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Nablus bullets ricochet in Hartford

Elliot Jager 1 November 2002

The obituary was placed anonymously by Gale Courey Toensing, 56, of Canaan, wife of the chairman of the Connecticut board of education, Craig Toensing. What motivated Toensing, an Arab-American, to pay $ 300 for the notice was a posting by Amer Abdelhadi “writing from Nablus, occupied Palestine” on a Web site called Electronic Intifada Diaries. “The reason I did it was so people would know what’s going on there,” Toensing told the Courant after her involvement became public. 

Is Abbas really a man of peace?

11 May 2003

Ironically, while many Israeli Jews are suspicious of Abbas, so are many Palestinians. Writing in The Electronic Intifada in March, Ali Abunimah described Abbas as “widely perceived among Palestinians themselves as one of the most notoriously corrupt individuals in the Palestinian Authority,” adding he is “deeply mistrusted among Palestinians for his authorship, along with senior Israelis, of various ‘peace plans’ that relinquish fundamental Palestinian rights and maintain the occupation intact, albeit under another name.” 

Edward Said, leading Palestinian advocate, dead at 67

25 September 2003

Edward Said’s death caused an outpouring of tributes around the world, including the Electronic Intifada online, which wrote Said had “maintained his relentless engagement with people, culture, and politics all over the world, even in the last weeks of his decade- long struggle against illness”. His supporters said he was often “the sole and most effective advocate” for bringing truth about the Palestinian cause to the United States. 

Canada missing on world stage

Alan Kellogg 9 November 2003

Writing in The Electronic Intifada, Arjan El Fassed crunched the EU poll numbers and discovered that “the more highly educated respondents (66 per cent) are more likely to perceive Israel as a threat to world peace than those who ceased their studies at an earlier age. The results appear to be a mark of the widespread disapproval in Europe of the widespread violations of human rights employed by the government of Ariel Sharon.” 

Israeli forces demolish 22 homes in Khan Yunis

14 December 2003


This morning, in the latest attack against Palestinian civilians and property, Israeli occupying forces destroyed 22 houses in the Khan Yunis refugee camp in the southern Gaza Strip. Contrary to Israeli claims that the houses were uninhabited, preliminary investigations conducted by PCHR revealed that the Israeli military operation left 178 Palestinian civilians (25 families) homeless. In addition, homes belonging to 6 families (approximately 40 civilians) have become uninhabitable. 

$193m in relief needed for refugees in the West Bank and Gaza

12 December 2003


Three years of curfews, closures and conflict in the West Bank and Gaza have plunged two-thirds of the population into dire poverty, increased hunger and restricted access to health and education. Today UNRWA, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees and the largest humanitarian agency in the region, launches an emergency appeal to the international community asking for $193 million to relieve some of the suffering in the occupied territories in 2004. 

UK breaking arms sales rules, says rights group

25 July 2002

Last week, the UK’s Foreign Secretary Jack Straw revealed that his government had granted export licences for parts due to be fitted in US- made F16 fighters, bound for Israel. Straw said the ‘head-up’ display units concerned - manufactured by BAe Systems - account for less than 1% of the jets’ value. But the Jerusalem-based Palestinian Society for the Protection of Human Rights (LAW) argues that the deal contravenes the EU’s 1998 code of conduct on arms exports. 

Review: Arna's Children

Arjan El Fassed 11 December 2003


Speechless. Silent. I could not move. I just sat there, watching the screen, the scrolling text of dedication and the names of Arna’s children: Youssef, Nidal, Ashraf, and Ala. Arna’s children form a small theatre group of Palestinian children in Jenin. Arna’s son Juliano, director of this film, was directing the theatre group. All those years, from 1989 to 1996, Juliano filmed the rehearsals and performances of the plays. He films Ala sitting on the ruins of his home blown up by Israeli soldiers, growing up to become a fighter in Jenin. EI’s Arjan El Fassed saw the film and comments. 

Intifada spurs Palestine internet boom

Laila El-Haddad 11 December 2003


“The internet, with its ability to transcend borders, distance and government censorship, has become the preferred medium of information exchange for local Palestinians and foreign activists alike. Notable among the online activist initiatives is the site known as The Electronic Intifada. The site has been credited with bringing increased prominence and visibility to the Palestinian cause in the media in recent years”, reports Laila El-Haddad for Al-Jazeera.net. 

Book review: Resistance - My Life for Lebanon

Maureen Clare Murphy 18 December 2003


The greatest struggle in Soha Béchara’s life was not plotting to assassinate Antoine Lahad, the Lebanese chief of militia in Israeli-occupied Southern Lebanon during the 1980s. Rather, her true test was somewhat parallel to that of her home country of Lebanon — to survive living under the tyranny of the occupying Israelis. But in Béchara’s case, her prison was a literal one. However, Béchara’s memoirs are missing that extra layer of narration that would let readers in on the true mental process of someone who is ready to give their life for their country.