All Content

Can Israel escape a binational future?

Ali Abunimah 20 December 2003


An Israeli official recently called for controls on the ability of Palestinians to have babies, and said the delivery rooms where Arabs are born are the “factory for a backward population.” This panicked response to what many Israelis see as a “demographic threat” from Palestinians fits the international legal definition of incitement to genocide. Meanwhile, leftist Israelis are debating ways to “withdraw” from Palestinians lands while keeping most of the settlers in place, and preserving a “Jewish democracy.” EI’s Ali Abunimah asks if any of these schemes can save Israel from a binational future. 

Weekly report on human rights violations

17 December 2003


This week Israeli forces killed 10 Palestinians, including one woman. During an invasion of Rafah, Israeli forces killed five Palestinians. In Rafah and Khan Yunis, Israeli forces demolished 31 homes and razed agricultural land. In various places Israeli forces raided Palestinian residential areas, homes and arbitrary detained a number of Palestinians. Israeli forces demolished a home in Hebron and arrested the widow of a deceased Palestinian. Israel continued the construction of the wall and imposed a total siege on Palestinian towns and villages. 

Sharon's hopeless vision

Michael F. Brown 19 December 2003


As feared, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s speech on Thursday, December 18 at the Herzliya Conference provided very little hope for 2004. Sharon acknowledged there will be a Palestinian state, thereby recognizing Israel cannot control all the land between the river and the sea, but said nothing about the size of the Palestinian state. He offered no tangible vision for the Palestinians to latch on to which suggested that after decades this man is now addressing Palestinian concerns seriously. Michael Brown analyses the content of Sharon’s speech at the Herzliya Conference. 

CNN: Two stories, one news agency

Michael F. Brown 18 December 2003


Casualties in Tel Aviv. Casualties in Rafah. Where does CNN go? Tel Aviv. And it was absolutely right to go to Tel Aviv. It’s failure came in an inexcusable unwillingness to send a second crew to Rafah. CNN also posted seven transcripts Thursday mentioning the Tel Aviv explosion. Six of these transcripts clearly noted in the link heading that they dealt with the Tel Aviv explosion. How many headings dealt with the Rafah incident? Zero. And only one of the seven transcripts even bothered to mention the attack on Rafah. Michael Brown examines the transcripts. 

Racism thrives at Israel's Herzliya conference

Arjan El Fassed 18 December 2003


Speaking at the third annual Herzliya conference, Israeli Finance Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told his audience: “The most important thing is maintaining the Jewish majority in the country and improving the economy to encourage more Jews from the Diaspora to immigrate.” If the Palestinians in Israel “reach 35 to 40 percent of the Israeli population, Israel will become a state with two nationalities,” he said. Israelis — on both the left and right — will have to make a choice. To solve their “Palestinian problem” Israel can opt for four ‘solutions’ EI’s Arjan El Fassed lays them out. 

Nablus: Israeli forces kill four Palestinians

18 December 2003


Israeli occupying forces committed a willful killing and used excessive force in the slaying three other Palestinians, during a wide-scale incursion into Nablus. Israeli forces invaded Nablus and opened fire at residential areas. Israeli forces willfully killed ‘Alaa al-Din Dawaia. Three other Palestinians were killed. PCHR condemns the willful killing and the use of excessive force in the deaths of the three other casualties and calls upon the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention to immediately intervene to protect Palestinian civilians. 

Two Israeli teenage refuseniks on hunger strike

29 January 2003


The two teenagers Hillel Goral (18) and Noam Bahat (19) are conscientious objectors to compulsory military service. At present they are serving their second prison sentence for refusing to enter the Israeli army. Israel has no alternative civilian service and Hillel Goral and Noam Bahat are currently on hunger strike. Hillel Goral was sentenced to 28 days, his second sentence was for the same duration. Noam Bahat was initially sentenced to 28 days, his second sentence was for 42 days. 

Trial of conscientious objector Jonathan Ben Artzi

12 March 2003


The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the World Organisation against Torture (OMCT), within the framework of their joint programme the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, would like to draw the attention on the case of Jonathan Ben Artzi, a 20-year old Israeli student, who is facing trial in his own country for having repeatedly refused to serve in the Israeli army. 

Conscientious objection at stake

14 December 2003


One month ago, on 12 November 2003, Jonathan Ben Artzi was convicted by the Military Court in Jaffa for disobeying an order by refusing to serve in the Israeli army. The Israeli military court in Jaffa is also hearing the cases of Noam Bahat, Adam Maor, Haggai Matar, Shinri Tsameret and Matan Kaminer, who are among more than 300 “Shministim,” or high school seniors, who refuse to serve in military forces involved in the occupation of Palestinian territories. 

Doing things the hard way - the verdict of five "refuseniks"

Adam Keller 16 December 2003


The courtroom at the Jaffa Military Court had never been so overcrowded. Special benches had been dragged in, filling the aisle and leaving hardly any room for passage. Activists, family members and journalists crowded into every available corner (there were four TV crews, who were chased out after the judges came in) and still as many as were in had to wait outside. At long last, the verdict in the trial of Noam Bahat, Matan Kaminer, Adam Maor, Haggai Matar and Shimri Tsameret was going to be delivered.