|
Readers' Letters and contributions, May 22, 2003 Al-Jazeerah.info This is an independent website. It is not related to aljazeera tv or any other similar name
|
||
|
Human Price of the Israeli Occupation of Palestine Israeli daily aggression on the Palestinian people Mission and meaning of Al-Jazeerah Cities, localities, and tourist attractions
|
The
words ' occupying power' in international law has reflected the positive
role of Western Alliance, in liberating European countries from the clutches
of Nazi occupation forces. However, in the present context, when under UN
laws, no member nation can hold territory by conquest, the
term 'occupying power' has no liberating connotations to be rewarded for any
illegal invasion. While the UN is
currently debating new resolutions on Iraq, and the 'rights and duties' of
the 'occupying power' is underlying all discussions, the overwhelming fact
of the illegal invasion of Iraq, a UN member country, outside any mandate or
endorsement by the UN Security Council or General Assembly, cannot be set
aside, ignored, tacitly papered over or approved, much less rewarded by
allowing special status or privileges to the US/UK invaders. Their
legal position as invaders should be first dealt with for its illegality and
they should be made to account for their acts, made to pay not only
reparation payment to Iraq but a penalty, either nominal or substantive, to
the World body, accepting their crime, before their future actions could be
covered by any UN Security Council resolution. In
an open debate, their acts of commission and omission should be put on
record of the UN, so that a future course of action can be evolved to deal
with any such outlaw behaviour by dictators and despots. There
cannot be a tame reaction by the UN members, as if it business as usual,
while thousands innocent civilians have died in Iraq, for no fault of theirs
and hundreds of thousand tons of deadly bombs were dropped on civilian areas
as well as on environmentally very fragile desert land, without any resource
or traditions to rehabilitate it to its natural state. Both
US and UK should be made to pay personal damages to each and every civilian
killed by their deliberate and willful bombings on Iraqi people and its
quantum should have direct relations to amounts paid to victims of the
supposed Libyan downing of the Jetliner, which was the latest standard of
justice as established by the Western countries themselves. There
cannot be two separate norms of justice for the Western big powers and the
smaller countries of the Middle East or the Third world. GHULAM
MUHAMMED, MUMBAI, India
Warsaw Ghetto Reenactment: Come to Israel this summer! It's authentic! Are you a World War II buff? Do you collect the memorabilia, know all the battles by heart, visit the famous battlefields, read all the books? Would you like to experience the true look and feel of that period? Then come on down to Israel this summer! Israelis have spared no expense to recreate the famous Warsaw Ghetto in almost exact detail. The sunken eyes, the famished children, the guard towers, the house-to-house arrests, the closing of universities, the burning of books, the little girl in the red coat, even the Final Solution! It's all here. Come on down! This reenactment is not for farbs and amateurs. This is authentic! There is real blood on the streets of Palestine! You can actually see a two-year-old shot before your very eyes. Send for a list of hotels and motels available. Discounts for seniors. Plenty of free parking. This event is sponsored by the United States Congress. Thank you for your $8.5 million dollars a day, guys. It wouldn't be possible without you! Best regards, Jane Stillwater, Berkeley, CA "Imagine a world where EVERY child is wanted, nurtured, protected and loved: World Peace in one generation!" Scenes from the reenactment: Sunday, May 4th, 2003 Curfews, Closures and Little Boys with too
Much Power Later in the day I
was made aware of the escalating situation at the Qalandia checkpoint. It
was completely sealed off, and many Palestinians were trying to get home
to Ramallah so they were sneaking around the checkpoint only to be
confronted by the extra soldiers on patrol. I was told that many men were
beaten and arrested. A friend called me from the Al-Ram side of the
Qalandia checkpoint wondering if I could help him pass. . The obnoxious
soldier from the other side of the checkpoint had now As I arrived at my
apartment my friend soon greeted me. He had made it through. He said,
"Hey.. it's just another day in
***
THE THIRD E-SYMPOSIUM ON CONFLICT PREVENTION ***
Conflict
In The International System: A Short Overview From
Chechen Genocide Towards a Vision of New Global Non-Violence Solving
the Arab-Israel Conflict Ms
Hannah Reich (Germany), Associate Researcher, The Berghof Research Center
for Constructive Conflict Management Terrorists or Freedom Fighters? Representing an Asymmetrical Conflict
Inquiries
can be directed to Deborah Sharp at the Japan Center for Conflict
Prevention (tokyo@jccp.gr.jp).
The more people that participate, the greater the success will be for conflict prevention.
OBL and CIA link, eh? Frankly, it doesn't matter anymore. The world doesn't go by reasons anymore, nor it has the courage and integrity to speak the truth. Therefore, any arguments on this matter would be totally fruitless. However, let me briefly share whatever I know about OBL. I first came to know about Osama Bin Laden (OBL) around 1993-4. His name and stories began to appear in many confidential special economic reports in the US. For the Americans, Osama was an accidental discovery. When the Americans were considering helping the Afghan freedom fighters in their cause, they encountered OBL as an Arab who belonged to the famous Bin Laden family, and moved to Afghanistan with the share of his wealth to help out the Afghan civilians and the freedom fighters. He was not only financing the purchase of arms and ammunitions for the freedom fighters, but also financing the humanitarian cause for the injured fighters and civilians. Due to this very reason, he bacame a foreigner hero among the Afghans. His dedication to the cause of helping the suffering Afghans, his personal sacrifice, and total dedication toward Islam made him a hero and model beyond the borders of Afghan. Gradually, his popularity grew in almost all Muslim countries. For the Americans, it was an opportunity to get involved in a similar way. They mainly extended their help through the Pakistani government. And kept close ties with OBL. By keeping track of his movement and activities. They also had a very good impression on him. And had a lot of respect. Osama was not a combatant himself. At least not at that time. He may have picked up the combat skills later due to necessity, for self defense. He was a philanthropist. After the departure of the Soviets from Afghanistan. His mission and support continued for the cause of Bosnian, Chechnian, Kashmiri Muslims. And by doing so, he gradually became a figure of Islamic leadership. His intentions became clear, when he began to accuse the leaders of the so called Muslim countries around the world for tyranny, oppression, puppetry, etc. And that's when the problems began. Now he is no longer a hero, but a villain. Because, now he is not only opposing the established leadership of the Muslim world, but also interfering with the secret games of the CIA around the world. The rumor says that the CIA met OBL before the 911 attack to get him to agree to take credit of the 911 event when and if it should happen. But he refused. And by doing so, he became the target man for the American administration. Mullah Omar of Afghanistan knew this. As such, he demanded proof from the American government to support their claim that OBL is responsible for the attack. He even offered a trail at a neutral location, but the Americans paid no attention. The "New American Century" had laid down the plans of Middle East conquest long before 911. They just needed a party to claim all the responsibility of such an attack. They were hoping that someone or some group would make a claim, but nobody did. Therefore, America had to find its way through intimidation and false pretext. To me, at this point in time, it really doesn't matter whether OBL was a CIA spook or not. Because, it is not going to change the course of history. Depending on the regional media propaganda, people have their own image of OBL. In the Middle East, he is still a hero. Where as, in the Western world, he is a fanatic Muslim and a terrorist. The bottom line is, OBL is no longer needed. The war has already begun, and it will continue for years to come. Americans may have achieved a quick victory in their game of invasion, but they won't be able to retain it for long. Israel will make sure that the US of A falls on the ground on its face enabling them to take over the role of the super power. Just wait and see. John Kaminski <skylax@comcast.net> said:
You may be interested in the attached
transcript of a programme (About
Woomera, by Debbie Whitmont)
made by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation on one of the detention
centres into which Middle Eastern people were put when they attempt to seek
asylum by arriving by boat.
The ACM company which is referred to now runs
the Baxter Detention Centre about 100 miles south of Woomera.
Garry Bickley
Editor: Thank you. It's been published: About Woomera, Debbie Whitmont
Hello everybody
I agree with Br Daud. It is a standard imperial
war. In it's psychological component,
it tries to divide the occupied people that everyone has sold out
ie the classical Nazi propaganda
"Resistance is Hopeless"
I don't think Islam/Islamist are creation
of the CIA, it is Islam which is providing the underlying resistance to
the Empire. Albeit the resistance is disorganized sometimes chaotic
and quite often backfiring but the resistance is there
It is only a matter of time that an organized
leadership develops leading to systematic mass resistance against the
empire and it's stooges.
Rafe
Hello Every body:
Editor,
Your disclaimer
notwithstanding, and my overall appreciation of the analysis and
content of the article sourced to your publication at: http://www.rense.com/general37/sisie.htm ,
contains the following unfounded allegation:
'...... Bin Laden may have
started this process, ...... Bin Laden gave the Israelis, unwittingly,
exactly what they needed, to expand their naming of
"Terrorism" to include 9-11, ...'
My question is: Does Al-Jazeerah.info
have any viable evidence that 9-11 was the result of a Bin Laden chain
conspiracy? To the best of my knowledge there is none, including the
British 'white paper' discredited and forgotten. It is my studied
opinion that 9-11 was an psychological warfare provocation by the criminal
cabal ruling the United States. Their motives are clear, the means
absolute, and cover-up nearly universal!
Bill Mitchell
Editor: This is the opinion of the author. It does not represent Al-Jazeerah's.
Petition to
safeguard Iraqi heritage
Urgent petition of International Scholars of Mesopotamia and the Near East to the United Nations and Unesco for the Safeguarding of Iraqi Cultural Heritage Thursday
April 10, 2003 "Mesopotamia" designates the land where human beings first built cities, organised complex states, formulated elaborate religious beliefs, invented writing, developed sophisticated visual and literary expression, articulated measures for maintaining law and justice. The list of humankind's momentous "Firsts from Mesopotamia" is too long to detail. Mesopotamian religious, literary, and artistic traditions represent the origins of advanced culture, and their value to world civilization is inestimable. Understanding of Mesopotamia illuminates fundamental aspects of Judeo-Christian tradition and of Islam, and Mesopotamia has ties as well to ancient Greece--chapters of human history that gave shape to the world we inhabit today. The geographical realm of ancient Mesopotamia extends into the modern states of Syria, Iran, and Jordan, but for the greatest part lies within Iraq. As scholars committed to the study and teaching of the history and culture of Mesopotamia, many of whom have been guests of the Iraqi people, we have deep ties to persons in Iraq as well as a profound appreciation for the cultural resources preserved within its borders. The only access that our and future generations have to ancient Mesopotamia is through the ancient physical remains left behind. Each artifact, written text, and archaeological context is unique and irreplaceable. Once destroyed, that link to humanity's past is lost, to us and to our descendants, forever. Students of a civilization reaching back more than 5,000 years, we are accustomed to taking a long-term view of history and historical events. The present military conflict in Iraq will come to an end. We hope it will end as quickly and with as little loss of life as possible, and with a minimum of damage to excavated and unexcavated ancient sites as well as museum collections. Destruction of Iraqi cultural heritage will result in devastating and irrecoverable losses to human civilization, and to participate in or allow such destruction may inflame resentment and anger throughout the world, particularly in the Middle East. We believe, as is also recognized by the people and government of Iraq, that the ancient cultural heritage of the Iraqi people is at least as vital to their future as oil reserves are to their country's economic survival. Rigorous efforts by US and allied military forces and whatever body oversees post-war Iraq to protect ancient sites and artifacts can only enhance future goodwill. We believe that education can be a powerful tool, that cooperation among scholars and educators can serve as a vital bridge between Iraqi and western people once the current conflict is over, and that steps must be taken now to protect the cultural heritage of Iraq before it is too late. We, the undersigned members of the scholarly community devoted to the study and teaching of ancient Mesopotamia and Pre-Modern Iraq, urge the United Nations and Unesco to forward the following recommendations to US/allied military command: 1. That rigorous care be
taken not to target archaeological sites directly or allow collateral
damage to be inflicted on them 2. That rigorous care be
taken not to target museums, universities, academic libraries, or other
buildings housing resources for the study of Iraq's ancient and more
recent past. In addition, it has been publicized that our Iraqi colleagues
have put themselves at risk in order personally to try to protect these
collections. Utmost care should be taken that they come to no harm; Iraq,
and the rest of the world, needs these devoted scholars and other
personnel for the future 3. That in the event a
site or museum has been damaged, immediate efforts be made to control
fires and otherwise consolidate compromised structures. Security details
should be mounted immediately to protect the damaged site from looting 4. That international military, humanitarian, and other personnel posted to Iraq be instructed as to the ethical and legal consequences of removing antiquities from the country. As soon as possible, certainly no later than immediately after the close of the military conflict, security personnel should be trained in the identification of antiquities and stationed in order to halt further removal of cultural heritage materials from Iraq. Further, we urge the UN and Unesco to ensure that whatever body oversees post-war Iraq implements the following recommendations immediately after the close of the conflict: 5. That security
personnel be posted throughout Iraq at its many archaeological sites and
museum storage facilities as soon as possible to halt future thefts. In
the aftermath of the previous gulf war, Iraqi archaeological sites and
museum collections suffered from extensive looting, the fruits of which
continue to disappear into the international black market for illegally
procured antiquities 6. That our Iraqi
colleagues be continued in or restored to their positions in museums,
archaeological projects, and universities 7. That the Iraqi
Antiquities Authority be offered the assistance of specialists from around
the world to work with them (a) to begin restoration and preservation of
antiquities that have been damaged or compromised in consequence of the
current conflict and from the past 12 years of looting, and (b) to aid in
training the next generation of Iraqi scholars to continue this vital work 8. That whatever body oversees post-war Iraq be ready to offer material assistance to the Iraqi authorities and any concerned international agency prepared to apprehend and prosecute persons responsible for the theft and purchase of Iraqi cultural heritage materials, and to strive for the recovery of those materials and their restoration to the Iraqi people.
Troops
'vandalise' ancient city of Ur
Ed Vulliamy One of the greatest wonders of civilisation, and probably the world's most ancient structure - the Sumerian city of Ur in southern Iraq - has been vandalised by American soldiers and airmen, according to aid workers in the area. They claim that US forces have spray-painted the remains with graffiti and stolen kiln-baked bricks made millennia ago. As a result, the US military has put the archaeological treasure, which dates back 6,000 years, off-limits to its own troops. Any violations will be punishable in military courts. Land immediately adjacent to Ur has been chosen by the Pentagon for a sprawling airfield and military base. Access is highly selective, screened and subject to military escorts, which - even if agreed - need to be arranged days or weeks in advance and carefully skirt the areas of reported damage. There has been no official response to the allegations of vandalism - reported to The Observer by aid workers and one concerned US officer. Ur is believed by many to be the birthplace of the prophet Abraham. It was the religious seat of the civilisation of Sumer at the dawn of the line of dynasties which ruled Mesopotamia starting about 4000 BC. Long before the rise of the Egyptian, Greek or Roman empires, it was here that the wheel was invented and the first mathematical system developed. Here, the first poetry was written, notably the epic Gilganesh, a classic of ancient literature. The most prominent monument is the best preserved ziggurat - stepped pyramid - in the Arab world, initially built by the Sumerians around 4000 BC and restored by Nebuchadnezzar II in the sixth century BC. The Pentagon has elected to build its massive and potentially permanent base right alongside the site, so that the view from the peak of the ziggurat - more or less unchanged for 6,000 years - will be radically altered. Each hour, long convoys of trucks heave gravel and building materials through checkpoints and the barbed wire perimeter extends daily. There are reports that walls have been damaged by spray-painted graffiti, mostly patriotic or other slogans, and regimental mottos. One graffiti reads: 'SEMPER FE' - Always Faithful - the motto of the Marines, who stormed through this region on their way to Baghdad, and form a contingent at the base. Other reports by groups who cannot be named for fear of losing access to medical patients being treated on the base say there has been widespread stealing of clay bricks baked to build and restore the structures at Ur. The Army Public Affairs office at Ur refused to speak to The Observer.
|
Opinions expressed in various sections are the sole responsibility of their authors and they may not represent Al-Jazeerah's.
editor@aljazeerah.info