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
On 1 May 2007, The Electronic Intifada’s Maureen Clare Murphy and Ali Abunimah sat down with Jonathan Cook, EI contributor and author of the new book Blood and Religion: The Unmasking of the Jewish and Democratic State. Cook, who resides in Nazareth, discussed the implications of the Israeli Winograd report which faulted the state’s handling of last summer’s Lebanon war; the probe and resignation of former member of Knesset and Palestinian citizen of Israel Azmi Bishara as well as his book. Read more about Audio: Interview with journalist Jonathan Cook
DAMASCUS, 3 May 2007 (IRIN) - Over 1,000 Iraqi-Palestinian refugees stranded in camps on the Syrian-Iraqi borders are sinking into despair as their situation continues to deteriorate and a solution to their plight remains elusive. “We are losing hope,” one refugee in the Al-Tanf camp, who requested anonymity, told IRIN. “There are problems between husbands and wives because of the situation and we are afraid for the future of our children. We are searching for a solution, but it does not exist.” Read more about Palestinian refugees despair after year marooned between Iraq and Syria
After four disastrous years of US military occupation, Bill Moyers’ April 25 PBS special Buying the War attempted to hold the mainstream US media accountable for its complicity in selling the war on Iraq to the US public. Tragically, despite the terrible consequences of 60 years of Israeli oppression of the Palestinian people, there is still no significant movement to hold the US mainstream media accountable for a similar, dramatic failure in covering Israel and Palestine, and for its complicity in the US’ uncritical support for Israel. Read more about Buying the War on Palestinians: The US Media, The New York Times and Israel
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
There’s nothing quite like a boycott to test the limits of the mainstream ‘liberal’ critique of Israel. This has been demonstrated once again by the reaction to a motion at the recent UK National Union of Journalists (NUJ) conference that gave the union’s support to the campaign to boycott Israeli goods. An official statement described the successful vote as a “decision of NUJ members as trade unionists and as citizens to try to help put pressure on the Israeli government” to stop the “continued occupation”, as well as referencing the specific issues of Israel’s withholding of PA money, and the refusal to recognise internationally-accredited Palestinian journalists. Read more about The backlash against the UK National Union of Journalists' boycott motion
On 17 April the Olympia, Washington City Council voted 4-2 against official recognition of the Olympia-Rafah Sister City Project. Of the few news organizations following the story, that was the headline. But it wasn’t really the news. Possibly noteworthy was that more than 300 people attended the standing-room only public hearing on the project. People waited outside the building to get in to comment and observe. Forty-eight people spoke in support, 24 people expressed opposition. Read more about Bringing the discussion home: The Olympia-Rafah Sister City Project
JERUSALEM, 29 April 2007 (IRIN) - A recent United Nations report reveals that the humanitarian situation in the occupied Palestinian territories (oPt) continued to deteriorate in the second half of last year, largely because of a collapsing economy. Many Palestinians fell further into poverty. The Gaza Strip was the hardest hit with about 80 percent of households earning less than US $1 a day, twice the percentage of those earning that little in the West Bank. Read more about Humanitarian situation worsened in OPT in 2006
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
BEIRUT, 27 April (IPS) - The killings of two pro-government Sunni Muslims has raised tensions across Lebanon. Rival political leaders have called for calm amidst fear that the killings could spark civil strife. The Lebanese police found the bodies Thursday of a pro-government supporter and a 12- year-old boy abducted earlier this week. The abduction was believed to be in retaliation for the killing earlier this year of a Shia Muslim opposition activist. Read more about Tensions Run High After Sunni Killings
