| I have read this article, thought I'd paste it here:
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If you care about TRUTH, and not just what you've been told by the media, then you may realize, as we have, that one of the greatest injustices the world has ever known has been perpetrated against the Palestinian people. DID YOU KNOW…
THAT, when the Palestine Problem was CREATED by BRITAIN in 1917, more than 90% of the population of Palestine were Arabs and that there were at that time no more than 56,000 Jews in Palestine? That Muslim, Christian, and Jewish Palestinians at that time lived in peace with each other?
THAT, more than half of the Jews living in Palestine at that time were recent immigrants, who had come to Palestine in order to escape persecution in Europe? Less than 5% of the population of Palestine was native Palestinian Jews?
THAT the Arabs of Palestine at that time in the early 20th century owned 97.5% of the land, while Jews (native Palestinians and recent immigrants together) owned only 2.5% of the land?
~ THAT Israel has been occupying the West Bank since 1967 in violation of UN Resolutions 242 and 338? That Israeli settlements in the West Bank and Gaza Strip are still being built in violation of UN Resolutions 446, 452, and 465?
~ THAT thousands of Palestinians were murdered in 1948 and the years following in the name of establishing the State of Israel in the then land of Palestine? Some 34 recognized massacres have been carried out against Palestinian civilians; Millions ethnically cleansed and expelled as refugees as part of the establishment of the state of Israel?
~ THAT Israel illegally occupied (and still occupies) 80.48% of the total land area of Palestine? The land Jews call Israel today was the site of more than 400 [now-vanished] Palestinian villages? That Israel renamed almost every physical site in the country to cover up the traces? For example, Hebron has historically been ‘Al Khalil’?
~ THAT the Israeli illegal occupying force has created nearly 6 million refugees - the largest portion of any refugee population in the world? Until today they are living in refugee camps and as second-class humans in other countries? That over 70% of Gazan Palestinians are refugees driven from their homes and villages in 1948?
~ THAT Israel has imposed a system of apartheid upon Palestinians who rem-ained in occupied Palestine? Israel has restricted their religious, educational, legal and other basic human rights? That there are ‘Jewish Roads’ and ‘Non-Jewish Roads’? That Muslim men of a certain age are not allowed by Israeli authorities to attend Friday Muslim prayers at Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, one of the holiest sites in Islam ?
~ THAT Israel denies the right of return of Palestinian refugees? That The Charter of UN Resolution 194 grants these rights? That UN Resolution 3236(XXIX) "reaffirmed the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people to self-determination, national independence and sovereignty, and the right of the Palestinians to return to their homes and property"?
~ THAT Israel stands in defiance of 69 United Nations Security Council Resolutions? That no other country in the world, whether member of the UN or non-member, has been so frequently condemned by the UN?
~ THAT the United States awards Israel around $4 billion in aid each year (exceeds the aid the US grants to the whole African continent)? That this residual aid has been used to finance the illegal occupation of the land of Palestine, to confiscate Palestinian land, build Jewish illegal settlements in the middle of the Occupied Territories, demolish Palestinian homes and land, and carry out human rights violations against civilians?
~ THAT Israel is using US-supplied (and donated) weapons of war (including F-16 jets, Apache helicopters, and tanks) with tacit approval, against civilians in violation of US and international law? That American weapons are supplied on the premise that they will be used only in self-defense, not to enforce an illegal military occupation?
~ THAT Sharon, Israeli prime minister, is a war criminal, responsible for the murder of thousands of Palestinians? That he is responsible for the massacre of more than 2,750 Palestinians in the refugee camps of Sabra and Shatila in Lebanon in 1982? That the UN qualified the massacre by Sharon as GENOCIDE?
What is not being revealed by the media is that Israel, a mighty military power with nuclear capability, is perpetrating war crimes and human rights abuses against the stateless, army-less Palestinian civilian population
Reference "The Origin of the Palestine-Israel Conflict,” 3rd Edition book 2001
What is Intifada?
It literally means "shaking off", and in this context it means to set free from the Israeli oppression. The first intifada started on 8th Dec 1987 when four Palestinian men queuing at a checkpoint into Gaza were crushed to death by an Israeli army transporter. The second Intifada started on 28th Sept 2000 when Sharon with over 2,000 Israeli soldiers desecrated the Al Aqsa Mosque and killed 4 people.
Since 28th Sept 2000, more than 1300 Palestinians have been gunned down by Israeli fire. More than 30,000 have been wounded. One third of the victims are children and 55% were hit while not in any demonstration. Israel's intent to kill demonstrators in cold blood is indicated by the fact that 78% of injuries are to the upper body as reported by hospitals.
Why Intifada?
After more than three decades of suffering and humiliation as a result of the Israeli military occupation of the West Bank and Gaza, the Palestinian people couldn’t deal with it any more, (just imagine):
Do you know what it is like to see your father being beaten to death?
Do you know what it is like when you hold your child in pieces?
Do you know what is like when a human is degraded out of his humanity?
Do you know what it is like watching your life being shattered and being raped of your dreams?
Do you know what it is like being oppressed and being deprived of your freedom and live under occupation?
Many United Nations Resolutions "Condemns acts of violence, especially the excessive use of force against Palestinians, resulting in injury and loss of human life" and "Calls upon Israel, the occupying power, to abide scrupulously by its legal obligations and its responsibilities under the Fourth Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War".
Despite all of that the US Administration continues to exhibit its blatant bias towards Israel,
regardless of: (a) continued Israeli occupation of Palestinian land in defiance of countless UN
resolutions, (b) Israel's continued expansion of illegal settlements, and (c) Israel's flagrant violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention which guarantees the protection of civilians in time of war.
America's true interests are served by standing up for freedom and justice, not by blindly following the dictates of a foreign government and its domestic lobby. American officials must stop parroting the Israeli line and step in as honest brokers.
WE STAND with the Palestinian people at this critical time. We share their pain, frustration and outrage at the terrible loss of life and properties as a result of illegal Israeli occupation of their land
WE STAND with Palestinian people resisting the Israeli occupation and demanding the Israeli government to immediately stop its crimes and collective punishment against Palestinians.
WE STAND with Palestinian people and the international community in demanding Israel to withdraw from all occupied territories and to implement all UN resolutions
We urge the international protection for Palestinians in the occupied territories.
We call on all people of good will to stand with the justice and freedom, to stand with their moral and legal obligations and to take effective measures in order to protect the rights and lives of Palestinians in the Occupied Palestinian Territories
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