The Israeli judges of the "supreme court" today seemed at first sympathetic to the plight of the villagers of Al-Walaja whose houses are being surrounded on all sides as they get separated from their agricultural lands (and all their water sources). But the system was clearly stacked against natives. Half the people who were slated to go from Al-Walaja to the court were denied entry to Jerusalem where the court is held (this includes people impacted directly like farmer Abu Nidal, the village council head, other members of the village council, and me!). The judges ruled to postpone for another hearing in 45 days and allowed the apartheid government to continue building the wall in the meantime! This is to give the government time to come-up with confiscation orders for land that will be now on the other side of the wall (maybe even the graves of Abu Nidal's family members). My wife and many international observers attended the hearings but it was all in Hebrew and so they could not understand much of what was going on. With Israeli Zionist judges using Zionist laws (contrary to International law) and judging between the Israeli Zionist government and native occupied Palestinians, it is hard to be optimistic about the legal discourse (but it is attempted anyway and must be accompanied by other actions). There are other cases of abortion of justice in the past week:
[Israel] Supreme Court ruling allows Jews-only housing in Jaffa [Arab] neighborhood http://www.haaretz.com/news/
Israeli court in Haifa continues the charade and killing prospects of justice for murdered Rachel Corrie (a victim of the apartheid state). http://www.nytimes.com/2010/
And the Israeli government just approved tenders for 1300 new buildings in illegal Jewish colonial settlements in Arab East Jerusalem (contrary to International law including the fourth Geneva Convention and a number of UN Security Council Resolutions. This while Netanyahu is visiting the US demanding they attack yet another sovereign country (Iran) to please his agenda. Meanwhile, the human and material cost of the Zionist-inspired wars on Afghanistan and Iraq continue to escalate.
[I cannot overemphasize how critical it is fior all people to watch this hebrew language documentary (English subtitles). Simply stunning expose of a history the Zionist movement worked very hard to suppress. The data here should put the final nail in the coffin of the idea that Zionism is good for those who believe in Judaism]. The Antisemitic Side of Zionism
(Glilad Atzmon, ex-Israeli saxophonist comments on this film: http://www.gilad.co.uk/
[stunning and uplifting] This soulful song by the great Mahalia Jackson, and accompanied by striking images, is dedicated to all the ordinary citizens of the world, who have dared challenge the brutal blockade of Gaza. In particular, it pays homage to the martyrs aboard Mavi Marmara, who were shot in cold blood by the Israeli Defense Forces. The video was put together by Sana Kassem of goldstonefacts.org http://www.youtube.com/watch?
Israeli documents show deliberate policy to keep Gazans at near-starvation levels
Mazin Qumsiyeh, PhD
A Bedouin in Cyberspace, a villager at home
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