Stop The War Coalition in Shetland

[xoni]

Just a quick note to anyone in who might be actively interested in joining the Stop The War Coalition, Shetland will be setting up its own group here over the coming months. Anyone who is interested in helping out or would like to be kept updated please feel free to send me a PM.

 

As a by the by today is actually Free Palastine Day!

 

Encouraging the government to take action to:

 

End Israels violations of international law, including ending its illegal occupation and building of settlements

 

Support bringing Israeli war criminals to justice

 

End the seige of Gazza

 

Ban settlement goods

 

Suspend the EU-Israel Association agreement

 

End the arms trade with Israel

 

 

The website can be found at http://stopwar.org.uk

 

Thanks for reading!

 

Tracy Collins

[JAStewart]

Will you also support those who die and/or are oppressed in Israel?

[paulb]

how about not supporting terror groups as well.

[Gibber]

Thanks Xoni and good luck with whatever it is STWC is about, I read their own description and there is nothing about Palestine or Israel in the Aims and Constitution bit so I'm wondering why its called the stopthewarcoalition and not the "stopeverythingthatsallpartofthesystemmaaancoalition"

 

A more vague name, yet far more precise in its description I think.

 

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/edwest/9802117/Is_Israel_behind_the_Stop_the_War_Coalition/

 

What if I'm against Israeli settlement building and occupation but also against Arab beligerance towards Israel, support a 2 state solution but aren't an idiot who is willingly taken in by blindly demonising Israel while at the same time deliberately ignores Hamas' militant religious mania that is a huge stumbling block to a free Palestine. Is there any other organisation I could join or contribute to or even just read about?

 

Yes there's lots, here is just one.

 

http://www.onemillionvoices.org/

[Gibber]

Here's another one

 

http://www.childrenofpeace.org.uk/

 

Xoni, can you tell us what a STWC boycott of settlement goods will acheive and why they think it is worth the loss of Palestinian livelihoods? The settlements aren't going away unless in a deal for peace or some other political reason, economic pressures aren't going to stop the ideological and often religious residents who are already subsidised by the government for living there.

 

The first people to suffer are going to be thousands of Palestinian settlement employees, what is it that a boycott will acheive that is worth that to you and your Shetland branch of STWC?

 

http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/who-will-a-palestinian-boycott-of-settler-economy-really-hurt-1.283793

[xoni]

Will you also support those who die and/or are oppressed in Israel?

 

how about not supporting terror groups as well.

 

The stop the war coalition is anti war in all its forms.

 

The first people to suffer are going to be thousands of Palestinian settlement employees, what is it that a boycott will acheive that is worth that to you and your Shetland branch of STWC?

 

An answer in fine detail will take longer than the five mins I have online tonight ( I'm down in the deen with my daughter for an operation but http://stopwar.org.uk/content/view/1866/1/ I think you'll find might address some of your questions? if not I will be back monday and attempt to!

 

Thanks for your patience. ( Bloody amazing weather down here btw , hope its as beautiful in Shetland )

 

Tracy x

[Gibber]

Thanks! it didn't address any of my questions and it doesn't mention the effects of a boycott on Palestinian workers in the settlements either.

 

It just seems to be another example of a one sided biased diatribe against Israel.

 

I wasn't asking if STWC was made up of a lot of simplistic, black and white viewpointed anti-Israel sloganeers, I know the answer to that already.

 

Hope your op goes well.

 

Why not buy some olive oil?

 

http://www.peaceoil.org/

[Gibber]

Or give some money to these people

 

http://www.windowsforpeaceuk.org/

[Gibber]

Or read about this

 

http://www.peres-center.org/

 

Our mission is to build an infrastructure of peace and reconciliation by and for the people of the Middle East that promotes socio-economic development, while advancing cooperation and mutual understanding.

[Gibber]

Really though, lots of constructive alternatives to demonising one side in the conflict.

 

http://www.theparentscircle.com/

 

"It is, as far as we know, a world precedent that bereaved families, victims from both sides, embark on a joint reconciliation mission while the conflict is still active.

 

Consisting of several hundreds of bereaved families, half Palestinian and half Israeli, The Families Forum has played a crucial role since its inception in 1995, in spearheading a reconciliation process between Israelis and Palestinians. The Forum members have all lost immediate family members due to the violence in the region."

[Gibber]

Here's how they're going to do it, raise a $50M "dignity fund" of foreign aid to subsidise reemployment of Palestinian settlement workers.

 

http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/pa-plans-50-million-fund-to-help-palestinians-boycott-settlements-1.292555

 

How much money are they planning to raise for the lost revenue when Israel responds with a boycott of West bank goods and denies entry into all of Israel to Palestinian workers? I imagine its a substantial proportion of exported services and goods GDP that would be lost overnight. Someone should tell Abbas you can't put a price on dignity because in practical economic terms he won't receive it if this happens.

 

I think it was Roy Scheider in Jaws who said "we're going to need a bigger bowl"

 

I don't think the Israeli government will move out of the settlements when they see the West Bank goverment becoming more unpopular and civil unrest increases because of more unemployment and poverty.

 

If you remember it was these kind of conditions that helped to enable Hamas to gain power, perhaps this will happen as a result and we can all sit back and enjoy Cast Lead 2. Shouldn't the Stop the War Coalition be trying to stop wars? it is in the name after all.

[xoni]

Gibber firstly forgive me for washing over your last posts but I feel we have spoken since and you know my viewpoint.

 

This post is a call for to anyone who thinks they could help out as the Shetland Stop The War Coalition begins to take shape. We are int5erested in speaking to anyone who could offer printing/admin services , premisis for regular meetings all over Shetland and speakers dedicated to the cause as well as those simply wishing to register their disgust at the countless human rights atrocities that have been bought about by the US and its allies since the start of their war on terrorism.

 

Stop The War Coalition condems acts of terrorism suc as 9/11 but feels any subsequent war will simply add to the numbers of innocent dead, cause untold suffering, political and economic instability on a global scale, increase racism and result in attacks on civil liberties.

 

Please Mail me here or at xonica@hotmail.co.uk

[Gibber]

No problem.

 

Can you give us an indication of how much power the Socialist Workers Party has within the STWC?

[xoni]

Do you mean the Socialist Labour Party? the SLP are affiliated with us because they are anti-war.

 

Lois Austin (Socialist Party) is on the steering committee, a number of parties are involved, the green party, the communist party of britian, labour cdn , unite, unison to name but a few

 

Tony Benn is the president of the STWC, you can find a whole list of those involved here http://stopwar.org.uk/content/view/20/52/

 

Hope this helps

[Gibber]

I thought the Socialist Workers Party were heavily involved in STWC

 

http://www.newstatesman.com/200305190007

 

http://www.whatnextjournal.co.uk/Pages/Back/Wnext26/Marqusee.html

 

http://newhumanist.org.uk/701/hammer-and-crescent

 

The most influential party in this group is the SWP, whose leading member John Rees has been a key figure in both the anti-war movement and the Socialist Alliance, an electoral coalition that has increasingly become a vehicle for the SWP.