Astiak's Banter » General

Ramadan Kareem

Astiak — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 00:14:51 +0000

Ramadan Kareem to all the readers of this blog, and to all those who just stumble upon it.

To the regulars, my apologies for not posting lately, I have been very busy. I have a lot to write about, just not the time to write it.

I will make time hopefully!

Again, wishing you all a happy Ramadan!

Apologies to IE users

Astiak — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 20:41:12 +0000

Sorry Internet Explorer users, I broke the site for a while. All should be back to normal now though.

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Al Jazeera – Riz Khan – Holding Israel to account

Astiak — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 19:05:41 +0000

In the year since the Gaza war, activists have stepped up their calls for sanctions on Israel. These include appeals to withdraw investments in Israel (divestment); to boycott Israeli goods and services, cultural institutions and universities; and to prosecute the top political and military leaders behind the war. But generally the diplomatic fallout of the war has been manageable for Israel, so what do the supporters of BDS (Boycott, Divest, Sanction) hope to achieve?

The videos are below:

Part1:

Part 2:

Merry Christmas

Astiak — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 02:41:21 +0000

Wishing all of you a merry Christmas and a prosperous 2010.

Merry Christmas!

Rage Against The Machine is 2009 Christmas Number 1

Rage Against The Machine is 2009 Christmas Number 1

Astiak — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 04:01:00 +0000

Rage Against the Machine has beaten X Factor’s Joe to Christmas No 1. It’s pretty much accepted now that the Christmas No 1 will be whoever the X-Factor winner is. This movement however to get RATM to number 1 was started on the internet, supported via facebook and twitter, and has become Christmas 2009 number 1 simply from downloads alone.

Well done to all who downloaded, glad to know my 29p download from Amazon made a difference!

Gordon Brown supports war criminals

Astiak — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 01:08:28 +0000

Gordon Brown, telephoned Tzipi Livni, leader of the Israeli opposition, to state that he “completely opposed” the warrant issued by a London magistrates court for her arrest for alleged crimes in relation to the war in Gaza.

The beautiful thing about the British Judicial System (like most) is that you are innocent until proven guilty. You will not be convicted unless there is hard and sound evidence supporting the allegations. Nothing to fear really, unless of course you are actually guilty of the allegations, then yes, perhaps you should show some concern.

As to why David Miliband, the foreign secretary, phoned Livni and called his Israeli counterpart Avigdor Lieberman to apologise, is beyond me.

Since when to politicians get involved in legal issues and individual cases? The decision by Gordon Brown to try and change the law that allows for such arrest warrants has outraged many people.

One lawyer stated: “The Geneva Conventions Act of 1957 places a positive obligation on the UK to pursue those who are alleged to have committed grave offences under the act, in the light of the Goldstone report there is a prima facie case to answer.” So basically, it is the duty of the UK to pursue those alleged to be responsible in war crimes.

Shame on Gordon Brown, he is a weak leader who has decided to change a law that can bring mass murderers to justice simply to avoid embarrassment.

Tzipi Livni is proud of murder

Astiak — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 19:28:43 +0000

A British court issued an arrest warrant for Israel’s former foreign minister over war crimes committed in Gaza this year. It was then withdrawn it when it was discovered that she was not in the UK.

Tzipi Livni who was a member of the war cabinet during Operation Cast Lead, was due to attend a meeting in London on Sunday but cancelled her attendance in advance.

Israeli ministers who wish to visit the UK for personal reasons have begun asking the Israeli embassy in London to arrange meetings with British officials thus offering legal protection against arrest.

Livni as an ex-minister cannot enjoy immunity.

1,400 people were killed, mostly civilians in an attack by Israel on Palestine over the course of 3 weeks. Israel claims that this was an act of self defence, but again I say that the women, children and innocent men killed were hardly a threat to Israel.

Livni’s office described her as “proud of all her decisions regarding Operation Cast Lead”. It added: “The operation achieved its objectives to protect the citizens of Israel and restore Israel’s deterrence capability.”

Shameful statement to make. I hope that Israel is brought to justice for its war crimes.

Busy busy busy

Astiak — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 22:14:06 +0000

I’ve been far too busy…

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Why the blog?

Astiak — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 21:14:18 +0000

This is a place for me to air my views on things that are relevant to the world today, things that may not be so relevant, basically a place for me to banter a bit.

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