World leaders have a moral duty to intervene and end the violence and bloodshed in the birthplace of Jesus Christ. As ordinary people, all we can do is to pray and hope that one day Jews, Christians, Muslims and non-believers will live along side each other peacefully and coexist with love and tolerance. It is sad that one of the most beautiful places in the world and the birth place of the main world religions is in pain and fire.
Labour leader criticised by Downing Street for 'playing politics', as Palestinian death toll from Israel's offensive exceeds 1,650
In his statement, Miliband said that while he was a supporter of Israel and believed in its right to self-defence its military actions in the last fortnight had been "wrong and unjustifiable".
He said: "The escalation of violence engulfing Gaza has led, and is leading, to suffering and destruction on an appalling scale, and is losing Israel friends in the international community day by day.
"Israel's present military action will increase the future threats to its security rather than countering them. Israelis rightly and justifiably want that security, yet their government's present actions instead risk simply a growing a new generation bent on revenge.
"Sustainable security for Israel cannot be achieved simply by permanent blockade, aeriel bombardment and periodic ground incursion. Instead, it requires acknowledging the legitimate claims of Palestinians to statehood, and sustained efforts to secure a viable Palestine alongside a secure Israel.
"As for the British government, its job now is to develop a collective response not a differentiated one and to speak with one voice. We need the clear and unequivocal message that has not so far been provided to be sent from Britain to both sides in this conflict. David Cameron and the Cabinet must put Britain in a leading role in pressuring both sides now to end the violence."
(Reuters) - With the Middle East ablaze with multiple crises, Palestinians are getting less Arab support than before in their latest battle with Israel in Gaza. There may have been more solidarity on the streets of Paris and New York than in Cairo or Beirut.
Arab nations that long championed the Palestinian cause are now consumed by their own conflicts, including sectarian wars in Syria and Iraq, and Egypt's political battle with the Muslim Brotherhood that has drawn in rival Gulf states.
THE Palestinian flag that was flown over the town hall in the east London borough of Tower Hamlets was ripped down by vandals amid mounting concern in the Jewish community about anti-Semitic hatred.
In the video, published on YouTube on Saturday and the Channel 4 News website the following day but not broadcast on TV, Snow speaks directly to camera about how what he saw in Gaza was “still etched in my mind” and appeals directly to viewers to take action to stop the conflict.
Chris Gunness says he has no regrets over airing of moment of private grief if it focuses attention on plight of Gazan children
"My tears pale into insignificance compared to those of the people in Gaza, who are suffering intolerably," he said. "But we have now reached a point of such profound tragedy that tears are more eloquent than words."
The so-called Arab Spring initially backed by the US in Egypt was, in fact, part of a greater plan to silence voices in support of causes like Palestine
— Photo by Baz Ratner / AFP / Getty Images
Israel’s attack on Gaza Strip continue, killing over 200 Palestinians, including women and children. Israeli warplanes and naval vessels intensified their attack in the backdrop of “criminal silence” of the world, including the Muslim world.
Will such acts and silence help peace or promote terrorism? If this is not terrorism, then what is?
The people of Palestine have grown up in such situations, buried their love ones, fighting with stones and bricks for decades. One wonders whether it will help the so-called war against terror, which started after 9/11, and has so far killed hundreds and thousands. From Iraq to Afghanistan, from Palestine to Lebanon, from Syria to Libya, the world is in turmoil.
This is a sorry state of affairs, perhaps an unfinished agenda of the only super power. But in the name of restoring peace in the world and securing people from terrorism, the US’s decades-old policies have made the world “more unsafe”. It has made its own people, the Americans, more insecure with travel advisories not to travel to this country or that. The concept of human rights has also changed. Guantanamo Bay and Abu Ghraib are among the worst prisons, where suspects were detained without trial for years.
During a State Department briefing in Washington, a few years ago, when I asked the spokesperson whether terrorism has increased or decreased since 9/11 despite spending billions of dollars in the name of war against terror, he said, “I am afraid it has not decreased, but we are making all efforts to bring peace in the world.”
What happened in Gaza in the last 10 days and that, too, in the holy month of Ramzan is not only inhuman but also a violation of human rights and Geneva conventions. The manner in which the US and UN reacted is condemnable and would certainly not help in bringing peace in the World.
It’s not only that the UN should try for a ceasefire but that an aggressor should be called an aggressor for killing the innocent. The shortest possible definition of terrorism is that, “any attack in which innocent people are killed is terrorism.”
It’s not only that the UN should try for a ceasefire but that an aggressor should be called an aggressor for killing the innocent. The shortest possible definition of terrorism is that, “any attack in which innocent people are killed is terrorism.”
When former US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, visited Pakistan, I was among the few anchors who jointly interviewed her. After the interview, I asked her to name one country where peace was restored since 9/11 due to US efforts, saying, “I can name a number of countries where terrorism emerged due to these policies. Now, you are creating more Taliban and al-Qaeda in Libya and Syria.” She did not agree and insisted that what happened on 9/11 has changed the world and the US only wanted to see countries like Pakistan progress.
“Don’t support the rulers but the people and you will see the difference,” I argued.
Silence in the Arab world did not surprise me. The countries which in the past had always supported Palestine — Libya and Syria — are facing civil war, again thanks to the so-called war against terror.
The Arab rulers have for decades sided with the US but for the first time even the Arab and Muslim nations also looked divided, not on Palestine but among themselves. Beside the two above-mentioned countries, the alarming situation in Iraq has further made the cause of Palestinians more difficult.
There’s silence in Pakistan also. There was not a single big protest in the country, except a few demonstrations. The government’s response was not more than a mere condolence message. No joint session was called, either by the government or demanded by the opposition.
We often blame the Western media for their biased coverage. In this case, our media criticised the foreign print and electronic media for siding with Israel and not with Hamas. They may be biased opinions but may I ask, what role has the Pakistani media played in the Gaza crisis? From where are we getting all these news and visuals?
We hardly have correspondents or even stingers in countries like Iraq and Afghanistan, what to talk of Egypt, Libya, Syria or in Gaza? So, if you depend only on foreign media, I am afraid, you hardly have a choice.
If a top footballer of Real Madrid — Cristiano Ronaldo — could refuse to exchange his shirt with an Israeli player, saying, he doesn’t exchange shirt with assassins or if he could donate a huge amount of money for the Palestinian cause, can’t our heroes like Imran Khan, Javed Miandad, Waseem Akram, or big stars from other fields do the same for this cause or even for IDPs from North Waziristan?
The US claims it went to Iraq and after Saddam Hussain to destroy the so-called weapon of mass destruction, but returned after destroying the whole country.
The so-called Arab Spring initially backed by the US in Egypt was, in fact, part of a greater plan to silence voices in support of causes like Palestine. After the fall of Saddam Hussain came the fall of Hosni Mubarak, but the US did not accept Muslim Brotherhood, though they came to power in a democratic process. It’s another debate whether Muslim Brotherhood itself followed the basic principle of democracy or not.
So, I am still in search of a US success “peace story” after 9/11. Killing Osama bin Laden, leader of al-Qaeda could be big news but is terrorism on the decline? In a war of mindset, individuals hardly matter. You need to change the mindsets; you have to end poverty, provide education, health, and resolve disputed issues with an open mind. For all this you don’t have to invade a country to make more enemies.
Generations after generations of Palestinians have grown up amid bombing and violence. What do you expect them to give in return? If the US really wants peace in the world, it should change its policy and not perception about “war and peace”.
Mazhar Abbas
The author is a senior journalist and former secretary general of the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists.
The Gaza conflict arrived in West Berlin's leafy main boulevard of Kurfuerstendamm on Friday.
About 1,200 pro-Palestinian protestors processed past the designer shops, watched by elegant ladies sipping coffee in nearby cafes.
The vast majority of the demonstrators were from Germany's large Muslim community: women in headscarves; a protest leader reciting words from the Koran into a loudspeaker.
Many of the protesters held up signs condemning Israel's actions, chanting "freedom for Gaza".
Confusingly the chants from the 700 pro-Israel demonstrators sounded very similar: "Free Gaza from Hamas," they shouted.
Hundreds of pro-Palestinians took to the streets in Germany's capital to protest against Israel's military operations
The pro-Palestinians were mostly young men but the pro-Israel group were older - and some had dogs
The protests passed without too much trouble despite the heightened emotions in the crowds
They looked very different though. Some were older members of Germany's Jewish community.
But the most outspoken and loudest were student left-wing activists - most not Jewish, but passionate about fighting what they called anti-Semitism.
There were young people on both sides clearly eager to pick a fight.
The pro-Israeli left-wing activists screamed at police, provocatively running towards the pro-Palestinian protestors waving Israeli flags. While young Muslim men jeered and shouted threats over the police lines.
Scuffles broke out repeatedly. And tourists in a nearby restaurant looked startled as suddenly pro-Israeli activists jumped on tables waving flags, and riot police formed a line around the restaurant to stop young pro-Palestinian men attacking.
But the vast majority of protestors were peaceful: Jewish Germans holding up signs for peace; headscarved women holding hands to form a human chain to prevent extremists from either side attacking each other.
More than 1,000 police were deployed, preventing any serious outbreak of violence.
The conflict has caused many left-wingers to debate anti-Semitism and the Palestinian cause
Many Germans have grown increasingly concerned at the rising death toll in the Gaza Strip
The difficulty for many Germans is to know which side to support: Holocaust guilt has made supporting Israel a doctrine of faith for the German government. And anything that calls Israel's existence into question is beyond the pale.
At the same time many Germans are disturbed by the death toll in Gaza and don't agree with Israel's actions.
Can you criticize the Israeli state without being anti-Semitic, many Germans are asking themselves? And, in view of Hitler's legacy, do Germans have the right to tell Israel what to do? No, say some German commentators.
Left-wing activists are particularly divided, not knowing if they should fight alleged anti-Semitism or defend the Palestinian victims of what the far-left refers to "capitalist imperialism".
Ironically right-wing extremists are also conflicted.
Neo-Nazis have been using the chance to express their anti-Semitic views at other anti-Israel protests this week. But Germany's far-right doesn't like Muslim immigrants either.
Suddenly some pretty uncomfortable alliances are being formed.
The two sides have blamed each other for the end of the ceasefire
Pro-Israel activists in Berlin hold a banner saying "Against anti-Semitism and hatred of Israel"
Guilt over the Holocaust has made supporting Israel a doctrine of faith for much of the German public
Hundreds of pro-Palestinians took to the streets in Germany's capital to protest against Israel's military operations
The pro-Palestinians were mostly young men but the pro-Israel group were older - and some had dogs
The protests passed without too much trouble despite the heightened emotions in the crowds
The conflict has caused many left-wingers to debate anti-Semitism and the Palestinian cause
Many Germans have grown increasingly concerned at the rising death toll in the Gaza Strip
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