My recent experience with "EXPEDIA.COM" ...

... there is something I want to share with you, something which made my blood boil yesterday late in the evening!

I am here in gorgeous Albuquerque now for some three months and as it happens, it becomes necessary to fly back to Nebraska for a few short days to get some paperstuff taken care of, visit some folks and run some unavoidable errands. After three months that's just the way it is and so I thought, lets get it done and book a flight ASAP.

I sat here at my laptop after work, that is after a 12-hour (or make it better 13) shift, tired but determined to find what I wanted: a reasonably priced ticket to Omaha and back. A colleague had warmly recommended to go to EXPEDIA and do the booking through them ... he said he always takes advantage of their services and never ever encountered a problem. Well, he's a very respectable person with lots of experience with domestic flights and so I did what he suggested, anticipating I would more or less whizz through the whole thing and have a pleasant experience - and go to sleep. I never expected what followed ...

It was the first time for me that I booked a ticket online ... either I went to a travel-agency and had them take care of everything or I did it by phone. Each flight, anywhere ... never had a problem.

So encouraged by his words I started off right away with EXPEDIA website and found a flight for two-hundred-I-guess-seventy-something dollars - and was a happy camper! A fantastic price I thought ... but when I tried to figure out how to go about, I was a bit unsure - and decided to call them and ask for assist. A guy answered the phone, I suppose he is from India. I am NOT judging whatsoever - I travelled India and love the Indian people dearly - all I am doing is stating a fact. He was impatient from start and when I told him, I was interested in this particular flight, he briefly searched and told me, the price was wrong. I insisted I saw it right in front of me, on EXPEDIA website but he kept on repeating it wouldn't exist. He even told me I should refresh the site and even shut down the computer and restart it ... well, to make a long story short - he tested my patience to the very limit. He told me, the actual price would be some one hundred dollars more ... I wasn't convinced. If this price was listed, I said, even though possibly accidentally - the flight should be sold for this amount. It was misleading potential customers.

The agent asked me if I would book this more expensive flight and I told him NO, I was not interested and didn't understand why EXPEDIA as well-known company didn't honor their ads ... and suddenly I heard a CLICK in the phone - imagine - the guy hung up on me in the middle of my sentence!! What a buffalo I thought ( which almost constitutes an insult for the four-legged buffalos!) .... but as giving up is not an expression that exists in my vocabulary so I called back - and got a young woman at the other end of the line. I told her what had just happened to me and that I was very upset about his conduct and consider it the epitome of rudeness ... well, maybe she didn't understand what an epitome is, who knows ...

In the meantime I had indeed refreshed the website (just to be on the safe side) and guess what? The low flight price was still listed and damned, I WANTED it! I told her it was not feasable that one price which didn't exist, was still listed but she gave me the same story as her impudent collegue and after a short few minutes and again the question if I wold book the more expensive flight and with the same answer from my side - she became very short and unfriendly and terminated the call by snarling what I wanted was not available and the usual "thank you for calling EXPEDIA and have a nice evening" - yea right!! By then the low fare was still officially available on their site and I looked straight at it! Image this audacity!!! I was furious! Needless to say, EXPEDIA will NOT see nor hear from me again.

Then I checked all possibilities I could think of and finally called FRONTIER Airlines hoping, even though I had almost lost my hope already, that ANYONE in the airline industry would be friendlier and more considerate and helpful ... and was almost shocked at the courtesy and patience, the kindness and professionalism! I didn't like the fares though and finally ended up booking the flight through PRICELINE ... very reasonable in price, smooth sailing through the process and without any rude word. It shows it is possible!

I would show those rude EXPEDIA travel-agents the door and tell them to close it from outside!~
~~

10 principles for Peace of Mind..

Got that from a friend ... it is SO TRUE!!!


1. Do Not Interfere In Others' Business Unless Asked.

Most of us create our own problems by interfering too often in others' affairs. We do so because somehow we have convinced ourselves that our way is the best way, our logic is the perfect logic and those who do not conform to our thinking must be criticized and steered to the right direction, our direction. This thinking denies the existence of individuality and consequently the existence of God.. God has created each one of us in a unique way. No two human beings can think or act in exactly the same way. All men or women act the way they do because God within them prompts them that way. Mind your own business and you will keep your peace.

2. Forgive And Forget:

This is the most powerful aid to peace of mind. We often develop ill feelings inside our heart for the person who insults us or harms us. We nurture grievances. This in turn results in loss of sleep, development of stomach ulcers, and high blood pressure. This insult or injury was done once, but nourishing of grievance goes on forever by constantly remembering it. Get over this bad habit. Life is too short to waste in such trifles. Forgive,20Forget, and march on. Love flourishes in giving and forgiving.

3. Do Not Crave For Recognition:

This world is full of selfish people. They seldom praise anybody without selfish motives. They may praise you today because you are in power, but no sooner than you are powerless, they will forget your achievement and will start finding faults in you. Why do you wish to kill yours lf in striving for their recognition? Their recognition is not worth the aggravation. Do your duties ethically and sincerely.

4. Do Not Be Jealous:

We all have experienced how jealousy can disturb our peace of mind. You know that you work harder than your colleagues in the office, but sometimes they get promotions; you do not. You started a business several years ago, but you are not as successful as your neighbor whose business is only one year old. There are several examples like these in everyday life. Should you be jealous? No. Remember everybody's life is shaped by his/her destiny, which has now become his/her reality. If you are destined to be rich, nothing in the world can stop you. If you are not so destined, no one can help you either. Nothing will be gained by blaming others for your misfortune. Jealousy will not get you anywhere; it will only take away your peace of mind.

5. Change Yourself According To The Environment:

If you try to change the environment single-handedly, the chances are you will fail. Instead, change yourself to suit your environment. As you do this, even the environment, which has been unfriendly to you, will mysteriously change and seem congenial and harmonious.

6. Endure What Cannot Be Cured:

This is the best way to turn a disadvantage into an advantage. Every day we face numerous inconveniences, ailments, irritations, and accidents that are beyond our control... If we cannot control them or change them, we must learn to put up with these things. We must learn to endure them cheerfully. Believe in yourself and you will gain in terms of patience, inner strength and will power.

7. Do Not Bite Off More Than You Can Chew:

This maxim needs to be remembered constantly. We often tend to take more responsibilities than we are capable of carrying out. This is done to satisfy our ego. Know your limitations. . Why take on additional loads that may create more worries? You cannot gain peace of mind by expanding your external activities. Reduce your material engagements and spend time in prayer, introspection and meditation. This will reduce those thoughts in your mind that make you restless. Uncluttered mind will produce greater peace of mind.

8. Meditate Regularly:

Meditation calms the mind and gets rid of disturbing thoughts. This is the highest state of peace of mind. Try and experience it yourself. If you meditate earnestly for half an hour everyday, your mind will tend to become peaceful during the remaining twenty-three and half-hours. Your mind will not be easily disturbed as it was before. You would benefit by gradually increasing the period of daily meditation. You may think that this will interfere with your daily work. On the contrary, this will increase your efficiency and you will be able to produce better results in less time.

9. Never Leave The Mind Vacant:

An empty mind is the devil's workshop. All evil actions start in the vacant mind. Keep your mind occupied in something positive, something worthwhile . Actively follow a hobby. Do something that holds your interest. You must decide what you value more: money or peace of mind. Your hobby, like social work or religious work, may not always earn you more money, but you will have a sense of fulfillment and achievement. Even when you are resting physically, occupy yourself in healthy reading or mental chanting of God's name.

10. Do Not Procrastinate And Never Regret:

Do not waste time in protracted wondering " Should I or shouldn't I?" Days, weeks, months, and years may be wasted in that futile mental debating. You can never plan enough because you can never anticipate all future happenings. Value your time and do the things that need to be done. It does not matter if you fail the first time. You can learn from your mistakes and succeed the next time. Sitting back and worrying will lead to nothing. Learn from your mistakes, but do not brood over the past. DO NOT REGRET. Whatever happened was destined to happen only that way. Why cry over spilt milk?
~

Bees provide pain relief in beleaguered Gaza

Rateb Samur, a Palestinian agronomist turned healer, gets a bee to sting a patient under the ear lobe for healing purposes on November 4 at his private clinic in Gaza City (AFP photo)





By Mai Yaghi
Agence France-Presse

GAZA CITY - In a clinic in the beleaguered Gaza Strip, Ratib Samur makes his way from one patient to the next armed with little more than a small box filled with enraged bees.

He uses the bees to sting those who have come to him for help - and amid the territory's deepening isolation, his clinic has been transformed into a hive of activity.

Since the Islamist movement Hamas seized power in Gaza in 2007 the coastal enclave has been sealed off from all but vital aid by both Israel and Egypt, limiting the ability of Gazans to seek medical care abroad.

It has meant growing demand for Samur's bee venom treatment.

"The bee stings are really great," says Mohammed Al Dayya, paralysed from the waist down because of muscular atrophy.

The 25-year-old used to be treated in Egypt, but has had to resort to the bees because of the closures. Confined to Gaza, he wheels himself into Samur's clinic each week to get stung, which he says has stabilised his condition.

"I no longer have this pain that used to keep me from sleeping," he said during a recent session. "This treatment made my condition stable and now it won't get worse before I am able to travel." Most claims of apitherapy - the medical use of bee venom - are anecdotal and have not been proved to the satisfaction of scientists, although believers say it helps relieve pain from multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis and certain other ailments.

Bee stings, however, also entail risks of serious allergic reactions, and of course the process of getting stung is not one most people would enjoy - at Samur's clinic, patients often get four to six stings a time.

Samur admits his treatment is no substitute for advanced medical care.

"I cannot help him walk again, but my treatment basically focuses on easing the pain and preventing his condition from deteriorating further," said Samur, who studied agricultural engineering in Egypt.

When the 53-year-old opened the clinic in 2003 after testing out bee venom treatments on his family and friends, he was greeted with scepticism.

"It became more acceptable when I got brilliant results from the treatment with a number of patients, and it increased even more after the Israeli siege," he said.

Israel generally allows people to leave Gaza for emergencies but grants only a limited number of permits for medical treatment abroad.

The lack of medical options and the economic crisis gripping the territory has sent hundreds of men, women and children flocking to Samur's clinic, where he pricks them with bees raised in dozens of backyard hives.

A course of three injections costs just $2.5.

Many of his patients suffer from wounds inflicted during Israel's assault on Gaza at the turn of the year aimed at halting Palestinian rocket attacks. Some 1,400 Palestinians were killed before the fighting ended on January 18.

Ismail Matar has been receiving bee stings to treat the shock he suffered when a friend was killed before his eyes by an Israeli air strike.

"My friend was torn apart right in front of me by shrapnel from an Israeli missile," the 23-year-old said.

"I was in psychological shock. I was not strong enough to move my legs, I could barely see, and none of the drugs worked. But now, after seven months of treatment with bee stings, I am much better. I can walk again."

The natural remedy, which contains large amounts of the anti-inflammatory agent melittin, has been used in other nations to treat multiple sclerosis and arthritis, but there is little experimental evidence of its effectiveness.

"The bee venom treatment is a complement to medicine," Samur says. "I don't diagnose the illness, but rely entirely on the opinion of the doctor." He also refuses to treat people with heart disease, diabetes or cancer.

Patients such as Nivine Ajur, a 32-year-old mother of six who suffers from rheumatoid arthritis, swear by the treatment.

"I have been suffering from rheumatoid arthritis for five years and nothing helped because there is no treatment for this disease in Gaza," she said as a bee plunged its stinger into her wrist.

"I could not climb stairs at all but now, after five months of treatment, I can climb them six times a day."

In another corner of the clinic 10-year-old Mohammad Barud does not flinch even as bees gather on his ear lobe just below his hearing aid.

"I'm used to this, and I am not afraid," he said.

"My hearing gets better every week and I will keep coming here until I can take out this hearing aid. The doctor told me I would have to wear it my whole life."
~
SOURCE
~

West Bank rabbi: Jews can kill Gentiles who threaten Israel

THAT MAKES ME SO SICK TO MY STOMACH ... WHAT RABBIS? THEY ARE NOT EVEN HUMAN BEINGS - THEY'RE FULL-FLEDGED MONSTERS!!!

By Haaretz Service

Just weeks after the arrest of alleged Jewish terrorist, Yaakov Teitel, a West Bank rabbi on Monday released a book giving Jews permission to kill Gentiles who threaten Israel.

Rabbi Yitzhak Shapiro, who heads the Od Yosef Chai Yeshiva in the Yitzhar settlement, wrote in his book "The King's Torah" that even babies and children can be killed if they pose a threat to the nation.

Shapiro based the majority of his teachings on passages quoted from the Bible, to which he adds his opinions and beliefs.

"It is permissable to kill the Righteous among Nations even if they are not responsible for the threatening situation," he wrote, adding: "If we kill a Gentile who has sinned or has violated one of the seven commandments (TO THE BEST OF MY KNOWLEDGE THERE ARE 12 AND NOT 7 ...) - because we care about the commandments (OH YEA???) - there is nothing wrong with the murder." (... READ THIS AGAIN: "THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH THE MURDER!!!")

Several prominent rabbis, including Rabbi Yithak Ginzburg and Rabbi Yaakov Yosef, have recommended the book to their students and followers.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1126890.html

GOD ALLMIGHTY ... I HAVE NO WORDS ANYMORE!

RADICALS DEMAND ISLAMIC BRITAIN !!

Outrageous, inciting unrest and even violence, spitting in the faces of moderate and law-abiding Muslims worldwide, provocative - and totally irresponsible!!

For soccer-fans .. FASTEST GOAL IN THE WORLD!!!!!!!!

... TWO SECONDS!!!!!!!!!!

Belly dancing political activism

Iqbal - thank you so much for almost making me fall from the chair from laughing! Needless to say, I wholeheartedly agree to your statement!

Posted by Iqbal Tamimi on November 10, 2009 at 7:00pm

View Iqbal Tamimi's blog

Activism is a wonderful form of solidarity; different people passionate about certain human rights' issues are willing to express their support in every possible way.

Some hold placards and march in the streets, others express their political stand by writing, and some paint the most wonderful works of art, or donate money to buy some aid.

But I have found after a number of gatherings I have been invited to that there are activists who are not there for the cause. Some enjoy being considered rebels and going against the flow, and they contest about almost everything. It takes all kind of people. But things started to get annoying lately for some Palestinians like myself when I found out that some come to such activities for other reasons, like taking their weekly shot of inflating their ego. Others promote their films and records, and many mix activism with musical talents that have nothing to do with the theme. All that is fine as long as they allow Palestinians to express themselves. But they don't. One wonders if such forms of activism are a sign of a severely inflamed society, i.e., a reflection of individuals suffering oppression themselves, causing them to vent their anger and frustration through different platforms of activism; or is it a mere misunderstanding of what activism mean for different people of different backgrounds?

The majority are sincere about their efforts, but I have been invited to few events which show that the organizers know very little about us Palestinians. How can someone send an invitation to the Muslim community requesting their presence at an event that is supposed to be in support of the hungry in Gaza using a Western method of advertising? The invitation reads, ‘there is plenty of wine and belly dancing'. I thought, are they serious? Don't they know that the majority of Palestinians are Muslims, and that this is not their cup of tea? The moment I read the invitation which shows a half naked woman wearing the patriotic belly dancing costume and bending like she is suffering a tummy ache, immediately I experienced a 7-scale Richter shock which was so hard that it almost blew off my Hijab. I thought that the dancer was so passionate about the Palestinian cause that she had leapt from the screen and was about to liberate Palestine and feed all the famishing people of Gaza.

Dear belly dancing activists... have mercy on our souls. In our part of the world dancing is performed on happy occasions, and happy events in Palestine do not involve the belly -- or kidneys for that matter, since we don't trust taking our kidneys with us anywhere any more. Some kidneys in Palestine lost their way in the crowds and never came back. We only stamp our feet hard to make sure that the land hears us and open its arms for us to dig our roots further, the trunk of our bodies standing stiff like the trunk of the olive tree, and we spread our hands towards the sky since it is our only escape for freedom...until further notice.

No one dances where there are pools of blood, and I am not talking here about dry cleaning reasons. How can one celebrate by belly dancing, even if it was for a good cause? I tried to find excuses for those people who want to mix activism with pleasure. I thought maybe the dancer was an impressionist, and her belly button symbolized our sinking morals, or she wanted to show us how the underprivileged people of Gaza can't afford to buy clothes. I even thought of donating my spare curtain to cover the dancer's bare body, since it is almost December and she might catch cold. But on the other hand, I thought, the price of the sequins stitched on her activism belt can probably buy her more than a big Mac.

Well, belly dancers and alcohol drinkers, thank you for your efforts, but we Palestinians need sober, healthy supporters. Donations are accepted from those who are doing better than the Gaza people and have enough clothes to cover their cold bodies. Pleeeease do not misunderstand my words. I am grateful. I do appreciate people's kind efforts. But please do not use our plight to have fun. We like to participate in any activist's event that is done in the name of our country. Surely you do not expect us to strip or get drunk to feed the orphans of Gaza. And from my humble point of view, serving mountains of food to fund some aid for starving children is bad taste, I would say.
~
Iqbal Tamimi is an exiled Palestinian journalist, living in the UK. She has worked in news TV production, broadcasting and print journalism for almost 17 years and is the founder and organizer of the Palestinian Mothers' network for human rights.

~

THERE'S NO FAIRNESS IF ONE DOESN'T HEAR BOTH SIDES !!

Steve Clemons Interviews Khaled Meshal @ October 17, 2009

The Long Path Out of Denial: Zionism, Heartache, and a New Vision of Israel and Palestine

Sam says ...

This is a long (but moving) article, thus, I will provide the link only. It is a must read for my Jewish subscribers.

~

By Kim Chernin http://www.tikkun.org/article.php/nov_dec_09_chernin

Kim Chernin, Ph.D., a feminist writer and psychotherapist who practices in Berkeley, has won acclaim for her numerous works of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. This article is adapted from her new book, Everywhere a Guest, Nowhere at Home: A New Vision of Israel and Palestine.

They are seeing the light, one by one ...
Sam
~

Another Divisive Wall

Queen Rania of Jordan

Queen of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan

Posted: November 9, 2009 07:40 AM

The fall of the Berlin Wall: what a testament to the power of peaceful revolution. Even as a high school student in Kuwait, it was impossible not to be swept up in the emotion, as I watched people clamber to freedom, family and friends for the first time.

And yet, for me, and for so many other people in the Middle East, and around the world, the anniversary is bittersweet. It is a reminder, as if one was necessary, of another divisive wall that we are desperate to tear down and consign to the annals of history: the ugly expanse of concrete and barbed wire that runs through the West Bank, most notably splicing Jerusalem and mutating its cherished and sacred history.

As the people of Germany celebrate a wall coming down, the people of Palestine are overwrought by a wall going up.

According to the Israeli government, their "Separation Barrier" is meant to divide Israel from Palestine, and protect Israelis from attacks. But to 'protect' illegal Israeli settlements, the wall snakes deep into Palestinian land, cleaving families from friends, homes from schools and universities, and workers from their land and their jobs. Innocent Palestinians, suffocated. A nation, imprisoned.

According to B'Tselem, an Israeli human rights group, the wall cuts off half a million Palestinians from the rest of the West Bank. Communities are being forcibly torn apart. Not 20 years ago, but today.

It has been five years since the International Court of Justice ruled that Israel should cease construction, dismantle the wall, and pay reparations to affected Palestinians. But the "Separation Barrier" is now 400 km, double its length at the time of the court ruling. Israel continues to ignore this legal ruling and construct the barrier which, they claim, is only two-thirds complete.

I know this wall is only the symptom of a greater division - the figurative wall of hate, fear, and mistrust that divides the Israeli and Palestinian peoples. But that does not justify - legally or morally - what is happening in Palestine. It is an affront to human freedom, an assault on human dignity, a scar on our collective well-being. Until the barriers, blockades, and barbed wire are history, Palestine's history will be irreconcilable.

Today, we celebrate the fall of the Berlin Wall; next year, we will celebrate the end of Apartheid in South Africa. These two events taught us that when barriers are removed - whether physical barriers, legal barriers, or the walls people build in their hearts - the ground is laid for progress, peace, and development for both sides. The people of my region yearn as well for justice and reconciliation.

What better way to honour these anniversaries than to tear down another wall?
~
SOURCE
~

Twenty years after Berlin, Palestinians crack Israel's wall

Bethlehem - Ma'an - Marking the 20th anniversary since the fall of the Berlin Wall, Palestinians tore down a section of Israel's wall in the West Bank village of Ni'lin on Friday.

During a weekly protest against the barrier, which cuts through the Ramallah-area village's center and isolates residents from 60 percent of their farmland, some 300 demonstrators methodically dismantled a concrete section before Israeli forces opened fire.

"Twenty years ago, no one imagined that the monstrosity that divided Berlin would ever be taken down, but it took only two days to do it," participant Muhib Hawaja told the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth.



"When one concrete part started to come down partially, the Israeli army arrived and started shooting large amounts of tear gas, rubber-coated steel bullets and even live ammunition," said organizer Ahmad Mesleh. "Dozens of soldiers came through the gate and are currently following the demonstration into the village."

Mesleh said protesters first gathered in front of Ni'lin's health clinic, where they prepped supplies and marched toward the wall. They burned tires and removed an eight-meter concrete slab with a hydraulic car-jack.

"Twenty years ago, no one imagined that the monstrosity that divided Berlin would ever be taken down, but it took only two days to do it," participant Muhib Hawaja told the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth.

"Today we proved that we too can pull it off, right here and right now. That is our land beyond the barrier, and we have no intention of ceding it. We will triumph because justice is on our side," he added.
~
SOURCE
~

ADC Thanks 36 House Representatives who Opposed H.RES 867

... and THAT was yesterday:

Iqbal Tamimi (@PALESTINIAN MOTHERS)

Yesterday, the US House of Representatives voted 344-36 in support of the remarkably biased H. Res. 867 which called on the President and the Secretary of State to unequivocally oppose any endorsement of the Report of the United Nations Fact Finding Mission on the Gaza Conflict. During the debate on the House floor, it became increasingly clear that the Members of Congress who voted for H. Res. 867 had not read the report, and instead were relying on inaccuracies and deeply flawed arguments made around the Report. By passing this resolution, Congress sent a message yesterday that it does not stand for the accountability of war crimes committed in Gaza, the protection of civilians, and/or the restoration for peace.

Though the vote was very one-sided, 36 Members of Congress – 33 Democrats and 3 Republicans - courageously voted to oppose H. Res. 867, and correctly pointed out that the opportunity of holding a hearing on the Report did not even exist, and that such resolution does nothing to promote peace and accountability. The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) urges you to recognize and thank these 36 US House Representatives for exhibiting real leadership by contacting them TODAY.

Please see below for the list.

Arizona: AZ-4: Edward Pastor (D), AZ-7: Raul Grijalva (D)

Arkansas: AR-2: Victor Snyder (D)

California: CA-6: Lynn Woolsey (D), CA-7: George Miller (D), CA-9: Lee Barbara (D), CA-13: Fortney Stark (D), CA-23: Lois Capps (D), CA-35: Maxine Waters (D), CA-51 Bob Filner (D)

Indiana: IN-7: Andre Carson (D)

Kentucky: KY-4: Davis Geoff (R)

Louisiana: LA-7: Charles Boustany (R)

Maryland: MD-4: Donna Edwards (D)

Massachusetts: MA-1: John Olver (D), MA-3: James McGovern (D), MA-9: Lynch Stephen (D)

Michigan: MI-13: Carolyn Kilpatrick (D), MI-15: John Dingell (D)

Minnesota: MN-4: Betty McCollum (D), MN-5: Keith Ellison (D)

Missouri: MO-1: William Clay (D)

New York: NY-11: Yvette Clarke (D), NY-22: Maurice Hinchey (D)

North Carolina: NC-4: David Price (D), NC-12 Melvin Watt (D)

Ohio: OH-10: Dennis Kucinich (D)

Oregon: OR-3 Earl Blumenauer (D)

Texas: TX-14: Ronald Paul (R), TX-25 Lloyd Doggett (D),

TX-30 Eddie Johnson(D)

Virginia: VA-8: James Moran
~

Washington: WA-3: Brian Baird (D), WA-7: James McDermott (D)

West Virginia: WV-3: Nick Rahall (D)

Wisconsin: WI-2: Tammy Baldwin (D)

The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC), which is non sectarian and non partisan, is the largest Arab-American civil rights organization in the United States. It was founded in 1980, by former Senator James Abourezk to protect the civil rights of people of Arab descent in the United States and to promote the cultural heritage of the Arabs. ADC has 38 chapters nationwide, including chapters in every major city in the country, and members in all 50 states.

~

U.S. HOUSE CONDEMNS GOLDSTONE REPORT ON 344-36 VOTE

THAT WAS TWO DAYS AGO ...

3 November 2009

BY NATASHA MOZOVAYA and BARAK RAVID
Haaretz

The U.S. House of Representatives condemned a UN report Tuesday that accuses Israeli forces and Palestinian militants of committing war crimes in Gaza early this year as irredeemably biased and unworthy of further consideration or legitimacy.

On a 344-36 vote, the House passed a nonbinding resolution that urged President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton to oppose unequivocally any endorsement of the report. Twenty-two representatives voted present.

The report, commissioned by the UN Human Rights Council, accuses both Israel and the Palestinian Hamas group of war crimes but presents Israel’s actions as much more serious.

The Ros-Lehtinen/Berman resolution defines the report as “biased and unworthy of further consideration,” U.S. Representative Howard Berman, chairman of the Foreign Relations committee, said recently at the Jerusalem Conference.

The report “paints a distorted picture,” said House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer.

It “epitomizes the practice of singling Israel out from all other nations for condemnation.”

Democratic Congresswoman Nita Lowey, Chairwoman of the State and Foreign Operations Appropriations Subcommittee, warned lawmakers that further consideration of the Goldstone report could seriously harm Middle East peace negotiations.

“Israel, like all sovereign nations, has the responsibility to respect human rights and adhere to international law,” she said, “However, its defense of its citizens against attacks by Hamas militants simply cannot be conflated with terrorist actions.

“Facilitating a lasting peace between Israel and the Palestinians is among our most important foreign policy priorities, and further consideration of the Goldstone report could hinder movement toward peace negotiations,” said Lowey.

However, opponents of the House move warned that although the resolution was non-binding, it would hurt U.S. credibility as a broker of Middle East peace.

The National Jewish Democratic Council urged Democratic members of Congress to support the resolution and denounce the commission’s report.

“The Obama administration has made it abundantly and repeatedly clear that they stand with Israel against the distorted Goldstone Commission report. And as this legislation correctly asserts, the report is indeed ‘irredeemably biased,’” the JDC said in a statement.

“We concur with the findings of the Ros-Lehtinen/Berman resolution that this report is deeply flawed, and that the U.S. government should do all in its power to stop this report in its tracks at the UN, lest it be used to undermine Israel’s fundamental right to self-defense in the future.”

Israel urges West to reject Goldstone report

Meanwhile, Israel has called on Western nations to speak out against any endorsement of report when the matter comes up for deliberation at the United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday.

Israel has told the countries of the European Union and other friendly nations that it expects them to vote against any resolution proposed by the Arab states on the report.

The deliberations will revolve around a draft resolution by Arab states
calling for the adoption of the report and the transfer of the debate from the General Assembly to the Security Council. The resolution also calls for an independent inquiry by Israel into Operation Cast Lead and the presentation of its conclusions in three months.

Senior officials at the Foreign Ministry described the Arab resolution as very extreme and said it constitutes an escalation of the attacks against Israel in international forums.

A vote is not expected immediately, but Israeli sources say one is likely by the end of the week.

On Tuesday, Britain and France, representing the EU, held talks with
representatives of the Palestinian Authority and Arab states at the United Nations in an effort to soften the proposed resolution.

Accordingly a Franco-British document representing the EU has been drafted, describing “red lines” that the resolution should not cross if the Arab states and the Palestinians expect Western support.

Essentially, the offer seeks to avoid the transfer of deliberations from the General Assembly to the Security Council or the International Criminal Court at The Hague. The Europeans are asking Israel and the Palestinians to agree to an independent inquiry into the war and a return of the matter to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.

A notable element in the Arab draft resolution is a failure to mention Hamas; it refers only to the Palestinians, even though the original Goldstone report mentions Hamas and accuses it of carrying out war crimes along with Israel.

Whatever form it takes, the Arab resolution is expected to gain a majority with 130 votes. However, if it remains extremist and the Europeans refuse to support it, there is a chance that around 60 countries will vote against it or abstain.

Foreign Ministry director general Yossi Gal told ambassadors on Tuesday that any further support for the Goldstone report would have a negative effect on the peace process and undermine democracies’ right to self-defense.

ADL director to Goldstone: As a good Jew, repudiate report

Anti-Defamation League director Abraham Foxman of ADL called on Goldstone to repudiate his report: “I have had great respect for you over the years. Your work at the head of the South Africa Reconciliation Commission and in helping to find a just solution to the Bosnian conflict deserves the highest commendation.

“Moreover, I know you to be a proud Jew who serves on the Board of Trustees of Hebrew University and who has a daughter living in Israel.”

“With this background, I wondered in the first place how you could take on the chairmanship of the investigation of the war in Gaza mandated by the UN Human Rights Council,” he said. “After all, the Human Rights Council has repeatedly demonstrated its bias against Israel and in its stated mission for the investigation began with assumptions presuming Israeli guilt.”


http ://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=47855