A. Loewenstein Online Newsletter

This is what modern, occupying Israel is doing

Posted: 17 May 2011 05:32 PM PDT

As the Arab Spring comes to Palestine (massive non-violent protests against Israeli occupation and apartheid), some truths are being spoken by the very people who are behind the oppression:

Transgressions by the Israeli army in the occupied Palestinian territories will be disclosed by a group of former soldiers in an internet campaign aimed at raising public awareness of military violations.
Video testimonies by around two dozen ex-soldiers – some of whom are identifying themselves for the first time – will be posted on YouTube. The campaign by Breaking the Silence, an organisation of former soldiers committed to speaking out on military practices, launches with English subtitles on Monday.
Some of the former soldiers describe the “neighbour procedure”, a term for the use of Palestinian civilians, often children, as human shields to protect soldiers from suspected booby traps or attacks by militants. The procedure was ruled illegal byIsrael‘s high court in 2005.
Others speak of routine harassment of civilians at checkpoints, arbitrary intimidation and collective punishment.
Idan Barir, who served in the artillery corps, describes in his testimony how an officer forced Palestinian civilians to crawl in a “race” towards a checkpoint near Jenin in the West Bank during the 2000 olive harvest. Only the first three out of “teams” of eight were allowed to pass.
Another, Itamar Schwarz, says Palestinian homes were routinely ransacked in search operations. He describes the day of the World Cup final in 2002, when soldiers confined a Palestinian woman and child in the kitchen of their home for two hours while the unit watched the game in the middle of an operation.
Arnon Degani, who served in the Golani brigade, describes the distress of a young woman who tearfully pleaded to be allowed to pass through a Jenin checkpoint in order to sit an important exam. He gradually came to understand, he says, that the Israeli army’s intention was “to enforce tyranny on people who you know are regular civilians” and to “make it clear who’s in control here”.
“Part of the silence of Israeli society is to believe these are isolated and exceptional incidents. But these are the most routine, day-to-day, banal stories,” said Yehuda Shaul, of Breaking the Silence.
Identification of the ex-soldiers willing to speak out was important, he said, “so that Israelis understand that there are people behind these stories, that in a sense we’re all involved”.
The former soldiers were aware of the potential legal and social consequences of going public, Shaul added. “They understand that they risk being prosecuted for what they’re saying. But they’re doing it because it needs to be done.”

 

What military rule looks like in Egypt

Posted: 17 May 2011 05:09 PM PDT

Israel has head in sand and Zionist Diaspora mostly helping

Posted: 16 May 2011 10:28 PM PDT

The Zionist establishment is worried about global moves against it but note no mention, or even consideration, of ending the occupation. Presumably they’ll simply spend more on PR:

Israel’s current status at the United Nations is at an all-time low, Israel’s former UN ambassador, Prof. Gabriela Shalev, said yesterday at a session of the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee. Also speaking at the meeting, former Mossad chief Efraim Halevy said that peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians are currently impossible.
“Israel has no chance of dealing with the Palestinian move in the General Assembly,” Shalev said, discussing the Palestinians’ expected declaration of statehood after a UN vote this September. “The United States is not interested in vetoing the UN’s recognition of a Palestinian state.” Shalev added that the UN is today the foremost place for activity against Israel.
Former Mossad chief Halevy said Israel’s “maneuvering space is growing narrower,” while the ability of the Quartet – the U.S., Russia, UN and European Union – to “affect the peace talks is diminishing.
“The existing situation is a non-starter,” he added, saying that what Israel has wanted for the last two years can’t now come to fruition: “We can’t reach a permanent peace deal because the person who would sign the deal is not the same person who would need to carry it out,” Halevy said.
Committee chairman MK Shaul Mofaz warned that Sunday’s Nakba Day clashes are a precursor to the events expected in September, when the Palestinian Authority intends to unilaterally declare a state in the UN.
“Israel’s government is hiding its head in the sand,” Mofaz said. “Without a peace initiative, events like the one on the Syrian border will recur in September.
“The changes here are tectonic,” he added. “The events are a precursor to the September events, which could come in waves against Israel’s population.”
Mofaz said Israel should not have waited for Sunday’s clashes to understand that the reality in the Middle East has changed.
“The present government, headed by Netanyahu, isn’t initiating anything,” Mofaz said, adding that the Israeli government must be prepared for any situation come September.

Evidence that world powers think always about oil

Posted: 16 May 2011 08:49 PM PDT

Confirmation:

Of the 251,287 WikiLeaks documents McClatchy obtained, 23,927 of them — nearly one in 10 — reference oil. Gazprom alone is mentioned in 1,789.
In the cables, U.S. diplomats can be found plotting ways to prevent state entities such as Gazprom from taking control of key petroleum facilities, pressing oil companies to adjust their policies to match U.S. foreign policy goals, helping U.S.-based oil companies arrange deals on favorable terms and pressing foreign governments to assist companies that are willing to do the U.S.’s bidding.