Reviews

Book review: "Where Now for Palestine? The Demise of the Two-State Solution"

Ali Abunimah 13 June 2008


The impetus for Where Now for Palestine? The Demise of the Two-State Solution, as editor Jamil Hilal states in his introduction, is the increasing recognition within the Palestinian nationalist movement and among some Israelis that “the Oslo process has collapsed and the two-state solution has reached an impasse.” This collection of eleven essays aims “to show in some detail why and how this collapse has happened, and why some new solution has to be found.” Ali Abunimah reviews. 

Film review: "Territories"

Stefan Christoff 19 May 2008


Territory is a central theme in all political conflicts in the world, as national borders across the globe have consistently shifted. EI contributor Stefan Christoff reviews Territories, a new feature documentary by Montreal filmmaker Mary Ellen Davis that explores the photographic work and global journeys of Larry Towell, of the world-renowned photo agency Magnum, who travels along the world’s most conflicted border zones, from Latin America to the Middle East. 

Film review: "Shadow of Absence"

Isabelle Humphries 16 May 2008


“Born in Palestine. Died in Lebanon.” “Born in Palestine. Died in Syria.” “Born in Palestine. Died in Jordan.” The camera pans across an endless row of white tombstones. Shadow of Absence takes death as its subject yet in doing so presents a powerful statement about Palestinian life. Isabelle Humphries reviews director Nasri Hajjaj’s new documentary for EI. 

Book review: "Not Everyone Can Throw Stones"

Adri Nieuwhof 28 April 2008


In his Dutch-language book launched in the Netherlands last week, The Electronic Intifada co-founder Arjan El Fassed demonstrates how his life is deeply entwined with Palestine. Not Everyone Can Throw Stones tells the history of El Fassed’s life in the Palestinian Diaspora in a personal, moving and tense style. Contributor Adri Nieuwhof reviews for The Electronic Intifada. 

Film review: "Driving to Zigzigland"

Ali Abunimah 24 April 2008


It is a familiar dilemma. You are on a plane, or at a social gathering, and a stranger asks you where you are from. Your mind races to come up with an answer. If you say “Palestine,” you know that it’s not likely to be a short conversation. Bashar (Bashar Da’as), the main protagonist of Driving to Zigzigland, Nicole Ballivan’s 2006 feature film, uses a strategy to give him a measure of control with his taxi fares that support him while he looks for the perfect acting role. EI co-founder Ali Abunimah reviews. 

Book Review: "An Israeli In Palestine Resisting Dispossession, Redeeming Israel"

Raymond Deane 17 March 2008


Jeff Halper’s new book is, in part, the story of the evolution of a “white moderate” peace campaigner to a radical Israeli campaigner for justice for the Palestinians. En route, he maps his development from “ethnic Jew to Jewish national to Israeli,” disregarding his grandmother’s warning that “Israel is no place for a Jewish boy!” Raymond Deane reviews for EI. 

Book review: "Israel and the Clash of Civilisations"

Raymond Deane 10 February 2008


Much debate on conflict in the Middle East is beset by contradictions and unanswered questions. In his second book, Nazareth-based English author Jonathan Cook seeks to cut these Gordian knots, and in the process proposes an uncompromisingly grim diagnosis of what is happening in the world’s most unstable region, and why it is happening. Raymond Deane reviews for EI. 

Film review: "USA vs Al-Arian"

4 December 2007


In February 2003, the FBI raided the home of University of South Florida professor Sami Al-Arian. Arrested in front of his wife and children, Al-Arian was charged with 17 counts related to terrorism. Through an artfully edited array of talking heads, archival and news footage, court transcripts and family interviews director Line Halvorsen, in the documentary film USA vs Al-Arian, tells not just the story of Sami Al-Arian, but of plight of the Palestinians and of the erosion of civil liberties in the post-9/11 United States. 

Film review: "Jerusalem ... The east side story"

Sam Bahour 9 December 2007


Jerusalem … The east side story squeezes nearly one hundred years of history into an hour or so of cinema. It mainly exposes the past forty years of Israeli military occupation policies in Jerusalem and their devastating impact on the city and its peoples. The producer of the film, Terry Boullata, says that the intention of the documentary is to bring the Palestinian struggle for freedom and independence to a Western audience which has shown by way of its acquiescence to the ongoing Israeli military occupation that it still needs to be educated. Sam Bahour reviews for EI. 

Theatre review: "Sunlight at Midnight"

Natasha Tsangarides 29 October 2007


Sunlight at Midnight explores one man’s existential crisis as circumstances around him force him to confront his identity, his heritage, and his people’s history. Using oral histories from Sabra and Shatila refugee camp, television footage, and live music, Sunlight at Midnight successfully transports the audience into the refugee camps and back into one man’s uncomfortable psyche. Natasha Tsangarides reviews for EI.