One of my favorite Ahmad Fouad Negm‘s poems… البتــــاع
Egyptian blogger Fantomas dedicates it to el presidente.
Tag: israel/palestine
Pro-resistance demos (digital roundup)
I’ve uploaded more photos of pro-resistance demos, that took place over the past week, to my flickr account.
-A pro-resistance women’s candle vigil in Tahrir Square, on 2 August
-I’ve added more pix by Amr Abdallah of Artists & Writers For Change’s pro-Hizbollah demo, on 3 August
-Muslim Brothers’ protest at the Lawyers’ Syndicate in solidarity with the resistance, on 5 August
-A Kefaya demo in front of the Egyptian Foreign Ministry, demanding the expulsion of the Israeli ambassador to Cairo, on 6 August
(UPDATE: Wael Abbas posted some good photos of the FM protest here.)
-Bassam Haddad also sent this video of Washington DC protests
Solidarity from Brazil
I received this from a friend…
10th August, 2006
We, the undersigned writers, gathered for a festival of literature in the idyllic Brazilian town of Paraty, cannot but help think of the innocent victims of wars in the Middle East.
The Israeli invasion of Lebanon is only the most recent addition to the litany of war and occupation. The deliberate destruction of the social infra-structure of Lebanon and the massacres of Marwahin, Qana and Srifa should awake the conscience of the world.
Pro-resistance demo at Al-Azhar
Thousands demonstrated today at Cairo’s Al-Azhar Mosque, following the Friday prayers, in solidarity with the Lebanese and Palestinian resistance.
The mosque came under the siege of security forces since the morning. Plainclothes thugs were deployed by the police inside the mosque’s courtyard. The thugs clashed with the demonstrators, banning them from marching in the streets.
Photographer and friend Nasser Nouri was there…
Kefaya’s website reported a pro-resistance demo took place today in the town of Snoris in the Fayyoum oasis. Police cracked down on the demonstrators, arresting Kefaya activist Ahmad Fayedd. Another solidarity demo went out from Seedi Ghareeb Mosque in Suez.
No reports yet on the Zagazig and Damanhour demos…
Israel’s new Gulag
Ynet reported Israel is building a new prison, where detained members of the Lebanese resistance group Hizbollah are to be held. You can find the report here.
Nazareth-based British journalist Jonathan Cook had written three years ago a good story on an Israeli secret prison, Facility 1391, where Lebanese and Arab prisoners were reportedly incarcerated and tortured. Newsweek also ran a feature on that facility.
Israel’s interrogation tactics were largely copied by the US forces in Iraq.
Nazareth-based British journalist Jonathan Cook had written three years ago a good story on an Israeli secret prison, Facility 1391, where Lebanese and Arab prisoners were reportedly incarcerated and tortured. Newsweek also ran a feature on that facility.
Israel’s interrogation tactics were largely copied by the US forces in Iraq.
Solidarity demos
Kefaya has called for a demonstration in support of the Lebanese resistance tomorrow Friday, 11 August, in Zagazig, capital of Sharqiya governorate. The demonstration will take place following the Friday prayers at Al-Nahda Mosque, in front of the Zagazig Security Directorate.
Kefaya is also organizing a children’s march on the same day in Damanhour, capital of the Beheira governorate, to express solidarity with the Lebanese children. The march will start from the Al-Hassan And Al-Hussein Mosque, following the Friday prayers.
On Saturday, 12 August, the Hilaly Association for Defense of Civil Liberities has called for a demo in solidarity with Lebanon and Palestine, 12 noon, in front of the Lawyers’ Syndicate in Ramses Street. The Hilaly Association–headed by veteran leftist lawyers Ahmad Seif and Mohssen Shasha–was formed during Marxist lawyer Ahmad Nabil el-Hilaly‘s last July memorial. It includes rights lawyers from the left, Nasserists and Islamists.
Once Moroccan, always Moroccan
A group of Moroccan lawyers have filed a lawsuit against Israeli Minister of Defense Amir Peretz, who was born on Morocco, accusing him of war crimes and arguing Moroccan courts have jurisdiction over him since one is always considered Moroccan if one was born there. Not that Morocco’s courts should really be taken seriously, but it could potentially prevent him from visiting the country, although one assumes the palace would extend protection in that case. Israelis of Moroccan origin who hold high-level posts in the Israeli army or administration frequently visit Morocco to carry out pilgrimages to Jewish saints’ tombs in places like Ouezzane in the Rif.
While I don’t think Peretz has much to be concerned about, I do wonder about how other efforts to bring Israeli war criminals to justice in other countries (notably Belgium or the United States) now that major human rights organizations have leveled charges of war crimes against Israel.
The ambassador
Picture of Hosni Mubarak held up at a recent demo, labeled “Israel’s ambassador to Egypt”:
Via Elijah and his Flickr account.
Kudos to Turkey
Finally, some politicians in the region care more about principles than money:
ANKARA – Reacting to recent Israeli attacks on Lebanon and Palestine 215 parliamentarians have resigned from Turkey-Israel Interparliamentary Friendship Group so far.
The group has a total of 263 members.
A $500 million arms deal was also cancelled by the Turkish government.
Campaign of civil resistance in Lebanon
Have received this:
Lebanon: An Open Country for Civil Resistance Beirut August 7, 2006
On August 12, at 7 am, Lebanese from throughout the country and international supporters who have come to Lebanon to express solidarity will gather in Martyr’s Square in Beirut to form a civilian convoy to the south of Lebanon. Hundreds of Lebanese and international civilians will express their solidarity with the inhabitants of the heavily destroyed south who have been bravely withstanding the assault of the Israeli military. This campaign is endorsed by more than 200 Lebanese and international organizations. This growing coalition of national and international non-governmental organizations hereby launches a campaign of civil resistance for the purpose of challenging the cruel and ruthless use of massive military force by Israel, the regional superpower, upon the people of Lebanon.