Videos, Letters, & Announcements, March 1, 2010

US Israel Policy got us into Afghanistan, Part 1

SEE VIDEOS: US Israel Policy got us into Afghanistan

http://www.youtube.com/watchv=eRDxYRUAgDU&feature=PlayList&p=9FBCD2516AFA616A&

index=0&playnext=1http://bit.ly/IsraelAfghanistan


US Israel Policy got us into Afghanistan, Part 2

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUdFXY8n3bQ&feature=PlayList&p=9FBCD2516AFA616A&index=1&playnext=2&playnext

_from=PLhttp://tinyurl.com/USIsraelPolicyGotusintoAfghan

Riz Khan - Talking to the Taliban

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lnWK-rLtFsU

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Public Meeting:

Justice for Gaza:

London Protesters: 2nd March, 2010

Next Tuesday March 2nd,

6.30 pm - 8.30 pm,

 House of Commons

(St Stephens entrance, allow plenty of time to get through security).

Speakers include:

Jeremy Corbyn MP; George Galloway MP;

Ben Soffa, PSC;

Andrew Murray,

Stop the War; British Muslim Initiative and others

The Palestine Solidarity Campaign, British Muslim Initiative and Stop the War coalition have called a public meeting to discuss the shocking sentences given to those who protested against Israel's assault on Gaza last year as a ‘deterrent' for future protesters.

 Seventeen people - all Muslim - have already been given extremely harsh and disproportionate custodial sentences to the alleged offence of violent disorder. Last week, a 19 year old aspiring to be a dentist, was sentenced to a year in prison for throwing a water bottle in the direction of the Israeli embassy. Despite the judge's admission that the young man had an excellent character and the bottle thrown did not hurt anyone, he wanted ‘to send a message of deterrent to the rest of the community'.

 The court has also failed to take into account any evidence of police brutality - including beating up protesters and refusing to allow them to leave - and had used the controversial "kettling" technique.

For further information about the meeting please contact the PSC office.
Read more about this miscarriage of justice here, including an excellent article by Seumas Milne in this week's Guardian.

Palestine Solidarity Campaign

http://www.palestinecampaign.org/Index7b.asp?m_id=1&l1_id=2&l2_id=14&Content_ID=1142

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Planning for the Global BDS Action: 27th - 30th March, 2010

With the Global Day of Action only a month away, the PSC urges all activists to start planning:

1. Take action: Go into your local supermarket with friends and raise the boycott - get leaflets/stickers/badges from the PSC office.

2. Stunts: Organise an eye-catching event with your local group - maybe do a supermarket crawl round the town centre!

3. Order materials: Use our new ‘ban settlement goods' postcards - get your family, work colleagues and friends to fill them in too!

4. Media work: Do an advance press release to make your local media aware of what action you plan to.

5. Engaging communities: Involve your local Palestine student societies; trade union branches; faith groups and other sympathetic organisations. Make the BDS target relevant to each group - e.g. if a university has a contract with Eden Springs or Veolia, focus the student work towards that company.

6. Spread the word: Facebook, twitter, letters in the local paper, blogs, articles in trade union and student magazines are all ways to let different audiences know what you intend to do and just how their everyday actions - such as buying a particular herb - may in fact be supporting the Israeli occupation.

Let us know what you are planning to do by emailing info@palestinecampaign.org. Look out for more information about what is happening in your local area and what you can do on the PSC website.

Palestine Solidarity Campaign

http://www.palestinecampaign.org/Index7b.asp?m_id=1&l1_id=2&l2_id=14&Content_ID=1142

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THE TRUTH ABOUT ISRAEL IS OUT: AUSTRALIA IS BEING FOOLED.

 
The assassins who used Australian passports when killing a Hamas leader in Dubai last month have exposed a nasty truth about the Israeli-Australian relationship – Australia is just there to be used. “It is time the Australian government woke from its slumber and saw Israel for what it is – out of control and a danger to world peace and security,” says human rights activist Asem Judeh. “Israel and the pro-Israel lobby don’t care about Australia at all.”
 
Judeh says the Australian political leadership has been easily fooled. “Australia's Foreign Minister Stephen Smith won't even tell the Australian people whether he asked the ambassador directly if Israelis were involved in the killing” he says. “Mustn’t upset them! Then he turns around and says they will fully investigate the abuses. Nonsense. They are running for cover hoping that the Israelis will not be offended. Where is the protection of the Australian people’s interests?”
 
Judeh says he has been informing the Australian Federal Police and ASIO for nearly 9 years, and passed to them important information in relation to Israel and pro-Israel lobby illegal activities. “Unfortunately, both ASIO and AFP did not take any action to investigate,” he sys. “Worse, I showed in my submission to the Joint Parliamentary Committee that an ASIO assessment of Hamas’ Brigades was so inaccurate it constituted a contempt of parliament.”
 
“Isi Leibler describes Kevin Rudd as ‘a Christian Zionist’. He says Rudd ‘understands and has some sympathy for us. Australia gives me enormous pride.’ That is the patronizing and deceptive line, and Australia’s political leadership falls for it.
 
“So is there ‘enormous pride’ about the misuse of Australian passports? When is Australia’s political leadership going to wake up and realize what kind of country they are supporting? A country that is now being widely recognized as an apartheid state. A country that denies the indigenous people any rights as citizens.
 
“A country that blockades Gaza for years, denying food and medical supplies, then, when there is a response, undertakes a bombing campaign using phosphorous bombs against civilians. A country that, when correctly accused by the United Nations of war crimes, throws up its hands and blames everyone else. A country that has pretended to be negotiating with the Palestinians for decades while taking almost all their land, killing them and destroying their homes. A country that considers itself to be above the law and answerable to no legal or moral principles.”
 
 
For further details, please contact:

Asem Judeh founder of Israeli Terrorism Monitor mobile 0415 802 780
 
For more information refer to:

Asem Judeh’s public submission to PJCIS, 12 October 2009 http://www.aph.gov.au/house/committee/pjcis/hamas_pkk_let_pij/subs/sub4.pdf
Asem Judeh’s public supplementary submission to PJCIS, 19 October 2009. http://www.aph.gov.au/house/committee/pjcis/hamas_pkk_let_pij/subs/sub8.pdf
Asem Judeh’s public supplementary submission to PJCIS, 20 October 2009. http://www.aph.gov.au/house/committee/pjcis/hamas_pkk_let_pij/subs/sub9.pdf
The House of Representatives Hansard, 18 November 2009: http://www.aph.gov.au/hansard/reps/dailys/dr181109.pdf
The Senate Hansard, 17 November 2009: http://www.aph.gov.au/hansard/senate/dailys/ds171109.pdf
PJCIS report Review of the re-listing of  Hamas’ Brigades, PKK, LeT and PIJ as terrorist organisations which tabled in the Parliament, 17 November 2009. http://www.aph.gov.au/house/committee/pjcis/hamas_pkk_let_pij/report.htm
ASIO’s assessment report on Hamas' Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades (the Brigades) to PJCIS, 27 August 2009. http://www.aph.gov.au/house/committee/pjcis/hamas_pkk_let_pij/Hamas.pdf
ASIO’s assessment report on Palestinian Islamic Jihad to PJCIS, 27 August 2009. http://www.aph.gov.au/house/committee/pjcis/hamas_pkk_let_pij/PIJ.pdf