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Voices for rights of Palestinians
By Miriam Ward, RSM, Rutland Herald 3/2/2005
Those who claim that criticism of Israel is fueled by hatred of Jews would do well to hear the voices of Israeli patriots opposed to their government's oppressive and illegal policies against Palestinians and Palestine. For starters one can visit web sites of: *B't Selem (Israeli human rights organization) *Gush-Shalom (Israeli Peace Bloc- against Occupation) *ICAHD.org (Israeli Committee Against Home Demolitions) *Machsomwatch (Israeli women monitor human rights abuses at checkpoints) *Other Israel (Voices against Israeli Occupation) *Ha'aretz, (Israeli newspaper, articles by Gideon Levy and Amira Hass) A complete listing can be found on vtjp.org (Vermonters for a Just Peace in Palestine/Israel). The basic issue that must not be lost midst the handshakes and smiles is the Occupation. Israel is the Occupier; Palestinians the Occupied. Israel is taking Palestinian land for West Bank settlements and roads, even as Israel withdraws from Gaza. Israel is building a Wall deep into Palestinian territory. Israel's policy of ethnic cleansing has reached a critical stage in the Jerusalem/ Bethlehem area. Israel holds 7,000 Palestinian prisoners, hundreds without charge. Is there not an imbalance in that Palestinians do not have F-16s, Merkava tanks, helicopter gunships, nor do they have U.S. Congressmen and mainstream U.S. media behind their cause? To correct the imbalance, human rights groups give voice to the weaker party to the conflict, as for example siding with blacks in the apartheid era in South Africa, and in this case, the Palestinians.
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