NEWS (old): Sarkosy-Mubarak Ceasefire Plan Is Suspect

Below are excerpts from a Pakistan Observer article, 12 Jan 2009, old "news", but still very relevant and, I believe, should be required reading for all American citizens to provide a Muslim perspective of the situation ...

Sarkozy-Mubarak Gaza ceasefire plan

Rizwan Ghani

The timing of plan forwarded by both leaders has left the otherwise controversial plan without any credibility. France (and UK’s) support for US veto of Arab backed Libyan ceasefire Resolution speaks volumes of sincerity of Sarkozy.The timing has prompted strong criticism about the real objective of the plan at a time when Arab Foreign ministers had gathered seven votes to reach nine votes- a number required to table a revised draft of the Libyan resolution in United Nations Security Council. The sketchy details of Egyptian draft backed by Sarkozy apparently aims to derail Arab efforts of securing a ceasefire, seeking end of Israeli Gaza occupation, withdrawal of foreign troops, recognize Gaza’s right of resistance, allow full control of Gaza to its political leadership and opening of all border crossings including Rafah.

. . . The Egypt-France plan by ignoring all such international legal bindings on Israel has scuttled Arab diplomatic efforts in UN having worldwide Muslim support-seeking immediate end to Israeli war crimes against humanity in Gaza. The plan instead propose unconditional ceasefire with indefinite timeframe for Israeli troop withdrawal. The behind the door efforts in UN by representatives of advanced world to force Arab diplomats accept non-binding resolution against Israeli war crimes against humanity in Gaza is worst kind of diplomacy.

Next, the ceasefire plan has ignored harrowing Israeli crimes against humanity in Gaza. Thereby, like the past helping Tel Aviv walk scot free from Gaza massacre- a total whitewash over deaths of hundreds of victims including over children and scores of women killed, which is a total violation of article 33 of international law signed by Israel in 1951.

. . . One hundred and forty eight US vetoes of legitimate resolutions against Israel have contributed to later’s blatant disregard for international law. Israel is resorting to blatant propaganda by blaming local resistance fighters in Gaza for using women and children as human shield. In fact, it is the other way round.

. . . The world community should unite against Israel and its supporters of crimes against humanity, blatant violation of international law, alleged use of prohibited chemical weapons, weapons made with tungsten (resulting in cancer for survivors) and uranium tipped warheads. Cases should be registered against Israel and providers of such weapons at appropriate level. [Whirldpeas comment: Pardon me for interrupting, but I just want to ensure that everyone recognizes that Mr./Ms. Ghani is referring to YOU and I, here. WE are complicit in these war crimes, since we have provided Israel with the weapons they have used and we have done nothing to indicate that we disapprove of their use against civilians, such as investigate these potential violations of the Arms Export Control Act (1976), for which Rep. Kucinich has been calling for some time. I'm not a lawyer, but it seems to me that if we DID initiate such an investigation and/or if we DID initiate an arms embargo on Israel, then we might be able to argue in any future proceding by the International Court of Justice, for example, that we were NOT complicit because we took these actions.] Similarly, UN should register cases against Israeli attacks on 3 UN school (shelters) resulting in dozens of innocent deaths with majority of children. UN has the mandate under international law to investigate Israel. It is time to uphold the international law. In this regard, it is equally important to hold present Israeli political and military leadership responsible for carrying out planned massacre in Gaza resulting in hundreds of deaths and thousands of injuries on the flimsy pretext of rocket attacks from Gaza. Reportedly, in last eight years 19 Israelis have died due to rocket attacks. Whereas some 6,200 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli military attacks.

International community including Europe, China and Russia should support end Gaza nightmare. Israel should be made to respect international law through diplomatic means and economic sanctions. Reportedly, Venezuela has expelled Israeli ambassador. It is time Jordan, Mauritian and Egypt, the only Muslim states having direct diplomatic relations with Israel withdraw their envoys as gesture of solidarity against Israeli crimes in Gaza. The world leaders should respect demands of public voiced in across the globe protests for long-term economic sanctions against Israel to end cycle of barbarity in ME and bring permanent peace to the region.

Arab representatives in UN should reject the Sarkozy-Mubarak peace plan and instead continue with its original resolution to seek a binding UN resolution to secure immediate ceasefire to end further loss of innocent lives. Every effort should be made to make Israel accountable for its war crimes, unprecedented violations of international law, disproportionate use of force on hapless civilians.

Finally, the resolution in accordance with international laws should uphold its objectives of securing total withdrawal of occupation forces from Gaza and unrestricted opening of borders to allow Gaza lead a normal life. The right of self-defense by the Gaza should also be recognized. Thus there is no alternate for global community but to end misery of fellow beings in Gaza without fail.

Video: Jewish MP in UK condemns Israel's Gaza attacks

This is the perspective of a Jew who obviously has personal ties to the Holocaust and to Israel and expresses his utter contempt for what the state of Israel has done since its founding in 1948 ...

(Blogger is unable to upload the video here. Go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qMGuYjt6CP8

Crisis in Gaza: The Aftermath - Help from Congressman Sam Farr

Background: When I returned home from my Christmas holiday visit to my parent's home, I learned of the news from the day before (this was Sunday, December 28, 2008) -- Israel had begun aerial bombardment of the Gaza Strip. I had already received two Emergency Alert emails from the U.S. Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation asking for action to stop the Israeli attacks and requesting participation in protests nationwide and globally to stop the attacks. I knew immediately what the outcome of an Israeli military incursion into Gaza would be -- civilian casualties in large numbers. The international community had been warning Israel for some time against taking such action because of the density of the population in the tiny Gaza Strip. I acted expediently as the U.S. Campaign urged: letter to the President, Secretary Rice, and my Senators (and posted my letter on a newly created page on my old "UMass" blog site -- "Stop Gaza Genocide"). (Note: See "Tikkun Olam Dialogue Project" in the right margin for the link to this other blog site, and, for some articles that, I believe, explain and justify the use of the term "genocide".) By the end of that week, the U.S. Campaign was reporting the use of bombs by the Israeli Air Force that contain uranium oxide, which leave behind radioactive contamination, as well as the report of the ramming by the Israeli navy and near sinking of The Dignity -- a civilian vessel carrying doctors and humanitarian aid to Gaza. The U.S. Campagn also announced its first conference call regarding the crisis. The following Monday, I attended this conference call and I learned of a video on You Tube on which a Norwegian doctor was talking about the civilian casualties and the horrible injuries being caused by the bombings and the weapons being used. The next day,Tuesday, January 6, I searched and found about a half dozen videos related to this Norwegian doctor, all showing scenes in Gaza, I presume in the hospital from which this doctor is reporting. I am overwhelmed with emotion, weeping uncontrollably as I watch these scenes from Gaza. I have not experienced this kind of emotional reaction to anything since September 11, 2001. I know now -- I must act. But, this time, with more effectiveness. A week later, I have completed internet research to find all organizations in my Congressional District that advocate peace and justice and I have contacted most of these organizations and solicited support for a joint letter to our Representative in the House, Rep. Sam Farr, which is roughly equivalent to a thousand signatures (this is the approximate total membership of all these organizations). Monday, January 19, is a federal holiday and Tuesday is Inauguration Day and my Rep's office is closed due to the tide of humanity that has deluged Washington for this historic event. But, by Thursday, I have succeeded in talking to the Foreign Affairs advisor in Rep. Farr's office -- Marc Hanson. Below is my report back to my fellow District 17 constituents summarizing the fruits of our efforts resulting from our joint letter to our Representative in the House.

Report:

I just spoke with Marc Harmon in Sam Farr’s Washington office about the two issues on which everyone agreed were immediate concerns of all of us and required immediate action by Rep. Farr (just to ensure clarity, those were: 1.) cosponsor Rep. Kucinich’s House Res. 66; and, 2.) immediate action to implement UNSCR 1860). He told me:

• · He and Sam are working on cosponsoring this resolution, even though Marc’s “sense” is that this H. Res. will never get out of committee for a vote on the House floor (that would be very unfortunate). However, we agreed that since this H. Res. is a response to the Resolutions (S. Res. 10 and H. Res. 34) voted on in the Senate and House two weeks ago, it is important for that reason and is worthy of cosponsoring for that reason and others;

• · He also told me, regarding implementation of UNSCR 1860, that they are working on a letter to Secretary Clinton (have to get used to that) that is using information from a recent meeting with Andrew Whitley (Director, UNRWA Representative Office, N.Y.) that sounds like it was a status report on the conditions in Gaza and what types of aid were immediately required and the costs of such, etc. He is working on this letter with staff from other Rep’s. offices (including Barbara Lee’s) and we agreed that this is probably a very effective means of addressing our issue of implementing the UNSCR 1860. He is formalizing this letter with the other offices next week and we agreed that we will talk on Friday of next week and he will give me a copy of the letter at that time.

* * * * * (end of report)

(Note: here is an explanation, for those who need such, for my comment above, "... this H. Res. is a response to the Resolutions (S. Res. 10 and H. Res. 34) voted on in the Senate and House two weeks ago ... and is worthy of cosponsoring for that reason." Every year members of the House and Senate submit Resolutions supporting Israel and denouncing Hamas, or Hezbollah, or whoever is the current "terrorist" harassing or attacking the state of Israel at the moment. These Resolutions, without exception, state Israel's right to exist "as a Jewish state" -- without any mention of the fact that this "Jewish state" was created on 95% Palestinian land and that most of the Palestinians who once lived on that land were dispossessed of that property and their homes -- and condemn whoever dares to oppose the state of Israel (or resist or defend themselves from its illegal military occupation, or illegal siege or embargo on its civilian population (Gaza), or any number of other violations of international law or human or civil rights, or acts of aggression, or dispossession of property, settler violence, acts of intimidation at roadblocks, oppression, torture of Palestinian journalists, extra-legal assassinations or imprisonments ... Have I missed anything? Of course. There is not enough room on this page -- even though it is virtually endless. Now, don't misunderstand these comments. I do not support the militant organizations within Hamas or Hezbollah -- although, if I were a Palestinian voter, I would probably support the political wing of Hamas, as the Palestinian voters did in January, 2006. What I am saying here is that one needs to consider all the facts and all the history going back to the Balfour Declaration and the Partition Plan of 1947, particularly, before one begins to judge or support anyone or their actions. And, if I may, I recommend, to start, a reasonably objective history of the period from 1947 to 1949, such as Benny Morris, "The Birth of the Palestinian Refugee Problem Revisited", Cambridge University Press, 2004.)