The Electronic Intifada

Refugees are the key

Sam Bahour 20 May 2008



Today there are over 5.5 million Palestinian refugees and displaced persons who have never been allowed the choice to return to their homes or given redress for their losses. The continued denial of their rights encapsulates the decades-long strife, disenfranchisement and dispossession the Palestinians have suffered. EI contributor Sam Bahour comments. 

Why an absolute boycott?

Jerry Roseman and Alia Banna 19 May 2008



As regular readers and supporters of The Electronic Intifada and in concert with much of the positions articulated by writers and contributers to EI, we have a question related to the 1 May Adalah-NY press release “Dubai begins to comply with calls to boycott settlement financier,” published in EI’s Activism news section and which seems to call for an absolute boycott of Israelis in Dubai. 

Film review: "Territories"

Stefan Christoff 19 May 2008



Territory is a central theme in all political conflicts in the world, as national borders across the globe have consistently shifted. EI contributor Stefan Christoff reviews Territories, a new feature documentary by Montreal filmmaker Mary Ellen Davis that explores the photographic work and global journeys of Larry Towell, of the world-renowned photo agency Magnum, who travels along the world’s most conflicted border zones, from Latin America to the Middle East. 

Film review: "Shadow of Absence"

Isabelle Humphries 16 May 2008



“Born in Palestine. Died in Lebanon.” “Born in Palestine. Died in Syria.” “Born in Palestine. Died in Jordan.” The camera pans across an endless row of white tombstones. Shadow of Absence takes death as its subject yet in doing so presents a powerful statement about Palestinian life. Isabelle Humphries reviews director Nasri Hajjaj’s new documentary for EI. 

Crossing the Line interviews author Phyllis Bennis

15 May 2008



This week on Crossing The Line: Former US President Jimmy Carter met with the political head of Hamas in Syria while insisting that Hamas must be included in any future Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations. The visit has drawn criticism from both the US and Israel which until now have refused to take part in any official negotiations with the Hamas government. What does Carter’s meeting with Hamas mean? Is it as “historic” as some are calling it? Host Naji Ali speaks with author on Middle East issues, Phyllis Bennis about Carter’s controversial visit to the Middle East. 

Siege hits Palestinians before they are born

Mohammed Omer 15 May 2008



GAZA CITY, 14 May (IPS) - The Israeli siege of Gaza that has restricted access to food, water and medicine is now beginning to hit unborn children and newborn babies. “Many babies are born suffering from anaemia that they have inherited from their mothers,” Dr Salah al-Rantisi, head of the women’s health department at the Palestinian ministry of health in Gaza told IPS. And the mothers are becoming anemic because they do not now get enough nutrition through pregnancy. 

Photostory: Shattered remains

Adam Beach 15 May 2008



“There is, here, a timeless present, and here no one can find anyone. No one remembers how we went out the door like a gust of wind, and at what hour we fell from yesterday, and then yesterday shattered on the tiles in shards for others to reassemble into mirrors reflecting their image over ours.” Adam Beach’s photographs document life in the occupied territories. 

Remembering 1948 and looking to the future

Ali Abunimah 12 May 2008



This month Israel marks the 60th anniversary of its founding. But amidst the festivities including visits by international celebrities and politicians there is deep unease — Israel has skeletons in its closet that it has tried hard to hide, and anxieties about an uncertain future which make many Israelis question whether the state will celebrate an 80th birthday. EI co-founder Ali Abunimah comments. 

Gaza improvises under siege

7 May 2008



JERUSALEM/GAZA, 6 May (IRIN) - Intense political divisions in the Gaza Strip have split people on most issues, except one: the situation has never been worse, nearly everyone agrees. “I never remember Gaza being this bad,” said one man in his early 40s. “Living here has become a game of survival.” With fuel supplies nearly dry, many people no longer have cooking gas in their homes, leading some to search for alternative methods to make a meal.