Palestine Follow

The cruel and brutal actions of Israeli governments, armies and sections of the population since the formation of the state of Israel in 1948 have been well documented. The recent brutality against the Palestinian uprising and horrors in the Occupied Territories now show how Israeli policy has been characterised by fierce and unrelenting reaction.

ISRAEL'S ASSASSINATION of Hamas leader Sheikh Ahmed Yassin has provoked fury among Palestinians and across the world. But British foreign secretary Jack Straw's main response was to call the killing a tactical error that was "very unlikely to achieve its objective". George Galloway MP, who heads the Respect coalition's list for the European Parliament in London, said, "The murder of Sheikh Yassin is an act of criminal insanity from the criminally insane prime minister Sharon.

ISRAELI PRIME minister Ariel Sharon organised the assassination of the Palestinian Hamas leader Sheikh Ahmed Yassin. The US government refused to condemn the murder. Condoleezza Rice, Bush's national security adviser, said: "Let's remember that Hamas is a terrorist organisation, and that Sheikh Yassin has been involved in terrorist planning."

AROUND 120 people packed into a meeting organised by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign at the House of Commons on Wednesday of last week.

"Stop privatisation". "No war in South Asia". "Dalit untouchable rights". "Debt domination is human rights violation". "Power to the people". "Another world is possible". "Free Palestine". "A socialist world is possible".

Delegation to the West Bank CAMPAIGNERS IN Preston were delighted last week when they received an official invitation from the Palestinian Authority to visit the West Bank as part of a fact-finding trip.

The Israeli state’s racist policies are not in our name The British press has been full of stories lately about the reported rise of anti-Semitism, hatred of Jews, throughout Europe. It has said that criticism of Israel’s policies towards the Palestinians equals anti-Semitism.

THE OCCUPATIONS of Iraq and Palestine are provoking bitterness and unrest in the Middle East. This anger is directed against the US and local rulers who refuse to challenge Bush's imperialist project. That is the backdrop to the second Cairo conference against the war in Iraq and the occupation of Palestine, which will take place in Egypt on 13 and 14 December.

A LONG weekend of campaigning for justice for Palestine began with a rally in memory of Edward Said at Friends House, London, on Thursday of last week.

A Palestinian statelet dwarfed by Israel is neither just nor viable.

FOLLOWING A 500-strong public meeting, councillors in Preston, Lancashire, were set to discuss an historic proposal to twin the city with the besieged Palestinian town of Nablus on Thursday of this week. The proposal is the culmination of the campaign led by Socialist Alliance councillor Michael Lavalette, who will propose the motion. It will be seconded by Labour councillor Elaine Abbott.

Those fighting for justice around the world lost one of their most eloquent voices when the Palestinian writer and critic Edward W Said died last week. Said was in many ways an improbable radical. He was born in Jerusalem in 1935. His family were conservative Anglican Arabs who called him after the then Prince of Wales.