RAMALLAH, occupied West Bank (IPS) - As environmental experts, non-governmental organizations and government officials gather in Istanbul this week to attend the Fifth World Water Forum, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has drawn attention to the critical water situation in Gaza. “ICRC teams are repairing water and sewage systems in Gaza that were badly damaged during the three-week Israeli military operation in January,” the ICRC says in a media release. Read more about Gazans struggle for clean drinking water
WASHINGTON (IPS) - The British government has announced it will hold talks with the political wing of Lebanon’s Hizballah. The US President Barack Obama administration sent two envoys to Syria to discuss steps to improve relations. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has invited Iran to take part in a conference on the future of Afghanistan. Read more about Do Obama's mixed signals mark a policy shift?
In Rachel’s case, though a thorough, credible and transparent investigation was promised by the Israeli government, after six years, the position of the US government remains that such an investigation has not taken place. Now, the attacks on all the people of Gaza and the recent one on Tristan Anderson in Nilin cry out for investigation and accountability. Cindy and Craig Corrie comment on the sixth anniversary of their daughter’s killing by the Israeli army in the Gaza Strip. Read more about Justice for Rachel, justice for the Palestinians
The West Bank village of Aqraba sits nested in the Jordan Valley, approximately 20 kilometers southeast of Nablus and around 50 kilometers east of Israel’s wall that separates Palestinians in what is now considered Israel from those who reside in the West Bank. It is close enough to the Jordanian border that Palestinian cell phones roam here as if one were in Jordan. Dr. Marcy Newman reports for The Electronic Intifada. Read more about West Bank villagers pushed away from their valley
“We were still young and in love. We had all of our dreams,” Muhammad Abu Jerrad said, holding a photo of his wife by the sea. Wafa Abu Jerrad was one of at least six killed by three flechette bombs fired by Israeli tanks in the Ezbet Beit Hanoun area, northern Gaza, on 5 January. Eva Bartlett reports for The Electronic Intifada. Read more about Ensuring maximum casualties in Gaza
More and more Western countries are either announcing their boycott or are threatening to boycott Durban II, a United Nations conference scheduled for April to review progress made since the World Conference Against Racism held in Durban, South Africa in 2001. Earlier this month, Italy became the first EU member to withdraw from the event, stating that it could not endorse a draft agenda that criticizes Israel. The Electronic Intifada co-founder Arjan El Fassed comments. Read more about Durban II: no-show is slap in face of victims of apartheid
Amid the escalating violence, and the 60-year-long status quo, there are certain fundamental questions that need to be asked. Are there certain values and absolute foundations that make resistance in general, and against Zionism specifically, a moral and humane necessity? What is the framework for nonviolent resistance, and how is it connected to these values? What is the ultimate end goal of the struggle? Ahmad Hijazi comments for The Electronic Intifada. Read more about Broad nonviolent resistance to Zionism
GAZACITY, occupied Gaza Strip (IRIN) - A combination of damage to fishing resources caused by the Israeli offensive, and a restriction on the zone in which Gazans are allowed to fish is reducing catches and adversely affecting people’s diets in Gaza, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Read more about Gaza fishing industry reeling
Adam Morrow and Khaled Moussa al-Omrani13 March 2009
CAIRO (IPS) - Almost two months after the attacks on the Gaza Strip, the border area between the battered coastal enclave and Egypt continues to come under frequent Israeli aerial bombardment. Israeli officials say the strikes target cross-border tunnels used to smuggle weapons to Palestinian resistance factions. Read more about Border areas bombed again
Maryse Gargour’s 61-minute film The Land Speaks Arabic documents the founding of the Zionist movement and the expulsion of Palestinians in the early part of the 20th century. Maymanah Farhat reviews this “must-see” film for The Electronic Intifada. Read more about Film review: A Zionist state where "The Land Speaks Arabic"
