Letters & Announcements, November 15, 2010

Important Websites:

http://www.christianzionism.org/linksN.asp

http://www.mo911truth.org/

http://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/

 
David Williams,
Houston, TX

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Ron Paul Video: US Foreign Wars Policies are Turning to be Self-Destructive

http://www.safeshare.tv/v/68iKXzOKlOY

            US Rep. Ron Paul who ran for the US Presidential nomination on the Republican ticket two years ago, just gave a brief speech in the US House of Representatives showing why the US is in real trouble. It's because its foreign wars policies are igniting hatred against Americans. 

            While these US foreign wars policies amounted to a reaction to the 9/11 eposode of 2001 where 3,000 Americans were killed in New York, such US wars policies since then have caused the death of nearly 6,000 Americans, in addition to thousands maimed or committed suicide.

            The US policy of torturing innocent individuals without trial, has instigated further animosity against Americans. The endless billions of dollars being spent on weapons and wars are destroying the US economy. Lies and war propaganda have become the order of the day. 

            The US obsession with weapons and wars has now reached a point of no control. US Rep. Ron Paul reminds members of the US House of Representatives that Christianity  teaches constructive apporaches to peace and not destructive policies brought by wars of aggression.

            Watch the brief speech of US Rep. Ron Paul that he gave recently in the US House of Representatives while it is still on the air. His speech is entitled: What If.... ? Just click the following.

http://www.safeshare.tv/v/68iKXzOKlOY

Mahmoud M.Khashab

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PRC hosts releasing “Atlas Palestine” Evening in London
 
The Palestinian Return Centre (PRC) held a seminar yesterday, Friday 12th November, in central London to release a comprehensive Atlas of Palestine from 1917-1966. This is a vital piece of work documenting history, landscape and Geography of Palestine that has been erased by Israel. The eagerly anticipated event was widely attended bringing together journalists, academics and activists Friday.
 
The meeting was titled “Mapping Palestine: for its survival or destruction” Using Documents to Prove Rights and to Correct Wrongs, Professor Salaman Abu Sita, an eminent scholar, redrew the contours of Palestinian landscape using official documents, to vividly demonstrate the erasure of Palestinian history and the ongoing Nakba.
 
His presentation provided a historical and forensic analysis of the mechanism of expulsion, which began in 1947 and continues even today.
He provided graphic illustrations of the policy of expulsion. The Atlas contains names and descriptions of Palestinians villages that have been demolished. It also provides names, description and location of villages which Israel chooses not to recognize.
 
This Atlas is the life long struggle of Abu Sita, it took him approximately 20 years to prepare this it. He used German, French, British and Turkish archives to collect thousands of maps and documents.
 
A number of MPs, activists, journalists and researchers attended the meeting. Ex-labor MP and director of “Labour Friends of Palestine”, Martin Linton chaired the meeting.
 
Andy Slaughter – Labour MP for Hammersmith, and chair of “Labour Friends of Palestine” participated in the evening as well.
 
According to PRC General Director, Majed Al zeer, the atlas is a key contribution in the struggle of the Palestinian people. He believes that the Atlas fills a gap in the historic narrative as it provides documented history which Israel has been trying desperately to erase.
 
“I think there is a lack of true, historic and documented evidence of Palestine that Israel tried to erase particularly in the West. The Israeli narrative for many years has been mainstream even though it’s faced severe knocks. This Atlas now provides the shattering blow. The atlas simply debunks many myths including the idea that Palestine was empty.” Said al zeer
 
PRC has worked tirelessly in supporting the right of return since 1996. PRC is planning a week of actions in the United Kingdom and Europe to commemorate the 2nd Palestinian Memorial week titled, “Ongoing Nakba” between 15th to 22nd of January 2011. It will begin with a conference on the 15th here in London.

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US TO BOOST WAR STOCKS IN ISRAEL TO RECORD LEVELS

Newly passed congressional amendments have authorized the increase of U.S. weaponry, ammunition and war supplies stored in Israel to a record $1.2 billion, Defense News reported Monday. The value of U.S. weapons to be prepositioned in Israel will reach $1 billion in 2011, with another $200 million added in 2012.

Once the weaponry arrives, the amount of U.S.-owned and -controlled materiel available for Israel's emergency use will have jumped threefold since 2007. Over the past two years, logisticians and war planners from U.S.

European Command and the Israel Defense Forces elevated war stocks to the congressionally authorized threshold, which at that time was $800 million of equipment. Representatives of the two militaries are now working to build up inventories that meet the newly authorized thresholds.

Sent by Carol Brad

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The World's Largest Prison Camp A report on access to Gaza
On 20th June Israel announced it was easing the blockade of Gaza, after three years of severely restricting access for food, fuel, construction materials and medical supplies. In October a delegation from the Britain Palestine APPG visited Gaza to assess the situation in what Prime Minister David Cameron terms "a prison camp".   The below report is a summary of the Group's findings.     Executive Summary   Following the attack upon the Mavi Marmara and the international aid flotilla in May 2010, Israel announced it was easing the blockade of Gaza. Whilst most food items are now permitted to enter the territory (the majority of which were previously banned), the quantity of imports remains deficient. During the visit of the delegation the total number of truckloads entering Gaza represented just 32% of the weekly pre-blockade levels. Construction materials and fuel remain barred for private use and exports are still prohibited.   Only since June 2010, 18 months after Operation Cast Lead, have the UN and internationally funded projects been permitted to import very limited amounts of concrete, steel and glass. On 14th September UNRWA received approval to bring in materials for 13 projects, representing just 1.7% of UNRWA's overall reconstruction programme. These projects include 4 schools, 16 classrooms, 2 health centers, 21 housing units, 1 kindergarten and one office. On 3rd October UNRWA requested the entry of 404 trucks of aggregate through the Karni crossing, of which only 70 had been delivered by 6th November.     The construction sector has a large role to play in the restarting of the economy. Prior to the blockade the Palestinian Business Association reports that 35,000 people were working in construction, in Gaza. This number has now fallen to just over 6,000. Reconstruction projects are central to countering the high unemployment level in Gaza.   At present around 20% of the Ministry of Health budget goes on paying the bills of Palestinians treated abroad. In 2009, the MoH paid around 91 million Shekels (16m GBP) to cover the cost of 10,839 referrals from Gaza. Of this 11.9% went to Israeli hospitals. Since June 2007, on average 17% of patients with referrals were refused exit permits for treatment in Israel, East Jerusalem or overseas. Between January 2008 and June 2009 the situation was even worse, with 40% of the applications for permits to leave Gaza rejected or delayed. In addition doctors told the of a significant "de-development" of the health care system in Gaza, due to restrictions on drugs, equipment and the training of medical personnel abroad.   The Erez border crossing, the only transit point for personnel wishing to cross directly to Israel and the West Bank, remains closed to traffic. On average only 25 people per day are able to pass through the facility that can process 50,000 people daily. A future Palestinian state must be based upon the territorial entities of the West Bank and Gaza Strip, and travel between both areas must be possible and feasible.   In discussions with the delegation both Fatah and Hamas reported that agreement had been reached between the parties on the voting system for new elections to the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC). Agreement is still to be reached however on reform of the security forces and transitional arrangements prior to elections. There is a clear acceptance by both sides, and also across the elements of Hamas, that the current division is undermining the Palestinian cause. A unity agreement remains some way off, but is more feasible now than at any point since the inter-factional violence of 2007. ===   For more information contact Graham Bambrough on 0207 832 1322 or via bambroughg@caabu.org   ==================================== About CAABU CAABU serves as the Official Secretariat to the Britain-Palestine All Party Parliamentary Group. The Council for Arab-British Understanding promotes an enlightened and positive approach to Arab-British relations in Government, Parliament, the Media, education and amongst the wider public. We are the oldest and largest organisation of its type in Europe having been set up in 1967. We strive hard to build on the historical, political and cultural links between the Arab world and Britain.

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