News

Interview with comedienne Maysoon Zayid

Nigel Parry 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. 

Israel bulldozes Palestinian buildings at Rafah crossing point

Lora Gordon 13 June 2003

We thought they would bomb the Gaza International Airport but instead they bulldozed the Palestinian-run buildings at Rafah Crossing Point (RCP), officially/unofficially ending the Palestinian-Israeli joint supervision intended for the checkpoint since it was reorganized under the Cairo Agreement after Oslo. Laura Gordon writes from occupied Rafah. 

Israeli military continues to kill through "cease fire"

Kristen Ess Gaza City, Gaza Strip 10 June 2003

“Since the current situation and both recent and long-term history have proven that in the eyes of the Israelis, all Palestinians are wanted, they can continue to kill whichever Palestinians they want. Their target today was Al-Rantisi from Hamas. They killed a little girl and a woman instead.” Kristen Ess writes from Bethlehem. 

No lifting of restrictions on freedom of movement in OPT

Democracy and Workers' Rights Center 4 June 2003

Israeli declarations that restrictions on freedom of movement in the Occupied Palestinian Territories have been eased as a good will gesture for the meeting in Jordan between Israeli and Palestinian prime ministers and US President Georges Bush reveal untrue as Israeli military checkpoints continue to forbid access of Palestinians citizens to their workplaces, schools, hospitals in cities centers and hamper movement between localities. 

The Sabra and Shatila Case in Belgium: A Guide for the Perplexed

Laurie King 16 June 2003

“Reports announcing the death of the case lodged by survivors of the Sabra and Shatila massacre in Belgium have been greatly exaggerated and persistent, but to date, categorically false. For supporters of the growing global campaign against impunity for war crimes and crimes against humanity, the good news is that this case is still very much alive, although it has been affected by rulings of the International Court of Justice, wear and tear on Belgium’s bi-lateral ties with the US and Israel, and a global political context that has sharpened debate about war crimes, impunity, and the limitations and requirements of international criminal prosecution.” Laurie King-Irani, North American Coordinator for the International Campaign for Justice for the Victims of Sabra and Shatila, explains recent political and legal twists and turns in the landmark war crimes case in Belgium. 

This is the Israeli 'cease fire,' the Israeli 'goodwill'

Kristen Ess Bethlehem 6 June 2003


I ask him why the Israelis are building more checkpoints at a time when they should be dismantling them. He replies, “When they want to show the would that they are implementing the Road Map, they will show pictures of themselves on the news removing these new checkpoints and the regular ones will remain. They want to trick the world as usual.” Kristen Ess writes from Bethlehem. 

Rafah, home of the strongest people in the world

Lora Gordon Rafah, Gaza 6 June 2003


“It’s past midnight and the only sound is the ceiling fan pushing the muggy summer air around and around, while no matter how hard I wash my skin still retains a faint layer of dirt, dust, and sweat. The fan drowns out the sound of bullets, mostly, so you can sleep in our apartment now cloaked is some illusion of normalcy. We got the fans a couple of weeks ago, when the heat became unbearable and we were feeling rich.” ISM activist Laura Gordon writes from Rafah. 

Dynamic husband-wife team fight Israeli occupation

Kristel Halter 1 June 2003

With the advent of the intifada in September 2000, Adam Shapiro witnessed the unprovoked killing of Palestinian civilians by the Israeli Army. ‘One of my friends, Aseel Asleh, a Palestinian citizen of Israel, was killed in civilian protests against the occupation,’ he remembers. ‘I realized that I could not stand by and watch. As someone who was an American but understood and experienced life in the Arab world, I could not be silent, especially as American-made weapons and the American government gave such overwhelming support to the Israelis’.” Kristel Halter of Beirut’s Daily Star interviews Adam Shapiro and Huweida Arraf, husband and wife, Jew and Arab, about their struggle to end the Israeli occupation of Palestine. 

Holy fire

Elizabeth Sanders and Marthame Sanders Zababdeh, Palestine 1 June 2003

“The Easter tradition among the churches of Palestine and Israel is unique. On Holy Saturday, the day before Orthodox Easter, the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem enters the tomb of the Holy Sepulchre. After a moment of prayer, he emerges with the Holy Fire, passing it on by candle to the gathered faithful. From there, with shouts of Christos Anesti! (‘Christ is risen!’), it is spread to the churches of this land, a symbol of the miracle of resurrection spread throughout the world. In past years, someone would go down from Zababdeh to Jerusalem to bring the light back. It has been three years since that has happened because of travel restrictions on Palestinians in the occupied territories.” Elizabeth and Marthame Sanders, Americans living in a Christian Palestinian village in the West Bank, describe the twists and turns of an amazing journey under occupation.