Tuesday 7 August 2012

Il est temps de déclarer le blocus de Gaza terminé !


Il est temps de déclarer le blocus de Gaza terminé !

lundi 6 août 2012 - Ayman Qwaider


Gaza est une véritable prison à ciel ouvert, un camp de concentration où vit confinée une population de 1,7 million de Palestiniens. La tolérance (voire le soutien) dont bénéficie Israël au niveau international pour perpétrer ses crimes est une honte pour l’humanité.
Ce point de passage relie le territoire assiégé avec l’Égypte et le monde extérieur. L’ouverture de la frontière n’est pas seulement une nécessité humanitaire, mais aussi une responsabilité morale et éthique.

L’ouverture du passage de Rafah est un exigence essentielle dans les relations entre les deux voisins. Sous le régime pro-américain de Moubarak, ce point de passage n’avait pas un fonctionnement normal, à cause de prétendues « raisons de sécurité », sans même définir ce que signifiait la sécurité. Il est bien connu qu’à travers l’Histoire, la bande de Gaza était le fer de lance de l’Égypte en même temps qu’une garantie de sa sécurité face à Israël. L’Égypte n’est liée par aucun accord pour imposer un blocus draconien sur la bande de Gaza, ni pour restreindre la liberté de circulation de 1,7 millions de personnes.

Après la chute de l’ancien régime en Égypte en février 2011, les Palestiniens de la bande de Gaza étaient plein d’espoir et d’enthousiasme, attendant que le nouveau système politique égyptien mette un terme à l’épopée du seul point de passage de Gaza. La fermeture de la frontière de Rafah a été très coûteuse pour les civils de Gaza. Plus de 600 Palestiniens ont perdu la vie après avoir été empêchés de quitter Gaza pour une hospitalisation à l’extérieur. Les étudiants ont été privés d’accès aux écoles et universités à l’étranger. Une grave pénurie de produits de base empêche de répondre aux besoins essentiels. Et par-dessus tout, les Palestiniens, ont été laissés sans aucune possibilité de se mettre à l’abri pendant le massacre dans Gaza, l’hiver 2008-2009.

L’Égypte a réellement diminué les restrictions sur la frontière de Rafah, mais n’a pas explicitement déclaré que ce blocus de 6 ans est terminé. Il est vrai que les Palestiniens sont autorisés à sortir librement pour la première fois en quatre ans. Il y a cependant toujours des restrictions concernant le flux de matériaux de construction, les produits alimentaires et le commerce. Il convient également de mentionner que les Palestiniens sont incapables de recevoir des amis d’autres nationalités, librement et sans certaines conditions. Alors que l’humanité est passée dans le 21e siècle, les étrangers doivent passer par d’humiliants tunnels entre Gaza et l’Égypte pour rencontrer leurs homologues dans la bande de Gaza.
L’Égypte est toujours l’objet d’un processus révolutionnaire et le nouveau-né du système politique égyptien devrait aller main dans la main avec la volonté du peuple égyptien pour mettre fin à la souffrance quotidienne des Palestiniens dans la bande de Gaza.

L’Égypte devrait apporter son soutien à la bande de Gaza. Il convient d’abandonner ce siège injuste, et de mettre fin à l’humiliation délibérée aux passages frontières et dans les aéroports. Le nouveau président Morsi devrait prendre une décision historique et humaine en ouvrant le passage de Rafah, sans conditions ni restrictions tous les jours et toute l’année pour les personnes et les biens.

L’ouverture du passage de Rafah est un véritable test pour le succès de la révolution égyptienne et la volonté de changement et de réforme exigée en Égypte et par tous les révolutionnaires arabes.

http://www.info-palestine.net/article.php3?id_article=12511

http://aymanqwaider.wordpress.com/2012/08/06/il-est-temps-de-declarer-le-blocus-de-gaza-termine/


Sunday 22 April 2012

Mind the Strip, Lessons Learned




Firstly, humanity and human rights should be our prime concern as peace makers and peace caretakers. I was helped by people I have never met in my life when i was stuck in Gaza and was being prevented by Israel to go to Spain to complete my masters.   My newfound friends, who were different in colour, religion, nationality and language, assisted me without any pre-existing conditions. They initiated a media campaign to pressure public opinion so that Israel would allow me to leave Gaza, simply because we share the most important aspect of what can bring all peoples together and that is humanity. 

When I asked them why they helped me, someone that they had never before met, they replied that they believed that what was happening to me was unjust and that they were in a position to help me and so they did what they felt was natural and right.  It is important to stress here is that humanity and a belief in universal justice can transcend all nations and all tribes.  At this point, I would like to bring to your attention an important verse from Sura al-Hujurat of the Quran which highlights this point:

O mankind! We created you from a single (pair) of a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that ye may know each other (not that ye may despise (each other). Verily the most honoured of you in the sight of God is (he who is) the most righteous of you. And God has full knowledge and is well acquainted (with all things).

Secondly, we should never overlook or undermine our power as people to make significant changes in the world today. When I was stuck in Gaza and was struggling to leave Gaza for nearly two months, we did not give up. We created peaceful and powerful tools and strategies to put pressure on the Israeli state where we knew it would be most effective: public opinion. We were determined that our efforts would succeed, and that is first and foremost because we believed that we would succeed from the very beginning.   

So, first and foremost the strategy was to affect the sphere of public opinion and second, we needed to find the proper tools and access points to achieve this goal.  Through our access to social media networks and local Catalan media and through another Spanish media contact in Jerusalem, we managed to reach the Spanish mainstream media that reported my story in the major Spanish media outlets, and it spread like a wildfire!   The major social media tools that we used included Facebook, Online Petitions and Twitter, however it wouldn’t have been successful had we not taken the effort to reach a more broad audience through traditional media outlets.  However we likely would not have been successful in reaching the mass media without firstly instigating the social media campaign.

Thirdly, we learned to never be afraid to demand your basic human rights because it is yours and no power on earth should deny you these rights.  These are not simply the rights outlined in the UN Charter or the Geneva Conventions, but God given rights, irrespective of any international organization or piece of paper that they are written on.

Fourthly, all human rights violations should be documented because it is the only way to raise awareness of these plights to a wider audience.  It is important that we stand beyond all deprived and vulnerable people. There are so many people on earth whom their voice is voiceless or they do not have the means to bring their voices to the attention of the world. Thus, it is our duty to help give them a louder voice.

And finally, in situations of injustice, never wait for others to assist you. We should always take the lead to change realities of unfairness and injustice. We should always utilize all possible means available to us in order to remove or contribute to removing injustice. Others will be convinced later and take the initiative and complete the path.

Friday 27 January 2012

Why do I Support the Welcome to Palestine FLYTILLA.


In 1947-48, the Palestinian people were subjected to an ethnic cleansing campaign at the hands of the Zionist forces. The number of Palestinians that experienced expulsion anduprooting during this period of time is estimated to be approximately 775,000. Over the past 64 years, while the Zionist policy of population transfer has continued at a slower and retracted pace, it still remains an extension of the pogroms that began in 1947. Currently, the Palestinians diaspora totals approximately five million. While many Palestinians live in cities across the world, including in North America, South America and Europe, there still remains millions of Palestinians living in abject poverty and horrible conditions in refugee camps across bordering ...

To complete the article, click here


Palestine is the Anvil of our Souls: My New Blog

Palestine is the Anvil of our Souls

Ayman Qwaider

My name is Ayman Qwaider, a Palestinian from the Gaza Strip. I am 25 year old raised up and received my primary education in one of the Refugee camp where I live in El Nuserate refugee camp, middle of Gaza Strip. I finished my university degree from Islamic University of Gaza in 2008, then I worked for almost two years in International Humanitarian Aid organization based on the Gaza City. In Feb 2010, I was granted a scholarship in peace, conflict and development studies to complete my post graduate studies in Spain.

I started my blogging experience directly after the one-sided war on the Gaza Strip Winter 2008-2009. I launched my blog in order to contribute the mainstream media, which is often influenced by one narrative usually the Israeli narrative. I report so as I can reach a worldwide audience who seek the true facts on the group about the life under a military occupation.

I blog because I believe that audience worldwide has the right to receive information, stories, and news about what is happening in Palestine using alternative media sources. I believe that alternative media sources play a vital and effective role in countering the Israeli propaganda. This is not to declare that we are the winners, but we have to be alert that Israel spends over a $1 billion per year on public relations efforts compared with almost nothing that we spend. Though we do not have the money to influence the mainstream media and the politicians, we are able to reach the free voice of the people and we will continue to inform and mobilize the masses.

Fellow me:

http://aymanqwaider.wordpress.com/


Friday 4 November 2011

Vers une culture de Paix et Reconnaissance

Vers une culture de Paix et Reconnaissance
La Palestine est un membre de l’UNESCO
par Ayman Qwaider

La Palestine est devenue le 195ème Etat à joindre l’Organisation des Nations Unies pour l’éducation, la science et la culture, ci-après, l’UNESCO . Son admission au sein de la famille de l’UNESCO a offert une bouffée d’optimisme et d’espoir aux Palestiniens qui croient, profondément, dans la mission de l’UNESCO, à savoir « construire la paix dans l’esprit des hommes et des femmes. » L’admission de la Palestine est une victoire symbolique non seulement pour les Palestiniens, mais aussi pour les nombreuses nations du monde ayant voté pour la reconnaissance de la Palestine au sein des Nations Unies et soutenu la demande légitime du peuple palestinien à être représenté en tant qu'Etat aux Nations unies. Si ce vote n’est pas en soi une reconnaissance de la souveraineté palestinienne dans le concert des Nations unies, cette large majorité de nations ayant soutenu l’admission de la Palestine à l’UNESCO est symbolique du soutien remarquable dont jouit globalement la cause de la souveraineté et des droits nationaux palestiniens.
Les Palestiniens ont été soumis de manière prolongée à un système d’injustices et se battent depuis des décennies non seulement pour être reconnus en tant que peuple à part entière, mais pour se voir accorder des droits humains fondamentaux. Aujourd’hui avec cet pas unilatéral en direction de l’obtention de droits humains élémentaires, ce pas vers la dignité et vers la reconnaissance d’un Etat, les droits et la dignité des générations futures de Palestiniens semblent plus accessibles.
Quand il est question de conflit et de paix entre deux parties, et lorsque l’on tente d’atteindre plus de justice, l’acceptation et la reconnaissance de l’autre, est essentielle. Si les droits et la dignité de l’autre ne sont pas pris en compte, comment est-il possible d’imaginer une quelconque justice ? Cela a été impossible depuis plus de 63 ans, et cela ne saura l’être sans la reconnaissance des Palestiniens en tant que peuple. Peuple ayant toute légitimité et ayant droit aussi bien aux droits fondamentaux, que celui d’un Etat et de leur propre souveraineté établie clairement au sein des Nations unies, et à travers son Assemblée Générale. La reconnaissance et l’acceptation par l’UNESCO est un pas positif dans cette direction.

De nos jours, la diplomatie est dominée par des intérêts politiques et économiques, et contribue à maintenir des inégalités. C’est le phénomène que d’aucuns ont qualifié de « realpolitik ». Pourtant, malgré de très puissants intérêts en jeu dans la donne géopolitique actuelle, et malgré l’existence d’une opposition à l’initiative palestinienne et sa demande d’une reconnaissance au sein de l’ONU, cette acceptation de la Palestine à l’UNESCO prouve l’existence sous-jacente d’un large consensus sur la question d’un état palestinien. Ce consensus est plus évident que jamais.

La Reconnaissance est une étape vitale vers la Justice. La Paix est à la Justice ce que le fruit est à l’arbre ayant pu fleurir. Aucune paix de longue durée n’a pu être atteinte sans une base fondamentalement de justice et d’équité pour toutes les parties concernées. En tant que Palestinien, témoin de décennies de chagrin et injustices, comme tous les Palestiniens, je peux affirmer que nous sommes terriblement reconnaissants à la famille qu’est l’UNESCO pour la générosité de ce geste, cette reconnaissance et son soutien, et de ne pas avoir failli en ce qui concerne cette question de la Palestine. Nous, le peuple de la Palestine, nous vous saluons pour votre droiture, votre équité et votre intégrité dans votre soutien de la cause qu’est la justice.


Ayman Qwaider

ayman.qauder@gmail.com

Towards a Culture of Peace and Recognition


Towards a Culture of Peace and Recognition

Palestine is a UNESCO Member State

By: Ayman Qwaider

London (Pal telegraph) Palestine is the 195th state to join the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, UNESCO. The admission of Palestine to the UNESCO family has given optimism and hope to Palestinians who believe in the mission of UNESCO “Building peace in the Mind of Men and Women”. The admission of Palestine is a symbolic victory not only for Palestinians, but also for the many nations around the world that voted for the recognition of accepting Palestine as the legitimate sovereign state of the Palestinian People. While this vote did not result in the legal recognition of Palestinian sovereignty in the league of the United Nations, the large majority of nations that supported Palestine’s admission to UNESCO is symbolic of the overwhelming global support of Palestinian national rights and sovereignty.

Palestinians have been subjected to a prolonged system of injustice, and for decades we have been struggling not simply to be recognized as a sovereign people, but simply to have our basic human rights protected. Today, with this unilateral step towards attaining our human rights, dignity and statehood, we are that much closer to ensuring the rights and dignity of the future generations of Palestinians.

In attempting to address issues of justice, conflict and peace between two parties, firstly the recognition and the acceptance of the other is paramount. Without acknowledging the rights and dignity of the other, how can justice ever prevail? It hasn’t for over 63 years, and it won’t until our recognition as a legitimate people; a legitimate people with full human rights and the right to statehood and self-governance is fully achieved in the United Nations General Assembly. Our recognition and acceptance into UNESCO is a positive step in this direction.

Diplomacy in the world today is dominated by political and economic inequalities and interests, or what many great geopolitical analysts have coined “Realpolitik. Yet still, despite the very powerful interests at work in the geopolitical fold today, many of which have staunchly opposed the Palestinian initiative and demands for legal recognition of statehood within the UN; this acceptance of Palestine into UNESCO proves that there is a broad consensus on the question of Palestinian statehood. That consensus is now clearer than ever.

Recognition is a vital process towards justice. Peace is to justice as a fig is to the tree that flowers it. No long-lasting peace has ever endured without a strong foundation of justice and equity for all parties involved. We wholeheartedly appreciate the UNESCO family for their generous recognition, support and stand on the question of Palestine. We, the people of Palestine, commend you for your integrity, fairness and righteousness in supporting the cause for justice.


Published: Paltegraph

Ayman Qwaider

ayman.qauder@gmail.com


Thursday 15 September 2011

Who Is Killing People in the Middle East?

Thu, Sep 15, 2011By ORIENTAL REVIEW


Who Is Killing People in the Middle East?

Russian and Chinese refusal to support UN sanctions against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad at the end of August has caused a dramatic outburst of criticism in Western media and from the local human rights activists. On Tuesday the Facebook group ‘Syrian Revolution 2011’ posted a banner in Russian condemning Moscow for allegedly ‘killing the Syrians’. Let’s have a brief outlook on who is actually killing in Syria and other Arab countries.

Despite a common prejudice the rioters opposing the Syrian authorities are by no means ‘peaceful protestors’. The Syrian army and police fight against well-trained and properly armed professional raiders supported by the West and the fifth column inside Syria.

A police station in Hama, raided by ‘peaceful demonstrators’. 12 policemen were assassinated inside the building.

Since April the total record of Syrian soldiers, policemen and security officers assassinated by the ‘demonstrators’ has reached 600, while the number of injured is even higher. Many of them are killed by knifes with utmost cruelty. Every second shot by the long range sniper fire from upper locations (tops of the multistoried buildings) precisely above or under the vest. That’s a notably professional pattern of action. Although typical for Syria Soviet and Russian-made arms are being widely used in the clashes, many victims were hit by the weapons of Western origin having higher killing power, including pump rifles. There are many mutilated by improvised explosive devices.

An assassinated Syrian soldier having his throat cut by the assaulters.

A number of other photos of injured and killed Syrian soldiers were published on the RT web-site.

The tactics of provocations is another distinctive feature of opposition’s modus operandi set to keep the situation destabilized and create havoc and bloodshed. Having the most significant gangs already dispersed by the governmental forces, the opposition renews this tactics. Here is the message from Elena, who has relatives in Syria:

‘The gangsters were planning a series of debacles on 27th day of Ramadan (August 26). This is a special day for Muslims, Laylat al-Qadr (the Night of Destiny), when the sky is believed to be open and Allah is fulfilling all dreams. They wanted to organize a series of explosions and assassinations to cause people’s outrage. Syrian security agencies were timely informed about these plans and managed to detain around 200 plotters. There were several foreign specialists in subversive actions among the detained as well as Arab mercenaries from Qatar, Saudi Arabia and other countries. According to the evidence obtained, they were about to capture al Abbasein and al-Amaween squares in Damascus by pretending to organize pro-Assad march. When on the site, they schemed to change the slogans generating chaos, scuffles and eventually victims among the civilians.’ (Source in Russian)

NATO’s ‘humanitarian intervention’ in Libya has already led to unprecedented sufferings of the Libyan people. The so-called ‘new government of Libya’ has shown to their former patrons in the UK, France and Italy that they do not care much about the sentiments of international community. The mass lynching of black-skinned foreigners are now typical on the Libyan territories controlled by anti-Qaddafi forces. Mustafa Abdul Jalil, one of the leaders of Libyan Transitional National Council(TNC), has even admitted that ‘there are no bloodless revolutions… We should not be surprised if some casual victims of skirmishes are the case. Our soldiers cannot afford wasting time for identifying detained personalities. Their loyalty to the new authorities will be determined subjectively.’

A necropolis of blacks on a street of Tripoli

As a result the number of victims of the new regime among Libyan residents from Chad, Niger and Sudan is counted in thousands. Khamis al-Bass, a Saudi journalist reports from Libya: ‘On my eyes several uniformed men dragged an entire black family off their asylum, accused them in espionage for Qaddafi and hanged them all.’

The chairman of the African Union commission, Jean Ping, said many members of the Union had not yet recognized the TNC as the legitimate government of Libya because of reports of anti-black violence. He warned that the rebellion had left Libya unstable and its huge arms caches prey to looting by extremists and smugglers.

The perspective of turning Libya into a new lawless territory resembling Somalia or Liberia is thrillingly tangible. The civil war is gaining momentum as the NATO Special Forces get seemingly restrained from further involvement into conflict. Their loss toll is already too high. According to several insider reports, e.g. British SAS has lost 21 to 35 soldiers, most of them during the storm of Tripoli and helicopter crash on the Algerian border in August. So NATO apparently decided to pump the ‘new Libyan government’ with more weapons in the endeavor to turn the scale of the on-going faceoff in Libya in favor of TNC and wash the hands. For example, this week the Russian news agencies reported a massive arms shipment to the TNC from Moldova. An air-craft IL-76 arrived in Kishinev from Benghazi on Tuesday to be loaded by a ‘cargo of Moldavian army’s stores with expired date of usage’. Defense Ministry of the Republic of Moldova officially commented that ‘the shipment is being carried out according to the contract between the Ministry and a Latvian company’. Most likely the delivery of the second-hand Soviet weapons (there are no other sources actually available at Moldavian stores) to Benghazi was arranged by K.S.Avia Ltd, a Latvian Riga-based transportation firm and used Soviet arms supplier. (This company is notorious for multiple exports of the second-hand and unconditional military equipment from Ukraine, Belorussia and Poland to the Yemeni weapons market, which is a known hub for the cheap arms spreading throughout Arabian peninsular and beyond. Ironically, until recently this market has been totally controlled by the family of Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh. The current uprising in this country against acting president is a reflection of Yemeni and Saudi inter-elitist rivalry for the control over this super-lucrative business.)

Factually we can see that a small mediator from Latvia, a NATO country, starts playing a key role in channeling old Soviet-made weapons to the Afro-Asian conflict zones. The outcome of such arming would be extremely dangerous. That will lead to the escalation of civil war in Libya and other hotspots meaning more victims and more sufferings for the civilians. We have already written about this strategy in previous posts here and here.

The last but not least, it would be surprising if NATO pumping up Islamic Orient with old Soviet arms had not played the propagandistic card of ‘Russian weapons killing Arabs’. Indeed, since late August they have launched a ridiculous press campaign in Yemen, accusing Russia (!) of ‘supplying equipment to Saleh regime to be used against peaceful pro-democracy protesters’. In a propaganda stupor they are even claiming that the presidential palace in Sana’a is being defended by the Russian tanks T-92, a model that does not exist in nature! Here we will not get into details of US$ 4 billion deal for military modernization program of Yemeni army and police that United Statesprovided to President Saleh in the framework of counter-terrorism cooperation in 2010. We just take a note that the ‘military convoys’ coming to Yemeni port of Hodeida are contracted by the same dubious Latvian company K.S. Avia transporting arms to the Libyan Transitional National Council.

So who is killing people in the Middle East?

Resource:

ORIENTAL REVIEW