The strange haunting song of Bad Canary; or how not to spend your summer vacation

Canary in a Coal Mine | by Michael Sonnabend

Canary in a Coal Mine. "Canaries were once used in coal mining as an early warning system. Toxic gases such as carbon monoxide and methane in the mine would kill the bird bfore affecting the miners. Because canaries tended to sing much of the time, they would stop singing prior to sucumbing to he gas therefore alerting miners to the danger." Around the former coal mine "Zollverein" in Essen there are 10 or 12 larger-than-life canaries to remind of this miner's practivce: photo by Michael Sonnabend, 31 October 2011

"Naming and Shaming": Bad Canary's Busy Work in the Hasbara Mines

"@canarymission" (see abc7news: website targeting politically active students infringes on free speech) is advancing a tactic long advocated for by various pro-Israel groups : image via Ben White @benabyad, 28 May 2015

Tap dancing for Bad Canary

@SenTedCruz: Universities that boycott #Israel should lose federal funding #BDSFail: image via Canary Mission @canarymission, 30 May 2015

Is @canarymission a spec project chasing Adelson & friends $$$? Looks like attacking BDS students will be lucrative: tweet via Eli Clifton @Eli Clifton, 30 May 2015

Sheldon Adelson To Host Secret Anti-BDS Summit for Jewish Donors: Nathan Guttman, The Forward, June 1, 2015

Washington – Leading Jewish mega-donors have summoned pro-Israel activists for a closed-door meeting in Las Vegas to establish, and fund, successful strategies for countering the wave of anti-Israel activity on college campuses.

The meeting, taking place this weekend, will be hosted by casino billionaire Sheldon Adelson and was organized by several other top Jewish funders, including Hollywood entertainment mogul Haim Saban, Israeli-born real-estate developer Adam Milstein and Canadian businesswoman Heather Reisman.

Organizers have sought to keep the gathering secret and have declined to respond to inquiries from the Forward that would confirm the upcoming meeting with two separate informed sources.

The planned Vegas summit marks a shift in approach on the issue of anti-Israel activity on college campuses, whose growth in recent years has captured a top spot on the Jewish communal agenda. The initiative, in this case, did not come from students on the ground, nor did it emerge from work of the many organizations involved in pro-Israel activism on campus. Instead, it is an idea coming from wealthy Jewish philanthropists who have decided to take action. Their communiqués to Jewish groups invite them to come and brainstorm with them during a weekend gathering at the Venetian, Adelson’s luxury hotel on the Las Vegas Strip.

Saban, a Los Angeles billionaire who is also a major Democratic donor with close ties to the Clintons, has been discussing the idea for more than a year, one source with firsthand information of the initiative said. Saban has spoken to Israeli officials, including the former ambassador to Washington Michael Oren and top officials in the Israeli foreign ministry, about setting up a special task force to deal with increased calls on campuses to adopt measures of boycott, divestment and sanctions against Israel, measures commonly referred to as BDS.

According to an official in the Jewish community, it was another California philanthropist of Israeli background, Milstein, who put together the initiative. He got mega-donor Adelson and Reisman, who in recent years has been increasingly involved in initiatives to support Israel, on board.

The donors’ invitation came as somewhat of a surprise to at least some of the invitees. An official with one major group said leaders of the organizations were not aware of the initiative before receiving the last-minute invite and had not been consulted as it was crystallized. The official added that leaders of these groups were not quite certain what the goal of the Vegas summit is. Another Jewish organization official made clear that while his group intends to participate, it will not dispatch a top-level leader to the event.

All Jewish organizations contacted by the Forward declined to speak on record, citing the request of organizers to keep the gathering away from the public eye.

According to several prospective participants, Jewish groups planning to attend the meeting include the Israel on Campus Coalition, Hillel, StandWithUs, the Anti-Defamation League and the Jewish Federations of North America. The Israel Action Network, a communal body created specifically to counter BDS and delegitimization of Israel, will not attend, although it will be represented by one of its parent organizations, JFNA.

J Street U, which is the student arm of the dovish Israel lobby, has a presence on most campuses and opposes BDS, was not invited.

The purpose, an official with one of the groups invited said, was to “find the best strategies” for countering campus anti-Israel campaigns and to “make sure there is funding” for those programs. However, groups were not asked to prepare a pitch to present to the panel of Jewish mega-donors.

Another official explained that the request for secrecy was “reasonable” because “it makes sense not to have the public in the room when you sit with funders to set priorities.”

Campus activity has been among the fastest-growing fields in Jewish organizations. Most major groups, including the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, the ADL and the American Jewish Committee, have set up operations geared at students, alongside groups whose main focus has always been campus activity, such as Hillel and ICC. Yet despite the growth in pro-Israel activism, pro-Palestinian-driven protests and resolutions have been on the rise. The past year has seen a record number of 15 universities adopt resolutions demanding divestiture of college funds from Israel.

Chirp! Bad Canary Website Seeks to Discourage Hiring of Pro-Palestinians

Not Only Is The #Canary Bird A Great Pet, But It Has An Incredible Life-Span: photo by Lynn Newman @BirdCagesNow, 27 May 2015

@democracynow spoke this morning of @canarymission and its attack on free speech: image via StlGal @StlGal, 1 June 2015

So... uh... who is Bad Canary, anyway?

@UN_Spokesperson Islamophobic website @canarymissionis tweeting that they are associated with the @un: image via PAl @MEastQyagmire, 31 May 2015

Q. Why isn't Bad Canary in his very pretty cage, then? A. Because he has flown the coop, again, and now claims to be chilling on a new perch at 46th and First!

Coal Miner's Birdcage Complete (1) | by ficusdesk

Coal Miner's Birdcage Complete (1). The nearly complete Coal Miner's Birdcage (reproduction of vintage models) as was used to carry a live canary into coal mine's to warn the miners of bad air quality. If the canary remained alive and well, the air was acceptable. But if the canary was dead, the air contained either methane or carbon monoxide, and the miners would have to evacuate the mine until the air quality improved: photo by ficusdesk, 24 September 2010

Breaking: Ever-so-brave Bad Canary assaults unexceptionable young free speech user Hadeel Salameh from falseflag headquarters

United Nations Secretariat from Uptown | by Jeffrey

United Nations Secretariat from Uptown. Like a sheet of glass in the sky: photo by Jeffrey Zeldman, 8 September 2013

Featured Radical - Hadeel Salameh! #SJPPitt She's had a lot to say! #Israelbasher #BDSthug: image via Canary Mission @canarymission, 31 May 2015

Nobody ever said constructing a blacklist wasn't sometimes sticky work for Bad Canary, who stoops to spatter his ruff as he welcomes unsuspecting young Marium Navid into the shadows beyond the zio hate campfire

水浴びすると髪が濡れて河童感が増す五助さん。何だか細くなってワイルド！#bird #canary #canarybird #gloster #glostercanary: image via zangiri_cut, 21 May 2015

Today's NEW radical! UCsenator campaigning for #BDS - welcome Marium Navid!: image via Canary Mission @canarymission, 31 May 2015

Bold Bad Canary celebrates another famous soft-target hasbara victory

@LisaCanary RT lol ...just wonder who was this #canary who took off his shirt ???? #NCFC: image via Worstead Canary @poppygirl2014, 1 June 2015

Chirp! Chirp! Bad Canary keeps busy busy busy always expanding the frame

Shadowy Web Site Creates Blacklist of Pro-Palestinian Activists - News #CanaryMission: image via PalestineTrends @Palestinolizer, 27 May 2014

Uh-oh -- unarmed young woman, Palestinian flag -- better call Bad Canary!

Demonstrator holding Palestinian flag calls for Israel's expulsion from FIFA during today's 65th Congress (AFP): image via Ben White @benabyad, 20 May 2015

Learning to kill on summer vacation: Children, come along with us on the 2-Hour IDF Shooting Adventure! (The Article that Sparked a Bad Canary Hasbara Storm)

Caliber 3's tourist programs leave most of our visitors feeling that this was the best part of their trip! Perfect for all ages and groups, choose from a variety of programs including our most popular - The 2-hour IDF Shooting Adventure which over 6000 visitors per year enjoy. English, French, Russian and Hebrew. All of our instructors have real battlefield experience and are weapons experts. You will be able to interact with them and hear their stories about places and operations you heard in the news or history lessons!: photo via Caliber3, 2013

War games and settlement excursions: inside a pro-Israel propaganda tour for student activists (extract): Rebecca Pierce via Mondoweiss, 21 August 2013

“‘TERRORIST! GO! BODY!’ I’m sprinting across the rocky terrain to reach safety…Heart racing, out of breath, I’m trying to remember the instructor’s commands. Muscle memory, no time to aim, hurry, hurry…”

So begins one California college student’s first-hand account of a June 2013 "commando tourism" paintball session at Caliber 3, a privately-owned counter-terrorism training facility in the illegal Israeli settlement bloc of Gush Etzion. The student, identified only as “JJL”, was on a ten-day BlueStar Fellows summer tour of Israel, the West Bank, and the Golan Heights with twenty-three peers from five California universities. The trip was part of a year-long program launched by San Francisco-based Israel advocacy group BlueStar PR with the goal of molding students into “powerful pro-Israel advocates, spokespeople and opinion leaders” on their college campuses.

In over fifty entries on the BlueStar Fellows program blog (penned with the assistance of a writing coach) participants from UC Santa Barbara, UC Santa Cruz, San Francisco State, San Jose State, and Pitzer College reflect on a trip itinerary that often glorifies Israeli state violence while promoting a dehumanized image of Palestinians. The accounts provide insight into the sensational approach to the conflict pushed by some hardline Israel advocacy groups, and raise questions about the impact of their tactics in the battle for the hearts and minds of US college students.

After visiting the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam and flying to Israel, BlueStar participants were first brought to the Museum of Independence in Tel Aviv. Sitting in the flag-swathed hall where the Israeli declaration of independence was signed in 1948, students listened to a tour guide play the national anthem and recount the Zionist narrative of the struggle to create a Jewish state in the land of Palestine, in defiance of hostile neighbors. Absent from accounts of the day is any mention of the 750,000 indigenous Palestinians displaced in the violence leading up to and following the establishment of Israel. In fact, students seem to write Palestinians out of the narrative entirely. After viewing a 1909 picture of the sand dunes part of Tel Aviv would be built on, Qi Li, a Chinese exchange student at SJSU, mused, “isn’t [it] obvious from the barren landscape that [the Palestinians] did not even know or care about this piece of land? How could this land be considered ‘occupied’ when Jewish settlers found this virgin land with no occupants?”

One of the next stops on the trip was the Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center, which houses a museum and memorial to Israeli intelligence officers killed in the line of duty. There, participants sat through another lecture and viewed rooms full of "weapons and explosives... showing he various techniques that terrorists utilize." Students also saw videos and pictures of Palestinian youngsters “handed guns and celebrating death.” Deeply unsettled by this imagery, SFSU student Kayla Wold declared that “in the Islamic world children are raised with a mentality for death. Not just death upon Jews, but death to themselves…Coming from a country and culture where I was taught to cherish my life, it’s been a struggle to understand this mentality.” This death-cult image of Palestinian childhood would sharply contrast with the iconic caterpillar-shaped playground bomb shelter participants observed the next day as they toured Sderot, a city heavily impacted by rockets fired by armed groups in neighboring Gaza.

This playground also doubles as a bomb shelter for children at the park: photo via BlueStar Fellows, 2013

Commando tourism

After visiting the Israeli Holocaust Museum and touring holy sites in East Jerusalem, BlueStar participants journeyed into the occupied West Bank, passing concrete walls and military checkpoints en route to Caliber 3. Located in the Gush Etzion settlement bloc, Caliber 3 Academy provides counter-terrorism training to Israeli combat units, private security companies, and SWAT teams from around the world. The training center also offers a variety of what it calls “commando tourism” activities for civilians, ranging from infantry and urban warfare instruction to paintball games to a Bar Mitzvah package.

At Caliber we know how important your Bar Mitzvah trip is, and that is the reason we came up with the Bar Mitzvah programs. We want you to have a "once in a lifetime experience". We have a variety of programs for all of the family. The programs are customized for each family. That way we can assure you that your experience is unique for your needs. We will build together with you a once in a lifetime experience for your family: photo via Caliber 3, 2013

The Caliber 3 website is blunt about the ideological motivations behind its contentious locale, and boasts of an experience that combines “the values of Zionism with the excitement and enjoyment of shooting.” A June 2013 NPR report on Caliber 3 describes instructors demonstrating firing techniques on targets dressed as Palestinians, and telling tourists that they can “help fight terrorism” by promoting a positive view of Israeli soldiers when they return home.

At Caliber 3, before the paintball competition begins, you and your group are trained by some of the finest experts in close-quarters battle and urban combat in our professional tactical training facility.Training includes: Entering into battle / Room entry techniques / Room clearing / Close-quarter Battle (CQB) / Fighting in complex urban terrain. All you need to bring is clothes that you don't mind getting dirty - We supply the rest!: photo via Caliber 3, 2013

The BlueStar Fellows’ dramatic accounts of their tactical training and paintball session at Caliber 3 resemble a live action version of a first person shooter video game. SJSU student Jaspreet Kaur describes the thrill of learning “how to clear a house of an enemy and…snap into combat mode in less than three seconds.” This creates a chilling image when placed in the context of the frequent night raids the Israeli military leads into the homes of Palestinian families. “JJL” recalls hearing a lecture on the IDF code of ethics the night before the excursion, but admits to being so enthralled that “I did not once think while I was firing at the enemy team whether or not my stray ‘bullets’ might hit an innocent.” While the paintball game was far removed from the human impact of the conflict it mimicked, students felt their experience was authentic, and at times very real. Kaur vividly recalls being shot by a fellow student, saying, “[t]o me that wasn’t a paintball shot by a member of the other team but an actual bullet by a terrorist.”

In the programs we offer an action packed Counter Terror demonstration, Shooting Training, Krav Maga Taining, & Paintball Training! Get ready for the Best Bar Mitzvah Program that Israel has to offer you! Book your Experience TODAY!!: photo via Caliber 3, 2013

Rebecca Pierce is a recent graduate of the University of California Santa Cruz where she studied film production and was active in student media and Palestine solidarity organizing.

Retributive Bad Canary: or how not to spend your summer vacation (Fear Bad Canary now!)

#CM Week in Review: Radical # 2 - Rebecca Pierce @aptly engineerd UCSC Digital Media #CJPFail: image via Canary Mission @canarymission, 30 May 2015

Survivor of "commando tourism""punished" for exercise of free speech

As @canarymission gets widely panned for their craven McCarthyism, they turn to bizarre harassment of their targets: image via Rebecca Pierce @aptly_engineerd, 28 May 2014

Account followed by Canary Mission calling me n****r, Kapo, and saying I have "monkey blood": image via Rebecca Pierce @aptly_engineerd, 2 June 2015

@support hope you will do something about @RememberMasada as he is now mentioning you in rape threats against me: image via Rebecca Pierce @aptly_engineerd, 2 June 2015

Defense Minister reassures anxious Bad Canary: the 'heavy club is still hoisted in the air'

An Israeli military exercise on the Gaza border, March 22, 2015.

An Israeli military exercise on the Gaza border, 22 March 2015: photo by Ilan Assayag via Haaretz, 30 May 2015

"Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon said on Wednesday in a Lecture at the Fisher Institute for Air and Space Studies that the 'heavy club of Operation Protective Edge is still hoisted in the air and it has to be maintained. We must not ignore it -- this part of our deterrence.'"

"Ya'alon spoke about the decision to bomb four Hamas and Islamic Jihad military targets in the organizations' training areas in Gaza..."

Amos Harel, Haaretz, 30 May 2015

When school's out... Bad Canary joins the almost brave Desert Blaze Battalion in time for the next onslaught in Gaza

IDF SOLDIERS OF THE Desert Blaze Batallion

IDF soldiers of the Desert Blaze Battalion: photo by IDF Spokesman's Unit via The Jerusalem Post, 28 May 2015

Security and defense: Preparing for the next round in Gaza: Incorporating the lessons of last summer’s 50-day war, reservists are undergoing intensive battle drills: Yaakov Lappin, The Jerusalem Post, 28 May 2015

Two reservist infantry battalions from Training Base One near Mitzpe Ramon recently completed a grueling 10-day war exercise – which lasted double the time of past drills, was far more intensive, and sheds light on changes in IDF preparations for the next clash with Hamas in Gaza.

Training Base One is the main facility for qualifying army officers, but also serves as the center for a reserve combat brigade.

Col. Avi Gil commands both the reserve brigade and the training base. He told The Jerusalem Post this week that the drill’s extraordinarily difficult conditions are designed to “simulate the physical and mental difficulties” of combat, adding that despite some real doubts, the reservists successfully got through the exercises.

The drills saw frequent last-minute mission changes, and relentless pressure on the reservists – who had to carry out combat tasks in heavy heat, to simulate the fog and strenuous conditions of war.

Held at the Tze’elim Ground Forces training center deep in the Negev, it began at the combat squad level, gradually growing in size to the company level, followed by a battalion-level, live-fire exercise.

It culminated in the storming of mock enemy positions.

The last stage of the exercise was witnessed by IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Gadi Eizenkot, who specially arrived at Tze’elim to review the reservists in action.

The latest drills were part of a new program that incorporates lessons learned from that 50-day war, Gil said.

“Two battalions that took part in Operation Protective Edge were in this drill; this is the first time we trained reserves at the battalion and company level since the operation,” the commander explained.

The extended training period is part of an attempt to “avoid wasting time, which occurred in the past, when training was limited to only a week, and by the time the reservists were ready to start... they had to head home.”

The first week of training dealt with fundamentals of combat, and included “very intensive drills” that lasted for four days. Units practiced operating as a company, stretcher evacuations and navigating battlegrounds. They then stayed at base and held a Shabbat celebration – an experience Gil said was key to creating a bond among unit members.

“All segments of society were there,” he noted. “At first, there was lots of opposition. People asked, why do we need to do this? But we used civilian gelling models; hi-tech companies and law firms do these things to create cohesion among their employees, and cohesion is important for us too.” In the end, he added, the experience was a very positive one for all involved.

After a brief respite, the second week of training began in the desert sands, and battalion-wide, intensive war drills pushed the reservists to the edge of their capabilities.

The reservists “said they did not remember things like this, even during their time as conscripted soldiers,” Gil recalled. “When you fight the enemy, he doesn’t care if you are a reservist or a conscripted soldier; you have to win the battle. The enemy will not take into account the fact that you came from the civilian world, that you are a lawyer or doctor by profession.

“It was very tough, and I have to say, I started this with doubts. People said it was too difficult. Yet I was pleasantly surprised, in a very significant way.”

The second phase of training was defined by “lots of uncertainty, as in war; not knowing what will happen in two hours. The units studied drills, and were suddenly pulled away and mobilized elsewhere.

They did this while being extremely tired, and in very high temperatures,” Gil said.

Seventy percent of the drill simulated combat in confined, built-up areas, and the remaining 30 percent saw soldiers practice fighting terror cells in open areas.

“I saw how hard it was on their faces,” he said.

“They felt this had no end. They were running on three hours of sleep, and continued on with their missions.”

Most reservists serving in the battalions are aged 26 to 27, and a majority come from the Givati infantry brigade. “They really come from the whole of Israel. When they come together, suddenly, there are no divisions. There is unity surrounding the mission, it is something incredible,” Gil said.

The battalions gelled through weeks of intense combat in Gaza last summer, an experience Gil stressed changed his perception of their capabilities.

“When we arrived at Operation Protective Edge, on the first day, I knew the platoon and company commanders but not the soldiers. I looked at them and asked myself: Am I certain I want to fight with them? After a couple of days, I saw the combat framework come together. This was a wonder in and of itself.”

Although he considers the exercises to be a success, Gil said they also provided glimpses into gaps that need to be addressed. “Whatever you touch, you end up missing something else.

“It was a challenge to the leadership abilities of the commanders. Usually, reserve training is seen a as little bit of fun; they used to come and play backgammon.

Now, [in this training session,] battalion and company companies faced real pressure from soldiers below. This pressure is what happens whenever there is chaos,” he continued.

“I think we are more ready for any mission than we were two weeks ago. We still have steps to climb...

We are preparing for the Gaza region, and for a range of scenarios.”

Lt.-Col. Aviram Ring, commander of a reconnaissance battalion, told the Post that at the end of last year’s conflict, special teams were assembled to “study our performance. One of our conclusions was the need to increase the role of commanders, who must function in a rapidly challenging reality in Gaza.”

The 10-day exercise was born out of that process.

“The drill simulated northern Gaza’s sandy regions and built-up closed spaces within the Strip, as well as underground warfare,” Ring detailed.

“That’s how we began building the drill. Planning started months ago,” he added. “As the reconnaissance battalion, we are the brigade’s forward guard.

“We project on to the rest of the brigade, and up [the chain of command] to the Southern Command, as well as down the chain. When [officer] cadets see reservists in uniform and ceramic vests, carrying dozens of kilograms on them, it has an impact.”

The exercise focused on cooperation with other components of the ground forces, Ring said. “One of the conclusions from last year is that this cooperation was not well-understood.

“Every drill, from the platoon level upwards, involved armored and combat engineering units, and was assisted by lookouts. We understand there is no such thing anymore as an infantry-only operation.

Today, it is about the combined battle.”

Ring, who took command of the brigade’s reconnaissance battalion in January, said he hopes other reserve combat battalions will adopt the same training pattern.

“I can say unequivocally that our readiness has gone up. We still have not trained for 100 percent of scenarios... but the unit drilled everything it could in the live-fire training ground, and had access to the supporting environment the IDF can provide.”

Units practiced advancing, seizing territory, then stopping to seek cover from enemy fire, before continuing with an assault. “It all means that battle- readiness has risen,” he asserted. “Are we ready? Much more than before.”

Ring paid tribute to the 10 days his reservists gave up for training, 10 days in which “they were not at work and not with their families. This is tough, both physically and mentally, and they trained in very high temperatures.

“I saluted them at the end of it.”

If not by land... the desolate sea shanty of Bad Canary

Israel Navy Tzar’a boat: photo by IDF Spokesman's Unit via The Jerusalem Post, 1 June 2015

Israel Navy's small boat unit practicing short-range strikes on Gazan targets: In recent weeks, the Snapir unit based at the Ashdod Naval Base, part of the navy’s 916 Patrol Squadron, held the first drill of its kind on the unit’s new offensive role: Yaakov Lappin, The Jerusaem Post, 1 June 2015

The Israel Navy’s Snapir unit of fast-moving, inflatable boats formerly had the conventional defensive task of securing the ports of Ashdod, Haifa, and Eilat, but the unit’s role is now expanding.

In recent weeks, the Snapir unit based at the Ashdod Naval Base, part of the navy’s 916 Patrol Squadron, held the first drill of its kind on the unit’s new offensive role.

During the drill, the unit’s Tzar’a boats simulated a close approach to terrorist targets on the Gazan coastline and carried out mock shortrange strikes against them.

The Tzar’a boats simulated coordinated attacks with other vessels from the 916 Squadron, like the Dvora and Shaldag-class fast patrol boats.

A senior navy source said last week that the drill is the culmination of a months-long process of assigning the small boats a new, offensive combat role, and developing a fresh operational doctrine for them.

Thanks to their speed, small size, and maneuverability, the source said, the Tzar’as can come right up to the Gazan coastline and thwart attacks, or seek out Hamas divers and drop depth charges to prevent them from reaching the Israeli coast.

In the months leading up to Operation Protective Edge last summer, the source said, the navy had concluded that Hamas would seek to attack Israel by sending naval commandos to reach the Israeli coast.

Now, instead of only defending Ashdod Port, the Snapir unit has to be able to hit Gazan targets and carry out detection and interception missions against terrorist commandos who may seek to land on an Israeli beach, just as they did during last summer’s conflict.

In addition to the depth charges, the Tzar’a boats are armed with a MAG 7.62 mm machine gun, night vision optics, and their sailors are also armed with assault rifles.

As part of its expanded role, the co-ed Snapir unit also received non-lethal combat equipment to help it enforce Israel’s maritime blockade of Gaza and send back Palestinian fishing boats that stray from the allotted zone.

The broadened role for the unit has “very much increased its activities and hours at sea,” the officer said. “They also experience a lot more friction [with Palestinian vessels],” he said. “But the Snapir unit is meeting this challenge, with high rates of success.”

The neurotic war-chirp of Bad Canary plays again and again, and demolition may come at any moment

At any moment, Israeli occupation forces may demolish Palestinian village of Susiya near Hebron: image via Ben White @benabyad, 1 June 2015

At any moment, Israel’s Civil Administration (CA) might demolish all homes and structures in Khirbet Susiya, a small Palestinian village in the South Hebron Hills, the West Bank. On 4 May 2015, Israel’s High Court of Justice (HCJ) denied a request for an interim injunction that would prevent the CA from implementing the demolition orders it had issued. The request was made during a hearing of a petition filed by the villagers, the latest measure in their battle against efforts by Israeli authorities to forcibly transfer them from their homes in Area C to Area B or A, as part of a policy to annex the area de-facto to Israel. Demolition would effectively mean banishing the residents from their land and their village. The residents of Khirbet Susiya were expelled from the original site of their village in the 1980s, after the CA declared it a “national park”. They then took up residence on their farmland but the Israeli authorities tried to expel them from there, too. After a protracted legal battle, the villagers remained on the farmland, but the CA issued demolition orders for all their homes and refused to authorize the master plan they drew up for the new village. In response, the residents petitioned the HCJ with the help of Israeli NGO Rabbis for Human Rights. They argued that the CA had rejected their master plan on discriminatory grounds and requested that the court issue an interim injunction to stay the demolition until the petition is heard. Justice Noam Solhberg denied the request. Without homes to live in, the residents will remain without shelter in harsh desert conditions. Demolishing all structures in the village would be both cruel and illegal. International occupation law prohibits both the demolition of homes in such circumstances and the forcible transfer of an occupied population. Based on past experience, if the residents are forced to leave their land, settlers will take it over with the support of the state -- as they have already done with 300 hectares of village land. We can help the villagers fight for their land. They want to stay in their homes and need our help making their story public knowledge. At present it is virtually unknown to the world. -- via btselem. org, 1 June 2015

Residents of village og Khirbet Susyiya, threatened with Israeli demolition: photo via btselem. org

We ain't going anywhere sweetie @YDan10 @purplhaze42 @canarymission @charlesfrith @umm_hashim @avibono: image via Shim Rational @shimrational, 30 May 2015

The death-song of Bad Canary echoes deep in the darkest night

Village of Khirbet Susyiya, faced with demolition: photo via btselem. org

Coal Miner's Canary. Tribute to the canaries that saved many miners' lives by detecting bad air. Trinidad, Colorado: photo by ccarlstead, 26 June 2012

The strange haunting song of Bad Canary; or how not to spend your summer vacation

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