Topic: human rights
The VIP endorsements on this advert below running yesterday indicate one clear truth: The world demands that the Israeli cat release the Gaza (and Palestinian) live mouse from it's military claws including outrageous blockade on UN supplies:
The game is up for the PR spin of the Friends of Israel as far as the double game of saying to domestic audiences in the West we have to protect our security and on the other appeasing the influential illegal, militant squatter movement and 30% who are polling in Israel supporting a pardon for Israeli Jewish Yigal Amir assassin of Labour PM Yitzak Rabin. The racism of elements of the IDF against Arabs was reported here 2 days ago.
Increasingly this reality is also cruelling Hilary Clinton's credentials as Secretary of State over in the USA. Her confirmation has been stalled. We noted here recently her nonesense about selectively blaming Hamas violence while literally 1.5 million Gazans are crushed under the heel of a ruthless food and humanitarian aid blockade.
Just like the disciplined Christian Jesuits it seems to escape the thinking of loyal Israel supporters here or the USA that when a people are desperate and defeated the last to maintain any organisation and capacity are the religiously dogmatic. It's a symptom of oppression. As an ABC journalist noted yesterday Gaza in 300 metres is stepping from 1st world Israel to 3rd world Palestine. And after the IDF demolitions it's even worse.
A good summary of both Clinton and the overall situation was provided by Dr Hanan Ashrawi on ABC Radio National yesterday. This is a good contrast with the tendentious and flawed opinion piece by one Albert Dadon, founder, chairman of the "Australia Israel Cultural Exchange", and the ironically titled piece by academic Niv Horesh back on 9 January 2009. Amazing it is how Hamas compliance for 4 months with a ceasefire truce is constantly hidden amongst broad statistics as if to prove black is white, that it never happened.
This is intolerable. Yes there are many terrible abuses on human rights underway in other parts (refugees towed out to sea by Thailand to die a terrible death) but Australians are generally aware of substantial support to Israeli institutions with Australian money and political solidarity. We are very connected culturally and politically here in Sydney. This is a conflict that strong democratic analysis here can play a genuine role. As Gandhi said - knowing your arguments well helps avoid violence.
