Israel going after social media to silence voices of Palestinian resistance

Israeli sniper (Mohamad Torokman) Oct 26 2015

Media support for the Israeli pogrom against Palestinians is erupting in a white heat. The Daily Mail (UK) gossip tabloid published “The mothers fighting back against Jihadi knife maniacs… with guns, frying pans & rolling pins” complete with an album of Palestinians brandishing knives. The Algemeiner journal published an article by Bernard-Henri Lévy titled “Things We Need to Stop Hearing About the ‘Stabbing Intifada’.”

In the interests of full disclosure, Algemeiner is a rabidly Zionist tabloid with Elie Wiesel on its editorial board & which honors some of the biggest names in Zionism like William Kristol, Alan Dershowitz, Ronald Lauder, & Dr. Ruth Westheimer (once a sniper for a Zionist terrorist organization that drove Palestinians off their lands in 1948). Wiesel is the guy who published full page ads during Israel’s carpet bombing siege of Gaza claiming Palestinians used their children as human shields. BH Lévy is the deranged French guy who writes right-wing screeds on many questions, but most often justifying Islamophobia.

Lévy & Algemeiner are concerned about the growth of BDS & Palestinian solidarity & his article is an attempt to portray Palestinians as knife-wielding jihadists or kamikazes. It’s canned & rabid stuff & not of much interest since Lévy is a blowhard of little intellectual substance–& could be knocked over by a feather in a debate with a Palestinian. Algemeiner’s claim that the article was removed from several Zionist walls by FB should be an embarrassment since it’s readily available on several. But the tabloid just makes up stuff. It’s far less journalism than stinky manure compost.

What is of interest in the Algemeiner article is the report that Israeli law firm Shurat HaDin, associated with Mossad & founded by Nitsana Darshan-Leitner (who was personally trained by the Southern Poverty Law Center) is launching a class action lawsuit against FB for “the proliferation of pages in Arabic that call for the killing of Jews.” The intent of course is to silence the voices of Palestinian Intifada & solidarity.

An Israeli Foreign Ministry official told Algemeiner that his office was attempting to get FB & Google (which owns YouTube) to “remove incendiary material & prevent similar content from appearing in the future.” Darshan-Leitner insists FB should monitor its posts about Israel: “If it’s got algorithms for consumer purposes, it can have algorithms for other purposes, as well.” Other purposes of course being to serve Israeli propaganda & prevent Palestinians from being heard.

Attempts by Israel not just to abridge but to destroy free speech on social media are dangerous & a dead giveaway. Deeply irrational & undemocratic impulses are the hallmark of fascism, not free societies that have nothing to fear from the truth. It isn’t threats or vituperative language Israel wants removed but every Palestinian voice & every trace of BDS & international solidarity.

The Daily Mail article about Israeli mothers arming against Palestinian jihadists showed several photos of Palestinian activists holding up knives at protests–images that are supposed to scare the bejeezus out of us. They were likely Palestinians sarcastically flouting Israeli & media lies since even if they had knives, they would not serve them well against tanks, bulldozers, grenades, & live ammunition. Knives to be effective require up close & personal contact. Israel’s arsenal can be used long-distance.

In the “Raiders of the Lost Ark” film series by Zionist Steven Spielberg, the portrayal of Arabs is massively racist. In one scene, an Arab is standing off in a duel with a long dagger against Indiana Jones. It’s supposed to be a moment of hilarity when Jones pulls out a pistol & shoots him. That’s how ridiculous the media narrative is.

But there’s one more thing. According to the media narrative, Palestinians are going wild with knives in Jerusalem. How the hell are they entering the city when it’s on lockdown?

Not to be daunted, we keep our eyes on the prize & build the hell out of the economic, cultural, & academic boycott of Israel & continue protests demanding no aid of any kind to apartheid Israel. Stop the violence; end the occupation.

Photo shows the real relationship of forces. It’s an Israeli soldier firing live ammo at Palestinians in the occupied West Bank town of Al-Ram.

(Photo by Mohamad Torokman/Reuters)

Natural catastrophes affecting millions around the world

Mexico hurricane (Rebecca Blackwell:AP) Oct 26 2015

There are several natural catastrophes in the world right now affecting millions of people; some of them include hurricane Patricia in Mexico; the earthquake in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Jammu, & Kashmir; flooding in the Philippines; mudslides in California.

Our deepest condolences for loss of life & property.

This is 86-year-old Maria del Refugio Ruiz Bravo in La Fortuna, Mexico drying personal belongings soaked by hurricane Patricia.

(Photo by Rebecca Blackwell/AP)

Noam Chomsky fumbles lesser-evil politics–again!

Noam Chomsky’s analyses have been invaluable for decades in educating about the political character of Israel & about other political questions. It is deeply regrettable that he believes in the necessity of a Jewish-only state, supports a bantustate solution, & opposes BDS. Chomsky has always been honest in admitting that when it comes to proposing “what to do” in politics, he is at a loss. We only wish that explained his opposition to BDS.

Now he has come out promoting the presidential campaign of Bernie Sanders. This isn’t the first election Chomsky has fumbled with lesser-evil politics. In 2012 he gave a half-assed endorsement of Obama. Politically he calls himself an anarchist but when push comes to shove, he has a hell of a time disassociating himself from the status quo of state power.

That isn’t just because he doesn’t know “what to do” but because he doesn’t understand the character of the Democratic Party or of capitalist rule. Or is it because like with apartheid Israel, he can live with the monstrous crimes as long as he is allowed to be a loyal critic?

Execution of two more Kashmiri activists by Indian military

Funeral of Adil Hussain Khandey:Kashmir (AP Photo:Dar Yasin) Oct 25 2015

This is an interesting scene–but it sure wasn’t the most interesting thing going on in town that day. These Kashmiri men were watching the funeral procession of thousands of people honoring two Kashmiri activists killed on Friday in a “gun battle” with Indian military forces.

We don’t know much about the two men killed. Irshad Ahmad Sheikh & Adil Hussain Khanday were two local guys who allegedly belonged to a militant anti-occupation group. Thousands of mourners attended the funeral of Sheikh in one village & then rushed to another town for the funeral of Khanday. Anti-occupation & pro-freedom chants were part of the funeral proceedings.

Massive protests which preceded & followed the funerals demanded India end the occupation. Indian police responded with tear gas & arrested at least 20 young people for “stone pelting”. There was also a complete shutdown of shops, schools, & government offices to honor the two men.

The truth of the matter is we can’t trust Indian officials when they claim the two activists engaged in a shootout. The men were more likely unarmed & shot down in cold blood. There are dozens of these alleged gun fights every year in Kashmir which media says idiotic things to explain. Al Jazeera said of one incident, “Indian soldiers & police received a tip-off that rebels opposed to Indian rule in Kashmir were hiding”–so they went after them & killed them all. The shootouts are often at a house or in a wooded area where Indian police claim they got a surveillance tip that separatists are hiding out–so they go & shoot the place up & kill everybody. What happened to due process? What about the right to oppose Indian rule without being assassinated? Do the people of Kashmir not have a single right? No they don’t.

According to two Kashmiri human rights groups, Indian military personnel are responsible for 1,080 extrajudicial killings, numerous cases of torture, sexual assault, & disappearances–just in a four-year period. The groups are asking the Indian government & UN to investigate over 1,000 cases of abuse by the Indian army which operates in Kashmir with “institutional impunity” because they are protected from prosecution by an emergency law in force since 1990. That law allows Indian military & paramilitary forces to raid homes & kill on suspicion of illegal actions.

Our fullest solidarity with the people of Kashmir. End the Indian occupation.

May the two Kashmiri freedom fighters Rest in Peace.

(Photo by Dar Yasin/AP)

“Clash” is media term for confrontations between unarmed civilians & heavily armed military

K zone

In preparing a post about the recent murder of two Kashmiri activists against the brutal Indian occupation, I came across this photo from August 23rd of this year. It was captioned “Indian police clash with Kashmiris during a protest in Srinagar.”

“Clash” is the media buzzword used against Palestinians & Kashmiris for confrontations involving unarmed civilians & heavily armed military forces. Is it nitpicking language to say “clash” suggests a reciprocity of force when there is none? In any reasonable description of this scene, it would be called an assault, not to mention a human rights crime.

Our fullest solidarity with the independence struggle of Kashmiris. End the Indian occupation!

(Photo from AFP)

Build on the legacy & courage of anti-colonial struggle of Palestinians

W Bank

Media knows if they repeat a lie long enough it will become accepted as the gospel truth. So they continue to hammer the drum loudly about Palestinians running wild with knives. They continue also to explain the disparity between 8 Israeli fatalities (allegedly from knife attacks) & 57 Palestinian fatalities (including an Eritrean asylum seeker mistaken as Palestinian & beaten to death by an Israeli mob) by saying half the Palestinians were shot during a knifing assault. The fact that it’s not a credible alibi has not made them stop using it.

That ‘lying till it becomes truth’ schtick always flew & became incorporated into history so that now we have entire nations with twisted views of colonialism & war: colonial marauding became salvation from backwardness & barbarism; war became emancipation.

But then the anti-colonial struggle entered history & though many have been ruthlessly defeated, not all were, & they have left a legacy of opposition to racism & colonialism that has not been reversed or undone. Social media & the internet are often attributed with spreading the truth & creating solidarity–& their role cannot be denied. But were it not for the intransigence of anti-colonial activists, including many who died in struggle, we would not today recognize truth from the horse manure of malicious lies.

There are hundreds of photos of Palestinian activists armed only with rocks against Israeli military forces with the most sophisticated arsenal in the world. Miko Peled, a former Israeli soldier now a Palestinian solidarity activist, has said, “The IDF are not an army; they’re the most well-funded terrorist organization in the world.”

The top photo here is Palestinian protesters today in the occupied West Bank village of Si’eer (north of Hebron); the bottom photo is IDF soldiers facing off against those protesters. Take a look at the faces of those soldiers. Psycho is the first thought that comes to mind; armed to the teeth against unarmed kids is the second.

International solidarity must build on the legacy & courage of Palestinian activists & stand undaunted against the barrage of media lies & the endless propaganda initiatives that will be thrown up to discredit the Palestinian struggle.

Build the economic, cultural, & academic boycott (BDS) of Israel initiated by Palestinian activists & continue rallies demanding no aid of any kind to apartheid Israel; end the violence; end the occupation!

(Both photos by Abed Al Hashlamoun/EFE/EPA)

Soldiers, veterans, & suicide

The suicide rate among soldiers & veterans of US wars has long been sky-high despite attempts to waffle about the extent & actual statistics. That doesn’t even include the thousands of veterans who drank or drugged themselves to death & those who suffer long-term affects of PTSD.

The same is now reported about Israeli soldiers. According to IDF data from a few years ago, more soldiers have died from suicide than combat deployment in the West Bank, East Jerusalem, & Gaza, & from traffic accidents, illness, or other causes combined.

The antiwar movement never viewed soldiers & veterans as enemies (whether the army was conscription or not) but rather as men & women who had to be won over to antiwar/anti-occupation perspectives. Their testimony condemning war has a moral authority which should not be squandered by moralizing denunciations about war crimes. Of course they committed human rights crimes; that’s the nature of war. The issue is whether we want to denounce them to salve moralism or embrace them as those who can speak powerfully to the savagery of war & occupation & thus strengthen opposition against them.

We know the young are indoctrinated with racism & xenophobia in their military training. But when confronting other human beings, roughing them up, assaulting them (young & old), shooting them down, many soldiers who were not raised to be psycho feel profound guilt, grief, & remorse. Many cannot live with that & take their own lives; others who cannot break with racist ideology simply drink themselves to death or engage in antisocial behaviors.

Our job is to rebuild the antiwar movement & Palestinian solidarity–not to build a wall of condemnation between us & veterans. The point is to provide another political explanation to them & incorporate their experiences & voices to weaken the drumbeats of social hatred used to turn them into cannon fodder for colonialism.

Whatever happened to that ‘Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free’ stuff?

Elderly woman refugee (- Dimitar Dilkoff:AFP:Getty Images) Oct 20 2015

There are hundreds of photos of distraught infants & toddlers all along the refugee route from Turkey to the Hungarian & Croatian borders. The extreme anxiety of parents is apparent, especially since many of the dinghies are being disabled by Turkish & Greek coast guards as they cross the Aegean Sea in wet weather & there is no shelter for most refugees from the approaching winter cold & rains.

Media is also reporting a huge number of unaccompanied minors from Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, orphaned or sent abroad by desperate parents in hopes they can forge a better life away from war.

This elderly woman is arriving at the Greek island of Lesbos after crossing from Turkey. Others have landed with wheelchairs or on crutches. Many are probably arriving ill from the wet & chill. Arriving on a dinghy is not quite like touring the Aegean on a yacht.

One heartening sight is the number of European volunteers helping families disembark in Greece & volunteers along the route providing aid. Just because media has a blackout on the refugee crisis from Africa to Italy & Spain & less coverage on the Turkey to northern Europe route, we should not in any way turn our attention away. We must continue demanding our governments open the damn borders & provide every social service, especially immediate health care & shelter to refugees who have already endured more than any human being should in one lifetime.

Immigration is a human right. Re-building the international antiwar movement is imperative to stay the hand of militarism causing such massive dislocation but until we succeed in doing that, our demand must be “Open the borders”! No human being is illegal.

(Photo by Dimitar Dilkoff/AFP/Getty Images)

Refugee odyssey becoming more brutal as winter approaches & European Union still obstructs them

W-chairs

Immigration has not ceased because our attention has been focused on the Israeli rampage against Palestinians. What has become noticeable in the coverage is the increased trauma of refugees as European countries continue to close their borders against tens of thousands, force them to move from one border opening to another, or make them stand outside in inclement weather for processing as refugees.

Many are living without shelter in pouring rain with the danger of lightningstrikes & health risks from exposure without relief from cold & wet. Winter is fast approaching. What does the European Union intend to do? Let tens of thousands with small children, elderly, infirm, disabled stand outside in lines all winter to get papers?

Just so there’s no confusion, the US has every obligation along with the EU to provide in every way for these refugees since its monstrous wars created the problem in the first place. Where is Obama who expressed such concern for Israeli citizens allegedly being assailed by Palestinian “terrorists”? Oh that’s right! He’s on the other side.

Immigration is a human right! Open the damn borders!

(Top photo of refugees boarding train by Boris Grdanoski/AP; bottom photo of Iraqi refugee arriving in Greece from Turkey by Dimitris Michalakis/Reuters)