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Education in Jerusalem: Separate and unequal

8 October 2007


When Israel annexed East Jerusalem in 1967, it assumed responsibility for the well-being of East Jerusalem’s population and for fulfilling their rights, regardless of religion or ethnicity. The right to education is one of the most basic rights, and is an essential prerequisite for the plural democracy Israel claims to be. Education is especially important because in the long term it determines a population’s ability to deal with the rest of society on a par. The education system in Israel maintains and expands gaps between the Jewish and the Palestinian Arab sectors. In East Jerusalem the differences and discrimination are especially stark and apparent. 

Rights group: Impartial investigation for 2000 killing of Muhammad al-Dura

4 October 2007


The Israeli Government Press Office (GPO) claimed yesterday that the video of the murder of Muhammad Jamal al-Dura on 30 September 2000 was staged by a cameraman in Gaza. The scene of the killing of the 11-year-old boy was one of the most moving ones ever broadcast during the second intifada that had started three days before the incident. Information and evidence collected by Al Mezan from the field rebut the GPO’s allegations. 

Politics of fear

Osamah Khalil 8 October 2007


Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and his lackeys are offering Palestinians a simple and false choice: either you are with “us” (i.e., the PA and Fatah) or you are with the “terrorists” (i.e., Hamas and Iran). In the United States, Abbas has been aided in this effort by the American Task Force on Palestine (ATFP), a fledgling organization that professes to represent Palestinian-American interests. EI contributor Osamah Khalil finds the implications of these tactics on Palestinian advocacy and aspirations in the current political climate bear further scrutiny, as do the organizations and individuals which employ them. 

One Million Voices: Celebrating peace or camouflaging apartheid?

4 October 2007


On 18 October, One Million Voices, an organization led by Israelis and international figures with the support of some Palestinians, is organizing a public event in Jericho and Tel Aviv, simultaneously but suspiciously fails to call for an end to Israel’s occupation, amongst other basic requisites to genuine peace. The Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel finds that the event falls under the category of normalization projects and violates the call for boycott, divestment and sanctions. 

"The noose is tightening around Gaza"

4 October 2007


JERUSALEM, 3 October (IRIN) - The UN has expressed renewed concern over the state of the Gaza Strip’s border crossings, saying that, if realized, the Israeli threat of increased restrictions would most likely lead to a humanitarian crisis in the impoverished enclave. “In the last three months, the arrival of 106 truckloads of supplies per working day has ensured that there has not been a humanitarian crisis among the Gazan population. This could not be guaranteed with increased restrictions on the border crossings,” a recent statement by UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said. 

Audio: Crossing the Line interviews sportswriter Dave Zirin

3 October 2007


This week on Crossing The Line: In the second part of a two part series, host Christopher Brown speaks with Joel Kovel, scholar, lecturer and author of the book Overcoming Zionism: Creating a Democratic State In Israel/Palestine. Kovel discusses the unattainable “pipe dream” of a two-state solution which many have been pushing as a solution to the decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Next, Brown speaks with award-winning sportswriter, Dave Zirin author of the book Welcome To The Terrordome: The Pain, Politics, and Promise of Sports. 

US aid dependency: The road to ruin

Hicham Safieddine 5 October 2007


The true measure of the alliance of any two states or political groups rests on an accurate and fair reading of two forms of support: military aid and economic assistance, and reaching a verdict about these two forms of support is based on the examination of three properties of such aid: the monetary value (size or quantity) of this aid, the declared and hidden objectives of the aid and the conditions attached to it (the quality of the aid). Based on these criteria, Hicham Safieddine asks, what is the truth behind the US support for Lebanon, in numbers and according to Washington’s own sources? 

Photostory: The month in pictures

6 October 2007


This slideshow is a selection of images from the month of September 2007. The month in pictures is an ongoing feature of the Electronic Intifada. If you have images documenting Palestine, Palestinian life, politics and culture, or of solidarity with Palestine, please email images and captions to photos@electronicintifada.net. 

Working towards a Palestinian national voice

James Kafieh 3 October 2007


Many members of the Palestinian Canadian community have been working hard to establish a truly representative Palestinian National Voice (PNV) organization for our community. Laith Marouf, identifying himself as the chapter coordinator for the student group Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights (SPHR), on 14 September 2007 published an article attacking this effort (see Palestinian Diaspora: With or against collaboration?). James Kafieh responds.