Electronic Intifada co-founder Laurie King-Irani is one of nearly forty authors featured in a new book, Patriotism, Democracy and Common Sense: Restoring America’s Promise at Home and Abroad, published by the Milton S. Eisenhower Foundation of Washington, DC. The book aims to educate Americans about alternatives to current US foreign, economic, Middle East, domestic, media, campaign finance, and voting rights policies. King-Irani’s chapter, “Awakening the American Political Debate on Palestine and Israel,” examines the role of the internet in building networks of citizen-activists to confront one of the most pressing issues of US foreign policy: the ongoing Israeli occupation of Palestinian land. Read more about Electronic Intifada featured in book declaring dissent patriotic
Listen to an interview with EI cofounder Ali Abunimah on Flashpoints, 94.1FM, Berkeley, California. Senior producer Nora Barrows-Friedman interviews Ali about the Palestinian Prisoners’ Hunger Strike, Israel’s reaction to the mass protest against prison conditions, and other events on the ground. The show was originally broadcast on Flashpoints on 25 August 2004. MP3 format, 8MB, 17:23 minutes duration. Read more about Ali Abunimah on Flashpoints
The International Court of Justice ruled today that it is against international law for Israel to build its barrier in the West Bank and that it should be dismantled. The advisory ruling by the World Court, in the Hague, is nonbinding. But it contributes to the debate surrounding construction of the network of fencing and ditches on lands that have been the focus of Middle East peace efforts. Israel says it is building the barrier as self-defense against attackers, but Palestinians call it an attempt to grab land. A copy of the ruling, posted on the Web site www.electronicintifada.net before the court began its reading of the decision, said that the construction of the wall is “contrary to international law.” Read more about NYT: World Court Says Israeli Barrier Violates International Law
The International Court of Justice was to rule on Friday that Israel’s controversial West Bank security barrier is illegal and should be dismantled, according to leaked copies of its judgement published on the Internet. According to a 59-page document published on a Palestinian website, www.electronicintifada.net on Friday, the court will rule by fifteen to one that “the construction of the wall being built by Israel, the occupying power, in the occupied Palestinian territory, including in and around East Jerusalem, and its associated regime, are contrary to international law.” Read more about AFP: ICJ rules Israel's West Bank barrier illegal, calls for dismantling: leaks
A Palestinian website has posted what it said is the opinion of the International Court of Justice - due to be handed down later today - which states that Israel’s West Bank barrier is illegal. The world court will rule that “the construction of the wall being built by Israel, the occupying power, in the occupied Palestinian territory, including in and around East Jerusalem, and its associated regime, are contrary to international law,” according to the document published on www.electronicintifada.net. Israel’s Haaretz newspaper also reported today that the ICJ would rule the barrier is illegal, based on documents obtained by the liberal daily. Read more about The Australian: West Bank barrier illegal: report
A Web site such as the Electronic Intifada tries to represent, by definition, an electronic uprising, carrying the Palestinian struggle for a nation — nonviolently, through information, education and communication — to Palestinians beyond the West Bank and Gaza, helping to create a unified Palestinian community that extends from Europe, to America, to the Middle East. The prototype for the Electronic Intifada was established on the Internet in September 1996, when Nigel Parry, who was in the West Bank, posted photos of a clash between Palestinians and Israelis. Read more about Kurdistan unbound
“Arafat accepted Clinton’s parameters, and they formed the basis of the Taba talks, in which all the Palestinian officials now protesting Sharon’s statements gleefully participated,” wrote Ali Abunimah, editor of the Palestinian Web site, Electronic Intifada. “The dismay expressed by the [Palestinian Authority] leaders also reflects how much they have mortgaged themselves to the whims of the United States.” Read more about Rage over Rantisi
Columbia University is looking into where to draw the line on political expression on campus, as the school aims to fend off a growing reputation for its anti-American and anti-Israeli activism among professors. In an interview with the Electronic Intifada, an online pro-Palestinian magazine, Mr. Khalidi said his critics have intended to “silence such perfectly legitimate criticism” of Israel “by tarring it with the brush of anti-Semitism.” Read more about Columbia Considers Limits on Political Expression at University
On 6 May 2004, EI’s Ali Abunimah appeared on the BBC World Service programme “News Hour”, to comment on the meeting between US President George W Bush and his Majesty King Abdullah II of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, during which Bush stated that, “I remain committed to the vision I laid out here in the Rose Garden on June 24, 2002, of two states, Israel and Palestine, living side-by-side in peace and security, and to the establishment of a Palestinian state that is viable, contiguous, sovereign, and independent.” Read more about EI commentary on Bush-Abdullah meeting on BBC World Service "Newshour" program
Ali Abunimah, a commentator on Arab-American and Middle Eastern affairs, addressed the options of peace in the Israeli/Palestinian conflict before a receptive crowd of UI students and community members on Wednesday night. The mood was somber as the social-policy researcher dedicated his speech about the merits of a binational state to those who have died in skirmishes between the two groups, including several Iowans. “I feel a great sense of responsibility that what we say here tonight - everything we say is in seriousness - so much is at stake,” he said. Read more about Speakers urges binational peace
