Opinion/Editorial
The Opinion/Editorial section of EI offers commentary, analysis, and opinion pieces from EI founders and others. Quality submissions are welcomed, preferably from contributors with an organisational affiliation.
Storm over Israeli settlements as unreal as the peace process
Hasan Abu Nimah, The Electronic Intifada, 18 March 2010
Since Israel announced yet another new settlement in occupied East Jerusalem during the visit of US Vice President Joe Biden last week, Israel has been subjected to a storm of criticism from friend and foe alike. Biden was in Jerusalem to show US support for Israel and to launch "proximity talks" between Israel and the Palestinian Authority of Ramallah. Instead the Israeli announcement caused him and the US administration deep embarrassment, prompting several officials to term it an "insult" and an "affront" and to stir talk of the worst crisis in US-Israeli relations in decades. Hasan Abu Nimah comments. [MORE]
Barenboim-Said Foundation does not promote normalization
Mariam Said, The Electronic Intifada, 17 March 2010
On 28 January 2010 the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI) issued a statement to the Qatari government calling for a boycott of Daniel Barenboim and the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra (WEDO) and condemning the Qatari Ministry of Culture for hosting the orchestra in Doha. The statement goes so far as to accuse Daniel Barenboim of being an ardent Zionist. Mariam Said comments for The Electronic Intifada. [MORE]
European Union found guilty at first session of Russell Tribunal
Ewa Jasiewicz and Frank Barat, The Electronic Intifada, 15 March 2010
The first session of the Russell Tribunal on Palestine (RTP) was heard in Barcelona, Spain earlier this month. The RTP is a peoples' legal initiative designed to systematically try key actors responsible for the perpetuation of human rights violations in Palestine. In the frame this time was the European Union (EU). Two days and 21 expert witness testimonies later, the RTP found individual states and the EU as a whole guilty of persistent violations and misconduct with regards to international and internal EU law. Ewa Jasiewicz and Frank Barat comment for The Electronic Intifada. [MORE]
Boycott or censorship?
Sami Hermez, The Electronic Intifada, 15 March 2010
Critics of the movement for the academic and cultural boycott of Israel -- including Israeli concert producer Shuki Weiss -- have claimed that calling on artists to cancel performances in Israel is a form of censorship. Is the cultural boycott a form of censorship or McCarthyism? Sami Hermez comments for The Electronic Intifada. [MORE]
PA's betrayal of human rights defenders the unkindest cut
Nadia Hijab, The Electronic Intifada, 14 March 2010
They hail from opposite parts of the globe, but they have much in common: Jewish; experts on and passionate defenders of international law; and pummeling bags for Israel and the Palestinian Authority. And the future of the law of war lies at the heart of the campaigns against them. Nadia Hijab comments how the undermining of Richard Goldstone and Richard Falk. [MORE]
Flouting its own laws, EU accommodates "Made in Israel"
David Cronin, The Electronic Intifada, 12 March 2010
In 2008 Britain expressed concern about how goods originating from Israeli settlements in the West Bank may be benefiting illegally from European Union trade preferences that theoretically only apply to businesses within Israel's internationally-recognized borders. However, EU officials have not only failed to defend international law, they have accommodated Israel's abuse of it. David Cronin analyzes for The Electronic Intifada. [MORE]
PLO paper reveals leadership bereft of strategy, legitimacy
Ali Abunimah, The Electronic Intifada, 11 March 2010
As US-brokered "indirect" peace talks are set to resume, a paper authored by PLO chief negotiator Saeb Erekat reveals a Palestinian leadership ready to re-enter negotiations with Israel having already conceded fundamental Palestinian rights and demands. EI's Ali Abunimah analyzes a document he says provides insight into the thought processes of a leadership bereft of strategy and legitimacy. [MORE]
Truth in labeling: EU court challenges "Made in Israel"
Phon van den Biesen and Adri Nieuwhof, The Electronic Intifada, 10 March 2010
On 25 February, the European Court of Justice ruled that imports manufactured in Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank shouldn't benefit from a trade agreement between Israel and the European Union. The ruling follows protests of Israel's export of products from the illegal settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT) to the EU and Switzerland labeled as "Made in Israel." Products labeled as such benefit from favorable import taxes under the EU-Israel Association Agreement of 2000. Phon van den Biesen and Adri Nieuwhof comment for The Electronic Intifada. [MORE]
Moment of truth: time to boycott Israel's entire range of injustice
Rifat Kassis, The Electronic Intifada, 4 March 2010
Words always matter, and names always have a life of their own. But perhaps Palestine and Israel form a context in which words become positions more dramatically than in many others. The authors of the "Moment of Truth" Kairos document, which is the Christian Palestinians' statement to the world about the occupation of Palestine and a call for support in opposing it, have repeatedly been asked about the use of the word "boycott." What exactly does this mean? How far exactly does it go? And what exactly does it call for? Rifat Kassis comments for The Electronic Intifada. [MORE]
NY Times' Jerusalem property makes it protagonist in Palestine conflict
Ali Abunimah, The Electronic Intifada, 2 March 2010
The New York Times' Jerusalem bureau chief lives on property Israel seized from Palestinian refugees forced to leave their homes during the Nakba in 1948. EI's Ali Abunimah reveals for the first time details of The Times' acquisition and use of this property and the story of the Palestinian family whose home it was. What are the implications for its reporting of a case that places the "newspaper of record" at the heart of the Palestine conflict? [MORE]
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