Royal Parasites Vow to Continue the Family Tradition of Robbing the Poor

Hats off to the Guy Who Poked Camilla!

Police Attack on the Right to Protest as they Make 'Anticipatory Breach of the Peace' Arrests

As the royal parasites exchanged their promises to continue robbing the poor and working class, Police stepped up their attempts of previous years to prevent all protests.

Professor Chris Knight, a prominent Republican and Anthropologist, was arrested in London in anticipatory breach of the peace. A completely bogus charge but which is an extremely threatening encroachment on the right of democratic protest

The BBC meanwhile did its best to stir the apathetic masses into some kind of enthusiasm for their Royal Parasites. Wall to wall coverage. No mention of the apathy in the land – the lack of street parties, the virtual absence of bunting. Fact is that most people are now indifferent if not hostile to the royal parasites.

As Shelley put it, the monarchy is the String that Tied the Robbers’ Bundle. They are the icing on the moulding cake. They represent the ‘glamour’ of an ugly ruling class.

Here in Brighton we had a wonderful folk gig at the Princess Caroline of Brunswick (well they all come from Germany anyway). With an alternative version of the national anthem no less! Hats off to Rob Johnson and others who performed and entertained and gave us a wonderful night to enjoy. All proceeds to Her Majesty’s Disloyal Subjects who are subject to the cuts necessary to pay for the royal binge.

And the best song of the night? A tribute to the guy who poked a pig called Camilla through an open window!! (apologies to pigs for the comparison)

Tony Greenstein

Nazi Rabbi Receives Award for Preventing Arab Students Renting Accommodation

Imagine the uproar if in Britain Christian Ministers issued edicts that property should not be let to Jews because property prices would decline and in any case their ‘way of life’ is different.

In fact it did happen in the 1950’s and 1960’s and such things like a Race Relations Law and active anti-racist campaigning made this unacceptable. In Israel a government minister, far from condemning the Chief Rabbi of Safed, Shmeul Eliyahu for his racist statements, awards him a prize!

If this happened to Jews in Britain it would be called, and rightly so, anti-Semitic. In Israel it is considered normal, 74% of Israeli Jews back his stance, and the only people locked up are Arabs who protest at this kind of racism.. Not renting to Jews became compulsory in Nazi Germany – perhaps someone could explain why it isn’t a Nazi like practice when the ‘Jewish’ state does the same.

Tony Greenstein

Lands conference awards Safed rabbi who said Jews shouldn't rent to non-Jews

Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu slams the media for calling him a racist for signing the 'rabbis' letter' that said Jews should not rent their homes to gentiles; rabbi says 'thank God in Safed, land isn't sold to foreigners.'

By Eli Ashkenazi Haaretz 28.04.11

The rabbi of Safed who encouraged citizens to refuse to rent apartments to non-Jews won an award at an annual conference dealing with issues of the Land of Israel this week.
The conference, which was founded by the right-wing religious movement Komemiyut (independence), was officially called the "Land of the nation or land of all the nation’s citizens."

Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu was one of 18 prominent rabbis who signed a petition that came to be known as the 'rabbis' letter' in October urging Jews to refrain from renting or selling apartments to non-Jews.

Eliyahu reiterated his prior message at the conference held in the central town of Ramle, saying "the Jewish law is clear… Thank God that in Safed, land isn't sold to foreigners." Minister of Science and Technology Daniel Hershkowitz awarded Eliyahu with the prize for "his actions, effort and devotion to the Jewish nature of the Land of Israel."

Most of the signatories were from Safed, a city that has seen an increase in its Arab student population that is enrolled at the town's local college.

Eliyahu was the most prominent figure to sign the letter.

The rabbis' letter, which was originally published months before, urges Jewish owners of apartments to reconsider renting their properties to non-Jews since it would deflate the value of their homes as well as those in the neighborhood.

"Their way of life is different than that of Jews," the letter stated. "Among [the non-Jews] are those who are bitter and hateful toward us and who meddle into our lives to the point where they are a danger."

At the conference this week, Eliyahu attacked the media for its reaction to the letter, saying "everyone realizes the enormity of the danger [of renting to non-Jews]," adding "they [non-Jews] eat one neighborhood and then another, and I am expected to reckon with some journalist?"

The rabbi slammed those who have accused him of being a racist, saying that a survey showed that 74-percent of the public supports the letter. He added that he believed the letter had backing from God.

UPDATE - Atzmon Humiliated as He is Left With a Panel of One

Atzmon blowing his own trumpet

Atzmon Humiliated

Atzmon is beginning to realise where holocaust denial and his virulent brand of anti-Semitism leads. At present it is the status of a leper, with all 3 fellow panellists deserting him. His explanation for Palestinian Ghada Karmi not attending is that she sent him an e-mail:

"I'm delayed here (in Jordan) and will not be back in time for the event, and that is the reason for my not attending."

Contrast this with 2 of the e-mails Ghada sent me when I wrote to her about her being billed to speak alongside Atzmon, the first on 26th April:

Thanks,Tony. I have been trying to pull out and am urgently trying to find an email contact for them. I'm in Jordan currently, and not back till next week. Do you have a contact for the organisers?

Ghada

I wrote back to say that I had no contact details other than that publicised (I left a message but it was not returned). I also added that 'On the basis of what you have said here, I will say that you have confirmed that you will not be speaking and that way they can contact you.'

Ghad wrote back on 27th April to say that:

"Indeed I am not speaking, and I've sent an email to the only contact I saw which is on the advert for the event. I'm really concerned that no one has been in touch with me.from their side. I'll see what happens today.

I'll keep you posted.

Ghada"

There is of course an easy explanation, which is that Ghada tried not to hurt Gilad's feelings or more likely didn't want to experience the bile he has directed against other Palestinians who have displeased him. However Atzmon, despite his own beliefs, is not very bright and decided to publicise Ghada's kindness towards him.

UPDATE 30 April 2011

Unsurprisingly given the lack of knowledge about who was organising the event, Westminster University have pulled the plug on the event. However the Jewish Chronicle in one of its most extraordinarily dishonest reports (even by its standards) Westminster university cancels anti-Zionist event when of course it knows that Atzmon is an anti-Semite not an anti-Zionist. This is no accident of course because the JC has an agenda. It goes on to say that

'The event had been promoted by groups including the Stop the War Coalition, the white nationalist Stormfront movement, and the Real IRA.'

Of course this is nonsense. Stop the War Coalition have not promoted the meeting and the views of the neo-Nazi Stormfront or indeed the Zionist Federation's allies, the EDL, are irrelevant. As for the Real IRA I can only assume that this was made up. The JC report also omits Alan Hart's withdrawal.

Atzmon himself has gone haywire. His ego severely dented as he has been abandoned by everyone (except the JC and Stormfront!). On his ego-driven website, the affair is modestly entitled 'Gilad Atzmon: Drama in London'

However this is a severe embarassment to Atzmon. It's all the fault of the Zionists, especially the Jewish anti-Zionist ones! He writes that:

The venue as well as the panelists (except myself funnily enough) came under severe pressure that verged on abuse: one of the panelists admitted to the organisers that he had received twelve phone calls from different Jewish ‘anti-Zionist’ activists, who insisted that -- ‘for the sake of Palestine’-- no one should share a stage with Gilad Atzmon....

I guess that Jewish ‘anti Zionists’ know better than everyone what is good for Palestine, they are chosen after all.

John Rose and Ghada Karmi pulled out, and that is understandable: not many can endure such a level of abuse..'

Of coure this is a tad dishonest. Ghada wanted out, in fact she'd never asked to be in. John Rose was misled about the purpose of the meeting. As for Alan Hart, he will no doubt explain his own views on the matter since he hasn't responded to my e-mails.

But of course is Atzmon wishes to debate his politics then I'm more than up for it. But what Gilad wants is to be taken seriously by academics and those in the know. What he doesn't want is to have to put his ideas to the test, for reasons which are obvious.

Third Panellist Alan Hart Pulls Out – Atzmon is on a Panel of One!

I am reliably informed that Atzmon is infuriated at having been spurned by 2 of his fellow panellists - John Rose and Ghada Karmi - at the meeting which was supposed to take place at Westminster University on 3rd May. In fact he is spitting blood no less at the humiliation. Good. An ego like his needs taking down a peg or two.

I am therefore even more pleased that the third panellist – Alan Hart – the ex-BBC journalist and of Press TV now – has also withdrawn. Atzmon therefore has the Panel to himself and can explain at length how the Jews are behind all the world’s ills!

Atzmon is Abandoned by fellow 'panellists'

I was sent a post yesterday by a French comrade who asked why it was that British left-winger John Rose of the SWP and Ghada Karmi were speaking alongside an open anti-Semite and holocaust denier, Gilad Atzmon. I must confess I didn't know.

I therefore e-mailed a number of people making them aware of this and a group of us were planning to organise a picket of the meeting at Westminster University. It is unclear who is organising the meeting, although I understand that Hizbut Tahir is strong on the campus.

However both John Rose and Ghada Karmi have made it very clear that they will not be speaking at the meeting. John Rose sent a message to people that:

I have not agreed to speak at this event & I have told the organisers to withdraw my name immediately. I did agree to speak at an event ABOUT Atzmon! A very different event and clearly not this one. Best John

In fact I've been asked recently to do much the same and whilst there can be no disagreement with challenging Atzmon's views, including debating him if necessary (though most Atzmonites like Paul Eisen who I also challenged some years ago, run a mile), there is a world of difference with eruditely examining a subject as if Atzmon were some kind of expert.

Likewise Ghada Karmi wrote that:

‘Thanks,Tony. I have been trying to pull out and am urgently trying to find an email contact for them. I'm in Jordan currently, and not back till next week.’ Ghada’

That leaves Alan Hart. It is to be hoped that he will also realise that speaking alongside an anti-Semite on what ‘Jewishness’ means is not a way to combat Zionism. If he does insist on doing so then he will discredit himself. It is to be hoped that he will recognise that speaking alongside genuine anti-Semites is not a good thing.

And I’m pleased to say that after their earlier refusal to disown Atzmon because of loss of face, the SWP have now clearly decided not to have anything more to do with him.

Unsurprisingly the Zionists have picked up on this meeting, including one Mira Vogel of Green Engage. Unfortunately, as a minor derivative academic, Mira is extremely dishonest. Her article is entitled Stop the War Coalition and Stormfront promote the same campus event. In fact the Stop the War Coalition is not promoting the event although the Berkshire StWC, apparently, has members who support him. And it has to be admitted that they are not the only StWC group to do so.

But it would be easier to take Mira seriously if she had, even once, condemned fellow Zionists for demonstrating alongside the fascist EDL. If it is wrong for the Stop the War Coalition and Stormfront to support the same thing, then why did she have nothing to say about the support of the Zionist Federation and the EDL for the murder of 9 human rights activists on the Mavi Marmara. Such hypocrisy is typical of Zionists and that is why we can never take them protestations about anti-Semitism seriously. After all, if they were seriously concerned about holocaust deniers and misuse of the holocaust, then they would condemn the Israeli government for keeping 60,000 holocaust surviviors in poverty because they have stolen their compensation.

One can only assume that Mira and Green Engage believe that demonstrating with fascists and neo-Nazis is better than sharing a platform with a single anti-Semite!

And given the lack of criticism of Atzmon by her fellow Zionists (some of whom have openly worked with him e.g. Michael Ezra) it is no surprise that Mira Vogel ends up quoting my article on Atzmon having become an open holocaust denier! I'm always happy to have my work quoted, but she might ask why Michael Ezra, a Harry's Place Zionist, actually researched previous criminal convictions for Atzmon to use to deflect my criticisms of him and offered to do the same with Roland Rance!

Tony Greenstein

Von: "Gilad Atzmon" Gesendet: 22.04.2011 16:19:11 An: guenter.schenk@web.de Betreff: The Israeli So-Called ‘Lef''
Gilad Atzmon: The Israeli So-Called ‘Left’
Thursday, April 21, 2011

We learned today that some 300 prominent Israeli left-wingers, including some cultural leaders, gathered in Tel Aviv to call for the Jewish state to embrace the creation of a Palestinian state.
Among the petition's signatories were 17 winners of the Israel Prize and other leding intellectuals and artists.

"We are here to welcome the expected announcement of an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel, according to the borders of our independence, fixed during the 1949 armistice," the petition reads. The Israeli so-called ‘Leftists’ are welcoming the expected Palestinian State as long as the Palestinians stay behind the wall and do not exercise their right of return. The Israeli humanists basically endorse the Palestinian diplomatic initiative so they can keep dwelling on Palestinian land forever. I am not impressed at all.

Event: Zionism, Jewishness and Israel
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
A panel discussion examining Israeli Criminality in the wake of the Goldstone Retract.

Tuesday, May 3 · 6:30pm - 8:00pm
Location: University Of Westminster - Cavendish Campus
115 New Cavendish Street
London
W1W 6UW

Speakers include:
Ghada Karmi
John Rose
Gilad Atzmon
Alan Hart

Enquiries Contact: 07934 263 023
panel.3may@gmail.com

This message was sent to guenter.schenk@web.de from:
Gilad Atzmon XXX XXX London, XX 7 7 XX, United Kingdom

URGENT - Free Ahmad Qatamesh! Prominent Palestinian writer arrested by Israel

Israel Wages War on Writers and Human Rights Advocates

Below is information about Israel's ruthless arrest of Dr. Ahmad Qatamesh, a prominent and highly respected Palestinian writer, academic and human rights advocate.

A large Israeli force arrested him in the early hours of Thursday, April 21, after taking his wife, Suha Barghouti, and their 22-year-old daughter hostage (along with two other female relatives).

The Israeli occupation authorities are holding him in Ofer detention center, without charge. They told him they will issue an "administrative detention" order against him, clearly indicating that they have arrested him for his writings and political views. Human rights organizations have squarely condemned administrative detention as an affront to justice, as the detainee is not formally charged and is not given a chance to defend him/herself or even access to the charges list.

Please distribute this example of what the ‘only democracy in the Middle East’ means in practice. With its continuing attempts to evict a Palestinian bookseller in Jerusalem, its outlawing of the commemoration of the Nakba and now this it is clear that the Israeli state is waging war against ideological dissent and the propagation of the Palestinian narrative.

However Israel can be embarrassed into backing off if maximum pressure is applied.

Tony Greenstein

In the early hours of dawn on Thursday, 21 April 2011, a large force of Israeli soldiers and intelligence officers raided the home of the prominent Palestinian writer and academic Dr. Ahmad Qatamesh¹ in Al-Bireh and arrested him. An hour earlier, Qatamesh’s wife, 22-year-old daughter and two other female relatives, including a 14-year-old child, were taken hostage by Israeli troops in another apartment to compel him to surrender himself. He was led to “Ofer” detention center in Beitunia.

Ahmad Qatamesh was born in 1950 in a cave in Bethlehem to a refugee family expelled during the Nakba from the village of Al-Malihah, near Jerusalem.

Qatamesh earned his diploma in Arabic literature from the UNRWA-run Teacher Training Center in Ramallah.

In 1992, he was arrested by a massive Israeli force in the presence of his then 3-year-old daughter. Accusing him of being a particularly “dangerous” national leader, the Israeli Shabak tortured and ill-treated him² for a hundred days, an experience that he articulately exposed in his well-read prison notes titled I Shall not Wear Your Tarboush (fez). After the Shabak failed to produce incriminating evidence, however, an Israeli military court issued an “administrative detention” order against him, in accordance with an emergency law that allows Israel to detain for renewable terms anyone under its jurisdiction without charges, trial or access to the charges against him/her. This unjust procedure was repeatedly condemned as a violation of internationally accepted standards of justice by leading human rights organizations, including Amnesty International.3 Qatamesh’s detention was renewed continuously for almost six years, making him the longest serving administrative detainee ever. In April 1998, after a persistent public pressure campaign by Palestinian, Israeli and international human rights activists and organizations, Qatamesh was finally released.⁴

Ahmad Qatamesh earned his master’s degree and later his PhD in political science from a Dutch university through distance learning, as he was under a travel ban by the Israeli occupation.

1 Also spelled “Katamesh” and “Qatamish.”

2 http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/MDE02/004/1998/en/7090ae54-d9de-11dd-af2bb1f6023af0c5/mde020041998en.pdf

3 Ibid.

4 http://articles.latimes.com/1998/apr/16/news/mn-39885/3

Police Force Fascist March Through Brighton

From Egypt to Libya to Britain - the Police are the Enemies of Freedom and the Friends of Fascism

The fascists assembled at the Railway Tavern, a pub opposite Brighton station. There were police from Hampshire, Surrey and the Met., in addition to those from Sussex. We estimate that at least 1,000 police were deployed to ensure that less than 100 fascists were able to march through Brighton.

It was billed as a ‘family day out’ but there weren’t many families present. Mainly overweight pot-bellied men, with a few women for the sake of appearances. It was to celebrate St. George’s Day though they didn’t manage that either.

What was most noticeable, even to the most innocent and naïve, was the blatant police bias. Forget New Labour and its police protecting communities nonsense, here we saw the state in all its glory. Police turned a blind eye to racist and provocative chanting from the fascists, including anti-gay insults (despite the presence of a few token rainbow coloured banners – yes gays can also be fascists) but arrested mainly anti-fascists for the usual breaches of public order and what were deemed ‘offensive’ remarks directed towards the said fascists.

Indeed the police were remarkable in their consistent hostility to the anti-fascists who they regularly tried to kettle and confine. At one point the police were told to ‘face the enemy’ and immediately turned to look at us. When we pointed out that this confirmed everything we had been saying they excused themselves by saying it was merely an operational command – but it accurately reflected what happened on the day.

The only thing missing was the Zionist flag of Israel. Unsurprisingly there were no Zionist Jews amongst the counterdemonstrators, given the close working links between the Zionist Federation and the fascists nationally. There was however a good turnout from local Palestine solidarity activists, thus giving the lie to the accusation that anti-Semitism = anti-Zionism.

Anti-fascists must however draw some political conclusions from what happened. The first is that the SWP front, United Against Fascism, is incapable of leading or organising any serious anti-fascist response. Despite calling an open meeting a week ago, they ignored the agreement for a stewards group. Many anarchists confined themselves to ensuring the security of the local Cowley club, though to be fair there were many anarchists amongst the counter-demonstrators.
Marching through Brighton must have been a humiliating experience, even for the thickest bone-head. There was next to no support for the fascists and lots of abuse directed at them by people on the street, with special mention to customers who came out to shout from the local Burger King.

The main chant from the fascists was ‘It’s Our England’ which would be amusing but for its crass stupidity. None of these no hopers owns more than a tiny fragment, if that, of ‘our England’. The wealth of Britain is owned by a network of interconnected families and Directors, many of whom aren’t even domiciled in Britain. Instead the EDL are imbeciles for the ruling class and capitalists who do actually own England, the proto-SA of the future.

At a time of mass unemployment and recession the fascists chanted 'get a job' and 'we pay your benefits'. Presumably they were unaware of small things like NHS cuts and bankers' bonuses.

At the moment the EDL has next to no presence in Brighton and Hove. Most of their supporters were shipped in from places like Southampton with a banner from the Essex Infidels. Brighton, with its tolerant multi-cultural atmosphere and its large and openly gay community is not fertile ground for fascism.

However next year serious though needs to be given as to how to stop the march in its tracks. UAF are not interested in anything but token opposition and played a large part in boosting a home grown initiative last year. Serious anti-fascism is no longer the preserve of the SWP and what is needed is a united anti-fascist group comprising all political groups on the left, anarchists and independents, whose aim is to ensure that fascism does not have a free pass in Brighton.

Tony Greenstein

Postcript - Today's Argus reports that 350 Police were mobilised. We should take this with a pinch of salt. The Police demonstrate their bias when they claim there were 100 demonstrators and 200 fascists. I went to the start of the fascist march and there were under 100 people whereas we had people out throughout the town and there were, at a minimum 300 anti-fascists. Who says the Police are unbiased?

SERTUC – South-East Region TUC Abandons the Unemployed

SERTUC’s ‘Communist Leadership’ Under Megan Dobney Demonstrates its Loyalty to the TUC Hierarchy

SERTUC is the biggest of the 3 TUC Regions in England. It stretches from Ipswich to Brighton and includes London. Each year it puts out a handbook which lists trade union addresses and details as well as information on other ‘useful’ organisations such as the Engineering Employers’ Federation.

Up to this year SERTUC has also listed those Unemployed Centres within the region – Brighton prime amongst them. This year – nothing. Unemployed Centres had disappeared.

I therefore e-mailed the Secretary of SERTUC, one Megan Dobney, to find out why the decision had been taken to eliminate all reference to such Centres. No reply was received. I sent a further e-mail. Again no reply. The Secretary of Brighton Trades Council wrote to Dobney. Again no reply.
But Brighton Unemployed Centre and its Trades Council are clearly seen by Dobney, a member of the Morning Star’s Communist Party of Britain, as a thorn in the side. When I wrote to her regarding the fact that our own Centre had been omitted from the TUC’s own handbook she sent an e-mail to an assistant telling him not to reply to me. Unfortunately, being one of the more spectacularly incompetent bureaucrats the TUC has spawned, she sent me a copy too!

At the AGM on Saturday I therefore put out a leaflet and asked a question to Dobney as to why, when unemployment is at a record high and when benefits are being slashed has she decided to omit all reference to unemployed centres from SERTUC’s handbook. Faced with no option but to reply she stated that there was no need as Centres were listed in the TUC’s own Directory. Which is true but they have always been listed in both publications, so why now eliminated them? No reply. On benefit cuts and the TUC’s lethargy and support for New Labour, again no response. We were told that she had met a group of the unemployed from Kilburn and that a Centre might be established somewhere else in London (there is no unemployed centre in the whole of London), in which case why not include this in the Report.

However SERTUC, which largely consists of second tier union bureaucrats, regional officials and a smattering of trades council delegates, numbering about 100 in total, including it has to be said many retired officials, wasn’t it has to be said particularly interested. The fact that their members, down to 7 million from nearly double that under Thatcher, and likely to fall further didn’t seem of great concern. The fact that 4.5 million people on Disability Living Allowance are under threat of having it removed, having already seen Incapacity Benefit abolished (under New Labour) was not of great concern to delegates.

As was to be expected many were the references to the 26th March demonstration in London, when the TUC became the first organisation in history to provide estimates of the number of marchers which was nearly twice as low as that of the Police! Usually you double police numbers. The reason? Because the TUC is more afraid of the possibility of success and the struggle that entails than the failure that it is more normally associated with.

Tony Greenstein

Memorial Picket for Vittorio Arrigoni, Italian ISM member Murdered in Gaza

Ahava Picket Larger Than Ever as Zionist Numbers Dwindle

Our joy that the Ahava store in Covent Garden is closing was tempered this week by the commemoration of the memory of Vittorio Arrigoni, who was so cruelly murdered by an insane Jihadist/Salafist group in Gaza last week.

The beneficiary and responsibility for Vik's murder though lies lies with the Israeli state. Even assuming that the murderers, first of Juliano Mer Khamis and now Vittoria Arrigoni weren't actually paid assets of Israel, and this is by no means certain, only Israel stands to gain. Palestinians can now be branded collectively as insane Islamist murderers, even of those who have devoted their lives to solidarity with them.

When you cage people for years on end and deliberately starve them and deprive them of life’s necessities, whilst regularly murdering and injuring them, all in the name of the Jewish people, it is not surprising that tiny fascist groups spring up who do the work of Israel for it. Although an interesting thesis, I suspect that Lauren Booth's article is a conjecture too far.

Ahava itself is not being allowed to renew its lease in Covent Garden. Existing traders want them out, just as Ahava itself didn’t want the attentions of Hoffman and his crewe. Indeed now that we have achieved a victory over Ahava and its sale of stolen goods, we should also pay tribute to the role of Jonathan Hoffman who, more than any other single person, helped reinvigorate the protests with his tiny band of counter-demonstrators and EDL thugs.

In his Jewish Chronicle blog, Hoffman bizarrely cites the very store he is supposed to be supporting, Ahava, as a ‘guilty party’ because they were ‘pusillanimous in fighting the haters and for blaming the counter-demonstraters for the disruption to Monmouth Street.’

Tony Greenstein

Demolitions in Samra

A group of 10 activists from Brighton & Sheffield are spending up to a month in the Jordan valley, to bear witness to and help prevent, where possible, the continued dispossession of the Palestinians and destruction of their property by the Israeli army and settlers. This is an extremely fertile area and it has always been Israel’s policy, ever since the Allon Plan in 1969, to keep the Jordan Valley for ‘security’ reasons.

What is shown below is heartbreaking and is something that is rarely mentioned in the West.
Please do follow the blog of their visit and also you can receive more information about the demolition orders received at Al Samra at

Tony Greenstein

Monday, 11 April 2011

What we're doing now

Hi,

No posts for a while as things have been very busy. We are focussing on writing for the www.jordanvalleysolidarity.org website. Now there are ten of us here from Brighton and Sheffield we have been splitting up.

Last Thursday there was a wave of destruction by the Army in the Jordan Valley, starting with Aqaba, moving on to Samra, then a small community north of Jericho.

Since then we have been to Bil'in, Ramallah, Nablus, Asira, Iraq Burin and Hebron. We are now back in the Jordan Valley for our last couple of days.

Today some of us will visit the bedouin community between Lower and Upper Fasayil. who are facing iminent demolitions, and the bedouin community in Al Auja to start making mud bricks with them for their new school.

Demolitions in Samra

After noon on 7th April the army demolished three large animal shelters and a kitchen in the farming community of Al Samra in the northern Jordan Valley.
We arrived just after the demolitions to find the families devastated, and the grandparents visibly upset. They received demolition orders for the third time on Tuesday 29th March, and were given just 3 days to destroy their own buildings, making it virtually impossible for the to make an appeal through the courts. When the army did not demolish their buildings straight away they became hopeful that they would be able to get a freeze on the demolition order, but their hopes were destroyed today. The grandmother was crying at the sight of the destruction, and that the sheep and goats were now out in the afternoon sun without any shade.
The animals were all crowding under the tractors and water tanks to try to find their own shade. As well as the animal shelters, the army also destroyed the small kitchen of a family with a young baby, aged just 20 days old. You can more information about the demolition orders received at Al Samra at

Jordan Valley being segregated from rest of West Bank

Over the last week diggers and bulldozers have been seen enlarging the trench and earth mound that are the beginnings of Israel's apartheid eastern wall that aims to segregate the Jordan Valley from the rest of the West Bank.

Although it looks like a fairly innocuous earth mound for anyone driving along the Allon Road, if you then take a closer look you find a massive trench the other side. This makes it impossible for any vehicles to cross, and extremely difficult for anyone to cross on foot.

Like the wall all around the West Bank, the aim is to annex land to the Israeli state and their illegal colonies, and in the process divides communities, prevents Palestinians from accessing their land, water sources, health services or education.

There is one gate in the wall in the Al Hadidiya / Ras Ar Ahmar / Atuf area, which is opened for just half an hour twice a week.

Running water to Al Farisiya

Thursday, 31 March 2011 08:23

In the autumn of 2010 Jordan Valley Solidarity ran water to the farming village of Al Farisiya, who have been persistently harrassed by the Israeli occupation in recent years in an attempt to confiscate their land and ethnically cleanse the area of Palestinians.