Sugar Cubes

News of the blogosphere…

Laila from Raising Yousuf reports that the big day of elections is less than two weeks away. She has been recruited by the Guardians Unlimited to write about the elections in a series of posts.

From Ramallah Online, in Palestinian village of Al-Walaja people still live under the same conditions caused by Al-Nakba nearly 54 years ago. The Isreali military forces attackd the village and bulldozed Palestinians properties declaring the area to be a closed military zone.

From KABOBfest, the Palestine Solidarity Movement will hold its fifth annual conference at Georgetown University, Washington, DC from the 17th - 19th of Febreuary, 2006. The spokesperson of PSM, Nadeem Muaddi said the divestment from Israel has become a national concern.

Norwegians activists are under attack from Israel’s supporters in the US and Condoleeza Rice threatens with serious political consequences.

What we talk about…

On Ariel Sharon’s health condition:

SteamedPenguin at the beginning, was afraid Sharon would die quickly, then he was afraid Sharon would live.

KABOBfest’s blogger Will’s post number 400 was also about Sharon, Will says he was surprised not to see any news about Sharon’s health on Yahoo frontpage sidebar.

Laila of Raising Yousuf wonders what will Sharon say when he meets all his peaces on his final day, what will he say to his Maker?

Sugar Cubes compared the poor media coverage of Arafat’s sickness and death to the excessive focus of MSM on Sharon’s health and hospitalization. From Arafat to Sharon and recently Abramoff, who decides what’s a top story?

Photo Credit: Raising Yousuf

From peacepalestine, in a letter from Al Jazeera camerman who is improsined in Guantanamo, Sami Al-Hajj, he asks a question which he can not get out of his mind, why are they punishing him?. Sami was tied to a wire out in the cold, standing all day on his feet just because he asked to go to the bathroom, feeling desperate he eventually soiled his trousers “to the enjoynment of the soldiers and whores watching“.

SteamedPenguin, thinks that Taliban = USA : “So I figure a dark hegemonical backwards empire beating up against misogynist, homophobic, anti-education, anti-progress goat-fucking clowns equals itself out.”

Sugar Cubes tried to shed some light on blogging in Arabic.

Read nasrawi talking about his date with Kamanche.

The little things that matter…

Haitham Sabbah has started a campaign to ask blog services to recognize and list Palestine in their countries category. If a blog service does not recognize Palestine intentionally the pledge states that its supporters will not use it.

From Sugar Cubes, Arab-American author and radio show host Samar Jarrah appeared on a Fox News‘ segment called “Your Turn” as a special guest on “Dialogue Between Arabs and Americans” to talk about her book “Arab Voices Speak to American Hearts”, you can read a review of her book here. Samar did a fabulous job tackling different controversial topics of interest to the average American when it comes to Islam and the Arab World. She explained the difference between Islam and culture and talked about women in Islam. About Palestine, Samar says that Arabs still have the question of Palestine in their hearts even after september 11, the Afghanistan and war on Iraq, and they are still looking for a peacefull solution for the Palestine-Isreal conflict. Read the written interview here

From Sabbah’s Blog, a member of the US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation are trying to educate the U.S. public by airing Public Service Announcements (PSA’s) on several TV stations. The campaign aims at educating the American public on the human rights conditions in the holy land of Palestine and the daily misfortune Palestinians are going through. Imagine Life, as a Palestinian Campain has also made a complimentary film called Peace, Propaganda and the Promised Land.

While reading the below article by Mazin Qumsiyeh* (I highly recommend that you subscribe to his human rights e-newsletter), the exchange of comments on Naseem’s blog came to mind. Naseem compared MSM focus on Sharon’s recent stroke and his deteriorating health conditions to the poor coverage of recent bad incidents like the death of more than 76 Muslims as one of Mecca’s hotels collapsed, or the death of at least 55 Iraqi in one day wondering what makes the death of the Israeli president more important.

More than a year ago many in the US media focused on how the passing of an ailing Arafat would become the key to unlock the deadlocked peace process (we now know this to be untrue or was vastly exaggerated).

There was hardly any US coverage of the nature of his “mysterious illness” (to date there was no diagnosis). There was hardly any coverage the good wishes he received from leaders around the world. Nor was there balanced discussion of his history or even of his Israeli supporters or his Palestinian critics (only Israeli critics were highlighted).

Now Sharon is ailing and the contrast in some coverage could not be any more dramatically different. The double standard goes deeper and perhaps relates to the wider problem of US foreign policy credibility around the world.

He continues to ask, why do the violations and crimes of zionists and lobbyists like Abramoff whose associates have already fleed to Israel and are probably waiting for him to join after things cool down, are often deliberately reported shyly with the big picture often ignored :

One can understand the media’s concern for the health of an Israeli Prime Minister but what should never be excused is shabby journalism and hypocrisy in covering illnesses of leaders like Arafat versus Sharon. Perhaps other affairs gives more hints of these double standards.

Going back, one could site the dubious reasons for invading Iraq while supporting Israel (Israel was and continue to be in violation of 10 times more UN resolutions than Iraq ever was). More recently the Abramoff affair may also shed some light (and may be the straw that breaks the camels’ back).

Abramoff pleaded guilty to defrauding Native American tribes of million and directing the money through fake charities to gain political influence and to help his pet causes. But why is it that many in the US media (with few brave exceptions) failed to mention that his top “cause” and his passion was Israeli colonization of Palestinian lands.

Abramoff for example diverted money (”charity donations”) to Israeli settlers living illegally on Palestinian lands. His “customers” were told this money is intended for inner city poor Americans. Instead the money bought military hardware to help settlers terrorize native Palestinians.

[Read full article: Sharon, Arafat, Abramoff, and the Media]

*Mazin Qumsiyeh is an associate professor at Yale University and co-founder of Palestine Right of Return Coalition

Happy new prosperous year from KABOBfest and Haitham Sabbah. The Palestinian Blogosphere wish that 2006 would bring with it pleasant surprises and help us get over last year’s misfortunes. And even though, some dark clouds are hovering over our heads, some of us have typed down some new year’s resolutions. May this year and every year nothing occupies us but peace.

Photo Credit: International Solidarity Movement

News of the Blogosphere…

According to Beith-Sahour, three non-violent protests took place on the 31 of December in Haifa, Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, against checkpoints and the Israeli occupation. Participants weren’t only Palestinians but also Israelis and International peace activists. The Israeli movement against occupation protested the expansion of Israeli lands beyoung the Green Line.

15 of Fateh candidates will withdraw from the parliamentary elections scheduled on the 25th of January if Israel did not allow residents of east Jerusalem to vote.

From Beit-Sahour also, shelling of Gaza Strip continues to the very last day of the year. Laila of Raising Yousuf, says Gaza is under seige and the sonic attacks will continue for at least few days according to Israeli newspaper. I don’t know what is it with wiping countries and cities off the map these days, but it seems that Isael has some new resolutions for the new year concerning Palestinian cities, one of them is to wipe Beit Hanun off the map. Back in September, plan was slightly different, they wanted to blast it off the map.

Photo Credit: Raising Yousuf

On the three people missing in Gaza, Haitham Sabbah analyzes the kidnapping phenomena and compares between kidnapping in Palestine and Iraq. He says that Palestinians have to watch out for enemies from the outside and the inside too. Sugar Cubes writes about the demonstration held by Gazzans demanding the freedom of Kate Burton, the human rights worker who was showing her parents around when the three of them were kidnapped. Rafah Pundits reports that the Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) blames the Palestinian Authority for the incident.

Last but not least, the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, the military wing of Fateh, and Al Quds Brigades, military wing of the Islamic Jihad, has declared on the 31st of December, after midnight, the end of the truce which was declared last March in Qairo.

What we talk about…

The Palestinian death toll in 2005 reached 255 according to The Black Iris of Jordan while the Israeli has reached its lowest number since the beginning of Intifada in 2000.

2005 highlights by Mazin Qumsiyeh is a must read, from tragedies to meetings and best books of the year with an emphasis on the Palestine-Israel conflict’s cases and updates.

There is a big talk going on Palestinian and pro-Palestinian blogs concerning Spielberg’s new film “Munich”. KABOBfest and umkahlil quote As’ad Abu Khalil who thinks that the movie serves Israeli propaganda. alt.muslim suggests that Speilberg makes 10 more movies just to balance things up. Check out the list of top 10 movies Hollywood has yet to make if ever considered being fair to Arabs. For more on the movie, The Black Iris of Jordan has reviewed and rated “Munich” 4/5.

While the world was watching Gaza, exapnsionism was taking place all the time in Jerusalem.

Sabbah sums up the challenges facing the Palestinian Authority and Palestinians in general to take charge of things, have a state and enjoy the peace they’ve always dreamt of. 11 interesting points are definitely worth reading!

The little things that matter…

Every Saturday thecutter goes to a nearby supermarket which sells thousands of people on Saturdays normally since almost all other shops are closed on Sundays. She pulls a sign out of her purse and rests it on a “Jaffa” brand fruit stand. The sign says: “Don’t buy Jaffa fruit, or any products from Israel. This produce makes its profits by having exploited native people, throwing them off their land.”

From this much i can say is true, Drew describes his experience with weddings in Rafah. His post is guaranteed to at least make you smile.

One of them is Kate Burton, a human right worker and the other two are said to be her parents.

Demonstrators in Gaza City hold banners demanding freedom for the
kidnapped British human rights worker Kate Burton.
Photograph: Abid Katib/Getty

Unlike previous kidnappings of westerners in Gaza, usually resolved within hours, the kidnappers made no contact with the authorities to make demands or arrange for the release of Kate Burton, 25, and her parents Hugh and Helen. They were snatched by seven armed men in Rafah, a deprived town in a very poor area.

Read More:

I truely feel sorry for her, for her family and for Palestinians who are under enough pressures already. The last thing they need is human rights workers discouraged and departing after this unfortunate incident took place. Lets not forget the ISM workers who were kidnapped while in Iraq too.

JERUSALEM, (Reuters) - Israel announced plans on Monday to expand two Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank despite a ban on such construction in a U.S.-led plan for peace with the Palestinians.

The Housing Ministry published tenders inviting contractor bids to develop 150 plots for single family homes in Beitar Illit settlement. A further 78 plots were offered in Givat Zayit, part of the settlement of Efrat.

The U.S.-led peace “road map” requires a freeze on expansion of settlements in occupied land where Palestinians seek statehood. The Palestinians have also failed to meet their own obligation under the plan to crack down on militant groups

Beitar Illit and Efrat are part of the Gush Etzion settlement bloc, which Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has vowed to keep under any final accord with the Palestinians.

U.S. President George W. Bush has said Israel could expect to keep some settlements under any such deal.

Palestinians say this would deny them a viable state in the West Bank, where some 245,000 settlers live among 2.4 million Palestinians, and imperil efforts to restart peace talks. [Continue]

Months after the Sept. 11 attacks, President Bush secretly authorized the National Security Agency to eavesdrop on Americans and others inside the United States to search for evidence of terrorist activity without the court-approved warrants ordinarily required for domestic spying, according to government officials.

The White House asked The New York Times not to publish this article, arguing that it could jeopardize continuing investigations and alert would-be terrorists that they might be under scrutiny. After meeting with senior administration officials to hear their concerns, the newspaper delayed publication for a year to conduct additional reporting. Some information that administration officials argued could be useful to terrorists has been omitted

[Continue]

Voting centers closed its doors on Wednesday evening in conclusion of the runoff round of the last Egyptian parliamentary elections which witnessed harassment against voters and vast acts of violence that resulted in killing at least seven persons and wounding other 600 as well as detaining scores by the security forces.

[Read more]

In the name of God, the Compassionate and Merciful

“O ye who believe! If a wicked person comes to you with any news, ascertain the truth, lest ye harm people unwittingly, and afterwards become full of repentance for what ye have done.”-The Holy Qur’an, 49:6

The Islamic and National forces in the governorate of Hebron/Palestine express their deep regret for the kidnapping of four members of the Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT) in Iraq.

The Islamic and National forces in the governorate of Hebron/Palestine have had long experience confronting Israeli crimes and violations with the CPT since 1995, and wish to confirm that the members of this group have had and still have a major role in confronting Israeli crimes and violations, and in the protection of the property and the lives of the Palestinian citizens.

More than once they placed themselves in front of the occupation’s tanks, and they confronted Israeli occupation bulldozers with their bodies defending Palestinians’ homes against destruction. They accompanied our children when they were threatened and attacked by Israeli settlers on their way to and from their schools. Because of what they were doing, the CPT members were subjected to arrest, beating and pursuit by the Israeli soldiers and settlers in more than one location in Palestine. Many of them were denied entry to Palestine, or deported by the occupation authorities because of their activities in confronting the occupation.

We appeal to our brothers in the resistance and all those with alert consciences in Iraq, with whom we consider ourselves to be in the same trench confronting American aggression and occupation, to instantly and quickly release the four kidnapped persons (two Canadians, one Briton and one American) from CPT, in appreciation for their role in standing beside and supporting our Palestinian people and all the Arab and Islamic peoples.

Freedom for the Iraqi and Palestinian people.
Shame and disgrace on the Zionist and American occupation.

The Islamic and National Forces in the Governorate of Hebron:
Islamic Resistance Movement/Hamas
Palestine People’s Party
Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine
Democratic Union of Palestine/Fada
Fatah
Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine
Palestinian Liberation Front
Palestinian Popular Struggle Front

Hebron, 29 November 2005

CPT Hebron contacted EI about the four members of the Christian Peacemaker Teams who were abducted in Iraq last Saturday. The four men are two CPTers and two delegates, one American, one British, and two Canadian. One, a CPT staff member, was to have come to work with CPT Hebron after his time in Iraq. Another worked in Palestine last year, and was active in demonstrating against Israel’s West Bank Barrier in Jayyous. The four men were en route to a meeting with members of the Islamic Scholars Association when they were abducted just 100 yards from the mosque where their meeting was scheduled. The full text of CPT’s official press release follows.

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