All Content

Review: Lord's Song in a Strange Land

Maureen Clare Murphy 21 April 2003

Nicholas Dembowski’s video, Lord’s Song in a Strange Land is a clever montage of found footage from Hollywood movies, cable news networks, European news stations, old Western films and edited it as though to let his viewers channel surf through the American media’s representation of what it considers “the Arab world.” EI contributer Maureen Clare Murphy reviews the film at the Chicago Palestine Film Festival. 

Rafah: Israeli occupation kills 5 Palestinians, including two children

Palestinian Center for Human Rights 21 April 2003

In the most recent incursion into Palestinian territory, Israeli occupying forces killed 5 Palestinian civilians including 2 children and wounded 30 others in Rafah on Saturday, 19 April, 2002. The condition of 10 of the wounded is said to be critical and the number of injured included 7 children. 

U.S. must probe death In Gaza

Stanley Heller 20 April 2003

“None of these people would have gotten hurt if they had minded their own business and closed their eyes to the shootings of Palestinians. Yet I’ve talked with ISM activists in New Haven who are certain that their work is vital. When they’re around, Israeli soldiers shoot less and the international news media pay more attention. That saves lives.” Stanley Heller of the New Haven, CT Middle East Crisis Committee sends a letter to the editor of his local paper. 

Weekly report on human rights violations

Palestinian Center for Human Rights 17 April 2003

This week Israeli occupying forces killed ten Palestinians, mostly civilians, including four in three extra-judicial executions. Israeli forces demolished six Palestinian homes in the southern Gaza Strip town of Rafah. Israeli forces conducted a series of incursions into Palestinian areas. Israeli forces continued to use Palestinian civilians as human shields in military operations. This week PCHR witnessed continued Israeli shelling of Palestinian residential areas. Israeli forces raided houses and arrested more Palestinians. 

The Achille Lauro hijacking: Selective memory does none of us justice

Daniel Jacob Quinn 17 April 2003


“The Achille Lauro is back in the news. Most of us know that a Palestinian, Mohammed Abu Abbas, is believed to have planned the 7 October 1985 hijacking of the Achille Lauro cruise ship. His group, the Palestinian Liberation Front, demanded that Israel free 50 Palestinian prisoners. An American Jewish passenger in a wheelchair, Leon Klinghoffer, was shot and thrown into the sea. While Abbas was not on board the ship, the hijacking, taking of hostages, and killing of Mr. Klinghoffer were heinous crimes for which he should be brought to justice.” Daniel Jacob Quinn writes about another, forgotten event that happened one week prior to the hijacking. 

Cases of imprisoned conscientious objectors before the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention

World Organisation Against Torture and International Federation for Human Rights 17 April 2003

The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders (FIDH and OMCT joint venture) is very concerned with the imprisonment and trial before military courts of Israeli conscientious objectors.