August 2010

"Solidarity with the entire Palestinian people"

Adri Nieuwhof 2 September 2010


The BADIL Resource Center for Palestinian Residency and Refugee Rights recently published Rights in Principle — Rights in Practice, which examines a rights-based approach to crafting durable solutions for Palestinian refugees. The Electronic Intifada contributor Adri Nieuwhof interviews BADIL director Ingrid Jaradat Gassner on the organization’s work and the new book. 

Lifta's legacy under threat

Antoine Raffoul 31 August 2010


There are few villages in historic Palestine which invoke the memories of the Nakba (the 1948 dispossession of the Palestinian people) as does Lifta. However, Lifta’s architectural legacy is under threat as Israel moves to Judaize the formerly pluralistic Palestinian village. 

What the wall has done

Jamal Juma' 31 August 2010


Israel began constructing the wall in June 2002 following its invasion of cities in the West Bank, which it dubbed “Operation Defensive Shield.” The immense scale of the 2002 invasion — characterized by the destruction of Palestinian civilian infrastructure, mass arrests, assassinations and massacres — ensured that the construction of the wall would commence with as little resistance as possible. Jamal Juma’ comments. 

"Once winter's over, the sun will shine"

Jody McIntyre 30 August 2010


When Israel’s construction of the wall began in their village May 2008, the people of Nilin embarked on a campaign of unarmed grassroots resistance against the theft of their land. They have followed a philosophy of direct action, cutting through the electronic fence and razor wire on an almost weekly basis. Jody McIntyre interviewed Mohammed Amireh, a leader of the Nilin Popular Committee Against the Wall and Settlements for The Electronic Intifada. 

An artist's pledge to boycott

Dave Lordan 27 August 2010


I am proud to be among the many Irish and Ireland-based artists from across creative disciplines who have chosen to publicly support the growing campaign of boycott against apartheid Israel. Compared to the imprisoned Palestinian people themselves and to those taking part in flotillas and other perilous anti-apartheid activities in Palestine our contribution and risk may be justly considered small. 

PA forces raid meeting as dissent grows

25 August 2010


Palestinian Authority forces today forcibly dispersed a meeting organized by Palestinian parties opposed to the Palestine Liberation Organization’s scheduled direct talks with Israel. The meeting was held at the same time as a conference in Gaza City, where officials of various Palestinian parties also discussed their opposition to the PLO’s plans for direct talks. 

Veolia whitewashes illegal light rail project

Adri Nieuwhof 25 August 2010


Last week the Israeli daily Haaretz reported that the consortium holding the contract to the controversial Jerusalem light rail project surveyed city residents on whether they would feel comfortable sharing rail service with Palestinians. The bad publicity around the survey — described as racist by even members of the Israeli government — is an ironic turn of events. Adri Nieuwhof reports for The Electronic Intifada. 

Math program taps potential of young students in Gaza

Eva Bartlett 25 August 2010


AL-ZAHARA, occupied Gaza Strip (IPS) - In a bright and spacious classroom, with plants overflowing in the courtyard outside, six students lean forward at their desks looking at the 10-digit addition they are asked to make. One student stands before the numbers on the chalkboard and a red and yellow-beaded abacus. But her attention is on the abacus she visualizes in her mind. 

Church boycott calls ring louder

Sarah Irving 25 August 2010


The world’s churches have long been one of the battlegrounds of the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement. With the strengthening of the BDS movement, a number of churches across the globe have seen the boycott of Israeli and Israeli settlement goods hotting up, and recent weeks have witnessed some notable victories. 

Palestinians face movement restrictions during Ramadan

Mel Frykberg 20 August 2010


AZZUN ATMA, occupied northern West Bank (IPS) - For seven years Majda Abdul Qader Sheikh, 38, has not been allowed to visit the home of her parents, just a few hundred meters from her house. “I tried to get a special visitor’s permit for a quick visit during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan but I was refused,” says Sheikh, mother of seven children. “I have had no problems with the Israeli authorities, nor am I considered a security threat,” she added. 

Youth re-imagine life through short films

Kara Newhouse 20 August 2010


Palestinian youth premiered nine short films at public screenings in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip last week. Forty youths worked in small groups during two parallel three-week workshops conducted in the al-Aroub and Jabaliya refugee camps during the month of July. Palestinian and international trainers facilitated the workshops through the participatory media program Voices Beyond Walls, in partnership with local youth community organizations. 

India employing Israeli oppression tactics in Kashmir

Jimmy Johnson 19 August 2010


The 2010 summer in the disputed area of Jammu and Kashmir, administered by India, has been marked by popular protests by Kashmiris and crackdowns by India’s military. The stream of violence has left more than fifty dead, mostly young protestors. The situation in Kashmir has some parallels with Israel’s occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip, even borrowing the term intifada to describe the uprising. But the connection is more than analogy. Jimmy Johnson analyzes for The Electronic Intifada. 

Turkey must oppose Uribe appointment to flotilla probe

Palestinian General Federation of Trade Unions, University Teachers' Association in Palestine, Palestinian Students' Campaign for the Academic Boycott of Israel, The Union Of Palestinian Women's Committees, Association of Al-Quds Bank for Culture and Information, General Union of Public Service and Commercial Workers, General Union of Health Service Workers, General Union of Agriculture Workers, General Union of Food Production Workers, General Union of Petrochemical and Gas Workers, Progressive Trade Union Front in Palestine, General Union of Municipality and Local Councils Workers, General Union of Tourism Workers, Arab Cultural Forum and One Democratic State Group 18 August 2010


Mr. Prime Minister, it is an insult to the memory of those killed in the Israeli massacre against peace activists aboard the Mavi Marmara to have their blood “redeemed” by a man who has a record of violations against human rights and international law. 

Israel keeps evidence of ethnic cleansing locked away

Jonathan Cook 18 August 2010


History may be written by the victors, as Winston Churchill is said to have observed, but the opening up of archives can threaten a nation every bit as much as the unearthing of mass graves. That danger explains a decision quietly taken last month by Benjamin Netanyahu to extend by an additional 20 years the country’s 50-year rule for the release of sensitive documents. Jonathan Cook reports. 

Fighting expulsion and Western hypocrisy in Jerusalem

Rahela Mizrahi 19 August 2010


Earlier this summer, Israel arrested Muhammad Abu Tir, a member of the Palestinian Legislative Council and Hamas. Israel also ordered two other PLC members, Muhammad Totah and Ahmad Attoun and the Palestinian Authority’s former minister of Jerusalem affairs Khaled Abu Arafeh to leave their home town of Jerusalem. Rahela Mizrahi writes for The Electronic Intifada. 

Is Canada passing information on its citizens to Israel?

Yves Engler 17 August 2010


As a national intelligence organization shrouded in secrecy, it is hard to know if the Canadian Security and Intelligence Service (CSIS) has been mandated to target Palestine solidarity activists. In the current political climate, however, it’s not surprising that CSIS officials view anyone defending Palestinian rights as a threat. Yves Engler analyzes for The Electronic Intifada. 

Palestinian roots of Western civilization: an interview with Basem Ra'ad

Jonathan Scott 16 August 2010


Basem Ra’ad is a professor at Al-Quds University in occupied East Jerusalem. For the past two decades, he has been researching the ancient past of Palestine, much of which concerns the Western and Israeli appropriation of ancient languages and cultures, from the Canaanite alphabet to the Canaanite pantheon of gods and goddesses. Jonathan Scott spoke with Ra’ad for The Electronic Intifada. 

Gaza's record-breaking children

Vittorio Arrigoni 16 August 2010


Gaza’s kids truly are record-breakers. They survived Israel’s 2008-2009 winter invasion and every day they put up with a state of war during a so-called ceasefire. Smeared in blood, they’ve crawled through the rubble of shelled buildings, taking care of younger siblings, and tending to languishing parents, often emerging from under the remains of their own beds. Vittorio Arrigoni writes from the Gaza Strip. 

Interview with "Salt of This Sea" star before nationwide premiere in NYC

Nora Barrows-Friedman 11 August 2010


Salt of This Sea (2008), Annemarie Jacir’s groundbreaking feature film, premieres in the US this week after two years on the road and winning over 20 awards in countless international film festivals. Nora Barrows-Friedman interviewed the film’s star, Suheir Hammad, for The Electronic Intifada. 

Hamas creates volunteer program for Gaza's idle youth

Rami Almeghari 10 August 2010


Israel’s siege has had a disproportionate effect on Gaza’s youth. Over half of the Gaza Strip’s 1.5 million residents are under the age of 18, and thousands of young Gazans are unemployed. Hamas authorities in Gaza recently announced a voluntary employment program for Palestinian youth to get involved in their communities. Rami Almeghari reports from the occupied Gaza Strip. 

Uribe's appointment to flotilla probe guarantees its failure

José Antonio Gutiérrez and David Landy 6 August 2010


The appointment of outgoing President of Colombia Álvaro Uribe Vélez to a UN-commissioned inquiry into the massacre by Israel of human rights activists aboard the Gaza Freedom Flotilla makes a mockery of the investigation. José Antonio Gutiérrez and David Landy comment for The Electronic Intifada. 

Israel's siege on freedoms

Laila El-Haddad 6 August 2010


Zionist sympathizers and their ilk have been providing us with the same “evidence” that Gaza is burgeoning: the markets are full of produce, fancy restaurants abound, there are pools and parks and malls … all is well in the most isolated place on earth — Gaza, the “prison camp” that is not. However, “prison camp” might be an understatement. 

"Gaza is a man-made crisis"

5 August 2010


GAZA CITY, occupied Gaza Strip (IRIN) - The quality of life, the economy and food security for Palestinians living in Gaza have been severely impaired by Israel’s strict four-year blockade, according to the UN. Israel says its closure regime is designed to protect Israeli citizens from attacks by militants in Gaza. 

Why is Obama moving to fund Israel's Iron Dome project?

Jimmy Johnson 3 August 2010


On 16 July 2010, US Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs Andrew Shapiro laid out the Obama Administration’s policy on strategic cooperation, noting that earlier this year, President Obama “asked Congress to authorize $205 million to support the production of an Israeli-developed short range rocket defense system called Iron Dome.” If approved, these funds would be “above and beyond the $3 billion in Foreign Military Financing that the Administration requested for Israel” for 2011. Jimmy Johnson comments for The Electronic Intifada. 

UPDATED: Scores injured in explosions, Israeli attacks on Gaza

3 August 2010


Israeli airstikes killed a Palestinian resistance activist and wounded another early Wednesday morning 4 August, east of Khan Younis in the occupied Gaza Strip, reports Reuters, citing Palestinian medical sources. This latest attack comes on the heels of five days of Israeli missile strikes, Palestinian rocket fire and other explosions that have injured dozens and killed one leader of the armed wing of Hamas. 

South Africa's lessons for Gaza

Haidar Eid 2 August 2010


The Palestinian national movement has overlooked this question: does the Gaza Strip resemble the racist Bantustans of apartheid South Africa? During the apartheid era, South Africa’s black population was kept in isolation and without political and civil rights. Is Gaza similar? The answer is yes and no. Haidar Eid analyzes.