by

Hamas military chief killed in Israeli attack + Israel calls up reservists, gets ready for Gaza invasion

Hunted with her family by an airstrike on their house

Image by freegazaorg via Flickr

Dandelion Salad

Nov 14, 2012 by

An urgent update at 6.13pm Palestine time (4.13pm GMT)

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Nov 14, 2012 by

Israel has killed the military commander of the Palestinian Hamas movement in a missile strike on the Gaza Strip and launched air raids across the enclave, pushing the two sides to the brink of a new war.

The attacks on Wednesday marked the biggest escalation between Israel and Gaza fighters since the 2008-2009 conflict and came despite signs on Tuesday that neighbouring Egypt had managed to broker a truce in the territory after a five-day surge of violence.

Al Jazeera’s Caroline Malone reports.

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Nov 14, 2012 by

Hamas says that it is now in a state of “open war” indefinitely with Israel after the killing of the Hamas commander Ahmed Jabari by an Israeli airstrike – READ MORE http://on.rt.com/nssjyv

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Nov 14, 2012 by

Israeli air strikes have continued into the night in Gaza, after a missile killed the military commander of Hamas, Ahmed Jabari.

Dozens of rockets have been fired back into southern Israel following the strike. One has hit a shopping centre in a major Israeli city.

At least eight people have been reported killed in Gaza so far – including three civilians. Residential buildings are among those destroyed.

Al Jazeera’s Shakuntala Santhrian interviews Ali Abunimah, a Palestinian American journalist, and co-founder of Electronic Intifada, an online publication about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

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JVP Statement on Israel’s Operation “Pillar of Defense”

http://jewishvoiceforpeace.org/
Nov. 14, 2012

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Rabbi Alissa Wise, alissa@jvp.org

Jewish Voice for Peace Statement on Israel’s Operation “Pillar of Defense”

As Israel launches operation “Pillar of Defense” in Gaza, Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) calls for an immediate cessation of the air strikes and naval bombardment into Gaza and an end to the ongoing siege of Gaza. JVP urges Israel not to exploit its asymmetric power to exacerbate the instability in the region. We urge President Obama to take a stand against these attacks and to use the power of the United States to insist that Israel pursue all diplomatic measures possible for the sake of life, safety and security on all sides.  JVP also urges the end of rocket attacks from Gaza into civilian communities in Israel, which we believe is never justifiable, and which only serve to derail efforts for a just resolution to the conflict.

This operation is named in reference to a biblical passage in which a pillar of cloud protects the Israelites as they wandered in the desert after leaving bondage in Egypt.

And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; that they might go by day and by night. — Exodus 13:21

It is unseemly to invoke the protection afforded the Israelites wandering in the desert when Israel is the dominant military power in the region. JVP rejects the possibility that such a military operation and escalation of violence will be of any protection for Israelis or Palestinians. As Israel continues to control Gaza by air, land and sea, Israel holds responsibility for the well-being and safety of Palestinian civilians in Gaza who will be traumatized, injured and killed through this escalation of violence.

JVP calls on our chapters, members, and supporters to join us in redoubling our efforts to advocate for an end to the U.S.’s unconditional military aid to Israel and to intensify our calls for divestment from all companies that profit from this escalation of violence and Israel’s ongoing siege of Gaza.

You can follow live updates from Gaza here: http://twitter.com/theIMEU/watching-gaza

Jewish Voice for Peace is a national organization dedicated to promoting a US foreign policy in the Middle East based on peace, democracy, human rights and respect for international law.

With offices in New York and California, over 100,000 supporters and 30 chapters, a Rabbinic Cabinet, and a youth wing, JVP’s board of advisors includes Tony Kushner, actor Ed Asner, writer Naomi Klein, Noam Chomsky and other respected rabbis, artists, scholars and activists.

http://jewishvoiceforpeace.org/

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From an email:

The following is a statement from the ANSWER Coalition. The PSL is supporting these actions nationwide.

ISRAELIS LAUNCH MAJOR ASSAULT ON GAZA

Join Protests Nationwide!

After getting the go-ahead from the Obama administration in a meeting at the White House on Monday, Israel has launched another major assault against the Palestinian people in Gaza. Israeli troops have been assembled at the border and are poised to invade Gaza again.

Click here to send a letter to President Obama and elected officials to stop funding Israeli war crimes!

In an act designed to provoke a wider war, missiles from Israel assassinated a top Hamas official and killed and wounded many others as its planes and warships have struck more than 20 targets in an ongoing assault. Reports of the bombardment of Gaza are continuing as bodies, including those of children, are being brought to the hospital and morgue.

The ANSWER Coalition joins with people all over the world to condemn this act of wanton aggression and murder, and has issued the following statement:

“All U.S. aid to Israel should be ended once and for all. The people of the United States stand against the government that speaks in our name and sends $3 billion of our tax dollars every year so that Israel can kill and colonize the people of Palestine. The fact that the Obama administration was briefed on Monday prior to the attack shows that these latest crimes are a joint U.S.-Israeli operation. The Pentagon immediately announced after the first wave of murderous assaults today that Israel was its ‘partner.’ Israel may be a partner of U.S. imperialism as it acts as an extension of Pentagon and CIA power in the Middle East. But it is absolutely not the partner of the people of this country who are horrified by its policy of endless war against the Palestinian people and all the peoples of the region.”

Click here to send a letter to President Obama and elected officials to stop funding Israeli war crimes!

The ANSWER Coalition urges everyone to go into the streets and join and organize a demonstration in your area. Let us know about a protest near you by emailing info@answercoalition.org.

List of actions:

Albuquerque, NM
Friday, Nov. 16, 5pm
UNM bookstore (Central and Cornell)
Contact: 505-268-2488 or abq@answercoalition.org

Baltimore, MD
Saturday, Nov. 17, 12noon
McKeldin Square
Contact: 443-759-9968 or baltimore@answercoalition.org

Boca Raton, FL
Thursday, Nov. 15, 9am-2pm
FAU Breezeway: 777 Glades Rd.

Boston, MA
Thursday, Nov. 15, 4:30pm
Copley Square

Chicago, IL
Thursday, Nov. 15, 4pm
Obama Headquarters, 130 E. Randolph St.
Contact: 773-463-0311

Ft. Lauderdale, FL
Saturday, Nov. 17, 2pm
Broward Federal Courthouse
299 East Broward Blvd.

Los Angeles, CA
Thursday, Nov. 15, 4pm
Israeli Consulate, 11766 Wilshire Blvd.
Contact: 213-251-1025 or answerla@answerla.org

New Haven, CT
Saturday, Nov. 17, 12 noon
141 Church St. (opposite the Green)
Contact: 203-903-4480 or ct@answercoalition.org

New York, NY
Thursday, Nov. 15, 5pm
In front of the Israeli Consulate (42nd St. and 2nd Ave.)

Philadelphia, PA
Friday, Nov. 16, 12 noon
Israeli Consulate: 1880 JFK Blvd.

San Francisco, CA
Thursday, Nov. 15, 5:15pm
Consulate General of Israel
456 Montgomery St Ste 1500, San Francisco

Friday, Nov. 16, 4pm
Israeli Consulate,
456 Montgomery St., SF
Contact: 415-821-6545 or sf@answercoalition.org

Syracuse, NY
Friday, Nov. 16, 12 noon
Federal building
Corner of Fayette St. and Clinton St.
Contact: 315-491-6987 or Syracuse@answercoalition.org

Washington, D.C.
Friday, Nov. 16, 6pm
Rally at the State Department (2201 C Street Northwest),
Followed by March to the White House
Contact: 202-265-1948 or dc@answercoalition.org

see

Noam Chomsky on Gaza and Israel + How We Can Solve The Palestinian Israeli Problem

Impressions of Gaza by Noam Chomsky

Ch. 12: The Split: Differences over Israel tear apart a Jewish marriage by William T. Hathaway

Videos on Israel-Palestine