The recent controversy elicited by the propaganda film “Columbia Unbecoming,” a film funded and produced by a Boston-based pro-Israel organization, is the latest salvo in a campaign of intimidation of Jewish and non-Jewish professors who criticize Israel. Professor Joseph Massad, who has been a central target of this campaign, responds, exposing its tactics and explaining that its aim is to stifle pluralism, academic freedom, and the freedom of expression on university campuses in order to ensure that only one opinion is permitted, that of uncritical support for the State of Israel. Read more about Joseph Massad responds to the intimidation of Columbia University
The Economist has a way with cover art. In early 2001, the magazine lampooned George W. Bush’s first transatlantic trip with a cover photo of Neil Armstrong walking on the moon: “Bush goes to Europe,” the caption read. Intellectual, witty and harmless, it was the Monty-Python-meets-MI6 humor that characterizes a magazine that’s above the vainglory of bylines. Last week’s cover showing a photo of Ariel Sharon with an olive branch in his mouth—“Israel’s unlikely dove”—had a different resonance. What was mildly amusing for Economist readers was a cheap shot to Palestinians: Israel’s mass destruction of olive groves is a frustration tactic that Israel has used to displace Palestinians for the past 56 years. Read more about The Economist Sheds Some Bad Habits
The grave illness of Palestinian President Yasser Arafat has given rise to frenzied speculation about what will happen after he is no longer on the scene. Much of this speculation is based on the false premise that the presence or absence of a single individual is a decisive factor in settling a complex, century-old conflict. EI co-founder Ali Abunimah argues that the “Arafat issue” is a major distraction, and examines who has a vested interest in the veteran Palestinian leader’s survival. Read more about Thinking beyond Arafat
In October 2004, EI’s Arjan El Fassed traveled to Jordan and Lebanon. He visited a number of refugee camps and offices of the Palestine Red Crescent Society in Lebanon and Syria. In Lebanon he also traveled along Lebanon’s southern border where he visited what is left of Khiam Detention Camp, a prison and interrogation camp, used by Israel and the South Lebanese Army from 1985 until the Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon in May 2000. The detention camp is now empty. The prisoners’ testimonies and the cells bear witness to what went on inside. Prisoners were crammed into tiny, filthy spaces where they ate and slept. Read more about Photostory: Khiam Detention Camp
In October 2004, EI’s Arjan El Fassed traveled to Jordan and Lebanon. He visited a number of refugee camps and offices of the Palestine Red Crescent Society in Lebanon and Syria. In Lebanon he visited Rashidieh, Ein al-Hilwa, and Wavel camp. Wavel camp is located in the Beqaa Valley, near Baalbek. Originally a French army barracks, the camp hosts more than 8,000 refugees. French authorities provided shelter to the refugees in 1948 in the original twelve buildings. Although the camp has suffered less destruction than other camps during the war in Lebanon, living conditions are particularly severe. Read more about Photostory: Palestinian refugees, Wavel
In October 2004, EI’s Arjan El Fassed traveled to Jordan and Lebanon. He visited a number of refugee camps and offices of the Palestine Red Crescent Society in Lebanon and Syria. In Lebanon he visited Rashidieh, Ein al-Hilwa, and Wavel camp. Ein Hilweh refugee camp lies 45 km south of Beirut near Saida. It is the largest Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon, both in area size and population. Ein el-Hilweh has been frequently assaulted, particularly between 1982 and 1991, resulting in a high number of casualties and near total destruction of the camp. Read more about Photostory: Palestinian refugees, Ein Hilweh
In October 2004, EI’s Arjan El Fassed traveled to Jordan and Lebanon. He visited a number of refugee camps and offices of the Palestine Red Crescent Society in Lebanon and Syria. In Lebanon he visited Rashidieh, Ein al-Hilwa, and Wavel camp. Rashidieh camp lies on the Lebanese seashore, 10 km from the northern part of Palestine and 5 km from the southern port of Tyre or Sour. Rashidieh camp was heavily affected by the war in Lebanon and the Israeli invasion of 1982. The camp’s inhabitants are only able to find work in seasonal agriculture and construction. There is no sewerage network and sewage flows into open ditches along roads and pathways. Read more about Photostory: Palestinian refugees, Rashidieh
In October 2004, EI’s Arjan El Fassed traveled to Jordan and Lebanon. He visited a number of refugee camps and offices of the Palestine Red Crescent Society in Lebanon and Syria. In Jordan, he visited Wihdat, or Amman New Camp, south east of the Jordanian capital. Wihdat, Jordan’s second largest Palestinian refugee camp is one of the four refugee camps established after 1948 in Jordan. The camp was set up in 1955 to host some 5,000 refugees on an area of 488,000 square meters. Currently, more than 50,000 registered refugees are living in Wihdat. Jordan has the largest concentration of Palestinian refugees, with nearly two million in 13 camps. Read more about Photostory: Palestinian refugees, Wihdat
Iman al-Hams was a 13-year old refugee schoolgirl who was executed — after being wounded — by an Israeli platoon commander on the sad sands of Rafah. In a flash, Israel proved to the world — yet again — that it is not only intransigent in its patent and consistent violation of international law, but also incapable of adhering to the most fundamental principles of moral behavior. Omar Barghouti comments. Read more about Iman: Executing another child in Rafah
Regular EI contributor Hasan Abu Nimah was a member of the joint Jordanian-Palestinian delegation at the Washington peace talks in the early 1990s, and he was present when the Jordan-Israel peace treaty was signed ten years ago. He argues that Israel views this treaty, like other agreements, as a tool to strengthen itself at the expense of its neighbours, and has squandered the chance for genuine peace. On the sombre 10th anniversary of the treaty, Israelis should ask their leaders why they never missed an opportunity to miss all the opportunities for peace that their neighbours have repeatedly offered them. Read more about Peace with Jordan: Another opportunity missed by Israel
