I’ve updated my recent post, “onboard the tahrir: ‘our course is the conscience of humanity. our final destination is the betterment of mankind.’” to correct a few factual errors. I also added this video, which you might want to watch, whether or not you appreciated that post. The sight of
Continue readingTag: palestine
wmtc: on the tahrir: "our course is the conscience of humanity. our final destination is the betterment of mankind."
This post is based on my notes on a talk by David Heap, supplemented by graphics from David’s presentation, about his experience as part of the Canadian Boat to Gaza. To see David’s presentation in its entirety, go here. It was videoed and put online by Paul S. Graham (with
Continue readingwmtc: gaza’s ark: trade, not aid, to challenge the blockade
As I mentioned, I recently had the opportunity to hear my friend and comrade David Heap speak about his experience attempting to bring supplies to the people of Gaza, as part of the Canadian Boat to Gaza. David concluded his talk with a look at a new initiative. I’ll begin
Continue readingwmtc: pancakes, pups, palestine: mini-holiday in london, ontario
We’ve just returned from a visit with our friends David and Stephanie in London, Ontario. We had such a lovely, relaxing time – plus we were off from work the previous weekend for wmtc7 – that it really felt like a mini vacation. It was also Diego’s first time going
Continue readingDrive-by Planet: Was Arafat killed? Uri Avnery suspects hand of Ariel Sharon
Questions have long been circulating about the strange circumstances surrounding the death of Yasser Arafat. In the months prior to his death Arafat’s health wasn’t what it had been, but nevertheless he was judged by medics to be in pretty good shape for a man of his age. He was
Continue readingPaul S. Graham: Video: Freedom Waves to Gaza
What is your course? Our course is the conscience of humanity. What is your final destination? Our final destination is the betterment of mankind. Nov. 4, 2011: David Heap, in the wheel house of The Tahrir, in radio contact with Israeli commandos who were preparing to forcibly board the boat.
Continue readingSong of the Watermelon: On Israel and Apartheid
Message on a wall at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg Last month, university students and activists around the world marked Israeli Apartheid Week, an annual series of lectures and protests designed to bring attention to the plight of Palestinians, and as usual, the condemnations were heavy and hyperbolic. Canadian
Continue readingPaul S. Graham: Video: Can boycott, divestment and sanctions stop Israeli apartheid?
On July 9, 2005 , Palestinian civil society put out the call for an international campaign of boycott, divestment and sanctions to compel the Israeli state to follow international law. Specifically, the signatories called on Israel to: End its occupation and colonization of all Arab lands occupied in June 1967
Continue readingSketchy Thoughts: April 19 in Montreal: Solidarity with Palestinian Prisoners
Thursday April 19, 20126:30pm at Concordia UniversityHall Building, Room H-1101455 de Maisonneuve WestMetro Guy-ConcordiaMontreal, Quebec Since 1967, it is estimated that approximately 650,000 Palestinians have been detained by Israel as part of its repression of the popular resistance. As of March 2012, there were 4,637 Palestinians behind bars in Israeli
Continue readingSketchy Thoughts: Granting No Quarter: A Call for the Disavowal of the Racism and Antisemitism of Gilad Atzmon
As a follow-up to the last post, which was a public statement endorsed by over a hundred anti-imperialists, condemning the views of Gilad Atzmon, i am also re-posting this statement by 23 Palestinian activists, “Granting No Quarter: A Call for the Disavowal of the Racism and Antisemitism of Gilad Atzmon”.
Continue readingPaul S. Graham: Video Report: Colonialism & Indigenous Rights in Canada & Palestine
As a part of Israeli Apartheid Week 2012 in Winnipeg, Paul Burrows and Cheryl-Anne Carr discussed the impact of colonialism on the indigenous peoples of Canada and Palestine. The similarities are disturbing and striking. The event was sponsored by: Students Against Israeli Apartheid Winnipeg Coalition Against Israeli Apartheid CanPalNet (Winnipeg)
Continue readingwmtc: this sunday in toronto: firsthand account of israel’s capture of gaza-bound boat
This Sunday, folks in Toronto will have a great opportunity to hear a firsthand account of the arrest and abduction of the crew of the Tahrir, the Canadian boat that tried to break the Israeli blockade of Gaza, part of last year’s Freedom Flotilla. Ehab Lotayef, a Montreal engineer, and
Continue readingArt Threat: Emotionally devastating documentary explores Israeli bombing of Gaza – Friday Film Pick: Tears of Gaza
Dozens of Palestinians have been killed or wounded in Israel’s latest bombing campaign of Gaza, while the Israeli military stubbornly insists the child-killing attacks are necessary to stop “terrorism”. Such bloody assaults on Gaza are unfortunately common, and those that took place over 2008-2009 may have been the most devastating.
Continue readingSketchy Thoughts: Not Quite "Ordinary Human Beings"—Anti-imperialism and the anti-humanist rhetoric of Gilad Atzmon
[This is a statement signed by almost one hundred anti-imperialists and organizations denouncing the Israeli-born jazz musician Gilad Atzmon for his antisemitism, and asking our fellow progressives to not promote him or his works. The list of endorsements included here is accurate as of March 9, 2012; an updated list
Continue readingThe Scott Ross: Israel Bans Palestinians From Living With Spouses
“Marriages between Jews and citizens of German or kindred blood are forbidden. Marriages concluded in defiance of this law are void, even if, for the purpose of evading this law, they were concluded abroad.” – Nuremburg Laws, September 15 1935, Germany In the United States by the late 1960s all
Continue readingBaroness Tonge, Israel and the pain of political correctness
Of all the various catalysts of political correctness, perhaps Israel is the most powerful. Anyone who seriously criticizes Israel or seriously supports the Palestinians is seriously in danger of being accused of such wickedness he or she must be dismissed from public discourse. Such was the fate of Jenny Tonge,
Continue readingSong of the Watermelon: Pushing the Envelope on Palestinian Sovereignty
There has not been much movement of late on the Israeli-Palestinian front. This may partly be explained by the relative lack of violent activity by Palestinian groups. The conflict has dropped off the radar for most of the Israeli public, and the only constituency the government needs to worry about
Continue readingThe Equivocator: Canadian Foreign Policy: Nuance Matters
This video (from April, 2011 before the election) was brought to my attention today. Some thoughts: We should not forget, nor should we let Canadians forget that Stephen Harper lost a seat on the United Nations Security Council, for the first time ever. With the situation in Syria and the
Continue readingProgressive Proselytizing: NDP Leadership Candidate Policy Comparisons: Israel/Palestine
The Israel/Palestine issue is the foreign policy issue to which politians are most expect to have a cogent answer to. It is a necessary right of passage and, for many, a litmus test for political support. Unlike many other countries and regions to which my research has not indicated extensive
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