The Only Democracy? » Archive
New Israel Fund issues the guidelines: grantees must support Jewish self-determination
By Jesse Bacon We reported on Richard Silverstein’s initial fears of New Israel Fund’s new guidelines, that they would bar funding to those who opposed Israel as a Jewish state. Then it looked like compromise language was in the works. Finally, the guidelines are out, and they call instead for grantees to support Jewish self-determination within the state of Israel. The JTA reports, Groups that work to “deny the right of the Jewish people to sovereign self-determination … Read entire article »
Filed under: On The Ground Reports
Israel at Abdallah Abu Rahma’s trial: .22 bullets are ok for crowd control
From the Popular Struggle Coordination Committee. September 16th, 2010. Military Prosecution Demands More Than Two Years Imprisonment for Bil’in’s Abdallah Abu Rahmah Military prosecutor said harsh sentence should serve as a deterrent to other protesters. Despite military orders to the contrary, army officer said 0.22″ caliber bullets are considered crowd control measures. Abdallah Abu Rhamah at court yesterday. Picture credit: Oren Ziv/Active Stills* The sentencing phase in the trial of Abdallah Abu Rahmah, … Read entire article »
Filed under: Human Rights Activists in the Crosshairs
Video: Gaza, Bethlehem, and rememberance (Yizkor) for Bassem
A friend of The Only Democracy? wanted to share the following videos. Here is a recent one made by someone who spent years trying to visit Gaza. and here is an older piece, made by residents of Aida refugee camp and Anne who made the first film. It is about the Checkpoint from Bethlehem to what Israel illegally declared Jerusalem (in fact, it stands in the middle of Bethlehem and separates one area of the city from the other, I still have a friend living on the other side who is considered resident of Bethlehem). The video shows how the few Palestinian workers who are allowed by Israel to cross to the “Jerusalem” side for work get in line every work day at 3h or 4h … Read entire article »
Filed under: On The Ground Reports
Israel tries to lock up Abu Rahmah for two years for disturbing the “peace”
The trial of Bil’in protest organizer, Abdallah Abu Rahmah will renew this Wednesday, after his conviction of incitement and organizing illegal demonstrations was harshly criticized by the EU, the Spanish Parliament and human rights organizations. Abdallah Abu Rahmah’s trial will resume on Wednesday, as it will enter the sentencing phase, in which the prosecution will argue its case for a harsh sentencing, and is expected to ask for a sentence … Read entire article »
Filed under: On The Ground Reports
Israel demolishes entire village for fifth time, immediately after holiday; UPDATED with video
From the Negev Coexistence Forum for Civil Equality, all photos by Oren Ziv of activestills.org The Bedouin unrecognized village of Al Arakib was demolished this morning for the 5th time,immediately after Eid Al-Fitr (one of the most important Muslim holidays marking the end of Ramadan). The village is located 7 kilometers north of the city of Be’er Sheva, in the Israeli Negev Desert. Dozens of policemen came to the village before dawn to secure the bulldozers … Read entire article »
Filed under: On The Ground Reports
Jewish Voice for Peace’s Rabbinical Council and a sweet and redemptive new year
By Jesse Bacon We have been posting less frequently in the past week at The Only Democracy? because of the Rosh Hashana holiday, enough so that we missed one of the proud moments of this season. Our mother organization Jewish Voice for Peace has announced its first ever Rabbinical Council. While not an on-the-ground development in Israel/Palestine, I believe it will be inspiring to many readers of TOD? and has the potential to combat inequality and … Read entire article »
Filed under: Victories for Democracy
Israeli right wing admits to dispossessing Palestinians, says Nakba was worse
By Jesse Bacon Reading the press coverage of Jewish Voice for Peace’s fabulous campaign in support of the Israeli theater artists boycotting settlements, I was struck by an item in Arutz Sheva, the settler’s news service, which ends with this paragraph.. The liberation of Israeli territory in the War of Independence in 1948 was accompanied by a massive exodus of Arabs, and dozens of Jewish communities were then built atop the ruins of Arab villages whose inhabitants had fled, as opposed to the Six-Day War in 1967, when the return of Judea and Samaria [Occupation of the West Bank and Gaza] to Israel was less violent and was not accompanied by an Arab exodus. Paradoxically, leftists in Israel consider communities built on the ruins of Arab … Read entire article »
Filed under: Victories for Democracy
Songs by Ikhlas-Yasmin Jebara from Salem: Part II
This continues the previous post, showing for the first time songs by our friend Ikhlas. The picture above was taken a few weeks ago, when Ikhlas visited the Mediterranean Sea for the second time in her life. The sea is only 47km from her home (measured via Google Maps), but the Occupation regime – especially its prisonlike nature during the past decade – prevents most West Bank Palestinians from visiting it. Both of Ikhlas’ beach visits … Read entire article »
Filed under: On The Ground Reports
Audrey Farber, intern, from Mada Al-Carmel on New Israel Fund and Democracy
By Audrey Farber Speculation has run wild on the as-yet-unreleased updated New Israel Fund funding guidelines. Here’s Richard Silverstein, “My source tells me the proposed guidelines will include a provision acknowledging Israel as a Jewish homeland. But the language will also affirm that Israel is: ‘…A democracy dedicated to the full equality of all its citizens and communities.’” Silverstein argues that “full equality” juxtaposed with the “provision acknowledging… a Jewish homeland” sustains a system of inequality. His explanation: “If…you’ve … Read entire article »
Filed under: Human Rights Activists in the Crosshairs
Real Dialogue happening in the Israeli Knesset?
By Jesse Bacon Or at least in Foreign Policy magazine. Dimi Reider has a great article about far-right and far-left members of the Israeli parliament, the Knesset. See if you can guess which person quoted is Likud speaker Reven Rivlin and which is Palestinian Israeli Member Ahmed Tibi. mending the gaps within Israel should happen in the context of moving toward a one-state solution across the Green Line. ‘Barak, Livni, Peres and recently Netanyahu are not even … 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.