There are many reasons for the raid on Jericho prison. One of them is the Israeli election. Palestinians know from experience that before every election Israel becomes more brutal. Another reason is to send Hamas a message: They will not be accepted and the agreements between Israel and the previous PA are no longer valid. The arrival of Israeli tanks just twenty minutes after the withdrawal of the British and American guards from the prison shows that Israel is not the only one sending this message. The attack on Jericho and the kidnapping of Ahmed Sa’adat and others proves once again that Israel is, for all intents and purposes, a country above the law writes Rifat Odeh Kassis. Read more about Sa'adat kidnap boosts Olmert's election campaign
The Israeli attack on Jericho and kidnap of a number of Palestinian prisoners, including the leader of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) demonstrates once again the fiction that there is a functioning Palestinian “government” in the occupied territories. The ease and impunity with which the occupation forces attack Palestinians everywhere serves to remind us that these territories remain today, as they have been since 1967, under full Israeli military dictatorship. It is a mistake to keep referring to a “Palestinian government,” because this gives the false impression that Palestinians under occupation are in control of their destiny. Palestinian factions may be negotiating to form a “government,” but this does not mean that this “government” can exercise any control or protect Palestinians from the ravages of the occupying power write EI co-founders Ali Abunimah and Arjan El Fassed. Read more about Israel's attack on Jericho: Palestinians remain without protection
At a time in which the Palestinian people are desperately lost between the harsh reality of occupation and the uncertainty of a changing internal political landscape, a sober assessment and restructuring of the foundations of the so-called “peace process” may be our best attempt at reversing, or at least containing, the damage that has beset the Palestinian cause since the (evident) end of the first Palestinian Intifada (uprising) in 1993. Given the complete failure of the Oslo Agreement, and in light of the new dynamics governing the current regional and global political stages, what we desperately need is a fully restructured framework for negotiations. Read more about Breaking Oslo's Unmagical Spell
Until recently liberal Europeans were keen to distance themselves, at least officially, from the ideological excesses of the current American administration. They argued that the neo-conservative enthusiasm for the “war on terror” — and its underpinning ideology of “a clash of civilisations” — did not fit with Europe’s painful recent experiences of world wars and the dismantling of its colonial outposts around the globe, writes EI contributor Jonathan Cook. But there is every sign that the public dissociation is coming to a very rapid end. As criticism of Israel is increasingly not tolerated, it is becoming normal to see Muslims as a civilizational threat. Read more about Sane Britain disappears as Neocons set agenda
In recent weeks, claims of widespread “anti-Semitism” in the left have become increasingly frequent. London Mayor Ken Livingstone, the Church of England and the Guardian (over articles comparing Israel and apartheid) are the most recent to find themselves in the firing line. Yet the truth, unbearable to those laying such charges is that the left that identifies with the Palestinians today is largely the same left that identified with Israel in the 50s and the 60s. Moreover, it does so for largely the same reason: instinctive sympathy for the underdog. David Clark, a former advisor to the British government, says that claims of anti-Semitism are being cynically used to shock Israel’s critics into silence. Read more about Accusations of anti-semitic chic are poisonous intellectual thuggery
Israel claims, as it did years ago with the PLO, that it will not negotiate with anyone who does not recognize its “right to exist”. But for the past five years, writes EI contributor Hasan Abu Nimah, the Fatah-led PA, which recognizes Israel and opposes armed struggle has begged Israel for negotiations to no avail. The implementation of the two-state solution has not been blocked by Hamas or its violence, or its reluctance to recognize signed agreements. The main obstacle is Israel’s placement of 400,000 settlers throughout the West Bank in a manner calculated to preclude an Israeli withdrawal. It’s time for the international community to recognize this and change its hypocritical approach. Read more about Punishing Hamas is punishing the Palestinian people
In and around Israel’s “capital of the Qassam rockets,” where Moshe Behar teaches, the victory of Hamas in the Palestinian elections has left Israelis as divided as always. While some think that it can be a positive development others deem this wishful thinking and believe the existing Israeli-Palestinian gridlock will continue for years to come. If the Quartet genuinely cares for the wellbeing of us, Israelis and Palestinians, they should cease playing the game of lopsided demands. For any hope to bring us nearer to a just and peaceful settlement, reciprocal demands should be made not just on the democratically elected representatives of the stateless occupied society, but also on those of the occupying state. Read more about Singling out the Palestinians? Reciprocal demands are the key to peace
Suspended between life and death in a permanent coma, Ariel Sharon cannot undo, acknowledge, or apologize for all the blood he shed. All conscious (and conscientious) Israelis still have, however, an opportunity to make amends, affirm justice, and redeem the message of Judaism, rather than remaining oppressors of a people possessing nothing but their threadbare dignity. Maybe it is time to give law a chance. If Israelis wish to remain the inheritors of Judaism’s rich legacy, rather than increasingly shrill and unconvincing defenders of the worst excesses of Zionism, they should speak up now, before the Israeli elections next month. Read more about Give law a chance
Welcome to the third Palestinian intifada. The first was with stones, the second a mix between non-violent and more violent means, and this one via a ballot box. With Hamas’ landslide victory in the Palestinian elections breaking years of political stagnation, we are witnessing, right before our eyes, a chapter of history being made. In an attempt to make sense of the rapidly moving situation following the elections, I pose the following for consideration. Three ironies, three potential failures and three challenges. Read more about The Third Intifada
Khaled Mishal, the head of the Hamas political bureau writes that Palestinian voters chose his party “because of its pledge never to give up the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people and its promise to embark on a programme of reform.” “Our message to the US and EU governments is this”, he writes, “your attempt to force us to give up our principles or our struggle is in vain. Our people who gave thousands of martyrs, the millions of refugees who have waited for nearly 60 years to return home and our 9,000 political and war prisoners in Israeli jails have not made those sacrifices in order to settle for close to nothing.” Read more about We will not sell our people or principles for foreign aid
