances present
at the area took them to nearby hospitals in northern Gaza Strip.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-05/15/content_8180102.htm

THOUSANDS DEMAND RIGHT OF RETURN IN RAMALLAH DEMONSTRATION

Thousands of Palestinians converged in the center of the West Bank city of
Ramallah under the midday sun on Thursday for a demonstration to mark the
sixtieth anniversary of the Palestinian Nakba and to demand the right of
Palestinian refugees to return to their homes in what is now Israel. . . . . A
press release sent to media before the demonstration predicted "the largest
demonstration in the West Bank since the outbreak of the Second Intifada." Jamal
Juma', coordinator of the Palestinian Anti-Apartheid Wall Campaign and organizer
with the National Committee to Commemorate the Nakba said, "The enthusiastic
mobilization in the last week among Palestinians all over their homeland and in
the Diaspora has shown that 60 years of ongoing Nakba, massacres, assaults and
repression have not been able to subdue the Palestinian call for their rights.
Ben Gurion's expectation that 'the old will die off and the young will forget'
has been proven wrong."
http://www.maannews.net/en/index.php?opr=ShowDetails&ID=29311

WEST BANK DEMONSTRATES IN UNISON FOR RIGHT OF RETURN

The National Campaign to Implement the Right of Return organized nonviolent
marches throughout the West Bank on Wednesday in memorial of Al Nakba. All began
in the morning and headed for the demarcation lines. . . . Jericho marched, as
did Ramallah and Al Bireh, and Hebron in the south. As most of these cities are
surrounded by checkpoints or the Wall, they did not have far to go. But a
massive demonstration taking place throughout the entire West Bank at the same
time sends a message. "It is our right and we will not give it up, nor will we
be deterred," the organizers wrote.
http://english.pnn.ps/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2775&Itemid=1

ARAB LEADER: ISRAEL CAN'T DESTROY PALESTINIAN PEOPLE

Thousands of people attended a rally marking 60 years since the Palestinian
Nakba in the village of Kfar Qana on Friday. The event was organized by the
Islamic Movement's northern branch. . . . According to the sheikh, the fact that
the Holocaust failed to destroy the Jewish people should serve as proof to
Israelis that their attempt to "perpetrate genocide of the Palestinian people"
was bound to fail.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3541373,00.html

60 YEARS ON, REFUGEES VISIT LOST JERUSALEM HOMES

Some 300 Palestinians marked 60 years since Israel's founding in May 1948 with a
protest walk through affluent Jewish parts of west Jerusalem that were once home
to many Arabs. They wore black T-shirts with "This is my House" printed on the
back. . . . The demonstrators pointed at houses, many decorated with Israeli
flags marking the 60th anniversary of independence, and recalled their former
Palestinian owners: "This is the Dajani house. That is the Nammari house. This
is the Halaby house."
http://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSL11222279

THERE IS NO ALTERNATIVE TO THE RIGHT OF RETURN

To the People of Palestine, Whether you live within the "Green Line," in
Jerusalem, the West Bank, Gaza, or in exile, you shall return, there is no doubt
that you shall return.. . .  [W]e refer to the Palestinians who managed to stay
within the part of Palestine occupied in 1948 as the "Palestinians within the
Green Line" or the "Palestinians in 1948 occupied Palestine" when referring to
them, instead of phrases that deny them their Palestinian identity. Also to
refer to "Historic Palestine" when referring to the Palestine's borders during
the British mandate, as well as stressing that the right of return is to the
refugees' "original homes and properties". . . . [A] person or organization's
stance on the right of return as the litmus test that determines our
relationship with Israeli institutions and entities, and a measure for
differentiating between projects as ones aimed at normalization or not.
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article9542.shtml

A SHARED LAND AS ONE STATE THE WAY TO PEACE

Palestinians are commemorating the start of our ongoing tragedy this Thursday,
but we are also looking forward. We are at an important turning point, where two
things are happening. First, despite ritual declarations of international
support, the prospect of a two-state solution has all but disappeared as
Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip are caged into walled reservations
by growing Israeli settlements and settler-only roads - a situation that
resembles the bantustans of apartheid South Africa. Second, despite Israel's
efforts to keep Palestinians in check, the Palestinian population living under
Israeli rule is about to exceed the 5 million Israeli Jews. . . . [M]ore
Palestinians, recognising statehood is unrealistic, debate and adopt the
one-state solution, offering Israelis and Palestinians equal rights in the land
they share.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/opinion/a-shared-land-as-one-state-the-way-to-peace/2\
008/05/12/1210444334547.html


LABOR SOLIDARITY

U.S. LABOR AND GAZA

Yes, the Israel lobby seeks to silence opponents of Israeli Apartheid. All the
more need for trade unionists to break that silence by speaking out against
Israeli military occupation, for the right of Palestinian refugees to return,
and for the elimination of apartheid throughout historic Palestine.
Endorse: http://www.petitiononline.com/Gaza/petition.html

MAY DAY: ON THE CURRENT CONDITIONS OF THE STRUGGLE OF THE PALESTINIAN WORKING
CLASS

This May Day, we call upon the workers of the world and the international labor
movement to support Palestinian workers in our struggle for liberation. The
solidarity of working class forces around the world, particularly the workers of
the United States, is needed. The Histadrut, a racist arm of the Zionist state
that has done nothing but aid in the exploitation of Palestinian workers, should
be boycotted and unwelcome at all labor functions. Israel Bonds are not a fit
investment for a labor organization - they are an investment in a racist,
colonial state. The U.S. labor unions hold billions of dollars in such bonds;
now is the time to divest from Israel Bonds and make it clear that racism is the
common enemy of all workers, around the world. In addition, the labor unions of
Europe have key roles to play in fostering solidarity with Palestinian workers.
http://www.pflp.ps/english/?q=may-day-current-conditions-struggle-palestinian-wo


ANTI-ZIONIST JEWS

NO TIME TO CELEBRATE: JEWS REMEMBER THE NAKBA

As North American Jews, we stand together with Palestinians in mourning 60 years
of al-Nakba and in honoring 60 years of vibrant resistance. We will celebrate
when Arab and Jew live as equals in a peaceful Middle East.
Endorse at: http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/notimetocelebrate/

WE JEWS WILL NOT BE CELEBRATING

We cannot celebrate the birthday of a state founded on terrorism, massacres and
the dispossession of another people from their land. We cannot celebrate the
birthday of a state that even now engages in ethnic cleansing, that violates
international law, that is inflicting a monstrous collective punishment on the
civilian population of Gaza and that continues to deny to Palestinians their
human rights and national aspirations.
Endorse at: http://www.thestruggle.org/not_celebrating.htm

ISRAELI GENERAL'S SON: THERE IS HOPE IN GAZA

Israel's assault on the people of Gaza is so horrendous that it will not soon be
forgotten. This vicious attempt by Israel to destroy an entire nation has tipped
the scales for good and Zionism will forever be remembered as a blemish in the
history of the Jewish people. The people of Gaza, however, give us hope and they
will forever be remembered for their courage and resilience during these trying
times.
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article9510.shtml

And all & more available from & thanks to: DD

http://windowintopalestine.blogspot.com/2008/05/palestine-nakba-digest.html

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Action4Palestine/


       __________________________________________________________
Sent from Yahoo! Mail.
A Smarter Email http://uk.docs.yahoo.com/nowyoucan.html

Five soldiers die in north Iraq blast; crackdown underway
Five Iraqi army soldiers were killed and four injured in a bomb blast Tuesday in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul as the government braces for a big offensive in the city, military sources said.
http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/middleeast/news/article_1405113.php/Five_soldiers_die_in_north_Iraq_blaSt_crackdown_underway__2nd_Lead_

Al-Sadr forces, Iraqi regime sign shaky cease-fire
Al-Sadr's representatives and the rival United Iraqi Alliance agreed to institute the four-day cease-fire starting Sunday, but talks over the details of the truce were not finished until a day later. The deal allows Iraqi forces to take over security in the militia stronghold of Sadr City on Wednesday.
http://www.buffalonews.com/nationalworld/international/story/345305.html

Missile Is Fired at Copter Over Baghdad, U.S. Says
A surface-to-air missile was fired on Saturday at an American Apache helicopter flying over the Sadr City section of Baghdad, American military officials said on Monday.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/13/world/middleeast/13weapon.html?_r=1&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss&pagewanted=all&oref=slogin

Gates urges military to focus on Iraq, not future wars
As for the possibility of stretched US forces being confronted with a war elsewhere, Gates said: "There is a risk, but it is a prudent and manageable one."
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080513/pl_afp/usiraqmilitary_080513160527;_ylt=A0WTcX7CyylIUCwAkwlqP0AC

Iranian artillery shells rebel positions in northern Iraq
The artillery shelled several villages in the area of Bashdar in Sulaymanyah province in Iraq's Kurdish Autonomous Region, the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said.
http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/middleeast/news/article_1405123.php/Iranian_artillery_shells_rebel_positions_in_northern_Iraq

Fierce battles resume in Lebanon
FIERCE battles between supporters of Lebanon's Western-backed Government and the Hezbollah-led opposition have resumed in the northern city of Tripoli.
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,23690265-38201,00.html

Key mountain village falls to Hizbullah in Lebanon
HIZBULLAH YESTERDAY took control of a strategic mountain-top village in Druze heartlands, south-east of the capital, after fierce fighting with government allies, consolidating strategic gains which analysts said would be used in confrontations with Israel.
http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/world/2008/0513/1210623427006.html

This was originally posted on the Action4Palestine site, and passed
on by Andrew Silvera.
<p>The historic wronging of Palestine  WRITTEN BY DAVID MORRISON
(art by Carlos Latuff) The state of Israel came into existence 60
years ago on 14 May 1948. In the months before and after this
declaration, Jewish forces drove around 750,000 Palestinians from
their homes. Over 500 villages were emptied of their Palestinian
population and most of them were destroyed so that those expelled
had no homes to return to. "Our thought is that the colonization of
Palestine has to go in two directions: Jewish settlement in Eretz
Israel and the resettlement of the Arabs of Eretz Israel outside the
country. The transfer of so many Arabs may seem at first
unacceptable economically, but is nonetheless practical. It does not
require too much money to resettle a Palestinian village on another
land."  http://palestinethinktank.com/2008/05/10/the-historic-
wronging-of-palestine/  All I can say is that if you haven't already
signed up for the PTT Daily Digest, you are seriously missing out, I
think you'll agree that the above is just one of many quality
threads on the site but for anyone who likes a row or debate, this
has been posted on both Mordechai Vanunu Yahoo Groups, both of which
have very small membership, so I thought I would put it about a bit:-
  The PALESTINIANS could do with some internet support Posted by: &
thanks to "Christine"  Look at: http://www.mepeace.org/  Check out
the forum discussion: The 60 Anniversary Of Nakba  mepeace.org/ has
a similar format to one of those big sites where 1000's of people
register themselves with photo and personal commentary, and details
of whether or not they are "single". The idea of this group is to
encourage peaceful contact between Palestinians and Israelis and
anyone else who is interested. At present it looks more like war
than peace. The discussion at mepeace is only about Israel and
Palestine, and right now, the Palestinians could do with some
support. It looks as though the best support would come from those
who are prepared to argue with facts they have checked and can back
up with some kind of irrefutable documentation.

Iraq: At least 21 killed in another bloody day of US occupation
U.S. forces said they killed three armed men during an operation on Sunday night. Neighbours said those killed were students not linked to gangs or militias.
http://www.reuters.com/article/featuredCrisis/idUSANW220920

US troops battle militia in Baghdad despite deal
American troops fought street battles with Shiite militia in Baghdad's Sadr City, killing three people on the first full day of a deal to end fighting in the area, a military official said Monday.
http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5ii2zdiL63_9iANv33PbpzQihMkDg

Turkish warplanes bomb PKK in northern Iraq again
The "intensive" bombing in the Avasin-Basyan region, which started at 3:00 p.m. Saturday backed by artillery fire, destroyed several PKK facilities and killed a yet unknown number of "terrorists", the military said in a statement.
http://www.turkishdailynews.com.tr/article.php?enewsid=104177

Work of UN employees impeded by delays at Israeli checkpoints
Bethlehem – Ma'an – exclusive report – After receiving several
complaints from UN officials about the treatment they receive at
Israeli military checkpoints, Ma'an sent a reporter to monitor
southern West Bank checkpoints. He found that Israeli soldiers at
military checkpoints deliberately undermine UN employees and impede
their activity.
http://www.maannews.net/en/index.php?opr=ShowDetails&ID=29154

Victim 147 Dies due to Continued Siege Imposed on Gaza Strip
Medical sources reported on Friday that a sick man died as being
refused by Israeli Occupation Authorities to leave the Gaza Strip
for treatment.  The sources told WAFA that Khali Abu Harbeed, of
Beit Hanoun town has joined the victims of the Israeli siege imposed
on the Gaza Strip and died today of an acute disease. The victims of
the Israeli blockade imposed on the Gaza Strip mounted to 147
citizens.
http://english.wafa.ps/?action=detail&id=11627

The Israeli army attacks the weekly Bil'in protest, dozens treated
for tear gas inhalation
On Friday, villagers from Bil'in, located near the central West Bank
city of Ramallah, supported by international and Israeli peace
activists conducted their weekly nonviolent protest against the
illegal Israeli wall built on the village's land.
http://www.imemc.org/article/54739

Nakba Demonstration in Safuria Attacked
Thousands of people converged Thursday on the land of Safuria to
mark the anniversary of the Nakba and to demonstrate for the right
of return of the refugees. The crowd included mainly Palestinian
citizens of Israel, and some Jewish citizens. Chants included "Long
live Palestine," "Gaza is Palestinian and Golan is Syrian," and "We
are all one people" invoking the West Bank, Gaza and Arab countries
along with the people of the Galilee, and "The White House is the
biggest terrorist." Some people released hundreds of black balloons
into the sky to fly over the 60th Birthday of Israel celebrations
and barbecues to remind them of those who were forced out 60 years
ago.
http://www.kabobfest.com/2008/05/nakba-demonstration-in-safuria-
attacked.html

Gaza-Egypt border to open for three days: Hamas
Reuters - The main border crossing between the Hamas-controlled Gaza
Strip and Egypt will be opened for three days starting on Saturday
under a deal between the Islamist group and Cairo, a Hamas official
said on Thursday.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/mideast/*http://news.yahoo.com/s
/nm/20080508/wl_nm/palestinians_egypt_border_dc

Gaza Power Company to stop due to lack of fuel
Gaza Power Company, the main distributer of electricity in the Gaza
Strip, stated on Thursday that it would have to shut down in the
coming hours as it ran of the needed fuel to run its generators and
the fuel needed to run its equipment and lifts using for maintenance.
http://www.imemc.org/article/54731

Israeli forces kill Gaza mother in front of her children
The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) strongly condemns the
killing of a mother in front of her children yesterday, during an
Israeli incursion into New Abasan town, east of Khan Younes. PCHR
investigations indicate that at approximately 14:30pm on Wednesday,
7 May, Israeli Occupation Forces troops raided the house of Majdi
Abd al-Raziq al-Daghma during an incursion into New Abasan.
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article9523.shtml

Israeli attack kills 2 in Gaza
A Palestinian woman was killed by an Israeli tank shell during a n
attack on the southern Gaza Strip on Wednesday, a Palestinian
medical official said.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080508/wl_mideast_afp/mideastconflictga
za

Settlers protest opening of road to Palestinians
Several hundred settlers are protesting a junction in south Mount
Hebron against the army's plan to open it for Palestinian
vehicles.   According to the settlers, Palestinian movement in the
area will lead to the resumption of terror attacks.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3541220,00.html


A wounded detainee remains in a bad condition
Palestinian Human Rights sources reported on Thursday that detainee
Israr Al Barghouthi, 30, who was wounded prior to his abduction by
the Israeli army, is in a bad health condition due to a blood
infection, and is currently isolated in a room in Al Ramla Prison
hospital.
http://www.imemc.org/article/54734

Hamas says it still awaits Israeli response to ceasefire offer
The spokesman, Ismail Radwan, warned that "Hamas' patience will not
last forever." The Palestinian factions accepted the Egyptian offer
while the Israeli answer is expected next week.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-05/08/content_8131432.htm

Zahhar: Suleiman to visit Israel next week to receive Israeli
response on truce
Mahmoud Zahhar, one of the prominent political leaders of Hamas
movement, stated on Thursday that Egyptian Intelligence Chief,  Omar
Suleiman, will visit Israel next week in order to receive an Israel
response to Hamas' truce offer. The movement is currently awaiting
an Israeli response.
http://www.imemc.org/article/54732

Hamas warns of explosion if Gaza siege remains in place
Hamas said Monday that the Israeli siege on the Gaza Strip became
unendurable, warning of an "explosion" if the crisis fails to be
solved within days." Under this, we Hamas warn the Israeli
occupation from delaying the lifting of the siege and reopening the
crossings and stress that we will not allow the siege to remain in
place for more," Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri told a news
conference."
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-05/05/content_8110535.htm

Agha: International organisations not doing enough to end Gaza
tragedy
Dr. Mohammed Al-Agha has strongly criticized on Thursday
international human and legal institutions for not exerting enough
efforts to end the Israeli siege on Gaza Strip.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%
2bcOd87MDI46m9rUxJEpMO%
2bi1s7QDlHQoRmRJ2gbR25pHVns62r7nJhlN4qsC86XjqtEjmh0Anq2y2pDij4rk%
2bAH4Pxz9vBXNR93y7dXw6jed0QmYVtHpGOGp35ucYpciThWXY%3d

Egyptian authorities allow a hundred stranded passengers to cross
into Egypt
The Egyptian authorities allowed on Thursday a hundred Egyptians
stranded in the Gaza Strip to return to Egypt via the Rafah crossing
after coordination between the Egyptian and Palestinian security.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%
2bcOd87MDI46m9rUxJEpMO%2bi1s7HEfDjd1v5HkGhJ1yXK0T7n%2fjh%2fbEEj%
2fK4VUZ%
2byAY5Sq2nVVQz4pCHeiueoql71mzz9GrPKpEQpJM9VNFRJrnvdXXZr5UYLNc%2f%
2bTY2i7sA54%3d

Israeli PM Olmert to make statement
Israel's Prime Minister Ehud Olmert delivers a speech during a
Memorial Day ceremony commemorating fallen soldiers at the Mount
Herzl military cemetery in Jerusalem May 7, 2008. A Palestinian
negotiator said on Wednesday any peace deal with Israel would be
delayed if a police investigation of Olmert forced his resignation
and a new election was held.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/mideast/*http://news.yahoo.com/s
/nm/20080508/wl_nm/israel_olmert_statement_dc

PA: Olmert misleading the public
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is misleading the Israeli public by
declaring that "significant progress" has been achieved in the peace
talks with the Palestinians, Palestinian Authority officials claimed
Thursday. Olmert and Abbas before a recent meeting at the Prime
Minister's Office in Jerusalem. They also expressed fear that
Olmert's resignation would delay a peace agreement between the two
sides.
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?
cid=1209627042662&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

Khalid warns of Israeli decision Police headquarters on to E1 area
Member of the Executive Committee of the Palestinian Liberation
Organization (PLO), member of the political bureau of the Democratic
Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP), warned on Thursday of
the Israel plan to move its main police headquarters in the West
Bank to E1 area in East Jerusalem.
http://www.imemc.org/article/54733

Balad's MK Taha injured during Nakba march
MK Wasil Taha (Balad) sustained a mild head injury Thursday, while
attending a march marking the 60th anniversary of the Nakba.   Taha
told his aides that he was struck by Police Special Patrol Unit
officers. He was taken to the Italian hospital in Nazareth. Taha's
16-year-old son was also taken to hospital, reportedly for gas-
related respiratory problems.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3541057,00.html

Several cops hurt when clashes erupt at Israeli Arab Naqba Day
protest
Nearly a dozen people were injured on Thursday, including five
police officers and two Israeli Arab Knesset members, in clashes
that erupted at a demostration in the north marking the 60th Naqba
Day, as Palestinians refer to Israel's Independence Day.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?
itemNo=981730&contrassID=1&subContrassID=7

Slow death everywhere; Israel's continued siege is taking Gaza back
to the Stone Age, reports Saleh Al-Naami
Armed with a sharp axe, Jihad Abu Hamam creeps about once a week
into the woods on the eastern border of Al-Qarara village in the
southern Gaza Strip. He cuts tree branches there and pulls them to
his house two kilometres away. Jamila, his wife, uses these branches
as kindling that she lights to cook their food each day, ever since
the family's store of gas for cooking ran out a month ago due to the
Israeli decision to bar the entry of gas to the Gaza Strip.
http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2008/896/re1.htm

Palestinian refugees in Gaza still dream of going home
Palestinian refugee Kamleh Kadada, 76, carries the key of her former
house at the al-Shati refugee camp in Gaza City. The creation of the
Jewish state drove some 760,000 Palestinians to flee their homes.
Most went to refugee camps in neighbouring Jordan, Lebanon, Syria
and Gaza, which was under Egyptian control at the time.(AFP/Mohammed
Abed)AFP - When Israeli soldiers razed his village of Najd during
the Jewish state's independence war, Yussef Abu al-Jidyan fled to a
Gaza refugee camp where he has now lived for 60 years. But he has
never lost hope of returning.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/mideast/*http://news.yahoo.com/s
/afp/20080508/wl_mideast_afp/mideastisrael60yearspalestinianrefugee

Thousands of Arab Israelis call for refugee right of return
Arab Israelis march for the right of return for refugees who fled
their homes during the 1948 war that followed the creation of Israel
in the former Arab village of Safuriyah, Israel.(AFP/Ahmad Gharabli)
AFP - Arab Israelis marched for the right of return for refugees who
fled their homes during the 1948 war that followed the creation of
Israel, which celebrated its 60th anniversary on Thursday.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/mideast/*http://news.yahoo.com/s
/afp/20080508/wl_mideast_afp/mideastisrael60yearsdemopalestinianrefug
ee

Still stateless after all these years
THIS week Israelis celebrate and Palestinians mourn the war of 1948
that created a state for the Jews but resulted in the flight of a
large portion of Palestine's then Arab majority. After 60
anniversaries the fate of the two sides is as lopsided as ever.
Israel is not just an established state but a dynamic and prosperous
one. By contrast, the lot of the Palestinians is wretched (see
article). The state they were promised under the UN partition plan
of 1947 remains tantalisingly beyond reach, even though almost every
government in the world, including those of America and Israel,
claims to support the creation of such a state in the West Bank and
Gaza.
http://www.economist.com/opinion/displaystory.cfm?story_id=11332366

The wandering Palestinian
NAHR AL-BARED in Lebanon was a wind-blown huddle of tents when the
first refugees straggled here from Galilee in 1948, the year of the
Palestinian nakba or catastrophe. Yet the camp somehow prospered, in
spite of the Lebanese laws restricting Palestinians, and despite the
influx of yet more refugees during Lebanon's 1975-90 civil war. By
last year it had grown into a crowded but congenial town of 35,000,
complete with apartment blocks, schools and clinics. The seaside
camp was home to the busiest market in northern Lebanon, but also to
a growing band of dour, bearded and fearsomely well-armed Islamist
radicals.
http://www.economist.com/world/africa/displaystory.cfm?
story_id=11332217

An Arab veteran of 1948 recalls Palestinian 'catastrophe'
Jerusalem - Mahmoud Jadallah recalls the 1948 Arab-Israeli war as if
it were yesterday. As he guides a visitor through the village he
once defended against Israeli forces, the names of outposts and
passwords his Arab fighters used trip off his tongue. But the day
that the Jordanians told them to stop fighting is clearest. The war
was over – for the moment, at least – and an armistice had been
reached between Israel and Jordan. "The Jordanians came along with
us and said, 'OK, we don't need you anymore. You can go home. We're
in charge now. They're a state, and we're a state.'
http://news.yahoo.com/s/csm/20080509/wl_csm/onakba

Falling from Heaven: Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine
Like the names of the dead, the names of these villages bring
heartbreak to all Palestinians. Sixty years ago, last month, the
ethnic cleansing of Palestine began.  Sixty years ago, up to six
weeks before the British mandate of Palestine was terminated and the
state of Israeli was even declared, Zionist terror gangs began their
forcible expulsion of more than 122 Palestinian villages and began
carrying out military assaults on more than 270 other villages.
http://palestinechronicle.com/view_article_details.php?id=13781

State's Creation Had Ugly Side; Palestinian refugee problem cannot
be ignored
The creation of Israel had an ugly side to it which shouldn't be
forgotten or ignored. It is the destruction of a people and the
creation of the world's largest refugee population and longest-
lasting refugee crisis.
http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/news/editorial/story.html?
id=8a9b3644-67ad-4fb3-9225-f46924c57195&p=1

Celebrate Israel's 60th
End the Suffering of the Palestinians.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-naiman/celebrate-israels-60th-
en_b_100838.html

Celebrating 60 years of Israeli 'apartheid state' an insult,
Palestinians say
TORONTO - Celebrations marking the 60th anniversary of
the "apartheid state" of Israel are an insult to the millions of
Palestinians living in exile or as refugees, a group of Palestinian-
Canadians said Thursday. Israel, they said, is the product of
decades of ethnic cleansing. As a result, while Israelis and Jews
around the world celebrate Israel's birthday, Palestinians are
marking "al Nakba" - the catastrophe - to remind Canadians of their
plight.
http://www.mytelus.com/ncp_news/article.en.do?
pn=canada&articleID=2917799

World leaders should help rescue Gaza
May 9, 2008: I asked if I could get to Gaza at the gate to the Gaza
Strip. The soldiers said it was a closed military zone. Could I try
the coast road reserved for military and settlers? They let me try.
I drove up to the last barrier before the city. There was no
traffic, no sound. The sun shimmering brightly on the Mediterranean
sea, with Gaza City in the distance. "Its closed," the soldier
said. "You have to go back." "Tell them I am working on a big EU
programme. I have to get in." He said OK, and went round the back of
a military tent. It was hot. There was no shade. The radio
crackled.  He came back after five minutes, his Uzi on one shoulder,
carrying a tray of orange drinks which he served to the astonished
passengers through the car windows. The barrier was raised. The
peace process cannot work because it excludes the democratically
elected leaders of Gaza.
http://www.bdafrica.com/index.php?
option=com_content&task=view&id=7502&Itemid=5821

'The Second Palestinian Intifada'
Ramzy Baroud is a veteran Palestinian-American journalist and former
Al-Jazeera producer. He also taught Mass Communication at
Australia's Curtin University of Technology and is the founder and
Editor-in-Chief of the Palestine Chronicle, a vital resource for
information on Israel/Palestine and much more.
http://palestinechronicle.com/view_article_details.php?id=13780

For some Palestinians, one state with Israel is better than none
Hazem Kawasmi of the Palestinian Electronic Forum (PEF) sits at his
office in the West Bank city of Ramallah. Sooner or later, he
predicts, the growing burden of occupation and threat of Islamic
extremism will make Israelis receptive to the idea of a combined
state that protects the rights of Jews. Frustrated by years of
failed peace talks for a two-state solution, some are giving up hope
of independence and pushing the idea of a single democratic state
with equal rights for all.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-onestate8-
2008may08,0,3112598.story?track=rss

VOTE on this LA Times poll
Do you believe Palestinians and Israelis should stop working towards
a two-state solution and focus on co-existence with equal rights and
protections in a shared homeland?
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/babylonbeyond/2008/05/israel-the-
one.html

Reflections on the Road: The Gaza Strip and a Photograph I Didn't
Take
Blame it on the Melbourne Beach Public Library.  Had they not
stocked a visually powerful documentary called Death in Gaza, I
probably would have slept that night two months ago.  Instead,
shortly after midnight I pushed back the recliner in my sister's
living room and began to watch the film.  My mind quickly leaned
back as well, back to the hardest place I've ever been: Rafah, a
town in Gaza.
http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.jsp?articleId=281474977341530

Obama accuses McCain of 'losing his bearings' with comment
Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama said Thursday that
Republican rival John McCain tried to smear him and was "losing his
bearings" with the suggestion that Hamas preferred Obama for
president. "This is offensive and I think it's disappointing,
because John McCain always says, well, I'm not going to run that
kind of politics and that engages in that kind of smear I think is
unfortunate, particularly since my policy toward Hamas has been no
different than his," Obama said in an interview with CNN Thursday.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080508/ap_on_el_pr/obama_mccain_1;_ylt=A
kjGG.xHUy4M9LfeZC5C6_UUvioA

Obama says US will always stand by Israel
US presidential hopeful Barack Obama congratulated Israel in honor
of its 60th Independence Day, saying that the United States will
always stand by Israel to ensure that it can defend itself against
the threats of terror and violence, from Gaza to Tehran.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3540975,00.html

Ahmadinejad: Israel is a 'stinky corpse' doomed to disappear
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Thursday called Israel
a "stinking corpse" which is doomed dissappear, as the state
celebrated 60 years of independence.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/981727.html

Protestors in Bethlehem affirm the right of return
Around 200 Palestinians, internationals and Israelis demonstrated at
military checkpoint placed at the southern entrance of Bethlehem, to
protest the wall Israel is building on the lands of the Palestinian
village of Al-Khader near Bethlehem on Friday morning.
http://www.imemc.org/article/54740

Commemorating the Nakba: al-'Awda Camp
The al-'Awda Camp was inaugurated on Thursday in Ramallah. The camp
is a main feature in this week's Nakba commemoration and will serve
as a central site for daily cultural and educational events. The
camp, which was open from noon until midnight, attracted a large
number of Palestinians as well as considerable press attention. A
number of schools in Ramallah, al-Bireh and the surrounding refugee
camps closed during the early afternoon so as to allow their
students to be present at the proceedings.
http://stopthewall.org/latestnews/1644.shtml

Iraq

Iraq violence, in figures
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/629/629/7036068.stm

25 killed in Iraq as rockets shatter Basra calm
BAGHDAD (AFP) — A rocket attack on a coalition military base in
Basra killed two civilian contractors Friday, while a retaliatory
strike and separate attacks elsewhere in Iraq killed 23 others,
officials said.  The two civilian contractors died when rockets
slammed into the US-led coalition's base near Basra's international
airport, wounding eight others, including four coalition soldiers,
the military said.
http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5hq50mzUOV5n17z-hZsxJQ07tRlPA

Mortar bomb slams into BBC office in Baghdad
An Shiite fighter prepares to launch a mortar during clashes with
Iraqi government troops in Basra, March 2008. A mortar bomb has hit
the roof of the BBC office in central Baghdad without causing
casualties, security officials and witnesses told AFP.
(AFP/File/Essam al-Sudani)AFP - A mortar bomb hit the roof of the
BBC office in central Baghdad on Friday without causing casualties,
security officials and witnesses told AFP.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/iraq/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/af
p/20080509/wl_mideast_afp/iraqunrestblastbritainmedia

Four killed in Baghdad militia bastion
Iraqi Interior Ministry forces carry out checks along a street in
Basra. Battles between Shiite fighters and US forces in Baghdad's
militia stronghold of Sadr City killed four people and wounded 51
others overnight.(AFP/Essam -al-Sudani)AFP - Battles between Shiite
fighters and US forces in Baghdad's militia stronghold of Sadr City
killed four people and wounded 51 others overnight, Iraqi security
and medical officials said on Friday.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/iraq/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/af
p/20080509/wl_mideast_afp/iraqunrestussadrcity

Iraq rocket attack on Basra base kills two
Militants fired rockets into a British forces base in Iraq's
southern oil town of Basra on Thursday, killing two contractors and
wounding four other civilians, the U.S. military said on Thursday.
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L08232553.htm


Car bomb hits police patrol, kills four in Baghdad
A car bomb which targeted a police patrol in western Baghdad on
Thursday killed four people and wounded eight others, an Interior
Ministry source said.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-05/08/content_8132193.htm


Iraq: At least 31 killed as US occupation grinds on
A parked car bomb exploded near a police patrol in the Mansour
neighborhood of Baghdad, killed seven people, including three
policemen, police said. The attack wounded 19 civilians.
http://www.reuters.com/article/newsMaps/idUSL0891018220080508

At least 22 people killed In another bloody day of US occupation
At least 22 people died Wednesday in a fresh bout of violence in
Iraq, including eight people in a US strike on Baghdad's Shiite
enclave of Sadr City, while the police found rockets in a big
weapons cache in the south.
http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/middleeast/news/article_140399
1.php/At_least_22_people_killed_rockets_discovered_in_Iraq__Roundup_


At least 7 killed in Sadr City
Gun battles between Shia fighters and US occupation forces in
Baghdad's Sadr City have killed seven people and wounded 20 others,
security and medical officials have said.
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/3CAA4937-CB82-4070-A0A0-
C1CC03F111B3.htm

Baghdad's Sadr city residents fear intensifying fight
A rare daytime US airstrike in Sadr City on Thursday came as
residents said that soldiers were warning them to leave parts of the
district, which is a bastion of support for the anti-American cleric
Moqtada al-Sadr.
http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900SID/KHII-7EG7ZT?
OpenDocument&RSS20=02-P


Al Qaeda's leader in Iraq arrested - Arabiya TV
The leader of al Qaeda in Iraq, Abu Hamza al-Muhajir, has been
arrested, the Arabic television station al-Arabiya reported on
Friday, quoting the Iraqi Defence Ministry. Arabiya said Muhajir had
been detained in a joint Iraqi-U.S. operation in the northern Iraqi
city of Mosul. The U.S. military said it had no information on the
reports at this stage.
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L08189129.htm

Al Qeada in Iraq leader not captured - U.S. military
A man seized by Iraqi forces in the northern city of Mosul is not
Abu Ayyub al-Masri, the leader of al Qaeda in Iraq, a senior U.S.
military official said on Friday.
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L09666191.htm

A Picture Worth A Thousand Words
Some readers resented The Washington Post for publishing an
Associated Press photograph of a critically wounded Iraqi child
being lifted from the rubble of his home in Baghdad's Sadr
City "after a U.S. airstrike."Two-year-old Ali Hussein later died in
a hospital.As the saying goes, the picture was worth a thousand
words because it showed the true horrors of this war.
http://www.wesh.com/helenthomas/16190138/detail.html

Baghdad's Coming Refugee Crisis
U.S.-back Iraqi forces are gearing up for a new push deeper into
Sadr City that could worsen fighting and displace hundreds, a
government spokesman in Baghdad said. "There will be a big offensive
soon," said Iraqi government spokesman Tahseen al-Sheikhly. He did
not say when the operation would go forward. In east Baghdad the
Iraqi government has readied two stadiums and one former military
base to serve as camps for Sadr City residents who may be forced to
flee the fighting, al-Sheikhly said. "We don't want any losses in
the civilians," said al-Sheikhly.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/time/20080508/wl_time/baghdadscomingrefugeecr
isis

Iraq prepares for Baghdad exodus
Two football stadiums are on stand-by to receive residents from two
neighbourhoods in the Sadr City area.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/7387960.stm


Iraqi PM and cleric Sadr head for showdown
Iraq's parliament has begun debating a bill on provincial elections
that will ban any party from competing in the Oct. 1 polls if they
have a militia.
http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWB.NSF/db900SID/LRON-7EEDQH?OpenDocument

Sadr City battle shatters dreams of a retired Iraqi
An Iraqi youth picks-up a partially burnt Koran from a burnt vehicle
destroyed during the overnight fighting in the impoverished Shiite
Muslim district of Sadr City in Baghdad.(AFP/Wissam al-Okaili)AFP -
Nuri al-Nahma dreamt of a peaceful retirement after closing his
dress shop in Baghdad's Shiite militant stronghold of Sadr City five
months ago, but then the war knocked on his door.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/iraq/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/af
p/20080508/wl_mideast_afp/iraqunrestusshiitesadrcity

2007 claimed 93 journalists, almost half in Iraq
VIENNA: Ninety-three journalists were killed in 2007, almost half of
them in Iraq, the International Press Institute media watchdog said
in its annual press freedom review published Thursday. The figure
was the second highest in a decade after 2006, which saw 100
journalists' deaths, according to IPI figures.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?
edition_id=10&categ_id=2&article_id=91851

Guide: Armed groups in Iraq
A wide range of armed groups are operating in Iraq, feeding into
violence which has prompted fears of civil war. Much insurgent and
militia activity is shadowy and difficult to trace, but here is a
guide to the main players.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/4268904.stm

Iraq War Breeding A Wider Insurgency
You'll hear none of this from Washington, but the trend lines in
Iraq are turning down again. A few days ago the State Department
published its annual report on terrorism around the world. And like
most documents produced by the Bush administration, it proved to be
a misleading piece of propaganda. It said, for example, "there was a
notable reduction in the number of security incidents throughout
much of Iraq, including a decrease in civilian casualties"
and "enemy attacks in the last quarter of the year."
http://www.courant.com/news/opinion/editorials/hc-
brinkley0509.artmay09,0,3154112.story

Bomber's Final Messages Exhort Fighters Against U.S.
The last words of a suicide bomber in Mosul were a rallying cry for
Muslims to join the fight against Americans. His taking-off point
was his experience at the military prison at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/09/world/middleeast/09mosul.html?
partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

Judge threatens to suspend Guantanamo terror trial
GUANTANAMO BAY NAVY BASE, Cuba -- A military judge in the trial of
Canadian captive Omar Khadr threatened Thursday to suspend the
terror trial unless the prison camp releases a detailed log of
Khadr's treatment in more than five years of detention as an alleged
al Qaeda terrorist.
http://www.mcclatchydc.com/iraq/story/36394.html


Highlights of proposed Iraq war funding bill
Lawmakers will cast separate votes on three components: war funding,
Iraq war policy restrictions, and unrelated domestic add-ons.
http://www.mercurynews.com/politics/ci_9183587

Iraq, Iran and the United States; Whose side are they all on?
The Americans and the Iraqis find it hard to read the ambiguities in
Iran's policy towards Iraq.
http://www.economist.com/world/africa/displaystory.cfm?
story_id=11332333

'I wanted to report on where the silence was'
Texas-born Dahr Jamail was outraged that the US media were
swallowing the Bush administration's line on Iraq and so, with just
$2,000 and no previous journalistic experience, he set off to find
out what was really happening in the country. He talks to Stephen
Moss.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/may/08/iraq.iraqandthemedia

U.S. wants to build 'paradise' amid the burning hell it ignited in
Iraq
The United States has leaked what can only exist in the imagination
of science fiction writers. It wants to turn its fortress in Baghdad
called the Green Zone into a shiny, tourist village with a 'dream
list' of attractions.  This 'science fiction' mentality has been
there in the minds of the architects of the Iraq invasion in the
U.S., both military and civil leaders.
http://www.azzaman.com/english/index.asp?fname=news\2008-05-09
\kurd.htm

Lebanon

Red Cross says 10 dead in Lebanon fighting
http://www.africasia.com/services/news/newsitem.php?
area=mideast&item=080509084517.h31v2k6g.php

Al-Jazeera Video: Nasrallah address Lebanon - 08 May 08
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YrfxnCoPViI

A Slide Show of Today's Events in Lebanon
http://news.yahoo.com/nphotos/Lebanon/ss/events/wl/021405lebanon/s:/a
p/20080508/ap_on_re_mi_ea/lebanon_protests/im:/080509/photos_wl_me_af
p/5bc9407eba9b14b842fbcc53b50fb105/

Opposition forces take control of Beirut
Men clad in black have roamed the streets of Beirut since Wednesday,
their faces covered with ski masks or dark kaffiyeh (checkered
scarf), as they wreaked havoc in the large avenues leading to the
airport or dividing Sunni and Shia areas. As darkness loomed over
Lebanon, the winds of discord seem to set the Lebanese capital
ablaze.
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article9524.shtml

Aoun: What Happened Today is Victory for Lebanon
The Head of the Free Patriotic Movement, MP Michel Aoun said recent
incidents have put the "trail on the right track." "What took place
was victory for Lebanon and its constitution", Aoun said. He added
that "I had toured the world and the UN Security Council and I
warned them that we are heading towards clash, but unfortunately we
didn't get much attention. I also called on the Lebanese not to get
weapons because they will later dispose them. I even urged the world
not to back a rule that is not the size of Lebanon," General Aoun
said.
http://www.manartv.com.lb/NewsSite/NewsDetails.aspx?
id=43114&language=en

Report: Hizbullah surrounding Beirut government offices
Hizbullah gunmen are currently surrounding a government office
building and the home of anti-Syrian, pro-government leader Saad al-
Hariri in Beirut, Saudi-owned Al Arabiya television said on Friday.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3541239,00.html

Beirut racked by street battles
Six people have been killed and 15 people wounded in Lebanon,
according to security sources, as the country's political crisis
threatened to spiral out of control.
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/FFE67A81-6B2E-4573-9CCA-
4582CDB93AE3.htm

LEBANON: Battle for Beirut
Everyone kept insisting it was not a civil war, but jumping for
cover as a rocket-propelled grenade slammed into the apartment block
beside us, and masked gunmen fired deafening salvos across the road
dividing Sunni and Shia neighborhoods of Beirut, it certainly felt
like it. "It is impossible for Shia to shoot on Sunnis," insisted a
military commander of Shia opposition group Amal, allied with Shia
resistance group Hizballah.
http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportId=78123

Gun battles as Hizbollah claims Lebanon is at war
"If you want to fight us, you'll have to fight us. This was Sayed
Hassan Nasrallah's message to the Lebanese government yesterday and
his words were followed within seconds by two massive gun battles in
the streets of Beirut. He had spoken in that careful, thought-
through, distressing way in which he always threatens the
Hizbollah's enemies. He even swapped the names of the Lebanese Prime
Minister, Fouad Siniora, with that of the Druze leader Walid
Jumblatt – calling Jumblatt the real prime minister and Siniora his
deputy – and blamed both for trying to set up a CIA-Mossad base at
Beirut airport. What other reason could there be, he asked, for the
two men to demand the dismantlement of Hizbollah's communications
system and the suspension of the head of airport security? This
was "a Lebanese government declaration of war against the
resistance". Well, maybe. But Nasrallah still wants the Hizbollah's
enemies to be the Israelis – not his Lebanese opponents........"
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/fisk/robert-fisk-gun-battles-as-
hizbollah-claims-lebanon-is-at-war-824592.html

What is next for Lebanon?
Did you see the face of Sa`d Hariri reading (and fumbling) the
statement written for him by Hani Hammud and Walid Jumblat? He
looked as pleased as when Ahmad Chalabi was informed that he did not
win one seat in the Iraqi puppet parliament, or when Salam Fayyad
was informed that he has won a whopping 1% of the votes in the
Palestinian puppet legislative parliament.
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/2008/05/what-is-next-for-lebanon-did-
you-see.html

One More War Crime; Blindsided, Hezbollah Mulls Its Response
Hezbollah sources concede that they were taken by surprise and some
were shocked, by the intense incendiary bombardment of the last few
days by pro government operatives. As Hezbollah studies 'the
situation' and how to respond this beautiful spring Beirut morning,
there is a real danger things may rapidly spiral out of control.
http://www.counterpunch.com/lamb05082008.html

Hezbollah: Lebanon has declared war on us
"The decision is tantamount to a declaration of war ... on the
resistance and its weapons in the interest of America and Israel,"
Hassan Nasrallah said in a news conference aired live on television
Thursday.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24521469/


A Cell Phone Civil War in Lebanon
The rattle of gunfire and crump of exploding rockets that shook the
near-deserted streets of Beirut Wednesday seemed to signal the
arrival of the long-feared showdown between the Western-backed
government and its opponents led by Hizballah. Thick plumes of black
smoke from barricades of burning tyres cast a deep pall over the
capital, as many Lebanese gloomily pondered whether the country's
feuding leaders can pull back from the brink. "Both sides have dug
in their heels," said Amal Saad-Ghorayeb, a political analyst and
expert on Hizballah. "I think there's going to be a battle for the
state now." Perhaps, but the unlikely catalyst behind the latest
flare-up was a government attempt to regulate Lebanon's telephone
system.
http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1738255,00.html?imw=Y

Resistance against Israel built Nasrallah's reputation
Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, leader of Hizbullah, enjoys huge popularity
in many part of the Arab world, where he is widely viewed as a
courageous fighter who neutralized Israel's military might. The
charismatic Nasrallah, 47, is a skilled orator with a sense of humor
unusual among those in fundamentalist movements.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?
edition_id=1&categ_id=2&article_id=91856

U.S. may seek sanctions in Lebanon crisis -envoy
The U.N. Security Council should consider "additional steps"
including sanctions if Syria and Hezbollah do not move to resolve a
crisis in Lebanon, Washington's U.N. Ambassador said on Thursday.
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N08377708.htm

Declaration of war?
Lebanon's US-backed government took aim at Hizbullah this week,
leading to fears of further strife, Lucy Fielder reports from Beirut
http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2008/896/re3.htm

Arab leaders split on Lebanon; Abbas: Palestinians should not get
involved
Syrian and Qatari leaders said Friday that the current crisis in
Lebanon is an "internal affair," while Egypt and Saudi Arabia called
for an emergency Arab foreign ministers' meeting to discuss the
situation, media reports said.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/982035.html

U.S.

McCain: We must counter Iran's threat
'Iran obviously is on the path toward acquiring nuclear weapons' -
an allegation that has been refuted by the UN nuclear watchdog and
US intelligence agencies. "At the end of the day we cannot allow
Iran to have a nuclear weapon," he continued.
http://www.iranmania.com/News/ArticleView/Default.asp?
NewsCode=59614&NewsKind=Current%20Affairs

Pastor who McCain praised said America's historic mission was
to 'destroy' Islam
Mother Jones' David Corn has discovered a 2005 sermon in which a
fundamentalist pastor Sen. John McCain has praised and campaigned
with called Islam "the greatest religious enemy of our civilization
and the world," and that the mission of America was to see "this
false religion destroyed." "In this taped sermon currently sold by
his megachurch, the Reverend Rod Parsley reiterates and amplifies
harsh and derogatory comments about Islam he made in his book,
Silent No More, published the same year he delivered these remarks.
Meanwhile, McCain has stuck to his stance of not criticizing
Parsley, an important political ally in a crucial swing state," Corn
writes.
http://rawstory.com/news/2008/Pastor_who_McCain_praised_said_Americas
_0508.html

"Torture Team"
British Attorney Philippe Sands on the White House Role in
Sanctioning Torture.
http://www.democracynow.org/2008/5/8/torture_team_british_attorney_ph
ilippe_sands

Judge orders CIA to turn over 2002 torture memo
A U.S. judge ordered the Central Intelligence Agency on Thursday to
submit to the court a 2002 memo said to specify harsh interrogation
methods used on suspected terrorists held abroad.
http://rawstory.com/news/2008/Judge_orders_CIA_to_turn_over_0508.html

Tough Love for Israel - By Henry Siegman  FROM Ma'an News
Date: 05 / 05 / 2008  Time:  14:48

We now have word that Tony Blair, envoy of the Middle East Quartet
(the UN, the EU, Russia and the United States), and German Chancellor
Angela Merkel intend to organize yet another peace conference, this
time in Berlin in June. It is hard to believe that after the long
string of failed peace initiatives, stretching back at least to the
Madrid conference of 1991, diplomats are recycling these failures
without seemingly having a clue as to why the Israeli-Palestinian
conflict is even more hopeless today than before these peace
exercises first got under way.

The scandal of the international community's impotence in resolving
one of history's longest bloodlettings is that it knows what the
problem is but does not have the courage to speak the truth, much
less deal with it. The peace conference in Germany will suffer from
the same gutlessness that has marked all previous efforts. It will
deal with everything except the problem primarily responsible for the
impasse. That problem is that for all the sins attributable to the
Palestinians--and they are legion, including inept and corrupt
leadership, failed institution-building and the murderous violence of
rejectionist groups--there is no prospect for a viable, sovereign
Palestinian state, primarily because Israel's various governments,
from 1967 until today, have never had the intention of allowing such
a state to come into being.

It would be one thing if Israeli governments had insisted on delaying
a Palestinian state until certain security concerns had been dealt
with. But no government serious about a two-state solution to the
conflict would have pursued, without letup, the theft and
fragmentation of Palestinian lands, which even a child understands
makes Palestinian statehood impossible.

Given the overwhelming disproportion of power between the occupier
and the occupied, it is hardly surprising that Israeli governments
and their military and security establishments found it difficult to
resist the acquisition of Palestinian land. What is astounding is
that the international community, pretending to believe Israel's
claim that it is the victim and its occupied subjects the aggressors,
has allowed this devastating dispossession to continue and the law of
the jungle to prevail.

As long as Israel knows that by delaying the peace process it buys
time to create facts on the ground, and that the international
community will continue to indulge Israel's pretense that its desire
for a two-state solution is being frustrated by the Palestinians, no
new peace initiative can succeed, and the dispossession of the
Palestinian people will indeed become irreversible.

There can be no greater delusion on the part of Western countries
weighed down by guilt about the Holocaust than the belief that
accommodating such an outcome would be an act of friendship to the
Jewish people. The abandonment of the Palestinians now is surely not
an atonement for the abandonment of European Jews seventy years ago,
nor will it serve the security of the State of Israel and its people.

John Vinocur of the New York Times recently suggested that the
virtually unqualified declarations of support for Israel by Merkel
and French President Nicolas Sarkozy are "at a minimum an attempt to
seek Israeli moderation by means of public assurances with this tacit
subtext: these days, the European Union is not, or is no longer, its
reflexive antagonist." But the expectation that uncritical Western
support of Israel would lead to greater Israeli moderation and
greater willingness to take risks for peace is blatantly contradicted
by the conflict's history.

Time and again, this history has shown that the less opposition
Israel encounters from its friends in the West for its dispossession
of the Palestinians, the more uncompromising its behavior. Indeed,
soon after Sarkozy's and Merkel's expressions of eternal solidarity,
Israel's Ehud Olmert approved massive new construction in East
Jerusalem--authorizing housing projects that had been frozen for
years by previous governments because of their destructive impact on
the possibility of a peace agreement--as well as continued expansion
of Israel's settlements. And Olmert's defense minister, Ehud Barak,
declared shortly after Merkel's departure that he will remove only a
token number of the more than 500 checkpoints and roadblocks that
Israel has repeatedly promised, and just as repeatedly failed, to
dismantle. That announcement shattered whatever hope Palestinians may
have had for recovery of their economy, as a consequence of $7
billion in new aid promised by international donors in December. In
these circumstances, the international donor community will not pour
good money after bad, as they so often have in the past.

What is required of statesmen is not more peace conferences or clever
adjustments to previous peace formulations but the moral and
political courage to end their collaboration with the massive hoax
the peace process has been turned into. Of course, Palestinian
violence must be condemned and stopped, particularly when it targets
civilians. But is it not utterly disingenuous to pretend that
Israel's occupation--maintained by IDF-manned checkpoints and
barricades, helicopter gunships, jet fighters, targeted
assassinations and military incursions, not to speak of the massive
theft of Palestinian lands--is not an exercise in continuous and
unrelenting violence against more than 3 million Palestinian
civilians? If Israel were to renounce violence, could the occupation
last even one day?

Israel's designs on the West Bank are not much different from the
designs of the Arab forces that attacked the Jewish state in 1948--
the nullification of the international community's partition
resolution of 1947. Short of addressing the problem by its right name-
-something that is of an entirely different order than hollow
statements that "settlements do not advance peace"--and taking
effective collective action to end a colonial enterprise that
disgraces what began as a noble Jewish national liberation struggle,
further peace conferences, no matter how well intentioned, make their
participants accessories to one of the longest and cruelest
deceptions in the annals of international diplomacy.

***Henry Siegman, director of the US/Middle East Project in New York,
is a research professor at the Sir Joseph Hotung Middle East Program,
School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. He is a
former executive director of the American Jewish Congress and of the
Synagogue Council of America.

PSC is organising a hands-on workshop on BDS for all PSC members on
11th May, 10am to 6pm; £6 for working members and £4 unwaged. It has
been timed to allow those who will be in London for the Nakba demo to
stay ovenight, after the Saturday eve entertainment: al Zaytouna adke
with "Ila Haifa". It will be your own responsibility to find a floor
to kip on, although PSC will do its best to help.

Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions targets will include Agrexco, Veolia,
Sporting, Eden Springs, EU Israel trade agreement, cultural & academic
boycotts, investment & pension funds, supermarkets and 'settlement'
produce.

Skills to be developed will include direct action training, lobbying
MPs, MEPs, councils, supermarkets etc.

Attempts will be made to develop a calendar of campaigns and actions
in the coming year.

For further details, please contact www.palestinecampaign.org