Examining Hard Facts: Last Winter's Siege of Gaza (VIDEO)

(SALEM, Ore.) - Human Rights Activist Ewa Jasiewicz witnessed unspeakable things in Gaza before and after Israel's brutal series of assaults in December and January during the IDF's Operation Cast Lead.

This event led to the deaths of more than 1,400 people in Gaza, among them several hundred children.

The video below from Ewa's speech in Berlin, Germany, features imagery and sound recorded by volunteers in Gaza during Israel's overwhelming military assault on the civilian populace last winter, which included entire neighborhoods, hospitals, at least one school, and United Nations facilities.

Israel claims the civilians were shielding members of the political group, Hamas, which Israel and the U.S. have branded as a terrorist organization. Hamas had fired rockets into Israel, as a reprisal for Israel failing to live up to a political obligation to reopen a Gaza border crossing. What Hamas did was wrong, and at least five Israeli citizens were killed. Israel's response was the indiscriminate killing of over 1,400 innocent civilian Palestinians; the total number of Israelis killed, including several IDF soldiers from friendly fire, was 14.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu used the same reasoning to explain their attacks on the school children and UN facilities. They have not had any reasonable excuses to explain why the IDF chose to rain White Phosphorous on the roofs of families, burning people alive in a way that is reminiscent of napalm use during the Vietnam War.

A growing number of Israeli citizens are condemning the attacks on Gaza, and the overall regard of Israel for Palestinians, as the Israeli peace movement gains momentum.

The video shows ambulance drivers being targeted and shot by Israeli soldiers, farmers of Gaza shot while trying to harvest their crops, again by Israeli soldiers, and it discusses Israel's attempts to block relief shipments as they enter the port at Gaza. Israel and Egypt already halt relief supplies at mostly closed Gaza entry points.

Dr. Alan Sabrosky, Ph.D who writes for Salem-News.com, cites how the main photo for this story is something nobody will see on network news, adding, "And we wonder why they hate us....God weeps."

We'll publish it Alan, as hard as it is and as much as it makes hearts fill with pain, we will run it. And we will always have the courage to show life as it really is, with your help 'Doc' Sabrosky, and Jeff Gates, Debbie Menon, Karin Friedemann, Alan Hart, Gordon Duff, Daniel Johnson and a long list of other people who write consistently about the Palestinian/Israeli question.

It is so difficult for Americans to imagine how badly things have gone, and they must remind themselves that right is right and wrong is wrong. People require more than what the Gazans have and the clock is ticking.

How can the world allow the madness, murder, starvation and disease? In the video, Ewa talks about PTSD, and cites how there is no "post" here; trauma is part of everyday life in a place that is bombed and rebuilt, bombed and rebuilt, continually.

Slowly and surely, Israel seems intent on killing off the Palestinian population. Ewa Jasiewicz discusses the growing BDS Movement in America and other western nations, that stands for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions for Palestine. The group advocates a boycott of Israeli academic and cultural institutions, "based on the premise that these institutions are complicit in the system of oppression that has denied Palestinians their basic rights guaranteed by international law."

In other words, as long as western students are laden with pro-Israeli propaganda, particularly from professors of higher education, the struggle for the people of Palestine and the honest appraisal of Israel on a worldwide level is delayed.

It is not racist to criticize Israel. It is certainly not anti-Semitic; nobody asked any particular group to attack the people of Palestine.

Images of Ewa speech by: Doris and Björn, German Palestine Solidarity Organization publicsolidarity.de

Other footage by :
Volunteers of ISM GAZA
Alberto Arce
Ramattan Video Studios Gaza
Al Jazeera

Images of prisoners:
B'TSELEM.ORG,
SABR, palestinianprisoner.blogspot.com
TADAMON! tadamon.ca

If you are interested in a speaker from Free Gaza, please go to freegaza.org/join-in/speaker-bureau ... and you will find several speakers there who would be happy to come and speak.

Tim King is a former U.S. Marine with twenty years of experience on the west coast as a television news producer, photojournalist, reporter and assignment editor. In addition to his role as a war correspondent, this Los Angeles native serves as Salem-News.com's Executive News Editor.
Tim spent the winter of 2006/07 covering the war in Afghanistan, and he was in Iraq over the summer of 2008, reporting from the war while embedded with both the U.S. Army and the Marines. Tim holds numerous awards for reporting, photography, writing and editing, including the Oregon AP Award for Spot News Photographer of the Year (2004), the first place Electronic Media Award in Spot News, Las Vegas (1998), Oregon AP Cooperation Award (1991); and several other awards including the 2005 Red Cross Good Neighborhood Award for reporting. Serving the community in very real terms, Salem-News.com is the nation's only truly independent high traffic news Website, affiliated with Google News and several other major search engines and news aggregators.
You can send Tim an email at this address: newsroom@salem-news.com

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Jimmy June 8, 2012 9:23 am (Pacific time)

Look, I as most of the world have seen the phtoos of the Holocaust. I have seen the phtoos of Jews being lined up at train stations and then herding them in the cattle cars.Yeah, the Germans were bad for doing it and all but I have to say when I first saw those phtoos my first reaction was WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH THESE JEWS?They allow themselves to be herded into cattle cars as lambs to the slaughter what kind of people tolerate that happening to them?Instead of meekly submitting themselves to their fate they should have fought! When the Nazis came knocking on their doors they should have not been there. They should have had the place wired with explosives so when the stormtroopers came in looking for them BOOM!They should have gathered as many weapons as possible and then take the fight to the Nazis. Sure in the end they would have probably lost. The Nazis would have eventually killed them, but then again they died anyway.Look, given the very ugly choice I rather die on my feet fighting the bastards where I might have a chance, perhaps a small chance but a chance nonetheless to take a few of the bitches with me than just to meekly walk to my doom.Perhaps that sounds crazy to a Jew. That's your problem. You need to be a little crazy in this world.

MM July 12, 2011 4:04 am (Pacific time)

i feel really bad for the father.. those soldiers dont have hearts!!! Curse them!!!

Osotan; October 30, 2009 6:53 pm (Pacific time)

to Anon;"pictures of rockets that hit Israel almost everyday"?,so if Mossad is so damn clever why don't they get the ones firing the rockets?, and no news coverage I see,(including out of Jerusalem), mentions "rockets or bombings nearly everyday".,but depicts isolated events usually in unpopulated areas and innacurately fired at best. I am sorry when anyone,Israeli or Palestinan dies. I don't hate anyone for their ethnic connections,I even let white people in my place sometimes,until their behavior becomes egregious,but I can't help routing for Palestine on this one. Why don't the Israeli's give the Palestinians their land back and relocate in Sudan or Argentina as per instructions in the Balfour Agreement back in the late 1800's? The Israeli's stole what they have and were supported in this theft by the U.S and the U.S. backed and formed U.N.,if they stole my land and killed my people I might want to shoot a rocket or two into what was mine anyway, just to let Israel,or anyone else in a foreign "occupied" land,know we still exist. Is there any meaning to the word "Shalom" anymore?

Anonymous October 30, 2009 2:35 am (Pacific time)

Where are the pictures from Israel after suicide bombers blow up innocent people? Where are the pictures of the rockets which hit Israel almost every day? Any answers or just feeling sorry for the Terrorists who hide behind their woman and children?

gp October 26, 2009 9:41 am (Pacific time)

I agree wholeheartedly with Vic on his assessment of Ron Wyden. Send this article and video to everyone on your list. Succinct and well done.

Osotan; October 25, 2009 9:57 am (Pacific time)

courage,those who "walked point" and those who covered this story and their journey, I hope for sanity but feel despair. I will hope. Thanks S-N, I heard someone say;"when the power of love overcomes the love of power,we shall know peace".

stephen October 25, 2009 8:53 am (Pacific time)

It has been proven as factual, by many legitimate sources and videos, that israel broke the cease fire treaty for no apparent reason on Nov. 4 2008. Yes, while everyone in the U.S. was distracted with the presidential election. Interesting israel would pick that day dont ya think? That the palestinians fired rockets in reprisal of israel not opening the blockade at the border is blatently false. They were defending themselves against an unprovoked attack by israel. Michael Rivero has all this info and more on his website.

Vic October 25, 2009 6:46 am (Pacific time)

I wonder what Ron Wyden, who some of you see as a hero, would say about this video? My guess is that he would mumble something about how the Palestinians brought this on themselves. I cant believe we have a Zionist Israel-firster as an Oregon rep.....and some of you gush over him. Sure, he has done some good things...John Gacy did good things for his community also...Those who love Wyden and Israel should pack up and move to Israel.

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