Traumatized children struggle to rise again5 Aug 2009rr r r rr r rr r rr r rr r rr rrr rAL-BUREIJ, occupied Gaza Strip (IPS) – Tens of thousands of children in Gaza are still suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) following Israel’s three-week bombing in December-January. Several crisis counseling teams run by international organizations and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have been carrying out intervention programs aimed at helping Gaza’s most vulnerable put the pieces of their lives back together.
Egyptian opposition branded “terrorist”4 Aug 2009rr r r rr r rr r rr r rr r rr rrr rCAIRO (IPS) – The Egyptian government is now accusing the Muslim Brotherhood of links to Palestinian resistance groups and of establishing “global networks.” Recent months have seen a host of government accusations—which critics say are fabricated—against opposition groups it claims have ties with Hamas, Hizballah, and the ever-elusive al-Qaeda. “The government is making up so many charges of ‘terror networks’ and ‘Islamist cells’ that it’s hard to keep track of them all,” Islamist lawyer Montasser al-Zayat told IPS.
“Beiruti in Jaffa, Yafawi in Beirut”: Shafiq al-Hout’s story in his own words4 Aug 2009rr r r rr r rr r rr r rr r rr rrr r”In Jaffa we were called the “Beirutis” [the ones from Beirut] and in Beirut we became known the Yafawi. Who am I?” Shafiq al-Hout, the Palestinian political figure and founding member of the Palestine Liberation Organization, passed away in Beirut this week at the age of 77. In a tribute to his tireless efforts towards the liberation of the Palestinian people, the Electronic Intifada presents his story in his own words, as told to The Electronic Intifada contributor Mayssoun Sukarieh in Beirut in 1999.
Israel moves to declare rights groups as foreign agents4 Aug 2009rr r r rr r rr r rr r rr r rr rrr rIn a bid to staunch the flow of damaging evidence of war crimes committed during Israel’s winter assault on Gaza, the Israeli government has launched a campaign to clamp down on human rights groups, both in Israel and abroad. It has begun by targeting one of the world’s leading rights organizations, the US-based Human Rights Watch (HRW), as well as a local group of dissident army veterans, Breaking the Silence, which last month published the testimonies of 26 combat soldiers who served in Gaza. Jonathan Cook reports.
Gaza’s cars barely running3 Aug 2009rr r r rr r rr r rr r rr r rr rrr rGAZA CITY, occupied Gaza Strip (IPS) – Saleh wonders how he will pay for a replacement car part he bought from the tunnels black market. “It cost more than $1,000. Before the siege, it would have been 500 to 1,000 shekels (roughly $125-$250), at most $250. Anyway, I had to buy it; you need to maintain the car when you use it all the time.” The father of five drives one of Gaza’s many run-down taxis, working around the clock but earning just enough to get by.
The ugly reality of Israel’s settlement-made beauty products3 Aug 2009rr r r rr r rr r rr r rr r rr rrr rIsrael enjoys free trade of industrial goods with Europe under the Association Agreement it signed with the European Union in 2000. Yakov Ellis, chief executive officer of the Israeli cosmetics company Ahava, told the BBC radio program Today on 5 November 2008 that his company has benefitted from the free trade with the EU. Adri Nieuwhof reports for The Electronic Intifada.
A third uprising?3 Aug 2009rr r r rr r rr r rr r rr r rr rrr r”I recently returned from the Holy Land after leading about 40 Presbyterians from Galilee to Jerusalem. This isn’t new territory for me. I’ve been in the country many times leading students, working at archaeology digs, speaking at conferences, and occasionally taking a church such as this. And this time what I saw and heard was worrying.” Author and Bible scholar Gary Burge comments on rising frustration amidst Israel’s policies that are destroying Palestinian communities and futures across the occupied West Bank.
United for freedom and universal justice31 Jul 2009rr r r rr r rr r rr r rr r rr rrr rFor years, many people who might have played an active role in striving for an end to Israeli occupation and other violations of Palestinian rights, have stayed silent, loathe to be attacked for criticizing Israel lest they be vilified as anti-Semites. All over the world, people are breaking free of this fear, including significant numbers of Jews, and uniting to support boycott, divestment and sanctions. Omar Barghouti and Sid Shniad comment.
A night in Bilin31 Jul 2009rr r r rr r rr r rr r rr r rr rrr rOver the last few weeks, the residents of Bilin have been subjected to constant night raids by the Israeli military, in retaliation to their weekly nonviolent demonstrations, now in their fifth year, against the Apartheid Wall, which has stolen over half of their land. Jody McIntyre tells what happened one recent night when Bilin’s residents turned the tables on their occupiers.
Amnesty urged to reject “tainted” funds from Leonard Cohen concert31 Jul 2009rr r r rr r rr r rr r rr r rr rrr rAmnesty International has been urged to dissociate itself from a fund Palestinian campaigners say will be used to “whitewash” Israeli crimes in the occupied territories. The fund, which Amnesty agreed to administer, is to receive the profits from a planned concert in Israel by singer/songwriter Leonard Cohen. Currently on a world tour, Cohen has been greeted by demonstrators in several cities urging him to cancel his concert in Israel.
As blockade bites deep, more Gaza children must work31 Jul 2009rr r r rr r rr r rr r rr r rr rrr rZaher and Jihad are two boys living in Gaza. Every day they get up early and rush to Gaza City’s streets so that they might find something to sell to those walking or driving by. They are just two of a growing number of children who are forced to work to help feed their families as the Israeli-led blockade of the Gaza Strip continues to take its toll on every aspect of life. Rami Almeghari reports.
Why Obama’s peace process is still going nowhere30 Jul 2009rr r r rr r rr r rr r rr r rr rrr rMuch of the debate about US President Barack Obama’s push for Middle East peace resembles the proverbial argument about whether the glass is half full or half empty. But even a full glass is not very useful if you need to fill an entire reservoir. The constant focus on process and gimmicks has obscured the reality that a workable two-state solution is almost certainly unachievable. Ali Abunimah comments.
No law for detained Palestinians29 Jul 2009rr r r rr r rr r rr r rr r rr rrr rBEIRUT (IPS) – Palestinian refugee Youssef Shaaban was released from prison early this month—after serving 16 years in a Lebanese prison for a crime he did not commit. Shaaban was convicted by Lebanon’s Justice Council in October 1994 on charge of shooting and killing the first secretary of the Jordanian embassy, Naeb Imran Matiyeh.
Using the UN to undermine Palestinian rights29 Jul 2009rr r r rr r rr r rr r rr r rr rrr rHaving himself been such a key part of the failed peace process, EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana recently made a seemingly bold proposal that the UN Security Council “mandate” a resolution of central issues in the Palestine/Israel conflict—borders, refugees, Jerusalem, settlements and security arrangements. What lies behind this surprise move? Hasan Abu Nimah comments.
Homeward bound: Gaza in 24 hours28 Jul 2009rr r r rr r rr r rr r rr r rr rrr rAs soon as I arrived home I felt a great relief, if that is the right word. I have been unable to return to Gaza before because of Israel’s winter invasion and the ongoing siege. I am not sure that the word relief summarizes my intense and conflicting emotions. Mixed feelings of relief, happiness, but also disorientation continued to overwhelm me. Dr. Mona El-Farra writes from the Gaza Strip.
Palestinians in Israel forced to study Zionist anthem28 Jul 2009rr r r rr r rr r rr r rr r rr rrr rA leading Arab educator in Israel has denounced the decision of Gideon Saar, the education minister, to require schools to study the Israeli national anthem. Officials announced last week that they were sending out special “national anthem kits” to 8,000 schools, including those in the separate Arab education system, in time for the start of the new academic year in September.
Lies and Israel’s war crimes28 Jul 2009rr r r rr r rr r rr r rr r rr rrr rThis month marked six months since the “official” conclusion to Israel’s assault on the Gaza Strip, “Operation Cast Lead.” Electronic Intifada contributor Ben White looks at some of the strategies of Israel’s campaign of disinformation, confusion, and lies—and the reality of its war crimes in the Gaza Strip.
Fatah, Hamas rule increasingly authoritarian28 Jul 2009rr r r rr r rr r rr r rr r rr rrr rRAMALLAH, occupied West Bank (IPS) – What remains of Palestinian civil rights is rapidly being eroded by the dictatorial Palestinian governments that respectively control the divided Occupied Palestinian Territories. Palestinian civilians are paying the price as Hamas, which controls Gaza, and the PA, which rules the West Bank, continue to target their political opponents as part of their bitter power struggle.
Book review: “Israeli Apartheid: A Beginner’s Guide”27 Jul 2009rr r r rr r rr r rr r rr r rr rrr rIn pondering “a different kind of future,” author Ben White in his new book Israeli Apartheid: A Beginner’s Guide stresses that there is no point in “trying to ‘undo’ things that cannot be undone.” He castigates rhetoric about a “two-state solution” or demands that Palestinians should “compromise,” as if the solution could bypass the dissolution of Israeli apartheid. Raymond Deane reviews for The Electronic Intifada.
Israel’s “open” Jerusalem closed to Palestinians27 Jul 2009rr r r rr r rr r rr r rr r rr rrr rAccording to experts the reality is that in both a practical and legal sense Netanyahu’s “open city” is a fiction, extended only to the settlers and not to Khurd or to the 250,000 other Palestinians of East Jerusalem. Khurd, for example, has been forced to live in a tent after settlers ousted her from her East Jerusalem home of five decades in November. Jonathan Cook reports.
Families celebrate academic excellence amidst the siege24 Jul 2009rr r r rr r rr r rr r rr r rr rrr rThe Palestinian Authority’s Ministry of Education announced the results of the annual tawjihi—the general secondary school examination—on 21 July. Graduating high school students take exams either in the science stream or humanities stream, with those getting the highest grades best able to compete for university places. Rami Almeghari reports for The Electronic Intifada.
“The best place one could be on Earth”24 Jul 2009rr r r rr r rr r rr r rr r rr rrr rRolling into Gaza I had a feeling of homecoming. There is a flavor to the ghetto. To the Bantustan. To the “rez.” Last March, poet and novelist Alice Walker traveled to the Gaza Strip just weeks after the 22-day Israeli assault. The Pulitzer Prize winning author of The Color Purple, now recounts the stories of people she met in Gaza, and offers a lyrical analysis that ties their struggle to what she and her community experienced in the segregated American South.
Gaza artist, survivor finds power in paint23 Jul 2009rr r r rr r rr r rr r rr r rr rrr rZiad Deeb, a young artist, lost his entire family and both his legs in the Israeli attack on Gaza six months ago. In his grief, Deeb has found solace in his work. Memories of the massacre inspire him “to keep painting more and more, I believe this is the only thing that can’t be taken away from me and my disability can’t be an obstacle.” Eman Mohammed reports for The Electronic Intifada from Gaza.
Israeli officer promotes war crimes at Harvard22 Jul 2009rr r r rr r rr r rr r rr r rr rrr rOn 9 July Harvard University’s Program on Humanitarian Policy and Conflict Research invited Colonel Pnina Sharvit-Baruch, former Israeli military legal adviser, to their online Humanitarian Law and Policy Forum. The stated aim was to bring “objective” discussion to the principle of distinction in international humanitarian law. Maryam Monalisa Gharavi and Dr. Anat Matar report for The Electronic Intifada.
Celebrating absurdity in Nablus22 Jul 2009rr r r rr r rr r rr r rr r rr rrr rIt was a portentous day in the occupied West Bank city of Nablus. Over 100,000 Palestinians from Haifa, Jerusalem, Jenin and more gathered in the city on Saturday to celebrate the making of a Guinness World Record: the largest plate of kanafeh, a popular red-haired pastry made with lots of sugar and goat cheese. Was it a celebration of improving economic conditions or, as one resident put it, a “shameful display of opportunism?” Sousan Hammad reports from Nablus about the absurdity of the event.
Electronic Intifada