Since Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territories, they have implemented an apartheid and racist system of administration of the territories, violating countless international laws and UN resolutions. After the tragedy of the Holocaust, Jewish people were granted a homeland in the land of Palestine when the British occupation there ceased. The new state of Israel, created in 1948, has, however, illegally expanded its territory since its inception. It now occupies many areas of the West Bank and continues to periodically occupy the Gaza Strip.

Israeli Soldiers refusing to serve in the occupied territories wrote in a letter to Ariel Sharon: “The state of Israel commits war crimes and tramples over human rights, destroying Palestinian cities, towns and villages; expropriating land, detaining and executing without trial, conducting mass demolitions of houses, businesses, and public institutions; looting, closure, curfew, torture, prevention of medical care, construction and expansion of settlements -all these actions are opposed to human morality, and violate international treaties ratified by Israel.”

News Blog RC has put together some facts regarding the Israel Palestinian conflict, the facts are not about Muslim or Jew but rather, right and wrong:

1. In 1918, when the Balfour Declaration was made, 90% of the population of historic Palestine were Arabs, with only 56,000 Jewish people residing there.

2. Palestinians are now living in 18% of their historic homeland. Israel is stealing 50% of this through settlements and building of the apartheid style separation wall.

3. Israel appropriates 80% of the natural water from Palestinians every year.

4. Non-Jewish Israelis cannot buy or lease land in Israel.

5. The land now called Israel sits on the site of more than 531 (now destroyed) Palestinian villages. Palestinians in these villages were either massacred or fled for their lives during the 1947-1948 war between immigrant Jews (now Israeli’s) and the native Arab Palestinians.

6. Israel has renamed almost every village and town to cover up all traces of the Palestinian heritage.

7. Israel’s annexation of Jerusalem is illegal under international law and rejected by the international community. Despite this, Israel has surrounded Jerusalem with the apartheid wall and is now slowly demolishing Palestinian homes and ‘Judaizing’ Jerusalem.

8. Palestinians from Jerusalem who marry Palestinians from anywhere outside of Jerusalem lose their Jerusalem passports if they leave Jerusalem. Palestinians from the West Bank and Gaza cannot move to Jerusalem to live. Thus, parents in Jerusalem are forced to check the ID cards of potential brides and grooms for their children, to ensure they are Jerusalemites.

9. There are 120 Israeli checkpoints in the West Bank. These road blocks divide the West Bank into 300 separate clusters and make everyday travel a long ordeal.

10. Cars owned by Palestinians are colour coded to distinguish Jews from non-Jews.

11. Palestinian children who throw stones are imprisoned by Israel for approximately one year, in adult prisons, breaching provisions of UN Conventions. IDF soldiers have on numerous occasions shot and killed children for throwing stones.

12. Israel receives approximately $5 billion in aid from the U.S.A. each year, more than the whole African continent put together (minus Egypt).

13. Since Israel was created in 1948, combined US military and exonomic aid to Israel has reached £100 billion.

14. Israel claims to be building the separation wall between it and the Palestinian territories for its own security. Reports have shown that Israel is in fact using the wall to steal the most fertile West Bank land from Palestinians, by encircling villages with the wall and cutting the villagers off from their farmland.
If security was the real concern, the wall would run along the pre-1967 internationally recognised green line border.

15. Israel is the only country in the Middle East with nuclear weapons, and it refuses to sign the nuclear non-proliferation treaty and bars international inspectors from its sites.

16. High ranking military officers in the Israeli Defence Force (IDF) have admitted publicly that unarmed prisoners of war (POW) were executed by the IDF. This is in breach of the Geneva Convention on POW.

17. During the January 09 conflict between Israel and Palestine, the IDF deliberately stopped ambulances from getting to wounded Palestinians during IDF incursions into Palestinian population centres. This occurred over 1,000 times.

18. During this time, over 200 ambulances were attacked by live gun fire, rubber bullets and stones from Israeli settlers.

19. During these attacks, 12 journalists were killed by Israeli forces and over 300 were injured due to physical assaults and/or gunshot wounds.

20. During the 22 day assault in Gaza, 960 civilians lost their lives, including 288 children and 121 women. 239 police officers were also killed; the majority (235) in air strikes carried out on the first day of the attacks. The Ministry of Health have also confirmed that a total of 5,303 Palestinians were injured in the assault, including 1,606 children and 828 women.

21. Israel is currently detaining as many as 7,500 Palestinian political prisoners in prisons with common criminals.

22. The unemployment rate in the Gaza Strip is 67% and in the West Bank it is 48%.

23. Between 28 September 2000 and May 2005, over 750 Palestinian children were killed by Israeli forces and settlers, including approximately 150 children who were on their way to or from school, or were sitting in school class rooms when shot by snipers.

24. It was not until 1988 that Israeli’s barred “Jews Only” job adverts.

25. Four of Israel’s Prime Ministers (Begin, Shamir, Rabin and Sharon) took part in either bomb attacks on civilians, massacres of civilians, or forced expulsions of civilians from their villages. Sharon was held responsible for the massacre of more than 2,750 Palestinians in the refugee camps of Sabra and Chatila. The UN concluded it was an act of Genocide.

26. Palestinian Refugees make up the largest refugee population in the world.

27. In a report in 2005, the US Government concluded that there were now more Arab Palestinians in Israel and the Occupied Territories of the West Bank and Gaza than Israeli Jews. The Palestinian population numbers 5.3 million and the Israeli Jewish population numbers 5.2 million.

Notwithstanding these sad facts about the occupied territories, Palestinians continue to endure their hardships on a daily basis and a sovereign state of Palestine continues to be inhibited. Israel continues to build its illegal settlements whilst the US, Western governments and the mainstream Western media continue to largely ignore these crimes. It is, therefore, of utmost importance that the plight of Palestinians is not ignored.

Out of nowhere this week, Manchester United have surprised the footballing world by signing England striker, Michael Owen. Owen was on a free contract from Newcastle after the club had famously been relegated. In his 4 years at St James’ Park, the forward has managed only 30 goals in 79 appearances. The rest of the time was spent on an injury table, with broken bones, knee injuries, hamstring, groin, hernia, and ankle injuries. In fact it is said that Owen ended up costing Newcastle a whopping £1.3 million per goal.

Michael Owen’s agents were said to have made a new brochure about the player in order to sell his services to big clubs. The brochure must have had some lovely pictures, and even better selling points, because the manager of the Premiership champions seemed to like it, and immediately signed him up from under the noses of the Premiership’s relegation candidates. It is no secret that Ferguson has been an admirer of Owen from his Liverpool days when he was the most famous goal poacher to have ever stepped on to the Anfield pitch.

News Blog RC can imagine the conversation between Ferguson and assistant Phelan – “Well we’ve lost Ronaldo….and Tevez is on his way out….not to worry we can always replace them…..Lets see…..No Benzema, No Ribery,Villa, Aguero or Huntelaar…..how about Micky Owen….straight from the grasp of Hull and Stoke…..that will get us the Champions League trophy we missed out on last season…..”

It’s funny how a player who was last week being written off from football should now rise like a  phoenix from the flames, only because United are interested in him. Stoke or Hull would have been labelled as gamblers and laughing stocks if they had picked up Owen on a free transfer, but when it’s Ferguson then it becomes a masterstroke….geez the media definitely know how to manipulate a story.

Could this be one throw of the dice too many? Can Ferguson really expect to replace Ronaldo’s 30 goals a season from midfield? Well this is the first part of the jigsaw for him, maybe 10 goals are covered if they can use Owen sparingly for full effect and hope that he stays injury free.

News Blog RC believes that this is the beginning of the end for Alex Ferguson and the Manchester United domination of the Premier League is beginning to come to an end. Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool will provide more competition for United and with their local neighbours Manchester City being linked with every world class player in sight, the United train is about to be derailed. The smell of desperation is in the air and Ferguson is unsure where to turn.

Owen was unable to get game time for Alan Shearer’s struggling Newcastle side, his pace is gone, his greatest asset many moons ago, what can he offer United? United are looking their weakest for years in several areas and Ferguson seems to be losing the plot. We advise Manchester United go out and buy some extra physio tables and crutches….they will be needed……

written by marzi

The UN Security Council has today announced that it has voted unanimously to impose new sanctions on North Korea which, in addition to tighter bans on arms exports and greater powers to inspect North Korean ships, include ‘financial measures’ (at this point, however, the type of financial measures are not clear). These developments are a reaction to North Korea’s nuclear tests last month which have led to the excoriation of its actions around the globe.

It is strange, however, that the hypocrisy of the UN Security Council is largely ignored by the mainstream media. Every permanent member of the Security Council boasts huge stockpiles of thermonuclear weapons. Moreover, one member of the Security Council is, hitherto, the only country on the planet to use a nuclear weapon. Indeed, the USA has not only used nuclear weapons, it has also given hundreds of nuclear weapons to its close ally, Israel; the latter being a country which does not admit to owning nuclear warheads and, therefore, also refuses to sign the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

What is good enough for the US and its allies is, it would seem, not good enough for states that are deemed as the ‘undesirables’. The UK, another Security Council member, is also condemning North Korea for its nuclear ambitions despite the UK government’s renewal of its Trident nuclear missile system which could, by some estimates, costs as much as £76bn.

How, then, can such countries condemn the actions of North Korea? Both India and Pakistan have developed their nuclear arsenals and, as a result, both have experienced greater economic and political engagement with the worlds’ superpower, the USA. This is the problem with nuclear weapons: to own them elevates a country into an exclusive club whereby the benefits greatly outweigh the drawbacks of developing nuclear weapons. Moreover, the greater polarisation of North Korea will no doubt further galvanise its desire to develop its own arsenal of nuclear weapons given that its one-time nuclear ally, China, is now condemning North Korea’s desire to develop its nuclear capability.

One argument for this global condemnation is that countries which currently own nuclear weapons act ‘responsibly’ and that other ‘rogue’ states, such as North Korea or Iran, do not and, therefore, simply cannot be trusted. This, however, is not necessarily true: since the Second World War, the USA has been involved in more wars than any other country and, together with the UK, is currently involved in two armed conflicts: Afghanistan and Iraq. The former, of course, is a war that was built on a pack of lies: that Iraq owned weapons of mass destruction which could be launched in under 45 minutes. Not only did no WMDs exist in Iraq, but the greatest irony of all is that if Iraq did own nuclear weapons then neither the US nor the UK would have invaded the country in the first place.

And what of the sanctions which are to be imposed? History tells us that these sanctions do little to punish a respective regime but, instead, have deleterious effects on the most vulnerable people of a given society, namely its poorest citizens. Therefore, these sanctions seem to be symbolic rather than an effective measure to curb North Korea’s nuclear ambitions.

So, what is the solution? The obvious answer would be to dismantle all nuclear weapons. This, however, is unlikely to happen and would leave security analysts delirious with regards to the ‘security vacuum’ that may arise if the world’s strongest states lost their nuclear capabilities. Nonetheless, the solution must lie with a decrease in the overall numbers of nuclear weapons which, unfortunately, is not occurring: the worlds’ nuclear powers have largely failed to deliver on promises to reduce their nuclear arsenals. This is hardly a strong platform in which to ask other states to ditch their nuclear ambitions.

Greater cooperation between nuclear states and those hoping to join the Nuclear Club would also be a more propitious path than an increase in bellicosity which leads to greater distrust and, as a result, stimulates an even greater desire for the non-nuclear state to develop a nuclear warhead. And while the main hypocrisy still exists, i.e. that nuclear armed states continue to threaten non-nuclear armed states regarding the latter’s nuclear ambitions, the chances of dissuading a regime to renege on its commitment to develop a nuclear warhead appear very slim indeed.

BNP Leader Nick Griffin was giving a press conference outside London’s Houses of Parliament yesterday and had to make a desperate dash after encountering some egg throwing protestors. The chants of “Nazi Scum: Off Our Streets” must have been ringing in his ears while he crawled back under his rock.

The BNP believe that all people of non white British bloodlines should be removed from this country and/or given less than equal rights. How would this be possible? What about inter-racial marriage, are their children British?

The Anti Semitic, Anti Islamic, Anti Homosexual BNP party are fundamentally fascist and ultimately racist. Nowadays, their views are portrayed as being a little liberal, but News Blog RC are fairly sure that the Nazi Party started this way too.

News Blog RC think it’s sad to see that the UK voters have lost so much faith in the other political parties. As a result, the BNP and such parties are able to pick up the vote of people who are sick and tired of the rest and ultimately win elections.

Read “The BNP and the European Elections – Some Thoughts”

written by marzi

So, it’s official – Manchester is better than London. Or at least, according to the Economist Intelligence Unit, it would appear that this is the case. Indeed, our capital city fails to make even the top 50 of the worlds’ most liveable cities, according to the Economists’ survey. Manchester, on the other hand, fairs better, coming in at 46th position and was the only British city to make the top 50. London falls short in 51st place. The survey’s measuring criteria included factors such as healthcare, culture, environment and infrastructure; factors which, apparently, are rather poor in our nation’s capital city. The most liveable city was Vancouver, Canada, followed by Vienna, Austria.

So, what inhibits London’s liveability? Is it the packed tubes, trains and buses? Or running the daily gauntlet in order to commute to work? Or is it the sky-high house prices that stymie even the most eager first-time-buyer from purchasing their first grimy studio apartment with a shared bathroom? Well, of course, London is no picnic. As a Mancunian who has lived there for a number of years, it admittedly takes a little time to adjust. However, notwithstanding the city’s shortfalls, London simply has a certain ‘buzz’ about it that is absent from many other cities in the world, including, I would say, both Vancouver and Vienna. London’s huge range of restaurants, bars, museums, art galleries, theatres, music concerts, and exhibitions all add to this “buzz”. To use Samuel Johnson’s often cited quote: “When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life.” And as much as we like to moan about the tube, oh how I miss it now I’m back in rainy Manchester, where public transport is, in my opinion, shocking! So, I guess, when it comes to London, you have to take the rough with the smooth.

Below is the video showing Barack Obama’s speech today at Cairo University. Obama addressed issues affecting the Muslim World in tones previously unheard of from recent Presidents of the USA.

Unless we see actions, speeches like this will just be seen as empty rhetoric by many in the Muslim World. However, News Blog RC appreciates the change in tone from previous administrations of arguably distinct imperialism to a tone of equality and brotherhood. But as Obama has already proved in his short Presidency, he has tendencies to say one thing and do another. Awaiting concrete actions Mr. Obama.

Read the BBC reaction here.

written by rez

Its getting close to the European elections and if the predictions are to be believed, the British National Party will probably win lots more seats in the European council.

I dont particularly care for getting into massive debate about Europe, Elections or the BNP but here are some paragraphs of thoughts i had anyway.

I choose to believe that a substantial reason for their increasing ‘popularity’ at the polling stations is a protest vote, and not a vindication of the BNPs policies. It symbolises the frustration, fear and hopelessness that many people in communities all over Britain are feeling – feelings that are historically-proven fertile recruiting grounds for the far-right mantra of segregation and hate. The ineptitude, incompetence and complete failure of the major political parties to address some of the issues that Britain is facing today, is categorically the single main reason for this resurgence of the extreme right.

If you haven’t heard all ready the BNP have a revolutionary plan this time round – they are going to blame brown people for everything. Particularly Muslims. What a ‘cunning swine’ of a policy!

I am fully aware that nowadays brown people with anything resembling a ‘muslim’ name are the western medias favourite post-coldwar enemy – we’re the bad guys in lots of Hollywood films, so it must be true. Some of us, if you’ve occasionally come across the likes of the Fox News channel, have hooks for hands, prefer our beards to be of the unkept and straggly variety, and all have incomprehnsible names beginning with Abdul. Our attire does not consist of trousers and shirts like the rest of Britain, instead we opt for baggy pyjamas that expose our ankles with matching ill-fitting top. We also like to drink tea and then place the tea-cozy on our head, before heading out to the mosque to plot high treason.

We have arranged marriages to our cousins who we immediately shroud in a Darth Vader outfit, replacing the helmet with yet more cloth and some spectacles. And then we make her walk 10 yards behind us everywhere we go, like a detached shadow. She then, with our help obviously, begins work on producing a pool of children on who we strive to indoctrinate the tenants of our ‘jihadist’ faith, as well as the art of mercilessly abusing the welfare system. We either drive taxis, work in restaurants or groom young white females for pimping for a living.

ANYway, I hope whatever happens, it becomes a catalyst for an honest, serious look at some of the underlying socio-economic issues, and some of the real concerns of ordinary people in Britain today. Followed by an attempt at solutions. And then let peace and love reign over these pleasant lands. And that one day very soon, I wake up and my mortgage has been mysteriously paid off.

Firstly, a testament to George Galloway MP and the many Members of Parliament who have never claimed a penny for expenses during their political lives. The rest who are currently embroiled in the UK expenses row must be wishing to claim a quick flight to the nearest deserted island and hide.

Benefit fraud for £65 a week results in jail term while the thousands claimed by politicians just have to be given back. How much money must these people have, that they are able to instantly write cheques for 30 grand and just say “Sorry, there you go”. Jail would be a good idea, if only to stop it happening in the future and let them experience real life for a change. Showering just won’t be the same.

British politics is evidently getting a bit stale and needs a scandal or two to keep it mildly interesting. Forget the recession lets worry about the few thousands that politicians took and leave the millions the banks ate. What’s all the fuss? We all knew they did it anyway. Many employees in major companies partake, one of the perks of the job, working hard means you deserve to skim a little right?

Politicians are looking to blame the rules set forth by the fees department. Lets be honest, they knew exactly what they were doing but they could get away with it so they did. I’m still waiting for the day when one of them answers a direct question put forward to them. Having said that I quite enjoyed seeing Margaret Beckett “fingered” on Question Time which was recently broadcast on the BBC. You can view the video here.