Khalid Amayreh

While the rest of the world talks about a peace process, and while President Barack Obama raises false hopes of a resolution to the Israeli- Palestinian conflict, Israel is working frantically to create irreversible facts in occupied East Jerusalem as well as across the West Bank.

These facts, which take the form of tens of thousands of Jewish settler units built all over the occupied city and beyond, are changing the demographic features and overall panorama of East Jerusalem in particular.

Jerusalem is not just another town. It is extremely sacred to more than 1.5 billion Muslims around the world, being home to some of Islam's holiest shrines. Hence, progressive Judaicisation of the town by Israel is likely to drastically complicate any future effort to find a peaceful settlement to the conflict.

One Palestinian intellectual related to the situation in Jerusalem by saying that

"it is now open-ended conflict similar to the Muslim quest to rid the city of the Franks in the 11th and 12th centuries." "This strife might take several decades, even a century or more, but it must end with the dismantling or destruction of something called Israel," said one resident of Hebron in the southern West Bank.

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The Green Voice Of Freedom ندای سبز آزادی
Translated by The Green Voice Of Freedom ندای سبز آزادی

In a meeting with professors from the University of Tarbiat Modares, Mir Hossein Mousavi said, “we believe that deceit, oppressions, and lawlessness undermine the legitimacy of the [Islamic] system and the promises [given to us] by the Quran, the stories and an analysis of the events of Karbala and Ashura reveal that oppression will not remain.” Mousavi said that the Green Movement’s goal was for the people’s votes to be in control of affairs.

“I believe that God willing, the Green Movement will one day triumph because it seeks the rights of the people. Because it is a defender of human liberties, because it defends reason and logic, because it is against oppression, deceit and tyranny.”

Greens have lost fear

The former prime-minister said that the Green Movement draw great inspiration from the events of Ashura (martyrdom of Imam Hussein in 680 AD) and the “freedom-seeking spirit” of those martyred on that day and above all Imam Hussein and his half brother Abbas, “one must stand against wrongdoing and must seek to return to [the path of] righteousness and justice. This resistance comes with hardships, but we should know that it is the promise of Quran that ‘indeed, with hardship [will be] ease’, with any hardship there is an opening and today we are witnessing this opening in our society and in the public sphere. Despite enduring the difficulties, imprisonments, killings, pressures, Kahrizak [prisons], a vigour can be seen among the nation—especially among the youth—for moving towards a society that is just and free from oppression and tyranny.”

“The greens have become fearless, is this not [considered] ease and comfort?” Mousavi asked. “The greens are striving for a state where the rule of the people is recognised and the rights of the nation as stated in the constitution are revived. Is this not a breakthrough in itself? Is it not a breakthrough when murder and crime committed by the so-called headstrong forces both in the past and present are condemned? “

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Gilad Atzmon

The Jewish community in Britain seems to be over the moon. A survey that was published a few days ago suggests that British Jews are nothing but ‘peace lovers’. The Guardian was also quick to report that 77% of “British Jews favour a 'two-state solution' in Israel”.

In practice, this actually means that at least 77% of British Jews believe that millions of dispossessed Palestinians should continue to dwell in refugee camps and never be allowed to their homes, cities, and villages. I am actually far from impressed with British Jewry’s inclination towards peace.

Professor Dan McGowan pointed out recently that Israel and Palestine are in fact “one country with one water system, one electrical grid, one monetary system, one telephone system and one postal system. It is already one state, although half the population has lesser rights or none at all.” Bearing McGowan’s insight, I wonder what drives 77% of British Jews? Why don’t they really welcome Palestinian people to return to their land and enjoy exactly the same civil rights British Jews celebrate in the UK?

But a further question must be raised here. What is it that qualifies British Jews or any other Diaspora Jews to interfere or engage so closely with the fate of millions of Palestinians?

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Stephen Lendman

"A giant among us, she won't be forgotten, a Supreme Court appeal expected, despite little chance for compassion or judicial fairness, qualities absent in the Roberts court."

Describing Lynne, one of this writer's previous articles said the following:

She worked selfishly, tirelessly, and heroically for 30 years as a human rights champion, defending America's poor, underprivileged, and unwanted - people never afforded due process and judicial fairness without an advocate like her. She knew the risks, yet took them courageously until bogusly indicted on April 9, 2002 for:

■"conspiring to defraud the United States;
■ conspiring to provide and conceal material support to terrorist activity;
■ providing and concealing material support to terrorist activity; and
■ two counts of making false statements."

Detailed information can be gotten from this writer's previous articles, accessed through the following links:

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