March 2012

The Beast (of Apartheid) is back: South African hip-hop track released for Palestine's Land Day, BDS Day of Action

Ali Abunimah 30 March 2012

Durban-based artist and member of the South African Artists Against Apartheid collective, Iain EWOK Robinson, has released a music track, “Freedom for us All,” as part of (and for) today’s international “BDS Day of Action” which coincides with the annual commemoration of Land Day. 

Addameer, PHRI won't confirm Hana Shalabi ends hunger strike, warn of coercion in banishment deal

Ali Abunimah 30 March 2012

Just after 2AM Palestine local time, or around 7PM US East Coast time, Addameer, the Palestinian prisoner’s rights group, issued this important statement in Arabic via Facebook and in English on its website regarding Hana al-Shalabi, the Palestinian prisoner who has been on hunger strike for more than 40 days against her detention without charge or trial by Israe 

"We stand with you": Pink Floyd's Roger Waters announces Palestine solidarity forum in Brazil

Ali Abunimah 29 March 2012

Legendary UK musician, Pink Floyd’s Roger Waters, has reiterated his strong support for the Palestinian campaign to boycott, divest from and sanction Israel in a statement announcing a forthcoming conference in Brazil to support and expand the global movement for Palestinian rights. 

Gaza ambulances stop responding to calls as fuel reserves hit zero

Rami Almeghari Gaza Strip 25 March 2012

As a fuel shortage has worsened across the coastal territory, the ambulance service has been forced to stop responding to all calls except the most critical cases. With fuel reserves at zero, medical officials are warning that in case of another large-scale military attack by Israel, the ambulance service would be unable to cope. 

Israel exploits Toulouse murders to justify no-charge jailing of hunger striker Hana al-Shalabi

Ali Abunimah 25 March 2012

What does the spokesman of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu do when his propaganda efforts fail to conceal Israel’s abuses of Palestinians? He uses the blood of Jewish children murdered in the French city of Toulouse last week to try to blot them out. This is low, even for Israeli official propaganda. 

In Canadian first, Carleton University students pass Israel occupation divestment resolution by large margin

Ali Abunimah 23 March 2012

Graduate students at Carleton University in Ottawa have overwhelmingly voted for divestment from companies profiting from Israeli occupation and human rights abuses in what is the first ever such referendum on a university campus in Canada. 

My journey in Jordan

Shahd Abusalama 21 March 2012

I arrived to Jordan and I went to the Dead Sea where the reunion of the leadership program I went to America for was held. It was a bittersweet feeling to be on the other side of Jericho. I could see Jericho’s hills in the horizon line. I was so close yet so far away, since Israel’s apartheid regime deprives me as a Palestinian from Gaza from reaching it. 

B'Tselem role in J Street's gala featuring Olmert "incredibly damaging" says Palestinian rights group PCHR

Ali Abunimah 21 March 2012

The decision of Israeli human rights group B’Tselem to participate in J Street’s upcoming conference featuring former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is “incredibly damaging” to the effort to achieve justice and accountability for victims of war crimes. 

Hana Shalabi at risk of "imminent death" in Israel custody on day 33 of hunger strike, doctors warn

Ali Abunimah 19 March 2012

Hana al-Shalabi is at risk of “imminent death” after more than a month on hunger strike against her violent, arbitrary detention by Israel has led to a serious deterioration in her health. She has been transferred from HaSharon prison to Meir Hospital in Kfar Saba. 

Human rights group B'Tselem backs away from "sponsorship" of J Street's Olmert gala

Ali Abunimah 19 March 2012

Israeli human rights group B’Tselem has backed away from its sponsorship of US Israel lobby group J Street]s 26 March “gala” featuring former Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert under whose leadership thousands of Palestinians and Lebanese were killed and injured in what B’Tselem itself has termed war crimes. 

Israelis who sign petition for "Danish refugees" recoil in horror when asked to sign for Sudanese

Jalal Abukhater 17 March 2012

Stop deportation of Danish refugees, except they aren’t Danish. A two-minute video exposes mainstream racism in the Israeli society in an excellent way, it shows how a European refugee would get the support and sympathy of the Israeli society, but an African refugee would be labeled with “disgusting” and “disease,” and should be expelled for being an “ethnic problem.” 

Attack dogs against unarmed Palestinians in Kufr Qaddoum and breaking a journalist's camera in Al-Ma'asara

Jalal Abukhater 17 March 2012

It is yet another Friday where demonstrations get brutally attacked by Israel’s military in the occupied West Bank. In today’s demonstration in Kufr Qaddoum, Israeli soldiers released military hounds to attack unarmed Palestinian protesters. One dog bit a Palestinian activist and didn’t let go of his hand for several minutes, even when the dog’s handler ordered the dog to let go. The injured Palestinian, Ahmad Shtewi, was arrested by Israeli soldiers even when he was clearly in need of immediate medical attention. 

Why is human rights group B'Tselem "proud" to sponsor J Street gala keynoted by war criminal?

Ali Abunimah 15 March 2012

B’Tselem USA, the American arm of renowned Israeli human rights group B’Tselem is “proud” to sponsor the 26 March gala of pro-Israel lobby group J Street despite the fact that the keynote speaker is former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert who is responsible for extensive war crimes in Lebanon and Gaza. 

Call to Action: Support Hana al-Shalabi as her health declines 4 weeks into hunger strike in Israel jail

Linah Alsaafin 14 March 2012

The parents of political prisoner Hana al-Shalabi have issued a call to all Palestinians to protest this Saturday in support of their daughter as doctors who examined her expressed grave concern over her sharply deteriorating health four weeks into a hunger strike against her arbitrary detention by Israel. 

Israeli union defends internment of Palestinian journalists, threatens to leave international federation

Asa Winstanley 13 March 2012

One might expect a journalists’ union to defend the rights of other journalists against detention without trial (what Israel calls “administrative detention”). But it seems for the union of Israeli journalists, actually campaigning against the basic human rights of Palestinian journalists is what they do. 

Video: Ali Abunimah discusses Gaza attacks, Hillary Clinton, Hana Shalabi on Democracy Now

Ali Abunimah 13 March 2012

The Electronic Intifada’s Ali Abunimah appeared on Democracy Now this morning to discuss Israel’s extrajudicial executions and attacks in Gaza and reports of a ceasefire, Hillary Clinton’s support for armed struggle, the ongoing hunger strike of Hana al-Shalabi, now in its 27th day and the Harvard One-State Conference. 

BDS roundup: Brooklyn's Park Slope Food Co-op's BDS initiative gains support

Nora Barrows-Friedman 12 March 2012

In this week’s roundup of news from the global BDS movement, Palestinian campaigners urge writers not to participate in the upcoming International Writers’ Festival in Jerusalem; Brooklyn’s Park Slope Food Co-op’s BDS initiative gets a boost of support from Israeli boycott activists; and more. 

"Mowing the lawn": On Israel's latest massacre in Gaza and the lies behind it

Ali Abunimah 11 March 2012

By this Sunday evening in Gaza, a weekend of relentless Israeli bombing has left 18 people dead and dozens wounded. Israeli propaganda insists that the attacks are about preventing “terrorism” and stopping “rockets.” But in fact, Israel provoked this violence and according to some Israeli commentators its goals are to escalate pressure for war with Iran and to drag Hamas away from diplomacy and back into violence. 

Students react to University of Ottawa threat to cancel Israel Apartheid Week event

Ali Abunimah 7 March 2012

Students at the University of Ottawa say that the campus administration threatened to cancel an 8 March panel discussion they are scheduled to hold as part of Ottawa’s Israeli Apartheid. Meanwhile, at Carleton University, also in Ottawa, students found their posters defaced with slogans such as “This is where the Holocaust began.” 

Head of Spain press association assaults Palestine protestor with belt, video shows

Ali Abunimah 7 March 2012

The head of the press association in Granada, Spain, took off his belt and threatened to beat a Palestine solidarity protestor at the opening ceremony of a graphical exhibition celebrating “25 years of diplomatic relations between Spain and Israel.” This is the latest of several incidents of violence being threatened or used against Palestine solidarity protests in recent weeks. 

Black people against Zionism, Black people against Apartheid

Jalal Abukhater 6 March 2012

Yesterday, Aljazeera Stream’s episode was titled ‘Blackwashing’ and the Israel lobby, it hosted Journalist Max Blumenthal and BreitBart.com editor Ben Shapiro. You can watch the whole episode on The Stream and see Shapiro trying to evade the topic at hand and purposelessly attacking Blumenthal, the episode was very interesting, it is embedded here: 

Hana al-Shalabi: 20 days of hunger strike while world looks away from Israel's abuses

Ali Abunimah 6 March 2012

While almost the entire US Congress genuflected to Israel and its supposed “democracy” at the annual AIPAC convention in Washington this week, victims of Israel’s political repression, including Hana al-Shalabi who is on day 20 of her hunger strike, languished in its prisons ignored by world media. 

Israel punishes hunger striking prisoners by transferring them to other end of country

Adri Nieuwhof 6 March 2012

The Israeli Prison Service has transferred about 80 political prisoners from Gilboa prison section 4 to Nafha prison in the Naqab located in the sotuh of Israel. The transfer follows a recent solidarity hunger strike undertaken by the prisoners. Addameer’s Sahar Francis comments that the practice of transferring political prisoners is often used by Israel to repress organizing amongst Palestinian prisoners. 

Social Media Principles Behind the Khader Adnan and Love Under Apartheid Campaigns

Abraham Greenhouse 5 March 2012

The social media efforts which recently brought global attention to Palestinian nonviolent resistance (Khader Adnan) and to the impact of Israeli occupation on Palestinian intimate and family relationships (Love Under Apartheid) did not do so by chance. Neither effort could have succeeded without a sound understanding of several key social media concepts. Although several news articles and blog posts have reported on these campaigns, none have yet explored the question of why the efforts were effective. 

Palestinian woman's hunger strike enters third week against arbitrary detention by Israel

Ali Abunimah 1 March 2012

Today marks the 15th day of Hana al-Shalabi’s hunger strike against her arbitrary imprisonment by Israeli occupation forces in the West Bank. Currently held in the Hasharon prison, she was seized from her home near Jenin in a violent nighttime raid in the early hours of 16 February.