The Only Democracy? » Archive
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
Winter in Gaza: Overflowing Sewage But the Strawberries are Ripe
From Gisha’s Gaza Gateway, Gaza Behind the Lens With the arrival of spring, we decided to present a selection of photographs taken during the past winter in Gaza. The winter brought with it terrible storms. Restrictions on the entry of supplies made it difficult for Gaza’s infrastructure to cope. Sewage was overflowing, houses were flooded and families were forced to live without heating- all of this became a normal part of life in Gaza … Read entire article »
Filed under: On The Ground Reports, Victories for Democracy
A Rabbi Reports from Rachel Corrie’s Day in Court
By Rabbi Brian Walt, reprinted from his blog with permission. On Tuesday this week, exactly seven years ago, Rachel Corrie, an ideallistic young woman and human rights activist from Olympia, Washington, was crushed by an Israeli bulldozer as she tried to protect the home of Dr. Nasrallah, a pharmacist, and his family in Rafah, Gaza, from demolition. Yesterday, I spent the morning in a small courtroom in the District Court in … Read entire article »
Filed under: Human Rights Activists in the Crosshairs, On The Ground Reports
Surviving Israel’s Military with Solar Power: Imperfect Life in South Hebron Hills
By David Shulman. January 16, 2010 Mufagara, Bir el-‘Id, Tuba (ed’s note:report was delayed so the Israeli army wouldn’t wreck the project.) Ziad Muhammad Yusuf Muhamra, from Bir el-‘Id: sun-dried face, deep scars, lively eyes. It is hard for me to understand his Arabic, not only because it’s fast, slurred, and in South Hebron dialect. He was shot in the throat by a soldier in 1986 while he, Ziad, was sitting on the ground; … Read entire article »
Filed under: Featured, On The Ground Reports
Biden’s “Insulted,” What About Palestinians?
By Jesse Bacon The United States and Israel are having a lovers’ quarrel, between grotesquely overprivileged and dysfunctional lovers at that. The decision of Israel to announce new construction in Occupied East Jerusalem during the visit of Vice President Joe Biden was met with disbelief and rueful humor. For most of us who are critical of US policy, the gesture was mere truth in advertising about the nature of the relationship between the United States and Israel. … Read entire article »
Filed under: Discrimination
Levy: Palestinian Citizens of Israel “Misbehaving”
By Jesse Bacon In a tongue in cheek article, Gideon Levy accuses the Palestinian Citizens of Israel of such “misbehaviors” as stating they do not feel they belong in Israel (Ajami director Tony Copti) or asking if Israeli Jews who killed civilians were terrorists (Member of the Israeli Parliament Ahmed Tibi, who is one of the reasons Israel can brag about its Palestinian legislators.) He then fakes outrage over these affronts before getting down to the point, of what will be truly required to build democracy inside Israel. If the so-called demographic problem can’t be solved by driving Arabs out, we’ll try to get rid of them another way: destroy their identity, cloud their national memory and turn them into Israelis, not to mention Zionists. It won’t work. We … Read entire article »
Filed under: Discrimination
Entire Villages Declared “Closed Military Zones” for Protesting, UPDATED with Israeli Military Reaction
From the Popular Struggle Coordination Committee. Israeli Army: Bil’in and Ni’ilin a Closed Military Zone for a Six Months Period Dozens of masked soldiers raided the West Bank villages of Bil’in and Ni’lin this morning to post decrees designating the village’s lands as a closed military zone on Fridays for a period of six months. One week after the head of the Israeli Shin Bet threatened to aggravate the repression of the Palestinian popular struggle, a large military … Read entire article »
Filed under: Featured, Human Rights Activists in the Crosshairs
“Most Atrocious” Military Ad Ever!
By Jesse Bacon The global Israeli Public Relations machine has been in full swing, what with ads comparing Israel to a man with undersized genitalia or a whole series of videos to debunk the supposed myths that Israelis ride camels, only eat kebabs, or are bombing people when it’s just really one big Independence party with fireworks! Well even if that latter debunking is effective, there’s still the problem that sometimes a missile really is just a missile,. … Read entire article »
Filed under: Featured
Three Protesters and Journalist Arrested During Beit Ommar Demonstration
From the Popular Struggle Coordination Committee Beit Ummar demonstrators were attacked by dozens of tear-gas and stun grenades this morning as they approached Road 60 near their village. In response, the road was blocked by protesters for nearly an hour. Soldiers made four arrests, including that of an AP cameraman and a local leader. Dozens of residents of Beit Ummar, accompanied by Israeli and international supporters, marched from the center of the village towards Road 60 that … Read entire article »
Filed under: Human Rights Activists in the Crosshairs, On The Ground Reports
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
Interactive Video
“You have a choice! Israeli Anti-Militarists Speak”
Four Israelis—Dorothy Naor, Sergeiy Sander and Eli Fabrikant, and Ofer Golani—talking about their personal histories, political views and activism in 132 short films.