The Mideast’s Nonviolent Moment

One of the most important books I read as a young adult was Martin Luther King Jr.’s Stride Toward Freedom. The book introduced me to nonviolent resistance—the commitment to change social evils while rejecting the temptation to use violence.

When Montgomery, Alabama’s African Americans began their protests, they didn’t call their approach by its philosophical names, nonviolent or passive resistance. “The phrase most often heard,” wrote King, “was ‘Christian Love.’ It was the Sermon on the Mount, rather than a doctrine of passive resistance, that initially inspired the Negroes of Montgomery to dignified social action. It was Jesus of Nazareth that stirred the Negroes to protest with the creative weapon of love.” > more.
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Germany raps Israel for denying minister entry into Gaza

German development minister said Israel has made a ‘large foreign policy mistake’ by barring him from visiting the Gaza Strip.

Germany sharply criticized Israel on Sunday for denying its development minister entry to the Gaza Strip to visit a humanitarian project co-funded by Berlin.

Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said he regretted Israel’s decision, while Development Minister Dirk Niebel – who is on a four-day trip to Israel and the Palestinian territories — said it was “a big diplomatic mistake”. > more.
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Israel to Ease Gaza Land Blockade

JERUSALEM — Israel announced Thursday that it would “liberalize” its 3-year-old blockade of Gaza by allowing more goods to enter by land, but it made no offer to lift its naval embargo.

The move, coming weeks after Israeli commandos killed nine people aboard an aid flotilla bound for Gaza, seemed designed to quell international protest over the violence. Israel says its soldiers were attacked before they opened fire in self-defense on pro-Palestinianactivists aboard the ship. > more.

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Eyewitnesses recount Israel flotilla raid

(CNN) — Some of the first accounts emerged Tuesday from eyewitnesses who were aboard several boats stormed by Israeli forces as they approached Gaza the day before.

Hanin Zoabi, a member of the Israeli parliament, was on board the Miva Marmara, the ship that was the scene of a confrontation between activists and Israeli soldiers. That clash left at least nine people dead.

The Israeli Navy fired on the ships five minutes before commandos descended from ropes that dangled from helicopters, Zoabi said during a press conference in Nazareth, Israel. She said passengers on board the ship were unarmed.  > more.

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Israel rejects multinational inquiry into flotilla attack

UN-proposed commission into flotilla raid is dismissed as global pressure grows for Israel to ease its blockade of Gaza.

Israel‘s prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, today dismissed a UN proposal for an international commission to investigate last week’sassault on a flotilla of aid ships.

Ban Ki-moon, the UN secretary general, proposed a commission of inquiry headed by the former New Zealand prime minister Geoffrey Palmer, who is an expert in maritime law. The commission would include representatives of Israel, the US and Turkey. All nine activists killed in the operation were Turkish; one held joint US citizenship. > more.
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Israel flotilla raid needs international inquiry, says UN chief

Ban Ki-moon suggests panel made up of many states to discover what happened, according to Netanyahu aide.

The UN secretary general has called for a multinational investigation of Israel’s raid on the Gaza-bound aid flotilla that left nine dead, an Israeli official said today. > more.

Read also:
> Turkey hosts Eurasian summit amid Israel storm
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Gaza flotilla activists were shot in head at close range

Exclusive: Nine Turkish men on board Mavi Marmara were shot a total of 30 times, autopsy results reveal.

Israel was tonight under pressure to allow an independent inquiry into its assault on the Gaza aid flotilla after autopsy results on the bodies of those killed, obtained by the Guardian, revealed they were peppered with 9mm bullets, many fired at close range.

Nine Turkish men on board the Mavi Marmara were shot a total of 30 times and five were killed by gunshot wounds to the head, according to the vice-chairman of the Turkish council of forensic medicine, which carried out the autopsies for the Turkish ministry of justice today.> more.
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UN calls for inquiry into Israel flotilla attack

UN security council stops short of full condemnation after pro-Palestinian activists killed in botched Mavi Marmara raid.

The UN security council has called for an impartial investigation into Israel‘s botched assault on a flotilla carrying aid supplies to the GazaStrip, but it stopped short of an outright condemnation of the attack.

In a carefully worded compromise statement drafted after ten hours of debate, the security council also called for the immediate release of hundreds of civilians held after the raid. > more.

Read also: > Gaza aid flotilla: Israeli sabotage suspected
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Gaza flotilla drives Israel into a sea of stupidity

By Gideon Levy. Of course the peace flotilla will not bring peace, and it won’t even manage to reach the Gaza shore. The action plan has included dragging the ships to Ashdod port, but it has again dragged us to the shores of stupidity and wrongdoing.

The Israeli propaganda machine has reached new highs its hopeless frenzy. It has distributed menus from Gaza restaurants, along with false information. It embarrassed itself by entering a futile public relations battle, which it might have been better off never starting. They want to maintain the ineffective, illegal and unethical siege on Gaza and not let the “peace flotilla” dock off the Gaza coast? There is nothing to explain, certainly not to a world that will never buy the web of explanations, lies and tactics. > more.
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Deaths as Israeli forces storm Gaza aid ship

More than 10 people have been killed after Israeli commandos stormed a convoy of ships carrying aid to the Gaza Strip, the Israeli army says.

Armed forces boarded the vessels overnight, clashing with some of the 600 protesters on board.

The incident happened about 40 miles (64 km) out to sea, in international waters. > more.
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The Golda wars

Gideon Levy in the liberal news- paper Ha’aretz (15.10.2009).

Those who are to blame for everything have been found: the “Goldstoners.” Not the occupation, the settlements, Israeli aggressiveness or brutality; just Goldstone. According to Ari Shavit (Haaretz, October 8), the spirit of Judge Richard Goldstone will bring the next war upon us, and it will be called the Goldstone War. > more.

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We Didn’t Start The Fire (VIDEO)

Harry Truman, Doris Day
Red China, Johnnie Ray
”South Pacific”, Walter Winchell
Joe DiMaggio

Joe McCarthy, Richard Nixon
Studebaker, television
North Korea, South Korea
Marilyn Monroe

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Arab Opinion: Bush Bad, Obama Good

Professor Shibley Telhami’s annual survey of Arab public opinion is out this week. It shows me that Barack Obama, who is due here in Cairo on June 4 to give an address to the Islamic world, has the chance to significantly reverse negative Arab attitudes toward the U.S. His mere election has already produced some welcome changes for the better. > more.
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