World Wide Protests Over Gaza. New Years Cancelled in Arab World.

Protests have erupted over the Israeli attack on Gaza worldwide.

New Years celebrations were cancelled .

And even in Israel students are showing their solidarity with the besieged  Palestinian enclave (substitute 'concentration camp" for that last word if you desire.

YNet News is reporting that universities have become "sites of hot tempered demonstrations". 

Protests at Israeli universities are decrying the collective punishement of the population of Gaza for the crimes of a few.  The antiwar students also probably remember that Gaza has been under blockade for what one experts said was two years (in a discussion a few days ago on a public radio program "To the Point" available via podcast.  I had been thinking the blockade started when Hamas was voted into office c. about 3 years ago, but I'm probably a little confused.  The garnishment of the taxes and customs by Israel started after Hamas took control, and the US refused to send the aid it had been sending the Palestinians to the democratically elected government.  The actual blockade though apparently  started about a year later or after the coup , after which the deprivations became basically unbearable and actually at times, deadly.

YNet report "Students protest Gaza operation " spits out labels such as "leftist" against the peace demonstrators in it's obvious bias, but, amazingly, the treatment is still not much different than what American mainstream news gives us.

Prowar demonstrators are not left out by the report.  It takes care to quote protestors proclaiming that the antiwar students should not be allowed to demonstrate in Israel but should be in Gaza.  The demonstrating prowar students also called for more action and especially the death of the Hamas leader and officially the Prime Minister of the Palestinians, which Israel has rejected rejected.  The report cite more revealing statements by the prowar groups which you can read at the source.  I think Richard Cheney would be very happy living there in his retirement. 

 The University says the demonstrations are allowed under a policy of free speech by it's students.  Apparently, in response to a question by the reporter, the spokesman seems to admit that some of the demonstrators may not be students.  The reporter doesn't identify whom he or she feels are 'outsiders'.  The prowar students admitted to the reporter that they were active only because they became aware that the anti war protests were going on.

I see the prowar demonstrators are called "rightists" under one picture in the above report, but the word 'leftist' in regards to the antiwar demonstrators is used 4 times, so I still believe the report is biased and it's characterizations are unhelpful to proper discussion.  

Some American anti-war types would be very upset about being called "leftists" as they are against war except in dire need, due to the cost and disruption it incurs, and human life should be sacred to all.

The AFP reports that protests are not restricted to Israeli campuses in "Protesters worldwide keep up pressure over Gaza ".

I believe it was on NPR that I heard that Arab nations had cancelled New Years celebrations but here is an article on that from the AFP "Arab states cancel New Year festivities in solidarity with Gaza".

Videos of protests can be found at CNN: Airstrikes against Gaza spur protests in U.S. and around world

tags: israel  gaza  operation cast lead  fascism  protests  new year celebrations  demonstrations  

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