• 18-jarige dienstweigeraar De 18-jarige Israëlische dienstweigeraar Udi Nir ging op 21-8-2008 voor 21 dagen de gevangenis in. In een brief aan de minister van defensie legde hij zijn beweegredenen uit. Udi Nir is één van de ondertekenaar van de 'Shiministim letter 2008'. In deze brief schreven leerlingen van de hoogste klassen van het middelbaar onderwijs aan de Israëlische premier dat zij weigeren in het leger te dienen omdat ze niet de uitvoerders willen zijn van de Israëlische politiek van apartheid, onderdrukking en moorden in de bezette gebieden. Udi is de eerste ondertekenaar die in de gevangenis belandt. Naar verwachting zullen de anderen spoedig volgen.
• Dienstweigeraars in Israel De moed om in Israël dienst te weigeren
  Dienstweigeren stuit in de Israëlische samenleving op felle kritiek. De weigeraars van militaire dienst in de bezette gebieden worden voor verraders uitgemaakt en als misdadigers neergezet. Toch zijn er steeds meer soldaten die moeite hebben met hun rol als bezetter.
• Omer Goldman Omer Goldman is een van de sjministim - studenten die weigeren dienst te nemen in het Israelische leger. Hiervoor worden zij gearresteerd. Hun perioden in de nor duren kort, maar dienstweigering wordt steeds opnieuw met gevangenis bestraft. Omer Goldman is de dochter van het vroegere plaatsvervangend hoofd van Mossad, de Israelische veiligheidsdienst. Omer heeft zonder toestemming van haar vader een Palestijnse stad op de Westoever bezocht, en bij een checkpoint is zij met de Palestijnen onder vuur genomen door Israelische soldaten. 'We zaten te praten aan de kant van de weg en er kwamen soldaten langs en na een paar seconden kregen ze een bevel om gasgranaten en rubberen kogels op ons af te schieten. Het verbaasde mij dat de soldaten de orders zonder nadenken opvolgden. Voor het eerst in mijn leven hief een Israelische soldaat zijn wapen om op mij te schieten.' Dat heeft haar gemotiveerd het militaire systeem af te wijzen.
• Steun de Shministim De Shministim zijn Israëlische middelbare scholieren die principieel weigeren dienst te doen in een leger dat de Palestijnse gebieden bezet houdt. U kunt ze nu steunen. Deze dappere jongens en meisjes kunnen internationale steun goed gebruiken. Velen hebben vanwege hun weigering al meerdere malen de gevangenis van binnen gezien. U kunt die steun geven door nu een boodschap te zenden aan de Israëlische Minister van Defensie. Dat kan gemakkelijk via de website www.december18th.org. Er is al een boodschap voor u voorgekookt, maar u kunt die wijzigen of aanvullen. Al de boodschappen zullen op 18 december 2008 door vredesactivisten persoonlijk aan de minister worden aangeboden.
• Tekening
• Treinstakingen voor Gaza Op 8 januari 2009 stonden alle treinen in Noorwegen en alle trams en metrotreinen in Oslo 2 minuten stil uit protest tegen de Israëlische invasie van Gaza
• Van Agt over Gaza Nederland moet het initiatief nemen tot een VN-onderzoek naar oorlogsmisdaden in Gaza. Dat zegt Dries van Agt, daartoe geïnspireerd door o.a. bisschop Tutu. Hij maakt korte metten met de argumenten van de regering om Israël te blijven steunen. Van Agt doet deze oproep op 31 december 2008, nadat het Israëlische leger in vier dagen meer dan driehonderdvijftig Palestijnen heeft gedood, onder wie tientallen vrouwen, kinderen en bejaarden en nadat Aartsbisschop Desmond Tutu de noodklok heeft geluid. De Nobelprijswinnaar van de Vrede zei op 28 december over de Israëlische aanval: 'The bombardment bears all the hallmarks of war crimes.'
• Witte fosfor in oorlogen De NVMP veroordeelt het gebruik van witte fosfor door Israëlische troepen in de Gazastrook en roept op tot een internationaal verbod op het gebruik ervan. In een brief aan minister van buitenlandse zaken Maxime Verhagen schrijft de NVMP, vereniging voor gezondheidszorg en vredesvraagstukken, zeer verontrust te zijn over het gebruik van witte fosfor door Israëlische troepen tijdens het gewapende ingrijpen in de Gazastrook. 'Als artsen streven wij naar vermindering van lijden door oorlogsgeweld. Witte fosfor zorgt niet alleen voor groot lichamelijk leed; gebruik ervan gebeurt zonder onderscheid des persoons waardoor vele burgers slachtoffer worden. Daarom veroordeelt de NVMP het gebruik ervan onder alle omstandigheden'.

Dear Farida, Every time I saw one of those Obama posters with "HOPE" on it, I felt it. Hope, that is. Hope against hope that perhaps this new President would pursue a just peace with the same fervor that he pursued hope before he was elected. And in the short time since the inauguration, we're seeing reasons to believe our hope was justified. But, here's the big challenge: Israel, Palestine, Gaza. Turning hope into reality comes down to how President Obama deals with this ongoing tragedy. This week's announcement of George Mitchell as Middle East envoy -- the man who helped broker peace in Northern Ireland-- signals that Obama is serious about even-handed diplomacy. For so many, our hope is that Mitchell and Obama will now take serious and meaningful steps towards a just and true peace. It's a tall order, we know. But the momentum that began on inauguration day won't last long, and the cease fire in Gaza has only ceased the worst of the bombs and violence. We have a window and we must take advantage of it. We must hope - and HOPE BIG. Please join Jewish Voice for Peace and Just Foreign Policy in asking President Obama to make good on his promise of hope. Please read our letter and add your name, and then ask your like-minded friends to do the same. We're aiming to deliver our letter on February 23. Then download our Hope posters and put them in your windows or on your wall. Obama has said that he needs people like us to demand action loudly and visibly. Now is our moment. We must keep the pressure on. Thank you for doing your part. Sincerely, Cecilie Surasky info@jewishvoiceforpeace.org Antwoorden op: laura@jewishvoiceforpeace.org

• This was in January - of last year.
  Today, many Gazan bakeries are closed because, like Mohammed's family, they don't have power either. Some don't even have flour.
  The Israeli blockade of Gaza had already made it impossible for Palestinians to live in dignity and have access to the barest of essentials: bread, clean water, medical supplies and electricity.
  This is no coincidence. This is official policy. In a moment of candor, Dov Weissglas, a top aide to Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert was quoted as saying, "the Palestinians will get a lot thinner, but [they] won't die."
  His prediction was true. Last April, UNICEF reported that more than 50% of children under five in Gaza are anemic, and that many children are stunted due to a lack of vitamins.
  And now?
  As Gaza is smoldering from the siege that killed 1,285 people - nearly 70% of them civilians, destroyed at least 4,000 homes, and sent more than 50,000 people to temporary shelters, the Israeli blockade has not been lifted.
  A tenuous cease fire is in now place. Humanitarian aid is starting to pour in.
  But the civilian infrastructure is crippled. The borders of Gaza remain controlled by Israel. And just as Gazans could not leave during the siege to escape the bombing and shelling, they cannot leave now to get food and fuel.
  There is not enough electricity for the bakeries that are left standing to produce bread, or for families that still have homes to refrigerate food.
  Palestinians cannot even feed their children with the fish from the nearby sea. Israeli gunboats offshore have been enforcing the blockade with rounds of cannon and bursts of heavy machine-gun fire, to warn keep Gaza fishermen out of the sea.
  Unless we end the blockade, long after the world's attention has shifted to some other crisis, some 1.5 million Gazans will still be under-nourished, without proper medical care, fuel and water - and trapped. Israelis too, who live in the south, will be even less safe from the threat of Hamas' Qassam rockets falling on their heads.
  Lasting peace and stability in the region is simply an impossible dream while Palestinians in Gaza are denied the right to protect their children, feed their families, and expand their worlds beyond the few feet in front of their homes, or for many, tents.
  You already signed the letter to Obama. Thank you. Now please ask your friends to tell Obama: "Lift the blockade."
  Cecilie Surasky,
  Jewish Voice for Peace 
  ' >No Bread In Gaza  Dear Farida,
  While waiting in line at the only open bakery he could find, Gaza resident Mohammed Salman said, 'I'm going to buy something that my family can keep for only two days because there is no electricity and no refrigerator. We cannot keep anything longer than that.'
  This was in January - of last year.
  Today, many Gazan bakeries are closed because, like Mohammed's family, they don't have power either. Some don't even have flour.
  The Israeli blockade of Gaza had already made it impossible for Palestinians to live in dignity and have access to the barest of essentials: bread, clean water, medical supplies and electricity.
  This is no coincidence. This is official policy. In a moment of candor, Dov Weissglas, a top aide to Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert was quoted as saying, 'the Palestinians will get a lot thinner, but [they] won't die.'
  His prediction was true. Last April, UNICEF reported that more than 50% of children under five in Gaza are anemic, and that many children are stunted due to a lack of vitamins.
  And now?
  As Gaza is smoldering from the siege that killed 1,285 people - nearly 70% of them civilians, destroyed at least 4,000 homes, and sent more than 50,000 people to temporary shelters, the Israeli blockade has not been lifted.
  A tenuous cease fire is in now place. Humanitarian aid is starting to pour in.
  But the civilian infrastructure is crippled. The borders of Gaza remain controlled by Israel. And just as Gazans could not leave during the siege to escape the bombing and shelling, they cannot leave now to get food and fuel.
  There is not enough electricity for the bakeries that are left standing to produce bread, or for families that still have homes to refrigerate food.
  Palestinians cannot even feed their children with the fish from the nearby sea. Israeli gunboats offshore have been enforcing the blockade with rounds of cannon and bursts of heavy machine-gun fire, to warn keep Gaza fishermen out of the sea.
  Unless we end the blockade, long after the world's attention has shifted to some other crisis, some 1.5 million Gazans will still be under-nourished, without proper medical care, fuel and water - and trapped. Israelis too, who live in the south, will be even less safe from the threat of Hamas' Qassam rockets falling on their heads.
  Lasting peace and stability in the region is simply an impossible dream while Palestinians in Gaza are denied the right to protect their children, feed their families, and expand their worlds beyond the few feet in front of their homes, or for many, tents.
  You already signed the letter to Obama. Thank you. Now please ask your friends to tell Obama: 'Lift the blockade.'
  Cecilie Surasky,
  Jewish Voice for Peace 
  

• Letter to President Obama An open letter to President Obama Sign this open letter to President Obama asking him to lift the blockade of Gaza and more, and then ask your like-minded friends to do the same. Ask Obama to make good on his promise of HOPE

• Tashlich: Justice and recommit Tashlich: Justice and recommitment to something bigger than ourselves
• Watch JVP videos * Brand New! Watch our moving video 'Meet JVP' that we produced for our Olive Branch Awards. (Warning, it's a large file, so best if you have a high speed connection.) See many of the faces behind JVP and why we are so committed to this work. * News coverage of JVP on the Gaza withdrawal. Watch the demonstration and in-studio analysis. * Classic JVP Promo This video offers a short but compelling statement about JVP's work, and features footage of our sit-in at the Israeli Consulate in 2002. Watch with Windows Media Player or Quicktime. * In support of selective divestment Watch JVP Co-Director Liat Weingart address Chicago's Presbyterian community on divestment. * Caterpillar action Inspiring video about home demolitions and JVP action on March 16, 2004, the anniversary of Rachel Corrie's death. (Large file) * Joint press conference JVP sponsored a 2004 joint Muslim, Jewish and Christian press conference with Arik Ascherman of Rabbis for Human Rights. Home demolitions * Rare amateur footage of Cat bulldozers from the Gaza Strip * UN footage of demolition aftermath

• Arabs’ Shame The Sources of Arabs’ Shame: Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia by Dr. Abbas Bakhtiar / January 10th, 2009 Betrayal is the only truth that sticks. – Arthur Miller It is now over two weeks since Israel started its vicious assault on Gaza resulting, so far, in close to 600 dead and thousands of injuries mostly civilians. Israel true to its nature is once again ignoring all international laws and conventions. With its usual thirst for blood of the civilians, Israel is continuing its bombing of workshops, administrative buildings, roads, bridges, fuel depots, prisons, schools and mosques; killing and injuring large number of civilians in one of the world’s most impoverished and densely populated areas of the world. The Israelis are following their old method of destroying everything that makes a society a society, the infrastructure. The collective punishment of the Palestinians for what Hamas or Islamic Jihad is supposed to be doing or has done, reminds one of the collective punishments that Nazis meted out in the occupied areas in Eastern Europe during the WWII.
• Israeli Hero Omer Goldman is 19, she’s Jewish, lives in Tel Aviv, she’s a pretty girl and it’s not hard to imagine her fulfilling her ambition to one day be an actress. But since she was eight years old, she also had another dream — she wanted to work with an organization like Amnesty International, hoping she could help make a better world. Right now, her way of doing that is by going to prison. Choosing to go to prison rather than serve in the Israeli army — a compulsory requirement for all young Israeli citizens.
• Naomi Klein It’s time. Long past time. The best strategy to end the increasingly bloody occupation is for Israel to become the target of the kind of global movement that put an end to apartheid in South Africa. In July 2005 a huge coalition of Palestinian groups laid out plans to do just that. They called on “people of conscience all over the world to impose broad boycotts and implement divestment initiatives against Israel similar to those applied to South Africa in the apartheid era.” The campaign Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions — BDS for short — was born. Every day that Israel pounds Gaza brings more converts to the BDS cause, and talk of cease-fires is doing little to slow the momentum. Support is even emerging among Israeli Jews. In the midst of the assault roughly 500 Israelis, dozens of them well-known artists and scholars, sent a letter to foreign ambassadors stationed in Israel. It calls for “the adoption of immediate restrictive measures and sanctions” and draws a clear parallel with the antiapartheid struggle. “The boycott on South Africa was effective, but Israel is handled with kid gloves… This international backing must stop.”
• Nobody's Friend If civilization can survive the cynical path it’s on, future historians will identify three great cons that were played out upon the world during this time; the fractional-reserve central-banking system, the war on terrorism and Israel. All three are equally dangerous to the future of mankind, are presented with equal deception, and emanate from the same source. Much of the intentional confusion surrounding Israel is due to Israel presenting itself as a Jewish state; it’s not — Israel is a Zionist state. When people mention the word Jewish, they are usually mixing together three very distinct, different elements.
• What is Zionism From the beginning, political Zionism was a controversial movement even among Jews. So strong was the opposition of German orthodox and reform rabbis to the Zionist idea in the name of Judaism that Theodor Herzl changed the venue of the First Zionist Congress in 1897 from Munich to Basle in Switzerland.