Dag: 14 augustus 2011

Raise your voice against Drone Attacks….!

On: By: KhamakarPress
We created the page Stop Drone Attacks on faceook on 17th December, 2010.From the same date people started Like it in a
huge number. More than 102 people Liked it till today. It shows that in majority the peace lovers and all members of our community strongly condemn the US Drone Attacks in Pakistan and even any where in the world. Because it kills innocent
people more then the terrorists. There are some comments that people done on the facebook page:
Babar Hayat:

The mounting drones attacks in Pakistan’s tribal areas are not only killing the innocent peoples but also fueling the hatred among the tribesmen s toward Pakistan’s army and its peoples. After becoming a front line state over the US war on terror, Pakistan has become the number one victim of terrorism. The nation is at disarray over the question of why Pakistan signed a
deal with Washington to fight its war on terror, since its own country has plunged into the wave of terrorism. Comparatively, Pakistan has lost way more than what it gained over its decision to back the Us war on terror. Now these drones are making the situation even more dangerous, dividing the nation along the ethnic lines. Therefore, the drone attacks must be stopped.

Sabina Shahid:
Media is as usual going on with their negative coverage.i can never understand as to why would America keep repeating those same lame words,’Pakistan needs to do more’,a border has two sides.There are American and Allied forces,Nato forces and Afghan army and the rangers,how come they are not able to control the other side of the border.And maybe it is time to admit that
Karzai,the GOVERNOR of Kabul is nothing but a failure,who can’t even control anything outside of Kabul,so how is he going to secure his own border.Easy to blame. you can’t fight extremism with more extremism,or terror with terror.There should be
an initiative for more diplomacy and peace programs. the media is so quite over this whole thing,while the attacks continue and the people are dying,majority still believes that the extremists are being killed. if  only 2011 could be the total opposite of 2010.i think we should take Obama’s nobel peace prize and give it to Bush for a year or so…would it be any different?
will this year be any different? While some will have fireworks,the others will have death.Humanity is coming to its final phase of triumph or tyranny will rule? if only Americans knew the truth,the media has been taken hostage…wait,what am i saying?Media is money making business just like wars. every page or group that you have joined,post it there and let the people know.
thanx…i am doing the same,hopefully more people will join.
Susan Peterson:
the New Year is barely a day old…
I honestly wish I had an answer, Sabina. At my end of the world; I wish I could give my country a cosmic punch in the head so that they will finally wake up and see what is happening in Pakistan and Afghanistan…
Exactly Eesha; the world forgets that in the “War On Terror”, real life, flesh and blood people get hurt. And it is their communities
who have to try and rebuild, somehow, while being attacked. It is so frustrating!!
I don’t understand why there is no anger over this!!! And we all know if the situation was reversed.
Eesa Hassan:

It is a
perception and a true one at that that we all need a leader to make something successful, it is apparent from the way any organization, institution is run. Can’t something be done about this issue to make it heard and opposition to it  registered..majority opposes it but there is no pressure on those who allow it to stop it! The public can pressurize those involved but maybe are cowardly or just not aware. Can’t there be a platform just for this??? Something real with a single purpose!

It’s so sad and horrible that there is hardly any awareness about the injustice of this act much less any hue and cry over it..
These numbers are just ….numbers and what about those who are maimed for the rest of their lives..and all happening just because it was ’thought’ some miscreants were there! This is making matters worse instead of wiping it out..i don’t get it why those who are involved are hell bent on continuing this , thinking it to be end of so called ‘extremism’!!
Muhammad Adil:

HUH….this our national interest to stop Drone attacks in our country..n look only 22 people
like this page..this is something really shame for us….it should b in thousands…

Irfanullah Waizr:

We should add more and more people to this page just to make some people realize that there
(IN WAZIRISTAN) everything is going wrong and commonly in a couple of weeks there is a drone attack that is necessary……so some of the people will convey our words to much more people and at last PAKISTAN will start working to stop this DRONE attacks…..I
might have told you all the correct thing???

(stopdrone.blogspot.com / 14.08.2011)

Israeli police arrest 3 Palestinian children in Silwan

On: By: KhamakarPress

BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — An undercover unit of the Israeli forces arrested two
Palestinian children and one teenager from the Jerusalem neighborhood of Silwan
on Sunday, a local committee member and Israeli police spokesman
said.

Abed Al-Karim, member of a local Silwan committee which protects
land from annexation, said that Israeli forces arrested Musellem Mousa Auda, 11,
Mohamad Auda, 13, and Kathem Abu Shafee, 17.

Undercover units raided
Silwan at 11.30 a.m. on Sunday morning, Al-Karim told Ma’an radio, arresting the
three boys without providing any justification.

Jerusalem police
spokesman Shmuel Ben Ruby said three children had been detained.

“They
threw stones at our police force, luckily no-one was hurt and we detained them,”
he said.

Al-Karim said Israeli actions such as these were designed to
intimidate neighborhood residents.

Clashes reportedly erupted between
Silwan residents and soldiers, with Israeli forces firing tear gas and stun
grenades at residents.

Rights groups say childrens’ rights are routinely
violated by Israeli forces.

A statement by the Palestinian Government
Media Center in August reported that Israeli soldiers and settlers have killed
nine children so far in 2011, and almost 200 children have been injured by
settler violence and the Israeli military.

(www.uruknet.de / 14.08.2011)

Your Mega Ramadan Change Project

On: By: KhamakarPress

By Abdel-Rahman Mussa

Sunday, 14 August 2011 11:40

It is mentioned in the Qur’anic verse:

(Undoubtedly, the one who purifies (their soul) has succeeded. And the one who soiled (their soul) has certainly failed.) (Ash-Shams 91:9-10)

Ramadan is the best time to grow and purify our hearts and ourselves. You’re fasting so your whims are weakened and your sense of control ought be stronger. Every good deed is multiplied and the doors of Paradise are open. It’s the perfect time to build a new habit and to construct a new you. It’s the perfect time to focus on your mega Ramadan project: YOU.

Outside of Ramadan we have many distractions and it is like a gravitational pull bringing us down. It’s this constant struggle and battle between you and Shaytan. In Ramadan though, the devils are chained according to the authentic narrations of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).

But what brings us down during the eleven other months of the year is also friction that exists within us, our desires. We enter into Ramadan having not shed any of our bad habits or desires, not prepared for the beautiful month ahead of us, not on the path of purification.

So What’s the Solution?

Expend 60-80% of your energy before you enter the ‘zero-gravity zone’ – that means plan how you will make this Ramadan the best and develop self-discipline. Hit the floor running as they say. Everything that you would have done in Ramadan, start doing it now. Warm up and prepare for the opportunity to come.

Here are some practical tips:

1. Define Your Goals

The first step is to mentally prepare and then write out this commitment to yourself. For example how much of the Qur’an do you want to read a day in Ramadan? Work your way towards reading that amount by reading at least half of your goal everyday. Start from now. Or if you want to develop a worship habit begin by adding some additional Prayers to your daily routine.

2. Scheduling Time

Using our special Ramadan Taskinator you can plan to make the most of every day and every hour of Ramadan to invest in yourself. Planning bite-sized actions to accomplish each day will help you to achieve the overall goal. Preparing your body physically and mentally to the adjustment of Ramadan starts with fasting regularly now. Get your body, mind, and soul into fasting mode sooner rather than later.

3. Monitor Progress

Now you’ve committed to action and set your goals for Ramadan, the willpower and dedication to succeed lies in making du`aa’ and also continuously evaluating yourself. Ramadan is a spiritual training ground for us to reflect, and therefore the actions you want to achieve should be instilled into your daily routine by the end of ramadan. Ask a friend to help you to monitor your progress, whether it is completing the Qur’an or performing the night Prayer.

Allah has blessed us with a month of countless rewards and benefits. Make the most out of this Ramadan and build a new YOU. (Just get a head start so you can hit the ground running when Ramadan begins in shaa’ Allah!)

(www.onislam.net / 14.08.2011)

FPM Newsletter

On: By: KhamakarPress
FPM Newsletter
August 14, 2011

Dear Friends and Supporters,

…Please accept our apologies for the long delay in reporting to you on developments concerning the Free Palestine Movement and its participation in the Gaza Freedom Flotilla with our partners in the International Committee to Break the Siege of Gaza (ICBSG). Until now, our partners asked us to say nothing about our ship, and they were right to do so, because our silence allowed the ship to quietly leave Greece with the hope of placing the passengers on board at another location.

The Nour al-Haqiqa (Light of Truth), is a fine vessel, the largest in the Flotilla (not including the Mavi Marmara). It is approximately 40 meters in length and licensed to carry 120 passengers and crew for overnight travel.

The Nour is currently berthed in a secure location where it can receive fuel, provisions and servicing. Unfortunately, however, we have been unsuccessful until now in finding a country in the Mediterranean that will allow our passengers to go on board. In addition, there is a technical matter (not mechanical) to be resolved, which makes it difficult to move the vessel.

These difficulties are similar to those encountered by other boats in the Flotilla. There is, in effect, an international conspiracy to deny boats the freedom to sail to Gaza, regardless of who is or is not on board or what the boats may or may not be carrying, however harmless.

Nevertheless, there are problems for those who would try to stop us.

First, the means of stopping the Flotilla left the boats in the possession of the organizers. If Israel had used tactics similar to those of 2010, it would presumably have confiscated the boats and not released them again, ending the story. However, the longer the boats remain in our hands, the more pressure there is to use them.

Second, the sequestration of the boats is not popular with the people of the countries from which we are trying to sail. The people of Greece, Turkey and Cyprus, for example, are in deep solidarity with the people of Palestine, and take pride in their countries’ previous role in challenging the Israeli siege of Gaza. Their actions to stop the Flotilla are not popular at home, and make their people ashamed of their government. The only thing stopping the boats is the heavy pressure on these governments from the U.S. and Israel.

Third, the sequestration of the boats is illegal and unsustainable. The reasons given for preventing the boats from sailing are probably not justifiable in a court of law, and the boats will have to be given permission to be used at some point. There is no basis for preventing the boats from ever sailing anywhere at any time in the future.

For these reasons, all of the participants in the Flotilla are currently reviewing plans and options. It is our intention and that of our partners, to use the Nur al-Haqiqa to challenge the illegal Israeli blockade of Gaza through peaceful, nonviolent and non-threatening means that harm no one, as intended by all boats in the Flotilla. One Flotilla boat, the French vessel Dignite al-Karama actually used these measures to successfully take 16 passengers and crew toward Gaza, only to be captured by Israel, as expected. No harm came to anyone.

We hope that all parties will agree that such nonviolent means should be encouraged, not blocked. We pose no danger to anyone, so there is no need to use force or coercion to prevent our ship or any other in the Gaza Freedom Flotilla from sailing to Gaza.

Our peaceful intentions, however, do not diminish our resolve to defend and exercise Palestinian human rights, regardless of threats against us and regardless of the belligerent actions of those who violate human rights. We will respond with nonviolence to attacks against us, but we will not respond with indifference to human rights abuses. We invite all who believe in this course of action to join and support us.

The FPM Team

We’re broke!

Our share of the boat purchase ($6000 per person), plus all the other costs of organizing and bringing our delegation to Athens has completely exhausted our funds. In the past, donors have quickly replenished our coffers after we set to sea and began to report on our experiences.

This time we have had no such opportunity – yet – and we don’t even have enough funds to attend strategy meetings, much less to send a delegation if and when the opportunity arises. We don’t even have operating funds for more than two weeks, which affects other projects besides the Flotilla.

Please help to keep us going. We’re trying to raise at least $20,000 for operating costs until the end of the year, but will use part of it to send a delegation to the Nour if the opportunity arises, in which case we will also do a special appeal for that purpose.

Thank you for your support for our work. Please click here to make a donation.

About our delegation

Ambassador Sam Hart, American Indian Movement spokesperson Jimbo Simmons, Sister Patricia Chaffee, USS Liberty veteran and survivor Joe Meadors, FPM founder Paul Larudee and FPM Coordinator Deppen Webber returned to the US on or about July 10. Since then, we have all been engaged in speaking and writing about our experiences, and if the Nour sails, most of us will again try to be on it.

If you wish to schedule a speaking presentation by any of us in your area, please let us know. We would be happy to come.

Donate Raffle Prizes

Can you donate an item for the upcoming FPM fundraising raffle? We will be accepting donations from business owners and individuals to be listed as prizes on our raffle website and flyers. The drawing will be held in Pacifica on December 3, 2011 and we hope to have the prizes finalized in 2 weeks. Some popular items in previous raffles were air tickets, vacation accommodations, dinners, and massages. To donate an item please call +1 510-232-2500 or send email to info@freepalestinemovement.org​. The value of your donation is tax deductible.

(Facebook / Raef El-Ghamri /14.08.2011)

George Galloway: Statement on the situation in Syria!!

On: By: KhamakarPress

Statement on the situation in Syria, by George  Galloway

The news this morning that the Syrian navy were shelling the water-front of  Latakia – including the Palestinian refugee camp there – shook me to the  core.

Not just because I lived in that camp last year, on that water-front, when  the then dictatorship of Hosni Mubarak was stalling about letting the Viva  Palestina 5 convoy sail for Gaza (after more than a fortnight of Syrian  hospitality the convoy sailed though I was banned). The people of Latakia, a  beautiful seaside holiday resort, were good to me. I cannot be silent about  their suffering now.

More importantly the news was shocking insofar as it calibrated how close we  now are to a full-scale civil war in “the last Arab country” as I described  Syria in a speech in the Assad library five years ago, just after the Israeli  attack on Lebanon was repulsed by the Syrian backed resistance led by  Hezbollah.

Historically, I was never close to the Syrian regime, I’m writing this from  my house which I called Tal-al-Zattar after the Palestinian refugee camp in  Lebanon which suffered a massacre facilitated by another Assad more than thirty  years ago and carried out by his then Phalangist allies.

I was with Yasser Arafat in his long struggle to keep the PLO free from the  dead hand of the Syrian Ba’ath Party. I stood with Iraq when 29 countries tried  to destroy it in the first Iraq war in 1991. One of those countries was Assad’s  Syria.

But in the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king and by 2006 Bashar al  Assad was the last Arab leader standing. Syria was hated I said that night in  the library not because of the bad things it has done but because of the good. I  adumbrated them thus. Syria has refused to sign a surrender peace with Israel,  refused to abandon its territory on the Golan to the illegal occupiers. Syria  has refused to abandon the Palestinian resistance, continuing to give safe haven  for the leaders, and fighters, of virtually the whole gamut of resistance  organisations. Syria has insisted on supporting the Lebanese resistance, has  refused to allow its territory to be used as a base against the resistance in  Iraq and so forth. It was all true of course but it was not the whole truth.

The dark side of the Syrian regime, its authoritarian character, its police  state mentality above all its deep-seated corruption fantastically exacerbated  by the regimes neo-liberal turn with its attendant privatisations, substituting  state property for private ownership by the regime’s comprador, by and large.  This was another part of the truth though partly concealed by the Arab  nationalist anti-Imperialist character of the Syrian people and their  government. This has been the lived experience of most Syrians for over forty  years. That’s a lot of darkness.

It was possible to judge Syria by the nature of its enemies – Israel, US,  British and French imperialism, the Arab reactionaries, the Salafist sectarian  fanatics – for as long as the Syrian people remained either supported or were  largely quiescent behind the regime even if only for fear of something worse.  And as long as the President, Bashar al -Assad, held out hope for real reform  towards democracy open government and an end to rampant corruption, much of it  concentrated around his own family and close cronies. That hope now dangles by a  thread.

To describe the mass uprising in Syria, day after day for months and  undaunted by the steadily rising price in blood being paid by the protestors, as  the actions of “terrorists” and “gunmen” is a gross distortion. In fact the  regime itself looks more and more like the terrorist, certainly the gunmen, in  this picture. This is a genuine popular uprising taking place in Syria even if  it is heavily infiltrated by all of Syria’s enemies – the enemies of all the  Arabs in my view.

The biggest problem is that the longer fighting on this scale continues on  the greater the scope for these enemies to engineer an outcome favourable to  them. An outcome which takes Syria out of the traditional national camp and into  the camp of collapse, surrender, sectarianism and indignity.

 

That’s why I must say it looks like five minutes to midnight in Syria for me.  For years the President has talked of reform. But the more he talked the faster  his relatives counted their ill-gotten gains.

He has talked about the lifting of states of emergency whilst presiding (one  assumes he’s still presiding) over the mother of all emergencies in his country.  He has talked about ending the Ba’ath’s constitutional monopoly as the “leading  force” in the country but it still exists, at least on paper if not on the  streets. He has talked about elections but of those there is no sign and how  could there be amidst the carnage?

The risk of open imperialist intervention in this situation increases almost  by the hour. The enemies of the Palestinians and all the Arabs are rattling  their sabres. The Syrian people, always the heart of Arab nationalism cry out in  their slogans even as they are shot down against any such foreign interventions,  but the vultures circle nonetheless. Such a fate for the great Syria, must be  avoided at all costs. At all costs.

Unless the Syrian regime can conclude an urgent agreement to proceed to  elections, a free media, legal political opposition and an end to what has now  become a massacre, the state is going to be invaded or is going to collapse  under the weight of the bloodshed. And amidst the ruins of that, the rats of  reaction, sectarian hatred and treason will certainly run free.

(Facebook / J. Jansen / 14.08.2011)

What would UN recognition of a Palestinian state mean?

On: By: KhamakarPress
Dr. Naji Sadeq Shurrab
Wednesday, 10 August 2011 11:42

Both sides, the Palestinians and the Israelis, must accept that the establishment of a Palestinian state.

There is no doubt about the importance of the UN recognising Palestine as a state, and more importantly its acceptance as a full member state. If such recognition is given in September, it will confirm the importance of activating the option of international legitimacy. However, we should not get too excited about possible UN recognition; it would not mean an end to Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory, for example, but it could be the start of a long political process. At the same time, it would shift some of the responsibility to bring about an end to the occupation on to the United Nations, for it is inconceivable that a member state of the UN could be occupied by another member; that would be contrary to the organisation’s Charter, and is contrary to the conditions of accession, which provide for the independence of the country requesting membership.

In order to clarify the picture, we have to look at Palestine’s current status and how it is treated by the UN. Palestine was at first treated as an observer with no rights or responsibilities; a mere presence in the General Assembly and a number of functional agencies. Then the UN recognised Palestine as something more akin to an actual state, more than a self-governing authority, and on a higher level than observer status, but still less than a state. Full recognition may, therefore, be a continuation of this gradual process which would establish Palestinian rights on the international stage.

Importantly though, would UN recognition mean the end of Israel’s occupation and bring about a solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict? Definitely not, because of the other complex unresolved issues, notably the refugees, the status of Jerusalem and borders. Even the act of recognition itself posits the possibility that a counter-proposal will be submitted to the UN, linking recognition of a Palestinian state with Palestinian recognition of Israel as a Jewish state.

Moreover, the nature of this conflict and the complexity of the implementation and interpretation of a Palestinian state in reality will require a new set of negotiations, with new parameters and reference points. Negotiations between two states would be very different to those between an occupying state and an occupied people with no nation state. Nevertheless, this could lead to the national interests of each state becoming the focus for negotiators’ efforts with genuine attempts to solve the aforementioned issues – refugees, Jerusalem and borders – being put on the table. On borders, for example, the recognition of a state of Palestine within the 1967 borders may not necessarily mean the withdrawal of all Israeli forces or the complete removal of all illegal settlements. These may be subject to further negotiation which move away from the traditional concepts of national borders in the context of the theory of “borders of sovereignty” and even shared sovereignty.

This makes a return to negotiations inevitable. Indeed, the recognition of a Palestinian state by the UN will emphasise the importance of the negotiations option more than ever before, not least because a new Palestinian state, which would undoubtedly be demilitarised, would not have at its disposal the option of going to war to resolve its differences with Israel.

What about Palestinian resistance in the event of a Palestinian state gaining international recognition? Will this option still exist? If so, what form could such resistance take? The establishment of a state would mean one legitimate authority and the unification of all security services. A Palestinian state would lead automatically to the end of the national division on a formal level. A continued split would, therefore, have to be dealt with by other means, so the national imperative is that reconciliation takes place immediately, with agreement on what a Palestinian state would mean, including new concepts of conflict management compatible with state agencies.

This would include the use of peaceful, scientific, technological and new population means and joint development projects to develop a new vision of the concept of a state. This would stem from the principle that Palestine and Israel have no option before them except to search for ways to mix, share and integrate in certain areas while remaining exclusive in others, and maintaining each state’s demographics.

What has to be understood is that the issue of Palestinian statehood and admission to the United Nations is not a goal in itself; it’s also a new beginning of conflict management within a new peaceful, civilised, joint developmental paradigm and shared vision. I think that with such a vision we can find solutions to many of the complex key issues of the conflict which will not be solved by the establishment of a Palestinian state alone. Both sides, the Palestinians and the Israelis, must accept that the establishment of a Palestinian state provides just two options: war and conflict, in an environment which does not serve the interests of either of them; or the chance to find formulas for integration and cooperation in areas dictated by the unity and nature of the land to be shared.

These are the new perceptions and factors which may stand behind the recognition of a Palestinian state, which Palestinians themselves, before others, will have to acknowledge. The establishment of a Palestinian state is not just legal recognition; it is also the beginning of managing a complex conflict with a view to bringing it to an end. This will take a long time, but what is important is that these perceptions and the new vision are themselves recognised.

(www.middleeastmonitor.org.uk / 14.08.2011)

Time to de-legitimise the Assad regime

On: By: KhamakarPress
Khalid Amayreh
Saturday, 13 August 2011 18:41

Unfortunately, the Arab League doesn’t fare much better than individual states.

It should be clear by now that the killings in the streets of Syria at the hands of the sectarian Assad regime have eliminated any possibility for any future modus vivendi between the people of Syria and their murderous government. On Assad’s orders, his henchmen have drenched Syria with the blood of its men, women and children, leaving no sliver of legitimacy for him and his supporters.

The enormity of the slaughter is clear from the horrible images that keep emerging from Syria; they show that the criminal regime has a no-holds-barred approach to dissent, particularly people demanding freedom from the clutches of the police-state, which could soon assume genocidal proportions. Cities such as Hamma, Dira’a, Dir al Zur, Aleppo and even the capital Damascus could be transformed into latter-day Srebrenicas if the international community fails to stop the carnage.

It seems to be futile to appeal to any basic human values or moral principles to make the regime refrain from the path of death and destruction it has embarked upon and I have no doubt that the Assad regime is capable of committing such atrocities against its own people. Bashar Al-Asad feels, rightly, that his very survival is at stake. He also calculates that the dominance of his Alawite minority will be ended if Syrians are allowed to choose their rulers in free elections. The foremost strategic goal of the regime is, therefore, not to safeguard Syria but to keep the esoteric Alawite sect in power. Since this goal can’t be attained without bloody repression of those Syrians who are not Alawites, especially the Sunni majority, it is conceivable that the regime will go to any lengths to save itself from the fate that met Saddam Hussein, Hosni Mubarak and (former Tunisian President) Zeinul Abideen bin Ali.

It is auspicious that some Arab states have finally started pointing accusatory fingers towards the Damascus regime and the withdrawal of ambassadors has begun. However, such reactions are too little too late. It is shameful that non-Arab Turkey has adopted a stronger and more meaningful stance on the Syrian revolution than the stunning indifference engulfing most Arab capitals.

Unfortunately, the Arab League doesn’t fare much better than individual states. The League’s new Secretary-General, Nabil al-Arabi, has contented himself, apparently, with “expressing concern” over the unrelenting slaughter of the Syrian people by Syrian government forces.

This ineptitude will be construed in Damascus as tacit encouragement for the regime’s actions and is totally unacceptable. Many had hoped that the Arab League would start paying attention to Arab public opinion and be courageous enough to confront the nefarious sectarian gang in Damascus which is murdering its own people while claiming to be protecting them. Indeed, instead of repeating meaningless diplomatic jargon, the Arab League should expel the Syrian ambassador and announce that it is siding with the people of Syria who, like the people of Egypt and Tunisia, want to deliver themselves from the shackles of tyranny.

Of course, we can hear charges that “the teapot is calling the kettle black” when it comes to Arab dictatorships urging restraint on other Arab dictatorships, and asking them to sever relations with the Assad regime. Nevertheless, what is happening in Syria goes far beyond a simple power struggle between a despotic regime and its opponents; it’s a real bloodbath where the regime is slaughtering people by the thousands. We are talking real crimes against humanity. Hence, it is unethical, hypocritical and cowardly for the Arab League and anyone else to keep silent in the face of these atrocities because of restrictions on interfering in another country’s internal affairs or for fear of retaliatory measures by the Damascus junta and its allies.

I have no doubt that the Syrian revolution will succeed and be victorious. Yes, there will be even more sacrifices by the people, but victory will be on their side and the blood of the martyrs will not have flowed in vain. The Syrian people will then remember who stood with them and who kept silent as if the massacres had taken place on a distant planet.

Finally, a word to the leadership in Iran: you are shamelessly for identifying and siding with a criminal regime that is doing to its people what the Shah’s regime once did to Iranian demonstrators protesting his tyrannical rule. In doing so you are effectively losing whatever support you might have had amongst millions of Muslims in the Arab world; you are betraying your own revolutionary, let alone Islamic, ideals of siding with the oppressed against the oppressors. Your unacceptable stance may be the result of political miscalculations or sectarian blindness or both, but in both cases you will end up losing much more than you can ever win.

This advice is coming from a person who has always considered himself to be a friend of Iran and its people. Sometimes, it is necessary to be a critical friend; Tehran should be such a friend to Bashar Al-Asad and tell him that enough is enough and it’s time to step down.

(www.middleeastmonitor.org.uk / 14.08.2011)

National anthem of Palestine

On: By: KhamakarPress

Following the First World War and the occupation of the country by the British, the principal Allied and associated powers drafted the Mandate which was formally approved by the League of Nations in 1922. By the power granted under the mandate, Britain ruled Palestine between 1920 and 1948, a period referred to as the “British Mandate.” – The preamble of the mandate declared:
“Whereas the Principal Allied Powers have also agreed that the Mandatory should be responsible for putting into effect the declaration originally made on November 2nd, 1917, by the Government of His Britannic Majesty, and adopted by the said Powers, in favor of the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people, it being clearly understood that nothing should be done which might prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine, or the rights and political status enjoyed by Jews in any other country.”[135]
Not all were satisfied with the mandate. Some of the Arabs felt that Britain was violating the McMahon-Hussein Correspondence and the understanding of the Arab Revolt. Some wanted a unification with Syria: In February 1919 several Moslem and Christian groups from Jaffa and Jerusalem met and adopted a platform which endorsed unity with Syria and opposition to Zionism (this is sometime called the First Palestinian National Congress). A letter was sent to Damascus authorizing Faisal to represent the Arabs of Palestine at the Paris Peace Conference. In May 1919 a Syrian National Congress was held in Damascus, and a Palestinian delegation attended its sessions.[136] In April 1920 violent Arab disturbances against the Jews in Jerusalem occurred which became to be known as the 1920 Palestine riots. The riots followed rising tensions in Arab-Jewish relations over the implications of Zionist immigration. The British military administration’s erratic response failed to contain the rioting, which continued for four days. As a result of the events, trust between the British, Jews, and Arabs eroded. One consequence was that the Jewish community increased moves towards an autonomous infrastructure and security apparatus parallel to that of the British administration.
In April 1920 the Allied Supreme Council (the United States, Great Britain, France, Italy and Japan) met at Sanremo and formal decisions were taken on the allocation of mandate territories. The United Kingdom obtained a mandate for Palestine and France obtained a mandate for Syria. The boundaries of the mandates and the conditions under which they were to be held were not decided. The Zionist Organization’s representative at Sanremo, Chaim Weizmann, subsequently reported to his colleagues in London:
There are still important details outstanding, such as the actual terms of the mandate and the question of the boundaries in Palestine. There is the delimitation of the boundary between French Syria and Palestine, which will constitute the northern frontier and the eastern line of demarcation, adjoining Arab Syria. The latter is not likely to be fixed until the Emir Feisal attends the Peace Conference, probably in Paris
Long live Palestine.
Palestine will regain it`s hounor and Jerusalm will be the capital and Al Aqsa will be in no longer danger and the world will see that israel will have to pay for all his deeds painfully.
INSHAHLLAH

(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vuem7Hi76Aw / 14.08.2011)

Israel Occupation Forces to impose HERMETIC CLOSURE on the West Bank, Gaza Strip next month

On: By: KhamakarPress

OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (PIC)– The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) will impose a hermetic closure on all Palestinian land in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip in September, Hebrew media reported on Sunday.

They said that the measure was taken in anticipation of solidarity marches to coincide with the Palestinian Authority bid to win UN recognition of a Palestine state.

The reports noted that all Israeli security apparatuses were put on high alert, expecting clashes with army forces deployed at checkpoints in the West Bank and at border crossings and barricades near Gaza and Jerusalem.

They said that firm orders were given to the armed forces to deal violently with any demonstration attempting to reach the areas between Palestinian land and Jewish settlements. They said that those forces would use firearms, tear gas, stun grenades, and waste water against Palestinian marchers.

(occupiedpalestine.wordpress.com / 14.08.2011)

Syrian ‘warships shell port city of Latakia’

On: By: KhamakarPress

At least 21 people said to be killed as northern city is reportedly attacked by
warships and tanks.

At least 21 people have been killed and others injured after Syrian warships
and tanks opened fire on the port city of Latakia in two residential districts,
activists said.

Sunday’s deaths were reported as a military assault on Latakia extended into
a second day.

On Saturday, at least five people were killed and several others injured as
at least 20 tanks and armoured personnel carriers rolled into the city.

Al Jazeera’s Nisreen el-Shamayleh, reporting from the Jordan-Syria border on
Sunday, said: “We understand from the activists and the Local Co-ordination
Committee (LCC) that the Syrian tanks and the boats that are mounted with
machine guns have halted opening fire and shelling neighbourhoods right now.

“However, there is a curfew that has been imposed on Latakia and the surrounding
neighbourhoods.” Earlier, a resident of the city told Reuters news agency: “I can see the
silhouettes of two grey vessels. They are firing their guns and the impact is
landing on al-Ramel al-Filistini and al-Shaab neighbourhoods.”

“This is the most intense attack on Latakia since the uprising [began].
Anyone who sticks his head out of the window risks being shot. They want to
finish off the demonstrations for good,” he said.

Around the capital, Damascus, “security forces entered Saqba and Hamriya in
great numbers and launched a campaign of arrests,” according to the UK-based
Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

‘Violence must end’

Canada said on Saturday that it had expanded sanctions on Syria to protest
against the government’s brutal crackdown on demonstrations.

The new sanctions include travel bans on four officials and freezing the
assets of the state-run Commercial Bank of Syria, and Syriatel, the country’s
largest mobile phone company.

The US imposed sanctions on the two firms earlier in the week, and has joined
European allies in sanctioning top officials close to President Bashar
al-Assad.

Canada’s sanctions came after US President Barack Obama spoke with the
leaders of Saudi Arabia and the UK and all three called for an immediate end to
the Syrian government’s crackdown on protests.

Obama and Saudi King Abdullah “expressed their shared, deep concerns about
the Syrian government’s use of violence against its citizens,” the White House
said in a statement.

“They agreed that the Syrian regime’s brutal campaign of violence against the
Syrian people must end immediately, and to continue close consultations about
the situation in the days ahead.”

Similar language was used in a statement after a separate Obama conversation
with British Prime Minister David Cameron.

“Bashar al-Assad doesn’t seem to be listening at all,” El-Shamayleh said.

“He is not listening to some of his friends, let alone the United States,
Canada and European countries.”

Friday rallies

Tens of thousands of people rallied in cities across the country on Friday in
protest against the government and at least 17 people were reported killed.

The protests have grown dramatically over the past five months, driven in
part by anger over the government’s bloody crackdown in which rights groups say
at least 2,000 civilians have been killed across the country.

The government has justified its crackdown by saying it is dealing with
terrorist gangs and criminals who are fomenting unrest.

A Latakia resident speaking to Al Jazeera on Saturday rejected the
government’s claims.

“There are no armed gangs here,” he said. “We have been demonstrating
peacefully for the last three months.”

He said the army and security personnel together with regime thugs were
shelling residential neighbourhoods.

Syrian authorities have expelled most independent journalists since the
five-month-old uprising against Assad began, making it difficult to verify
reports from both sides.

(english.aljazeera.net / 14.08.2011)