tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6606798.post5832709481752665342..comments2024-03-18T15:52:46.631+00:00Comments on Liberal England: Gaza: Does the BBC have a death wish?Jonathan Calderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00730157683743989696noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6606798.post-23019100818515842002009-01-24T19:38:00.000+00:002009-01-24T19:38:00.000+00:00CT was indeed dreadful. Why do we pay these people...CT was indeed dreadful. Why do we pay these people?dreamingspirehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00324207120279777521noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6606798.post-10524701287094197182009-01-24T11:51:00.000+00:002009-01-24T11:51:00.000+00:00According to a Radio 4 news bulletin this morning ...According to a Radio 4 news bulletin this morning (2009-1-25), the government has now made things even worse for the BBC by calling for the corporation to change its mind. BBC surely cannot be seen to bow to government pressure, however worthy the cause.Frank Littlehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12447989626809704972noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6606798.post-83534804567525639582009-01-24T10:17:00.000+00:002009-01-24T10:17:00.000+00:00AMERICAN JEWS OPPOSE ISRAELI POLICY IN GAZA THANK ...AMERICAN JEWS OPPOSE ISRAELI POLICY IN GAZA<BR/><BR/> <BR/><BR/>THANK GOD Jewish communities around the world are at last coming to their senses! Killing unarmed civilians, men, women and children with missiles, bombs, white phosphorus, or a bullet through the head is a criminal act - A WAR CRIME. No amount of propaganda from the Israeli embassy will alter that fact. These atrocities are not done in the name of ordinary Jews and we condemn these acts, outright. Judaism expressly forbids such terrible killings. Please use your voice to get President Obama to STOP THE SALE OF ARMS TO THE MIDDLE EAST NOW - tanks, planes, cluster bombs, white phosphorus, guns and spare parts. <BR/><BR/>Let this senseless brutality cease! Do NOT support the killing of any civilians – particularly children. It is an act against God. <BR/><BR/> <BR/><BR/> <BR/><BR/>“AMERICAN JEWS OPPOSE ISRAELI POLICY IN GAZA”<BR/><BR/>Jan 22nd, 2009 <BR/><BR/>“We Shall Not Be a Party to Their Counsel!”<BR/><BR/> <BR/><BR/>As human beings, we are shocked and appalled at the mass destruction unleashed by the State of Israel against the people of Gaza in its current military operation, following years of Israeli occupation, siege, and deprivation.<BR/><BR/>As Americans, we protest the carte blanche given Israel by the US government to pursue a war of “national honor,” “restoring deterrence,” “destroying Hamas,” and “searing Israel’s military might into the consciousness of the Gazans.”<BR/><BR/>As progressives, we reject the same justifications for the carnage that we heard ad nauseam from the supporters of the Second Iraq War: the so-called “war on terror,” the “clash of civilizations,” the “need to re-establish deterrence” – all of which served to justify a misguided and unnecessary war, with disastrous consequences for America and Iraq.<BR/><BR/>But as Jews of different religious persuasions, from Orthodox to secular atheist, we are especially horrified that a state that purports to speak in our name wages a military campaign that has killed over 1,000 people, a large percentage of them civilians, children, and non-combatants, with little or no consideration for human rights or the laws of war.<BR/><BR/>While the moral and legal issue concerning Israel’s right to respond militarily in these circumstance can be debated, there is near-universal agreement that its conduct of the military operation has been unjust and even criminal – with only the usual apologists for the Jewish state disagreeing.<BR/><BR/>As Jews, we stand united with another Israel, the patriarch Jacob, who cursed his sons Simeon and Levi for massacring the people of Shechem in revenge for the rape of their sister Dinah. Like Jacob, “we shall not be a party to the counsel of zealots. We shall not be counted in their assembly. (See Genesis 34. 49: 5-7).<BR/><BR/>As Jews, we stand united with the Jewish sages who rejected the zealotry of the Jewish “terrorists” at Masada, those who masked ethnic tribalism in the cloak of “self-defense” and “national honor.”<BR/><BR/>As Jews, we listen not only when the sage Hillel says, “If I am not for myself, who will be for me?” but also when he says, “If I am only for myself, what am I?” Hillel’s closing words also ring true in this hour of decision when a full cessation of conflict is demanded of both sides: “If not now, when?”<BR/><BR/>Finally, as American Jewish progressives, and as human beings, we condemn Hamas and Israel for violating the human rights of civilians on both sides, although we do not necessarily declare these violations to be morally or legally equivalent. We affirm the rights of both Israeli and the Palestinian peoples to self-determination and self-defense, as we affirm the rights of both Israelis and Palestinians to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.<BR/><BR/> <BR/><BR/> <BR/><BR/>Rabbi Leonard Beerman<BR/>Rabbi Brant Rosen<BR/>Rabbi Rebecca Lillian<BR/>Rabbi Haim Dov Beliak<BR/>Tony Judt, NYU<BR/>Howard Zinn<BR/>Brian Leiter, Wilson Professor of Law, Univ. of Chicago<BR/>Irena Klepfisz, Barnard College<BR/>Adam Rubin, PhD, HUC-JIR (Los Angeles)<BR/>Mark Le Vine, UC Irvine<BR/>Daniel Garber, Princeton, Philosophy dept. chair<BR/>Ned Block, Silver Professor, NYU<BR/>Gideon Rosen, Princeton<BR/>Matthew Noah Smith, Yale<BR/>Aryeh Cohen, PhD, American Jewish University<BR/>Ilya Kliger, New York University<BR/>Paul Loeb<BR/>Alice Rothschild<BR/>Murray Polner, former editor, Present Tense<BR/>Larry Yudelson<BR/>Jerome Slater, SUNY Buffalo<BR/>Joanne Yaron, World Meretz<BR/>Chana Bloch, UC Berkeley<BR/>Marilyn Hacker, CCNY<BR/>Rita Karuna Cahn, UC San Francisco<BR/>Nance Goldstein, University of Southern Maine<BR/>Gordon Fellman, Brandeis Univ.<BR/>Harry Mairson, Brandeis University<BR/>David L. Green, University of Illinois<BR/>Stephanie Sieburth, Duke<BR/>Priscilla Wald, Duke<BR/>E. James Lieberman, M.D., George Washington University School of Medicine<BR/>Norbert Hornstein, University of Maryland<BR/>David Auerbach, Univ. of N. Carolina, Raleigh<BR/>Joseph Levine, Univ. of Mass., Amherst<BR/>Shari Stone-Mediatori, Ohio Wesleyan Univ.<BR/>Ido Roll, Carnegie Mellon Univ.<BR/>Philip Wadler, University of Edinburgh<BR/>Assaf Oron, Univ. of Wash.<BR/>Clare Solomon, Washington Univ.<BR/>Judith Norman, Trinity Univ.<BR/>Steven Bell, Berry College<BR/>Charles Manekin, Univ. of Maryland<BR/>Richard Silverstein, Tikun Olam<BR/>Dan Fleshler, Realistic Dove<BR/>Dan Sieradski, Orthodox Anarchist<BR/>Bram Hubbell, Friends Seminary <BR/><BR/>Ilana Abramovitch, Ph.D.<BR/>Kate Abramson<BR/>David Adler<BR/>Dina Afek<BR/>Delmas and Sally Allen<BR/>Tracy Allen<BR/>Marshall Ansell<BR/>Paul Ansell<BR/>Harry Appelman<BR/>Darwin Aronoff<BR/>Jesse Bacon<BR/>Sonia M. Baku<BR/>Walter Ballin<BR/>Adam Barolsky<BR/>Kathy Barolsky<BR/>Tsela Barr<BR/>David Basior<BR/>Elliott Battzedek<BR/>Elizabeth Biele<BR/>Peter Belmont<BR/>Nicolas M. Benacerraf<BR/>Lori Berlin<BR/>Judith Berlowitz, Ph.D<BR/>Murray & Marcia Bernstein<BR/>Nancy Bernstein<BR/>David Eugene Blank<BR/>Alan L. Blitz<BR/>Hedy Bookin-Weiner<BR/>Elisa Bowyer<BR/>Sallye Steiner Bowyer<BR/>Dennis Brasky<BR/>China Brotsky<BR/>Ellen Brotsky<BR/>Robert Browne<BR/>Patricia Carmeli<BR/>Rina Chomsky<BR/>Liza DiPrima Cibula<BR/>G Sherman Cole<BR/> Mariani Didyk<BR/>Pioter Drubetskoy<BR/>Ann Colleen Dunham<BR/>Bacia Edelman<BR/>Carole Edelsky, PhD<BR/>Steven R. Edelstein<BR/>Dr. Amy Eisenberg, Center for World Indigenous Studies<BR/>Lynne Eisenberg<BR/>Liz Elkind<BR/>David M. Ellis Ph.D<BR/>Anita E. Feldman<BR/>Andrew Felluss<BR/>Eva Ferrero<BR/>Raya Fidel<BR/>George Figdor<BR/>Daniel Fisher<BR/>Terry Fletcher<BR/>Dr. Chris Fox<BR/>Stephen Saperstein Frug<BR/>Racheli Gai<BR/>Ellen Garvey<BR/>Doris Gelbman<BR/>Myles Gideon<BR/>Jim Glionna<BR/>Roberta Gold<BR/>Mary Goldman<BR/>Daniel Goldstein<BR/>Julius Gordon<BR/>Bruce Gould<BR/>essica Greenbaum<BR/>Kathy Grisham<BR/>Sherrl Grosse Yanowitz Rogall<BR/>Kay Halpern<BR/>Tony and Hillary Hamburger<BR/>Lawrence R. Hamilton<BR/>Peter Handler<BR/>Hasibul Haque<BR/>Wendy Hartley<BR/>Glen Hauer<BR/>Katherine Herman<BR/>Dr. Annette Herskovits<BR/>Hanna J. Hoffman, PhD<BR/>Jack Holtzman<BR/>Rebecca Hughes<BR/>Nomi Hurwitz<BR/>Barbara S. Kane, PhD, LCSW<BR/>Ilene Kantrov<BR/>Wendy Kaufmyn<BR/>Aimée Kligman<BR/>Susie Kneedler<BR/>Judith Kolokoff<BR/>Steve Kowit<BR/>Rebecca S. Krantz, PhD<BR/>Judith Laitman<BR/>Sheldon H. Laskin<BR/>Betsy Lawrence<BR/>Mirna Lawrence<BR/>Shamai Leibowitz<BR/>David Leipziger<BR/>Jack Leiss<BR/>Oded Adomi Leshem<BR/>Yossi Levanoni<BR/>Jeremy Levick<BR/>John F. Levin<BR/>Rebekah Levin<BR/>Joan Levitt<BR/>Mary-Lee Lutz<BR/>Marsha C. Manekin<BR/>Richard Manekin<BR/>Gideon Manning<BR/>Yitzhak Y Melamed<BR/>Alan Meyers<BR/>Gert Meyers<BR/>Katya Miller<BR/>Sherin Miller<BR/>Susan Miller<BR/>Daniel Millstone<BR/>Sarah Anne Minkin<BR/>Cary Moskovitz<BR/>Rick Nagin<BR/>Dorothy Naor<BR/>Germana Nijim<BR/>Sara Norman<BR/>Joel Dansky<BR/>Henry Norr<BR/>Leonard Bruce Novick<BR/>Diane O’Bannon<BR/>Elijah Oberman<BR/>Miller Oberman<BR/>Abigail Okrent <BR/> Benjamin Orbach<BR/>Dr. Stephen Oren<BR/>Tova Perlmutter<BR/>Karen Platt<BR/>Lynn Pollack<BR/>Dr. Betty Potash<BR/>Harriet Putterman<BR/>Joyce Ravitz<BR/>Susan Ravitz<BR/>Deb Reich<BR/>Avram Rips<BR/>Mara Rivera<BR/>Lee Robinson<BR/>Jennifer Rose<BR/>Dorah Rosen<BR/>Ellen Rosner<BR/>Sue Rouda<BR/>Novelle Saarinen<BR/>Lawrence Saltzman<BR/>Meg Sandow<BR/>Linda Siegel Sang<BR/>Marlena Santoyo<BR/>Karl Schaffer, PhD<BR/>Cindy Shamban<BR/>Wendy Scher<BR/>Madeline Schleimer<BR/>Eugene Schulman<BR/>Kayla Schwarz<BR/>Janet Settle<BR/>Lee Sharkey<BR/>Dr Peter Sheridan<BR/>Brian S Sherman<BR/>Meryl Siegal<BR/>Jessica Siegel<BR/>Rich Siegel<BR/>Earl Silbar<BR/>Marc Silverstein<BR/>Shayna Silverstein<BR/>Miriam Simos<BR/>Jeffrey Sklansky<BR/>Laura Sklarsky<BR/>Jerome Slater<BR/>Kathrin Smith<BR/>Daniel Sniderman<BR/>Louisa Rachel Solomon<BR/>Talli Somekh<BR/>Nicole Witte Solomon<BR/>Dr. Wendy Elisheva Somerson<BR/>Doug Sparling<BR/>Neta Stahl<BR/>Aaron Stark<BR/>Burton Steck<BR/>Jane Stein<BR/>Mark Stenzler<BR/>Mae Stephen<BR/>Lynne Strieb<BR/>Danny Stone<BR/>Robert Stone<BR/>Shirley Stone<BR/>Debbie Stone-Bruell<BR/>Uri Strauss<BR/>Leslie Sudock<BR/>Yaakov Sullivan<BR/>Michele Sumka<BR/>Cecilie Surasky<BR/>Lois Swartz<BR/>Amir & Roni Terkel<BR/>Theodore Warmbrand<BR/>Tom Weltsch<BR/>Janis G. White<BR/>Robin Winogrond<BR/>Rachel Farrell Wofsy<BR/>Bruce Wolman, MD<BR/>Michael J. ZigmondAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com