Finally, What Does Mondoweiss Mean To You?

The writers at Mondoweiss have given themselves the assignment of doing what the mainstream press refuses to do: provide reliable information and analysis about the Middle East. Nobody told them to do it. In fact, a lot of people told them not to do it. Yet they do it every single day. Mondoweiss is a lifeline and I am so grateful.

—Naomi Klein, author of The Shock Doctrine and This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. the Climate

Midnight tonight marks the end of another year of turmoil, violence, endurance and resistance in Israel/Palestine—a year in which more people than ever awoke to the systematic oppression of Palestinians. We at Mondoweiss strove to provide meaningful coverage of a broad range of events, from the invasion of Gaza to McCarthyism in US universities to politicians’ pronouncements. And more people than ever came to the site for news and analysis.

Midnight also marks the end of our current fundraising campaign, “What Mondoweiss Means To Me.” It was a big decision to devote as much space and outreach as we have this month to commentary on the site and its value. We would much prefer to focus all our energy on delivering information and debate.

With attention to Mondoweiss content more than three times what it was in 2013, however, we simply couldn’t afford to keep our heads down and hope people support the work without being asked. We believe reporting on Israel/Palestine, transmitting a broad range of voices, facts and images to document history as it unfolds is an essential service for the cause of freedom and justice. As one of the site’s friends told us recently, Mondoweiss means people “cannot say they did not know.”

Mondoweiss has become indispensable reading for those seeking critical perspectives on issues related to Israel and how they are debated in the United States. Through its work, Mondoweiss adds to a growing diversity of voices who are responding to the complete failure of conventional analysis and diplomacy, by placing equal rights and universal values firmly at the center of the agenda.

—Ali Abunimah, Founder of the Electronic Intifada and author of The Battle for Justice in Palestine

As you consider what you can give to help Mondoweiss enter 2015 stronger than ever, we leave you with reminders of important coverage this year:

Analysis and photos by Allison Deger, our correspondent on the ground, August 10, 2014: “One of the ironies that Gaza has brought to the surface is that while inside Gaza the resistance against Israel is popularly backed, Hamas as a government is not. The opposite is true in the West Bank, where Hamas the political party has gained traction. Their music blares from car radios across Ramallah, and it’s not uncommon to hear Christian or secular Palestinians speak favorably of a possible future Hamas-run government.”

Testimony recorded by Dan Cohen from Nalan al-Sarraj after she fled Rafah August 1:

“From the radio, we were very positive that the Israeli forces were in Rafah…. The airstrikes got even worse. They were even closer. There was no electricity or water. There were children and women…. Then when the airstrikes got worse and it became dark, that’s when I really can’t remember because the horror that we saw was unbelievable. We started holding each other. We started praying and just calling. It felt like our last minutes. That feeling — the number of people that were running on foot.…We were out of hope, just totally out of hope….We didn’t expect anything from the Israelis, of course. We were completely out of connection. We thought the media had forgot about us — nobody cared and nobody knew if we were still alive.”

Mondoweiss has become an invaluable source of information on Palestine.  Mondoweiss has stepped in when corporate media refuse or fail to cover stories of Israel’s denial of Palestinian freedom highlighting stories about life under occupation, apartheid and the exposing institutional racism in Israel.

—Diana Buttu, Ramallah-based analyst, former advisor to Palestine Liberation Organization Chairman and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and Palestinian negotiators

You are reading our last request for funds this year. We are honored that “What Mondoweiss Means To Me” brought us tributes from  Steven Salaita, Rebecca Vilkomerson, Omar Barghouti, Cindy Corrie, John Mearsheimer, and Hatim Kanaaneh. We shared with you as well the perspective from inside the site, with remarks from publisher Scott Roth and co-editor Phil Weiss, and a selection of comments from our readers. And we’ve included a few more tributes from friends of the site in this last email as well.

While major progressive media outlets have shied away from factual reporting on Israel/Palestine, Mondoweiss has provided a regular home for unflinching journalism on the topic by a diverse community of writers. The work that went into my book, Goliath: Life and Loathing in Greater Israel would not have been possible without Mondoweiss.

—Max Blumenthal, author of Goliath: Life and Loathing in Greater Israel 

If you value Mondoweiss’s mission of sharing truth and bearing witness please, contribute today so that we can continue delivering what matters to you and to justice for Palestine.

We are privileged to be in community with you, and we thank you for every kind of support you provide. We could not do this work without you.

Thank you and have a wonderful new year,

Adam Horowitz                    Scott Roth                      Philip Weiss

Mondoweiss is a breath of fresh air in the often-stale debates about the Middle East. It is independent, passionate, and quirky, and committed to the broader cause of peace and justice. At a time when entrenched institutions and established orthodoxies are visibly failing, it is an invaluable source of new perspectives.

—Stephen M. Walt, Robert and Renee Belfer Professor of International Affairs, Harvard University