I remember clearly my undergraduate years in the Midwest when the professors and some of the text books repeatedly accused the Germans for not having stood up and protested against laws, rules, regulations and policies adopted against the Jewish minority, the gypsies etc. Although I was not "alive to history" then, I still felt the sting of that criticism and promised myself that if ever in my lifetime blatant violations of human rights occurred, I would speak out, and speak clearly.
Things are now moving so fast that even ZGrams and notes prepared a few days ago on an event or topic are now almost more than passé as new events overtake the "old" ones, often greater in impact or importance:
Fisk keeps on hammering away at the whorish mainstream media glossing over the murderous things the Israelis do and magnifying the cornered Palestinian reaction to Jewish torment - putting it succinctly: "Editors around the world are requesting their journalists to be ever softer, ever more mealy-mouthed in their reporting of any incident which might upset Israel." Nice free press we have, nyet?
Denmark is in a near-open diplomatic crisis about the Israeli "Torturer/Ambassador" who is clearly not welcome in Denmark, that little bastion of liberalism only yesterday.
Amnesty International - for once in its long, shameful history of suppression of Israeli's terrorist tactics - has finally for once come out on the side of the Palestinian, as has the Danish Red Cross.
Students all over our continent are getting ready for demonstrations and rallies on the side of the underdog. The Palestinians' cause is gaining an ever wider sympathetic response on Canadian and American campuses. There is ferment wherever you look.
On the other side, there has been blatant saber-rattling in the leftist Washington Post via its most prestigious pro-Zionist columnists, virtually demanding that Israel start an all-out war of ethnic cleansing against the Palestinians. Hundreds of readers have called them to task for "inciting war crimes" with their poisonous agitation and unwarranted attacks on the desperate Palestinians. Yesterday it took me half an hour to even access their website - apparently it was just clogged with irate readers giving the editors hell.
I thought I should postpone my "Revisionist Week in Review" Sunday ZGrams for once and keep on with my "Orient House" series. It's filling in the gaps for many around the world, from Argentine to Namibia, from Russia to the US Armed Forces in Turkey, the Arab Emirates and the Balkans where English speaking readers don't have access to the many revisionist Websites and rely on what I send them for news updates.
Here, then, are several noteworthy items:
[Start]
Bethlehem, Occupied Palestine
August 13, 2001
On Saturday, August 11, 2001, American citizens, including Beth Daoud from Denver, participated in a peaceful demonstration in East Jerusalem when they found themselves facing American guns and other lethal military hardware in the hands of a hostile and violent police and military force.
Several of the Americans were knocked down, others were hit, kicked, and insulted for exercising their human rights
- all without prior warning or a request to cease and desist.
The demonstration was the immediate consequence of the Israeli government's escalation of tension with the Palestinian people through its seizure of the Orient House in East Jerusalem, an action that has been roundly condemned by the international community.
The Americans were present in association with the International Solidarity Movement to Free Palestine (ISMFP), an organization encompassing individuals from many nations who are dedicated to the use of non-violent means to advance the cause of justice for Palestinians.
Beth Daoud has submitted the following statement the American consul in Jerusalem, Israel:
Beth and the other Americans so assaulted ask their government the following question: How is it that their tax dollars - collectively well in excess of $3 billion annually - have come to be used against Americans exercising their human and civil rights?
[Note to editor: Beth's address and phone number are available for confirmation but not for publication.]
For further information, please contact:
Thomas H. Nelson Attorney at Law Americans United for Palestinian Human Rights 825 N.E. Multnomah, Suite 925 Portland, OR 97232 Phone: (503) 230-8311 e-mail: <
Salam all:
This is going to be a huge event with a target of 20,000 people. In addition to Montreal and Ottawa, we are hoping to get people from Kingston, Toronto, London Ontario, Quebec City and anywhere from Canada or the USA close enough to drive or fly. Bring the whole family and show your support while enjoying the trip to Montreal. For those who prefer to bus it, JDC will chart buses to Montreal from Ottawa and other Canadian cities.
Please reserve seats with us in advance. Provide home city and number of people interested. Please do so now to help us plan ahead.
Regards................................./Salah Musa
Coordinator, Jerusalem Defense Committee
2700 members worldwide, help us reach 5,000 by 2002.
Standing up for Arabs and Muslims anywhere, anyhow, anytime.
Montreal - Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights (SPHR), a non-profit, student association based in Montreal with the aim of educating the Canadian public about the human rights status of the Palestinian people, is organizing a mass rally for Palestine to be held in Montreal, on September 15th, 2001. The theme of this rally will be "End Israeli colonialism- Unite for Justice." The rally will be held in the memory of Sabra and Shatila massacre. It is hoped that this event will achieve its goals of being one of the largest pro- Palestinian events in North America, and between 15-20,000 people are expected to attend.
Support from all groups from all around North America is needed to make this rally a real success, and it is hoped that people outside of Montreal and Quebec will make an effort to come to this rally, especially from Toronto and Ottawa.
Details of the event:
The rally will begin with an information bazaar, to be held at the corner of DeMaisonneuve and Guy in downtown Montreal (close to Concordia University) at 10:00 AM of the 15th, in which all participating organizations will take part, and they can set up their own information tables. A big tent has been rented to house the bazaar. From there, the demonstrators will make their way to the American Consulate, and then back to the corner of Guy and DeMaisonneuve, passing by the Israeli Consulate on the corner of Peel and Rene Levesque Blvd. The bazaar will continue throughout the day.
How can you participate?
Organizations can help by doing one or all of the following:
Purpose of the event:
The main purpose of this demonstration is:
Your feedback is always appreciated. It is imperative that those who are concerned for the cause of Human Rights and Justice support this effort and, in addition, let the general Canadian public know the real truth of what is taking place in Palestine.
For More Information:
Please phone or email Sami Nazzal for details and if your organization would like to sponsor this event - Phone: (514) 909-6084. E-mail: concordia@sphr.org or Montreal@muslimsonline.com Please visit the SPHR website at www.sphr.org [End]
[1] The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, as proclaimed by the General Assembly of the United Nations on December 10, 1948, provides in part:
Article 19.
Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.
Article 20.
Everyone has the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association.