[News] US Zionist Media and International Human Rights Day

[Anti-Imperialist News]

http://www.aljazeerah.info/11%20o/US%20Zionist%20Media%20and%20International%20Human%20Rights%20Day%20By%20Mazin%20Qumsiyeh.htm

US Zionist Media and International Human Rights Day

By Mazin Qumsiyeh

Al-Jazeerah, December 11, 2006



Today is International human rights day. It is a start of a new week 
after a week of rabid racist and anti-human rights rhetoric and work 
carried around the US by the usual suspects (joined by a few others 
who finally outed themselves as racists). The US media has had little 
coverage of human rights issues. Instead the vicious attacks on Jimmy 
Carter continue even though many of us consider his book far too 
leaning and accommodating to racist Zionism (see below). Behind the 
scenes and with no debate allowed, a a bill passed in Congress to 
apply draconian sanctions on Palestinians, collective punishment, 
until they "elect" (I put quotes because people under occupation do 
not have full freedom to engage in modalities of elections as 
International and Human Rights laws require) more acceptable leaders 
who will agree to Israeli and US demands of surrender.

The sanctions will make life even more miserable in the occupied 
territory nearly 40 years after Israel illegally occupied these 
territories contrary to international law and UN resolutions. (Action 
alert on this at bottom, please take action). In Congress, racists 
like Tom Lantos stand with straight face to denounce Palestinians and 
declare his allegiance to Israel instead of the US. On CNN, Glenn 
Beck vilifies Muslims by questioning the loyalty of the one newly 
elected member of Congress who happens to be Muslim.

While there are more Muslims in the US than Jews, over 43 members of 
Congress are Jewish and only one is now Muslim. Beck then goes on to 
vilify Palestinians (Christians and Muslims) claiming they were 
backward "wandering nomads with few goats" ignoring the facts that 
over 2500 thriving villages and towns existed before the State of 
Israel proceeded with its ethnic cleansing. His racism is not unique.

It is common on TV and talk radio (Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Mark 
Levin, Bill O'Reilly) and many more. It is common rhetoric from Mort 
Zuckerman (editor and publisher of US Report and World News) and of 
"commentators" (racist pundits) like Jeff Jacoby, Charles 
Krauthammer, and Thomas Friedman. Does anyone really think that all 
of these racist attacks are not connected in any way? More 
importantly, do we, US citizens and taxpayers who are footing the 
bill, swallow the language and actions of hate or challenge it?

I think more and more people are beginning to challenge it. Perhaps 
that is why the aforementioned Zionists are becoming more shrill and 
louder (they are beginning to worry that the message is not getting 
through). I think that is why they need to be challenged with the 
truth. They should be challenged to public debates and dialogues on 
the issues. Many will shy away from that (Alan Dershowiz refuses to 
debate Norman Finkelstein for example).

I have debated Morton Klein (President of the Zionist organization of 
America), David Harris (American Jewish Committee) and over 11 other 
Zionists. None of them (with the exception of one person) has the 
courage to have another public dialogue with me. I urge all readers 
to write to the media and write to the pundits themselves and 
question why they will not debate post-Zionist or anti-Zionist Jews 
or even knowledgeable Palestinians. Would love to debate Morton Klein 
myself and people like him (anywhere/any time).

To go back to Human rights, why don't we all write to the media and 
ask why Human Rights (and International Law) have been missing from 
the "road map to peace" and from the Iraq Study Group Report. How can 
we restore human rights (and constitutional protections) recently 
stripped by the administrative and legislative branches of government 
(and likely now to be endorsed by a reformulated supreme court)? Can 
we mobilize enough people to speak truth to power (and realize that 
collectively we do make a difference)? Freedom and human rights 
ofcourse will not be granted to anyone by the oppressors, there must 
be a struggle for these. Can we struggle together? Have a good Global 
Human Rights day (and year).

New Groups

American Council on Middle Eastern Policy 
<http://www.mideastcouncil.org/>http://www.mideastcouncil.org 
Architects & Planners for Justice in Palestine 
<http://www.apjp.org/>http://www.apjp.org New Website by Ramzy 
Baroud, The Second Palestinian Intifada: A Chronicle of a People's 
Struggle <http://www.ramzybaroud.net/>http://www.ramzybaroud.net/

President Jimmy Carter when asked about the use of the term Apartheid 
said he was talking about the areas occupied by Israel in 1967. That 
is sad since Israel practiced apartheid since 1947 when 70% of the 
native Palestinians where expelled in the area that became Israel by 
1949. 530 villages were completely depopulated but over 100 of the 
remaining villages were never "recognized" by the Jewish state (so 
they get no water, no electricity, no roads, no government services). 
and Israel is now going to demolish more homes in these 
"unrecognized" villages.

See below: "The Israeli interior minister, Roni Bar-On, declared that 
his ministry has planned the demolition of more than 42,000 homes of 
Palestinian Bedouins that were built even before 1948 when Israel was 
proclaimed. The minister, speaking at a session for the Israeli 
parliament's interior committee, claimed that all those houses were 
"illegal" and warned that any new homes built in the so-called 
"unrecognized" villages in the Negev [Naqab] desert would be razed.

According to PIC, the regional council for those villages, not 
recognized by Israel, said in a statement commenting on the 
minister's statement said that what the minister threatened meant the 
destruction of an entire community. On the ground, the Israeli 
authorities on Wednesday demolished 17 houses in Tawil village, Negev 
[Naqab] desert, and assaulted an old woman and four young men who 
tried to stop them."

<http://www.albawaba.com/en/countries/Palestine/207111>http://www.albawaba.com/en/countries/Palestine/207111

Fascinating developing discussion on Jewish opposition to Zionism

<http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/rosnerGuest.jhtml?itemNo=796902>http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/rosnerGuest.jhtml?itemNo=796902 


http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?apage=3&cid=1164881826112&

<http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?apage=3&cid=1164881826112&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull>pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

http://www.jewishpress.com/page.do/20074/Letters_To_The_Editor.htm

Delusional fabrication: Propaganda tools of Israel and American 
Zionists By Paul J. Balles 
<http://www.redress.btinternet.co.uk/pjballes40.htm>http://www.redress.btinternet.co.uk/pjballes40.htm

Two-state solution is dead, and Israel killed it. By: Jeff Halper,

<http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=17508024&BRD=1425&PAG=461&dept_id=154727&rfi=6>http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=17508024&BR

<http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=17508024&BRD=1425&PAG=461&dept_id=154727&rfi=6>D=1425&PAG=461&dept_id=154727&rfi=6

Apartheid Israel: A Beacon of Hope? By Prof. VIRGINIA TILLEY 
Counterpunch, 5 December 2006 (excellent article, MUST READ)

<http://counterpunch.org/tilley12052006.html>http://counterpunch.org/tilley12052006.html

Jewish Groups To Challenge Ethics Reform, By Nathan Guttman, Forward, 
1 December 2006 (this does not really address the bigger scandal of 
the powerful AIPAC and its refusal to register or disclose under the 
foreign lobby rules- MQ) Two of America's most influential Jewish 
organizations are gearing up for their first direct confrontation 
with the incoming, Democratic-led Congress.

The topic: Democratic proposals for congressional ethics and lobbying 
reform. At issue are two key congressional perks, targeted for 
elimination, that Jewish organizations rely on to achieve community 
goals: overseas junkets, including dozens of trips to Israel each 
year, funded by Jewish organizations; and an estimated $25 million a 
year in earmarked funds for Jewish communal projects. Both the trips 
and the earmarked funding face possible elimination as part of the 
Democrats' pledge to fight corruption on Capitol Hill.

<http://www.forward.com/articles/jewish-groups-to-challenge-ethics-reform/>http://www.forward.com/articles/jewish-groups-to-challenge-ethics-reform/

A regrettable indifference, By Amira Hass Haaretz 6 December 2006 (On 
Israel holding of about 10,000 Palestinian Political Prisoners)

<http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/797419.html>http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/797419.html

ACTION 1: Contact the White House NOW by phone 202-456-1111, by fax 
202-456-2461, and by email comments at whitehouse.gov and ask the 
President to veto S.2370, the Palestinian Anti-Terrorism Act. Tell 
the President that the United States should not be sanctioning people 
for exercising their right to vote.

ACTION 2: Buy Palestine Products this holiday 
<http://www.palestineonlinestore.com/>http://www.palestineonlinestore.com/

http://www.zatoun.com

<http://www.needleinthegroove.org/>http://www.needleinthegroove.org

Mazin Qumsiyeh

<http://qumsiyeh.org/>http://qumsiyeh.org


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