- The very lethal explosion during today's Hamas display of weaponry in Gaza  - whatever its cause - happens in an extremely volatile atmosphere. After an IDF unit, operating near Tulkarem on the West Bank, shot to death three "wanted men" while "resisting arrest"; and after Islamic Jihad retaliated by launching Qasam rockets which came down in a field very near the Negev town of Shderot - on such a day it nearly doesn't matter whether the following explosion in Gaza was actually an Israeli missile shot as a retaliation for the retaliation, or whether this is only what Palestinians believe.

- The Netanyahu-led efforts to topple Sharon inside the ruling Likud Party may bring about what, in a more understandable world, should have been brought about by the peace camp. In the existing world, however, too many doves are still glorifying Sharon - as if they can't see that he again and again spoke the truth at home (withdrawing from Gaza in order to strengthen Israeli hold over the West Bank), and that what he said in New York were no more than noncommittal generalities. But, maybe there is some paradoxical justice: the silliness of the pro-Sharon doves is rivaled by the blindness of the ultra right - which fails to  understand that their interests are safer in the hands of the now generally-admired Sharon than in those of Netanyahu. Not always should one trust the logic of dialectics. This time, it is difficult not to hope for the victory of the more recognizable vilain.

- Also this week: Israeli Arabs feel more alienated than ever, after the decision of the Justice Ministry's "Department for Investigation of Policemen" not to press any charges for the killing of 13 Arab citizens of Israel during the October 2000 riots. These killings happened during demonstrations, which were a reaction to Sharon's provocative visit to the Temple Mount, which actually touched of the second intifada. (When blocking roads, Israeli Arabs don't get the cautious treatment by police or army which similar settler demonstrations got in the past months.) Read more in http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/spages/627616.html

- Meanwhile, the peace movement shows some signs of trying to raise its head. Under the slogan "Gaza first, not last", two simultaneous demonstrations are scheduled for this weekend's  Saturday night 7.30pm - an Israeli action in Jerusalem, by the Geneva Initiative circles and joined by Peace Now, and a Palestinian rally at the Presidential Compound (Muqata) in Ramallah

Peace Now publishes transportation details (in Hebrew and English): http://www.peacenow.org.il/site/he/peace.asp?pi=182&docid=1487

But really capturing the headlines these days is Yesh Gvul, under attack for bringing out charges for war crimes against fellow soldiers and officers of the Israeli army.

Oldest reservist refuser organization accused of treason

"It's about the moral standards of the state of Israel" we hear veteran Yesh Gvul activist Yoav Haas defend his organization's  campaign on TV talk shows. "When the Supreme Court hesitates to deal with war crimes then the only way left is to turn to international courts."

The accusations of "treason" are again in the air. After all, it's not nothing, to make a retired general of the Israeli army escape from London, in order to avoid interrogation over war crimes.

The war crime discussion began to be an issue in the Israel discours in January 2002, after a public debate organized by Gush Shalom ( full transcript at
http://gush-shalom.org/archives/forum_eng.html ). Following the highly-publicized seminar Gush Shalom started  writing warning letters to officers who admitted to (somes boasted of) violations of the Geneva Convention. This  led later that year to a government-orchestrated hate campaign against the peace group.

Meanwhile, Yesh Gvul took up the baton and did the decisive next step, actually bringing charges - first to the Israeli Supreme Court, and now to a British court.

Read more
http://www.yeshgvul.org.il/english/news/?id=420adae106cdbd40b80f5bb03d4c0b10

In this context next article is a must read; therefore we  translated it:

Voices of the soldiers
By Yonathan Geffen
Ma'ariv, 23/9/2005

(...) After hearing these voices from the ground, you can't help thinking that there might be something to issuing an arrest warrant in London against an Israeli general accused of war crimes during the present Intifada.

Translation of Ma'ariv article at http://www.geocities.com/toi_billboard/geffen.htm

Full text of the testimonies about which Geffen writes:
http://www.breakingthesilence.org.il/myadmin/files/files/rulesofengagementbooklet.doc

..and don't forget the COs

Israeli media have almost completely lost interest in the refusal of young Israelis to serve the occupation.  Instead, journalists concentrated on the vocal extreme-right threat to organize ???more than ten thousand soldiers??? refusing to take part in the evacuation of the Gaza Strip settlements ??“ a threat which in the event evaporated almost without a trace. 
But with or without media coverage, principled youngsters continue to  follow the dictates of their conscience. The latest of them, 18-year old Uri Nathan ??“ a member of the Shministim group ??“ has gotten his  call-up order. Wednesday, Sept 28  he  has to show up at the Tel-Hashomer Induction Center. He is going to announce there his refusal to join an army of occupation and presumably go immediately to prison. Supporters will follow him up to the gate.  (Demo at the  gate 8.00, transportation  details Michal +972-52-3272678, updates  http://www.refuz.org.il,  http://www.shministim.org.il

Please, sign the petition "Free the COs - free the Occupation Refusers"
 http://www.refuz.org.il/Default.aspx?tabid=201

Music in the service of  Bil'in and its struggle for survival

The protest concerts in Bil'in and Ramallah by pianist Jacob Allegro Wegloop were covered by Gush Shalom with photos and video (see hereafter). But first, the interview with the Dutch musician as it appeared prominently in the Jerusalem Post.

Holocaust survivor to give concert in Ramallah in support of Palestinians

Nathan Burstein,  Sep. 20, 2005 Jerusalem Post

(...) Like his departure, his recent return to Israel was inspired by conflict. "My reason for coming back was the way people are treating the Palestinians. I feel that people like me who have suffered a lot do not have the right to let other people suffer as well."  Asked if he saw a similarity between the situation of contemporary Palestinians and Jews during the Holocaust, Allegro was careful to draw a distinction. The two situations "are absolutely not similar," he said, "absolutely not yet. But I'm afraid they [eventually] could be."
Full text of interview http://www.geocities.com/toi_billboard/JP_Allegro_Ramallah.htm

originally:
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1127096415939&p=1078027574097

Photos and reports on Bil'in Sep 16 and Ramallah Sep 20
http://zope.gush-shalom.org/home/en

Video footage on Bil'in Sep 16:
http://gush-shalom.org/video/bilin--16-9-05-piano.html

On  Sep. 16, Israelis got on their TV screens more than a few glimpses of the Bil'in "Beethoven against Bulldozers'  event, and a few days later channel-2 included the musical protest in a film about the anti-Wall struggle of Bil'in - some antidote against tendencies to disregard the resistance movement as "a bunch of stone-throwers."  Also today,  the  army arrested five activists during the weekly Bil'in protest march to the site which is prepared for building the wall.

For further reading:

Constantly updated selection of  anti-occupation articles, from the Israeli press as well as from elsewhere http://www.kibush.co.il/

Additional sources:
http://www.commongroundnews.org/

http://electronicintifada.net/new.shtml