Let Them Eat Tanks, and an update on Mazin Qumsiyeh's detention in Israel

The June issue of Sojourners has a cover story about the Pentagon budget titled “Let Them Eat Tanks: How the Pentagon’s binge spending is starving the rest of us.” It’s an interview, with some good charts on military spending, between Sojourners founder Jim Wallis and Ben Cohen, of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream fame. Ben has long campaigned for cutting military spending through his Business Leaders for Sensible Priorities. (To read the article online you need to sign up for Sojourners email action alerts, which are very good.)

You may have heard about the deaths and arrests over the weekend relating to protests around the anniversary of what Palestinians call the Nakba, or catastrophe, dating to the founding of Israel. Dr. Mazin Qumsiyeh, a Palestinian-American peace activist and advocate of nonviolence, and a former Peace Action Education Fund board member, was detained by Israeli authorities. Here is an update on his status, as well as videos from the region:

PNN journalist Ghassan Bannoureh took the following video which documented

Mazin

’s arrest yesterday:

<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RD06coIJWQs&amp;feature=player_embedded&gt>

&amp;feature=player_embedded&gt

The latest from the U.S. Consulate General in Jerusalem (USCG) is that Mazin

is being held in Ofer prison as a detainee, and a hearing is scheduled on 19

May 2011. They are aware of the many calls people made calling for Mazin’s

release. They said at this moment, any additional calls would not change

Mazin’s status. Regardless of that statement, I urge people to continue to

file complaint to President Obama and to the US State Department of the

ongoing discrimination against US citizens of Palestinian decent. Two other

US citizens were also detained with Mazin at Al-Walaja but were released at

1 a.m. this morning, while Mazin is continued being held. Let’s also

demand our government to stop supporting Apartheid Israel in our names and

demand justice for all Palestinian nonviolent protesters being detained.

The following compilation of videos, pictures and some articles on Nakba

Demonstration yesterday was forwarded from a friend and I include them here

for your information:

COMPILATION OF VIDEOS, PICTURES AND SOME ARTICLES ON NAKBA

DEMONSTRATIONS YESTERDAY

QALANDIA

– – video of the morning and early afternoon by Haitham Khatib

<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6y43IqA7B4I>

– – video by I. Putterman:

<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=buGYv35X1yE>

– – video by The Al3ned

<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cPrh1xN1LIA&feature=share>

– – video by cnn:

<http://edition.cnn.com/video/data/2.0/video/world/2011/05/15/vo.israel.nakb

a.kalandia.clash.cnn.html>

http://edition.cnn.com/video/data/2.0/video/world/2011/05/15/vo.israel.nakba

.kalandia.clash.cnn.html

– – interview w journalist Joe Elmer by Electronic Intifada:

<http://electronicintifada.net/content/interview-undercover-israeli-soldiers

-arrest-west-bank-demonstrators/9958>

http://electronicintifada.net/content/interview-undercover-israeli-soldiers-

arrest-west-bank-demonstrators/9958

– – pictures on <http://www.flickr.com/activestills>

www.flickr.com/activestills

EAST JERUSALEM

– – video by RT:

<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YoCHwCpawjo&feature=youtu.be>

LEBANON

– – video by al Jazeera English w Matt Cassel:

<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYM-soef3c4&feature=player_embedded>

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYM-soef3c4&feature=player_embedded

IN FRONT OF ISRAELI EMBASSY IN CAIRO:

– – video by rnnnews1

<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ESzXTyP0XYQ&feature=player_embedded>

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ESzXTyP0XYQ&feature=player_embedded –

graphic video of protestor shot in the stomach by Midan al Tahrir

<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4QIXJravCo>

– – video and article by AJE:

<http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/05/2011515131427646668.html>

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/05/2011515131427646668.html

– – video of protestors showing US made tear-gas projectile by 3arabawy:

<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-Xx_bv6CG4&feature=player_embedded>

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-Xx_bv6CG4&feature=player_embedded – video

of ambulance transferring injured by 3arabawy:

<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfQLG-KSO1M>

– – video of ambulances by 3arabawy:

– – video of Protesters during clashes with army and police outside

Israeli embassy in Cairo by 3arabawy:

<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQkSaoiOdd0&feature=player_embedded>

– – video of clashes by moftasa:

<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KF5UaKiFlq4&feature=player_embedded>

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KF5UaKiFlq4&feature=player_embedded –

picture by <http://3arabawy.org> 3arabawy.org (more pics and posts on his

site)

<http://www.arabawy.org/2011/05/16/photography-nakba-cairo/>

http://www.arabawy.org/2011/05/16/photography-nakba-cairo/

JORDAN:

– – by Klashenkoof1

<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ypg5AepqAqQ&feature=player_embedded#at=208>

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ypg5AepqAqQ&feature=player_embedded#at=208

PPL ENTERING OCCUPIED JOLAN HEIGHTS (MAJDAL SHAMS)

– – by baladeenet

<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ekgkuAaTjPg&feature=player_embedded>

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ekgkuAaTjPg&feature=player_embedded – other

video by baladeenet:

<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ekgkuAaTjPg&feature=player_embedded#at=484>

&feature=player_embedded#at=484

– – article by Ali Abunimah on ei:

<http://electronicintifada.net/blog/ali-abunimah/dramatic-video-shows-palest

inians-syrians-entering-israeli-occupied-golan-heights>

http://electronicintifada.net/blog/ali-abunimah/dramatic-video-shows-palesti

nians-syrians-entering-israeli-occupied-golan-heights

AL WALLAJE:

eight Palestinians were arrested yesterday, four early on, four later when

during clashes and while the army searched each house and had sealed off

the village; six or seven internationals were arrested; the internationals

were reportedly released at 1 a.m., a Palestinian with Jerusalem ID

released at 4am, 12 year-old twins released at one point last night, so

that the remaining detainees are: Basel al ‘Araj (26 yo), Ahmad al ‘Araj (24

yo), Ahmad

Abu Khiyera (22 or 23 yo), Mohammad al ‘Araj and Mazin Qumsiyeh

video by English PNN:

<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RD06coIJWQs&feature=player_embedded>

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RD06coIJWQs&feature=player_embedded –

Video by Mazin Qumsiyeh prior to his arrest:

<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VfizCh0TaZE>

GAZA (IN FRONT OF ERETZ):

(I still don’t know if and how many people were killed, last I heard, around

60 were injured, 15 seriously, and friends reported that army shot to

kill; also, I am not sure what the situation is now, I had heard that people

were staying in the buffer zone and that Israel had threatened with some

military action if they didn’t move.

– – video by <http://vik2gaza.org> vik2gaza.org:

<http://vik2gaza.org/2011/05/15/manifestazione-al-valico-di-erez/>

http://vik2gaza.org/2011/05/15/manifestazione-al-valico-di-erez/

– – pictures by vik2gaza.org <http://lockerz.com/s/101878010>

http://lockerz.com/s/101878010

– – pictures by Shady Alassar

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1532993784616.63643.1827938682 –

more videos and pics to follow, I think, on vik2gaza.org

SAFAD:

apparently 6 got arrested, there will be a demo today to demand their

release; I AM NOT CERTAIN THAT THE BELOW VIDEOS ARE ACTUALLY FROM SAFAD,

IF THEY ARE NOT AND YOU KNOW, PLEASE LET ME KNOW

– – video by Nooly1 <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kP-c_TfO2Qo>

– –

<http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=174670432587923&ref=notif&notif_t=eve

nt_invite>

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=174670432587923&ref=notif¬if_t=event_i

nvite

SAN FRANCISCO:

– – video by Tom Vee

<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t0NzW6Z8AOw&feature=share>

MIXED:

– – (Golan Hights and West Bank) by RT:

<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FgnMczQAIGs&feature=youtube_gdata>

– – pictures by AJE:

<http://english.aljazeera.net/photo_galleries/middleeast/20115141283124773.h

tml>

http://english.aljazeera.net/photo_galleries/middleeast/20115141283124773.ht

ml