And same to you Mr. McVay. You are disgusting in your attacks.
I never agree with anyone all the time, and Giwer is no exception.
He is generally ontarget when he speaks about Zionists and their
sympathizers, of whom I note you are one.
RLA
“Kenneth McVay, OBC” wrote:
> In article <[email protected]>,
> William Black <[email protected]> wrote:
> >
> >Roger Alexander <[email protected]> wrote in message
> >news:[email protected]…
> >> Mr. McVay is spamming the NG. He repeats this defamation of the poster
> >> time after time after time, and since he has it on a file, it takes him
> >not time
> >> at all
> >> to put it forth. He is to be castigated for doing it, and if it continues
> >I will
> >> take it up
> >> with his ISP.
> >
> >But the shit Giwer needs persecuting, the truth is no defamation.
>
> Mr. Giwer isn’t being persecuted, he’s being exposed. He is, without
> question, a troll of the worst sort, and, whether Mr. Alexander likes
> it or not, I will continue to warn others.
>
> Here is a quote from the man Mr. Alexander has chosen to defend. It is
> but one of _hundreds_ of similar vomitings:
>
> “Right on, fat broad. Do you have do clean up McVay with your lips
> also? What a stupid fat broad. … The only way you got your title is
> by laying McVay and you know it. You have no other qualifications. You
> contribute nothing. You accept only sperm from a thing.” (Matt Giwer,
> June 22, 1996)
>
> Mr. Alexander finds this man “intelligent.” I find him disgusting –
> engaging in discourse with Mr. Giwer is a complete waste of time.
>
> Mr. Giwer is, as far as I can determine, a troller whose only
> interest is in causing fights. While he can sound superficially
> plausible, he has lied** about what has been said in exchanges (while
> accusing others of lying), refused to document claims, pretended not
> to see posts which contain documented refutation of his claims (even
> when they have been emailed to him), engaged in actual libel*, and
> generally conducted himself with such complete lack of intellectual
> and factual integrity that there seems to be no point in taking
> the time to read and respond. For detailed and documented
> evidence of this, please refer to
> https://nizkor.org/hweb/people/g/giwer-matt/
>
> If you do not enjoy the luxury of a news filter, simply delete Mr.
> Giwer’s articles unread. With a few moments’ practice, they are easy
> to identify.
>
> Mr. Giwer’s handlers report that he has responded well to training, and
> now reacts in the prescribed manner, changing his userid each time the
> bell is sounded.
>
> Followups to Giwer trolls should be redirected to Mr. Giwer’s special
> newsgroup, alt.bonehead.matt-giwer, where they will be appropriately
> ignored (the group has no users – it’s just a convenient toilet for
> Matt’s vomitus). If your site does not carry alt.bonehead.matt-giwer,
> redirect non-Holocaust articles to alt.politics.white-power,
> an equally vapid dumping ground for Giwerundian babblings.
>
> Crawler bait: [email protected] Matthias Giwer
> Lincoln James <[email protected]> Matthias Giwer
> Kainee <[email protected]> Matt Giwer
> Rabbi Moshe Dreckschreiber
> Rabbi Dr. Gedalia Pashkvilkemacher
>
> —
> IBM and the Holocaust: The Strategic Alliance between Nazi Germany
> and America’s Most Powerful Corporation, by Edwin Black
> http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0609607995/thenizkorproject/
> The Nizkor Project: https://nizkor.org
From [email protected] Fri Mar 9 16:10:12 EST 2001
Article: 259377 of soc.culture.canada
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Message-ID: <[email protected]>
From: Roger Alexander <[email protected]>
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References: <[email protected]> <[email protected]>
<[email protected]> <[email protected]>
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Indeed? Giwer needs persecuting? on whose authority?
Has the ADL sent out the bull? Could I see a copy?
RLA
William Black wrote:
> Roger Alexander <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]…
> > Mr. McVay is spamming the NG. He repeats this defamation of the poster
> > time after time after time, and since he has it on a file, it takes him
> not time
> > at all
> > to put it forth. He is to be castigated for doing it, and if it continues
> I will
> > take it up
> > with his ISP.
>
> But the shit Giwer needs persecuting, the truth is no defamation.
>
> —
> William Black
> ——————
> On time, on budget, or works;
> Pick any two from three
From [email protected] Fri Mar 9 16:10:12 EST 2001
Article: 259378 of soc.culture.canada
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Message-ID: <[email protected]>
From: Roger Alexander <[email protected]>
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soc.culture.british,soc.culture.australia
Subject: THOUSANDS RALLY WORLDWIDE TO DEMAND REFUGEES’ RIGHT TO RETURN
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For Immediate Release
6 March 2001
THOUSANDS RALLY WORLDWIDE TO DEMAND REFUGEES’ RIGHT TO RETURN
On 7 April 2001, thousands of Palestinians and people of conscience will
take part in marches and rallies to demand implementation of the right
of
Palestinian refugees to return to homes and lands from which theywere
expelled.
Marches and rallies will take place in New York (US) and other cities
including those in Palestine, Canada, Spain and Australia. Protestors
will
call for an end to five decades of exile and demand that Palestinian
refugees be permitted to return to their properties and homes of origin.
These events will coincide with the fifty-third anniversary of the
massacre
of Palestinian civilians committed by Zionist forces in the village of
Deir
Yassin.
Organizers intend to draw the public’s attention to the human rights
abuses
and suffering inflicted on the Palestinian people. They also plan to
send a
strong signal of support to Palestinians in territories occupied since
1948
and 1967. More than three hundred and fifty Palestinian civilians have
been
killed, and over 11,000 injured by Israeli occupation forces in the past
few months. Many of those injured and killed are children.
The April 7 marches and rallies follow from those successfully held in
September 2000 simultaneously in Washington DC, London, Lebanon and
Palestine. These events, spearheaded by Al-Awda, The Palestine Right to
Return Coalition, are co-sponsored and endorsed by thousands of
individuals
and over one hundred and fifty organizations.
Palestinian refugees, numbering more than 5 million in this year 2001,
represent one of the oldest and largest refugee populations in the
world.
Their suffering is magnified by Israel’s ongoing denial of their right
to
repatriation and restitution, as required by international law and UN
Resolution 194.
Among the confirmed speakers for the forthcoming rally in New York City
are
Dr. Souheil Natour, Muna Hamze, Dr. Sami el-Aryan, Rafael Cancel
Miranda,
Sarah Flounders and son of Deir Yassin massacre survivors Abbas Hamidah.
The rally will also include a statement by George Habash former
Secretary
General of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.
Internationally renowned musicians Marcel Khalife and Simon Shaheen have
been invited to take part.
For further rally related information, please visit
http://al-awda.org:
For media interviews, please visit our Press Room at
http://al-awda.org/pressroom.htm
To help defray costs associated with the rally, please address
tax-deductibel donations to:
Al-Awda – Palestine Right To Return Coalition-USA
PO Box 401
Hummelstown, Pa 17036
Fax: (717)832-1123
Email: [email protected]
WWW: http://al-awda.org
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<[email protected]> <[email protected]> <[email protected]>
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Martin Goldstein wrote:
> Roger Alexander wrote:
>
> > “Kenneth McVay, OBC” wrote:
> >
> > > In article <[email protected]>,
> > > Zahra <[email protected]> wrote:
> > > >Everything that is of no convenience to zionist is qualified as antisemitic!!!
> > > >The truth is taha YOU ARE THIEVES, and some day you’ll have to give us back
> > > >what is ours.Truth is not antisemitic, it’s only truth.
> > >
> > > …which means, of course, that, in the fevered imagination of Mr.
> > > Alexander, roughly half of America’s Jews are thieves.
> > >
> > > Mr. Alexander should tell us how many of the world’s Jews _he_ thinks
> > > are Zionists… for some reason, he’s avoided the question like the
> > > plague.
> >
> > And here I thought you had no truck with Israel and Zionism. YOu always said
> > you had the Holocaust as your task, and weren’t involved with the other.
> > Wassamatta wit du have you run out of other things to do?
> > RLA
>
> ROGER, ANSWER HIS QUESTION !!!!!!
In my family, I have the reputation of knowing everything. The reason is simple.
Whenever I don’t know the answer to a question, I just say : “I don’t know.”
I have no idea how many Jews are Zionists. How in fact would I gain
an estimate? It should be clear that a lot of Jews support Israel. Does
that make them Zionists? I don’t think so. Indeed, the first question is
what does one mean by Zionist? I rather use as my working rule that
a person who is Jewish, lives in Israel, and supports the oppression of
Palestinians with the end in view of taking the rest of Palestine is a Zionist.
The very fact that a government headed by a heinous war criminal
succeeds the government run by another such criminal means at the least
that a majority of Israeli Jews are Zionists or pretty brainwashed by
those who are. Outside Israel, there are numerous groups which
purport to represent Jews. Most of those in the US are overtly
supportive of Israel. (There are a few, like Torah from Dixie in
Atlanta which don’t seem infected with the cult.) How many of the
members are supportive is anyone’s guess. And the degree to which
they support Israel is also important. I would guess, and it is only
a guess, that as the details of the nauseous, horrible oppression
gets through to American and other Jews world wide that their
native morality will overcome their support for the murderous regime.
I have a question of my own. Why do you think you have the right
to shout at me and demand that I do something?
You are truly a jerk.
In the language I used to use, you are sucks.
RLA
From [email protected] Fri Mar 9 16:10:13 EST 2001
Article: 259382 of soc.culture.canada
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Subject: REPORT ON THE TOUR OF JEFF HALPER AND SALIM SHAWAMREH TO CANADA AND THE
US: THE NEED FOR FOLLOW-UP
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REPORT ON THE TOUR OF JEFF HALPER AND SALIM SHAWAMREH TO CANADA AND THE
US: THE NEED FOR FOLLOW-UP
(Submitted for Discussion by Jeff Halper, 2.27.01)
Jeff Halper <[email protected]>
Between January 25-February 20, 2001, Salim and I crossed Canada from
Halifax, through Montreal, Toronto, Ottawa, Edmonton, Vancouver and
until
Victoria. The tour was entitled “Towards a Just and Viable Peace? A View
>From the Ground.” I appeared as the Coordinator of the Israeli
Committee
Against House Demolitions and editor of NEWS FROM WITHIN, Salim as a
Palestinian activist whose West Bank home has been demolished twice by
the
Israeli authorities. The trip was initiated by Maxine Kaufman-Lacusta
and
sponsored by a large number of national and local organizations. Salim
and
I also spoke in Seattle, and I also held a strategy session with Jewish
activists in San Francisco. We conducted a similar trip throughout the
US
last year, and I have spoken often in Europe and elsewhere.
The purpose of the trip was two-fold. First, we wanted to raise the
issue
of the ongoing Occupation and the inexorable movement towards apartheid
as
an overriding concern. Using a map that I developed showing the “Matrix
of
Control” that Israel has laid over the Occupied Territories since 1967
(and
continues to expand and strengthen at a steady rate), I argued that the
essential issue determining the viability and degree of sovereignty of a
Palestinian state was control, not simply territory. Using slides,
Salim
presented the repeated demolition of his home by Israeli authorities,
emphasizing both the human tragedy of the Occupation and how the
mechanisms
– bureaucratic as well as military – work in daily Palestinian life.
The
contribution of our presentation was to bring to light the reality “on
the
ground,” the accumulative effect of Israel’s 33 years of “creating
facts,”
as an essential balance to evaluating the situation solely according to
the
more visible political “peace process.” The facts on the ground clearly
demonstrate that there never really was a “peace process,” that in fact
Israel never intended to permit the emergence of a truly viable and
independent Palestinian state. They also reveal that Israel only needs
5-10% of the territory to fully control it. Given the Matrix of Control
(Areas A, B and C, the closure, settlement blocs, the by-pass highway
system, border controls, constraints on economic development and more),
the
“offer” of 90-95% suddenly appears far less “generous.”
The second aim of the trip – and the one of most relevance to this
report –
was to network with the many grassroots groups across Canada and the US,
so
as to create an effective international lobby in support of the
activities
of the peace forces in Israel/Palestine. Salim and I emphasized to them
that international support is crucial. The Palestinian people is
shouldering the struggle, the suffering, and Israeli peace forces (the
“confusion” of some them aside) are trying to support them in any way
possible – through resistance activities, protests, solidarity actions
and
information campaigns; through the Israeli courts and, where possible,
the
political system; sometimes jointly with Palestinian organizations,
sometimes in our own “street.” But our efforts on the ground will be
effective only if supported internationally. A just peace is not going
to
emerge from within Israel. It will come only when international
organizations rally their public opinion, their national political
leaders,
their media and the institutions of the international system (UN
agencies,
the World Court, Amnesty, etc.), when pressures to end the Occupation
and
conform to international standards of human rights and justice become
too
much for Israel to resist. We call this the “pincher strategy:”
As a start to defining how the international community can effectively
support resistance efforts in Israel/Palestine, I am setting out some of
the ideas that emerged from the strategizing sessions of our trip, as
well
as initiatives that are already underway. Needless to say, these
suggestions are designed to “get the ball rolling,” to generate
discussion,
more networking and planning. They are not meant to be all-inclusive.
AN INTEGRATED SET OF CAMPAIGNS
The most positive and effective campaign would probably be an
International
Campaign for a Viable Palestinian State. Like the case of South Africa,
which mobilized international support through the slogan “One Man, One
Vote” (though the language might be changed today), a campaign such as
this
could rally progressive forces everywhere. But while the ANC had a
vision
of a democratic, unitary state that was eventually achieved, Palestinian
goals are much more open-ended. Some aspire to one democratic state in
all
of Palestine-Israel, others to a bi-national state in the whole country,
still others to the two-state solution, while yet others still aspire to
a
regional confederation or have other conceptions. Many would argue that
the two-state solution is a necessary but transitory stage towards a
wider
political entity, especially if the interests of the refugees are taken
into account. Regardless, there seems to be a fear or hesitation among
Palestinians to getting locked into a reality that might preclude
further
evolution. For this reason, a Campaign for a Viable Palestinian State,
while making the most sense organizationally, has never been suggested
and
does not seem likely to be so in the near future.
AN OVERALL INTERNATIONAL CAMPAIGN TO END THE OCCUPATION AND ATTAIN A
JUST
AND VIABLE PEACE
Stepping down one step, therefore, two overlapping and overarching
campaigns suggest themselves: An International Campaign to End the
Occupation, and An International Campaign for a Just and Viable Peace.
Both of these campaigns hit at the core issues: the existence of an
occupation that precludes the emergence of a viable and truly sovereign
Palestinian state; and a peace based on justice and the Palestinians’
right
of self-determination.
It is crucial, I think, to keep the focus on the Occupation. That
should
be our mantra: Occupation, Occupation, Occupation. (Or to paraphrase
Clinton: “It’s the Occupation, Stupid!”) Thus an overarching Campaign
to
End the Occupation and Find a Just and Viable Peace might be the common
framework linking all our sub-campaigns and various activities focuses
on
particular aspects of the Occupation. Materials could be developed
(such
as my map to the cause) that lays clearly before the public the cruel
realities of the Occupation and its basic elements (conceived as a
“Matrix
of Control” or in other useful, comprehensive and comprehensible
concepts).
Target populations should be identified (political leaders, media and
opinion-shapers, students, labor unions, women’s organizations,
cross-community coalitions of Arabs and Jews or Jews, Muslims and
Christians, the general public, etc.), with appropriate materials and
activities geared specifically to them. Lobbying, protests,
informational
campaigns, conferences and the like should be employed.
SUB-CAMPAIGNS
There are many issues that must be addressed, and not all can fit under
the
rubric of “End the Occupation.” Not losing our focus on this overall
goal,
many ideas for sub-campaigns arose in the course of our meetings.
— A CAMPAIGN TO FREEZE ALL ISRAELI CONSTRUCTION IN THE OCCUPIED
TERRITORIES (including East Jerusalem). Since 1967 Israel has pursued a
relentless campaign to create irreversible “facts on the ground” that
would
foreclose the possibility of a viable, independent Palestinian state.
These efforts have only been redoubled during the last seven years of
the
Oslo “peace process.” Sharon, the architect of Israeli control over the
Occupied Territories, will attempt to foreclose Palestinian independence
forever by constructing massive settlement blocs, by-pass roads,
barriers
of “separation,” checkpoints, military facilities and more. A Campaign
to
Freeze All Israeli Construction would oppose this ongoing process of
annexation-and-separation – apartheid. It would call for an end to all
construction as a necessary STAGE in eventually rolling back the
Occupation
in its entirety. That is why it is a sub-campaign of a wider “End the
Occupation” strategy.
— A CAMPAIGN AGAINST ISRAEL’S HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS (part of an
“accountability project” to hold Israel to norms of international law
and
conduct). A key element in all our work should be the demand that
Israel
conform to international human rights law, UN Resolutions and norms of
international conduct just as any other state is expected to do so.
Although it has signed on most human rights conventions (such as the
Fourth
Geneva Convention which protects civilians in occupied territories –
though
not the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty), it does not apply them.
Human
rights is a very powerful instrument at our disposal. They are
universal,
so that Israel cannot hide behind charges of “anti-semitism” when
demands
come that they be applied, and they expose the fundamental injustice of
the
Occupation. They also carry potential for sanctions. The US has human
rights standards attached to it granting of economic and military aid.
Although those standards are applied selectively, as we know, they
nevertheless give us a basis for mounting a campaign against such aid to
Israel. It also counters Israel’s attempt to gain the “high moral
ground”
against the Palestinians, who are cast as terrorists. “State terrorism”
should become an essential target of our activities. Divestment, making
Israel accountable for its attempts to illegally sell settlement
products
under its own name, and initiatives in international human rights courts
are all ideas that arose in the course of our trip. A CAMPAIGN AGAINST
ISRAELI APARTHEID was also suggested in several places during our trip.
“Apartheid” is an accurate term. Israel, an ethnocracy, itself describes
its policy towards Palestinians in terms of “separation,” “apartheid” in
Afrikaans. And use of that terms can galvanize attention on this
fundamental element of the Occupation very quickly.
— A CAMPAIGN TO STOP THE USE OF US ARMS AGAINST PALESTINIAN CIVILIANS.
>From “rubber” bullets to Apache helicopters equipped with laser
missiles.
Self-explanatory. Another part of an “accountability project.”
— Other sub-campaigns include campaigns against the Closure, against
house demolitions, against the wholesale up-rooting of olive and other
fruit trees, and around other key issues. Campaigns of non-violent
resistance could be planned with groups such as Rapprochement in Beit
Sahour or ICAHD in Israel. Of course the on-going Campaign for the
Right
of Return should be integrated with this set of strategies.
(One suggestion: we should all lay off “Zionism.” This is an issue that
leads us nowhere, and plays virtually no role in the common struggles of
Palestinian and Israel peace forces on the ground. This is not to say
that
Zionist ideology and institutions are not parts of the conflict, but
that
the conflict should be seen as a POLITICAL conflict between an occupying
power and a people aspiring to independence. Keeping the focus on
Israel
rather than Zionism provides a much more solid and effective basis for
organizing and resistance. It also permits wider coalition
possibilities.
In my humble opinion, “Zionism” is a red flag that only detracts from
our
efforts and deflects discussion from the real issues before us. To keep
the focus and the struggle political, we should, in my opinion, relate
to
Israel the state.)
NETWORKING
To make the “pincher strategy” effective, networking is essential. The
tasks of those of us “on the ground” in Palestine/Israel would revolve
around generating resistance activities that call for international
support, identifying issues around which campaigns or protests could be
mounted and providing information to international support groups, as
well
as hosting visiting groups or individuals. Extensive networks of
organizations exist throughout North America, Europe and elsewhere, and
attempts should be made to gather and disseminate lists of contact
people
that can be used to mobilize these networks. We should all work to
strengthen our communication and coordination. Perhaps we should
develop
an international directory of organizations and individuals concerned
with
these issues, as well as a steering committee composed of
representatives
of international groups, Palestinian and Israeli activists. I am not
suggesting that we OVER-organize. Working coalitions or networks are
fine,
and each locality should develop its own agendas, programs and
leadership.
Nevertheless, we should be more in touch and more coordinated than we
are.
There should be a mechanism for generating new campaigns and protests as
the need arises. Even ways to facilitate international brain-storming.
RESOURCES
Needless to say, grassroots organizations in Palestine/Israel are
resource-poor – especially the Palestinian ones. I am not referring
only
to financial resources, although these are important too (a third
purpose
of our trip was fund-raising). I am referring also to professional
resources. Many people we met had skills sorely lacking among our
organizations: graphic designers and artists, shapers of informational
materials (educators and advertising people), people with computer
skills,
organizers, media consultants, experts in intercultural communication
and
mediation, businesspeople and others). If we all shared these skills,
and
especially found ways to make them available to grassroots groups in
Palestine/Israel, our activities would be much more effective. We might
think of some kind of international clearinghouse where people can get
together – cyberly, and perhaps personally at times – to advance
particular
campaigns or actions.
These are some of the thoughts that arose as Salim and I were meeting
activists across Canada and the US. We hope they generate discussion,
ideas, and most importantly, effective actions. Consider us partners
and
resource-people in our joint endeavors. ICAHD together with the
Alternative Information Center is currently developing materials for
campaigns against the occupation. We should all join in planning these
international campaigns. I can be reached at <[email protected]>, and
Salim Shawamreh (and Issa Samandar, Coordinator of the Palestinian Land
Defense Committee) at <[email protected]>.
In Peace,
Jeff Halper
Coordinator
Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions (ICAHD)
From [email protected] Fri Mar 9 16:10:13 EST 2001
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Subject: Israeli businessmen suspected of ties to Peruvian money laundering
scheme
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Israel has become the world’s center of money laundering, as well
as prostitution. Crime and Israel are synonymous.
RLA
http://www3.haaretz.co.il/eng/scripts/article.asp?mador=2&datee=3/5/01&id=112293
Ha’aretz | Monday, March 5, 2001
Israeli businessmen suspected of ties to Peruvian money laundering
scheme
By Aryeh Dayan Ha’aretz Correspondent
The funds deposited in Swiss branches of Israeli banks by former
Peruvian spy chief Vladimoros Montesinos were bribery payments
he received from Israeli businessmen as part of a deal for the sale
of Russian fighter aircraft to Peru’s armed forces, according to the
special prosecutor appointed by the Peruvian government to
investigate corruption charges against Montesinos and the country’s
former president, Alberto Fujimori.
In a telephone interview from his office in Lima, Dr. Jose Carlos Ugaz
told Ha’aretz that, “the findings of the investigation so far indicate
that
Montesinos was closely connected to a group of businessmen – some
Israeli and some Jews with Peruvian citizenship – who acted for him in
international arms deals, from which he collected illegal commissions.”
These commissions were deposited in various banks in Switzerland,
including branches of Bank Leumi and the First International Bank of
Israel group. Ugaz said that Swiss deposits totaled some $70 million,
although he was unable to say how much of this total landed in the
Swiss branches of Israeli banks.
Ugaz mentioned the names of several Israeli businessmen allegedly
involved in arms deals with Montesinos. “An Israeli lawyer named
Mordechai Mincher is the one who represented Montesinos at the
Israeli banks in Switzerland and he is also the person upon whose
recommendation the Israeli banks in Switzerland agreed to open
these accounts,” Ugaz said.
Attorney Mincher, who served as a legal adviser to the Eisenberg
group during the 1970s and 1980s, responded to these charges by
stating that he represents a number of clients in Peru in business
related to the capital markets, but that he has not been involved in
any arms deals with Peru.
“Another Israeli businessman, by the name of Roni Lerner, was the
intermediary in the deal in which three MiG-29 aircraft were
purchased in Russia in 1998 for the Peruvian army,” Ugaz added.
“The illegal commissions paid to Lerner and Montesinos under this
deal were deposited in the accounts Mincher opened for Montesinos
in Switzerland,” the special prosecutor said.
Lerner told Ha’aretz that, “I do not have any connection to the sale
of MiG aircraft to Peru. I don’t know Vladimoros Montesinos and
never met with him.” He added that, “It was obvious that my name
would come up, but it’s a case of an unfortunate coincidence. I
have no control over what is happening in Peru today. A witch-hunt
is going on there.”
The investigation is now also focusing on whether Montesinos
deposited money in banks in Israel, in addition to their branches in
Switzerland. “I still don’t know the answer to this question,” Ugaz
said, “but I suspect that Montesinos indeed deposited funds in Israel.”
He explained that he bases this supposition on the fact that the
investigation has revealed, “the very closest of ties between
Montesinos and Israelis.”
Former president Fujimori left Peru in November and is living in Japan,
but the whereabouts of Montesinos is unknown, following his abortive
attempt to win political asylum in Panama in late October.
A videotape showing Montesinos apparently offering a bribe to a
Peruvian lawmaker set off the series of events that led to Fujimori’s
political demise. Montesinos, who exerted extensive control over
Peru’s military and judiciary, has been accused of ordering death
squads to kill suspected leftist guerrillas.
<end>
From [email protected] Fri Mar 9 16:10:14 EST 2001
Article: 259384 of soc.culture.canada
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Subject: Why you should boycott Estee Lauder products
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Assalam Alaykum and Peace,
For those of us on this list (as well as anyone for that matter) who are
concerned about the palestinians’ rights to return to their homes and
land,
please pay attention to this post below, especially if you’r an Estee
Lauder, DKNY, Clinique, and others customer…
Wa’Salam Alaykum & Peace, lamia
Estee Lauder & the Palestinians Right to Return
On Wednesday, February 28, American Muslims for Jerusalem (AMJ) lead a
coalition of advocacy organizations in a press conference calling for a
worldwide boycott of cosmetics giant Estee Lauder.
That announcement was prompted by Estee Lauder International Chairman
Ronald Lauder’s activities in support of Israeli right-wing extremists.
Estee Lauders products include:
Estee Lauder line of perfume and make-up, Aramis, Clinique, Aveda, DKNY
and
Tommy Hilfegere toiletries products.
Estee Lauder also owns several lines of hair and skin care products and
shops such as M.A.C. and Origins.
Ronald Lauder is the Chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major
American Jewish Organizations and President of the Jewish National Fund
(JNF).
JNF is a quasi-government agency whose main function is to legitimize
Israeli’s theft of Palestinian land.
In January, Lauder was the key speaker from the US at a rally in
Jerusalem,
organized by right wing Israeli politician Natan Sharansky. The rally
was
organized to oppose the mere consideration of Jerusalem as a negotiation
item. Lauder addressed 300,000 Israeli extremists at the gates of Haram
Al-Sharif (the Noble Sanctuary, one of Islam’s three holiest sites).
Some
of the protesters tried to break into the holy site. Khalid Turaani,
AMJ’s
Executive Director said “this boycott of Estee Lauder will send a clear
message that people of conscience refuse to do business with
corporations
supporting Israeli apartheid policies which violate
internationally-recognized human rights”.
In 1993, Lauder co-founded a think tank called the Shalem Center with
Yoram
Hazony, a former Netanyahu aid. The Israeli Education Ministry has said
the
center is “a research institute whose leanings are extreme right-wing
and
even fascistic.” Hebrew University professor Yisrael Bartal describes
Hazony as a right-wing extremist.
A columnist for the Israeli newspaper Ha’aretz (9/14/2000) wrote that
Hazony is a sympathizer of the slain radical Jewish leader Meir Kahane,
who
called for the expulsion of all Arabs from Israel.
The goal of Hazony, wrote the columnist, is to find new ways of
“breathing
life into Kahane’s racist, totalitarian, intolerant ideology.”
Ronald Lauder’s Jerusalem-rally speech came at a time when the Israeli
government was waging a campaign of siege and starvation against the
entire
Palestinian population.
While Mr. Lauder supports some legitimate charitable causes in the US,
he
shows his true colors when abroad by supporting fanatic causes that seek
to
uproot an entire population from its native land.
Lauder is also opposed to permitting Palestinian refugees to return to
their homes. “For Israel to allow these people to return would be
national
suicide,” he said in a statement last September.
In contrast, the UN General Assembly has demanded that Israel allow the
Palestinian refugees to return since 1948. “Lauder’s opposition to the
return of Palestinian refugees in order to maintain the pure-Jewish
identity of Israel is nothing short of apartheid at its worst” said
Turaani.
From [email protected] Fri Mar 9 16:10:14 EST 2001
Article: 259385 of soc.culture.canada
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Subject: AMJ CALLS FOR BOYCOTT OF ESTEE LAUDER
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Note that this jerk is not only head of the Conference of Presidents
of Major Jewish Organizations (any group which is anything
in the Jewish Community belongs to it) but he is also a Kahanist.
The Jewish community ought to think about who they set up
as their leader.
RLA
AMJ CALLS FOR BOYCOTT OF ESTEE LAUDER
FACE-OFF, OR COSMETIC BOYCOTT
By James Barron, The New York Times, 2/28/01, Page 2, Column 3
RONALD S. LAUDER, pictured, shunned by the city’s Republican leaders
for spending a multimillion-dollar chunk of his fortune on a failed
mayoral campaign in 1989 and by other elected officials for pressing
a term-limits initiative several years later, is now under fire from
the Muslim-American establishment. Some of the largest and most
influential Muslim-American organizations plan to announce a boycott
of Mr. Lauder’s businesses, the Estee Lauder Companies, today.
KHALID TURAANI, a spokesman for one of the groups planning the
boycott, American Muslims for Jerusalem, said that Muslims and Arabs
had long been offended by Mr. Lauder’s pro-Israeli views, but had not
decided to call for a boycott until Mr. Lauder appeared at the “One
Jerusalem” rally of religious and nationalist Israelis in January.
Mr. Turaani accused Mr. Lauder, who serves as chairman of the
Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish American Organizations,
of “using his name and wealth” to support Israeli hard-liners.
Mr. Lauder’s spokeswoman said he was unavailable yesterday and
referred a reporter to MALCOLM I. HOENLEIN, executive vice chairman
of the conference of presidents. Mr. Hoenlein predicted that the
boycott would not only fail but could backfire by inviting similar
actions against companies owned by Muslim-Americans. “To try and
import the Middle East conflict here is absurd,” he said.
CONTACT: American Muslims for Jerusalem
WEB: http://www.amjerusalem.org/
E-MAIL: [email protected]
TEL: 202-548-4200
From [email protected] Fri Mar 9 16:10:14 EST 2001
Article: 259386 of soc.culture.canada
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Subject: Why we few criticize Israel by Joseph Sobran
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Why we few criticize Israel
by Joseph Sobran
WASHINGTON – People sometimes ask me why I’m so critical of Israel, as
if I
should be devoting more of my attention to Sri Lanka, or perhaps Zaire.
But
the question is always a little nervous, as it wouldn’t be if I were
writing
equally often about Sri Lanka or Zaire.
I could understand this curiosity if some other small, remote country
were one of the world’s four or five military powers; if it received a
quarter of our foreign aid; if it were constantly on our front pages;
and if
its sympathizers regularly occupied much of the op-ed space of The New
York
Times and other major newspapers. But there is only one country of whom
these things are true, and that is Israel.
Nobody thinks it’s odd that there should be 20 columnists who are
apologists for Israel; but apparently it is unfathomable that there
should
be one or two who are critical of Israel.
But there’s another reason that is both personal and professional.
Israel
has a very powerful lobby in this country, with a highly accomplished
propaganda corps. And that lobby is not content with making the case for
Israel and putting fear into nearly all the politicians in Washington,
who
are supposed to be representing the interests of the United States. It
also
tries to shut up opposition in the free press.
I have felt its pressure. So have Rowland Evans and Robert Novak. So
has
Patrick Buchanan. And a great many newspaper editors.
We still hear of the fear engendered by Joe McCarthy. But people
talked
freely about that fear even ‘at the height of Sen. McCarthy’s career. I
believe that someday historians will look back with more wonder about
the
quieter and more paralyzing fear engendered in our own era by domestic
Zionist power. The press was never afraid of Sen. McCarthy; it is very
much
afraid of Israel’s U.S. sympathizers.
One result is that the news we get from Israel is heavily self
censored
and bowdlerized. The average American thinks of Israel as a “democratic”
country whose domestic troubles are due to unruly Arabs. Not one
American
Christian in a hundred realizes that if he lived in Israel, he would be
the
victim of official discrimination forced, like the Soviet Jew, to carry
an
identification card effectively stigmatizing him.
If Israeli propaganda were true, there would be no need to Quash or
intimidate critics. The very act of trying to silence opposition is a
kind
of confession in itself. Ring Lardner said it well: “‘Shut up,’ he
explained.”
Is there no case to be made for Israel? Of course there is. I have
made
it myself. I would make it again — if Israel had not become a threat to
freedom of speech and ethical debate in this country. But when you risk
injury to your career in the U.S. by defending the interests of the
U.S.,
something is seriously wrong. A proper parallel is not with Joe
McCarthy,
who at least was trying to uphold America’s position, but with the
publishing industry in New York during the 1930s, when a book critical
of
the Soviet Union stood scant chance of seeing print.
Suppression is a good tactic, but a bad strategy. In the long run,
the
truth has a way of seeping through. No matter how many clever excuses
you
make for a Yitzhak Shamir, it’s not a terribly good idea to have
Americans
identifying Israel with Yitzhak Shamir. Israel was much better off when
Americans identified Israel with Abba Eban — now in political exile for
his
moderation.
And it isn’t wise, in the long run, to make Americans afraid, in
their
own country, to speak their minds about a foreign country. They will
eventually resent the colossal impudence of it. And the country on whose
behalf the suppression was enacted will bear the consequences.
Joseph Sobran is a nationally syndicated columnist who now maintains a
Website at http://www.sobran.com.
From [email protected] Sat Mar 10 13:52:31 EST 2001
Article: 259395 of soc.culture.canada
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Subject: The Bully Persists : MacKenzie Paine
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March 8, 2001
FIRE SIX!
The Bully PersistsMacKenzie Paine
Who is Simon Wiesenthal? I ask because he seems to be a very busy man
these days, or at least those working in his name are very busy. Every
time I log on I seem to have email detailing something or other that Mr.
Wiesenthal’s Center is involved in. One would think that the namesake
for a Museum of Tolerance would be busy promoting tolerance, but such is
not the case. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. The Simon Wiesenthal
Center is actively working to silence organizations around the world,
with the cooperation and apparent approval of our own United States
Government. I took my sons to the Museum of Tolerance at the Simon
Wiesenthal Center over the weekend. I believe in listening to all sides
of a story and wanted to hear the Center’s side. At the end of the
four-hour tour I was verbally attacked, together with a friend, by an
angry mini-mob of high school students. The students used the foulest of
foul language, treated us with contempt, frightened my two sons and
ended their little outburst by chasing our van out of the underground
parking lot. Their teacher was helpless to stop them, although she tried
Admittedly, I brought on the attack by being so bold as to question a
“holocaust survivor” who had just delivered a forty-five minute lecture
to the room full of students and teachers. I simply asked the survivor,
Mrs. Elizabeth Mann, why she had told an entire roomful of
impressionable young people that during WWII the Germans made soap out
of Jewish corpses, when even the United States Holocaust Memorial
Museum says this is not so. She responded that she disagreed with the
USHMM. How’s that? Differences of opinion are one thing, but arguing in
favor of a fact that was never proven and has been dismissed by
historians as a falsehood is quite another. Especially when one is
addressing students, presumably to educate them, not brainwash them. I
then asked Mrs. Mann why she had told the audience that the gas chamber
at Auschwitz was a dual-purpose shower room, which with the flip of a
switch could be converted into a homicidal gas chamber. The lethal gas,
she had told us, came out of the showerheads. When I pointed out to her
that all literature regarding Auschwitz describes a room into which the
poison was dropped in granules through holes in the roof, the room
erupted into hisses and boos. Mrs. Mann did not have to respond, saved
by the booing.
Once outside the lecture hall the students called me over to them and
asked
me how I could possibly question such a sweet, elderly woman who had
suffered so much. They accused me of calling her a liar. I was happy to
explain to them, as a mother to my children, that I had not accused her
of lying. I had simply questioned some of the things that she had said.
I looked out into the group and could see fear in some of the faces, as
if they were being confronted by a lunatic with a gun, and I beseeched
them to go to the USHMM’s website and see for themselves what they say
about the soap and Auschwitz. One of the teenagers asked me how I know
that soap wasn’t made at Auschwitz and my friend, a chemist, told them
calmly that it would have been physically impossible to make soap out
of human fat in the buildings at Auschwitz.
With each of our responses the group became more unruly, sarcastic and
bigoted. Rather than ask responsible questions or make clear arguments,
they resorted to taunting us, calling my friend a Nazi and telling us to
“f___ off.” That is what happens to young people who journey through the
Museum of Tolerance. They become decidedly intolerant of anything
critical of Jews, the “holocaust” or Israel. The entire tour was laced
with anti-Catholic and anti-Christian innuendo, Mrs. Mann’s description
of Germans was stereotypically evil and her recollections were so full
of inconsistencies as to be laughable, but all of this was lost on the
students. They had just
spent four hours being set up to accept anything anyone says about
Jewish
suffering or anti-Semitism
Why are we told that it’s wrong to question anything anyone Jewish tells
us? Why is it anti-Semitic to ask Jews for proof of their claims, just
as we hold non-Jews accountable? Even more important, why are we
allowing our children to be brainwashed by the tens of thousands by the
likes of people like Simon Wiesenthal?
In case you don’t know the background of Mr. Wiesenthal and have bought
into the Hollywood image he has created for himself, it’s worth noting
that, by his own admission, Mr. Wiesenthal was a Communist operative
during WWII. His war record is so murky, with so many different
“official” accounts that some have been lead to wonder if he didn’t
collaborate with the Nazis. It would certainly seem that he has
something to hide, since the story is rarely told the same way twice. He
and the Center which bears his name have a very bad habit of lying.
Both have been denounced by Israeli and US Jewish special interest
groups. The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) of B’nai B’rith has
acknowledged that the Wiesenthal Center makes “inaccurate” and
“exaggerated claims.” In a 1984 internal memorandum, ADL official Justin
Finger cited a Center fund-raising letter that is “replete with factual
misstatements and exaggerations.”(Miles Corwin, “Claims About
Anti-Semitic Wave Hit by B’nai B’rith,” Los Angeles Times, Dec. 12,
1984.)
During the Gulf War, Response, the magazine produced by the SWC,
reported that German firms were producing Zyklon B in Iraq to gas
Israelis. It was a lie, of course, but they published it. Even as I
write this, the Simon Wiesenthal Center is hard at work trying to have a
conference on Revisionism and Zionism blocked by the Lebanese
government. They have put pressure on our Congress, which through our
ambassadors, has “warned” the Lebanese government against letting the
conference take place.
Excuse me, but since when does our Congress have the right, the
authority or the audacity to demand that a sovereign nation censor its
citizens and guests? The Simon Wiesenthal Center claims that the
conference will be anti-Semitic. The last I heard, “anti-Semitic” meant
anti-Jewish, which means that our government is involved in trying to
silence other religious groups (Christian and Muslim) over another. So
much for separation of church and state! I have said this before, but I
am going to say it again and again and again. America, we must defend
ourselves! Our children are being systematically brainwashed by known
liars, our tax dollars are partially paying for this anti-Christian,
anti-German, anti-Arab brainwashing and our United States Congress has
become an Israeli lap dog.
Even the Israelis joke that our Congress is Israeli-occupied territory.
Enough is enough! It is time to take back our country. Anyone interested
in joining together to form an AMERICAN organization which will speak
for AMERICANS of ALL religions, please step forward. It is time to go to
Congress and remind them that they are there to work for the people—the
American people—for us! If you are interested in rolling up your
sleeves and going to work in our own defense, please hit your reply
button, stand up and be counted.
From [email protected] Sat Mar 10 13:52:31 EST 2001
Article: 259396 of soc.culture.canada
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Subject: Israeli Soldiers prevented Patriarch Michel Sabbah from entering Ein
Arik
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Israeli Soldiers prevented Patriarch Michel Sabbah from entering Ein
Arik
during a pastoral visit Jerusalem,
Friday 9 March 2001
Israeli soldiers located at the checkpoint on the entrance to the
Village of
Ein Arik near Ramallah prevented this afternoon Patriarch Michel Sabbah,
Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, from entering the mentioned village,
despite
learning who is the Patriarch and seeing his Holy See Diplomatic
passport and
his VIP Card given to His Beatitude by the Israeli Ministry of Religious
Affairs.
It is good to add that the Patriarch, who was accompanied by the parish
priests of Ramallah, was planning to celebrate Mass at the Parish Church
of
Ein Arik this evening.
The Israeli Soldiers at the mentioned Check point refused even to listen
to
explanations provided by Father Giovanni Cinti Parish priest of Ein
Arik, but
obliged him to sit on the floor for sometime before releasing him.
Patriarch
Sabbah couldn’Äôt succeed to enter yesterday also the village of Bir
Zeit
north of Ramallah, for celebrating Mass, since the village was
disconnected
by Israeli Army from all its surroundings.
We consider that this incident is a clear violation not only to
diplomatic
relations and agreements between the Holy See and the State of Israel,
but a
clear violation of the basic human rights of freedom of movement.
We really wonder if such incidents happen to a senior clergyman, so how
is
the daily life of the regular Palestinian citizens.
We appeal on the International community to make pressures on the State
of
Israel to stop in end the actual siege and closure of almost all the
Palestinian villages and towns cutting it one from another making of it
a
real small prisons in a very big prison which is not legally, morally
and
humanly acceptable.
We are sure that this policy of collective punishment will not lead to
justice and peace, will not end violence they produce nothing tangible
for
Israel or Israelis. They also do not increase security nor hasten the
possibility of a negotiated settlement. Justice and only justice is the
only
solution for a real peace and security. We repeat and call upon all of
our
friends all over the world to make their voices heard to exert the
utmost
pressure upon their governments and the government of Israel to stop
these
illegal measures of collective punishment. Otherwise, we will face the
brink
of disaster.
Fr. Raed Abusahlia
Chancellor, Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem
====
For more about UPDATINGS on what is happening in the Holy Land.
Please visit: www.Al-Bushra.org
Al-Bushra
====================================
Israelis as a group are extraordinarily nasty to Palestinians, even
when they aren’t torturing, killing them or tearing up their land and
bulldozing their homes.
Is it any wonder that one is driven to say:
ISRAEL IS A HORRIBLE COUNTRY!
RLA
From [email protected] Sat Mar 10 13:52:32 EST 2001
Article: 259399 of soc.culture.canada
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Subject: Bir Zeit cut off
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Dear Friends & Cousins: This is Breaking News!!!
The little University town of Birzeit woke up this
morning to find itself
cut off from the rest of the West Bank. Mid way
between Ramallah and
Birzeit a deep trench was dug by the Israeli military
occupying forces, and
all the telephone lines of the town were cut off.Its
only remaining entrance
to Ramallah via Surda was the only means of
communications for the rest of
the surrounding villages of Birzeit. Already the
entrance via Jifna and the
Jalazoun camp have been sealed off. If this is an
aperatif of the Sharon
Government meal , we dread to think of what the main
course would be.
Please raise your voices to put an end to this brutal
occupation, and let
our people live!!! Samia
================================
This is barbarous behavior, which I guess is normal for a barbarous
people. But it any other country on the face of the earth were doing
this to another people, there would be intervention. Not mere words
but war on them, as happened to the Serbs in Bosnia and then
in Kosovo. It makes you wonder how they live with themselves,
how they reconcile their notion of who they are with what they are
doing.
ISRAEL IS A HORRIBLE COUNTRY!
RLA
From [email protected] Sat Mar 10 13:52:32 EST 2001
Article: 259406 of soc.culture.canada
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Subject: Letter to The Globe and Mail : Have you no shame?
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Letter to the editor
The Globe and Mail – Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Have you no shame?
Your editorial (It’s time to end the intifada – March 9, 2001) is a
betrayal of your journalistic integrity and a violation of your
ethical responsibility. It misrepresents facts and promotes views
based on known falsehoods.
The Palestinian uprising against Israeli occupation of Gaza and the
West Bank, better known by its Arabic word “intifada”, is only a form
of resistance to that occupation. Israel continues that occupation,
which started in June 1967, in defiance of international law and of U
N Security Council resolutions 242, 338 and 1322. Furthermore,
Israel, the Occupying Power, continues to violate its
responsibilities as stipulated in the Fourth Geneva Convention
through collective punishment measures, home demolitions,
confiscation of lands, building and expanding illegal settlements,
etc. etc. Resisting that brutal military occupation is an
internationally recognized right of the Palestinian people. Whether
the intifada started as a spontaneous eruption by people on the
streets or a deliberate strategy designed to remove the Israeli
occupying forces from Gaza and the West Bank, does not alter its very
nature as an act of resistance to the Israeli occupation. For your
editorial to call it a “crime” is outrageous, to say the least.
Your editorial ought to have called on Israel to end its occupation
immediately, instead of calling on Palestinians not to exercise their
right of resisting that occupation. To call upon Israelis to stop
their gunfire from tanks, rocket launchers and gun ship helicopters
and to call upon Palestinians to stop their stone-throwing for the
purpose of giving negotiations a chance to resume would be one
thing. But to demand from Palestinians to stop resisting the Israeli
occupation is to sanction and legitimize such occupation. However,
to go the extra mile in the direction of misrepresentation and to
describe legitimate resistance as a “crime” is the ultimate in
betrayal by any journalist of the duty for upholding the truth and
for observance of reasonably acceptable ethical standards. Have you
no shame?
Monzer Zimmo
March 9, 2001
Aylmer, Quebec
(819) 595-9176
[email protected]
====================================
It should be obvious that much of “our” media are really Zionist
sympathizing propaganda sheets. The answer then falls out,
for the most notable characteristic of Zionists and their
sympathizers is the absence of shame, coupled with a
willingness to lie that puts the communists in the shade.
RLA
From [email protected] Sat Mar 10 13:52:32 EST 2001
Article: 259441 of soc.culture.canada
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Subject: Re: McVay and his vanity site
References: <[email protected]> <[email protected]> <[email protected]>
<[email protected]> <[email protected]>
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One ownders how many times Mr. McVay is going to spam the NG with this defamatory
tripe.
Asking him politely to stop doesn’t work.
One might guess that something Mr. Giwer said made him mad.
What could that be?
RLA
“Kenneth McVay, OBC” wrote:
> Mr. Giwer is, as far as I can determine, a troller whose only
> interest is in causing fights. While he can sound superficially
> plausible, he has lied** about what has been said in exchanges (while
> accusing others of lying), refused to document claims, pretended not
> to see posts which contain documented refutation of his claims (even
> when they have been emailed to him), engaged in actual libel*, and
> generally conducted himself with such complete lack of intellectual
> and factual integrity that there seems to be no point in taking
> the time to read and respond. For detailed and documented
> evidence of this, please refer to
> https://nizkor.org/hweb/people/g/giwer-matt/
>
> If you do not enjoy the luxury of a news filter, simply delete Mr.
> Giwer’s articles unread. With a few moments’ practice, they are easy
> to identify.
>
> Mr. Giwer’s handlers report that he has responded well to training, and
> now reacts in the prescribed manner, changing his userid each time the
> bell is sounded.
>
> Followups to Giwer trolls should be redirected to Mr. Giwer’s special
> newsgroup, alt.bonehead.matt-giwer, where they will be appropriately
> ignored (the group has no users – it’s just a convenient toilet for
> Matt’s vomitus). If your site does not carry alt.bonehead.matt-giwer,
> redirect non-Holocaust articles to alt.politics.white-power,
> an equally vapid dumping ground for Giwerundian babblings.
>
> Crawler bait: [email protected] Matthias Giwer
> Lincoln James <[email protected]> Matthias Giwer
> Kainee <[email protected]> Matt Giwer
> Rabbi Moshe Dreckschreiber
> Rabbi Dr. Gedalia Pashkvilkemacher
>
> —
> “…I note that on the few occasions of which I am aware where purveyors of
> anti-Semitic propaganda have endeavoured to justify their materials in
> court on the facts and the merits, they have been singularly unsuccessful…”
> (http://www2.ca.nizkor.org/hweb/people/s/scully-olga/reason.html)
From [email protected] Sat Mar 10 13:52:33 EST 2001
Article: 259443 of soc.culture.canada
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Message-ID: <[email protected]>
From: Roger Alexander <[email protected]>
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Subject: Re: Bir Zeit cut off
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Omri Schwarz wrote:
> Roger Alexander <[email protected]> writes:
>
> > Dear Friends & Cousins: This is Breaking News!!!
> >
> > The little University town of Birzeit woke up this
> > morning to find itself
> > cut off from the rest of the West Bank. Mid way
> > between Ramallah and
> > Birzeit a deep trench was dug by the Israeli military
> > occupying forces, and
>
> Be glad you’re not dealing with
> the Ohio National Guard.
>
> —
> Omri Schwarz —
>
It is not often mentioned but four students in Mississippi were also
murdered in protests against the Vietnam war. Those students were
black. All this makes rather than demolishes the point, which is
that there is fascism in the leadership of this country almost
as bad as the fascism in Israel.
Thank you for reminding us, now address the principal point which is
ISRAEL IS A HORRIBLE COUNTRY AND ITS DEFENDERS
ARE DESPICABLE
RLA
From [email protected] Sat Mar 10 13:52:33 EST 2001
Article: 259444 of soc.culture.canada
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Message-ID: <[email protected]>
From: Roger Alexander <[email protected]>
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Subject: Re: Letter to The Globe and Mail : Have you no shame?
References: <[email protected]> <[email protected]>
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Michael Butler wrote:
> >
> >
> > To call upon Israelis to stop
> > their gunfire from tanks, rocket launchers and gun ship helicopters
> > and to call upon Palestinians to stop their stone-throwing for the
> > purpose of giving negotiations a chance to resume would be one
> > thing.
>
> I love your emphasis on the military capabilities of the Israeli army.
> Did you omit the fact that they are not going against just rock thowers
> all the time, but often the firepower of the PA terrorists. And also
> stones- these are not little pebbles- these are big chunks of rock that
> can and have killed many an Israeli- both soldier and civilian.
Mr. Butler,
I am constantly struck by your defense of the Israelis. Is it your
posistion that Israel is justified in occupying the West Bank and Gaza?
For this is where the confrontations occur, not behind the Green Line.
FYI Israel has occupied both the West Bank and Gaza since
1967 and has alway continued to put settlements of crazy people
mainly from Brooklyn and New Joisey into both areas. Israel is
an illegal occupying power and the settlements are illegal. Don’t
you think the Palestinians have the right to resist this colonization
of the little remnant of land that remains to them or is it your
position that whatever Israel does is all right?
RLA
From [email protected] Sat Mar 10 13:52:34 EST 2001
Article: 259446 of soc.culture.canada
Message-ID: <[email protected]>
From: Roger Alexander <[email protected]llsouth.net>
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meshehu wrote:
> In article <[email protected]>, Roger Alexander
> <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> > It should be obvious that much of “our” media are really Zionist
> > sympathizing propaganda sheets. The answer then falls out,
> > for the most notable characteristic of Zionists and their
> > sympathizers is the absence of shame, coupled with a
> > willingness to lie that puts the communists in the shade.
>
> As usual Rog, you’re full of it. Since the beginning of this latest
> intifada have read copious “articles” in The Toronto Star that blatantly
> side with the palestinian “cause” and denounce Israel. This accompanied by
> the subsequent letters of praise from palestinians and their sympathisers
> in the Letters to the Editor.
“Blatantly side with the Palestinian ’cause'”? Pretty hedged about there
aren’t you? It is true that strenuous efforts by Americans and Canadians
have resulted in some softening of some papers’ positions favoring Israel.
What you didn’t state is that the majority of articles and comments still
favor Israel. This in the face of the fact that Israel is a criminal country,
and its oppression of the Palestinians is horrible. I am sure you will agree.
RLA
From [email protected] Sat Mar 10 13:52:34 EST 2001
Article: 259448 of soc.culture.canada
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Subject: Hillary Dillary Dock One of the New Square Four flees to Israel
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The fugitive
Chaim Berger – who fled to Jerusalem after being indicted in the
controversial fraud case involving the ultra-Orthodox community of New
Square – doesn’t understand what everyone wants from him. Who can
remember
exactly how he and the others bilked the American government of millions
of
dollars?
By Sara Leibovich-Dar
Wearing a long skirt and modest head-covering, Hillary Clinton went to
New
Square, an ultra-Orthodox town located 50 kilometers from Manhattan, in
Rockland County. During the visit, which took place in August 2000 at
the
height of her Senate campaign, the First Lady was greeted by the sight
of
large banners proclaiming support for her candidacy.Clinton was warmly
welcomed at a meeting with the Admor [master teacher in Hasidic sects]
of
New Square, Grand Rabbi David Twersky, held in his home. He spoke
Yiddish,
she spoke English and a local politician translated. They talked about
problems with the school system and Rabbi Twersky warned of the danger
of
addiction to the Internet. It was a very pleasant visit – as wholesome
as
mom and apple pie, one of Clinton’s aides remarked afterward. Well, not
exactly …
In October 1999, four New Square residents had been convicted on fraud
charges for having set up a fictitious yeshiva in which they registered
many
New Square residents – and then received tens of millions of dollars
from
federal funds designated for financially disadvantaged students. The
four
were sentenced to prison terms ranging from two-and-a-half to
six-and-a-half
years.
The New Square community, led by Twersky, began to agitate for their
release
just days after they went to prison. As the presidential and Senate
elections drew near, Twersky worked very energetically to get out the
vote
for Mrs. Clinton. In the November election, 1,400 New Square residents
voted
for Clinton; only 12 voted for her opponent, Republican Rick Lazio. (Al
Gore
received 1,388 votes.) By comparison, in neighboring ultra-Orthodox
communities, Clinton received just 152 votes, while Lazio received
3,480.
Twersky bet on the right horse. In December, he met with Bill and
Hillary
Clinton at the White House. In a 45-minute conversation (that was
originally
scheduled to last just 15 minutes), Twersky asked the president to
pardon
the four. Hillary Clinton listened. “I had no opinion about it,” she
said
later at a press conference after questions concerning the subsequent
commutations arose.
President Clinton promised Twersky that he would check into it and, on
January 20, mere hours before the conclusion of his presidency, Clinton
included the four among the 176 convicts who received clemency. Their
sentences were reduced and, to the dismay of Assistant U.S. Attorney
Deborah
Landis, who prosecuted the case, they will be released from prison next
year.
Four days before the clemency was granted, the White House asked Landis
for
a reaction. In her stinging response, she warned that if President
Clinton
were to pardon the four, he would be sending a message that the desire
to
live according to religious customs justifies violating the law.
One more favor
During his meeting with the Clintons, Twersky mentioned another name –
Chaim
Berger – and asked the president to look into his case as well. Berger,
the
father of one of the four who were convicted, was also named in the
indictment. The New York Times called him the “architect of the
deception.”
He fled to Israel four years ago, a few months before the indictment
against
him was handed down and since then, has lived with his wife in
Jerusalem.
The United States has requested his extradition.
A year ago, the Jerusalem District Court ruled that the extradition
should
take place. Berger appealed to the High Court of Justice. The appeal was
denied. Berger requested a further hearing. Justice Shlomo Levin granted
the
request. The hearing is due to be held soon. While the matter of
Berger’s
extradition has so far received virtually no coverage in the Israeli and
American media, the upcoming hearing is likely to be a different story.
Today, Hungarian-born Chaim Berger, 74, closely follows events from a
small
rented apartment in Jerusalem. In 1944, his family was taken to
Auschwitz
and he was sent to a forced-labor camp in Hungary. After the war, he
wandered between Austria, the United States and Israel. He didn’t settle
in
Israel because “Everything was so hard in Israel. Everything was so
unpleasant,” he explained to the Jerusalem District Court.
In the U.S., he worked in a jewelry factory; after retiring, he went to
work
in the community. According to The New York Times, he was the local
expert
in New Square on government aid programs.
In February 1997, while the investigation against him continued, he flew
to
Israel. Fifteen months later, the U.S. government requested his
extradition.
In February 18, 1999, on his 73rd birthday, he was arrested and
subsequently
incarcerated for three weeks.
The ultra-Orthodox community in Israel rushed to his defense. The Admor
of
Vishnitz, Rabbi Moshe Hegger, and two well-respected members of Agudath
Israel’s Council of Torah Sages personally posted bond for him to get
him
released from prison. United Torah Judaism MK Meir Porush also posted
bond
for Berger.
“I was convinced by the heads of the community that there was no fear
that
he would flee, God forbid. There was just one question I had to
consider:
Would he be around when they want to extradite him?” says Porush. “I
know
him from the Haredi community. He reports to the police station once a
day
and I don’t see any reason that an elderly Jew like him should sit in
jail.”
When told that if Berger had remained in the U.S., he almost certainly
would
have been convicted, Porush says: “Nothing was determined regarding him.
A
73-year-old Jew is in Israel. There’s no reason he should be in jail.”
Berger’s attorney, David Libai, met with the Admor of New Square in New
York. The Admor asked Libai to try to extend Berger’s stay in Israel as
long
as possible. In Israel, Berger was enjoying the sunshine. He’d be
arrested
as soon as he landed in the U.S.
So all the appeals and additional hearings were basically intended as a
way
to stall for time?
Libai: “No, the hearings themselves are very relevant.”
Isn’t all this likely to harm U.S.-Israel relations? Berger has been
indicted for defrauding the federal authorities.
“There’s no sign of that anywhere. No one says anything about that. When
I
represented Samuel Sheinbaum [a teenager who brutally murdered a
Hispanic
teenager, fled to Israel and was tried here], members of Congress got
all
worked up arguing for his extradition. They demanded that aid to Israel
be
cut back if he weren’t extradited. Berger’s case hasn’t aroused any
media
interest so it’s not a problem in terms of U.S.-Israel relations.”
Don’t you worry that by representing him, you’re lending a hand to the
money-extortion scheme?
“I’m a lawyer representing a person solely on the matter of the
extradition
request. I won’t represent him in the trial in the U.S. I’m not here to
do
the justice minister’s job and I’m not representing the American
administration. I’m a lawyer representing a client. That doesn’t mean I
identify with him. I’m not here to defend his methods. All I’m dealing
with
is the extradition issue.”
Obstructing justice
The deception perpetrated by the New Square group was publicized in 1992
in
the course of a federal investigation against the community and six of
its
leaders. The community, recognized as the first ultra-Orthodox municipal
authority in the United States, was founded in 1955 by four men,
including
Chaim Berger and Rabbi Twersky’s father.
The ultra-Orthodox residents of New Square trace their origins to the
town
of Skvara in the Ukraine. In September 1941, the Germans entered Skvara
and
killed a thousand Jews. Most of the survivors emigrated to the U.S.
There is
also a small “Skverer” Hasidic community in Jerusalem; this was the
community that took in Berger. The immigrants to America initially
settled
in Brooklyn. In 1955, they moved to New Square in order to establish “an
oasis free of the decadent pleasures of modern life.”
Today, the community numbers several thousand Hasidim who maintain a
closed
lifestyle. They do not watch television or read secular newspapers. They
keep a strict separation between the sexes; most speak Yiddish and many
do
not work. Per capita income in New Square is among the lowest in the
U.S.;
about 60 percent of New Square residents live below the poverty line and
depend on government support.
It’s no wonder, then, that the investigation of the community was
perceived
as an existential threat: The local residents banded together as one to
try
to thwart it. Federal agents who came to New Square to issue summonses
were
met by an angry mob. Once, the agents arrived in New Square at six in
the
morning. The residents quickly complained that, for the Holocaust
survivors
among them, the knocks on the door at that early hour brought back
memories
of the Nazis.
At every opportunity, they kept repeating the claim that the
investigation
derived from anti-Semitism directed toward them. The fact that the
Assistant
U.S. Attorney, Deborah Landis, was Jewish, did nothing to calm their
anger.
In fact, the New Square residents claimed that, of all people, a Jewish
prosecutor would do everything to incriminate them.
The community’s leaders also did their best to obstruct the
investigation.
They refused to hand over bank documents related to one of the yeshivas
being investigated. They even obtained a halakhic ruling [according to
Jewish law] from the chief rabbinical court in Jerusalem saying that
they
were not obligated to give business information to the American federal
government. When the court appointed an outside administrator for one of
the
yeshivas, they announced that they were closing the yeshiva so that the
administrator would not be able to run it.
The prosecution was determined not to give in. In April 1997, an
indictment
was issued against six individuals. Two of the accused – Chaim Berger
and
Avrum David Friesel – fled. Friesel, son of New Square’s mayor, vanished
without a trace. Rumor has it that he is also somewhere in Israel. The
other
four – Kalmen Stern, David Goldstein, Jacob Elbaum and Benjamin Berger
(Chaim’s son) – were tried in New York’s Southern District Court.
Pell Grants
The 63-page indictment of the six was very detailed. Like the others,
Chaim
Berger was charged with numerous acts of fraud. The main charge
concerned
the fraudulent obtaining of Pell Grants. These grants, worth several
thousand dollars, are provided to needy students by the U.S. Department
of
Education.
An institution that submits a request to participate in the Pell Grants
Program must have federal approval stipulating that the institution
meets
the educational and financial criteria. Students requesting a grant also
must meet a number of criteria, including a certain level of academic
achievement and financial need.
In 1992, the Department of Education discovered that many students
living in
New Square and Brooklyn were registered at several academic institutions
simultaneously. Many wandered back and forth from one institution to
another; some were registered as students for 14 years without ever
receiving a degree and many received stipends but never actually went to
school.
One of the institutions that registered fictitious students was the
Toldos
Yaakov Yosef Seminary in Brooklyn. Berger was the head of the seminary.
He
was the one who signed the agreement between the seminary and the
Department
of Education stating that the institution pledged to meet all the Pell
grant
conditions. In fact, the Toldos Yaakov Yosef Seminary was a fictitious
institution designed to elicit grant money, charges the indictment. A
regular yeshiva and ultra-Orthodox elementary school – institutions that
did
not meet the Pell Grant criteria – were actually operating at the site.
The statements and testimony given to the American court regarding
Berger
were cited in the State Attorney’s petition to the Jerusalem District
Court
declaring that Berger was subject to extradition.
Abraham Abramowitz, the dean of the seminary, testified that the heads
of
the institution, including Berger, had knowingly deceived the Department
of
Education. Abramowitz also said that Berger explained to him that the
New
Square residents could not legally obtain the government allocations.
In her petition, the State Attorney also included the case of Aryeh
Reich,
his wife Chana Reich, and their daughter, Sheindel Brant. Documentation
of
their employment in various capacities at the seminary was presented to
the
American authorities. However, the three have lived in Israel since the
early 1980s, during which time they have left the country very
infrequently
and for brief periods only.
In the U.S., Berger lived in a house that was registered as Reich’s
address,
and also signed checks that were made out to Reich. Berger is alleged to
have used Reich’s name in order to obtain large sums of money from
Social
Security in America. He was also appointed a member of an organization
that
granted loans to small businesses and, in this capacity, he transferred
funds to the yeshiva in New Square.
An elaborate deception was also directed at the Department of Housing
and
Urban Development (HUD), which grants housing subsidies to needy
families.
Berger was the president of the housing authority in New Square. He
transferred subsidy money to Aryeh Reich, deposited the money in bank
accounts he opened in Reich’s name and filled out tax returns in Reich’s
name.
At the Jerusalem District Court, a representative of the Attorney
General
said that as president of the New Square housing authority, Berger
tricked
the federal aid programs in two ways: “He engineered it so that the
money
would be transferred to businesses in which he had an interest or bank
accounts over which he had control. Second, as the head of other
institutions in New Square such as Toldos Yaakov Yosef, he
surreptitiously
transferred money to several of his partners in such a way that this
money
would not be reported to the federal government, thus enabling them to
report a lower income and receive aid from HUD through the New Square
housing authority.”
In their summations before the court, Berger’s lawyers, David Libai and
Eitan Maoz, argued that the statute of limitations had expired on some
of
the charges, and that: “There is no evidence that the defendant did that
with which he is charged for the sake of deriving any benefit or to
pocket
any of the aid money.”
All of those convicted claimed that they did not take the money for
personal
gain, but rather for the good of the community. We transferred money
from
one just cause to another, they said. The prosecutor called such claims
a
sham. She says they used the money to buy a fancy car, parking tickets,
diapers and to pay for car repairs.
Judge Barbara Jones was unmoved by the protestations of Robin Hood-like
intentions. The four were convicted and given prison sentences. Kalmen
Stern, who was one of the directors of the fictitious Toldos Yaakov
Yosef
yeshiva, was sentenced to 78 months. David Goldstein, the only one of
the
six who is not a New Square resident, was sentenced to 70 months. Jacob
Elbaum was sentenced to 57 months and Benjamin Berger to 30 months.
Their
appeals were denied.
‘I don’t remember’
When he testified before the Jerusalem District Court, Berger claimed
that
he didn’t know anything or remember anything.
“What was your last position in the New Square community?” he was asked
by
his lawyer, Eitan Maoz.
“It’s hard to explain,” Berger replied.
“What did you do in the community?” Maoz asked.
“Everyone volunteered to work in what he knew and could do to the best
of
his ability. I didn’t have an official position. I volunteered to do
whatever was necessary,” he answered.
Maoz: “They say you were the director of Toldos Yaakov Yosef. Were you?”
Berger: “It’s hard to explain it. I wasn’t exactly the director. It’s
only
now, recently, that I’ve heard that I was the director and chairman. I
never
knew I was the chairman.”
Maoz: “How long were you at this yeshiva?”
Berger: “I wasn’t at the yeshiva any time or any day.”
Maoz: “How long were you involved in this yeshiva?”
Berger: “I don’t know how to answer that.”
Maoz: “What did they pay you money for?”
Berger: “So I’d be ready to do whatever was necessary.”
Maoz countered U.S. prosecutor Landis’ description of Berger’s “panicky”
flight from the U.S. by averring that “it’s customary for New Square
Hasidim
to come to Israel at an advanced age.”
Berger shrugged off the question of whether he’d made a hasty escape to
Israel: “One thing is certain – I’ve been here three years already.
Anyone
who wants to find me can find me.”
Maoz: “Is it true that, before leaving the U.S., you didn’t tell your
lawyer
that you planned to leave?”
Berger: “That was several years ago. I don’t remember exactly what I
said or
didn’t say. Maybe I said it, maybe I didn’t. I don’t remember.”
Maoz: “Since you left, have you been in contact with your family in New
Square?”
Berger: “Yes.”
Maoz: “They certainly must have told you that in June 1997, an
indictment
was issued against you and your son Benjamin and other people in the
community.”
Berger: “I don’t remember That was three years ago. How could I
remember?”
Berger has managed quite well in his four years in Israel. He has six
children and 70 grandchildren, all of whom live in or near New Square,
apart
>from five grandchildren who live in Israel. He stayed with one of his
grandchildren in his first months in Israel. Within a few days of his
arrival, he requested housing assistance from the Housing Ministry.
“I got something – not everything I asked for, but something,” he told
Maoz
during the initial investigation.
A month after arriving in Israel, he began receiving a stipend for the
elderly from the National Insurance Institute. “That’s what I live off
of,”
he told Maoz in court.
Although Berger received Israeli citizenship and even voted in the
election,
Judge Ruth Or of the Jerusalem District Court ruled that he should be
extradited to the U.S. She further stipulated that Berger is not an
Israeli
resident as defined by the extradition law and that, therefore, there
was no
cause for demanding that the U.S. pledge to return Berger to Israel to
serve
out his sentence.
Berger appealed to the High Court of Justice. Chief Justice Aharon
Barak,
writing for the majority, rejected the appeal. Israel had not become the
center of his life, Barak ruled, adding that the incentive for Berger’s
flight strongly indicated plans for just a temporary stay in Israel
until
things calmed down.
Berger has requested a further hearing. He wants to be recognized as an
Israeli resident in terms of the extradition law so that he will be
allowed
to serve his sentence in Israel. He won’t find a warm reception awaiting
him
upon his return to the United States.
Amid all the furor over the pardons issued by former President Clinton,
the
serious crimes of the four from New Square who were convicted have come
under the spotlight. For its part, the New Square community believes
that it
has fallen victim to a particularly cruel wave of anti-Semitism.
The owner of a local grocery store told a New York Daily News reporter,
“It’s like Hitler. There’s hatred of Jews throughout the country.
Everyone
here is so depressed.”
But Berger might be able to draw comfort from the outlook espoused by
Kalmen
Stern. Stern’s lawyer told The Washington Post that his client is not
the
least bit bitter: “He believes that all that happens to him is God’s
will.
Now he just has to understand why God did what he did.”
© copyright 2001 Ha’aretz. All Rights Reserved
Hillary Clinton at New Square: 1,400 New Square residents voted for
Clinton;
only 12 voted for her opponent, Republican Rick Lazio.(Photo: AP)
==================================
One would guess that Mr. Berger was more aware of what he was doing
while he and his
friends stole $40 million from the US government. Does anyone know what
happened
to the money?
RLA
From [email protected] Sat Mar 10 13:52:35 EST 2001
Article: 259451 of soc.culture.canada
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Subject: Shades of Nazi Germany Women Political Prisoners Abused
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Women’s Organization for Political Prisoners (WOFPP)
P. O. Box 31811, Tel Aviv
Tel and Fax: 972-3-5227124
E-mail: [email protected]
Newsletter March 2001
Russian Compound Detention Center (Moscobiyeh)
Abeer Abu Khdeir, 32 years-old, from Shu’afat in the West Bank, mother
of four, was arrested by members of the Israeli Army, police and
undercover agents in the night of 21 February 2001 together with her
husband Nasser, after six hours of harassment that was not only directed
against her family including her four children, aged 2 to 12, but also
against all the families who live in the same building. Since the day of
her detention, 21 February, she has not been allowed to meet her lawyer.
On 4 March, her incommunicado detention was extended for eight more
days. This order may be prolonged at will. She is being held in the
interrogation section of the Russian Compound.
Abeer Amer, 20 years old, from Dura near Hebron, and her sister, Sana
Amer, 14 years old, were arrested in Hebron on 20 February 2001. They
are awaiting trial in the Russian Compound. Abeer had been arrested
before, in 1999, and was released in August 2000.
Amne Muna, from Bir Naballah near Jerusalem, was arrested on 19 January
2001. For approximately five weeks she was not allowed to meet her
lawyer.
Wajdan Buji, 22 years old, from Hebron, was arrested on 25 February
2001.
Neve Tirza Prison
On 1 March, WOFPP lawyer Taghreed Jahshan visited the political
prisoners, Maha Al-‘Aak, Nasreen Taha, Suad Ghazal and Suna Gh’ai, in
Neve Tirza.. She had to wait for more than an hour to see the first
prisoner, while the lawyers visiting the criminal prisoners entered
without being delayed. – From her report we learn the following:
The prisoners complain that recently the harassment against them has
increased. Under various pretexts on the part of the prison
authorities, the women have been prevented from to visiting the library
for the past two months. Part of the library books they had in their
room have been taken away by the wardens. – The wardens have also taken
away drawing cardboard; they wanted to confiscate a piece of embroidery
with the Palestinian flag that Suad had worked on for a long time, but
instead of surrendering it, Suad cut it to pieces. – The newspapers
still arrive in whole packages with one to two weeks’ delay. – The
prisoners receive nearly no letters, and the letters they write do not
reach the families.* – Through the offices of the Red Cross the family
of Suad Ghazal and of Maha Al-‘Aak respectively sent clothing, blankets
and sheets to their relative. The clothing was handed over to Suad and
Maha, but they did not receive the blankets and sheets.
In the the last week of February, a representative of the Red Cross
visited the prisoners in Neve Tirza.
Maha Al-‘Aak, 22 years old, from ‘Aaida Refugee Camp near Bethlehem, was
arrested 27 July 2000. The date for the continuation of her trial has
been set for 20 March.
Nasreen Taha and Suna Gh’ai were detained in solitary confinement for
three days as punishment for not getting up when an officer entered
their cell. (As a rule, the prisoners have to stand at checking times,
but not when an officer enters their cell).
=======================================
These women are no doubt not guilty of any crime, but Israel treats them
worse than ordinary criminals.
ISRAEL IS A HORRIBLE COUNTRY!
RLA
From [email protected] Sat Mar 10 13:52:42 EST 2001
Article: 533130 of soc.culture.jewish
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Subject: 20% of American Jews support Palestinian positions
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JPLO: This report demonstrates a break-through in the Jewish
communities of North America.
The time is now for the intervention of the Jewish dissident groups to
form a Jewish movement
of resistence to the Zionist project and in defense of the legitimate
interests of the Jewish People.
Only 55% support the Israel State position !
Burried in this report it says that 20% of American Jews support other
Palestinian positions (I guess this means human rights positions such as
the right of return of refugees :-).
Mazin
————
By Shlomo Shamir
Ha’aretz Correspondent
NEW YORK – In an extensive survey whose results are being kept secret,
35 percent of American Jews are willing to see Jerusalem divided to
secure a peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians.
The survey was conducted in January and February on behalf of a joint
committee representing the five largest Jewish organizations in the
United States. Chairing the committee is the CEO of the Conference of
Presidents, Malcolm Honlein.
Committee representatives refused to comment yesterday on the survey.
Last week, during a meeting of the committee, one of the the
representatives of the Conference of Presidents called on his colleagues
not to pass the results of the survey to the Foreign Ministry in
Jerusalem.
Jewish sources describe this as one of the most extensive surveys in
recent years of the Jewish community in America – and it also included
non-Jews. Senior Jewish leaders in New York said yesterday the survey,
which shows a significant percentage of American Jews supporting the
division of Jerusalem, goes against the official position of the
leadership of the Conference of Presidents – that the Jewish community
is united in uncompromising refusal to consider concessions over
Jerusalem.
The survey also showed more than 50 percent of those asked support the
peace process, 55 percent support Israel’s positions, and only 20
percent support Palestinian demands. The Consul General of Israel in New
York, Alon Pinchas, yesterday said representatives of Jewish
organizations had informed him of the survey and also brought to his
attention its results.
In another survey in the New York metropolitan area among the Hispanic
population – the results will be published tomorrow – suggest 60 percent
of that population have a favorable view of Israel. Nonetheless, 64
percent had never heard of Prime Minister-elect Ariel Sharon. Among
those who had, 10.3 percent had a negative feeling about him and to 9.1
percent had a favorable impression.
The survey – the first of its kind, was carried out for the Foundation
for Ethnic Understanding, which seeks to improve relations between the
Jewish and other ethnic communities in New York.
© copyright 2001 Ha’aretz. All Rights Reserved
~~ Reconciliation Conference LIST ~~
since 1994 Abraham Weizfeld organizer
[email protected]
—————————————————
————————————-
——————
===================================
Mr. Weizfeld is a tireless organizer for reconciliation efforts
between Jews and Arabs.
This article might shed some light on the question posed by
Mr. McVay as to how many American Jews are Zionists.
Short answer of course is not many. There are many
sympathizers with Israel’s existence, but the hard question
is how many support the brutal occupation and oppression
of the Palestinians. Although supposedly 55 % support
Israel’s positions, one wonders if those votes were fully informed.
I would guess about half or more were not.
RLA
From [email protected] Tue Mar 13 20:05:00 EST 2001
Article: 259468 of soc.culture.canada
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Subject: Palestinian University appeals to the world to force zionist occupation
forces to lift siege
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Palestinian University appeals to the world to force zionist occupation
forces to lift siege
Occupied Jerusalem: 9 March, 2001 (IAP News) – The University of Bir
Zeit
on the West Bank has appealed to the world community to force the
zionist
occupation authorities to lift a hermetic siege on its small college
town,
which has brought all activities at the college to a standstill.
Last week, Israeli army bulldozers dug a deep trench around Birzeit and
surrounding villages, cutting off thousands of students and tens of
thousands of villagers from the outside world.
The digging also destroyed water pipes and telephone links, leaving as
many
as 60,000 without drinking water and telephone communications.
The Israeli army said the draconian action was a necessary security
measure
to allow Jewish settlers in the area to travel freely on nearby roads.
However, the real purpose of the unprecedented measure seems to punish
the
Palestinian population by demonstrating to them that “they couldn’t
lead a normal life while the intifada was continuing.”
On Friday, hundreds of Palestinians succeeded partially in reopening
the
road to Bir Zeit for a few hours before the Israeli army started
shooting
at the unarmed youths who were carrying only shovels.
Hospital sources said as many as 30 people were injured Friday afternoon
in
clashes with Israeli occupation soldiers in the Ramallah region.
The Palestinian Authority-run radio, the Voice of Palestine, reported
Saturday that two of the injured were in serious condition.
The University of Bir zeit described the digging of the trench and
closure
of all access to its campus as “an evil act reflecting an evil
mentality.”
“We urge the international community to force the Israeli occupiers to
end
these repressive measures immediately which are in flagrant violation of
international law and human rights.”
_______________________________________________________________
Proudly Serving Palestine and Al-Quds
Islamic Association for Palestine
From [email protected] Tue Mar 13 20:05:00 EST 2001
Article: 259469 of soc.culture.canada
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Subject: A Florida millionaire’s block of flats for Jewish settlers may start an
intifada
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From the Sunday Independent…..
Rabbi Hiam Dov Beliak is the head of the coalition to take away Dr.
Irving
Moskowitz’s tax deductible status on the bingo parlor in Hawaiian
Gardens in
Southern California in which latino-Americans work for virtually nothing
but
tips, and the money earned there is shipped off to the illegal settlers
in
the occupied territories, and he’s purchased property in East Jerusalem.
Please go to www.stopmoskowitz.org or it might be www.stopmoskowitz.com
and read how the poorest sector of Americans are being blatantly used to
help subsidize the fanatic religious Zionist settlers.
Zevei
news | World | Middle_East | 2001-03
Bingo chief threatens east Jerusalem peace
A Florida millionaire’s block of flats for Jewish settlers may start an
intifada
By Phil Reeves
11 March 2001
They do not much like unannounced visitors at the block of flats which
is
being built for Jewish residents in Arab east Jerusalem by Irving
Mosko-witz, a bingo millionaire from Florida.
“What do you mean by coming in like that, as if it is your home,” said
the
Israeli site supervisor, with one of those what’s-this-muck-on-my-shoe
expressions reserved in Britain for door-to-door double-glazing
salesmen.
We were ordered back behind the 12ft steel fence that separates the
fortress-like apartment block from the resentful Palestinian
neighbourhood
of Ras al-Amud, close to the Mount of Olives.
Out on the street, he was no more accommodating. How many rooms will the
flats have, I asked. “Ask Moskowitz,” he grunted. Who will live here?
“Ask
Moskowitz.” How much will they cost? “Ask Moskowitz. Hey, what is this?
You
are like a lawyer, asking these questions?” And off he stomped.
The second Palestinian intifada started in Jerusalem just over 23 weeks
ago,
detonated by a visit to the holy sites of the Old City by Ariel Sharon,
then
leader of the opposition, now Prime Minister. Since then there have been
car
bombs in Jewish west Jerusalem and shooting attacks close to the city’s
northern and southern edges. But its Arab section has been quiet, by
comparison with the battle zones of Nablus, Hebron and Gaza. In the
first
intifada cars with Israeli plates that strayed into Palestinian areas
were
stoned and fire-bombed; so far, this has not happened on a large scale.
Yet the area is tense. Its 200,000 Palestinian residents, who pay
Israeli
taxes and benefit from social services, are better off than their West
Bank
and Gaza counterparts, but they are increasingly feeling the economic
crisis
caused by the unrest. The pressure is building; the Ras al-Amud housing
project might just be the issue that prompts the forces behind the
uprising
to take the war into east Jerusalem.
The 132-flat complex is part of the long campaign by fanatically
ultra-nationalist Jewish groups to change the demographics of Arab east
Jerusalem, which was occupied by Israel in 1967 and later, in a move
never
recognised by the international community, annexed. Soon, the block will
be
ready to receive the first residents, ideologically driven settlers
striving
to secure Israel’s control over all Jerusalem. The vanguard of three
families moved into a house next door several years ago.
Their Palestinian neighbours are preparing for the worst. “We really
feel in
danger here,” said Azzam Abu Saud, director of Jerusalem’s Arab Chamber
of
Commerce, who lives next to the site. “Our friends are too frightened to
come to visit us.” But he stresses that he and his family will never
leave.
Nor will Khalid Hamdallah, a 35-year-old lorry driver, who lives with
his
nine children in a one-storey house which now stands on an isthmus of
land
jutting into the site on which the complex is being built. Bulldozers
have
carved out the earth around part of his land, stranding his small olive
grove on top of a 20ft cliff on one side. He says he was offered a large
sum
to leave. He, too, sees trouble on the horizon.
Will Ariel Sharon intervene, by stopping the new settlers from moving
in?
His past record is discouraging. He was at the centre of the affair that
first alerted Jerusalem’s Arabs to a campaign of acquiring Palestinian
properties by ultra-nationalist Jews seeking to “redeem” the land. In
October 1987, one such group announced that it had rented a house to Mr
Sharon, then Minister of Trade, in the Muslim Quarter of the Old City.
Mr Sharon celebrated with an extravagant house-warming party, attended
by
700 prominent Israelis, and by draping the walls with a huge Israeli
flag.
That sparked riots by the Palestinians, and the incident is considered
by
some to be one of the factors that stoked the first intifada.
Two-and-a-half years later, 150 settlers took possession of St John’s
Hospice in the Old City’s Christian quarter which was bought from a
Panama-nian front company which had acquired it from its Armenian
leaseholder. There were worldwide protests and denunciations from
Christian
leaders. But Mr Sharon chose to pay the settlers a congratulatory visit.
Behind both incidents – Mr Sharon’s house and the hospice take-over –
was
Ateret Cohanim, an extremist settler group which receives much of its
funding from Irving Moskowitz.
Israeli government officials are conducting a determined publicity
offensive
to persuade the outside world that Mr Sharon has put his extremist past
behind him and is a new, more pragmatic figure devoted to peace.
However, he
remains an ardent Zionist who sympathises with the settlement movement.
True, he told parliament last week that there would be no new
settlements.
But he has also told the Americans that the expansion of existing
settlements – built on occupied land in contravention of international
law –
can go on. Thus, more Arab land will be swallowed up and permanent peace
will be even harder to achieve.
Israel’s moderates are nervously trying to reassure themselves that the
presence of the Labour Party in his coalition government should keep him
in
check. But Ehud Barak, the former Labour prime minister, was also a
serial
settlement builder, and he did nothing to stop the new Moskowitz block
from
becoming another land mine in an old battlefield.
