Emergency Protest against bombing of Lebanon

by PaddyK Wed Jul 26, 2006 03:43

Well made points by Bob Jackson

"I only wish we had a government that had the backbone and the decency to speak out about this massacre and impending humanitarian disaster which is about to happen"

Joke Irish government wont even make a statement.
Too Busy, on Holliers.

They should find a closed door upon return. Useless culchies. Potholes and planning permission. Yawn. Zzzzzzzzzzzzz.

by Jackbobson - none Wed Jul 26, 2006 02:58

Felix Quigley states above that he doesnt "want a single Jewish youth’s life lost in battle". There no mention of civilian casualties in his entry.

The ratio of civilian dead is 10 to 1 in favour of Israel, led by its legitimate, democratically elected government in action against a fundamentalist militia.

If you apply the current argument which is presented by the US and Israeli governments the obvious question is: if its acceptable for the IDF to kill 400 civilians when Hizbolah have murdered 40 Israelis, what kind of a response does this encourage against Israel. This will be a massive recruitment operation for Jihadist extremists everywhere - and why not? If you were a Lebenese teenager and had grown up rebuilding a country which has been set back 20 years in two weeks what else would you do? Start all over again? Not likely when your family lives in a state of terror (state terror).

Of course Israel has the right to defend itself but as is always mentioned in the Northern Ireland conflict, along with rights come responsibilities. Israel has the right to defend itself but to obliterate a country for an attack which left 3 IDF soldiers dead and 2 captured is completely irresponsible because its not proportional. It encourages extremism!

Israel is now actively encouraging Iran, North Korea, Pakistan, or anyone else with the capability to provide an extremist religious group with a nuclear weapon to do so and Israeli actions (with unequivocal US support) make the world a far more dangerous place than it was two weeks ago.

Note that during the first Gulf War it was the fact that Israel's restraint in not retaliating against Iraqi scud missiles that held together a coalition of Arab and Western armies in getting Saddam's forces out of Kuwait, with Western soldiers operating through many Arab countries. That kind of measured leadership isnt there anymore unfortunately.

Israel will have to see things from a broader perspective than only their own if they are to negotiate this unneccary cycle of violence. Its not acceptable to present your own civilian casualties as justification for commiting the same crimes by a multitude of ten.

I only wish we had a government that had the backbone and the decency to speak out about this massacre and impending humanitarian disaster which is about to happen. Aside from the obvious trajedy of the loss of civilian (and military) life in the region. The events of the past few weeks make the London underground, Heathrow airport, O'Connell S,t etc more dangerous places because they encourage fundamentalism and hopeless so-called martyrdom.

Will they ever learn from history?

Mise le meas

Bob Jackson

PS check out his views on this: http://www.isill.blogspot.com

by Corkie 2 Sat Jul 22, 2006 12:23

I received a text message yesterday telling me that a vigil in support of the people of Palestine and Lebanon had been organised at Daunt's Square, Cork for 2pm today (22nd Jul). Jointly organised by Cork Alliance Against War and Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign. Now I read that Socialist Party Youth have a similar demo at the other end of Patrick Street (Patrick's Bridge) at exactly the same time! A bit of coordination would be helpful.

I'm not a member of any of the groups concerned but would support both demos willingly if they were on at different times. Can we stop the political sectarianism and get together on this one please!

by Sean O'Dwyer - Tara Foundation Sat Jul 22, 2006 10:18

The Current "War" on Lebanon by Washington's Israeli Contractor signals, even more clearly than the war in Iraq, that a revival of fascism is taking place, backed, as in the 1930's, by the 'International Community.' Israel's 'case' against Lebanon is as transparently false as Italy's against Abyssinia (modern Ethiopia) and Franco's internationally supported terror war waged against Spain/Catalonia/Galicia. For More Information Visit:

http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article5154.shtml

http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article5150.shtml

http://beirut.indymedia.org/ar/2006/07/4609.shtml

http://beirut.indymedia.org/

http://palestineblogs.org/

http://fromgaza.blogspot.com/

http://www.imemc.org/

http://english-cyprus.indymedia.org/

http://gallery.cmaq.net/beirut1

http://www.cyprusindymedia.org/english/a-word-from-leba....html

by + Fri Jul 21, 2006 17:50

Yep indeed the only EU leader to pose in a palestinian scarf in the last ten days was Zapatero, and got thrashed by the Israeli and US press as an anti-semite for it.
So Felix suggests a "50 mile buffer zone". Great. Bibleland which is not 100% jewish and administered as an apartheid state and already is building the third longest security wall in the world needs a 50 mile buffer zone as well. That's a lot of land Felix. The sort of land you normally grow food on. I suggest you also mine it and make it a proper no-mans' land or else people will still want to grow food there. Damascus is tricky isn't it? Always thought it was in the wrong place. We could move it. The river Jordan serves very little military function and ought be diverted to flow up the Golan Heights making minor adjustments to the law of gravity in the process. Hey! I've got a cool idea!!!
Let's bring icebergs from the North Pole and irrigate the Sinai desert and give it to the arabs to live in and be happy. We could start with TV adverts of happy arabic families toasting their mecca cola glasses at the end of ramadan "next year in the desert!" followed up by IDF members going from house to house to remind people they are "chosen" to "go out east".............."where they will be happy".

by gordi Fri Jul 21, 2006 17:13

Problem is, that the Palestinians insist on firing rocket from every place that Israel evacuates.

by LaLa Fri Jul 21, 2006 14:57

Buffer zone - could 50 miles inside Israel be levelled instead ?

Might be handier to give back to the Palestinians the land that was robbed of them.

It would all be OK then surely and everyone would live happily ever after.

by dunk Fri Jul 21, 2006 14:39

War in the Middle East While the World is Watching
http://www.indymedia.org/en/2006/07/843022.shtml
latest imc-global feature

Lebanon: Day 8
While the world is turning its back and closing its eyes
http://english-cyprus.indymedia.org/newswire/display/176/index.php

by Raida Hatoum, who was a founding member of the Lebanon IndyMedia organization in Beirut; is a volunteer active with the Palestinian Solidarity networks working at the Shatila refugee camp and with the Najdeh Association; member of the group which published the Lebanese paper Al-Yasari (the
Leftist); and a committed Socialist.

collective punishment

by LaLa Fri Jul 21, 2006 14:33

Read about the so called "Christians" who think this is all part of some sort of da vinci code / Nostrodamus bloodfest prophecy :

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/5193092.stm

Respect to the Ploughshares who are REAL Christians.

by Felix Quigley Fri Jul 21, 2006 14:32

The comments on Indymedia do not as a whole seem to take on board the prevalence of Jew Hatred in the Arab and Islamist world which goes back centuries, in fact to the birth of Islam if not before.

I do not think that Israel created the Hisbollah Jew Hatred and Israel hatred. Except that people are claiming that by simply existing as jews they are responsible.

I do not want a single Jewish youth’s life lost in battle. I hope the IDF do not proceed as in Jenin, in house to house fighting. I want the IDF to tell Zapatero and chums in the EU to organise the evacuation of a 50 mile buffer with Israel by a certain date, then after that level it with ordinance if the Fascists jihadists do not surrender en masse. In that way no Jewish life sacrificed to the Fascists. In our era just enough Jewish life has been sacrificed…like…forever and ever. No more!

Oh and by the way if the Iranians in the future donate rocketry of more than 50 miles range the above conditions will change accordingly. Let the Lebanese put THEIR house in order. It is not Israel’s responsibility, whose only responsibility is to its own sons and daughters, that they go on living first of all, and hopefully secondly living enjoyably.

by Ali H. Fri Jul 21, 2006 14:31

neither morbidly fascinated not tittilated by these pictures.

I feel angry, extremely angry that a so-called democracy Israel can get away with butchery on this scale without anybody including the Irish government lifting a finger to help the Lebanese people.

Words are cheap and that's peace-porn for you!

by Queasy Fri Jul 21, 2006 14:09

Oh, I have no opposition to showing graphic photos to illustrate the horrors of war.

I simply feel the first photo where the guy is holding up the remains of that poor child shows a lack of respect for the body.

I honestly feel such images are not necessary to convince people of the injustice of this conflict. There is an element of morbid fascination and titilation about them. If I wanted to see such images, I'd look at rotten.com.

I don't think that makes me a pompous ass, Ali H, merely human.

by dunk Fri Jul 21, 2006 12:57 fuspey at yahoo dot co dot uk

to get a good picture of how destructive this isreali bombing campaign is listen to the radio reports from lebanon

democracy now has been bringing daily reports
heres a few:

Robert Fisk in Beirut: Israeli Assault on Lebanon Inflicting "Mass Punishment on a Whole People" (with transcript)
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=06/07/19/1345257

Noam Chomsky: U.S.-Backed Israeli Policies Pursuing "End of Palestine"; Hezbollah Capture of Israeli Soldiers "Very Irresponsible Act" That Could Lead To "Extreme Disaster" (with transcript)
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=06/07/14/146258

Over 70 Killed in Lebanon in Deadliest Day of Israeli Assault
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=06/07/20/1434252

Ralph Nader: U.S. Carries "Inescapable Responsibility" for "Israeli Government's Escalating War Crimes"
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=06/07/20/1434256

for more see
http://www.democracynow.org/recent.pl

other radio material:
Free Speech Radio News
http://www.fsrn.org/news_archives.html

from indymedia radio: (seems imc-rad is down at present)
Arab Talk Radio, bay area, san fran, us
Jess Ghannam interviews Professor Hatem Bazian of UC Berkeley about the current crisis in Palestine. 45 mins, english
in depth analysis, good history, describes mounting casualties due to isreals hold on the resourses and infrastructure: amount of people starting to die due to lack of access to surgery, dialosys machines failing
http://radio.indymedia.org/uploads/7-6-06.mp3
http://radio.indymedia.org/news/2006/07/10459.php

more from arab talk radio : http://www.radio4all.net/index.php?op=producer-info&uid...tory&

even on this mornings rte news a lebanese man who has a brother in dublin was talking to philip boucher hayes how people are fleeing the besieged city of tyre in cars and not trucks because trucks would be shot at, now the cars are being fired upon..

outrageous.....

what can be done?

by Christine de Vos Fri Jul 21, 2006 12:39

Yes, these images show a great lack of respect. Not for the dead, but for the living.

Apparently it's ok to tear small children apart as long as we don't shock the world with the pictures. Wonderful sense of morality!

by Ali H. Thu Jul 20, 2006 19:57

The so called most moral army in the world did this.

No doubt because they have so much "respect" for their enemies?

What sort of pompous ass are you anyway to decide that people should not see the grim reality of war.

Typically those who make such arguments are those who wish to desensitize 18 year olds to feed the killing machine.

As long as people see war as a kind of videogame and not as butchery there is little hope for anybody getting any respect in a warzone.

by not queasy Thu Jul 20, 2006 13:19

I think everyone following this conflict are aware of the real horrors of war and the toll it has on innocent civillians. There really is no need to illustrate these horrors with photos that are clearly little more than salacious war pornography.

Those are the tactics of the extreme anti-abortion crowd.

Also, it bears little respect for the people shown in those photos.

Yes, I do understand disturbing photos are sometimes necessary to get across the true horror and pain of a conflict. But those pictures are beyond necessary for such a task. They are human beings. Have some respect for them in death and only use photos which illustrate the point without venturing into salacious titillation.

by Horrified Thu Jul 20, 2006 12:30

These two pictures give some indication of what bombing really means and it is all about killing innocent people. These people are somebody's child, brother/sister.

Image of a dead child shredded by a bomb

Dead people on fire