The Only Democracy? » Archive
Interview with Khalil Alamour, organizer of protest at demolished village UPDATED with video
By Jesse Bacon I spoke with Khalil Alamour at the protest tent at Al-Araqeeb, the village demolished by Israel this week. Protestors plan to return tomorrow and rebuild it. Here’s video from Max Blumenthal of the subsequent razing of the village for the 3rd time. Sign a petition against these demolitions. … Read entire article »
Filed under: Featured, On The Ground Reports
Alert: Thousands of police evacuating and demolishing the village of El-Araqib in the Israeli Negev
by Yeela Raanan. Tuesday, 5:30am Thousands of police are in the village of el-Araqib right now – beginning a mass evacuation, demolition, and erasure of this historical Bedouin village. if you have access to the media, please send them to this village as soon as possible! the village of el-Araqib is between Rahat and Beersheva, and in a location that the Goldberg commission deemed outside of the areas allowed for the Negev Arabs… … Read entire article »
Filed under: Featured, On The Ground Reports
Criminalization of Popular Struggle Continued; Abdallah Abu Rahmah Sentenced
From the Popular Struggle Coordination Committee. Abdallah Abu Rahmah’s first trial from 2005 had reached conclusion yesterday, with his sentencing to two months of imprisonment and a six months suspended sentence for participating and organizing demonstrations and for walking the streets of his village during a curfew designed to prevent a demonstration. A verdict in Abu Rahmah’s main case for which he is already in jail since December is expected soon. Bil’in Protest … Read entire article »
Filed under: On The Ground Reports
May you have good grief: Tisha B’ Av on the Only Democracy?
by Jesse Bacon I just got done observing Tisha B’ Av, the 9th of Av a relatively new Jewish holiday commemorating the destruction of the Temples. Having attended liberal Tisha B’ Av observances for several years, I must have noticed the part about how the messiah will be born on Tisha B’Av, or to take it out of religious person, there will be redepmtion grown from the seeds of cataclysm. Until this year, I was fortunate that TIAA-CREF, the focus of Jewish Voice for Peace’s first divestment campaign chose Tisha B’ Av to hold their annual meeting. For the first time, I got to act out hope and grief, activism and religious observance simultaneously as I helped organize a delegation of members of TIAA-CREF’s retirement fund to speak out about the effects … Read entire article »
Filed under: Featured
Guarnieri: “Israel’s ‘Street Apartheid'”
By Jesse Bacon The excellent journalist Mya Guarnieri has a piece for Al Jazeera in which she focuses on the everyday inequality of street conditions in East Jerusalem. The difference can be as simple as a street light. Al Jazeera found that stoplights that lead to Jewish settlements and neighborhoods stay green for an average of a minute and a half. In Palestinian areas, it’s 20 seconds. One light in predominantly Arab East Jerusalem is … Read entire article »
Filed under: On The Ground Reports
Palestinian activist detained for daring to appeal his arrest.
By Jesse Bacon From to the list of Anarchists Against the Wall, Approximately a week ago, Adeeb Abu-Rahme was convicted in the military court for “incitement” and more. Yesterday, July 7, the military court sentenced Adeeb for a year in prison, and a year on parole. As already in custody for a year – he was supposed to be released yesterday. The military prosecution appealed against the “lenience” of the sentence and asked to keep Adeeb … Read entire article »
Filed under: Human Rights Activists in the Crosshairs
Interview with Silwan solidarity activist Daniel Dukarevich
By Jesse Bacon I spoke with Daniel Dukarevich on his way to Silwan to stay with Palestinian families facing eviction by settlers and police violence. As it turned out there was no attacks that night, but the activists expect more after Netanyahu returns from his visit with Obama. We will follow the story, in the meantime Daniel provides an excellent background to his work and the struggle for Silwan. Daniel’s life in West Jerusalem, and the difference just 20 min. away in Silwan. More about the demonstrations in East Jerusalem: organized by people, not organizations, Palestinian-led and what’s in it for Israelis. Why we need to act now, and more about recent events in Silwan. The response to events in Silwan; relationship between settlers and police.; links to Gaza flotilla. Conclusion: solidarity with Silwan and … Read entire article »
Filed under: On The Ground Reports
Happy 4th of July Weekend from the Only Democracy?
By Jesse Bacon As a rural-raised revolutionary, I love the 4th of July. It is a great time for community gathering, it celebrates a successful uprising against the largest empire in the world, and it involves staring up into the sky with wonder. Though I used to need hearing protectors as a fraidy-cat kid, and as an adolescent had to endure my aunt labelling the squiggly fireworks “Sperm!” I have remained a critically patriotic fan of … Read entire article »
Filed under: Featured
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
“Play the game, change reality.”
By Jesse Bacon Anyone who is grew up shooting virtual Nazis as I did knows that video games can be addictive. They can also be a nice respite from a fairly dull existence. They can even be achingly, vacantly beautiful. But when I became an activist, I wondered where were the games that would teach us about social justice? I didn’t really have time to look anymore, what with the activism and all, but all I … Read entire article »
Filed under: On The Ground Reports
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.