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3rd Annual New York Arab-American Comedy Festival kicks off this month!

1 November 2005


Organizers behind the groundbreaking New York Arab American Comedy Festival (NYAACF) recently announced plans for the 3rd Annual Festival, which will take place from November 13th–17th , 2005. More than ever, this year’s event promises to provide entertainment that is funny, uniquely original and   politically insightful.  No topic is off-limits as the theater pieces comedically tackle such topics as Palestine, intercultural fear of Arab terrorists, how to be a “real Arab,” and a comedic musical about religious fundamentalism and President Bush. 

Land confiscations and exploitation natural resources main causes of crisis in OPT

27 October 2005


Israel’s continued confiscation of lands, destruction of homes, and exploitation of natural resources had remained the leading causes of the socio-economic crisis in the occupied Palestinian territories, a senior United Nations official told the Second Committee today, as it discussed permanent sovereignty of occupied Arab peoples over their natural resources. Introducing the report on that subject, Mervat Tallawy, Executive Secretary of the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA), stressed that agricultural losses in the occupied territories, especially the uprooting of more than a million olive trees, the demolition of homes and restrictions on the movement of goods and persons had deepened unemployment and poverty. 

Secretary-General deeply concerned by escalating Middle East violence

28 October 2005


United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan and the other principles of the Diplomatic Quartet today consulted on the latest violence in the Middle East, condemning Wednesday’s terrorist attack in Israel claimed by the Damascus-based Palestinian Islamic Jihad and calling on Syria to take immediate action against the group. In a separate statement, Secretary-General Kofi Annan voiced deep concern at the further escalation of violence in the past 24 hours in the Middle East, deploring action taken in Jabalya refugee camp in Gaza on Wednesday. 

Wide participation in the Olive Harvest Festival

31 October 2005


Every year at the beginning of October, the annual olive harvest begins in Palestine. The survival of tens of thousands of Palestinian families is more dependant than ever on their ability to harvest their olives and market the oil they yield. This is not something that can be assumed as the Israeli settlement, closures and the construction of the separation wall cut off people from their land thereby destroying their livelihoods. Volunteers joined Palestinian farmers with the annual olive harvest in the Bethlehem area. 

Israeli army kills seven Palestinians in missile strike

28 October 2005


At least 1.5 million Palestinians in the Gaza Strip have been living in an atmosphere of war in the past 24 hours imposed by an escalation of attacks by Israeli Occupation Forces. In the context of this escalation, IOF committed another extra-judicial assassination in the northern Gaza Strip, which left dead 7 Palestinians (two members of the Islamic Jihad and 5 civilian bystanders, including 3 children). In addition, 19 civilians were injured. This latest attack came in the context of another wave of escalation by IOF, which has included also launching air attacks and mock air raids using F-16 fighter jets. This attack follows a statement by the Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon that he gave the Israeli military a green line to launch a wide scale military operation against Palestinians. 

UN Special Committee: "UN should be more innovative in its approaches to the question of Palestine"

28 October 2005


The three-member Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices Affecting the Human Rights of the Palestinian People and Other Arabs of the Occupied Territories recommended that the General Assembly “think of innovative ways to fulfil its responsibility with respect to all aspects of the question of Palestine until this question is resolved in conformity with relevant United Nations resolutions and norms of international law, and until the inalienable rights of the Palestinians are fully realized.” The UN General Assembly should be more innovative in its approaches to the question of Palestine, Israel should distinguish between military objectives and civilians and the PA should control Palestinian armed groups so as to stop violence against civilians, a Special Committee says in a new report. 

MapQuest sidesteps requests to correct blatantly inaccurate map of Israel

Ira Glunts 25 October 2005


Changing the map of the Middle East is difficult even in a literal sense. Last month the Electronic Intifada informed its readers of the blatantly inaccurate map of Israel which currently appears on MapQuest.com. As a result of our call to action, MapQuest received hundreds of e-mail messages from concerned readers. Initially responding with a boiler plate letter promising undefined future action, MapQuest ultimately refered writers to the Dutch vendor that provides their maps. Correspondence with the Dutch company has not resulted in any clear response commiting to update the maps, two weeks after they received our letter. 

Setting up Abbas

Jeff Halper 25 October 2005


From Sharon’s point of view it’s a done deal. Israel has won its century-old conflict with the Palestinians. Surveying the landscape - physical and political alike - the Israeli Prime Minister has finally fulfilled the task with which he was charged 38 years ago by Menachem Begin: ensure permanent Israel control over the entire Land of Israel while foreclosing the emergence of a viable Palestinian state. Still, Israel needs a Palestinian state. Although the annexation of the settlement blocs gives Israel complete control over the entire country between the Mediterranean and the Jordan River, it needs to “get rid of” the almost four million Palestinian residents to which it can neither give citizenship nor keep in a state of permanent bondage. 

Israel assassinates two Palestinians in Tulkarem

24 October 2005


Israeli forces committed another extra-judicial execution. Israeli forces invaded Tulkarem and two refugee camps east of the city. After they imposed a curfew on residents, Israeli soldiers tooks positions in the Marba’at Hannoun area. They stopped a car and forced the driver out, opened fire and killed him instantly. Israeli forces saw an armed Palestinian from an alley and opened fire, hitting him with two bullets in his leg and hand. He fired a few bullets at the soldiers and took refuge in a nearby house. Israeli forces fired a rocket at the building. A man was climbing the stairs. Israeli forces shot at him from close range. He was killed instantly. The two Palestinians were identified as Majed al-Ashqar and Lo’ay El-Sa’di. 

The Wall and the psychological impact on children

Adri Nieuwhof 24 October 2005


On 26 September 2005, the Palestinian Counseling Centre (the PCC) announced the results of a survey on the psychological implications of the construction of the wall on people from five villages in the Qalqilya district. In 2003, the PCC conducted a pilot study, which was followed by the survey from early 2004 to August 2005. The study showed a proportional relationship between exposure to the wall and the occurrence of nightmares and aggressive behaviour in adolescents and children. The PCC’s study makes it clear that the wall has an impact on the mental health of adults and children. According to the PCC, the wall can be seen as a construction meant to confine and isolate people, which are the key characteristics of a prison.