Anti-Israel protests erupt around the world

As opposed to the shamefully weak reactions from world governments and the United Nations to the massacre in Gaza, what is heartening is that citizens from around the world, ordinary Earthlings, have expressed their shock and anger at the massacre perpetrated by the murderous Zionist state backed by the killer Bush regime.

Huge anti-Israel rallies have been organised in the U.S., the chief collaborator in the murders taking place in the Middle-East. In massive marches against the massacre in Gaza, protestors shouted slogans like “Free Free Palestine”, “Stop the massacre in Gaza”, “End the occupation of Palestine”, “Long Live Gaza” and “Not another nickel, not another dime; No more money for Israel’s crime”:

In addition to the Islamic world, protests have taken place from Argentina to Canada, from Japan to India and from Greece to Iceland, all across Europe:

I found this protest by Jews who are opposed to the crimes of the Zionist state very heartening:

Shame on Israel! Shame on the American government and other governments across the world that passively take part in this massacre by failing to stop it! Shame on the worthless United Nations! Shame on the Mubarak regime in Egypt that keeps the border with Gaza closed! And shame on all the vile, barbaric sadists who gleefully support state terrorism! Terrorism is the child of state terrorism and oppression. As long as state terrorism and oppression exist in this world, terrorism will continue to grow by leaps and bounds. What goes around comes around and those who unleash violence and oppression will have to face the effects of their own actions for generations to come.

Israel unleashes state terrorism on Gaza

At the end of a ceasefire with Hamas in the Gaza Strip, under the pretext of stopping home made rockets being fired on Israel, the Zionist state, with the backing of the United States of America, has unleashed state terrorism on Gaza. Israel had already turned Gaza into the largest open air prison in the world with its illegal economic blockade of Gaza. Having been crippled by a severe shortage of food, medicines, fuel, electricity and other essential commodities, Gazans are now being subjected to aerial bombardment of their small piece of land, one of the most densely populated areas in the world.

The humanitarian situation in Gaza is extremely terrible. Hundreds of civilians have been killed in the aerial bombardment and thousands have been wounded. Hospitals have been overwhelmed by the influx of severely injured patients and are struggling to cope due to the lack of medicines, electricity, fuel (to run generators), oxygen and water. The border with Egypt still remains closed. The international community remains a mute witness to the terrible suffering of the people of Gaza.

I re-post an article by Sameh Akram Habeeb, a Palestinian friend who lives in Gaza. Sameh is a photojournalist, peace activist and a humanitarian worker in Gaza. He gives a chilling account of the war on Gaza.

Day 6 of Israeli War On Gaza: More suffocating bombings claim lives of children, women

The scale of Israeli war escalated today by hitting more targets in various places across the occupied Gaza. The army opened the new year with more military fatal actions in Gaza leaving more people dead. Trauma cases raise up and more people are suffering from the air raids.

Many facets of harmed people can be found in Gaza. You either find a hit house with a dead one of the family or a hit house in which its residents traumatized and panics.

Buildings in Gaza lie in ruins due to Israeli bombardment . . .

Photo: Sameh A. Habeeb

For more photos by Sameh, please click here.

Casualties of Israeli heavy bombings reached 415 while wounded rise up to 2100 persons. Many wounded are in critical condition and there is no ability to respond to their deteriorated cases.

Israeli Foreign Affairs Minister, Tsivi Livini, declared that Israel is only targeting Hamas members indicating that Gaza doesn’t suffer from any shortages of humanitarian needs. However, the incoming humanitarian needs are not enough for the populations amounted of 1.5 million.

United nation debunks the allegation of Mrs. Livini and says the incoming materials are not enough. Gaza needs 100 vans of flour. Karin Abu zaid the general commissioner of UNRWA said also that around 20 thousand people face troubles in getting the food supplies.

Main Israeli Military Actions in Gaza:

Now: Loud bombings in all Gaza City and north of Gaza. Naval fire, F16s, Apaches and tanks heavily bombs many targets and darkness prevail Gaza.

*Israel asks International journalists and peace activists to leave Gaza tomorrow.

*Israeli army broke into local radios and tunes some statement for people.

*Israeli F16s destroyed civic defense station and a local organization in the north of Gaza city of Bait Hanon. Many houses partially destroyed.

*Rockets of F16s hit a target in Al Zaytoun area in Gaza City. More bombings in some areas west of Gaza City.

*Heavy bombings in East of Gaza. A house next to an ex-Hamas member destroyed in Al shja’ya area. No news about conditions of house residents.

*Israeli F16s bombed the run Palestinian legislative Council. The air raid destroyed half of the premises and caused massive damage in some of the neighboring houses.

*Israeli heavy artillery takes part in the military operation by hitting many targets in Gaza. Many parts in the eastern areas of Gaza were shelled.

*A house destroyed mid of Gaza city, Al Sabra Quarter, leaving around 13 injured. Most of the wounded are women and children who also turned traumatized.

*Israeli F16s raided on the house of Nizar Rayan, a Hamas key leader. The house is based in Jabalia camp where thousands live in that small refugee camp.

*Nine Palestinians between children and women killed due to the bombing of Rayan’s house. Some of the killed children were playing near the targeted house.

*Five houses partially damages while bombing Rayan’s house and several other got deadly shrapnel.

*Israeli heavy F16s’ rockets destroyed the Agricultural College of Bait Hanon, north of Gaza Strip.

*Israeli navy bombs Gaza shores and open its heavy fire on some buildings, boats and security offices. Many shells fall down behind some densely populated buildings north of Gaza.

*Trauma across the Nusairat Refugee Camp as Israel hit the house of Ahmed Abu Nader twice. The house was totally damaged while neighboring houses partially damaged.

*Israeli F16s raided on a house of Tawfiq Abu Al Ros, in Al Nusairat Refugee Camp. Many civilians injured.

* A house of Hani Abu Al Amrain in Al Shaikh Ridawan area bombed by Israeli Air forces. Medical sources reported that many wounded arrived at Al Shifa’ hospital.

*A number of wounded resulted in a rocket hit a house for a Hamas member in Rafah.

*Israeli Air forced totally destroyed two mosques by heavy rockets in Khan Yonis and Rafah cties.

*Few vans of aids, food stuff and medical aids arrived into Gaza. Arab governments to send urgent medical and food aids to Gaza. Airborne assistance expected to land in Al araish Egyptian airport near Gaza.

*Neither fuel, nor gasoline nor Benzin in Gaza. Power cuts up to 21 hours. All aspects of life are not longer available in Gaza.

*Neither spare parts nor Gasoline available to operate pumps of fresh water. A great number of Palestinians don’t have an easy access for fresh drinking water.

*Palestinian factions retaliate against Israeli air raids in Gaza. Around 50 homemade rockets fired into Israel with no casualties.

Sameh A. Habeeb, B.A.
Photojournalist & Peace Activist
Humanitarian, Child Relief Worker
Gaza Strip, Palestine
Mob: 00972599306096
Tel: 0097282802825
E-mail: Sam_hab@hotmail.com
Sameh.habeeb@gmail.com
Skype: Gazatoday, Facebook: Sameh A. habeeb
Web: www.gazatoday.blogspot.com
Daily Photos:http://picasaweb.google.com/sameh.habeeb

I thank Sameh for sharing the report and photograph. I hope the world acts immediately to put an end to the Israeli state terrorism on the hapless people of Gaza and ends the suffering of the Palestinian people.

For the latest on the situation in Gaza, please visit Sameh’s blog: Gaza Strip, the untold story.

The Taliban murder a brave woman in Kandahar

Lt. Col. Malalaï Kakar, the chief of the department of crimes against women of the Kandahar police force was murdered by scum beings belonging to the Taliban militia Malalaï, a mother of six children and Afghanistan’s highest ranking female police officer was gunned down as she was leaving her home for work. Her teenaged son was seriously wounded in the attack by the cowardly cave-dwelling criminals

Lt. Col. Malalaï Kakar . . .

Image: www.cbc.ca

Malalaï joined Kandahar’s police force in 1982 and her father and brothers were also police officers. When the Taliban took over Afghanistan, like other women, she was prevented from working. She was well known for her bravery in fighting criminals. She has been on the hit-list of the Taliban as they were scared of this courageous cop.

Watch a video about this slain heroine . . .

(If the video does not load, you can watch it here.)

The Taliban killed her as their primitive minds could not tolerate a lady police officer who opposed their barbaric practices. Shame on the mediæval male-chauvinist morons!

May the soul of this brave daughter of Afghanistan rest in peace!

India must stop the repression in Kashmir!

Ever since the state government of Jammu & Kashmir collapsed after the Amarnath land transfer controversy, Kashmir has been on the boil. Read the latest news on the situation in Jammu and Kashmir here.

A paradise where peace has been lost . . .

Image: www.photoatlas.com

It all started with the state government’s decision to transfer 0.4 square kilometres of land to the Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board (SASB). After the People’s Democractic Party (PDP) decided to withdraw from the state government led by the Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad (of the Congress) over the issue, the land transfer order was revoked. However, the revocation order could not save the government and Ghulam Nabi Azad had to step down.

Mass protests erupted in the Jammu region (which is mainly Hindu with a Muslim minority, mainly belonging to the Gujjar community) against the revocation order. One person committed suicide and three were killed in firing incidents by troopers. The protestors in the Jammu region tried to enforce a blockade of the Kashmir Valley (which is mostly Muslim; the third region in J&K is Ladakh, which is largely Buddhist) by blocking the road link to the Kashmir Valley.

This led to a shortage of medicines, food, fuel and other essential commodities in the Kashmir Valley. Though the government maintains that it tried to keep the highway open and provide security to trucks plying on the route, mobs had virtually succeeded in enforcing a blockade of the entire Kashmir Valley. Mobs also attacked truckers from the Kashmir Valley and beat several of them severely and killed one trucker. Though many Gujjar Muslims supported the demands of the Jammu region, mobs also attacked the homes and properties of Muslims in the region.

Apart from the shortage of essential commodities in the Kashmir Valley, the region’s fruit crop could not be transported to their markets and they began to perish. The Kashmir Fruit Growers Association gave a call to march to Muzaffarabad (on the Pakistani side of the Line of Control) to market their produce as the Valley remained cut off from the rest of the country. Separatist leaders joined the fray and exhorted people to join the march to Muzaffarabad. Huge numbers of people from throughout the Kashmir Valley began a march to cross the Line of Control (LoC) despite a ban. Certain notorious elements across the border in Pakistan have sought to inflame passions on this issue and cause more trouble as well.

Fifteen people were killed in firing incidents on the protestors. Sheik Abdul Aziz, a separatist leader and a moderate, was among those killed. Following his death, separatist leaders in Kashmir gave calls to organise protests. More than fifteen people were killed and hundreds injured when police and paramilitary forces opened fire on the protestors. Apart from a few fringe elements who attacked the police and threw stones at them, the protestors, including women and children, were unarmed and peaceful. Hundreds more were injured in brutal beatings by the police and paramilitary forces. Shamefully, even ambulances were not allowed to operate during the protests and some were attacked. Some media personnel were not spared either. Notorious, heinous and disgusting laws like the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) and the Disturbed Areas Act that have no place in any society that calls itself civilised have been in force as they have always been in Kashmir and parts of the North-East.

Concerned that the peaceful protests were snowballing into an independence movement with calls for freedom and an end to Indian rule in Kashmir, the government decided to impose a curfew in all districts of Kashmir. Prohibitory orders have been in place for a week till now and eight more people were killed and many more beaten by the police and paramilitary forces. Newspapers have not been in circulation and the people of Kashmir are being subjected to extreme hardship because of the curfew.

The issue has been given a communal colour and it has brought out the divisions in Indian society. The sheer hatred that many people in different parts of India have for the Kashmir Valley and Kashmiris is evident on the internet on articles about this issue that allow comments. It is enough to disgust anyone who does not share the views of the hate-spewers.

Thankfully, not everyone in India has a sick, savage, regressive, backward and barbaric mindset that supports the repression of the people of the Kashmir Valley. There have been articles written by Indians like this one by Prem Shankar Jha that show that humanity and common sense are not dead in India.

There have been protests by truly patriotic people against the repression in the Kashmir Valley and in favour of finding a peaceful solution through dialogue:

Janahastakshep, PUCL and PUDR are holding a dharna on August 30 at jantar mantar from 11am to 1pm in protest against the crackdown on non violent people demanding ‘azadi’. IT is clear that only way in which Indian state restore its authority is by using coercive means. It is a form of collective punishment of the people that indefinite and unrelenting curfew has been imposed. Already reeling under economic blockade the imposition of curfew is making it worse with even hospitals not being allowed to function fully and attacks on ambulances and injured. Food is in short supply. Water and electricity disrupted. No one is allowed to move about even with curfew passes and there are restrictions placed on media. For 18 years it was told by Indian state and Indian opinion makers that if only the movement sheds weapons talks can be held. When that happened and largely non violent protests began instead of heeding the voice of the people and reaching out to them through talks the Indian state has decided to show its iron fist. Right to life and right to live in dignity stands suspended. Are we going to sit silently when such harsh measures are adopted? Do we want guns to make their reappearance as the Indian state is provoking the people to do? IF we believe that unity of people and their aspirations are our major concern should we not come out in solidarity and support for their cause which they were carrying out peacefully?Please spread the word to gather at jantar mantar on saturday August 30 at 11 am to protest the severe repression let loose on the people.
WE intend to demand lifting of curfew. Restoration of civil liberties. Allowing non violent assembly. Talks with people at the highest level so that 61 years of denial, repression, charade of dialogue, manipulation is discarded and substantive progress is made to democratically and peacefully resolve the intractable problem.

Though such voices of moderation, peace and wisdom are in a minority, the important thing is that atleast some Indians have begun realising that strong arm tactics and brute force are not the way to find a solution to this issue and the larger Kashmir problem. Kashmiris have been alienated completely from the rest of India. This is the time to change policy and find a solution to the issue by putting an end to the repression in Kashmir and finding a solution that is acceptable to all by means of dialogue with the people of Kashmir. People who truly love our country should not let our voices get drowned by those of the hate-spewing scoundrels who are the curse of India and of humanity as well.

Massive anti-war protest march in Denver

More than two thousand Americans, led by about fifty members of the Iraq Veterans against the War, took part in an anti-war protest march in Denver, Colorado. The march was from the Denver Coliseum to the Pepsi Centre, the venue of the Democratic National Convention. The protest march was held after a concert that was attended by an estimated nine thousand people at the Coliseum.

If the video does not load, you can watch it here.

This is what the veterans among the protestors had to say:

“We are the veterans! The Iraq War veterans! The anti-war veterans! We are soldiers! Anti-war soldiers!”

Jan Critchfield, 24, of Seattle said he served in Iraq in 2004, and after returning home, came to believe that the war was an “unlawful, immoral occupation.”

The protestors held placards that read:

“US out of Iraq!”, “Troops out now!” and “No War on Iran!”

Robert Joyet had this to say: “I’m ashamed at the poor turnout here. I’d have hoped more Americans … maybe they’re sidetracked by corporate interests. I worked three times in Afghanistan as an engineer and when I was there security was tentative and that was three years ago. The situation there is getting like it was in Iraq. I think it’s a lost cause and we should just get out. It’s a farce. These politicians go on their “fact finding mission” and don’t talk to anybody about it [the situation]. It’s disgraceful.”

Jean Toth expressed his wish: “I’d love for people to see that not all Americans are all about war.”

Judy Gear hates war: “We’re very against the war and very concerned about the environment and that’s why I’m here to stop all our invasions of various countries.”

Daniel Hernandez was clear about the reason for his participation: “Well I’m just here to show my solidarity with everyone else who opposes the war. I want to show the rest of the world that not all Americans supported our invasion of Iraq.”

Delaine Novak had this to say: “We’re here today because we don’t believe in the occupation of Iraq. We need to pull the troops out and spend the money here at home – this war was just about oil. We need to end this war, we didn’t ask for this.”

War is a filthy, disgusting concept meant for the benefit of a few at the expense of all other Earthlings . . .

Image: www.iranian.com

Three cheers for the truly patriotic American citizens who participated in the anti-war march!!!

Georgia launches military offensive in South Ossetia, Russia retaliates

The Greek city states were believed to have stopped wars to conduct the ancient Olympic Games. Now, as the 2008 Beijing Olympics gets underway, a new war has started

A map of Georgia showing the breakaway regions of South Ossetia (Yugo-Osetinskaya) and Abkhazia . . .

Image: www.acig.org

South Ossetia and Abkhazia are breakaway republics of Georgia that have had de-facto independence after bloody armed conflicts in the early Nineties. Both are backed by Russia and most of their citizens have Russian passports as South Ossetia and Abkhazia are not recognised internationally.

Georgia’s President – Mikheil Saakashvili, had ordered a military offensive to seize control of the region. Georgian forces took several villages and entered the South Ossetian capital, Tskhinvali, that has reportedly been devastated in the campaign and more than a thousand civilians are feared dead

A Grad multiple rocket launcher being used by the Georgian forces . . .

Image: AFP/Getty Images

In response, Russian tanks, backed by aerial support from fighter jets, rolled into South Ossetia to protect Russian citizens from the Georgian assault. Russian troops were fighting the Georgians on the outskirts of Tskhinvali. The conflict is all set to escalate with Georgia’s other breakaway region, Abkhazia, preparing to open another front in the conflict. The two regions have a mutual defence pact.

(If the video does not load, you can watch it here.)

Thousands of volunteers, mainly from the Russian Republic of North Ossetia-Alania have signed up to fight against the Georgian forces in South Ossetia. North Ossetia and South Ossetia have strong ties. The conflict may escalate into a full-fledged war between Georgia and Russia

Georgia has immediately called back its 2,000 troops stationed in Iraq as a part of the occupation forces. A good move, as Georgian troops (and other occupation forces) have no right to be in Iraq in the first place!

Condoleezza Rice has called for Russian troops to withdraw from South Ossetia and respect Georgia’s territorial integrity. This is outrageous, coming as it does from an administration that has scant respect for international law, human rights and the sovereignty and territorial integrity of other countries! People who talk of things like “bombing a country back to the Stone Age” and “having all options (read as armed aggression and occupation) on the table” and their allies (read as shameless stooges) around the world would do well to shut up and keep their hands off this conflict!