Category: NewsGeneral news items
General news items
Khalida Jarrar smuggles a letter for Palestine Writes
Political prisoner Khalida Jarrar shares the essential role literature plays for Palestinian prisoners struggling to retain their humanity and remain connected to the outside world.
https://mondoweiss.net/2020/12/khalida-jarrar-smuggles-a-letter-for-palestine-writes/
Why Australia Supports Israel’s Oppression of the Palestinians
Excellent article by Antony Loewenstein detailing Australia’s terrible record of support of Israel despite blatant human rights abuses and the illegality of their actions. All the more reason why Australians need to actively pressure their politicians. Australia’s policies in relation to Israel adversely affect the lives of Palestinians.
“Australia is almost unique globally in its consistent support for Israel in diplomatic forums like the United Nations.”
Why is this the case? Why does the Australian government have an opinion regarding Israel that differs from almost every other country?
https://www.jacobinmag.com/2020/12/australia-israel-palestine-conflict-oppression
Palestinian rights and the IHRA definition of antisemitism | Antisemitism | The Guardian
A group of 122 Palestinian and Arab academics, journalists and intellectuals express their concerns about the IHRA definition
Inspirational! Videos by Palestinian young people
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BDS Australia HP campaign: sign the pledge
Did you know that HP and their spin-off companies supply Israel with the technology, equipment, and information used to perpetrate human rights violations against Palestinian people? Our friends at @BDSAustralia have put together a pledge that you can sign to the Managing Director of HP to let them know that you will not purchase any HP products until they cancel all contracts that violate the basic human rights of Palestinians. Sign the pledge here: https://bdsaustralia.good.do/boycotthp/boycotthp-pledge/
They are running a social media campaign this Saturday 28/11/2020 and asking people to share these campaign tiles. Save a tile by right-clicking on the image, selecting “save image as …” and saving to your hard drive. Then you can send and share.
FPM on our facebook will share these 7 tiles throughout the day. Please watch our facebook on Saturday and share too.
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Some information on the HP Boycott call – because HP are involved in:
- Providing services and technology to the Israeli army and police that maintain Israel’s illegal occupation of the West Bank and East Jerusalem, and the siege on Gaza
- Maintaining Israel’s central ID system and data base for the Israeli police, used to enforce a system of racial segregation and apartheid against Palestinian citizens of Israel
- Supporting Israel’s colonisation by maintaining information on Israeli citizens in illegal settlements in the occupied Palestinian West Bank
- Operating a research and development centre in the illegal Israeli settlement of Beitar Illit in the occupied West Bank
Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons
Dear fellow humanitarian,
Nuclear terrorist Apartheid Israel existentially threatens the world but the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) will shortly further place this serial war criminal rogue state and its supporters outside International Law and subject to global Boycotts, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS).
Stephen Hawking: “We see great peril if governments and societies do not take action now to render nuclear weapons obsolete and to prevent further climate change”. The 24 October ratification by a 50th state, Honduras, of the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) means that it will take effect from 22 January 2021, from which time the 9 nuclear terrorist states and 32 complicit states will be grossly violating International Law.
Key TPNW prohibitions are to: “(a). Develop, test, produce, manufacture, otherwise acquire, possess or stockpile nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices… (e). Assist, encourage or induce, in any way, anyone to engage in any activity prohibited to a State Party under this Treaty”.
Estimates of stored nuclear weapons are as follows together with the population of each country: US (5,800-6,185; 331.6 million), Russia (6,372-6,490; 145.0 million), China (300-320; 1,439.3 million), France (290; 65.3 million), UK (200-215; 68.0 million), Pakistan (160; 222.3 million), India (150; 1,384.4 million), Apartheid Israel (90; Jewish Israeli population 6.7 million but ruling Palestine, total population 14.1 million), and North Korea (30-40; 25.8 million).
The relative moral depravity of the nuclear terrorist states is given by the ratio of “number of nuclear weapons” to “population in millions” : Russia (44.4), US (18.1), Apartheid Israel Jewish population (13.4), France (4.4), UK (3.1), North Korea (1.4), Pakistan (0.7), China (0.2), and India (0.1).
Under the extreme right-wing, serial war criminal and climate criminal Coalition, Australia opposes the TPNW, is deeply complicit in US and UK nuclear terrorism, is second only to America as a fervent supporter of nuclear terrorist Apartheid Israel, is among world leaders in 16 areas of climate criminality, and faces global Boycotts, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS). The Labor Opposition and the Greens support ratification of the TPNW.
For details and documentation see Gideon Polya, “Nuclear terrorism – US & Israeli lackey Australia to violate Treaty on Prohibition Of Nuclear Weapons”, Countercurrents, 30 October 2020: https://countercurrents.org/2020/10/nuclear-terrorism-us-israeli-lackey-australia-to-violate-treaty-on-prohibition-of-nuclear-weapons/ . Please disseminate to everyone you can with attribution.
Yours sincerely, Dr Gideon Polya, Melbourne, Australia
Jonathan Kuttab reports on his recent trip to Palestine and the upcoming launch of his new book.
Jonathan Kuttab is a co-founder of NVI. As a well known international human rights attorney, Mr. Kuttab has established himself as a prominent speaker on nonviolence. In this video, he speaks on his October 2020 trip to Palestine, as well as the launch of his new book Beyond the Two State Solution.
If you want to get on the list for Jonathan’s new free (PDF) booklet called Beyond The Two-State Solution, go to this page and sign up.
Jonathan Kuttab is also the Co-founder of Al-Haq and an internationally renowned human rights attorney.
Nonviolence International
http://www.nonviolenceinternational.net/
Urgent Call to Help Families Affected by COVID-19
Free Palestine Melbourne has a friend in Hebron who is raising money, alongside some partners in the US, for families struggling in Hebron.
If you feel like donating, please do.
You probably all know that Hebron was the hardest hit by COVID cases. It has also been badly hit economically – being the largest Palestinian city and the economic hub, as I understand it, there is this perception, even within the West Bank, that Hebron is ok, and the PA isn’t helping much. A few rich families are doing very well, but many families are seriously struggling without tourism – especially domestic tourism from Palestinians within ’48/Israel.
Happy if people have questions too.
Defend Palestinian Children
Dear Friends
This is the petition we have made in support of Palestinian children who are being ill-treated by Israel. If you could sign and share it with your friends/groups It would be much appreciated. We are aiming to get enough signatures and interest to allow us to present this petition to the Australian Senate. When presented, the petition will be read out in the Australian Senate and entered into hansard.
Below is link to on-line-petition:
http://chng.it/yz2W8rs4JD
Warm regards,
Defend Palestinian Children
Kathleen Halfpenny
kathleenhalfpenny(OMIT,ANTI-SPAM)@[REMOVE-ME]bigpond.com.au
Related further reading:
https://www.dci-palestine.org/palestinian_children_in_the_israeli_military_detention_system
https://www.breakingthesilence.org.il
http://www.militarycourtwatch.org/page.php?id=a6r85VcpyUa4755A52Y2mp3c4v