The Communist Party of Israel --- condemns
the decision to disqualify the "United List"
from participating in the elections
September 26th, 9:18pm GMT
(Pravda.En)
On September 23, Central Election Committee of Israel voted to
disqualify the "United List" electoral alliance, which includes
the communist-led Hadash (Democratic Front for Peace and
Equality), Balad, and Ta'al, from participating in the
Knesset elections on October 27.
It also voted to disqualify Hadash MK Ofer Cassif, Balad leader
Sami Abu Shehadeh, and the Ra'am party from participating
in the elections.
The decision was made after ''requests'' from
Likud, Otzma Yehudit, and Israel Beitenu.
The CPI and Hadash statement:
"The complete approval by the election committee of the demands
of fascist right-wing parties to remove lists representing the Arab
masses and Jewish democratic forces from the elections, is a
blatant violation of the most fundamental principles of
democratic competition. We fundamentally reject the
right of the committee – which is a political body
composed of representatives of the current
blocs in the Knesset – to allow its members
to suppress any votes that differ from the
majority and oppose the occupation,
racism, and Jewish supremacy.
We are proud of the "United List" and that we are a fundamental part
of it. We understand that the persecution of the list is driven by the
desire of the fascist right-wing to reduce the percentage of votes
for Arab citizens and democratic forces in a desperate attempt
to stay in power. All opposition forces are aware of this, who
have once again failed their moral test, confirming their
inability to offer a real alternative to Netanyahu and
his allies.
We also emphasize our special pride in Ofer Cassif, a member of the
leadership of the Communist Party and "Front" ---- a member of the
Knesset, who has already faced attempts to remove and exclude
him, but has not bowed his head ----- taking a courageous
position, exposing Israel and its crimes at national and
international levels --- raising the voice of human
conscience against the war crimes and daily
violations committed by the occupiers and
settler gangs against the rights of the
Palestinian people and the right of
its children to a decent life.
him, but has not bowed his head ----- taking a courageous
position, exposing Israel and its crimes at national and
international levels --- raising the voice of human
conscience against the war crimes and daily
violations committed by the occupiers and
settler gangs against the rights of the
Palestinian people and the right of
its children to a decent life.
We declare our full support for our brother Sami Abu Shehadeh and
his right to express his opinion as a leader of the Arab community.
We see no legitimate grounds for his disqualification or exclusion
from participating in the elections. We believe ------ that the most
dangerous event at today's meetings was the vote of the
chair of the election committee, Judge Noam Solberg,
in favour of the decision to disqualify Abu Shehadeh,
sending a dangerous signal - to the Supreme Court.
In this context, we note with disdain...... the vote of the "Democrats"
party in support of Ben-Gvir's proposal to disqualify Abu Shehadeh,
as a result of which the party of General Yair Golan, Gilad Karyiv,
Naama Lazimi, and Sumaya Bashir lined up behind the "minister
with a noose" together with all Zionist parties, both in the
coalition and in the opposition, who did not even dare to
defend the right of the "United List" to participate in
the elections, turned away from it, and most of
them were absent during the vote.
We call for responding to the disqualification - with a broad protest
campaign against political persecution, the culmination of which
will be an increase in voter turnout among our Arab citizens and
democratic forces, as well as support for the "United List," as
it is the most consistent and organised force opposing the
right-wing and its partners in the coalition and in the
opposition. We confirm that we will do everything
necessary to strengthen the "United List" and
partnership between the forces within it....
based on justice and mutual respect.
Finally, despite our reservations about the actions of the Zionist
opposition and our awareness that it can't be trusted with the
votes of Arab citizens, we intend to make every effort to
overthrow the fascist right-wing government ---- and
replace it with one that is less bad & dangerous."
Source: Telegram "BeornAndTheShieldmaiden"
__________________________________________________
Stories Beyond Numbers: Mahya Nami,
six-year-old girl killed before she
could return to school
September 26th, 12:13pm
by Humaira Ahad
Mahya Nami sits in front of the camera, with a cartoon frame
in front of her. She is wearing bangles, and a small tattoo
is visible on her left hand.
In front of her are rows of brightly colored plastic
spoons – three red, three yellow, and one green.
She begins counting: “One, two, three.” Then she counts
again on her fingers, carefully raising each finger as
she says the corresponding number.
Then comes the next question: “How
many green spoons do we have?”
“One,” she answers. Then she looks toward
the camera with her wide, innocent eyes.
“How many white spoons do we have?” “Zero.”
She had only just learned to count to three.
Mahya was 6 years old, a preschool pupil
at Al-Zahra Meysaq Preschool in Tabriz.
The video was recorded at home for her teacher,
a small counting exercise that she was proud
to perform on camera.
After the New Year holidays, Mahya was supposed
to return to preschool and continue learning. She
had told her parents that, one day, she would be
able to count to ten.
But she never made it back to class.
Shortly after midnight on March 24, a US-Israeli strike
hit a residential building - in the Shahid Qareh-Baghi
neighbourhood of Tabriz’s Shahid Mofatteh district.
Mahya was killed along with her sister, Fatemeh,
a second-grade student, and other members
of their family.
Six people were killed and nine others were injured
in the strike. The attack destroyed the family’s
home - and damaged 14 other residential
units nearby.
The sisters’ bodies were not recovered immediately.
Rescue crews spent 14 hours searching through
the rubble before finding them.
The operation unfolded in a densely populated part
of northwestern Tabriz, where families had lived
for decades.
Neighbours said.. they could only imagine what
the little girls might have endured during those
hours, struggling to breathe.... beneath the
debris, or suffering pain before they died.
Return to school that never came
As Mahya was due to return to Al-Zahra Meysaq Preschool
after the New Year holidays, her lessons would have
moved.... beyond the numbers she had recently
learned, to the alphabet, the names of fruits
and birds, and other familiar subjects
taught in the early years of school.
Esfandiar Sadeghi, director general of the East Azerbaijan
Department of Education, said Mahya and Fatemeh were
children growing up --------- “with the hopes and dreams
of childhood.”
He described their deaths as an “irreparable loss” for their
family, teachers, and classmates... across the province.
Months later, foreign journalists from Lebanon,
Albania, Britain, and Greece, visited the site
as part of a media tour.
Greek journalist Katia Antoniadi stood amid the ruins of
the family home where Mahya and her sister Fatemeh
were killed in a US-Israeli act of aggression,
questioning US-led claims of concern for
the safety of women and children.
“No government can claim to support women
and children,” she said, “while carrying out
attacks that put their lives at risk.”
Mahya Nami with her sister Fatemeh
The dastardly attack that killed Mahya - was part
of a much wider toll inflicted on Iran’s education
community, in the 40-day US-Israeli aggression.
According to the Iranian authorities, 280 students
and 67 teachers were martyred during the
US-Israeli war on Iran.
On the first day of the war, February 28, the US-Israeli
assault also struck Shajareh Tayyebeh Girls’
Elementary School in Minab, in southern
Iran’s Hormozgan Province, killing
168 children.
Video analyses by The Guardian, The Washington Post,
and other outlets - identified a US Tomahawk missile
striking the school. The US attack turned a place
of learning - into a scene of mass death, with
children paying the price of Washington’s
military aggression against Iran.