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Israel's Peeping Tom in Rafah still operational

6 April 2005


Since February 18, Palestinians leaving Gaza through the Rafah international crossing point have been forced to experience a humaliating enhanced x-ray process which allows Israeli forces to photograph civilians completely naked. As of yesterday, Israel began to restrict the use of the system to certain individuals — a clear admission of the dangerous health and privacy issues regarding its use. The system is related to systems that have been developed at research labs such as Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in the US and others in the UK. Civil liberties campaigners and privacy experts have called the system a “voyeurs charter”. 

UN review paints gloomy picture of 2004 economy in occupied Palestinian territory

6 April 2005


Around half of the Palestinian population was living below the official poverty line last year, more than double the number in 2000, unemployment increased, and there is no hope for improvement unless guarded optimism on the political front is translated into economic activity, according to the latest review of the humanitarian situation in the occupied Palestinian territory for 2004. The report summarises the main humanitarian trends in the occupied Palestinian territory in 2004. It is an updated version of the report submitted in November 2004 by UN agencies working in the occupied Palestinian territory to the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee. 

Irish Limerick City might soon become world's first Caterpillar Free Zone

6 April 2005


Limerick City Council will soon consider a motion put forward by the Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign and supported by the family of the murdered American human rights observer Rachel Corrie, to declare Limerick City the world’s first Caterpillar Free Zone. The motion calls on the City Council to ban the use of all Caterpillar plant and machinery on Council worksites from January 1st 2006, and calls on all traders in Limerick City to implement a voluntary ban on the sale of Caterpillar merchandise. Limerick City Councillors have a precedent-setting opportunity to declare the world’s first Caterpillar Free Zone, thereby sending a resounding message to Caterpilar shareholders and directors when they meet in Chicago on April 13. 

Four weeks of activities launched to mark Palestinian child day

5 April 2005


This year Palestinian Child Day will mark the start of four weeks of UNICEF-supported activities in the West Bank and Gaza, aimed at providing more than 7000 children aged 6-16 years, with a supportive and productive environment. The activities are led by the Ministry of Social Affairs and UNICEF. “The events we are supporting are aimed at making a difference in the lives of the most marginalized children in society,” said UNICEF Special Representative Dan Rohrmann. The activities will be conducted in 15 districts. In cooperation with the Ministry of Social Affairs, the Municipality of Gaza, including the Children Municipality Councils, will help more than 700 kids participating in Fun Days held at safe play areas. 

EI EXCLUSIVE: Joseph Massad's response to the Ad Hoc Grievance Committee Report

Joseph Massad 5 April 2005


In late 2004, claims of intimidation in the department of Middle Eastern and Asian Languages and Cultures (MEALAC) of Columbia University hit newspapers around the world after an unreleased documentary Columbia Unbecoming, which purported to reveal incidences of intimidation and anti-Semitism in the classroom. The primary target of the organized campaign was Professor Joseph Massad. Columbia University ultimately formed an ad hoc committee to investigate, which released its report on 31 March 2005. Joseph Massad responds. 

Children, PTSD, and the future of Palestine

5 April 2005


On April 5th every year, Palestinians celebrate Palestinian Child Day. This year’s anniversary comes as Palestinian children suffer from various deprivations of their basic human rights. Israeli occupation remains the main reason for these violations and the basic source of agony for children and for Palestinian society as a whole. Political and social problems have negative ramifications on children’s mental health. According to scientific research by Gaza Community Mental Health Programme, children were found to suffer from high levels of trauma and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, which negatively impacts their attitudes towards peace. 

EI EXCLUSIVE: Joseph Massad's statement to Columbia University's Ad Hoc Grievance Committee

5 April 2005


On 31 March 2005, Columbia University publicly released the report of a faculty Ad Hoc Grievance Committee charged with examining student complaints of intimidation in the classroom by faculty in the department of Middle East and Asian Languages and Cultures (MEALAC). The Ad Hoc Grievance Committee, which was composed of five University faculty members and advised by First Amendment scholar and Columbia Visiting Professor Floyd Abrams, was formed in December 2004 to identify the facts underlying student concerns of intimidation in the classroom. In this exclusive, EI publishes the full text of Joseph Massad’s rebuttal. 

Activist Speaks On Difficulty of Mid-East Peace

Nessie Sloan 5 April 2005


Ali Abunimah, a Palestinian activist and co-founder of Electronic Intifada, a website that explores the Israeli/Palestinian conflict through a Palestinian perspective, spoke at Cornell yesterday evening and shed light on the fundamental debate: “Is Peace in Palestine a doomed fantasy?” Abunimah was brought to Cornell by a new Cornell club, Student Advocates of Palestine. “Our goal is to educate people in Cornell about the Israeli/Palestinian conflict from the Palestinian perspective,” president Chris Tozzi ‘08 said. 

Brandeis University's "objective" center for Middle East Studies undermined by Israeli and US military connections

Bob Feldman 4 April 2005


Directed by a member of the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies Council and a recent head of the Jaffee Center for Strategic Studies (JCSS) at Tel Aviv University named Shai Feldman (no relation to this writer), the new Crown Center for Middle East Studies at Brandeis University apparently won’t have to operate on a shoestring budget. According to the Boston Globe, the Crown Center for Middle East Studies already has an endowment of $25 million. “The center will seek to produce a discourse on the Middle East as dispassionate, objective and centrist as possible,” Feldman told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency in a recent interview. Looking at the players, this seems unlikely. 

Weekly report on human rights violations

31 March 2005


This week, Israeli forces wounded 12 Palestinian civilians, including 4 children and 2 brothers. Israel has continued the construction of the Annexation Wall in the West Bank. Israel confiscated more areas of Palestinian land in Jerusalem, Qalqilya and Bethlehem. Israeli settlers have continued to attack Palestinian civilians and property in the West Bank. Israeli settlers have severely beaten 10 Palestinian civilians in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Israeli forces raided homes and at least 30 Palestinian civilians were arrested. Israeli forces turned a number of Palestinian homes into military outposts. Israel continues to impose a total siege on the occupied Palestinian territories.