Uprooted lives
'The struggle now is to come to terms with what physically happened here.'
By Ewa Jasiewicz - Jabaliya, Gaza
The Palestine Chronicle
Yesterday saw the first canvas tents go up in the Gaza strip to house internally displaced people. The UN estimates 50,000 people have been made homeless due to the bombing and bulldozing of homes and properties by Israeli occupation forces in Israel's 21 day offensive in the Gaza Strip. The displacement is just meters in the case of many families who don't want to move far from their ancestral land, and have opted to move into tents on the site of their destroyed houses.
People have lost more than their homes here. Entire families, living on family land, handed down throughout generations, have had their protection, life's investment, and community networks literally crushed. The Al Eer family, living on land close to the border in 'Izbat 'Abed Rabbu had eleven homes reduced to rubble, and had five members dragged out from under one home. According to the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights, medical crews found Ibrahim Mohammed al-'Err, 11; Rakan Mohammed al-'Err, 4; Fidaa' Mohammed al-'Err, 17; Iman Nember al-'Err, 27; and Mohammed Mousa al-'Err, 48 in the early hours of Sunday 18th January. Ibrahim al-Err, standing in the ruins of his home told me his family left their home on January 7th, after being told by Israeli Occupation Forces to get out. The family was told to leave immediately by loudhailers perched on tanks. 'We saw 10s of tanks, they were everywhere, we didn’t even have five minutes, we didn’t have time to take our belongings'. Nasser al-Err, 40, living close by explained, 'My sons left without their shoes, I had 5-6000 Dinars at home – I don’t know where it is or how to reach it. My son is disabled, where will he go?'
The Ajrawi family lost five houses, the Jned family at least four. Naima Ajrami's vulnerable asbestos roofed three bedroom home housed nine people. 'We now live with our family in Falluja.' She gestures to the crushed brick, furniture and pieces of her life behind her and under her feet. 'We built this house ourselves. This is not the first time it's been destroyed; half of it was bulldozed in the invasion of 2005.' She lets her hands fall down, 'I don’t know how we will rebuild it, my husband has no work, I don’t know, we wont be able to rebuild'. Read On
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Monday, January 26, 2009
Sunday, January 25, 2009
U.S. Terror Attacks Continue In Iraq, More Innocent People Killed
U.S. troops kill ex-Iraqi army officer, his wife in northern Iraq
www.chinaview.cn 2009-01-25 16:59:41
BAGHDAD, Jan. 25 (Xinhua) -- U.S. troops stormed the house of a former Iraqi army officer in a village in northern Iraq, killing him and his wife and wounding his daughter, U.S. military and an Iraqi police source said Sunday.
A police source told Xinhua that a U.S. force conducted a pre-dawn raid Saturday on the house of Dhiya Hussein in the village ofKanusiyah, near the town of Hawijah, some 70 km south of Kirkuk.
During the operation, the troops opened fire on Hussein, who was a colonel in former Iraqi army, killing him and his wife and wounded his eight-year-old daughter, the source said.
read on
www.chinaview.cn 2009-01-25 16:59:41
BAGHDAD, Jan. 25 (Xinhua) -- U.S. troops stormed the house of a former Iraqi army officer in a village in northern Iraq, killing him and his wife and wounding his daughter, U.S. military and an Iraqi police source said Sunday.
A police source told Xinhua that a U.S. force conducted a pre-dawn raid Saturday on the house of Dhiya Hussein in the village ofKanusiyah, near the town of Hawijah, some 70 km south of Kirkuk.
During the operation, the troops opened fire on Hussein, who was a colonel in former Iraqi army, killing him and his wife and wounded his eight-year-old daughter, the source said.
read on
U.S. Terror Attacks Continue In Afghanistan, More Innocent People Killed
Afghans protest against U.S. on civilian deaths report
Sun Jan 25, 2009 12:30pm EST
By Mohammad Rafiq
MEHTAR LAM, Afghanistan (Reuters) - Thousands of Afghans protested against President Hamid Karzai and the United States on Sunday over reports of fresh civilian deaths caused by U.S.-led troops during a raid against Taliban militants.
The issue of civilian casualties is sensitive in Afghanistan and has eroded public support for Karzai's government and the foreign troops backing it.
It has also caused a rift between Karzai and his Western allies more than seven years after U.S.-led and Afghan forces overthrew the Taliban's government.
The operation causing the latest controversy happened this week in eastern Laghman province. The U.S. military said on Saturday that troops, backed by air support, had killed 15 militants in an overnight operation.
Assadullah Wafa, a Karzai adviser investigating the deaths, said on Sunday that "16 civilians, many of them children and women, were killed" in the operation. read on
Sun Jan 25, 2009 12:30pm EST
By Mohammad Rafiq
MEHTAR LAM, Afghanistan (Reuters) - Thousands of Afghans protested against President Hamid Karzai and the United States on Sunday over reports of fresh civilian deaths caused by U.S.-led troops during a raid against Taliban militants.
The issue of civilian casualties is sensitive in Afghanistan and has eroded public support for Karzai's government and the foreign troops backing it.
It has also caused a rift between Karzai and his Western allies more than seven years after U.S.-led and Afghan forces overthrew the Taliban's government.
The operation causing the latest controversy happened this week in eastern Laghman province. The U.S. military said on Saturday that troops, backed by air support, had killed 15 militants in an overnight operation.
Assadullah Wafa, a Karzai adviser investigating the deaths, said on Sunday that "16 civilians, many of them children and women, were killed" in the operation. read on
U.S. Terror Attacks Continue In Pakistan, More Innocent People Killed
Thousands attend funeral of drone victims
Sunday, January 25, 2009
By Mushtaq Yusufzai, Malik Mumtaz & Irfan Burki
PESHAWAR/MIRAMSHAH/WANA: Thousands of tribesmen on Saturday attended the funeral prayers of the victims of Friday’s drone attacks in the North and South Waziristan Agencies. They condemned the killings and asked US President Barack Obama to spend the money on the welfare of the tribal people instead of killing them with sophisticated weapons.
Hundreds of tribesmen thronged Zyaraki village of North Waziristan Agency (NWA) to attend the funeral prayers of those killed in the drone attack.
Tribal militants and religious scholars present on the occasion were critical of the reporting of the international wire agencies and the national electronic media which, they said, reported that al-Qaeda operatives were killed in the CIA-operated spy-plane attack.
Religious scholars, including former MNA Maulana Deendar, Maulana Muhammad Alam and others, addressed a sizeable gathering of mourners at Zyaraki village of the Mirali subdivision and condemned air strikes by the US planes on the tribal villages.
They claimed that all those killed in the attack were innocent and local villagers, who had nothing to do with militancy or Taliban.
The CIA-operated spy plane on Friday evening fired three Hellfire missiles on the outhouse (Hujra) of Haji Khalil Dawar, killing 10 people and injuring several others.
There were also reports that four among the dead were Arabs, probably Egyptians, and one hailed from the Punjab, sources close to the militants confirmed. There were also rumours that a low-level Al-Qaeda operative — Mustafa al-Misri — was also among the dead.
However, relatives of Khalil Dawar and residents of Zyaraki village denied the killing of foreign nationals in the attack.
Agencies add: The death toll from two suspected US missile attacks on al-Qaeda bases has risen to 22, officials and residents said on Saturday. Eight suspected foreign militants were among the dead. A senior security official said authorities were trying to determine the seniority of an Egyptian al-Qaeda militant believed to have been killed.
(source: http://www.thenews.com.pk/top_story_detail.asp?Id=19872 )
Sunday, January 25, 2009
By Mushtaq Yusufzai, Malik Mumtaz & Irfan Burki
PESHAWAR/MIRAMSHAH/WANA: Thousands of tribesmen on Saturday attended the funeral prayers of the victims of Friday’s drone attacks in the North and South Waziristan Agencies. They condemned the killings and asked US President Barack Obama to spend the money on the welfare of the tribal people instead of killing them with sophisticated weapons.
Hundreds of tribesmen thronged Zyaraki village of North Waziristan Agency (NWA) to attend the funeral prayers of those killed in the drone attack.
Tribal militants and religious scholars present on the occasion were critical of the reporting of the international wire agencies and the national electronic media which, they said, reported that al-Qaeda operatives were killed in the CIA-operated spy-plane attack.
Religious scholars, including former MNA Maulana Deendar, Maulana Muhammad Alam and others, addressed a sizeable gathering of mourners at Zyaraki village of the Mirali subdivision and condemned air strikes by the US planes on the tribal villages.
They claimed that all those killed in the attack were innocent and local villagers, who had nothing to do with militancy or Taliban.
The CIA-operated spy plane on Friday evening fired three Hellfire missiles on the outhouse (Hujra) of Haji Khalil Dawar, killing 10 people and injuring several others.
There were also reports that four among the dead were Arabs, probably Egyptians, and one hailed from the Punjab, sources close to the militants confirmed. There were also rumours that a low-level Al-Qaeda operative — Mustafa al-Misri — was also among the dead.
However, relatives of Khalil Dawar and residents of Zyaraki village denied the killing of foreign nationals in the attack.
Agencies add: The death toll from two suspected US missile attacks on al-Qaeda bases has risen to 22, officials and residents said on Saturday. Eight suspected foreign militants were among the dead. A senior security official said authorities were trying to determine the seniority of an Egyptian al-Qaeda militant believed to have been killed.
(source: http://www.thenews.com.pk/top_story_detail.asp?Id=19872 )
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
And The War Machine Keeps Turning...
More Americans joining military as jobs dwindle
By Lizette Alvarez, International Herald Tribune
Monday, January 19, 2009
As the number of jobs across the nation dwindles, more Americans are joining the military, lured by a steady paycheck, benefits and training.
The last fiscal year was a banner one for the military, with all active-duty and reserve forces meeting or exceeding their recruitment goals for the first time since 2004, the year that violence in Iraq intensified drastically, Pentagon officials said.
And the trend seems to be accelerating. The army exceeded its targets each month for October, November and December — the first quarter of the new fiscal year — bringing in 21,443 new soldiers on active duty and in the reserves. December figures were released last week.
Recruiters also report that more people are inquiring about joining the military, a trend that could further bolster the ranks. Of the four armed services, the army has faced the toughest recruiting challenge in recent years because of high casualty rates in Iraq and long deployments overseas. Recruitment is also strong for the Army National Guard, according to Pentagon figures. The Guard tends to draw older people.
"When the economy slackens and unemployment rises and jobs become more scarce in civilian society, recruiting is less challenging," said Curtis Gilroy, the director of accession policy for the Department of Defense. Read On
By Lizette Alvarez, International Herald Tribune
Monday, January 19, 2009
As the number of jobs across the nation dwindles, more Americans are joining the military, lured by a steady paycheck, benefits and training.
The last fiscal year was a banner one for the military, with all active-duty and reserve forces meeting or exceeding their recruitment goals for the first time since 2004, the year that violence in Iraq intensified drastically, Pentagon officials said.
And the trend seems to be accelerating. The army exceeded its targets each month for October, November and December — the first quarter of the new fiscal year — bringing in 21,443 new soldiers on active duty and in the reserves. December figures were released last week.
Recruiters also report that more people are inquiring about joining the military, a trend that could further bolster the ranks. Of the four armed services, the army has faced the toughest recruiting challenge in recent years because of high casualty rates in Iraq and long deployments overseas. Recruitment is also strong for the Army National Guard, according to Pentagon figures. The Guard tends to draw older people.
"When the economy slackens and unemployment rises and jobs become more scarce in civilian society, recruiting is less challenging," said Curtis Gilroy, the director of accession policy for the Department of Defense. Read On
U.S.-Supported Israeli Government Guilty of War Crimes
Jordanian doctors returning from Gaza: 90% of injuries from phosphorus bombs
The Palestinian Information Center
[ 21/01/2009 - 10:57 AM ]
The Palestinian Information Center
[ 21/01/2009 - 10:57 AM ]
AMMAN, (PIC)-- The Jordanian medical team that returned from the Gaza Strip told a press conference in Amman on Tuesday that 90% of injuries suffered by Palestinians in the Israeli occupation forces' aggression were from the white phosphorus bombs.
Members of the team said that the IOF used internationally banned weapons in the war on Gaza, which earned Israeli leaders a deserved international arbitration for "war crimes".
Norwegian medical experts, who previously worked in Afghanistan and Lebanon and finally in Gaza, asserted that the injuries were the result of non-conventional, internationally banned weapons, the Jordanian doctors underlined.
They added that the Norwegian doctors took samples of the injuries to check them in Norway, and would issue a report and document their findings before providing them as evidence in the trial of the Israeli war criminals.
Jordanian doctors also said they took with them samples of the wounded people's tissues to check them. They added that clinical diagnosis proved that white phosphorus was used in the Israeli attacks, noting that white smoke was seen emanating from the open wounds of the injured persons after being hit with shrapnel of white phosphorus bombs.
Dr. Zuhair Abu Fares, the head of the Jordanian syndicate of doctors, said that his syndicate was going to send a third medical delegation in the required specializations to Gaza including experts in artificial limbs.
The first medical team that returned from Gaza grouped 8 doctors while the second team, which is currently in Gaza, included 24 doctors, a dentist and a paramedic.
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Cops Execute Un-Armed Man In Public
Please demand justice. Follow the link, sign the pledge:
http://www.colorofchange.org/oscar_update/?id=1804-709202
(WARNING! Graphic video shows cop shooting and killing a person)
http://www.colorofchange.org/oscar_update/?id=1804-709202
(WARNING! Graphic video shows cop shooting and killing a person)
Sunday, January 11, 2009
U.S. -Supported Israeli Government Kills Palestinian Women and Children w/ White Phosphorus Bombs
( more about evil white-phosphorus weapons, like those the U.S. used to slaughter Iraqi people, here, here, and here WARNING! Graphic Photos)
Gaza assault enters third week - Dozens killed since midnight - Death toll nears 1,000
Date: 11 / 01 / 2009 Time: 10:42
Gaza - Ma'an - Five Palestinians were killed in separate strikes near Gaza City and in the Jabaliya Refugee Camp on Sunday evening. Despite a so-called lull in fighting for the delivery of humanitarian aid, Israeli shelling killed two Palestinians in the Ash-Shuja'eiyah neighborhood, which is east of Gaza City.
Meanwhile, two others died in the northern Gaza Strip refugee camp of Jabaliya, local sources told Ma'an, adding that specifically the Al-Jurn area was hit in the deadly attack.Those three victims were identified as Mus'ab Khader, Husein Abu Sulkltan and 15-year-old Amal A'lush. A number of others were injured.
Also, Israeli warplanes shelled the home of Mohammad Dahlan in the Ar-Remal neighborhood of Gaza City. Jets also hit the home of Shadi Abu Labad in Beit Lahiya, northern Gaza Strip. Earlier SundaySome 30 Gazans have been killed since midnight Sunday and nearly 100 injured, apparently by newly used weaponry that set fires to both the people and buildings targeted.
Israel had not previously used white phosphorous bombs during the Gaza offensive, but by Sunday residents and experts were reporting widespread damage by the weapon, which is not illegal, in the Ghuza’a and Abasan villages east of Khan Younis. Medical sources at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis said most of the morning’s casualties had been women and children. Read On
Gaza assault enters third week - Dozens killed since midnight - Death toll nears 1,000
Date: 11 / 01 / 2009 Time: 10:42
Gaza - Ma'an - Five Palestinians were killed in separate strikes near Gaza City and in the Jabaliya Refugee Camp on Sunday evening. Despite a so-called lull in fighting for the delivery of humanitarian aid, Israeli shelling killed two Palestinians in the Ash-Shuja'eiyah neighborhood, which is east of Gaza City.
Meanwhile, two others died in the northern Gaza Strip refugee camp of Jabaliya, local sources told Ma'an, adding that specifically the Al-Jurn area was hit in the deadly attack.Those three victims were identified as Mus'ab Khader, Husein Abu Sulkltan and 15-year-old Amal A'lush. A number of others were injured.
Also, Israeli warplanes shelled the home of Mohammad Dahlan in the Ar-Remal neighborhood of Gaza City. Jets also hit the home of Shadi Abu Labad in Beit Lahiya, northern Gaza Strip. Earlier SundaySome 30 Gazans have been killed since midnight Sunday and nearly 100 injured, apparently by newly used weaponry that set fires to both the people and buildings targeted.
Israel had not previously used white phosphorous bombs during the Gaza offensive, but by Sunday residents and experts were reporting widespread damage by the weapon, which is not illegal, in the Ghuza’a and Abasan villages east of Khan Younis. Medical sources at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis said most of the morning’s casualties had been women and children. Read On
U.S. Government Endorses Mass Slaughter In Gaza....
From Reuters:
WASHINGTON, Jan 8 (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate voiced strong support on Thursday for Israel's battle against Hamas militants in Gaza, while urging a ceasefire that would prevent Hamas from launching any more rockets into Israel.
The chamber agreed on a voice vote to the non-binding resolution co-sponsored by Democratic and Republican party leaders in the chamber.
"When we pass this resolution, the United States Senate will strengthen our historic bond with the state of Israel, by reaffirming Israel's inalienable right to defend against attacks from Gaza, as well as our support for the Israeli-Palestinian peace process," Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a Nevada Democrat, said before the vote.
Noting that Israel was bent on halting Hamas rocket fire into its southern towns, Reid said: "I ask any of my colleagues to imagine that happening here in the United States. Rockets and mortars coming from Toronto in Canada, into Buffalo New York. How would we as a country react?"
Co-sponsor and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Kentucky Republican said before the vote: "The Israelis ... are responding exactly the same way we would."
The House was expected to pass a similar resolution.
The Senate resolution encourages President George W. Bush "to work actively to support a durable, enforceable and sustainable ceasefire in Gaza as soon as possible that prevents Hamas from retaining or rebuilding the capability to launch rockets or mortars against Israel," Reid said.
It also expresses an "unwavering" commitment to Israel's welfare and recognizes its right to act in self defense to protect citizens against acts of terrorism, he said. "It allows for the long-term improvement of daily living conditions of the ordinary people of Gaza," he said.
Palestinians faced even grimmer conditions in Gaza on Thursday after a U.N. aid agency halted work, saying its staff was at risk from Israeli forces after two drivers were killed.
The reported Palestinian death toll in the 13-day-old conflict topped 700. At least 11 Israelis have been killed, eight of them soldiers, including four hit by "friendly fire."
( Once again the hypocritical, schizophrenic U.S. government simultaneously supports and condemns terrorism, not to mention, completely ignores the possibility that Israel's seige on Gaza and decades long oppression of Palestinian people may be provoking rocket attacks. )
________________
......Meanwhile, People Around The World Stand With Palestinians Against Israeli Atrocities
March For Gaza In Chicago Draws Thousands
Protests In Lebanon, Syria Against Gaza Offensive
50,000 In Cairo, Egypt Rally Against Israel
Spain: 100,000 Urge Israel to 'Stop Gaza Massacre'
Irish Protests Against Israeli Attacks On Gaza Escalate
Thousands Rally In World Capitals To Protest Against Gaza War
Tens of Thousands March Against Israel In France
San Francisco Streets See 10,000 Rally For Gaza
Venezuelans Protest Israeli Military Actions Against Gaza
Jewish women protest in Toronto’s Israeli Consulate
New Zealanders protest against Israeli attacks on Gaza
Multi-cultural rally protests fighting in Gaza
Protesters in Charleston Rally Against Israel's Actions in Gaza
WASHINGTON, Jan 8 (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate voiced strong support on Thursday for Israel's battle against Hamas militants in Gaza, while urging a ceasefire that would prevent Hamas from launching any more rockets into Israel.
The chamber agreed on a voice vote to the non-binding resolution co-sponsored by Democratic and Republican party leaders in the chamber.
"When we pass this resolution, the United States Senate will strengthen our historic bond with the state of Israel, by reaffirming Israel's inalienable right to defend against attacks from Gaza, as well as our support for the Israeli-Palestinian peace process," Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a Nevada Democrat, said before the vote.
Noting that Israel was bent on halting Hamas rocket fire into its southern towns, Reid said: "I ask any of my colleagues to imagine that happening here in the United States. Rockets and mortars coming from Toronto in Canada, into Buffalo New York. How would we as a country react?"
Co-sponsor and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Kentucky Republican said before the vote: "The Israelis ... are responding exactly the same way we would."
The House was expected to pass a similar resolution.
The Senate resolution encourages President George W. Bush "to work actively to support a durable, enforceable and sustainable ceasefire in Gaza as soon as possible that prevents Hamas from retaining or rebuilding the capability to launch rockets or mortars against Israel," Reid said.
It also expresses an "unwavering" commitment to Israel's welfare and recognizes its right to act in self defense to protect citizens against acts of terrorism, he said. "It allows for the long-term improvement of daily living conditions of the ordinary people of Gaza," he said.
Palestinians faced even grimmer conditions in Gaza on Thursday after a U.N. aid agency halted work, saying its staff was at risk from Israeli forces after two drivers were killed.
The reported Palestinian death toll in the 13-day-old conflict topped 700. At least 11 Israelis have been killed, eight of them soldiers, including four hit by "friendly fire."
( Once again the hypocritical, schizophrenic U.S. government simultaneously supports and condemns terrorism, not to mention, completely ignores the possibility that Israel's seige on Gaza and decades long oppression of Palestinian people may be provoking rocket attacks. )
________________
......Meanwhile, People Around The World Stand With Palestinians Against Israeli Atrocities
March For Gaza In Chicago Draws Thousands
Protests In Lebanon, Syria Against Gaza Offensive
50,000 In Cairo, Egypt Rally Against Israel
Spain: 100,000 Urge Israel to 'Stop Gaza Massacre'
Irish Protests Against Israeli Attacks On Gaza Escalate
Thousands Rally In World Capitals To Protest Against Gaza War
Tens of Thousands March Against Israel In France
San Francisco Streets See 10,000 Rally For Gaza
Venezuelans Protest Israeli Military Actions Against Gaza
Jewish women protest in Toronto’s Israeli Consulate
New Zealanders protest against Israeli attacks on Gaza
Multi-cultural rally protests fighting in Gaza
Protesters in Charleston Rally Against Israel's Actions in Gaza
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