[Marxism] Keep the light shining on Palestine in 2009

[Dbachmozart@xxxxxxx]

The Electronic Intifada
15 December  2008

http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article10020.shtml

As you  read this, one and a half million Palestinians in
the Gaza Strip are without  access to food, medicine or
fuel from outside the tiny territory. Half of the  bakeries
in Gaza have shut down, and others have resorted to baking
bread  with animal feed. This is not the result of a
natural disaster, but the  intended consequence of a
political decision by Israel's  government.

Archbishop Desmond Tutu has called Israel's blockade  of
the Gaza Strip an "abomination" and said that the
international  community's "silence and complicity" about
the crisis in Palestine "shames us  all."

For almost eight years, The Electronic Intifada (EI) has
worked  to break the silence, expose the complicity, and
give voice to those working  for a different world. We
often hear from readers all over the world how they  use EI
to educate and motivate their communities to join the
urgent quest  for justice.

Every day, educators, activists, journalists,  diplomats,
students and thousands of others turn to us knowing they
will  find independent and original news, comment and
analysis from leading  reporters and writers.

But while the information moves freely -- and  that's how
we want to keep it -- it is not free to produce. As the
year  closes, we count on many of our readers -- people
like you who care about  what is happening -- to make a
donation to allow us to continue our  educational work for
another year. We would like to tell you why your  support
for independent, fearless reporting and analysis about
Palestine  is needed now more than ever.

EI scooped the world in April when it  revealed a secret
plan by a well-known and well-funded pro-Israel group  to
manipulate and erase Palestinian history from Wikipedia,
the popular  online encyclopedia. Due to EI's reporting,
the plan was foiled and Wikipedia  took steps to ban the
editors involved. The story we broke was reported by  The
Boston Globe, The Jerusalem Post, Spain's El Mundo, and
Harper's  magazine among others. This is just one example
of how EI reaches beyond its  own audience. The Los Angeles
Times credited EI as an important platform for  debate and
discussion about the one-state and two-state solutions,
and our  articles are referenced by newspapers, websites
and blogs all over the  world.

The year 2008 -- the 60th anniversary of the Nakba,  the
expulsion of the Palestinians -- has been one of the most
challenging  for Palestinians, and for us to cover their
lives. In January, EI brought you  original coverage when
hundreds of thousands of Palestinians broke through  the
Gaza border wall into Egypt for a few tumultuous days of
freedom. But  Gaza's brief joy was soon overshadowed by
horror as Israeli bombing killed  hundreds of people
including dozens of children, and Israel's deputy  defense
minister threatened a "bigger holocaust."

As international  journalists have been shut out of Gaza or
have ignored the worsening  situation, EI's own
correspondents have helped ensure that  Israeli-imposed
darkness in Gaza does not mean that violations of  people's
basic rights are carried out in the dark. We show the
humanity  behind the headlines and the deceptions behind
the diplomacy. We give people  the information they need to
act. (For some highlights of EI's coverage, see  the links
below).

The coming year presents new challenges. People are  asking
whether a new US administration that is talking about
"change" at  home and abroad will actually change its
policies towards Palestine. What  will happen in the
Israeli elections, and how will Palestinians cope  with
ongoing internal conflict as well as occupation? How are
activists  forcing governments and corporations that
support military occupation to  change their policies? They
will turn to The Electronic Intifada for  incisive,
independent analysis not found anywhere else. And, nowhere
but  EI can you find such diverse reviews and coverage of
arts, films and books  related to Palestine.

Our goal is to raise $65,000 from individuals by  January.
It's a big challenge for us, but a tiny amount when you
compare  it to the budgets of major media organizations.
Please consider making a  donation now to ensure that our
uncensored coverage of Palestine, Israel and  the Middle
East continues in 2009. Your donation is tax-deductible if
you  are a US taxpayer. (EI is a program service of the
Middle East Cultural and  Charitable Society, a 501(c)(3)
organization).

We don't have major  corporations backing us up, and we
won't get a government bailout, so we rely  on reader
support to stay strong and independent. Please help us to
keep  the light shining on Palestine.

With thanks and best wishes for  2009

The Electronic Intifada Team

TO DONATE BY CREDIT CARD:  
https://secure.groundspring.org/dn/index.php?aid=10090

TO DONATE BY  PAYPAL OR CHECK:  
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article2162.shtml

THE ELECTRONIC  INTIFADA: HIGHLIGHTS FROM 2008
 
_http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article10020.shtml_ 
(http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article10020.shtml)  
**************Make your life easier with all your friends, email, and 
favorite sites in one place.  Try it now. 
(http://www.aol.com/?optin=new-dp&icid=aolcom40vanity&ncid=emlcntaolcom00000010)
________________________________________________
YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message.
Send list submissions to: Marxism@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Set your options at: 
http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/options/marxism/archive%40archives.econ.utah.edu