Avi Shlaim
Zionism is the national liberation movement of the Jewish people and the state of Israel is its political expression. Israel used to be a symbol of freedom and a source of pride for the Jews of the Diaspora. Israel’s mistreatment of the Palestinians, however, has turned it into a liability and a moral burden for the liberal segment of the Jewish community. Some Jews, especially on the left, would go even further by linking Israel’s behavior to the upsurge of the new anti-Semitism throughout the world. Read more about Why Zionism today is the real enemy of the Jews
Six decades ago, my family celebrated Christmas in its Jerusalem home, as did the families of other Palestinian Christians in Bethlehem, Nazareth and throughout the Holy Land. Then, in 1948, Palestinian society was destroyed. More than 700,000 Palestinians — many, like us, Christians, but even more Muslims — fled or were forced into exile by Israeli troops. That is the history of the establishment of Israel that is often forgotten in the United States — but is stubbornly remembered by Palestinians. Why do Palestinians who lost their homes, and who have been barred by Israel from returning ever since, remember their pre-exile lives with such enduring intensity? George Bisharat offers an answer. Read more about Look for a future Palestine in the past
“Every time a Gazan father faints as he watches his family home demolished; every time a Jew, Muslim or Christian is violently attacked by armed Israelis because they are non-violently protesting the separation wall; every time a rain of Israeli army bullets flies into the body of a young child on her way to school; every time a young Palestinian man is made to play violin by Israeli soldiers, or a pregnant woman dies at a checkpoint, Jews like us must speak out.” Commentator Cecilie Surasky is communications director for Jewish Voice for Peace and a New Voices fellow with the Academy of Educational Development. Read more about Speaking out about Israel to save the Jewish soul
Though the film is called The Syrian Bride, the story is about much more than Mona the bride. Played by Clara Khoury (who also starred as a bride in Rana’s Wedding), Mona doesn’t have very many lines in this new Israeli film. Instead, she acts as a gravitational body that the main themes of the film orbit around — her sister Amal’s unhappy marriage, the problems of tribal politics, the Israeli occupation of the Syrian Golan Heights, and on a more abstract level, the broader political conflict in the Middle East. Read more about Film Review: "The Syrian Bride"
Adri Nieuwhof, Bangani Ngeleza and Jeff Handmaker1 February 2005
History has not given the Palestinian people much reason to trust the intentions of the government of Israel. While Ariel Sharon has repeatedly claimed to be driven by a commitment to peace, his actions have so far belied his words, particularly concerning its military occupation of Palestinian territories. In this second article of a two-part series, Adri Nieuwhof, Bangani Ngeleza and Jeff Handmaker revisit key factors that built trust amongst both parties to the conflict in apartheid South Africa, without eroding key principles of the liberation movement, and reflect upon these experiences in the context of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Read more about Lessons from South Africa for the peace process (2/2)
Adri Nieuwhof, Bangani Ngeleza and Jeff Handmaker1 February 2005
Despite some initial optimism following the outcome of the Palestinian presidential elections, there has been no obvious progress towards peace negotiations. This is of little surprise, since the conditions for holding negotiations simply do not exist and possibly have not even been thought through by either party. While opportunities for peace talks are fast disappearing as the region appears again to slide into outright confrontation, the writers, former anti-apartheid activists from the Netherlands, South Africa and Great Britain respectively, look back on this crucial period in South African history in the first of two articles in a series, to reflect upon and provide inspiration to the Palestinian struggle for liberation. Read more about Lessons from South Africa for the peace process (1/2)
John Collins is currently living in Madrid and conducting interviews with intellectuals, journalists, and activists about the Palestine solidarity movement in Spain. He recently spoke with Ignacio Alvarez-Ossorio, who teaches at the University of Alicante and who has published widely on the Palestinian issue. Professor Alvarez-Ossorio notes that until recently, Spanish intellectuals have paid very little attention to Palestinian politics, and that most reporters and writers do not understand the key issues in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Read more about Spanish perspectives I: an interview with Ignacio Alvarez-Ossorio
EI co-founder Ali Abunimah and Norman Finkelstein, professor of Political Science at DePaul University in Chicago discuss and debate the latest developments in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. What is the significance of the election of Mahmoud Abbas and of Israel’s plan to “disengage” from Gaza? What are the latest developments on the ground in the occupied territories? Has the two-state solution failed and should we be seeking a single state as a way to fulfil the rights and aspirations of Israelis and Palestinians? The discussion, moderated by Martha Reese, was recorded at a forum held at Oak Park River Forest High School on 30 January 2005, an event organized by the Committee for a Just Peace in Israel and Palestine. Read more about Audio: Panel discussion with Ali Abunimah and Norman Finkelstein in Chicago
The company that publishes The San Francisco Examiner and Washington Examiner newspapers has pulled an advertisement that demonized Palestinian children and has apologized for causing offense. The advertisement appeared in Media Week, a trade publication, as part of a campaign by The Examiner to sell advertising space in its newspapers. On 25 January, EI asked its readers to The Examiner, to politely request that the company withdraw the ad and apologize. EI welcomes The Examiner’s prompt and responsible action. Read more about Examiner pulls offensive ad, apologizes
Several Palestinian and Syrian NGO’s based in territories occupied by Israel will join thousands of civil society groups, organizations and people from around the world at the World Social Forum (WSF) in Porto Alegre, Brazil, calling for world leaders to commit to an end of the Israeli military occupation of the West Bank, Gaza Strip and the Golan Heights. The WSF is a unique platform where social movements, networks, NGOs, and individuals come together to debate, analyse and formulate alternatives. They appeal to participants to undertake urgent action so that people living in the region can freely exercise their basic individual and collective rights. Read more about Palestinians at World Social Forum: "End the Israeli military occupation"
