Mission accomplished28 Nov 2007rr r r r rr r rr r rr r rr rr rrr rSo it is over. The much heralded Annapolis “meeting” attended by over 50 countries and organizations has ended, and the result is a vague, non-binding agreement to begin negotiating. In typical fashion, the Bush administration has hailed the conference of low-expectations and even less tangible results as a “success.” Instead of donning a flight suit and landing on an aircraft carrier, US President George W. Bush offered his best Bill Clinton imitation presiding over a ceremonial handshake between Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, like an approving father or Roman emperor. Osamah Khalil comments for EI.
Ali Abunimah discusses Annapolis on KPFA28 Nov 2007rr r r rr r rr r rr r rr r rr rrr rOn November 25, EI Co-founder Ali Abunimah, author of One Country, joined Daniel Levy, former Israeli negotiator and adviser in the Israeli prime minister’s office and Nadia Hijab, senior fellow and co-director at the Institute for Palestine Studies to preview the Annapolis Conference and debate the prospects for a single democratic state in Israel-Palestine. The discussion, hosted by Amy Allison, was broadcast on KPFA’s The Morning Show.
Hundreds converge on Ramallah for boycott summit28 Nov 2007rr r r r rr r rr r rr r rr rr rrr rAn important milestone in building the global boycott, divestment and sanctions campaign was achieved in Ramallah on 22 November 2007. Some 300 activists, members of unions, associations and NGOs in towns, villages and refugee camps of the occupied West Bank, with monitors from the global solidarity movement in Britain, Canada, Norway, Spain and South Africa, convened for a day of discussion and debate about ways to promote all forms of boycott against Israel among Palestinian community organizations, unions, as well as political, academic and cultural institutions.
Palestinians protest the Annapolis summit27 Nov 2007rr r r r rr r rr r rr r rr rr rrr r”We do not recognize those who hold talks in Annapolis; they do not represent the Palestinian people,” said Ismail Haniyeh, the dismissed Palestinian Prime Minister, in response to the Washington-sponsored Palestinian-Israeli summit in Annapolis. The streets of Palestine bore witness that it isn’t only the Hamas leader who doesn’t grant legitimacy to the Palestinian negotiating team at the Annapolis conference. On Tuesday, 27 November, large crowds of Palestinians in Gaza poured out of their homes—as did their brothers and sisters in the West Bank—to protest what they call the “renunciation of Palestinians’ legitimate rights.” EI correspondent Rami Almeghari reports from Gaza.
PA forcefully disperses peaceful demonstrations, killing one27 Nov 2007rr r r r rr r rr r rr r rr rr rrr rYesterday hundreds of participants took part in peaceful demonstrations and rallies in Hebron, Bethlehem, Ramallah, and Nablus that were organized by several political parties and civil society organizations to protest the Annapolis conference in the US. Since the early morning hours of the day, hundreds of security personnel armed with guns and batons were deployed in main streets and areas designated for these assemblies. As soon as people started gathering in these areas, fist fights broke out between the security forces and demonstrators. The security forces attempted to disperse the demonstrators with batons and beatings.
Coexistence in Gaza27 Nov 2007rr r r r rr r rr r rr r rr rr rrr rGAZA CITY, November 27 (IPS) – As Sunday dawns in Gaza City the traditional Islamic call to prayer mingles melodically with church bells. Side by side, mosque and church doors swing open, welcoming the faithful. Greetings are eagerly exchanged. The October kidnapping and murder of Rami Ayyad, the manager of Gaza’s only Christian bookstore, sent shudders through the Christian community. Was this a hate crime or simply a tragic occurrence? Monsignor Manuel Musallam, head of Gaza’s Roman Catholic community, doubts the attack was religiously motivated.
Woman dies after being denied medical treatment26 Nov 2007rr r r rr r rr r rr r rr r rr rrr rOn Saturday morning, 24 November 2007, a Palestinian patient from the Gaza Strip died as Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) refused to grant her permission to enter Israel to receive medical treatment at Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv. The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) strongly condemns measures taken by IOF violating Palestinians’ right to health, and denying them access to hospitals outside the Gaza Strip. PCHR also demands IOF to allow Rowaida ‘Omar Shakshak, who is in a serious health condition, to receive urgent medical treatment outside the Gaza Strip.
The Judaization of East Jerusalem26 Nov 2007rr r r rr r rr r rr r rr r rr rrr rWith the Golden Dome and the ancient walls of the Old City as backdrop, the cascade of Palestinian homes in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Silwan is undergoing a dramatic transition. At first it is hard to spot the Israeli flags draped over scattered homes on the hill, but it is soon easily apparent that right-wing Jewish settlers and politically motivated archaeologists are rushing to claim this fragment of the Holy City as the ancient City of David. Alice Rothchild comments.
Rights orgs: Uphold international law at Annapolis25 Nov 2007rr r r r rr r rr r rr r rr rr rrr rThe following letter was sent on 26 November 2007 to key negotiating parties including the President of the Palestinian National Authority, the Israeli Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, and EU and UN Officials: As Palestinian human rights and civil society organizations, we the undersigned, are deeply concerned by the lack of a clearly articulated legal framework for the upcoming diplomatic negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) to be held at Annapolis on 27 November.
Audio: Crossing the Line speaks with Jewish activst Rita Corriel25 Nov 2007rr r r rr r rr r rr r rr r rr rrr rThis week on Crossing The Line: Shiva is the traditional seven-day period of mourning which follows a Jewish funeral. In an article recently published on EI, peace activist and psychotherapist Rita Corriel recently asked the question, “When do we stop sitting shiva for the Holocaust?” Host Christopher Brown speaks with Corriel about the idea of Israel as the “shiva house” which many use to justify the injustice done to Palestinians.
Palestinian police boost presence in Nablus25 Nov 2007rr r r rr r rr r rr r rr r rr rrr rNABLUS, WEST BANK, 25 November 2007 (IRIN) – Palestinian militants in the Nablus area of the West Bank are in the middle of what seems to be a pincer movement—chased not only by the Israeli military but also by the Palestinian Authority (PA), which, under Acting Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, has taken it upon itself to crack down on the fighters. Palestinian security forces say they are going after “illegal weapons” and the misuse of arms. All factions, they say, will be treated equally in an attempt to end “chaos.” The PA has arrested members of several groups, including the Islamic group, Hamas.
The Gaza Strip: Disengagement two years on23 Nov 2007rr r r rr r rr r rr r rr r rr rrr rTwo years ago, Israel completed its unilateral withdrawal from the Gaza Strip. We all remember the intense media campaign shamelessly portraying the settlers as dispossessed victims of a bold move for peace. Among others, Harvard economist Sara Roy argued that Israel’s version of disengagement would bring disaster to an already desperate Gaza. Today, we are witnessing emergence of an unparalleled economic catastrophe in the Gaza Strip and with it, the evaporation of the last remaining hopes for a Palestinian state. EI contributor Kris Petersen writes from Gaza.
Annapolis, as seen from Gaza22 Nov 2007rr r r r rr r rr r rr r rr rr rrr rThe Annapolis conference simply generates new and ever-more superfluous and intricate promises which Israeli leaders can commit to and yet somehow evade. An exercise in legal obfuscation at its best: we won’t build new settlements, we’ll just expropriate more land and expand to account for their “natural growth,” until they resemble towns, not colonies, and have them legitimized by a US administration looking for some way to save face. And then we’ll promise to raze outposts. Each step in the evolution of Israel’s occupation—together with the efforts to sustain it and the language to describe it—has become ever more sophisticated, strategic and euphemistic. Laila El-Haddad comments.
Gaza closure threatens 3,000 students’ education rights22 Nov 2007rr r r r rr r rr r rr r rr rr rrr rIsrael has cut off the Gaza Strip off from the outside world since 10 June 2007 by enforcing a complete closure on all the strip’s border crossings, especially Rafah International Crossing on the Egyptian border. As a result, Gaza students studying abroad are deprived the right to travel to pursue their education. The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights’ preliminary investigation and information from the Ministry of Civil Affairs indicate that approximately 7,500 Gazans are waiting for the opportunity to travel abroad for various purposes such as work, education, and treatment.
Demolition decimating Palestinian village21 Nov 2007rr r r rr r rr r rr r rr r rr rrr rRAMALLAH, Nov 21 (IPS) – Al-Walajeh village was once a quiet but busy place. Just four kilometers from Bethlehem and 8.5 km from Jerusalem, its rolling hills filled with fruit trees, natural forests, and blooming vegetation made it a prime farming location. Easy access to large and consistent markets led its inhabitants to relative economic prosperity. Life was good. Today, however, al-Walajeh village is a different place altogether. “The demolishing of houses is a weekly event here in al-Walajeh,” Sheerin Alaraj, al-Walajeh Village Council member, told IPS.
West Bank maze of movement restrictions21 Nov 2007rr r r rr r rr r rr r rr r rr rrr rJERUSALEM, 21 November (IRIN) – Traffic news on the radio in the West Bank is more likely to be about checkpoints and barriers than jams and accidents, as a complex system of controls and permits can make a short journey for work, family or medical reasons into a time-consuming marathon, according to a new UN report. A joint Special Focus by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, released in November, said that only about 18 percent of the people who worked the land are now able to obtain Israeli-issued permits, required to access the zone between the Barrier and the Green Line, Israel’s pre-1967 border.
Likudnik hawks work to undermine Annapolis21 Nov 2007rr r r rr r rr r rr r rr r rr rrr rWASHINGTON, Nov 21 (IPS) – Despite near-universal skepticism about the prospects for launching a serious, new Middle East peace process at next week’s Israeli-Palestinian summit in Annapolis, a familiar clutch of neo-conservative hawks close to the Likud Party leader, former Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, isn’t taking any chances. Hard-liners associated with the American Enterprise Institute and Freedom’s Watch, a bountifully funded campaign led by prominent backers of the Republican Jewish Coalition, among other like-minded groups, are mounting a concerted attack against next week’s meeting which they fear could result in pressure on Israel to make territorial concessions.
“A matter of revenge”: Israel denying medical treatment to Gaza21 Nov 2007rr r r rr r rr r rr r rr r rr rrr r”We had been waiting for an urgent referral to an outside hospital for the past six days, until he died today,” said Dr. Ismail Yassin Monday, in response to the death of one more patient at the Gaza Children’s Hospital. Tamer al-Yazji, a 12-year-old chicken pox patient, died on Monday on his hospital bed after his referral to an Israeli hospital had been delayed. EI correspondent Rami Almeghari talks to Gaza health care workers and Physicians for Human Rights-Israel about Israel denying Gazans access to health care and the reports of Shabak pressuring patients to inform in exchange for permission to travel.
Photostory: The month in pictures20 Nov 2007rr r r rr r rr r rr r rr r rr rrr rThis slideshow is a selection of images from the month of September 2007. The month in pictures is an ongoing feature of the Electronic Intifada. If you have images documenting Palestine, Palestinian life, politics and culture, or of solidarity with Palestine, please email images and captions to photos@electronicintifada.net.
New Middle East scholars group seen as close to White House19 Nov 2007rr r r rr r rr r rr r rr r rr rrr rWASHINGTON, 12 November (IPS) – A small group of Middle East and African studies scholars in the United States has announced the creation of a new professional association to change the direction of scholarship in the field. And it boasts several big name albeit controversial scholars, among them Bernard Lewis and Fouad Ajami, two academics who advised the George W. Bush administration’s policy towards the Middle East.
Palestinian police using torture in Gaza Strip19 Nov 2007rr r r rr r rr r rr r rr r rr rrr rThe Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) has received more affidavits from Palestinians who were subjected to beating, torture and inhuman and degrading treatment while in detention by the Palestinian police in the Gaza Strip. PCHR condemns such illegal practices and calls for prosecuting the perpetrators and ensuring that laws that regulate procedures of detention are applied.
PLO takes Veolia Transport and Alstom to court in France19 Nov 2007rr r r rr r rr r rr r rr r rr rrr rAt the end of October 2007 European corporations Veolia Transport, and Alstom were taken to court by Association France Palestine Solidarité (AFPS), because of their involvement in the Israeli light rail or tramway project that is planned to link West Jerusalem with the ring of illegal Jewish settlements in the West Bank. Veolia has been under international pressure to withdraw from the project, but so far refuses. Now the Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO), as the legitimate representative of the Palestinian people, has joined AFPS in the legal action against the two companies. Adri Nieuwhof and Maria Lherm report for EI.
Israel to heart patient: “Go die in Gaza”19 Nov 2007rr r r r rr r rr r rr r rr rr rrr rY.A.H is a 37-year-old heart patient in need of open heart surgery. He was referred to a hospital in Nablus, the West Bank, for surgery. He previously received a permit but was asked by the Israeli General Security Services (Shabak) to provide information on friends of his brother. When he failed to he was returned to Gaza and told “go die in Gaza.” Since then he has no permit. His condition is deteriorating and he is very weak, with breathing difficulties, and is in danger of sudden death at any moment.
Audio: Crossing the Line focuses on Palestinian political prisoners19 Nov 2007rr r r rr r rr r rr r rr r rr rrr rThis week on Crossing the Line: There are more than 10,000 Palestinian prisoners currently being held in Israeli jails. Amongst them are 750 administrative detainees who have never been charged or tried for any crime. Israel was the only country in the world where torture was still lawful before it was made illegal by the Israeli high court in 1999. But since the start of the second intifada in 2000, it has been reported that torture is regularly practiced in Israeli detention centers. Host Christopher Brown examines the issue of torture and political prisoners in Israel.
Israel, free speech, and the Oxford Union18 Nov 2007rr r r rr r rr r rr r rr r rr rrr rThe Oxford Union is one of the world’s most illustrious debating chambers and a bastion of free speech. It was founded in the nineteenth century to uphold the principle of free speech and debate in England at a time when they were being severely curtailed. Recently, however, the Union failed to live up to its lofty ideals. Professor Avi Shlaim recounts how the Union crumbled under pressure from Israel’s kneejerk supporters.
Electronic Intifada