21 July 2003
Ibdaa is a Palestinian youth dance troupe from Dheisheh refugee camp, near the city of Bethlehem in the Israeli occupied West Bank. MECA is sponsoring the 2nd nationwide performance tour of Ibdaa, the renowned Palestinian youth dance troupe from Dheisheh Refugee Camp, West Bank, this July and August. Read more about Ibdaa dance troupe on US Tour
21 July 2003
Hany Abu-Assad’s documentary ‘Ford Transit’, which follows Palestinian taxi-van driver Rajai who tries to live and survive in and around roadblocks separating Ramallah from Jerusalem, won the ‘Spirit of Freedom Award’, dedicated to the memory of Wim van Leer, for best documentary at the 20th annual Jerusalem Film Festival. Read more about Hany Abu-Assad wins 'Spirit of Freedom Award' at Jerusalem Film Festival
Borj El Barajneh refugee camp 15 July 2003
I come from a small deprived Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon called Bourj Al Barajneh. Something special about my camp is that it rains day and night, during summer and winter. It rains tears that are a result of future worries, present fears, and past dark memories. Read more about From a lost refugee
7 July 2003
Jackie Mason and Ivor Dembina are both Jewish comics, but the style and substance of their comedy couldn’t be more different, especially when it comes to their views on Israel, writes William Cook in The Guardian. Read more about A humorous occupation?
11 January 2002
At the Qalandiyah roadblock, the state of Palestine is being established, according to author and playwright Salman Natoor, who found himself there one hot summer’s day. Read more about Weapons of the weak
14 June 2003
Palestinian American comedienne Maysoon Zayid is a rising force who has appeared on MTV, As the World Turns, and 20/20. EI’s Nigel Parry caught up with Zayid at the annual conference of the Arab-American Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) conference where she performed to a packed and appreciative crowd at the Friday dinner honoring Arab American achievements. Listen to EI’s first audio interview in MP3 format. Read more about Interview with comedienne Maysoon Zayid
12 June 2003
Palestinian filmmaker Hany Abu-Assad is winner of this year’s Nestor Almendros Prize for courage and commitment in human rights filmmaking. He will be presented the prize at the 14th Annual Human Rights Watch International Film Festival, which takes place in New York from 13 to 26 June. Read more about Palestinian Filmmaker this year's winner of the Nestor Almendros Prize for courage and commitment in human rights filmmaking
4 June 2003
“American singer Steve Earle, no stranger to rehab himself, has a few prescriptions for an ailing America,” Robert Everett-Green writes in the Toronto Globe and Mail. “I’m not anti-Semitic, but I am anti-Zionist,” says Earle. “Why do we expect the Palestinians who have lived there for a couple of thousand years to accept that they should be second-class citizens in their own homeland?” Read more about Doctor Earle's diagnosis
4 June 2003
Richard Gere, the famous American actor and star of many Hollywood movies, visited the West Bank town of Ramallah today. After a short wait at Qalandiya checkpoint, Gere drove into Ramallah which has been under military curfew for the past 24 hours, and had a briefing with several prominent figures in Palestinian civil society. Read more about Richard Gere visits Ramallah under curfew
21 May 2003
Ibdaa Dance Troupe, youth performers from Dheisheh refugee camp in Palestine, will be touring the United States this summer. The last time Ibdaa toured the U.S. was in 1999. The tour is sponsered by the Middle East Children’s Alliance. Read more about IBDAA, youth Palestinian dance troup will perform this summer in eight major U.S. cities