16 may 2011
|
|
Zionists alter law to protect themselves
The Israeli lobby’s influence over US, UK and EU politics persuades changes to the law in such countries to protect Israel against prosecution for war crimes.
Press TV talks with James Thring, peace activist from the UK in its Tehran studio about the ongoing NAKBA of Palestine 63 years after the Palestinian exodus of 1948. Following is a transcript of that interview. Press TV: A situation happened Sunday in the Golan Heights and in the southern Lebanon area with the Israelis firing upon Palestinian protesters on the other side of the border. Are you surprised as some twelve people have been killed and many others injured? James Thring Well I am surprised, but one shouldn’t be because it’s been going on for 63 years. I think it is also surprising that NATO can be driven to bomb, to stop Colonel Gaddafi from flying over his people because he’s allegedly killing them, but there’s no question of NATO overflying Israel and stopping the Israelis killing Palestinians. Press TV: What is the difference — what do you think? James Thring It’s because the Israeli lobby is so powerful particularly in America, but also in Great Britain and in other parts of Europe. In fact I would say they have a fairly good grip in nearly all the Western countries. They can whisper in the ear of the governing party and say you’d better go and deal with Colonel Gaddafi. And when they turn around and say wouldn’t you like to deal with the Palestinian issue first because after all we helped you to get into Palestine. They say oh no that’s justified because the Palestinians are terrorists, or the Palestinians are a threat to our |
existence. Never mind the fact that they’re not legally in the West Bank in the first place let alone Gaza where they’re killing people every day so it’s not a surprise from that point of view.
Press TV: In the West there is such empathy for the Israelis and there seems to be such a negative perspective about what the Palestinians are trying to do in their efforts to get their land back. What exactly has happened that we’ve gotten to this point?
James Thring I think the short answer is that with exceptions of independent-minded media like yourselves and Russian television and one or two other international television stations, the Israeli lobby — I like to call them that for convenience — has managed to dominate either by fear or finance most of the other television stations around the world; it doesn’t include China, but maybe that won’t be long.
The essence of that statement is that anybody who accuses the Israelis of a war crime or crimes against humanity or even tries to show that what they’ve done in an extreme case like the bombarding of Gaza in the Christmas of 89, that brings threats of withdrawal of finance; people lose their jobs over it, and they’re reported to the Press Complaints Commission as Press TV knows to its cost.
So there’s an extreme form of protection of whatever the Israelis do. It’s backed up of course by governments who readily accept that if there’s a complaint it must go through; in the case of the UK it would be reviewed at the parliamentary committee that deals with the media.
There’s even an anti-Semitic committee now that deals with anti-Semitism. Even though ironically most of the Palestinians are Semitic and three quarters of the Jewish people are not because they’ve come from Khazaria and via Russia and Europe. So it’s a misnomer. But it’s used anyway and it’s a very frightening label…
Press TV: What is the answer? What at this point in time must be done in order to actually get the word out?
James Thring Well, I have faith in legal action. And we’ve just seen how Dominic Strauss Khan has been arrested on his way out of America for (allegedly) raping a lady. Now, if we can arrest him and the Israelis can arrest Mr. Katsav (ex-president) of Israel for a similar offense and there have been other people — even Netanyahu has been investigated for crimes of financial fraud — If that can happen on a small scale surely the war crimes that happen every day; the crimes against humanity — I would call it genocide actually because they are really secretly trying to wipe the Palestinians off the land.
That’s the hidden agenda that Herzl had in his mind when he set out the Judent stat. And I think it’s been reinforced by a number of Israeli presidents since and particularly (former prime minister) Baegin.
That constitutes a very cogent crime — a series of crimes that could be taken to the international court. You can’t go there until you’ve exhausted all national courts unless you get permission from the UN Security Council, which is unlikely with American Jewish domination.
But anybody round the world can go to their own court and ask for a writ for any Israeli general or known war criminal in the army or the government and it has happened in fact. Another brave Jewish solicitor Daniel Makover has nearly succeeded in the case of (Doran) Almog and Tzippy Livni and now they’re changing the law so it can’t be done by people like him anymore.
Which again reveals the power of these people in the government — they can get the law changed so their crimes can be protected from the law.
Press TV: In the West there is such empathy for the Israelis and there seems to be such a negative perspective about what the Palestinians are trying to do in their efforts to get their land back. What exactly has happened that we’ve gotten to this point?
James Thring I think the short answer is that with exceptions of independent-minded media like yourselves and Russian television and one or two other international television stations, the Israeli lobby — I like to call them that for convenience — has managed to dominate either by fear or finance most of the other television stations around the world; it doesn’t include China, but maybe that won’t be long.
The essence of that statement is that anybody who accuses the Israelis of a war crime or crimes against humanity or even tries to show that what they’ve done in an extreme case like the bombarding of Gaza in the Christmas of 89, that brings threats of withdrawal of finance; people lose their jobs over it, and they’re reported to the Press Complaints Commission as Press TV knows to its cost.
So there’s an extreme form of protection of whatever the Israelis do. It’s backed up of course by governments who readily accept that if there’s a complaint it must go through; in the case of the UK it would be reviewed at the parliamentary committee that deals with the media.
There’s even an anti-Semitic committee now that deals with anti-Semitism. Even though ironically most of the Palestinians are Semitic and three quarters of the Jewish people are not because they’ve come from Khazaria and via Russia and Europe. So it’s a misnomer. But it’s used anyway and it’s a very frightening label…
Press TV: What is the answer? What at this point in time must be done in order to actually get the word out?
James Thring Well, I have faith in legal action. And we’ve just seen how Dominic Strauss Khan has been arrested on his way out of America for (allegedly) raping a lady. Now, if we can arrest him and the Israelis can arrest Mr. Katsav (ex-president) of Israel for a similar offense and there have been other people — even Netanyahu has been investigated for crimes of financial fraud — If that can happen on a small scale surely the war crimes that happen every day; the crimes against humanity — I would call it genocide actually because they are really secretly trying to wipe the Palestinians off the land.
That’s the hidden agenda that Herzl had in his mind when he set out the Judent stat. And I think it’s been reinforced by a number of Israeli presidents since and particularly (former prime minister) Baegin.
That constitutes a very cogent crime — a series of crimes that could be taken to the international court. You can’t go there until you’ve exhausted all national courts unless you get permission from the UN Security Council, which is unlikely with American Jewish domination.
But anybody round the world can go to their own court and ask for a writ for any Israeli general or known war criminal in the army or the government and it has happened in fact. Another brave Jewish solicitor Daniel Makover has nearly succeeded in the case of (Doran) Almog and Tzippy Livni and now they’re changing the law so it can’t be done by people like him anymore.
Which again reveals the power of these people in the government — they can get the law changed so their crimes can be protected from the law.
5 may 2011
Israeli military attaché skips UK visit
Israeli prime minister's military attaché Yohanan Locker
Israeli military attaché has failed to travel to London with his Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over fears that he will be arrested over Operation Cast Lead war crimes in Gaza.
Yohanan Locker played a major role during Israel's 22-day assault on the besieged Gaza Strip in 2008-2009 that killed over 1,400 Palestinian civilians.
Locker said he preferred to stay home because he feared arrest in Britain.
British law allows private citizens to secure arrest warrants for visiting foreign officials whom they accuse of war crimes or crimes against humanity, something pro-Palestinian activists have done in recent years.
Since several Israeli politicians and military officers cancelled trips to London, the British government, under Prime Minister David Cameron, has begun to enact legislation to curb British magistrates' universal jurisdiction powers.
The British Foreign Office had nothing to comment on the report as Britain is seeking an amendment to nullify the law that allows Israelis to be prosecuted in the UK for war crimes.
An amendment was approved by the House of Commons in the beginning of April. It has been sent to the House of Lords for final approval, which could take months.
Israeli military attaché has failed to travel to London with his Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over fears that he will be arrested over Operation Cast Lead war crimes in Gaza.
Yohanan Locker played a major role during Israel's 22-day assault on the besieged Gaza Strip in 2008-2009 that killed over 1,400 Palestinian civilians.
Locker said he preferred to stay home because he feared arrest in Britain.
British law allows private citizens to secure arrest warrants for visiting foreign officials whom they accuse of war crimes or crimes against humanity, something pro-Palestinian activists have done in recent years.
Since several Israeli politicians and military officers cancelled trips to London, the British government, under Prime Minister David Cameron, has begun to enact legislation to curb British magistrates' universal jurisdiction powers.
The British Foreign Office had nothing to comment on the report as Britain is seeking an amendment to nullify the law that allows Israelis to be prosecuted in the UK for war crimes.
An amendment was approved by the House of Commons in the beginning of April. It has been sent to the House of Lords for final approval, which could take months.
1 may 2011
Israel court dismisses petition for Gaza war victims
Israel's High Court on Thursday dismissed a petition filed on behalf of 1,046 victims of Israel's Operation Cast Lead offensive on the Gaza Strip, a human rights group said.
Palestinian Centre for Human Rights filed a petition in December to challenge the two-year statute of limitation imposed on compensation claims.
The organization said the two-year limit should not accrue until Israel's illegal closure of the Gaza Strip was lifted and residents of Gaza could access courts.
Due to Israel's siege, Gaza residents could not submit cases within two years.
According to Israeli law, PCHR should have had a right to reply to the State, however, the court dismissed the petition before hearing PCHR's reply, which is set to be heard on Tuesday.
The High Court's dismissal of the petition was a serious setback for victims' legitimate quest for accountability, the organization said.
PCHR outlined several ways in which the Israeli judiciary was complicit in the perpetuation of "a climate of pervasive impunity," which shielded soldiers who violated international law from justice.
Financial obstacles to justice
Israeli courts often require claimants to pay court insurance fees before a case can begin. In practice, this fee is always applied to Palestinians and is often set at thousands of dollars, PCHR said.
"In a recent case brought by PCHR, the claimants were required to pay an insurance fee of NIS 20,000 (US $5,600) for each of the five wrongful deaths claimed," PCHR said in a statement, noting that the fees were "an insurmountable obstacle to justice."
"Simply put, claimants from Gaza crippled by the economic devastation wrought by the occupation and the illegal closure cannot afford this fee and their cases are being dismissed and closed," the statement said.
Israel army denies victims access to court
Under Israeli law, the victim or witness must be present in court, but since June 2007, Israeli military authorities have not allowed a single individual to leave Gaza to appear in court despite having letters from the court requesting their presence, PCHR said.
"As a result, their cases are dismissed and closed," the organization said.
Meanwhile, PCHR's lawyers cannot enter Israel, so Israeli lawyers must be hired. However, clients cannot enter Israel to meet their lawyers, while Israeli lawyers cannot enter Gaza to meet their clients or visit the crime scene.
An accountability-free zone
The statute of limitations, imposed monetary barriers and the illegal blockade of Gaza combine to establish an 'accountability-free zone" in the Gaza Strip "wherein Israeli forces are free to violate international law without consequence," PCHR said.
The organization noted that the UN fact-finding mission on the December 2008 offensive on Gaza concluded that the series of acts which limited Palestinians' access to justice "could amount to persecution, a crime against humanity."
PCHR's petition was filed on behalf of some of the most infamous cases of the 22-day offensive, including the Samouni family which lost 29 members in one airstrike. Prior to the strike, soldiers had ordered the family to stay in the home.
More than 1,400 Palestinians were killed during the offensive, most of whom were civilians.
Palestinian Centre for Human Rights filed a petition in December to challenge the two-year statute of limitation imposed on compensation claims.
The organization said the two-year limit should not accrue until Israel's illegal closure of the Gaza Strip was lifted and residents of Gaza could access courts.
Due to Israel's siege, Gaza residents could not submit cases within two years.
According to Israeli law, PCHR should have had a right to reply to the State, however, the court dismissed the petition before hearing PCHR's reply, which is set to be heard on Tuesday.
The High Court's dismissal of the petition was a serious setback for victims' legitimate quest for accountability, the organization said.
PCHR outlined several ways in which the Israeli judiciary was complicit in the perpetuation of "a climate of pervasive impunity," which shielded soldiers who violated international law from justice.
Financial obstacles to justice
Israeli courts often require claimants to pay court insurance fees before a case can begin. In practice, this fee is always applied to Palestinians and is often set at thousands of dollars, PCHR said.
"In a recent case brought by PCHR, the claimants were required to pay an insurance fee of NIS 20,000 (US $5,600) for each of the five wrongful deaths claimed," PCHR said in a statement, noting that the fees were "an insurmountable obstacle to justice."
"Simply put, claimants from Gaza crippled by the economic devastation wrought by the occupation and the illegal closure cannot afford this fee and their cases are being dismissed and closed," the statement said.
Israel army denies victims access to court
Under Israeli law, the victim or witness must be present in court, but since June 2007, Israeli military authorities have not allowed a single individual to leave Gaza to appear in court despite having letters from the court requesting their presence, PCHR said.
"As a result, their cases are dismissed and closed," the organization said.
Meanwhile, PCHR's lawyers cannot enter Israel, so Israeli lawyers must be hired. However, clients cannot enter Israel to meet their lawyers, while Israeli lawyers cannot enter Gaza to meet their clients or visit the crime scene.
An accountability-free zone
The statute of limitations, imposed monetary barriers and the illegal blockade of Gaza combine to establish an 'accountability-free zone" in the Gaza Strip "wherein Israeli forces are free to violate international law without consequence," PCHR said.
The organization noted that the UN fact-finding mission on the December 2008 offensive on Gaza concluded that the series of acts which limited Palestinians' access to justice "could amount to persecution, a crime against humanity."
PCHR's petition was filed on behalf of some of the most infamous cases of the 22-day offensive, including the Samouni family which lost 29 members in one airstrike. Prior to the strike, soldiers had ordered the family to stay in the home.
More than 1,400 Palestinians were killed during the offensive, most of whom were civilians.
29 apr 2011
Paris trial: Al-Durrah beats Israeli doctor
Father of Intifada poster child wins libel lawsuit against Israeli orthopedic surgeon.
A French court ruled Friday against Dr. David Yehuda, an Israeli doctor who was sued for slander by Jamal al-Durrah, the father of Second Intifada symbol Muhammad al-Durrah.
The Israeli doctor, an orthopedic surgeon who operated Jamal al-Durrah, exposed details from his medical file and claimed that his scares were the result of a surgery, and were not caused by IDF fire.
Following the verdict, Dr. Yehuda said that he intends to appeal the sentence.
"In the past two years I've been fighting the State of Israel's just war. This is a terrible scam. I feel hurt and a personal sense of insult," he said. "Again they are trampling and twisting the truth can already see the negative results and a new wave of hatred to come out of Europe."
The Israeli doctor, who was ordered to pay 13,000 Euros in compensation, claimed that the ruling stemmed from political pressure.
"I expected integrity from France and from the judges, but this is disgusting. Another wave of terror attacks may result from this decision," he said.
The father of the 12-year-old Muhammad al-Durrah, killed on September 30, 2000, filed his libel suit after claiming that the doctor exposed personal details from his file and distorted facts about his scars.
The Israeli surgeon, who operated Jamal al-Durrah at an Israeli hospital, charged that he lied about his injuries. The wounds stemmed from an attack on al-Durrah by Hamas men and a subsequent surgery, Dr. Yehuda said. The doctor operated on al-Durrah after a failed surgery in Gaza in 1994.
Six years later, after Muhammad al-Durrah was killed on the second day of the Intifada and his father sustained serious wounds, Dr. Yehuda published details from the father's personal file in order to prove that his scars were not caused by IDF soldiers.
The Palestinians accused the IDF of killing Muhammad al-Durrah, but subsequent investigative reports reached the conclusion that the child was shot by the Palestinians. As result, a French TV station and crew were later accused of staging the incident.
A French court ruled Friday against Dr. David Yehuda, an Israeli doctor who was sued for slander by Jamal al-Durrah, the father of Second Intifada symbol Muhammad al-Durrah.
The Israeli doctor, an orthopedic surgeon who operated Jamal al-Durrah, exposed details from his medical file and claimed that his scares were the result of a surgery, and were not caused by IDF fire.
Following the verdict, Dr. Yehuda said that he intends to appeal the sentence.
"In the past two years I've been fighting the State of Israel's just war. This is a terrible scam. I feel hurt and a personal sense of insult," he said. "Again they are trampling and twisting the truth can already see the negative results and a new wave of hatred to come out of Europe."
The Israeli doctor, who was ordered to pay 13,000 Euros in compensation, claimed that the ruling stemmed from political pressure.
"I expected integrity from France and from the judges, but this is disgusting. Another wave of terror attacks may result from this decision," he said.
The father of the 12-year-old Muhammad al-Durrah, killed on September 30, 2000, filed his libel suit after claiming that the doctor exposed personal details from his file and distorted facts about his scars.
The Israeli surgeon, who operated Jamal al-Durrah at an Israeli hospital, charged that he lied about his injuries. The wounds stemmed from an attack on al-Durrah by Hamas men and a subsequent surgery, Dr. Yehuda said. The doctor operated on al-Durrah after a failed surgery in Gaza in 1994.
Six years later, after Muhammad al-Durrah was killed on the second day of the Intifada and his father sustained serious wounds, Dr. Yehuda published details from the father's personal file in order to prove that his scars were not caused by IDF soldiers.
The Palestinians accused the IDF of killing Muhammad al-Durrah, but subsequent investigative reports reached the conclusion that the child was shot by the Palestinians. As result, a French TV station and crew were later accused of staging the incident.
23 apr 2011
Israeli Genocide On Pesach
zionist colonists celebrating Pesach and drinking wine on Palestinian roof
Welcome to the big unknown prison in the occupied city of Hebron, watch this short video which was recorded during the zionist colonists celebration of Pesach, the jewish Passover holiday where they also celebrate the crucifixion of Jesus Christ (peace be upon him).
Forty thousand Palestinians live in this prison for the crime of being Palestinians and owning the houses and the land. The life of the human beings in Hebron is hostage to the whims of zionist soldiers who originate in the USA or the EU, unknown armed dregs, pillagers who control the lives of the Palestinians in heart of my homeland, Hebron.
Welcome to the big unknown prison in the occupied city of Hebron, watch this short video which was recorded during the zionist colonists celebration of Pesach, the jewish Passover holiday where they also celebrate the crucifixion of Jesus Christ (peace be upon him).
Forty thousand Palestinians live in this prison for the crime of being Palestinians and owning the houses and the land. The life of the human beings in Hebron is hostage to the whims of zionist soldiers who originate in the USA or the EU, unknown armed dregs, pillagers who control the lives of the Palestinians in heart of my homeland, Hebron.
|
A celebration
The israeli war criminal Ehud Barak who is always honored by the US government, the Pentagon and other serfs of zionism, is the criminal who issued the military orders to seal and block all roads and entrances to the inner city with iron gates and cement. The criminal left the keys of the metal doors of the city in the pockets of his riff-raff in uniform. Only these soldiers are allowed to open and to close the entrances of the city where the 40.000 Palestinians live. |
The soldiers close and open the doors according to the instructions of the military headquarter, now led by the war criminal Guy Hazut under command of Ehud Barak and the zionist organization, the so-called “state of israel” in Tel Aviv.
Certainly you have not heard before about human beings living in a city with closed streets, with cement walls and iron gates at all entrances, because this abnormal measure is a war crime, even the middle ages such criminal measures were unknown, but in Hebron they are implemented while US President Obama, who fawns before the war criminal Ehud Barak during his visits to the US, again and again, has not been telling Americans anything about this jail in Hebron while he send billions of US tax moneys to the zionist state.
Certainly you have not heard before about human beings living in a city with closed streets, with cement walls and iron gates at all entrances, because this abnormal measure is a war crime, even the middle ages such criminal measures were unknown, but in Hebron they are implemented while US President Obama, who fawns before the war criminal Ehud Barak during his visits to the US, again and again, has not been telling Americans anything about this jail in Hebron while he send billions of US tax moneys to the zionist state.
|
|
A long walk home from school
I leave you to watch this small video made by Americans from CPT. Under the film you can read the CPT press release.
The champion of the video is a little boy, “Yoseph”, of not even five years of age. In this film he symbolizes the suffering of the forty thousand Palestinians trapped inside their homes in the heart of Hebron. You will see its streets completely empty as if the city was not inhabited, as if it was a ghost town. This is GENOCIDE pure and simple, these are measures with the only purpose of destroying, impoverishing and slowly killing all Palestinians in hebron, and they are part of the daily life of every Palestinian, in Hebron and in other cities and towns where similar measures are implemented by the jewish invaders. |
|
This image shows what the zionist colinsts did to the Palestinian market in Hebron
The video shows “Yusuf” when he tried to walk home from school on the first day of the jewish Pesach on April 20 2011, when the israeli occupation presence in Hebron was heightened. |
The checkpoints (the iron gates in front of Yusuf’s house and around it, which he usually passes whenever he steps out of the house) were closed, so the boy tried some alternate routes before making it home. Watch this video to see a glimpse of the daily life for school kids in Hebron, occupied West Bank.
|
A riff-raff in uniform close the entrances of the city
On 20 and 21 April 2011, during the Jewish Passover holiday, the Israeli military closed all of the gates on the east side of the Old City souq in Al Khalil/Hebron. This severely restricted the movement of Palestinian residents in that area. One of those affected was Yusuf. Yusuf is five years old. Settlers on the roof He attends the kindergarten just across the landing from the CPT women’s apartment. He’s a bright little boy, who interprets in sign language for his mother, who is deaf. |
He has congenital physical difficulties: he has no left arm and one leg is significantly shorter than the other.
On 20 April two CPTers happened to meet up with Yusuf and his kindergarten teacher as she took him home after class. The teacher took him first to one gate. It was locked.
A soldier refused to open it and directed her to another locked gate. She walked there with Yusuf, and knocked at the gate. A soldier at that gate also refused to let them come through.
Yusuf’s teacher then went with him to the home of a Palestinian woman whose house has doors both into the souq and onto Shuhada Street. She kindly allows children and teachers to pass through her house when the military lock the gates. Through that circuitous route the teacher was finally able to take Yusuf to his home.
On 20 April two CPTers happened to meet up with Yusuf and his kindergarten teacher as she took him home after class. The teacher took him first to one gate. It was locked.
A soldier refused to open it and directed her to another locked gate. She walked there with Yusuf, and knocked at the gate. A soldier at that gate also refused to let them come through.
Yusuf’s teacher then went with him to the home of a Palestinian woman whose house has doors both into the souq and onto Shuhada Street. She kindly allows children and teachers to pass through her house when the military lock the gates. Through that circuitous route the teacher was finally able to take Yusuf to his home.
