Can we talk? The Middle East “peace industry”20 Aug 2009rr r r rr r rr r rr r rr r rr rrr rUpon finding out that I am Palestinian, many people I meet at college in the United States are eager to inform me of various activities that they have participated in that promote “coexistence” and “dialogue” between both sides of the “conflict,” no doubt expecting me to give a nod of approval. However, these efforts are harmful and undermine the Palestinian civil society call for boycott, divestment and sanctions of Israel—the only way of pressuring Israel to cease its violations of Palestinians’ rights. Faris Giacaman comments for The Electronic Intifada.
Despite obstacles, Gaza students score well on exams19 Aug 2009rr r r rr r rr r rr r rr r rr rrr rAMSTERDAM (IPS) – Call it that choice between looking at the half-full or half-empty part of the results. And it is almost half; 55 percent of schoolchildren passed their general secondary school examinations in Gaza this year. The results in the humanities section in the exams, the tawjihis as they are called, were four percent better than last year, and in the sciences they were better by two percent. So much for the impact of the Israeli bombardment last December-January, on most of the children anyway.
Amnesty int’l withdraws from Israel concert fund following campaign19 Aug 2009rr r r rr r rr r rr r rr r rr rrr rAmnesty International has announced that it will abstain from any involvement in the Leonard Cohen concert in Tel Aviv and will not be party to any fund that benefits from the concert’s proceeds. Amnesty International’s announcement followed an international outcry over the human rights organization’s reported involvement in the Leonard Cohen concert fund, and an earlier international call for Cohen to boycott apartheid Israel.
Irish construction giant digs deeper in occupation18 Aug 2009rr r r rr r rr r rr r rr r rr rrr rA recent acquisition by the Israeli subsidiary of brick and mortar giant Irish CRH has placed the European conglomerate under increased pressure from Palestine solidarity activists. Irish CRH, formerly known as Cement Roadstone Holding, owns 25 percent of the Mashav Group, an Israeli construction firm. Mashav recently announced that it will acquire Hanson Israel, a subsidiary of Germany’s HeidelbergCement. With the acquisition of Hanson Israel, CRH is further entrenched in violations of international law in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Adri Nieuwhof reports for The Electronic Intifada.
Israel brings Gaza entry restrictions to West Bank18 Aug 2009rr r r rr r rr r rr r rr r rr rrr rIn an echo of restrictions already firmly in place in Gaza, Israel has begun barring movement between Israel and the West Bank for those holding a foreign passport, including humanitarian aid workers and thousands of Palestinian residents. The new policy is designed to force foreign citizens, mainly from North America and Europe, to choose between visiting Israel—including East Jerusalem, which Israel has annexed illegally—and the West Bank. Jonathan Cook reports from Jerusalem.
Two years later, reconstruction to start in Nahr al-Bared18 Aug 2009rr r r rr r rr r rr r rr r rr rrr rNAHR AL-BARED (IRIN) – Two years on from the devastating battle which destroyed their homes and livelihoods, Palestinian refugees from Nahr al-Bared are set to see reconstruction work begin inside the camp’s official boundaries. Despite a resilient recovery under way among Palestinians living in the new camp—the area around the edge of the official Nahr al-Bared refugee camp—legal hurdles, political wrangling and the recent discovery of archaeological ruins under the site of the old camp have delayed reconstruction work there.
Israel begins sell-off of refugees’ land17 Aug 2009rr r r rr r rr r rr r rr r rr rrr rAmin Muhammad Ali, a 74-year-old refugee from a destroyed Palestinian village in northern Israel, says he only feels truly at peace when he stands among his ancestors’ graves. The cemetery, surrounded on all sides by Jewish homes and farms, is a small time capsule, transporting Muhammad Ali—known to everyone as Abu Arab—back to the days when this place was known by an Arabic name, Saffuriya, rather than its current Hebrew name, Tzipori. Jonathan Cook reports.
Fatah conference leaves problems unresolved17 Aug 2009rr r r rr r rr r rr r rr r rr rrr rWASHINGTON (IPS) – Mahmoud Abbas, the 74-year-old leader of the Palestinian Fatah movement, registered a significant achievement in holding the movement’s Sixth General Conference, which has been wrapping up its business in Bethlehem in the Israeli-occupied West Bank this week. But veteran Palestinian analysts say Abbas’s biggest internal political challenges still lie ahead.
Young love in Gaza17 Aug 2009rr r r rr r rr r rr r rr r rr rrr rThey say that all is fair in love and war. In Gaza, love and war have come together in a bittersweet union. Rana al-Zourby, 26, like many women around the world, dreamed of walking down the aisle in a white dress and veil. But her marriage to Mahmoud al-Zourby is extraordinary in many ways as life is these days in Gaza. Eman Mohammed reports on the young couple’s marriage in the Gaza Strip for The Electronic Intifada.
Nonviolent direct action, solidarity and struggle17 Aug 2009rr r r rr r rr r rr r rr r rr rrr rThe purpose of nonviolent direct action and civil resistance is to take risks and put our selves in the way of injustice. We take these risks well aware of what the possible consequences may be. We do so because the consequences of doing nothing are so much worse. Any time we allow ourselves to be bullied, every time we pass by an evil and ignore it, we lower our standards and allow our world to be made that much harsher and unjust for us all. Ramzi Kysia comments for The Electronic Intifada.
Jerusalem families waiting for US action14 Aug 2009rr r r rr r rr r rr r rr r rr rrr rMaher Hanoun was ordered by Israeli courts to hand over the keys to his home on 19 July. Rather than comply with the court order, he held a press conference outside his house accompanied by several top officials, including Nils Eliasson of the Swedish Consulate representing the European Union, Robert Serry representing the UN, and Dr. Rafik Husseini of the Palestinian Authority. They all condemned the proposed eviction, calling it an affront to norms of international justice. In spite of US President Barack Obama’s call to freeze Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, no representative from the US was present. Marcey Gayer comments for The Electronic Intifada.
Boycott movement takes hold in British unions14 Aug 2009rr r r r rr r rr r rr r rr rr rrr rThe international campaign of boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) against Israel has won several important victories in recent months. At this summer’s trade union conferences in Britain, BDS activists have made significant progress. Asa Winstanley reports for The Electronic Intifada
Egyptian opposition condemns gas deal with Israel14 Aug 2009rr r r rr r rr r rr r rr r rr rrr rCAIRO (IPS) – Opposition figures and political activists have slammed a new deal to sell Egyptian liquefied natural gas (LNG) to Israel at what they say are vastly reduced prices. “Egyptian gas is being sold to Israel at prices far below the international average,” Ibrahim Yosri, former head of legal affairs and treaties at the Egyptian Foreign Ministry told IPS. “This agreement is proof that the ruling regime is unconcerned with public opinion and is insistent on depriving the Egyptian public of its rightful national assets.”
Down the rabbit hole14 Aug 2009rr r r rr r rr r rr r rr r rr rrr rThere are stairs, which descend from Jaffa Gate to another world. When I first saw these stairs, I thought them to be a meeting point—something like the stairs that descend from the main road to Damascus Gate. But these stairs give onto a promenade of stores and cafes and commercial outlets of all sorts. In such stark contrast is this promenade to the Old City, which it leaves behind, that it literally feels surreal. But the Alice in Wonderland phenomenon only intensifies as one proceeds further down the rabbit hole. Yavar Hameed writes from Jerusalem.
JNF presence in S. America perpetuates Palestine injustice13 Aug 2009rr r r r rr r rr r rr r rr rr rrr rWithout any sense of irony, lands of destroyed Palestinian villages have been expropriated by the Jewish National Fund (JNF) and dedicated to revolutionary South American heroes of liberation. Despite its role in the ongoing dispossession of historic Palestine, JNF has offices in the capitals of Bolivia and Venezuela where they raise funds to further entrench a racist system and to erase the signs of Israel’s double crime: the ethnic cleansing of Palestine and the demolition of the Arab Jewish communities all over the Arab world and the transfer of Jews of Arab origin to Palestine by means of deception and terror. Rahela Mizrahi comments for The Electronic Intifada.
Evicted Jerusalem family refuses to give up12 Aug 2009rr r r rr r rr r rr r rr r rr rrr rWe knew that the threat of eviction against the Hanoun family in occupied East Jerusalem was imminent ever since the first order of this year was served on 19 February. The family had already been kicked out of their home once, in 2002, but it was still hard to imagine that the day would ever come. Jody McIntyre writes from occupied East Jerusalem.
Gaza play highlights difficulties for artists under siege12 Aug 2009rr r r rr r rr r rr r rr r rr rrr rThe question of the arts in times of siege and occupation is one of the main themes in Gaza’s newest theatre production, Film Cinema, which opened on 4 August in Gaza City. A stage buried in film negatives, and adorned with a lone plump teddy bear, sets the scene of the three-person play. Eva Bartlett reports for The Electronic Intifada.
Prison strengthens Palestinian women11 Aug 2009rr r r rr r rr r rr r rr r rr rrr rBETHLEHEM, occupied West Bank (IPS) – In her office at the Bethlehem women’s counseling center, Khawla al-Azraq recounts her memories from Israeli prison as vividly as if they were yesterday: the routine physical and psychological abuse, the nightly room searches, the hunger strikes and other collective actions in protest against their conditions, and the intense study sessions with her fellow prisoners.
Cleaning up explosives in Gaza11 Aug 2009rr r r rr r rr r rr r rr r rr rrr rGAZA CITY, occupied Gaza Strip (IRIN) – The UN Development Programme (UNDP) has begun removing 600,000 metric tons of rubble and debris left over from Israel’s winter invasion of the Gaza Strip. More than six months later, the most deadly threat to civilians emanates from unexploded ordnance in rubble and underground.
Prosthetics unavailable for Gaza amputees11 Aug 2009rr r r rr r rr r rr r rr r rr rrr rGAZA CITY, occupied Gaza Strip (IPS) – On a Saturday morning in Gaza City, the Artificial Limb and Polio Center (ALPC) is filled with people waiting to see the director, Dr. Hazem al-Shawwa. Following consultation with him and with the specialist in prosthetics and orthotics rehabilitation from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), many will begin the long road to treatment.
Little recourse for Arab girl rejected from Israeli day-care10 Aug 2009rr r r r rr r rr r rr r rr rr rrr rAn Arab couple whose one-year-old daughter was expelled from an Israeli day-care center on her first day are suing a Jewish mother for damages, accusing her of racist incitement against their child. Jonathan Cook reports.
“Breaking the Silence” or silencing the critics?7 Aug 2009rr r r rr r rr r rr r rr r rr rrr r”Breaking the Silence” is a member of the Israeli human rights, peace and social justice community. The group’s only crime, so it seems, lies in its effort to offer an alternative ethical voice in a society that is arguably losing its way. Breaking the Silence provides a platform for soldiers to testify to acts of violence and other violations of Palestinian rights that they may have witnessed or taken part in during their service in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. Louis Frankenthaler comments for The Electronic Intifada.
Smoke, mirrors and acrimony: The 2009 Fatah congress6 Aug 2009rr r r rr r rr r rr r rr r rr rrr rIt has been an unnatural string of days here in Bethlehem. Gone is the usual quaintness. Palestinian police are working overtime and coffee shops are being lit up by men in suits with cigars in town for Fatah’s sixth general assembly. The secular Fatah movement was founded in the 1950s and has since been at the forefront of the Palestinian national movement. Sousan Hammad writes for The Electronic Intifada.
Letter campaign: Israeli apartheid deserves no amnesty6 Aug 2009rr r r r rr r rr r rr r rr rr rrr rThe following action alert was issued on 5 August 2009 by the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel and groups around the world, urging Amnesty International to discontinue its involvement with a Leonard Cohen concert in Israel that effectively normalizes Israel’s violations of international law and undermines the worldwide movement to boycott Israel.
Crippled academia unable to recover in Gaza6 Aug 2009rr r r rr r rr r rr r rr r rr rrr rMore than six months after Israel’s winter invasion of Gaza, a number of partially or largely damaged universities await reconstruction. Raw materials essential for rebuilding are unavailable in Gaza primarily because of Israel’s 26-month blockade of the tiny territory. Coupled with the wide-scale destruction from Israel’s 22-day onslaught, the siege has crippled most aspects of public life for Gaza’s 1.5 million residents. Rami Almeghari reports from the Gaza Strip.
Electronic Intifada