Cc:Human Rights Newsletter
Sent: Fri, Jul 27, 2012 02:34 PM
blog at
http://popular-resistance.blogspot.com/2012/07/650000-jewish-settlers.html
More than 15,000 Jewish settlers were added in one year to bring the
total colonial settlers living in the West Bank to 650,000. Does any one
still think a two-state solution is possible? In parallel, settler
violence increased many folds in the past few years (see When settlers
attack: A sobering study of the skyrocketing Jewish colonial settler
attacks on native Palestinians
http://www.thejerusalemfund.org/ht/a/GetDocumentAction/i/32678 ).
Israel is enjoying unprecedented Western government support. The US Republican
Presidential candidate Mitt Romney is making his pilgrimage here to pay
homage to those who will help elect him. This has become a ritual among US
presidential candidates hoping to live in the White House in
Israeli-occupied Washington. Not to be out-staged, President Obama signed
an enhanced "security" arrangement with Apartheid Israel the day before
Romney lands here. More tax money is thus diverted to Israel and Israel
promoted wars while the USeconomy keeps suffering. Romney will also meet
with Salam Fayyad who seems content to keep repeating that we want a state
in 1967 borders (and not mentioning the refugees which is THE central
issue) but in his interview with the independent seemed resigned that
Palestine is now marginalized. European and other Western governments hold
meetings about Syria and abuses of human rights there (while supporting
such abuses both in Syria and elsewhere). No one demanded such meetings
about Israel and its abuses (see the recent article by Saul Landau
http://www.counterpunch.org/2012/07/20/does-it-matter-what-israelis-do/) or
Bahrain or Saudi Arabia or Rohingya or Libya post Qaddafi or others.
Even when these governments know that there are abuses they continue
business as usual. For example the British government reported widespread
abuse of Palestinian Children (
http://worldpressnetwork.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=18513) but business
is business and British officials continue to cooperate economically and in
other ways with apartheid. The European Union leadership considers Jewish
colonial settlements to be violations of International law and yet give
Israel a most favored nation status and regularly trade! Everyone likes to
pretend there are no problems and the status quo can continue. The
monarchies of Arabia (or the gang of kleptocracies) seem content in their
dictatorships untouched by the Arab spring and seem happy that they are now
using it to their advantage; witness Saudi Arabia s junta dibbing their
hands into Syria and claiming they want to promote democracy. They seem
satisfied. The Kings of Jordan and Morocco give some power to governments
that they hope will absorb public discontent. The USA supports all these
ruling families. Everyone pretends that the people s discontent can be
absorbed for a long time or manipulated to serve Western and Israeli
interests. Even Hamas and Fatah leadership (though not many of their
members) pretend that continuing down the path of the last few years will
be OK and are not willing to rock the boat . Many are bidding time and
hoping for some outside miracle. Maybe Obama will be better in his second
term. Maybe the Arab Spring will work in our favor. Maybe this or that
will happen. Meanwhile, the rich get richer and the poor get poorer and
our mother earth is devastated.
As in all human history, the only positive changes come from citizens
finally realizing that they hold power in their hands. Once people realize
that tyranny only lasts as long as apathy dominates, that is when
revolutionary change happens. We the people, not governments, made history
in the past and will make history in the future. Many ask what common
people like us can do about certain issues like the pivotal problem of
Palestine. Here are 64 suggestions for this issue (one for every year of
the ongoing Nakba) but many can be equally applicable to environmental
issues or to human rights violations in Bahrain or Saudi Arabia:
http://qumsiyeh.org/whatyoucando/
Palestinian Investments Require Divestment, Sam Bahour July 27,12
Over the years, not only has Israel prohibited the emergence of a new
Palestinian economy -- it structurally and systematically has made certain
that even the buds of such a productive economy would never see the light
of day . Palestinian civil society and Palestinians -- Christians and
Muslims alike -- have urged everyone interested in seeing peace with
justice to divest from the occupation.
http://bit.ly/Investments-Require-Divestment
Israel coined the term "Nakba" and is still implementing it by Ilan Pappe
http://electronicintifada.net/content/israel-coined-term-nakba-and-still-implementing-it/1
1518).
(Action) Thirsting for Justice: Join the Campaign for Palestinian Water
Rights
https://www.mecaforpeace.org/projects/maia-project/thirsting-justice-campaign
With Sudden Greenland Ice Melt, Reiterating Declaration of Planetary
Ecological Emergency by Dr. Glen Barry
http://www.countercurrents.org/barry250712.htm
NASA reported that Satellites see Unprecedented Greenland Ice Sheet Melt
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.cfm?release=2012-217
Stay human
Mazin Qumsiyeh, PhD
http://qumsiyeh.org
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