The Electronic Intifada today publishes an exclusive investigative report by Jonathan Cook detailing evidence that supports the claim by a former worker at McDonald’s Israel that she was fired for speaking Arabic on the job. We renew our call on our readers to contact McDonald’s Corporation about this disturbing matter and demand justice for this and all its workers. Last week, Oak Brook, Illinois-based McDonald’s Corporation admitted in a statement sent to EI that its licensee in Israel maintains a policy requiring all its workers to speak only Hebrew. But the company asserted that it was “absolutely not true” that the worker, Abeer Zinaty, who had previously been recognized as an outstanding employee, was fired for speaking Arabic on the job. Read more about McBusted: Mounting evidence supports claim McDonald's Israel fired worker for speaking Arabic
Abeer Zinaty, the 20-year-old McDonald’s employee in Israel who says she was fired by the world’s biggest fastfood chain for breaking a ban on speaking Arabic in the workplace, has spoken to the Electronic Intifada of the circumstances surrounding her dismissal. Her account flatly contradicts claims by McDonald’s head office in the United States that Zinaty’s dismissal had nothing to do with her speaking Arabic. Considerable weight is added to her version of events by documents in the hands of the Electronic Intifada. Jonathan Cook investigates for EI. Read more about McBusted: McDonald's manager admits speaking Arabic led to firing
Over the last fifteen years or so, multiculturalism in children’s literature has brought some much-needed attention to the Middle East. But what about the Palestinians — key players in the most controversial issue in the whole region? Do Palestinians benefit from the open-minded approach promoted by multiculturalism — the basic idea that all cultural, national, and ethnic groups are worthy of positive attention and deserving of respect? Elsa Marston reports for EI on the representation of Palestinians in children’s literature, which has a lasting impression on readers and shapes their future perceptions of the world and its peoples. Read more about More than just stories: The portrayal of Palestinians in American children's literature
“My response to the query ‘Why don’t you stick to a ‘Jewish’ cause,’ is that seeking justice for the Palestinians is, in fact, the Jewish cause. When major crimes are being committed in my name, if I want to be able to look at myself in the mirror in the morning, I don’t want to see the reflection of a Jew who displays malignant indifference while Sharon uses methods of barbarism against the Palestinians. Rather, I want to see the reflection of an ordinary decent Jew who reacts to Israeli crimes by saying loudly and clearly, “Stop! You do not speak or act in my name.” Shifra Eva Stern, a researcher and writer, explains her commitment to justice for the Palestinian people. Read more about Why seeking justice for the Palestinians is the Jewish cause
Palestine eNews, a service of Canadian Friends of Sabeel, interviewed Dr. Mustafa Barghouthi, Secretary-General of the Palestinian National Initiative, during a Canada-wide tour, before carrying his message to the United States next week. Launched in 2002, Palestine National Initiative is a democratic Palestinian opposition movement that calls for a just and durable peace. It distinguishes itself from the current Palestinian Authority on key issues that touch the lives of Palestinians, not just in the Occupied Territories, but around the world. Read more about Hope, out of Ramallah: The rise of the Palestinian alternative
McDonald’s Corporation today confirmed that it has a policy banning its employees from speaking Arabic in its restaurants in Israel, despite the fact that Palestinian citizens of Israel form 20% of its workforce, and Arabic is one of the two official languages of Israel. The Corporation denied, however, that Abeer Zinaty, a former “Excellent Worker 2003 — McDonald’s Israel,” was fired because she spoke Arabic on the job. Read more about McDonald's Confirms 'No Arabic' policy at its restaurants in Israel
McDonalds claims “McDonald’s has a long-standing and distinguished record for diversity — as an employer, franchiser, and purchaser of goods and services. We recognize not only a responsibility to provide opportunity, but also the advantages of having a workforce with diverse backgrounds and perspectives.” The Electronic Intifada urges its readers to contact McDonald’s Corporation to ask for a full investigation of allegations of institutionalized racism and discrimination against Arab employees by its subsidiary in Israel. At least one employee has reportedly been fired because she spoke Arabic to a co-worker. Read more about McDonald's Israel reportedly fires employee for speaking Arabic
Painter John Keane, who was has travelled to the occupied Palestinian territories, juxtaposes historical and current concerns through traditional and contemporary techniques in his work. Deeply impacted by what he saw, Keane’s paintings in his current exhibition The Inconvenience of History - Paintings from the West Bank and Palestine reflect the despair, humiliation, and the brutality Palestinians suffer under Israeli military occupation. His exhibition has been met with controversy, but will still travel Belfast and Ramallah after concluding in London. Nina Malmsten reports for EI. Read more about Artist John Keane revisits Palestine’s obliterated past and present
In a presentation on the Jewish Agency for Israel’s website, entitled “The Security Fence - Hopes and Fears: A Drama in Six Episodes”, the report’s author, Steven Klein, conducted a Google survey into the frequency of terminology used to describe Israel’s Wall, typing in different terms and logging the number of Google hits returned for each. Klein’s stated methodology for discovering “the most deserving term” for Israel’s Wall is which term “enjoys the most common use” as evidenced by Google. EI’s Nigel Parry explores Wall semantics on the Internet. Read more about Israel's West Bank Barrier: Semantics on the Internet
Much of the rising anti-Semitism in Europe today is undeniably fuelled by conflicts in the Middle East. However, continued insistence on the part of the Israeli government and its supporters that critics of its policies are “anti-Semitic” is a dangerous and damaging position to hold. Human rights advocates Jeff Handmaker and Adri Nieuwhof argue that continued insistence on this equation of anti-Israeli government sentiments and anti-Semitism creates a hostile atmosphere and prevents a critical dialogue on Middle East issues from a human rights perspective. Read more about Israel’s cry of anti-Semitism blocks a critical dialogue
