The Only Democracy? » Archive
What’s the point of a trial? Protest organizer detained indefinitely
From the Popular Struggle Coordination Committee: Military Judge Orders to Keep Bil’in Organizer Jailed Even After He Has Finished Serving His Sentence in Full Ed’s note: Not only is organizing popular protest apparently a crime, it is one deserving unending prison sentence. Since it is obvious Israel’s government has no intention of ending the theft of land that cause these protests in the first place, they must resort to locking up the organizer, or the messenger if … Read entire article »
Filed under: Human Rights Activists in the Crosshairs
Jews dancing at the gate
By Jesse Bacon I am proud to note that Emily Schaeffer’s blog post on the BDS movement was linked to in Bradley Burston’s recent column. I have noted Burston’s shift in one of my first blog posts; it makes me happy that we are now part of his evolving thinking and the broader opinion shift that represents. To celebrate, here’s a video clip I have been meaning to post: Jewish Israelis protesting for Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) at … Read entire article »
Filed under: Victories for Democracy
Meir Kahane (of unblessed memory) Comic Strip Hero
By Jesse Bacon Ma’an News reported last week on a comic book honoring Meir Kahane, the slain Jewish fascist leader whose politics were even too much for the Israeli Supreme Court. His party remains banned. Reading the comic strip, a few things become clear. First of all, the artistic quality is incredibly poor. If only the Middle East conflict could be solved by a comic-off, Joe Sacco’s recent Footprints in Gaza would have it shellacked. Second, … Read entire article »
Filed under: Discrimination
Budrus hero calls for Abdallah Abu Rahmah’s freedom
By Jesse Bacon I recently had the good fortune to attend a packed Monday night NYC screening sponsored by Jewish Voice for Peace and the American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee. One issue raised by the extremely well-informed director was how similar protests in other villages have had difficulty duplicating Budrus’s success. A Budrus protest participant told me that even Budrus itself could see its victory threatened as Israel completes the building of the Wall. So it is … Read entire article »
Filed under: On The Ground Reports
Historic BDS debate in Zeek
By Jesse Bacon Zeek, the artsy hipstery Jewish journal, published two long pieces on BDS (Boycott Divestment and Sanctions) for what I assume is the first time. This bold move plants the movement squarely within the more creative portion of the Jewish establishment, at least as a topic of conversation. This suggests that the effort to make any discussion, as opposed to demonization, of BDS taboo has backfired. It is the BDS-demonizers who find themselves increasingly … Read entire article »
Filed under: Victories for Democracy
New resource in the fight for Israeli Democracy
By Jesse Bacon Amidst the dispiriting news coming from both American and Israeli democracy, one of the signs of hope has been the people who have continued to resist the downward trend. Association for Civil Rights in Israel is one of those hope-inducing groups, and they recently launched a new english-language version of their website Project Democracy, along with partners like Shatil and Zochrot. Their first post is a good a motto for our work as … Read entire article »
Filed under: Victories for Democracy
The mathematics of strangulation of Gaza
By Jesse Bacon When the specifics of Israel’s siege of Gaza came to light, it appeared almost random in its insanity and cruelty. The famous example is the prohibiting of pasta while allowing rice, all the while claiming this was somehow ensuring Israel’s security. Well wonder no longer. Through the heroic efforts of Gisha, whose work we feature regularly here on The Only Democracy?, the actual policy has been released. It turns out there is a … Read entire article »
Filed under: Featured
Association for Civil Rights in Israel on democracy’s heart attack (Long)
From the Association for Civil Rights in Israel, reprinted by permission. Ed’s note: This is long, but close enough to our mission to warrant reprinting in full. Here you have the definite guide to anti-democracy bills in the Israeli Knesset, some that will be familiar to readers of this blog, some that even close followers of Israeli democracy will be unaware of. Did you know that the Israeli Parliament (Knesset) might consider banning face veils? Or … Read entire article »
Filed under: Discrimination
PHR-Israel: Delayed Exit of a Toddler from Gaza Results in Death
By Jesse Bacon Saturday, a child the same age as my daughter was killed in Gaza. She was not killed by a missile, or a suicide bomber, or any of the other dramatic ways children die in the Middle East. She was killed by an Israeli policy, that the people of Gaza are to be imprisoned as punishment for who the adults voted for. While many children have been killed by this policy, this case sounds … Read entire article »
Filed under: Discrimination
Mike Leigh joins the growing Israeli boycott festival
By Jesse Bacon You could already have a quite a film festival with the stars supporting the Ariel settlement boycott. Now one of my favorite directors Mike Leigh, has refused to come to Israel at all. On the same weekend that I heard JVP advisory board member Udi Aloni speak about artists who let themselves be used by the government versus those who don’t, Leigh gives us a good example. He had already refused to come … 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.