Why do some people have the power to remember, while others are asked to forget? That question is especially poignant at this time of year, as we move from Holocaust Remembrance day in early spring to Monday’s anniversary of Israel’s declaration of independence on May 14, 1948. In the months surrounding that date, Jewish forces expelled, or intimidated into flight, an estimated 750,000 Palestinians. A living, breathing, society that had existed in Palestine for centuries was smashed and fragmented, and a new society built on its ruins. Read more about Memory as a blueprint for the future
In recent weeks a considerable amount has been written and said about Norman Finkelstein’s bid for tenure at DePaul University. As most academics are aware, it is unique for a tenure decision, something that is an inherently internal process, to be subject to external discussion. Unfortunately, Finkelstein’s case is important because of the way in which is not unique. Forces outside DePaul have attempted to interfere with the University’s process in an effort to sway its decision towards denial of Finkelstein’s tenure. Read more about Suppressing critics of Israel: The campaign against Norman Finkelstein
Senator Barak Obama has become a major celebrity, a truth that is now almost a cliché. His campaign has raised massive amounts of funds. He draws large and enthusiastic crowds when he appears. Often described as charismatic, he is more importantly smart and well-spoken. Yet before I jump into his campaign I have a few questions that I first want to share with you and which I hope he will address in the not-too-distant future. There is a way in which I cannot tell who is the real Senator Obama. Read more about Questions for Candidate Obama
I am a Palestinian from Nazareth, a citizen of Israel and was, until last month, a member of the Israeli parliament. But now, in an ironic twist reminiscent of France’s Dreyfus affair — in which a French Jew was accused of disloyalty to the state — the government of Israel is accusing me of aiding the enemy during Israel’s failed war against Lebanon in July. Israeli police apparently suspect me of passing information to a foreign agent and of receiving money in return. Under Israeli law, anyone — a journalist or a personal friend — can be defined as a “foreign agent” by the Israeli security apparatus. Such charges can lead to life imprisonment or even the death penalty. Read more about Why Israel is after me
Last to dwindle is the relaunched Arab Peace Initiative, which was, once more, rejected by Israel even before the Arab summit had concluded. Much of the emphasis was on explaining its meaning to the world and to the Israelis. This is entirely wrong. The problem was never related to understanding or missing explanation. The Israelis knew and they now know exactly what the initiative means, probably more than many Arabs believe it involves. They rejected it precisely because they understand its full meaning and implications, not the opposite. Read more about The real problem with the Arab initiative
Azmi, my brother: You had the good sense to see what was coming — the security forces in cooperation with the judicial system of Israel decided to take steps against, what they call the “strategic threat”, of the Palestinian citizens of Israel, and to do away with their leaders. They want to return us to the days of martial law — to fear, to the permits, to the dark cells of the security forces, to the era in which only collaborators could claim at least some of their rights. Read more about Carry on your struggle: Open letter to Azmi Bishara
Uri Avnery accuses the supporters of the one-state solution of forcefully imposing the facts onto the “Bed of Sodom”. He seems to regard these people at best as daydreamers who do not understand the political reality around them and are stuck in a perpetual state of wishful thinking. We are all veteran comrades in the Israeli Left and therefore it is quite possible that in our moments of despair we fall into the trap of hallucinating and even fantasizing while ignoring the unpleasant reality around us. Read more about Looking for alternatives to failure: An answer to Uri Avnery
The time will have to come for Israel to declare its hand: is it “a state of the Jewish people throughout the world” as it defines itself, or a state of all its citizens, both Jewish and non-Jewish? So far Israel has managed to convince the Western world that it is the only democracy in the region, but neglects to add that this democracy works only for its Jewish citizens. This is the conundrum: Israel has been unable to reconcile what it says it is, with want it wants to be — democratic and exclusively Jewish. Read more about Israel's choice: "Jewish only" or democratic?
Let’s refresh our memory. It all started last December, when Olmert met Abbas. Olmert promised to remove checkpoints in the West Bank: “I intend to personally supervise it,” he told Abbas, “so that the Palestinian society would feel the relief” (Ha’aretz, Dec. 24, 2006). The same day, Ha’aretz reported that Defense Minister Amir Peretz and his deputy Ephraim Sneh were actually working on a plan to facilitate Palestinian movement in the West Bank. The two must have spent the whole night in their office, devising a plan for dismantling not less than “45 out of approximately 400 checkpoints.” Read more about The Legend of the Removed Checkpoints
The latest back and forth between Israel and the Palestinian unity government (and its regional interlocutors) will not bring peace to fruition. Many respected commentators in the Middle East have accused Israel of rejecting peace, primarily due to its refusal to fully embrace the Arab peace initiative. Yet this initiative, when entered into the international community’s trash compactor of “pragmatism,” will leave the Palestinian people with nothing more than an old, albeit neatly packaged, version of the Oslo Accords. Read more about The Perils of Pragmatism
