| Originally posted by The Palestine Chronicle at http://palestinechronicle.com/view_article_details.php?id=19175#.T2YyJkWbb8s.facebook | ||
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| By Samah Sabawi (Full Transcript. Excerpts from this speech were presented at the University of Sydney Australia during Israeli Apartheid Week 2012.) I would like to talk about normalization. I found the best definition of the word normalization on the Palestinian Campaign for Cultural and Academic Boycott’s website: “Normalization is the colonization of the mind, whereby the oppressed subject comes to believe that the oppressor’s reality is the only “normal” reality that must be subscribed to, and that the oppression is a fact of life that must be coped with.” So projects that constitute normalization are not about freedom, justice or liberation, but about numbing our minds to the horror of the occupation, so we accept it as normal, as permanent, as an unchangeable fixed reality! A typical normalization project brings Palestinians and Israelis together to talk about acceptance of one another to reduce the ‘hate’ that drives the conflict! But without taking action of any sort to change the environment that creates the animosity. As if Palestinian resistance is driven by emotions of hate not acts of oppression, by irrational anger and not dispossession, by senseless loathing and not acts of ethnic cleansing! Advocates for normalization would have us believe that their so-called joint peace initiatives are the defining test, to tell the difference between a moderate and a terrorist. A moderate would engage, cooperate, reconcile and co-exist but never directly challenges the oppression. A moderate would learn to live with the status quo and cope with it. Anyone who rejects the status quo and takes action to change it is not interested in peace, is hateful, is a radical and is a terrorist. And for as long as these labels are waved around they hope that people would be intimidated into acquiescence. An important feature of “normalization” projects is providing the illusion of symmetry, pushing the idea that Palestinians and Israelis share equal responsibility and claiming that both people have been locked into this time old struggle. They try hard to convince you that both people just have two different narratives, reducing the facts to fiction and the reality to storytelling, insisting that if we hear both narratives then we’ll come to agree that the truth lies somewhere out there, in an abstract world, perhaps in a third version that is yet to be told. And like old people sitting around swapping tall tales over bitter Turkish coffee to pass the time in a place where no one cares about truth or consequence, we the Palestinians are encouraged to sit with Israelis and listen to their narratives while they listen to our narrative and that is the end of that! They go back to their vibrant cities that once carried Arabic names, and we go back behind the walls where nothing changes but the fact that our Bantustans keep on getting smaller with every passing day! Subscribing to this idea of ‘narrative’ requires that we erase our collective memory and close our eyes to our present reality. It requires that we forget history, forget dates, numbers, UN documents, human rights reports, sights of destroyed villages, camps filled with the internally displaced and camps filled with the refugees from 1948. It requires that we forget all concrete evidence because it all comes down to story telling and narratives. And while they talk of some looming existential threat we are supposed to forget that it is Palestine that has been wiped off the map and that Palestinian are the ones who are fighting everyday for their right to simply exist on their land. I guess they hope that it would take a few sessions of narrative swapping to finally make us see the necessity of firing a gas canister into the face of an unarmed protestor. Or that it would take a few football games with house broken Palestinian players paraded in a field to finally make us appreciate why one-ton bombs must be dropped on refugees in Gaza. And maybe if we were to spend a summer camp together getting to know one another, we will finally see the light and apologize for not quietly moving out of their way when they took our homes and tore down our villages. The message conveyed in normalization projects is consistent: We the Israelis have to do what we need to do because YOU MAKE US DO IT and the only way might slow down (not stop) is if we feel that you like us and if you make us feel secure enough. Now if you choose to be good Palestinians, join in these initiatives and stop this resistance nonsense, maybe then, we will bring you into the house of moderates where you may not eat with us in the dining room, but at least we’ll take you in from the cold and let you sit on the kitchen floor where it is safe and warm. So this is how they try to colonize our minds and force us to accept the inequality. Expecting us to exchange our freedom for breadcrumbs and to reduce our existence to coping with this deformed reality. And while they live in their high towers in narrative land do they not see us marching through our fields where the olive trees that were planted by our ancestors have been ripped from the earth with their hands. Their severed roots reaching out like amputated limps, life seeping away through their tips, reeking of broken hopes and dreams. If they could just STOP the rattling of their bulldozers for just one minute they may actually finally hear that heartbreaking sound the earth makes when it weeps beneath their feet. If they could hold their fire, turn off their tank engines and lower their guns, they may finally hear our voices. We have been chanting loud and clear! We have told them you are welcome to come and co-resist with us to bring down this ugly system of domination. We have said to them if you want to get to know us, then come and march with us against the wall. Come and stand with us against the bulldozers. Visit us in our prisons. Shelter us from the stones your Jewish settlers throw at our children. We have said it loud and clear: We will not co-exist with you in your world of inequality. If you want to co-exist with us, you are welcome to join us in our struggle for freedom, because right now, this is the only place where we exist! We see through their attempts to whitewash the oppression. No hasbara video they will EVER create about their supposedly gay loving and democratic state will alter the reality that every Palestinian family has experienced; arbitrary detentions, torture in their prisons and house evictions and demolitions. And no sleek brand Israel campaign will ever explain why a woman in Jerusalem has fallen to her knees, broken on the sidewalk, with bits and pieces of her life scattered on the pavement as Jewish settlers look through the windows of what was once her home. There is nothing normal about this! There is nothing normal about any of it! There is nothing normal about sentencing nine year olds in military courts. There is nothing normal about forcing pregnant women to have babies at checkpoints. There is nothing normal about the imprisonment of a million and a half people in Gaza, then bombing them at will knowing they have no place to run and no place to hide. There is nothing normal about nailing shut the front doors of houses in Hebron forcing entire families to jump from rooftop to rooftop to go to their schools and work. There is nothing normal about stealing our water then forcing us to buy it back in drops. There is nothing normal about making Palestinians pay for the gasoline the Israeli bulldozers have used when they demolished their house. Above all, there is nothing normal about their expectation that with enough brutality we will give up. So how about they normalize THIS: We will continue to resist! Their checkpoints have made us cherish our freedom. Their bombs have made us resilient to fear. Their bullets have made us embrace non-violence. Their hypocrisy has made us love the truth. Their tyranny has made us stronger. Their apartheid wall has forced us to stand so tall, so tall, we can see the whole world, and the whole world can see us. While they hide behind their piles of concrete and lies. So let these walls they have built confine them! Let the word ‘apartheid’ define them! And when they ask you where you stand on normalization, join us and say that you stand with those who have stood their ground, shouting into the barrels of their guns, ‘you may have occupied our villages and towns, but you will never colonize our minds’. They will never colonize our minds! Thank you! - Samah Sabawi is a Palestinian writer and is Public Advocate for Australians for Palestine. She contributed this article to PalestineChronicle.com. |
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Colonization of the Mind: Normalize This!
Friday, March 16, 2012
URGENT ACTION: Support for OCHA Employee Khulood Badawi (#Palestine)
Originally posted by the Alternative Information Centre at http://www.alternativenews.org/english/index.php/component/content/article/28-news/4207-support-for-ocha-employee-khulood-badawi-
Support Palestinian UN employee Khulood Badawi, currently under attack for expressing a personal opinion on her own Facebook page.
Khulood Badawi is a field worker with the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), documenting human rights violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. No one has ever questioned the professionalism of Badawi’s work in OCHA.
Khulood Badawi was also a political activist, dedicated to the defense of the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, as well as a feminist. Due to her work in OCHA, she has carefully refrained from any public political activity, a choice that definitely was not easy for her.
For several days now, Khulood is the target of an organized campaign aimed at pushing her out of OCHA, as well as delegitimizing all Palestinian employees in the UN agencies. The pretext for this campaign against Khulood Badawi is a blog on Israel’s recent aggression against the Gaza Strip that she published on her private Facebook page.
Needless to say, working within these UN institutions are many Israeli Jews who advocate pro-Israeli political opinions, and no one challenges their right to work there, as long as these opinions are expressed outside the framework of their UN work and in their personal capacity.
Every person for whom freedom of opinion is important must stand by Khulood Badawi and her right to express herself on her personal Facebook page. Every person who cares for human rights must denounce the racist campaign against Khulood Badawi.
Please sent emails in support of Khulood Badawi to the following Jerusalem-based UN officials:
M. Ramesh Rajasingham
Head,OCHA - occupied Palestinian territory
Head,OCHA - occupied Palestinian territory
E-mail: rajasingham@un.org
Amanda Pitt
OCHA NY
OCHA NY
E-mail: pitta@un.org
Hayat Abu Saleh
E-mail : abusaleh@un.org
E-mail : abusaleh@un.org
Israel’s moral bankruptcy at it’s Heights as it tries to get Human Rights Activist @KhuloodBadawi fired - post by @occpal
Originally published by the blog titled Occupied Palestine: Blogging 4 Human Rights and the Liberation of Palestine at http://occupiedpalestine.wordpress.com/2012/03/16/the-magnum-opus-of-israels-bankrupty-trying-to-get-a-human-rights-activist-fired/
March 16, 2012 by @occpal
This world needs more people like @KhuloodBadawi
In the newest Israeli “witch-hunt” the dying propaganda machine of zionism has taken an aim on Khulood Badawi, a human rights activist and demands UN fires Khulood Badawi over a ‘false Gaza’ picture
The “State of Israel’s success” solely consists due to a very ingenious propaganda campaign which might have been effective for some decades. Nowadays it is fighting a severe “battle” online itself to sustain the myths it created, while in crescendo the social media create awareness, spread real facts in real time as well while Israel is running behind the technological developments, possibilities but foremost it’s impact.
Many people reacted shocked, especially because at the time Israel was pounding Gaza and had slained several Palestinians already. In total 27 people have lost their lives since the attacks on Gaza started on March 9, 2012. At twitter many people and human rights activists tweeted the picture too like @ManaraRam. Kindly notice again, even this tweet does not contain no date nor does it mention it happened at any particular day at all.
Nevertheless, paid hasbara troll Avi Mayer immediately took an aim at her with the next tweet:
It was only @AviMayer in person who started creating a suggestion in the first place the picture was taken “today”. Mentioned before, neither the facebook page nor ManaraRam’s tweet mentioned these words or facts about any date but calls on his hasbararecruits to join him in questioning @ManaraRam.In this xcellent blogpost by @ManaraRam she answers the incitement of AviMayer and the pathatic hasabra campaign against her by paid bloggers and the @IDFSpokesperson.
Another “paid spokesperson” of the most “moral army” in the world @ofirgendelman tweeted deliberately a picture and accusation. Kindly notice, this tweet contains a direct link (no suggestion) to Gaza, with a picture depicting a woman protecting a child as if it were actually happening at the very moment while the original picture was taken by Reuters in 2009 and among other places can be found here.
The original photo’s description is: “An Israeli woman and her two children take cover during a rocket attack near Kfar Aza, just outside the northern Gaza Strip January 7, 2009.” This is during the Cast Lead war on Gaza in which Israel slained over 1500 people of which 352 children with no place to go nor hide. For the right perspective you can view this album which contains the by Ofir Gendelman tweeted picture as well, to get an idea of the context.
But Ofir Gendleman did not send an apology for his incitement. Of course not. These spokespersons are online and paid to spread lies. In stead, hasbara launched the facebook picture into it’s usual mainstream channels to create even more hatred, propaganda and more lies like here: in Washington Post of March 15, 2012 : “Israeli official, Palestinian activist tweet outdated photos in competition for support” making it look like it is an ordinary low moral “media-battle” for sympathy.
Like the picture of the rejoicing zionists, they did not make a point of that at the time taken. Neither about more worse footage. No, they even printed t-shirts about it and made a booming business out of the sickening reality of the zionist mindset: 1 shot 2 kills. Shocking. Very shocking. But reality and above all, timeless displaying the real face of zionism. And what they try to hide. More images of this “Fashion-Show” can be found here (Warning : very graphic content) To hide this ugly reality Israel has the urgent need to mute people.
To prevent this “Israel” even launched (again) a 10 Million NIS campaign to learn it’s “diplomats” to spread propaganda on twitter. In the blogpost Truth does not bother Israel, Buttons do you can convince yourself of all ways deployed by the hasbara (propaganda) machine of zionism to take care you will not hear any facts or they will be altered, hence, even history is being changed.
Palestinians, already in an hacked digital occupation aside their physical siege and restrictions shouting out to the world for justice and for awareness. While Israel even tests complete blackouts to mute their voices literally from getting outside the occupied territories.
Yet… communication is an essential human need and a human right.
Free speech is a human right.
And your, mine right to information is also a human right (Art 19 ICCPR)
For years now and especially since the introduction and swift developments of media in particular social media “Israel’s hasbara machine” is working overtime to prevent the truth from reaching you. Students get paid 2000$ a month for spreading propaganda 5 hours a week on social media. Let’s do some math, this is about 92$ an hour so they dish you lies.
This is one of the “toolkits” which are used by zionism to instruct the “recruits” which were called to duty in a genuine WEB WAR DECLARATION
In another event, Israel prevented #Airflotilla Israel manipulated and lobbied around till even activists were prevented in their country of origing to board flights. Children young as 5 and 6 years old were blacklisted on paper records to be prevented from boarding and airways ordered to keep them off the airplanes. Tagged as terrorists.
Those who managed to enter were detained immediately, abused and mistreated like criminals, denied a lawyer up to the very last of them.
Not long after this event, on the same internet a terrorlisted affiliated organisation LDJ in France, connected to the Meir Kahane offspring Kach movement imported militants with experience for a rampage in the west bank of Palestine. Don’t fall for zionist rethoric they defended the settlements.
In reality whenever a Palestinian even comes near one he will loose his life immediately. In Operation Summer Seeds Israel even equiped these illegal settling newcomers, granted them weaponry, attacking dogs and even trained them to use it. You can watch the full album of equipment, training and related posts and photography here.
All this under the pretext of Palestinians going to the United Nations (the same UN which is asked now to fire Khulood Badawi) for a statehood bid and to train for protection against possible uprisings in the light of the statehood bid.
Protest which are mostly as not always suppressed with heavy violence even before they start. For an impression watch the category demos or videos. Most non-violent demos are muted before they start and after that even people in houses are attacked, indentified, photographed to be arrested and jailed afterwards even if they have done nothing at all staying arbitrary detained like Khaled Zawahre who was arrested on June 5, 2011 and served almost 9 months in prison for flashing a peacesign.
To prevent people even arriving at the non-violent demos, Israel pulls all out of the closet to prevent people from arriving there. On July 29, 2012 tweep @Abou_Charlie was stalled at a checkpoint on his way to a non violent demo when his cellphone was stolen and hijacked by an Israeli soldier to send out lies. But we know our tweeps, and some online activists caught the soldier tweeting lies redhanded. You can read it all here.
Today in the article of Israeli media which is inciting accusations at the address of Khulood Badawi media states “Israel” is watching her for a while and observing her activities. Of course we do too. That is why this was captured: a soldier yelling: “We Follow you at Twitter!“
So for all who still do not have the picture here. The weak spot of Israel has become a pornographic visibility. Their biggest fear: TRUTH. Witnesses, mouth-to-mouth stories, facebook posts, tweets and if they are not distinctive enough Israel has people like Avi Mayer, Gendelman to make something out of it, or Like Leibovitch who seems to receive an extra bonus for every time she tweets the word “terror”. It makes me wonder if these servants of the most moral army also earn 92$ an hour like the hasbara-recruits. Electronic Intifada did an extensive investigation into this matter of the use of student to spread state propaganda.
Not so long ago the IOF needed some serious profiling in the positive way so it orchestrated a video recommending the great aspects of the Israeli army. Boasting about saving lives, giving the helping hand, while in reality it keeps shutting mouths litterally even untill death. The most appalling hasbara might be their statement of their assistance in delivering babies.
In reality Israel targets pregnant women. 35 babies died in stillbirth at checkpoints because restrictions of movement are imposed on Palestinians. 18.000 women a year develop complications in their pregnancy due to these racist policies. These racist restrictions and the devastating shocking effects are described in a newly published report by the Israeli Physicians for Human Rights.
71 women gave birth at checkpoints. No news though neither. Already in 2003 Gideon Levy described in an article the lethal effects of Israel’s policies towards pregnant woman. And in this video you can witness it for yourself.
But news never gets out. Until Israel by accident X-Rays several times American and pregnant journalist Lynsey Addario and endagering her unborn baby and her life.
Not at the scene, not even informed just throwing up propaganda and creating a sphere of hostility and eternally hiding behind the so called security threats. Of a unarmed man, in a t-shirt, shot by a till teeth protected soldier sitting inside a jeep btw, and violated already all rules of engagement of the army itself as well as international law by firing riot dispersal ammunition directly at the head of Mustafa Tamimi. Obstructing medical care, ignoring calls from (online) activists and eventually even lied about the circumstances in the hospital were he died.
To attack afterwards with great brutality even the funeral of Mustafa Tamimi as well as the press present (as usual). You can watch the video here.
Actually Khulood is being framed. If you read the story above you might have noticed that Israeli hasbara picked her out later to put her on the front of a smear campaign to enforce their very misplaced claim at the UN to fire her. The same United Nations of which Israel is a member and vowed to obey by it’s ruling and laws. The regulations, it is violating every day.
As an online activist I met many collegue activists online but seldom you meet sincere and genuine people like Khulood Badawi who embody all principles of Humanity in the fullest sense of the word. She not only speaks it out in respect and in clarity, never transgressing the lines, always states clear facts and events. Reliable and with a real big heart for her people in word and deeds.
Even withing the Israeli “society itself” resistance is growing against the propaganda which is damaging Judaism as well and reports about “Tweets and Silence of Propaganda war”. Also +972 Magazine covered immediately the story by posting a blogpost In propaganda battle, PM Spokesperson tweets old photo.
The Washington Post as well as many by hasbara influenced media in the meanwhile covering the story ignoring the fact Khulood nor ManaraRam, nor any of the activists online stated what Israel names as an accusation. Furtheron, it is quite embarassing main stream media’s skills have sunk to levels beyond imagination that all the facts mentioned above, with all the proof and even many agencies own experiences with apartheid against their press-employees have made in the past years.
Journalism died. And if we don’t act and open our eyes, create the awareness this silencing, until death keeps going on. Literally muting from tweeting until termination.
In defense of Khulood Badawi I want to ask you to spread this post and appeal to the UN not to give into the demands of Israel. Israel first needs to meet it’s obligations to International law and regulations as well as human rights which Khulood as a person, unregarded her profession also has: Free Speech.
We, as online activists will not let them silence us to spread the truth and create awareness about the atrocities which are imposed on Palestinians, not will we allow to silence our people, our supporters and those who are fighting for the cause and humanity in any way possible.
March 16, 2012 by @occpal
This world needs more people like @KhuloodBadawi
In the newest Israeli “witch-hunt” the dying propaganda machine of zionism has taken an aim on Khulood Badawi, a human rights activist and demands UN fires Khulood Badawi over a ‘false Gaza’ picture
The “State of Israel’s success” solely consists due to a very ingenious propaganda campaign which might have been effective for some decades. Nowadays it is fighting a severe “battle” online itself to sustain the myths it created, while in crescendo the social media create awareness, spread real facts in real time as well while Israel is running behind the technological developments, possibilities but foremost it’s impact.
What happened?
On March 10, 2012 at 10:26 PM this picture posted on Facebook with the text :“Palestine is bleeding… Another innocent victim of Israeli terror… in peace the son’s bury their father’s but in war the father’s bury their son’s…”At the same moment it was tweeted automatically by the API of the facebook page posting the picture as you can see in the details and timestamp of the tweet below. Your attention please, the post does not even mention a date nor a momentum of the time of the picture concerning any event, it just recalls a child is dead an carried to the grave. Nothing more or less.
Click to enlarge
Many people reacted shocked, especially because at the time Israel was pounding Gaza and had slained several Palestinians already. In total 27 people have lost their lives since the attacks on Gaza started on March 9, 2012. At twitter many people and human rights activists tweeted the picture too like @ManaraRam. Kindly notice again, even this tweet does not contain no date nor does it mention it happened at any particular day at all.
Nevertheless, paid hasbara troll Avi Mayer immediately took an aim at her with the next tweet:
It was only @AviMayer in person who started creating a suggestion in the first place the picture was taken “today”. Mentioned before, neither the facebook page nor ManaraRam’s tweet mentioned these words or facts about any date but calls on his hasbararecruits to join him in questioning @ManaraRam.
Now what has this all to do with Khulood?
Not only Khulood – but at the moment of composing this blogpost- 94 others shared the facebook post again – without mentioning any relation to any event – and 64 people commented on it. Khulood Badawi’s tweet was not even a retweet of the initially by Avi Mayer attacked tweet. (!) Just compare the FB post and Khuloods’ tweet you will notice they are very similar although Khulood’s version is a grammatical correcter version of the initial post on Facebook – and again – I want to emphasize, no date nor related event is mentioned.
Remains, the accusation only made by Avi Mayer it is related to the bombings on Gaza on that same day.
The one inciting to go ‘ en masse’ and ‘en garde’ for questioning this, is also Avi Mayer and no one else.
Remains, the accusation only made by Avi Mayer it is related to the bombings on Gaza on that same day.
The one inciting to go ‘ en masse’ and ‘en garde’ for questioning this, is also Avi Mayer and no one else.
Which did not result by the way in any “questioning” but in the usual very low standard and “no moral at all” smears and offenses which not even relate to any even in the least:
And not only Khulood but ManaraRam received likewhise offenses:
Translation from hebrew of this tweet to @ManaraRam “Your mother is garbage, you ugly ‘Arab-ushi’’.
In the meanwhile…
Another “paid spokesperson” of the most “moral army” in the world @ofirgendelman tweeted deliberately a picture and accusation. Kindly notice, this tweet contains a direct link (no suggestion) to Gaza, with a picture depicting a woman protecting a child as if it were actually happening at the very moment while the original picture was taken by Reuters in 2009 and among other places can be found here.
The original photo’s description is: “An Israeli woman and her two children take cover during a rocket attack near Kfar Aza, just outside the northern Gaza Strip January 7, 2009.” This is during the Cast Lead war on Gaza in which Israel slained over 1500 people of which 352 children with no place to go nor hide. For the right perspective you can view this album which contains the by Ofir Gendelman tweeted picture as well, to get an idea of the context.
But Ofir Gendleman did not send an apology for his incitement. Of course not. These spokespersons are online and paid to spread lies. In stead, hasbara launched the facebook picture into it’s usual mainstream channels to create even more hatred, propaganda and more lies like here: in Washington Post of March 15, 2012 : “Israeli official, Palestinian activist tweet outdated photos in competition for support” making it look like it is an ordinary low moral “media-battle” for sympathy.
Let’s take a little trip back to history…
The tweets of the by Avi Mayer instructed offenders already show the disrespect and immorality. But we love facts. So to put this in te right perspective and factualities: At the time, the woman was in alleged danger laying on the ground with her child, zionists we’re enjoying the massacre on Gaza, rejoicing and even dancing on the hill celebrating the ongoing onslaught: From a hill just outside the Gaza Strip, Israelis watch the air assaults on Gaza and dance in celebration of the attacks, 8 January 2009. (Picture by Newscom)
The Date does not change the Deed!
But let’s stay close to the facts and dates. Which do not change the deed at all. We have an Israeli firster now demaning to UN the firing of an employee for a tweet which does not even mention a date. Only displays a deed. Depicts it literally. You can’t hide these facts. Although Israel is very successful in removing content of the internet which could be harming them in any way possible. 1 Shot, 2 Kills (Click to enlarge)
Like the picture of the rejoicing zionists, they did not make a point of that at the time taken. Neither about more worse footage. No, they even printed t-shirts about it and made a booming business out of the sickening reality of the zionist mindset: 1 shot 2 kills. Shocking. Very shocking. But reality and above all, timeless displaying the real face of zionism. And what they try to hide. More images of this “Fashion-Show” can be found here (Warning : very graphic content) To hide this ugly reality Israel has the urgent need to mute people.
Truth doesn’t bother Israel, Buttons do: to Mute. From tweeting to termination
And “Israel” pushes literally all buttons to distort the reality, mute those who are speaking, writing, block those who could possibly recall or relate. Target press, demolish their equiment, raid TV stations, shoot, target, harass and detain journalists and photographers, kill non-violent protesters like Mustafa Tamimi (in which case they lied too) and many more before him, and attempt to silence people like Khulood as well. If it could it would silence any on- or offline activist which even could relate or recall about the reality or facts of the occupation in all it’s appalling aspects in the first place.
To prevent this “Israel” even launched (again) a 10 Million NIS campaign to learn it’s “diplomats” to spread propaganda on twitter. In the blogpost Truth does not bother Israel, Buttons do you can convince yourself of all ways deployed by the hasbara (propaganda) machine of zionism to take care you will not hear any facts or they will be altered, hence, even history is being changed.
Palestinians, already in an hacked digital occupation aside their physical siege and restrictions shouting out to the world for justice and for awareness. While Israel even tests complete blackouts to mute their voices literally from getting outside the occupied territories.
Yet… communication is an essential human need and a human right.
Free speech is a human right.
And your, mine right to information is also a human right (Art 19 ICCPR)
Web War Declaration
For years now and especially since the introduction and swift developments of media in particular social media “Israel’s hasbara machine” is working overtime to prevent the truth from reaching you. Students get paid 2000$ a month for spreading propaganda 5 hours a week on social media. Let’s do some math, this is about 92$ an hour so they dish you lies.
This is one of the “toolkits” which are used by zionism to instruct the “recruits” which were called to duty in a genuine WEB WAR DECLARATION
When it can’t prevent witnesses, it’s prevent them from becoming one
But it does not end in the virtual world. This entity called “Israel’s hasbara” trying to “terminate” Khuloods contract at the UN now, previously posted online a non discriminate and public hitlist against activist planning to travel on the #Flotilla2. To prevent they even boarded because this hitlist appeared online long before sails were raised.
In another event, Israel prevented #Airflotilla Israel manipulated and lobbied around till even activists were prevented in their country of origing to board flights. Children young as 5 and 6 years old were blacklisted on paper records to be prevented from boarding and airways ordered to keep them off the airplanes. Tagged as terrorists.
Those who managed to enter were detained immediately, abused and mistreated like criminals, denied a lawyer up to the very last of them.
Not long after this event, on the same internet a terrorlisted affiliated organisation LDJ in France, connected to the Meir Kahane offspring Kach movement imported militants with experience for a rampage in the west bank of Palestine. Don’t fall for zionist rethoric they defended the settlements.
More hidden facts you have not been told….
In reality whenever a Palestinian even comes near one he will loose his life immediately. In Operation Summer Seeds Israel even equiped these illegal settling newcomers, granted them weaponry, attacking dogs and even trained them to use it. You can watch the full album of equipment, training and related posts and photography here.
All this under the pretext of Palestinians going to the United Nations (the same UN which is asked now to fire Khulood Badawi) for a statehood bid and to train for protection against possible uprisings in the light of the statehood bid.
Protest which are mostly as not always suppressed with heavy violence even before they start. For an impression watch the category demos or videos. Most non-violent demos are muted before they start and after that even people in houses are attacked, indentified, photographed to be arrested and jailed afterwards even if they have done nothing at all staying arbitrary detained like Khaled Zawahre who was arrested on June 5, 2011 and served almost 9 months in prison for flashing a peacesign.
It get’s more pathetic…
To prevent people even arriving at the non-violent demos, Israel pulls all out of the closet to prevent people from arriving there. On July 29, 2012 tweep @Abou_Charlie was stalled at a checkpoint on his way to a non violent demo when his cellphone was stolen and hijacked by an Israeli soldier to send out lies. But we know our tweeps, and some online activists caught the soldier tweeting lies redhanded. You can read it all here.
Today in the article of Israeli media which is inciting accusations at the address of Khulood Badawi media states “Israel” is watching her for a while and observing her activities. Of course we do too. That is why this was captured: a soldier yelling: “We Follow you at Twitter!“
So for all who still do not have the picture here. The weak spot of Israel has become a pornographic visibility. Their biggest fear: TRUTH. Witnesses, mouth-to-mouth stories, facebook posts, tweets and if they are not distinctive enough Israel has people like Avi Mayer, Gendelman to make something out of it, or Like Leibovitch who seems to receive an extra bonus for every time she tweets the word “terror”. It makes me wonder if these servants of the most moral army also earn 92$ an hour like the hasbara-recruits. Electronic Intifada did an extensive investigation into this matter of the use of student to spread state propaganda.
Not only pathetic, it get’s even sickening…
Not so long ago the IOF needed some serious profiling in the positive way so it orchestrated a video recommending the great aspects of the Israeli army. Boasting about saving lives, giving the helping hand, while in reality it keeps shutting mouths litterally even untill death. The most appalling hasbara might be their statement of their assistance in delivering babies.
In reality Israel targets pregnant women. 35 babies died in stillbirth at checkpoints because restrictions of movement are imposed on Palestinians. 18.000 women a year develop complications in their pregnancy due to these racist policies. These racist restrictions and the devastating shocking effects are described in a newly published report by the Israeli Physicians for Human Rights.
71 women gave birth at checkpoints. No news though neither. Already in 2003 Gideon Levy described in an article the lethal effects of Israel’s policies towards pregnant woman. And in this video you can witness it for yourself.
But news never gets out. Until Israel by accident X-Rays several times American and pregnant journalist Lynsey Addario and endagering her unborn baby and her life.
Tweeting with the army
As “Israel” seems to be paranoia spying on activists tweets, activists 24/7 also watch what is going on. Spokespersons of the “Israeli online twitterforces” are sometimes confronted with their lies instantly. Like in the case of Mustafa Tamimi where @SamiKishawi exposed the lies of the spokespeople who were shamelessly in the process of demonizing a non violent protester who just was murdered.Not at the scene, not even informed just throwing up propaganda and creating a sphere of hostility and eternally hiding behind the so called security threats. Of a unarmed man, in a t-shirt, shot by a till teeth protected soldier sitting inside a jeep btw, and violated already all rules of engagement of the army itself as well as international law by firing riot dispersal ammunition directly at the head of Mustafa Tamimi. Obstructing medical care, ignoring calls from (online) activists and eventually even lied about the circumstances in the hospital were he died.
To attack afterwards with great brutality even the funeral of Mustafa Tamimi as well as the press present (as usual). You can watch the video here.
Back to Khulood…
Why Khulood? She was not even initiating the launched picture of 2006. If you use google photo search you will see the same picture was used by tens of websites accompanying (also misplaced) posts about Operation Cast Lead or white phosphorus, illegal weaponry posts all over the web. Israel did not take no action there.Why ManaraRam? She got immediately attacked by Avi Mayer who in the end, cause this buzz himself with making the insinuation and inciting people against Khulood and ManaraRam.Actually Khulood is being framed. If you read the story above you might have noticed that Israeli hasbara picked her out later to put her on the front of a smear campaign to enforce their very misplaced claim at the UN to fire her. The same United Nations of which Israel is a member and vowed to obey by it’s ruling and laws. The regulations, it is violating every day.
As an online activist I met many collegue activists online but seldom you meet sincere and genuine people like Khulood Badawi who embody all principles of Humanity in the fullest sense of the word. She not only speaks it out in respect and in clarity, never transgressing the lines, always states clear facts and events. Reliable and with a real big heart for her people in word and deeds.
Even withing the Israeli “society itself” resistance is growing against the propaganda which is damaging Judaism as well and reports about “Tweets and Silence of Propaganda war”. Also +972 Magazine covered immediately the story by posting a blogpost In propaganda battle, PM Spokesperson tweets old photo.
The Washington Post as well as many by hasbara influenced media in the meanwhile covering the story ignoring the fact Khulood nor ManaraRam, nor any of the activists online stated what Israel names as an accusation. Furtheron, it is quite embarassing main stream media’s skills have sunk to levels beyond imagination that all the facts mentioned above, with all the proof and even many agencies own experiences with apartheid against their press-employees have made in the past years.
Journalism died. And if we don’t act and open our eyes, create the awareness this silencing, until death keeps going on. Literally muting from tweeting until termination.
In defense of Khulood Badawi I want to ask you to spread this post and appeal to the UN not to give into the demands of Israel. Israel first needs to meet it’s obligations to International law and regulations as well as human rights which Khulood as a person, unregarded her profession also has: Free Speech.
We, as online activists will not let them silence us to spread the truth and create awareness about the atrocities which are imposed on Palestinians, not will we allow to silence our people, our supporters and those who are fighting for the cause and humanity in any way possible.
And to our Sister Khulood we want to say, you are not alone. We will fight for you too. We will never give up and the world needs more people like you.
Thursday, March 15, 2012
On Israeli Attacks and Gaza Ceasefires: Democracy Now! Interview with Ali Abunimah
Originally posted by Jadaliyya at http://www.jadaliyya.com/pages/index/4685/on-israeli-attacks-and-gaza-ceasefires_democracy-n
As Israel and Palestinian factions in the Gaza Strip reportedly agree to a ceasefire after four days of cross-border violence, we speak with Ali Abunimah, co-founder of the online publication, “The Electronic Intifada.” Earlier today, an Egyptian official said both sides have pledged to end current attacks and implement "a comprehensive and mutual calm." Israel’s latest strikes on Gaza killed at least 25 Palestinians. At least 80 Palestinians were also wounded, most of them civilians. At least four Israelis in border towns were wounded in rockets fired by Palestinian militants in Gaza. The rocket attacks began after an Israeli air strike killed Zuhair al-Qaisi, the head of the Popular Resistance Committees, on Friday. Most of the Palestinian victims were killed on Saturday, making it the deadliest 24-hour period Gaza has seen since the Israeli attack in December 2008 and January 2009 when some 1,400 Palestinians were killed, most of them civilians. “Israel presents this as they’re attacking terrorists who are en route to commit some kind of attack, and that’s the claim they always make,” Abunimah says. “But in fact, in almost every case, they’re attacking people in their homes, riding in cars, just walking in the street.”
RUSH TRANSCRIPTS
AMY GOODMAN: Israel and Palestinian factions in the Gaza Strip have reportedly agreed to a ceasefire after four days of cross-border violence. Earlier today an Egyptian official said both sides have pledged to end current attacks and implement, quote, "a comprehensive and mutual calm."
Israel’s latest strikes on Gaza killed at least 26 Palestinians, including five civilians. At least 80 Palestinians were also wounded, most of them civilians. Four Israelis in border towns were wounded in rockets fired by Palestinian militants in Gaza. The rocket attacks began after an Israeli air strike killed Zuhair al-Qaisi, the head of the Popular Resistance Committees, on Friday. Most of the Palestinian victims were killed on Saturday, making it the deadliest 24-hour period Gaza has seen since the Israeli attack in December 2008 and January 2009. Around 1,400 Palestinians were killed in that assault, most of them civilian.
Israel launched this latest attack on Gaza just after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu returned from a critical U.S. visit where he failed to win President Obama’s backing for military action against Iran.
For more now, we go to Chicago to be joined by Ali Abunimah, co-founder of The Electronic Intifada, author of One Country: A Bold Proposal to End the Israeli-Palestinian Impasse.
Can you talk about what is being reported as a truce brokered by Egypt, Ali Abunimah, and what took place over this last four days?
ALI ABUNIMAH: Good morning, Amy. Yes.
I think it’s very important to stress that this escalation of violence began on Friday with an extrajudicial execution by Israel of Zuhair al-Qaisi and several other people in Gaza. And that’s important because, you know, Israel presents this as they’re attacking terrorists who are en route to commit some kind of attack, and that’s the claim they always make, but in fact, in almost every case, they’re attacking people in their homes, riding in cars, just walking in the street. And there have been hundreds of such extrajudicial executions in recent years, where, essentially, Palestinians that Israel doesn’t like are sentenced to death in secret and in absentia and then executed on the streets of the Gaza Strip or sometimes the West Bank. And so, that’s what happened on Friday.
As was predicted by many Israeli military analysts, resistance factions in Gaza retaliated by firing rockets at Israel. No one was killed in any of the rockets. And interestingly, Hamas did not participate in the retaliatory strikes because, much to Israel’s displeasure, Hamas has been consistently moving away from armed struggle. So what happened, as typically, is that the retaliatory strikes, the rocket strikes from Gaza, then become the self-justifying motive for Israel to escalate its bombing of Gaza, and that’s exactly what happened this weekend with a terrible, terrible toll. And unfortunately, this pattern has repeated many times. Whenever there is a substantial reduction of violence or a ceasefire to which Palestinian groups are largely adhering, Israel comes up with some pretext or some attack in order to violate it. It’s just happened so many times, the pattern is clear.
AMY GOODMAN: On Monday, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton addressed the cross-border violence between Israel and factions in Gaza in a speech at the U.N. Security Council. She condemned the Palestinian rocket fire but said nothing about Israel’s deadly attacks on Palestinians.
SECRETARY OF STATE HILLARY CLINTON: Let me also condemn in the strongest terms the rocket fire from Gaza into southern Israel, which continued over the weekend. We call on those responsible to take immediate action to stop these attacks. We call on both sides, all sides, to make every effort to restore calm.
AMY GOODMAN: Ali Abunimah, your response?
ALI ABUNIMAH: Well, the U.S. government policy is completely in line with and driven by the Israeli propaganda message that Palestinians are always the ones responsible and always the ones who start this, when in fact the Palestinian factions were largely adhering to a ceasefire, and Hamas was, if anything, enforcing the ceasefire and disciplining any small Palestinian groups that violated it. But the message from U.S. and Israeli propaganda is always about barrages of rockets from Gaza over Israel. Well, what are the facts? In 2011, 108 Palestinians—15 children and large numbers of civilians—were killed, and many hundreds more injured, by constant barrages of Israeli missiles and firing over the Gaza Strip. Those are the facts that nobody talks about.
But there was another interesting thing Hillary Clinton said in her statement yesterday, when she was talking about Syria. She said that there’s no—
AMY GOODMAN: Let me—Ali, Ali, let me go to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton—
ALI ABUNIMAH: Sure.
AMY GOODMAN: —at the U.N. Security Council, another comment she made, talking about the right of self-defense versus unlawful state violence. She was invoking the crisis in Syria and said the U.S. rejects any equivalence between state violence and besieged populations defending themselves. This is a segment of her speech.
SECRETARY OF STATE HILLARY CLINTON: Now the United States believes firmly in the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all member states, but we do not believe that sovereignty demands that this council stand silent when governments massacre their own people, threatening regional peace and security in the process. And we reject any equivalence between premeditated murders by a government’s military machine and the actions of civilians under siege driven to self-defense.
AMY GOODMAN: Ali Abunimah, your response to Hillary Clinton?
ALI ABUNIMAH: I mean, it’s incredible to hear those words and then look at the—of course, she was referring to Syria—and then look at the situation in Palestine, where Israel is carrying out premeditated murders, extrajudicial executions—these are war crimes under international law—and then using that as a pretext, using the response as a pretext to carry out widespread bombing over civilian areas in the Gaza Strip.
And so, I mean, the question to Hillary Clinton, I wish there were some real journalists who attend these daily State Department briefings, to ask: "Look, do Palestinians ever have a right to self-defense? After 63 years of dispossession, of occupation, of siege, can Palestinians ever be considered 'civilians under siege driven to self-defense'? And if so, what do they have a right to do? Please let us know, because it seems that when Palestinians observe ceasefires, as is demanded of them by the world, they’re attacked. When they engage in Gandhi-like protest, they’re attacked." Hana al-Shalabi, a woman prisoner, is now on her 27th day of hunger strike in Hasharon Prison, being detained without charge or trial by Israel, along with hundreds of other so-called administrative detainees. Almost every other day, Hillary Clinton is making speeches about women and women’s rights. What about the rights of Hana al-Shalabi and her family?
AMY GOODMAN: Last question. We just have 30 seconds. Ali, you went to speak at Harvard two weekends ago at the Kennedy School. You’re the author of One Country: A Bold Proposal to End the Israeli-Palestinian Impasse, and that’s what it was about, the two-state versus the one-state solution. But a great deal of controversy was generated right before the conference went on, though it ultimately did. Can you just briefly explain what happened, why we don’t have video of the event?
ALI ABUNIMAH: There is some video. There wasn’t official video, and I don’t know why the organizers didn’t do that. But some of the keynotes we have on The Electronic Intifada. But there was a huge outcry from national Zionist groups, and Senator Scott Brown, a Republican of Massachusetts, actually demanded that Harvard cancel the conference. So, real attacks on free speech and academic freedom by national politicians and major pro-Israel groups in this country. But this is what they’re afraid of. They’re afraid of discussion about equal rights and just solutions in Palestine. And that’s what they wanted to stop. But the conference was a tremendous success. Hundreds of people were there. It was completely sold out. They turned people away. And I think it’s very good that this discussion is coming into the mainstream. They weren’t able to stop it happening.
AMY GOODMAN: Ali Abunimah, I want to thank you very much for being with us, co-founder of Electronic Intifada —
ALI ABUNIMAH: My pleasure.
AMY GOODMAN: —author of One Country: A Bold Proposal to End the Israeli-Palestinian Impasse.
Hush Now, #Palestine by Lina Khalil
Hush Now, Palestine. By Lina Khalil..flv
Originally posted by ElGhinwa at http://youtu.be/-nl-hk2_ZDg
Brought to my attention by @ZazaFL
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Video: Ali Abunimah discusses Gaza attacks, Hillary Clinton, Hana Shalabi on Democracy Now (#Palestine)
Originally posted by the Electronic Intifada at http://electronicintifada.net/blogs/ali-abunimah/video-ali-abunimah-discusses-gaza-attacks-hillary-clinton-hana-shalabi-democracy
Submitted by Ali Abunimah to the Electronic Intifada on Tue, 03/13/2012
The Electronic Intifada’s Ali Abunimah appeared on Democracy Now this morning to discuss Israel’s extrajudicial executions and attacks in Gaza and reports of a ceasefire, Hillary Clinton’s support for armed struggle, the ongoing hunger strike of Hana al-Shalabi, now in its 27th day and the Harvard One-State Conference.
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