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After Palestinian Vote, U.S. Democracy Campaign Questioned

Jefferson Morley 17 March 2006


The United States, declared President Bush in his 2005 inaugural address, seeks to “support the growth of democratic movements and institutions in every nation and culture, with the ultimate goal of ending tyranny in our world.” Later this month the State Department will release it annual report on U.S. efforts to support human rights and democracy. U.S. demands for democratic behavior are inconsistent, according to two journalists of Palestinian descent who run the Electronic Intifada Web site. Ali Abunimah and Arjan El Fassed say democracy cannot take root under Israeli occupation. Palestinians continue to live “under full Israeli military dictatorship.” 

"Only a fully functioning Karni Crossing can avert looming humanitarian crisis"

22 March 2006


The Director of UNRWA operations in Gaza, Mr. John Ging, stated that he was “struggling to be optimistic” upon his return from a visit to the “reopened” Karni commercial crossing between Israel and the Gaza Strip on Tuesday morning. He explained that “the situation on the streets of Gaza was worse than it had been the day before, as the half hour opening of Karni on Monday afternoon had absolutely no impact on the developing humanitarian crisis.” Ging said on Tuesday that he hoped that the opening of Karni is the beginning of a return to normality. “For Gazans, this is the first rationing of bread in living memory,” he said. 

The Humanitarian Impact of the Karni Crossing Closure: Bread running out in Gaza

18 March 2006


Following the closure of Karni, most bakeries in the Gaza Strip today are closed, because wheat flour stocks have finished. Bread is the staple food for 1.3 million Palestinians in Gaza. There are long lines of people outside the few bakeries that still have limited stocks of bread and the bakeries are rationing bread to those waiting. Gaza requires 450MT of wheat each day to maintain bread supplies.1 The usual 30-60 day wheat stock kept in Gaza is exhausted. Other basic food commodities are in extremely short supply including dairy products and fruit. Rice and sugar are selling at more than twice their normal price and are also very difficult to find in stores. 

With Gaza food crisis looming, UN official urges opening of crossing with Israel

20 March 2006


As the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip deteriorates with food and other supplies running short due to the Israeli closure, a senior official of the main United Nations agency helping Palestinian refugees said he sincerely hopes Israel’s opening today of the Karni crossing point is “the beginning of a return to normality.” “The situation on the streets of Gaza was worse today than it was yesterday as the half hour opening of Karni yesterday afternoon had absolutely no impact on the developing humanitarian crisis,” the Director of Gaza operations of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), John Ging, said. 

Rachel's Words Tonight in New York City

21 March 2006


“My Name is Rachel Corrie” is a powerful one-woman show based entirely on the diaries and emails of Rachel Corrie. The play was scheduled to open at the New York Theatre Workshop on March 22nd. It has been postponed indefinitely, sparking an escalating controversy. Rachel’s words will still be heard on that day. Rachel wrote about issues that concern us all. Come hear an array of academics, activists, performers and playwrights read selected writings of Rachel Corrie, honor her through poems and songs, and discuss the context in which her words were written and the pervasive climate of fear in which they have been suppressed. 

Israeli appeals court voids section of Wall in Jerusalem

21 March 2006


Sheikh Sa’ed is a neighborhood of the larger village of Sawahra. However, Sheikh Sa’ed is in West Bank, while the western part of Sawahra was annexed to East Jerusalem in 196. Israel planned to build the Separation Barrier between Sheikh Sa’ed and the rest of the village, which would cut off the neighborhood’s only access road to the outside world. The Tel-Aviv Magistrate’s Court voided this portion of the Separation Barrier, ruling that it would cause disproportionate harm to the daily lives of the neighborhood’s residents. The court rejected the state’s argument that the residents constituted a security threat. 

UNHCR concerned for Palestinians travelling to Iraqi-Jordanian border

20 March 2006


UNCHR spokesperson expressed the agency’s concerns about a group of Palestinian refugees, who decided to move to the Iraqi-Jordanian border. “We are very concerned about a group of 89 Palestinians, including 42 children, two elderly and three people with medical problems, who over the weekend decided to move to the Iraqi-Jordanian border from Baghdad where they had found their situation becoming increasingly difficult. The group was accompanied by two international staff members from an international NGO based in Iraq who facilitated their move to the border.” UNHCR reminded Palestinian representatives in Baghdad of Jordan’s refusal to open their borders to them. 

Jordan-Iraq border closed, Palestinian refugees refused entry

21 March 2006


The Jordan-Iraqi border at Karama closed on Monday and remains so after 89 Palestinian refugees from Iraq, including 42 children, tried to enter Jordan, according to the UNs refugee agency in Amman, UNHCR. Yara Sharif, a senior public information assistant at UNHCR said the group of refugees reached the Jordanian border on Sunday and tried to enter, but were denied permission by the government, which said they did not have proper documents.The Jordan-Iraqi border at Karama closed on Monday and remains so after 89 Palestinian refugees from Iraq, including 42 children, tried to enter Jordan, according to the UNs refugee agency in Amman, UNHCR. 

Open Letter to Actress Sharon Stone

21 March 2006


Dear Ms. Stone: In an interview with the Israeli paper Ha’aretz you stated that your visit to Israel did not imply taking sides. “I am not for or against one side,” you insisted, adding: “When my children fight, I don’t choose any side, either. I love them equally.” Your comments reveal a surprising level of naivete and a basic lack of understanding of the context. In a situation of undisputed colonial oppression, when you are not “for or against” either side, you are essentially on the side of the oppressor and a supporter, perhaps an unwitting one, of the status quo of colonial domination and oppression. 

WaSPR Delegation Diary 9: Two Traumatized Peoples Trapped by Violence and Fear

Bill Dienst 4 April 2006


There are now an estimated 2.5 million Palestinian residents in the West Bank and 1.3 million residents in Gaza. This fact obstructs the vision of a “Greater Israel” (Eretz Israel). But that has not stopped official government policies which have encouraged creeping annexation. Ghassan Andoni continued, “Both Labor and Likud have supported the settlements. There has been a squeezing of Palestinian society in both Israel and the OT’s which has gradually intensified during the 70’s, 80’s, 90’s and now the 2000’s.”