Israel’s Shin Bet encouraged accused killer to assassinate Raed Salah28 Jul 2010rr r r r rr r rr r rr r rr rr rrr rThe arrest by Israel’s internal security service, the Shin Bet, of an Israeli Jew accused of killing at least four Palestinians has thrown a rare light on the secret police, including attempts by one of its agents to enlist the accused to assassinate a Palestinian leader. Jonathan Cook reports.
Egypt remains complicit in Gaza siege27 Jul 2010rr r r rr r rr r rr r rr r rr rrr rCAIRO (IPS) – Almost two months since Egypt announced it would reopen its Rafah border terminal with the Gaza Strip, operation of the crossing remains sorely limited. “Rafah has only been opened to passengers and some medical supplies,” Hatem el-Buluk, journalist and resident of al-Arish, located some 40 kilometers west of Rafah, told IPS.
Gaza children shelled with flechette bombs27 Jul 2010rr r r rr r rr r rr r rr r rr rrr rNine-year-old Samah al-Massry is now being hospitalized in serious condition, having been hit by shrapnel and flechettes from an Israeli-fired nail bomb that landed 100 meters away, causing internal bleeding to the chest and severe head trauma. Adie Mormech reports for The Electronic Intifada.
Israel wages war against media and activists27 Jul 2010rr r r rr r rr r rr r rr r rr rrr rNABI SALAH, occupied West Bank (IPS) – Palestinian activists are being jailed, Israeli activists are under surveillance, and the Israeli military is increasingly targeting journalists who cover West Bank protests.
Victories as N. American boycott movement gains momentum26 Jul 2010rr r r rr r rr r rr r rr r rr rrr rA food co-operative in Olympia, Washington, voted to become the first grocer in the US to ban Israeli-made items from its shelves. Meanwhile, activists in New York delivered more than 15,000 signatures from petitions and postcards to the TIAA-CREF shareholders’ meeting on 20 July.
Press freedoms fall victim to Fatah, Hamas disunity26 Jul 2010rr r r rr r rr r rr r rr r rr rrr rThe split between the the Hamas-run Gaza wing and the Fatah-run West Bank wing of the Palestinian Authority (PA) has overshadowed every aspect of public life, including, many rights groups have documented, infringements on press freedoms and the work of journalists. Rami Almeghari reports from Gaza for The Electronic Intifada.
No words to console Gaza child after mother is killed by Israeli shelling26 Jul 2010rr r r rr r rr r rr r rr r rr rrr rAround 8:45pm on 13 July, 2010, a few of the women of the Abu Said family in the northern Gaza Strip were enjoying the cool of the evening in the courtyard in front of their house. They heard a muffled shooting sound, followed soon after by another, and then by a loud buzzing noise, as if a swarm of insects was approaching at full speed. Vittorio Arrigoni reports from the occupied Gaza Strip.
Book review: Gideon Levy and the Western media elite26 Jul 2010rr r r r rr r rr r rr r rr rr rrr rThe small volume The Punishment of Gaza provides a selection of Gideon Levy’s columns on Gaza in Israeli daily Haaretz since 2006. But does its publication reflect a bias against Palestinian and other Arab voices in the publishing industry? Asa Winstanley reviews for The Electronic Intifada.
Palestinians break records to reclaim culture24 Jul 2010rr r r rr r rr r rr r rr r rr rrr rRAMALLAH, occupied West Bank (IPS)—Nasser Abdulhadi is a mild-mannered man who runs a restaurant. He was always known as the jovial sort. One day, his friends say, he stopped being jovial. He chose instead to fight for a world title for one of his country’s national dishes, and through that to gain worldwide recognition for Palestine.
International labor report’s omissions reveal pro-Israel bias23 Jul 2010rr r r r rr r rr r rr r rr rr rrr rThe International Trade Union Confederation’s annual survey released in June describes repression meted out to Palestinian workers and trade unionists by both the Israeli authorities and the Palestinian factions. But ITUC’s omissions and brevity both disguise the complexity of life for Palestinian workers, and reveal some of the union confederation’s own biases. Sarah Irving analyzes for The Electronic Intifada.
Human Rights Watch flotilla stance mirrors that of US, Israel23 Jul 2010rr r r r rr r rr r rr r rr rr rrr rDespite the alarms sounded by its most staunch critics, Human Rights Watch has been mostly silent on the horrific Gaza Freedom Flotilla attack. When they have spoken out, they have been notably timid, essentially sharing the same positions as the US government, Israel’s closest ally.
Women prepared to break the siege of Gaza23 Jul 2010rr r r rr r rr r rr r rr r rr rrr rBEIRUT (IPS) – The Maryam, an all-female Lebanese aid ship, currently docked in the northern Lebanese port of Tripoli, is getting ready to set sail for Gaza in the next few days. The ship, which aims to break Israel’s siege on the Palestinian territory, will carry about fifty aid workers, including some US nuns keen to deliver aid to the long-suffering women and children of Gaza.
Gaza’s strawberries spoil under siege22 Jul 2010rr r r r rr r rr r rr r rr rr rrr rIsrael’s policy towards strawberry farming in Gaza, and particularly their exports, is a demonstration in the economics of occupation.
Haneen Zoabi: The largest threat to Zionism is democracy22 Jul 2010rr r r rr r rr r rr r rr r rr rrr rHaving been stripped of parliamentary privileges for participating in the Gaza Freedom Flotilla, Haneen Zoabi describes the “fascist atmosphere” inside Israel. Max Blumenthal interviews for The Electronic Intifada.
Israelis embrace one-state solution from unexpected direction21 Jul 2010rr r r rr r rr r rr r rr r rr rrr rThere has been a strong revival in recent years of support among Palestinians for a one-state solution in historic Palestine. One might expect that any support for a single state among Israeli Jews would come from the far left. Recently, proposals to grant Israeli citizenship to Palestinians in the West Bank have emerged from a surprising direction: right-wing stalwarts. Ali Abunimah comments.
The story of a people’s resistance told in “Budrus”21 Jul 2010rr r r rr r rr r rr r rr r rr rrr rDirector Julia Bacha pieces together a lovely film exploring the evolution of the West Bank village of Budrus’ resistance to Israel’s wall, and its reclaiming of its destiny. Jimmy Johnson reviews for The Electronic Intifada.
Challenging the Jewish National Fund21 Jul 2010rr r r rr r rr r rr r rr r rr rrr rAs owner of 13 percent of land in Israel, and the organization that appoints the largest number of people to the Israel Lands Authority board of directors (6 out of 13), the Jewish National Fund is the central pillar of Israel’s regime over land. Hazem Jamjoum analyzes.
Holy Land 5 case reveals double standard in enforcement of US law20 Jul 2010rr r r r rr r rr r rr r rr rr rrr rOn 21 June 2010, the Supreme Court ruled to continue to authorize prosecutions of charities under the Material Support provision, disappointing families and supporters of the Holy Land Five and troubling US-based organizations that directly support grassroots humanitarian programs in the Middle East.
Johnny Rotten: “Rise” against racism, boycott Israel20 Jul 2010rr r r rr r rr r rr r rr r rr rrr rThe following letter to British musician John Lydon, aka Johnny Rotten, who is scheduled to perform in Tel Aviv next month, was issued on 18 July 2010 by the Palestinian Students’ Campaign for the Academic Boycott of Israel (PSCABI) and the University Teachers’ Association in Palestine (UTAP).
Video: Netanyahu brags he deceived US to destroy Oslo accords20 Jul 2010rr r r rr r rr r rr r rr r rr rrr rA 10-minute video segment originally broadcast in Hebrew on Israel’s Channel 10 threatens to gravely embarrass not only Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu but also the US administration of Barack Obama. Jonathan Cook reports.
Liberate all ghettos20 Jul 2010rr r r rr r rr r rr r rr r rr rrr rThe action that we recently undertook on the terrain of the old Warsaw Ghetto—to spray the words “Liberate all ghettos” in Hebrew and “Free Gaza and Palestine” in English—has been used by some commentators in Israel and the Jewish community in Poland to accuse us of anti-Semitism. Ewa Jasiewicz and Yonatan Shapira comment for The Electronic Intifada.
US voters can demand Palestine’s freedom19 Jul 2010rr r r r rr r rr r rr r rr rr rrr rIt is only a matter of time before voters of conscience make it clear that elected policy-makers who collaborate in America’s unconditional partnership with Israel will be exposed as shameful; and make it clear to policy-makers that such shameful behavior is unsustainable because collaborators in injustice will be ejected from office by the people. Cynthia McKinney comments on the growing grassroots boycott, divestment and sanctions movement for The Electronic Intifada.
Gaza’s bee industry stung by Israeli attacks19 Jul 2010rr r r rr r rr r rr r rr r rr rrr rGAZA CITY, occupied Gaza Strip (IPS) – Said Hillis, 60, has kept bees since he was a boy. Until the Israeli attacks changed his business. Until 2009 Hillis’ farm had hundreds of trees, and more than 10,000 chickens. “It was all destroyed during the Israeli attacks,” Hillis says.
Fighting racism through sports19 Jul 2010rr r r r rr r rr r rr r rr rr rrr rComprised of four women and three men between the ages of 18 and 27, a Palestinian football team was organized to participate in the Anti-Racism World Cup in Belfast, Ireland. Jillian Kestler-D’Amours reports for The Electronic Intifada.
Electronic Intifada