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Gunmen break into Rafah elections office

14 November 2005


A group of armed men broke into the Central Elections Commission office in Rafah and prevented the functioning of the office. According to fieldworkers of Al Mezan Centre for Human Rights, three persons armed with automatic rifles broke into the Rafah branch of the Central Elections Committee office, located in Ottoman Ibn Affan, near Najma junction in the Shabura area. The armed group gave the workers one hour to finalize their work, after which they closed the office. A statement was issued by the group, in the name of the “Islamic Army”, stating without specifically targeting the Central Elections Committee that the office was being closed down for being a place of corruption. 

Israel's uglier face reared towards its Palestinain citizens

Avigail Abarbanel 17 November 2005


Susan Nathan’s new book The Other Side of Israel: My Journey Across the Jewish/Arab Divide recalls her recent experience of making Aliya to Israel, claiming her right to immediate citizenship according to the Israeli law of return. Growing up in a Zionist home and having had more than one or two experiences of antisemitism, Nathan is at first enchanted with Zionism and in love with the idea of the State of Israel and what she believes it represents. However, it isn’t long before that bubble bursts and she begins to see the less than ideal reality of Israel. 

UN Committee: "'Decades of failed efforts to resolve question of Palestine"

10 November 2005


On November 10, 1975 the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted resolution 3376 establishing the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People. Today is not a cause for celebration but rather an opportunity for all of us to reflect upon decades of failed efforts to resolve the question of Palestine. Today’s anniversary also reminds us that we have to redouble our efforts at bringing about a just solution of the question of Palestine. Since its inception, the Committee has advocated a peaceful solution of the question of Palestine in accordance with principles of international law. Yet, in response to events, the Committee continues to voice its concern. 

Of transplants and transcendence: Questioning social and symbolic categories in Israel

Laurie King 14 November 2005


“What is more perplexing and amazing? Four dehumanized individuals blowing themselves and sixty other people to bits, or the wondrous lesson in humanity shown by a family that would not have been blamed for seeking revenge, but who instead repaid murder with magnanimity by donating the organs of their son, a non-Jew, to Israelis? The minds of murderers, whether Jewish, Christian or Muslim; American, Israeli or Arab, are much easier to understand than the actions of Ahmed Khatib’s family. Unlike suicide bombers or IDF snipers, Ahmed’s family violated the grammar of the conflict and exposed the arbitrariness and barbarity of erecting walls, whether actual or metaphorical, between human beings.” 

London hosts conference "Palestine, Israel and the Law"

Victor Kattan and Mary Nazzal-Batayneh 11 November 2005


On Saturday 22 October, hundreds of people from all over the United Kingdom descended on the Institute of Education in Logan Hall, Bedford Way, London, to discuss Israel, Palestine and the law. For six hours delegates sat and listened as politicians, lawyers and governmental advisors took to the podium in front a banner carrying the name of the event’s organizers, the “Palestine Solidarity Campaign”. The speakers included Dr. Mustafa Barghouti, Diana Buttu, Daniel Machover, Leah Tsemel. Victor Kattan and Mary Nazzal-Batayneh report for EI. 

Administrative detention should be banned (2/2)

Jeff Handmaker and Adri Nieuwhof 11 November 2005


Israel has a long history of detaining people without trial, quite often for long periods, based on an administrative instead of judicial order based on secret evidence. Israel’s policy on administrative detention is not only grossly immoral, but it also leads to the violation of numerous principles and binding obligations of international law. In recent weeks, there have been several confirmed reports that hundreds of people have been administratively detained, though it is virtually impossible to determine the exact number. Jeff Handmaker and Adri Nieuwhof believe that human rights advocates should raise their voices anew against the injustices caused by the use of administrative detention. 

Administrative detention should be banned (1/2)

Jeff Handmaker and Adri Nieuwhof 11 November 2005


Israel has a long history of detaining people without trial, quite often for long periods, based on an administrative instead of judicial order based on secret evidence. Israel’s policy on administrative detention is not only grossly immoral, but it also leads to the violation of numerous principles and binding obligations of international law. In recent weeks, there have been several confirmed reports that hundreds of people have been administratively detained, though it is virtually impossible to determine the exact number. Jeff Handmaker and Adri Nieuwhof believe that human rights advocates should raise their voices anew against the injustices caused by the use of administrative detention. 

Audio: EI's Abunimah discusses Amman bombings

10 November 2005


Fifty-seven people were killed when bombs exploded at three hotels in Amman, Jordan on 9 November. EI’s Ali Abunimah discussed the attacks on Chicago Public Radio’s Worldview program with Jerome McDonnell. The interview examined possible motives and perpetrators, and their potential impact on Jordan and the region. Abunimah said that no matter who carried out the attacks, whether it was Al-Qa’ida or someone else, many Jordanians are likely to lay at least some of the blame at the doors of US-led invasion of Iraq. 

Givers and Takers: The case of international aid to Palestine

Stuart Reigeluth 10 November 2005


The greatest cause of contemporary Palestinian poverty is, without a doubt, the overwhelming Israeli occupation. International aid has played a pivotal role in attempting to alleviate this recent phenomenon, but many questions persist. Who gives such large amounts of financial assistance to the occupied Palestinian territories (OPT) and who takes from the Palestinian people? What are the donors’ motivations for these monetary injections and how effective has the implementation of these funds been? And why does foreign aid continue to increase while the Palestinian economy continues to stagnate? Such questions are tackled in the new book Aid, Diplomacy and Facts on the Ground; the Case of Palestine. 

WaPSR Delegation Diary 2: The Israeli Peace Movement in Jerusalem

Bill Dienst Palestine 9 November 2005


In March 2005, Dr. Bill Dienst traveled to Palestine and Israel as part of a delegation sponsored by Washington State Physicians for Social Responsibility (WaPSR). The delegation met with prominent Palestinians as well as members of the Israeli peace movement. They also traveled inside the Kiryat Arba’a settlement to hear a prominent member of the settler movement. In the second of a series of articles for EI’s Live from Palestine diaries section, Dr. Dienst describes these meetings.