In the news

In a move to keep up with the U.S. occupations pattern of war crimes killing, Israel committed two war crimes over two days in, resulting in the deaths of 4 Palestinian civilians. According to the Palestinian Center for human Rights, two of the victims were brothers.

On September 29^th, near the Nahal Oz checkpoint east of Gaza city, the Israeli occupation Army (IOF) fired a surface to surface missile at two children riding their bikes near the El-Shawwa Gas Station. The children, Anwar Abdel Ghani Hamden (16) and his brother Hamman (13) were residents of the town of Jabalia.

On September 30^th, at approximately 22:00, an IOF drone fired a rocket at two activists from Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, the armed wing of Fatah, killing one of them instantly and the second a few hours later from shrapnel injuries. Two bystanders were injured by shrapnel, one of them a 16-year old child.

As if the ongoing escalation of suffering in the West Bank and Gaza, at the hands of the IOF weren’t bad enough, now comes word that U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will discuss steps to strengthen Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.

Rice arrives in Israel on Thursday and will meet with Olmert, foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and Amir Peretz. Rice will also meet with Abbas in Ramallah. No word on whether she will be willing to meet with the elected Hamas leadership.

In what can be described as brave and daring, a Belgian hi-tech company, U2U, refused to cooperate with an Israeli businessman because of; “Israel’s war crimes and apartheid regime.”

Following the recent war in Lebanon, the Israeli hi-tech firm Ynet has received several complaints from Israeli companies that have encountered refusal of companies from various countries to cooperate with Israelis because of the war.

There is no word on whether this is signaling a trend that business’ are looking into private divestment from Israel.

And finally, Yom Kippur is upon us one of the holiest days in the Jewish calendar year; a time for atonement with oneself to God and to one’s fellow human beings. But in light of the current situation that continues to escalate in Palestine, how can there be true repentance and reconciliation when many will not acknowledge the suffering and pain that the Israeli government is inflicting upon the Palestinian population?

B. Michael notes in Yediot Aharonot October 1^st, 2006:

“Sinners deal with their sins in a myriad of ways. There are those who are aware of the severity of their transgression but they continue to pursue them defiantly. There are those who are remorseful, seeking repentance, ultimately abandoning their evil ways.

And there are some – whose numbers are growing daily – who have adopted a unique way of dealing with their transgressions: They have trained their eyes not to see. They have taught their ears not to hear and have become accustomed to turning their heads in one direction only – towards an ostentations yet hollow worldview.”