Israeli Military Ignorance/Ignorant

Peace keepers of UNIFIL (United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon) were fired at and killed after the Israeli army failed to heed warnings from an Irish army officer on six separate occasions. The army officer warned them that they were shelling close to UNIFIL bases in the region but alas, the warnings fell on deaf ears. As Kofi Annan condemns Israel, as he and many others have done numerous times in the past, Israel ignored the fact, saying that Annan was erroneous to imply that the army had any deliberate intentions to target the workers. 2 things. Annan wasn’t implying anything; he said Israel was deliberately targeting the humanitarian workers. Also, how many times does someone have to tell you that you’re hitting UN workers before you listen; obviously more than 6 if you’re Irish. This is becoming just like the activists in Gaza who are being shot at, jailed and killed, being silenced. Annan called for an investigation into the incident. Okay that’s good, we should see the results in 20 or so odd years, when he investigates Sabra and Shatila. A Canadian, Maj. Paeta Derek Hess-von Kruedener, was killed in the Israeli attack, or presumed missing (ie. killed). And our own Steven Harper, well his position is easy to guess. He doesn’t believe the attack to have been deliberate. In a CBC article, Harper said he not only wants to know ‘why the UN post was attacked’, but also why ’it remained manned during what is now, more or less, a war.’ Because they’re a peace keeping force Steven. You don’t send a force into a place where it’s not needed, that’s wasting resources. And I guess Steven Harper only showed his concerned for the Canadian soldier two weeks after Israel invaded. It took him that long to figure out this would be a war. Please take a look at this article as I think it’s important for people to read. It can be found on the CBC’s website here.

Let the rain come down

I was on the bus heading into work today. Every person that had the Metro paper was reading the front page, as though all at the same time. A picture with a Canadian girl in Beirut, wearing a black top, hands on her head. This was penned on the ride in. At first I wasn’t going to post it, but I thought about it, and came around.

The rain of leaflets start to fall. The old Reservists heed the call.
Call to arms, a call to fight. So shows the strength of Israeli might.
A fragile army Beirutis know. A questioned Resistance, friend or foe?
Stranded persons who see the fight. A gruesome sight this hopeless plight.

A resealed hole, a stiched up wound. The realization of imperative doom.
Unbalanced death, old and new. Fifteen Gazans to a Jew.
To nurse a hurt is to salt a cut.
And one world with eyes, but sight sealed shut.

While the world gears its head toward Lebanon, Israeli soldiers have entered Nablus in the Westbank, bulldozing the PA headquarters. The interior ministry, the police headquarters, and Palestinian homes have been demolished. People are without food, without water, and now with the detention of foreign activists, without a voice. The army said the incursion was performed to flush out wanted fighters connected to Hezballah. There army in Lebanon says that the Hezballah are connected to Syria and Iran. Truth is, with Israel displacing so many people from so many areas in the Middle East, it’s become increasingly more difficult for them to invade a country that doesn’t have inhabitants of another.

I read an article in the Metro paper, the headline was about Hezballah rockets killing two children in Israel. After I read the article, I noticed that it only mentioned one sentence regarding the two children. The rest of the article was about Israel’s unjust killing of Lebanese civilians. It’s weird how they have the moral fibers in them to write the truth (because they have to) but will mislead the reader with a contorted headline. The average person just glancing over the page would’ve seen an anti-Hezballah theme; someone reading the news would’ve taken away something completely different. But that’s the way the cookie crumbles here, and this cookie has a real bad aftertaste.

No hope for Brazilian: de Menezes story parallels Palestine

Yesterday I read on Yahoo news that the two officers charged with killing Jean Charles de Menezes, a 27 year old Brazilian man, on a London subway train July 22, 2005, will not face charges related to his death. The shooting took place two weeks after suicide bombers blew themselves apart and over 50 other commuters on the subway in London. The police identified him as a suicide bomber and shot him dead, no questions asked. What’s surprising here is that this same police force had been tracking de Menezes for over a week before this incident occurred. They had taps on his house and followed him from place to place before his death. The crown argues that they had to act because they had limited time. It seems that if you look like a terrorist then by god you’re gonna be treated (ie. shot dead) like one.

What’s more strange is that London’s metro police will be prosecuted for violating health and safety laws because they fail to ‘provide for the health, safety and welfare’ of the victim. Yes, this kinda happens when you shoot him dead without a clear motive.

And here’s the Palestinian link. Remember Iman al-Hams, a young girl who was shot twice by an army commander, who then walked up to her already dead body and proceeded to empty his magazine into her face. Israel calls this “Verification Killing”, this is a law (or by-law or something else that has no grounds) that allows for anyone in the military to perform this action without being held accountable. De Menezes was shot 7 times in the subway. Kind of excessive don’t you think? The commander who brutalized young Iman’s face was not held accountable, much to the dismay of many young Israeli soldiers in his squad who were silenced when they tried to voice their concerns. So you see, not all the Israelis are cold hearted cruel people. It’s only the ones in power that make the decisions, the ones that don’t listen to the young people who still retain a conscience. As in Israel, the London officers will not be charged for their inhumane crimes, though the echoes of Israeli verification killings are loud enough for all the world to hear.

Liberating Lebanon: Israel's answer to a question no one asked

In Montreal yesterday, a demonstration was held with Jews and Arabs (Muslim/Christian), condemning the actions of Israel in both Gaza and now in Lebanon. This was cut short however by an Israeli advocacy group who kept up with the same aging rhetoric of ‘Israel has the right to defend itself’. I guess Bush, Mr. Harper, and this group were at the same evening gala when they announced what buzz words they were going to push this month. So far, terrorists (this means Muslim) and militants (this also means Muslim now) are the forerunners of the lot.

Jumping half way across the world to Beirut, Walid Jumblatt, a Druze leader who opposes the Hezballah, said that the groups recent raid on an Israeli outpost was an outrageous attempt to bring the country into war. Now I’m not a political analyst but it seems rather naïve to believe that if Hezballah lays down its arms, Israel is just going to walk away. More likely than not, Israel will respond with a ‘Hezballah must recognize Israel’ statement. This will be another powder keg that Israel will try to light, pitting the Druz, the Shia and the Sunnis against each other. Each group will reach for the top, and then the West will tell the country it's in need of reform. Many Lebanese are divided here. Some see Hezballah has the only defence their country has against the invasion. But there are those that believe that now with the Israeli occupation of south Lebanon over, Hezballah should stow away its weapons as called for by UN Security resolution. Following suit, the Israeli army may also begin to start following UN resolutions. And heck, maybe will also realize that George Bush won the election legit, and that the Iraqi people are free now. Sarcasm has been taken to a whole new level. Jumblatt went on to say that Syria and Iran are trying to use the current situation in Lebanon to further their own agendas. This sort of statement can only serve to stir up feeling of mistrust and paranoia, something we really don’t need right now. I guess Jumblatt will feel more safe if he lets Israel liberate Lebanon from its recovering economy, those poor people in Shatila that threaten his political career, and any chance of Lebanon controlling its own affairs.

One pieced of good news, or maybe refreshing is the right word here. A hole in the wall of the separation barrier allowed several Gazans to return to their land this week. They’ve been stranded on the wrong side and were eager to get back home. Israel is probably in a frantic about all those ‘suicide bombers’ returning, their lame reason for putting up the wall. With all the other crossings closed, this is a bridge for the Palestinians, one that the IOF can’t really destroy (this is the refreshing part). Quoting a recent Aljazeera article about the Rafah and Karni gateways, ‘Palestinians technically control the crossing, but its operations can be blocked by the Israelis.’ So much for Palestinian autonomy, Isreal can grant it and take it away without so much as batting an eye.

I wonder if all this Israeli aggression is really just a show to cover up what’s going on in other parts of the Middle East. Currently, there have been reports coming out from Iraq of severe mis-management, mis-information, mis-demeanor and mis-conduct by the US army (ie. rape, abuse, killing of women), but all this is taking a back seat to the Israeli story. They create a distraction for the world and the US is free to gallop away with all their stones of sin unturned. Seems like Israel is doing an exceptional job holding up their end of the bargain.

Fighting intensifies

Today I read an article on Al-Jazeera’s English website, Gaza offensive, timelining the events of the Israeli blitz on Gaza(ns). It did a good job outlining the events thus far so I hope you’ll take a look at it.

I’d like to post some of the key points that caught my eye

• Israel revokes the Jerusalem residency rights of a Hamas minister and three MPs

• Twenty-two Palestinian civilians and armed groups are killed in Gaza as Israel thrusts deeper into the north, re-occupying areas evacuated 10 months ago

• The UN Security Council debates a draft resolution demanding an immediate withdrawal of Israeli forces, and the release of detained Palestinian officials but the United States describes it as "unbalanced

I’ll let these 3 speak for themselves, there’s really no grey area here.

The Palestinian Prime Minister, Ismail Haniyeh, spoke out again against Israel’s Gaza offensive stating that their actions were a “desperate effort to undermine the Palestinian government under the pretext of a search for the missing soldier". The shelling has intensified and people are being wounded and killed everywhere. There are plenty of women and children that are currently crowding up the beds in all of Gaza’s medical facilities and with Israel sanctioning the flow of medical supplies into the territory, there are sure to be more casualties to come. They’ll pin this on the Hamas government, saying that it was responsible for the death of its people. And with the US backing them all the way (financially and politically) things will get a lot worse, before they get better. Even the screaming and shouting of Palestinian are being muffled by the return of the howling sonic booms created by the Israeli fighter jets. It’s funny how a government that has a fully equipped ground infantry, tanks, helicopters, bulldozers, nuclear arms, and a separating wall can feel threatened by another group of people that have homemade guns and slings to throw rocks and pebbles with.

In Al-Farahin just east of Khan Yunis, the Israeli army moved in with tanks, bulldozers and a set of F-16s, firing at anything that moved, and a few that didn’t. Homes, greenhouses, and crops were destroyed. Around 15 people killed. Oh, and no Gilad Shalit. Let’s raise the next town. And raise they did; other towns were not safe from the barrage. Gaza city, Beit Lahya and Jenin all suffered casualties these last couple of days.

Palestinian carrying a young boy killed by Israeli artillery, Beit Lahiya, in the northern Gaza Strip July 6, 2006. (MaanImages/Mohamed al-Zanon)

What bothers me the most is that for 2 weeks Israel has been shelling the life out of Gaza, but every major news network, save the CBC, is doing a less than ample job covering the events. It’s a known fact that Canada’s media coverage is partial towards the Zionist dream, but this is ridiculous. When the IDF pulled out of Gaza, and I used that term very lightly, I saw the same 30 seconds of video footage of crying settlers shown repeatedly every hour of the day for several weeks. I hardly ever see substantial footage of Gaza and usually it’s in a 1 minute ‘News Around the World’ segment. Why don't I ever see Mr. Olmert or Mr. Peres, both of whom speak perfect English, come out and say a few words. They don’t even have to defend their positions, I’d just like people to know that these people are educated and well versed in every aspect of life. Every time I see an Arab or a Muslim on tv it’s some crazy person yelling their heads off and looking like they’re possessed, emptying a round of bullets into the air. Where are those clean shaven lawyers and camera friendly faces that I hear speaking about justice and human rights? I guess the networks deem these people, ‘not what the public wants to see’. Well wake up, no news is good news, it’s never what we want to see.

Israeli offensive: Offending Human Rights for decades

The recent incursion into Gaza by the Israeli Defense Force has brought to light many issues that suggest that Israel is driving its military tanks through Gaza, not to save the life of young Corporal Gilad Shalit, but to annihilate those it deems responsible. And it deems all of Gaza responsible. It has hit the main power generation station, cutting of electricity to thousands of Gazan's, has raided a hospital and even hit a school. With their constant barrage of missiles and shells it is doubtful that Shalit will survive. I wonder if Shalit is released tomorrow, will the IDF cease all actions against the Palestinians. One can dream, can't they?

I'd like to look at another issue now, this one more clearly defining Israel's Iron Fist rule. Recently, the IDF has been denying entry to Palestinians who leave the country for a bit, from re-entering the country. People born in Gaza or the West Bank are being denied the right to enter their country of origin, even if they've lived there for years. It's just one of the new 'security precautions' Israel is taking. What surprises me more is that the Israeli government has also begun denying entry to activists and Human rights groups, who it lists as being sympathetic to the Palestinian cause. Apparently opposing the rule of Israel, or standing up for justice and freedom is a big no-no in their eyes. Medical supplies and food stuffs are running out and new supplies are having trouble being brought into Gaza through the Rafah crossing. The military has cited security concerns for everything; it's like a buzz word to them now. I don't blame them. It's so easy to turn IV fluid into a WMD.

And then they go and hit the PM's headquarters. Typical of a group that wants dialogue and peaceful negotions. Eliminating the other party - quickest, most effective dialogue I've ever seen.
In a recent Aljazeera article statesman Shimon Peres says, "it is a government that was elected properly, but behaves like a terroristic organisation. So we didn't disturb the elections, but once we see the way they behave, we cannot consider them a government." So as long as they conform and accept that they are second class citizens, we shouldn't have a problem. Sounds like White America in the 60's. Not a problem for Israel, they'll just detain the couple of people causing the trouble, say like a third of the Palestinian cabinet - eight ministers and more than 20 politicians. Oh and over 9000 palestinians currently held in Israeli jails, many of them small children. Israel's running out of space now, better annex some more land; this was the security concern I mentioned before.

It's funny that this attack comes just shortly after Hamas had proposed accepting Israel's right to exists, thus ending the majority of the conflict. We won't be hearing too much about this though, peace between the two long warring factions is small peas compared to one captured French gunner who was violating the fourth Geneva convention by being there. I even think that France was a signatory to this. Ironic eh? I wonder what's in store for the Palestinians in the coming weeks? Will the UN finally intervene and put and end to this clear violation of liberties and justice. How many people, Palestinian or Jew have to go before the UN says, "Umm... see here Israel, about the Palestinians, you should probably rethink the matter." I hope it's sooner rather than later.

Homegrown: a hotspot for Canada

Well I'm still in heartbreak over the recent loss of Brazil to rival France in the WC quarter finals. Unlike their previous game, in which Brazil had a brilliantly strong defensive core, France was able to penetrate and score, taking out the fan favourite Brazil. France is well on it's way now, they'll hit Portugal next week and probably Germany in the Final, and end up taking the tournament. The cup is brought back to Europe for another four years regardless.

But let's get on with the real news.

Recently Toronto has experienced its own brush with terrorism, and the "homegrown threat". The media had a field day with this too, and why shouldn't they? In the weeks that followed, the Harper Government has been reassuring everyone that the threat is contained, but has repeated this to the people so many times that they should be on edge now. I work in downtown toronto near Wellington and Bay and the people here seem to be unphased. I spoke to some of them recently and they said they're not going to be afraid of going to work in lieu of a possible attack as a result of these events. It seems that they just don't care enough about what this new government says, as if the credibility of the Canadian government was washed away with this last election.

And the government's response to this event is also worth mentioning. PM Harper can't be so blind to the fact that his actions closely mirror the policy of the US when it comes to detaining suspects. Media bans, lawyer/client restrictions, I mean people have connected the dots, have called him a stooge, a pawn, not to mention some other choice words. What's to be gained from this?

The fact of the matter is that this threat is homegrown, but so is the cause. People have blamed the hot tempered imam in a mississauga mosque, or the rise of islamic-extremism (this is not a compound word, it's an adjective and a noun, please remember that). These are children that are being detained, kids growing up in wartime, with the mainstream media telling them one thing, and their morals and values telling them another. The current government's continued program in Afghanistan is leading to these problems. It was the Americans who instigated this problem, why are we playing super nanny and cleaning it up? Will we also have to clean up the mess (and what a mess) they're making in Iraq? We're spending money on this operation, instead of spending money where it needs to be. Hospitals, schools, you name it and it's suffering. And then Harper does something even more outlandish. He goes and cuts the gst to 6%. This was one of his campaign promises, which I've learned recently doesn't even have to be upheld. Businesses will not be fined for not adhering to this and can still charge the regular 7%. Empty promises, Empty pockets, empty class rooms, more people on the streets - now we got some serious homegrown trouble, and it's sitting atop parliament hill.

I'd like to digress and tug at another matter here. Why is it that after Harper comes back from meeting with President Bush, after Toronto has its terrorist scare, why is it that the position on softwood lumber seems to be doing just that - softening. Seems like somebody made a deal. I wonder how the government will hide this from people. It just seems to be disappearing as if we never had a problem.

Just something to keep in mind.

Starting out...

Hi,
I'm just starting a blog here, never had one before. Have seen some people do it so I've decided to try my hand at it. Have some things I'd like to talk about, politics, religion, young people. Blogs seem to have become an effective way to reach people today, young people in particular. With all the distractions that face us, with our ipods, cellphones, msn, we seem to be locking ourselves in a bubble and have stopped paying attention to the events of the world, be it in the community, city, country, or the global scale. I'll take these first steps. Let's see how this goes.

-Torontoman