EI in the Press

EI speaks about cartoons on CounterSpin



This week on CounterSpin: Unflattering and offensive cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed that appeared in a Danish newspaper have set off protests around the world. Pundits seem eager to portray the story as the familiar “clash of civilizations,” but what else is going on here? We’ll ask Ali Abunimah of the website Electronic Intifada. CounterSpin spoke to Ali Abunimah of the website Electronic Intifada. CounterSpin is FAIR’s weekly radio show, hosted by Janine Jackson, Steve Rendall and Peter Hart. It’s heard on more than 125 noncommercial stations across the United States and Canada. MP3 format. 

Waging an electronic intifada



Pro-Palestinian activist Ali Abunimah will speak at McGill this week as part of Social Justice Days, a series of student-organized events that encourage activism. Abunimah is the co-founder of Electronic Intifada, a Web site devoted to covering the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. “It deals not only with politics but with arts, music, culture and just about every aspect of these issues that you could want to know about,” he said. “We have a lot of personal writing, diaries of people in Palestine, photography and that kind of thing.” Abunimah contends that mainstream media misrepresent the conflict and the actors involved. Abunimah said he hopes the event will be an informal discussion in which students raise their own questions. 

EI on PBS's "Newshour with Jim Lehrer"



From Indonesia to India to Iraq, protests in the Muslim world grew wider and more violent over the weekend, with rioters torching European embassies in two Mideast capitals. The protests were ignited last week by a months-old series of cartoons in a Danish newspaper that caricatured the Prophet Muhammad. Many other European newspapers republished the cartoons in a show of solidarity with the Danish paper. Many Muslims consider any depiction of the prophet blasphemous. Fouad Ajami, director of Middle East studies at Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies, and EI’s Ali Abunimah were invited to give their opinions on the issue. 

Mock PLO elections in Europe



Symbolic elections have been held in Europe which coincide with Palestine’s first parliamentary elections in a decade. Exiled Palestinian communities living in Paris and Brussels, organised mock elections to highlight the fact that a majority of Palestinians are denied the chance to elect national leaders. Ali Abunimah is co-founder of Electronic Intifada - an independent website which addresses the Israeli - Palestinian conflict. He’s speaking with SBS radio’s Natasha Cuculovski. 

Press Action Hero of the Week: Ali Abunimah



If you ever need a dose of clarity on Israel’s treatment of the Palestinians, go to the Electronic Intifada website and read Ali Abunimah’s excellent analysis. In his latest article, Abunimah explains that Hamas’ success in this week’s Palestinian parliamentary elections is as much an expression of the determination of Palestinians to resist Israel’s efforts to force their surrender as it is a rejection of Fatah. “It reduces the conflict to its most fundamental elements: there is occupation, and there is resistance,” Abunimah writes. Abunimah, co-founder of Electronic Intifada, argues that it’s still entirely too early to speak of a Palestinian “government” being formed out of the election results. 

Authors discuss Munich's impact from both sides



What has the world community done right and wrong? Abunimah: “They’re acting as if there are two equals of equal strength who can voluntarily come to an agreement. That’s not going to happen. One side has overwhelming superiority militarily and economically, and the other side has very few cards in hand. I think the world is putting its finger on the Israeli side of the scale.” What would you like people from the other side to know about your people? Abunimah: “Palestine is not going anywhere. We’re ready to live in peace with Israel on the basis of full equality — not second-class citizenship in the land of their birth. I am inspired by South Africa. Their conflict was three centuries old, but it came to a peace based on human rights, equal rights.” 

Audio: EI's Abunimah discusses Amman bombings



Fifty-seven people were killed when bombs exploded at three hotels in Amman, Jordan on 9 November. EI’s Ali Abunimah discussed the attacks on Chicago Public Radio’s Worldview program with Jerome McDonnell. The interview examined possible motives and perpetrators, and their potential impact on Jordan and the region. Abunimah said that no matter who carried out the attacks, whether it was Al-Qa’ida or someone else, many Jordanians are likely to lay at least some of the blame at the doors of US-led invasion of Iraq. 

Flashpoints.net: What's behind Israel's savage bombardment of Gaza?



Listen to an interview with EI cofounder Ali Abunimah on Flashpoints, 94.1FM, Berkeley, California. Dennis Bernstein interviewed EI’s Ali Abunimah about Israel’s savage campaign of air raids and bombardment of the occupied Gaza Strip following the pullout of Israeli settlers. Abunimah presents evidence that the Israelis provoked the violence deliberately and how it is part of a premeditated plan to terrorize the civilian population into submission. 

Democracy Now: Israeli Settlers Resist Gaza Pullout, Palestinians Call for Withdrawal from West Bank



Thousands of settlers are refusing to leave their homes in Gaza settlements today as Israeli soldiers and police order them to move out. The pullout is seen by some as a strategy by the Israeli state to consolidate its hold over the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Others see it as a necessary step in the roadmap to peace in Israel-Palestine. We speak with a resident of Gush Katif who is resisting the pullout, the director of the Palestinian Center for Human Rights, a journalist who spent time with soldiers and settlers and the founder of Electronic Intifada. The Israeli pullout from the Gaza Strip began officially today. Gaza is currently home to 8,500 Israeli settlers and 1.4 million Palestinians. 

Billions for Mideast set to grab spotlight



Far beneath the radar dominated by Bob Geldof’s international pop crusade, former World Bank president James Wolfensohn has been navigating diplomatic back channels to get G-8 backing. Unlike Bob Geldof, former World Bank president James Wolfensohn will have the undivided attention of G8 leaders, where he is expected to deliver an urgent call for as much as $3 billion to rebuild the Palestinian economy on the heels of the Israeli withdrawal. The project, if approved, could as much as double international aid over the next three years. Palestinians remain guarded on the prospects of a new wave of international aid. “Palestinians are not asking for charity but justice,” said Arjan El Fassed, a founder of the Electronic Intifada. 

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