Israeli leaders shun Carter
Ed O'Loughlin, The Age, 15 April 2008
Shunned by Israeli political leaders, former US president Jimmy Carter says he will go ahead with plans to meet the leader of Hamas to promote peace in the Middle East.
Mr Carter was speaking in Jerusalem on Sunday after Israel's four most senior politicians — Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Defence Minister Ehud Barak, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and Opposition Leader Benjamin Netanyahu — declined to meet him. Mr Carter has also been criticised by the US State Department and all three US presidential candidates.
According to Israeli media, the leaders are angered by Mr Carter's decision to meet exiled Hamas leader Khaled Meshal in Damascus this week. Israelis were also offended by Mr Carter's 2006 book, Palestine: Peace not Apartheid, in which he compared Israel's military occupation and colonisation of seized Arab territories with the policies of apartheid South Africa.
Israeli President Shimon Peres, who met Mr Carter, reportedly accused him of "causing significant damage to Israel and the peace process in recent years".
In an interview with the Israeli daily Haaretz, Mr Carter said he believed that for peace talks to work all parties had to be engaged.
"Hamas' position is that they are perfectly willing for (Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas) to represent them in all direct negotiations with the Israelis, and they also maintain that they will accept any agreement that he brokers with Israelis provided it will be submitted to the Palestinians in a referendum. Hamas is also willing to accept a mutual ceasefire with Israel," Mr Carter said.
"I do not agree with … the unwillingness to talk to someone who disagrees with you unless he agrees with all your prerequisites."
■Representatives of Lebanon and Iran have pulled out of a conference in Qatar due to Ms Livni's attendance. She is to give a speech calling for Arab support for Mr Abbas against Hamas and unity against Iran.
Showing posts with label jimmy carter. Show all posts
Showing posts with label jimmy carter. Show all posts
Sunday, 20 April 2008
Monday, 3 December 2007
VIDEO: I am a Bethlehemite
Open Bethlehem
Open Bethlehem is an international campaign to save the city of Bethlehem.
Our endorsers include:
The Mayor of Bethlehem, Dr. Victor Batarseh
Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Michel Sabbah
Archbishop Desmond Tutu
Churches Together in Britain and Ireland
Cardinal McCarrick, Head of the Catholic Church in the US
President Jimmy Carter
Monday, 13 August 2007
Peace in Iraq is inextricably linked to a Palestinian settlement
Michael Shaik - The Age - August 13, 2007
Should Israel's colonisation of the West Bank continue, the US will find itself defending what former US president Jimmy Carter has described as a regime of apartheid in which Jews and Palestinians living in the same area are subject to different laws and differential access to resources. Should America succumb to Israeli pressure to isolate Iran, it will lose the war in Iraq.
Should Israel's colonisation of the West Bank continue, the US will find itself defending what former US president Jimmy Carter has described as a regime of apartheid in which Jews and Palestinians living in the same area are subject to different laws and differential access to resources. Should America succumb to Israeli pressure to isolate Iran, it will lose the war in Iraq.
Tuesday, 6 March 2007
"Israel Can Do What it Wants": The Stark Truth From Ilan Pappe
AUDIO: "Israel Can Do What it Wants": The Stark Truth From Ilan Pappe
Crossing The Line: Life in Occupied Palestine, 16 February 2007
http://ctl.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=182723
Crossing The Line: Life in Occupied Palestine, 16 February 2007
http://ctl.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=182723
Friday, 26 January 2007
Jimmy Carter's only Australian interview
ABC Radio National Breakfast - 25 January 2007
Breakfast audio is in three parts: 6.15–7am, 7.30–8am and 8.05–8.30am. Part One will start to play automatically. Paul Barry's interview with Jimmy Carter is in Part Three.
Breakfast audio is in three parts: 6.15–7am, 7.30–8am and 8.05–8.30am. Part One will start to play automatically. Paul Barry's interview with Jimmy Carter is in Part Three.
Thursday, 25 January 2007
EI EXCLUSIVE: Leaked Israeli document gives frightening glimpse of apartheid
EI Exclusive: LEAKED ISRAELI DOCUMENT GIVES FRIGHTENING GLIMPSE OF APARTHEID
By Ali Abunimah,
The Electronic Intifada, 25 January 2007
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article6442.shtml
ISRAELI MINISTRY OF DEFENSE DOCUMENT PROVIDES GLIMPSE INTO THE MINDSET OF APARTHEID'S BUREAUCRACY, OUTLINES MOVEMENT RESTRICTIONS, BUREAUCRATIC ETHNIC CLEANSING, POLITICAL MANIPULATION AND ATTEMPT TO FOSTER COLLABORATORS. READ EI'S SUMMMARY AND ANALYSIS BELOW. FOR IMAGES AND TO DOWNLOAD THE FULL DOCUMENT VISIT THE LINK ABOVE.
President Jimmy Carter angered Israel and its friends by describing "the abominable oppression and persecution in the occupied Palestinian territories, with a rigid system of required passes and strict segregation between Palestine's citizens and Jewish settlers in the West Bank."
Now, The Electronic Intifada has obtained an Israeli Ministry of Defense Powerpoint presentation which provides a frightening glimpse into the mindset of the bureaucracy of apartheid.
The first page of the document bears the name "Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories" as well as the acronym "COGAT" at the bottom of each page. These appear to refer to the unit of the Israeli army that enforces the occupation against the Palestinian civilian population.
The top of the first slide also bears the names and insignia of the "State of Israel" and the "Ministry of Defense." Dated January 12, the presentation is titled "Key Measures for easing the daily lives of the Palestinian Population."
Far from that, the document provides detail of the regime of severe movement restrictions, bureaucratic ethnic cleansing and political manipulation and fostering of collaborators that Israel operates in the the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip.
The document, in English, appears to be genuine. While its exact purpose or audience is not known, it may have been designed to impress foreign diplomats with Israel's generosity to the Palestinians.
Among the policies the document outlines are:
- Efforts to "empower Abu-Mazen" (Palestinian Authority chairman Mahmoud Abbas) by facilitating entry of "security equipment for the Presidential Guard" donated by foreign countries. (The United States recently announced that it would provide millions of dollars of weapons and equipment to this unit which serves as a personal militia for Abbas and his Fatah faction who seek to overthrow the democratically-elected Hamas government).
- Providing special privileges for "the movement of VIPs and senior Palestinians" and others allies of Abbas, including "facilitating movement without security checks."These special privileges, not available to millions of Palestinians are intended for "Strengthening Abu-Mazen,"presumably at the expense of the democratically-elected Hamas-led cabinet and legislative council dozens of whose members, far from enjoying VIP treatment, have been kidnapped and are being held without charge or trial by Israeli occupation forces.
- Special permits for 505 Palestinian "businessmen,"allowing them to be exempt from the pass laws that forbid overnight stays by Palestinians in Israel. They will also be subject to fewer security checks. This privileged class may also benefit from the "Possible return of $60 Million from the frozen tax money to the private sector, subject to identification of the businessman, and the formation of a working mechanism." This could possibly indicate that Israel, in collusion with Abbas, seeks to misappropriate Palestinian public assets it has illegally seized, bypassing the Palestinian Authority Finance Ministry and redistributing them to Abbas cronies.
- With frightening precision, allowing "42,899" Palestinian laborers to work "in Israel and the settlements" and exempting 2,000 Palestinian agricultural laborers from the pass laws so that "overnight stay in Israel" is"permitted." Of these workers, a mere 1,600 would be permitted to enter occupied East Jerusalem, the largest Palestinian city in the West Bank.
Millions of Palestinians around the world are forbidden from visiting or living in their country due to Israeli restrictions and laws that discriminate against non-Jews. A privileged few Palestinians have been able to do so, however, by virtue of their citizenship in the United States or European countries, whose citizens are generally allowed to enter Israel without visas as tourists. Even this precarious existence has recently been threatened by the new Israeli practice of denying them re-entry if they leave the country for any reason. While the document claims these restrictions will be eased, it also confirms the policy of prohibiting ordinary family life for Palestinians. Palestinians (always referred to as "foreign nationals") with foreign passports, even those with spouses and families Israel does recognize as residents,will be limited to a total cumulative stay not exceeding 27 months in their country. No other country calling itself a democracy systematically treats indigenous people as foreigners and deports them in this manner breaking apart families in the process.
Finally, the document lists a number of catergories of "humanitarian" workers who will be given some leeway from the strict pass laws. These include 1,450 religious personnel, 1,300 hospital employees, 300 hotel workers,and lawyers, teachers and residents of an enclave in occupied East Jerusalem that has been besieged by settlers and the apartheid wall.
Amidst a system of ruthless and obsessive control such as the one Israel operates against Palestinians, not even this token 'easing' designed purely for public relations can be taken for granted; Israel routinely lies about what it does. For example, during a summit meeting with Mahmoud Abbas in December, Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert promised to remove dozens of checkpoints and obstacles impeding the movement of Palestinians inside the occupiedWest Bank. The Israeli occupation forces later claimed to have removed 44 of the hundreds of obstacles in fulfillment of Olmert's pledge. In fact, the Israeli newspaper Ha'aretz reported on January 22, the Israeli army "admitted on Sunday that the 44 dirt obstacles it said had been removed from around West Bank villages did not actually exist."
What does exist, and is plain for all the world to see, is a horrifying regime of totalitarian control of millions of Palestinians who remain prisoners of Israel's racist system and the army and settler militias that enforce it.
By Ali Abunimah,
The Electronic Intifada, 25 January 2007
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article6442.shtml
ISRAELI MINISTRY OF DEFENSE DOCUMENT PROVIDES GLIMPSE INTO THE MINDSET OF APARTHEID'S BUREAUCRACY, OUTLINES MOVEMENT RESTRICTIONS, BUREAUCRATIC ETHNIC CLEANSING, POLITICAL MANIPULATION AND ATTEMPT TO FOSTER COLLABORATORS. READ EI'S SUMMMARY AND ANALYSIS BELOW. FOR IMAGES AND TO DOWNLOAD THE FULL DOCUMENT VISIT THE LINK ABOVE.
President Jimmy Carter angered Israel and its friends by describing "the abominable oppression and persecution in the occupied Palestinian territories, with a rigid system of required passes and strict segregation between Palestine's citizens and Jewish settlers in the West Bank."
Now, The Electronic Intifada has obtained an Israeli Ministry of Defense Powerpoint presentation which provides a frightening glimpse into the mindset of the bureaucracy of apartheid.
The first page of the document bears the name "Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories" as well as the acronym "COGAT" at the bottom of each page. These appear to refer to the unit of the Israeli army that enforces the occupation against the Palestinian civilian population.
The top of the first slide also bears the names and insignia of the "State of Israel" and the "Ministry of Defense." Dated January 12, the presentation is titled "Key Measures for easing the daily lives of the Palestinian Population."
Far from that, the document provides detail of the regime of severe movement restrictions, bureaucratic ethnic cleansing and political manipulation and fostering of collaborators that Israel operates in the the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip.
The document, in English, appears to be genuine. While its exact purpose or audience is not known, it may have been designed to impress foreign diplomats with Israel's generosity to the Palestinians.
Among the policies the document outlines are:
- Efforts to "empower Abu-Mazen" (Palestinian Authority chairman Mahmoud Abbas) by facilitating entry of "security equipment for the Presidential Guard" donated by foreign countries. (The United States recently announced that it would provide millions of dollars of weapons and equipment to this unit which serves as a personal militia for Abbas and his Fatah faction who seek to overthrow the democratically-elected Hamas government).
- Providing special privileges for "the movement of VIPs and senior Palestinians" and others allies of Abbas, including "facilitating movement without security checks."These special privileges, not available to millions of Palestinians are intended for "Strengthening Abu-Mazen,"presumably at the expense of the democratically-elected Hamas-led cabinet and legislative council dozens of whose members, far from enjoying VIP treatment, have been kidnapped and are being held without charge or trial by Israeli occupation forces.
- Special permits for 505 Palestinian "businessmen,"allowing them to be exempt from the pass laws that forbid overnight stays by Palestinians in Israel. They will also be subject to fewer security checks. This privileged class may also benefit from the "Possible return of $60 Million from the frozen tax money to the private sector, subject to identification of the businessman, and the formation of a working mechanism." This could possibly indicate that Israel, in collusion with Abbas, seeks to misappropriate Palestinian public assets it has illegally seized, bypassing the Palestinian Authority Finance Ministry and redistributing them to Abbas cronies.
- With frightening precision, allowing "42,899" Palestinian laborers to work "in Israel and the settlements" and exempting 2,000 Palestinian agricultural laborers from the pass laws so that "overnight stay in Israel" is"permitted." Of these workers, a mere 1,600 would be permitted to enter occupied East Jerusalem, the largest Palestinian city in the West Bank.
Millions of Palestinians around the world are forbidden from visiting or living in their country due to Israeli restrictions and laws that discriminate against non-Jews. A privileged few Palestinians have been able to do so, however, by virtue of their citizenship in the United States or European countries, whose citizens are generally allowed to enter Israel without visas as tourists. Even this precarious existence has recently been threatened by the new Israeli practice of denying them re-entry if they leave the country for any reason. While the document claims these restrictions will be eased, it also confirms the policy of prohibiting ordinary family life for Palestinians. Palestinians (always referred to as "foreign nationals") with foreign passports, even those with spouses and families Israel does recognize as residents,will be limited to a total cumulative stay not exceeding 27 months in their country. No other country calling itself a democracy systematically treats indigenous people as foreigners and deports them in this manner breaking apart families in the process.
Finally, the document lists a number of catergories of "humanitarian" workers who will be given some leeway from the strict pass laws. These include 1,450 religious personnel, 1,300 hospital employees, 300 hotel workers,and lawyers, teachers and residents of an enclave in occupied East Jerusalem that has been besieged by settlers and the apartheid wall.
Amidst a system of ruthless and obsessive control such as the one Israel operates against Palestinians, not even this token 'easing' designed purely for public relations can be taken for granted; Israel routinely lies about what it does. For example, during a summit meeting with Mahmoud Abbas in December, Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert promised to remove dozens of checkpoints and obstacles impeding the movement of Palestinians inside the occupiedWest Bank. The Israeli occupation forces later claimed to have removed 44 of the hundreds of obstacles in fulfillment of Olmert's pledge. In fact, the Israeli newspaper Ha'aretz reported on January 22, the Israeli army "admitted on Sunday that the 44 dirt obstacles it said had been removed from around West Bank villages did not actually exist."
What does exist, and is plain for all the world to see, is a horrifying regime of totalitarian control of millions of Palestinians who remain prisoners of Israel's racist system and the army and settler militias that enforce it.
Wednesday, 24 January 2007
Israel's Dark Future
Israel's Dark Future
Jonathan Cook, 20 January 2007
When I published my book Blood and Religion last year, I sought not only to explain what lay behind Israeli policies since the failed Camp David negotiations nearly seven years ago, including the disengagement from Gaza and the building of a wall across the West Bank, but I also offered a few suggestions about where Israel might head next. Making predictions in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict might be considered a particularly dangerous form of hubris, but I could hardly have guessed how soon my fears would be realized.
One of the main forecasts of my book was that Palestinians on both sides of the Green Line -- those who currently enjoy Israeli citizenship and those who live as oppressed subjects of Israel's occupation -- would soon find common cause as Israel tries to seal itself off from what it calls the Palestinian "demographic threat": that is, the moment when Palestinians outnumber Jews in the land between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River.
I suggested that Israel's greatest fear was ruling over a majority of Palestinians and being compared to apartheid South Africa, a fate that has possibly befallen it faster than I expected with the recent publication of Jimmy Carter's book, Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid.
To avoid such a comparison, I argued, Israel was creating a "Jewish fortress," separating -- at least demographically -- from Palestinians in the occupied territories by sealing off Gaza through a disengagement of its settler population and by building a 750km wall to annex large areas of the West Bank.
Jonathan Cook, 20 January 2007
When I published my book Blood and Religion last year, I sought not only to explain what lay behind Israeli policies since the failed Camp David negotiations nearly seven years ago, including the disengagement from Gaza and the building of a wall across the West Bank, but I also offered a few suggestions about where Israel might head next. Making predictions in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict might be considered a particularly dangerous form of hubris, but I could hardly have guessed how soon my fears would be realized.
One of the main forecasts of my book was that Palestinians on both sides of the Green Line -- those who currently enjoy Israeli citizenship and those who live as oppressed subjects of Israel's occupation -- would soon find common cause as Israel tries to seal itself off from what it calls the Palestinian "demographic threat": that is, the moment when Palestinians outnumber Jews in the land between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River.
I suggested that Israel's greatest fear was ruling over a majority of Palestinians and being compared to apartheid South Africa, a fate that has possibly befallen it faster than I expected with the recent publication of Jimmy Carter's book, Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid.
To avoid such a comparison, I argued, Israel was creating a "Jewish fortress," separating -- at least demographically -- from Palestinians in the occupied territories by sealing off Gaza through a disengagement of its settler population and by building a 750km wall to annex large areas of the West Bank.
Friday, 29 December 2006
12.12.06
Who Makes the Middle East?
Ran HaCohen, 29 November, 2006
A revealing book I have recently read about the present Middle East is Joris Luyendijk's Almost Human. Luyendijk was a Dutch journalist who spent several years (1998-2003) in Arab countries as well as in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories, working for two Dutch quality newspapers and for the television. His background as a social science student, his command of Arabic and his academic research in Egypt, as well as the fact that he deserted the journalistic profession, all give him a unique critical perspective on the "Middle East," both as an actual reality and as a permanent media item. In fact, the gap between these two – between the Mideast's reality and its Western image – is the true subject of the book.
The book is currently available in Dutch only; I hope some English-language publisher will pick up the glove and translate it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Elbow to Elbow, Like Cattle - The Cruel Line into Gaza
Gideon Levy, December 11, 2006
Without anyone paying attention, the Gaza Strip has become the most closed-off strip of land in the world--after North Korea. But while North Korea is globally known to be a closed and isolated country, how many people know that the same description applies to a place just an hour away from hedonist Tel Aviv?
When You Annoy a Soldier ...The Checkpoint Generation
Amira Hass, December 2 / 3, 2006
For nearly a month now, a young Palestinian has been hospitalized at Beilinson Hospital; soldiers shot him at a checkpoint in northern Nablus on Saturday, November 4. Haitem Yassin, 25, is conscious now,but he is still hooked up to a respirator. In recent days, he has been suffering from a high fever, apparently caused by an infection in his abdomen, which was wounded in the shooting. His family is still waiting for a report from the hospital about the number or type of bullets that caused the serious injury.
Cancer didn't kill my mother, the occupation did
Raed M. Sharif writing from Syracuse, U.S., Live from Palestine, 11 December 2006
Allegra Pacheco on the Israeli Policy of Closure
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A shocking statement: HRW condemns Palestinians' use of nonviolence to protect homes from destruction (Human Rights Watch: "OPT: Civilians Must Not Be Used to Shield Homes Against Military Attacks"; The Associated Press : "American nun, priest join Gaza standoff") 11.23.2006
Palestinians Are Being Denied the Right of Non-Violent Resistance?
Would HRW Have Attacked Martin Luther King, Too?
Jonathan Cook, November 30, 2006
UN EXPERT URGES ISRAEL TO STOP DESTRUCTION OF HOUSES AND INFRASTRUCTURES IN GAZA, CALLS FOR MILITARY SANCTIONS
10 November 2006
The following statement was issued today by the Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living, Miloon Kothari:
"As Special Rapporteur on adequate housing, I condemn in the strongest possible terms the artillery shelling of Palestinian homes by the Israeli defence force in Beit Hanoun that killed 19 innocent civilians and injured 60, including women and children. The explanation by Israeli authorities that this wantonly criminal act was a mistake is unacceptable. The shelling and subsequent killing of civilians indicates a premeditated military tactic constituting a form of collective punishment against the Palestinian people.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ran HaCohen, 29 November, 2006
A revealing book I have recently read about the present Middle East is Joris Luyendijk's Almost Human. Luyendijk was a Dutch journalist who spent several years (1998-2003) in Arab countries as well as in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories, working for two Dutch quality newspapers and for the television. His background as a social science student, his command of Arabic and his academic research in Egypt, as well as the fact that he deserted the journalistic profession, all give him a unique critical perspective on the "Middle East," both as an actual reality and as a permanent media item. In fact, the gap between these two – between the Mideast's reality and its Western image – is the true subject of the book.
The book is currently available in Dutch only; I hope some English-language publisher will pick up the glove and translate it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Elbow to Elbow, Like Cattle - The Cruel Line into Gaza
Gideon Levy, December 11, 2006
Without anyone paying attention, the Gaza Strip has become the most closed-off strip of land in the world--after North Korea. But while North Korea is globally known to be a closed and isolated country, how many people know that the same description applies to a place just an hour away from hedonist Tel Aviv?
When You Annoy a Soldier ...The Checkpoint Generation
Amira Hass, December 2 / 3, 2006
For nearly a month now, a young Palestinian has been hospitalized at Beilinson Hospital; soldiers shot him at a checkpoint in northern Nablus on Saturday, November 4. Haitem Yassin, 25, is conscious now,but he is still hooked up to a respirator. In recent days, he has been suffering from a high fever, apparently caused by an infection in his abdomen, which was wounded in the shooting. His family is still waiting for a report from the hospital about the number or type of bullets that caused the serious injury.
Cancer didn't kill my mother, the occupation did
Raed M. Sharif writing from Syracuse, U.S., Live from Palestine, 11 December 2006
Allegra Pacheco on the Israeli Policy of Closure
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A shocking statement: HRW condemns Palestinians' use of nonviolence to protect homes from destruction (Human Rights Watch: "OPT: Civilians Must Not Be Used to Shield Homes Against Military Attacks"; The Associated Press : "American nun, priest join Gaza standoff") 11.23.2006
Palestinians Are Being Denied the Right of Non-Violent Resistance?
Would HRW Have Attacked Martin Luther King, Too?
Jonathan Cook, November 30, 2006
UN EXPERT URGES ISRAEL TO STOP DESTRUCTION OF HOUSES AND INFRASTRUCTURES IN GAZA, CALLS FOR MILITARY SANCTIONS
10 November 2006
The following statement was issued today by the Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living, Miloon Kothari:
"As Special Rapporteur on adequate housing, I condemn in the strongest possible terms the artillery shelling of Palestinian homes by the Israeli defence force in Beit Hanoun that killed 19 innocent civilians and injured 60, including women and children. The explanation by Israeli authorities that this wantonly criminal act was a mistake is unacceptable. The shelling and subsequent killing of civilians indicates a premeditated military tactic constituting a form of collective punishment against the Palestinian people.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The End of Academic Freedom and the Israel Lobby
Juan Cole, November 28, 2006
The general tone of the participants' comments suggested that academic blogging has severe drawbacks and, with regard to Middle East bloggers, has not produced a 'second generation' after the crop of 2002. One reason in my view is that academics who blog on the Middle East are relentlessly harassed and cyberstalked by Likudnik crazies and other sorts of wingnut. You have to have very thick skin and, I think, you have to just not care about the career ladder or social climbing of other sorts to risk it. In my case, I think it helped to have been an army brat. You're always being transferred to another base and you can't count on friendships lasting very long, so you just become self-reliant. And, of course, the ethos of the army encourages you to stand up to bullies. But I take Mark Lynch's point that it isn't everyone's cup of tea.
There is something wrong with our society if simply sharing one's expertise for free is actually punished. We should do something about that.
Mideast studies accused
Rebecca Weisser, November 22, 2006
Allegations of bias in Australian universities were made in federal parliament in August when Labor MP Michael Danby singled out Andrew Vincent from Macquarie University's Centre for Middle Eastern and North African Studies and Amin Saikal of the Australian National University's Centre for Arab and Islamic Studies.
Video - 11.11.2006
One viewer's impression of the Norman Finkelstein - Alan Dershowitz debate.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BIRZEIT STUDENTS AND LECTURERS CALL FOR ACADEMIC BOYCOTT
Right to Education Student Committee, Birzeit University, 28 November 2006
Juan Cole, November 28, 2006
The general tone of the participants' comments suggested that academic blogging has severe drawbacks and, with regard to Middle East bloggers, has not produced a 'second generation' after the crop of 2002. One reason in my view is that academics who blog on the Middle East are relentlessly harassed and cyberstalked by Likudnik crazies and other sorts of wingnut. You have to have very thick skin and, I think, you have to just not care about the career ladder or social climbing of other sorts to risk it. In my case, I think it helped to have been an army brat. You're always being transferred to another base and you can't count on friendships lasting very long, so you just become self-reliant. And, of course, the ethos of the army encourages you to stand up to bullies. But I take Mark Lynch's point that it isn't everyone's cup of tea.
There is something wrong with our society if simply sharing one's expertise for free is actually punished. We should do something about that.
Mideast studies accused
Rebecca Weisser, November 22, 2006
Allegations of bias in Australian universities were made in federal parliament in August when Labor MP Michael Danby singled out Andrew Vincent from Macquarie University's Centre for Middle Eastern and North African Studies and Amin Saikal of the Australian National University's Centre for Arab and Islamic Studies.
Video - 11.11.2006
One viewer's impression of the Norman Finkelstein - Alan Dershowitz debate.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BIRZEIT STUDENTS AND LECTURERS CALL FOR ACADEMIC BOYCOTT
Right to Education Student Committee, Birzeit University, 28 November 2006
Open letter in support of Irish academics,
We, the undersigned, members of the Birzeit University' community ofstudents, teachers, faculty staff and employees, congratulate and thank the group of Irish academics who called for a moratorium on theEuropean Union's financing of Israeli academic institutions until Israel withdraws from the occupied Palestinian territories and abides by international humanitarian and human rights laws, including theright of return.
The recent attacks and re-invasion of Gaza and Lebanon expose the contempt with which Israel treats the UN, its resolution and its own bilateral agreements. We strongly condemn the death, chaos and destruction inflicted upon Gazans and Lebanese, and call upon the students, academics and staff of universities worldwide to collectively condemn these acts and take action to support us in our struggle to end Israeli military aggression and occupation.
Academic Boycott: "We do not want to continue business as usual"
Birgit Althaler, The Electronic Intifada, 8 November 2006
Jonathan Rosenhead (67) has been a member of the British Committee for Universities of Palestine (BRICUP) for the past two years. He has been a member of staff at the London School of Economics since 1967 and Professor of Operational Research from 1987.
Sue Blackwell, a lecturer at Birmingham University is interviewed about the Academic Boycott on Radio BBAD.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Principled Dutch ASN Bank ends relations with Veolia
Adri Nieuwhof, November 26, 2006
This week, ASN Bank, a Dutch bank based in The Hague,1 announced that it would end its relationship with Veolia Transport, and all companies that benefit from Israel's occupation of Palestinian territory. Since it first announced its intentions to become involved in an Israeli project to build a light rail / tramline system, to be constructed in occupied East Jerusalem, Veolia Transport, a French multi-national corporation, faced a lot of criticism from all over the world. The tramline aims to connect the illegally-constructed settlements in East Jerusalem with towns and cities in Israel.
Labour Youth calls for Israel Boycott to mark UN Day of Solidarity with Palestine
Labour Youth (Ireland) November 28, 2006
Labour Youth will mark November 29th, the United Nations day of solidarity with Palestine by calling for a boycott of all Israeli goods and services as well as support for the educational and cultural boycott of Israel. Speaking ahead of the UN day of solidarity, Labour Youth National Chairperson Patrick Nulty said "As an organisation, Labour Youth has a proud tradition of solidarity actions with the Palestinian people and wishes to mark this year's international day of solidarity by reiterating its call for a boycott of all Israeli goods until such time as they respect international law and norms for human rights."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A rare voice: An interview with author Ilan Pappe
Christopher Brown, 11 December 2006
I think the problem with Avigdor Lieberman is not his own views but the fact that he reflects what most Israeli Jews think, and definitely what most of his colleagues in the Olmert government think but don't dare to say, or don't think is desirable to say for tactical reasons. But I do think that we should be worried about Lieberman, not as an extreme fascist but rather as a person who represents the mood of Israel in 2006.
Peace through equality for all
Bernard Sabella, IMEU, Nov 16, 2006
In the land where Jesus once walked, Palestinian Christians face extinction. With nearly 500,000 Palestinian Christians worldwide, only 170,000 remain in the Holy Land. They belong to 15 different Churches,some still using Aramaic, the language Christ spoke. But the traditions of service and continuity of Christian communities in the very birthplace of Christianity may soon disappear.
Refugees Are The Key
Sam Bahour, The Electronic Intifada, 11 December 2006
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As'ad Abukhalil - Thursday, November 03, 2005
Yes. Jimmy Carter has a new book out.
As'ad Abukhalil - Monday, December 11, 2006
Jimmy Carter who has just--just now--discovered the power of the pro-Israel lobby defines the state of Israel as a place "where democracy prevails and citizens live together and are legally guaranteed equal status."
Norman G Finkelstein: Jimmy cracks fibs, and I do care
12.01.2006
See 01 min 17 sec into the video: Jimmy Carter: "Inside Israel... Arabs and Jews both have the same priveleges. There's no allegation of any kind of discrimination."(Anderson Cooper 360, 11.30.2006)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
APARTHEID - Israelis adopt what South Africa dropped
John Dugard The Atlanta Journal-Constitution November 29, 2006
Former President Jimmy Carter's new book, "Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid," is igniting controversy for its allegation that Israel practices a form of apartheid. As a South African and former anti-apartheid advocate who visits the Palestinian territories regularly to assess the human rights situation for the U.N. Human Rights Council, the comparison to South African apartheid is of special interest to me.
Two laws, one trap for family unification
Shahar Ilan, Ha'aretz, November 30, 2006
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Disregard for the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territories
AL-HAQ PRESS RELEASE FOR RELEASE ON 10 DECEMBER 2006REF.: 38.2006E
9 December 2006
Today the United Nations (UN) observes the 58th International HumanRights Day, commemorating the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) by the UN General Assembly, on 10 December 1948. On this occasion, Al-Haq is compelled to note the stark contrast between the fundamental standards enshrined in the UDHR, and the situation of Palestinians living under Israeli occupation in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip.
U.N. group: Israel laid mines in Lebanon
Zeina Karam, Associated Press, Sat, Nov. 25, 2006
BEIRUT, Lebanon - A U.N. agency said Saturday that Israel laid mines in Lebanon during this summer's war between the Jewish state and the Lebanon-based Hezbollah group - the first time Israel has been accused of planting mines during the latest fighting.
Prime suspects
Jonathan Cook, November 24, 2006
While many seem to have made up their minds that Pierre Gemayel's murder was down to Syria, the blame could still lie elsewhere.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
72-year-old left-wing activist decries repeated 'harassment' by B-G security
Rebecca Anna Stoil, November 21, 2006
Ingrid Steinitz, a 72-year-old Danish Jew, has alleged she was strip-searched and harassed by Ben-Gurion Airport security for hours and on a second occasion told to spread her legs and place her hands against a wall. But Ben-Gurion security officials said Monday that everything was done according to procedures, and that the treatment the grandmother and left-wing activist had received was entirely justified.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As'ad Abukhalil - Friday, December 08, 2006
I am not in the habit of defending Jimmy Carter. Never. But for Dennis Ross to make a claim of plagiarism over this? Give me a break. What? Ross invents maps of lands that do not exist except in worlds that he alone can see and in planets that he inhabits by himself? What is next? Dennis Ross claims exclusive ownership over the word "potato."? And since when Dennis Ross "makes" maps? I mean, I know that he makes great contributions to the absence of peace in the Middle East, but I never knew that he has other skills besides not knowing much about the Middle East, and merely advancing the cause of Zionist militancy.
We, the undersigned, members of the Birzeit University' community ofstudents, teachers, faculty staff and employees, congratulate and thank the group of Irish academics who called for a moratorium on theEuropean Union's financing of Israeli academic institutions until Israel withdraws from the occupied Palestinian territories and abides by international humanitarian and human rights laws, including theright of return.
The recent attacks and re-invasion of Gaza and Lebanon expose the contempt with which Israel treats the UN, its resolution and its own bilateral agreements. We strongly condemn the death, chaos and destruction inflicted upon Gazans and Lebanese, and call upon the students, academics and staff of universities worldwide to collectively condemn these acts and take action to support us in our struggle to end Israeli military aggression and occupation.
Academic Boycott: "We do not want to continue business as usual"
Birgit Althaler, The Electronic Intifada, 8 November 2006
Jonathan Rosenhead (67) has been a member of the British Committee for Universities of Palestine (BRICUP) for the past two years. He has been a member of staff at the London School of Economics since 1967 and Professor of Operational Research from 1987.
Sue Blackwell, a lecturer at Birmingham University is interviewed about the Academic Boycott on Radio BBAD.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Principled Dutch ASN Bank ends relations with Veolia
Adri Nieuwhof, November 26, 2006
This week, ASN Bank, a Dutch bank based in The Hague,1 announced that it would end its relationship with Veolia Transport, and all companies that benefit from Israel's occupation of Palestinian territory. Since it first announced its intentions to become involved in an Israeli project to build a light rail / tramline system, to be constructed in occupied East Jerusalem, Veolia Transport, a French multi-national corporation, faced a lot of criticism from all over the world. The tramline aims to connect the illegally-constructed settlements in East Jerusalem with towns and cities in Israel.
Labour Youth calls for Israel Boycott to mark UN Day of Solidarity with Palestine
Labour Youth (Ireland) November 28, 2006
Labour Youth will mark November 29th, the United Nations day of solidarity with Palestine by calling for a boycott of all Israeli goods and services as well as support for the educational and cultural boycott of Israel. Speaking ahead of the UN day of solidarity, Labour Youth National Chairperson Patrick Nulty said "As an organisation, Labour Youth has a proud tradition of solidarity actions with the Palestinian people and wishes to mark this year's international day of solidarity by reiterating its call for a boycott of all Israeli goods until such time as they respect international law and norms for human rights."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A rare voice: An interview with author Ilan Pappe
Christopher Brown, 11 December 2006
I think the problem with Avigdor Lieberman is not his own views but the fact that he reflects what most Israeli Jews think, and definitely what most of his colleagues in the Olmert government think but don't dare to say, or don't think is desirable to say for tactical reasons. But I do think that we should be worried about Lieberman, not as an extreme fascist but rather as a person who represents the mood of Israel in 2006.
Peace through equality for all
Bernard Sabella, IMEU, Nov 16, 2006
In the land where Jesus once walked, Palestinian Christians face extinction. With nearly 500,000 Palestinian Christians worldwide, only 170,000 remain in the Holy Land. They belong to 15 different Churches,some still using Aramaic, the language Christ spoke. But the traditions of service and continuity of Christian communities in the very birthplace of Christianity may soon disappear.
Refugees Are The Key
Sam Bahour, The Electronic Intifada, 11 December 2006
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As'ad Abukhalil - Thursday, November 03, 2005
Yes. Jimmy Carter has a new book out.
As'ad Abukhalil - Monday, December 11, 2006
Jimmy Carter who has just--just now--discovered the power of the pro-Israel lobby defines the state of Israel as a place "where democracy prevails and citizens live together and are legally guaranteed equal status."
Norman G Finkelstein: Jimmy cracks fibs, and I do care
12.01.2006
See 01 min 17 sec into the video: Jimmy Carter: "Inside Israel... Arabs and Jews both have the same priveleges. There's no allegation of any kind of discrimination."(Anderson Cooper 360, 11.30.2006)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
APARTHEID - Israelis adopt what South Africa dropped
John Dugard The Atlanta Journal-Constitution November 29, 2006
Former President Jimmy Carter's new book, "Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid," is igniting controversy for its allegation that Israel practices a form of apartheid. As a South African and former anti-apartheid advocate who visits the Palestinian territories regularly to assess the human rights situation for the U.N. Human Rights Council, the comparison to South African apartheid is of special interest to me.
Two laws, one trap for family unification
Shahar Ilan, Ha'aretz, November 30, 2006
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Disregard for the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territories
AL-HAQ PRESS RELEASE FOR RELEASE ON 10 DECEMBER 2006REF.: 38.2006E
9 December 2006
Today the United Nations (UN) observes the 58th International HumanRights Day, commemorating the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) by the UN General Assembly, on 10 December 1948. On this occasion, Al-Haq is compelled to note the stark contrast between the fundamental standards enshrined in the UDHR, and the situation of Palestinians living under Israeli occupation in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip.
U.N. group: Israel laid mines in Lebanon
Zeina Karam, Associated Press, Sat, Nov. 25, 2006
BEIRUT, Lebanon - A U.N. agency said Saturday that Israel laid mines in Lebanon during this summer's war between the Jewish state and the Lebanon-based Hezbollah group - the first time Israel has been accused of planting mines during the latest fighting.
Prime suspects
Jonathan Cook, November 24, 2006
While many seem to have made up their minds that Pierre Gemayel's murder was down to Syria, the blame could still lie elsewhere.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
72-year-old left-wing activist decries repeated 'harassment' by B-G security
Rebecca Anna Stoil, November 21, 2006
Ingrid Steinitz, a 72-year-old Danish Jew, has alleged she was strip-searched and harassed by Ben-Gurion Airport security for hours and on a second occasion told to spread her legs and place her hands against a wall. But Ben-Gurion security officials said Monday that everything was done according to procedures, and that the treatment the grandmother and left-wing activist had received was entirely justified.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As'ad Abukhalil - Friday, December 08, 2006
I am not in the habit of defending Jimmy Carter. Never. But for Dennis Ross to make a claim of plagiarism over this? Give me a break. What? Ross invents maps of lands that do not exist except in worlds that he alone can see and in planets that he inhabits by himself? What is next? Dennis Ross claims exclusive ownership over the word "potato."? And since when Dennis Ross "makes" maps? I mean, I know that he makes great contributions to the absence of peace in the Middle East, but I never knew that he has other skills besides not knowing much about the Middle East, and merely advancing the cause of Zionist militancy.
Friday, 22 December 2006
Memorial on the 50th Anniversary of the Kafr Qasem Massacre
First it was the ABC, now senator has new target
Jason Koutsoukis, October 22, 2006
KEY Howard loyalists are set to launch a scathing attack on multicultural broadcaster SBS and force it to answer accusations of blatant left-wing bias.
Influential Victorian Liberal Senator Michael Ronaldson will lead the assault on SBS and its executives at a special Senate estimates hearing next week.
He singled out SBS's coverage of the recent Hezbollah-Israel conflict as one of the most appalling examples of biased reporting he had ever seen. "Their commentary on international events, particularly the conflict between Lebanon and Israel, just displayed a clear lack of impartiality and completely lacked any balance whatsoever," Senator Ronaldson said.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Israel's scandalous siege of Gaza
Patrick Seale, October 27, 2006
The situation is all the more urgent because, according to reports from Israel, something bigger and still more lethal is in prospect. Fresh from the indiscriminate slaughter they unleashed on Lebanon this summer - and no doubt eager to efface the memory of that fiasco - Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Defense Minister Amir Peretz, and the chief of staff, General Dan Halutz, are said to be about to mount a military offensive against Gaza, on a far larger scale than the bombardments and armored incursions of recent months.
"What We Did Was Insane and Monstrous"
Israel's Cluster Bomb War
Saree Makdisi, October 23, 2006
When the count of unexploded cluster bomblets passed 100,000, the United Nation's undersecretary-general for humanitarian affairs, Jan Egeland, expressed his disbelief at the scale of the problem. "What's shocking and, I would say to me, completely immoral," he said, "is that 90% of the cluster-bomb strikes occurred in the last 72 hours of the conflict, when we knew there would be a resolution, when we really knew there would be an end of this."
Mystery Of Israel's Secret Uranium Bomb
Robert Fisk, 28 October 2006
Did Israel use a secret new uranium-based weapon in southern Lebanon this summer in the 34-day assault that cost more than 1,300 Lebanese lives, most of them civilians?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Israel's Minister of Strategic Threats
Jonathan Cook, October 25, 2006
The furore that briefly flared this week at the decision of Israel's Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert, to invite Avigdor Lieberman and his Yisrael Beiteinu party into the government coalition is revealing, but not in quite the way many observers assume.
Lieberman to power
Gideon Levy, Haaretz, 16 October 2006
Peace-seekers should support the move to bring Avigdor Lieberman into the government. It is impossible to understand the opposition of several Labor party ministers to having Yisrael Beitenu join the government after all, just what precisely are they afraid will happen? That Israel will embark on an unnecessary war? That the settlement enterprise will be reinforced? That the government will reject Syria's peace proposal? That racism toward Arab citizens of Israel will increase, or that the occupation army will be cruel to the Palestinians?
An empty car
Gideon Levy, Haaretz, 22.10.06
Labor accepts inclusion of ultra-nationalist in Israeli government
Hamas touts 10-year ceasefire to break deadlock over Israel
Ewen MacAskill and Harriet Sherwood, The Guardian, November 1, 2006
Hamas is urging Britain to back its proposal for a ceasefire of up to 10 years as a way of breaking the impasse over its refusal to recognise the state of Israel.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ramallah Friends School Hit by Denial of Entry Policy
Paul D. Pierce, Quaker International Affairs Representative - Jerusalem
October 2006
When Renee Bowyer left Ramallah for Jordan at the beginning of October, she thought she would spend a couple of days in Amman, Jordan and return to teaching English at The Friends School in Ramallah the following week. Unfortunately, when she tried to re-enter Israel and renew her three-month visa at the Allenby Bridge in the middle of October, she was denied entry. Her 7th grade students at the Friends School would have to do without their teacher as a result. Bowyer, who holds an Australian passport, joins hundreds and perhaps thousands of foreign passport holders who have been denied entry as a result of a new Israeli policy.
Not Only the Right to Worship is Sacred
Amira Hass, Haaretz, 25 October 2006
During the past two weeks, there has been fresh proof of the importance of collective struggle: The U.S. State Department has complained about the ethnic discrimination Israel practices at border crossings when it restricts the entry of American citizens of Palestinian and Arab origin into the occupied territories. An American complaint like this - though only against one of the aspects of the policy of oppressing Palestinian freedom of movement - is a rare thing.
Even Palestinian-Americans are being turned back at the border
Amira Hass, Haaretz, 18.10.06
Keepers of the Peace
Rima Merriman, 24 October 2006
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Art of resistance
October 21 2006, The Guardian
Ahdaf Soueif on how Palestinians are reaching out across the globe creatively
Book Review: The Persistence of the Palestinian Question
Sally Bland, 26 October 2006
Taking stock over a decade later, it is obvious that the pragmatic approach was not at all pragmatic, for it failed miserably. Far from ushering in peace, the Oslo accords paved the way for Israel to grab more land and tighten its control over Palestinian lives. Massad doesn't waste time bemoaning this outcome, but rather seeks the roots of the problem, delving into awkward corners that most prefer to ignore.
Dems Repudiate Carter Book
"Top Democrats are rushing to repudiate former President Carter's controversial new book on the Middle East, in which he accuses the Israeli government of maintaining an apartheid system. Two key party leaders - Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean, party chairman, and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi - and several congressmen issued statements Monday saying that the book, "Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid," does not represent their views on the Jewish state."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Settlements grow on Arab land, despite vow to U.S.
Amos Harel, Haaretz Correspondent
A secret, two year investigation by the defense establishment shows that there has been rampant illegal construction in dozens of settlements and in many cases involving privately owned Palestinian properties.
The information in the study was presented to two defense ministers, Amir Peretz and his predecessor Shaul Mofaz, but was not released in public and a number of people participating in the investigations were asked to sign non-disclosure agreements.
According to security sources familiar with the study, the material is "political and diplomatic dynamite." In conversations with Haaretz, the sources maintained that the report is not being made public in order to avoid a crisis with the U.S. government.
..........
Tel Rumeida Diary: The Israeli Idea of "Quiet"
Mary, October 14th, 2006
This is the "quiet" of the Israeli army. The settlers, no matter how badly they behave or how unreasonable their demands, are always put first. The Palestinians, no matter how conciliatory they are, always come last.
Olive Harvest in Tel Rumeida under Threat from Settlers
H has experienced continual harassment from the settlers who want to force him out and occupy his house and land. They have put razor wire across a path so that he cannot access a safer way to his home and have built their own steps down onto this land so that they can work it themselves. One of the main people responsible for this is a woman who recently moved to the Tel Rumeida settlement after having been evicted from the settlements in Gaza.
Israeli barrier and settlement to leave West Bank village with nowhere to go
Rory McCarthy in Wadi Fukin
Monday October 30, 2006
Land confiscation and pollution threaten future of ancient farming community
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Twilight Zone / Loss upon loss
Gideon Levy, Haaretz, 20.10.06
Mohammed was 53 years old; Ismail was 27 and Hanan was 15. Their only crime, according to the evidence, was that they emerged from their house in the middle of the night, frightened by the thunder of the shell or missile that landed on their house. And then the soldiers standing in the street fired at them, killing them one after the other.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
MEMORIAL on the 50th Anniversary of the Kafr Qasem Massacre
Fifty years ago, on October 29, 1956, 49 Palestinian residents of Kafr Qasem were murdered by Israeli border police who at that time were officially attached to the military. Countless more were wounded and left bleeding and unattended. Their families were unable to offer aid because of a 24 hour curfew lasting for some two days and three nights. Violation of the curfew was punishable by death.
For Arabs Only: Israeli Law and Order
Jonathan Cook, June 14, 2006
Arab citizens have not forgotten the massacre of 49 men, women and children by a unit of soldiers who enforced a last-minute curfew on the Israeli village of Kfar Qassem in 1956, executing the villagers -- Arabs, of course -- at the checkpoint one by one as they innocently returned home from a day's work in the fields. During their trial, the Haaretz newspaper reported that the soldiers received a 50 per cent pay increase and that it was obvious the men were "not treated as criminals but as heroes". Found guilty of an "administrative error", the commander was given a one penny fine.
Jason Koutsoukis, October 22, 2006
KEY Howard loyalists are set to launch a scathing attack on multicultural broadcaster SBS and force it to answer accusations of blatant left-wing bias.
Influential Victorian Liberal Senator Michael Ronaldson will lead the assault on SBS and its executives at a special Senate estimates hearing next week.
He singled out SBS's coverage of the recent Hezbollah-Israel conflict as one of the most appalling examples of biased reporting he had ever seen. "Their commentary on international events, particularly the conflict between Lebanon and Israel, just displayed a clear lack of impartiality and completely lacked any balance whatsoever," Senator Ronaldson said.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Israel's scandalous siege of Gaza
Patrick Seale, October 27, 2006
The situation is all the more urgent because, according to reports from Israel, something bigger and still more lethal is in prospect. Fresh from the indiscriminate slaughter they unleashed on Lebanon this summer - and no doubt eager to efface the memory of that fiasco - Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Defense Minister Amir Peretz, and the chief of staff, General Dan Halutz, are said to be about to mount a military offensive against Gaza, on a far larger scale than the bombardments and armored incursions of recent months.
"What We Did Was Insane and Monstrous"
Israel's Cluster Bomb War
Saree Makdisi, October 23, 2006
When the count of unexploded cluster bomblets passed 100,000, the United Nation's undersecretary-general for humanitarian affairs, Jan Egeland, expressed his disbelief at the scale of the problem. "What's shocking and, I would say to me, completely immoral," he said, "is that 90% of the cluster-bomb strikes occurred in the last 72 hours of the conflict, when we knew there would be a resolution, when we really knew there would be an end of this."
Mystery Of Israel's Secret Uranium Bomb
Robert Fisk, 28 October 2006
Did Israel use a secret new uranium-based weapon in southern Lebanon this summer in the 34-day assault that cost more than 1,300 Lebanese lives, most of them civilians?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Israel's Minister of Strategic Threats
Jonathan Cook, October 25, 2006
The furore that briefly flared this week at the decision of Israel's Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert, to invite Avigdor Lieberman and his Yisrael Beiteinu party into the government coalition is revealing, but not in quite the way many observers assume.
Lieberman to power
Gideon Levy, Haaretz, 16 October 2006
Peace-seekers should support the move to bring Avigdor Lieberman into the government. It is impossible to understand the opposition of several Labor party ministers to having Yisrael Beitenu join the government after all, just what precisely are they afraid will happen? That Israel will embark on an unnecessary war? That the settlement enterprise will be reinforced? That the government will reject Syria's peace proposal? That racism toward Arab citizens of Israel will increase, or that the occupation army will be cruel to the Palestinians?
An empty car
Gideon Levy, Haaretz, 22.10.06
Labor accepts inclusion of ultra-nationalist in Israeli government
Hamas touts 10-year ceasefire to break deadlock over Israel
Ewen MacAskill and Harriet Sherwood, The Guardian, November 1, 2006
Hamas is urging Britain to back its proposal for a ceasefire of up to 10 years as a way of breaking the impasse over its refusal to recognise the state of Israel.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ramallah Friends School Hit by Denial of Entry Policy
Paul D. Pierce, Quaker International Affairs Representative - Jerusalem
October 2006
When Renee Bowyer left Ramallah for Jordan at the beginning of October, she thought she would spend a couple of days in Amman, Jordan and return to teaching English at The Friends School in Ramallah the following week. Unfortunately, when she tried to re-enter Israel and renew her three-month visa at the Allenby Bridge in the middle of October, she was denied entry. Her 7th grade students at the Friends School would have to do without their teacher as a result. Bowyer, who holds an Australian passport, joins hundreds and perhaps thousands of foreign passport holders who have been denied entry as a result of a new Israeli policy.
Not Only the Right to Worship is Sacred
Amira Hass, Haaretz, 25 October 2006
During the past two weeks, there has been fresh proof of the importance of collective struggle: The U.S. State Department has complained about the ethnic discrimination Israel practices at border crossings when it restricts the entry of American citizens of Palestinian and Arab origin into the occupied territories. An American complaint like this - though only against one of the aspects of the policy of oppressing Palestinian freedom of movement - is a rare thing.
Even Palestinian-Americans are being turned back at the border
Amira Hass, Haaretz, 18.10.06
Keepers of the Peace
Rima Merriman, 24 October 2006
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Art of resistance
October 21 2006, The Guardian
Ahdaf Soueif on how Palestinians are reaching out across the globe creatively
Book Review: The Persistence of the Palestinian Question
Sally Bland, 26 October 2006
Taking stock over a decade later, it is obvious that the pragmatic approach was not at all pragmatic, for it failed miserably. Far from ushering in peace, the Oslo accords paved the way for Israel to grab more land and tighten its control over Palestinian lives. Massad doesn't waste time bemoaning this outcome, but rather seeks the roots of the problem, delving into awkward corners that most prefer to ignore.
Dems Repudiate Carter Book
"Top Democrats are rushing to repudiate former President Carter's controversial new book on the Middle East, in which he accuses the Israeli government of maintaining an apartheid system. Two key party leaders - Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean, party chairman, and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi - and several congressmen issued statements Monday saying that the book, "Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid," does not represent their views on the Jewish state."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Settlements grow on Arab land, despite vow to U.S.
Amos Harel, Haaretz Correspondent
A secret, two year investigation by the defense establishment shows that there has been rampant illegal construction in dozens of settlements and in many cases involving privately owned Palestinian properties.
The information in the study was presented to two defense ministers, Amir Peretz and his predecessor Shaul Mofaz, but was not released in public and a number of people participating in the investigations were asked to sign non-disclosure agreements.
According to security sources familiar with the study, the material is "political and diplomatic dynamite." In conversations with Haaretz, the sources maintained that the report is not being made public in order to avoid a crisis with the U.S. government.
..........
Tel Rumeida Diary: The Israeli Idea of "Quiet"
Mary, October 14th, 2006
This is the "quiet" of the Israeli army. The settlers, no matter how badly they behave or how unreasonable their demands, are always put first. The Palestinians, no matter how conciliatory they are, always come last.
Olive Harvest in Tel Rumeida under Threat from Settlers
H has experienced continual harassment from the settlers who want to force him out and occupy his house and land. They have put razor wire across a path so that he cannot access a safer way to his home and have built their own steps down onto this land so that they can work it themselves. One of the main people responsible for this is a woman who recently moved to the Tel Rumeida settlement after having been evicted from the settlements in Gaza.
Israeli barrier and settlement to leave West Bank village with nowhere to go
Rory McCarthy in Wadi Fukin
Monday October 30, 2006
Land confiscation and pollution threaten future of ancient farming community
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Twilight Zone / Loss upon loss
Gideon Levy, Haaretz, 20.10.06
Mohammed was 53 years old; Ismail was 27 and Hanan was 15. Their only crime, according to the evidence, was that they emerged from their house in the middle of the night, frightened by the thunder of the shell or missile that landed on their house. And then the soldiers standing in the street fired at them, killing them one after the other.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
MEMORIAL on the 50th Anniversary of the Kafr Qasem Massacre
Fifty years ago, on October 29, 1956, 49 Palestinian residents of Kafr Qasem were murdered by Israeli border police who at that time were officially attached to the military. Countless more were wounded and left bleeding and unattended. Their families were unable to offer aid because of a 24 hour curfew lasting for some two days and three nights. Violation of the curfew was punishable by death.
For Arabs Only: Israeli Law and Order
Jonathan Cook, June 14, 2006
Arab citizens have not forgotten the massacre of 49 men, women and children by a unit of soldiers who enforced a last-minute curfew on the Israeli village of Kfar Qassem in 1956, executing the villagers -- Arabs, of course -- at the checkpoint one by one as they innocently returned home from a day's work in the fields. During their trial, the Haaretz newspaper reported that the soldiers received a 50 per cent pay increase and that it was obvious the men were "not treated as criminals but as heroes". Found guilty of an "administrative error", the commander was given a one penny fine.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
