[JNV] Lebanon: Nonviolent Resistance / Critical Information and Action

[JNV]

1) Nonviolent Resistance in the UK 
2) Nonviolent Resistance in Lebanon
3) Lebanon: Noam Chomsky interview 8 August
4) Lebanon: Stephen Shalom briefing
5) Lebanon: George Monbiot article
6) Online ceasefire petitions

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1) Nonviolent Resistance in the UK 

Dear friends

We salute the tenacity and commitment of the Citizens Weapons Inspectors/War Crimes Detectives who have broken into Prestwick Airport in Scotland three times to protest against the transport of US weapons to Israel! 

Read all about it at:

<http://www.tridentploughshares.org/index.php3>

Also: read this report of the CND protests at USAF Mildenhall, against the flights diverted from Prestwick:

<http://tinyurl.com/esgt6>

Last night, Wednesday 9 August (Nagasaki Day), there was a protest at the other British airbase being used for weapons flights to Israel, Brize Norton (6pm at the main gates), organised by Oxford CND and Farringdon Peace Group.

<http://bristol.indymedia.org/index.php>

Seven JNV supporters were also arrested for a nonviolent at the demonstration in London last Saturday:

<http://tinyurl.com/f84ek>

Future events (from the Voices in the Wilderness UK roundup):

11 AUGUST, LONDON: END ISRAEL'S ATTACKS ON LEBANON AND PALESTINE.
5-7pm Downing Street. Please bring flowers to commemorate the dead, and call on Tony Blair to end
Britain's complicity with Israel's brutal, barbaric and illegal actions.
Organised by Palestine Solidarity Campaign, Stop the War Coalition, CND and
the British Muslim Initiative.
 
12 AUGUST, BRIZE NORTON
12:00 noon main gate RAF Brize Norton. Picket as protest against RAF base being used to refuel flights taking American weapons to Israel. Info from Andy on 01793 520 903.
 
EVERY DAY THIS WEEK, CAMBRIDGE.
Stop the War stall every day this week 12.30-2 Market Sq
 
12 AUGUST, CAMBRIDGE
Demonstration - 'Unconditional Ceasefire Now' Saturday 12th Aug 12.30 Market
Sq (hope to present petition to David Howarth MP). Phone Tom: 0771 2893552 / 01223 473943
 
12 AUGUST, HACKNEY: UNCONDITIONAL CEASEFIRE NOW DEMONSTRATION
Assemble 1pm corner Balls Pond Road/Kingsbury Road, nr Dalston Junction.
March to Stoke Newington Common for rally with speakers. Contact 07932 714
833
 
12 AUGUST, PRESTON: MARCH & DEMO
2pm, Preston City Centre, starting at the Flag Market at 2.30pm. Tel: 07956
100 786
 
12 AUGUST, MANCHESTER
Assembles 1pm Piccadilly Gardens, tel 07765 122 829
 
12 AUGUST, EDINBURGH: END ISRAELI TERROR IN LEBANON & GAZA, TROOPS OUT OF
IRAQ, DON'T ATTACK IRAN AND SYRIA.
Assemble at the foot of Middle Meadow Walk on the Meadows at 2pm to march to
Edinburgh City Centre. Please pass this information on to friends and
workmates. Called by Stop the War and supported by PSC, CND, Peace and
Justice Centre and many more.
 
Stalls every day: There will be stalls everyday next week at the Mound
precinct from 5pm to 7pm to advertise the Scottish demonstration on August
12th. Please come and help if you can. Leaflets, petitions etc will be
available for collection.
 
19 AUGUST, CAMBRIDGE
March and Rally - 'Unconditional Ceasefire Now'
12.30pm, Market Sq. Phone Tom: 0771 2893552 / 01223 473943

PEACE CAMPS:
Prestwick: 07966 649 370
Mildenhall: 07760 161 755
Brize Norton: 07760 161 755


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2) Nonviolent Resistance in Lebanon

In Lebanon itself, an extraordinary nonviolent initiative is taking place. 

This is an excerpt from the founding Call To Action:

'Building on our belief in our country, the efforts of the civil resistance, and on the arrival of the internationals coming to Lebanon for solidarity, we declare that Lebanon is an open country for civil resistance, starting from August 12.

'On August 12 at 7 am, we will gather in Martyrs? Square to form a civilian convoy to the south of Lebanon. Hundreds of Lebanese and international civilians will carry relief as an expression of solidarity for the inhabitants of the heavily destroyed south who have been bravely withstanding the assault of the Israeli military.

'After August 12th, the campaign will continue with a series of civil actions for which your presence and participation is needed. Working together in solidarity we will overcome the complacency, inaction, and complicity of the international community and we will deny Israel its goal of removing Lebanese from their land and destroying the fabric of our country.'

<http://www.lebanonsolidarity.org/>

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3) Lebanon: Chomsky interview 8 August

<http://tinyurl.com/hb6p2>

Excerpt: 
'The "moral justification" is supposed to be that capturing soldiers in a cross-border raid, and killing others, is an outrageous crime. We know, for certain, that Israel, the United States and other Western governments, as well as the mainstream of articulate Western opinion, do not believe a word of that. Sufficient evidence is their tolerance for many years of US-backed Israeli crimes in Lebanon, including four invasions before this one, occupation in violation of Security Council orders for 22 years, and regular killings and abductions. To mention just one question that every journal should be answering: When did Nasrallah assume a leadership role? Answer: When the Rabin government escalated its crimes in Lebanon, murdering Sheikh Abbas Mussawi and his wife and child with missiles fired from a US helicopter. Nasrallah was chosen as his successor. Only one of innumerable cases. There is, after all, a good reason why last February, 70% of Lebanese called for the capture of Israeli
soldiers for prisoner exchange.'.

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4) Lebanon: Stephen Shalom briefing

This is a brilliant briefing, with very important information about Hezbollah rocket attacks on Israel, among other insights and facts.

<http://tinyurl.com/jux48>

Excerpt: 'This table makes a number of points clear. First, Not a single Israeli civilian was killed by a rocket from Lebanon from May 2000 to July 12, 2006. And second, until May 28, 2006, there was not a single confirmed rocket fired at civilians by Hezbollah. (True, in some of the cases where the responsible party was unidentified, it might have been Hezbollah, but that's inconsistent with the group's usual policy of proudly taking responsibility for its attacks.) Often the perpetrators were Palestinians, responding to events in Palestine (for example, the bloody Israeli offensive on the West Bank in Spring 2002).'

'On May 28, 2006, during the exchange of fire between the Israeli military and Hezbollah in which two Lebanese but no Israeli civilians were injured, Israeli civilians in the north were ordered by the IDF "to take to the safety of bomb shelters -- some so out of use that it was difficult to locate the keys." ' 

'So this war can hardly be justified as a war to stop Hezbollah from launching Katyushas against Israeli civilians. Moreover, the simplest way for Israel to stop the rockets that are now hitting its population is to accept a ceasefire. Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah, has declared that his organization would stop firing its rockets if Israel stopped its air-raids.'

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5) Lebanon: George Monbiot article

<http://www.guardian.co.uk/Columnists/Column/0,,1839282,00.html>

First lines:

'Whatever we think of Israel's assault on Lebanon, all of us seem to agree about one fact: that it was a response, however disproportionate, to an unprovoked attack by Hizbullah. I repeated this "fact" in my last column, when I wrote that "Hizbullah fired the first shots". This being so, the Israeli government's supporters ask peaceniks like me, what would you have done? It's an important question. But its premise, I have now discovered, is flawed.'


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6) Ceasefire petitions

International:
<http://www.ceasefirecampaign.org/mo/en.html>

UK: To your MP
<http://www.ceasefiretoday.org/>

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Justice Not Vengeance
www.j-n-v.org