Interview: Disabled activist continues struggle in Bilin11 Jan 2010rr r r rr r rr r rr r rr r rr rrr rThe Electronic Intifada contributor Jody McIntyre interviews disabled Palestinian grassroots activist Rani Bornat: “These are peaceful protests; if we don’t fight for our land, then who can? If we don’t fight for the truth, then who can? If we don’t stand side by side and resist this occupation together, then who can? Peaceful demonstrations don’t hurt or kill anybody; they are only there to serve the oppressed. We must tear down this wall, so that we can live with peace … and freedom.”
Imprisonment as political pressure: Addameer’s Sahar Francis interviewed8 Jan 2010rr r r rr r rr r rr r rr r rr rrr rThe Palestinian nongovernmental organization Addameer was founded in 1992 to promote and protect the rights of political prisoners. The Electronic Intifada interviewed Sahar Francis, a human rights lawyer and the director of Addameer, about the recent repression wave targeting Palestinian human rights activists protesting Israel’s wall in the occupied West Bank.
Will Egypt’s underground wall end the Gaza tunnel trade?8 Jan 2010rr r r rr r rr r rr r rr r rr rrr rA subterranean wall being built by Egypt along its border with Gaza is meant to hack the tunnel structures, which extend from the Egyptian side of the border to the Gaza’s side for distances that range between 400 meters and 1,700 meters. With many prohibitions on the ground, the tunnels have become a lucrative underground alternative. The wall construction portrays the depth of this underground urbanism, bringing the conflict between smugglers and the security to the forefront. Lina Attalah reports.
Miss Palestine’s mistaken rebellion8 Jan 2010rr r r rr r rr r rr r rr r rr rrr rOne of the travesties of living in a colonized environment is that the inferior, or oppressed, aspire to win admittance to the Western world. There seems to be an emerging trend of this type of appeasement, where submission has replaced the revolution. The introduction to spectacles, like the breaking of a Guinness record for the largest plate of kanafeh and the search for a national beauty queen, are just two examples of absurd practices are coming to be seen as normal in Palestinian cities. Sousan Hammad comments for The Electronic Intifada.
“No army, no prison and no wall can stop us”7 Jan 2010rr r r rr r rr r rr r rr r rr rrr rI mark the beginning of the new decade imprisoned in a military detention camp. Nevertheless, from within the occupation′s holding cell I meet the New Year with determination and hope. I know that Israel’s military campaign to imprison the leadership of the Palestinian popular struggle shows that our nonviolent struggle is effective. Abdallah Abu Rahmah writes from the Ofer Military Detention Camp.
My husband: jailed for protesting Israel’s wall7 Jan 2010rr r r rr r rr r rr r rr r rr rrr rOn International Human Rights Day in 2008, my husband Abdallah Abu Rahmah was in Berlin receiving a medal from the World Association for Human Rights. Last year on the same day, 10 December, Abdallah was taken away at 2am by Israeli soldiers who broke into our West Bank home. Abdallah was arrested for the same reasons he received the prize—his nonviolent struggle for justice, equality and peace in Palestine/Israel. Majida Abu Rahmah comments.
Gaza Freedom March: detained at the US embassy7 Jan 2010rr r r rr r rr r rr r rr r rr rrr rOn the afternoon of 28 December 2009, I was with several persons who accompanied CODEPINK cofounder Jodie Evans to the US Embassy in Cairo to present a letter from Massachusetts Senator John Kerry in which he expressed “strong support” for citizens of his state who were traveling to Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories, and requesting they be given “every courtesy.” Ali Abunimah writes about being detained at the US embassy in Cairo.
Gaza Freedom March marches in Cairo against blockade6 Jan 2010rr r r r rr r rr r rr r rr rr rrr rThe international delegation of the Gaza Freedom March originally planned to arrive in Gaza on 29 December 2009 to join a march against the Israeli blockade together with residents of Gaza two days later. Instead, most of its delegates remained in Cairo, having been blocked from going to the Rafah border by the Egyptian government, and instead marched against the Egyptian blockade on Gaza. Sharat G. Lin gives an account of the Gaza Freedom March from Cairo for The Electronic Intifada.
A year after losing a father and sons, a Gaza family copes6 Jan 2010rr r r r rr r rr r rr r rr rr rrr rFathiya Abu Jbara lost her husband and two sons in an Israeli air strike on the family home during Israel’s attacks on the Gaza Strip last winter. The Electronic Intifada correspondent Rami Almeghari reported on the strike a few days after the attack and one year later, visits the family again to see how they are coping.
Photostory: Commemorating the assault on Gaza5 Jan 2010rr r r rr r rr r rr r rr r rr rrr rApproximately one year ago, Israel unleashed its assault on the Gaza Strip—amidst its ongoing siege and occupation—killing more than 1,400 Palestinians, the majority of them civilians. Thirteen Israelis were killed during the attacks, most of them soldiers. The attacks sparked mass demonstrations around the world in solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. The following images are from around the one year anniversary, when many groups around the world again led demonstrations to show their continued solidarity with Palestine.
Gaza and the path to accountability5 Jan 2010rr r r r rr r rr r rr r rr rr rrr rThe US, UK and Canadian governments are all embroiled in attempts to immunize themselves from accountability under international law for their own actions in the so-called War on Terror. Protecting Israel from international law has therefore acquired an added urgency, not only in the interests of the Zionist regime, but also in the interests of the US and its two staunchest allies in the War on Terror, Britain and Canada, to remain beyond the reach of international law. Sunera Thobani comments for The Electronic Intifada.
Gaza Freedom Marchers issue the “Cairo Declaration” to end Israeli apartheid4 Jan 2010rr r r r rr r rr r rr r rr rr rrr rGaza Freedom Marchers have approved a declaration aimed at accelerating the global campaign for boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) against Israeli apartheid, calling for a global mass, democratic anti-apartheid movement to work in full consultation with Palestinian civil society to implement the Palestinian call for BDS.
Unbreakable in Cairo4 Jan 2010rr r r rr r rr r rr r rr r rr rrr rThough I have lived most of my life in and around Chicago, it has never been my complete home. My sisters and I were born as first-generation Palestinian-Americans coming from Kuwait and for this reason our lives in Chicago always felt temporary—we were only supposed to stay until the Gulf War was over, we finished school, the occupation ended, the siege was broken, etc. The only accepted rhetoric about our presence in America was and continues to be, “This is not our home, we are from Gaza.” Dana Elborno writes from Cairo.
Sailing into trouble: “To Gaza with Love” reviewed4 Jan 2010rr r r r rr r rr r rr r rr rr rrr rTo Gaza with Love is a documentary by Aki Nawaz for Iran’s English-language channel Press TV. It is an account of the first boats that successfully broke the siege of Gaza in August 2008. The filmmakers traveled to the Gaza Strip with the Free Gaza Movement, which organized the trip. Asa Winstanley reviews for The Electronic Intifada.
“I hope that I die on my land”4 Jan 2010rr r r rr r rr r rr r rr r rr rrr rFatima Mohammed Yassin, 49, is a farmer from the Palestinian village of Bilin in the occupied West Bank. In spite of Israel’s occupation and construction of its wall in the West Bank, including on Bilin’s farm land, Yassin and her husband continue to work their land on a daily basis. Jody McIntyre spoke to her for The Electronic Intifada.
Targeting human rights defenders1 Jan 2010rr r r r rr r rr r rr r rr rr rrr rIsrael still believes it can act with impunity. It will only stop if there is a cost to its human rights violations. Appeals to the Israeli authorities to respect due process are not enough, as Omar Barghouti put it in a call to redouble efforts for boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS). Israel will only change if it “gets the message that its arrest of civil resistance leaders will only intensify the already massive BDS campaigns against it.” Nadia Hijab comments.
Gaza Freedom March activists target Egypt’s complicity31 Dec 2009rr r r r rr r rr r rr r rr rr rrr rWhile it was deeply disappointing for the nearly 1,400 delegates with the Gaza Freedom March who came from 43 countries that they could not physically be in Gaza today, this was a momentous and historic gathering of justice-loving people from every corner of the globe, united by their common desire to see Gaza free. On the eve of a new year, the crowd vowed to do everything in their power to make 2010 the year that the siege of Gaza is finally and forever broken. Sayed Dhansay reports from Cairo.
New year in Gaza reopens wounds of old31 Dec 2009rr r r rr r rr r rr r rr r rr rrr rGAZA CITY, occupied Gaza Strip (IPS) – For many survivors of the last Israeli war on Gaza, time has not healed their wounds, physical or emotional. Halil Amal Samouni, 10, still suffers vision problems in her right eye. The shrapnel remaining in her head causes her constant pain and she is unable to concentrate at school.
Blogging beneath the bombs: An interview with Sharyn Lock30 Dec 2009rr r r r rr r rr r rr r rr rr rrr rActivist Sharyn Lock sailed to Gaza on the first “Break the Siege” boat with the Free Gaza Movement in 2008. During Israel’s winter attacks last year, Lock documented the invasion on her blog “Tales to Tell.” Her writing has recently been published in the short book Gaza: Beneath the Bombs. The Electronic Intifada contributor Arwa Aburawa interviewed lock about her experience in Gaza.
Photostory: Egypt further encaging Gaza30 Dec 2009rr r r rr r rr r rr r rr r rr rrr rWith and the Egyptian government’s new underground wall and the closure of the Rafah crossing—Gaza’s sole exit to the outside world—Egypt’s complicity shines more than ever. The following are exclusive images of Egyptian authorities building the new underground wall on the border with Gaza.
A voice of frustration and hope in Nahr al-Bared30 Dec 2009rr r r rr r rr r rr r rr r rr rrr rNAHR AL-BARED (North Lebanon) (IPS) – The hip-hop beats ringing through the muddy, unlit streets of this burnt-out Palestinian refugee camp seem incongruous. But the rhymes are camp-grown—and courageous. Farhan Abu Siyam, 21, is Nahr al-Bared’s first and only rapper. Going by the name of MC Tamarrod, he grew up in the Palestinian refugee camps of Nahr al-Bared and Burj al-Barajne.
Gaza’s border must be opened NOW29 Dec 2009rr r r rr r rr r rr r rr r rr rrr rToo many months have gone by with no change in the crippling isolation of Gaza imposed by Israel and Egypt, and it was time to risk our privileged access to take our efforts to break the siege up a notch. Our numbers had to be massive enough to threaten the jailers’ growing complacence and broad enough to send the message that this is a global movement that won’t stop until the Palestinian people are given the freedom and justice they deserve. Pam Rasmussen comments for The Electronic Intifada.
No justice, no peace: interview with activist Haidar Eid29 Dec 2009rr r r rr r rr r rr r rr r rr rrr rOn 31 December 2009, one year after Israel’s devastating attacks on the Gaza Strip, activists plan to converge for the Gaza Freedom March. An unprecedented effort, the march draws inspiration from South Africa’s struggle for liberation from apartheid and from Gandhi’s tactics during the campaign for India’s independence. The Electronic Intifada contributor Bianca Zammit recently interviewed the Gaza Freedom March Steering Committee member Dr. Haidar Eid about the effort.
“I live today, but I am afraid of tomorrow”29 Dec 2009rr r r rr r rr r rr r rr r rr rrr rMy name is Sema Onbus. I am 37 years old, from Tulkarem refugee camp. My story starts when my brother was killed, on 6 September 2001, when an Apache [attack helicopter] dropped a bomb on him and his friends. It was the same day that my sister was due to get married, and he was on his way from Ramallah to visit the wedding when he was murdered.
From a tent to a mud house in Gaza29 Dec 2009rr r r rr r rr r rr r rr r rr rrr rMajid al-Athamna, 70, stands next to his new home in Gaza’s Izbet Abed Rabbo neighborhood of Jabaliya. Since the Israeli attack one year ago, which destroyed his family’s three-story building, he and his family lived in a tent. Rami Almeghari reports from the occupied Gaza Strip.
Electronic Intifada