Middle East correspondent Jonathan Cook continues his ongoing series about life for Palestinians under occupation: Yunis al Masri was luckier than his two brothers in Gaza. Although the truck that ploughed into their car as they travelled to work in Israel 24 years ago killed Jaber and Kamal instantly, Mr al Masri survived with shattered…
Showing all posts tagged human rights
Norway should go much further against Israel
Amira Hass in Haaretz: The question is not why Norway divested from the defense electronics giant Elbit Systems, but why only now, and why only from that company? The country that gave the name of its capital city to what the world thought of as a peace process is still invested in companies involved in…
Sri Lanka will pay a price for killing Tamils
The litany of abuses occurring in Sri Lanka are shocking. The Economist reports on one way the West can pressure the criminal state: Rarely has a government soiled its reputation as dramatically as Sri Lanka’s. In recent months President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s regime has won a war and lost the love of many allies. Its alleged…
Iran’s true face is not hard to see
The New York Times writes a spot-on editorial: President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran is preparing to come to the United Nations this month where he will enjoy the freedom to speak his mind. Back home, far too many people are denied their basic rights and are deprived of their freedom. Since fraudulent presidential elections in…
Ignoring Gaza is so much easier
Two pieces of news about Gaza that should shock the world and reveal our complicity. This: A UN report published Tuesday says poverty in the Gaza Strip has deteriorated to levels unseen since 1967. The UN trade and development agency says 90% of Gaza’s residents are currently beneath the poverty line and rates the damages…
One state, two state”¦who cares so long as there’s a solution?
My following article appears in today’s Crikey: US President Barack Obama has consistently stated that he imagines a two state solution in the Middle East, with viable Jewish and Palestinian nations alongside each other. Israel, in a clear sign of who runs the show, announced last week that it intended to continue building colonies in…
Western values are not a danger for Iranian youth
Iran, already undergoing a massive crackdown against anybody not subscribing to the fundamentalist mindset, is seemingly about to take an even darker turn: A hard-line deputy of Iran’s supreme leader announced steps Sunday to purge Iranian universities of Western influences even as the government faced accusations of “fascism and totalitarianism” leveled by the country’s former…
In the midst of Afghan madness, freedom for one
With civilians the main victims of NATO and Western “liberation” in Afghanistan, a small piece of good news: Sayed Pervez Kambaksh, the student sentenced to death in Afghanistan for trying to promote women’s rights, has been freed from prison. The Independent has learned that he is now living outside the country after being secretly pardoned…
Black is white and Israel is a pure nation
Sometimes it’s important to understand the mindset of Zionist extremism, its profound hatred for Arabs and belief in Jewish exclusivity. George Gilder, “the world’s foremost technology futurist”, published an essay in July in the journal of the neo-conservative American Enterprise Institute. Its message? At the heart of anti-Semitism is resentment of Jewish achievement. Today that…