Rest in Peace Kris Kristoffersson Outlaw country musician, Hollywood actor and Human Rights Advocate (22/6/36 - 30/9/24)

 

Sad news to  hear that  the legendary Outlaw country musician and Hollywood actor  Kris Kristoffersson has passed. He died at home in Maui Hawaii   at the weekend on Saturday, September 28, 2024,  He was 88. The singer was reportedly surrounded by family at the time of his passing.

 Kristofferson was born in Brownsville, Texas in June of 1936. Kristofferson attended Pomona College and later earned a Rhodes scholarship to attend Oxford University. The child of a military man, he chose to enlist in the U. S. Army as a helicopter pilot upon the completion of his studies. His military career was a promising one, and yet he left the service in pursuit of becoming a Nashville songwriter.  Like many young artists, he struggled to find his footing in a brutal industry, but his  star rose to fame in the 1960’s and 1970’s with hits like Me and Bobby McGee, Help Me Make it Through the Night, and Sunday Morning Coming Down. His poetic lyrics made an impact on artists of all walks of life, as he became a staple in the country music industry alongside names like Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, and of course his dear friend Willie Nelson. 

The raw nature of his songwriting and his approach to speaking to the brutal nature of life and love brought a kind of vulnerability to the country music industry that wasn’t present previously. The body of his musical work, alongside that of his fellow outlaw country music artists, has made a lasting impact on the landscape of country music that continues to shape the genre. 

In the 1970’s he began to pursue a film and television career, starring in Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid, Convoy, and A Star Is Born for which he won a Golden Globe award in 1976.He also appeared in Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia, Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, the Blade trilogy, and the video game Fallout: New Vegas. His acting career and his ability to move between the music and movie industries gave his artistic legacy a new kind of depth, and gave the person of Kris Kristofferson a new kind of authority on a national and international level.  He wielded that authority well, and was a devoted activist for human rights and Native American causes, often drawing on his experience in the military to keep naysayers “in check” if they chose to attempt to discourage his work speaking up for causes he believes in.

A critic of U.S. foreign policy, he opposed wars in Latin America and the Middle East and was also a staunch defender of Palestinian rights and a vocal opponent of Zionist Apartheid Israel. He defended family farmers;.

Both publicly and privately he was a man of principle, largely avoiding scandal and always taking seriously his role as a mentor to up and coming musicians.Kris was one of the few big stars that stood up for Sinead O'Connor when she brought up the truth about the Catholic Church back in the early 90s When O’Connor appeared on stage at a Bob Dylan tribute concert in New York, she was met with a storm of boos from the crowd. Kristofferson, standing beside her, offered comfort and defiance in equal measure, telling O’Connor, “Don’t let the bastards get you down.” His solidarity was emblematic of his deep commitment to standing by those fighting for justice, no matter how unpopular their cause at the time,  and that forever makes him a real one, 

Kris was inducted into several halls of fame, including the Songwriters Hall of Fame, the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, and the Country Music Hall of Fame. His last album, The Cedar Creek Sessions, was released in 2016.it earned him a nomination for Best Americana Album at the 2017 Grammy Awards. 

Kris officially retired from performing and recording in 2021, making only occasional guest appearances on stage, including a performance with Johhny Cash's daughter Rosanne at Nelson's 90th birthday celebration at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles in 2023.

Kris Kristoffersson lived a life marked by artistic brilliance, personal courage, and a relentless commitment to human rights.

"Human rights is something that wasn't hard to be inspired to write about because there have been so many violations of those rights' - Kris  Kristoffersson  

His passing marks the end of an era, but his legacy lives on, He once said that when he died, he wanted Leonard Cohen’s like a bird on a wire’s lyrics on his tombstone. How appropriate for both he and Leonard Cohen truly lived like two magnificent birds on this wild wire. RIP. The  world was a better place because of this man. He is survived by his wife Lisa, eight children, and seven grandkids.

"They're killing babies in the name of freedom, We've been down that sorry road before..."

As thousands are murdered across the Middle East by Israel using weapons supplied by his own country, Kris' lyrics  and  words are as relevant as ever.

I stand with Palestine, I stand with Lebanon, I stand with humanity .

Israel has been massacring Palestinians every day for  nearly a year  now. They’ve just expanded the killing field to Lebanon with the continued support of Western politicians, who  could literally sanction Israel and Netanyahu. They could stop funding them, supporting them, providing them with weapons. They could easily enforce an arms embargo. They could easily threaten them with a NATO intervention. They have all  these options but are not using them. 

Almost a year after the start of its war in Gaza, Israel has turned its focus on Lebanon, significantly ratcheting up its campaign against its archenemy Hezbollah. Among many in Lebanon, there is fear that Israel’s military operations in Lebanon would follow the same Gaza playbook: Evacuation orders, mass displacement and overwhelming airstrikes. Israel says its strikes target Hezbollah weapons sites and militants.  

There are key differences between Gaza and Lebanon and how Israel has so far conducted its operations, which it says aim to push back Hezbollah from the border so that tens of thousands of Israelis displaced by Hezbollah’s rocket attacks can return to their homes. Although it has said it is preparing for a possible ground operation, Israel has so far not sent troops into Lebanon. 

Still, there are fears that Israel’s actions in Gaza, including the use of overwhelming and what rights groups and the United Nations have described as disproportionate force, would be repeated in Lebanon. Top Israeli officials have threatened to repeat the destruction of Gaza in Lebanon if the Hezbollah fire continues. Since  Monday Israel  has been carpet-bombing densely populated neighbourhoods of Beirut and greater Lebanon  with weaponry  partly  manufactured in Britain. 

A new bomb dropped, a new tragedy, every 5 minutes.· Israel is currently bombing Lebanon with 1 million people now displaced, targeting power plants and seaports in Yemen critical for delivering essential aid, while continuing genocide in Gaza where 2 million people are displaced with nowhere to go. Even  before this Lebanon has been constantly bombarded by Israel for 11 months.

 It has been by far the deadliest barrage since the monthlong 2006 Israel-Hezbollah war, when an estimated 1,000 people in Lebanon were killed and has shocked a nation used to war. . Israel's killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah along with many innocent civilians is a dangerous escalation pouring fuel on the flames of the Middle East. Lest we  foret under Nasrallah's leadership, Hezbollah helped to defeat ISIS and Al-Qaeda, protected Christians, and fought against Israeli colonialism and military occupation.

What kind of world allows such atrocities to unfold again and again? It it is simply unconscionable that the UK government refuses to suspend arms sales to Israel. if israel was bombing lebanon to get rid of hezballah why is it still killing civilians 24 hours after Hassan Nasralla he died?  

Videos I've seen coming out of Tel Aviv show Israelis dancing at celebration parties.Israel is now also attacking Yemen. So the Israeli regime is bombing Gaza, Lebanon, and Yemen at the same time while  still playing  the victim card. We must stop  normalising  this insanity.

My heart shatters for people daily terror , having to flee their  homes at a moment's notice only to be displaced into the streets and left unsure from where the next strikes will rain. 

Never forget: Zionism is a fascist white supremacist settler colonial ideology and none of us are safe until it is dismantled. For the love of anything that is good, we must stand up! We must renounce slaughter. renounce genocide,  renounce child murder. I am not only pro-ceasefire, I am pro-the world waking the fuck up and shutting Israel down. Enough is fucking enough. I stand with Palestine,  I stand with Lebanon , I stand with Yemen , I stand with humanity. 

Respiratory

 

Max Ernst  Le silence à travers les âges, 1968

As our planet weeps, mornings laden with mourning. and we feel our hearts struggle, adverse  condtions releasing overflowing tears, as we bathe in seas of melancholy, it's important to let each  emotion flow, let  our cries ring out, through the storms we can rise again, even the darkness that resides can be filled with light, that will never hide our love, our kindness, our beautiful depth, to allow us to find  silver linings, enable us to cling on to fragile bubbles of hope, carrying us  through maddening days, allowing  peace and calms echo, life filled with more palpable reason, forces of tenacious and diligent effort that overcome depths of despair.

Remembering Pierre De Geyter, Belgian socialist and composer of L'Internationale (8 October 1848 – 26 September 1932)

Pierre De Geyter, Belgian socialist and composer  was born on October 8, 1848 on Kanunnik Street in this poor corner of Ghent, Flanders, Belgiam. De Geyter's early life was marked by hardship and struggle. His parents, who hailed from French Flanders, moved to Ghent in search of work in the textile factories. At the tender age of seven,in 1855 the family returned to France, settling in Lille, where De Geyter would spend most of his life.

Around the age of ten, after the family had relocated to France, he started working in the textile mills of Lille. In order to develop his skills, Degeyter attended a night school for workers. He showed early indications of musical talent and from the age of 17, he and his brother Adolphe used to entertain the workers with his own melodies and lyrics and those of others.

When the Franco-Prussian War broke out (1870), Degeyter was enlisted in the French army. Following the collapse of the front, he tried to get through to France, where the Paris Commune had recently been established (18 March 1871). He was, however, arrested by Duke Magenta’s soldier just outside the city and brought to Northern France and later released. How he managed to escape with his life,

In the following years, Pierre Degeyter worked in the model workshop of the iron foundry Compagnie Fives-Lille in Lille. In those years, the city, marked as it was by a high level of political activity, was a hotbed of workers’ associations of political, informative and entertaining nature.

Among the numerous associations formed during this period, was the workers’ choral society La Lyre des Travailleurs (‘The Workers’ Lyre’). Pierre Degeyter, who was known for his musical skills, was chosen choirmaster. It was, in fact, a political post of considerable importance, when we consider the significance of political songs at this time.

Being a choirmaster, Degeyter was constantly in search of lyrics he could set to music and rehearse with his choir. Gustave Delory, one of the leaders of the French socialist labor party, took an interest in the choir. In 1928, Degeyter told a journalist about what subsequently turned out to be everything but an ordinary evening in the choral society: “One Saturday evening in the summer of 1888, Delory appeared in the The Workers Lyre. As we parted after the rehearsal, Delory approached me and said: “I have a collection of poems by the late Eugene Pottier. Have a look at it, you might find something that works. We do not have a revolution song and you have the skills to write one.”  As soon as I returned home, I took the little book out of my pocket, I happened to open up to the page where a poem titled Internationale started.”  The book was Eugene Pottier’s Chants Révolutionnaire, published in 1887. Pottier was one of the pioneers of the Paris Commune, the revolutionary socialist government in 1871. Pierre was tasked with setting the poem The Internationale, written that same year, to create  a melody that would resonate with the working  class.

On a fateful Sunday morning, De Geyter sat at his harmonium and poured his heart into creating the iconic melody. He then asked his brother, Adolphe, to play it on the bugle, making minor adjustments before finalizing the composition. The Revolutionary anthem The Internationale was born.

 

Excerpt from the score of the hymn “The Communist Internationale” 

De Geyter's The Internationale was first sung in July 1888 in a cafe at  the Lille trade union's annual fête in July 1888 and sold in pamphlet form to bolster the Socialist party coffers of Lille. The song which became one of the most iconic anthems of the Socialist movement, encapsulated themes of revolution and unity among the working class took Lille and the rest of France by storm, and the rest of the world ten years later, leaving a significant mark on global political and cultural landscapes.   

The penning of the  music, however, was to be the beginning of a long ordeal for him. Although only named as 'Degeyter' (no space) on the pamphlets, to avoid repression by employers and the authorities on the grounds of insurgency, Pierre was identified as the composer and lost his job. He encountered financial difficulties and moved to the Parisian suburb of Saint-Denis in 1901,  where he  worked as a lamplighter for  the township.. 

He also became embroiled in painful legal proceedings with his younger brother Adolphe , who apparently subscribed to the “redistribution of wealth” idea in ways not intended, falsely claiming copyright in 1901 and won a subsequent lawsuit brought by Pierre. Only after Adolphe hanged himself in 1916 was the decision reversed based on the remorseful brother’s suicide note, but this didn’t happen until 1922. 

In  the  meantime, The Internationale had become the national anthem of the Soviet Union. In 1927, leaders of the Soviet Union discovered that the real author of The Internationale, was still alive. Pierre was invited to Moscow for the 10th anniversary celebrations of the October Revolution as an  honoured  guest and was in the stands  with the German sculptor Käthe Kollwitz at his side. It is said that tears rolled down his cheeks while his anthem was played. Joseph Stalin awarded him a Soviet Union state pension. 

As this was Pierre's only income, apart from modest fees collected on music for the other Pottier poems (particularly L'Insurgé and En avant la Classe Ouvrière) and on popular tunes he had also composed, and although the left-wing town administration of Saint-Denis granted him a free apartment, Pierre Degeyter spent the last years of his life in precarity.

After his death at Saint-Denis in 1932, more than fifty thousand people attended his funeral.  In popular culture After his death, even in France, his name mainly came up during copyright litigation cases. French courts ruled his compositions, including The Internationale, copyrighted until October 2017.]  There is a Pierre Degeyter street in Ghent and there are Pierre Degeyter squares both in Lille (in Fives, the suburb where he used to live) and in Saint-Denis. Lille also named a procession giant after him. In Sofia (Bulgaria) there is a street Пиер Дегейтър. A bronze monument to Pierre Degeyter has adorned the Ghent MIAT (Museum of Industry, Labour and Textiles) since 1998.  A documentary film on Pierre Degeyter and the story of The Internationale was produced in 1978.[1] In 1927, the 79-year-old Pierre was invited to attend the 10th anniversary of the October Revolution at the Red Square in Moscow, in the grandstand for the honoured guests. It is said that tears rolled down his cheeks while his anthem was played.  Pierre De Geyter died  on 26 September 1932 in Saint-Denis..He was buried at the cemetery in Seine-Saint-Denis followed to his grave by 50,000 people and the tune of The Internationale. The funeral was held by the leader of the French communist party, Marcel Cachin.

Here is an excerpt from Cachin’s speech:  “A final salute to the faithful comrade Pierre Degeyter. The old man with the innocent and animated eyes of an artist, whom we, until recently, could meet in the street, belonged to the dynasty of the great people’s bards […].  And one of his compositions reached heights that no other artist can aspire to reach.  When a collection of Eugène Pottier’s poems came into his possession, he chose this particular poem not only because it seemed the best suited to set to music, but because it was charged with the same revolutionary potency and rebellious class consciousness as was Eugène Pottier himself and this still, silent flame.          In the history of humanity, this song, born of the meeting between these equally genius and modest workers, is beyond comparison in scope and depth. No other music, no other song has ever reached this level of beauty and significance.   This man who, in a single inspiring day, has bestowed upon us such mighty weapon and bulwark of unity deserves a heartfelt thanks from the entire international working class.  Pierre Degeyter, faithfull revolutionary, loyal worker without errors and vices, you who modestly got embroiled in unnoticeable cities, almost unknown, you whom faith also granted the taste of human suffering and bitter wrath, rest in peace.  Your name will not be forgotten. Your immortal song has carried it to the four corners of the world.” 

De Geyter's legacy extends beyond his music. He was an ardent supporter of education and workers' rights, actively participating in local socialist movements and advocating for the rights of the working class. His life's work was a testament to the power of art and activism, inspiring generations to come.

There is a Pierre Degeyter street in Ghent and there are Pierre Degeyter squares both in Lille (in Fives, the suburb where he used to live) and in Saint-Denis. Lille also named a procession giant after him. In Sofia (Bulgaria) there is a street Пиер Дегейтър. A documentary film on Pierre Degeyter and the story of The Internationale was produced in 1978.

In recognition of his contributions to music and his impact on social movements, a bronze monument honoring Pierre De Geyter was erected in 1998 at the Ghent Museum of Industrial Art and Textiles. This honor reflects his longstanding influence and the enduring value of his work.

Here's a rousing rendition of one the greatest songs in the world by the late Scottish singer Alistair Hulett  and Jimmy Gregory.

A pro-Palestine protester disrupts a speech by UK Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves at the Labour Party conference in Liverpool

 

A pro-Palestine protester disrupted a speech by UK Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves at the Labour Party conference in Liverpool on Monday, criticising the party for not ending arms sales to Israel as it wages a devastating war on Gaza and shouts  “We are still selling arms to Israel .I thought we were voting for change, Rachel [Reeves]." whilst highlighting her connection to three organizations in the UK that fund the Israeli army, before being  grabbed  by  the neck, agressively manhandled and dragged out of the conference hall by Labour Party aides for  his fundamental right to protest the Labour Governments complicity in Israel's genocide of Palestinians..  

A reminder, Reeves  previously received £75,000 from Israel lobbyist Victor Blank  and  the  UK government is still exporting parts for F-35 jets that are bombing Palestinians in Gaza. 

  "This is a changed Labour Party. A Labour Party that represents working people, not a party of protest"   Reeves smugly replied. Rachel - The Government should represent all people not just those who fit into Labour’s narrow definition of ‘Working People’.

The indifference with which she dismisses someone voicing genuine concern with our country's complicity in genocide is frightening, she  said this to an an applauding hall full of  morally bankrupt people,who  actually  gave her  a standing ovation,and  jeered the protestor,anindication of this party’s dark rightward lurch under Keir  Starmer who  seem more than happy to support the genocide of working class Palestinians. When the mask slips this shows their true character and I think we can all agree these are not very nice people !

Campaign group Climate Resistance claimed responsibility for the protest.  Sam Simons, a spokesman for the group said: “Labour promised us change – instead we’re getting more of the same. The same pandering to the fossil fuel industry; the same arms licences that are fuelling a genocide in Gaza, and the same austerity that sees the poorest hit hardest.   “It’s time for Labour to start putting the needs of people before the interests of profit. That means immediately stopping arms licences to Israel, blocking new oil and gas, and standing up for the communities already being devastated by the climate crisis.”  Former Labour Party  leader Jeremy  Corbyn said, " The brave protestor at Labour conference demanding an end to all arms sales to Israel reminds me of the party member who was dragged out of conference in 2005 for protesting the war in Iraq.  Who was on the right side of history?"

 "After 13 years people are crying out for change. " Reeves said last year. She and her party hypocritically talking about change but it's clear to me that all we are getting is the same old same shit! it's disgusting that this government continues to send arms licences to Israel as it carries out a genocide and displays  no space for free speech, compassion or international law. The Labour Party is no longer a party of protest, now the party of genocide, now the party of food banks, now the party of poverty, now the party of big business, now the party of gifts and lobbyists.

Horrific violence continues to cause unimaginable death and destruction in Gaza but the UK Government is still allowing most  arms sales to Israel despite a partial suspension It must immediately stop all arms sales, to end the UK’s complicity in this humanitarian catastrophe. Demand action,  please sign the following petition:

 https://www.oxfam.org.uk/get-involved/campaign-with-oxfam/end-uk-arms-sales-to-israel/?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=emg_gaza&utm_content=armspetition_int-all_vid&crm_event_code=23CMSPNA48

 Pro-Palestine protester dragged out after disrupting Labour Party conference

What the herd hates most

What the herd hates most is the one who thinks differently; it is not so much the opinion itself, but the audacity of wanting to think for themselves, something that they do not know how to do. You weren't born on this rock hurtling through space just to smile politely and please people. Fight the system. 

Wander the wild and photograph nothing. Become something that the world cannot eat. Boycoit consensus reality. The same reality where Israel is not committing genocide in Gaza?  The same reality Israel is not running an apartheid state discriminating against non-white jews and muslims?  The same reality where Israel is not starving millions of Palestinians? The  same  reality that  is filled with lies and propaganda! Don't be sheeple people, but try and be kind.

The world twists dark shadows into light, calling evil good and good evil. Remember though there are still reasons to be cheerful, don't let the bastards grind you down. Take care of your emotional health. Social  media as well as the world can be a stressful place, try and keep smiling. Between the oceans  and the stars  follow your dreams  release thoughts of peace and love.

With every heartbeat write verses of soul  incantation. that they  don't want to  be written,  keep foraging through the  twists and turns of existence. Ride the winds moonlit breath and  be free, 

Loosening the Grip

Liquid breakfasts

Drenched inner senses,

Moistened parched lips

As I thirstily gulped, 

Poured down throat

Juices of oblivion,

Flowing deep inside

To numb emotion,

Hitting every spot

Brought intoxication,

Drowned all thought

Disabled depression,

Slowly she took hold

With strong grip so bold,

Made my head buzz and pound

And simply would not let go,

Caused anxiety, agitation

Tears of frustration unseen,

Obliviation swept the mind

In fevered nights of delirium,

I swam with darkness bold

Currents so hard and so cold,

In the end, had to leave behind

Ventured solo into fields of light,

Found less oppressive paths

For my bloody sake alone,

Turning again to a life of smiles

Far more expansive and meaningful,

Discovering things that fix and heal

That no longer keep me on my jack,

Tossing aside this destroyer of solace

Other obsessions now come to rescue me,

Though her temptation is ever so near

As she continues to call out my name,

Like a haunting ghost that tries to captivate

Time to shake her unyeilding chains from brain.

An Open Letter to Nick Cave

Dear Nick Cave 

Excuse me for disturbing  you, thought I'd  send you  a quick  message.You are a skilled songwriter, a idiosyncratic original who I truly have admired, your superb music has for a long time been part of the soundtrack of my life.your voice of  rich emotional depth a valuable source of inspiration to me, however, I have to tell you that I am currently really saddened to  have read that you are more than happy to continue to appease the Israeli regime, to the anguish of myself and your many fans. because at moment this state is now executing a genocidal war against 2 million Palestinians (most of them children) in besieged Gaza as I'm  sure you have not failed to notice.

I really thought maybe after seeing the continuing slaughter, carnage,with  over 40,000 murdered, that you  might change your  mind, but no. you still  support Israel and disapprove a boycott and in the face of a live-streamed genocide you gave this interview to The Jerusalem Post recently with an  astonishing moral bankruptcy .https://www.jpost.com/international/article-817074

It really was so disappointing to  read. I  have previously considered you as a warm, compassionate, sympathetic individual who back 2014, I remember that you supported 9 activists who had climbed onto the roof of the Elbit UK drone factory to protest the Israeli war on Gaza that was happening at the time, so  please could you  possibly tell  me what has changed since then, because the current situation in Gaza is far far worse.

You have also tweeted against the resistance of the indigenous people of Palestine and condemned them for making their own resistance to apartheid. Which implies to me, that you don't care about the oppressed and you are siding with a force that is currently genociding indigenous people.

I too am disgusted by antisemitism, but your current attitude towards the Israel/Palestine  conflict and lack of empathy for the Palestinian people, and your endorsement of the illegal Zionist murderous occupiers is not only dissapointing and  hypocritical, but inexcusable. 

Apparently it’s ok for you to ‘stand with Ukraine’, but it's too complicated to stand against the  genocide taking place in Gaza. So all things considered it  suggests to  me that you  think that the lives of Ukrainians  are more valuable than the lives of Palestinians.or have I misunderstood something ? I  really  hope I have. 

Additionally you have stated that playing in Israel is not an endorsement of the Netanyahu government, but remember that in  spite of this, your concerts in Israel and public positions on the boycott have been used  by Israel which openly uses culture as a form of state propaganda to justify its illegal occupation of Palestine, while  continuing to target civilians and carry out the wholesale erasure of the culture and identity of Palestinians throughout their ancestral lands. 

Just as South African anti-Apartheid activists called for an international boycott which led to the downfall of the Apartheid regime, Palestinians  for  years  have  been asking for a boycott of Israel as part of the Boycott Divestment Sanctions (BDS) campaign. Thousands of artists across the world now refuse to perform in Israel.

The cultural boycott of Israel continues to grow, in spite of the efforts by Israeli promoters to willfully ignore it. Thousands of  UK-based artists and cultural workers have signed Artists for Palestine’s online pledge to refuse to perform or exhibit in Israel. As with the boycott of South Africa, there is no “apolitical” choice. You are either with the oppressed or with the oppressor. I really hope you reconsider your  stance and please add your name to the list and respect the boycott.

You can either heed the cry, respect your brothers’ and sisters’ picket line and stand with them in their struggle for the basic human rights we all take for granted, or you can turn your backs on them.

On your new highly emotional record Wild God you continues to grapple with the all-consuming  traumatic nature of grief and  mourning which I  am  aware you know a lot  about. It’s impossible to contemplate your new record without considering the tragic loss of your two sons. It’s often said that the death of a child is an experience that nobody should ever have to go through. The pain that you  genuinely feel  must be immense. Yet you still  insist on defending Israel's abject cruelty, violence and ethnic cleansing , that  has caused so much  collective grief  for the Palestinian  people. your  current thoughts on the current conflict seem to me to be  totally lacking in empathy for  all those suffering in Gaza  right now?  .

I reach out to you as  a fan and admirer with all my heart and urge you as a man who uses  words to embody love, dignity and fairness, to  think again and  take a principled stand and choose humanity over genocide  and  apartheid. It  takes  courage  to change  a steadfast opinion. If  you were somehow  able to do this my utmost respect for you will return once more, as it  would  for so  many others who can see what’s happening in Gaza and refuse  to accept what is happening. In peace. Free Palestine. 

Yours sincerely,

Dave Rendle,aka teifidancer

West Wales

Palestinians have a right to exist and resist.

 

Massive protest have taken place in Israel over the death of  6 hostages. The death of one single innocent human being is sad, deplorable and unacceptable in this day and age, so yes, of course I grieve for the six hostages killed. but I am not sure exactly who was responsible. The Israeli military  have  said the abducted men and women were killed by Hamas, though the group has adamantly  claimed it was IDF fire that killed them.What benefit was it to them to murder hostages after a year of keeping them alive?

It does not make sense. Since journalists are not allowed in Gaza, we are asked to believe whatever the IOF says. It does not add up. Who would want these hostages dead in order to justify further leveling of Gaza, invasion of the West Bank, and a total genocide of the Palestinian people?

Aljazeerah has reported s that the hostages were killed by Israeli  airstrikes, despite indications that a deal for their freedom was near. It is alleged that Netanyahu chose not to negotiate with the group, leading to a targeted operation.. I  have two  questions . When have Israel ever told the truth?  Which international laws have Israel obeyed since Oct 23?

Anyway so much is being said about this by the likes of Srarmer and the press. but in contrast hardly any mention of over 186,000 Palestinians who have been műrderēd, thousands maimed, starvation as a genocidal tactic, permanently destroyed soil as a result of white phosphorus, everything decimated, while the ethnostate is now currently using polio as a weapon, but all anyone ever hears about are a few hostages. No  mention  of the 9000 Palestinian hostages  currently  being  held  by held in detention by an illegally occupying force without trial and in defiance of the Geneva convention..

How can people identify with the pain felt by Israelis over the fate of their hostages, when these same Israelis turn out to be cold-hearted and indifferent to the fate of the other side's hostages?  Why should the whole world take an interest and work only for our for Israeli hostages, and not for the Palestinian hostages, whose conditions of imprisonment and whose deaths in Israeli prisons should horrify everyone?

Incidentally five months ago, Hamas agreed to release all their hostages in exchange for all Palestinian hostages and prisoners. Instead of an all-for-all deal, Israel chose to carry out a genocide against the people of Gaza, killing many of its own civilians in the process. I dream of a day that Israeli leaders care more about saving the lives of their own people than they do about killing the lives of innocent Palestinian people. 

For their entire existence, Israel has brutally dominated every aspect of Palestinian life, and Israel has absolutely no right to do that, as a result of this systematic oppression Palestinians have the right to  exist and defend themselves and resist. Israelis in occupied Palestine don't.

As I write this, Gaza is still being bombed, its citizens massacred by a state that has dehumanised itself as well as its powerful supporters over the years, each decade worse than the one before. There is no moral, political, or military equivalence as far as the two sides are concerned. Israel is a nuclear state, armed to the teeth by the US. Its existence is not under threat. 

Today dozens of Palestinians have been killed in another deadly day as Israel continues its devastating assault on Gaza. The Gaza health ministry said on Wednesday that 42 Palestinians had been killed in the past 24 hours. This includes at least six people killed after Israel bombed and destroyed the building of Namaa College in Gaza City, while several homes and residential complexes have been targeted in areas including Nuseirat and Deir el-Balah. 

At least 40,861 Palestinians have been killed since Israel began its war on the Palestinian territory, the vast majority of whom are innocent civilians. Meanwhile, Israeli forces have continued deadly raids across the West Bank on Wednesday, with at least 33 Palestinians killed over the course of a week of military violence in the illegally occupied territory, including seven children, with over 130 wounded.

While Israel calls Palestinian resistance terrorism, the Palestinian people have a right to armed resistance. It is guaranteed to them under international law which is unambiguous in its endorsement of “armed struggle” for peoples who seek self-determination under “colonial and foreign domination.”  United Nations resolution 37/43, dated 3 December 1982, “reaffirms the legitimacy of the struggle of peoples for independence, territorial integrity, national unity and liberation from colonial and foreign domination and foreign occupation by all available means, including armed struggle.” 

Moreover, the resolution’s preamble makes clear that it refers not to a hypothetical in the abstract, but rather specifically to the rights of Palestinians, stating, “Considering that the denial of the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people to self-determination, sovereignty, independence and return to Palestine and the repeated acts of aggression by Israel against the peoples of the region constitute a serious threat to international peace and security.” 

Under international law, Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territories is illegal, and Palestinians have a right to “armed struggle” against their illegal occupier – Israel - thus ipso facto Palestinians have a right to defend themselves against Israel, but Israel's right to defend itself against Palestinian resistance is not guaranteed in the same manner. A fact that is denied and violated by Israel and wilfully overlooked by the rest of the world.

A people living under foreign belligerent occupation may employ armed resistance against their oppressors. Palestinian people are an occupied nation and have the right under the  United Nations General Assembly Resolution 2625 which explicitly endorsed a right to resist "subjection of peoples to alien subjugation, domination and exploitation". Palestinians are doing nothing illegal. The occupiers are. 

The issue for the Israeli state is indeed not the nature of the act of resistance by the Palestinians, whether peaceful or armed, or even its ideology, but that any challenge to the structures of occupation and colonisation must be criminalised and suppressed. Prior to Hamas and until today, PLO factions, from leftist organisations to Fateh, Palestinian progressives and democrats, and civilians without any clear ideology, have all suffered Israeli repression.

We shouldn’t be ashamed to declare our support for legitimate armed resistance. International law  allows it. Palestinians have a moral and legal right to resist their own genocide, the theft of their land and their heritage and their culture and their own extermination by the Apartheid State.

The word “resist” terrifies Israel, but for Palestinians, it is a matter of survival. It is a refusal to be subjected to physical, psychological, economic, social, and political violence and abuse. The fact that their occupiers are Jewish is deeply irrelevant - it is human nature to resist your own annihilation by whomever it is that murders your people, steals your land, and tortures your children. Palestinian people are fighting because they have to. They use the means they deem necessary because they have to. They fight as a means to an end, not as the end itself.

Jews in concentration camps had the right to resist their Nazi oppressors. Black folk in apartheid South Africa had the right to resist their white oppressors.  And the Palestinians have the right to resist their Zionist oppressors and also have the right to freedom, dignity, safety, and self-determination. It's really not complicated. Free Palestine.

Dance Upon September's Waves

While the land  lies wounded

Reach out for a sense of calm,

Dance upon September's Waves 

Leave behind broken spirit, 

Beyond  melancholic auras

Feel fractiously slip away,

The mind sobering down 

Heals tired shattered spirit,

As Dawn rises without a care 

Sway with rythms pulse, 

Fill heart with hues of love 

That make your soul leap, 

Inhale poetical vibrations

May music ignite peace,

In morning of deep serenity 

Cast away synergy of anxiety.