Obama can't turn the US into a fair mediator in the Middle East as long as US media remains heavily biased. Help fund Avaaz's effort to reach top US media decisionmakers with balanced perspectives for peace:

Help Now

After over 1400 killed and 5000 wounded, the Gaza conflict enters a lull -- for now. But the awful violence will escalate again unless we take urgent action to address the root causes of the festering Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

One of the greatest hopes for peace is for the US under Obama to play an impartial and responsible mediation role. But the biggest obstacle to this is the strong bias of the US media. Only 4% of related US media stories even mention that Palestinians are under military occupation, and less than 25% of Americans say they can sympathize with both sides. Given domestic pressure, even Obama will find it difficult to be fair.

We urgently need to meet this challenge as Obama makes historic choices on Israel-Palestine. The winds of change are blowing through American media -- media experts tell us the best way to seize this opportunity is to fund a small number of highly respected individuals to engage top journalists and editors on this issue - providing facts, information and opportunities to hear sensible voices for peace from both Palestinians and Israelis. As a start, $40,000 would be enough to hire a respected advocate; $15,000 will pay for an opinion poll in Gaza and Israel that challenges prejudices and is released to US media; $50,000 will build a "peace wall" in Gaza, Jerusalem and Washington DC for citizens in each place to post messages to each other and the media.

If each one of us who signed the petition gives just $2 (1.50 euro) each, we'll raise $1 million -- enough to launch a highly effective effort. The Obama presidency is an opportunity to end this festering conflict, but he can't do it without us. It's time for all of us to get serious about this, here's the link to get started:

https://secure.avaaz.org/en/gaza_media_balance

The more we raise the more compelling public actions we will take that convey sensible, ordinary voices for peace from both Palestinians and Israelis to the US media. Far from taking sides, our effort will show that a pro-peace voice is both pro-Israeli and pro-Palestinian, because it advocates for lasting security and justice for both peoples.

For years a balanced perspective has been largely absent from US media. Palestinian kids throwing rocks were seen as dangerous rioters, rather than token resistance to an illegal and repressive military occupation. The crushing nature of the Israeli occupation, the numbers of Palestinians beaten or killed, the way that Palestinians live in a type of giant prison with even the smallest movements or actions tightly controlled, are almost never covered by US media. The same media however often create great empathy among Americans for innocent Israeli victims of violence, telling their personal stories in depth. See links below for a number of studies that have showed the overwhelming bias of American media in this conflict. Until the American media can tell both heart-rending sides of the story, no US president will be able to broker a fair peace.

The opportunity is there. After the trauma of the Bush years there is a fresh wind blowing through American democracy and media. A new emphasis on responsible, tough journalism, and a genuine desire among media professionals to be more balanced. On the other hand, a massive PR infrastructure established by a few powerful organizations puts tens of millions of dollars a year into conveying a pro-war perspective to US media. This is tough competition, but our effort will have a much easier job – we'll be pushing balance, not bias, helping journalists to do their job, not shirk it. Obama has promised "fairness" in his approach to this region, let's help make it politically possible for him to deliver. Click below:

https://secure.avaaz.org/en/gaza_media_balance

With hope,

Ricken, Graziela, Alice, Luis, Paul, Brett, Milena, Paula, Pascal, Iain and the whole Avaaz team.

PS: For more information about bias in the US media and on coverage of the recent war in Gaza:

The Blame Game in Gaza - Erasing Israeli actions to fault only Hamas:
http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=3667

Video - Peace, Propaganda and the Promised Land:
http://br.youtube.com/watch?v=eCL6WdnuNp4

Jon Stewart's critique of media bias on Gaza conflict:
http://www.thedailyshow.com/video/index.jhtml?videoId=213380&title=Strip-Maul

International Law Seldom Newsworthy in Gaza War - Israeli justifications often cited uncritically:
http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=3672

For a recent US poll which shows the impact of the media bias:
http://www.ipsos-na.com/news/client/act_dsp_pdf.cfm?name=mr090114-2a.pdf&id=4236

Palestine Media Watch report on op-eds:
http://www.pmwatch.org/pmw/mediocrity/displayCall.asp?essayID=336

Newsworthy and unnewsworthy deaths:
http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=3057

Video - Media bias about the Israeli - Palestine conflict exposed:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kiyyp9cZdY0&NR=1

Video - Biased media reports on the Israeli-Palestinian:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yOC1RReb6gc

If Americans Knew - A US project helping to convey alternative perspectives to Americans:
www.ifamericansknew.org

PPS: Please click on this link for an award winning video made by Avaaz which is the kind of material that we will use to encourage more balanced understanding of the Middle East: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WWyJJQbFago

"Izvjestiću vas o onome, koji će sutra biti zabranjen džehennemskoj vatri: svak ko je prijatan, nenametljiv, blag i pristupačan"

(Muhammed a.s., hadis prenosi Tirmizi)

Izrael priprema odbranu u slučaju Gaza

Foto: Reuters

Izrael je zabranio objavu identiteta i fotografija zapovjednika jedinica koje su sudjelovale u vojnoj ofanzivi na Gazu strahujući da bi mogli biti optuženi za ratni zločin, rekao je vojni izvor za francusku agenciju.

Glavni tajnik UN-a Ban Ki-moon u utorak je zatražio sudski progon odgovornih za "potpuno neprihvatljiva" bombardiranja UN-ovih zgrada u Gazi.

Otvaranje istrage zatražilo je i osam izraelskih organizacija za zaštitu ljudskih prava pozivajući državno odvjetništvo da ispita postupke izraelske vojske u Gazi "s obzirom na patnje nanesene civilima".

Voditelj hitne službe u Gazi Mouaviya Hasanein u četvrtak je objavio da je u 22 dana ofanzive ubijeno 1.330 Palestinaca, a ranjeno ih je 5.450.

Među poginulima je 437 djece mlađe od 16 godina, 110 žena i 123 starije osobe, te 14 liječnika i četiri novinara, rekao je i dodao da je u ofanzivi ranjeno 1.890 djece.

UN-ova agencija UNRWA, Amnesty International i strani liječnici koji rade u Gazi optužuju izraelsku vojsku za upotrebu bombi s bijelim fosforom u stambenim četvrtima, što je protivno međunarodnim konvencijama.

Richard Falk, UN-ov stručnjak za ljudska prava na palestinskim područjima, ističe da je kolektivno kažnjavanje što ga je Izrael nanio stanovništvu jednako "zločinu protiv čovječnosti".

Izrael pak prikuplja dokaze kojima će pokazati da su njegovi ciljevi bili isključivo vojni. Fotografijama snimljenim iz zraka i filmovima koje su izraelski vojnici snimili na terenu potkrijepit će svoje tvrdnje da je za civilne žrtve odgovoran radikalni palestinski pokret Hamas, čiji su se borci krili u naseljenim područjima služeći se civilima kao štitom.

"Logori za uvježbavanje i sva postrojenja Hamasa smješteni su blizu škola, džamija ili stambenih zgrada", rekla je vojna glasnogovornica Avital Leibovitch i istaknula da "Hamas čini zločine dovodeći civile na bojište".

Međunarodna federacija za ljudska prava i skupina odvjetnika najavila je da će se obratiti Međunarodnome kaznenom sudu (ICC), koji je ovlašten suditi za ratne zločine i zločine protiv čovječnosti.

No izraelska država nije potpisnica Rimskog statuta kojim je uspostavljen sud, podsjećaju stručnjaci.

S druge strane, ICC-u se može obratiti Vijeće sigurnosti UN-a, ali u njemu opet pravom veta raspolažu Sjedinjene Države, koje su glavni izraelski saveznik.

Džaber Uiša, potpredsjednik Palestinskog centra za ljudska prava, smatra da je najbolji put pozivanje na načelo "univerzalne pravde" jer ono nekoj državi omogućuje suđenje za ratne zločine čak i kada oni ne zadiru u njezine nacionalne interese.

U srijedu je Krisztina Morvai, mađarska pravnica specijalizirana za kazneno pravo pri državnom odvjetništvu svoje zemlje, podnijela tužbu protiv Izraela za genocid, nasilje nad civilima, apartheid i upotrebu zabranjenog oružja u napadima na Pojas Gaze.

Napadi na civile ili humanitarne organizacije mogu se smatrati ratnim zločinom dokaže li se da su "namjerni", napominje Larry Maybee, pravni stručnjak u Međunarodnom odboru Crvenog križa.

U prošlosti su tužbe protiv izraelskih dužnosnika bile podnesene u Belgiji, Velikoj Britaniji, Nizozemskoj i Novom Zelandu, ali se odustalo se od njihovog progona.