FreeGaza

Big Send-Off as Gaza Convoy leaves Bristol

2009-12-08T09:18:00.000-08:00

Big Send-Off as Gaza Convoy leaves Bristol

The Bristol contingent of the Viva Palestina Convoy left Bristol on Friday 4^th December. MPs, City Councillors, Trade Unions and supporters spoke at a rally in the town centre, followed by a parade across the city led by musicians & marchers with placards. The convoy finally left the City after prayers at one of the city Mosques.

Cllr Barbara Janke, Leader of Bristol City Council said: "I visited Gaza myself in 1987 and was appalled by the conditions people were living under, particularly children. From everything I have read since, I know things are even worse there today. I think it’s tremendous that people in Bristol have committed themselves to a humanitarian mission of this kind. I’m very impressed by the courage and commitment of those taking part and pray for their success and safety."

Dr. Chris Burns-Cox, Emeritus Consultant Physician at Frenchay Hospital, who has visited Gaza several times explained at the rally “Even before this year’s massacre and onslaught the people in dire need of the basics for life. I have seen children with amputations, mothers distraught at being unable to look after their children, young men paralysed from bullets through the neck and fathers distraught, unable to earn money to support their families. Even if our Government does nothing to help the people of Gaza the people of Bristol will help ease the suffering.”

They were joined by other City Councillors MPs and Trade Union speakers. Tony Benn and Ken Loach also sent messages of support

The Bristol contingent of the Viva Palestina Convoy has been assembled over just the last few weeks. It was led by a massive 44 ton truck packed with humanitarian aid, medical equipment and pharmaceuticals which have been donated from across Bristol and the South West. It was also followed by FIVE vans/minibuses. Travelling with the convoy was a team of TEN people with specialist skills. These including drivers, translators, an artist, a mental health nurse, an engineer, an IT specialist, and a documentary film-maker. They were joined by an ambulance from Country Cork in Ireland which is also on its way to the assembly point in London this weekend.

Over £20,000 has been collected for the convoy throughout Bristol. However money is still needed which will be used for fuel & transport costs on the journey plus final medical purchases before crossing into Gaza.

Sakir Yildirim, driver of the 44 ton truck says “The people of Bristol are magnificent, they have made this happen. But we’re still short of money to fill up the massive fuel tanks of our truck. Not only to get us across Europe but also we want them to be filled up again before we cross into Gaza where supplies are in desperately short supply due to the blockade.”

PRC launches Internet website regarding Goldstone Report

2009-12-03T07:31:00.001-08:00

PRC launches Internet website regarding Goldstone Report

The Palestinian Return Center (PRC) in London as part of its Media
activities has begun a project on the Goldstone Report. The center
launched a new website to disseminate the major findings of the report
and provide useful analysis. The website can be visited on
www.goldstone-report.org, and includes valuable information not widely
available or known elsewhere.

According to PRC media department, there has been a number of
websites launched by pro Israeli lobbies and groups which adopt the
official Israeli narration in respect of the Goldstone report. These
websites include misleading and misguiding information about the siege
and the War on the Gaza Strip.

PRC commented on the new website launched by the center as a new
dimension in its strategy in bringing the realities on the ground to
the eyes of the world. It tries to highlight the Palestinian victims
especially the refugees who were the majority victims in the December
war of 2008.

The Goldstone report tackles key points from the war such as the
attack on the UNRWA school, destruction of UN food stockpiles,
targeting of civilians, use of illegal weapons, excessive use of force
and violence and the overall damage to infrastructure.

Developing on the facts mentioned on the report, PRC is holding a
memorial week for Gaza victims between 13 and 19 of January 2010 where
a number of workshops, galleries and speeches would be held in
commemoration.

PRC strongly believes that the mainstream media has miserably failed
to represent the truth of the conflict. Israelis misuse and manipulate
the facts depicting victims as terrorists.

PRC, through its media department, will monitor and provide analysis
of upcoming event on the Palestinian arena in an effort to provide an
alternative perspective especially the continual plight of the
refugees.

PRC media department added that the website focuses on three main
stages, the Israeli withdrawal, the siege and the war. The actions of
the Israelis in these areas are evidence that there is no advancement
towards improving the living conditions of the Palestinians that are
still under an illegal occupation.

-END-

When leaders fail/ Sayed Dhansay

2009-08-04T12:16:00.000-07:00

South Africa, August 4, 2009 (Pal Telegraph)- It has been just over three months since Israel unilaterally declared an end to operation Cast Lead and withdrew its forces from the Gaza Strip following its 22 day onslaught there. According to the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR), a total of 1,434 people were killed in the operation, approximately 960 of them civilians. Of these, nearly 300 victims were children. This, in addition to the 5000 plus who were injured, and the growing number of deaths due to the ongoing siege.

Other reports have indicated that over 20,000 buildings have been partially or completely destroyed, leaving an estimated one sixth of Gaza ruined and entire neighbourhoods obliterated. The already overburdened and crumbling infrastructure of Gaza is now on the brink of total collapse, exacerbated by the refusal of Israeli and Egyptian authorities to allow construction materials into the besieged territory.

Shocking as these few figures may be, of much greater concern is the manner in which our political leaders responded to this catastrophe as it unfolded.

Israel's operation Cast Lead was a defining moment in recent history, bringing to light many truths about the condition of the society in which we live. The most obvious of these was the complete and utter failure of so-called world leaders and modern political diplomacy at a time when it was needed most.

While the IDF systematically violated seemingly every tenet of international law, our supposed leaders sat by and left the defenseless people of Gaza to face the fury of the world's third largest army on their own. Aside from the sheer scale of the Israeli army's attacks on Gaza, the most astounding phenomenon of those 22 days was the inability of the world's leaders to take a united stand to bring about an end to the violence.

While the UN Security Council worked and re-worked a resolution to ensure its "appropriate wording" (read: not offend Zionist sensitivities), the Arab League bickered about which side of the Palestinian political divide they were actually on. It took the Arab League days before they could even reach agreement on such a simple task as releasing a statement condemning the violence.

And when the editing and arguing was finally complete in the plush halls of New York and Doha, the hopeful masses around the world were only further disappointed, nay disgusted, with the lackluster results of our elected representatives' efforts. While we waited for our leaders to exert real diplomatic pressure on Israel, all they had were watered down words of discouragement. They urged Israel to "exercise restraint" and expressed "concern" at the unfolding catastrophe on the ground, while Gazans were screaming for help.

Not a single influential head of state had the guts to openly criticize Israel or ask them to stop. And of course, when any half-hearted statement indirectly suggested that the IDF's conduct was becoming a matter of concern, it was quickly qualified with the same standard line: that Hamas should cease firing rockets. Just to remind everyone that Hamas had actually started the fight, and that it really was up to them whether it would continue or not. When Hamas had respected the Egyptian-brokered ceasefire for the preceding six months while the IDF continued its incursions into Gaza, this was however not recognized. As usual, the Palestinians were again being blamed for bringing the latest massacre upon themselves.

In its opening paragraphs, the United Nations charter states its determination to "save succeeding generations from the scourge of war, reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights, and establish conditions under which justice and respect for the obligations arising out of international law can be maintained." After Israeli forces bombed several UN facilities in Gaza, including a school housing refugees and a warehouse containing food and relief aid, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon decided to pay Gaza a visit.

His press conference made for quite dramatic viewing as he addressed journalists in front of the blackened and still smoldering UN warehouse. Appearing angered, he labeled the incident "an outrageous and unacceptable attack on the United Nations", and called for a full investigation into the matter, as well as an explanation from Israeli authorities. Bold words indeed.

Released last week, that report concluded that Israel was directly responsible for attacking seven UN facilities during the offensive. It accused the Israeli army of "varying degrees of negligence or recklessness with regard to UN premises and to the safety of UN staff and other civilians within those premises, with consequent deaths, injuries and extensive physical damage and loss of property".

Though Ki-moon commissioned the investigation, he was rather quick to distance himself from its findings. Instead of laying out the report's damning details, he praised Israel for its co-operation, stressed that its findings were not legally binding and said that he had no plans to act on the report's recommendation to launch a broader investigation. One wonders what the purpose of calling for an investigation in the first place was then. Perhaps it was just an attempt to deflect criticism from the UN at the time for its embarrassing inability to uphold its basic founding ideals as outlined above, or protect its own employees and property for that matter.

The only two countries of which I am aware that took genuine punitive diplomatic measures were Venezuela and Mauritania, who closed down their Israeli embassies and expelled the ambassadors. But for the most part, the international community turned their backs on Gaza.

When leaders fail to act, a natural reaction is for ordinary people to rise up and take matters into their own hands. In the history of all struggles against oppression, there is usually a defining moment, or tipping point which sparks a wave of change that ultimately changes the course of history for good. This was the case on 21 March 1960 in the township of Sharpeville, South Africa.

Fed up with Apartheid policies, and specifically Pass Laws, thousands of black youth converged on the Sharpeville police station, offering themselves up for arrest for not carrying the pass books that the Apartheid government required all blacks to carry. Outnumbered and feeling threatened, the 20 or so police officers present opened fire on the crowd, killing 69 people and injuring nearly 200.

The ensuing uproar saw mass protests, strikes and riots across the country, forcing the government to declare a state of emergency and detain thousands of people. A storm of international protest followed the shootings, including sympathetic demonstrations in many countries and condemnation from the United Nations.

After receiving complaints from 29 member states, the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 134, voicing the Council's anger at the actions of the Government, and calling upon it to abandon Apartheid. The Sharpeville shootings also played a pivotal role in South Africa's expulsion from the Commonwealth of Nations the following year, as well as the shift from passive resistance to armed resistance by the ANC and other political parties.

This was South Africa's tipping point in the struggle against Apartheid. From that point onwards, the Apartheid regime found itself increasingly isolated and boycotted by the international community. The most damaging aspect of this isolation however, was the economic, sporting and cultural boycott implemented by ordinary people across the world.

Pressure by American students on their universities to divest from South Africa saw billions of dollars of educational trust fund assets being withdrawn from the South African economy. Nelson Mandela is in fact quoted as saying that the University of California's divestment campaign played a significant role in the abolishment of white-minority rule in South Africa.

Additionally, economic sanctions and the withdrawal of several multinational corporations pushed the South African economy and government to near bankruptcy.

Much like Sharpeville, I believe that the tipping point in Palestine's struggle against decades of repressive Israeli occupation was operation Cast Lead. In an unprecedented outpouring of support and sympathy for Palestinians not witnessed in years, millions across the world took to the streets in protest at the Israeli army's brutal attack on Gaza. The world finally appears to have woken from its slumber.

And much like the events following Sharpeville, the campaign for boycotts, divestment and sanctions (BDS) is once again being spearheaded by ordinary people of conscience across the world. Following protests and ‘occupations' of several university campuses in the US and UK, the trustees of these universities have for the first time been forced to agree to start divesting educational trust fund money from Israel.

In August last year, the Free Gaza Movement successfully docked two boats in Gaza's main port, the first international boats to dock in Gaza in more than 40 years. This was also the first time in 60 years that Palestinians had entered or left their country without having to undergo Israeli interrogation. This was followed up by six more successful aid boat voyages to Gaza, with another planned for June this year.

In February, Durban dock workers refused to offload Israeli cargo from a ship, while an Australian dock workers union resolved to support the international BDS campaign and boycott all vessels coming from or going to Israel. A recent poll in Israel found that 21% of Israeli exporters have been directly affected by boycotts since the beginning of 2009. And it was recently reported that French transport giant Veolia has lost some $7.5 billion in contracts due to its involvement in the Jerusalem light rail project which is threatening Palestinian homes.

In March, British MP George Galloway and his Viva Palestina aid convoy took 110 vehicles and over $1 million of aid through the Rafah crossing into Gaza after an 8,000 km trek across Europe. From all corners of the globe, ordinary people are doing extraordinary things. The world's most powerful governments are being put to shame as regular folk are achieving what diplomacy has failed to achieve in decades.

It is unfortunate that often, only after the worst of calamities has occurred, that the best qualities of the human spirit become visible. The outright moral failure of our leaders regarding Gaza is being matched only by the creativity and determination of the global solidarity movement. The momentum gained over the last few months needs to be maintained and increased, until freedom, justice and normality is returned to Palestine, as it was to South Africa. And the message to our leaders is loud and clear: If you do not act, we will.

Sayed Dhansay, South Africa

DWRC-Gaza siege

2009-04-15T06:06:00.001-07:00

Gaza Unemployed

2009-04-15T06:01:00.000-07:00

PCAS: Human Chain by CNN السلسلة البشرية

2008-04-11T10:55:00.000-07:00

Outlandish sings for Gaza

2008-04-11T10:53:00.000-07:00

Gazans build cemetery for closed factories-By PCAS

2008-04-11T10:00:00.000-07:00

Death and Siege in Gaza-موت وحصار في غزة

2008-04-11T09:50:00.000-07:00

Take The Siege Away- by PCAS

2008-04-11T09:39:00.000-07:00

حصار غزة.. غول يفترس الأحلام.. فلنكسر الحصار عن غزة..

2008-01-21T05:43:00.000-08:00

حصار غزة.. يطال الكبار والصغار.. فلنكسر الحصار عن غزة..

2008-01-21T05:42:00.001-08:00

تقرير قناة الحوار

UK : Solidarity with Gaza demo

2008-01-21T05:21:00.001-08:00

Gazans prepare for power shutdown - 20 Jan 08

2008-01-21T03:59:00.000-08:00

Gaza Powerless غزة تغرق في الظلام

2008-01-21T03:30:00.000-08:00

غزة تغرق في الظلام ، تقرير فضائية روسيا اليوم

GAZA IS IN OUR HEART

2008-01-21T02:45:00.000-08:00

Israel continues to expand its war crimes over the innocent people of Gaza. Shame on israel and those who support this menace to humanity.

Tell Me Why!

2008-01-17T04:25:00.001-08:00

Friends of Gaza

2008-01-17T04:04:00.000-08:00

GAZA song!

2008-01-17T03:48:00.000-08:00

أطفال فلسطين يرسمون على الأسفلت

2008-01-15T06:19:00.000-08:00

ضحايا الحصار صور من جنازة أحد الشهداء

2008-01-13T08:27:00.000-08:00

مواليد يحتاجون العلاج

2008-01-12T10:13:00.000-08:00

أطفال فلسطين يشكلون سلسلة بشرية للمطالبة برفع الحصار عن غزة

2008-01-12T09:55:00.000-08:00

اللجنة الشعبية في استقبال وفد طبي فرنسي

2008-01-06T02:07:00.000-08:00

في عيد الأضحى زيارة وفد اللجنة للمرضى بمستشفى الشفاء

2008-01-06T02:06:00.001-08:00

النائب جمال الخضري في رسالة تطالب برفع الحصار

2008-01-06T02:04:00.000-08:00

شموع غزة

2007-12-26T01:54:00.000-08:00

حينما تموت أزهار غزة

2007-12-26T01:52:00.000-08:00

لقاء اللجنة مع السيدة كارين أبوزيد

2007-12-04T05:23:00.001-08:00

A Delegation form the People's Committee to face the Siege Meets Karen Abu Zeid

Gaza potatoes , Gaza Flowers

2007-12-04T05:15:00.000-08:00

مؤتمر صحفي للجنة تشرح فيه الواقع المرير للحصار

2007-11-29T05:42:00.001-08:00

Gaza مصانع غزة فارغة و معطلة

2007-11-20T06:19:00.000-08:00

زيارة وفد اللجنة الشعبية لمقر الصليب الأحمر

2007-11-19T06:23:00.000-08:00

الشاحنات توقفت بسبب تقليص امدادات الوقود

2007-11-19T06:16:00.000-08:00

الموت في غزة بسبب نقص الأدوية...

2007-11-19T06:13:00.001-08:00

Palestinian refused entry to "Israel" dies of cancer حينما يموت المرضى دون أن يحصلوا على علاج

2007-11-18T07:13:00.001-08:00

Gazan Patients are Awaiting! مرضى غزة ينتظرون..

2007-11-18T06:13:00.000-08:00

The Children of Gaza Strip أطفال غزة و شموع الأمل

2007-11-18T06:06:00.001-08:00

Bread-Price Hikes Fuel Desperation in Gaza

2007-11-13T02:11:00.001-08:00

Gaza's sick children

2007-11-06T02:42:00.000-08:00

Press TV- Rafah border

2007-11-06T02:31:00.001-08:00

UN expert on Israeli fuel cut threat - 31 Oct 07

2007-11-06T02:18:00.001-08:00

Inside Gaza - 09 Aug 07 - Part 1

2007-11-06T01:54:00.000-08:00

Gaza facts - Palestinian suffering

2007-11-06T01:44:00.001-08:00

Joe Stork on Human Rights Violaions in Gaza

2007-11-06T01:39:00.000-08:00

طلاب غزة ممنوعون من الدراسة في جامعة بيرزيت

2007-11-06T01:34:00.000-08:00