By Gideon Levy

(source: Haaretz)

Sometimes you really can't see the forest for the trees. The forest of political, governmental and institutional racism in Israel is dark and deep. One particular tree in that forest happens to have Israelis all riled up: The state's handling of the children of migrant workers. In the shade of a nearby tree is the state's handling of these children's parents, but this excites the Israelis somewhat less. And there are many other poisonous trees in the forest: Citizenship laws, loyalty laws, conversion laws, the razing of Bedouin villages in the Negev and even the story of the Arab delivery man who was convicted of rape for pretending to be a Jew. Each one galvanized parts of society into action, and this is well and good; but few see the big picture, and the big picture is several times worse than the sum of its components.

Enlightenment came from an unexpected direction; it was Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, of all people, who accurately defined the problem. In deciding on these children's future, he said, the cabinet is torn between humanitarian considerations on one hand and Zionist considerations on the other. The prime minister of Israel himself presents them as a contradiction, and this is the story in a nutshell.

The Kashmir Carnage

By Ibrahim Vawda

The Media Review Network (MRN) is alarmed at the ferocity of the brutal attacks by the Indian Security forces against the hapless Kashmiri population.

The MRN condemns the detentions and killings of civilians during peaceful demonstrations in Indian Held Kashmir (IHK). Kashmir remains occupied as well as a disputed territory.   

The demonstrations were sparked by the vicious and ferocious killings carried out by the Indian security establishment in the Valley, which is made up of the notorious Border Security Force (BSF), Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Rapid Action Force (RAF) and over a million military personnel. Thus far over 50 innocent men, women and children have perished. The latest being a 7 year old boy whose brains were blown out when he was struck by a teargas canister.

The security forces in the Kashmir Valley act with impunity because they are protected by a series of draconian laws, rendering them (the security forces) unaccountable.

The MRN also notes with consternation the apparent silence or lack of coverage by the South African media of this mayhem.

The strategic location of the region demands that parallels be drawn with Palestine. Reminiscent of Israel, India is in defiance of numerous United Nations Resolutions, International Laws and the Geneva Conventions.

The Media Review Network urges our Government to seriously and urgently engage the New Delhi Government and demand the immediate and unconditional cessation of this unjustifiable carnage. The Indian Government should then enter into immediate dialogue with the people of Kashmir to resolve the six-decade old problem, by holding a referendum (plebiscite) as required by numerous UN Resolutions adopted over the years.

By Allistar Sparks

(source: BusinessDay, Published Thursday, 05/08/2010)

The avalanche of personal abuse hurled at me for suggesting that Chief Rabbi Warren Goldstein owed Judge Richard Goldstein an apology now that Israel had officially confirmed several of his comission’s most serious findings about the Gaza War was no surprise. This has become the standard response to anyone who criticises Israel. It is organised and obviously intended to intimidate and thus deter such criticism One of the letter writers even revealed herself as part of “Media Team Israel.”

But it won’t work in a country where too many of us were denounced for years as anti-South African for exposing the iniquities of apartheid. We became immunised against intimidation.

Meanwhile two new factors are worth noting in this debate. The first is that the full text of the 40-page Israeli report to the United Nations and its Human Rights Council has now emerged, amplifying the initial version on which I based my article two weeks ago. This full report documents 150 ongoing investigations ordered by Israeli Defene Force Advocate General Avichai Mandelblit. Of these 34 are criminal investigations. The report also confirms the use of smoke-screen munitions containing white phosphorous, an allegation repeatedly denied by the Israeli Government.

Although the report goes out of its way to try to justify or at least lessen the culpability of the Israeli soldiers, in doing so it confirms the actuality of all the most serious incidents noted by the Goldstone Commission. It has reportedly angered the Israeli army.

(source: Press TV)

Indian-administered Kashmir has been engulfed in a series of anti-government protests since June. The demonstrations on occasions have turned violent, leaving more than 40 people killed.

The following is the transcript Press TV's discussion with Muzzammil Ayyub Thakur from the World Kashmir Freedom Movement and Amitabh Mattoo, a professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University, regarding the recent violence in Kashmir.

Press TV: The protests -- and the violent crackdown -- seem to have suddenly escalated in recent days. Twenty-seven of the at least 41 deaths have occurred since Friday. Is the situation spiraling out of control?

Thakur: Absolutely. The only answer is yes. Beyond that, the only thing that I can say is, the same thing that the people of Kashmir are currently saying, which is, "GO INDIA GO, QUICK KASHMIR."

Beyond that, there is nothing left to say. You cannot kill students and young people. It does not matter what age they are. It does not matter where they are from, it does not matter who they are, whether they are male or female. They (the Indian police) are mercilessly killing our youth and our people of Kashmir indiscriminately.

Press TV: The central government flew 1,500 extra troops to the region after the region's Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, asked for further assistance in a meeting with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday. But even pro-Indian politicians like the head of the People's Democratic Party have denounced the decision to summon extra troops. They say that is not the right way to go. So is it the right move or not?

(source: Kashmir Media Service)

In occupied Kashmir, the Chairman of All Parties Hurriyet Conference, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, while condemning the killing of more civilians in the occupied territory by Indian police and CRPF, said that the India government and the occupation authorities had declared a war on the people of Kashmir.

Mirwaiz Umar Farooq in a statement issued in Srinagar said that the puppet chief minister had asked India to send more troops to occupied Kashmir as the presence of 700,000 troops wasn’t enough to kill Kashmiris and suppress their struggle for freedom. “This clearly shows a war has been declared on Kashmiris and India has pledged to carry out the genocide of innocent and unarmed people in the Valley,” Mirwaiz added.

The APHC Chairman said that the grave situation in Jammu and Kashmir was not only an eye-opener for the conscientious people in India, but also demanded an immediate attention from the international community.  “For the sake of upholding justice and human values, the international community must put pressure on India to resolve the long pending Kashmir dispute,” he said.