The Only Democracy? » Archive
Washington Post covers East Jerusalem
One of our goals here at The Only Democracy? is to pressure the U.S. mainstream media to cover the stories we follow, mostly through Israeli or Palestinian activists or news outlets. It is great to see the Sheikh Jarrah and Silwan conflicts turning up in the Washington Post! The article is the kind of historical context that U.S. news rarely delivers. The small Palestinian community in the Sheikh Jarrah area of East Jerusalem began as an … Read entire article »
Filed under: Discrimination
Amira Hass: “Giving In To Settlers” in Beit Sahour
Amira Hass traces the nibbling away of much of the land of the West Bank town of Beit Sahour for Jerusalem municipality and settlement expansion; the abandonment of an Israeli military base in 2007 opening the door for construction of a playground and hospital for Beit Sahour residents; and recent military orders declaring the area once again a closed military zone, and allowing construction of a guard tower there. Both the settlers and Beit Sahour … Read entire article »
Filed under: Discrimination
Military Recruiter in Ha’aretz: “Draft Dodgers Bring Crime.”
Nice to know that both military recruiters and motivational speakers are horrifying the world over. This article shows the techniques Yom Kippur War hero General Avigdor Kahalani uses to deepen young people’s knowledge of the region’s military history and to motivate them.” First up, sexism! You know those girls who go around saying they’re religious like that singer with her boobs hanging out? If you pretend you’re religious, I’ll take one of you and deal with her … Read entire article »
Filed under: Discrimination
Court Orders Sealing of Settler House, Jerusalem Mayor Promises Home Demolitions
Israel’s State Prosecutor Moshe Lador ordered the sealing off of an illegal house built by Jewish settlers in an Arab neighborhood of East Jerusalem. “In a letter sent to Barkat Sunday, Moshe Lador praised Barkat for saying that he would implement the long-standing court order to evacuate and seal off Beit Yonatan, a seven-story building in Silwan built without a permit five years ago by the right-wing group Ateret Cohanim.” Great news! Although I have trouble imagining … Read entire article »
Filed under: Discrimination, Victories for Democracy
“Jews Only” housing project in Ajami
The neighborhood made famous in Israel’s nominee for Best Foreign Film Oscar is now home to a “Jews Only” housing project. The Tel Aviv District Court rejected a petition this week against a decision to lease land in Jaffa’s Ajami neighborhood for the exclusive use of members of the religious Zionist community. “The petition, filed by Jaffa residents and human rights groups, challenged a decision by the Israel Lands Administration and the Tel Aviv municipality to lease … Read entire article »
Filed under: Discrimination
Teargassing the Na’vi in Bi’lin
In the weekly demonstrations by Bi’lin residents against the Israeli barrier that separates them from their agricultural land, both sides are armed: Israeli soldiers with an arsenal of ammunition and tear gas cannisters, and the demonstrators with relentlessly creative expressions of nonviolent resistance. This Friday, the demonstrators marched to the barrier dressed up as the indigenous blue-skinned Na’vi tribe, the heroes of the blockbuster movie Avatar (More videos of the protest are available on Friends … Read entire article »
Filed under: Featured, Human Rights Activists in the Crosshairs
Harvard law student deported and barred from Israel for life
Hebah Ismail, an hijab-wearing Harvard 3rd year law student, was detained and then barred from Israel for life on a routine research trip to the country apparently because she refused to give access to her personal emails. Harvard Law Record reports: A warm smile and easy laugh reveal Hebah Ismail’s unthreatening, gentle personality. An American citizen, this 3L of Egyptian descent works with the International Human Rights Clinic on projects related to Bedouin land rights. Hebah … Read entire article »
Filed under: Discrimination
Ha’aretz calls protest crackdown “unacceptable,” will US Media follow suit?
Ha’aretz’s editorial gives a good summary of the recent Israeli crackdown on dissent, citing many examples covered on this blog. “According to data provided by the activists, since December, Israeli forces have undertaken more than 20 nighttime raids on the villages of Na’alin and Bil’in and have arrested more than 30 people. They are all suspected of taking part in protests against the separation fence, which invades these villages and very severely harms the inhabitants’ welfare. … Read entire article »
Filed under: Human Rights Activists in the Crosshairs
Survey: Israel Increasingly Rejects Democracy
A survey conducted by the Israel Democracy Institute reveals that over half the Jewish population of Israel is opposed to full equal rights for Arab citizens and that Israel increasingly rejects democracy as the preferred form of government. The general conclusion of the survey, which is dubbed the “Israeli Democracy Survey” and will be conducted every year, is that Israel is basically a democracy in form more than in substance, and that it has yet to … Read entire article »
Filed under: Featured
Israel Begins Rerouting Bi’lin Barrier: “A Small Victory”
Israel began work today to a section of its so-called “security barrier” in the West Bank village of Bil’in — two and a half years after the Israeli Supreme Court ordered the state to return land to Palestinian farmers. The Jerusalem Post has the video and article. “Bulldozers were on site Thursday and tracks for the new route were being laid down. Some Palestinians welcomed the development but stressed it fell far short of their demand … 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.