Politics of fear7 Oct 2007rr r r rr r rr r rr r rr r rr rrr rPalestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and his lackeys are offering Palestinians a simple and false choice: either you are with “us” (i.e., the PA and Fatah) or you are with the “terrorists” (i.e., Hamas and Iran). In the United States, Abbas has been aided in this effort by the American Task Force on Palestine (ATFP), a fledgling organization that professes to represent Palestinian-American interests. EI contributor Osamah Khalil finds the implications of these tactics on Palestinian advocacy and aspirations in the current political climate bear further scrutiny, as do the organizations and individuals which employ them.
Education in Jerusalem: Separate and unequal7 Oct 2007rr r r r rr r rr r rr r rr rr rrr rWhen Israel annexed East Jerusalem in 1967, it assumed responsibility for the well-being of East Jerusalem’s population and for fulfilling their rights, regardless of religion or ethnicity. The right to education is one of the most basic rights, and is an essential prerequisite for the plural democracy Israel claims to be. Education is especially important because in the long term it determines a population’s ability to deal with the rest of society on a par. The education system in Israel maintains and expands gaps between the Jewish and the Palestinian Arab sectors. In East Jerusalem the differences and discrimination are especially stark and apparent.
Photostory: The month in pictures5 Oct 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.
US aid dependency: The road to ruin4 Oct 2007rr r r r rr r rr r rr r rr rr rrr rThe true measure of the alliance of any two states or political groups rests on an accurate and fair reading of two forms of support: military aid and economic assistance, and reaching a verdict about these two forms of support is based on the examination of three properties of such aid: the monetary value (size or quantity) of this aid, the declared and hidden objectives of the aid and the conditions attached to it (the quality of the aid). Based on these criteria, Hicham Safieddine asks, what is the truth behind the US support for Lebanon, in numbers and according to Washington’s own sources?
Rights group: Impartial investigation for 2000 killing of Muhammad al-Dura3 Oct 2007rr r r r rr r rr r rr r rr rr rrr rThe Israeli Government Press Office (GPO) claimed yesterday that the video of the murder of Muhammad Jamal al-Dura on 30 September 2000 was staged by a cameraman in Gaza. The scene of the killing of the 11-year-old boy was one of the most moving ones ever broadcast during the second intifada that had started three days before the incident. Information and evidence collected by Al Mezan from the field rebut the GPO’s allegations. Al Mezan had availed its evidence to an international fact-finding mission in 2000.
One Million Voices: Celebrating peace or camouflaging apartheid?3 Oct 2007rr r r r rr r rr r rr r rr rr rrr rOn 18 October, One Million Voices, an organization led by Israelis and international figures with the support of some Palestinians, is organizing a public event in Jericho and Tel Aviv, simultaneously but suspiciously fails to call for an end to Israel’s occupation, amongst other basic requisites to genuine peace. The Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel finds that the event falls under the category of normalization projects and violates the call for boycott, divestment and sanctions.
“The noose is tightening around Gaza”3 Oct 2007rr r r r rr r rr r rr r rr rr rrr rJERUSALEM, 3 October (IRIN) – The UN has expressed renewed concern over the state of the Gaza Strip’s border crossings, saying that, if realized, the Israeli threat of increased restrictions would most likely lead to a humanitarian crisis in the impoverished enclave. “In the last three months, the arrival of 106 truckloads of supplies per working day has ensured that there has not been a humanitarian crisis among the Gazan population. This could not be guaranteed with increased restrictions on the border crossings,” a recent statement by UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said.
Audio: Crossing the Line interviews sportswriter Dave Zirin2 Oct 2007rr r r rr r rr r rr r rr r rr rrr rThis week on Crossing The Line: In the second part of a two part series, host Christopher Brown speaks with Joel Kovel, scholar, lecturer and author of the book Overcoming Zionism: Creating a Democratic State In Israel/Palestine. Kovel discusses the unattainable “pipe dream” of a two-state solution which many have been pushing as a solution to the decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Next, Brown speaks with award-winning sportswriter, Dave Zirin author of the book Welcome To The Terrordome: The Pain, Politics, and Promise of Sports.
Working towards a Palestinian national voice2 Oct 2007rr r r r rr r rr r rr r rr rr rrr rMany members of the Palestinian Canadian community have been working hard to establish a truly representative Palestinian National Voice (PNV) organization for our community. Laith Marouf, identifying himself as the chapter coordinator for the student group Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights (SPHR), on 14 September 2007 published an article attacking this effort (see Palestinian Diaspora: With or against collaboration?). James Kafieh responds.
Only the beginning of the end2 Oct 2007rr r r r rr r rr r rr r rr rr rrr rThe clinking champagne glasses on Engage’s website said it all. The movement established to oppose the proposed boycott of Israeli academic institutions was celebrating a victory, as the British University and College Union (UCU) announced that to even discuss the boycott risked “infringing discrimination legislation.” The boycott of Israel, it seemed, had suffered a blow. Ben White comments on the seeming defeat for the Palestine solidarity movement.
Ali Abunimah debates Avika Eldar on Canadian radio1 Oct 2007rr r r rr r rr r rr r rr r rr rrr rReality on the ground has many—once again—questioning the viability of a two-state solution and whether the controversial one-state proposal is even worth talking about. On 24 September 2007, EI’s Ali Abunimah appeared on the Canadian Brodcasting Corporation program, The Current with host Anna Maria Tremonti. Abunimah was invited to take part in a debate with Israeli journalist and political columnist for Haaretz, Akiva Eldar to discuss the feasibility, desirability and seeming impossibility of a one-state solution for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
International tug of war complicating Lebanon’s election outcome1 Oct 2007rr r r r rr r rr r rr r rr rr rrr rBEIRUT, 1 October (IRIN) – Lebanon’s tussling factions are headed for a stalemate, settlement, or war, and international actors as much as local ones will decide which, analysts say. The presidential vote which was to be held on 25 September was deferred until 23 October after lawmakers failed to find a consensus candidate. Opposition members of parliament (MPs) boycotted the vote, arguing that Lebanon’s fragile sectarian political system requires a president agreeable to both camps.
The legacy of Sabra and Shatila: Amnesia and impunity1 Oct 2007rr r r rr r rr r rr r rr r rr rrr rOn 17 September 1982, journalist Robert Fisk registered the unfiltered rawness of witnessing the murdered victims of Sabra and Shatila up close: “Massacres are difficult to forget when you’ve seen the corpses.” On the final morning of the mass execution, stumbling upon the bodies of unarmed civilians, the French poet, playwright and novelist Jean Genet wrote: “A photograph has two dimensions, so does a television screen; neither can be walked through.” Maryam Monalisa Gharavi recalls her attempt to “walk through” Shatila camp and Sabra 25 years later.
Interview: Arab hip-hop forces unite for justice30 Sep 2007rr r r r rr r rr r rr r rr rr rrr rThe Arab Summit is a musical project on the cultural front lines, uniting the most innovative hip-hop artists within the growing Arab rap movement of North America. The Arab Summit delivers inspirational beats that drive a musical project highlighting a progressive Arab voice in North America, advocating for the self-determination of people in the Middle East through hip-hop. EI contributor Stefan Christoff interviews the minds behind Arab Summit.
A crack in the wall30 Sep 2007rr r r r rr r rr r rr r rr rr rrr r”Getting inside the official Israeli mind is a worthwhile, if lurid, experience,” the late Edward Said wrote in his article “Dignity, Solidarity and the Penal Colony.” This is what it feels like when one is trying to understand the Middle East peace process that never seems to lead to anything. Observing this never ending saga, one can hardly help reaching the realization that peace is not a priority for Israel, and indeed Israeli governments have made no secret of the fact that a peace that precludes Israel’s complete control over historic Palestine is of no interest to them. Miko Peled comments.
Dozens of Palestinians sift through rubbish tips to survive30 Sep 2007rr r r r rr r rr r rr r rr rr rrr rPSAGOT, WEST BANK, 30 September (IRIN) – For some West Bank Palestinians rubbish has become not only a livelihood but the only method of survival they know. Many dozens of Palestinians across the territory, including children, work at landfill sites, trying to earn a meager living. “This is very hard work here. My hands are all cut up, it smells. But what can I do? There’s no work in Ramallah,” said Muhammad, from al-Bireh, a nearby town. Aged 43, he has worked for the last 30 years—apart from a stint in jail—in the Psagot landfill site, sifting through the rubbish in search of scrap metal.
Handicapped Gaza woman beats the odds28 Sep 2007rr r r rr r rr r rr r rr r rr rrr rAt the age of 24, Saeda Alkhaldi, a woman from Gaza City who suffers from polio, restarted her education starting from elementary school until she had her bachelor of arts six years later. Her will made her strong enough to make her way into academic life, despite her disability. Now Saeda is a board and staff member at the Gaza Strip Society for the Disabled, where she is in charge of the women’s activities department. Rami Almeghari reports for EI.
Why did Israel attack Syria?27 Sep 2007rr r r rr r rr r rr r rr r rr rrr rIsrael’s air strike on northern Syria should be understood in the context of events unfolding since its assault last summer on Lebanon. Although little more than rumors have been offered about what took place, one strategic forecasting group, Stratfor, still concluded: “Something important happened.” From the leaks so far, it seems that more than half a dozen Israeli warplanes violated Syrian airspace to drop munitions on a site close to the border with Turkey. We also know from the US media that the “something” occurred in close coordination with the White House. But, EI contributor Jonathan Cook asks, what was the purpose and significance of the attack?
The forgotten faithful26 Sep 2007rr r r r rr r rr r rr r rr rr rrr rOn a pleasant Sunday afternoon in July 2000, members and pastors belonging to local Palestinian Evangelical congregations from the Palestinian territories gathered at the Bethlehem Hotel to celebrate the formation of their council. An American woman who was present at the meeting approached one of the pastors and asked him if she could say a few words to the assembly … When the lady took the microphone, I couldn’t believe the words that came out of her mouth. Timothy Seidel comments from Bethlehem.
Israel kills 11 Palestinians in Gaza in nine hours26 Sep 2007rr r r rr r rr r rr r rr r rr rrr rIsraeli Occupation Forces committed several crimes in the Gaza Strip over the past few hours, which left 11 Palestinians dead, including a child, and injured 33 others, five of them seriously. Some of the injured suffered amputation of limbs. Five of the victims were killed in an extra-judicial execution in Gaza City. The remaining six victims were killed in Beit Hanoun by aerial and land bombardment during an incursion into the town.
West Bank camp incursion causes destruction, fear25 Sep 2007rr r r r rr r rr r rr r rr rr rrr rEIN BEIT ALMA, 26 September (IRIN) – Residents of the Ein Beit Alma refugee camp began to pick up the pieces after an intense Israeli military incursion last week left dozens homeless, and many very frightened, especially children. The fighting with Palestinian militants also caused damage to sewer systems, residents said. Muhammed Msaimi, aged 26, hid for over a day with his wife and three children in the bathroom because of gunfights which took place outside their apartment.
Audio: Crossing the Line interviews author Joel Kovel24 Sep 2007rr r r rr r rr r rr r rr r rr rrr rThis week on Crossing The Line: In part one of a two part series, host Christopher Brown speaks with Joel Kovel, scholar, lecturer and author of the book Overcoming Zionism: Creating a Democratic State In Israel/Palestine. Kovel discusses the misconception of Zionism as a socially just movement to create a Jewish utopia in Palestine, which in reality has proven itself as a racist construct designed so that one group of people can rule over another. Kovel adds that Zionism has polluted its own people and its allies, mainly the United States, into believing that the land of Palestine was pre-ordained for the Jews by God.
Arab poetry’s sometimes subversive answer to “American Idol”24 Sep 2007rr r r r rr r rr r rr r rr rr rrr rImagine an American TV network deciding to take the American Idol format and apply it to poetry: lining up poets to read their poems in front of temperamental judges while the nation gets out its mobile phones to vote for its favorite poet. One can be sure the show would not survive the first commercial break before the chastened executives pull the plug on it and replace it with yet another series on the Life and Times of Nicole Ritchie. Yet, that was exactly the formula for the latest TV sensation to take Arab countries by storm.
Border impasse arises again24 Sep 2007rr r r r rr r rr r rr r rr rr rrr rCAIRO, 24 September (IPS) – The border crisis that had appeared to subside last month is back, with an estimated 2,000 Palestinians marooned on Egypt’s border with the Gaza Strip. A new security arrangement between Cairo, Tel Aviv and the Palestinian Authority (PA) has effectively sealed the last sovereign transit point in or out of the troubled territory, which has been governed by Palestinian resistance faction Hamas since mid-June.
Bush peace confab a swan dive or belly flop?23 Sep 2007rr r r rr r rr r rr r rr r rr rrr rWASHINGTON, 21 September (IPS) – This past summer, President George W. Bush extended a hand where he never has before, calling for a Middle East conference to find a solution to the long-moribund Palestinian-Israeli peace process. This time, says US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, her boss expects results. Yet as with most of Washington’s diplomatic overtures to the region over the last seven years, Bush’s recent demands for a “viable Palestinian state”—which critics argue simply aim to spit-shine an already tarnished presidential legacy—may crumble under the weight of stark realities on the ground.
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