Mavi Marmara Witness

Anthony Lawson: Sex, Lies, Iran, Israel and WikiLeaks

I, for a change, do not fully agree with Anthony Lawson

I think that Wikileaks is a crucial development

If anything, it exposes the enemies of peace

Our Ziomedia is indeed obsessed with Iran

However,  Lawson  knows how to tell a story

Israeli Soldiers Speak Out

 
'Our lives became something we'd never dreamt': The former Israeli soldiers who have testified against army abuses
Former Israeli soldiers who have testified against army abuses have for the first time given up their anonymity, to make their voices all the harder to ignore. Donald Macintyre gets an exclusive preview of a powerful new book

Check out the Independent today:

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/our-lives-became-something-wed-never-dreamt-the-former-israeli-soldiers-who-have-testified-against-army-abuses-2154663.html

Tim King: Frank Talk About Israel from one who knows...

Gilad Atzmon: 'I Have a Reputation for Being a Suicidal Activist'

Tim King Salem-News.com

Frank Talk About Israel from one who knows... Includes footage from Gilad's recent talk in Germany.

(SALEM / STUTTGART) - Born in Israel; Gilad Atzmon is the musical note from a song of peace that binds our solidarity and builds strength for the freedom of Palestine. I wish I could say the same for more people born in Israel.

I often tell people that the strongest voices in the struggle to free Palestine come from our Jewish brothers and sisters who remain absolutely steadfast in their belief that at the end of the day, we are all exactly the same as human beings. To be clear, Gilad is no longer Jewish; but the point remains.

During a recent talk in Stuttgart, Germany, Gilad made points that perhaps were shocking, but consistent with the reality of the history of Palestine and Israel.

...Those attending the meeting in Stuttgart, heard Gilad's explanation of how the Israeli people are not necessarily interested in world peace, but a peace that affects the Jewish population. He says, contrary to what I have written in the past, that the word 'shalom' does not mean peace. He says its real meaning is "security for the Jewish people"....

To read more and watch the video:

http://www.salem-news.com/articles/december092010/gilad-germany-tk.php



Press TV-Iran Airs Documentary on Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani

Roy Ratcliffe: The Zionist Left and the Loyalty Oath

The promotion of a loyalty oath by the extreme right in Israel has presented yet another window through which the thoroughly racist nature of the Jewish state can be glimpsed by those outside its national boundaries. This should not cause any surprise. It is common knowledge, or perhaps ought to be, that Israel was founded in 1948, as a colonialist enterprise promoted exclusively for the benefit of Jews.  Therefore a loyalty oath which requires citizens to swear to uphold the ‘Jewish’ character of the state of Israel, is completely in line with its founding principles.  However, what has also been revealed by this promotion of a loyalty oath, is the Zionist nature of the response to it by the so-called ‘left’ in Israel. They have been motivated to claim that this latest requirement would transform Israel into a Fascist state.  For example;

"A state which forcibly invades the hallowed realm of the individual citizen's conscience, and which imposes punishment on those whose opinions and beliefs do not fit the authorities' opinions and the prescribed "character" of the state, stops being a democracy and embarks on becoming a fascist state.” (Declaration of Independence from Fascism)

Click to read more ...

In Support of WikiLeaks-Please Spread the Message

Dear friends,

The massive campaign of intimidation against WikiLeaks is sending a chill through free press advocates everywhere.

Legal experts say WikiLeaks has likely broken no laws. Yet top US politicians have called it a terrorist group and commentators have urged assassination of its staff. The organization has come under massive government and corporate attack, but WikiLeaks is only publishing information provided by a whistleblower. And it has partnered with the world's leading newspapers (NYT, Guardian, Spiegel etc) to carefully vet the information it publishes.

The massive extra-judicial intimidation of WikiLeaks is an attack on democracy. We urgently need a public outcry for freedom of the press and expression. Sign the petition to stop the crackdown and forward this email to everyone -- let's get to 1 million voices and take out full page ads in US newspapers this week!

http://www.avaaz.org/en/wikileaks_petition/97.php?cl_tta_sign=1a3633bbcd116326904c634917fc9e59

WikiLeaks isn't acting alone -- it's partnered with the top newspapers in the world (New York Times, The Guardian, Der Spiegel, etc) to carefully review 250,000 US diplomatic cables and remove any information that it is irresponsible to publish. Only 800 cables have been published so far. Past WikiLeaks publications have exposed government-backed torture, the murder of innocent civilians in Iraq and Afghanistan, and corporate corruption.

The US government is currently pursuing all legal avenues it has to stop WikiLeaks from publishing more cables, but the laws of democracies protect freedom of the press. The US and other governments may not like the laws that protect our freedom of expression, but that's exactly why it's so important that we have them, and why only a democratic process can change them.

Reasonable people can disagree on whether WikiLeaks and the leading newspapers it's partnered with are releasing more information than the public should see. Whether the releases undermine diplomatic confidentiality and whether that's a good thing. Whether WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has the personal character of a hero or a villain. But none of this justifies a vicious campaign of intimidation to silence a legal media outlet by governments and corporations. Click below to join the call to stop the crackdown:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/wikileaks_petition/97.php?cl_tta_sign=1a3633bbcd116326904c634917fc9e59

Ever wonder why the media so rarely gives the full story of what happens behind the scenes? This is why - because when they do, governments can be vicious in their response. And when that happens, it's up to the public to stand up for our democratic rights to a free press and freedom of expression. Never has there been a more vital time for us to do so.

With hope,
Ricken, Emma, Alex, Alice, Maria Paz and the rest of the Avaaz team.

Click to read more ...

Shopping in Israel

Israelis Are Subject to Palestinian Future Kindness

A brief  address by Gilad Atzmon at the Stuttgart - Palästinakonferenz

Gilad Atzmon: Once again I salute Dr Hajo Meyer

Last week I posted a very well-made video featuring  Dr Hajo Meyer. I allowed myself to offer a light criticism of Meyer who suggested that “Jews were pioneers of inter-human ethics”

I wrote:

“Though I agree and support Meyer’s stand against Israel I also think that Meyer may be  slightly wrong. The Old Testament certainly  contains some isolated patches of ethical insights. However, the vast majority of Jewish teaching, the Jewish Bible and the Talmud are anti humanist, non ethical, racially supremacist and tribally orientated.”

It didn’t take long before some people out there found my criticism offensive and inappropriate. As we all know truth is 'offensive'.  But then, pretty much out of the blue Dr  Meyer appeared on my mail box. In the most respected and amicable manner he wrote:

Your criticism of my text is correct.

I now know that Rabbi Hillel’s golden rule was actually formulated

500 years earlier by Confucius.

Besides, modern ethnology has shown that empathy is evolutionary determined.

This makes the Israeli crimes look worse.

Best regards      

Hajo

(Dr Meyer gave his permission to publish this email)

It is indeed refreshing to come across a person like Meyer, a man who is driven by ethics and intellectual integrity. I salute the man and admire his courage.