Not in our name

An announcement of a silent vigil in front of the Israeli consulate in New York City has been making the rounds of the blogosphere, and I am happy to link to it and repeat it here:

*PLEASE JOIN US*
Monday, January 12 at 5:30 P.M.
in front of the Israeli Consulate
800 Second Avenue between 42nd and 43rd Streets

We are Jews who say "Not in Our Name" to the Israeli Government.
*We ask you to stand with us as we call for:*

- an immediate end to the massacre of the Palestinian people
- an immediate ceasefire and withdrawal of Israeli troops
- an immediate end to the blockade of Gaza
- immediate steps taken to end the Israeli occupation

We stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people,
with our sisters and brothers in Israel who are bravely opposing the
brutality of their government,
and with all those around the world calling for justice and peace in the
Middle East.

There will be no speakers at this event. We will stand together in silence,
holding up signs reiterating the points above.


Initiators of this call for action:

Renate Bridenthal, Nina Felshin, Michelle Fine, Sherry Gorelick, Jane Hirschmann, Carol Horowitz, Esther Kaplan, Melanie Kaye/Kantrowitz, Abigail Levine, Alan Levine, Richard Levy, Donna Nevel, Michael Ratner, Amy Schoenwald, Len Weinglass, Dorothy Zellner


And for those in Paris, remember that today, Saturday, a demonstration against Israel's actions in Gaza will begin at 3 PM at the place de la République. I hope to have photos of the event to post later on.

Jewish shit list. Many of those named, as well as yours truly, are on an infamous list of nearly 8000 "self-hating and/or Israel-threatening" Jews. It's just amazing how many traitors to the cause of barbarian Jewish tribalism are out there. I am disappointed that my own entry gives no details, however.

The Samouni family--30 dead. The New York Times chronicles the slaughter of this extended Gazan family in awful, painful detail. Contrast this with an opinion piece in today's Los Angeles Times by Israel apologist Alan Dershowitz, who never met a war crime he could not dismiss with a wave of his hand. Dershowitz trots out the time-worn "they're using civilians as human shields" argument, or rather serves as an echo chamber for this morally bankrupt mantra of Israeli leaders: This is the Hamas dual strategy: to kill and injure as many Israeli civilians as possible by firing rockets indiscriminately at Israeli civilian targets, and to provoke Israel to kill as many Palestinian civilians as possible to garner world sympathy. Let's say for the sake of argument this is true. Israel still has the choice of whether to be "provoked" and go ahead and kill civilians--exactly what they have done, with full knowledge they are doing it--or to pursue a different route, like lifting the blockade on Gaza (which is what "provokes" Hamas to launch rockets) and getting serious about making peace with the Palestinians. Fortunately, apologetics like Dershowitz's are getting less mileage than usual this time around, as even thousands of Jews take to the streets to protest what is being done in their name.

France turns out to protest Israeli attacks on Gaza. Demonstrations were planned in 50 French cities today, and I attended the Paris march from the place de la République to the place de la Nation, via the place de la Bastille. The organizers estimate about 100,000 people, which looked about right to me, possibly even more; it certainly was one of the biggest marches I have seen in Paris in recent years. Needless to say, much of the city's North African community turned out for it, plus every left group in town, and of course lots of plain ordinary citizens. I will post some photos on Sunday once I recharge my digital camera's batteries, but in the meantime here is Le Monde's online story together with a few photos.

And London, up to 50,000 people at the Israeli Embassy. According to the BBC, which also reports that a rally organized by the Board of Deputies of British Jews is due to take place in London on Sunday.

Pentagon denies arms shipment to Israel is linked to Gaza war. According to Ha'aretz. But that doesn't change who is arming and bankrolling Israel.

Despite unanimous Senate resolution, Israel's arguments for being in Gaza are all wrong. Howard Schweber, a professor of political science and law at the University of Wisconsin, points out the holes in Israel's case in an important piece on the Huffington Post.

Prominent UK Jews, including some rabbis, call on Israel to halt its assault on Gaza. Reported by the BBC.

World-wide protests. Photos of actions from Paris to Beirut from the BBC. And even more from Le Monde.