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Big_Bird
Joined: 31 Jan 2003
Location: Sometimes here sometimes there...
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 Posted: Thu May 01, 2008 7:26 pm Post subject: The Stench of Occupation |
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Whenever I try to mouth these words, a remembered smell fills my nostrils. It is the smell of shit. Across the occupied West Bank, raw untreated sewage is pumped every day out of the Jewish settlements, along large metal pipes, straight onto Palestinian land. From there, it can enter the groundwater and the reservoirs, and become a poison.
Standing near one of these long, stinking brown-and-yellow rivers of waste recently, the local chief medical officer, Dr Bassam Said Nadi, explained to me: "Recently there were very heavy rains, and the shit started to flow into the reservoir that provides water for this whole area. I knew that if we didn't act, people would die. We had to alert everyone not to drink the water for over a week, and distribute bottles. We were lucky it was spotted. Next time..." He shook his head in fear. This is no freak: a 2004 report by Friends of the Earth found that only six per cent of Israeli settlements adequately treat their sewage.
Meanwhile, in order to punish the population of Gaza for voting "the wrong way", the Israeli army are not allowing past the checkpoints any replacements for the pipes and cement needed to keep the sewage system working. The result? Vast stagnant pools of waste are being held within fragile dykes across the strip, and rotting. Last March, one of them burst, drowning a nine-month-old baby and his elderly grandmother in a tsunami of human waste. The Centre on Housing Rights warns that one heavy rainfall could send 1.5m cubic metres of faeces flowing all over Gaza, causing "a humanitarian and environmental disaster of epic proportions".
So how did it come to this? How did a Jewish state founded 60 years ago with a promise to be "a light unto the nations" end up flinging its filth at a cowering Palestinian population?
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For full article, click here
Talk about being shat on! |
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Adventurer
Joined: 28 Jan 2006
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| Posted: Thu May 01, 2008 8:15 pm Post subject: |
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| Even if many in the Jewish population hate the Palestinians, it doesn't make sense to do this, because it would harm other Jews, because contamination spreads beyond artificial borders. What Israel is doing is a crime against humanity and people need to put an end to this. |
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Big_Bird
Joined: 31 Jan 2003
Location: Sometimes here sometimes there...
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| Posted: Thu May 01, 2008 8:25 pm Post subject: |
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I think most Israelis would be shocked to know the extent of it. It's pretty bloody foul.
But the whole siege of Gaza thing is a crime against humanity, and it's a disgrace that the nations who could make a difference are cowardly turning a blind eye to it, and being, in some cases, downright complicit.
Humanitarian impact of Israel's blockade of Gaza - 21 Jan 08 |
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Big_Bird
Joined: 31 Jan 2003
Location: Sometimes here sometimes there...
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| Posted: Thu May 01, 2008 8:45 pm Post subject: |
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Out of curiosity, I decided to do a youtube search on the topic, and rather to my surprise actually, there was this: Illegal Israeli settlers release sewage on Palestinian farms
I have no idea what the voice over is saying about it (I do not have audio on this computer). |
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Adventurer
Joined: 28 Jan 2006
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| Posted: Thu May 01, 2008 8:52 pm Post subject: |
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Big Bird, the world does not care enough. I remember watching Rambo and this missionary trying to help the Karen in Burma, and Rambo told her "you won't change anything, it won't make a difference". Sometimes, I feel that way, and sometimes I believe as Ghandi believe that evil will not triump over good.
The people who can make a major difference in many cases are Jews in America or Canada or Europe who stand up to this injustice, because people are afraid of upsetting Israeli Jews and powerful American Jewish allies, because they know as Europeans that the holocaust happened in Europe, and it definitely did not help the cause of the Arabs to have Darfur in the Sudan and the terrorists attacking London and New York. That is a major reason why many are turning their back on Gaza. Hamas is viewed as a terrorist organization, and the Europeans when they think of Muslims and terrorists don't have much sympathy for the Gazans, perhaps, because they chose Hamas. It is unfair in a way, but that's the way it is at this juncture. Europe cares about Lebanon, because they like the Christians there and they like the moderate Sunnis who are pro-Western, and supporting them doesn't upset Israel, I take it. |
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Big_Bird
Joined: 31 Jan 2003
Location: Sometimes here sometimes there...
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| Posted: Thu May 01, 2008 9:03 pm Post subject: |
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| Adventurer wrote: |
| Big Bird, the world does not care enough. I remember watching Rambo and this missionary trying to help the Karen in Burma, and Rambo told her "you won't change anything, it won't make a difference". Sometimes, I feel that way, and sometimes I believe as Ghandi believe that evil will not triump over good. |
Yeah, I kind of swing from optimism to pessimism (and back to deeper pessimism) on these issues. People don't really give a toss, until it happens to them I suppose.
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| The people who can make a major difference in many cases are Jews in America or Canada or Europe who stand up to this injustice, |
Actually, the loudest objecters do tend to be Jews who are appalled by what Israel is doing. In my experience these have been some of the people who care the most.
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| because people are afraid of upsetting Israeli Jews and powerful American Jewish allies, because they know as Europeans that the holocaust happened in Europe, and it definitely did not help the cause of the Arabs to have Darfur in the Sudan and the terrorists attacking London and New York. That is a major reason why many are turning their back on Gaza. Hamas is viewed as a terrorist organization, and the Europeans when they think of Muslims and terrorists don't have much sympathy for the Gazans, perhaps, because they chose Hamas. It is unfair in a way, but that's the way it is at this juncture. Europe cares about Lebanon, because they like the Christians there and they like the moderate Sunnis who are pro-Western, and supporting them doesn't upset Israel, I take it. |
Unfortunately there is a lot of truth in this. The Israeli government has really benefitted from this new focus on muslims as terrorists, and actively encourages the world to believe that Hamas is pretty much another version of Al Qaeda, fighting purely out of hate or for the sake of it - and 40 years of a rather pernicious occupation is downplayed or ignored. Also, increasingly ignored, is the fact that before Hamas came onto the scene, the struggle was a largely secular one. And so many are buying into "people who happen to be muslims and who are fighting must also be islamic terrorists" so that even when you take a religious organisation like Hamas out of the equation, the Palestinians are viewed first and foremost as muslims, rather than as victims of an illegal (and quite brutal) occupation. |
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Big_Bird
Joined: 31 Jan 2003
Location: Sometimes here sometimes there...
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| Posted: Thu May 01, 2008 10:52 pm Post subject: |
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Occupation bad for environment
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Of all the issues often raised with regards to the occupation's injustices and the attitude of authorities and settlers to the Palestinians, environmental issues are at the margins of the social-political agenda, even in the rare cases where environmental issues in Israel itself are brought up for debate.
However, during more than 40 years of Israeli control, the West Bank has become, either consciously or unconsciously, our garbage dump, and particularly that of the settlements and illegal outposts in the area.
Toxic sewage from plants and sewage systems pouring into Palestinian agricultural and pasture areas are a routine matter. Local authorities abandon and neglect the handling of their pollutants as long as the result surfaces a few kilometers away, outside their municipal area. On the other end, Palestinian residents are left to deal with the pollution and filth.
The essence of the environmental problem in the territories starts, like everything that stinks, from the top. The responsible party � the military commander through the Civil Administration � is not fulfilling his legal duties, which obligate him to actively safeguard local residents' fabric of life and life itself.
In certain cases, he goes even further by creating obstacles when it comes to the establishment of garbage dumps for Palestinian residents, thus making it difficult to remove the waste to sites located outside communities. In other cases, Palestinian garbage trucks are confiscated. |
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Irreversible damage
The result of this criminal neglect is catastrophic: Palestinian residents find themselves surrounded by mountains of waste, sewage and garbage, both because their villages and farming land have been turned into illegal waste sites for Israelis and because of strict waste removal policies.
The sewage and waste cause irreversible destruction and damage to the natural springs in these areas and to ground water in aquifers. Olive trees and crops belonging to residents in the territories are damaged forever; nature reserves or areas that were supposed to be declared as such are damaged and neglected, along with the direct damage to flora and fauna, and to the entire delicate ecological system that exists there.
We are already accustomed to seeing Palestinian territories as the State of Israel's backyard. We are already used to the level of safeguarding human rights across the Green Line not being the same to what we see inside democratic Israel. The environmental issue constitutes yet another link in this patronizing Israeli attitude and reflects reality as it is.
However, we would do well to take a broader look and think a few steps ahead: The environmental hazards will not disappear even if we build a fence or define the territories as enemy territory. The area, in and of itself, is homogenous, despite the two peoples living there. |
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Justin Hale
Joined: 24 Nov 2007
Location: the Straight Talk Express
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| Posted: Fri May 02, 2008 4:38 pm Post subject: |
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God gave the Jews all this land and there's nothing to discuss with anyone who just happens to live there who isn't Jewish. They are an inconvenient population condemned by biblical scripture.
(their views, not mine)
US Christian Republicans believe all this is a great launchpad for Armageddon and the return of the messiah, which is also a reason why the Israelis have carte blanche to commit genocide, theft of land and ethnic cleansing. |
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Chris_Dixon
Joined: 09 Jan 2008
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| Posted: Fri May 02, 2008 6:13 pm Post subject: |
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| good compost for the farms tho |
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wannago
Joined: 16 Apr 2004
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| Posted: Sat May 03, 2008 11:08 am Post subject: |
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| Justin Hale wrote: |
| US Christian Republicans believe all this is a great launchpad for Armageddon and the return of the messiah, which is also a reason why the Israelis have carte blanche to commit genocide, theft of land and ethnic cleansing. |
WTF are you talking about? Seen any black helicopters lately?  |
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blaseblasphemener
Joined: 01 Jun 2006
Location: There's a voice, keeps on calling me, down the road, that's where I'll always be
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| Posted: Sat May 03, 2008 1:25 pm Post subject: |
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| wannago wrote: |
| Justin Hale wrote: |
| US Christian Republicans believe all this is a great launchpad for Armageddon and the return of the messiah, which is also a reason why the Israelis have carte blanche to commit genocide, theft of land and ethnic cleansing. |
WTF are you talking about? Seen any black helicopters lately? |
Didn't you see "God's Warriors" on CNN? They showed this, it's very prevalent thinking in the Bible Belt.
But hey, they're the chosen people. god must be sleeping, or busy in some distant galaxy, but he'll return soon, with his messiah. |
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Pluto
Joined: 19 Dec 2006
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| Posted: Sat May 03, 2008 3:11 pm Post subject: |
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| blaseblasphemener wrote: |
| Didn't you see... |
Media sensationalism. No more, no less. |
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wannago
Joined: 16 Apr 2004
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| Posted: Sat May 03, 2008 9:53 pm Post subject: |
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| blaseblasphemener wrote: |
| wannago wrote: |
| Justin Hale wrote: |
| US Christian Republicans believe all this is a great launchpad for Armageddon and the return of the messiah, which is also a reason why the Israelis have carte blanche to commit genocide, theft of land and ethnic cleansing. |
WTF are you talking about? Seen any black helicopters lately? |
Didn't you see "God's Warriors" on CNN? They showed this, it's very prevalent thinking in the Bible Belt.
But hey, they're the chosen people. god must be sleeping, or busy in some distant galaxy, but he'll return soon, with his messiah. |
Hey, I'm from the Bible Belt and I've never heard anyone say this...ever. Of course good 'ol CNN wouldn't be trying to put Christianity in a negative light, would it? Look, there are enough whacko Christians without resorting to outright lies to make it worse. |
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Adventurer
Joined: 28 Jan 2006
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| Posted: Sun May 04, 2008 9:34 pm Post subject: |
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| Justin Hale does have a point. I've lived in the Bible Belt. I've talked to people who actually think the way they described. Maybe, some of you who lived in the Bible Belt had your ears shut and eyes closed, but I didn't. There is a lot of Evangelical support for Israel. If you followed Tom Delay he was a prime example of that type of support and Israeli groups pays for Evangelical leaders to fly into Israel to visit. |
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wannago
Joined: 16 Apr 2004
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| Posted: Sun May 04, 2008 10:39 pm Post subject: |
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| I'd say some of you who claim to have lived in the Bible Belt heard and saw what you wanted to hear and see. There is not a lot of evangelical support for Israel, but there is a lot of ignorance and apathy amongst your garden variety Christian about the whole Middle East situation regarding Israel. Most people don't know or care about what's going on in the ME. I'm sure some of you who claim to have lived in the Bible Belt think that you talk to all the right people and have your finger on the pulse of what people think in the Bible Belt. I assure you that you do not if you think a lot of people there support Israel. And, if they do support Israel, it is because the U.S. Government supports Israel, not for some Armageddon, end-of-times gibberish. Some of those who claim to have lived in the Bible Belt need to get a grip. |
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