Matthew Cassel

Matthew Cassel comments on Palestine’s role in the Arab uprisings, and a planned march by Palestinian refugees in Lebanon this Sunday, 15 May, to the border that they were forced to cross 63 years ago.

11 February 2011 will forever be an historic day for Egypt. It was then that weeks of protests around the country finally forced Hosni Mubarak, the US-backed president of the country for the past 30 years, to leave office. On 12 February, EI’s Matthew Cassel spoke with blogger and activist Mona Seif about the revolution, how it began, and what it means for Egypt’s future.

”It’s been almost two weeks since the Egyptian uprising began. I type these words sitting in my dirtied and blood-soaked jeans, as I have no change of clothes. But all that really isn’t important now, because we are in a state of revolt.” EI’s Matthew Cassel writes from Cairo’s Tahrir Square.

Yesterday I stood among more than a million people in Cairo. They came to Tahrir Square in the morning, some even came days ago and haven’t left since, and all day long they energetically called for the ouster of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. Matthew Cassel writes from Cairo.

Regardless of what sparked the situation that exists today, Arabs are uniting in their resistance to Western interference in the region and its oppressive autocracies. As one Egyptian activist said to me yesterday, “They try to say that we Arabs are all different and we’re disconnected. But look what’s happening now: uprisings in Tunisia, Egypt, Yemen — even Jordan! We are one, it’s absolutely clear.” Matthew Cassel comments from Cairo.

The Palestinian Return Centre, a London-based advocacy organization, has become the latest target of defamation and attempted sabotage in Israel’s ongoing campaign against groups and individuals active in promoting the issue of Palestine and Palestinian human rights. Matthew Cassel reports.

Over the past month, journalist and activist Jody McIntyre has joined a growing number of students, workers, activists and others in the UK protesting a government decision to cut public sector funding, especially to education. Jody, who spent months alongside Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip protesting the Israeli occupation, is now back in London attending and reporting on various student-led actions. The Electronic Intifada’s Matthew Cassel spoke with Jody at his south London home.

“Khosh amadid” quickly became the new catchphrase for many Lebanese when thousands of signs reading “welcome” in Farsi went up in areas around the country. The occasion was Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s two-day visit to the country last week. Matthew Cassel comments for the Electronic Intifada.

This month, Palestinians in Lebanon commemorated the 28th anniversary of a crime whose perpetrators remain unpunished and whose victims still wait for justice. Around the anniversary of the massacres at Sabra and Shatila, Matthew Cassel spoke with Palestinian refugees in Lebanon about the issue of their weapons and their ongoing struggle for rights.