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First of all, please meet Handala (Hat tip: Ben Heine for his great artwork):

HANDALA__witness_of_the_Horror__Ben_Heine

Handala (or Hanzala) is the most famous of the Palestinian cartoonist Naji al-Ali's cartoon characters. From approximately 1975 through 1987 Naji Al-Ali created cartoons that depict the complexities of the plight of Palestinian refugees. These cartoons are still relevant today and Handala, the refugee child who is present in every cartoon, remains a potent symbol of the struggle of the Palestinian people for justice and self-determination.

Naji Al-Ali wrote:

"His name is Handala and he has promised the people that he will remain true to himself. I drew him as a child who is not beautiful; his hair is like the hair of a hedgehog who uses his thorns as a weapon. Handala is not a fat, happy, relaxed, or pampered child. He is barefooted like the refugee camp children, and he is an icon that protects me from making mistakes. Even though he is rough, he smells of amber. His hands are clasped behind his back as a sign of rejection at a time when solutions are presented to us the American way.

Handala was born ten years old, and he will always be ten years old. At that age, I left my homeland, and when he returns, Handala will still be ten, and then he will start growing up. The laws of nature do not apply to him. He is unique. Things will become normal again when the homeland returns.

I presented him to the poor and named him Handala as a symbol of bitterness. At first, he was a Palestinian child, but his consciousness developed to have a national and then a global and human horizon. He is a simple yet tough child, and this is why people adopted him and felt that he represents their consciousness."

Handala became the signature of Naji al-Ali's cartoons and remains an iconic symbol of Palestinian identity and defiance; the artist remarked that "this being that I have invented will certainly not cease to exist after me, and perhaps it is no exaggeration to say that I will live on with him after my death".

Unfortunately, the Palestinian refugees are still refugees.

The plight of Palestinians in the occupied territories has worsened dramatically, with 2.4-million now living in poverty, according to a report published on Monday by the International Labour Organisation (ILO). Meanwhile "Donations to Palestinians start to flow after US nod" and Fayyad was expected to receive enough money through the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) account to pay government workers, including members of the security forces, at least half of their normal monthly wages later this week. But the misery does not end there because "The Israeli Army invades a village near Bethlehem and kidnaps three civilians", more "Palestinian civilian kidnapped as army search homes in Hebron", the occupation "Army injures two Palestinians and kidnaps them after surrounding a hospital in Jericho" and despite the Jewish country's threats to expand the 11-day-old crackdown on Gaza "militant groups fire more rockets into Israel" as no guarantee that Israel will ever stop its aggression on Palestinians in West Bank as well Gaza. In fact Israel is not only targeting Palestinian militant but they "strike on Jabalya camp damages civilian property; human rights offices". The "Israeli forces invade Nablus, attack women's center". Meanwhile, some "Guantanamo prisoner urges release of BBC journalist," a television cameraman held prisoner for years at the US Navy base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, has issued an impassioned plea for the release of a fellow journalist kidnapped in Gaza.

In the ONLY democracy in the M.E., "Settler fires rounds of live ammunition at Arabic houses in the Negev" and the "Alleged killer of Arab cabbie is indicted" while the prosecutors who requested that Sofir be remanded until his trial said the murder was committed due to "racial motives and his hatred towards Arabs." Of course if you ask any Zionist, s/he will deny that this is racist motive despite the fact that they feed their children with hate towards Arab like feeding a "Poison Apple". Look at it, if using the innocence of a cartoon mouse to teach violent resistance to Israeli occupation creates hate (although it was proved that MEMRI report is a lie and intentionally mistranslated), it pales in comparison to the hatred that is being created when Jewish children are taught that God gave the land of Palestine to the Jews.

Speaking of the only "democracy" and racism, all what you need to look at is the Knesset discussions about the "Amendment to Right of Entry Law" which can be described in two words as a "racist law". Some speakers at a meeting in Tel Aviv on Sunday night were unanimous in declaring the amendment as racist and directed primarily at non-Jews of Russian, Ethiopian and Palestinian background, so as to safeguard Israel's demographic balance and ensure that there will always be a Jewish majority… Other than forcing Palestinians and non-Jewish Russian and Ethiopian immigrants out of the country, the amendment would also affect several hundred non-citizens who were stateless Bedouin.

Moving Internationally, "Livni meets with British ambassador over U.K. boycotts" because it is worries her (them, the Zionists) that the number of British organizations calling for the boycott of Israel, their public campaigns, and their constant comparisons between Israel and the apartheid regime of South Africa have made the battle for British public opinion particularly significant.

She and her alike always ignores the fact that "Palestinians Support Truce with Israel", however, they are not allowed to demonstrate peacefully. The BBC asked: "Where is the Palestinian peace camp?", the answer was simple: "a series of non-violent demonstrations have cropped up to protest against the building of the West Bank barrier. These protests, however, are small "because we can't gather like the Israelis do in Tel Aviv," says Dr Salameh. "We would get shot if we tried."

And while they call it "DEMOCRACY", our Prime Minister "Haneya follows up weekly cabinet meeting from secret location" because of the Israel threat to assassinate Palestinian leaders. Israel policy is very clear, "kill them or put them behind bars" until there is no one left to resist their crimes and fight for Palestinian right. Mona Mounsour, "a Palestinian MP called for international justice against Israel" and said that Palestinian government could file a case in the International Court of Justice against Israel for kidnapping at least 35 Palestinian officials last week.

As the conditions worsen, "S. Africa condemns Middle East violence" and rumors that "Arab powers seen taking over P.A." is spreading, as if that was not tested before and failed. But as usual, whenever there is a 0.0001% chance of peace negotiations, Israeli rhetoric surface such as "Ya'alon: No peace until Arabs recognize Israel." With this and many of such statements, the Israelis take it as de facto and limit their horizon to reach peace. Taking for example "A condominium solution for a divided Jerusalem", there is a widespread misconception among Israelis that, under the status quo, Israel possesses sovereignty over expanded East Jerusalem. It does not. It possesses administrative control. A country can acquire administrative control by force of arms. It can acquire sovereignty only with the consent of the international community. Israel has possessed and exercised administrative control over expanded East Jerusalem for four decades. To this day, none of the world's other 194 sovereign states has recognized its claim to sovereignty. Furthermore, Israel's purported annexation of expanded East Jerusalem has been declared void, and Jerusalem has been explicitly included among the occupied territories in a long series of unanimous or near-unanimous UN Security Council and General Assembly resolutions.

Before we leave Arab/Israel relations, "Israel won't budget cellular frequencies to Al-Wataniya," as Israel refuses to allocate cellular frequencies to the new Palestinian cellular services company recently set up in the occupied territories. Note that Al-Wataniya is a Kuwaiti owned company, and they are working (or supposed to work after winning the second cellular license) in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, not Israel, yet Ya'alon demand Arab recognition of Israel!?

Anyway, another ironic news in the media; you should 'Tune Out', "B'nai Brith Shuts Down Peace Activists in Canada" What, according to the complaint, is anti-Semitic? "The idea that Israel has no right to exist or that Israel is an apartheid state," says Mr. Abrams. Also, any comparison of Zionists to Nazis. The definition of anti-Semitism is changed at will by those that simply cannot tolerate any criticism of the Jewish State. The editor of Peace, Earth & Justice was forced to resign for the "bad judgment" of publishing an article after the complaint was received, because the article is "slanderous to all Jews," uses the word Zionist as a "slander" like Nazi, and may be a "hate crime" under Canadian law.

A semantic question: Is it also a slander to refer to Nazis as "Nazis"?

But this is nothing new. A "Professor who attended the widely labelled a Holocaust-denial conference in Tehran, blasts critics as Islamophobes". He retaliated with a blistering published attack on his university president and his colleagues for being illiterate Islamophobes. His interest has been in what use of the Holocaust has been made to promote Zionism – the right of Jews to a national homeland – and to support the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory.

On Lebanon "front", reports say that "Firefights erupt at besieged Lebanon camp" and "Lebanon army 'hit by militants'" after the Lebanese troops have reportedly come under attack from "Islamist" militants barricaded inside a Palestinian refugee camp in the north of the country. The "Lebanese army and Islamists clash violently", reports said, but hardly anyone one is mentioning the suffering of the ten's of thousands Palestinian refugee hostages in the camp. The "Militants accuse US of sending nerve gas to the Lebanese army", the army didn't deny or confirm this, but I expect that next move will be asking the Palestinian refugees to "HOLD THEIR BREATH" when they use the nerve gas. If refugees don't, it's only Palestinians to blame because they didn't listen to the advice. Despite the fact that Palestinians are not part of this conflict, "Palestinians seek end to Lebanon standoff", meanwhile, UN team is BUSY "to report on alleged arms smuggling to Lebanon" (not the one that is coming through Beirut Int'l Airport).

Last but not least, "Peretz loses Israeli party vote", guess why? Because he lost the War on Lebanon last summer and didn't kill enough civilians. Had he killed enough, he would be now running for Presidency or Prime Minister office, but his hands are not bloody enough for that so the two men who defeated him, former Prime Minister Ehud Barak and a former head of Shin Bet, Ami Ayalon will now face a run-off vote to continue what he failed to do. Note that they both are VERY experienced in "security" (bloodshed) issues (one coming from defense ministry and the other from Shen Bet). This is where the Israeli votes go for.

So it's another year, another day, June this years it will be "40 years since 1967 – and B'tselem announce a day of public events." How many more "events" day are we going to witness? How many more years are we going to CELEBRATE the occupation?

Finally, it is also noteworthy to remind our American friends that "American Treachery in the Attack on the USS Liberty Much Deeper Than Previously Thought". It was June 8, 1967, American navy were viciously attacked 40 years ago and the perpetrators got away with it. It's time to learn from history and work for better future, for all.

Israeli Attack on USS Liberty:


Until next collage…

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{ 1 } Comments

  1. Jamal | May 31, 2007 at 3:34 am | Permalink

    http://radicalmuslim.blogsome.com/2007/05/30/the-mega-mosque/

    49,981 signatures have now been received on a terrible petition against the London 'Mega mosque' based on incorrect and inciteful information. This shows the existence of the intolerance and Islamophobia in Britain.

    The mosque would provide a place of worship and show Britains tolerance and multiculturalism. It is now the duty of Muslims and evey citizen to sign the counter-petition to BUILD the ‘Mega Mosque’. Please sign at the link below, email it to your friends, post it in forums you visit and promote this on your site/blog.

    http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/buildmosque/