Demonstration against Israeli bombing of Gaza in London on Saturday.

[SmilleysPeople]

If anyone is intersted.

It's at 12.30pm along Embankment, nearest tubes Embankment and Charing Cross.

It's being organised by Palestinian Solidarity Campaign, Stop the War Coaltion and numerous other groups.

I will bump this sporadically, but if anyone else would like to help promote this, plaese bump too.

I will be there.

One person at a time is all it needs - so long as people are brave enough to bear witness and continue to "speak truth to power"
One person at a time, the world can be changed.

and there would have to be insistence that the illegal settlements are dismantled once and for all.'Settlement' is just a euphemism for 'stolen land'.

Until the US stops funding Israel, I don't have much hope that anything will change bar round the edges. But maybe Sarkozy can broker a peace deal. Maybe. Then we can send Carla Bruni over there to sing to the people

rev - thannks for the links to the Haaretz site. I do find it very encouraging that there is dissent within Israel - I often get the impression that there is no opposition within the country so it's heartening to know that that's not the case.

OK - so how many people have written to their MPs about this?

Good for you Rev - I have only e-mailed mine.

I have, and my dd1 (7 yrs) wants to write to Gordon Brown, I try to shield her from most of this stuff but she is bright and our house is awash with broadsheets and has radio 4 on pretty much permanently...so she hears things and reads things. Anyway she is composing a letter to GB.

Something we can do.
Save the Children are appealing for funds to help children in Gaza
save the children
or for Americans,
The American Friends Service Committee
AFSC
or the international version of Save the Children
here

it's like carpet bombing northern ireland because of the IRA.

"in the 3 years since the israels withdrew from gaza 11 israelis were killed by rocket fire. between 2005 and 2007 israelis killed 1290 palestinians in gaza (ALONE!) including 222 children"

there is a massively diproportionate response going on here: 20 children for every israeli adult dead.

ffs.

it's been conceded that there were no people firing weapons from the school.

this needs to be roundly condemned by the international community.

as does the blanket ban on journos.

this article by former israeli soldier and prof of international relations at oxford is very important indeed and anyone on this thread taking an interest should read it

if you care about israel what the govt is doing there is an absolute catastrophe.

in fact, i would argue strongly that you should read it if you give a shit at all and if you want to comment further on this thread.

it is an excellent article.

Sophable, Kate already linked to this. It is an interesting article.

rev, your posts on here have been fantastic. and remain unanswered.

the israeli govt's policy is absolutely disastrous for israel. many many (jewish) israelis agree.

if you are totally and utterly in support of israel what do you see as the govt's goal here.

if you destroy hamas, what on earth do you think will rise up to take it's place?

how is the policy doing anything other than radicalising the population of gaza (and the whole arab world) to a massive extent that will come home to roost in years to come?

when the uk was being bombed by the ira, what did we do. well, rather unfortunately we instigated a shoot to kill policy. it didn't work. the only thing that EVER does is sitting down with the people fighting you and talking. which is what EVENTUALLY happend in ireland. please god it does sooner than later.

REV, Hamas disguise men as praenant women to get bombs through. Israel has learnt by expereince that any show of fairness will be exploited by Hamas. That's why they they stop everything. We forget the truism don;'t we - 'alls fair in love and war'? There are no rules when survivial is at stake. That's why theres deadlock and why engagement with 'blame' arguments is just fanning the flames on both sides. We all need to stand down. When Hamas stops getting the (misplaced) sympathy and attention (tho it will pull all the stops out to try and get it) then thiungs might begin to change. But as it is we are all suckers for it.

i do think your posts here have been very good rev. considered, knowledgeable and full of compassion.

One BIG thing I struggle with is that Israel will not have done this without the 'nod' from Washington.and the accepted practice in the US is that from election day to being sworn in day, the incoming President is consulted on very significant matters.....

so we have to stop sympathising with children being killed and we have to agree with israeli policy for there to be any end to this?

hamas isn't getting any of my sympathy or attention. it is palestinians that are getting it.

everything that israel has done suggests that this is nothing to do with hamas and everything to do with land.

have you read the article MT and what do you think about it?

The IRA analogy isn;t valid Soph. The IRA wasn't demanding the anihilation if the UK. But again, I shouldn't get inti debates arguing the toss - that's the problem not the solutuon. What we all need to actually do is starve Hamas of attention.

pan, from election day to inauguration the incoming president does NOT talk about foreign policy. as i understand it that is the convention.

starve hamas of attention, what like israel is???

sorry but that is just a totally nuts argument.

No Soph - no time to read what's not on my reading list. And for the reasons above. My job here is toi actually keep reminding people that, in this issue, words mean nothing. We need to think more than anythig else. About manipulation.