The Only Democracy? » Archive
Declaration of Human Rights Too “Problematic” for Israeli Schoolchildren
In a related post, below, we learned about the militarization of education for Israeli children, including homework sheets filled with sketches of tanks and other weaponry as a method of learning to count and be indoctrinated at the same time. Now we learn that the same Israeli Department of Education which promoted the militarization of schools has taken quick action to keep certain rights enumerated in the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights from troubling the minds of settler children. The Ariel municipality had bought as gifts for kindergarten children in the settlements hundreds of copies of the book, “We are all Born Free–the Human Rights Declaration in Pictures.” The book was published in a prestigious edition together with the Amnesty organization. Among the dozens of pages are 30 illustrations by leading world artists, who were asked to simplify the sections of the declaration to … Read entire article »
Filed under: Human Rights Activists in the Crosshairs
Two Youths Killed by Israeli Military, WARNING: Graphic Photos.
by the Popular Struggle Coordination Committee Israeli Army Kills Youth Demonstrators in Iraq Burin Village Near Nablus. Mohammed Ibrahim Qaddous, 16, was shot dead with live ammunition when a Border Police force raided his village of Iraq Burin near Nablus to quash a demonstration this afternoon. Ussayed Qaddous, 19, who struck in the head with live ammunition and critically injured passed away in the Rafidya hospital in Nablus … Read entire article »
Filed under: On The Ground Reports
Israeli Schoolchildren Learn to Count with Tanks
By Sergeiy Sandler In January 2010, an official UN body determined for the first time that the militarization of Israel’s government-run school system was in violation of the International Convention of the Rights of the Child and, in particular, of Israel’s implementation of the Optional Protocol to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict (OPAC), to which it is a signatory. Unprecedented … Read entire article »
Filed under: Discrimination
Sheikh Jarrah Speaker Breaks it Down Further
By Sara Benninga I am a Jerusalemite, and have been involved in the struggle to free Sheikh-Jarrah. Sheikh-Jarrah is a neighborhood in East-Jerusalem, beyond the ‘67 lines. Until recently it was a Palestinian neighborhood. Palestinian refugees from the ‘48 war, who owned property in Israel (Jaffa, Zriffin, and in several neighborhoods of West-Jerusalem such as Talbiya and Katamon) were settled there, then a mostly empty plot, by the Jordanian government and UNRWA. The Palestinians who are … Read entire article »
Filed under: On The Ground Reports
Live from The Only Democracy? Part 3: Not This Week
By Libby Amit After all the fuss, all the speculations and media coverage, local and international interest, internet buzz and adrenaline – nothing out of the ordinary happened in Bil’in or Ni’lin today. The Israeli military raised our expectation and craving for confrontation by widely publicizing the new military order declaring the two villages closed military zones on Fridays for the next six months. But when it came right down to it and … Read entire article »
Filed under: On The Ground Reports
Winter in Gaza: Overflowing Sewage But the Strawberries are Ripe
From Gisha’s Gaza Gateway, Gaza Behind the Lens With the arrival of spring, we decided to present a selection of photographs taken during the past winter in Gaza. The winter brought with it terrible storms. Restrictions on the entry of supplies made it difficult for Gaza’s infrastructure to cope. Sewage was overflowing, houses were flooded and families were forced to live without heating- all of this became a normal part of life in Gaza … Read entire article »
Filed under: On The Ground Reports, Victories for Democracy
Live from The Only Democracy? Part 2: An Opposite Impact.
By Libby Amit. It was clear to most activists and supporters of the joint Israeli-Palestinian demonstrations in the West Bank that this week’s declaration by the Israeli army that the entire villages of Bil’in and Na’alin would be closed military zones on Fridays for the coming six months was more of a statement than anything else. Israel has been attempting to quiet the popular struggle against the wall, settlements and occupation for months if not years … Read entire article »
Filed under: On The Ground Reports
Live from The Only Democracy?, It’s Friday Day. Part 1: Showing Up.
by Libby Amit. When the Israeli army declared the villages of Bil’in and Ni’lin closed military zones on Fridays all day for the next six months, many seasoned Israeli activists shrugged and said “big deal.” This military order does not reflect a major change in policy on the ground, the villages are generally declared closed zones for this time period, just not preemptively for six months. This does not mean that the order is … Read entire article »
Filed under: On The Ground Reports
Closure of West Bank Villages Decried by Israeli Advocates and By Haaretz
In previous posts, we reported that the Israel Defense Force declared the Palestinian villages of Bil’in and Na’alin closed military zones on Fridays for a period of six months . Friday is the day on which the villagers, joined by Israeli and International supporters, hold their weekly demonstration against the Wall which separates them from their agricultural land. Now Haaretz reports that Israeli advocacy groups and attorneys are harshly criticizing the IDF closures as a breach of freedom of speech. From Yesh Din: The IDF is trampling on freedom of speech in a place that has turned into a symbol of protest. From Michael Sfard, a legal adviser to Yesh Din: Whoever signed this new order has apparently lost all sense of shame and pretense of representing a regime respecting freedom of speech and the rights of … Read entire article »
Filed under: Human Rights Activists in the Crosshairs
First Day of Bil’in and Na’alin Closure–Follow It Live!
This week, the Israeli Army declared the villages of Bil’in and Na’alin closed military zones from 8am-8pm on Fridays for the next six months. It was announced that any Israeli activist in the villages during those hours would be arrested, foreigners would be deported, and Palestinians from other villages would be jailed. For over five years now, Fridays have been demonstration days, when Israeli and international activists join Palestinian protesters in their efforts to stop the … 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.