Stop the Slaughter -End the Attacks on Gaza

by Fred Johnston Sun Jan 04, 2009 00:48

Israel fears an intellectual boycott as much as any other kind. It is time our artists and intellectuals made it clear (Aosdána was forced into a 'sort of' attitude to artists performing there) that they will not participate in any way with Israeli campuses or arts' events there until the slaughter in Gaza has ended and the settlements cease to be built, the roadblocks are dismantled and the wall comes down.

by Needa Sun Jan 04, 2009 23:48 morningglory101 at hotmail dot com

i was watching the news and i saw that israel are using DIME weapons so that even if people who survive have the risk of getting cancer. Every Sky customer. if you want the truth watch channel 515 (Press TV). And also i am hoping to attend the protest in Dublin on tuesday and i would like to know will the signs be provided and what time i should be there because i am coming from Shannon. If you can help me please let me know on my email. [email protected]

Thank you.

by Middle Ground Mon Jan 05, 2009 02:31

There are many legitimate reasons for boycotts on different facets of the Israeli state. However I think thoughtful reflection is required to balance the extreme rhetoric calling for a total boycott (which I've heard at rallies and seen on message boards and I think is counter productive) including all forms of academic pursuit. Peace is not created by building walls. An academic boycott would mean researchers working on peace and conflict resolution in Israel would be isolated and undermined, researchers on human rights wouldn't be able to present papers abroad. Medical collaborations including the development of ground breaking practices and drugs (things that affect other parts of the world!!!! Don't only think linearly- there are other people on the planet besides Israelis and Palestinians) would be hampered. For one example Israel pioneered the ability for women who recieved chemotherapy to remain fertile and give birth afterwards. I think a boycott of certain areas would be an important symbolic gesture but a total boycott is counter productive. A total boycott also calls for a disengagement with Israeli NGOs - this is plain rubbish. There are many decent Israeli NGOs. Building walls and isolating states does not create solutions - e.g. this is what the current US regime has been doing to Iran and North Korea for years and where did it get them? Why adopt the same policy tactics of a regime you openly ridicule and despise? When you think about it and your disgust at the humanitarian crisis unfolding in Gaza comes off the boil, you'll see it just doesn't make sense, a total boycott is ridiculous - it's a black and white world view sound bite, good vs bad, in the end it's counter productive.

One last thing burning Israeli flags isn't going to help anyone either (except maybe appease the burners anger - burn your flag at home) and isn't likely to get the Irish public on your side, if that is the IPSCs ultimate aim.

by jim Mon Jan 05, 2009 11:32

Burning the Israeli flag is clearly a deeply offensive act and is an attack against Israeli itself because the flag is the flag of Israelis who are opposed to military action in Gaza.
Boycotting Israel is no solution either and is hypcocritical if we are condemning the blockade of Gaza.
Hamas must stop firing rockets at Israel, stop its jihadist rhetoric and recognise Israel and Israel should immediately ceasefire.

Peace should be peace and not a victory of Palestine or a victory for Israel.

Demonising either side is what has got both parties into this mess.

by Dub83 Tue Jan 06, 2009 13:59

What is wrong with so many irish people that they can only see one side being the problem?

Most people want to see Israel as the sole obstacle to peace?

Why do these people not expect the same standards of the people of Palistine?
Being poor is no excuse for wanting Jewish people dead.
When has there been a demonstation by any Palistines that killing Jews is not ok?

Now many of the "innocent" people killed in Gaza would have supported what Hamas was doing?
How many would have voted for Hamas?

It doesn't make their deaths any less terrible but its a side of the coin people here
just don't want to look at.

I think people find it easier to blame rich people (Israel and America) than poor people
(The Palistinians) I get the feeling from people in the IPSC that this is they're underling motive.

Are the Palistinians somehow second class citizens that we don't have the same expectations of ?

by BillyNoMates Tue Jan 06, 2009 14:10

Israels actions will make their people safer in the the short term.

Like it or not, it is logical.

Can someone tell me this, Is there a non violent solution for Israel ?

Is there a way to persuade all the Palestinians that killing Jews is morally wrong?

by Martin Roche Tue Jan 06, 2009 14:13

Is the suffering of the Palistinians justified?

by Dub83 Tue Jan 06, 2009 14:18

Hamas uses Palestinian civilians as human shields.

Israel doesn't do the same? why not ?

by Layla Tue Jan 06, 2009 14:33

To answer the question of BillyNoMates, yes there is a way. Give the Palestinians a country of their own - since we cannot have back the whole country that was stolen, give us just a little piece to live in like normal human beings.

I am so tired of people twisting the issues and forgetting the simple fact that the Palestinians are the ones who have been robbed of their land for the last 60 years and are forced to live in Israeli military controlled ghettos. Palestinians are under occupation! What is so difficult to understand about that?
Just like Ireland was under British occupation except this is 1000 times worse.

People have such a short term memory.

by Layla Tue Jan 06, 2009 14:41

Palestinians are only poor because Israel is keeping us as prisoners in our own country, no opportunities for education, for work or any promising future. Even the olive trees harvestors are targeted and their goods stolen from them. Educate yourself.

Copy paste this link from an Israeli newspaper into your browser.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=2...Src=Y

and this:
http://stopthewall.org/latestnews/1753.shtml

By the way, Palestinians don't hate "jews".
We hate Israeli murderers.
We like friendly jews and Israelis who have something called a conscience.

by Layla Tue Jan 06, 2009 14:51

Are you saying that boycotting Apartheid South Africa was wrong then?

Even Nelson Mandela recognized that Israel has an apartheid system when he said:
“The so-called ‘Palestinian autonomous areas’ are bantustans. These are restricted entities within the power structure of the Israeli apartheid system.”

by Reporter12 Tue Jan 06, 2009 19:50

If you spend time reading israeli news sites, even the more rational ones such as Haaretz and Ynet, you will start to understand why Israelis are so utterly ignorant of the truth surrounding their own actions. You will read some of the most incredibly convoluted explanations rationalising away their responsibility for their own violence against their neighbours. More often than not, you will find that they have managaed to lay responsibility for their own atrocities directly on the heads of those that they are killing and magically painted themsleves as the victims.
Today on Ynet appears the crown champion of all such pieces ever written.

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3651218,00.html

In this piece of mind-numbing particularism we see Ashley Perry, an editor at the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs for the Middle East Strategic Information project, come ut with the most insane explanation imagineable for the current onslaught in Gaza. Be careful if you choose to read it because it may actually rot your brain. If you are too sensible for reading such utter crap then I'll summarise it in a sentence for you.
The whole horrific affair is an Iranian ploy to draw attention away from it's nuclear program because the price of oil has dropped so dramatically in recent months that they cant afford to risk harsher boycotts from the US.

http://www.blogger.com/profile/08557371122156406517

by Reporter12 Wed Jan 07, 2009 19:48

Rafah residents warned to lave home under threat of imminent attack from occupying terrorist entity.

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2008/12/20....html

by Reporter12 Thu Jan 08, 2009 16:06

Another Well informed paricularist from Israel cant understand why we dont understand that the slaughter in Gaza is necessary in order to save all the children of the world. Yes ! You heard it right - Israel has massacred at least 400 women and children in order to protect our children.
It is clear that there is no chance of speaking logic to Israelis with such a high level of preprogrammed hatred and self-rigteousness achieved by the establishment among the citizens. Here are some other ludicrous delusions of your average Israeli that leads them to believe they are part of a proud nation " which has such moral army " as opposed to being accomplices to a criminal facist regime.

* I am proud to belong to this nation, which has such moral army.

* IDF takes care of humanitarian needs and supplies medicine, food, and medical services to the Palestinians ?

* IDF calls and warns civilians before it strikes their homes, used as Hamas arms caches?

* Israel withdrew from Gaza in the summer of 2005,

* If we agree to tolerate the rocket attacks, your own children will be next in line.

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3652573,00.html