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Updated: Israeli Army ambushes Freedom Theater
Soldiers have stormed the Freedom Theatre of Jenin, whose co-founder Juliano Mer-Khamis was slain earlier this year. UPDATE: Per Jonatan Stanczak: latest is that the lawyers have been barred from visiting or speaking with Adnan or Bilal and that they have been taken to two different prisons in Israel. No additional info from the army on why. – Show quoted text – URGENT PRESS RELEASE From The Freedom Theater Foundation, Jenin, Palestine 04.46 (gmt+2), July 27, 2011 Special Forces of the Israeli Army attacked the Freedom Theater in Jenin Refugee Camp at approximately 03:30 this morning. Ahmad Nasser Matahen, a night guard and technician student at the theater work up by heavy blocks of stone hurled at the entrance of the theater. As he opened the door he found masked and heavily armed Israeli Special Forces … Read entire article »
Filed under: Human Rights Activists in the Crosshairs
For Israeli army, Palestinians having guests is a crime. Pt 2
Video of the Jully 22nd protest in the West Bank village of Nabi Saleh. Part 1 of an account of that day’s protest from our source A. is here. Her story continues… After a while, my paramedic friend and a young man from the village led me once again through back-roads and fields back to Leila’s, where people were happy I hadn’t been arrested (and Nour was back to laughing). It sounded like soldiers might reappear, though, … Read entire article »
Filed under: On The Ground Reports
For Israeli army, Palestinians having guests is a crime. Pt 1
Here is the video of the Nabi Saleh protest from Friday. We received this account from the same protest our anonymous source A., an international activist living in Palestine. She explains: This account is edited from a chat conversation describing events that took place on July 21st during and after the weekly demonstration in Nabi Saleh against the illegal settlement on the village’s land and against Israel’s Apartheid policies and unlawful occupation and colonization of Palestine as … Read entire article »
Filed under: On The Ground Reports
For Lieberman, human rights = terrorism
Well, this sums it up well. Though Israel declined to follow up the anti-Boycott bill by passing a law calling for the investigation of human rights organizations, Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman was not “blasted ministers for refusing to probe” From Ha’aretz, Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Likud ministers for their opposition to a bill calling for parliamentary investigations into left-wing organizations. Speaking during Sunday’s cabinet meeting, Lieberman said the bodies slated for … Read entire article »
Filed under: Human Rights Activists in the Crosshairs, Victories for Democracy
Israeli democracy makes form of protest illegal
There’s a ton of resources on the Israeli anti-boycott law, thanks to the groups in American and Israel who have condemned it across the political spectrum. But I will post groups we have featured on website before. First, Boycott from Within, the Israeli group most targeted by the law issued a statement in defiance. And here’s the Coalition of Women for Peace, whose video campaign targeted the law before it passed. A new law passed July 11 in … Read entire article »
Filed under: Human Rights Activists in the Crosshairs
Meanwhile in gender: Israel hosts men only economic conference
While our attention is rightly on the new anti-boycott law , this development reminds us of the other inequalities in Israeli society. While not the keystone oppression like that of Palestinians, conditions for women seem to be worsening, as they often do in both situations of conquest and religious fundamentalism. It is also worth noting that defenders of Israel often criticize gender relations in Arab societies as if it was a problem unique to them. Photo: Emil … Read entire article »
Filed under: Discrimination
Greece does U.S. and Israel’s bidding, detains flotilla; video roundup
By now you have probably heard that the U.S.Boat to Gaza, the “Audacity of Hope” made an attempt to set sail and was turned back by the Greek Coast Guard. Read Jewish Voice for Peace’s alert as it was happening here. Here is a roundup of Democracy Now! breaking coverage of the U.S. boat’s attempt. And here’s their video segment (updated with new video) on the U.S. boat. Part One:. Part Two: Here’s Ashley Bates, whose Gaza reporting has … Read entire article »
Filed under: On The Ground Reports
Following Barrier’s Rerouting, Residents of Bil’in to Start Building “Bil’in West”
From the Popular Struggle Coordination Committee VIdeo of the victory celebrations, warning contains LOTS of car honking! This Friday, as part of the weekly demonstration, residents of Bil’in will commence the construction of a new neighborhood of the village, ‘Bil’in West”, on lands returned to the village following the rerouting of Israel’s Separation Barrier. What: Construction of new neighborhood on lands returned to Bil’in Where: The mosque in Bil’in, West of Ramallah When: Friday, July 1st at 12:30 Six years after … Read entire article »
Filed under: Victories for Democracy
A bad day for Israeli democracy
Coalition of Women for Peace, whose campaign we have featured before on this site, have a new video, and sadly, a new update on the progress of the “Boycott Bill” working its way through the Israeli Knesset. H/t to ACRI for the blog title, it came from the subject line of their email alerting us to the passage of this bill and the news that journalists aboard the Gaza Flotilla would be treated as criminals, which the government backed away from. “Boycott Bill” update, June 27, 2011 A new article was introduced in the Knesset committee hearing today denying public and non-profit tax status to organizations who “call for boycott.’ Knesset committee approved bill including new article for final vote. Members of Kadima party who supported the bill withdrew their support. The bill was heavily criticized … Read entire article »
Filed under: Discrimination
Bil’in VIllagers to move the wall themselves, updated with video
Update: here’s video from the day: After the Israeli military finally began to move the wall after a Supreme Court decision and 2 more than 5 years of protest (2 since the victory) , the village of Bil’in will take matters into their own hands again tomorrow. Popular Struggle has the information on the protest here. Bil’in Demonstrators to Take Down the Wall After nearly six years of weekly protests, the army began dismantling the Wall in Bil’in this … Read entire article »
Filed under: Victories for Democracy
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.