Privileged Speech
Akbayan Rep. Walden Bello

This speech was delivered Sept 1, 2014, at the House of Representatives of the Republic of the Philippines. The subject of the speech will be the subject of a future hearing in the appropriate congressional committees.
Promote Peace and Justice in Palestine, Scrap US$20M military deal with Israeli company Elbit System

Akbayan today protests an arms deal between the Philippine government Israeli military company Elbit Systems.

After delaying work on the Israeli freight ship ZIM CHICAGO at the Port of Tacoma, local human-rights activists have learned that they also delayed the arrival of ZIM CHICAGO into the Port of Seattle for another full day.

The unloading and loading of ZIM CHICAGO in the Port of Tacoma was completed by 8 AM on Sunday August 24. Ordinarily the ship would have moved to the Port of Seattle within a few hours and been ready for a longshore work shift starting that same Sunday at 6 PM. However, ZIM CHICAGO spent a full day anchored north of Vashon Island, only docking on Monday afternoon.

Hundreds of Holocaust survivors and descendants of survivors have signed a letter, published as an advertisement in Saturday's New York Times, condemning "the massacre of Palestinians in Gaza" and calling for a complete boycott of Israel.

According to the letter, the condemnation was prompted by an advertisement written by Elie Wiesel and published in major news outlets worldwide, accusing Hamas of "child sacrifice" and comparing the group to the Nazis.

The letter, signed by 327 Jewish Holocaust survivors and descendants of

Amid the devastation, Palestinians in Gaza call on world governments to #StopArmingIsrael, and in particular, on Italy to ban Israeli participation in military training exercises on the Italian island of Sardegna planned for this fall.

Read the Palestinian call for an immediate and comprehensive military embargo on Israel.