Six Voices Project

B'Tselem has teamed up with the Guardian Newspaper to showcase the voices of five Palestinians and two Israelis who created personal video diaries about their human rights' reality in East Jerusalem.

Calling on supporters to share these video diaries with friends and colleagues, B'Tselem hope to draw attention to the concrete reality in East Jerusalem.

Click here to watch the videos.

Breaking the Silence

There are rare moments when action is taken by individuals that has the potential to change the very nature and premise of a debate. The formation in 2004 of Breaking the Silence may well still prove to be such a moment. The organisation is comprised of Israeli veterans dedicated to stimulating:

...public debate about the price paid for a reality in which young soldiers face a civilian population on a daily basis, and are engaged in the control of that population’s everyday life.

Now, Breaking the Silence is taking the brave move to post videos on Youtube of ex-soldiers speaking about wrongdoing by the Israeli army in the occupied territories. Here is one such example:

Take Action Against Israel

Israel has broken international law, committed acts of state terrorism, killed innocent civilians and acted with impunity. This was unfortunately true long before Israel ordered its commandos to intercept the Gaza bound flotilla and has been the modus operandi of the country for decades.

For all those seeking to take action against Israel, here is a brief list of some that are currently live in Ireland:

• Demand an investigation - Amnesty International.
• Call on the Irish Government to take action against Israel - Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign.
• Sign the petition to expel the Israeli Ambassador - Contact.ie.
• Call for action against Israel - Free Gaza Movement Ireland.

Internationally, Avaaz have also just launched a petition calling for an immediate and independent investigation in addition to the lifting of the Gaza blockade.

Protests have already taken place throughout Ireland and more will follow. Take part and don't allow this atrocity to slip from the news desks.

The Language of Action

It is not often that I read an opinion piece by a Minister in the Irish Government and appreciate the intended sentiment. However, a recent article by Micheál Martin in the New York Times is worthy of note due to the language deliberately employed by the Minister.

In an otherwise average piece of writing, some key lines stood out when Minister Martin spoke of Gaza and the ongoing devastating impacts that Operation Cast Lead has resulted in;

- I view the current conditions prevailing for the ordinary population as inhuman and utterly unacceptable, in terms of accepted international standards of human rights.

- I genuinely believe that the medieval siege conditions being imposed on the people of Gaza are unacceptable.

- The people of Gaza are justifiably proud of their heritage...(and) deserve the opportunity to have a future in line with their heritage.

Emotive language is all well and good but too often is let down by subsequent inaction. However, by directly referencing human rights and the heritage of the people of Gaza, Minister Martin is challenging the actions of Israel and its claim to certain occupied lands. It is a welcome move and one that desperately needs to be followed by action - at the very least by other European states.

Finally, it should be pointed out that Minister Martin did also call for the release of Gilad Shalit, the Israeli soldier currently enduring his fourth year of captivity. This is as important an issue as the ones already highlighted and should be addressed with similar speed.