Notations On Our World: On a Very Tough WeekEnd in the Middle East

As a new week dawns here in #Outsiders, our team has been on the "prowl" as we've been witness yet again to another horrific week.    The wars in Syria, Libya and Iraq are continuing with no end in sight.    As part of our on-going assessment, one very disturbing program we saw was a BBC Documentary titled, "Civilization Under Attack".     What was striking was how one described the destruction of what Daesh/IS is doing to the 4500 archaeological sites as "rape".     It was a tough program to watch--and yes our team was ever so on board on how the foresight by Europeans have helped to preserve our heritage. They talked about how Daesh can make $ 250,000 on a small cylinder.    It must be watched by all by clicking here:  http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0615mxc

What we also was witness to was the horrific attack in Jersuelaum at the Gay Pride Parade.  One of the victims, 16-year old Shira Banki, died of her wounds:

We made a decision not to name her assailiant because he is not worth the mention.   It was welcome news as the Israeli Prime Minister promised prosecution to the full extent of the law.   Not withstanding the indiginations, what Amir Oren of @Haaretz noted and our team released to the Daily Outsider twitter feed late on Sunday underscored the broad problems that the Israeli Prime Minister has to contend with:

A very tough read-wonder if @GOP will have the courage to read this #Netanyahu needn't worry #Iran is already here http://t.co/EzDnmhVwn7

— The Daily Outsider (@DailyOutsider) August 3, 2015

This was also as earlier in the week Al Monitor documented a disturbing trend on how The Israeli Security Cabinet came out in opposition to the deal without even having read the deal and without apparently even consulting the security establishment: 

A view of the wk that's quite tough #Netanyahu the autocrat - Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East http://t.co/gURb7HlQ8q

— The Daily Outsider (@DailyOutsider) July 24, 2015 

The struggle over the #IranDeal will gather pace though as The Israeli Prime Minister is about to make a speech to American Jewish supporters and the President making a major speech on Wednesday.   This is also as the Obama Adminstration will not contest the Parole of convicted spy Jonathan Pollard--although he is not able to leave the United States for five years: 

An interesting twist in the #Vote4Peace quest as U.S. preparing to release Israeli spy #Pollard' http://t.co/NJxvIG8zrF

— The Daily Outsider (@DailyOutsider) July 25, 2015

As we went to press, we saw reports that Amal Clooney has filed motions to vacate the death sentence against Saif Gaddafi, the Son of the late Libyan leader Qaddafi.   With the current chaos in Libya, one wonders where this will all lead,      '

It is bound to be another interesting and challenging week.

Notations From the Grid (Week-End Edition): Like the Newtown massacre, the Palestinian baby’s murder won’t change a thing - West of Eden - - Haaretz Daily Newspaper | Israel News

Thousands have attended rallies in Israel in the aftermath of the horrific arson attack that claimed the life of an 18-Month Old Toddler.   The Uncle of the toddler spoke at the rally in Tel Aviv's Rabin Square that is named in the name of another martyr for peace, Yitzhak Rabin.    He wants the fire to stop.   Yet, this editorial we reviewed sent chills down our collective spine as we worked away.    We could not help but ask:  When will the fires stop?



Like the Newtown massacre, the Palestinian baby’s murder won’t change a thing - West of Eden - - Haaretz Daily Newspaper | Israel News

Notations On Our World (Week-End Edition): Voices of Reason

We have been following the tragic death of the Palestinian toddler in the City of Nablus.   As we went to press here for the weekend, the culprits of this tragic death are yet to be captured.   We wanted to report on one grassroots effort to think of a different way that was quite welcome as Israel has to do some major soul searching in the aftermath of the horrific death of the toddler and how the rest of the family are clinging to life (and how this sentiment by OneVoice Palestine was so moving):

الى متى سنراقب احلام وارواح اطفالنا تحترق! لا مجال لانتظار احد لينقذنا.. يجب ان نتوحد شعبا وحكومة واحزابا ونمشي صفا واحدا بثبات وبخطى مدروسة نحو مستقبل افضل لأولادنا.
Posted by ‎OneVoice Palestine | صوتنا فلسطين‎ on Saturday, August 1, 2015

We here @ #Outsiders add our strong voice of support to them in their quest to transform the reality:  

From the Knesset to the Streets: OneVoice is Empowering Moderates Polly Bronstein, OVI Executive Director, speaking at the Knesset next to MK Hilik Bar. This week we had a tragic reminder that the extremists in our midst can cause untold horror unless good people stand up and oppose them. The horrific settler arson attack in the village of Duma, in which a Palestinian baby was burned to death last night should shock us all out of apathy. The stabbing of six participants at yesterday's Pride Parade in Jerusalem shows us that violence and intolerance is on the rise. And the growing sense of lawlessness and violence in several Palestinian cities in the West Bank provide a warning that we could very easily slide back to the dark days of the Intifada. We at OneVoice condemn these heinous acts, but condemnation is not enough. From the halls of the Knesset to the streets of Nablus, OneVoice activists are standing up for the majority of Israelis and Palestinians who share a commitment to non-violence and peace. OneVoice Israel (OVI) mobilized dozens of activists this week to fill the Knesset and amplify the voice of moderates to propel their elected representatives toward the two-state solution. The activists attended the  20th Knesset’s first convening of the  Caucusfor Resolving the Israeli-Arab Conflict. Polly Bronstein, Executive Director of OVI, was invited to address the caucus on behalf of OVI activists by the chair of the caucus, MK Hilik Bar: “The caucus to end the Arab-Israeli conflict was established four years ago in a joint effort between OneVoice and MK Yoel Hasson and was responsible for a series of pioneering events and activities. The caucus brought the first Palestinian delegation to the Knesset, and it was the first time in which a Palestinian flag was ever raised alongside the Israeli flag in the Knesset.” In Palestine, OneVoice Palestine (OVP) launched a campaign focused on mobilizing moderates to counter the rising extremist voices in Nablus and other cities throughout the West Bank. Nablus was the first city to see OVP launch their new “Violence is a Weakness” initiative.   OneVoice Palestine Youth Leaders brought a message of non-violent resistance to the streets of Nablus. Over 50 Youth Leaders were in the streets of Nablus on Wednesday, and will be heading to Jericho and Jenin in the coming days, actively working to strengthen and encourage Palestinians to promote peaceful means of achieving an end to occupation, and to denounce violence as a destructive force in Palestinians' quest for statehood. OVP’s Executive Director Samer Makhlouf reflected on the impact, saying, “we must unite and be proactive when it comes to promoting dialogue and understanding as alternatives to violence, extremism and bigotry, because violence is a weakness. We must focus our efforts on the most important problem, ending the Israeli occupation, and working to promote a democratic Palestinian state based on tolerance and the values of freedom and equality”. Together, OneVoice's Israeli and Palestinian teams are united in mobilizing moderates to counter extremism and to empower and inspire a majority of citizens on either side of the Green Line to propel their leaders towards the two-state solution.