Tag: Israel

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The line Joe Biden is taking towards Israel shames America

The line Joe Biden is taking towards Israel shames America

Joe Biden repeatedly states that Israel has the right to self defence, a statement which is literally true but designed to be misleading and is therefore dishonest.

In fact the opposite is true. Biden suggests that the aggressor, Israel, is the victim in this Israel/Palestine dispute. Israel has overwhelming fire-power, an endless supply of sophisticated weapons, jet planes, tanks, drones, guided missiles, high explosives much of it supplied by and even funded by the United States and is using this fire-power against two million defenceless civilians in Gaza. America is on Israel’s side.

Two million civilians live in the Gaza coastal strip

Israel’s bombardment is almost exclusively of civilians, their homes, their means of living. Today (17 May 2021) the BBC reported that Israeli attacks in Gaza had destroyed roads and power lines. Yesterday they destroyed an apartment block that housed, amongst families, international reporters. On 12 May Offices of Gaza’s Interior Ministry were hit and all police stations were destroyed.

The Israelis didn’t blow out just a few windows of the apartment block and international media centre. The whole building went down in just a few seconds

What is the message of all this targeted destruction by Israel?

The message is, “We will destroy you. We will make Gaza ungovernable. We will make your lives impossible and we are taking steps to stop the world from knowing what we are doing to you.” I think the word for this is “genocide”.

Hamas and its rockets

True that Hamas who govern Gaza continue with determination but not effectively to fire their simple rockets at Israel, and that 10 Israelis have been killed as a result of hundreds of rockets fired. The rockets land in civilian areas (the few that get through) and this is wrong.

What can Hamas gain from firing rockets? – World attention.

They can expect more violence from Israel. BUT ALSO their cause may be kept before the attention of world leaders who are the only ones who can release Palestinians from their suffering. Their cause is their claim to have a right to freedom, respect, and life itself, free from Israeli control and abuses.

Was Hamas in the tower block destroyed by Israel?

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken 17 May 2021

Blinken, speaking at a news conference in Copenhagen, Denmark, said he has not seen any Israeli evidence of Hamas operating in the Gaza building that housed residences, offices and media organisations – including Al Jazeera – that Israel hit on Saturday. Blinken says he has asked Israel for justification for the attack.

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Quakers call for end to violence in Palestine

Quakers call for end to violence in Palestine

11 May 2021

Paul Parker describes some of the things done by Israelis over 7 decades which are against international law.

Paul Parker, Recording Clerk for Quakers in Britain said:

“Our Quaker testimonies to peace and equality compel us, once again, to speak out on this issue. At this time, (11 May) over 850 people (840 Palestinians and at least 21 Israeli police officers and 7 Israeli civilians) have been wounded. In Gaza, 24 Palestinians including 9 children, were killed overnight.

“The latest round of this 73-year cycle of violence has taken place amid provocative and discriminatory actions by the Israeli government. There are threats to forcibly remove more Palestinian families from their homes in East Jerusalem in favour of Israeli settlers, which the UN has warned may constitute a war crime, and tear gas and stun grenades have been fired by Israeli soldiers into the Al Aqsa Mosque as Muslims meet in worship for the end of Ramadan. We have seen violent crackdowns on peaceful protestors, retaliatory rockets fired indiscriminately from Gaza into Israel and airstrikes from Israel kill civilians in Gaza.

“All of these actions are grave violations of international law and must end immediately.

“As Quakers we place equal value on every human life and believe the structural violence of occupation damages all people of the region. We have said before that the conflict between the Palestinians and Israelis will only be resolved when Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory is ended, and the inherent equality, dignity and worth of all is realised. We still believe this to be so. We urge our faith and political leaders to speak out with us. For as long as we remain silent, and choose to step back from uncomfortable words and actions, we are all complicit in the ongoing violence.”

We urge our faith and political leaders to speak out with us.

– Paul Parker, Recording Clerk [Quakers in Britain]

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My MPs unsatisfactory reply about Palestinian/Israeli conflict – my response

My MPs unsatisfactory reply about Palestinian/Israeli conflict - my response

My email
13 May
Andrew Griffith, MP for Arundel and South Downs
 
Dear Andrew
I am very disappointed by your response to my email about the eruption of violence between Israelis and Palestinians.
 
What about the Palestinians?
What stands out is the fact that you didn’t mention the Palestinians once. This suggests that you don’t know what is going on in Israel and I can understand that you can’t be well informed about every issue in the world.
Aggression
Of course Israelis have a right to self defence, but this is not what the violence is about. “Self defence”  is a routine Israeli story (supported by the Americans) with which they seek to justify atrocities, and I’m sorry you think this might convince me or anyone else to take the Israeli side in this dispute.
Pro Palestinian demonstrations
You may be aware that there are demonstrations going on around the world now, and these  are in support of the Palestinians, not the Israelis. What do the demonstrators know or believe that you do not? See pictures below.
 
An independent voice
What has been going on in Israel and Palestine over the decades is described by the Christian Aid website. Please see small quote below.
 
No defence for sending more arms to Israel
To suggest that all is well with arms sales to Israel because there is a procedure for testing whether arms sales are justified or not doesn’t answer the current problem. Selling any military equipment to Israel, however defensively and humanely it may be used, sends the clear message that we support Israel’s use of force against Palestinians, the continuing seizures of Palestinian land and properties contrary to international law.
Pathetic attempt to retaliate
I regret the firing of primitive missiles by Palestinians into Israel. It is wrong, but I think it has to be understood as the action of desperate people who feel they have to make some physical response to the suffering they are enduring.
 
What needs to be done
I really hope you will look further  into this issue and condemn, and encourage Boris Johnson to condemn, the murderous precision attacks on Gaza by Israeli jets  which everyone can see is not defending Israel.
  • Forget the fig leaf of arms sales’ vetting. There is no excuse. Britain should stop selling arms to Israel.
  • The Conservative Party can be honest about Israel’s behaviour, and show its humanity. The Conservative Party can do better.

From the Christian Aid website

Today, as Palestinians continue to experience exile, blockade, relentless spikes in violence and huge increases in land dispossession, we work with Palestinian and Israeli partners to protect human rights and promote resilience for Palestinian communities and civil society.

All our work aims to support the foundations for a just, lasting peace for all.  We work on protecting human rights. Our partners work to challenge discriminatory laws, practices and decisions affecting Palestinians living under occupation in the West Bank and Gaza, and Palestinian citizens of Israel.

London-Palest-protest-web.jpg

London-protest-11-5-2021-B-.jpgBest wishes

David Roberts  www.davidrobertsblog.com

Thousands demonstrate in London - unreported by the BBC, but reported on France 24.

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Protests around the world condemn Israeli action

Protests around the world condemn Israeli action

Protests in cities around the world condemn Israeli action as the outrages escalate. The demonstration in New York  is shown here.

What is Israel hoping to achieve?

Israel appears to be trying to destroy social control in Gaza. Hamas today, 12 May 2021, claimed that Israeli airstrikes had destroyed all police stations in Gaza. Israel’s message is clear, We will destroy you.

I hope that governments around the world will condemn the Israeli action and not fudge the issues by “calling on both sides” to stop the violence as if there is an equality in what each side is doing. Please see my quote from the Christian Aid website in my blog post, “Palestinians suffer once again”.

David Roberts

Protests in London,11 May 2021, against Israeli action

Protests in Karachi, 11 May 2021, against Israeli action

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Email to MP: Stop arms sales to Israel. Condemn Israeli aggression

andrew-griffith-mp-web
12 May 2021
 
Andrew Griffith MP, Arundel and South Downs
 
Dear Andrew Griffith
 
On Monday night Israel carried out airstrikes that are reported to have killed 24 people including at least 9 children. The air strikes follow several days of attacks by Israeli police and settlers on Palestinians in Jerusalem, injuring over 300 people.
 
This morning I heard on the radio that a 13 storey apartment block in Gaza had been destroyed by Israeli air attacks  – all evidence of the continuing abuse of Palestinians and grossly disproportionate use of force by Israel against Palestinians. I trust you are aware of what Israel has been doing to Palestinians over the decades. Let’s not fudge the issue of who the abusers are in this conflict.
 

MY REQUEST IS THAT YOU LOBBY FOR THE CESSATION OF BRITISH ARMS SALES TO ISRAEL AND CONDEMN ISRAELI AGGRESSION 

 

Why I support the Palestinians

Ever since I read a Christian Aid report about twenty years ago on the treatment of Palestinians I have realised that we get a distorted view of the conflict in Israel and Palestine (the latter literally wiped off the map although the people are still there). I trusted the report especially as it came from a Christian organisation writing on behalf of a predominantly muslim people. Since then I have taken a bit more interest in what Israel does to Palestinians and I find it shocking that Britain supports Israel in its appalling policies towards Palestinians. 
 
More on my blog.
Best wishes
David Roberts,   www.davidrobertsblog.com
 
Protests around the world
Protest have erupted in cities around the world condemning Israeli action.
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Palestinians suffer once again at the hands of one of the most militarised states in the world

Tuesday 11 May 2021

Britain should halt the sale of our British arms to Israel and unequivocally condemn Israeli abuses and provocations.

I have written to my MP today and urge readers to write to their MPs. See my separate post to read what I said to him.

Last night’s airstrikes

Air strikes by Israeli jets on Gaza last night are reported to have killed 24 people including at least 9 children. The air strikes follow several days of attacks by Israeli police and settlers on Palestinians in Jerusalem, injuring over 300 people. Israeli forces stormed the Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.

Palestinian homes fired on by Israeli jets

Regrettably Palestinians have retaliated with a barrage of their primitive rockets fired into Israel, killing 5 people.

From the Christian Aid website

Today, as Palestinians continue to experience exile, blockade, relentless spikes in violence and huge increases in land dispossession, we work with Palestinian and Israeli partners to protect human rights and promote resilience for Palestinian communities and civil society.

All our work aims to support the foundations for a just, lasting peace for all.  We work on protecting human rights. Our partners work to challenge discriminatory laws, practices and decisions affecting Palestinians living under occupation in the West Bank and Gaza, and Palestinian citizens of Israel.

From Al Jazeera website 11 May 2021

Arab League chief, Ahmed Aboul Gheit  condemned deadly Israeli air strikes on the Gaza Strip as “indiscriminate and irresponsible” and said Israel had provoked an earlier increase in violence by its actions in Jerusalem.

The violence began after Israeli forces stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound on Monday for a third consecutive day, firing rubber-coated steel bullets, stun grenades and tear gas at Palestinian worshippers inside Islam’s third holiest site in the final days of the holy month of Ramadan.

David Roberts

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