CPNN | Culture of Peace News Network

The defeat of Hillary Clinton: did it enable us to avoid a Third World War?

.DISARMAMENT & SECURITY. .

A CPNN review

The election of Trump in the United States is considered as a disaster by those concerned with human rights, and those concerned about the rise of fascism throughout the world, as detailed in other articles. However, for some observers, normally respected for their historical wisdom, it could have been even worse for the world if Clinton had been elected. Had she been elected we risked further confrontation with Russia and perhaps a nuclear war that would destroy the earth.

(Click on photo to enlarge and read the caption)

For example, this is the perspective of Johan Galtung, the peace researcher who, among other things, predicted the crash of the Soviet empire, and the impending crash of the American empire: “Moreover, any demonstrator who voted for Clinton voted for war; preferring a possible nuclear war with Russia to controversial Trump. Do people with that political profile merit being taken seriously?”

In the United States, the concerns were clearly expressed by the Green Party presidentail candidate Jill Stein, but she was frozen out of the media coverage of the elections:

(Article continued in right column)

Question for this article:

How close have we come to destroying the planet in a nuclear war?

(Article continued from left column)

“It is now Hillary Clinton that wants to start an air war with Russia over Syria by calling for a no fly zone. We have 2000 nuclear missiles on hairtrigger alert. They are saying we are closer to a nuclear war than we have ever been. Under Hillary Clinton, we could slide into nuclear war very quickly from her declared policy in Syria. I sure won’t sleep well at night if Donald Trump is elected, but I sure won’t sleep well at night if Hillary Clinton elected. We have another choice other than these two candidates who are both promoting lethal policies. On the issue of war and nuclear weapons, it is actually Hillary’s policies which are much scarier than Donald Trump who does not want to go to war with Russia.”

As Secretary of State in the first term of Obama, Hillary Clinton was personally responsible for the unprovoked attack and overthrow of the legitimate government of Libya in 2011, and the covert support for forces to overthrow the legitimate government of Syria. And perhaps most dangerous of all, it was the team that she left at the Department of State and the CIA that was ultimately responsible in 2014 for the support for a right-wing regime change in the Ukraine and the subsequent civil war with the pro-Russian region in eastern Ukraine, a direct provocation of Russia.

As described in a pre-election opinion piece in Truth Out: “During Clinton’s service as secretary of state, she promoted regime change in Syria, Libya and Honduras with disastrous results, and presided over the resurgence of the Cold War with Russia. A return to Bill Clinton’s warmongering foreign policies through a Hillary Clinton presidency will likely result in at the very least, increased tensions with Russia, and at the worst, the next World War.”

A long and detailed history of Hillary Clinton’s militaristic approach has been compiled by Stephen Zunes in The Cairo Review of Global Affairs.

November 20, 2016DISARMAMENT & SECURITY, North AmericaNorth AmericaCPNN Coordinator

USA: To Counter Trump, Women Are Mobilizing for Massive March on Washington

. . WOMEN’S EQUALITY . .

An article from Common Dreams (reprinted according to the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 License)

In response to the imminent Donald Trump presidency, women’s rights advocates nationwide are mobilizing. Men and women from around the country will descend on Washington, D.C., on January 21, 2017 for a “Women’s March on Washington” that organizers hope will see millions in the street, a day after President-elect Trump’s inauguration.

(Photo: Women’s March on Washington/Facebook)
(Click on photo to enlarge)

The demonstrators repudiate the sexist, racist, and Islamophobic remarks that were a touchstone of Trump’s presidential campaign.

Various Facebook pages about the march—organizers in each state are creating their own delegation—have all gone viral, a testament to the powerful opposition to a Trump presidency and what that will mean for women, among other marginalized groups. So far, over 83,000 people have signed up to take part.

“We stand together in solidarity with our partners and children for the protection of our rights, our safety, our health, and our families—recognizing that our vibrant and diverse communities are the strength of our country,” the organizers write.

They continue:

The rhetoric of the past election cycle has insulted, demonized, and threatened many of us—women, immigrants of all statuses, those with diverse religious faiths particularly Muslim, people who identify as LGBTQIA, Native and Indigenous people, Black and Brown people, people with disabilities, the economically impoverished and survivors of sexual assault. We are confronted with the question of how to move forward in the face of national and international concern and fear.

In the spirit of democracy and honoring the champions of human rights, dignity, and justice who have come before us, we join in diversity to show our presence in numbers too great to ignore. The Women’s March on Washington will send a bold message to our new administration on their first day in office, and to the world that women’s rights are human rights. We stand together, recognizing that defending the most marginalized among us is defending all of us.

“The Jan. 21 protest takes its name from the 1963 March on Washington, a historic civil rights rally on the [National] Mall where the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his ‘I Have a Dream’ speech,” reports the Washington Post. “The rally will also pay tribute to the 1997 Million Woman March in Philadelphia, in which hundreds of thousands of African American women are reported to have participated.”

Questions for this article

Do women have a special role to play in the peace movement?

The post-election fightback for human rights, is it gathering force in the USA?

[Editor’s note: Here is the official statement from the facebook page of the march:

On January 21, 2017 we will unite in Washington, DC for the Women’s March on Washington. We stand together in solidarity with our partners and children for the protection of our rights, our safety, our health, and our families — recognizing that our vibrant and diverse communities are the strength of our country.

The rhetoric of the past election cycle has insulted, demonized, and threatened many of us–women, immigrants of all statuses, those with diverse religious faiths particularly Muslim, people who identify as LGBTQIA, Native and Indigenous people, Black and Brown people, people with disabilities, the economically impoverished and survivors of sexual assault. We are confronted with the question of how to move forward in the face of national and international concern and fear.

We support the advocacy and resistance movements that reflect our multiple and intersecting identities. We call on all defenders of human rights to join us. This march is the first step towards unifying our communities, grounded in new relationships, to create change from the grassroots level up. We will not rest until women have parity and equity at all levels of leadership in society. We work peacefully while recognizing there is no true peace without justice and equity for all. HEAR OUR VOICE.

And here are their Guiding Principles:

The Women’s March on Washington is guided by basic principles of human rights with a value on human dignity. We are committed to practicing the following:

➢ Women’s rights are human rights, regardless of a woman’s race, ethnicity, religion, immigration status, sexual identity, gender expression, economic status, age or disability.

➢ We practice empathy with the intent to learn about the intersecting identities of each other. We will suspend our first judgement and do our best to lead without ego.

We follow the principles of Kingian nonviolence, which are defined as follows:

Principle 1:

Nonviolence is a way of life for courageous people. It is a positive force confronting the forces of injustice and utilizes the righteous indignation and spiritual, emotional, and intellectual capabilities of people as the vital force for change and reconciliation.

Principle 2:

The Beloved Community is the framework for the future. The nonviolent concept is an overall effort to achieve a reconciled world by raising the level of relationships among people to a height where justice prevails and persons attain their full human potential.

Principle 3:

Attack forces of evil, not persons doing evil. The nonviolent approach helps one analyze the fundamental conditions, policies and practices of the conflict rather than reacting to one’s opponents or their personalities.

Principle 4:

Accept suffering without retaliation for the sake of the cause to achieve our goal. Self-chosen suffering is redemptive and helps the movement grow in a spiritual as well as a humanitarian dimension. The moral authority of voluntary suffering for a goal communicates the concern to one’s own friends and community as well as to the opponent.

Principle 5:

Avoid internal violence of the spirit as well as external physical violence. The nonviolent attitude permeates all aspects of the campaign. It provides a mirror type reflection of the reality of the condition to one’s opponent and the community at large. Specific activities must be designed to maintain a high level of spirit and morale during a nonviolent campaign.

Principle 6:

The Universe is on the side of justice. Truth is universal and human society and each human being is oriented to the just sense of order of the universe. The fundamental values in all of the world’s great religions include the concept that the moral arc of the universe is long but it bends towards justice. For the nonviolent practitioner, nonviolence introduces a new moral context in which nonviolence is both the means and the ends.

November 20, 2016North America, WOMEN'S EQUALITYNorth AmericaCPNN Coordinator

UN Adopts Cuban Resolutions on Peace and Rejection of Mercenaries

FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION

An article from Prensa Latina

The Third Committee of the UN General Assembly has adopted today [November 18] by large majority two draft resolutions submitted by Cuba, which advocate for the right to peace and reject the use of mercenaries.

The text of the Declaration on the Right to Peace was supported by 116 countries, 34 rejected it and 19 abstained, following a vote requested by the United States, despite Cuba’s call to adopt it by consensus, considering the importance of the issue for humanity.

As usually occurs here, given the marked difference in positions between the North and the South, the document has been supported by the nations of Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean and Asia. Australia, Canada, the United States, Israel, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea and the members of the European Union were opposed.

The initiative states that all people should enjoy the right to peace, in order to guarantee human rights and development, without exclusion.

It also calls on the States to respect, implement and promote equality, justice and non-discrimination; and defend tolerance, dialogue, cooperation and solidarity.

Several countries co-sponsored the text submitted by Cuba, among them Belarus, Bolivia, China, Colombia, Egypt, Ghana, Indonesia, Nicaragua, Syria, South Africa, Venezuela and Vietnam.

Cuba’s project has been already adopted at the Human Rights Council in Geneva in July, when the international community was called for the first time to declare the existence of the right to peace on a planet scourged by wars, conflicts and crises, which cause suffering to tens of millions of human beings.

The Cuban delegation defended in the vote the right of all inhabitants of the planet to live without the impact of the scourge of war.

[The other] draft resolution introduced by Cuba, with the co-sponsorship of Angola, Belarus, Bolivia, China, Chile, Ecuador, India, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Syria, Uruguay, Venezuela and other States, obtained 117 votes for, 51 against and 5 abstentions.

Cuba has presented a similar initiative every year at the Third Committee.

Both projects will be submitted next month to the decision of the UN General Assembly, in the context of its 71st Session.

(Click here for an article in Spanish)

Question(s) related to this article:

What is the United Nations doing for a culture of peace?

[Editor’s note: Here is information about the anti-mercenary resolution, drawn from the UN website: In other action, the Committee approved a draft resolution on the use of mercenaries as a means of violating human rights and impeding the exercise of the right to self-determination, by 117 votes in favour to 50 against, with 6 abstentions. Among other things, it would have the General Assembly call upon States to take legislative measures to ensure that territories under their control were not used for — and their nationals did not take part in — the recruitment, assembly, financing, training, protection or transit of mercenaries. Slovakia’s representative, speaking for the European Union, explained that the bloc had voted against the draft because it would add private security firms to the mandate of the Human Rights Council’s Working Group on those issues.]

November 20, 2016FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION, global, United Nationsglobal, United NationsCPNN Coordinator

Congress of Colombia to discuss new peace pact

FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION

An article from El Tiempo (translated by CPNN)

[November 20]:The Colombian Congress will discuss the new peace agreement reached between the government and the FARC guerrillas on Wednesday, President Juan Manuel Santos said on Wednesday, but he said it was not yet clear whether it would be up to Parliament to endorse that pact. “Former President Álvaro Uribe said last Thursday that discussion towards an agreement should take place in the Congress of the Republic, I agree,” said the Head of State.

Supporters of a new peace agreement in Colombia demonstrate on the streets of Bogota. EFE

“We are going to take up the issue next week, on Wednesday … after discussion with the FARC because that is part of the agreement on how they will endorse,” said the President in a statement at the Casa de Nariño before departing to Lima, where he will participate at the XXIV Summit of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Forum.

The government of Santos and the FARC renegotiated a week ago in Cuba, where they meet for four years, the peace pact that incorporated points proposed by the opposition after the original was rejected in a plebiscite last October 2 .

The Government has not defined the mechanism to endorse the new peace agreement but it is considering three possibilities: to call a new plebiscite, to have it adopted by the Congress of the Republic, or to be adopted through open municipal councils with direct participation of citizens.

Nobel Peace Laureate, Santos said this week that he is “determined to maintain this peace and bring this agreement through Congress” so that it can be implemented quickly.

Also Santos highlighted the participation and contributions of all sectors to achieve the new agreement he said, including the “international support” from the United States through Secretary of State John Kerry, from the OAS and from the European Union.

“We have seen in different areas of the country that illegal armed groups are wanting to fill the spaces that the FARC have been leaving.” Therefore, he also insisted on the “urgency to move forward quickly” in the peace accords.

He reiterated that “the cease-fire is fragile” and recalled the incident in which two FARC guerrillas died in the north of the country and is being investigated by the Tripartite Monitoring and Verification Mechanism, made up of members of the UN, Government of Colombia and the FARC.

(Click here for a Spanish version of this article

Question related to this article:

What is happening in Colombia, Is peace possible?

November 20, 2016FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION, Latin AmericaLatin AmericaCPNN Coordinator

A Visit to Russia for “Life Extension” of the Planet

FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION

An article by Brian Terrell in World Without War (abbreviated)

[In October] I was in Moscow, Russia, as part of a small delegation representing Voices for Creative Nonviolence from the United States and United Kingdom. Over the next 10 days in Moscow and St. Petersburg, we saw nothing of the massive preparations for war there that are being reported in the Western media. We saw no sign of and no one we spoke to knew anything about the widely reported evacuation of 40 million Russians in a civil defense drill. “Is Putin preparing for WW3?” asked one U.K. tabloid on October 14: “Following a breakdown in communication between the USA and Russia, the Kremlin organized the huge emergency practice drill – either as a show of force or something more sinister.” This drill turned out to be an annual review that firefighters, hospital workers and police routinely conduct to evaluate their capacities to manage potential natural and manmade disasters.

Over the past years I have visited many of the world’s major cities and Moscow and St. Petersburg are the least militarized of any I’ve seen. Visiting the White House in Washington, DC, for example, one cannot miss seeing uniformed Secret Service agents with automatic weapons patrolling the fence line and the silhouettes of snipers on the roof. In contrast, even at Red Square and the Kremlin, the seat of the Russian government, only a few lightly armed police officers are visible. They seemed mainly occupied with giving directions to tourists.

Traveling on the cheap, lodging in hostels, eating in cafeterias and taking public transportation is a great way to visit any region and it gave us opportunities to meet people we would not otherwise have met. We followed up on contacts made by friends who had visited Russia earlier and we found ourselves in a number of Russian homes. We did take in some of the sights, museums, cathedrals, a boat ride on the Neva, etc., but we also visited a homeless shelter and offices of human rights groups and attended a Quaker meeting. On one occasion we were invited to address students in a language school in a formal setting, but most of our encounters were small and personal and we did more listening than talking.

I am not sure that the term “Citizen Diplomacy” can be accurately applied to what we did and experienced in Russia. Certainly the four of us, me from Iowa, Erica Brock from New York, David Smith-Ferri from California and Susan Clarkson from England, hoped that by meeting Russian citizens we could help foster better relations between our nations. On the other hand, as much as the term suggests that we were acting even informally to defend or explain our governments’ actions, interests and policies, we were not diplomats. We did not go to Russia with the intention of putting a human face on or in any way justifying our countries’ policies toward Russia. There is a sense, though, that the only genuine diplomatic efforts being made between the U.S. and NATO countries at this time are citizen initiatives like our own little delegation. What the U.S. State Department calls “diplomacy” is actually aggression by another name and it is questionable whether the U.S. is capable of true diplomacy while it surrounds Russia with military bases and “missile defense” systems and carries out massive military maneuvers near its borders.

(Article continued in the right column.)

Question(s) related to this article:

Solidarity across national borders, What are some good examples?

(Article continued from left column)

I am conscious of the need to be humble and not to overstate or claim any expertise. Our visit was less than two weeks long and we saw little of a vast country. Our hosts reminded us continually that the lifestyles and views of Russians outside their country’s largest cities might be different from theirs. Still, there is so little knowledge of what is going on in Russia today that we need to speak the little we have to offer.

While we heard a wide variety of views on many crucial issues, there seems to be a consensus among those we met about the impossibility of a war between Russia and U.S./NATO. The war that many of our politicians and pundits see clearly on the horizon as inevitable is not only unlikely, it is unthinkable, to the Russian people we talked with. None of them thinks that our countries’ leaders would be so crazy as to allow the tensions between them to bring us to a nuclear war.

In the United States, Presidents Bush and Obama are often credited for “fighting the war over there so we don’t have to fight it here.” In St. Petersburg we visited the Piskaya Memorial Park, where hundreds of thousands of the one million victims of the German’s siege of Leningrad are buried in mass graves. In World War II, more than 22 million Russians were killed, most of these civilians. Russians, more than Americans, know that the next world war will not be fought on a faraway battlefield.

Russian students laughed at the joke, “If the Russians are not trying to provoke a war, why did they put their country in the middle of all these U.S. military bases?” But I ruefully told them that due to our nation’s professed exceptionalism, many Americans would not see the humor in it. Rather, a double standard is considered normal. When Russia responds to military maneuvers by the U.S. and its NATO allies on its borders by increasing its defense readiness inside its borders, this is perceived as a dangerous sign of aggression. This summer in Poland, for example, thousands of U.S. troops participated in NATO military maneuvers, “Operation Anakonda” (even spelled with a “k,” an anaconda is a snake that kills its victim by surrounding and squeezing it to death) and when Russia responded by augmenting its own troops inside Russia, this response was regarded a threat. The hyped up proposition that Russia might be conducting civil defense drills raises suspicion that Russia is preparing to launch World War III. Yet, a practice run, dropping mock nuclear bombs in Nevada, is not viewed in the West “as a show of force or something more sinister,” but only as an indication of a “commitment to ensure all weapon systems are safe, secure, and effective.”

The life extension of our planet needs to be a universal goal. To speak of, let alone pour a nation’s wealth into a program of “life extension programs for weapon systems” is nothing short of madness. Our Russian friends’ confidence in our collective sanity and the steadiness of our leadership, especially in the wake of the recent election, is a great challenge. I am grateful to new friends for the warmth and generosity of their welcome and I hope to visit Russia again before long. As important and satisfying as these “citizen diplomatic” encounters are, however, we must honor these friendships through active resistance to the arrogance and exceptionalism that might lead the U.S. to a war that could destroy us all.

November 20, 2016Europe, FREE FLOW OF INFORMATIONEuropeCPNN Coordinator

Presenting the Palestinian side of the Middle East; Is it important for a culture of peace?

. . . Tolerance & Solidarity . . .

Here is a blog by Mazin Qumsiyeh that responds to this question.

1- Palestine is the Western part of the Fertile Crescent: an area that includes Palestine, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, and Iraq. In this Fertile Crescent the first human agriculture developed. Here the first domestication of animals (e.g. goats, donkeys, camels) and plants (e.g. wheat, barley, chickpeas, lentils, olives) happened.

2- This is also where civilization began including development of the first alphabet (by Phoenician Canaanites) and the first laws. It was where we first developed sciences like astronomy, engineering, and mathematics

3- The original inhabitants of the Western part of the Fertile Crescent were called Canaanites and the original language was called Aramaic which Jesus spoke (he was born in the country called then Palestine and thus he was Palestinian)

4- The old Aramaic language gave rise to derived languages including Syriac, Arabic, and Hebrew and this language group is called Semetic languages

5- Arabic alphabet evolved in Southern Canaan (today’s Jordan and Palestine) while the Latin alphabet evolved in Northern Canaan (Phoenicia, present day Lebanon and Syria). The Alphabet used in Europe today came from our part of the world.

6- The people of Southern Canaan including Palestine endured many invasions of armies with nearly 15 times that local people were ruled by kings or emperors (Persian, Roman, Umayyad, Abbasid, Israelite etc).

7- Local religious ideas evolved over the ages from Cananitic Pagan ideas to monotheistic ideas to Christianity (first century), Rabbinical Judaism (3rd century), Islam (7th Century).,

8- Palestine was always multi-cultural, multi-religious society despite attempts to homogenize it in certain periods (e.g. the Crusaders killed and exiled Jews, Muslims, and Christians of other sects).

9- Jews of today, like Christians and Muslims of today come from various ethnic and cultural backgrounds. They are thus genetically (biologically) heterogeneous.

10- Before the wave of European Jewish immigration, Palestinians were of various religions: about 85% Muslim, 10% Christian, 5% Jewish and others. For hundreds of years Palestinians of various religions lived in relative harmony.

11- Zionism is a political idea that spread among a minority of European Jews who adapted to the European notions of ethnocentric nationalism and thus claims Jews of today should gather in Palestine and create a Jewish state because of discrimination in Europe. Socialist Jews and other Jews believed in fighting for equal rights. Zionists thought that anti-Jewish feelings in Europe serves their interests and thus even collaborated with racists. There was a transfer agreement between the third Reich and the Zionist movement. Zionists also lobbied Western governments not to take in European Jewish refugees so that they all go to Palestine.

12- Zionism started in the mid 19th century with formation of the “Jewish Colonization Association” and became an international movement in 1897 at the first World Zionist Congress. To achieve its goals, its leaders advocated transferring the native non-Jewish Palestinians.

13- The United States and other Western countries under influence of a Zionist lobby pushed for the creation of a “Jewish state” of Israel in Palestine despite the wishes of the native people.

14- Between 1947-1949, 530 Palestinian villages and towns were completely destroyed and their people made refugees. This process of forcing Palestinians out of their land continued in other forms since the founding of Israel in May 1948. Today 70% of the 11 million Palestinians in the world are refugees or displaced people.

15- Current day Israel has a set of discriminatory laws that fit the descriptions given in the International Convention on the Suppression and Punishment of the Crime of Apartheid. Every month, the Israeli Knesset takes on more such racist laws.

16- In 1967, Israel occupied the West Bank (including the old city of Jerusalem) and Gaza strip. Together these two areas are 22% of historic Palestine. Israel began immediately to build Jewish colonial settlements in these Palestinian lands. Contrary to International law, there are now over 200 settlements on our lands housing over 0.5 million Jewish colonial settlers.

17- Israel has built walls around the remaining Palestinian enclaves (ghettos, people warehouses, cantons, reservations) and isolated them from each other and from the rest of Palestine. These walls separate Palestinians from their lands, from other Palestinians, from schools, from hospitals etc. As an example, the Bethlehem district houses 180,000 natives, some 50,000 of us living there are refugees from 1948 period. All of us are restricted now to develop and live on only 13% of the original Bethlehem district size. 87% of the district is now under control of Israeli settlements, military bases, closed military zones etc. The Bethlehem people are isolated behind a wall and even Jerusalem (6 km away) is off-limits to us.

18- Colonialism involves violence. Over 80 massacres were committed against native Palestinians. Over 60,000 Palestinian civilians were killed by Israeli forces and settlers. This is ten times more than the number of Israeli civilians (most colonial settlers) killed by Palestinians. Palestinians resisted colonialism over the past 130 years mostly by using non-violent popular resistance something not widely discussed in the Western countries because of attempts to vilify the victims.

19- Palestinians and other Arab countries in conflict with Zionism have been “unreasonably reasonable” as one diplomat described it. We accept all elements of International law` and all UN (United Nations) resolutions on the issue. Israel by contrast, violated over 60 UN Security Council resolutions and over 200 UN General Assembly Resolutions. Without the USA using its veto power to shield Israel from International law at the UN SC, the number would have been doubled.

20- We Palestinians demand and are struggling for our right to return and to self-determination. We call for a democratic pluralistic state for people of all religions in our historic homeland of Palestine. We call for equality and justice. People in Europe and around the world can support us by using education, by coming to visit us, and by Boycotts, Divestments, and Sanctions (BDS). This is a collective human struggle similar to what happened in challenging apartheid in South Africa.

There are` many books and references available to document each point.

* * * * * * * * * *

Related discussion may be found under the following questions:

How can a culture of peace be established in the Middle East?

Israel/Palestine, is the situation like South Africa?, Would a Truth and Reconciliation Commission help?

How can war crimes be documented, stopped, punished and prevented?

This question applies to the following CPNN articles:

Gaza’s Contribution to Civilization

Mazin Qumsiyeh: Old story- new twist

Michael Moore: From the Rubble Rises 22 Powerful Voices

For Nobel Peace Prize: Professor Mazin Qumsiyeh, Bethlehem, Palestine

‘Keep Your Eye On Calendar, Palestine Will Be Free’: Arundhati Roy’s PEN Pinter Prize Speech

From Paris to Caracas, thousands march in support of Gaza around the world, one year after October 7

Norway, along with Ireland and Spain, to recognize Palestinian state

Michael Moore: I Now Bring You the Voices of a New Generation

International Women’s Day: Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom

South Africa requests ICJ emergency orders to halt “unspeakable” Gazan genocide

Last Days of Hearings at the International Court of Justice on the Israeli Occupation of Palestine

World Court to Review 57-Year Israeli Occupation

USA: 200+ Unions Launch Network to Push for Gaza Cease-Fire

Decision of the International Court of Justice

Gala of solidarity with the Palestinians at the Algiers Opera

Artists for peace in Gaza

Rallies held worldwide as Israeli genocide in Gaza enters 100th day

Artists Pledge to Boycott German Institutions Over Stifling of Pro-Palestine Speech

Music video: We are all Palestinian

Guernica stands in solidarity with Gaza

Update on UN response to Israeli destruction of Palestine

Letter to the world from Mazin Qumsiyeh in Palestine

More Demonstrations for Palestine

Two-Thirds of American Voters Want US to Back Cease-Fire in Gaza

Around the world, people take to the streets for Palestine

American Anthropological Association Endorses Academic Boycott of Israeli ‘Apartheid Regime’

18 Years of BDS. 18 Years of Impact in Turning Darkness into Light

Dismantle Israel’s carceral regime and “open-air” imprisonment of Palestinians: UN expert

Solidarity with Palestine: Swim with Gaza

Elders warn of consequences of “one-state reality” in Israel and Palestine

Celebrating Rachel Corrie

USA: Ilhan Omar Vows to Continue Speaking Out Against Israel’s Abuse of Palestinians

Solidarity with the Palestinians and the forces of peace operating in Israel

Palestine: Tears and hope from the last few days

Phyllis Kotite has passed away

The Elders: Israel’s designation of Palestinian NGOs as “terrorist” undermines core democratic principles

A message from Palestine: This is the time to re-imagine, re-create and restore.

Israeli and Arab women demand peace between Israelis and Palestinians

Global Calendar of Resistance to Defend Palestine!

General strike in Palestine

Richard Falk: A Palestinian Balance Sheet: Normative Victories, Geopolitical Disappointments

Women’s leadership in the struggle for Palestinian freedom

New ICC ruling ‘opens the door’ for justice in occupied Palestine – Independent UN expert

The B’tselem Report on Israeli Apartheid

Mazin Qumsiyeh: Suggested electoral platform/program for Palestine

Amnesty International : US State Department’s attack on the BDS movement violates freedom of expression and endangers human rights protection

Palestine: 15 lessons from 15 years of BDS

Dutch pension fund divests from two Israeli banks over settlements’ finances

The Elders urge European leaders to stand firm on Israeli annexation threats

Israeli annexation of parts of the Palestinian West Bank would break international law – UN experts call on the international community to ensure accountability

Oppostion to Israel’s proposed annexation of occupied Palestinian territory

Palestine Must Live: An Online Petition

UN commemorates International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People

Australia: Antony Loewenstein wins the 2019 Jerusalem (Al Quds) Peace Prize

Manifesto on diversity: the Land of Canaan

Uri Avnery, leader of the Israeli peace movement Gush Shalom, 1923-2018

UN Chief Proposes Armed Peacekeeping Force to Protect Palestinians

BDS Victory: Irish Senate Approves Bill Boycotting Israeli Settlement Goods

ICC judges order outreach to victims of war crimes in Palestine

Flotilla bringing needed medical supplies to Gaza

Uri Avnery (Israel’s peace movement Gush Shalom) on Israel’s Days of Shame

The carnage against Gaza civilian protesters

Amnesty International: Israeli forces must end the use of excessive force in response to “Great March of Return” protests

Gaza Children Cinema – Update March 2018

Great March of Return: A New Defiance Campaign

Eyeless in Gaza

Photos: #FreeAhedTamimi and #FreePalestine in Brussels, Berlin, Athens, Amsterdam, London, Jaipur, Manchester, Naples, Milan, Dortmund

Israel/OPT: Palestinian child activist Ahed Tamimi sentenced to 8 months in prison

Ahed Tamimi and the Pathology of the Israeli Mind

14th Annual Israeli Apartheid Weeks of actions

International Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Movement Nominated for Nobel Peace Prize

Israelis ‘Blacklists’ 20 pro-BDS Groups Banned from Entry, Including Nobel Winners AFSC

Ahed Tamimi: The Mandela of Palestine?

The Elders applaud Palestinian reconciliation; renew call for end to blockade of Gaza

USA: Israel-Palestine statement by the Mennonites takes a ‘third way’

Gandhi Peace Award to Omar Barghouti and Ralph Nader

The Inside Story on Our UN Report Calling Israel an Apartheid State

Confessions of a Megalomaniac by Uri Avnery of Gush Shalom (Israel)

The Elders welcome Paris Mideast peace conference, urge all P5 states to show leadership

200 legal scholars back right to boycott Israel

International Women’s Boat to Gaza

Women’s Boat to Gaza’ set to arrive in Gaza within hours amid fears of Israeli hijacking

Film review: Disturbing the Peace

Red carpet film festival asserts Gaza’s pride and talent

Freedom Flotilla will sail until the blockade of Gaza is permanently and fully lifted

The Elders welcome Paris conference as step towards two-state solution for Israel-Palestine

US: United Methodist Kairos Response Welcomes Pension Fund Exclusion and Divestment of Israeli Banks

Join the Palestine Museum of Natural History: Why doing so is so important

2015 Black Solidarity Statement with Palestine

Palestine: Breaking the Silence Tour in Hebron

Letter of appreciation to the Palestinian Youth Orchestra

Gaza prepares to welcome Freedom Flotilla III

Sanctions against Israel: Round up from 2014

Le Centre de la paix organise une séance de soutien psychologique pour les enfants de Gaza

The Peace Centre organized a counseling session for Gaza's children

– – – – Links for the following articles published prior to 2015 do not work because they were made by a version of PERL programming that is no longer supported. With three easy steps, you can find the article by its number. First, click on it before returning to this page. Your browser will say that the article is not available but in the address listed you can see that it was located at ViewArticle=xxxx where xxxx is the number of the article. Returning to this page, then click here for the listing of all years. Then click on the year that contains the number for the article you seek. It will send you to the page where you can easily search for the article by its title. – – – –

Despite crackdown, Palestinians organize for long-term peace

The Elders support Palestinian move to sign international treaties

Presbyterian General Assembly Votes 310-303 to Divest from Israeli Occupation

Anti-Apartheid Archbishop Tutu Calls Presbyterians to Back Divestment From Israeli Occupation

One Democratic State gaining momentum – Bethlehem Declaration

Worcester Palestinian Friendship (WPF)

Appeal: Welcome to Palestine 2012

L’appel de 'Bienvenue en Palestine 2012'

Towards a Culture of Peace and Recognition: Palestine is a UNESCO Member State

Vers une culture de Paix et Reconnaissance: La Palestine est un membre de l’UNESCO

Edward Said lecture

Students for a Free Palestine

November 6, 2016d-tolerance, MideastMideastCPNN Coordinator

How can we develop the institutional framework for a culture of peace?

To achieve the transition from the culture of war to a culture of peace, the increasing consciousness around the world in important. But it is not enough. The task is also political. And to be political, consciousness needs to be linked up to the development of a new institutional framework.

To a great extent, this new institutional framework is being developed at the municipal level. This important because cities, unlike national governments, do not have an invested interest in the culture of war.

In the long term, it will be important to reform the United Nations so that it is more democratic and more responsive to “We the Peoples.”

At the same time, there are continuing efforts to establish culture of peace institutions at national and international levels, as described in the following CPNN articles. See also the question Is a U.S. Department of Peace a realistic political goal?

– – – – –

France: Coop-médias Invests in 5 Independent Media Outlets

Bolivia: National Network for a Culture of Peace Meets in Sacaba

Mediation injects new impetus of peace into a turbulent world

Videoconference November 14 for a Culture of Peace Revolution

Announcement of Finalists World Future Policy Award 2024 on Peace and Future Generations

Coop-medias, the citizen cooperative that wants to give “a real breath of fresh air” to independent media

On the road to lasting peace in Mali: “A mother hen must reunite her chicks”

Manifesto for Peace Media in the 21St Century

Medellín, Colombia, with the most peaceful days in the last 40 years

Feasibility Proposal for the Creation of a Ministry of Peace for Colombia

In final declaration, G77 rejects “digital monopolies” and calls for “reform” of the financial system

United Cities and Local Governments of Africa (UCLG Africa) and the African Centre for the Constructive Resolution of Disputes (ACCORD) Center are joining efforts to build a Culture of Peace in Africa, through Training Trainers on Conflict Management

Spain: The Forum for a Culture of National Security approves the proposal to create a Culture of Peace Group led by Crue

Malta : World Forum for the Culture of Peace

Ceará, Brazil : Deputy Mayor of Fortaleza participates in a meeting with the Inter-institutional Committee of the Restorative Justice and Culture of Peace Network

Experts identify 3 pillars for the «reunification» of Bolivians

We the Peoples : Call for Inclusive Global Governance

Veracruz, Mexico : General Directorate for Culture of Peace and Human Rights

Côte d’Ivoire : Social cohesion and peace in Daoukro: The king and the NGO Wanep help bring communities together

APAC Summit urges nations to maintain world peace

Mexico: Inauguration of the II Global Forum of Culture of Peace, in CUCEA

Guinea: Wanep and partners promote peace and development

Protection of human rights and peace in Cameroon: The international association Kofi Annan is engaged

Building infrastructures for peace

Mexico: Cuitláhuac García issues decree for Culture of Peace and Human Rights Directorate

Mexico: National Forum for a Culture of Peace

2018 “World Beyond War” Toronto Conference Included Workshop on Departments and Infrastructures for Peace

Malta: Launching The Global Council For Tolerance And Peace (GCTP)

Let’s mark Canada’s 150th birthday by establishing a Department of Peace

Civil society has a critical role to play in ensuring lasting peace in Latin America: Tunisian Nobel Peace prize winner Ali Zeddini, speaking in Colombia

One billion signatures for peace

Inter-Parliamentary Union to mark 125 years of global parliamentary action on peace and democracy

Union Interparlementaire célèbre 125 années d’action parlementaire internationale au service de la paix et de la démocratie

Rwanda: 3rd African Alliance for Peace Summit

Ghana: Most Rev. Prof Asante: I have a dream for peace

Global Alliance for Ministries and Infrastructures for Peace (GAMIP) 2013 Switzerland Summit

Sixth Summit of Global Alliance for Ministries and Infrastructures of Peace

Parliaments Preparing for International Day of Democracy

100th Anniversary of the Peace Palace in The Hague

November 6, 2016d-democraticCPNN Coordinator

Let’s mark Canada’s 150th birthday by establishing a Department of Peace

. . DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION . .

An article by the Canadian Peace Initiative from Common Ground

Canada has a proud history of peacekeeping. Now, more than ever, we need Canada to take leadership and open the road to peace for the rest of the world. The call is out to establish a Department of Peace on our 150th birthday. We have the opportunity to bring a beacon of light to the fragile state of our planet, racked by war, devastation and fear.

This is not a far-fetched idea, but something tangible that the Canadian Peace Initiative has worked on for years. Right now, a unique opportunity is open: You can directly ask Canada to increase its capabilities in peace leadership.

Until November 25, 2016, the House of Commons is hosting the CPI’s e-petition, calling for a federal department of peace. This non-partisan petition is sponsored by MP Borys Wrzesnewskyj. It’s time for Canada to build on our international legacy of making the world less violent and more peaceful. Please support this Parliamentary Petition to create a Ministry of Peace in Canada. To sign the petition, go to http://canadianpeaceinitiative.ca/get-involved/sign-the-petition/

The Canadian Peace Initiative is a nonpartisan, non-profit organization with an aim to increase the capacity for peace-building within the Canadian federal government. Similar departments already exist in three other countries.

Canada has a greater role to play in reducing the mass suffering and death caused by war, terrorism and violence, whether domestically or around the world. Join us in demanding that our government establish a Department of Peace.

There is currently no strategic focus for peace in government, and there has rarely been a greater urgency or a better window of opportunity to consider the creation of a Department of Peace in our country. This is one of the principle aims of the Canadian Peace Initiative. We see that Canada has an important role to play in the prevention of violence and the resolution of conflicts at home and abroad.

The Canadian Peace Initiative is committed to the establishment of a Department of Peace within the Government of Canada. The Department of Peace would work towards building a new architecture of peace by establishing a culture of peace and assertive non-violence in Canada and the world. We are part of a growing international movement.

The mandate of the Minister of Peace would be to reinvigorate Canada’s role as a peacekeeper and peacebuilder as follows:

1. Develop early detection and rapid response processes to deal with emerging conflicts and establish systemic responses to post-conflict demobilization, reconciliation and reconstruction.

2. Lead internationally to abolish nuclear, biological and chemical weapons, to reduce conventional weapon arsenals and to ban the weaponization of space.

(Article continued in right column)

Question related to this article:

How can we develop the institutional framework for a culture of peace?

(Article continued from left column)

3. Implement the UN Declaration and Programme of Action on a Culture of Peace (1999) to safeguard human rights and enhance the security of persons and their communities.

4. Implement UN Resolution 1325 on the key role played by women in the wide spectrum of peace-building work.

5. Establish a Civilian Peace Service that, with other training organizations, will recruit, train and accredit peace professionals and volunteers to work at home and abroad, as an alternative to armed intervention.

6. Address issues of violence in Canada by promoting non-violent approaches that encourage community involvement and responsibility, such as Restorative Justice, Nonviolent Communication (NVC) and Alternate Dispute Resolution (ADR).

7. Support the development of peace education at all levels, including post-secondary peace and conflict studies.

8. Promote the transition from a war-based to a peace-based economy.

9. Establish processes of reconciliation with Canada’s indigenous peoples.
With a growing list of supporters, individuals and groups, our supporters now represent over two million Canadians.

“At the macro level, when the Prime Minister needs advice when making policy or program choices about peace, there is a big vacuum. There is no strategic focus for peace in government.” – Bill Bhaneja, former Senior Policy Advisor, Foreign Affairs & International Trade

“The Canadian Department of Peace Initiative is the right action at the right time… as more and more citizens and politicians recognize and act upon the human right to peace.” – The Honourable Doug Roche, former Canadian Ambassador for Disarmament

“A ministry of peace could be a place where peace-building activities could be consolidated and [where we could] develop techniques for reconciliation.” – The Honourable Lloyd Axworthy, former Minister of Foreign Affairs Canada

“Years hence, when every country has a Ministry of Peace, people will look back and ask, ‘What took us so long?’ After all, we have a ministry for almost everything else: health, education and so on. How odd that, of all things, we have no ministries of peace.” – Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche, spiritual leader, Shambhala International

“The idea of establishing a department of peace is beyond overdue. We must strive to become a beacon of hope. We must usher in a new era of conflict resolution. We know how to live harmoniously in our great country. We now need to share this knowledge with the world.” – Senator Mobina Jaffer

“The creation of a Ministry for Peace… is not the final achievement, merely the making of a road to achieve a sustainable order that would allow resolution of human conflicts without violence.” – Dr. Oscar Arias, former president of Costa Rica and Nobel Peace Laureate

November 5, 2016DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION, North AmericaNorth AmericaCPNN Coordinator

Muslim Council of Elders, Anglican Church meeting ends on high note in Abu Dhabi

TOLERANCE & SOLIDARITY .

An article from the WAM Emirates News Agency

A two-day meeting of the Muslim Council of Elders and the Anglican Church ended today on a high note, with participants stressing the importance of promoting the principle of citizenship as people enjoy the same entitlements and responsibilities towards their countries and communities.

Muslim Council of Elders
(click on photo to enlarge)

They also emphasised the necessity of working on building a world that is based on understanding including the Muslim-Christian dialogue, with an aim of effectively bridging the gap that hinders the understanding of others and agreed that that the dialogue will contribute to the efforts of combating both extremism and the undermining of minority rights.

At the end of the meeting,which was co-chaired by Dr. Ahmed Al-Tayyeb Grand Imam of Al-Azhar and Chairman of the Muslim Council of Elders, and Justin Welby Archbishop of Canterbury, a joint communique was issued. The full text of the communique follows: The Delegations of both the Anglican Church and the Muslim Council of Elders in the meeting organized from 2-4 November 2016 Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates.

In a historical meeting between the Episcopal/Anglican communion and the Muslim Council of Elders, chaired by the Grand Imam of Al Azhar Dr. Ahmed Al Tayyeb, and the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, took place in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates, from 2-4 November 2016 in the fourth round of meetings between elders from the East and the West titled “Towards an Integrated World”.

The two-day meeting included four sessions that focused on the dialogue between religious leaders, religious pluralism, experiences of coexistence and promoting a culture of peace. The meeting witnessed speeches from the Grand Imam of Al Azhar and the Archbishop of Canterbury on the role of religious leaders in addressing the current challenges facing the World.

The meeting included four main themes: religious pluralism, the experiences of common co-existence, the role of religion in promoting citizenship and consolidating principles of human flourishing, and the obstacles facing dialogue and co-existence and their possible remedies.

During the meeting, discussions and interventions focused on the vital role of religious leaders and adherents in peace-building, sustaining human values, disseminating religious concepts that encourage tolerance, cooperation between religious followers in combating extremism, hatred speech, and restoring hope in peoples’ hearts and minds, and empowering young people to be effective actors in their communities.

(Article continued in right column)

Question related to this article:

How can different faiths work together for understanding and harmony?

(Article continued from left column)

The participants stressed the importance of promoting the principle of citizenship as people enjoy the same entitlements and responsibilities towards their countries and communities.

We concluded with a number of recommendations as follows: – The necessity of working on building a world that is based on understanding including the Muslim-Christian dialogue, with an aim of effectively bridging the gap that hinders the understanding of others. The dialogue will contribute to the efforts of combating both extremism and the undermining of minority rights. As such, we encourage our wider communities to develop similar dialogue based initiatives as among the mostly powerful tools in consolidating societal peace in all communities.

– Organize mutual youth based meetings between Muslim and Christian university students, which embrace intellectual discourses on tolerance and coexistence.

– Produce documentary films in various languages that track, document and underline the historical and contemporary experiences of co-existence. These will be suitable materials to be broadcast or air on TV channels and other forms of social media that have been proven effective more than gatherings and meetings.

– Develop a five-year academic research program on the pillars and values of tolerance and coexistence. Researchers from both sides, Muslims and Christians, will be invited to contribute to the research and produce publications in various languages. The program will contribute to the Muslim-Christian Dialogue through articulating it with post- graduate studies in the concerned universities.

– Digitize all the Muslim-Christian dialogue initiatives, including audio-visual materials, studies, and conferences’ proceedings, and upload them on the internet, to be accessible to the participants in this conference, and other concerned people.

– Highlight and benefit from the multiple initiatives in promoting the values of tolerance, co-existence, participation, primarily the experience of the Ministry of Tolerance in the United Arab Emirates, and the experience of the House of Family in Egypt. These initiatives characterized by working on the ground through a variety of communities including work encompassing women and young generation. We affirm the work of these initiatives in establishing a model of genuine citizenship including Muslims and Christians in Egypt.

– The necessity of work promoting a culture of dialogue at different levels. We affirm the importance of respecting each other’s faith at all levels.

– We commit ourselves to work together for the common good in fighting illiteracy, poverty and disease.

– Lastly, the participants from both the Muslim Council of Elders and the Anglican Church call on all religious leaders, politicians, decision-makers and influential community leaders to encourage the values of justice, peace and cooperation for all nations and peoples regardless of the difference in religion, gender, race, or any other factor.

November 4, 2016Mideast, TOLERANCE & SOLIDARITYMideastCPNN Coordinator