Israelis assault award winning journalistElectronic Intifada - 29 Jun 2008rr r r rr r rr r rr r rr r rr rrr rGAZA CITY (IPS) – Mohammed Omer, the Gaza correspondent of IPS, and joint winner of the 2008 Martha Gellhorn Prize for Journalism, was strip-searched at gunpoint, assaulted and abused by Israeli security officials at the Allenby border crossing between Jordan and the West Bank on Thursday as he tried to return home to Gaza. Omer, a resident of Rafah in the south of Gaza, was returning from London where he had just collected his Gellhorn Prize,
Tactics that ended apartheid in S. Africa can end it in IsraelElectronic Intifada - 29 Jun 2008rr r r rr r rr r rr r rr r rr rrr rThe Israeli-Palestinian conflict often inspires a sense of powerlessness. What can average Americans do to bring an end to this decades-old conflict when our leaders have failed so miserably? And what good is speaking out about Israel’s occupation of Palestinian land as the primary obstacle to peace when even former President Jimmy Carter and Nobel Laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu are condemned for their criticism of Israeli policies? Bill Fletcher, Jr. comments.
Letter to the Times: Merchants of WarCampaign Against Sanctions and Military Intervention in Iran (CASMII) - 29 Jun 2008Summary: I am writing in relation to your article of 17th June in the Times, ?The wrong timing is right for tougher sanctions with Iran? and your subsequent correspondence with the Medialens. There are very serious inaccuracies and untruths in your article, as there are in your reply to Medialens. You mention that you have ?written extensively on the NIE?, it is evident however that your reading on the subject is limited, sparse and badly sourced. In your own words, the ?daily, short running commentary on current news?, makes it possible to get away with both inadequate knowledge and intentional distortions. source: CASMIIread more
PREPARING THE BATTLEFIELD: The Bush Administration steps up its secret moves against Iran.Campaign Against Sanctions and Military Intervention in Iran (CASMII) - 29 Jun 2008Summary: The M.E.K. has been on the State Department?s terrorist list for more than a decade, yet in recent years the group has received arms and intelligence, directly or indirectly, from the United States. Some of the newly authorized covert funds, the Pentagon consultant told me, may well end up in M.E.K. coffers. ?The new task force will work with the M.E.K. The Administration is desperate for results.? He added, ?The M.E.K. has no C.P.A. auditing the books, and its leaders are thought to have been lining their pockets for years. If people only knew what the M.E.K. is getting, and how much is going to its bank accounts?and yet it is almost useless for the purposes the Administration intends.? source: New Yorkerread more
Protests in Nottingham as Zimbabwe Goes to the PollsIndymedia UK - 29 Jun 2008On Friday June 27, Zimbabwe went to the polls in the second round of its presidential election. This followed a first round in March. Concerned about the scale of state-directed violence against supporters, the opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai had withdrawn on Sunday June 22, making a victory by the incumbent Robert Mugabe inevitable.In Nottingham, the election was marked by the recently formed Nottingham Zimbabwe Community network (NZCN) who held a protest against deportations to Zimbabwe in Old Market Square and organised a public meeting at the Sumac Centre to discuss the situation in the country.Newswire: Demonstration Against Deportations to Zimbabwe | Report on Zimbabwe Film Showing | Stop Deportations To Zimbabwe Protest 27.06.08Previous Feature: Nottingham’s Zimbabwean Community Responds to Rigged ElectionsLinks: Nottingham Zimbabwe Community Network | No Borders Nottingham | Nottingham & Notts Refugee Forum | Nottingham Refugee Campaign Ground | National Coalition of Anti-Deportation campaigners | Notts Indymedia Migration topic page
