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Tuesday 31 August 2010, Olympia, Washington—Palestinian-American Ali Abunimah gave a presentation about BDS and the situation in Israel Palestine before an audience of about 120 people at the Olympia Center. Abunimah is a journalist, a co-founder of Electronic Intifada, and an author, including most recently of, One Country: A Bold Proposal to End the Israeli-Palestinian Impasse. The event was organized and hosted by Olympia BDS.

Peace talks between representatives from Israel and the Palestinian Territories are scheduled to start tomorrow (Thursday,) but Abunimah said the expectations of many people are low, because of a precedent of bad-faith negotiations. He used a metaphor of pizza pie to explain the negotiations. For example, analogous to the occupation of the West Bank would be if he were to sit down to negotiation and immediately begin by grabbing pizza and stuffing it into his mouth, and if his partner were to complain, or to try grabbing some pizza for theirself, then he would slap them and chastise them for it.

Hey Everyone,

The September issue of WIP is on stands now, I have seen WIP distributors trundling about with heavy loads of papers, so keep a look out at your favorite locations. This issue is heavy, a 28-pager filled with interesting information and opinion. The boycott is still a big topic of interest, and there are many articles on it in this issue. You can download a pdf here.

And you can also visit the official website: Works in Progress

http://www.zcommunications.org/why-i-support-the-boycott-of-israeli-good...

Why I Support the Boycott of Israeli Goods from the Olympia Food Coop

By Peter Bohmer
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Peter Bohmer's ZSpace Page
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The decision by the board of the Olympia Food Coop to not buy Israeli made goods and boycott them is a positive and important contribution towards ending the Israeli occupation of Palestine. It is part of a global grassroots boycott, divest and sanctions (BDS) movement to pressure the United States and Israel to fundamentally change their policies. I strongly support this courageous and important decision made by consensus by the Olympia Food Coop board on July, 15th, 2010.  

I am currently reading the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s Stride Toward Freedom. The book is an account of the bus boycott of 1955-56 in Montgomery Alabama. It's a fascinating read, and I recommend it to anyone and everyone. There are some interesting parallels between the situation in the South in the 1950s and the situation today in Israel/Palestine. Some of the ideas in Dr. King's account helped me to formulate this statement to the Olympia Food Co-op Board of Directors in regard to the ongoing boycott of products from Israel:

Thank you to the Olympia Food Co-op Board of Directors for holding fast on the boycott of products from Israel.

This boycott amounts to noncooperation with injustice. The way that the government of Israel and some Israelis are treating Palestinians is unacceptable.

The decision to boycott was correct. Israel needs to change, for the good of both Palestinians and Jews.

When our government is unaccountable to the interests of human rights (and even life itself,) a courageous and principled and strong stand like this of the co-op is truly awesome and inspiring—and necessary.

Human rights are for everyone.

Thank you again for this courageous act of noncooperation!

Sincerely,
Berd Whitlock

Good day. Here are some recent photos from the past couple of days or so. Included are photos from the peace vigil and around Percival Landing, as well as miscellaneous photos mostly from around downtown. Also included are some mouseovers (three mouseovers to be exact.)

Except for the first photos of the crow, which compose a mouseover, and the first photo of Percival Landing, the rest are in chronological order starting this Saturday morning and going back to Wednesday eve, until the phone camera photos (which start with "Islamophobia".) These are somewhat more random, and some go back further than this past Wednesday.

Cheers for peace, and happiness for all. May all beings be well! Bless the whole world, no exceptions!

Again, Good Day,
Berd

move cursor over image for "mouseover" effect:

Thank you Crow! (for being you)

Friday 27 August 2010, Percival Landing Scene
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Why the U.S. Supports Israel
http://stephenzunes.org/2002/05/01/why-the-u-s-supports-israel/

Stephen Zunes

May 1, 2002

In the United States and around the world, many are questioning why, despite some mild rebukes, Washington has maintained its large-scale military, financial, and diplomatic support for the Israeli occupation in the face of unprecedented violations of international law and human rights standards by Israeli occupation forces. Why is there such strong bipartisan support for Israel’s right-wing prime minister Ariel Sharon’s policies in the occupied Palestinian territories?

The close relationship between the U.S. and Israel has been one of the most salient features in U.S. foreign policy for nearly three and a half decades. The well over $3 billion in military and economic aid sent annually to Israel by Washington is rarely questioned in Congress, even by liberals who normally challenge U.S. aid to governments that engage in widespread violations of human rights–or by conservatives who usually oppose foreign aid in general. Virtually all Western countries share the United States’ strong support for Israel’s legitimate right to exist in peace and security, yet these same nations have refused to provide arms and aid while the occupation of lands seized in the 1967 war continues. None come close to offering the level of diplomatic support provided by Washington–with the United States often standing alone with Israel at the United Nations and other international forums when objections are raised over ongoing Israeli violations of international law and related concerns.

Hey, here are some recent photos including from the peace vigil (including some perspectives on the construction,) a critique of the new parking meters, and thoughts about IT bus service (with a view of city hall,)

Tuesday 24 August 2010, Olympia Washington—Parking meters powered by BP solar.

Maybe the P is for petroleum.

Keep that car culture in full swing why don't you!

BP!
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Here are a bunch of photos from this past weekend's K Records Anniversary Celebration Helsing Junction Sleepover Festival!

Activists tell Zim - Israeli ships not welcome in Vancouver
August 24, 2010

Vancouver – Locally-based activists, called out by the Boycott Israeli Apartheid Coalition (BIAC), are mounting a picket line at the Port of Vancouver's Delta Port facility at Roberts Bank, south of Vancouver, as part of a mounting international campaign to put pressure on the government of Israel.

The Israeli ship Djibouti, owned by Zim, one of the ten largest shipping companies in the world, is scheduled to land at Delta Port at 7:00 a.m. this morning.

“The behaviour of the Israeli government has been going from bad to worse,” explained BIAC spokesperson Gordon Murray. “We are going to be out there today to tell Zim and other Israeli companies that their business won't be allowed to continue normally as long as Israel's blockade on Gaza continues,” he said.

“Israel has been behaving as a rogue government,” said Mike Krebs, the other BIAC spokesperson for the demonstration. “People from Vancouver are coming out to emulate actions that have already been taken in South Africa, Scandinavia, India and Oakland, California, where Israeli ships have been prevented from unloading their cargo in a normal manner.”

“Israel has been violating international law and acting with impunity for far too long,” Murray said. “It's obvious to us that they won't change their behaviour unless their forced to,” he concluded.

For more information contact:
Gordon Murray
Phone: 604-727-3542 (cell)

Mike Krebs
Phone: 604-779-7430 (cell)

http://www.sources.com/Releases/NR959.htm

One thought that I have been having recently in regard to the situation in Israel/Palestine is about how people have been drawn into activism on this issue. For example, one way that I look at the situation is that given the tremendous suffering and injustice that Jews experienced in Nazi Europe, it is sad that the State of Israel, and some Jews, are treating Palestinians so poorly, in many cases exactly the same as Jews were treated by Nazis in Europe. That sense of injustice is very gripping, and helps to provoke my involvement.

It is further frustrating to me, as I am sure it is to many others, because the crimes against humanity, and crimes against peace, that are committed by the State of Israel are wholly enabled by the USA. In light of this and other pertinent information (like the political economy of nuclear weapons,) I think it makes sense to understand that Israel is an exploited partner in US imperialism, and hegemonic policies of global dominance may very well be down at the deep bottom of this.

And that does nothing to change the fact of reality that what the State of Israel, and some Jews, are doing to Palestinians is unacceptable and must change.

Back to the topic of being drawn into this issue: I was new to Olympia in March 2003, at the time when Rachel Corrie died. I had only been here for about six months. The story of Rachel's death was captivating. Being killed while defending a home against destruction by bulldozer: defending the home of a family that had committed no offense. That's a gripping tale for sure. And so I thank Rachel Corrie for spurring my awareness, and certainly that of many others, on this important issue. I think that will be a big part of the legacy of Rachel's life: helping people to come to awareness of, and to better understand the situation.

Here's another look at the present situation, thanks to the talented photographers at ActiveStills. This is a scene from Rafah, from a couple of days ago: