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An Interview with Israeli Activist Jonathan Pollak

Patrick O'Connor 18 April 2005


Jonathan Pollak is an Israeli activist who grew up in Tel Aviv and lives in Jaffa. He has been involved in nonviolent direct action in the West Bank for the last two-and-a-half years, participating in more than 200 protests with Palestinians in the West Bank with the Israeli nonviolent direct action group Anarchists Against the Wall and with the International Solidarity Movement. On April 3, 2005 an Israeli soldier shot Jonathan in the head with a teargas canister from an M-16 from a distance of approximately thirty meters at a peaceful protest against the Wall in the West Bank village of Bil’in. Bil’in is one of tens of West Bank Palestinian villages losing land because of Israel’s wall construction. Pat O’Connor interviewed Jonathan Pollak by telephone on 7 April 2005. 

The Case Against Alan Dershowitz: The Public Committee Against Torture in Israel vs. Alan Dershowitz

Regan Boychuk 18 April 2005


Alan Dershowitz is a well-known lawyer and professor at Harvard Law School, a prolific author, and makes regular appearances in the media. When it comes to Israel, he is particularly outspoken and taken quite seriously within certain segments of the North American mainstream. Whether he deserves to be taken seriously is another issue altogether. In a recent talk at York University in Toronto, Canada, Professor Dershowitz repeated many of the controversial claims of his recent book, The Case for Israel, but one claim struck me as — even by his standards — exceptionally far-reaching. 

Horsemanship in Gaza: Palestinian dreams and Israeli obstacles

Sami Abu Salem Gaza Strip 18 April 2005


GAZA, 14 April 2005, (WAFA) — The neighing of horses and the chirping of sparrows break the silence covering the Palestine Horsemanship Club (PHC) along the Gaza shore. Broken tiles cover the roof of the winter hall while cracks mark the walls. Silence and gloom have replaced the cheers of the crowds that used to be heard during the local competitive horse riding championships. Sami Abu Salem reports for WAFA from occupied Gaza. 

Palestinian parliamentary elections may be delayed

Khalid Amayreh 17 April 2005


The Palestinian Authority is likely to postpone elections, due on 17 July, in a move that Hamas says would be political meddling by its rival, the ruling Fatah party. Fatah Minister of Parliament Hatim Abd al-Qadir said the postponement was expected to be announced in a few days and that it had more to do with procedural matters than other considerations. The Palestinian cabinet is responsible for the postponement. The opposition parties reacted strongly to the possibility of a delay. Parliament is expected to vote on Sunday on a modified election law. 

Film review: Door to the Sun

Jenny Gheith 17 April 2005


Bab el Shams (Door to the Sun) is the most recent cinematic achievement from Egyptian director Yousri Nasrallah. Adapted from the novel by Lebanese writer Elias Khoury, this ambitious film takes on the weighty goal of covering roughly fifty years of Palestinian history, from 1943 to 1994, and centers around the lives of a group of Palestinian refugees. EI film critic Jenny Gheith writes that Nasrallah succeeds in his large-scale recreations of demanding passages in Palestinian history while infusing intimate scenes with a nuanced tenderness. 

Gauging conflict

7 April 2005


Two scholars of the ongoing Israel-Palestine tension visited Ithaca College this week. Israeli educator and journalist Jeremy Maissel gave a public lecture Monday sponsored by Hillel titled. Maissel, who is associated with the Zionist educational organization Melitz, argued points of the conflict from an Israeli perspective. Ali Abunimah, a journalist and commentator on issues in the Middle East, gave a speech on Tuesday sponsored by Students For A Just Peace titled, “Israel and Palestine: Is Peace About to Break Out?” Abunimah, the founder of the Israel-Palestine news site ElectronicIntifada.net, discussed the conflict from a Palestinian perspective. 

Human Rights Commission adopts resolution on Israeli settlements and Israeli practices in occupied territories

15 April 2005


Under its agenda item on the question of the violation of human rights in the occupied Arab territories, including Palestine, the Commission adopted a resolution on Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem, and the occupied Syrian Golan by a roll-call vote of 39 in favour to two opposed, with 12 abstentions. In the text, the Commission expressed grave concern at the continuing Israeli settlements and related activities, in violation of international law; and demanded that Israel, the occupying power, comply fully with its legal obligations. 

Outgoing World Bank President to serve as special envoy Gaza plan

14 April 2005


Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice announced the appointment of outgoing World Bank President James Wolfensohn to serve as special envoy on behalf of the Middle East Quartet to help coordinate Israel�s disengagement from Gaza and several West Bank settlements. “As Special Envoy for Gaza Disengagement, Mr. Wolfensohn will focus his efforts on two areas: first, Palestinian-Israeli coordination concerning the non-military aspects of the withdrawal, including the disposition of the assets that will be left behind; and second, the revival of the Palestinian economy in the wake of the withdrawal,” Rice said upon announcing Wolfensohn�s appointment April 14. 

Israeli Occupation Forces Invade Nablus

Ray Smith Nablus, Palestine 11 April 2005


Nablus, 11 April 2005 — Early this morning, about two dozen jeeps from the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) assisted by a helicopter entered Nablus and surrounded a house on the Jabal Shamaliya, the northern mountain of the town. During the military operation 15 people were arrested, of whom two remain in custody. Six people were injured and taken to Rafidia Hospital, one of them in serious condition. Although today’s military operation was the largest launched by the IOF during the day for the last few months, it might seem that Nablus is “pacified”. Reality looks different. 

Press sides with Caterpillar's 'right' to sell tools of destruction to human rights violators

Dane Baker 16 April 2005


With activists increasing pressure on Caterpillar to stop supplying the Israeli military with equipment it uses to demolish Palestinian homes and businesses in violation of international law, press accounts surfaced in support of ‘poor’ Caterpillar, ranked #57 in the Fortune 1,000 corporate index with 2004 revenues of some $30 billion. Support for CAT is primarily limited to the second-tier intellectual press, mainly the Los Angeles Times and Boston Globe. Dane Baker reports.