US intent on dragging Israel to negotiating table
24 Mar 2010
rr r r r rr r rr r rr r rr rr rrr rBenjamin Netanyahu arrived in the United States this week armed with a mandate from the Israeli parliament. A large majority of legislators from all of Israel’s main parties had supported a petition urging him to stand firm on the building of Jewish settlements in occupied East Jerusalem—the very issue that got him into hot water days earlier with the White House. Jonathan Cook analyzes.

Israeli army forced to investigate weekend’s killings
24 Mar 2010
rr r r rr r rr r rr r rr r rr rrr rRAMALLAH, occupied West Bank (IPS) – Many Israelis like to believe, and the cliche is repeated regularly in Israel, that their army is the “most moral army in the world.” However, following the Gaza war which left 1,400 Palestinians dead, most of them civilians, some Israelis have begun to question this. Furthermore, the fatal shooting of four Palestinian teenagers in the course of 24 hours over the weekend has forced the Israeli military to investigate the incident amidst contradictory statements issued by the soldiers involved.

PACBI: West-Eastern Divan Orchestra violates boycott
24 Mar 2010
rr r r r rr r rr r rr r rr rr rrr rA recent article criticizing the Palestinian Campaign For the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel’s (PACBI) position on the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra (WEDO) is based on false premises, misunderstanding and/or misrepresentation of the PACBI boycott criteria, and a misconception of the recent history of civil resistance in Palestine. Since the article insinuates that PACBI’s position on WEDO is inconsistent with its own principles, the record needs to be set straight.

EU boosts ties with Israel, ignores settlements and occupation
23 Mar 2010
rr r r r rr r rr r rr r rr rr rrr rBRUSSELS (IPS) – Diplomats representing the European Union (EU) have drawn up a new plan for strengthening their relations with Israel despite the expansion of illegal settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Spain, the current holder of the EU’s rotating presidency, is eager that work proceeds on formally upgrading the Union’s political and commercial ties with Israel over the next few months.

The US’ choreographed “outrage” at Israel
23 Mar 2010
rr r r rr r rr r rr r rr r rr rrr rThe speeches at AIPAC, the pro-Israel lobby group, on Monday by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Netanyahu’s subsequent meeting with US President Barack Obama are widely seen as drawing to a close what Israeli ambassador to the US Michael Oren called the “most severe crisis in US-Israel relations” in decades. However, this “crisis” has been widely misconstrued by both supporters and critics of Israel. Stephen Maher comments for The Electronic Intifada.

In Australia, a day of solidarity with Palestine
23 Mar 2010
rr r r r rr r rr r rr r rr rr rrr rIn an important show of solidarity, 500 individuals participated in pro-Palestine activities on Friday 19 March in Melbourne, Australia, protesting against both the brutality of Israel’s actions in recent weeks and the ongoing support of the Australian government for Israeli apartheid. Omar Hassan writes from Australia.

Soundtrack to the struggle: Rafeef Ziadah’s “Hadeel” reviewed
23 Mar 2010
rr r r r rr r rr r rr r rr rr rrr rLike stones thrown from the palms of Palestinian youth, Rafeef Ziadah’s lyrics are relentless in the way they shower audiences with the multiple layers of resistance and diaspora. Ziadah’s debut album, Hadeel, unleashes a tapestry of fierce poetry infused with an eclectic selection of beautiful sounds. Ahmed Habib reviews for The Electronic Intifada.

Israeli forces kill four Palestinians in West Bank, bomb Gaza tunnels
22 Mar 2010
rr r r r rr r rr r rr r rr rr rrr rDuring the past three days, Israeli forces killed four Palestinians in the West Bank and struck targets in the Gaza Strip. The bodies of two West Bank victims were examined by a doctor who told the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights that the victims’ wounds indicate that they were shot from a close range.

Gaza civil society to UN chief: siege more than “unacceptable”
22 Mar 2010
rr r r r rr r rr r rr r rr rr rrr rUN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon described the blockade of Gaza “unacceptable” on 27 December 2009. Palestinian civil society organizations in Gaza assert that this “constitutes a gross understatement of the actual situation which amounts to slow genocide. Such an understatement suggests that you are trimming your language to accommodate US pro-Israeli policy.”

The trials of making a film in Gaza
22 Mar 2010
rr r r rr r rr r rr r rr r rr rrr rI am on a plane, on the way back from Palestine to my apartment—a quiet, private place set in rainy Amsterdam. It is there where I will edit my film, a love story set in the Gaza Strip. I have just finished shooting it, the first dramatic feature to be made about Gaza in more than ten years. And it took me seven years of continuous development and fundraising to shoot it. Susan Youssef recounts her experience for The Electronic Intifada.

House rental in Israel: Arabs need not apply
22 Mar 2010
rr r r rr r rr r rr r rr r rr rrr rThe Zakai and Tarabin families should be a picture of happy coexistence across the ethnic divide, a model for others to emulate in Israel. But Natalie and Weisman Zakai say the past three years—since the Jewish couple offered to rent their home to Bedouin friends, Ahmed and Khalas Tarabin—have been a living hell. Jonathan Cook reports.

Protest the US’ silencing of Palestinian journalist Mohammed Omer
19 Mar 2010
rr r r r rr r rr r rr r rr rr rrr rEffectively canceling a planned speaking tour, the US consulate in the Netherlands has put an extended hold on the visa application of award-winning Palestinian journalist and photographer Mohammed Omer, scheduled to speak on conditions in Palestine, on 5 April in Chicago.

Time to bury dead ideas about Palestine
19 Mar 2010
rr r r r rr r rr r rr r rr rr rrr rThere is a growing recognition that the Israeli settlement enterprise in the Occupied Palestinian Territories is, in practical terms, irreversible. The two-state solution, which for decades has been characterized as the preferred solution of an amorphous “international consensus” has generally been understood to involve a return to the pre-1967 occupation boundaries (referred to as the green line) with minor territorial adjustments by the parties. By now, even optimists refer to this solution as “unlikely” and “virtually impossible,” while realists recognize that the concept has outlived its usefulness as a political aspiration. Martha Reese comments for The Electronic Intifada.

Book review: Higher education under occupation
19 Mar 2010
rr r r r rr r rr r rr r rr rr rrr rGabi Baramki’s Peaceful Resistance: Building a Palestinian University under Occupation (Pluto Press, 2009) is a memoir of Palestine’s flagship university, Birzeit, by its former acting president. The memoir is an indispensable tool for teaching Westerners about the ways in which Palestinian education exists and flourishes under a constant state of siege and the barriers to academic freedom that Palestinians experience on a daily basis. Marcy Newman reviews for The Electronic Intifada.

UC Berkeley student senate votes in favor of divestment
19 Mar 2010
rr r r r rr r rr r rr r rr rr rrr rEarly yesterday morning, the University of California Berkeley Student Senate (ASUC) passed a bill to divest from companies that provide military support for the Israeli occupation of Palestine. Debate began the night before at 9:00pm and ended and six hours later when the vote was held at 3:00am.

The UK’s misguided advice to Lebanon
18 Mar 2010
rr r r r rr r rr r rr r rr rr rrr rOne would think that the British government—considering its history in the Middle East of colonizing and partitioning the land and overthrowing governments, and its current support of undemocratic and dictatorial regimes while occupying two nations in the greater region—would be wary of sending its representatives to offer advice to Arab nations on how best to achieve their right to self-determination. Matthew Cassel comments.

Palestinian anger fills the streets
18 Mar 2010
rr r r r rr r rr r rr r rr rr rrr rQALANDIA, occupied West Bank (IPS) – On Tuesday tens of hundreds of Palestinians of all political persuasions took to the streets, alleys and sidewalks as widespread rioting and protests spread across occupied East Jerusalem, the rest of the West Bank, Gaza and into Israel proper.

Storm over Israeli settlements as unreal as the peace process
18 Mar 2010
rr r r r rr r rr r rr r rr rr rrr rSince Israel announced yet another new settlement in occupied East Jerusalem during the visit of US Vice President Joe Biden last week, Israel has been subjected to a storm of criticism from friend and foe alike. Biden was in Jerusalem to show US support for Israel and to launch “proximity talks” between Israel and the Palestinian Authority of Ramallah. Instead the Israeli announcement caused him and the US administration deep embarrassment, prompting several officials to term it an “insult” and an “affront” and to stir talk of the worst crisis in US-Israeli relations in decades. Hasan Abu Nimah comments.

DFLP’s Saleh Zeidan: Obama’s speech should become action
18 Mar 2010
rr r r r rr r rr r rr r rr rr rrr rSaleh Zeidan, Gaza-based leader of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP), spoke to The Electronic Intifada correspondent Rami Almeghari about chances for peace in the region following the latest failures and setbacks in United States peace initiatives. This is part of an occasional series of interviews with various political figures and factions in Palestine.

Why violence against Palestinian women is widespread
17 Mar 2010
rr r r r rr r rr r rr r rr rr rrr rGAZA CITY, occupied Gaza Strip (IRIN) – Nahla (not her real name), aged 30, from Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza, said she was physically and mentally abused for more than ten years by her husband before being granted a divorce three months ago. Fear and cultural factors prevented her from seeking help from women’s organizations.

Israeli raids targeting children
17 Mar 2010
rr r r r rr r rr r rr r rr rr rrr rSilwan, Occupied East Jerusalem (IPS) – Three thousand heavily armed Israeli security service forces locked down large parts of the Old City of Jerusalem on Tuesday, as battalions of police fired rounds of tear gas and rubber-coated steel bullets at Palestinian protesters in the occupied eastern part of the city. Nearly 40 Palestinians were wounded and treated at nearby hospitals, as 25 were arrested during intense clashes.

Barenboim-Said Foundation does not promote normalization
17 Mar 2010
rr r r r rr r rr r rr r rr rr rrr rOn 28 January 2010 the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI) issued a statement to the Qatari government calling for a boycott of Daniel Barenboim and the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra (WEDO) and condemning the Qatari Ministry of Culture for hosting the orchestra in Doha. The statement goes so far as to accuse Daniel Barenboim of being an ardent Zionist. Mariam Said comments for The Electronic Intifada.

Documentary: “Nahr al-Bared: Checkpoints and more”
16 Mar 2010
rr r r r rr r rr r rr r rr rr rrr rNahr al-Bared refugee camp has still not recovered from the devastating war in 2007 during which it was destroyed. The Lebanese army has been keeping a tight grip on the camp and the 20,000 displaced Palestinians who have returned so far. This 30-minute film documents various consequences of the siege on Nahr al-Bared. Merchants and artisans explain their specific problems and a UN agency for Palestine refugees (UNRWA) project manager, a project coordinator of the Palestinian-Arab Women League, the president of Nahr al-Bared’s Merchants’ Committee and a researcher provide their views and thoughts on the issue.

Israel’s actions on the ground proving difficult to spin
16 Mar 2010
rr r r r rr r rr r rr r rr rr rrr rJERSUSALEM (IPS) – Israeli riot police and soldiers have, since Friday, sealed off the al-Aqsa mosque, Islam’s third holiest shrine, restricting entry to women and Palestinian men over 50. Outside the walled Old City, where the al-Aqsa mosque is situated, and in several West Bank villages, clashes were reported.

European Union found guilty at first session of Russell Tribunal
15 Mar 2010
rr r r r rr r rr r rr r rr rr rrr rThe first session of the Russell Tribunal on Palestine (RTP) was heard in Barcelona, Spain earlier this month. The RTP is a peoples’ legal initiative designed to systematically try key actors responsible for the perpetuation of human rights violations in Palestine. In the frame this time was the European Union (EU). Two days and 21 expert witness testimonies later, the RTP found individual states and the EU as a whole guilty of persistent violations and misconduct with regards to international and internal EU law. Ewa Jasiewicz and Frank Barat comment for The Electronic Intifada.