Justice4thepoor

Israel spends big on propaganda

2009-09-24T17:34:00.003Z

Spotted in the Independent

2009-09-23T19:53:00.003Z

A Zionist propaganda campaign is underway, aimed at counteracting the findings of the UN human rights investigators that Israel committed horrendous war crimes against a civilian population. See the sponsored google ad as featured in the Independent. There are also links to this same Zionist 'facts' [lies] site on many new sites carrying Reuters news articles. What was that motto? 'Don't be evil'?

Relevant today as it always was

2009-09-17T12:26:00.000Z

Statesmen will invent cheap lies, putting blame upon the nation that is attacked, and every man will be glad of those conscience-soothing falsities, and will diligently study them, and refuse to examine any refutations of them; and thus he will by and by convince himself that the war is just, and will thank God for the better sleep he enjoys after this process of grotesque self-deception.

Mark Twain 1916

Two-state solution or one-state solution to the Palestine problem?

2009-09-07T11:07:00.003Z

The argument regarding the so-called middle east peace process appears to centre around the premise that a two state solution is the best and only feasible alternative and that a one state solution is unthinkable because it would mean that the state of Israel would cease to exist due to demographic reasons. However, If you think about it, the existing situation is already a one-state situation. By refusing to recognise borders, by its seizure of legally owned lands for settlers, by refusing to accept the legitimacy of Palestinian claims to the land, and by controlling the whole of the territory in Palestine ( land, sea and air including Gaza ), Israel has in a meaningful sense imposed a one state solution already. The problem with this Greater-Israel state are apartheid policies, lack of democratic rights, legal discrimination and state terrorism against the Arabs whether they have Israeli identity papers or not. Arabs with Israeli identity are also not immune from the racist whims of the state and continue to suffer from discrimination, demolitions and settlement activity. The assumption that the one state solution means the disappearance of Israel is mistaken. It assumes that discrimination would automatically disappear and democratic rights would prevail. A single state can still subjugate and discriminate against a section of the population. This is the case in many states across the world.

The two state solution is really a mirage. It allows the Israelis to give the impression that they are allowing a viable state for the Arabs, but in practice they will never concede any kind of control over the borders, air space or waters of the whole of the territory. Any rump Palestinian state will have limited economic freedom, limited or no defence capability, and no control over their own airspace and borders. Realistically, that would not be a state at all but rather a a semi-autonomous enclave/province subject to Israeli control. The Palestinians would only have nominally more freedom than they have now.

The problem as I see it is perception rather than reality. As long as they can continue to sell the perception of a possiblity of an an autonomous Palestinian state, the Zionists are content to let things drift along and continue their racist policies. The Western states are happy to go along with this and sell this perception to their own public.

Many Israelis would prefer a final solution that involves expulsion of the Palestinians into Jordan, Lebanon and Egypt. However, they realise that international outrage makes this scenario difficult so they prefer a slow genocide/ethnic cleansing whereby they allow the Arabs limited ability to fight back so they can claim to be fighting 'terrorism'. By subjecting the Arab population to state terror they hope that most will leave of their own accord.

Debate in the West about which solution is preferable is ironic since the West hold the key to the solution. If they were not conniving with the Zionists, they would have long ago isolated the zionist reshime, stopped funding it and arming it. That is the only way that the politicians and public of Israel will be forced to accept that Arabs too have a right to democracy. They also must have rights to security, to land, to fresh water, to gas off the coast of Gaza, to fishing, to travel without restriction, to play football and take part in the other activities that are available to free people.

Genius from California

2009-05-23T19:54:00.002Z

In response to an article reporting that Schwarzenegger intends to cut off Welfare completely for the poor in CA....

        It is about time! I went to collage and paid every dime my own self. My husband made too much money ($18,000. a year ) ,but standing in line one day a girl from another country was there to get her $3500. pell grant. Always hearing people talk about what they was going to do with their money. These darn females needs to start taking birth control pills. I was 14 when I had my son with no help from anybody so don't tell me it can't be done. Just a bunch of girls want to suck tax paider money. get rid of the green cards and illegals. Also stop sending money to people who hates us. I also don't have insurance so will just have to lay down and die, but don't expect somebody to give it to me. Get a life and get off your butt dead beats!!!
   
    Posted by:    Kathleen |    May 22, 2009 at 04:42 PM   

Letter to the Office of Tony Blair

2009-02-17T20:52:00.002Z

Dear Sir/Madam,

May I be one of the first to congratulate Tony Blair on a well deserved prize. He has been an outstanding leader and I agree that this prize

marks his "foresight", "exceptional intelligence" and "steadfast determination" to end conflicts.

Just like Lebanon in 2006 no doubt where he strove extremely hard to prevent a ceasefire! I thought he should get more than a measly 1 million dollars though. Perhaps they are saving the big prizes for his steadfast determination to 'end' conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan by creatively inventing threats and plagiarising PhD tomes?

I understand that the money will go to Mr Blair’s new charity for religious understanding. I guess that charity will be run by his wonderful and extremely tolerant Israeli friends who promote religious understanding by using 3000lb bombs, White Phosphorus and DIME bombs to spread the message of love and tolerance in the region. It is great to know that the prize will fund graduates in his field. Is this a combined degree in Genocide, Untruth and Hypocrisy? I must have missed this one when I did my UCAS application many years ago. Please could you send me the course number? I must enrol my own offspring on that course so they too can emulate this great statesman of modern times.

Yours truly,

David Milipede

If you would like to email your congratulations as well please do contact: faithsact@tonyblairfaithfoundation.org

Do journalists intentionally lie about Palestine?

2009-02-06T15:13:00.008Z

I don't subscribe to the idea that journalists rarely lie intentionally. In the real world, there are a lot of scumbags in the media world who WILL and DO lie intentionally. We also know that they will deliberately distort facts, miss out facts and frame the argument to suit their own viewpoint. Other journalists will do it less readily and will be uncomfortable but will follow the editorial direction all the same.

Writing an article is about planning - working out a story flow. This is a very conscious process because you are forced to think about what you want the story to convey and put it together so that the ‘facts’ are framed in the context that you want them to read. You decide what ''facts' are the 'attention grabbers' and put those at the top so they can be easily internalised by the casual reader who reads the headline and the first paragraph. Then you arrange the rest according to your story flow using what is known as the pyramid approach. The approach helps you not only to capture attention but to structure your story. It is not necessary for the 'facts' to be true; they can be controversial or attention grabbing statements. The point is to convey YOUR message according to editorial direction. If it does not meet the standards expected (i.e. is not in keeping with the house style and politics) then you will have to redo it.

Why does the BBC always remind us in virtually every article that ‘Israeli invaded Gaza to stop the firing of rockets into Southern Israel’? Why has this Israeli explanation appear to be accepted in spite of all the evidence to the contrary and why does it have to be repeated endlessly? The BBC claim not to have the time or space to add vital context for example the continuing occupation, the Hamas offers for peace based on 1967 boundaries, over 11000 Palestinians currently rotting in Israel prisons (including over 400 children) but they are OK to repeatedly include the Zionist key message that they are merely 'reacting against rockets'. This is a good example of known context that is deliberately ignored. These facts are shocking enough to be headlines. The grotesque images of dead children are available to these media outlets but they are deliberately omitted on the grounds of 'taste'. The media decide for us what constitutes good taste just as they decide what we want to read about.

The lies and distortions would not be swallowed so readily by the public if they were not reasonably credible. It is not that journalists are unaware of the occupation, or unaware of the misery imposed by Israel. Most know full reasonably well the bloody history of ethnic cleansing.Why is it then that the real history does not reach our screens and airwaves? Why are the extremists murderers of Kadima and Labour in Israel portrayed as ‘centrists’ when they order the massacres of children in Gaza? The answer, at least partially, lies in the modern face of Israel with its high standard of living, its ‘democracy’, its Western outlook and lifestyle, which is a world away from misery on the other side of the wall. It is much easier develop relations with Israeli press officers who speak good English and fluently answer questions on ‘terror’. It is easier (and cheaper) to accept the Israeli press releases and dress them up as reporting. The Arabs are difficult to understand, difficult to reach and their culture appears alien. Like people passing by a beggar averting their eyes and pretending not to notice, it is a deliberate and conscious decision to ignore the Palestinians. This is why you see many more Zionist spokespeople on TV and hear them on the radio whilst fluent Palestinians are virtually absent (even though Palestinians are among the best educated peoples in the world).

Reality is complex and the Herman/Chomsky propaganda filters are relevant but it is possible for most intelligent journalists to recognize that what their employers/editors are demanding is not the truth but an angle that favours their proprietor or their own political leanings. Many consciously take the decision to either compromise their beliefs/ethics or do not care anyway and just want to further their careers. The commercial aspect of media business plays a part too despite the usual claims that their advertising is firewalled from the journalism. Which media outlet would risk losing an important advertising account, rather than tone down or ignore a story? It is no conspiracy theory that Zionist business links are spread throughout the corporate world whether it is media, banking, insurance or retail. Many politicians fall over themselves to be ‘friends of Israel’ because this eventually translates into powerful contacts, lucrative consultancies and business opportunities. The links that have been forged with the West are powerful and allow the Zionists to control the agenda to some extent. Establishment propaganda and commercial pressures do the rest.

Those BBC impartiality rules in full

2009-02-03T10:46:00.004Z

We must have 'the militant group' tag attached every time Hamas are mentioned just in case the reader forgets this at first mention in the first paragraph.

Include footage of an injured Israeli where possible, despite the disparity in the number of casualties. These pictures are much easier to come by when you are embedded with the Israelis.

Where possible include condemnation of Hamas by
a. the Palestinian authority
b. by several Israeli ministers/spokespeople

Always mention that Israels aim is to stop rockets or quote Israel as saying such.

Remember to include a count of the number of rockets wherever possible and the effect it had whilst ignoring the Israeli bombs/shells/rockets and their effects. If you must mention the effects then the passive word 'explosions' must be used alongside 'smuggling tunnels' and 'weapons'.

When mentioning ceasefire violations, timelines should always begin with Hamas violating the ceasefire and Israel responding. Ignore any preceding Israeli violations - they did not happen.

Count the number of Israeli civilians but don't use this word for Palestinians; they are either just Palestinians or militants.

Include when possible the Israeli right to 'self-defence'. Do not mention under any circumstances the Palestinian right to self-defence or not be be turfed off their land or not to have their homes demolished.

Where possible mention Israeli democracy and contrast against er.. Hamas seizing power in Gaza.

Mention as often as possible that Hamas are sworn to the destruction of Israel in the Hamas charter. Ignore the Likud charter which swears to the destruction of Palestine by claiming all land to the west of Jordan. Ignore the shrinking of Palestinian territory and the fact that Israel does not recognise Palestine. Also ignore the numerous offers by Hamas to recognise Israel on the basis of the internationally recognised 1967 boundaries.

Ignore continuing illegal settlement activity in the West Bank and quote Israeli ministers as saying they will allow 'natural growth' of settlements.

You must faithfully obey these rules at all times otherwise our impartiality may be questioned.

DEC appeal

2009-01-29T08:54:00.002Z

DEC appeal for Gaza

2009-01-23T20:02:00.008Z

Following the disgusting decision of the BBC in blocking the broadcast of a DEC appeal to raise money for the appalling plight of Palestinians in Gaza, all bloggers with a conscience should post this DEC appeal.

Please send your complaints to the BBC for taking this appalling political stance instead of being impartial. Complain online here:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/complaints/complaints_stage1.shtml

or phone the BBC to complain 03700 100 222

22 Jan: Aid agencies launch joint appeal to relieve Gaza humanitarian crisis

Leading UK aid agencies are today (Thursday, 22 January) appealing to the public for urgently needed funds to help ease the desperate plight of people affected by the conflict in Gaza.

Launching the Disasters Emergency Committee Gaza Crisis Appeal, chief executive Brendan Gormley said that the devastation wrought in the Gazan territory was so huge that British aid agencies were compelled to act.

Over 1,300 Palestinians have been killed in the conflict, and many thousands have been injured, overwhelming local hospitals. The destruction has left people without homes and many children without schooling; power, food and water supplies are insufficient to cover the population’s needs.

Mr Gormley said: “DEC agencies have a humanitarian mandate. We are not proposing to attempt to rebuild Gaza – that is not our role. But with the public’s support we can help relieve short-term needs. Agencies are already providing food, drugs and blankets as well as delivering clean water.

“But we will soon reach the limit of what we can do, without more money. For Gazans struggling to survive, receiving urgent humanitarian aid will help them take the first step to recovery.”

Mr Gormley stressed that DEC aid agencies were non-political. “We work on the basis of humanitarian need and there is an urgent need in Gaza today. Political solutions are for others to resolve, but what is of major concern to us all is that many innocent people have been affected by the situation – and it is them that we seek to help.”

- ENDS -

The DEC press office can be contacted on 0207 387 0200 or out-of-hours on 07930 999014.

Notes to editors:

1. The DEC consists of: Action Aid, British Red Cross, CAFOD, CARE International UK, Christian Aid, Concern Worldwide, Help the Aged, Islamic Relief, Merlin, Oxfam, Save the Children, Tearfund, World Vision.

2. The Palestinian Ministry of Heath (MOH) has reported 1,314 Palestinian fatalities since 27 December 2008. This is noted in the Situation Report on the Humanitarian Situation in the Gaza Strip – No.14, 19 January 2009 (Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs).

3. How to donate:
It’s easy to donate. Please visit our website on www.dec.org.uk or call the DEC on 0370 60 60 900. We know people are facing financially difficult times but even a small donation makes a difference. Even a small donation to the appeal will help get food, water, shelter, emergency and medical supplies to people who desperately need it.

4. The DEC criteria to launch an appeal are:
The disaster must be on such a scale and of such urgency as to call for swift International humanitarian assistance. The DEC agencies, or some of them, must be in a position to provide effective and swift humanitarian assistance at a scale to justify a national Appeal.There must be sufficient public awareness of, and sympathy for, the humanitarian situation so as to give reasonable grounds for concluding that a public Appeal would be successful.

5. For new footage, photographs, case studies and pre-recorded or live interviews with both aid agency staff on the ground and in the UK, please contact the DEC press office on 0207 387 0200 or out-of-hours on 07930 999014.

Eva's blog

2009-01-22T16:03:00.004Z

Eva Barlett has been blogging throughout the the weeks of terror and destruction that the zionist scum waged against the people of Gaza. Her reporting has been graphic and her bravery and compassion are an example to us all. Here is a snippet of her latest post:

Rudely, I left before a meal, though all insisted I stay. Normally, I would not turn it down, particularly after they had just begun to get their house into less of a disaster state: feces cleaned up from where the IOF soldiers had strewn it, all over the house; bags of soldiers’ filthy leavings taken out; soldier-soiled clothing gathered, bagged, and burned; and the many shattered dishes and broken items cleared out. It is barer, and there are so many new bullet and tank shelling holes. The un-describable, terrible, stench still lingers, that of an army which occupied the house for 2 weeks and left shit and unknown foul smells throughout the house. It is a stench I’ve smelled in other houses in the area occupied by the IOF.

But even though I was very happy they had progressed enough to cook in their kitchen and bask in the hospitality they love, I had to leave, to allow time for visiting Arafa’s family.

Obama: time for optimism?

2009-01-22T09:55:00.002Z

Obama managed to raise more than any other candidate in history and that did not involve saying no to the lobbyists.

Anyone is better than Bush but they must be judged by their actions not fine words. It is all very well saying to the Muslim world that we will extend a hand of friendship and so on but when in practice you are planning a 'surge' in Afghanistan that will kill god knows how many Muslims, that is indeed a very bad omen. Afghanistan does not need a surge nor is it a threat to the USA. I am no fan of the Taliban; most of them are ignorant armed bandits but their AK47s and Kalashnikovs are no threat to the US and never were. There is no secret lair of international terrorists sitting in a cave despite the fantasies of the Western media. There are a lot of pissed off tribesmen who unsurprisingly are out for revenge and will probably take it by killing more Pakistani civilians by targeting westerner frequented hotels in the nearest country.

How will Obama be judged? My guess is that if he invests in green technologies to tackle global warming and some social welfare programmes, even despite the US forces carrying on killing in Afghanistan and Israel carrying on murdering Palestinians and robbing their lands, he will be judged by the media as a success and a hero.

There is nothing wrong with optimism but it has to be balanced with some healthy skepticism. He may and I hope he does manage to benefit the poorer sections of the US society - but if he wanted he could end the war in Afghanistan now. The US military have no real reason to be there.

He could say enough is enough and bring the troops home but he will not and thousands more will die and millions will suffer. He is not some secret weapon of the working classes but a wily politician who knows that he need to press a few popularity buttons to get votes. Keep watching out for the omens but don't get carried away with his 'brilliance'.

We must not stop. There is no ceasefire but a cynical tactic - the protests must continue

2009-01-18T10:33:00.006Z

We must not stop and forget the result of the Zionist terrorism - over 400 innocent children murdered, countless homes destroyed, ambulances, schools, mosques, hospitals and the UN buildings attacked.

The unilateral 'ceasefire' is a charade which the UK and US are backing because it means that the starvation and seige of Gaza will continue, the blockade will indeed be enforced with our tax money. Israel will continue to murder people in Gaza and the West Bank at will. The F16's and drones will still be prowling the skies of occupied Palestine. The Zionists will now use the blood letting to boost their support in their internal racist election - an election in which Arab parties are now banned. Palestinian children will continue to pay the price of Zionist terrorism. This is not a ceasefire but a cynical tactic for sympathy by mass murderers who are drenched the blood of Palestinians.

I appeal to all those who have taken part in the protests in worldwide, in the name of the murdered Palestinian children, do not stop you protests!! This is not over until the lasts troops have left Gaza and the Palestinians are free to control their own borders and are freed from an illegal siege. The world has no right to enforce the starvation and strangulation of this sliver of Palestinian territory. The Zionist war criminals must be brought to justice.

Wake up and see also what the Zionists are still doing on the West Bank. Unlike the media would have you believe, this is not just a few checkpoints that inconvenience Palestinians:

The land grabbing continues
The attacks on Palestinians by settlers and soldiers continue
The illegal house demolitions continue
The diversion of water to Israeli settlements continues
The eviction of Palestinians from East Jerusalem continues
The apartheid wall continues to be built on Palestinian land
Settlement expansion continues
New jewish only roads continue to be built in the West bank, again on Palestinian land carving up what remains of the West Bank.
Arab parties are now banned from the so called 'democracy' of Israel

Please maintain the pressure on your elected representatives. The world cannot now relax and forget the results of Zionist terrorism. This is not over for the terrified children of Gaza and therefore it should not be over for us.

Which murderous Witch is the ugliest bitch?

2009-01-16T22:15:00.001Z

And which one has promoted the most murder?

Slo mo genocide

2008-12-31T11:09:00.001Z

Fuck the biased media: this is real coverage of the Zionist terrorism against Arabs

2008-12-30T14:21:00.004Z

Here is some more powerful testimony from Eva reporting from Gaza...

http://ingaza.wordpress.com/

Let me give you some personal examples of mass-bombing, indiscriminate bombing, and the targeting of civilians:

8 men, including a father (age 55), 6 of his sons (ages 15- mid-20s), and one friend (age 15) who were targeted by a missile from an Israeli drone yesterday at 5 pm while they attempted to return scrap metal to a metal workshop. This attack came 1 hour after an Israeli F-16 targeted the shop but hit the house next door, alleging the shop had missiles in it (it held oxygen tanks, for the work involved in a metal shop).

The 8 dead were torn to pieces by the missile which targeted them.

Yesterday also, 3 children were collecting firewood for cooking, as they have no cooking gas (because of Israel’s siege on Gaza, cooking gas being among the many banned materials which also include medicines, replacement parts for hospital equipment, building cement, and a very extensive list which i don’t have time to write at present but which is very well documented by the UN and other “objective” sources.) The youths, ages 13 and 14, were in a small patch of olive trees collecting wood when a missile from a drone targeted them, killing one and seriously injuring the other two who are now in critical condition. It was between 11 am and noon.

The mother of a family in Jabaliya was on the street going to buy bread on Saturday afternoon when she was killed by shrapnel from a missile which landed metres from her. The same family lives in fear, in an unprotected room (no bomb shelters here) as bombs explode 30 m from their house and in the neighbouring area. Each bomb near them shakes their house and blows out remaining windows. I know, I sleep there. The missile which struck land across the street was targeting an enclosed olive grove. This morning, the same land was attacked, 20 minutes after I had left the home. The family is terrified. This is a massive missile capable of levelling 2 and 3 storey buildings, leaving craters 8-14 m deep.

Two brothers, ages 10 and 12, left their Beit Hanoun home around 10 am this morning to throw the garbage out. They are dead, killed from a missile stike.

At least 4 mosques in Jabaliya alone have been targeted, damaging buildings and houses around them. The mosque across from Shifa hospital was levelled, leaving a crater approximately 15 m deep. A mosque in Khan Younis was leveled yesterday. Islamic university has twice been targeted, on two different days. Al Quds open universtiy buildings were targeted. The coast of Gaza is being fired upon by Israeli naval vessels, from Rafah in the south to up in the north. There are now 370 known killed and over 1450 known injured, half of whom cricitally so. Sixty of the dead are children, 12 are women.

I am not sitting in a comfortable hotel room, I am visiting the sites, talking with the affected people. I am not cushioned from this, my ears also ring from the explosions, and I haven’t slept well in three nights. The explosions are extremely loud (that doesn’t suffice to describe it), and the drones and Apache helicopters and F-16s continue to circle over all areas of the Gaza Strip

I’d invite anyone who doubts the severity and seriousness of these ongoing attacks on Gaza to come here to witness this for yourself, to write your own balanced account, but of course that is impossible, because Gaza is under siege, all crossings are closed, and even the Free Gaza boat which brought me here was attacked this morning, rammed by Israeli naval vessels, and prevented from delivering needed medical supplies and bringing journalists to Gaza to report on the situation.

I strongly disagree, and will never agree, that Israel is taking precautions to limit the number of civilian casualties. I disagree with the statement Israel is carrying out airstrikes on Hamas targets, because by that definition, any supporter of Hamas can be a target, as we have seen. Would it be acceptable to bomb the police stations and ministries of Israel’s government, any government, because the political party is viewed as a target. George Bush is a war criminal and supports crimes against humanity. But that doesn’t mean we bomb the police stations and ministries of the United States. Clearly, these are acts of terrorism.

Hamas has publically said it will “recognize” Israel, an Israel with defined border and without the occupation of the West Bank and Gaza.

I don’t have the luxury of a serene place from which to write. I am reporting what i see, hear, and feel from Gaza, and that is my intention.

I usually don't bother with the comments on CiF, full as it is of bastard zionist trolls out to defend the indefensible terrorism against Gazans, but here is a comment by DonnaSaggia which I feel captures the feelings of all people who have a conscience and a semblance of compassion:

The pathetic rockets are not even close to a legitimization of Israel's blockade and bombing of Gaza. You don't starve an entire civilian population and deny it medicine--especially cancer medicine--because of rockets that have killed fewer than 10 people in two years. In reality, the root cause of the violence is the occupation--Israel may have "left" Gaza, but it has never left it alone. Bombing Gaza's tunnels actually broke the cease fire first--and those tunnels were Gaza's only means of getting in food, medicine, and were also used by children to travel to school. Israel is committing crimes of the highest order--and the US government is complicit by its silence. The politicians of the world ought to stop buying the "Israel has a right to defend itself" spin and start demanding that this criminal nation adhere to basic tenets of human decency and civility.

Zionist murdering scumbags - may you rot in hell

2008-12-28T11:18:00.003Z

Stop the Zionazi slaughter! The zionist scum are using airstrikes against a densely populated area where civilians are inevitably being blown to bits by missiles. Bush and Brown refuse to call on Israel to stop this massacre just as they refused to call for them to stop starving the people of Gaza. May they rot in hell alongside the right wing lunatics in charge of Israel.

BBC lack of balance on the issue of Palestine/Israel

2008-10-24T21:20:00.002Z

Compare the following two BBC stories found on BBC Online today:

Article 1, Title:Israeli dies in settlement attack
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/7686047.stm

Article 2, Title:Israelis kill Palestinian youth
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/7671132.stm

There appears to be a superficial balance but take a look at the facts...

Facts:

- both stories have been in the middle east news section today, but the former has had a consistently higher profile and was a featured story on the middle east front page this morning, when the latter was just a link article. Since then both have been demoted but the former retains a higher profile.

- both stories quote Israeli witnesses or Israeli authorities

- both portray Palestinians as the source of the violence even though the latter purports to describe the killing of a Palestinian teenager

"A Palestinian man has stabbed and killed an elderly Israeli civilian in a Jewish settlement"

"Gilo is on land in the West Bank captured by Israel in 1967, and has been a target for attacks by Palestinian militants in the past."

"A number of attacks have been carried out in Jerusalem since July by Palestinians who live on the west, or Israeli-controlled, side of the extensive barrier system Israel has built around autonomous Palestinian areas."

"The military says the youth had been preparing to throw petrol bombs at the cars of Jewish settlers."

- The second article also has a gross distortion:

"Tension is rising across the West Bank with each side, Israeli settlers and Palestinians, complaining of violent attacks by the other."

In fact the vast majority of attacks are committed by settlers against Palestinians rather than the number of attacks being equivalent.

- Yet again Israel is given an automatic right of reply in the article 2:

"Settlements are considered illegal under international law, though Israel disputes this."

They wouldn't ever say that robbing banks is considered a crime, but the bank robbers dispute this.

In fact, on balance from the two articles, the only thing that Israel appears to be charged with is the rather bland crime of 'building settlements' that are 'disputed'. This bland facade of a term, ignores the land seizures, house demolitions, evictions, arbitrary detentions, assaults, torture, shootings, stoning, destruction of crops, diversion of water, and a multitude of other crimes that take place before the 'settlement building' can take place.

The Post office RIP: insane treachery and murder by New Labour

2008-10-05T19:20:00.001Z

Already stabbed in the back numerous times by the government, the owners of thousands of post offices are now facing wipeout as one of the main services they provide is set to be ripped out of their hands and gifted to the private sector. One of my friends has what one would consider an extremely busy high street branch; of the type that few would foresee closing. However, this one move to remove the post office card account and hand it over to PayPoint will lead to the loss of a dozen jobs and bring the business to its knees and probably lead to closure within months. There is no doubt in my mind that this move will wipe out most of the existing branches as they find themselves unable to pay the rent or staff wages. In July this year, the government had already removed the ability of post offices to accept payment of the water bill and handed it over to Payzone. Slowly but repeatedly the government has knifed local community post offices in the back with a poisoned dagger by removing their services. Then it has the cheek to say that they are not making a profit!

Personally, I have severe doubts about the ability of newsagents with a paypoint or payzone facility to cope with the thousands of people and vast amount of money that post offices deal with. Who will provide security for the huge amounts of cash required? On a typical Monday a post office hands out tens of thousands of pounds of money and also has the facilities to look after the cash securely. They have knowledgeable staff trained to look after elderly and disadvantage people in the community. This is not just about removing a vital financial service but an important social one as well.

This latest piece of insane, ill-thought out treachery is set to be delayed until after the Glenrothes by-election in which New Labour will be annihilated anyway. Read part of the story in this article in todays Observer.

Harnessing Africa for Europe

2008-07-30T05:20:00.004Z

Rhetorical questions: Did anybody ask the Africans about this grand scheme? Isn't it typical of Europeans to assume that they are entitled to do what they like? Do we need electricity more than Africa? What benefit will the millions of destitute people in Africa get from this scheme?

Solar power from Saharan sun could provide Europe's electricity, says EU

· Huge £35bn supergrid would pool green sources
· Brown and Sarkozy back north African plan

Alok Jha, science correspondent
The Guardian

A concentrating solar power (CSP) plant in Spain that uses panels to refl ect light on to a central tower to produce electricity. Similar plants are proposed for north Africa. Photograph: AP

A tiny rectangle superimposed on the vast expanse of the Sahara captures the seductive appeal of the audacious plan to cut Europe's carbon emissions by harnessing the fierce power of the desert sun.

Dwarfed by any of the north African nations, it represents an area slightly smaller than Wales but scientists claimed yesterday it could one day generate enough solar energy to supply all of Europe with clean electricity.

Speaking at the Euroscience Open Forum in Barcelona, Arnulf Jaeger-Waldau of the European commission's Institute for Energy, said it would require the capture of just 0.3% of the light falling on the Sahara and Middle East deserts to meet all of Europe's energy needs.

The scientists are calling for the creation of a series of huge solar farms - producing electricity either through photovoltaic cells, or by concentrating the sun's heat to boil water and drive turbines - as part of a plan to share Europe's renewable energy resources across the continent.

A new supergrid, transmitting electricity along high voltage direct current cables would allow countries such as the UK and Denmark ultimately to export wind energy at times of surplus supply, as well as import from other green sources such as geothermal power in Iceland.

Energy losses on DC lines are far lower than on the traditional AC ones, which make transmission of energy over long distances uneconomic.

The grid proposal, which has won political support from both Nicholas Sarkozy and Gordon Brown, answers the perennial criticism that renewable power will never be economic because the weather is not sufficiently predictable. Its supporters argue that even if the wind is not blowing hard enough in the North Sea, it will be blowing somewhere else in Europe, or the sun will be shining on a solar farm somewhere.

Scientists argue that harnessing the Sahara would be particularly effective because the sunlight in this area is more intense: solar photovoltaic (PV) panels in northern Africa could generate up to three times the electricity compared with similar panels in northern Europe.

Much of the cost would come in developing the public grid networks of connecting countries in the southern Mediterranean, which do not currently have the spare capacity to carry the electricity that the north African solar farms could generate. Even if high voltage cables between North Africa and Italy would be built or the existing cable between Morocco and Spain would be used, the infrastructure of the transfer countries such as Italy and Spain or Greece or Turkey also needs a major re-structuring, according to Jaeger-Waldau....continued at link

Media blind to Israeli terrorism

2008-07-24T18:39:00.004Z

When an Arab runs riot with a digger, it becomes front page news. Headlines scream about another 'terror' attack. Yet, when Jewish extremists run riot and destroy a Palestinian village, it warrants a small paragraph at the very end of an article about settlement expansion in the Guardian, and is ignored by the BBC and other major media outlets. What would have been the media priority if this attack was by Arab on Jewish settlers?

Palestinian officials said yesterday that a group of Jewish settlers had attacked a Palestinian village, Burin, near the West Bank city of Nablus, smashing cars and windows and cutting electricity wires. The attack was filmed by an Israeli group, Rabbis for Human Rights. The village was close to a settlement where an Israeli was arrested this month for allegedly trying to fire a rocket at the Palestinians.

Is it a virus or is it a bacterium?

2008-07-13T07:47:00.005Z

The Gruniad find it difficult to tell the difference:

· The TB virus is spread by mycobacteria through people coughing and sneezing and affects patients' lungs and pulmonary systems, making it difficult for them to breathe.

· The disease is thought to have either originated in cattle or to have stemmed from a bacterium that evolved separately to infect both species.

· In 2006, 1.6 million people died of TB. India currently has the highest rate of infection with about 3.5 million patients, compared to around 7,000 in Britain.

· Famous TB victims include Robert Burns, George Orwell, Immanuel Kant and Eleanor Roosevelt.

Real Job Advert

2008-07-02T19:09:00.004Z

I'm mildly surprised that Mr Halliburton hasn't got the job already! Then again perhaps they don't want to repeat the same kind of 'reconstruction' in London that Baghdad enjoys on a daily basis.

The Embassy of the Republic of Iraq would like to invite qualified and experienced contractors to tender for the:

1. Repairs and refurbishment of its offices at 21 Queens Gate, London, SW7 5JG.

2. Repairs and refurbishment of the residence of the Ambassador.

Interested and qualified contractors should obtain full set of tender documents and drawings by contacting:

Mr Sadik Shaker

Tel: 07778 247708

Email: lonemb@iraqmofamail.net

Bidders should demonstrate their capabilities by listing similar work executed with relevant references.

Site visit is mandatory.

Tenders should be submitted no later than 4pm on 10th July 2008 Link

Complaint about BBC propaganda

2008-06-29T09:32:00.004Z

Not so dear BBC,

I would like to complain about Wyre Davies' article. This is one of a large series of articles where the BBC claims that Israel acts only in retaliation for Palestinian rocket attacks.

Please could you present any evidence that you have for this automatic supposition.
Why does the BBC insist every time that Israel acts in retaliation?

In this article, according to Davies, apparently Israelis have only 'retaliated' because of the those nasty Palestinian lobbing rockets. He even has the temerity to compare the suffering of 1.5 million Palestinians in Gaza with 'suffering' of the people who live in border towns like Sderot.

"After months of suffering, Hamas has had to admit the blockade is really hurting.

Over the same period, the people who live in Israel's towns and communities, just across the Gaza border, have been suffering too.

Hundreds of crude, but effective, rockets fired by Palestinian militants have landed in towns like Sderot, killing and injuring several Israelis.

As Israel retaliates, launching air strikes against Gaza, hundreds of Palestinian civilians have been killed."

In another article, the BBC headline focuses on the generosity of Israel in allowing fuel to enter Gaza. The BBC headline ignores the fact that Israel was acting illegally in preventing food and medicines reaching over a million besieged desperate people.

Why is the allowing of fuel into Gaza considered more important than the denial of food and medicines to Palestinians?
Also in this article why is the photo caption used that of an Israeli youth posing behind a broken window?
Is this more important than the shootings and vastly greater criminal damage committed by Israel?
Why does the BBC side with Israel in propagating such propaganda?

Has Pakistani 'cooperation' outlived its usefulness?

2008-06-22T15:18:00.004Z

It seems the tide is turning against Pakistan in the global disinformation game. The country is fast turning from being portrayed as a friendly dictatorship dutifully bombing mullahs in the North West Frontier Province to one that is portrayed as actually collaborating with the Taliban to attack Western forces. The recent killing of Pakistani troops by missile from US predator aircraft did not go down well with the new government in Islamabad. It seems that if the obedient dictator is sidelined by a democratic vote then that is unacceptable and the Pakistani government must take note that attitudes in Washington are hardening against it. No doubt the previous links of the ISI as Taliban sponsors will now be trotted out for a fresh airing despite the former being virtually a branch of the CIA in Pakistan.