An interview with Samah Idriss, co-founder of the Campaign to Boycott Supporters of Israel and editor-in-chief of al-Adab, a Lebanese arts and culture magazine based in Beirut. This interview was conducted in August 2005 in Beirut Lebanon and addresses various issues relating to the present day politics of Lebanon, while providing regional context to the major political changes taking place in Lebanon…. “The late Rafik al-Hariri had excellent relations with some Syrian elites, both politically and financially. Hariri rarely uttered a word against their interference in Lebanese public life, and their political and economic corruption in the country.” Read more about Interview with Samah Idriss: Lebanon: Assassinations, Elections and Palestine
“Palestinians observed Israel’s withdrawal from the Gaza Strip with a mix of contradictory emotions. Paramount, perhaps, was relief. Nearly 9,000 Israeli settlers, who had occupied a third of the land there while confining 1. 3 million Palestinians to the rest, were finally gone.” However, argues George E. Bisharat, “the Israeli design for permanent colonization of lands reserved by the international community for a Palestinian state is a formula for decades of conflict and violence.” Read more about In the wake of the Gaza disengagement, enforce a ban on settlements
After visiting Israel and Palestine for five days and meeting with numerous civil society representatives on both sides, as well as several parliamentarians, a European Delegation of former ministers from The Netherlands, Ireland and Germany and a high-ranking former ambassador from France calls on the European Union and EU Member State officials and institutions dealing with Israel and Palestine, in particular their own governments, to act decisively and hold Israel to account for its ongoing violations of International Law. The delegation paid a fact finding visit to Israel and Palestine from 22 to 28 August and was lead by former Prime Minister of the Netherlands, Andreas van Agt. Read more about European Delegation calls on European Union and EU Member States to hold Israel accountable
From 22 to 28 August a delegation of former European politicians and representatives of civil society organisations will travel to Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories. The delegation is headed by Prof. Andreas van Agt, former Prime Minister of the Netherlands. The delegation members have planned a 6-day tour through Israel, the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. The delegation will observe the developments on the ground and the impact of the disengagement on the human rights situation and the prospects for conflict resolution. Special attention will be paid to infringements on the freedom of movement of the Palestinians. Read more about Delegation headed by former Dutch prime minister Van Agt witness restrictions on movement
From 22 to 28 August a delegation of former European politicians and representatives of civil society organisations will travel to Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories. The delegation is headed by Prof. Andreas van Agt, former Prime Minister of the Netherlands. The delegation members have planned a 6-day tour through Israel, the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. The delegation will observe the developments on the ground and the impact of the disengagement on the human rights situation and the prospects for conflict resolution. Special attention will be paid to infringements on the freedom of movement of the Palestinians. Read more about Former Dutch Prime Minister heads visit of former European politicians to Israel and Palestine
Today, the Mission Responsibility through Investment (MRTI) Committee of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) announced that it will begin its process of ‘progressive engagement’ with five companies it says contribute to the ongoing violence that plagues Israel and Palestine. The Committee’s action is in response to a resolution passed last year by the Church’s General Assembly and is consistent with the Church’s long-standing practice of ensuring its investments are used to further the Church’s mission. The companies selected for initial focus are Caterpillar, Citigroup, ITT Industries, Motorola and United Technologies. Read more about Presbyterian Church names companies for 'progressive engagement' over role in Middle East violence
Israeli soldiers have injured five Palestinian villagers after firing tear gas at the group protesting against a settlement road project threatening their land. Palestinians from the village of Kfar Harrs, along with foreign and Israeli activists, were marching towards a roadblock that cuts off traffic to the entrance of their village, when they were approached by Israeli forces on Monday. Soldiers then fired tear gas canisters directly at the crowd, according to Nasfat Khofash, coordinator of the Palestinian Committee Against the Wall in the Salfit area. Four adults and one child were injured, said Khofash. An Austrian peace activist was also arrested and detained in the nearby settlement. Read more about Tear gas injures Palestinian protesters
Salim Shawamreh describes July 9, 1998, as “the blackest day of my life. … I was sitting with my family and eating lunch when my house was surrounded by Israeli soldiers. I was given fifteen minutes to take my possessions and family out of the house… They left us with nothing.” That was the first time Shawamreh’s house in Anata, a village near Jerusalem, was destroyed by Israeli bulldozers. It would happen three more times. He tells the story while sitting in the fifth incarnation of the house, which currently doubles as a peace and activism center. The walls are hung with pictures of Shawamreh being beaten and his family in tears as a reminder of the history of the building. Read more about Building to resist
Palestinians have burned rubber tyres along the trail of the Israeli separation barrier in the West Bank in a symbolic protest against its ongoing construction under the smokescreen of the Gaza pullout. Black smoke seen rising along the wall’s path from the areas of Marda to Qalandia in the Central West Bank on Thursday was an “SOS to the world” to take action to stop Israel’s annexation of their land and “imprisonment of the Palestinian people”, according to Ayed Morrar, coordinator of the Popular Committee to Resist the Wall in Ram Allah. Read more about Palestinians protest Gaza smokescreen
Thousands of transport trucks line the winding highways of Akkar, an impoverished region in northern Lebanon which borders Syria. Currently all land border crossings into Syria are shutdown to economic traffic, dealing a serious blow to Lebanon’s already unstable economy. The Syrian government has publicly justified this border lockdown in the name of regional “security”, as Syria is under intense international political pressure mainly from the U.S. to introduce tighter border controls. In Lebanon, the newly formed government and various unions representing impacted sectors, have painted the border crisis as an attempt to hit the country economically after the forced withdrawal of upwards of 15 000 Syrian soldiers from Lebanon in April 2005 and the recent election results. Read more about Lebanon / Syria: Border Lock Down....
