Dear Friends,
The first and final items of the 8 below raised my ire!
About a week ago I sent you a video of a terrific performance of a terrific song “Freedom for Palestine.” If you missed it, you can hear and see the performance by clicking the link to item 1. Turns out that there is now a controversy over the song, with one person calling it propaganda. Of course the fact that this person is from Fox explains why he would say that. But the song is as much propaganda as the Beatles ‘Give Peace a Chance’ is. It became the theme song for ending the Vietnam war, and the ‘Freedom for Palestine’ clip could well become the theme song for ending the Israeli occupation of Palestine. If you have any doubts that it is not propaganda then check out Today in Palestine (link in item 2), and after the weekly report from PCHR (item 3). The present ‘Today in Palestine’ has in addition to information a number of videos that you undoubtedly will want to see. But don’t neglect the summaries, especially of the first part. I promised you that today would be mainly about what is actually happening here, and items 2 and 3 give you much of that information
As for item 8, it requires work on your part. Jennifer Rubin blogs in the Washington Post. Her blog, “Right Turn,” is justly named, as she quite obviously and intentionally supports right-wing causes. The present one that she supports is a resolution to oppose Israel returning to the 1967 line. Please read it and respond. Flood her blog with rejections of the resolution. If you are an American citizen, write to your congress persons to oppose it. To respond to Rubin, use the link.
The title to item 4 “Young, frustrated and in Gaza” is what the piece is about.
Item 5 reports that the Jerusalem municipal planning committee has approved construction of the revised plans for the Museum of Tolerance to be constructed on the site of a Muslim cemetery. Some tolerance!
Items 6 and 7 contain just the titles and introductory statement. They furnish all you need to know what the issue is. If you want more, use the links. Item 6 informs us that Israeli forces are still searching for the perpetrators of the Mosque destruction several days ago. My guess is that they will search till the end of time without finding the culprits. So it goes with colonists and the military and police who defend them.
Item 7 is Gideon Levy’s post for today—comparing how the Israeli media report what Syria is doing vs reports on what Israeli forces do when they kill unarmed Syrians.
And then there is 8! Please do comment. Tell her what you think. You are likely to get back a nasty remark (I did when I commented once), but never mind. She should learn that there are hosts of people who disagree with her.
Thanks.
Dorothy
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1. The Guardian,
June 09, 2011
View from Jerusalem with Harriet Sherwood
Palestine campaign song generates controversy ahead of release
Coldplay removes link to video after 7,000 comments as Glenn Beck describes ‘Freedom For Palestine’ as evil propaganda
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/view-from-jerusalem-with-harriet-sherwood/2011/jun/09/palestinian-territories-gaza
A campaign song, to be released early next month, called Freedom For Palestine, is already kicking up a row.
It’s a compilation number, along the lines of Feed The World or Free Nelson Mandela, and its artists include Dave Randall of Faithless, Maxi Jazz and the Durban Gospel Choir. Images from the West Bank and Gaza, along with the separation barrier, are featured in the video.
Its lyrics refer to catastrophes, refugees, crimes against humanity, prison camps, occupation, human rights and justice. “We are the people and this is our time, stand up, sing out for Palestine,” goes the refrain.
Coldplay initially linked to the video from the band’s Facebook page, prompting around 7,000 responses, both for and against. Earlier this week, the band removed the link (see update below).
The US media host Glenn Beck drew attention to the song on his Fox show, describing it as “evil” and “pure propaganda”. Referring to the song’s lyrics, he said: “Before you know it, ‘Israeli occupation’ will be standard fare. Everyone will just see it as they’re just occupying that land. That is a lie.”
If the song makes it into the UK charts, it is likely to cause a dilemma for the BBC. The corporation ran into controversy last month for masking out the words “free Palestine” from a number recorded by Mic Righteous. It did it in order “to ensure impartiality was maintained”, it said. On another recent occasion, the word “Palestine” was excised from a BBC script.
I have no idea whether this campaign song will sink or soar. But the controversy building around it even before release is an indication of what could be yet to come.
1.42pm update: I’ve just had an email from Frank Barat at OneWorld who tells me:
“Coldplay did not remove link from its Facebook page. Facebook removed the link because thousands of people (and computer generated posts) reported it as abusive.”
My apologies to Coldplay for misrepresenting them.
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2. Today in Palestine Wednesday, June 8, 2011
http://www.theheadlines.org/11/08-06-11.shtml
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3.PCHR,
June 09, 2011
Palestinian Centre for Human Rights LTD(non-profit)
www.pchrgaza.org
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Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) Continue Systematic Attacks against Palestinian Civilians and Property in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT)
A Palestinian civilian was wounded in the Gaza Strip
· A Palestinian child was wounded in an attack launched jointly by IOF and Israeli settlers.
· IOF used force to disperse peaceful demonstrations commemorating the Palestinian Naksa.[1]
– Twenty six demonstrators, including 11 children and a woman, were wounded near Qalandya checkpoint, north of Jerusalem.
· IOF continued to use force against peaceful protests in the West Bank.
– Two Palestinians, including a journalist, were wounded.
· IOF conducted 38 incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank.
– IOF arrested 14 Palestinian civilians, including 2 children.
– The arrested Palestinians include two PLC members.
· IOF continued settlement activities and Israeli settlers continued their attacks in the West Bank.
– Israeli settlers set fire to wheat farms in Qalqilya.
– Israeli settlers damaged 20 grape trees and set fire to a wheat farm in Beit Ummar village, north of Hebron.
· Israel has continued to impose a total siege on the Gaza Strip and tightened the siege on the West Bank.
– IOF held a PCHR fieldworker for several hours in the north of Hebron.
– IOF held a PCHR fieldworker at a military checkpoint in the north of the West Bank and questioned him about PCHR’s annual report.
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Summary
Israeli violations of international law and humanitarian law in the OPT continued during the reporting period (02 – 08 June 2011):
Shooting:
During the reporting period, IOF wounded 30 Palestinian civilians, including 12 children and a woman, in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Twenty nine of them were wounded in the West Bank and the thirtieth was wounded in the Gaza Strip, and the majority of them were wounded in peaceful demonstrations.
In the West Bank, On 02 June 2011, a Palestinian child from Fraata village, northeast of Qalqilya, was wounded when a group of settlers from “Havat Gilad” settlement raided Palestinian lands in Fraata village and set fire to lands planted with wheat and stoned Palestinian farmers. The settlers then called IOF who rushed to the scene to provide protection to settlers. IOF started firing tear gas canisters and rubber-coated metal bullets at Palestinians. Asaad al-Tawil, 16, was hit as a result by a tear gas canister to his left eye.
IOF used excessive force to disperse peaceful demonstrations organized in protest to Israeli settlement activities and the construction of the annexation wall in the West Bank. As a result, Khaled Sabarneh, 42, reporter of the Iranian TV, was wounded by a tear gas canister in the right leg, and Mousa Ahmed Mohammed Abdul Karim, 45, sustained shrapnel wounds to the head.
On 05 June 2001, Palestinians organized a peaceful demonstration on the occasion of the 44th anniversary of the occupation of the rest of the Palestinian territories by the Israeli occupation, calling for putting an end to the occupation. IOF used excessive force to disperse this demonstration. As a result, 26 Palestinians, including 11 children and a woman, were wounded. Paramedics who were in the scene told a PCHR fieldworker that only five of the wounded were transferred to Palestine Medical Compound in Ramallah for treatment while the others were treated on the spot and refused to give their names to the paramedics.
In addition, dozens of Palestinian civilians and international human rights defenders suffered from tear gas inhalation and bruises as they were beaten by IOF in peaceful demonstrations in the West Bank.
In the Gaza Strip, a Palestinian civilian was wounded on 07 June 2011 when IOF positioning on observation towers at the border near Beit Hanoun “Erez” crossing, in the far north of the Gaza Strip, opened intensive fire at a group of Palestinian and international demonstrators who were nearly 300 meters from the border fence to the north of the Agricultural School of al-Azhar University, north of Beit Hanoun.
Incursions:
During the reporting period, IOF conducted at least 38 military incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank, during which they arrested 14 Palestinian civilians, including 2 children.
The arrested Palestinians included two members of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) of the Hamas Change and Reform Bloc who are Abdul Rahman Fehmi Abdul Rahman Zidan, 51, from Deir al-Ghsoun village in the north of Tulkarm and Ahmed Ali Ahmed al-Haj Ali, 73, from Ein Beit al-Maa refugee camp, west of Nablus. Also Hussam Mahmoud Abdul Rahman Khader, 48, former PLC member of the Fatah parliamentary bloc from Balata refugee camp, east of Nablus, and Dr. Ghassan Nayef Talab Thougan, 54, an academic and a leader of Hamas, were among those who were arrested by IOF.
Israeli Settlers’ Attacks on Palestinian Civilians and Property:
Israeli settlers living in the OPT in violation of the international humanitarian law have continued to commit systematic crimes against Palestinian civilians and Palestinian property with protection provided by IOF who ignore conducting investigations into complaints submitted by Palestinian civilians against settlers.
On 02 June 2011, a group of settlers from “Havat Gilad” settlement raided Palestinian lands in Fraata village, northeast of Qalqilya, and set fire in lands planted with wheat and stoned Palestinian farmers. Farmers and some Palestinians from the village who rushed to help the attacked farmers tried to drive the settlers away, but the settlers called IOF who rushed to the scene to provide protection to settlers. IOF started firing tear gas canisters and rubber-coated metal bullets at Palestinians and beat them. As a result, a Palestinian child was wounded and another civilian sustained wounds in his left leg as IOF pushed him to the ground. Another 3 Palestinians sustained wounds when they were attacked by Israeli settlers.
On 06 June 2011, Israeli settlers from “Karmei Tzur” settlement established on Palestinian lands in “Khellet al-Kutleh”, south of Beit Ummar village and north of Halhoul town in Hebron, sprayed incinerating chemicals at 20 grape trees owned by Ali Ayad Issa Awad, 45. The grape trees were damaged as a result.
On 07 June 2011, Israeli settlers set fire in a wheat farm to the north of Hebron also owned by Ali Ayad Issa Awad. The fire damaged 2 dunums[2] and a half of the farm which measures 3 dunums.
Also on 07 June 2011, dozens of Israeli settlers chased a number of Palestinian shepherds from “Um al-Kheir” village, southeast of Yatta in the south of Hebron, and prevented them from watering and grazing their sheep. IOF also held Belal Mohammed al-Hathalin from from “Um al-Kheir” village for allegedly “taking his sheep to a military zone.”
Restrictions on Movement:
Israel has continued to impose a tightened siege on the OPT and has imposed severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem.
The full report is available online at:
http://www.pchrgaza.org/portal/en/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=7495:weekly-report-on-israeli-human-rights-violations-in-the-occupied-palestinian-territory-02-08-june-2011&catid=84:weekly-2009&Itemid=183
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Public Document
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