The Only Democracy? » Archive
Villages Group Finds A Local Hero in Umm Daraj
With all the bad news about the fierce apparatus of “Separation” in the West Bank, it is inspiring to learn about the work of the Villages Group –a small group of Israelis who have regularly traveled to cut-off villages in the West Bank since 2002. With their Palestinian partners, they seek to renew direct interaction between the two peoples, with frequent, open, and mutually respectful contact. Recently the group visited the Beduin village of Umm Daraj in the Judean desert, where … Read entire article »
Filed under: On The Ground Reports
Bridget Chappell: “Iron Fist Against Nonviolent Resisters”
Bridget Chappell, whose own arrest was reported in our earlier post, has another account of Israel’s crackdown on nonviolent resisters. Wael al-Faqeeh has been held without charge by the Israeli military since his arrest on 9 December 2009. The 28 January hearing that lasted approximately three minutes here in Salem court resulted in the extension of his detention by a further ten days. It was presided over by three military officers who constitute the panel of … Read entire article »
Filed under: Human Rights Activists in the Crosshairs
Hamas detains British journalist
One of the stories that inspired this blog was the detention of Jared Maslin, a Jewish-American journalist for Ma’an News Agency, covered here on our sisterblog Muzzlewatch. Well, unfortunately Hamas seems to be learning from its adversary with its own detention of freelance filmmaker and journalist Paul Martin. Hamas Interior Ministry spokesman Ehab Ghussein said in a statement that Martin is suspected of breaking Palestinian law, but did not elaborate. He said Martin … Read entire article »
Filed under: Human Rights Activists in the Crosshairs
Israeli Think Tank Says Global Anti-Occupation Movement Is The Problem; Sabotage Is The Cure
Reut Institute, a leading Israeli national security and socioeconomic policy think tank, has released its preliminary report on “The Delegitimization Challenge: Creating a Political Firewall” In an extraordinary exercise in doublethink, Reut scratches its head over Israel’s declining diplomatic status in the aftermath of its assault on Gaza and the Goldstone Report, and concludes that, yet again, it is the victim. The culprits here are twofold: The Resistance Network – which operates on the basis of Islamist ideology and includes Iran, Hezbollah and Hamas; and the Delegitimization Network – which operates in the international arena in order to negate Israel’s right to exist and includes individuals and organizations in the West, which are catalyzed by the radical left. The Report’s analysis is drenched in the language of victimization: the Resistance Network is “rooted in, … Read entire article »
Filed under: Human Rights Activists in the Crosshairs
Gaza girl paralyzed in strike can’t stay in Israel
YNet has this sad story: Will eight-year-old Maria Amen, who lost five of her family members when an Israeli missile hit her home in the Gaza Strip in May 2006 get a house of her own three-and-a-half years later? The eight-year-old lost her mother, two of her brothers, her aunt and her grandmother in the strike, and was also hit herself. She was left almost completely paralyzed to this day, and currently resides at a rehabilitation hospital … Read entire article »
Filed under: Discrimination, Featured
Proposed Legislation Targets Israeli Human Rights NGOs
Jeremiah Haber of the Magnes Zionist reports on proposed legislation endorsed by the Israeli government that would place onerous reporting burdens on human rights non-governmental organizations within Israel, and strip them of their status as public institutions. If passed, Haber warns, “it will be a black day for what is left of Israeli democracy.” Indeed, if anything it makes “the only democracy” in the Middle East fit in with other governments in the region: civil society NGOS are subjected to similar reporting requirements in Iran, and are harassed in Egypt. Why Bomb Iran When You Can Be Iran? That seems to be the thinking behind the Israeli government’s endorsement of legislation that will require human rights NGOs in Israel (e.g., B’Tselem, Machsomwatch, Breaking the Silence, Adalah, etc.) to publicize contributions from foreign governments, … Read entire article »
Filed under: Human Rights Activists in the Crosshairs
Action Friday: Celebrate Five Years of Anti-Wall protest in Bil’in.
Last week, 2.5 years after an Israeli Supreme Court decision deeming the path of the Wall on the lands of Bil’in illegal, preliminary infrastructure work to reroute the barrier in accordance with the ruling has finally began. Since the ruling, the state has twice been found in contempt of the court, for not implementing the decision. This Friday, the people of Bil’in, joined by Israeli and international supporters, will mark the five year anniversary to demonstrations … Read entire article »
Filed under: On The Ground Reports
JVP Action Alert: Support Mohammed Bakri
Support Actor/Filmmaker Mohammed Bakri Mohammad Bakri, a Palestinian citizen of Israel and one of the country’s most prominent actors and directors, has been fighting for his democratic right to free expression since 2002 when he made the world-famous film Jenin Jenin. Shortly after the Israeli military attacked a refugee camp in Jenin, banning reporters and human rights observers “for safety” reasons, Bakri snuck in and interviewed the survivors and asked them to tell their stories from … Read entire article »
Filed under: Human Rights Activists in the Crosshairs
Time Magazine Weighs Risks of Israel’s Comfort with Status Quo
Time Magazine provides an in-depth analysis by Tony Karon of the dangers inherent in Israel’s failure to move forward on a two-state solution, the apartheid nature of the current status quo, the growing influence of Israel’s settlement movement, and the need for a change in strategy by Obama and his international allies. Another sign of mainstream media’s shift toward more honest discourse on these issues! For Palestinians, the status quo is desperate: living under siege in Gaza or walled up in the West Bank as more and more of their land is gobbled up by Jewish Settlements. For Israelis, the status quo is comfortable indeed: a booming economy, a vibrant westernized culture, and the Palestinian people out of sight and out of mind. So why should Israelis care about changing the status quo? The Time article … Read entire article »
Filed under: Discrimination
Ajami update: Protests Begin
The prospect of a Jewish-Only building in the heart of an Arab neighborhood in Jaffa made famous by Israel’s Best Foreign Film nominee has, as promised, sparked protests, at first with graffiti (you can see a picture at Ynet’s article.) “Local Arab residents were apparently behind the spray-painting of graffiti slogans [in Hebrew] such as “Jaffa is not Hebron,” “Jaffa for Jaffa residents,” “settlers be gone,” and “enough with settlers.” And there is more to come. Neighborhood … Read entire article »
Filed under: Discrimination, Featured
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.