[WCUSP] Israel-Lebanon: Diaries from Both Sides of the Border

Sat Jul 15 13:41:13 CDT 2006

Dear Kate,

Thank you & I must acknowledge to you personally the added pain of what is now happening in Lebanon. Yesterday,  was at the 12 o'clock vigil outside the Jewish Consulate, which take place every Friday, here in Phila. at 15th & Locust. There are now MANY counter-demonstrators who yell curse & want to beat up those of us who oppose the policies and actions of Israel's military & government. 

Love, life  & peace to us all,
marlene 

*************************************************************************************************************************** 
 THE GAZA/LEBANON CRISES: ESCALATING OCCUPATION &   DANGER OF NEW BORDER FIGHTING
By Phyllis Bennis ,  Institute for Policy Studies ,  12 July 2006

** The Israeli attacks constitute collective punishment of the entire Gazan population, and have created a humanitarian crisis of unprecedented proportions in Gaza. 

** All these attacks violate the Fourth Geneva Convention, which sets out the obligations of occupying powers and specifically prohibits collective punishments, "targeted" assassinations, and destruction of the infrastructure of an occupied territory.

** Israel's assault on Gaza does not constitute a re-occupation, because Israel's occupation of Gaza never ended. 

** The expansion of the military escalation to Lebanon represents a potentially serious threat of escalation, especially if there is involvement from Syria.

** The ongoing crisis is political, not just humanitarian. It reflects the failure of Israeli unilateralism, the failure of the "Roadmap," the failure of the U.S.-orchestrated exclusion of the UN, and failure of the international community and the UN to intervene.

** The Gaza escalation demonstrates once again the need for an entirely new, international (not U.S.-sponsored) diplomatic process based on international law and human rights, aimed at ending the occupation and establishing equal rights for all, the only basis for a just, lasting and comprehensive peace in the region.

(NOTE: This set of talking points includes quotations from a rather lengthy list of UN humanitarian agencies working on the ground in Gaza
Phyllis Bennis is a Fellow of the Institute for Policy Studies in Washington and the Transnational Institute in Amsterdam. Her latest book is CHALLENGING EMPIRE: HOW PEOPLE, GOVERNMENTS AND THE UN DEFY U.S. POWER.

-----Original Message-----
From: wcusp-bounces at wilpf.org [mailto:wcusp-bounces at wilpf.org]On Behalf
Of Kate Zaidan
Sent: 2006 July 14 Friday 4:00 PM
To: wcusp at wilpf.org
Subject: [WCUSP] Israel-Lebanon: Diaries from Both Sides of the Border

_______________________________

UPDATE FROM THE
ELECTRONIC INTIFADA

http://electronicIntifada.net
_______________________________

(List Information, including one-click unsubscription, is
located at the end of this message. Remove unsubscribe
link when forwarding to avoid accidental unsubscription by
your recipient.)

__ 
FULL COVERAGE

EI BY TOPIC: Israel Attacks Lebanon (12 July 2006)
http://electronicLebanon.net

---------------------------------------------------

DIARIES FROM LEBANON

ISRAELI WAR PLANES ARE BOMBING BEIRUT 
Sawsan Kalache & Stefan Christoff writing from Beirut
Live from Lebanon (13 July 2006)

Israeli war planes are bombing Beirut. Over 50 Lebanese
civilians have died since the Israeli military launched a
major military offensive against Lebanon on Wednesday,
July 12th. Bombs targeted civilian infrastructure
throughout the country, including the key highways and
bridges across southern Lebanon effectively halting all
cross-country transportation. Israeli has imposed a full
out air, sea and land blockade on the entire country,
bombing Beirut's international airport and deploying war
ships to patrol Lebanon's waters.

http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article4985.shtml

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, I DID NOT WANT TO 
BURDEN YOU WITH THE TROUBLES OF WAR BUT... 
Zena el-Khalil writing from Beirut
Live from Lebanon (13 July 2006)

For the last half hour or so, I have been watching the
skyline outside my balcony. It is on fire. It's 4:14am. At
3:28am this morning, I woke up to the sound of Israeli
jets flying low over our skies in Beirut. I was just
beginning to finally fall asleep, had racing thoughts in
my mind all night, cramps in my stomach, fear... Just as I
thought I was going to fall asleep, I heard the sound of
jets, followed by one explosion after another. It has
calmed down now. I hear morning prayers in the distance.

http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article4989.shtml

FEAR AND LOATHING IN BEIRUT 
Mayssoun Sukarieh writing from Beirut
Live from Lebanon (14 July 2006)

I live in a neighborhood that is largely supportive of the
14 March 2006 coalition, i.e., my neighbors tend to be
critical of Hezbollah and its relation to Syria. The first
reaction here, however, was very supportive of the
Hezbollah operation two days ago. I first knew of the Hezb
operation from screams of joy arising all around the
neighborhood. The pharmacist with whom I have argued many
times about Syria and the resistance was happy "The IDF
deserves it! Is it right what they are doing to the
Palestinians in Gaza? Let them take it! Now three soldiers
-- what are they going to do?". Then he said: "God bless
us though, what will Israel do now? They won't allow for
such an operation; they will go crazy!"

http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article4999.shtml

THE REPORT FROM DAHE: THE SHELLING IS GETTING WORSE
Maymanah Farhat writing from New York, USA
Live from Lebanon (14 July 2006)

The shelling in Lebanon has gotten worse since Israel
began attacking a couple of days ago. The roads, bridges
and overpasses of the south have been bombed to the point
where the entire area is debilitated. Villages are cut off
from each other, and from main cities. The electrical
plant in the south was bombed early on so hundreds of
thousands of people have been without electricity during
the hottest time of the year. The smallest of bridges
(like the one that links our village, Arab Salim, and the
main road) have been bombed.

http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article5000.shtml

---------------------------------------------------

DIARIES FROM ISRAEL AND PALESTINE

BEAUTIFUL MADNESS 
Am Johal writing from Haifa, Israel
Live from Palestine (13 July 2006)

War and chess is what mathematicians and economists call a
zero sum game. It is a game built on a model which
requires one winner. The problem with developing
international diplomatic policy on something as
unforgiving as game theory means that civilian deaths
become the de facto reality when the struggles of the ego
cannot be averted by either side. Stopping this march to
madness is a daily struggle of perseverence, patience and
determination. Unfortunately, in this context, there are
no ends, only means. And the game continues. It is war all
the time.

http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article4978.shtml

GAZA, REPEATED, AD INFINITUM Nora Barrows-Friedman writing
from Deheisheh Refugee Camp, occupied Palestine, Live from
Palestine (13 July 2006)

We woke up this morning to the footage. No less than six
hours after we watched, live, the Israeli bombing of a
Gaza building last night, the same rogue military turned
its jets north to Lebanon to inflict the same. Forty-seven
people -- yes, 47 -- have been killed in Lebanon already
as i write this. No doubt this is just the beginning. The
footage: a man, covered in chalky soot from the Israeli
leveling of a home, carried in his arms the limp body of a
toddler. Her arms dangling heavy in his arms, her mop of
hair covering her face.

http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article4980.shtml

---------------------------------------------------

BACKGROUND DIARY

JUST RETURNED FROM LEBANON: TARFU 
Clayton Swisher writing from Washington, DC
Live from Lebanon (13 July 2006)

12 July 2006 -- Even before the Lebanese-based Hezbollah
took two Israeli prisoners of war today, I ended my trip
to Beirut last week with the feeling that, beneath the
beautiful, vibrant country there remained serious
political tectonic plates waiting for any excuse to slip.
I had conversations and visits over a two week period with
Lebanese people of all stripes -- from the
pro-democracy/anti-Syrian political elite to Hamas to the
downtrodden Palestinian refugees to the average Mohammad
-- and I left with the unmistakable impression that
American interests are screwed.

http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article4982.shtml

--
ABOUT US: The Electronic Intifada (EI) is a
not-for-profit, independent publication committed to
comprehensive public education on the question of
Palestine, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and the
economic, political, legal, and human dimensions of
Israel's 39-year occupation of Palestinian territories.

EI, found at http://electronicIntifada.net provides a
needed supplement to mainstream commercial media
representations of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.  
More information about our work can be found at
http://electronicIntifada.net/v2/aboutEI.shtml

To find out about other EI/eIraq lists available, see:
http://electronicintifada.net/cgi-bin/kebab/mail.cgi

SUPPORT OUR PROJECT: Our work needs funding. We accept
donations via credit card and cheque. U.S. donations are
tax deductible. More information can be found at:
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article2162.shtml

The following information is a reminder of your current mailing
list subscription: 

You are subscribed to the following list: 
	ei News

Using the following email:
	kzaidan at wilpf.org

You may automatically unsubscribe from this list at any time by 
visiting the following URL:
<http://electronicintifada.net/cgi-bin/kebab/mail.cgi/u/einews/kzaidan/wilpf.org/12028884/>

If the above URL is inoperable, make sure that you have copied the 
entire address. Some mail readers will wrap a long URL and thus break
this automatic unsubscribe mechanism. 

You may also change your subscription by visiting this list's main screen: 
<http://electronicintifada.net/cgi-bin/kebab/mail.cgi?f=list&l=einews>

If you're still having trouble, please contact the list owner at: 
	<mailto:news at electronicintifada.net>

The following physical address is associated with this mailing list: 
MECCS/EI Project
1507 E. 53rd Street, #500
Chicago, IL 60615, USA
http://electronicIntifada.net

-- 
Kate Zaidan
Program Coordinator
Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, US Section
1213 Race Street
Philadelphia, PA 19107
215-563-7110
www.wilpf.org

“Revolution is a serious thing, the most serious thing about a revolutionary's life. When one commits oneself to the struggle, it must be for a lifetime.”

 Angela Davis 

_______________________________________________
Wcusp mailing list
Wcusp at wilpf.org
http://wilpf.org/mailman/listinfo/wcusp_wilpf.org
To post a message to all the list members, send email to Wcusp at wilpf.org.
To unsubscribe send a message to Wcusp-leave at wilpf.org