Apr 16, 2013

Boston Bombings


At first I thought I should not comment on the Boston bombings as it is obvious that we in Palestine, under siege and regular bombardment would clearly sympathize with the victims. But then I saw the usual pundits on mainstream media trying to spin the tragedy to serve racism.  The Israeli Consul-General in Boston told the Jerusalem Post that “Boston is a very quiet and calm place, especially when we come from Israel…..Still, the Jewish community and the consulate are on alert and security has been increased”.  He speaks as if he represents Jews of Boston (and only them) and insinuates as usual that problems in Palestine (‘Israel’) are because of the native “Arabs” not because of the Zionist colonization.  CNN gave extensive time to the Zionist ex-congresswoman Jane Harman who claimed this terrorist attack is likely linked to AlQaeda Islamists while trying to connect herself to victims when she supports terrorism herself. Besides her appalling record in voting for more weapons and money to Israel to kill Palestinians, she was unashamedly more pro-Israel to the point of challenging US interests on several occasions.  In October 2006, Time magazine stated that Harman had agreed to lobby the US Department of Justice to reduce espionage charges against Steve J. Rosen and Keith Weissman, two officials at the American Israeli Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). In exchange, Time said there was a quid pro quo in which AIPAC would lobby then-House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi to appoint Harman as chair of the House Intelligence Committee! Then came Wolf Blitzer, another Zionist who now poses as the serious looking global "reporter" for CNN.   Here is Norman Finkelstein speaking the truth while Blitzer in defends racism/Zionism and shows where his loyalties stand in a public debate: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-8aTGnjHnI But if you thought his CNN appointment made him moderate his stance, you would be mistaken.  He continues to use all opportunities (including this tragedy) to use smoke and mirrors to hide facts.  Many Zionist pundits appeared in mainstream media spinning the same web.

There is no mention by those with “Israel first” mentality of the billions of taxpayer dollars given to Israel annually because of the Zionist lobby and how many innocent people are killed or displaced by it.  There is no mention of past false flag operations by the Israeli Mossad (for example in Egypt against US and British interests and in Iraq against Jewish institutions to drive Jews to migrate to colonize Palestine).  There is no mention of billions made by investors with inside knowledge; no mainstream media tried to investigate the short selling and the US stock market collapse that happened hours BEFORE the bombings (who profited?).  And while most western media had hours of continuous coverage of this bombing that killed three individuals, they rarely mention the daily bombings and killings of hundreds and thousands of innocent civilians especially by US drones in places like Yemen, Pakistan, and Afghanistan (where there are no first class medical facilities as exists in Boston).  Nor do they care to mention killing by proxy of hundreds of civilians monthly by US puppet dictators from Bahrain to Saudi Arabia or by the US supported racist apartheid regime of Israel or of western funded Islamist groups in Syria.  Alas, Blitzer and Harman and hundreds like them assume their audience is stupid to buy their Zionist spin.  Let us hope that US citizens will finally challenge the staggering cost of Israeli apartheid and Israel-firsters in their midst. Let us hope that someone in the FBI is smart enough to look more carefully at the clues in Boston and find the real culprits behind these bombings instead of buying the Zionist spin. 

The Staggering Cost of Israel to Americans By Pamela Olson.

US Aid to Israel Jumps to $11 Million Dollars Per Day as US States, Counties and Cities go Bankrupt!

AIPAC's legislative agenda dividing members of Congress

A response from Dave Evans to this information:
The billions of dollars Congress sends in direct aid to Israel pales in comparison to the TRILLIONS of dollars spent on wars the US undertakes for Israel. ($4 to 6 trillion for two wars alone: http://www.ipsnews.net/2013/03/iraq-afghanistan-wars-will-cost-u-s-4-6-trillion-dollars-report/  ), not counting funding mercs in Syria and other dark wars for Israel; wars that are planned and executed by these people:  http://www.erichufschmid.net/TFC/FromOthers/list-of-neocons-for-Iraq-war.htm 
Consider this that gets little press:

The bombings in Boston were painful to see since we lived nearby in Connecticut and our son went to school in Boston and we visited regularly. Our deepest sympathies to the victims and their families. Knowing the local community there, I know they have strength and resilience and goodness that can overcome this evil.

Apr 9, 2013

Education and Healthcare

In any society, Education and Healthcare are pillars of progress.  In any society, war, suffering, and lack of progress are associated with ignorance, greed, and apathy.  The biggest challenge for freedom and return in Palestine is the same.  This past week and even as we commemorated the tragedy of the massacre at Deir Yassin, my wife and I had the honor to be invited to two openings in Palestine symbolizing sacrifice and progress: opening of a Pediatric Oncology facility in Beit Jala and of the new Engineering Department at AlQuds University.  When we lived in the US, my wife and I worked with Huda Al-Masri and her husband Steve Sossebee (founders of Palestine Children Relief Fund-PCRF) for several cases of children coming to the US for treatment. We had the honor of hosting two families in our house in Connecticut. Now PCRF was able to create totally through private donations the Huda Al-Masri Pediatric Oncology Department at Beit Jala government hospital (the only such facility in the West Bank).  Huda passed away from cancer and we were honored to see how grown up her two daughters are and to see this fitting memorial to her hard work finally get going. The inauguration of the Najjad Zeenni faculty of engineering building at Al-Quds university showed how expatriate Palestinians could contribute to building Palestine.  Zeenni was born on a ship going from Jaffa to exile in 1948 and became a successful engineer and company executive (now living in Abu Dhabi).  We also met Mr. Fawzi Kawash, another good key Palestinian who made it his life’s work to bring support for Palestinian academic and research institutions. There are thousands of other Palestinians working behind the scenes.  We must do more in education and healthcare.  I spend more and more time on these issues (and less on politics) as we expand our clinical cytogenetics laboratory (testing for cancer and genetic abnormalities), build the natural history collection, do more research and education, helps some students pay their bills, and take students and colleagues on field trips to wilderness areas.

On April 6th, the PCRF officially opened the Huda Al Masri Pediatric Cancer dept. in Beit Jala Hospital
http://www.pcrf.net/on-april-6th-the-pcrf-officially-opened-the-huda-al-masri-pediatric-cancer-dept-in-beit-jala-hospital/

Earlier report on the start of work for the faculty of Engineering building at Al-Quds Univesrity
http://www.anera.org/resources/press-releases/anera-and-al-quds-break-ground-for-new-engineering-school/

Scholarships for Palestinian students to study in Cambridge
http://www.chu.cam.ac.uk/alumni/development/palestinian_studentship.php

We must never forget the massacre in Deir Yassin By Dina Elmuti
http://electronicintifada.net/content/we-must-never-forget-massacre-deir-yassin/12341

(New book) The Prisoners’ Diaries: This is a compilation of 22 Palestinian prisoners' experiences in Israeli jails. 1,027 prisoners were released in 2011 as part of the exchange with Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit and 22 of them were interviewed by journalists. These accounts were translated into English at the Centre for Political and Development Studies (CPDS) in Gaza, and edited.
http://theprisonersdiaries.blogspot.com/

(racism in action) Seeing the forest and the trees: The untold story of the Jewish National Fund
http://www.haaretz.com/weekend/magazine/seeing-the-forest-and-the-trees-the-untold-story-of-the-jewish-national-fund-1.400530

Youth move back to Palestinian village stolen from their families
http://electronicintifada.net/content/youth-move-back-palestinian-village-stolen-their-families/12352

British Jewry in turmoil after tribunal blasts pro-Israel activist for bringing harassment case: Ruling in case brought by mathematics lecturer was meant to be culmination of 11 years of pro-Israel activism, but ruling that 'attachment to Israel... is not intrinsically a part of Jewishness' has caused shock waves in the Jewish community. http://www.haaretz.com/jewish-world/jewish-world-news/british-jewry-in-turmoil-after-tribunal-blasts-pro-israel-activist-for-bringing-harassment-case.premium-1.514173