GAZACITY, occupied Gaza Strip (IPS) - Saleh wonders how he will pay for a replacement car part he bought from the tunnels black market. “It cost more than $1,000. Before the siege, it would have been 500 to 1,000 shekels (roughly $125-$250), at most $250. Anyway, I had to buy it; you need to maintain the car when you use it all the time.” The father of five drives one of Gaza’s many run-down taxis, working around the clock but earning just enough to get by. Read more about Gaza's cars barely running
Israel enjoys free trade of industrial goods with Europe under the Association Agreement it signed with the European Union in 2000. Yakov Ellis, chief executive officer of the Israeli cosmetics company Ahava, told the BBC radio program Today on 5 November 2008 that his company has benefitted from the free trade with the EU. Adri Nieuwhof reports for The Electronic Intifada. Read more about The ugly reality of Israel's settlement-made beauty products
For years, many people who might have played an active role in striving for an end to Israeli occupation and other violations of Palestinian rights, have stayed silent, loathe to be attacked for criticizing Israel lest they be vilified as anti-Semites. All over the world, people are breaking free of this fear, including significant numbers of Jews, and uniting to support boycott, divestment and sanctions. Omar Barghouti and Sid Shniad comment. Read more about United for freedom and universal justice
“I recently returned from the Holy Land after leading about 40 Presbyterians from Galilee to Jerusalem. This isn’t new territory for me. I’ve been in the country many times leading students, working at archaeology digs, speaking at conferences, and occasionally taking a church such as this. And this time what I saw and heard was worrying.” Author and Bible scholar Gary Burge comments on rising frustration amidst Israel’s policies that are destroying Palestinian communities and futures across the occupied West Bank. Read more about A third uprising?
Much of the debate about US President Barack Obama’s push for Middle East peace resembles the proverbial argument about whether the glass is half full or half empty. But even a full glass is not very useful if you need to fill an entire reservoir. The constant focus on process and gimmicks has obscured the reality that a workable two-state solution is almost certainly unachievable. Ali Abunimah comments. Read more about Why Obama's peace process is still going nowhere
BEIRUT (IPS) - Palestinian refugee Youssef Shaaban was released from prison early this month — after serving 16 years in a Lebanese prison for a crime he did not commit. Shaaban was convicted by Lebanon’s Justice Council in October 1994 on charge of shooting and killing the first secretary of the Jordanian embassy, Naeb Imran Matiyeh. Read more about No law for detained Palestinians
Having himself been such a key part of the failed peace process, EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana recently made a seemingly bold proposal that the UN Security Council “mandate” a resolution of central issues in the Palestine/Israel conflict — borders, refugees, Jerusalem, settlements and security arrangements. What lies behind this surprise move? Hasan Abu Nimah comments. Read more about Using the UN to undermine Palestinian rights
A leading Arab educator in Israel has denounced the decision of Gideon Saar, the education minister, to require schools to study the Israeli national anthem. Officials announced last week that they were sending out special “national anthem kits” to 8,000 schools, including those in the separate Arab education system, in time for the start of the new academic year in September. Read more about Palestinians in Israel forced to study Zionist anthem
This month marked six months since the “official” conclusion to Israel’s assault on the Gaza Strip, “Operation Cast Lead.” Electronic Intifada contributor Ben White looks at some of the strategies of Israel’s campaign of disinformation, confusion, and lies — and the reality of its war crimes in the Gaza Strip. Read more about Lies and Israel's war crimes
RAMALLAH, occupied West Bank (IPS) - What remains of Palestinian civil rights is rapidly being eroded by the dictatorial Palestinian governments that respectively control the divided Occupied Palestinian Territories. Palestinian civilians are paying the price as Hamas, which controls Gaza, and the PA, which rules the West Bank, continue to target their political opponents as part of their bitter power struggle. Read more about Fatah, Hamas rule increasingly authoritarian
