Protesters call for ceasefire in Gaza, close uptown Dallas roads during march
November 7, 2023
This is probably first time such balanced perspective coming from a major news-media outlet; MSNBC. Watch Joy Reid
November 14, 2023
Welcome to this site. The official launch of the CeaseFireNow.Today is on the 125th anniversary of the original Armistice day -the original cease-fire day -11 AM on the 11th day of the 11th month.
On November 11th of 1918, at 11 AM , the guns of the World War I-the war to end all wars – fell silent so that the peace negotiations could begin.
Unfortunately, that business of peace has remained an unfinished business. We have to finish it now. We have to finish it for the sake of our coming generations, for the sake of humanity itself, for the sake of our world.
This is a monumental task, but human history bears testimony, that our species always rose to the challenge, even if it were to be a Himalayan one.
Even though this is a site for peace, it represents a campaign on war footing.
We are here to win, and win we shall because win we have to.
Yes we have no other choice but to win. We have to win because we do not want to see more mothers crying for their babies who are blown to bits. We have to win because we want the fathers to stop digging with their bare -hands, looking for the mangled bodies of their babies crushed under the rubble of the bombed out apartment buildings. We have to win because we are sick of seeing the feeling of utter loss in the vacant eyes of old parents who lose their children in the prime of their youth. We have to win because we are tired of watching children scream for their parents who are never going to come back.
We have to win therefore, we have to fight, as the politicians we have been electing , have shown no courage, shown no spine, no principles nor any conscience. They sell their souls to the military- industrial complex and to lobbyists, including foreign ones.
We have to fight because many in the fourth estate, the media, which is supposed to be the conscience of our society, and the watchdog over our politicians, has been made servile.
We have to fight because we can no longer live with our guilt that our tax dollars are being used to carpet bomb civilian areas including hospitals in refugee camps.
Enough is enough. We are sick and tired of this endless cycle of violence.
The task is not as monumental or as difficult as it seems. Israel is losing the public opinion war in the U.S. and that can be converted to a strategic defeat. You can help force it to end the occupation and endless wars in the Middle East and the demonization of Muslims in
the West .
Once a just and lasting piece is achieved in the Middle East, we will bring the same attention to the other conflicts in the world
The mission of November 11, 2018 has to be completed as our species and our planet face existential threats from climate change and pandemics
Yes we have no other choice but to fight and to win; and win we shall
Here is how
After 100 years of demonizing Arabs and denying Palestinian identity; after 75 years of genocides, ethnic cleanings, massacres and wars; and 56 years of apartheid; just as the new fascist coalition government of Israel thought that it is now free to expel the Palestinians into Jordan and take over Al-Aqsa mosque; the tide has started to change
Israel was able to continue its military domination of the Arabs because of unfettered aid from the US
How and why did the tide start turning
President Biden himself was willing to help Prime Minister Netanyahu to smash the final nail in the coffin of Palestine by joining hands with the two people he hates a lot, Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman of Saudi Arabia and Prime Minister Netanyahu, so that he, Biden, could get the glory of getting the peace deal of the millennia signed under his presidency.
Netanyahu whose arrogance was always compounded by his confidence in his glib talking then went to the UN with a map of Middle East, where Palestine did not exist. The servile and corrupt Arab governments and even Türkiye and Iran did not object to this illegal step. Only Germany mumbled some objection.
Back in Jerusalem, the terrorist settler groups who are now in the coalition government of Israel, started daily forays into the AlAqsa Mosque compound. They even imported red heifers from the US to fulfill the religious requirement to slaughter a red calf which should have no blemishes, to start the construction of the temple in place of the AlAqsa Mosque.https://forward.com/culture/560201/red-heifer-third-temple-jerusalem
While the Palestinian Authority government in the West Bank looked on helplessly, the Hamas government in Gaza decided to take action. They were also under tremendous pressure to get the more than 5000 prisoners and hostages in Israeli jails, released.
On October 7th, HAMAS moved and attained complete tactical surprise to such an extent that Israel is facing the possibility of a strategic defeat as its objective of normalizing relations with corrupt and compliant Arab governments at the cost of Palestinians has started to evaporate and its support in the West is taking a huge hit .
In retaliation to HAMAS’ Tet offensive like raid, Israel started genocidal carpet bombing in one of the most densely populated civilian area in the world, including its hospitals and mosques.
It was always a cornerstone of Israeli military strategy that it will respond to any Arab threat or attempt at resistance, with overwhelming and disproportionate force. They had done so when they destroyed Beruit in 1982 and Lebanon and Gaza many times in the past.
Israel was able to get away with genocide and ethnic cleansing in 1948 such as Deir Yasin pogrom; massacres of Egyptian prisoners of wars in 1956 and 1967; massacres in Qibya and Bureij refugee camp in 1953; Beirut, Sabra and Shatilla in 1982; Al-Aqsa masjid in 1990; UN compound in Qana in the 1996 to name a few
But this is 2033 and the world has changed. Though the fascist ruler of India, Narendra Modi and the tyrant of UAE Mohammad bin Zayed, have become allies of Israel, the West has been trying to move away from Israeli influence.
America is polarized because of the rise of Tea Party and Trump. Young Jews in the US had begun to move away from supporting the genocidal and apartheid policies of Israel.
The public opinion started to turn against Israel, even as Israel use its grip on the main stream Western media institutions to demonize HAMAS and Palestinians
On November 4th, in Washington, DC, more than 100,000 people of all faiths and no faith, rallied for Gaza and Palestine, condemning Israeli colonialism, racism, apartheid and genocide
Not all Israeli leaders possess the cunning of Netanyahu. On November 5th, Israeli minister, Amichai Eliyahu demanded that Gaza be nuked. He most likely had drawn encouragement from Netanyahu’s speech in Hebrew, where he ordered the Israeli troops to undertake the war as ordered by the old testament of Bible, where the children and woman of the enemy are not spared. https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2023/11/benjamin-netanyahu-amalek-israel-palestine-gaza-saul-samuel-old-testament/
How do we bring the bloodshed to an end
Now we have to move the struggle to the next level – force US to order Israel for a ceasefire and to ensure US weapons are never used again to commit genocide or bomb civilian areas
For that you will have to act locally as all politics in America is local
Washington rally does not tell your member of Congress or Governor, how many people from their constituencies support the immediate cease fire in Gaza
For that, you will have to March on to your state capital . We are calling for rallies in all the state capitals next Saturday November 11 which is Armistice/ ceasefire day
You will have to build local alliances with your local churches, moderate synagogues and justice groups. Then take a joint delegation to meet with the local media and political representatives
The ANSWER Coalition is a great partner and is great in organizing rallies. Their DC rally this Saturday Nov the 4th was a huge success. We must continue to work with them when it comes to rallies
They had huge rallies 20 years ago after the Jenin massacres in April 2002 , in DC and San Francisco .
But they do not have much clout when it comes to changing US legislative policies because of their support of genocidal dictators like Putin and Kim of North Korea
To change the US policy you will have to take the next step of forming your own local alliance in your city and state, with local churches , justice groups and moderate synagogues and put pressure on your representatives and local media
Rallies for the sake of rallies or just to give vent to your anger do not help
Build on November 4th DC rally
We are calling for 2 concrete steps on November 11
Coming Saturday, November 11, is the armistice day when on 11th day of the 11th month at 11 AM in 1918, the ceasefire went into affect during World War I. This was the war to end all wars.
But this armistice/ceasefire did not help much and the mission remains unfinished and incomplete. After this armistice of 2018, Israel was created by the colonial powers and it has unleashed many massacres and wars
We must finish the unfinished business.
The Biden administration is already feeling the heat from the Muslims. It is trying to appease the Muslim community by meeting some of the Muslim representatives. It has put forward a national Islamophobia policy. Biden knows that he won the swing states and the presidency because of the Muslim vote in Michigan, Wisconsin, Georgia, Virginia and Pennsylvania. The new polls shows that 80% of those Muslims who voted for Biden in the swing state are not going to vote for him because of the Gaza genocide . Biden is hoping that by the election time next year , Muslims would have forgotten Gaza; and because Trump is worse than Biden Muslims will vote for Biden.
To show Biden that we are serious about Gaza, and we cannot be taken for granted; we are asking Muslims, especially in the swing states and our other fellow citizens to take a pledge that they will not vote for any candidate who does not support cease-fire now. We are asking them make a YouTube video of the pledge. We will help spread these.
This will show the Biden administration and the Democratic Party that we are serious about stopping the genocide in Gaza and ending the occupation in Palestine. The DNC will come under pressure to encourage others to challenge Biden putting more pressure on him.
After our appeal, polls have come out showing Biden trailing Trump in the swing states. The Democratic Party has started to panic. This is the time to push on with confidence.
Remember after the Tet Offensive, President Lyndon Johnson was forced not to seek re-election in 1968. We can do the same with President Biden.
For that we have to remain focused and not let the enemies of peace distort our image or the message. Do not get pulled into debates about the boundaries of the Palestinian state – that is the right of Palestinians only and we do not have any right to discuss that. Be careful about the slogans you raise. The public opinion has turned in our favor- do not damage the progress. Do not be content with successful rallies, rallies are not the end. Build on the momentum by rallying in your county and state capitals to show your strength. Rally in Washington does not show your real local strength. Then take a multi-faith delegation to put pressure on the local media and politicians. Let every small victory lead to a bigger one.
Time has come to have a frank with your Jewish partners in the interfaith circles and local synagogues.
Please meet with the local Jewish leaders, preferably in the presence of local Christian pastors and justice groups, to have a frank talk. Remind them that the Jews and the Muslims and all other minorities in the US face an existential threat with the rise of white supremacy in the US. The white supremacists will come after the Jewish community before they come after the Muslims. Remind them that the intensifying apartheid and oppression in the Middle East by Israel and the spread of Israeli fascism there might hurt the Muslims in Middle East to some extent, but it will hurt the American Jewry the most. Ask them to take a stand against the apartheid and racist policies of Israel for their own sake, if they cannot take it for the sake of justice. Ask them to follow the footsteps of the Jewish youth in America who are active against the racist, colonial and apartheid regime of Israel.
When I did that in years ago, as a representative of Muslim Peace Coalition, some local Muslim leaders had panicked that “we should not talk so firmly to the Jewish leaders,” they said! We already lost so many years because of timidity and lack of strategic farsightedness . We should’ve done it along time ago.
We must be strategic in our thinking and planning
Remember 11/11 and start preparing for the rally in your state capital and make a YouTube video of your pledge that you will not vote for any candidate that does not demand an immediate ceasefire in Gaza
We will be circulating the pledge and the instructions about the pledge videos. Check the campaign section of our website.
Mark your calendar November 11- The Armistice Day
Dr Shaik Ubaid
Chairman
Nov11Movement
Ceasefire Now