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Democracy Can't be Hijacked

Roni Ben Efrat 2 July 2006


Ten months after Israel’s disengagement from Gaza, its army has re-entered the Strip, while in the West Bank it has arrested the bulk of the Palestinian government: 64 legislators, cabinet ministers and officials, members of Hamas all. The pretext was a raid led by the Hamas military wing on June 25, in which two soldiers were killed and one captured. In Israel’s view, the event gives it an excuse to create a new political reality, nullifying the Hamas victory in the January elections. In certain respects, the Israeli actions are reminiscent of Operation “Defensive Shield” in 2002. 

Palestinians Prepare for Peace While Israel Practices War

Raji Sourani 2 July 2006


As the Palestinian factions prepare for peace, the Israeli military has continued to commit grave breaches of international law and inflict further suffering against the civilian population of the OPT. For the past three and a half years Israel has worked to isolate the Palestinian people by refusing to recognise their legitimate representatives (the PLO) as partners for peace. This strategy of unilateralism has taken place while very positive developments have taken place on the Palestinian side. Israeli violence has battered the Gaza Strip, perpetuating a long, hot, filthy summer of human rights violations. 

NY Green candidate for US Senate: Stop Israel's attacks on Gaza

2 July 2006


The conflict in Israel/Palestine has reached new levels of menace and suffering with the Israeli invasion of Gaza. The Israeli government is intent on inflicting significant suffering on the civilian population, targeting the local infrastructure by destroying the local power plant and three bridges. Water and electricity has been cut off to 1.3 million inhabitants. This comes on top of the suffering caused by decades of military occupation and the recent cutoff off of funds to the Palestinian government, which has left the many Palestinians in Gaza facing starvation. 

The games children play in Gaza

Rami Almeghari Gaza Strip 2 July 2006


Most areas of the Gaza Strip are currently experiencing an extremely difficult period — Israeli warplanes and tanks never stop, day or night, firing heavy artillery against every target possible. Homes, institutions and infrastructure never escape the Israeli shelling; power and water plants have been severely hit so far, main roads have been damaged, buildings and homes have been shelled. Moreover, civilians along with resistance fighters have been killed and wounded due to such non-stop Israeli aggression. It is as if Gaza has returned to 1967 and the first days of its occupation. 

Israel Revokes Residency Rights of Four Palestinian Government Officials

1 July 2006


Yesterday, 30 June 2006, Israeli Interior Minister Roni Bar-On revoked the East Jerusalem residency permits (IDs) of four Palestinian government officials belonging to the ruling Hamas party. These included three members of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC), Muhammad Abu-Teir, Ahmad ‘Attoun and Muhammad Totah, and the Palestinian Minister of Jerusalem Affairs, Khaled Abu-‘Arafa. For Palestinian residents of East Jerusalem, losing residency rights under Israeli law prevents them from living in the city, benefiting from their property and accessing essential services. 

EI speaks about Gaza Invasion on Flashpoints Radio

1 July 2006


On June 29th, Flashpoints Radio hosted Electronic Intifada cofounder, Ali Abunimah, for a discussion of the continuing criminal Israeli attacks in Gaza and Israel’s kidnapping of democratically-elected Palestinian leaders. While insisting that the capture of an occupation soldier after dozens of Palestinian civilian deaths is an act of terrorism justifying destruction of infrastructure in Gaza, Israeli has kidnapped scores of Palestinian officials in an outrageous and brazen criminal act. Flashpoints News Radio broadcasts every weekday at 5:00PM Pacific Time on 94.1 FM, from Berkeley, California. Interviewer: Nora Barrows-Friedman. 

Looking for Shalit

Zachary Wales 1 July 2006


It would be too simple to sum up Israel’s recent military incursions in Gaza as a humanitarian disaster. But beneath the immediate surface, we find those who task themselves with generating meaning where actions are inexplicable. Among them are the mainstream U.S. media, who squeeze water from stones, invoking the pretense of Qassam rockets - the latest fetish symbol of Arab confusion and savagery since suicide bombs - and now the youthful face of kidnapped Corporal Gilad Shalit, whose picture has become an exploitative reminder on nearly every Internet news story related to Gaza, whether it mentions him or not. 

Jewish tribalism comes clean

Jonathan Cook 30 June 2006


Until the advent of Zionism at the turn of the twentieth century, Jews for whom their Jewishness mattered believed either that their identity was of a strictly religious nature or, if they were secular, that it was a meaningful marker of their ethnicity. In other words, Jews who wanted to identify themselves as Jews were either Jews in that they practised a religion called Judaism or they were Jews in that they believed they belonged to a distinct ethnic group. But Zionism added a third possible category of Jewish identity. The new kind of Jewish identity was a strange hybrid from the outset. 

Palestinian parliamentarian warns of severe public health and humanitarian disaster facing Gaza

Mustafa Barghouthi 30 June 2006


Dr. Mustafa Barghouthi, medical doctor, member of the Palestinian Legislative Council, and head of the Palestinian National Initiative, today warned of the public health and humanitarian disaster facing the Gaza Strip following an Israeli military bombardment that began on Wednesday night. He was speaking from Gaza City, where he has been stranded for 12 days since Israel sealed off Gaza’s borders. Dr. Barghouthi reported that Israel’s destruction of Gaza’s only electrical power station has left 80 percent of Strip without electricity. 

Collective Punishment Will Not Work

Eugene Bird 30 June 2006


“As usual, most of the American press docily followed the official line from Israel and Washington that the kidnapping of an Israeli soldier a week ago was unprovoked. The fact is that the assassination of a Hamas government official was the proximate cause of the kidnapping. The assassinated official, Jamal Abu Samhadana, was the head of the Popular Resistance Committees, an organization on the terrorist list of the United States and Israel. He was apparently brought into the Hamas-led Interior Ministry to head the police forces in Gaza.” Eugene H. Bird served with the United States Foreign Service for 23 years and is President of the Council for the National Interest.