30 aug 2012
Rachel Corrie congressman not surprised by verdict
Brian Baird
A retired 6-term congressman who represented slain activist Rachel Corrie's district said Thursday he was unsurprised by an Israeli court verdict to dismiss a civil suit filed by the family.
Democrat Brian Baird of Washington said the trial was undermined by Israel's failure to conduct a transparent investigation into the 2003 killing of his constituent in Gaza.
"The verdict was not a great surprise" because the outcome resulted from "a process that seemed designed to obfuscate the facts rather than clarify," the ex-lawmaker said in a telephone interview from Seattle.
"Sadly, as I've come to understand, this is standard operating procedure" for many complaints alleging Israeli military misconduct, he said. "The case was dismissed without proper consideration."
Baird, who served six terms in the US House of Representatives before retiring in 2010, was among the first officials to call for a US investigation into Corrie's death. No American inquiry was formed, but the former lawmaker has continued to support the family's fight for accountability in Israeli courts.
The suit by Cindy and Craig Corrie sought a symbolic $1 in damages for the death of their daughter, who was crushed to death by an armored bulldozer as she protested against home demolitions in Gaza. Their case accused Israel of intentional and unlawful killing and failing to investigate.
On Tuesday, a judge dismissed the suit and said Israel was not to blame for any "damages caused" as they occurred during wartime. He said Corrie's death was a "regrettable accident," and added that she "did not distance herself from the area, as any thinking person would have done."
Former President Jimmy Carter responded that the "killing of an American peace activist is unacceptable," and urged the US to use "all reasonable means to ensure that the rights of its citizens are protected overseas and that justice is done for the Corrie family."
Reactions to the verdict were muted in Washington. Israel enjoys considerable support from both major parties. Lawmakers are also preparing for a November presidential election.
The PLO general delegation to the US said it was "dismayed" by the Obama administration's silence.
"We strongly believe that the failure of US officials to support the Corries only sustains Israeli policies of harassment, intimidation, and coercion against American supporters of the Palestinian people," it said.
US position 'unchanged'
Baird too said he regretted that the case never became a top foreign policy priority.
"In the early days after Rachel's death, there was extraordinary compassion," he said, emphasizing that certain officials in the State Dept. had done an "outstanding job" in support of the family. However, he added, "There was not the same level of support from Congress."
Cindy Corrie, meanwhile, said the US ambassador to Israel, Daniel Shapiro, had informed the family this week that the US position on Israel's investigations remained unchanged. Shapiro was referring to remarks by a State Dept. official under the Bush administration who said Israel had failed to conduct a "thorough, credible and transparent" investigation, Corrie told reporters on a conference call.
State Dept. spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said Tuesday she could not comment on a closed meeting and declined to give an official position on the verdict. But she said the US understood the family's disappointment. "We reiterate our condolences to the Corrie family on the tragic death of their daughter," she said.
Baird, the former congressman, recalled being unprepared in 2003 for the extent of the antagonism he would face from Israeli officials and lobbyists after he proposed an independent investigation into the killing.
"Representatives of the Israeli government resisted providing full information, and in some cases provided false information," he said of the responses to his requests for information.
In one instance, "I was personally and repeatedly told by representatives of Israel and representatives of AIPAC that the bulldozer driver was suffering from a deep depression and undergoing therapy. That was in direct contrast to the (future) hearing where he implied he had little recollection of the event."
"At that time I was not saying Israel was culpable, but it was necessary to ask for an investigation ... We had a responsibility if it was any country -- friendly or unfriendly."
Ultimately, he said, the Corrie verdict put a spotlight on the many barriers to justice faced by Palestinians.
"This is not a rare event for Palestinians. Those individuals often get far less official due process. I trust that the Corries' motivation is partly to highlight this fundamental characteristic for Palestinians," he said. "I admire tremendously the Corrie family for pursuing it."
A retired 6-term congressman who represented slain activist Rachel Corrie's district said Thursday he was unsurprised by an Israeli court verdict to dismiss a civil suit filed by the family.
Democrat Brian Baird of Washington said the trial was undermined by Israel's failure to conduct a transparent investigation into the 2003 killing of his constituent in Gaza.
"The verdict was not a great surprise" because the outcome resulted from "a process that seemed designed to obfuscate the facts rather than clarify," the ex-lawmaker said in a telephone interview from Seattle.
"Sadly, as I've come to understand, this is standard operating procedure" for many complaints alleging Israeli military misconduct, he said. "The case was dismissed without proper consideration."
Baird, who served six terms in the US House of Representatives before retiring in 2010, was among the first officials to call for a US investigation into Corrie's death. No American inquiry was formed, but the former lawmaker has continued to support the family's fight for accountability in Israeli courts.
The suit by Cindy and Craig Corrie sought a symbolic $1 in damages for the death of their daughter, who was crushed to death by an armored bulldozer as she protested against home demolitions in Gaza. Their case accused Israel of intentional and unlawful killing and failing to investigate.
On Tuesday, a judge dismissed the suit and said Israel was not to blame for any "damages caused" as they occurred during wartime. He said Corrie's death was a "regrettable accident," and added that she "did not distance herself from the area, as any thinking person would have done."
Former President Jimmy Carter responded that the "killing of an American peace activist is unacceptable," and urged the US to use "all reasonable means to ensure that the rights of its citizens are protected overseas and that justice is done for the Corrie family."
Reactions to the verdict were muted in Washington. Israel enjoys considerable support from both major parties. Lawmakers are also preparing for a November presidential election.
The PLO general delegation to the US said it was "dismayed" by the Obama administration's silence.
"We strongly believe that the failure of US officials to support the Corries only sustains Israeli policies of harassment, intimidation, and coercion against American supporters of the Palestinian people," it said.
US position 'unchanged'
Baird too said he regretted that the case never became a top foreign policy priority.
"In the early days after Rachel's death, there was extraordinary compassion," he said, emphasizing that certain officials in the State Dept. had done an "outstanding job" in support of the family. However, he added, "There was not the same level of support from Congress."
Cindy Corrie, meanwhile, said the US ambassador to Israel, Daniel Shapiro, had informed the family this week that the US position on Israel's investigations remained unchanged. Shapiro was referring to remarks by a State Dept. official under the Bush administration who said Israel had failed to conduct a "thorough, credible and transparent" investigation, Corrie told reporters on a conference call.
State Dept. spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said Tuesday she could not comment on a closed meeting and declined to give an official position on the verdict. But she said the US understood the family's disappointment. "We reiterate our condolences to the Corrie family on the tragic death of their daughter," she said.
Baird, the former congressman, recalled being unprepared in 2003 for the extent of the antagonism he would face from Israeli officials and lobbyists after he proposed an independent investigation into the killing.
"Representatives of the Israeli government resisted providing full information, and in some cases provided false information," he said of the responses to his requests for information.
In one instance, "I was personally and repeatedly told by representatives of Israel and representatives of AIPAC that the bulldozer driver was suffering from a deep depression and undergoing therapy. That was in direct contrast to the (future) hearing where he implied he had little recollection of the event."
"At that time I was not saying Israel was culpable, but it was necessary to ask for an investigation ... We had a responsibility if it was any country -- friendly or unfriendly."
Ultimately, he said, the Corrie verdict put a spotlight on the many barriers to justice faced by Palestinians.
"This is not a rare event for Palestinians. Those individuals often get far less official due process. I trust that the Corries' motivation is partly to highlight this fundamental characteristic for Palestinians," he said. "I admire tremendously the Corrie family for pursuing it."
Carter Center Calls to Hold Israel Accountable for Corrie's Death
The Carter Center to advance peace and health worldwide issued a press release on Wednesday, in which it called to hold Israel accountable for the killing of Rachel Corrie.
Corrie was an American activist who was crushed to death by an Israeli bulldozer while she was peacefully participating in a demonstration to prevent the demolishing of Palestinians homes in the Gaza Strip in 2003.
On August 28, the district court in Israel ruled the State of Israel not responsible for the 2003 killing of Corrie.
The release said that Israel’s policy of home demolitions has been widely criticized by human rights organizations as a form of collective punishment.
“It violates Israel’s obligations under the Geneva Conventions. The Corrie family sued the state of Israel for $1 in damages plus legal expenses,” it said.
US Ambassador to Israel, Daniel Shapiro, and human rights groups and have criticized Israel’s investigation of the case for a lack of thoroughness, transparency, and credibility.
“The killing of an American peace activist is unacceptable,” said former US President Jimmy Carter. “The court’s decision confirms a climate of impunity, which facilitates Israeli human rights violations against Palestinian civilians in the Occupied Territory.”
Approximately 94 percent of Israeli military investigations of soldiers suspected of violent criminal activity against Palestinians and their property end without indictments, according to the Israeli human rights organization Yesh Din.
Moreover, 91 percent of investigations into crimes committed by Israeli civilians against Palestinians in the Occupied Territory also end without indictment. In this case, the district court judge ruled that the driver’s of the bulldozer could not see her, despite the eyewitness’s testimony that was contradictory.
In response to the verdict, Rachel Corrie’s parents Cindy and Craig stated “We are deeply saddened and troubled by what we heard today in the court of Judge Oded Gershon. This was a bad day! Not only for us, but for human rights, for humanity, the rule of law, and the country of Israel…Rachel was a human being who deserved accountability, and we as her family deserve that too.”
In contrast, the family of James Miller, an Emmy Award-winning British filmmaker killed by Israeli forces in Rafah two months after Corrie’s death, ultimately received over $2 million in damages from the Israeli government. The government of the United Kingdom had threatened to seek the extradition of the Israeli soldiers in question.
“I hope that the US government will use all reasonable means to ensure that the rights of American citizens are protected overseas and that justice is done for the Corries family,” said Carter.
Corrie was an American activist who was crushed to death by an Israeli bulldozer while she was peacefully participating in a demonstration to prevent the demolishing of Palestinians homes in the Gaza Strip in 2003.
On August 28, the district court in Israel ruled the State of Israel not responsible for the 2003 killing of Corrie.
The release said that Israel’s policy of home demolitions has been widely criticized by human rights organizations as a form of collective punishment.
“It violates Israel’s obligations under the Geneva Conventions. The Corrie family sued the state of Israel for $1 in damages plus legal expenses,” it said.
US Ambassador to Israel, Daniel Shapiro, and human rights groups and have criticized Israel’s investigation of the case for a lack of thoroughness, transparency, and credibility.
“The killing of an American peace activist is unacceptable,” said former US President Jimmy Carter. “The court’s decision confirms a climate of impunity, which facilitates Israeli human rights violations against Palestinian civilians in the Occupied Territory.”
Approximately 94 percent of Israeli military investigations of soldiers suspected of violent criminal activity against Palestinians and their property end without indictments, according to the Israeli human rights organization Yesh Din.
Moreover, 91 percent of investigations into crimes committed by Israeli civilians against Palestinians in the Occupied Territory also end without indictment. In this case, the district court judge ruled that the driver’s of the bulldozer could not see her, despite the eyewitness’s testimony that was contradictory.
In response to the verdict, Rachel Corrie’s parents Cindy and Craig stated “We are deeply saddened and troubled by what we heard today in the court of Judge Oded Gershon. This was a bad day! Not only for us, but for human rights, for humanity, the rule of law, and the country of Israel…Rachel was a human being who deserved accountability, and we as her family deserve that too.”
In contrast, the family of James Miller, an Emmy Award-winning British filmmaker killed by Israeli forces in Rafah two months after Corrie’s death, ultimately received over $2 million in damages from the Israeli government. The government of the United Kingdom had threatened to seek the extradition of the Israeli soldiers in question.
“I hope that the US government will use all reasonable means to ensure that the rights of American citizens are protected overseas and that justice is done for the Corries family,” said Carter.
UN Expert: “The Rachel Corrie Verdict, a Defeat for Justice and Accountability, a Victory for Impunity”
Thursday 30th August, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories, Richard Falk, condemned this week's ruling by an Israeli judge blocking a civil suit filed by the family of a young American activist killed by an Israeli bulldozer in Gaza, in 2003. This is his statement:
"On 28 August, the Haifa District Court in Israel dismissed a civil damages law suit initiated by the family of Rachel Corrie, a young American peace activist, who on March 16, 2003, was killed by an Israeli armed bulldozer in the Rafah region of Gaza. Judge Oded Gershon ruled that her death was 'a regrettable accident,' blaming the victim for her own death because 'any thinking person' would have stayed away. The judge's decision represents a defeat for justice and accountability, and a victory for impunity for the Israeli military.
Rachel Corrie was protesting the demolition of the home of the Nasrallah family in Rafah, where she had been a volunteer for the International Solidarity Movement. The court ignored the testimony of several eyewitnesses that, while non-violently protesting the demolition, Corrie was in the direct line of vision of the bulldozer driver and was wearing a bright florescent orange vest that made her clearly visible at the time of her gruesome death. Judge Gerson accepted the Israeli military's declaration that all of southern Gaza was 'a war zone,' in which security concerns were paramount and in which Israeli military commanders asserted that merely by being present, persons 'made themselves a target.'
The judge ruled that there were no grounds for imposing any penalty on Israel, exonerating both military and political officials, from those on the ground in Gaza driving the bulldozers and commanding the troops, to the highest levels of decision-making. In so doing, Judge Gershon seemed to endorse the view of a reportedly high-ranking officer who told the court that there are 'no civilians in war.'
Such a shocking rationale flies directly in the face of the Geneva Conventions, which impose on an occupying power an unconditional obligation to protect the civilian population. Additionally, by Article 10 of the Fourth Geneva Convention a humanitarian aid worker such as Rachel Corrie is specifically entitled to protection by occupying forces, and the house demolition itself seemed an unlawful encroachment on Article 147, which prohibits targeting civilian property, in this case a home belonging to a civilian pharmacist, his wife and children.
This is a sad outcome, above all for the Corrie family that had initiated the case back in 2005, but also for the rule of law and the hope that an Israeli court would place limits on the violence of the state, particularly in relation to innocent and unarmed civilians in an occupied territory.
Israeli governmental institutions have consistently embraced impunity and non-accountability in responding to well-documented violations of international humanitarian law and in many cases Israel's own criminal law. It is impossible to separate the outcome here from a pattern of similar results exonerating military actions and the political leaders who ordered them, in Israeli investigations of the killing of Palestinian civilians during the Operation Cast Lead attack on Gaza or the commando assault in 2010 on Turkish ships filled with activists bringing humanitarian supplies to the blockaded people of Gaza.
The Corrie family has announced their intention to appeal this verdict to the Israel Supreme Court. But it becomes a mockery of justice to leave their application to the partisan mercies of the Israeli judicial system. Even the U.S. ambassador to Israel told the Corrie family that Israel's military investigation, which Judge Gerson had approved, was not 'thorough, credible, and transparent.' Has not the time finally arrived where the states parties to the Geneva Conventions should act to fulfill their duty under Article 1 'to respect and ensure respect' for the obligations of the treaty 'under all circumstances."
"On 28 August, the Haifa District Court in Israel dismissed a civil damages law suit initiated by the family of Rachel Corrie, a young American peace activist, who on March 16, 2003, was killed by an Israeli armed bulldozer in the Rafah region of Gaza. Judge Oded Gershon ruled that her death was 'a regrettable accident,' blaming the victim for her own death because 'any thinking person' would have stayed away. The judge's decision represents a defeat for justice and accountability, and a victory for impunity for the Israeli military.
Rachel Corrie was protesting the demolition of the home of the Nasrallah family in Rafah, where she had been a volunteer for the International Solidarity Movement. The court ignored the testimony of several eyewitnesses that, while non-violently protesting the demolition, Corrie was in the direct line of vision of the bulldozer driver and was wearing a bright florescent orange vest that made her clearly visible at the time of her gruesome death. Judge Gerson accepted the Israeli military's declaration that all of southern Gaza was 'a war zone,' in which security concerns were paramount and in which Israeli military commanders asserted that merely by being present, persons 'made themselves a target.'
The judge ruled that there were no grounds for imposing any penalty on Israel, exonerating both military and political officials, from those on the ground in Gaza driving the bulldozers and commanding the troops, to the highest levels of decision-making. In so doing, Judge Gershon seemed to endorse the view of a reportedly high-ranking officer who told the court that there are 'no civilians in war.'
Such a shocking rationale flies directly in the face of the Geneva Conventions, which impose on an occupying power an unconditional obligation to protect the civilian population. Additionally, by Article 10 of the Fourth Geneva Convention a humanitarian aid worker such as Rachel Corrie is specifically entitled to protection by occupying forces, and the house demolition itself seemed an unlawful encroachment on Article 147, which prohibits targeting civilian property, in this case a home belonging to a civilian pharmacist, his wife and children.
This is a sad outcome, above all for the Corrie family that had initiated the case back in 2005, but also for the rule of law and the hope that an Israeli court would place limits on the violence of the state, particularly in relation to innocent and unarmed civilians in an occupied territory.
Israeli governmental institutions have consistently embraced impunity and non-accountability in responding to well-documented violations of international humanitarian law and in many cases Israel's own criminal law. It is impossible to separate the outcome here from a pattern of similar results exonerating military actions and the political leaders who ordered them, in Israeli investigations of the killing of Palestinian civilians during the Operation Cast Lead attack on Gaza or the commando assault in 2010 on Turkish ships filled with activists bringing humanitarian supplies to the blockaded people of Gaza.
The Corrie family has announced their intention to appeal this verdict to the Israel Supreme Court. But it becomes a mockery of justice to leave their application to the partisan mercies of the Israeli judicial system. Even the U.S. ambassador to Israel told the Corrie family that Israel's military investigation, which Judge Gerson had approved, was not 'thorough, credible, and transparent.' Has not the time finally arrived where the states parties to the Geneva Conventions should act to fulfill their duty under Article 1 'to respect and ensure respect' for the obligations of the treaty 'under all circumstances."
On Lieberman, the Corries and Shiite extremists
By Khalid Amayreh in occupied Jerusalem
The Zionist-Stalinist foreign minister of the apartheid Israeli regime is asking President Muhammed Mursi of Egypt to commit political and moral suicide by visiting Israel and holding meetings with its leaders who are actually certified war criminals, who carry on their dirty hands tons of innocent Arab, including Egyptian, blood.
Lieberman is by no means a normal human being. Even his colleagues in the Knesset or Israeli parliament call him a thug in a politician's clothes. One Arab Knesset member referred to the fascist-minded minister as a "real thug disguised as a politician."
Lieberman has a long history of moral depravity and political gangsterism. About two decades ago, he physically assaulted a child, claiming the school kid beat his son. During the second intifada or Palestinian uprising against the Israeli occupation 2000-05), he urged the Israeli air-force to carry out sustained aerial bombing of Palestinian streets, grocery stores, banks, schools, and community center in order to force as many Palestinians as possible to leave their homes.
"Carry out the bombing while keeping the border crossings opened," he said during an Israeli cabinet session.
A few years later, he proposed that the Israeli government "dump" all Palestinian political and resistance prisoners into the Dead Sea.
In fact, Lieberman's morbid thoughts have a beginning but have no end. The man is simply a criminal, evil beast walking on two legs. In truth, had Lieberman been living in a country that respects itself, he probably would have found his way behind bars a long time ago.
But Israel is a racist entity par excellence; it is a country where "politicians" like Lieberman seek and find personal and ideological fulfillment.
And now the thuggish foreign minister has the audacity to invite President Mursi to have audience with nefarious child killers such as Shimon Peres, Benyamin Netanyahu and himself.
Has Lieberman forgotten that a visit by the elected leader of the most important Arab country would decapitate Mursi's political career once and for all? The visit would have disastrous moral ramifications for many years to come, so much so that Mursi and the Muslim Brothers would have a hard time looking any Egyptian, Arab or Muslim in the Eye as a result of the monumental shame and embarrassment the Islamist camp would suffer.
Indeed, the catastrophic legacy that such a visit would bequeath would keep the Islamists busy for half a century to fix the damage.
We know quite well that Mursi is not a naïve leader, and we know that the imminent president of the largest Arab country wouldn't even pay the slightest attention to Lieberman's inauspicious invitation.
In the final analysis, there is a gulf of blood and fire between Muslims and Israel. This gulf would have to be bridged before real peace can be achieved in the region.
The slate would have to be made thoroughly clean first, Mr. Evet, and you might even have to return home to Moldova before Muhammed Mursi could ever set foot in occupied Palestine.
The Corries face to face with Israeli racism
The family of Rachel Corrie, the young American peace activist who was crushed by an Israeli army bulldozer during a 2003 demonstration in the occupied Gaza Strip, has been facing a really unenviable situation, having to be affronted face to face with the brutal ugliness of Israeli Jewish racism.
An Israeli civil court in Haifa this week exonerated the Israeli occupation army in the murderous death of Rachel Corrie.
The decision, say observers who have been closely monitoring the Corrie case, underscores the ignominious subservience of the Israeli justice system to the Israeli military dictatorship.
It also affirms the enormity of the anti-gentile hatred infesting the collective Israeli psyche at a time when Israel is becoming more Talmudic (e.g. more fascist) and drastically less democratic.
In recent years, many rabbis of influence have made seriously scandalous statements denigrating even negating the humanity of non-Jews. For example, Ovadia Yosef, one of the most prominent and influential religious figures in Israel was quoted as saying that non-Jews were created by the Almighty for no reason other than serving Jews, the Master Race.
Another rabbi affiliated with the Nazi-like Chabad cult went as far as saying that according to the Talmud, it was perfectly permissible for a Jew to murder a gentile in order to harvest his or her organ if the Jew needed one.
The Corries deserve our sympathy and empathy. Their daughter has actually been murdered twice by the evil entity called Israel, which unfortunately controls the American political arena in no superficial manner: First time when the young activist was crushed by the American-manufactured bulldozer in 2003 and, second, this week by the racist Israeli court, which acquitted the murderers of any wrong doing.
We Palestinians are too familiar with the racist criminality of the Israeli justice system. Thousands upon thousands of Palestinian civilians, including children, were likewise murdered twice, first by the Nazi-like Israeli soldiers and settlers, and, second, by Zionist "judges," who believe that the very life of a gentile has no sanctity.
Three years before I was born in 1957, Israeli troops murdered my three uncles near the village of al-Burj, 24 kms south west of Hebron. Fifty eight years later, Israel is yet to even acknowledge the heinous crime let alone issue a simple mea culpa. When will Jews apologize for crimes committed by Jews against gentiles? Perhaps when kosher pigs would fly!!
Shiite extremists
In recent weeks, some ignorant Shiite extremists have been attacking and vilifying me personally for my principled stance in support of the Syrian revolution against the cultic, murderous and sectarian regime of Bashar el-Assad.
The media thugs, who are likely to be hired and paid by Hizbullah and/or the Iranian intelligence, have also been bad-mouthing prominent Muslim scholars, such as Sheikh Yousef al Qaradawi, as well as Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood, calling Sunni Islamic groups "the Ikhwan of America." Qaradawi has been called the "NATO sheikh" and the Syrian freedom-fighters called "America's fighters."
The dark embrace between Iran and the Syrian regime, which is carrying out a real genocide against its own people, leaves no choice for honest people, irrespective of religion, culture and race, but to identify with the oppressed people of Syria.
Siding with the regime only spells moral depravity and bankruptcy. Indeed, identifying with Bashar el Assad's genocidal cult is tantamount to entering into an alliance with Hitler, Stalin and other mass murderers throughout history.
I hope and pray that these media thugs don't represent Shiites everywhere. Eventually, we have to draw a line of distinction between the Shiites of Muhammed and the Shiites of Iblis (the devil.) Unfortunately, in light of the hard evidence available, we have no choice but to consider the murderers of our people in Syria as the soldiers of Satan.
Needless to say, those who decapitate toddlers and children and rape women in Syria and then shout rather hysterically Hussein! Abbas! Mahdi! have lost not only their Islam, but their humanity as well.
Some of these fanatical ignoramuses try to hide behind the thin façade of the Palestine cause as well as anti-Americanism and anti-Zionism.
But this is exactly the ultimate insult to Palestinians and their enduring, just cause. Well, since when exterminating the Sunni Muslims of Syria, on the ground that they are no longer willing to tolerate the Alawite tyrant, was a sine qua non for liberating Palestine and combating American imperialism and Zionism?
The truth of the matter is that Shiite fanatics who embrace the evil regime of Assad are destroying all bridges with their Sunni Muslim brothers, which means that they only have themselves to harm.
Assad and his nefarious cultic regime will ultimately be consigned to the dustbin of history sooner or later. But history will document the fact that the bulk of Shiites, including Iran and Hizbullah, chose to side with the butcher of Damascus, purely for sectarian considerations. The Shiites will only have themselves to blame.
The Zionist-Stalinist foreign minister of the apartheid Israeli regime is asking President Muhammed Mursi of Egypt to commit political and moral suicide by visiting Israel and holding meetings with its leaders who are actually certified war criminals, who carry on their dirty hands tons of innocent Arab, including Egyptian, blood.
Lieberman is by no means a normal human being. Even his colleagues in the Knesset or Israeli parliament call him a thug in a politician's clothes. One Arab Knesset member referred to the fascist-minded minister as a "real thug disguised as a politician."
Lieberman has a long history of moral depravity and political gangsterism. About two decades ago, he physically assaulted a child, claiming the school kid beat his son. During the second intifada or Palestinian uprising against the Israeli occupation 2000-05), he urged the Israeli air-force to carry out sustained aerial bombing of Palestinian streets, grocery stores, banks, schools, and community center in order to force as many Palestinians as possible to leave their homes.
"Carry out the bombing while keeping the border crossings opened," he said during an Israeli cabinet session.
A few years later, he proposed that the Israeli government "dump" all Palestinian political and resistance prisoners into the Dead Sea.
In fact, Lieberman's morbid thoughts have a beginning but have no end. The man is simply a criminal, evil beast walking on two legs. In truth, had Lieberman been living in a country that respects itself, he probably would have found his way behind bars a long time ago.
But Israel is a racist entity par excellence; it is a country where "politicians" like Lieberman seek and find personal and ideological fulfillment.
And now the thuggish foreign minister has the audacity to invite President Mursi to have audience with nefarious child killers such as Shimon Peres, Benyamin Netanyahu and himself.
Has Lieberman forgotten that a visit by the elected leader of the most important Arab country would decapitate Mursi's political career once and for all? The visit would have disastrous moral ramifications for many years to come, so much so that Mursi and the Muslim Brothers would have a hard time looking any Egyptian, Arab or Muslim in the Eye as a result of the monumental shame and embarrassment the Islamist camp would suffer.
Indeed, the catastrophic legacy that such a visit would bequeath would keep the Islamists busy for half a century to fix the damage.
We know quite well that Mursi is not a naïve leader, and we know that the imminent president of the largest Arab country wouldn't even pay the slightest attention to Lieberman's inauspicious invitation.
In the final analysis, there is a gulf of blood and fire between Muslims and Israel. This gulf would have to be bridged before real peace can be achieved in the region.
The slate would have to be made thoroughly clean first, Mr. Evet, and you might even have to return home to Moldova before Muhammed Mursi could ever set foot in occupied Palestine.
The Corries face to face with Israeli racism
The family of Rachel Corrie, the young American peace activist who was crushed by an Israeli army bulldozer during a 2003 demonstration in the occupied Gaza Strip, has been facing a really unenviable situation, having to be affronted face to face with the brutal ugliness of Israeli Jewish racism.
An Israeli civil court in Haifa this week exonerated the Israeli occupation army in the murderous death of Rachel Corrie.
The decision, say observers who have been closely monitoring the Corrie case, underscores the ignominious subservience of the Israeli justice system to the Israeli military dictatorship.
It also affirms the enormity of the anti-gentile hatred infesting the collective Israeli psyche at a time when Israel is becoming more Talmudic (e.g. more fascist) and drastically less democratic.
In recent years, many rabbis of influence have made seriously scandalous statements denigrating even negating the humanity of non-Jews. For example, Ovadia Yosef, one of the most prominent and influential religious figures in Israel was quoted as saying that non-Jews were created by the Almighty for no reason other than serving Jews, the Master Race.
Another rabbi affiliated with the Nazi-like Chabad cult went as far as saying that according to the Talmud, it was perfectly permissible for a Jew to murder a gentile in order to harvest his or her organ if the Jew needed one.
The Corries deserve our sympathy and empathy. Their daughter has actually been murdered twice by the evil entity called Israel, which unfortunately controls the American political arena in no superficial manner: First time when the young activist was crushed by the American-manufactured bulldozer in 2003 and, second, this week by the racist Israeli court, which acquitted the murderers of any wrong doing.
We Palestinians are too familiar with the racist criminality of the Israeli justice system. Thousands upon thousands of Palestinian civilians, including children, were likewise murdered twice, first by the Nazi-like Israeli soldiers and settlers, and, second, by Zionist "judges," who believe that the very life of a gentile has no sanctity.
Three years before I was born in 1957, Israeli troops murdered my three uncles near the village of al-Burj, 24 kms south west of Hebron. Fifty eight years later, Israel is yet to even acknowledge the heinous crime let alone issue a simple mea culpa. When will Jews apologize for crimes committed by Jews against gentiles? Perhaps when kosher pigs would fly!!
Shiite extremists
In recent weeks, some ignorant Shiite extremists have been attacking and vilifying me personally for my principled stance in support of the Syrian revolution against the cultic, murderous and sectarian regime of Bashar el-Assad.
The media thugs, who are likely to be hired and paid by Hizbullah and/or the Iranian intelligence, have also been bad-mouthing prominent Muslim scholars, such as Sheikh Yousef al Qaradawi, as well as Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood, calling Sunni Islamic groups "the Ikhwan of America." Qaradawi has been called the "NATO sheikh" and the Syrian freedom-fighters called "America's fighters."
The dark embrace between Iran and the Syrian regime, which is carrying out a real genocide against its own people, leaves no choice for honest people, irrespective of religion, culture and race, but to identify with the oppressed people of Syria.
Siding with the regime only spells moral depravity and bankruptcy. Indeed, identifying with Bashar el Assad's genocidal cult is tantamount to entering into an alliance with Hitler, Stalin and other mass murderers throughout history.
I hope and pray that these media thugs don't represent Shiites everywhere. Eventually, we have to draw a line of distinction between the Shiites of Muhammed and the Shiites of Iblis (the devil.) Unfortunately, in light of the hard evidence available, we have no choice but to consider the murderers of our people in Syria as the soldiers of Satan.
Needless to say, those who decapitate toddlers and children and rape women in Syria and then shout rather hysterically Hussein! Abbas! Mahdi! have lost not only their Islam, but their humanity as well.
Some of these fanatical ignoramuses try to hide behind the thin façade of the Palestine cause as well as anti-Americanism and anti-Zionism.
But this is exactly the ultimate insult to Palestinians and their enduring, just cause. Well, since when exterminating the Sunni Muslims of Syria, on the ground that they are no longer willing to tolerate the Alawite tyrant, was a sine qua non for liberating Palestine and combating American imperialism and Zionism?
The truth of the matter is that Shiite fanatics who embrace the evil regime of Assad are destroying all bridges with their Sunni Muslim brothers, which means that they only have themselves to harm.
Assad and his nefarious cultic regime will ultimately be consigned to the dustbin of history sooner or later. But history will document the fact that the bulk of Shiites, including Iran and Hizbullah, chose to side with the butcher of Damascus, purely for sectarian considerations. The Shiites will only have themselves to blame.
Resheq: Judaization policy will not succeed in changing facts
Izzat al-Resheq, Hamas political bureau member, confirmed that the Israeli policy of Judaization and falsification of history will not succeed in changing facts.
Resheq denounced the recent Israeli Judaization project at Umayyad palaces near al-Aqsa mosque and others. He stressed that such Judaization and falsification projects will not succeed to change Jerusalem's Arab and Islamic features.
On the other hand, he described the Israeli Central Court in Haifa's decision to exonerate the Israeli occupation army of the murder of American activist Rachel Corrie as a disgrace to the international human rights treaties.
He noted that the court's decision will not stop the human activists' supportive campaigns in solidarity with the Palestinian people and against the occupation's criminal policies.
PLO office in US 'appalled' by Corrie verdict
The General Delegation of the PLO to the US said Wednesday it was "appalled" by the outcome of a civil trial seeking accountability for the killing of American peace activist Rachel Corrie.
The US mission in Washington "is appalled, though not surprised, by the verdict of Israeli Haifa district court to exonerate the Israeli armed forces in the case of Rachel Corrie," a statement said.
"The verdict shows the extent of impunity the Israeli judicial system is providing to those who commit crimes against Palestinians and international supporters."
The PLO mission also criticized the "silence" of the Obama administration and lawmakers.
"Rachel Corrie was an American citizen who supported the Palestinian people in their struggle against Israeli collective punishment policies of home demolition," the statement said.
The mission is "dismayed by the silence of US officials from the administration and Congress. We strongly believe that the failure of US officials to support the Corries only sustains Israeli policies of harassment, intimidation, and coercion against American supporters of the Palestinian people."
Resheq denounced the recent Israeli Judaization project at Umayyad palaces near al-Aqsa mosque and others. He stressed that such Judaization and falsification projects will not succeed to change Jerusalem's Arab and Islamic features.
On the other hand, he described the Israeli Central Court in Haifa's decision to exonerate the Israeli occupation army of the murder of American activist Rachel Corrie as a disgrace to the international human rights treaties.
He noted that the court's decision will not stop the human activists' supportive campaigns in solidarity with the Palestinian people and against the occupation's criminal policies.
PLO office in US 'appalled' by Corrie verdict
The General Delegation of the PLO to the US said Wednesday it was "appalled" by the outcome of a civil trial seeking accountability for the killing of American peace activist Rachel Corrie.
The US mission in Washington "is appalled, though not surprised, by the verdict of Israeli Haifa district court to exonerate the Israeli armed forces in the case of Rachel Corrie," a statement said.
"The verdict shows the extent of impunity the Israeli judicial system is providing to those who commit crimes against Palestinians and international supporters."
The PLO mission also criticized the "silence" of the Obama administration and lawmakers.
"Rachel Corrie was an American citizen who supported the Palestinian people in their struggle against Israeli collective punishment policies of home demolition," the statement said.
The mission is "dismayed by the silence of US officials from the administration and Congress. We strongly believe that the failure of US officials to support the Corries only sustains Israeli policies of harassment, intimidation, and coercion against American supporters of the Palestinian people."
29 aug 2012
Rachel Corrie verdict highlights impunity for Israeli military
Rachel Corrie was killed by an Israeli bulldozer in 2003 as she tried to stop it from destroying a Palestinian house in the Gaza Strip
Amnesty International condemns an Israeli court’s verdict that the government of Israel bears no responsibility in the death of Rachel Corrie, saying the verdict continues the pattern of impunity for Israeli military violations against civilians and human rights defenders in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT).
The verdict shields Israeli military personnel from accountability and ignores deep flaws in the Israeli military’s internal investigation of Corrie’s death.
“Rachel Corrie was a peaceful American protester who was killed while attempting to protect a Palestinian home from the crushing force of an Israeli military bulldozer,” said Sanjeev Bery, Middle East and North Africa advocacy director for Amnesty International USA.
“More than nine years after Corrie’s death, the Israeli authorities still have not delivered on promises to conduct a 'thorough, credible and transparent' investigation. Instead, an Israeli court has upheld the flawed military investigation and issued a verdict that once again shields the Israeli military from any accountability."
The verdict, issued by Judge Oded Gershon in the Haifa District Court, maintains that the Israeli military is not responsible for "damages caused" because the D9 Caterpillar bulldozer was engaged in a combat operation in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on 16 March, 2003.
International humanitarian law prohibits the destruction of property unless required by imperative military necessity, and requires that in any military operation, constant care is taken to protect civilians.
“Rachel Corrie was clearly identifiable as a civilian, as she was wearing a fluorescent orange vest when she was killed,” said Bery.
“She and other non-violent activists had been peacefully demonstrating against the demolitions for hours when the Israeli military bulldozer ran over her.”
By upholding the flawed Israeli military investigation, completed within one month of Rachel Corrie’s death in 2003, the verdict seems to have ignored substantial evidence presented to the court, including by eyewitnesses. The full military investigation has never been made public, but US government officials have stated that they do not believe the investigation was 'thorough, credible and transparent.'
Amnesty International has made similar criticisms of Israel’s system of military investigations for many years. For example, the organization has monitored the investigations carried out by IDF commanders and the Israeli military police into violations during Operation "Cast Lead", launched by Israeli forces on 27 December 2008, in which hundreds of unarmed civilians in the Gaza Strip were killed.
Israel’s military investigations have lacked independence, impartiality, transparency, appropriate expertise and sufficient investigatory powers. The failure of both Israel and the Hamas de facto administration to conduct credible investigations into violations committed during the conflict led Amnesty International to call for the Gaza situation to be referred to the International Criminal Court.
Palestinian civilians from the OPT are killed or injured by the Israeli military all too frequently, but they face significant barriers in accessing Israeli civil courts, which means that Israeli civil courts rarely examine the killings of civilians in the OPT, particularly those in Gaza. Steep court fees required of claimants before the case can begin are beyond the means of most Palestinians. As part of Israel’s continuing closure of the Gaza Strip, the Israeli authorities deny Palestinian victims or witnesses from Gaza permission to enter Israel to testify in court, lawyers from Gaza cannot represent clients before Israeli courts, and Israeli lawyers cannot enter Gaza to meet with clients.
Amnesty International has repeatedly condemned Israel’s policy of demolishing homes and other structures in the OPT, but demolitions are still routine in the occupied West Bank. More than 600 structures were demolished in 2011, resulting in the forcible eviction of almost 1,100 people. In the first seven months of 2012, the Israeli military demolished 327 structures in the West Bank, displacing 575 people, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
Amnesty International condemns an Israeli court’s verdict that the government of Israel bears no responsibility in the death of Rachel Corrie, saying the verdict continues the pattern of impunity for Israeli military violations against civilians and human rights defenders in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT).
The verdict shields Israeli military personnel from accountability and ignores deep flaws in the Israeli military’s internal investigation of Corrie’s death.
“Rachel Corrie was a peaceful American protester who was killed while attempting to protect a Palestinian home from the crushing force of an Israeli military bulldozer,” said Sanjeev Bery, Middle East and North Africa advocacy director for Amnesty International USA.
“More than nine years after Corrie’s death, the Israeli authorities still have not delivered on promises to conduct a 'thorough, credible and transparent' investigation. Instead, an Israeli court has upheld the flawed military investigation and issued a verdict that once again shields the Israeli military from any accountability."
The verdict, issued by Judge Oded Gershon in the Haifa District Court, maintains that the Israeli military is not responsible for "damages caused" because the D9 Caterpillar bulldozer was engaged in a combat operation in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on 16 March, 2003.
International humanitarian law prohibits the destruction of property unless required by imperative military necessity, and requires that in any military operation, constant care is taken to protect civilians.
“Rachel Corrie was clearly identifiable as a civilian, as she was wearing a fluorescent orange vest when she was killed,” said Bery.
“She and other non-violent activists had been peacefully demonstrating against the demolitions for hours when the Israeli military bulldozer ran over her.”
By upholding the flawed Israeli military investigation, completed within one month of Rachel Corrie’s death in 2003, the verdict seems to have ignored substantial evidence presented to the court, including by eyewitnesses. The full military investigation has never been made public, but US government officials have stated that they do not believe the investigation was 'thorough, credible and transparent.'
Amnesty International has made similar criticisms of Israel’s system of military investigations for many years. For example, the organization has monitored the investigations carried out by IDF commanders and the Israeli military police into violations during Operation "Cast Lead", launched by Israeli forces on 27 December 2008, in which hundreds of unarmed civilians in the Gaza Strip were killed.
Israel’s military investigations have lacked independence, impartiality, transparency, appropriate expertise and sufficient investigatory powers. The failure of both Israel and the Hamas de facto administration to conduct credible investigations into violations committed during the conflict led Amnesty International to call for the Gaza situation to be referred to the International Criminal Court.
Palestinian civilians from the OPT are killed or injured by the Israeli military all too frequently, but they face significant barriers in accessing Israeli civil courts, which means that Israeli civil courts rarely examine the killings of civilians in the OPT, particularly those in Gaza. Steep court fees required of claimants before the case can begin are beyond the means of most Palestinians. As part of Israel’s continuing closure of the Gaza Strip, the Israeli authorities deny Palestinian victims or witnesses from Gaza permission to enter Israel to testify in court, lawyers from Gaza cannot represent clients before Israeli courts, and Israeli lawyers cannot enter Gaza to meet with clients.
Amnesty International has repeatedly condemned Israel’s policy of demolishing homes and other structures in the OPT, but demolitions are still routine in the occupied West Bank. More than 600 structures were demolished in 2011, resulting in the forcible eviction of almost 1,100 people. In the first seven months of 2012, the Israeli military demolished 327 structures in the West Bank, displacing 575 people, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
