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CONCERT 4 PALESTINE NEWSLETTER #2, SEPTEMBER 29, 2004
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THE NEWS
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First, apologies to all subscribers for taking so long to prepare this
second newsletter. We've
been busy...
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FIRST GLOBAL CONCERT 4
PALESTINE: SATURDAY 2 OCTOBER
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We're happy to announce the
first "global" Concert 4 Palestine. The venue is Sheffield, UK, where
the local branch of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign is hosting on Saturday 2
October a concert featuring top local musicians (all of whom volunteered their
time gratis). The concert will be webcast live, so anyone with an
internet connection - and
Quicktime or an mp3 player - can tune in.
We will send you a reminder
on the day of the concert!
Who's playing:
http://www.sheffieldpsc.org.uk/concert.html
More on the Sheffield
concert: http://www.sheffieldpsc.org.uk/octbenefit.shtml
Please send encouragement
to:
enquiries@sheffieldpsc.org.uk
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APPEAL TO BONO NOW IN ARABIC
AND HEBREW
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We have published our appeal
for a global concert for Palestine in Arabic and Hebrew. Votes now stand at
22,000. After a flood of votes in favor in June/July, visits dropped off in
August, a slow month for the web. We tried promoting our campaign where people
were still indoors - South
America, South Africa and Australia -
but the response was
underwhelming. If anyone can help spread the
word south, please do. For Brazil,
we have published our news
release in Portuguese.
Arabic:
http://www.concert4palestine.org/ar/
Hebrew:
http://www.concert4palestine.org/he/
Portuguese:
http://www.concert4palestine.org/pt/
Portuguese news release: http://www.concert4palestine.org/campaign/
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MUSICIANS AGAINST THE WALL
(AT LEAST)
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While we wait for the music
world to answer our appeal, it's great to see leading musicians endorsing a
campaign, launched by the UK charity War-on-Want, against Israel's annexation
wall. Among the
signers: Roger Waters (the
nerves of Pink Floyd), veteran busker Billy Bragg, and Irish troubadour Damien
Rice. This could be an
important precedent. Would
they also play a Concert 4 Palestine? We'll ask them...
War-on-wants' Nick Dearden
describes the No-wall campaign: http://www.waronwant.org/?lid=8612
Celebrities show their
support: http://www.waronwant.org/?lid=8411
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FREE PALESTINE RADIO
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If you have the bandwidth,
tune in to Free Palestine Radio, a new
on-line station brought to
you by Dr Jazz, a Palestinian musician in the Netherlands best-known for his
Musical Intifadah website.
The station features 12
songs by Dr Jazz, US folk artist David Rovics ("the Pete Seeger of his
time"), acoustic songstress
Christie Donnelly and
Baltimore hiphop activist son-of-nun.
Something for everyone!
Free Palestine Radio: http://www.soundclick.com/stations/stations.cfm?id=102075
The Musical Intifadah
http://www.docjazz.com/index.php
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ISRAEL: NOT (YET) SOUTH
AFRICA
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John Dugard, UN Special
Rapporteur for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories, is not optimistic
about the chances of global sanctions being imposed on Israel soon, even after
the World Court condemnation of its illegal annexation wall: "Israel will,
it seems, forever have the USA to veto any sanctions." Dugard, a South
African, regrets that "Israel is unwilling to learn from the
South
African precedent", but
says the sands of time are moving against
it: "A state cannot
indefinitely stand against the world."
Interview with John Dugard: http://www.palestinecampaign.org/features.asp?d=y&ID=394
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WITH A VIEW TO THE U.S.
ELECTIONS...
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Meanwhile, Israeli
bulldozers and death squads are hard at work in what Hasan Abu Nimah, Director
of the Royal Institute for Interfaith Studies in Amman, describes as a campaign
"to put an end to the Intifada before a new American administration is in
place." Abu Nimah says "Sharon still fears a fresh American attempt,
during a Bush second term, to 'revive' the so-called peace process. A new administration
may try to do the same as well."
See "The Race to end
Palestinian resistance": http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article3011.shtml
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RALPH NADER IN 2004?
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For now, however, there are
no signs that either candidate in the US presidential elections dares to raise
his voice against Ariel Sharon's despicable government. George W. Bush sings
the praises of "our good friend Israel" and Democratic candidate John
Kerry has declared the annexation wall "legitimate", no matter what
the World Court says. Ralph Nader, the "third candiate", has the courage
to break the deafening silence, in an open letter to Abraham H. Foxman,
National Director of the US Anti-Defamation League.
The letter: http://www.votenader.org/why_ralph/index.php?cid=119
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A WORLD "SAFE FOR
SHARON"
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How come countries alleged
to be implicated in the 9/11 attacks
- Saudi Arabia and Pakistan
- are staunch US allies, while
countries with no connection
at all - Iraq, Iran and Syria - are
under growing threat of
attack for supposedly sponsoring "global
terrorism"? American
conservative Pat Buchanan writes: "The
neo-conservatives'
prescription for permanent war makes sense only if it is the mission of the armed forces of the
United States to make the
Middle East safe for Sharon."
Read "No end to
war":
http://www.amconmag.com/3_1_04/cover.html
More (frightening stuff) on
the Likud lobby: http://rightweb.irc-online.org/org/jinsa.php
http://rightweb.irc-online.org/analysis/2004/0409feith.php
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LESSONS FROM LIKUD
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Naomi Klein: "What
happened on September 11 2001 is that the Likud doctrine, previously targeted
against Palestinians, was picked up by the most powerful nation on earth and
applied on a global scale. If we want to see where the Likud doctrine leads, we
need only follow the guru home, to Israel, a country paralysed by fear and in
denial about the brutality it commits daily. It is a nation surrounded by
enemies and desperate for friends - a category it narrowly defines as those who
ask no questions. That glimpse of our collective future is the only lesson the
world needs to learn from Ariel Sharon."
To "The Likud
doctrine": http://www.guardian.co.uk/russia/article/0,2763,1301504,00.html
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FALLUJAH: TROUBLED, RESTIVE
OR VOLATILE?
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Finally, have you noticed
that Fallujah, the city in Iraq off- limits to US occupation forces, used to be
described in the media as "troubled"? In media-speak,
"troubled" can only be a euphemism for "bombarded". A
Google search now reveals that as US bomb attacks have intensified, Fallujah's
adjective has also been upgraded - from merely "troubled" (590
results), the city became increasingly "restive" (1,980 results) and
now is outright "volatile" (3,440 results).
Fallujah, according to Google: http://www.google.com/search?q=%22volatile+city+of+Fallujah%22
Fallujah, according to Al Jazeera:
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/25D76053-
DC47-40AC-9736-07AE87F94E9A.htm [paste the entire link!]
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