Tonight you celebrate the independence day of the state of Israel. I do not. You probably believe that the Jews deserve a state, that the Holocaust survivors and their children had a right to a safe home of their own, and that the Land of Israel is the natural and legitimate place to fulfill the […]
Geography Archives: Israel
Another Kind of Volcano
Another Kind of Volcano: Part 1 “It’s a pity that there is no active volcano in Israel.” “Why?” “To discharge a cloud of ashes in its airspace.” “And then?” “The country would be subjected to a total aerial blockade.” “You mean, like Gaza?” “Not at all. The blockade of Gaza is comprehensive, by air, by […]
Actions against “Ben-Gurion Promenade” in Paris
Actions against the inauguration of Ben-Gurion Promenade by Paris Mayor Bertrand Delanoë and Israeli President Shimon Peres, Paris, 15 April 2010 Activists successfully disrupted the official ceremony, while the Arc de Triomphe was covered by a giant Palestinian flag. Among the young activists who organized the actions in solidarity with the Palestinian people were […]
The Extra-territorial Establishment of Religion
There is an embarrassing giddiness in the religious studies world today. With our new mantra in hand — the new “salience” of religion — we, both scholars of religion and other self-appointed spokespersons for religion, feel licensed to instruct the world on the importance of religion. We are suddenly relevant again. Or so we […]
Deporting Gandhi from Palestine
The Israeli government’s recent announcement of Army Order No. 1,650 was just the latest act of provocation in a series of calculated measures to derail any possible resumption of peace negotiations. Under this new draconian measure, anyone who doesn’t have a “permit” to be in the West Bank is to be considered an “infiltrator” and […]
Iran: New Challenges in the New Year
About one month after the beginning of the new Iranian calendar year (21 March 2010), and following the international recognition of Norouz by the United Nations General Assembly, Iran is facing new challenges. Some of the challenges are domestic, while others emanate from Iran’s regional and international policies as well as international pressures put […]
Chicago Hearing: Does U.S. Policy on Israel and Palestine Uphold Our Values?
Sunday, April 18, 2010 from 1:30 PM to 5:30 PM University of Chicago, Ida Noyes Hall Limited Seating, Registration Required at chicagohearing.eventbrite.com Live Webcast from a link at www.chicagohearing.org The Chicago Hearing is modeled after a Congressional Committee fact-finding meeting. It will bring together witnesses to tell seldom-heard stories from Israel-Palestine that raise critical […]
UC Berkeley Divestment Vote: It’s Clear What the Future Looks Like
Being a part of the tremendous coalition effort to pass a divestment bill at Berkeley was quite simply an ecstatic experience. As my colleague Sydney Levy said, “The movement grew by an enormous leap today.” First, the vote itself: after the UC Berkeley Student Senate originally voted on March 18, by a margin of 16-4, […]
On the Goldstone Phenomenon, Etc.
Norman G. Finkelstein: Israel would not be so up in arms about the Goldstone Report, would not be so upset by it, were it not for the fact that, yes, they are very vulnerable to the public opinion, and they know very well the limits beyond which it may not express itself against them, […]
Lula: “We Cannot Allow Some Countries to Be Armed to the Teeth While Others Are Disarmed”
The president of Brazil brings a firm message to the summit on nuclear security. “I’m going to ask President Obama: what is the significance of your recent accord with Medvedev on the deactivation of nuclear warheads [of the United States and Russia]? Deactivation of what? If we are talking about deactivating the warheads that […]
Ethnic Cleansing by Any Other Name
Background The West Bank has been occupied by Israel since 1967. Israel maintains authoritative jurisdiction over the happenings in the West Bank via its military apparatus. Decisions governing the simplest aspects of Palestinian life, from traveling from one area to another to building a home, ultimately lie under the jurisdiction of the Israeli Military’s High […]
New Israeli Mass Deportation Rules
Carlos Latuff is a Brazilian cartoonist. See, also, Amira Hass, “IDF Order Will Enable Mass Deportation from West Bank” (Haaretz, 11 April 2010). | | Print
A Carnivorous Plant That Is Slowly Devouring All of Us
Address before the crowed of demonstrators protesting against the eviction of Palestinian families from their homes in Sheikh Jarrah, 9 April 2010 We came early, a group of people, and visited one of the homes here in Sheikh Jarrah . . . at 1 P.M. The owner told us about the long history of […]
Israel’s Shock Doctrine
Shlomo Swirski, Economist, Adva Center: The government cut its yearly budget for four consecutive years. The cuts were very severe. They hit the school system, universities, the health system, and, more than anything else, the social security system. So, within two years the level of the poverty rate for families jumped from 17 to […]
Comrade Jarrar: Palestinian Political Strategy Must Support Our People’s Resistance
Comrade Khalida Jarrar, member of the Political Bureau of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, called for the development of a united Palestinian strategy that strengthens Palestinian resistance and rejects the failed and dangerous path of negotiations with the occupation. In an interview on April 8, 2010 with Jerusalem News Net, Comrade Jarrar […]
Open Letter to German Left Party (Die Linke)
Dear Friends, This letter is being sent to you by citizens of the state of Israel who are active in various Left groups and on a variety of topics throughout Israel/Palestine, including human rights, ecology, peace, support for refugees, social justice, workers’ rights, feminism, and queer struggles. We are struggling within our country and our […]
Why Are American Jewish Groups So Intent on Defending Illegal Israeli Settlements and Other Human Rights Violations?
A coalition of nearly 20 Jewish groups, ranging from the right-wing David Project and the Jewish National Fund to the liberal J Street, is distributing a misleading statement condemning a Student Senate bill at UC Berkeley. The ground-breaking bill calls for divestment from companies that profit from the perpetuation of the Israeli military occupation […]
In Paris, the Turkish Prime Minister Holds Fast to His Positions on Iran and Israel
Turkey has its own vision on the issues of international security. On Iran, the Middle East, and nuclear proliferation, it has made itself the voice of the Muslim opinion which sees Israel as the chief troublemaker. A member of the NATO and candidate for the European Union, led since 2002 by the “moderate Islamists” […]
Russia’s Limits on Iran Sanctions
Obama Administration officials have been touting for some time that they have Russia “on board” for a new United Nations Security Council resolution imposing sanctions against Iran over the nuclear issue. We, of course, have been arguing for months that, while Russia would probably end up supporting a new sanctions resolution, Moscow would not support […]
Getting the Iran-Palestine Connection Wrong
In his column, the Washington Post‘s David Ignatius presents an important piece of reporting about the Obama Administration’s approach to Iran and the Palestinian issue. David opens his column by citing “two top administration officials” as telling him that President Obama is seriously considering putting forward an American plan for a two-state solution to the […]
