Report: Israeli academic institutions’ role in the occupation14 Dec 2009rr r r rr r rr r rr r rr r rr rrr rA new report by the Alternative Information Center aims to inform and empower the debate on an academic boycott by giving information not on the Israeli violence and violations of International law and human rights, but on the part in the Israeli occupation played by the very academic institutions in question, and how vulnerable are they to a possible boycott.
Bilin activist: “Words are not enough”14 Dec 2009rr r r rr r rr r rr r rr r rr rrr rI started my life in jail at 17, during the first intifada, a popular uprising amongst ordinary Palestinians. It was not the first time I participated in nonviolent resistance. I have always believed that this is the way to end the occupation. But as the intifada clearly showed, the Israeli military does not understand let alone sympathize with such methods. Iyad Burnat’s story as told to The Electronic Intifada contributor Jody McIntyre.
Book review: Alastair Crooke’s “Resistance: The Essence of the Islamist Revolution”12 Dec 2009rr r r r rr r rr r rr r rr rr rrr rAlastair Crooke’s new book Resistance: The Essence of the Islamist Revolution studies the philosophy of resistance among Islamic movements as articulated by influential Islamist thinkers and revolutionaries of the last century. However, by defining an essence of Islam, Crooke reinforces many of the assumptions he is trying to dispel. Hicham Safieddine reviews for The Electronic Intifada.
Christian Palestinian leaders call for church boycott in Kairos document11 Dec 2009rr r r r rr r rr r rr r rr rr rrr rToday, prominent Christian Palestinian leaders are releasing a historical Kairos Palestine Document, calling on churches around the world “to say a word of truth and to take a position of truth with regard to Israel’s occupation of Palestinian land.” Unambiguously endorsing boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) as one of the key nonviolent forms of solidarity that international faith-based organizations are urged to adopt, the document affirms: “We see boycott and disinvestment as tools of justice, peace and security …”
Winning prize for peace while advocating war11 Dec 2009rr r r r rr r rr r rr r rr rr rrr rUnited States President Barack Obama has just accepted the Nobel Peace Prize at a ceremony in Oslo. His nomination had been controversial, not least because he is continuing and escalating two illegal wars of aggression in Iraq and Afghanistan, but also because it was awarded to him at the beginning of his term, before he has proven a genuine willingness to promote peace. The glaring contradiction between US President Barack Obama’s words and actions are nowhere else more obvious than in his dealing with the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Sayed Dhansay comments for The Electronic Intifada.
Palestinians still deprived of their fundamental rights10 Dec 2009rr r r r rr r rr r rr r rr rr rrr rSixty-one years after the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Israel continues to pursue clearly discriminatory policies and practices and the violation of Palestinians’ human rights have persisted, and escalated. Israel’s persistent human rights violations would not be possible without the complicity or support of the international community.
Palestinian grassroots organizer arrested during Israeli military night raid10 Dec 2009rr r r r rr r rr r rr r rr rr rrr rAs part of a recent escalation of political arrests in the West Bank village of Bilin, Abdallah Abu Rahmah, a school teacher and coordinator of the Bilin Popular Committee, was arrested by Israeli soldiers. Abu Rahmah is a high school teacher in the Latin Patriarchate school in Birzeit near Ramallah and is the coordinator of the Bilin Popular Committee against the wall and settlements.
Israeli forces mass arrest Palestinian activists10 Dec 2009rr r r r rr r rr r rr r rr rr rrr rOccupation military forces raided several towns, villages and camps in the Nablus area on 9 December 2009, engaging in a mass arrest campaign targeting alleged members and supporters of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, two days before the 42nd anniversary of the Front will be commemorated with large marches and activities throughout Palestine.
Israel: “a dead soldier is better than a captive soldier”10 Dec 2009rr r r r rr r rr r rr r rr rr rrr rThe fatal shooting by Israeli soldiers of an Israeli man earlier this week as he tried to scale a fence into the Gaza Strip was reportedly part of a drastic procedure the army was supposed to have phased out several years ago. Jonathan Cook reports.
Israeli prisons as revolutionary universities9 Dec 2009rr r r rr r rr r rr r rr r rr rrr r As a Palestinian political prisoner who has spent the past 20 years in Israeli jails I would like to highlight some of the general characteristics of the prisoners’ movement’s struggle to build a system of self and collective education as a central part of developing a patriotic and revolutionary culture that can be a pillar of the liberation movement. Khaled al-Azraq writes from Nafha prison.
Another EU policy statement will not stop Israel’s colonization9 Dec 2009rr r r rr r rr r rr r rr r rr rrr rIsrael started a preemptive campaign against a EU statement on the Middle East session even before it was formally presented for discussion by EU ministers this week on whether to adopt it. Israeli spokesmen expressed outrage at what they saw as an EU effort to “divide” Jerusalem, and claimed that the European position would “harm the peace process,” as if it is only Israel that has been carefully protecting it from the harmful moves of others. Hasan Abu Nimah comments.
More investors abandoning Lev Leviev and Africa-Israel9 Dec 2009rr r r rr r rr r rr r rr r rr rrr rLast month, the second-largest Dutch pension fund PFZW joined an already impressive group of investors that have divested from Africa-Israel. Africa-Israel is the target of an international boycott campaign by Palestine solidarity activists because of its involvement in the construction of illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank. Adri Nieuwhof reports for The Electronic Intifada.
Hizballah’s call for legitimacy8 Dec 2009rr r r rr r rr r rr r rr r rr rrr rLast week Hassan Nasrallah delivered a speech over video link from an unknown location, as he frequently does. The leader of the Lebanese Shia Islamic resistance and political group Hizballah addressed the audience in Beirut to present the group’s new manifesto, their first since 1985 when the group unveiled its initial open letter. Matthew Cassel analyzes.
Refocus the debate on the dispossession7 Dec 2009rr r r r rr r rr r rr r rr rr rrr rFrom my perspective as the head of the agency mandated to assist and protect Palestine refugees, it is particularly vexing that the prevailing approach fails—or refuses—to accord the refugee issue the attention it deserves. Over 60 years, dispossession has faded from the focus of peace efforts. The heart of where peace should begin is absent from the international agenda, pushed aside as one of the “final status” issues, one which belongs to a later stage of the negotiation process. Karen AbuZayd comments.
Israel denies Bedouin right to elections7 Dec 2009rr r r r rr r rr r rr r rr rr rrr rSome 35,000 Bedouin residents of Israel’s southern Negev have been denied the right to hold their first local council election after the Israeli parliament passed a law at the last minute to cancel this month’s ballot. The new law gives the government the power to postpone elections to the regional council, known as Abu Basma, until the interior ministry deems the local Bedouin ready to run their own affairs. Jonathan Cook reports.
Bilin teenager: “They arrested my father to discourage the struggle”7 Dec 2009rr r r rr r rr r rr r rr r rr rrr rThe end of November marked the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, a time to see family and friends and for people to eat together. But for many Palestinians, the Eid was not so festive. Rajaa Abu Rahmah, aged 19, only has one wish this holiday—to see her father Adeeb Abu Rahmah freed from prison. Jody McIntyre spoke to Rajaa to see how the family were coping during Eid al-Adha.
Human currency4 Dec 2009rr r r r rr r rr r rr r rr rr rrr r”We do not negotiate with terrorists”—a long-cherished mantra of Western democracies. In reality all the major powers have at some stage been forced to discuss with militants, from Northern Ireland to Iraq. Now Israel seems on the verge of granting their fiercest enemies Hamas a major coup with the mooted release of up to 1,000 prisoners. What message does this send? Kieron Monks comments for The Electronic Intifada.
Propaganda disguised as academic inquiry at the University of Illinois4 Dec 2009rr r r r rr r rr r rr r rr rr rrr rChancellor Richard Herman of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign recently resigned due to his cooperation with political influence-peddlers seeking to gain admission for less qualified but privileged applicants. But Herman also participated in a more acceptable form of political corruption—publicly displayed with the invocation of high principle—in his cooperation with the Israel lobby in opposition to the British boycott of Israeli academics, and in the funding of the Israel Studies Project at the Urbana campus. David Green writes for The Electronic Intifada.
Gaza Freedom March less than one month away4 Dec 2009rr r r rr r rr r rr r rr r rr rrr rThe Gaza Freedom March that will take place in Gaza on 31 December is an historic initiative to break the siege that has imprisoned the 1.5 million people who live there. Conceived in the spirit of Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela and nonviolent resistance to injustice worldwide, the march will gather people from all over the world to march—hand in hand—with the people of Gaza to demand that the Israelis open the borders.
Report finds new Israeli war doctrine targets civilians3 Dec 2009rr r r r rr r rr r rr r rr rr rrr rThe Public Committee Against Torture in Israel (PCATI) released today [2 December 2009] a new report which exposes the shifts in Israel’s combat doctrine as evidenced in the prosecution of operation “Cast Lead” and from numerous public oral and written statements made by high ranking military officers and senior Israeli government officials.
Boycott of Ahava Dead Sea products makes an impact2 Dec 2009rr r r rr r rr r rr r rr r rr rrr rThe international campaign to boycott Ahava beauty products has recently won the support of a Dutch parliamentarian and an Israeli peace group. During the past few months, activists in Canada, the UK, Ireland, Israel, the United States and the Netherlands have campaigned against the sale of Ahava products because of the company’s complicity in the Israeli occupation. Adri Nieuwhof reports for The Electronic Intifada.
“My Name is Rachel Corrie” and Israel’s waning impunity2 Dec 2009rr r r r rr r rr r rr r rr rr rrr rInsidious pressures and overt threats have created a hostile environment to telling Rachel Corrie’s story and of course, the countless tragic stories of Palestinians. They are emblematic of a determination to maintain ignorance about the realities of life in Palestine, and a desire to perpetuate the notions of Israeli innocence, virtuousness and victimhood. In maintaining any hold to this myth, we are preventing the stories of Palestinian lives from reaching the light of day. Charlotte Silver writes for The Electronic Intifada.
Australia hosts war criminal Ehud Olmert1 Dec 2009rr r r r rr r rr r rr r rr rr rrr rThe news that former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert was in Australia and was welcomed by the honorable members of our parliament came as somewhat of a shock. It is one thing to have allowed a man charged with corruption and suspected of war crimes into Australia at all; it is another thing that he was listed as a distinguished guest in Hansard—the official record of parliamentary proceedings—and received a resounding “hear, hear” from our elected representatives. Sonja Karkar comments.
Israeli authorities deport African American political activists1 Dec 2009rr r r r rr r rr r rr r rr rr rrr rAl-Awda New York, the Palestine Right to Return Coalition, condemns the racist denial of entry to Palestine of African American political activists Dhoruba Bin Wahad and Naji Mujahid by the Israeli occupation. Dhoruba Bin Wahad, a former US political prisoner and leader of the Black Panther Party, and Naji Mujahid, a student activist from Washington DC were deported en route to the International Conference on Palestinian Political Prisoners in Jericho that was sponsored by the Palestinian Authority Ministry of Prisoners and ex-Prisoners Affairs.
Palestinians organize for the Gaza Freedom March30 Nov 2009rr r r rr r rr r rr r rr r rr rrr r”From the besieged Gaza Strip, we call upon all peace lovers around the globe to come here to participate in our Gaza Freedom March that is aimed at breaking a repressive Israeli blockade on Gaza’s 1.5 million residents.” So said Mustafa al-Kayali, coordinator of the steering committee for the Gaza Freedom March. Rami Almeghari reports from the occupied Gaza Strip.
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