The overwhelming majority of General Assembly of the United Nations, Wednesday, voted on five draft resolutions in favor of Palestine. The decision comes after the Assembly discussed the two articles, "the Palestinian Cause" and "the Conditions in the Middle East."
International Middle East Media Centre imemc.org
The overwhelming majority of General Assembly of the United Nations, Wednesday, voted on five draft resolutions in favor of Palestine. The decision comes after the Assembly discussed the two articles, "the Palestinian Cause" and "the Conditions in the Middle East."
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Observance at UN Headquarters in New York on 23 November 2015 As is customary each year, the United Nations observes the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People - 29 November. This year, the observance of the Day at UN Headquarters took place on Monday, 23 November. Although the debate of the "Question of Palestine" was held this past Monday, its typical date of observance is November 29—the anniversary of the day in 1947 when the UN voted to divide Palestine into Arab and Jewish states. It’s also the same day in 2012 when Palestine was recognized as a non-member observer state. In light of the debate on Nov 23 at which 193 nations passed 20 resolutions in support of a Palestinian state and urged a peaceful settlement to the conflict, and in observance of the official International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People on November 29, UNJPPI issues the following statement. The following statement has been prepared by Rev. Steve Berube, co-chair of UNJPPI. Nov. 29, is the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People. For most Canadians it will go unnoticed. We are focused on other questions emanating out of the Middle East. How will we deal with 25,000 Syrian refugees? Should we continue the CF-18 bombing missions in Syria and Iraq in spite of reports today about more civilian casualties caused by Canadian bombs? What will happen as a result of Turkey shooting down a Russian bomber? For most Canadians, the problems in Palestine and Israel seems to pale in comparison.
Yet, how much of the conflict in the Middle East conflict is somewhat related to the unresolved issues concerning Palestine? How many realize that there are over 5,000,000 Palestinian refugees? How many Canadians actually recognize the media bias in reports about the current violence between Palestinians and Israelis? Having lived in Bethlehem as a Human Rights observer I witnessed daily violations of international Humanitarian and Human Rights law by Israeli forces occupying Palestine. I spoke with many young people who had little or no hope for the future. There lack of home is rooted in a 48 year old occupation where they see little or no real concern for justice arising from the West. Their lack of hope was reinforced by the war waged by Israel last year in Gaza where over 500 children died as a result of Israeli attacks. Over 100,000 people there will face a second winter with inadequate shelter. As of late September, construction had begun on only a handful of the thousands of homes destroyed. These young people ask why has there been no huge international outcry to investigate the destruction of over 20 hospitals and medical centers in Gaza? Media reports in Canada blame the current violence over access to holy sites in Jerusalem. This is the visible issue where clashes have occurred but it is not the reason. I suspect more of it is related to the immolation of 18 month old Ali Saad Dawabsheh in late July and the subsequent deaths of his parents from that same attack. Israeli officials seem to know who the Israeli settlers are who were responsible for this heinous act but have said they do not want to jeopardize their sources - whatever that means. In the West Bank, there are two justice systems. One applies to Palestinians where there is over a 99% conviction rate according to Israeli statistics and where 12 year olds are frequently arrested. The second applies to the illegal settlers and the Israeli military where the wheels of justice don’t even bother to turn. On this day, let us pray for peace with justice for both Palestinians and Israelis. Let us learn more about the conflict and the injustice of the current situation. Let us open our eyes to better understand how the lack of justice has decimated the hope of Palestinians and is part of the root cause of the radicalization of many beyond the Jordan River. oikoumene.org | 18 November 2015
Horrified by recent developments in Israel and Palestine, the Executive Committee of the World Council of Churches (WCC) has expressed again “the WCC’s rejection of violence and injustice” and has reiterated “its frequent call for respect for human rights for all people of the region, regardless of their national, ethnic or religious identity”. The action was taken at the 13-18 November meeting of the Executive Committee in Geneva, Switzerland. The committee expressed grave concern over violent attacks against both Israelis and Palestinians, and over “measures entailing long-term time division of access to Al-Aqsa mosque and affecting access to other holy sites.” Such measures, the statement underlined, diminish hope in the realization of peace. The WCC reaffirmed “the vision of Jerusalem as an open city, a city of two peoples and holy to three religions.” Statement made by the WCC Executive Committee on 18 November 2015 © 2015 World Council of Churches Michael Fantauzzo on October 30, 2015 Mondoweiss Michael Fantauzzo challenges J. K. Rowling for opposing the cultural boycott of Israel. Dear Jo, Growing up as a millennial, I was as inspired as everyone by your books. I spent a lot of time immersed in your rich universe, about which I could go on and on. Equally inspiring is the story of how you scribbled Harry Potter’s life onto napkins in a warm Edinburgh cafe as you struggled to pay for heating and relied on government benefits to raise your daughter. Rather than let your newfound wealth shield you from empathy, you’ve been outspoken about your duty to pay tax to support the state institutions that kept you alive, for which I commend you. For someone with vast economic power and fame to support social justice is noble. Unfortunately, in signing on to the Culture of Coexistance letter condemning cultural boycotts of Israel, you have wielded your tremendous power against the some of the most powerless people in the world. I hope you will reconsider how you can make it up to the Palestinians by opposing how their culture is boycotted and destroyed through violence, and calling for equal rights and an end to the occupation. Read the full commentary on Mondoweiss Gregory Shupak
Thursday 29 October 2015 11:58 UTC Liberals promise shift in tone, but Ottawa’s ties to Israel and Saudi Arabia and commitment to military power run deeper than politics - See more at: http://goo.gl/v8tOzP Source: Middle East Eye (See commentary by Steve Berube.) The election of Canada’s Liberal Party is likely to mean a shift away from the hyper-belligerent tone Stephen Harper’s Conservative Party used on issues pertaining to Middle East policy, but few concrete changes can be expected to take place. All signs point to the incoming government continuing to play a key supporting role in US-led imperialism in the Middle East. |
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