InternetActivist.Org

Remembering al-Nakba (Israel's ethnic cleansing of the Palestinians in 1948)

May 17, 2008

11:00 AM - 2:00 PM

State Capitol--Colfax and Lincoln/Broadway, Denver, Colorado

Sponsor(s): Friends of Sabeel-Colorado, Colorado Progressive Jewish News, Rocky Mountain Peace and Justice Center

Cultural Festival: 11:00 am-1:00 pm Come celebrate Palestinian/Arab culture outdoors with delicious Middle Eastern food and festive music. Participatory Remembrance Ceremony 1:00 pm Commemorate the anniversary of the 1948 al-Nakba--the catastophe of the Palestinians’ homeland by the founding of Israel--by participating in a ceremonial creation of a giant map of Palestine. Learn about the over 400 Palestinian villiages that were depopulated and bulldozed. What is the continuing impact? What can we do?

The Online One State Bibliography in English website - http://www.onestate.org - that presents articles and essays discussing the idea of one state in Israel/Palestine (both for and against) has been updated with new material. New additions include:

I. Pro-Unity One State Articles (direct page: http://oss.internetactivist.org/PUOSA.html)

- Abunimah, Ali "Democracy: An existential threat?" Electronic Intifada
- Amayreh, Khaled "Embracing the one-state solution" Al Ahram
- Christison, Kathleen "One and Two State Solutions: The Myth of International Consensus" CounterPunch
- Cook, Jonathan "Two-State Dreamers" AntiWar.Com
- Hasan, Rumy "Just one state" Al Ahram
- Hishmeh, George S. "Back to square one" Gulf News
- Holachek, Alex "Author proposes one-state solution in Palestine" Wesleyan Argus
- Hull, Crispin "One-state solution to end Israel-Palestine conflict" Canberra Times
- Imadudeen, Ismail "Could One State Phenomenon be the Solution?" American Chronicle
- Khalidi, Ahmad Samih "Thanks, but no thanks" Guardian, 13 December 2007
- Khouri, Rami G. "Dissolve the Palestinian Authority" Daily Star (Lebanon)
- Klein, Shimon Z. "The Binational State Solution to the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict" Blogger News Network
- Lieberman, Dan "The Harsh Reality Of The Middle East Conflict" Counter Currents
- Mundow, Anna "Language and conflict: Interview With Saree Makdisi" Boston Globe
- Peled, Miko "Transforming Israel" Electronic Intifada, 25 March 2008
- Resmann, Nick and Santana, Maaika "Remembrance of the Naqba: Interview with Tal Dor and Nidal al-Azza" IndyMedia - Belgium
- Stern, Yoav "Adalah center says it may seek supranational regime in 'all historic Palestine'" Haaretz
- Walker, Terry "Wrestling with Jewishness" Tikkun
- Weekes, Anna "Interview with single-state activist Dr. Haider Eid" Electronic Intifada

II. Anti-Unity Ethnic Separatist Articles (direct page: http://oss.internetactivist.org/AUESA.html)

- Amdur, Reuel S. "Finklestein: Middle East powder keg ready to blow" Arab American News
- Chumbley, Lucy "Ecumenical conference in Washington D.C. seeks path to 'peace in Jerusalem'" Episcopal News Service
- Harris, Maurice "A place to call home" Register-Guard
- Isseroff, Ami "The rush to sell out Palestine and peace" MidEastWeb
- JPost Staff "Ben-Eliezer warns of bi-national state" Jerusalem Post
- Karsh, Efraim "1948, Israel, and the Palestinians: Annotated Text" Commentary Magazine
- Mendes, Philip "One State, No Solution" NewMatilda.Com
- Pinkas, Alon "Memo to the President - January 2009: Is there still a Two-State solution?" Jerusalem Post
- Rubin, Trudy "The looming threat to Israel lies within" Philadelphia Inquirer
- Warschawski, Michael "The One State Solution and Irreversibility" Alternative Information Center

III. Other Related Articles (direct page: http://oss.internetactivist.org/ORA.html)

- Abunimah, Ali "Anti-Arab racism and incitement in Israel" Electronic Intifada
- Boudreaux, Richard and Khalil, Ashraf "For some Palestinians, one state with Israel is better than none" Los Angeles Times
- Seale, Patrick "Death of the Two-State Solution" PatrickSeale.Com
- Slackman, Michael "Arab Leaders Say the Two-State Proposal Is in Peril" New York Times
- Susser, Leslie "One Land: How Many States?" The Jerusalem Report
- Whitbeck, John V. "If Kosovo, Why Not Palestine?" Media Monitors

If you know of other articles that should be included but are not, please feel free to forward them to us via http://books.dreambook.com/colsol/oss.sign.html or reply to this message.

Father, teacher, and activist and friend

Through the Colorado Palestine Solidarity Campaign (http://colorado-palestine.blogspot.com) I have worked with Riad Hamad and the Palestine Children’s Welfare Fund (http://www.pcwf.org) since 2003. Despite talking via the phone and email, the first time we met face-to-face was at the Palestine Solidarity Conference (“Divestment Conference”) at Duke University in 2004 (http://www.dukenews.duke.edu/mmedia/features/psm/ )where we shared Eid dinner. After this, we often met at other national events, the last of which was the U.S. Campaign mobilization for Palestine in Washington D.C. (http://www.endtheoccupation.org/article.php?id=1281 )

Funny, charming, and clearly driven to help the children of Palestine despite years of harassment (none of which ever revealed any wrongdoing) by the government; the Palestine solidarity movement and society in general has lost a valued and dedicated contributor. Riad Hamad was truly one of the most valuable of activists in that he wasn’t interested in “playing politics” within the activist movement; but instead simply found ways he could make a difference and set out to do so with or without support and assistance from others. He lived very modestly and there has never been an accusation that even a single penny of the money he raised was misappropriated, everything went to help the cause. Further, he found and accepted allies of all stripes, working with Palestinians, other Arab groups, Israeli peace activists, Jewish-Americans (like myself), and anyone else willing to contribute to his various projects and initiatives.

Although the circumstances of his death strike me as being questionable (bound, gagged, and floating in a lake); both the police ([PDF] http://home.kxan.com/news_PDFs/4.17.08APD-hammad.pdf ) and the family ([PDF] http://home.kxan.com/news_PDFs/4.17.08hamad.pdf ) have made the case that due to unspecified “stressors” Riad had recently been suicidal and that the physical evidence supports the possibility that his death was self-inflicted.

He will be missed and should be remembered as he represented the very best in independent grass-roots activism.

From the media:

Teachers, Students Grieve over Loss of Teacher
http://www.590klbj.com/News/Story.aspx?ID=89235

EXCERPT: More than a thousand students and the teachers at a southwest Austin middle school where Riad Hamad, 55, taught a technology class are in silent reflection now. ... "Mr. Hamad is a loved teacher on this campus. He's been here since 1999 when we opened and in his capacity as a technology teacher, he works with about 90% of our students," Anderson says. ... "Our children gained and developed a sense of humor. Some of the things the kids talked about, it was just remarkable that they could mirror the sense of humor that this man had." "They love him. He has been remarkable in setting high standards and sharing. He has been a very generous, generous man."

Odd Twists to Case Surrounding Body in Lady Bird Lake
http://www.590klbj.com/News/Story.aspx?ID=89215

EXCERPT: Witnesses at the scene Wednesday afternoon say the body, now identified as Riad Hamad, 55, an Austin Independent School District teacher, washed up at Festival Beach Park sometime before 2:00 p.m., when one young woman says she called 9-1-1. She told News Radio 590 KLBJ the man's body had been "wrapped with duct tape". Austin Police Sergeant Joseph Chacon confirms the man was bound with duct tape. "The bindings, although I cannot go into them extensively, it's possible that he could have done them to himself," Chacon says. "We have not ruled out that foul play might be involved. However, we have no indication right now that that is the case." ... Investigators say it's not impossible that Hamad would have acted alone, although bizarre.

Family devastated by loss of AISD teacher
http://www.txcn.com/sharedcontent/dws/txcn/austin/stories/041708kvueAISDteacher-cb.7215ba7a.html

EXCERPT: APD Sgt. Joseph Chacon said they have not ruled out foul play, but they believe that Hamad, who is a peaceful activist for Palestinian causes, may have committed suicide. They do not believe his activism was related to his death. Police say Hamad was seen walking from his car to the shoreline of Lady Bird Lake alone just before he was reported missing. Family members said Hamad was dealing with intense pressure and had been experiencing suicidal thoughts. … "There were extreme stressers in Mr. Hamad's life. We've spoken to several people who knew him including family and they expressed that he was feeling suicidal," Chacon said. APD also admits someone binding their own body parts is unusual, but they say it does happen. The official cause of Hamad's death has not been released.

Austin MS teacher identified as body found in Lady Bird Lake
http://www.keyetv.com/content/news/topnews/story.aspx?content_id=8803fbc6-561b-4587-8cdf-ee4933db44f3

EXCERPT: Austin detectives say Riad Hamad, a teacher at Clint Small Middle School, was discovered bound and gagged with duct tape. They say Hamad had told his family was under extreme stress and had thoughts of suicide. Investigators do not suspect foul play. "There were extreme stressors in his life," said Austin Police Department Sergeant Joseph Chacon. "We talked to several people, including his family, who knew him -- who expressed he was feeling suicidal."

Police: Man found in the lake was Austin teacher
http://www.kxan.com/Global/story.asp?S=8176879&nav=menu73_2_10

A friend, brother, comrade has either committed suicide or was murdered
http://www.thepeoplesvoice.org/cgi-bin/blogs/voices.php/2008/04/18/a_friend_brother_comrade_has_either_comm

Riad Hamad: A Death in Austin
http://pacificfreepress.com/content/view/2509/1/

Man found in Lady Bird Lake was teacher, FBI target
http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/04/18/0418body.html

Police search for answers in death of Austin teacher
http://www.kvue.com/news/local/stories/041708kvuebody2-bkm.745e13f5.html

Austin MS teacher identified as body found in Lady Bird Lake
http://www.keyetv.com/mostpopular/story.aspx?content_id=8803fbc6-561b-4587-8cdf-ee4933db44f3

Reproduced verbatim from: http://sabbah.biz/mt/archives/2008/03/02/black-ribbon-for-gaza/

When the Virginia Tech shooting happened in the united states about a year ago, many people posted black-ribbon-vt pictures on their facebook/myspace profiles which spread the word and caused more awareness of it. Similar black ribbons were used in other tragic incidents.

Thus, i made this simple gaza black ribbon for use on facebook, so that people with Western contacts could help raise awareness of this human massacre. What do you think of that idea? Can you please put it up on your blog and encourage readers to spread the word as well please?

It is really unfortunate because here in the United States, not a single word was mentioned about the situation in Gaza in any of the major news networks. Not a single word. Nothing!! None of my colleagues know that anything is happening in Gaza at all.

Best Regards,

–
Za3tar

Thank you, Za3tar!

Please use the “Black Ribbon for Gaza” in all your communication media (e.g. email, forums, flickr, facebook, blog, etc…). Spread the awareness about the atrocities and war crimes conducted by the Israel-Nazi.

To get the code go to: http://sabbah.biz/mt/archives/2008/03/02/black-ribbon-for-gaza/

NEWS RELEASE

For immediate release:
December 16, 2007

Contact: media-requests@runcynthiarun.org

Cynthia McKinney Announces Presidential Campaign
Video News Release Available Today at 6 PM

Cynthia McKinney, a former six-term Congresswoman and an outspoken opponent of the war in Iraq, today officially launched her campaign as a Green Party candidate for President.

In a video news release, McKinney says "the Republicans have deceived us; the Democrats have failed us. It is time for a new beginning: A time for hope to rise from the ashes of despair."

McKinney, a former Democrat from Georgia, was one of only three members of Congress to vote "yes" on a House Resolution in 2005 calling for the immediate withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq. One of her last acts in office was introducing Articles of Impeachment naming George Bush, Dick Cheney and Condoleezza Rice.

According to McKinney: "It is time to break the vicious cycle where the poor go to war and veterans come home wounded and ignored."

McKinney supports universal, single-payer health care; fair trade; and has been an unrelenting advocate for Hurricane Katrina survivors. No stranger to controversy and unafraid of speaking truth to power, McKinney has demanded that the Bush Administration tell the American people what the Administration knew about the events leading up to 9/11 and when they knew it.

McKinney's announcement ends months of speculation about her plans. McKinney has been traveling constantly and meeting with Green Party members and other activists across the country who have been encouraging her to seek the Presidency.

More information about McKinney's campaign including a copy of her video statement, are available by linking to: www.runcynthiarun.org.

-30-

Members of the media are urged to request a copy of the high resolution version of this VNR, suitable for broadcast and cablecast at:
http://media.runcynthiarun.org/vnr_request.cgi

Republican Top Three:

Mitt Romney: 8 delegates
Fred Thompson: 2 delegates
Duncan Hunter: 1 delegate

[SOURCE: http://axcessnews.com/index.php/articles/show/id/13614]

Analysis:

There is no real surprise that Romney won this one, making this Romney’s first state win after losing Iowa to Huckabee. In the West, Mormons are better known and accepted and the GOP voters tend to more centrists perspectives, therefore Romney only made sense. It is a bit surprising to see Duncan Hunter make an appearance here and it would be interesting to see who these voters consider their second choice as it seems unlikely that Hunter will last through the convention.

Next Event: January 8 – Democratic and Republican primaries in New Hampshire. Our predictions: Obama will when NH followed by Clinton on the Democratic side; McCain will win NH followed by Romney.

January 3, 2008 – Iowa (Republicans & Democrats)

Democratic Top Three:

Barak Obama: 38%
John Edwards: 30%
Hillary Clinton: 29%

Republican Top Three:

Mike Huckabee: 34%
Mitt Romney: 25%
Fred Thompson & John McCain: 13%

[Source: http://www.tv20detroit.com/news/13043362.html ]

Analysis:

The big news here was the Huckabee win among Republican voters. Appealing to the evangelical Christian base of the GOP – 60% of GOP Caucus-goers identified themselves as evangelical Christians – Huckabee has become a viable candidate for the Republican nomination. Specifically, the evangelical Christians are “values voters” for whom the social issues (state control of women’s bodies [a/k/a “Pro-Life”]; rabid homophobia; militant Islamophobia; anti-constitutionalism [a/k/a integrating Church & State]; and so on) are much more important than fiscal, defense/imperial, or immigration policy. Further, the evangelicals represent the only core Republican constituency with enormous numbers of actual voters (as opposed to money or vested interests) and Huckabee has tapped this constituency.

If one reads the Republican press today (January 4) it is readily apparent that the GOP leadership – the plutocrats and Neo-Conservatives - were hoping that Huckabee would be excluded thereby forcing the evangelicals to compromise on their social issues as a “lesser evil” than the Democrats. However, this has not turned out to be the case, and now Huckabee – especially if he is able to keep the evangelicals interested – is a very viable candidate for the nomination. By almost all accounts, most Republicans aren’t very enthusiastic about their field, meaning that many will stay home and this means as long as the evangelicals stay galvanized behind Huckabee he can easily win the nomination without compromising his hard line Christian views to placate the other elements of the Republican party. However, when it comes to the general election, Huckabee stands no chance whatsoever of winning.

So, our prediction is that either they will try to bribe Huckabee into dropping out and endorsing so-and-so in exchange for massive new concessions to the evangelicals; OR one is likely to see a very aggressive “Swift Boat” campaign to vilify him. The problem with the bribe idea is that the evangelicals feel that Bush has betrayed them, so they’re much less likely to trust a bribery arrangement, especially since it is entirely possible that they can take over the GOP this year and they have deluded themselves into believing that the vast majority – or silent majority – of Americans support their insane theological platform. As for the “Swift Boat” idea, the problem is that the evangelicals already believe many of the other elements of the GOP are out “to get them” and they have their own alternative media infrastructure that most of their supporters use as their primary sources of information, and thus they have the means of limiting the impact of such a campaign among their faithful.

Among the Democrats, though Hillary’s third place showing came as a surprise to some, those following the polls knew that all three leading candidates were in a statistical tie all along, so the outcome wasn’t that surprising. Nevertheless, Hillary is far from out of the race because her strong point – namely the money and corporate support she has received – won’t really be tested until February 5, when 22 states have their nominating events. It is here where the money will make all the difference since it is completely impossible for the candidates to be in all these states at the same time. However, if Hillary fails to sweep Feb. 5 (give or take a couple states), we believe that would be the end of her run. As a total whore to the corporate powers that be and a staunch Neo-Liberal imperialist Hillary cannot be discounted until the February 5, and then only if she fails to utterly dominate the day.

Although I’m wary of Obama & Edwards for various reasons (e.g. their views about the wars and US imperialist policy) I do believe I could give either of them the benefit of the doubt; especially a major economic downturn is virtually inevitable for most of the next President’s term. This economic downturn, coupled with the subsequent domestic pressures, will largely curtail any President’s ability to expand Bush’s War and is quite likely to result in a dramatic de-emphasis military and imperialist adventurism in favor of domestic issues. Therefore I suspect that whoever the next President is, he or she will be limited in how much imperialist aggression they’ll be able to inflict on the rest of the world, thus Obama & Edwards can be afforded more tolerance than would otherwise be acceptable had Bush not already run the country into the ground. Keep in mind most of the actual impact of Bush’s policies – his borrowing, his tax cuts for the uber-rich, his cuts to the social safety nets - will not take effect until the start of the next President’s term.

Next event: January 5 – the Republican Caucuses in Wyoming. Our prediction is a win for Mitt Romney.