April 2005

ADC Praises Representation of Arabs, Muslims in "Kingdom of Heaven"


The American-Arab Anti Discrimination Committee (ADC) today praised the portrayal of Arabs and Muslims in the Kingdom of Heaven, a film about the Crusades, which will be opening nationwide on May 6. Last night, ADC staff attended a private advance screening of this new film by Sir Ridley Scott and offers the following comments. Kingdom of Heaven is an epic-scale historical drama inspired by the events of the third Crusade of the 12th century and is based on real characters, including Balian of Ibelin, a Crusader knight, and Salah El Din (Saladin), the renowned Muslim leader. 

Palestinian workers under "moral terror"


In the heart of Jabalia Refugee Camp, there was no more room in the two-room 50 square meters house of Mahmoud Al-Dhabous 42. He is an unemployed father of 7 children, lost his work because he refused to “betray his people.” The washbasin in the kitchen is broken. The door of the bathroom is full of holes while the two rooms packed with sleeping children, clothes and books. Al-Dhabous is a sample of thousands of Palestinian workers the Israeli intelligence have been trying to recruit them as traitors for a permission of work inside Israel. For nine consecutive years, Al-Dhabous has worked for a factor of greenhouses in the industrial zone of “Eretz”. He has been jobless for more than a year. The Israeli intelligence prevented him from working as he refused to “collaborate”. 

Al Aqaba: Another village under threat


The mountains of Palestine form a sharp edge that plunges into the Jordan Valley as if cut by a knife. Almost to the rim of this drastic landscape lies the village of Al Aqaba, located in the farthest Palestinian lands of the Jenin region. It is almost a no-man’s land, nestled in the soft rolling foothills of the towering mountains, stirred by the strong breeze cooling the hot spring day. We went to Al Aqaba to speak with Haj Sammy, the mayor. The military uses the land around Al Aqaba for their training practices, having killed 8 and wounded 50 since 1971. Haj Sammy’s wound is one such example. He has been paralyzed since. 

Film review: "Rainbow"


“Hearing is not like seeing and seeing is different from living the experience,” reflects Shehada’s mother about life in Rafah. And for a week in May 2004, that experience worsened as Israeli forces pushed forward with “Operation Rainbow,” killing 45 Palestinians, 38 of them civilians including nine children. “The only thing we can do is pray to God.” This overwhelmingly distraught sentiment runs throughout Shehada’s newest documentary Rainbow (2004), which examines first hand the devastating effects of the events of May 13-May 20th. However, this film is not a documentary in the traditional sense — from the perspective of an outsider looking in. 

On Orthodox Great Saturday, Israel closes Jerusalem's Christian Quarter


Today, the Great Saturday celebration for Christian Orthodox people ahead of Easter Sunday tomorrow, was ruined in Jerusalem by the Israeli police and the Greek Patriarch. The Christian Quarter of the Old City was blocked off in four places by heavily armed Israeli police, which meant that Christian Orthodox Palestinians as well as members of the church who had flown in from Greece, could not enter their church for the service. 

Photostory: Nablus' Old City


The West Bank city of Nablus has historically boasted itself as the commercial and business center of Palestine. The West Bank’s largest city, it dates back some 4,500 years. However, Nablus’ economy, cultural heritage, and population have come under attack during the past four years of Israeli violence. Its Old City walls have acquired a new layer of history in the political graffiti and martyr posters honoring the scores of mostly young men from Nablus who have committed suicide bombings or, far more frequently, were killed by Israeli violence. 

19 wounded as Occupation unleashes brutal wave of attacks against resisting Bil’in villagers


Twelve Palestinians were wounded as occupation forces unleashed a torrent of bullets, tear gas canisters and sound bombs in the village of Bil’in on Thursday. Over 600 protestors gathered by the village mosque and marched to the west of Bil’in where land is being razed for the construction of the Apartheid Wall, which will trap the village in a ghetto. Around ten bulldozers have been at work constantly over the last two weeks, in the project to annex Palestinian land for the expansion of nearby settlements. Dozens of schoolchildren led a lively and colourful march, carrying an enormous Palestinian flag to the confiscated lands. 

Film review: "The Eternal Dance"


The Eternal Dance (2003), the second film directed by noted Palestinian actress Hiam Abbas (Satin Rouge, Door to the Sun), is the beautifully poetic story of coming to terms with the loss of a loved one. Just shy of thirty minutes, each short scene commands heartfelt performances that tenderly reveal the emotion that death leaves in its wake. While on the surface the plot is simple, The Eternal Dance reveals itself to be much more. The Eternal Dance at times feels more like a stage play than a film, but this is not a bad thing. Every suggestive movement, silence and gesture builds to create an unforgettable film dealing with a highly significant subject. 

Film review: "Curfew"


It begins ordinarily enough — kids play soccer, people walk freely about the streets, and a mailman delivers letters from afar. This is Gaza in 1993, before the Oslo Peace Accords, and the setting for Curfew (1993), which was written and directed by Rashid Masharawi. “Always the same refrain. Tomorrow is another day and after that comes another day. And what will happen today?” Unfortunately, this day freedom will transform into restriction as Israeli soldiers call for a curfew that confines the Palestinian inhabitants to their homes; a restriction due to the ongoing occupation. 

From layman to expert, economic prospects look bleak


Hasan Namle, 51, remembers better days. When he used to work in Israel, he could make as much as NIS6,000 (approx. $1,400) a month in the construction field, he says. Those days are long gone. He was barred from working in Israel in 1996, long before the Aqsa Intifada broke out. His crime was being suspected of having links to Hamas. He says he has none now and had none then. Nevertheless he was never allowed back and had to think of alternatives. Now he runs a small poultry shop in the camp. “I make 36 agarot per kilo. On a good day I will make NIS36 ($8),” he said, sprawled on a mattress where he and two sons sleep when it is warm on the porch outside their three-room dwelling. 

Statewide Academic Union Calls for University of Wisconsin Israel Divestment


The Association of University of Wisconsin Professionals (TAUWP) has adopted a resolution that calls on the University of Wisconsin Board of Regents to divest from companies that provide the Israeli Army with weapons, equipment, and supporting systems. TAUWP is a statewide local of the American Federation of Teachers-Wisconsin representing faculty and academic staff from 25 University of Wisconsin campuses. The resolution was passed at the TAUWP delegate assembly on April 23rd by a vote of 24 to 2, with four abstentions. 

Israeli apologia in the Sunday New York Times


“Daniel Okrent’s attempt at further Israeli apologia in the Sunday NY Times (“The Hottest Button: How the Times Covers Israel and Palestine”, April 24, 2005), in which he pretends to summarize the ‘criticisms’ of the paper of record, conveniently ignoring the crucial aspect of anti-Arabism visible throughout regular Times reports.” Dane Baker submitted this response to the article in New York Times. 

Film review: "Land of '48"


A map abstractly records places, borders, and distance through line and shape. However, as a group of Palestinian refugees gather around a map that depicts Palestine before the Nakba, or the expulsion of 750,000 people from their lands and homes, these dots and letters do much more than just describe a location. They trigger memories of a land they once called home. Barrack Rima’s aptly titled documentary Land of ‘48 (2003) explores this deep connection to place through interviews conducted with refugees living in Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip. 

Hebron: Terror in the Shadow of Peace


Mufida, not yet 16 years old, was studying for an exam one Saturday afternoon in April when her window was smashed by stones. Scared, she moved to the sitting room in order to try to continue studying, but Israeli settlers would smash eight windows in her house on this afternoon. It is all part of living with the Occupation in Hebron. Mufida’s mother was hit in the head by a stone during the attack and started bleeding. Her father and mother had to go to the hospital to have the wound stitched. Mufida was forced to take care of her five younger brothers and sisters, further interrupting her studies. 

Film Review: "Soraida, A Woman of Palestine"


Soraida, A Woman of Palestine (2004) is an outstanding documentary by Egyptian-born Tahani Rached. Rached, who has directed many documentaries that focus on the condition of women in the Middle East, compellingly turns her camera on Soraida Abed Hussein and her close circle of friends and family who live in Ramallah. Throughout, we casually observe the lives of these close-knit neighbors while they recall memories (at times even re-enacting them for the camera), discuss current events, and openly expose their fears and hopes, all while going about their daily activities. 

Film review: "Another Road Home"


At some point in our lives, we grapple with understanding our childhood relationships and seek to find answers to unresolved familial ambiguities. This is exactly what Israeli-born Danae Elon chooses to document in her honest film Another Road Home (2004). While Elon’s search focuses on finding one man, Mahmoud “Musa” Obeidallah, the Palestinian caretaker who helped raise her for twenty years of her life in East Jerusalem, her subsequent film openly exposes a unique side of Palestinian-Israeli relations. 

When the New York Times' distortion gets up close and personal


A little over a week ago, some members of our organization, If Americans Knew, met with New York Times Public Editor Daniel Okrent to discuss the findings of a detailed study we had completed of two years worth of Times news stories on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Okrent was going to be writing a column discussing the paper’s coverage of Israel/Palestine, and we felt our study would be an important resource. We presented our findings, complete with charts, spread-sheets, clear sourcing, and extensive additional documentation, to Okrent and his assistant. His subsequent column was perplexing. 

The Israel on Campus Coalition and the David Project: Sponsored by US oil and Israeli bank profits?


The surplus oil industry wealth of the now-deceased former Samson Investment Company CEO is apparently being used to help subsidize the activity of the Israel on Campus Coalition (ICC) and its affiliated David Project. In 2004, for instance, the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation — with assets of $100 million — gave a $1,050,000 grant to Hillel to support the Israel on Campus Coalition [ICC] project, according to its website. 

AIPAC Finally Fires Two Employees


After a month of speculation, the New York Times and the Washington Post ran stories on 21 April 2005 that the American Israeli Public Affairs Committee had finally seen the light and fired two of its top officials as a result of an FBI espionage investigation into its activities.� Though their lawyers were reported by the Jewish Telegraphic Agency declaring that the men had “not violated any U.S. law or AIPAC policy,” Steve Rosen, AIPAC’s policy director, and Keith Weissman, senior analyst on Iran, were let go.� Ha’aretz’s reporter compared the firings to removing a cancer and expected AIPAC to emerge healthy and intact.� 

My First Settler Attack


21 April 2005 — Last week, I witnessed my first settler attack. “It was nothing,” my friend Arafat told me afterwards, and I know that he was speaking in comparison to other attacks when people have been injured and even killed. Here, the Palestinian farmers were simply forced off their land. Too simply. Too easily. But what can they do? They don’t have any weapons, unless you count their farming tools, as one woman joked to me. Only the Israeli settlers and soldiers have real weapons. 

Amnesty: Israeli authorities must put an immediate end to settler violence


Amnesty International calls on the Israeli authorities to investigate recent incidents of poisoning of Palestinian fields and the increasingly frequent attacks by Israeli settlers on Palestinian villagers in the West Bank. Scores of sheep as well as gazelles and other animals have been contaminated by the toxins and several have died. Palestinian farmers have been forced to quarantine their flocks and stop using the milk, cheese and meat from them, effectively depriving them of their livelihood. 

Association of University Teachers to boycott Israeli institutions


The Association of University Teachers (AUT) in the UK voted in its Council meeting today to boycott Haifa and Bar-Ilan Universities[1] and to disseminate to all its chapters our Call for Boycott of Israeli academic institutions. This historic decision, which sets a landmark precedent, stands as a major achievement in the struggle to attain a just peace in our region. Finally, boycotting Israeli institutions, as a morally and politically sound response to Israel�s crimes, is on the mainstream agenda in the west; and no one can ignore it now. 

Film review: "Sense of Need"


Sense of Need (2004) begins simply enough with the main character narrating his life for the viewer. Almost switched at birth with a red-haired Jewish boy, Palestinian Joseph was born while Israel was at war with Egypt. At the age of seven his father bought him his first piano and then “began his life in color.” At first one might take this as purely a poetic metaphor, but this is not the case in newcomer Shady Srour’s psychologically complicated and loosely autobiographical plot. Srour, a man of many talents, wrote, directed, and produced his first full-length feature film. He also portrays the protagonist Joseph, a twenty-seven year old aspiring musician who lives in San Francisco and is just a week away from finishing his masters degree. 

West Bank wasteland


At the beginning of April 2002, the Israeli army reoccupied a number of cities in the West Bank as part of a wide-scale military operation dubbed “Defensive Shield”. The goal of the operation, as stated by the Israeli government, was to “eliminate the infrastructure of Palestinian terrorism and to prevent suicide bombers from executing their operations in the heart of Israeli cities inside the Green Line.” At the time, no attention was given to an artillery force that snuck up the hills to a quarry - the largest in the West Bank, which is located in the cradle of a huge hill west of Nablus. “We were shocked when we saw that the quarry was being taken over,” says the director of the quarry, Ihab Abu Shusheh. 

Weekly report on human rights violations


This week, Israeli forces extra-judicially killed a Palestinian and wounded 10 Palestinians, including four children. Construction of the “annexation wall” in the West Bank has continued; more areas of Palestinian land were confiscated and the Israeli High Court issued a decision allowing the construction of a section of the wall in Beit Sahour. Israeli forces arrested at least 20 Palestinians, including four children. At the crossing between the Gaza Strip and Israel, Israeli authorities arrested five Palestinians, including two children. Israeli settlers have continued to attack Palestinians and their property. The siege imposed on the occupied territories remained in force. 

Rabble, Straight Goods, Indymedia


Electronic Intifada (EI) began in 2001, a year after Palestine’s Second Intifada. This site is packed with information that is organized, accessible, and thorough. It offers visitors historical, legal, cultural, and political information about the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Laurie King-Irani, one of the site’s cofounders, says EI’s most popular aspect is its diaries — live reports from people on the ground in occupied Palestine. In 2002, the EI team decided that instead of critiquing the media, they would become the ideal. “Too often, we aren’t getting the whole story. What we do at EI is deliver the missing part,” cofounder Arjan El Fassed says. “We call it supplementary news, rather than alternative news.” 

Behind the smoke screen of the Gaza pullout


Ariel Sharon travelled to the United States as a hero of peace, as if he had already evacuated Gaza and only the follow-up remained to be worked out. What has completely disappeared from the public agenda is what is happening, meanwhile, in the West Bank. Behind the smoke screen of disengagement, a process of slow and hidden transfer is being carried out in the West Bank today. Tel Aviv University professor Tanya Reinhart looks at recent developments. 

Israel Continues to Deny Palestinian Prisoners their Basic Rights


Al-Haq, on the occasion of Palestinian Prisoners day, calls attention to the ongoing plight of some 7,000 Palestinian political prisoners currently detained in substandard conditions in Israeli-administered jails in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories. As of mid-March 2005, these prisoners included 126 women and 310 children. Of the current prison population, 434 Palestinians from the OPT have been held for over 10 years, and five have been incarcerated for over 25 years. During the past four and a half years of intifada, there have been 35,000 cases of detention. 

The Crow Cries


Lately Mary said that “we are slaves now,” – slaves even without the possibility of shouting at your masters. “How sad is it that we are happy to get a permit,” she said after hearing of people who received a permit to travel to Jerusalem during Easter week. She herself applied but did not receive one. We heard of many couples who received only one permit. According to some, there were seven hundred permits to give away for a thousand applicants. Most people did not bother to apply. With its army roads and barbed wire the Wall will soon dominate the western border of the Bethlehem area, as well as a large stretch of the south. The checkpoint to the north of Bethlehem is going to be moved southwards, approaching downtown Bethlehem. It will be in or immediately behind the Wall. 

Weekly report on human rights violations


This week Israeli forces killed seven Palestinian civilians, including two children. Israeli forces conducted a series of incursions into Palestinian areas. Houses were raided and a number of Palestinian civilians were arrested. Construction of the “Annexation Wall” in the West Bank has continued; more areas of Palestinian land were confiscated and 5 houses and a number of animal farms were destroyed for this purpose. Israeli settlers have continued to attack Palestinian civilians and property in the West Bank. Israeli forces have continued to impose a total siege on the OPT. Israeli forces have continued to close a number of roads since the beginning of the current Intifada, Israeli forces have continued to impose severe restrictions on travel at Rafah International Crossing Point. 

Weekly report on human rights violations


This week, Israeli forces killed three Palestinian children. Israeli forces wounded 16 Palestinian civilians, mostly children. Israel continues to build the illegal Separation Barrier in the West Bank. Israel confiscated large areas of Palestinian land in Hebron, Bethlehem and Ramallah. Israeli forces conducted 23 incursions into Palestinian areas in the West Bank, the largest one was into Nablus. Israeli forces arrested at least 40 Palestinians. Israeli forces turned two Palestinian homes into military outposts. Israeli settlers have continued to attack Palestinian civilians and property in the West Bank and more areas of Palestinian land were confiscated in Hebron and Jenin for the purpose of settlement expansion. The total siege imposed on the OPT remained in force. 

Assassination of resistance fighter in Nablus


Today, Thursday afternoon an Israeli undercover commando killed Ibrahim Smeri, 24, a fighter of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades, right outside the Balata refugee camp on the outskirts of Nablus. Around 2pm today, two private cars with undercover units dressed in women’s clothes approached Ibrahim Mohammad Mahmoud Smeri Hashash, as he left from Al-Quds street walking towards the southern end of Balata Camp. After being shot, his body was taken by the IOF forces. 

Bridging Differences: The German-Israeli-Palestinian Trialogue "Youth for Understanding" 2005


In April 2005, almost 15 years since German reunification and some 60 years after the Second World War, 21 young journalists of German, Israeli and Palestinian origin, including myself, were invited to take part in a trialogue organised by the German Federal Government, the Goethe Institut and the Herbert-Quandt-Stiftung Foundation (the charitable arm of BMW). The purpose of the trip was to bring aspiring journalists together to produce a newspaper called “The Bridge”, to visit cultural institutions and to meet with government officials. 

Gandhi comes to West Bank, Palestinians miss opportunity


During the first week of April, the Occupied Palestinian Territories emerged, yet again, as haven for high profile receptions and media frenzies. Palestinians were honoured with the arrival of more Americans public figures. This time the visitors were not merely American politicians — rather they held more influential positions in contemporary American society — they were Hollywood actors. Unfortunately, yet again, the Palestinian people were unable to seize the opportunity and effectively influence the visiting Americans. 

New Activist Center in Southeast Asia to Work for Palestinian Independence


Malaysia, a South East Asian Muslim state with a booming economy and a successful and peaceful multicultural, multireligious society, may soon establish a new center to spearhead and rejuvenate the global movement for Palestinian independence. This falls exactly fifty years after the birth in Bandung of the once-powerful anti-colonial bloc of non-aligned states that yielded a powerful influence on the international stage for many years. Under the sponsorship of Peace Malaysia, over 500 participants from 34 countries met March 28-30 in Putrajaya, the administrative capital of Malaysia, and unanimously adopted an action plan that called for the creation of a new International Center for Palestine Civil Societies in the South. 

The Nativity Church Deportees' Right to Return


GAZA, 11 April 2005, (WAFA) — Happiness and fear, hope and despair, eagerness and oppression, dreaming and deep thinking marked the chat between a group of deportees from the Nativity Church seige who were closely watching the TV in their flat, near the Presidential office in Gaza City. Some of them sat on a sofa, others on chairs and the ground, the ringing of mobile phones does not stop. As one of them speaks via mobile, the others stare at him, waiting for new information. “I have not slept for four days. I am thinking of returning home and hugging my mother. I have not seen her for three years,” said Issa Abu Ahoor, 39, from Bethlehem. 

An Interview with Israeli Activist Jonathan Pollak


Jonathan Pollak is an Israeli activist who grew up in Tel Aviv and lives in Jaffa. He has been involved in nonviolent direct action in the West Bank for the last two-and-a-half years, participating in more than 200 protests with Palestinians in the West Bank with the Israeli nonviolent direct action group Anarchists Against the Wall and with the International Solidarity Movement. On April 3, 2005 an Israeli soldier shot Jonathan in the head with a teargas canister from an M-16 from a distance of approximately thirty meters at a peaceful protest against the Wall in the West Bank village of Bil’in. Bil’in is one of tens of West Bank Palestinian villages losing land because of Israel’s wall construction. Pat O’Connor interviewed Jonathan Pollak by telephone on 7 April 2005. 

The Case Against Alan Dershowitz: The Public Committee Against Torture in Israel vs. Alan Dershowitz


Alan Dershowitz is a well-known lawyer and professor at Harvard Law School, a prolific author, and makes regular appearances in the media. When it comes to Israel, he is particularly outspoken and taken quite seriously within certain segments of the North American mainstream. Whether he deserves to be taken seriously is another issue altogether. In a recent talk at York University in Toronto, Canada, Professor Dershowitz repeated many of the controversial claims of his recent book, The Case for Israel, but one claim struck me as — even by his standards — exceptionally far-reaching. 

Horsemanship in Gaza: Palestinian dreams and Israeli obstacles


GAZA, 14 April 2005, (WAFA) — The neighing of horses and the chirping of sparrows break the silence covering the Palestine Horsemanship Club (PHC) along the Gaza shore. Broken tiles cover the roof of the winter hall while cracks mark the walls. Silence and gloom have replaced the cheers of the crowds that used to be heard during the local competitive horse riding championships. Sami Abu Salem reports for WAFA from occupied Gaza. 

Palestinian parliamentary elections may be delayed


The Palestinian Authority is likely to postpone elections, due on 17 July, in a move that Hamas says would be political meddling by its rival, the ruling Fatah party. Fatah Minister of Parliament Hatim Abd al-Qadir said the postponement was expected to be announced in a few days and that it had more to do with procedural matters than other considerations. The Palestinian cabinet is responsible for the postponement. The opposition parties reacted strongly to the possibility of a delay. Parliament is expected to vote on Sunday on a modified election law. 

Film review: Door to the Sun


Bab el Shams (Door to the Sun) is the most recent cinematic achievement from Egyptian director Yousri Nasrallah. Adapted from the novel by Lebanese writer Elias Khoury, this ambitious film takes on the weighty goal of covering roughly fifty years of Palestinian history, from 1943 to 1994, and centers around the lives of a group of Palestinian refugees. EI film critic Jenny Gheith writes that Nasrallah succeeds in his large-scale recreations of demanding passages in Palestinian history while infusing intimate scenes with a nuanced tenderness. 

Gauging conflict


Two scholars of the ongoing Israel-Palestine tension visited Ithaca College this week. Israeli educator and journalist Jeremy Maissel gave a public lecture Monday sponsored by Hillel titled. Maissel, who is associated with the Zionist educational organization Melitz, argued points of the conflict from an Israeli perspective. Ali Abunimah, a journalist and commentator on issues in the Middle East, gave a speech on Tuesday sponsored by Students For A Just Peace titled, “Israel and Palestine: Is Peace About to Break Out?” Abunimah, the founder of the Israel-Palestine news site ElectronicIntifada.net, discussed the conflict from a Palestinian perspective. 

Human Rights Commission adopts resolution on Israeli settlements and Israeli practices in occupied territories


Under its agenda item on the question of the violation of human rights in the occupied Arab territories, including Palestine, the Commission adopted a resolution on Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem, and the occupied Syrian Golan by a roll-call vote of 39 in favour to two opposed, with 12 abstentions. In the text, the Commission expressed grave concern at the continuing Israeli settlements and related activities, in violation of international law; and demanded that Israel, the occupying power, comply fully with its legal obligations. 

Outgoing World Bank President to serve as special envoy Gaza plan


Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice announced the appointment of outgoing World Bank President James Wolfensohn to serve as special envoy on behalf of the Middle East Quartet to help coordinate Israel�s disengagement from Gaza and several West Bank settlements. “As Special Envoy for Gaza Disengagement, Mr. Wolfensohn will focus his efforts on two areas: first, Palestinian-Israeli coordination concerning the non-military aspects of the withdrawal, including the disposition of the assets that will be left behind; and second, the revival of the Palestinian economy in the wake of the withdrawal,” Rice said upon announcing Wolfensohn�s appointment April 14. 

Israeli Occupation Forces Invade Nablus


Nablus, 11 April 2005 — Early this morning, about two dozen jeeps from the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) assisted by a helicopter entered Nablus and surrounded a house on the Jabal Shamaliya, the northern mountain of the town. During the military operation 15 people were arrested, of whom two remain in custody. Six people were injured and taken to Rafidia Hospital, one of them in serious condition. Although today’s military operation was the largest launched by the IOF during the day for the last few months, it might seem that Nablus is “pacified”. Reality looks different. 

Press sides with Caterpillar's 'right' to sell tools of destruction to human rights violators


With activists increasing pressure on Caterpillar to stop supplying the Israeli military with equipment it uses to demolish Palestinian homes and businesses in violation of international law, press accounts surfaced in support of ‘poor’ Caterpillar, ranked #57 in the Fortune 1,000 corporate index with 2004 revenues of some $30 billion. Support for CAT is primarily limited to the second-tier intellectual press, mainly the Los Angeles Times and Boston Globe. Dane Baker reports. 

Israeli army to take no action against officer in journalist's death


The Israel Defense Forces said today that it would not take disciplinary action against an officer thought responsible for the May 2003 shooting death of British freelance cameraman and film director James Miller in the Gaza Strip. The Committee to Protect Journalists is deeply disturbed by the decision, which comes one month after the army declined to press criminal charges against the officer. “We are appalled that nearly two years after the death of James Miller, no one has been held accountable,” CPJ Executive Director Ann Cooper said. “The failure to assign any responsibility for this shocking and unnecessary death reflects an official disregard for the safety of journalists.” 

Lock down in Gaza


We are preparing now for lock down. I have this sense that perhaps a prison guard has in an American high security prison. I’ve seen it in the movies. The prisoners are causing too much trouble and you hear the heavy black boots of the guards stomp down the iron corridors. Then one of them shouts “lock down!” or some other phrase that hides the brutality of what is about to happen. Someone else pulls a huge switch and the sound of metal clanking metal is awesome. That’s the preparation now. The Israeli occupation army is building everywhere. I thought they were mean to be disengaging? Eóin Murray reports from Gaza. 

Academic Boycott and the Israeli Left


Some of the most committed Israeli opponents of their state’s illegal military occupation of the Palestinian territories have recently expressed serious reservations about, if not strident opposition to, the Palestinian call for boycott of Israel’s academic and cultural institutions. We think that their concerns are worth addressing. Almost all of the publicized reservations we have seen are prefaced with moral support for the right of Palestinians to resist the occupation – nonviolently, most would write – even by calling for boycotts to achieve that goal. 

NYC Activists Call for End of CAT's Support for Israeli Human Rights Abuses


April 14, 2005, New York, NY - In Manhattan yesterday, sixty human rights activists marked the International Day of Action Against Caterpillar by protesting outside of the Manhattan office of Caterpillar Board member Gail Fosler. Chanting and holding large photos of CAT bulldozers demolishing Palestinian homes and of Rachel Corrie who was killed by a CAT bulldozer in Rafah, activists handed out hundreds of flyers to passersby and individuals leaving Fosler’s office building at 845 3rd Avenue. Fosler, who was attending the CAT shareholder meeting in Chicago, works as a Senior Vice President for The Conference Board in Manhattan. 

Star power deflects attention from ongoing debate


Last week in Ramallah, two major cinematic events took place; one was reported by the English-language press, while the other wasn’t. On April 6, the Ramallah Cultural Palace was packed with people for the second world screening of Hany Abu-Asad’s award-winning film Paradise Now. The following night, the same venue was filled with an invitation-only audience, consisting of youth bussed in from refugee camps and Palestinian ministers, to see the new Arabic-dubbed version of the 1982 Academy Award-winning film Gandhi

Mother of murdered activist launches boycott call


Cindy Corrie joined War on Want and Caterkiller activists today in delivering a simple message to John Lewis Department Store: stop selling Caterpillar products, until Caterpillar stops selling bulldozer’s to the Israeli Army. Cindy’s daughter, Rachel Corrie, was killed by a Caterpillar bulldozer while protesting against house demolitions in Occupied Palestine 2 years ago. War on Want Campaigns Officer Nick Dearden said “Caterpillar’s Chief Executive is fully aware of the uses his bulldozer’s are put to, yet he still claims that his company is ‘doing well by doing good around the world’. We think that Britain’s consumers have a right to know about the real Caterpillar…” 

Two homes demolished by Caterpillar excavation drills in Anata


At approximately 8:00 am, less than 12 hours before Caterpillar shareholders were scheduled to meet in Chicago to discuss a resolution concerning sales of bulldozers to Israel, 60 Israeli soldiers accompanied two Caterpillar excavation drills to the Yamani home in Anata on the outskirts of East Jerusalem. The family of 12 was given 30 minutes to remove their belongings from the 80 meter home. It took approximately 30 minutes for the Caterpillar excavation drills to destroy the home along with the animal stable alongside the house. 

Proponents of Caterpillar shareholder resolution claim victory on International Day of Action Against Caterpillar


A controversial shareholder resolution calling for Caterpillar to investigate whether their sale of bulldozers to Israel violates the CAT “good global citizen” code of conduct received a 3% vote at the annual shareholder meeting today in Chicago. The resolution was backed by investors with holdings estimated to be well over $600 million, including CalPERS, the largest pension fund in the world. Today’s public protests against CAT in over 30 cities and CAT’s 3% drop in stock price today assure that the company will have to deal with this issue sooner rather than later. And if not sooner, then we expect to be back next year with another resolution.” 

EI EXCLUSIVE: Britain's double game


The British government assisted a leading company in the UK to obtain a lucrative contract with Israel which violates UK policy and international law on the status of Occupied East Jerusalem, an EI investigation has uncovered. Under the contract, signed with the Israeli Finance Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, UK consulting firm A4e will establish an employment center in Jerusalem. Despite assurances from officials at the British Embassy in Tel Aviv that “we cannot and will not support any work” by A4e in Occupied East Jerusalem, there is conclusive evidence that they did exactly that, damaging UK credibility as an honest broker. EI’s Ali Abunimah reports in a dual exclusive with Middle East International magazine. 

Birzeit Student Elections 2005: A Democratic Tradition Continues


12 April 2005 — During the past week, slogans have been chanted; flags of all colors raised; red, green, black and white have adorned the campus and a general excitement imbued Birzeit University as students took part in the annual Student Council elections. On April 7th and 9th, the five student blocs participating in this year’s elections: Martyr Yasser Arafat Bloc; Islamic Loyalists Bloc; Islamic Group Bloc; United Students’ Pole Bloc; Students’ Platform Bloc, presented their electoral campaigns through campaign-promise-filled speeches, marches in the center of the University campus, songs and theatrical skits. 

Another "generous offer" mythology in the works?


Even Ariel Sharon himself, the father of the settlements and a fervent proponent of the Greater Land of Israel ideology, has come to understand the need for a Palestinian state in order to relieve Israel of the 4 million Palestinians living in the occupied territories. The problem is not a Palestinian state, but a viable Palestinian state. After Bush declared that “a state of scattered territories will not work,” his agreement to Israel’s annexation of its major settlement blocs leaves one to wonder just where that viable Palestinian state will be. One gets the impression that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) is being set up for yet another “generous offer” ala Barak and Camp David II

Review: "Made In Palestine" exhibit


The contest between occupation and self-determination, history and erasure establishes the subject for the first contemporary exhibition of Palestinian artwork in the United States. Fittingly, and perhaps a bit defiantly, the show is titled Made In Palestine. The exhibition — on display from April 7th through the 21st at the SomArts Cultural Center in San Francisco’s South of Market district — is a collection of works from twenty-three artists, most of whom currently reside in Palestine. Included in the exhibition are two-dimensional works on paper or canvas, photos and sculpture, as well as textile and video installations. 

Activist groups and Corrie family call for International Day of Action against Caterpillar on April 13


Olympia friends and supporters of Rachel Corrie and her family have called on concerned people worldwide to join them in demonstrating on the International Day of Action Against Caterpillar, April 13. They hope that a vigorous turnout will not only send a strong message to Caterpillar but will also send a positive message of solidarity with the Corrie family as they go forth with what is sure to be a long and difficult landmark legal struggle against the equipment manufacturer. 

Some Observations on Academic Freedom


The report recently released by Columbia’s Ad Hoc Grievance Committee is an odd document. Several people, including this author, have pointed out that the section dealing with three student grievances against two professors makes very little sense. The report seems to simply discount the word of Dr. Joseph Massad while taking the word a Dr. George Saliba at face value. In the case of a simple “he said, she said” grievance against Dr. Saliba, the Committee sided with the accused professor. In the case of “four people testify for Dr. Massad (including Dr. Massad), while three people testify for his accuser (including his accuser),” and when the testimony of Dr. Massad’s four is far more consistent and less suspect than that of the three testifying against him, the Committee sided with the accuser. 

Struggling to be self-reliant in Jenin


Why are so many children born with mental and physical disabilities in Jenin? It is this question the staff of the Local Committee for the Rehabilitation of the Disabled (LCORD) set out to answer after more than a decade of working with such children and their families. LCORD carried out some research, to try to discover what was causing so many cases in their region. They interviewed 215 mothers of CP sufferers, and found something they had not been looking for: that almost 70 per cent of them (150 of the mothers) were all using the same, cheap contraceptives. 

The fugitives of Nablus


On April 1, Amin Abu Warda, 37, sat with his colleagues, tallying votes for the new board of directors at the Balata Refugee Camp Youth Center. Just before midnight, with the group exhausted from the long hours, 15 armed men broke into the room. “It was terrifying,” says Abu Warda. A video of the break-in shows one of the intruders busting up the blackboard scribbled with the number of tallied votes. Another kicked a ballot box, already emptied. A third man confronted an employee who was trying to hide a few remaining and unharmed ballots. At gunpoint, the man was forced to surrender the papers, another ripping them into pieces before firing a bullet at the ceiling and ordering everyone out of the room. 

"This is Not a Subject for Comedy": Jewish comedian tackles the Israeli-Palestinian conflict


When he was eight years old, Ivor Dembina was asked by his teacher Mr. Benson, “Are you British, or are you Jewish?” So began the journey of the North Londoner comedian (he jokes that his parents are refugees of South London) who came to question religious versus national identity, and in his hit show This is Not a Subject for Comedy gets his audience to remember the importance of this distinction. Though the show is the result of a trip to Jenin he made as a guest of the International Solidarity Movement, his experience growing up Jewish and becoming socially aware that drives the show. 

Israel's Peeping Tom in Rafah still operational


Since February 18, Palestinians leaving Gaza through the Rafah international crossing point have been forced to experience a humaliating enhanced x-ray process which allows Israeli forces to photograph civilians completely naked. As of yesterday, Israel began to restrict the use of the system to certain individuals — a clear admission of the dangerous health and privacy issues regarding its use. The system is related to systems that have been developed at research labs such as Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in the US and others in the UK. Civil liberties campaigners and privacy experts have called the system a “voyeurs charter”. 

UN review paints gloomy picture of 2004 economy in occupied Palestinian territory


Around half of the Palestinian population was living below the official poverty line last year, more than double the number in 2000, unemployment increased, and there is no hope for improvement unless guarded optimism on the political front is translated into economic activity, according to the latest review of the humanitarian situation in the occupied Palestinian territory for 2004. The report summarises the main humanitarian trends in the occupied Palestinian territory in 2004. It is an updated version of the report submitted in November 2004 by UN agencies working in the occupied Palestinian territory to the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee. 

Irish Limerick City might soon become world's first Caterpillar Free Zone


Limerick City Council will soon consider a motion put forward by the Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign and supported by the family of the murdered American human rights observer Rachel Corrie, to declare Limerick City the world’s first Caterpillar Free Zone. The motion calls on the City Council to ban the use of all Caterpillar plant and machinery on Council worksites from January 1st 2006, and calls on all traders in Limerick City to implement a voluntary ban on the sale of Caterpillar merchandise. Limerick City Councillors have a precedent-setting opportunity to declare the world’s first Caterpillar Free Zone, thereby sending a resounding message to Caterpilar shareholders and directors when they meet in Chicago on April 13. 

Four weeks of activities launched to mark Palestinian child day


This year Palestinian Child Day will mark the start of four weeks of UNICEF-supported activities in the West Bank and Gaza, aimed at providing more than 7000 children aged 6-16 years, with a supportive and productive environment. The activities are led by the Ministry of Social Affairs and UNICEF. “The events we are supporting are aimed at making a difference in the lives of the most marginalized children in society,” said UNICEF Special Representative Dan Rohrmann. The activities will be conducted in 15 districts. In cooperation with the Ministry of Social Affairs, the Municipality of Gaza, including the Children Municipality Councils, will help more than 700 kids participating in Fun Days held at safe play areas. 

EI EXCLUSIVE: Joseph Massad's response to the Ad Hoc Grievance Committee Report


In late 2004, claims of intimidation in the department of Middle Eastern and Asian Languages and Cultures (MEALAC) of Columbia University hit newspapers around the world after an unreleased documentary Columbia Unbecoming, which purported to reveal incidences of intimidation and anti-Semitism in the classroom. The primary target of the organized campaign was Professor Joseph Massad. Columbia University ultimately formed an ad hoc committee to investigate, which released its report on 31 March 2005. Joseph Massad responds. 

Children, PTSD, and the future of Palestine


On April 5th every year, Palestinians celebrate Palestinian Child Day. This year’s anniversary comes as Palestinian children suffer from various deprivations of their basic human rights. Israeli occupation remains the main reason for these violations and the basic source of agony for children and for Palestinian society as a whole. Political and social problems have negative ramifications on children’s mental health. According to scientific research by Gaza Community Mental Health Programme, children were found to suffer from high levels of trauma and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, which negatively impacts their attitudes towards peace. 

EI EXCLUSIVE: Joseph Massad's statement to Columbia University's Ad Hoc Grievance Committee


On 31 March 2005, Columbia University publicly released the report of a faculty Ad Hoc Grievance Committee charged with examining student complaints of intimidation in the classroom by faculty in the department of Middle East and Asian Languages and Cultures (MEALAC). The Ad Hoc Grievance Committee, which was composed of five University faculty members and advised by First Amendment scholar and Columbia Visiting Professor Floyd Abrams, was formed in December 2004 to identify the facts underlying student concerns of intimidation in the classroom. In this exclusive, EI publishes the full text of Joseph Massad’s rebuttal. 

Activist Speaks On Difficulty of Mid-East Peace


Ali Abunimah, a Palestinian activist and co-founder of Electronic Intifada, a website that explores the Israeli/Palestinian conflict through a Palestinian perspective, spoke at Cornell yesterday evening and shed light on the fundamental debate: “Is Peace in Palestine a doomed fantasy?” Abunimah was brought to Cornell by a new Cornell club, Student Advocates of Palestine. “Our goal is to educate people in Cornell about the Israeli/Palestinian conflict from the Palestinian perspective,” president Chris Tozzi ‘08 said. 

Brandeis University's "objective" center for Middle East Studies undermined by Israeli and US military connections


Directed by a member of the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies Council and a recent head of the Jaffee Center for Strategic Studies (JCSS) at Tel Aviv University named Shai Feldman (no relation to this writer), the new Crown Center for Middle East Studies at Brandeis University apparently won’t have to operate on a shoestring budget. According to the Boston Globe, the Crown Center for Middle East Studies already has an endowment of $25 million. “The center will seek to produce a discourse on the Middle East as dispassionate, objective and centrist as possible,” Feldman told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency in a recent interview. Looking at the players, this seems unlikely. 

Weekly report on human rights violations


This week, Israeli forces wounded 12 Palestinian civilians, including 4 children and 2 brothers. Israel has continued the construction of the Annexation Wall in the West Bank. Israel confiscated more areas of Palestinian land in Jerusalem, Qalqilya and Bethlehem. Israeli settlers have continued to attack Palestinian civilians and property in the West Bank. Israeli settlers have severely beaten 10 Palestinian civilians in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Israeli forces raided homes and at least 30 Palestinian civilians were arrested. Israeli forces turned a number of Palestinian homes into military outposts. Israel continues to impose a total siege on the occupied Palestinian territories. 

Why Hamas is ready to join the PLO


Hamas, and its sister organisation, the Islamic Jihad, have decided in principle to join the Palestine Liberation Organisation, the PLO. The landmark decision, a result of prolonged internal deliberations, is expected to have far-reaching consequences for Palestinian politics and inter-faction relations, especially between the two largest political movements, the Islamist Hamas and nationalist Fatah. As such, the decision could strengthen Palestinian national unity vis-a-vis Israel, but is unlikely to significantly affect the peace process, especially in the short run. 

Is Israel a safe haven for Jews?


In early March 2005, the High Court of Australia made a unanimous decision to give refugee protection to a Russian Jewish doctor and his son. The Australian court determined that it could not “offload its responsibilities” to protect them by arguing Israel was a ‘safe third country’ on the basis of the so-called law of return or ‘Aliyah’. The decision has important implications as it directly challenges the notion held by Israel and its supporters that there must exist a ‘Jewish state’ for the exclusive protection of Jews. There are clear and growing signs that many Jews do not see Israel as a “safe haven” and therefore seek refuge elsewhere. 

Israel's Settler Rampage


The Palestinian Authority (PA) is calling on the international community, including the “Quartet” (the US, EU, Russia and the UN), to pressure Israel to put an end to nearly daily pogrom-like attacks by messianic Israeli terrorists on defenseless Palestinian villagers throughout the West Bank. Attacks have mushroomed recently as extremist Israeli settlers vow to commit acts of “unprecedented violence” to thwart Israel’s planned “disengagement” from the Gaza Strip. “We urge the international community to intervene immediately to stop this unprovoked and unjustified aggression against our civilians,” said Ahmed Subh, deputy minister of information in the PA

Falling through the Looking Glass in Hebron


“Nazis! Jew killers! Go back to Germany!” Suddenly everything seems chaotic. Five minutes ago a white pick-up came to a halt, and two young men exited. I and another international calmly approached them, remembering our training in de-escalation of possibly violent situations. One of the males was dressed in orthodox manner, complete with light colored loose clothing, head covered with a kippah and curly black locks of hair at the temples. The other was sporting a yellow Purim* mask, depicting a skull, and an Uzi. A military vehicle notices the episode and pulls up curbside. Three young soldiers get out just to stand around and do nothing, despite the fact that we repeatedly ask, as the settlers begin to kick and beat us.