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The Only Democracy? » Entries tagged with "Sheikh Jarrah"

Nocturnal Terror in Silwan

Nocturnal Terror in Silwan

Ed’s note: Here is a story that ran earleir this week in Just Jerusalem. We are reposting it here in advance of an interview with the author, Daniel Dukarevich with additional actions expected this weekend. You can follow live tweets by Daniel from Silwan at JVP’s twitter feed right now, Saturday July 3rd. Another night sets in on Silwan. Just two days ago, hundreds of Israeli and Palestinian demonstrators marched together along the … Read entire article »

Filed under: On The Ground Reports

Arrests and eviction orders in Sheikh Jarrah

Arrests and eviction orders in Sheikh Jarrah

By Noam Sheizaf, reprinted from his Promised Land blog with permission. Jerusalem – about 200 people took part in the weekly protest against the Jewish colonization of Sheikh Jerrah neighborhood in East Jerusalem. Among them were New Israel Fund President Naomi Hazan, former Knesset speaker Avrum Burg, and author David Grossman. During the protest, several activists, among them Grossman, marched near the area of the four houses already occupied by settlers. Four … Read entire article »

Filed under: Human Rights Activists in the Crosshairs

Sheikh Jarrah Speaker Breaks it Down Further

Sheikh Jarrah Speaker Breaks it Down Further

By Sara Benninga I am a Jerusalemite, and have been involved in the struggle to free Sheikh-Jarrah. Sheikh-Jarrah is a neighborhood in East-Jerusalem, beyond the ‘67 lines. Until recently it was a Palestinian neighborhood. Palestinian refugees from the ‘48 war, who owned property in Israel (Jaffa, Zriffin, and in several neighborhoods of West-Jerusalem such as Talbiya and Katamon) were settled there, then a mostly empty plot, by the Jordanian government and UNRWA. The Palestinians who are … Read entire article »

Filed under: On The Ground Reports

Live from The Only Democracy?, It’s Friday Day. Part 1: Showing Up.

Live from The Only Democracy?, It’s Friday Day. Part 1: Showing Up.

by Libby Amit. When the Israeli army declared the villages of Bil’in and Ni’lin closed military zones on Fridays all day for the next six months, many seasoned Israeli activists shrugged and said “big deal.” This military order does not reflect a major change in policy on the ground, the villages are generally declared closed zones for this time period, just not preemptively for six months. This does not mean that the order is … Read entire article »

Filed under: On The Ground Reports

More Context on Sheikh Jarrah and the “New” Israeli Left

More Context on Sheikh Jarrah and the “New” Israeli Left

The reflection from Rebecca Kirzner, below, puts the large demonstration in Sheikh Jarrah last weekend in context—both politically, and by reminding us that it was just one demonstration among many.  Much of the coverage of the protest spoke of the rise of a “new Israeli left” that had “never been seen before.”  This is not quite true, and dismisses the ongoing and super-important contributions of  groups like Ta’ayush, Anarchists Against the Wall, and Rabbis for … Read entire article »

Filed under: Featured, On The Ground Reports

Fear makes us hypocrites: Israel’s new conversion law

Fear makes us hypocrites: Israel’s new conversion law

By Jesse Bacon Israel’s new proposed conversion law provides a nice insight into the state of Israeli politics, 2010. It has drawn outrage, even among my right wing friends who would not ordinarily criticize the Israeli government, or support others right to do so. “The bill proposes that the Law of Return only be applicable to Jews or their offspring, and not to non-Jews who opted to convert – even if the conversion follows Orthodox … Read entire article »

Filed under: Discrimination

Purim is Bad for Palestinians (and a positive update)

Purim is Bad for Palestinians (and a positive update)

By Ofer Neiman. Last night, three miles from my house, a settler Purim-fest which led to more violence against the Palestinian residents of Sheikh Jarrah. Here’s a short video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ImVh2Uyiu4 The border policeman surely had no reason to hold his gun like that. He is facing women, children and some youths, all unarmed in the middle of Jerusalem. Not likely to happen in the western part of our “united” capital. Today in Hebron: two Israeli peace activists arrested (unconfirmed … Read entire article »

Filed under: On The Ground Reports, Victories for Democracy

Washington Post covers East Jerusalem

Washington Post covers East Jerusalem

One of our goals here at The Only Democracy? is to pressure the U.S. mainstream media to cover the stories we follow, mostly through Israeli or Palestinian activists or news outlets. It is great to see the Sheikh Jarrah and Silwan conflicts turning up in the Washington Post! The article is the kind of historical context that U.S. news rarely delivers. The small Palestinian community in the Sheikh Jarrah area of East Jerusalem began as an … Read entire article »

Filed under: Discrimination

Ha’aretz calls protest crackdown “unacceptable,” will US Media follow suit?

Ha’aretz calls protest crackdown “unacceptable,” will US Media follow suit?

Ha’aretz’s editorial  gives a good summary of the recent Israeli crackdown on dissent, citing many examples covered on this blog. “According to data provided by the activists, since December, Israeli forces have undertaken more than 20 nighttime raids on the villages of Na’alin and Bil’in and have arrested more than 30 people. They are all suspected of taking part in protests against the separation fence, which invades these villages and very severely harms the inhabitants’ welfare. … Read entire article »

Filed under: Human Rights Activists in the Crosshairs