Commenting: PFLP: Occupation assassinates martyrs of al-Khalil in new crime against Palestinian people

Truth about the events certainly died with them and we are left with but 5 dead people, Israel's claims and several people imprisoned and any account given by them in imprisonment will be stained by torture by Israel. But we know what are guilty of the dead of all the 5 people: The occupation and the state which practices it, Israel. Without the occupation everyone of them would be alive.

Israel is the occupier, Israel which was created through ethnic cleansing and is a segregated Apartheid state keeping up an illegal occupation for 47 years. Israel, which has put 560 000 illegal settlers on occupied land in violation of international law; Israel which has killed over 9300 Palestinians and almost 1500 Lebanese during this century. Hamas is the symptom, just like all resistance movements are and the occupation and the ethnic cleansing, the original sin of Zionism in 1947-1948, are the causes and until the causes are dealt with the symptoms are not going away.

Hamde Abu Rahma, the Palestinian photojournalist was targeted by Israeli...

Commenting IOF ARRESTS PALESTINIAN CHILD AFTER SETTLERS ATTEMPT TO KIDNAP HIM :

It's easier to fight an evil, genocidal antisemitism, that ended 69 years ago by "supporting" Israel than ongoing ethnic cleansing and apartheid by opposing Israel. When Palestine is finally free, it's friends will multiply just like happened with Jews after they no longer needed help against their oppressors - and naturally all these new friends supported Palestinians all along...

Badee Dwaik radio interview for Channel Africa

Year has passed since the murder of Pavlos Fyssas, Killah P, by fascists.

A Letter sent to Kosmos Energy about the Upcoming Oil Drilling in Western Sahara:

Saharawi Center for Media and Communication

Elaaiun, Western Sahara

Email: saharawicmc@gmail.com

Date: September 19th, 2014

Mr. William Hayes

Senior Vice President, Government Affairs

Kosmos Energy Ltd.

c/o Kosmos Energy LLC

8176 Park Lane, Suite 500

Dallas, Texas 75231 

USA

RE: Complaint Letter about the illegal upcoming Oil Drilling in Western Sahara.

Dear Sir,

We are writing to you to let you know that we are Sahrawis from the Moroccan controlled side of the occupied territory of Western Sahara, and we strongly denounce your company’s decision to start oil drilling in the coastal waters off Western Sahara, namely in the Cape Bojador, Boujdour block zone.

It is our conclusion that your company’s decision will bring great damage to the Saharawi cause and it is thus rejected by all Sahrawis. Kosmos Energy has no right to conduct business in Western Sahara. Formally, it is illegal for international companies to operate in the land and coastal waters of Western Sahara without the consent of its people and without them being consulted and benefiting from these business operations. Such illegal business is also a direct threat to the whole peace settlement as it puts at stake the right of self-determination by ignoring international law and legality. 

On February 5th, 2002 in a letter made public at UN Headquarters in New York, the senior UN Legal Counsel Hans Corell responded to a Security Council request for an opinion on the legality of certain contracts signed by Morocco with foreign companies to explore for mineral resources in Western Sahara. Mr. Corell determined that oil prospecting by foreign companies in disregard of the interests of the people of Western Sahara – the Sahrawi people – would violate international legal principles dealing with territories administered by another country. The Legal Counsel also concluded that as such the specific contracts of the time dealt with in the Security Council’s request were not in themselves illegal. If, however, further exploration and exploitation activities were to proceed without respect to the interests and wishes of the people of Western Sahara, the contracts would be in violation of the international legal principles dealing with non-self-governing territories. We are now at that point.

The Sahrawis believe strongly that your company has neglected then and you did not count them as stakeholders. This is a terrible mistake and very bad for business. In the joint declaration with the Moroccan agency involved, posted on your company’s web site, there are many misleading declarations and statements that will only stir problems and political and social unrest in the territory. Your company’s action will only bring instability to the region and will surely affect neighboring countries. All your negotiations and deals were conducted with the Moroccan authorities and not the Sahrawis. This can only mean lack of respect for the rights of the people. Most Sahrawis interpret your action as an incitement for violence and hatred as you only care about how much you will make at the expense of the Sahrawis and their long lasting misery and suffering. The whole affair is unethical and calls for immediate action from your side to put things back on track to prevent yet another human tragedy in Northwest Africa.

By starting oil drilling operations off Cape Bojador, your company would damage world peace, and hurt the Saharwis and their just cause. By signing an exploration agreement with Morocco, you are going against international efforts to find a just and a mutually accepted solution for the conflict. Also, by joining hands with Morocco, you are consolidating its sovereignty over Western Sahara. This is exactly what Morocco needs to put the final nail in the coffin of the Sahrawi people. You once spoke about "substantial recent progress in resolving the political situation" in Western Sahara to ease things and to present your company as a fortune stimulator, but this is untrue given that the UN led negotiations and peace plan remain a deadlock and things are not very promising as far as a near future solution. If no further action is taken, Sahrawis might consider resorting to international law to assert their rights and to stop your company’s unethical business in occupied Western Sahara.

We think that it is time your company considered the matter afresh, and whether unethical potential revenues can ever be balanced against the obvious risks to the Sahrawi people. 

Please accept the assurances of our highest consideration and the hope of the Sahrawi people that your company will reconsider its decision.

We look forward to your early reply in this crucial matter. 

Signature,

Saharawi Center for Media and Communication

Elaaiun, Western Sahara

Cc´:

- US Congress

- US Chamber of Commerce.

- American Embassy in Morocco .

- UN Special Envoy , Mr. Christopher Ross.

- EU.

- AU.

Beautiful Compassion: Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja on Hungerstrike in Bahrain

Beautiful Compassion: Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja on Hungerstrike in Bahrain: I started writing a book, a few years back. It's about how I became 'an activist' and some of the wonderful people who have insp...

Issawi threatens to resume hunger strike

Palestinian ex-detainee Samer Issawi has threatened to resume hunger strike in case Israeli authorities refused to release him.

Issawi is currently held in Gilboa prison after being recently rearrested during the Israeli military operation launched in the West Bank since mid-June along with 62 other ex-detainees who were released during Wafa al-Ahrar swap deal.

After his visit to the prison, Arab Knesset Member Basil Ghattas(NDA) confirmed that Issawi is determined to restore his freedom anew, recalling that he had engaged in a legendary hunger strike that lasted for 278 days in protest against his former illegal administrative detention.

Five more detainees declared their intention to join the strike in case they were not released, he added.

Meanwhile, Palestine Center for Prisoners’ Studies revealed that Palestinian ex-detainees who were re-arrested since June have threatened to step up their protests in case they were not released.

The center called, in a statement on Friday, on the Egyptian authorities, human rights institutions, and Palestinian negotiation delegation to practice pressures on the Israeli authorities to stop the trials of ex-detainees who were released during Wafa al-Ahrar swap deal.

The statement pointed out that 70 ex-detainees are currently held in Israeli jails in flagrant violation of the swap deal reached under Egyptian mediation.

The center confirmed that the ex-detainees were arrested although they did not break their release terms set by Israeli authorities.

Camp de Yarmouk -Dolly & ABO GABi

Book: The Popular Front and External Operations (English) – 1971

The following short book, “The Popular Front and External Operations,” was published in 1971 by Al-Hadaf, the Front’s theoretical journal. This book “deals with an important topic, the subject of ‘External Operations ,’ which have been adopted by the Popular Front as part of its strategy to pursue the enemy and defeat him everywhere. This activity has triggered controversy among those interested in the affairs of the Palestinian resistance.” It responds to criticism of this strategy and examines the PFLP’s approach to imperialist interests in the Arab world.

It is newly available for download online in English:

Download PDF (English)

AMBITION & HOPE [ENG]

GENERATION OF THE FUTURE [ENG]

BUILDING IN THE REFUGEE CAMP [ENG]

WOMEN'S SUFFERANCE AS REFUGEES

THE NEED OF WATER [ENG]

HOUSE OF STONES [ENG]

THE INNOCENCE OF CHILDREN [ENG]

SMILE MAKERS [ENG]

LOST DREAM

I HOPE [ENG]

LOST DREAM

SAHARAWI TEA

A WOMAN'S HARD WORK

THE IMPORTANCE OF MELFHA

VOICE WITHOUT ECHO [ENG]

SMILES UNDER THE RUBBLE [ENG]

شاهد رمز الصمود والتحدي المناضل عالي السعدوني يتعرض لضرب وتنكيل من طرف ق...

Family of prisoner Samer Issawi says he is in very poor health condition

The family of Palestinian prisoner Samer Issawi, who ended last year his longest hunger strike in history after a deal with his jailers, said his health condition deteriorated very badly and appealed to human rights groups to visit him in jail.

Coordinator of Shirin Issawi campaign Badie Dweik said that the family of prisoner Issawi visited him last Sunday and said that his health condition was very difficult and getting worse.

Dweik added that the Israeli prison authority has been denying him any visit by his lawyer since June 23, 2014.

Prisoner Issawi, during his family's visit, called on the Palestinian Authority and the Egyptian authorities to put an end to the suffering of prisoners who were rejailed by Israel after their release as part of the prisoner swap deal of Gilad Shalit.

Sabra-Shatila Massacre:Commemorative Candlelight Vigil in Martyrs' Squar...

Samer al-Issawi in "Deteriorating Condition"¨

Palestinian detainee and iconic former hunger striker Samer al-Issawi is in deteriorating condition, his family said following a visit with him.

According to Ma'an News Agency, activist Badie Dweik said that al-Issawi was visited by his family at Jalbou prison, where they noticed he was feeble and with a pale face, that he seemed fatigued, and suffered a noticeable loss of weight.

Samer reportedly complained about pain in his kidneys and having difficulties in eating.

Mr. Dweik also said that Israeli authorities had prevented Issawi’s lawyer from visiting him since late June. 

Samer served 10 years in Israeli jails and became an internationally recognized icon for the prioners' movement after spending 9 months on hunger strike last year.

Samer was released, along with 1027 Palestinian prisoners, as a result of an Egypt-brokered deal between Hamas and the Israeli government for the return of Gilad Shalit, an Israeli sports columnist and a former Israeli soldier. 

In July of 2012, however, Samer was re-arrested for violating the terms of his release when he left Jerusalem into the West Bank.

Convicted for 8 months, to possibly include a reinstatement of the rest of his original 26 year sentence, al-Issawi began a hunger strike in August, 2012.

In April of last year, when a deal was finally reached where he was to serve 8 months for violating his bail, and then be released to Jerusalem, Samer announced the end of his strike. 

Samer's sister Shireen was arrested with their brothers Medhat and Shadi, in March. They were not charged, but Israel has refused to release any details about their arrest, in line with behavior typical of theAdministrative Detention policy. 

In January of 2013, brother Ahmad al-Issawi’s home was bulldozed. 

Former hunger striker in deteriorating condition

JERUSALEM (Ma'an) -- Palestinian detainee and former hunger striker Samer al-Issawi is in deteriorating condition, his family said after visiting him, an activist said Monday. 

Badie Dweik said Issawi was visited by his family at Jalbou prison, where they noticed he was feeble, his face was pale, he seemed fatigued, and he suffered from noticeable weight loss.

Issawi complained about pain in his kidneys and difficulties in eating.

Dweik said Israeli authorities had prevented Issawi’s lawyer from visiting him since late June.

Running In The Rubble Of Gaza

Commenting Latest indyref polls give mixed message

1. Different polling methods tend to reach different segments of the population - phone polling more elderly, for example and internet polling younger voters - so I would consider those that rely on one single method more apprehensively than mixed polling methods and the latter seem to consistently show a very narrow lead for NO.

As a personal opinion I hope that YES wins. Scotland is a more progressive country than Great Britain as a whole and we need more progressive countries in the world. Plus smaller, leaner UK might itself not be so keen anymore to serve as the man-at-arms for USA's crusader knight in a tarnished armour.

2. As a Marxist I naturally don't oppose that description of The Sunday Torygraph, but it's ideological and journalistic deficiencies have nothing to do with the poll. The main problem with the poll is that the number of people interviewed should mean that it's less accurate - by 1 percent in either direction, I suppose - than some other polls we have seen in recent days.

3. "British values" can hardly be tied to the regional extent of the British state - or they are very odd kind of values.

Commenting Tragic secret of John Franklin may soon be raised from the deep :

The remains of about 70 crew members have been found. One group made it to the continent only to die in the so-called "Starvation Cove" - although there has been claims that a few men might have made it a little bit farther before dying. It was there in the Starvation Cove that the Inuit found among the dead men what were likely to be the log books of the ships, and gave the papers to their children to play with. A box described by the Inuit, but never found, is speculated to have contained Franklin's bones, as his grave has never been found, unlike some of the men who died before the expedition abandoned the ships and apparently scattered into groups which died separately. Tragically the current find and Inuit oral testimony seem to confirm that one ship was later released from ice, so the decision to abandon the ships seems, in retrospect, to have been a wrong one. On this ship, perhaps in 1850, the Inuit claimed to have found the body of a man who had just died. If I recall correctly, a stove was still supposedly warm.

Gazan children on living through destruction and conflict

Rebel Architecture - The architecture of violence

Commenting Shock poll: Scotland’s ‘Yes’ campaign pulls into lead. It’s 51% to 49%

The supporters of independence have positive reasons why they want independence, the supporters of union most of the time don't seem to be able to muster positive reasons without evoking threats. Positive messages tend to work better than threats.

I think the unionists should stop for a moment and think why they want to keep the union. Just because something has existed for 300 years doesn't mean that it should go on existing just on the basis of it's previous existence. But that's a very common unionist claim - and it reveals another weakness in their arguments.

The unionists want to preserve the union for the sake of the past, the supporters of independence want independence for the sake of the future. Again, supporters of independence have the positive message, unionists' message is that people should live in a museum, warming themselves with the embers of a great past instead of seeking a great future.

Eight years old Palestinian child been abused and arrested by Israeli so...