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 Derry
activists to attend Middle East anti-war conference
 Members
of the Derry Anti-War Coalition will travel to Beirut on
16-19 November to attend a Middle East anti-war conference.
The conference has been organised to bring together anti-war
groups from across the region, together with representatives
of the anti-war movement in Europe and internationally.
While there, the Derry activists will meet with activists
and researchers who are compiling evidence of the bombs used
by Israel, many of which were manufactured and supplied by
Raytheon. We also hope to speak to witnesses and survivors
of the bomb attacks, and we intend to hold meetings around
Ireland to report back on our visit.
Raytheon 9 defence campaign
The Raytheon
9’s next courts appearance is on Thursday 23 November. Show
your support. Rally outside Derry Courthouse, Bishop St at
9.30am.
The trail of the
Raytheon 9 will involve high legal costs. Please rush
donations to Derry Anti War Coalition, Halifax Building
Society, Derry Sort Code 11-09-68 Account Number 00178353
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The truth about
Lebanon
ON 1 November,
over 50 supporters and friends of the Derry Anti-War
Coalition were treated to a talk by Ibrahim Mousawi, a
journalist from the Hezbollah TV station in Lebanon, Al-Manar.
The talk
concentrated on the foundation of Hezbollah in the early
1980s and its role in defending Lebanon during the recent
assault by Israel. Mr. Mousawi explained how Hezbollah was
founded in the early 1980s by Muslim activists in response
to the invasion of Lebanon by Israel, who were seeking to
take control of the Litani river, a vital source of water
that runs through Lebanon.
It was
explained that Hezbollah was, contrary to what is often
claimed, a native Lebanese movement formed specifically to
defend Lebanon against Israel, and not a foreign force
separate from Lebanese society.
The speaker
made a number of important points concerning Israel’s
actions against Lebanon. Most importantly, he described how,
even after Israel withdrew from the Lebanon in 2000, the
Zionist state continued to invade Lebanese airspace and
carry out other provocations, and that Hezbollah continued
to maintain a policy of restraint in response to this until
this year’s war. He also argued that in the months since the
war, the Lebanese government has become deeply unpopular,
and that in fact its role in the war was one that
effectively supported the Israelis.
Mr Mousawi also
refuted claims that Hezbollah was anti-Semitic. He explained
that in Islam, both Jesus Christ and Moses are regarded as
prophets of Allah alongside Mohammed, and that to be a
Muslim, one must also be in part a Christian and a Jew. So
it was impossible for any true Muslim to be against Jews.
The large
audience was engaged and interested by the talk, with there
being a number of interesting questions from the floor. All
those at the meeting agreed that it had been a rewarding and
educational evening.
Roderick Cobley
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