Boldly using one of the most misused words in the U.S. press as its title, a word that strikes at the greatest anxiety of Americans towards Islam, the new feature film Jihad! informs its viewers that what the word is really about is zeal and struggle. Following Ed, a young Palestinian New Yorker who struggles between his homeland’s tradition and the American lifestyle, the film stresses that the most important jihad is the struggle within oneself. Read the review of Palestinian-American Muhammed Rum’s film, to be premiered at the Chicago Palestine Film Festival this week. Read more about Film review: Jihad!
One year after the murder of activist Rachel Corrie by the Israelis in Gaza, her local community has not forgotten her. Ms. Corrie continues to inspire and lead in Olympia, it may even be possible that she has become more powerful in death than in life. There is some solace in this ability to affect change postmortem, to have truly achieved martyr status, but it is an aching solace tinged with loss. At the same time, there is this harsh and parallel realization that Olympia has lost but one life to the Occupation. It is sobering and hard to truly imagine the sorrow of the Palestinians who have lost so many and so much. candio. reports from Olympia. Read more about "In our hearts and in our work": The continuing influence of Rachel Corrie in Olympia
In the aftermath of the horror that has been visited upon Rafah over the past two weeks in particular but the past three years in general, Americans across the country are asking their congress people to stop military aid to Israel. On Friday 21 May 2004, there were sit-ins and other similar actions at congressional offices in San Francisco, Louisville, New Orleans, Albuquerque, Olympia, New York, and more. Following a week of calling representatives, Senators and the White House, Bostonians marched to the campaign office of John Kerry. Tom Wallace reports for EI. Read more about Taking a call for justice in the Middle East to Kerry's doorstep
“Staying in one place is killing me,” says Rajai, the charismatic West Bank refugee who serves as the center of the Palestinian feature film Ford Transit. Although this comment was made while explaining his unorthodox career choice of being a taxi driver, Rajai’s attitude can be applied on a larger level to describe the feeling of a generation of refugees who live under the thumb of Israeli occupation. Read the rest of the review of this excellent new film by acclaimed Palestinian director Hany Abu Asad. Read more about Film review: Ford Transit
Mahfouz Abu Turk is a Palestinian photojournalist based in Jerusalem. Abu Turk has taken photos for Agency France Press, Associated Press, the Washington Report, has seen his work exhibited around the world, and currently works with Reuters. Abu Turk was the first journalist to enter the camp of Jenin following the invasion in May 2003. On 24 May 2004, he went to Rafah and brought back these images from the aftermath of Israel’s “Operation Rainbow”. Read more about Photostory: Suffering and desolation in Rafah, 23 May 2004
Tamar Gozansky is an former member of the Israeli Knesset and a member of the political bureau of the Israeli Communist Party. She visited Gaza on 19 May 2004: “Attention is now drawn to the Israeli war crimes committed by the IDF in Rafah on May 19; especially to the numerous victims of the shelling by Israeli tanks of a civilian demonstration, mostly youth and children, at high noon. I watched the horrific live TV images of wounded children, youth running for shelter and smoke rising from the shelled location, in the company of the head of the Palestinian Internal Security in Gaza City, Rashid Abu Shbak, alias Abu Khatem.” Read more about The Crimes of War: Between Al-Zeitoun (Gaza) and Rafah
Citing security concerns, the Queen of Pop last week abruptly canceled an eagerly awaited series of concerts set for this September in Tel Aviv, Israel’s largest city, which would have included a televised concert on September 11. It is reported that Madonna’s “Re-Invented Tour” will include video footage of a Palestinian boy and an Israeli boy walking arm in arm. The last time Madonna played in Israel was on 4 October 1993 at Tel Aviv’s Hayarkon Park. Read Victor Kattan’s commentary on the irrationality of Madonna’s fears, and why more celebrities should perform in the Palestinian territories. Read more about Madonna pushes her fears over the borderline, cancels Israeli concerts
Although I am a Jewish American, born and raised in the United States, I am also a citizen of Israel by virtue of my father’s birth in that country. Israel’s laws automatically confer citizenship on the children of citizens regardless of their place of birth. Like all other Jewish citizens of Israel, I am required to serve in the Israeli army. On Thursday I set fire to my Israeli military deferral papers across the street from the Israeli Embassy in Washington, DC. This act of civil disobedience took place during a protest organized by a Jewish American peace organization against the atrocities that Israel is committing in the occupied Gaza Strip. Josh Ruebner explains why. Read more about Why I Burned My Israeli Military Papers
Johannes Abeling, graduate of the Royal Art Academy in the Hague and a freelance Dutch photojournalist, is back in Palestine shooting photos. On 19th May, Johannes found himself in Rafah in the middle of the peaceful protest march by local residents that ended when Israeli combat helicopters and tanks opened fire on the demonstrators, killing at least 8 people and wounding about 50, including many children. This series of photographs is from the Brazil neighborhood in Rafah, which has seen many homes demolished during Israel’s ongoing “Operation Rainbow”. Read more about Photostory: Israel's destruction in Brazil refugee camp
Things must be bad in Palestine when the United States allows a resolution to pass in the UN Security Council, as it did late on 19 May condemning Israeli actions. The resolution is a moral victory for Palestinians, but there is no reason to take comfort from it as Israel intensified its attack on the Gaza refugee camp. Unless the other members of the Security Council and the wider international community act immediately to halt Israel’s assault, we can conclude that the UN Resolution was designed only to absolve them from any further action. EI co-founder Ali Abunimah names some specific actions the international community must take. Read more about After Rafah, Europe, Arabs have no excuse for inaction
