A very happy Christmas (and Happy New Year) to all Serbian readers!
And the same to all our friends in Russia!
A very happy Christmas (and Happy New Year) to all Serbian readers!
And the same to all our friends in Russia!
Venezuela has become the first country to expel the Israeli Ambassador from its country in protest over Israel's invasion of Gaza.
The Holocaust, that is what is happening right now in Gaza," Hugo Chavez (above), the Venezuelan president, said in televised comments.
"The president of Israel at this moment should be taken to the International Criminal Court together with the president of the United States."
Let's hope more countries have the courage to follow suit.
The day before yesterday it was a crowded mosque at prayer. Yesterday, it was an ambulance. Today those oh so 'moderate' Israelis- you know the ones who, according to Melanie Phillips and other Zionist propagandists, are defending 'civilisation' by invading Gaza, excelled themselves. They bombed not just one, but two schools.
In Jabaliya, at least 41 people died when Israeli tanks shelled a UN school - a school which the UN insists was clearly marked. Earlier three young men – all cousins – died when the Israelis bombed another UN school, the Asma primary school in Gaza City. And as if this was not enough, at least 12 members of an extended family, including seven young children, were killed in an air strike on their house in Gaza City.
When is the world going to say 'enough is enough' an order an immediate and unconditional Israeli withdrawal from Gaza? And then make sure that those responsible for such crimes against humanity answer for their crimes?
This blog has made the shortlist for the ‘Best UK’ Blog at the 2008 Weblog Awards, the largest of all the blogging awards, in terms of votes cast. Last year , thanks to your support, we won the award at a canter, polling almost twice as many votes as the second placed contestant. But that doesn’t mean that it’ll be just as easy to win this year.
The rules are the same as last year: you can vote once every 24 hours from the same computer. Voting closes on 13th January- you can cast your vote here.. Simply click on the circle next to the name of the blog.
All votes are greatly appreciated.
UPDATE: Melanie Phillips, yes 'Mad' Melanie Phillips, the woman who thinks Israel's actions in Gaza are "moral" and that the IDF is defending "civilisation" is currently leading the poll, having already received over 100 votes. She's clearly picking up the US Zionist vote- having gone from nowhere at bedtime UK time to a clear lead by the morning. In a week where the citizens of Gaza face death and destruction for having the temerity to vote the wrong way, I think it would be shocking if such an outspoken supporter of Israeli aggression won the 'Best UK Blog' award, don't you? Then, let's do something about it. Keep those votes coming in, and remember you can vote once every 24 hours from the same computer.
The rules are the same as last year: you can vote once every 24 hours from the same computer. Voting closes on 13th January- you can cast your vote here.. Simply click on the circle next to the name of the blog.
All votes are greatly appreciated.
UPDATE: Melanie Phillips, yes 'Mad' Melanie Phillips, the woman who thinks Israel's actions in Gaza are "moral" and that the IDF is defending "civilisation" is currently leading the poll, having already received over 100 votes. She's clearly picking up the US Zionist vote- having gone from nowhere at bedtime UK time to a clear lead by the morning. In a week where the citizens of Gaza face death and destruction for having the temerity to vote the wrong way, I think it would be shocking if such an outspoken supporter of Israeli aggression won the 'Best UK Blog' award, don't you? Then, let's do something about it. Keep those votes coming in, and remember you can vote once every 24 hours from the same computer.
Israel may or may not eventually manage to stop the Hamas rockets. But the Middle East conflict will not end until and unless the West comes to realise that Israel is in the frontline of the West’s own fight for survival, and starts properly defending the country struggling to defend civilisation....
Über Zionist Melanie Phillips, writing in today’s Daily Mail.
I wonder if Ms Phillips can explain how she thinks that shelling ambulances and killing paramedics is ‘defending civilisation’?
UPDATE: On her blog, Ms Phillips writes:
I have been absolutely overwhelmed today by messages pouring in following my column in the Daily Mail on the Gaza crisis. From these messages I have learned the following:
There is a large groundswell of support for Israel and detestation of Hamas; this is evident among people who are neither Jews nor evangelical Christians (who are usually pro-Israel) and have had no particular view about the Middle East one way or another. This in my view is a significant shift of opinion towards Israel amongst ordinary people.
There is a large groundswell of fury at the BBC in particular but also the print media for what people perceive to be morally bankrupt reporting, with gross prejudice against Israel and the ruthless delivery of Hamas propaganda...
Ms Phillips titles her blog post: Decency v Bigotry. You really couldn't make it up, could you?
The shells could not have fallen at a worse time. Yesterday's afternoon prayers in the northern Gaza town of Beit Lahiya were unusually busy because worshippers had abandoned their evening prayers in the belief that if the Israelis planned to strike, they would do so at night.
But as the townspeople left the mosque at dusk, the explosions began, killing at least 12 people, six of whom were children. They came only hours before the Israeli ground offensive was launched into Gaza.
You can read more about yesterdays bombing of a crowded mosque in Gaza during afternoon prayers, by Israeli forces here.
Read it, and read about the other attacks on civilians carried out by Israel these past few days, and then ponder these words of Israeli's Foreign Minister Tzipni Livni, in her address to The Knesset.
The true conflict is between the extremist elements and the moderates in the region.
Well, I don’t know about you, dear reader, but I don’t think 'moderates' bomb a crowded place of worship and kill 12 people at prayer, do you?
I always enjoy watching the New Years Day concert from Vienna, but this year was something special- the first time the Musikverein concert was conducted by the great Daniel Barenboim (pictured above). Barenboim, a Jew, has been an outspoken supporter of the rights of the Palestinians. Instead of just criticising Israeli policy towards the Palestinians, which he has called ‘morally abhorrent’, Barenboim has done all he can to build bridges between Jew and Arab communities in the Middle East-forming, with his great friend the late Edward Said, the West Eastern Divan Orchestra- consisting of both Jewish and Arab musicians.
After yesterday’s concert he told the audience that he hoped that 2009 would be a "year of peace in the world and of human justice in the Middle East." In a separate statement, Barenboim also said that Jews, more than anyone else, should know that killing innocent humans was inhuman and unacceptable- a clear reference to the Jewish experience of the Holocaust.
If only there were more people like Daniel Barenboim in the world. A great musician- and a great human being- someone who has transcended his own background and religion and who puts the cause of common humanity first.
On the subject of Israel’s aggression against the people of Gaza, you can read the details of tomorrow’s Stop the War organised march- and mass protest outside the Israeli Embassy in London -here.
And if you’d like to publicise other similar demonstrations in your country- please feel free to do so in the comments section below.