Day: November 20, 2012

— Proham
The Malaysian Insider
Nov 20, 2012

NOV 20 — Persatuan Promosi Hak Asasi Manusia (Proham) congratulates PM for his support on Human Rights at the Asean Meeting and calls him to lead in human rights

Proham recognises that an Asean Human Rights Declaration is an important document and a major step forward in fostering a human rights culture within the region. We recognise the role Malaysia has played and emphasis the necessity for Malaysia to enhance our role and position as a promoter and defender of human rights within Asean and the globe. Indeed we call on the PM and Malaysia to take on a strong leadership role in Asean .

However Proham also acknowledges that this the Asean Human Rights Declaration is not a satisfactory document as it does not reach the status of the UDHR and other international human rights instruments. Nonetheless we note that this Asean HR Declaration is welcome as a step forward, in anticipation of the Asean community to be set up by January 1, 2015. Continue reading “Asean Human Rights Declaration”

By Victor Kotsev
Asia Times
Nov 20, 2012

On Sunday night, an Egyptian effort to establish a ceasefire between Israel and the Gaza militant factions reportedly collapsed. An Israeli ground invasion of the Gaza Strip loomed, after missiles landed near Tel Aviv for four days in a row – once near Jerusalem, even farther away.

Though nobody was hurt in these specific attacks, they came as a slap in the face of the stated goals of the ongoing Israeli operation: stopping the missile fire and restoring deterrence. Rockets had not been aimed at the heart of Israel for over 20 years, since the former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein fired Scud missiles during the First Gulf War. Therefore, as tanks and artillery units rolled toward Gaza and reserve soldiers were reporting for duty (75,000 initially, an increase of more than 40% of the army’s active personnel), a long and bloody operation appeared to be in store, and only an effective miracle of diplomacy could prevent that.

Pinning down the beginning of the crisis is almost as difficult as forecasting its end. The Atlantic published an elaborate timeline of its gradual escalation, which involved the targeted assassination of a top Gaza militant, Ahmed al-Jabari, as well as the firing of some 150 rockets into southern Israel during the previous weekend. Continue reading “Gaza crisis has more to come”

By Ramzy Baroud
Asia Times
Nov 20, 2012

Many key phrases have been presented to explain Israel’s latest military onslaught against Gaza, which left scores dead and wounded. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is flexing his muscles in preparation for the Israeli general elections in January, suggested some. It is Israel’s way of testing the administration of Egyptian President Mahmoud Morsi, commented others. It was a stern message to Iran, instructed a few. Or that Israel is simply assessing its “deterrence” capabilities. And so on.

But there is more than those ready-to-serve analyses. It has been four years since Israel mixed up the cards through an unhindered show of force. Last time it did so was in 2008-09, in a 22-day war it termed “Operation Cast Lead”. Then, it killed more than 1,400 Palestinians and wounded over 5,000 others. Excluding Israel’s diehard supporters, the general consensus was, including that of many UN and international rights organizations: Israel committed war crimes and crimes against humanity deserving of international tribunals and due retribution.

Of course, none took place. The US government and media stood as an impenetrable shield between Israel’s accused war criminals and those daring to level accusations. Four years later little has changed. Then as it is now, Israel was embarking on national elections, and since “security” is Israel’s enduring strategy whether in national or international politics, it was suddenly realized that Gaza posed a “security threat”, thus had to be suppressed or at least taught a lesson. Continue reading “Netanyahu’s high-stakes game in Gaza”

Robert Fisk
The Independent
18 November 2012

‘Surgical air strikes’, ‘rooting out terror’, and ‘cyber-terrorism’ cannot conceal reality

Terror, terror, terror, terror, terror. Here we go again. Israel is going to “root out Palestinian terror” – which it has been claiming to do, unsuccessfully, for 64 years – while Hamas, the latest in “Palestine’s” morbid militias, announces that Israel has “opened the gates of hell” by murdering its military leader, Ahmed al-Jabari.

Hezbollah several times announced that Israel had “opened the gates of hell” for attacking Lebanon. Yasser Arafat, who was a super-terrorist, then a super-statesman – after capitulating on the White House lawn – and then became a super-terrorist again when he realised he’d been conned by Camp David; he, too waffled on about the “gates of hell” in 1982.

And we journos are writing like performing bears, repeating all the clichés we’ve used for the past 40 years. The killing of Mr Jabari was a “targeted attack”, it was a “surgical air strike” – like the Israeli “surgical air strikes” which killed almost 17,000 civilians in Lebanon in 1982, the 1,200 Lebanese, most of them civilians, in 2006, or the 1,300 Palestinians, most of them civilians, in Gaza in 2008-9, or the pregnant woman and the baby who were killed by the “surgical air strikes” in Gaza last week – and the 11 civilians killed in one Gaza house yesterday. At least Hamas, with their Godzilla rockets, don’t claim anything “surgical” about them. They are meant to murder Israelis – any Israelis, man woman or child. Continue reading “Hamas and Israel have opened the ‘gates of hell’ in Gaza yet again. And the number of journalistic cliches in hell is growing by the day”

Saya berdiri memberikan sokongan penuh bagi pihak DAP dan Pakatan Rakyat terhadap usul di hadapan Dewan yang mulia ini dan mengecam sekeras-kerasnya serangan ketenteraan Israel ke atas Wilayah Palestin di Gaza serta menggesa Majlis Keselamatan Pertubuhan Bangsa-Bangsa Bersatu membuat ketetapan supaya Israel menghentikan dengan serta-merta serangan ketenteraannya ke atas Wilayah Palestin di Gaza melalui gencatan senjata dan memutuskan untuk menempatkan pasukan pengaman Pertubuhan Bangsa-Bangsa Bersatu bagi menguatkuasakan gencatan senjata tersebut.

Satu kemungkaran yang amat kejam dan tidak berperikemanusiaan sedang berlaku di Gaza, Palestin. Sejak hari Rabu yang lepas, rejim Israel telah melancarkan serangan udara secara bertubi-tubi ke atas rakyat Palestin di Gaza.

Yang lebih jahatnya, serangan-serangan terbaru bertumpu kepada kawasan-kawasan padat penduduk. Antara mangsa-mangsa yang terkorban termasuk kanak-kanak dan orang awam yang tidak bersalah.

Angka kematian kian meningkat, dengan kematian 109 nyawa termasuk pemimpin Hamas Ahmed Al-Jabari, sementara 840 orang lain mengalami kecederaan (termasuk 225 kanak-kanak). Separuh daripada jumlah yang terkorban merupakan orang awam.
Continue reading “DAP/PR menyokong penuh usul Parlimen mengutuk keganasan Israel di Gaza”