On Iconic Imagery: A new report from the United Nations claims that the above photo of BBC reporter Jihad al-Masharawi holding his slain child was actually the result of a wayward Palestinian rocket, and not a bombing by the Israeli Air Force as previously reported. While we suspect the news doesn’t make the loss of child any easier/harder for the young father, it certainly changes the narrative around an image that has become symbolic for last year’s 8-day conflict in Gaza which claimed the lives of 160 Palestinians and six Israelis. (Photo via Associated Press/Majed Hamdan) source
Not to go to the UN would be suicidal for the Palestinian Authority. All these people [in Gaza] took the brunt of the attack and now we should chicken out because they [the US and Israel] will cut off some money? What we’re doing is not violent; it’s not military; it’s not illegal. The world should see that if they keep maintaining the status quo, it will get you nothing but more bloodshed. That’s the lesson from Gaza.Senior Palestinian official Nabil Shaath - Assuring the Guardian’s Chris McGreal that Palestinians’ resolve to seek recognition of statehood from the United Nations would be broken by monetary threats. Several countries, most notably the US and UK, have been pressuring the Palestinian Authority to make various concessions ahead of its next attempt to gain international recognition on November 29. Much of the concern allegedly stems from the Israeli’s government’s fear that it will be dragged before the International Criminal Court on war crimes charges related to the Gaza offensive that took place four years ago. source
Palestinian children return to school for the first time since Israel’s latest attack on Gaza but not all students made it back. Sarah Al-Dalou had to be excused from class as she — along with 9 other members of her family and 2 neighbors [graphic] — were killed by an Israeli airstrike when F-16 fighter jets reduced their house in the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood in Gaza to rubble.
A sign now occupies her seat instead, calling her a ‘martyr’. She is one of over 30 children killed by the Israeli Army during their week-long assault on the blockaded coastal enclave, with 161 Palestinians dead in total.
(Photo source: @mohammednazmi)
Bottom photo: Palestinian children return to school in January 2009 after Israel’s massacre in Gaza, named ‘Operation Cast Lead’, when over 300 children were killed by the Israeli Army, and 1,400 Palestinians in all.
Signs replaced the once-occupied seats at al-Fakhura School in the Jabaliya refugee camp in Gaza; names of victims written under the word in red: ‘Martyr’, 24 January, 2009.
(Photo credit: Anja Niedringhaus / AP)
It’s incredibly difficult to try to see from the perspective of these children — sitting in class with just placards beside them, where friends used to be.
Speaking of facts, the chief mediator in stopping the latest round of killing was Mohamed Morsi, the Egyptian president who emerged from the Muslim Brotherhood, the parent of Hamas. Until the Arab Spring, the United States shunned the Brotherhood, deemed a band of Islamist extremists. Now Hillary Clinton thanks Morsi for “assuming the responsibility and leadership” that makes Egypt “a cornerstone of regional stability and peace.”
It is amazing what happens when you start talking to people. The beginning of the end of conflict is discovering the humanity that lies behind slogans and barriers.
Pretty much. As the recent conflict was loaded with both slogans and barriers, Cohen’s words resonate.
Egypt announced on Wednesday that a ceasefire had been reached to end the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians, starting later in the day.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Mohamed Kamel Amr made the announcement in a joint news conference with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. The ceasefire would come into effect at 15:00 EDT, said Amr, whose country has been at the heart of efforts to broker an end to the conflict.
…
Here are the details of the agreement. This is a big development not only for Israel and Gaza, but post-revolutionary Egypt as well. If the ceasefire holds, it will be a huge win for President Mohammed Morsi, and he’ll reap lots of credit for helping broker the agreement.
Here’s Wolf Blitzer and his camera crew running for their lives after an air raid siren went off in the Israeli city of Ashkelon — which has been a target of rocket fire — earlier today. “The sirens went off minutes after we arrived. The camera was hanging around my neck,” wrote CNN staffer Linda Roth, who says that a more professional version of this clip will air on “The Situation Room” later today. Anderson Cooper had a similar situation over the weekend. (ht HyperVocal)
Those who associate Islam with terrorism close their eyes in the face of mass killing of Muslims, turn their heads from the massacre of children in Gaza. For this reason, I say that Israel is a terrorist state, and its acts are terrorist acts.Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday that Israel was carrying out “terrorist acts” in its bombardment of Gaza. (via newsflick)
“Let’s understand what the precipitating event here that’s causing the current crisis and that was an ever-escalating number of missiles that were landing not just in Israeli territory but in areas that are populated, and there’s no country on Earth that would tolerate missiles raining down on its citizens from outside its borders,” Obama said at press conference in Thailand at the start of a three-nation tour in Asia.
“So we are fully supportive of Israel’s right to defend itself from missiles landing on people’s homes and workplaces and potentially killing civilians.”
He added: “Israel has every right to expect that it does not have missiles fired into its territory. If that can be accomplished without a ramping up of military activity in Gaza, that’s preferable. It’s not just preferable for the people of Gaza. It’s also preferable for Israelis, because if Israeli troops are in Gaza, they’re much more at risk of incurring fatalities or being wounded.”
Regarding the peace process, Obama said this: “Those who champion the cause of Palestinians should recognize that if we see a further escalation of the situation in Gaza than the likelihood of us getting back on any kind of peace track that leads to a two-state solution is going to be pushed off way into the future.” Obviously, this is a hornet’s nest, but should Obama have taken this stance? Does this reflect what’s actually happening in the region?
~950 Gaza sites have been struck by IDF attacks since Wednesday
~400Palestinian missiles have hit Israel during the same period of time
180airstrikes were launched at the Gaza Strip today
three rockets have been fired at Tel Aviv from Gaza; all were intercepted
In non-numerical updates: Israeli missiles today hit Hamas police headquarters and the Gaza prime minister’s office (the PM wasn’t inside). Egyptian president Mohammed Morsi is reportedly planning to hold four-way talks with the emir of Qatar, the prime minister of Turkey, and Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal in an attempt to resolve the crisis. source [1] [2] [3]
In addition to social media campaigns on Twitter and Facebook, the Israel Defense Forces have also opened an official Tumblr. Which is an interesting new front in the Israel/Palestine conflict, to say the least.
Wrote a thing.
Hat tip to this headline writer.
Congrats Tumblr!
Don’t screw this up Yahoo.
In 2007, I was...
I started tumblr when I was at one of the lowest points of...
Exclusive: How the Syrian Electronic Army hacked the...
On March 16, 2003, pro-Palestinian activist Rachel Corrie died while protesting against the Israeli government, which was attempting to tear down a settlement in the Gaza Strip. Corrie literally stood between a settlement and a military bulldozer. The bulldozer crushed her. Now an Israeli court says there’s no way the bulldozer driver could have seen her, and that she put herself in danger by staying put, considering that the U.S. warned Americans to stay away. Her parents don’t see it that way. “I believe this was a bad day, not only for our family, but for human rights, humanity, the rule of law and also for the country of Israel,” said Rachel’s mother, Cindy. She and her husband, Craig, sued for $1, in a symbolic gesture. They lost.
Timing is everything: Today, President Obama signed the United States-Israel Enhanced Security Cooperation Act. The legislation, which passed Congress with ease, authorizes $70 million in military aid for Israel’s “Iron Dome,” a defense system that intercepts missiles from Gaza (93 interceptions as of last April, according to the IDF). Sneakily, Obama held the signing ceremony one day before Mitt Romney is set to go to Israel himself, ensuring that every news article about Romney’s visit also mentions Obama’s signing of the bill. Clever. (Getty photo). source
Released Palestinian prisoners embrace their families in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, Tuesday, Oct. 18, 2011. Hamas agreed to release Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit in exchange for 1,027 Palestinian prisoners, whose arrivals set off ecstatic celebrations in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, where large crowds and dignitaries greeted them. (AP/Getty Images)
Remember, there were passionate returns on both sides in the Gilad Shalit case, no matter the controversy.
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