Blogs

Israeli propaganda group HonestReporting denies encouraging employee to smear UK professor

Asa Winstanley 6 January 2012

My recent article exposing a smear by an Israeli pressure group worker seems to have touched a nerve. Israeli masters student Smadar Bakovic claimed in the Jewish Chronicle last month that Warwick University professor Nicola Pratt had given her a lower grade for her dissertation than she deserved because of anti-Israeli bias. But Warwick university strongly denied her story, saying that the new higher mark given was in fact for a revised version of her dissertation. A university spokesperson told me that Bakovic’s story was untrue, and has subsequently issued a press release with further details. The Jewish Chronicle’s reporter Marcus Dysch didn’t seem to think it relevant to mention that Bakovic works for MediaCentral  — a “free or low-cost” pro-Israel fixer agency in Jerusalem. But now her employer has defended her actions. 

Popular Palestine activism outreach tool reappears: "Loss of Land" map cards available again

Abraham Greenhouse 5 January 2012

I first saw these cards at a Palestine activism conference around 2002, when they were still quite new, being distributed by the Ann Arbor Friends Meeting’s Palestine Israel Action Group (PIAG). With the front side featuring a set of maps depicting Palestinian loss of land from pre-Nakba times to present, and the back featuring a contemporary map showing the fragmentation of the West Bank (alongside various statistics and quotes), these cards are simple, convenient, and effective tools which remain popular a decade after their introduction. 

Israel's "pretty face": How National Union of Israeli Students does government's propaganda dirty work

Ali Abunimah 5 January 2012

Yesterday I wrote about a program run by the National Union of Israeli Students (NUIS) to pay Israeli college students $2,000 to spread hasbara – propaganda favorable to Israel – on social networking sites. This raised a further question: who pays for this and what role do Israel’s government and other organizations play in this use of students to deliver propaganda? 

It's Never Too Late to Boycott Israel: The Proper Disposal of Already-Purchased Goods

Abraham Greenhouse 4 January 2012

It’s difficult to avoid, especially in the frenzy of consumerism and gift-giving which washes over the West at the end of every year: “I meant to boycott that company,” I’ve had friends tell me, “but it was a gift.” Or, “I bought it before I knew.” But like it or not, our unwitting purchases, or receipt thereof as gifts, play a role in preventing Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) campaigns against Israel from achieving their full potential. 

  • Activism and BDS Beat

    News about popular struggle, international solidarity and boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) activism

  • Arts and Culture

    Palestine-related arts and culture news

  • From the Editors

    Highlighting important stories on and off The Electronic Intifada.

  • Lobby Watch

    An eye on the groups that try to stifle free debate about Palestine

  • Media Watch

    The good and the bad of media coverage of Palestine

  • Power Suits

    We go through the revolving door of the “peace process” and “diplomacy”

  • Rights and Accountability

    News about work to enforce human rights and international law

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