Cuba USA
Source: nsnbc
Several Nobel laureates, including Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Mairead Maguire, Adolfo Perez Esquivel, Betty Williams, Jody Williams, and Rigoberta Michú. are calling for an arms embargo against Israel over the ongoing aggression against the Palestinian Gaza Strip that has cost over 470 Palestinian lives and injured over 3,000 so far.
In an open letter, the sixty-four signatories denounce Israel for once again to use its full force against the captive Palestinian population, particularly in the Gaza Strip. The signatories describe Israel’s ongoing military operations as inhumane and illegal act of military aggression.
The signatories argue, that an arms embargo against Israel is the right approach to reducing Israel’s ability to launch such devastating attacks as those seen in the Gaza Strip in recent days, with impunity, saying that this ability in part stems from the vast international military cooperation and trade Israel maintains with countries across the world.
The signatories stress that Israel is field testing its weapons on the Palestinian population. Israel ranks among the world’s top exporters of weapons.
In 2012, Israeli defense exports skyrocketed to a record of $7.47 billion, making it the world’s sixth-largest exporter of arms. Even though, the state receives vast funding from the E.U. and its member states and the USA.
The 30% increase in global arms sales, compared with 2011 levels, positions Israel’s total weapons exports, behind the U.S., U.K., Russia, China and Germany and ahead of France and Italy.
Israel is using the fact that its latest weapons have been field-tested on Palestinians as sales pitch. Among the weapons Israel reportedly field tested on Palestinians are Dense Inert Metal Explosive (DIME) munitions, depleted uranium munitions and incendiary munitions including white phosphor. DIME munitions contain tungsten and are carcinogenic. Depleted Uranium has according to independent researchers caused an epidemic rise in birth defects in Iraq.
The signatories call on the governments of UN member states across the world to take immediate steps to implement a comprehensive, and legally binding military embargo against Israel, similar to that imposed on South Africa during Apartheid.
The South African Nobel peace laureate Desmond Tutu repeatedly compared Israel’s policies toward Palestine with South Africa’s Apartheid. Tutu also endorses the Boycott Divestment and Sanctions campaign against Israel for similar reasons.
Besides Archbishop Tutu, the letter was also signed by Nobel peace laureates Mairead Maguire, Adolfo Peres Esquivel, Betty Williams, Jody Williams, and Rigoberta Michú. Other signatories include former U.S. Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney, musician Roger Waters, Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Chris Hedges, among others.Mairead Maguire is also an outspoken opponent to media’s biased representationof conflicts, including the Israeli – Palestinian conflict and the ongoing conflict in Syria.
- Saving Palestine’s Children Under The Arms Trade Treaty
by Vacy Vlaznasource Countercurrents.org Defense for Children International Palestine (DCIP) released this month a comprehensive and heartbreaking report, OPERATION PROTECTIVE EDGE: A WAR WAGED ON GAZA’S CHILDREN. detailing,that places that should...
- Palestinians Celebrate What They Said Was A Victory Over Israel
Source: Telesur As news spread that the seven-week Israeli assault on Gaza may have ended this Tuesday with a long term cease-fire agreement, the population of the battered flooded to the streets to celebrate. The deal calls for an indefinite halt to...
- Ministry Of Cuban Foreign Relations Statement On Palestine
The Republic of Cuba’s Ministry of Foreign Relations has followed with increasing concern the serious events taking place in the Gaza Strip, in particular the indiscriminate attacks by the Israeli army on civilian targets, which have caused thousands...
- “if I Were Palestinian”
By Eduardo GaleanoSource: ANNCOL Since 1948, the Palestinians have been condemned to live in never-ending humiliation. They can’t even breathe without permission. They have lost their homeland, their lands, their water, their freedom, everything,...
- Palestinians And Israelis Mourn Together But Crisis Deepens.
By Susan Webb Source: People´s World Hundreds of Israeli Jews visited the mourning family of Muhammad Abu Khdeir in Jerusalem on Tuesday to express condolences over the vicious killing of the Palestinian teenager last week. Muhammad, age 16, was burned...
Cuba USA
Nobel Laureates Call For Arms Embargo Against Israel
Source: nsnbc
Several Nobel laureates, including Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Mairead Maguire, Adolfo Perez Esquivel, Betty Williams, Jody Williams, and Rigoberta Michú. are calling for an arms embargo against Israel over the ongoing aggression against the Palestinian Gaza Strip that has cost over 470 Palestinian lives and injured over 3,000 so far.
The signatories argue, that an arms embargo against Israel is the right approach to reducing Israel’s ability to launch such devastating attacks as those seen in the Gaza Strip in recent days, with impunity, saying that this ability in part stems from the vast international military cooperation and trade Israel maintains with countries across the world.
The signatories stress that Israel is field testing its weapons on the Palestinian population. Israel ranks among the world’s top exporters of weapons.
In 2012, Israeli defense exports skyrocketed to a record of $7.47 billion, making it the world’s sixth-largest exporter of arms. Even though, the state receives vast funding from the E.U. and its member states and the USA.
The 30% increase in global arms sales, compared with 2011 levels, positions Israel’s total weapons exports, behind the U.S., U.K., Russia, China and Germany and ahead of France and Italy.
Israel is using the fact that its latest weapons have been field-tested on Palestinians as sales pitch. Among the weapons Israel reportedly field tested on Palestinians are Dense Inert Metal Explosive (DIME) munitions, depleted uranium munitions and incendiary munitions including white phosphor. DIME munitions contain tungsten and are carcinogenic. Depleted Uranium has according to independent researchers caused an epidemic rise in birth defects in Iraq.
The signatories call on the governments of UN member states across the world to take immediate steps to implement a comprehensive, and legally binding military embargo against Israel, similar to that imposed on South Africa during Apartheid.
The South African Nobel peace laureate Desmond Tutu repeatedly compared Israel’s policies toward Palestine with South Africa’s Apartheid. Tutu also endorses the Boycott Divestment and Sanctions campaign against Israel for similar reasons.
Besides Archbishop Tutu, the letter was also signed by Nobel peace laureates Mairead Maguire, Adolfo Peres Esquivel, Betty Williams, Jody Williams, and Rigoberta Michú. Other signatories include former U.S. Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney, musician Roger Waters, Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Chris Hedges, among others.Mairead Maguire is also an outspoken opponent to media’s biased representationof conflicts, including the Israeli – Palestinian conflict and the ongoing conflict in Syria.
- Saving Palestine’s Children Under The Arms Trade Treaty
by Vacy Vlaznasource Countercurrents.org Defense for Children International Palestine (DCIP) released this month a comprehensive and heartbreaking report, OPERATION PROTECTIVE EDGE: A WAR WAGED ON GAZA’S CHILDREN. detailing,that places that should...
- Palestinians Celebrate What They Said Was A Victory Over Israel
Source: Telesur As news spread that the seven-week Israeli assault on Gaza may have ended this Tuesday with a long term cease-fire agreement, the population of the battered flooded to the streets to celebrate. The deal calls for an indefinite halt to...
- Ministry Of Cuban Foreign Relations Statement On Palestine
The Republic of Cuba’s Ministry of Foreign Relations has followed with increasing concern the serious events taking place in the Gaza Strip, in particular the indiscriminate attacks by the Israeli army on civilian targets, which have caused thousands...
- “if I Were Palestinian”
By Eduardo GaleanoSource: ANNCOL Since 1948, the Palestinians have been condemned to live in never-ending humiliation. They can’t even breathe without permission. They have lost their homeland, their lands, their water, their freedom, everything,...
- Palestinians And Israelis Mourn Together But Crisis Deepens.
By Susan Webb Source: People´s World Hundreds of Israeli Jews visited the mourning family of Muhammad Abu Khdeir in Jerusalem on Tuesday to express condolences over the vicious killing of the Palestinian teenager last week. Muhammad, age 16, was burned...