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Stranded at the border

Rami Almeghari al-Arish, Egypt 20 July 2007


My wife and myself, like thousands of other Palestinians, are currently stranded in Egypt since the Rafah crossing to Gaza was closed in mid-June. We are now staying closer to our home of Gaza. The destination this time is not Cairo. Rather, it’s the coastal town of al-Arish now that my wife has completed her medical treatment in the Egyptian capital. In the evening of 7 July, we cheerfully smiled for the first time since my wife was hospitalized in a Cairo hospital a month ago, after the doctor assured us she could leave the hospital. However, EI contributor Rami Almeghari and his wife have been unable to return home. 

Smiling through the pain

Alison Phillips Burj al-Barajne Refugee Camp 22 July 2007


Fadia greets me with a warm smile of welcome lighting up her face and takes me to her home in Burj al-Barajne camp, Beirut, where I am to stay for three weeks, trying to help with a summer activity program for some of the children, and to improve the English of her kindergarten teachers. She has an infectious laugh and seems to find much to smile about. As I stay in the camp and learn more of what it means to be a Palestinian refugee in Lebanon I marvel at her strength of character, a common feature of the Palestinian women I have met. 

My mother is in her last moments and I cannot cross the borders

Mona El-Farra Rafah Crossing, Palestine 18 July 2007


My mother is in the hospital at the moment. She is severely ill. She was admitted to the hospital three days ago. I cannot reach her. I finished my 45-day speaking tour in the US. All across the US and during every lecture I told the audience about our suffering, living in this big prison called Gaza. I told them about the borders closure and about the patients who passed away while waiting to cross the borders. The borders have been closed for more than five weeks and patients have died while waiting to cross the Rafah crossing, the only crossing between Gaza and Egypt. 

Photostory: The Apartheid Wall

Tom Spender 8 August 2007


Four hundred kilometers and counting — for Jewish Israel the West Bank barrier represents a longed-for separation from Palestinians, couched in the comfortable narrative of security. But as its varied malign effects on Palestinian society become clear, the barrier along its chosen route is becoming an icon of dispossession, opportunism and brutality, exposing Israel’s willingness for Palestinians to pay the price for its own security and prosperity as an ugly choice. 

New Bush initiative met with skepticism

Jim Lobe 17 July 2007


WASHINGTON, 16 July (IPS) - A major policy address Monday by US President George W. Bush promoting a two-state solution for Israel and Palestine has been greeted with considerable skepticism by Middle East specialists here. Most analysts said Bush’s speech — including his pledge to provide some 190 million dollars to support Palestine Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas and convene a regional conference to support renewed Israeli-Palestinian peace talks — was too little, too late and included too many conditions to rally strong Palestinian or Arab support. 

Lebanon's bloody summer

Mohamad Bazzi 23 July 2007


This is the state of Lebanon today: deep sectarian anger that could boil over at any moment. In mixed Beirut neighborhoods, tensions rise between Sunnis and Shiites after each bombing. Tempers flare, small fights get out of hand, people start calling their friends and relatives to come in from other areas to help them and eventually the police have to step in. (A Shiite friend who lives in a mainly Sunni neighborhood told me that for several days after Eido’s killing, he found a broken egg each morning on his car.) And there’s no shortage of bombings to stoke tensions. 

Cairo changes tack on Gaza

Adam Morrow and Khaled Moussa al-Omrani 16 July 2007


CAIRO, 14 July (IPS) - In the immediate wake of last month’s takeover of the Gaza Strip by Palestinian resistance faction Hamas, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak condemned the action, describing it as “the overthrow of Palestinian legitimacy.” Since then, however, Cairo appears to have tempered its position, reiterating the need for peaceful dialogue between Hamas and its US-backed rival Fatah. 

Death of detainee prompts calls for investigation

16 July 2007


Forty-five-year-old Waleed Salman Abu Dalfa died yesterday, 15 July 2007, while being held in custody at the former Intelligence Headquarters in the al-Mashtal area east of Gaza City. The facility, which was recently converted into a detention centre, is currently run and supervised by Hamas’ military wing — Ezadin al-Qassam Brigades. According to investigations carried out by Al Mezan, Al-Haq and Al Dameer, Waleed and his brother, Khalil, were arrested at their home in Gaza City on Monday, 9 July 2007. 

Volvo: Evading corporate responsibility

Adri Nieuwhof 16 July 2007


The Business & Human Rights Resource Centre in London published on its website a link to my article Volvo: Symbol of safety or human rights abuses?,” and asked the company to respond. The article highlights the use of Volvo construction machinery by the Israeli military as a tool in the occupation, which is the reason behind recent calls for economic pressure on Volvo. Mr. M. Wikforss, Vice President of Media Relations & Corporate News of Volvo Group wrote a letter in response, which is also published on the Resource Centre’s website. In this article I react to Volvo’s arguments.