Nakba Day was greeted by Israel with guns ablazing. Israeli troops based near the Nahal Oz crossing, east of Gaza City, killed an 18-year-old youth identified as Salah Khamis, from Jabalia in the northern part of the Gaza Strip. At least 172 Palestinians were injured by army fire on Sunday before yesterday as the IDF blasted rounds of live ammunition at unarmed civilians participating in the Return Protest, near the Eretz “Beit Hanoun” crossing, in the northern part of the Gaza Strip. Thousands of Palestinians participated in the protests. They carried Palestinian flags and keys as a symbolic gesture affirming their right to return to their cities, villages and towns they were displaced from when Israel was created in Palestine.
And today the streets are quiet. A General Strike is in effect.
Political and Islamic factions held a meeting in Gaza City last night and decided to declare a strike and to lower the Palestinian flags in protest to Israel’s attacks against the Return Protests. Hamas political leader, Ismail Radwan, read a joint statement issued by the Palestinian factions declaring Monday as a general strike in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
Scotus 'Prefers Not To'
Our unapologetic right-wing U.S. Supreme Court has rejected an appeal by five men who say the CIA had them shipped to foreign countries to be tortured. The Court refused to question the federal government’s power to withhold information for national security reasons. The suit was brought by five torture victims against a Boeing Co. (BA) unit Jeppesen Dataplan. Jepppeson (The company had on office in Portland but no in box, no out box. Just a number on a building. Not even a brochure for 3-day Hawaiian Getaways…) allegedly provided planning and logistical support for the flights as part of the Central Intelligence Agency’s “extraordinary rendition” program. The reason? National security. Feel safer now?
The men pressing the suit come from five countries. Ahmed Agiza, an Egyptian, says he was seized in Sweden and flown to Egypt, where he was tortured. Abou Elkassim Britel, an Italian of Moroccan origin, alleges he was arrested in Pakistan and sent to face torture, including sexual abuse, in Morocco.
Human-rights groups urged the high court to take up the case, saying the government is increasingly using the so-called state secrets privilege to block lawsuits. The Bush and Obama administrations have invoked state secrets in seeking dismissal of suits over National Security Agency eavesdropping and a potential effort to kill a U.S. citizen suspected of terrorism.
- KBOO