Apartheid Israel is opposed by Somerville Divestment Committee;Zionists say: "Turn Tehran into a parking lot." (kill 12 million Iranians)

Photo: Celebration, after 45% of Somerville voted for Palestinian refugees' right to return to their homes, and 31% voted for sanctions against Israel.

Photo on the Web at: http://www.divestmentproject.org/SDP_news.shtml

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"Anti-Israel group returns to ballot"

SOMERVILLE JOURNAL (Somerville, Massachusetts)

July 29, 2008

On the Web at:
http://somervillenews.typepad.com/the_somerville_news/2008/07/anti-israel-gro.html

By George P. Hassett

The Somerville Divestment Project is back. The polarizing group that has brought hundreds to City Hall to protest and support Israeli policies in the Middle East, is pushing another non-binding ballot question to city voters in November.

The resolution would direct State Rep. Denise provost, D-Somerville, to “vote in favor of a non-binding resolution calling on the federal government to support the right of all people, including non-Jewish Palestinians of Israel, to live free from laws that give more rights to people of one religion than another.” Provost’s district covers roughly two-thirds of the city.

A similar measure calling for the “right of all refugees, including Palestinian refugees to return to their land of origin,” failed with 45 percent of the vote in 2006, according to SDP organizer Ron Francis. Another 2006 question called provost to support “all governmental entities of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to sell any investments they hold either in Israel Bonds or in companies that supply Military equipment to Israel.” That measure failed with 31 percent of the vote.

SDP has divided Somerville citizens over a seemingly far away conflict in another part of the world since 2004. That year, on Nov. 8 hundreds crowded City Hall to support and oppose an SDP resolution that all city investors sell their Israel bonds along with their stock in six companies – including General Electric – that build Israeli weapons. The crowd that night had their backpacks and packages checked by eight city police officers at the front entrance of City Hall.

The measure gave mayor Joseph A. Curtatone the opportunity – in front of a crowd in the Aldermanic Chambers that filled all 90 seats, lined the walls three and four deep and overflowed into the hallway - to weigh in on the foreign conflict.

“Fair and just treatment of the Palestinian people residing in the territories is essential to building peace in the region. However I also support Israel’s right to defend itself and safeguard it’s people,” Curtatone said. “The Retirement Board’s Chief responsibility is to secure the highest rate of return possible for the fund. In rare exceptions, the moral imperative is so clear and unambiguous as to warrant divestment. This is not such a case.”

Curtatone said if passed he would veto the resolution. The public hearing that followed featured a former Israel soldier being hissed at and accusations that opponents of the measure had “the blood of dead Palestinians” on their hands.

Since that meeting, SDP has alienated some of its own members by stepping up their rhetoric and describing the policies of the Israeli government as “apartheid.”

SDP member Bob Cable said this time around, “controversy is inevitable,” and he expects some opposition.

Posted at 06:00 PM in News | Permalink

"Comments

"Besides Iraq (thanks to US); Isreal is the only real democracy in that area and a true friend. We need to support them 110%! I would prefer to see these misguided fools at SDP direct Provost to back a resolution to strike Iran immediately. Turn Tehran into a parking lot. We can not allow Islamicfacists like Mr. of Iran to have nukes."

"Posted by:Imux | July 29, 2008 at 10:22 PM "

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Obama to AIPAC: Jerusalem "Must Remain Undivided"

Obama to AIPAC: Jerusalem "Must Remain Undivided".

Palestinians Appalled by Obama's Comments.

See video on YouTube, at:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CYg5oRjbnE




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Congressman Dingell: "...during my 50 years in Congress, I have proudly supported more than $300 billion dollars in aid for the State of Israel..."

Congressman John Dingell.

"...during my 50 years in Congress, I have proudly supported more than $300 billion dollars in aid for the State of Israel. ..."

--Congressman John Dingell, at:

http://www.house.gov/dingell/documents/press_releases/109th_Session2/08-02-06.htm

[Click on letter to enlarge it.]

[Click on letter to enlarge it.]

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"I believe that a Penn State boycott of Israel will cause a cascade effect for other institutions to follow..."

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

"Action is required in Israel as was during Apartheid"

Posted on July 23, 2008
DAILY COLLEGIAN (Pennsylvania State University)

http://www.collegian.psu.edu/archive/2008/07/23/action_is_required_in_israel_a.aspx

The Palestine-Israel conflict has gone on too long. After more than 60 years of conflict, no end is in sight to the crisis and all military approaches seem to have failed. Therefore, the academic and intellectual communities are probably the only ones that can force a peaceful end to the conflict.

Penn State President Graham Spanier and the Penn State Board of Trustees need to set a precedent and boycott countries that don't adhere to the protection of human rights and international law.

I believe that a Penn State boycott of Israel will cause a cascade effect for other institutions to follow, thus forcing Israel to adhere to human rights and international law. Such actions have already proven to be effective when a world boycott lead to the end of the racist apartheid regime in South Africa.

As long as Israel continues to build illegal settlements, continues to illegally occupy Palestinian land, build an apartheid wall and continues to subjugate the basic rights of Palestinian people, there will never be a peaceful end to the conflict. It is time for Penn State to regard Israel as an apartheid state as we did South Africa.

Shamuel Afani

graduate-electrical engineering

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On YouTube:"Boycott Israel at People's Food Co-op"

Video on YouTube, at:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZRZv34-Vac


"Boycott Israel at People's Food Co-op"

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The movement to boycott Apartheid Israel has entered its 18th month, in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Over 1,000 people have petitioned the People's Food Co-op to boycott Israel.

The Zionists respond by using very bloody language to oppose the boycott.

They openly encourage "more death" of Palestinian children, right at the Co-op.

You will see it, on the YouTube video.


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Video:Zionists fight against "Boycott Israel" campaign, at People's Food Co-op.

You will be shocked to see such cold, direct encouragement of death to Palestinians.

You will want to join the campaign to Boycott Apartheid Israel, at the People's Food Co-op.
Almost 1,000 people have petitioned the Co-op to boycott Israel.


* Click on http://tinyurl.com/5zc4pa , to watch the video.

If you see a "Play" symbol, below, click on it. Then turn on your speakers.





This video shows direct Zionist denial that Palestinians even exist.
But the Zionists have failed to stop the campaign to Boycott Apartheid Israel.

At the same People's Food Co-op, in Ann Arbor, Michigan:

Almost 1,000 people have petitioned the Co-op to boycott Israel.
For 18 months, the Co-op has faced demands that it boycott the racist State of Israel.

Remember how precious the life of 300 million Arabs is.
Remember how precious the life of 1.6 billion Muslims is.

Remember that Israel has hundreds of atomic bombs, which it is threatening to use against the Muslim world.

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"...Boycott and divestment movement against Israel (due to its occupation of Palestinian territories) will go into overdrive."

"No Attack on Iran!"

By Bill Fletcher Jr.
Former President and chief executive officer of TransAfrica Forum
















-Guest Columnist-
FINAL CALL

July 9, 2008

On the Web at:

http://www.finalcall.com/artman/publish/article_4944.shtml



It feels like every few months there is a need for an outcry against a possible U.S. or Israeli attack on Iran. For a few moments, the drum beat of war recedes only to emerge again with the same rationale: Iran is allegedly a threat to the U.S.A. and to world peace.

I thought that the matter was settled, at least for a while, when this past fall US intelligence agencies revealed that Iran had no nuclear weapons program and had, in fact, abandoned such plans several years ago.

This seemed to take the wind out of the sails of the Bush administration for a few weeks until they decided to change their tune and focus on alleged Iranian involvement in the Iraq war. Specifically, it was claimed that the Iranians were arming Shiite groups in Iraq.

The situation became downright silly when Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain visited Iraq and kept alleging that Al Qaeda-linked groups were based in Iran.

For someone who supposedly knows so much about world affairs this error either betrayed the early onset of dementia or it was a calculated political manipulation.

Al Qaeda, and its allies, are Sunni-based and have a mutual hostility with the Iranian Shiite regime. In any case, not to let the facts get in the way of provoking a war, Sen. McCain eventually corrected himself but continued to blame the Iranians for all sorts of alleged evils.

It is most interesting, though, to listen to the arguments that are raised against Iran. Whether the Iranians are arming the Iraqi Shiites is actually secondary to something more important: The USA illegally invaded and occupied a sovereign country, plunging that country into chaos.

The bottom line is that it is the U.S.A., before ANYONE else, which should not be in Iraq. Focusing on Iran misses the point entirely, something that is clearly intentional.

The renewed focus on Iran and nuclear power remains very curious. Iran is a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. It possesses no documented weapons. Israel is not a signatory to the agreement. It possesses, according to former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, 150 such weapons.

Iran has not invaded another country during the 20th (or now 21st century). Iran possesses limited technology for a delivery system. No one has been able to document any effort to develop nuclear weapons. And, even if it is in the minds of some of the Iranian leaders, the construction of such weapons is years off. So, what is going on?

In case you missed it, the Bush administration lied its way into an invasion of Iraq, suggesting that the Hussein regime had all sorts of dastardly intents. Nothing was ever proven, and in fact, it appears that some of Saddam Hussein’s reluctance to discuss his military capabilities derived, quite ironically, from a fear of revealing Iraqi weaknesses to Iran!

So, with the U.S.A. and Israel suggesting that an attack on Iran is inevitable, we the people of the U.S.A. have to ask ourselves two questions: (1)What will we do to prevent an attack? and (2)What should we do if there is an attack?

Preventing an attack necessitates making our elected officials aware that we oppose such a move and we wish them to draw the line. As Congressman John Conyers has pointed out, an attack on Iran without the approval of Congress will be an illegal act. Congress needs to be prepared to make that point clear.

Yet, Israel may become the “sub-contractor” for the U.S.A. in attacking Iran. Israel can and has been restrained by the U.S.A. in the past. Israel must understand that should it attack Iran current global discussions already underway concerning a boycott and divestment movement against Israel (due to its occupation of Palestinian territories) will go into overdrive. There would probably be no way of stopping such a movement even if one wanted to.

So, in that sense, what to do to stop an attack is linked to what to do if an attack takes place. Our elected leaders must understand that we will not sit back.

Oh, one more thing in case you think that this is something that you can ignore: If you are currently concerned about the price of gas, you had better be petrified thinking about what will happen should there be another war and should the Iranians decide to block oil exports from the Persian/Arabian Gulf. Just a friendly reminder....

(Bill Fletcher, Jr. is a Senior Scholar with the Institute for Policy Studies and the immediate past president of TransAfrica Forum. He is the co-author of ‘‘Solidarity Divided’’ which analyzes the crisis of organized labor in the USA. He can be reached at papaq54@hotmail.com this column was distributed by the NNPA.)

Related links:

Israel jawboning US into striking Iran (PRESS TV, 12-16-2007)

Nuclear hypocrisy in Iran’s treatment (FCN, 03-12-2006)

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