To say that Palestinians are absent in Waltz with Bashir, to say that it is a film that deals not with Palestinians but with Israelis who served in Lebanon, only barely begins to describe the violence that this film commits against Palestinians. There is nothing interesting or new in the depiction of Palestinians — they have no names, they don’t speak, they are anonymous. But they are not simply faceless victims. Instead, the victims in the story that Waltz with Bashir tells are Israeli soldiers. Naira Antoun reviews the film for The Electronic Intifada. Read more about Film review: "Waltz with Bashir"
GAZACITY, occupied Gaza Strip (IRIN) - Thousands of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip remain homeless after their houses were badly damaged or destroyed during Israel’s recent military offensive there. The Israeli army began with aerial bombardments of the enclave on 27 December and added a ground assault from 3 January. Israel declared a unilateral ceasefire on 18 January while Hamas, the de facto ruling authority in the Strip, declared its own ceasefire later that day. Read more about Thousands of Gazans remain homeless
RAMALLAH, occupied West Bank (IPS) - Israel is bracing for a wave of lawsuits accusing the state of substantial human rights violations during its 22-day military assault on Gaza which left more than 1,300 Palestinians dead and nearly 5,000 wounded, more than half of them civilian. The International Committee of the Red Cross, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have confirmed that phosphorous bombs were used over Gaza. It is against international law to use phosphorous in densely crowded civilian areas. Read more about Israel braces for wave of lawsuits
Responding to the many calls for boycott, divestment and sanctions against Israel, solidarity movements around the world have marked many successes. It is important for human rights advocates to build on this momentum and seize the opportunity to do what is within their power to try and hold Israel accountable for its abuses of human rights and other international laws. Jeff Handmaker comments for The Electronic Intifada. Read more about Global boycott movement marks its successes
The peace mirage, however, is all deception with no fascination. The so-called “peace process” and the resulting negotiations long ago became ends in themselves: profitable or self-serving for the participants and failure-disguising for all concerned. For Israel, it is ideal to give the impression that it is engaged in peace talks while it continues to occupy and colonize Palestinians and deny their rights, as if the situation on the ground would have no effect on any negotiations. Hasan Abu Nimah comments. Read more about Chasing mirages in the Middle East
As Israel and Hamas continue Egyptian-mediated talks on a Gaza truce deal, Cairo has emerged not as a mediator or an honest deal maker; its interests meet those of Israel to the extent that it is functioning as a broker on behalf of Israel. It may even have gone as far as to undermine an emerging French-mediated prisoner exchange. Amal Ghazal analyzes for The Electronic Intifada. Read more about Did Egypt sabotage deal over Gaza, Shalit?
The export of unmanned aerial vehicles, techniques of urban warfare and other tools of Israel’s pacification industry is the occupation’s contribution to the sustaining of the global power structures. Jimmy Johnson analyzes for The Electronic Intifada. Read more about Unmanned aerial vehicles and the warfare of inequality management
Sigmund Roos, Ralph Hexter and Aaron Berman16 February 2009
The following statement was sent to The Electronic Intifada in response to the 12 February 2009 press release issued by Students for Justice in Palestine at Hampshire College that claimed Hampshire College divested from companies on the grounds of their involvement in the Israeli occupation of Palestine. Read more about Hampshire officials: investment decision didn't single out Israel
Adam Morrow and Khaled Moussa al-Omrani16 February 2009
CAIRO (IPS) - Coverage of Israel’s recent war on the Gaza Strip by regional news stations has reflected longstanding political divisions within the Arab world. Qatar-based Al-Jazeera’s reporting drew a particularly angry response from Egypt. “Coverage of the Gaza conflict by certain Arab language news channels aggravated the rift between the Arab ‘moderate’ and ‘rejectionist’ camps,” Mohamed Mansour, professor of mass media at Cairo University told IPS. Read more about Egypt on offensive after critical Al-Jazeera coverage
GAZACITY, occupied Gaza Strip (IRIN) - The Hamas government in Gaza has said it is trying to help thousands of Palestinians who lost their homes and/or loved ones in the 22-day Israeli offensive which ended on 18 January. According to deputy minister of social affairs, Sobhi Redwan, Hamas has so far spent an estimated $50 million on emergency relief assistance, but more aid is needed. Read more about Hamas providing emergency relief in Gaza
