Long time since I wrote anything here – been preoccupied with anti-cuts efforts mainly, but that reads like a poor excuse. So, what’s going outside this country – this country with its angry, confused, disempowered masses?
Today I received a very useful ‘Middle East Bulletin’ from Richard Graham, MP for Gloucester, who visited Gaza last October. Earlier this month I went with others from Worcester Palestine Friendship to Gloucester see him give a slide presentation of his visit, which was also attended by Ebrahim Musaji, who was on the Gaza flotilla that was apparently ‘legally’ attacked by the Israeli military (see last link below). Graham was very hesitant about condemning continuing arms sales by the US/UK to Israel, and rather than condemning the occupation he spoke of Hamas’ ‘failure to recognise Israel’…
Well, here are excerpts from a, to be fair, rather helpful bulletin
Report of Graham’s visit to Gaza (‘The World’s Largest Prison Camp’):
http://www.caabu.org/pdf/worlds-largest-prison-camp.pdf
‘Exports from Gaza have started to increase as two border crossings are partially opened, allowing in humanitarian aid’:
‘US trying to stop UN resolution against West Bank settlements’:
The Palestine Papers
‘The publication of leaked documents from the Middle East peace process has caused shock waves throughout the world and prompted fierce denials from Palestinian leaders’:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/jan/24/palestine-papers-distortion-truth-reaction
UN director in Gaza quits for new post
‘The director of UN relief agency in Gaza, John Ging is to leave his current job and take up a senior UN position in New York. Ging has worked in Gaza since 2006 and has been a well-known advocate of Palestinian rights and a critic of Israel. His departure will be welcomed by Israel who claims that he ‘overstepped the mark’:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/jan/17/un-gaza-john-ging-unrwa
Gaza children ‘at risk’ near border
‘A new report released by Save the Children has warned that Palestinian children are coming under regular gunfire whilst searching through destroyed buildings for construction materials – forbidden from entering into the impoverished Gaza Strip by Israel’:
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/01/201111804035568365.html
New Jerusalem settlement hits peace process
‘Israel is to push ahead with plans to build 1,400 new homes in what critics have described as a deathly blow to any peace process’:
Turkel Commission Concludes
‘The Israeli Government appointed Turkel Commission has concluded that the raid on the Gaza bound flotilla of aid ships, including lead ship the Mavi Marmara was legal and that Israeli soldiers acted in self defence’:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/jan/23/israel-gaza-aid-flotilla-inquiry
Hopefully Richard Graham and other MPs will be use this information to put pressure on the British government to ensure that, in the words of PSC, it does not continue to give ‘unconditional support of the state of Israel, paying only lip service to the rights of Palestinians and respect for international law:’
