The Only Democracy? » Archive
Demonstrators Stop the Wall, Teenager Pepper-sprayed and Arrested.
from the Popular Struggle Coordination Committee Demonstrators managed to disrupt the construction of the Wall in al-Walaje for the second time in a week . A 15 year old demonstrator was beaten, pepper-sprayed and arrested. Palestinian, Israeli and international demonstrators managed to stop the construction of the Wall in the village of al-Walaje, south of Jerusalem, for the second time this week. If completed, the path of the Wall in the area will surround the village completely, … Read entire article »
Filed under: On The Ground Reports
Strengthening Those Who Belong to the Land: Mahmud from Susya, the Organic Farmer
(crossposted from The Villages Group Blog, where more pics can be found) Mahmud from Susya got up one day from his depression, and built a very basic green house. With simple tools and techniques he succeeded to surprise us with excellent organic vegetables. The vegetables are an essential addition to the family’s poor diet, based mainly on dairy products from the herd which is their main source of making a living. And while both herding and growing grains is restricted by the settlers/army, green-housing is a brilliant solution for growing food which does not require much land. One day Mahmud discovered a vegetable disease on the leaves of his tomatoes. We could not help with the disease, but by suggested to finance for him an agricultural course. When he returned from his two … Read entire article »
Filed under: On The Ground Reports, Victories for Democracy
The Global Movement Spreads: New Wave of Protests in Hebron
By Avital Aboody On April 24, 2010 at around 15:45 a group of approximately 50 Palestinian, Israeli, and International activists gathered in Hebron next to the checkpoint gate separating Shuhada Street from the Casbah. The protest was organized by a Palestinian group in Hebron called “Youth Against Settlements” and the organizers hope to hold these protests every week with the intention of disrupting the army-accompanied settler tour that goes through the Casbah (Old City) every Saturday. … Read entire article »
Filed under: On The Ground Reports
What if Bil’in held a demo and the army didn’t show up?
By Emily Schaeffer Some of us have become so used to West Bank demonstrations meaning major Israeli army presence, and, typically, the use of weapons, that we have forgotten what demonstrations in a democracy look like. We’ve forgotten that a protest against oppressive working conditions in downtown New York City, or against oppressive abortion policies in Fredericton, Canada, or against wars in Afghanistan and Iraq in cities including London, Sydney, Paris, San Francisco and Toronto — … Read entire article »
Filed under: Featured, On The Ground Reports
…In Israel, it has been “Arizona” all along!
(by Assaf Oron, crossposted from his DailyKos diary) I am encouraged by the wave of justified indignation, and spontaneous boycott movement, against the new Arizona law. Indeed, requiring citizens and legal resident to carry proof of their status at all times, and encouraging police to profile passersby who “look suspicious”, runs counter to the soul of democracy. The bigots who put together the Arizona law should be made to pay. And hopefully it will be declared … Read entire article »
Filed under: Discrimination, Featured
Democracy Comes To Chicago
by Yotam Amit The Chicago Hearing was a success judging by the reactions from the audience and I am proud to have been one of the organizers. Afterwards, I had the rare opportunity of listening to the impressions of an acquaintance who had been previously uninvolved in Israel/Palestine issues. According to him, the event was excellently moderated by Ms. Helena Cobban, which helped make the fourth hour seem as relevant and engaging as the first. But it … Read entire article »
Filed under: Victories for Democracy
Live from the Only Democracy Goes to Bil’in
Follow Jewish Voice for Peace on twitter at jvplive tonight to get live updates from our own Emily Schaeffer from the Bil’in Conference and protests against the Wall. You can download an audio report by Free Speech Radio news from the conference here. “Conference on nonviolent resistance opens in West Bank” The IMEMC recaps the first day of the conference. Hundreds of Palestinians along with international and Israeli delegates started on Wednesday the fifth annual conference … Read entire article »
Filed under: On The Ground Reports
Villages Imprisoned, Protesters Arrested, and Trees Uprooted for Wall
From the Popular Struggle Coordination Committee Soldiers and Border Police officers imposed curfew this on the village of al-Walaja this morning as olive tree uprooting for the construction of the Wall resumed there and in the adjacent town of Beit Jala, where two demonstrators were injured and two were arrested. Israeli forces stormed the village of alWalaja this morning, imposing curfew, as bulldozers resumed leveling terrain on the village’s lands for the path of the Wall. Soldiers are patrolling the streets of the village by foot, as well as on horses and all-terrain vehicles, and preventing residents from leaving their houses or being in the streets despite the fact that curfew was not officially announced. Press-card holding cameramen who tried entering the … Read entire article »
Filed under: On The Ground Reports
Israel Transferring Goods, Fashionably Late
From Gisha’s Gaza Gateway When the closure was imposed on the Gaza Strip in June 2007, clothes and footwear importers in Gaza found themselves unable to bring goods into the Strip that they had ordered from abroad. For almost three years now, these goods have been sitting in storage containers at Israel’s port in Ashdod or in the West Bank. Each month of storage costs an importer between $300-$500 per container. Recently, … Read entire article »
Filed under: Discrimination
Israeli Activist On Trial For Supporting Bedouin
A thank you from Yeela Raanan of the RCUV (Regional Council of Unrecognized Villages.) I was taken to court yesterday for sitting in a home in an unrecognized Bedouin village, as the bulldozer was at the wall – ready to demolish the house. The police carried me out of the home and arrested me, and a couple of years later – I was put on trial for “disrupting a policeman”. We gathered – about 40 of … Read entire article »
Filed under: Human Rights Activists in the Crosshairs
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.