Legislator Jamal Al Khodary, head of the Popular Committee Against the Siege, stated on Thursday that a new Break the Siege ship which includes European legislators, physicians, reporters and international figures will sail to Gaza from Cyprus on September 22.

Al Khodary added that physicians on board will remain in Gaza to perform surgeries and relief work for sick and injured Palestinians residents.

He added that on its way back to Cyprus, the ship will carry nine internationals who remained in Gaza after arriving on board the first ship in addition to nine Palestinians who could not leave after visiting the coastal region.

The nine internationals, including the sister of Tony Blair’s wife, arrived on board the SS Liberty and Free Gaza ships on August 23 and delivered aid and essential supplies to the residents.  The ships were filled with humanitarian supplies and carried 60 international activists.

Nine international activists refused to leave the Gaza Strip while the rest left and vowed to come back soon in bigger ships and additional activists.

Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas will be meeting his Israeli counterpart, Shimon Peres on Thursday evening in Italy.

Israeli sources said that both leaders will be discussing outstanding political issues, security and economic concerns.

The meeting comes ahead of a special conference in Rome on Friday, over relations between Israel and the Arab World, where Peres is suppose to meet with the vice-President of the United States, Dick Cheney, as well as the representative of the European Union, Manuel Brosu, the sources revealed.

  

  

Both Sarah Palin, the Republican candidate for US Vice-President, and Joe Biden, the Democratic candidate, have both met with pro-Israel groups in the US within days of their respective nominations, and have promised complete and unconditional support for the Jewish state.

Their positions on the issue are in line with both major Presidential candidates, Barack Obama and John McCain, who both spoke earlier this summer at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) Conference to pledge support for Israel.

 

The only US presidential candidates that have expressed support for Palestinian human rights are from minor parties, and unlikely to win.  Cynthia McKinney, a former Congresswoman from Georgia, is running for US President on the Green Party ticket, and has taken a position that supports the human rights of the Palestinian people for self-determination and equality.  Ralph Nader, an Independent candidate for US President, has also expressed his support for the rights of the Palestinian people.

 

Some political analysts in the US have surmised that Democratic candidate Barack Obama may have picked Senator Joe Biden because of his blatant support for Israel, after pressure from Zionist groups considered him to be too soft on his pro-Israel stance.  Biden has stated in the past, "If I were a Jew, I would be a Zionist. I am a Zionist. You don't have to be a Jew to be a Zionist."  As head of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Biden has taken an ardently anti-Palestinian stance for many years.

 

Sarah Palin, the current Governor of Alaska, was selected by Republican candidate John McCain to be his running mate during the Republican convention that is currently taking place.  Palin met with Israel lobbyists on Tuesday to assure them that her position on the issue would not support the Palestinian people's internationally-recognized right to self-determination, but would back Israel no matter what.  As Governor of Alaska, Palin displayed an Israeli flag in the window of her office, and belongs to a church, the Wasilla Assembly of God, that preaches a biblical prophecy interpretation of Christianity, in which Christians support the transfer of Jewish people to the state of Israel because they believe it will bring on the rapture.

 

Josh Block, a spokesman for AIPAC, stated Tuesday, “Now that both the Democrats and the Republicans have determined their respective tickets, AIPAC is pleased that both parties have selected four pro-Israel candidates.”

At an international music festival themed “Artists without Borders,” a performance by an Israeli band was interrupted by pro-Palestine demonstrators who said the musicians were complicit in crimes against the Palestinian people.

The accusation referenced the fact that every Israeli citizen not only funds the occupation of Palestinian land, but also serves in the military for at least two years, thus directly participating in a military occupation that has been condemned by international human rights groups and violates the Fourth Geneva Convention. That occupation has been ongoing since 1967.

The protesters who disrupted the August 29th concert were arrested, but it is unknown what their charges are. The Jerusalem String Quartet was the band targeted for protest, which included not only the disruption of the concert but also a peaceful protest outside.

Meanwhile, Palestinian performers in the Edinburgh International Festival had difficulties passing through the Israeli-controlled borders to reach the “Artists Without Borders” festival. According to one actor, Reem Talhami, “being an artist is not an easy life anyway, but being a Palestinian artist is even harder and more complicated. In Palestine, you can’t plan your day, you can’t plan anything and in this sort of situation, you will never be able to.”