Reflections Of War: Sherine Tadros and Ayman Mohyeldin

15 February, 2009 — peoplesgeography.com

Ayman Mohyeldin
Sherine Tadros

An excellent, must-see review of israel’s genocidal assault on Gaza with first-hand accounts and reflections from Al Jazeera correspondents Ayman Mohyeldin and Sherine Tadros, in 4 parts (thanks Dave).

On December 27, 2008, Israel’s already crippling siege on the neighbouring Gaza Strip escalated into a brutal war. Al Jazeera was the only global news network reporting from both inside Gaza and Israel for the entirety of the conflict. Throughout Ayman Mohyeldin and Sherine Tadros brought news of the human tragedy unfolding to living rooms throughout the English speaking world. They found themselves as vulnerable as the civilians of Gaza and now they give their full accounts of what it was really like to report that war.

Part One (11 minutes)
Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in Gaza, Media, Middle East Media, Video. Tags: , , . 5 Comments »

Al Jazeera’s Walls of Shame series: the West Bank

7 December, 2007 — peoplesgeography

Al Jazeera English has recently produced a 4 part series entitled Walls of Shame; this part examines the most controversial wall in the world today– the Israeli apartheid wall.  The economic strangulation, loss of land, environmental damage, displacement and plight of ordinary Palestinians is highlighted, as well as the real intentions of those whose planned the wall.

Part One (12.29)

Part Two (9.24)

Posted in Apartheid, Israel, Israel Watch, Middle East Media, Palestine, West Bank. Tags: , . 5 Comments »

IPCRI Campaign for Palestinian Textbooks and other Take Action items

23 August, 2007 — peoplesgeography

Gazan children are being denied the right to learn — the Israeli government is currently obstructing shipments of textbooks and printing paper (along with foodstuffs, trading, aid, money, resources and other items). While the shameful starvation and economic strangulation of Gaza weighs in most heavily, the denial of textbooks to schoolchildren is one denial of a basic human right that is being addressed in a campaign by The Israel/Palestine Center for Research and Information (IPCRI).

coexist.pngIPCRI are one of several grassroots examples of joint Palestinian-Israeli peace initiatives, successfully working together while some of their government official counterparts woefully bluster. The small but significant successes are often achieved within and despite the overwhelming structural violence of the Israeli occupation; they offer hope and a way forward at the important community and grassroots level. Groups are variously collaborations by profession, cultural and interfaith exchanges, women, youth, sporting, dialogue and confidence-building based, and are both one and two state advocates.

In this particular case, ICPRI are a two-state proponent think-tank tasked with helping to develop practical solutions to the conflict, with Palestinian and Israeli experts working together to produce detailed proposals about security, borders, Jerusalem, refugees, water, and, significantly, peace education textbooks.

As they write in their dispatches: “In light of the lack of confidence in peace on both sides of the conflict, we asked Israelis and Palestinians what would convince them that the other side was really interested in peace, the #1 answer was: when they begin teaching peace in their classrooms“.

Others include the PRIME curriculum project by the Peace Research Institute in the Middle East (PRIME). PRIME are history teachers—West Bank Palestinians and Israeli Jews—who develop texts for students presenting the Palestinian and Israeli narratives. 1948 is described both as the Israelis’ year of “independence” and the Palestinians’ “catastrophe,” or Naqba. This is a welcome improvement upon the fact that despite Israel having illegally occupied the West Bank and East Jerusalem (in violation of international law) for 40 years, maps in its school textbooks show these as part of Israel.

Peace education is an important part of meaningful peace initiatives. While it is not a substitute for the work to be done at the level of “high politics” and statecraft, it is a crucial foundation to it.

***I very highly recommend this powerful piece by Nurit Peled-Elhanan: For the children: Education or mind infection? and invite you to consider contributing to these worthwhile actions listed below.

1. From IPCRI:

IPCRI LAUNCHES PUBLIC AND DIPLOMATIC CAMPAIGN TO ALLOW THE CHILDREN OF GAZA TO HAVE SCHOOL BOOKS

Tuesday, August 21, 2007

To the Ambassadors, Consul Generals and Representatives to Israel and to the Palestinian Authority

Dear Friends,

Since the Hamas takeover of Gaza most goods heading to Gaza from Israel or from abroad have been blocked as part of the policy of pressuring Hamas. One of the goods being blocked by the IDF is paper for the printing of text books for UNRWA schools in Gaza.

In the coming days the children of Gaza will return to school and they will not have text books in their school bags. Five truck loads of paper have been waiting for the Israeli Minister of Defense himself to decide that paper for the printing of text books for UNRWA schools is a “humanitarian need”.

Just imagine if it were your children who would be going to schools without text books! Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in Activism, Boycotts, Children, Education, Gaza, History, Human Rights, International Law, Iran, Israel, Israel Watch, Justice, Lebanon, Middle East Media, Military-Industrial Complex, Palestine, Palestine Peace, Peace and Justice, Peace education, People, Propaganda and psy-ops, Violence, Web Resources, West Bank. Leave a Comment »

Johan Galtung: Conflict and Civilisation

29 June, 2007 — peoplesgeography

Thanks to Agent 99 for pointing out the updated link, the first location of which had lapsed (also updated on audio page). I’ve taken the opportunity to upload this talk again by Johan Galtung which I attended last year. His hybrid-but-mostly-Norwegian accent may make him sound like Inspector Clousseau as our friend notes, but his reflections are always worthwhile and enriching. (RT 81 m)

Galtung talks about enacting a positive peace through meaningful dialogue, about spiritual syncretism and an alliance of civilisations, with reference to the Danish cartoon controversy and other topical conflicts. This elder spokesman and founder of peace studies delivered this address at the Brisbane Festival of Ideas on the 31 March 2006.

Original .mp3 url

Relevant links:

Further links: Conflict transformation

Posted in Academe, Audio, Australia, Blogosphere, Boycotts, China, Christianity, Civilisation, Colombia, Consumerism, Corp-watch, Depth psychology, Development, Empire, War and Terror, Ethical Business, Europe, Futures, Germany, Globalisation, Hegemon-watch, Human Geography, Human Rights, International Law, International Relations, International cooperation, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Islam, Israel, Japan, Judaism, Justice, Latin America, Middle East, Middle East Media, Militarism general, Palestine Peace, ParEcon, Peace education, People, Philosophy, Political Economy, Politics and Psychology, Propaganda and psy-ops, Race, Racism, Reference, Religion, Speeches, Syria, UK, UN, US Foreign Policy, USA. 5 Comments »

Tariq Ali on Creating an Axis of Hope: Latin America and the Middle East

28 June, 2007 — peoplesgeography

tariq-ali.jpgTariq Ali addressed a Sydney Ideas audience this week, with a lecture on lessons for the Middle East from Latin America, entitled Latin America and the Arab World: Resistance and Occupation. While one region serves to some degree as a good model of regional autonomy and has broken away from becoming a laboratory of neoliberalism, the other is struggling less successfully, so far, against the designs of neoconservatism.

RT: 1h 36 m, Tariq Ali starts 6 minutes in after short introduction; Q and A follows the initial 50 minute address.

Posted in Afghanistan, Americas, Argentina, Audio, Bolivia, Boycotts, Brazil, Chile, China, Colonialism, Conflict transformation, Cuba, Development, Dissent, Ecuador, Elections, Empire, War and Terror, Geopolitics, Hegemon-watch, International Relations, Iraq, Israel, Israel Watch, Latin America, Lebanon, Lobby watch, Mexico, Middle East, Middle East Media, Militarism general, Neocons, Neoliberalism, Palestine, Peace and Justice, Peace education, People, People power, Political Economy, Race, Religion, Syria, UK, US Foreign Policy, Venezuela, Video, Web Resources. 5 Comments »

Howard Zinn interview on Al Jazeera

12 June, 2007 — peoplesgeography

Howard Zinn interviewed on the Riz Khan program.

Part One (7m)

Part Two (7:23)

Posted in Empire, War and Terror, Hegemon-watch, International Relations, Iraq, Justice, Middle East, Middle East Media, Militarism general, Peace and Justice, Peace education, People, Race, Syria, US Foreign Policy, USA, Video, Web Resources. 2 Comments »

More media on Lebanon and Fatah al Islam

30 May, 2007 — peoplesgeography

1. Press picks:

2. Video clips (2):

2.1. An Al Jazeera panel on the Riz Khan program discuss their takes on the current crisis, comprising Dr Fawaz Gerges and Mark Perry of the Conflicts Forum (RT: 16 mins)

2.2 This ten minute video clip is from last Thursday’s Democracy Now interview with Seymour Hersh by phone (transcript here). See also related posts: Hersh: Lebanon violence US-Saudi-Lebanese government blowback and
Who’s Behind the Fighting in North Lebanon: the Welch Club?

Posted in Blowback, Covert ops, Empire, War and Terror, Geopolitics, Hegemon-watch, International Relations, Iraq, Israel, Lebanon, Media, Middle East, Middle East Media, Militarism general, Neocons, Opinion, Race, Saudi Arabia, Sectarianism, Strategy, Syria, UN, US Foreign Policy, USA, Video, Web Resources. Leave a Comment »

Home: justice for the Chagos Islanders

25 May, 2007 — peoplesgeography

diego_garcia2.jpgYou may have read that the Chagos Islanders have won the legal right to go home, a victory delayed but a victory nevertheless.

In the 1960s and 70s, this placid Creole populace of 2000 were forced to leave their idyllic (and strategically located) homeland in the Indian Ocean to make way for a US military air and naval base on the largest atoll of this British colony, Diego Garcia, arranged in a secret US-UK government agreement.

This forcible depopulation occurred so that the US military could use it as a military base and then also to operate the Global Positioning System (GPS). The air base on the island of Diego Garcia has since also been used to bomb Iraq and Afghanistan.

The Appeal Court in London has upheld the previous High Court declaration that the expulsion of the people of the Chagos Islands in the Indian Ocean by the British government was “repugnant, illegal and irrational”. The Chagos Islanders are now free to go home upon arrangement of transport.

olivier-bancoult.jpgOlivier Bancoult, chairman of the Chagos Refugees Group (pictured), has lead the campaign to win the right to return. With a beam and a victory sign outside the Court, he said his priority was to go home as soon as possible and tend the graves of his ancestors.

The British Foreign Office had lodged an appeal against their return after they were twice granted legal right of return. In 2000, the courts ruled that Chagossians could return to their homes in 65 of the tiny islands, but not to Diego Garcia. Robin Cook, the then Foreign Secretary, had said the government would not appeal.

map-diegogarcia.gifIn 2004, however, the British government used the royal prerogative to effectively nullify the Court’s decision.

Last year the High Court in turn overturned the royal prerogative order in this case. It rejected the government argument that the royal prerogative, exercised by ministers in the Queen’s name, was immune from scrutiny. (The government had invoked security and argued on the basis that it would hamper its discretion to operate).

In handing down their decision the Court averred on Wednesday that the right to go home was “one of the most fundamental liberties known to human beings”. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in Arts, Asia, Colonialism, Empire, War and Terror, Hegemon-watch, History, Human Rights, Indigenous peoples, International Law, International Relations, Iran, Iraq, Israel Watch, Justice, Law and constitutions, Middle East Media, Militarism general, Peace and Justice, People power, Population and migration, Propaganda and psy-ops, UK, USA, Video. 6 Comments »

Blog Picks

23 May, 2007 — peoplesgeography

and check out the Press Picks page

Posted in Alternative Media, Blogosphere, Boycotts, Empire, War and Terror, Gender, Geopolitics, International Relations, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Media, Middle East, Middle East Media, Militarism general, Military-Industrial Complex, Neocons, Oil, Palestine, Propaganda and psy-ops, Race, Syria, UK, UN, US Foreign Policy, USA, Web Resources. 3 Comments »

Spin: The Art of Selling War

19 May, 2007 — peoplesgeography

Presented by Josh Rushing, formerly a veteran Marine Corps media spokesman, “SPIN: The Art of Selling War” looks at the standard justification for going to war by American administrations, past and present.

Josh Rushing is a former Marine and spokesperson for US Central Command. In his first special for Al Jazeera (English), where Josh is the military and current affairs correspondent, he examines the US Government’s formula for selling war.

Notably, Rushing was one of General Tommy Franks’ former spokespeople for the war in Iraq, and provides something of an insider’s look at the spin machine during the US invasion of Iraq.

Also available at Googlevideo

Part One (11 minutes)

Part Two (11 minutes)

Posted in Boycotts, Cold War, Empire, War and Terror, Hegemon-watch, History, International Relations, Iran, Iraq, Media, Middle East Media, Militarism general, Military-Industrial Complex, Peace and Justice, People, Propaganda and psy-ops, Race, UN, US Foreign Policy, USA, Video, Web Resources. 2 Comments »
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