Al-Jazeera condemns Israeli assault on its reporters covering Gaza aid boats

Al Jazeera Holds Israel Responsible for the Safety of its Staff Members on Board Gaza Aid Ships and Asks the Israeli Government for their Immediate Release

Doha, Qatar: May 31, 2010:  Al Jazeera is extremely concerned by the actions of Israeli armed forces who have detained Al Jazeera staff who were covering the humanitarian aid mission on the ships bound for Gaza. The ships were attacked by Israeli armed forces early Monday morning.  Al Jazeera Network has eight member of its staff on board including Abbas Nasser, Othman Battiri, Mohammed Vall, Ali Sabri, Andre Khalil, Jamal al Shayal, Waseema bin Saleh and Issam Zaatar. The Network holds the Israeli government responsible for the safety of its journalists and cameramen and asks the Israeli government to release them immediately.

Al Jazeera Network also calls upon all media organizations to act for the release of all journalists on board the ships and to ask for their freedom to practice their profession without pressure and harassment.

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About Al Jazeera

Al Jazeera started out more than thirteen years ago as the first independent Arabic news channel in the world dedicated to providing comprehensive television news and live debate for the Arab world. Al Jazeera was formally named the Al Jazeera Network in March 2006, transforming its operation into an international media corporation.  The Al Jazeera Network now consists of the flagship Al Jazeera Satellite (Arabic) channel, Al Jazeera English, Al Jazeera Documentary, Al Jazeera Sport, Al Jazeera.net (the English and Arabic web sites), the Al Jazeera Media Training and Development Center, the Al Jazeera Center for Studies, Al Jazeera Mubasher (Live), and Al Jazeera Mobile.

You can visit our websites at: www.aljazeera.net> or www.aljazeera.net/english>

For further information please contact:

Christina Aivaliotis

Press.int@aljazeera.net>

Egyptian Government halts aid shipment to civilians in Gaza, Halts Viva Palestina convoy

Egyptians halt Viva Palestina aid convoy to Gaza;
Former U.S. Congresswoman McKinney in Cairo

(PALOS HILLS, IL 07/13/2009) – Egyptian authorities have stopped a massive aid shipment from reaching the Gaza Strip, while United States officials further complicated matters by requiring 50 American volunteers to sign an affidavit waiving their right to be protected on foreign soil.

Egyptian authorities will allow the Viva Palestina convoy to take two ambulances and an unspecified amount of medical supplies into the Strip, organizer George Galloway told the American Muslims for Palestine (AMP) Monday. Convoy organizers and the American volunteers currently are in Cairo waiting for the issue to be resolved. The convoy was to have reached Gaza on July 11.

Former U.S. Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney arrived in Cairo Sunday. Galloway invited her to join the convoy after learning Israeli naval officials arrested McKinney and 20 others aboard a Free Gaza Movement boat two weeks ago.

McKinney told AMP Monday she was particularly frustrated at the seeming complicity of the U.S. government in Egyptians’ and Israeli actions.

“The American government has put in a requirement that we pay $30 and sign an affidavit that we understand the circumstances of the situation and we won’t have consular services,” McKinney said. “This was not required in the first Gaza convoy nor was such an item required in the Free Gaza Movement.”

McKinney was referring to Galloway’s first convoy, which took truckloads of aid into Gaza in February.

Out of a shipment of 43 vehicles, four ambulances, 25 refrigerators, 50 generators and medical supplies, authorities will only allow an unspecified amount of medical supplies and two ambulances to be taken into the Gaza Strip, which is suffering a humanitarian crisis as the result of Israel’s two-year blockade.

“This is a blatant attempt to stop future convoys of aid,” Viva Palestina director Kevin Ovenden told AMP. “We are resisting it all the way and we will set foot in Gaza. If we cannot bring everything we want this time, then we have unfinished business in Egypt. We will respond by doubling our efforts in the U.S. and around the world.”

This is McKinney’s third attempt to reach Gaza with a humanitarian organization. Her first two attempts with the Free Gaza Movement were thwarted when the Israeli navy prevented Free Gaza boats from reaching Gaza. Two weeks ago, Israeli police arrested McKinney and 20 other volunteers and held them in custody for about one week.

“I’m a firm believer in the idea that U.S. policy – both foreign and domestic – ought to be grounded in human rights,” McKinney told AMP Monday from Cairo. “When I see a deviation from that position, I get involved.”

McKinney represented Atlanta, Georgia in Congress for six terms before being defeated in 2006. She ran for president on the Green Party ticket in 2008.

Viva Palestina organizer Galloway is frustrated with the recent turn of events but remains undaunted in his quest to break the siege on Gaza, he said.

“We are outraged at the difficulties being placed on the U.S. aid convoy to Gaza,” Galloway told AMP. “The president of the United States spoke eloquently here in Cairo about the plight of the Palestinians in Gaza, throughout Palestine and beyond. It is now time to for him to match his eloquent words with action. The American citizens here are demanding their president intervenes to insure that the entire U.S. convoy enters Gaza without any further hindrances. The medical aid, the vehicles in which it is carried and the citizens themselves are all needed in Gaza now. Without further delay we hope to enter Gaza with all our aid tomorrow.”

Israel’s two-year blockade on Gaza has plunged the 1.5 million people into a humanitarian crisis, according to the International Committee of the Red Cross and the United Nations. Israel’s three-week assault on the Strip in January killed more than 1,400 Palestinians and wounded more than 5,300.


American Muslims for Palestine is a national grassroots organization whose mission is to educate the American public about issues pertaining to Palestine and its rich cultural heritage.

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Foods of Chicago Features Arab and Ethnic foods including recipes and authors from Chicago

Gloria Baraks
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THE FOODS OF CHICAGO: A Delicious History

Chicago was built by immigrants, and in creating this urban behemoth these newcomers they got their hands dirty. First, they toiled to clear and rebuild the city from the charred remains of the Great Fire. They labored in the awesome and fearsome vast Union Stockyards and faced the fiery furnaces of the mighty steel mills. Many took pride in their workmanship raising and supporting the impressive Worlds Columbian Exposition of 1893.

These immigrants came to a Lake Michigan shoreline paved not with gold, but with opportunity. They raised families, taught their children and built divinely inspired houses of worship. They opened the door for people of every nation and culture to come and share the intense drama of life in a growing city.

But even as they aspired to become fully American, these immigrants did not leave everything of their old worlds behind them. They brought memories, photographs, languages and faiths. They also brought Grandmas recipes, the cherished taste of home reminding them of the love and warmth of their roots. Indeed, they were defined by what they put on the table.

This publication is a companion piece to the television program The Foods of Chicago: A Delicious History, produced by WTTW11 Chicagos public television station. WTTW producer/writer Dan Protess and host Geoffrey Baer see the program and book as a celebration of Chicagos diversity. Dan summed it up perfectly when he said, I really cant think of a better window into Chicagos distinct communities than food.

The Foods of Chicago: A Delicious History is a wonderful blend. a book like no other. Much like a recipe that offers delightful combinations to entice the senses, this book is a delectable mixture of culinary delights and reflections on the rich cultural history of Chicagos diverse communities. You and your family will enjoy and cherish this book for years to come.