Category Archives: Israeli Government

A Catholic heritage community is next on the occupation’s chopping block

Posted on April 27, 2013 by Allison Deger

On Wednesday an Israeli court ordered an expansion of the separation barrier into the Cremisan Valley. The wall will now envelop a Catholic monastery and school on three sides, and confiscate precious wine-producing lands. Will this landgrab awaken the world to the plunders of Greater Jerusalem?

Posted in Israel/Palestine, Israeli Government, Occupation, Settlers/Colonists | 30 Comments

Exile and the prophetic: Farewell to Salam Fayyad and American innocence

Posted on April 25, 2013 by Marc H. Ellis

Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad is gone–and with him goes the Palestinian Arab Spring, according to New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman. The author is innocent about American politics and its relation to the politics he sees rampant in the Arab world. Friedman ignores the repression and corruption everywhere–even among the leaders of our American empire.

Posted in Israel/Palestine, Israeli Government, Media, US Politics | 9 Comments

State Dept human rights report on Israel: ‘most significant human rights problems during the year were terrorist attacks against civilians; institutional and societal discrimination against Arab citizens’

Posted on April 23, 2013 by Adam Horowitz

Last Friday the U.S. State Department released its Country Reports for Human Rights Practices, including one for Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories.

Posted in Israel/Palestine, Israeli Government, Occupation, Settlers/Colonists, US Policy in the Middle East, US Politics | 15 Comments

Updated: Refusing exile: Palestinian prisoner Samer Al-Issawi ending hunger strike in ‘victory’ deal

Posted on April 23, 2013 by Annie Robbins

After refusing food for more than 265 days legendary Palestinian Hunger Striker Samer Al-Issawi has struck a deal with Israeli military prosecutors described by his lawyer, Jawad Bulous, as “a big victory for Samer.”

Posted in Activism, Israel/Palestine, Israeli Government, Occupation | 8 Comments

Palestine and the Left

Posted on April 22, 2013 by Jacobin Magazine

Read the introduction to Jacobin magazine’s special section on Palestine and the Left.

Posted in Activism, BDS, Israel Lobby, Israel/Palestine, Israeli Government, Middle East, Occupation, One state/Two states, US Policy in the Middle East, US Politics | 17 Comments

Johannesburg demo against Israeli Independence Day ends in violence

Posted on April 19, 2013 by Annie Robbins

BDS South Africa says that several demonstrators against Israeli birthday celebration in Johannesburg were attacked by supporters of Israel, and one suffered a concussion

Posted in Activism, BDS, Israel/Palestine, Israeli Government, Nakba, Occupation | 20 Comments

Nour Joudah returns to U.S., but continues to fight Israel’s arbitrary denial of entry

Posted on April 19, 2013 by Alex Kane

The Quaker-affiliated Friends School in Ramallah is like an oasis, complete with a spacious courtyard and a tennis court. It’s easy to forget about the Israeli occupation while visiting there. But the case of Nour Joudah, a Palestinian-American English teacher at the school who was denied entry to the West Bank this year, shatters the feeling that the Friends School is worlds away from a conflict situation. Even if Israel is not patrolling the streets of Ramallah, the state’s actions still have a profound impact on the city and its residents, as Joudah being denied entry shows. Above, Joudah poses with students from her class.

Posted in Israel Lobby, Israel/Palestine, Israeli Government, US Politics | 7 Comments

UNICEF stifles its own report on Palestinian children in Israeli detention

Posted on April 17, 2013 by Annie Robbins

The Australian reports on a bizarre press conference that took place in Jerusalem about the findings of UNICEF’s report. The press conference was greeted enthusiastically by journalists but the manner in which it was conducted indicates a fix was on to stifle the truth of the report.

Posted in Israel/Palestine, Israeli Government, Occupation | 11 Comments

Exile and the Prophetic: Judith Butler’s Israel

Posted on April 17, 2013 by Marc H. Ellis

Contemporary formations of Zionism cannot accomplish this task. Butler believes a Jew “cannot be a Zionist and struggle for a just end to colonial subjugation.” From here she is off and running. The question is to where?

Posted in American Jewish Community, Israel/Palestine, Israeli Government, Occupation | 8 Comments

Al Haq: Palestinian prisoners subjected to war crime of deportation

Posted on April 17, 2013 by Adam Horowitz

Al Haq: As Palestinians mark an emotional Prisoner’s Day, the Israeli authorities are currently coercing Samer al-‘Issawi to accept a deal that would see him deported to a United Nations (UN) Member State in exchange for ending his hunger strike. Samer has repeatedly refused to accept any such deal, which constitutes a grave breach of the Fourth Geneva Convention and therefore qualifies as one of the most serious war crimes. As an organisation dedicated to the promotion and protection of Palestinian human rights, Al-Haq would like to take the opportunity of Palestinian Prisoners’ Day to condemn, in the strongest terms, Israel’s repeated use of deportation rather than addressing the legitimate concerns of Palestinian prisoners.

Posted in Activism, Israel/Palestine, Israeli Government, Occupation | 12 Comments

On Independence Day, Israeli Housing Minister announces construction to begin in E1

Posted on April 17, 2013 by Kate

Minister: Israel will build in ‘E1′ TEL AVIV, Israel (Ma‘an) 16 Apr — Israel will allow construction companies to start work in “E1,” an illegal settlement project on the outskirts of Jerusalem, Israel’s Housing Minister Uri Ariel said Tuesday. “We … Continue reading →

Posted in Israel/Palestine, Israeli Government, Today in Palestine | 7 Comments

10 takeaways from the Boston University Right of Return conference

Posted on April 15, 2013 by Elisha Baskin

Insights, takeaways and powerful points made by the speakers and presenters at the Right of Return conference held April 6 & 7 2013 at Boston University Law School.

Posted in Activism, Israel/Palestine, Israeli Government, Nakba, Occupation | 31 Comments

Not an empty sand dune: A Palestinian mansion in downtown Tel Aviv

Posted on April 15, 2013 by Allison Deger

The Tel Aviv neighborhoods of Shapira and Neve Sha’anan are the parts of town where cracks in the concrete do not get fixed and they’re never featured in guidebooks for the White City. Crumbling between the 1960s era homes and recently fabricated tin structures is a ghost of Israel’s past: a Palestinian mansion only a five-minute walk from the center of the city’s transport system. Dubbed the “Red House,” this structure serves as a reminder that Israel’s first city was not built from empty sand dunes.

Posted in Israel/Palestine, Israeli Government, Nakba, On the ground reports | Tagged | 18 Comments

Israeli military refuses to investigate deadly Gaza strike that killed 12 civilians

Posted on April 14, 2013 by Alex Kane

The Israeli attack on the al-Dalou family home killed 12 people, and instantly became a grim symbol of Israel’s Operation Pillar of Defense. But the Israeli military will not open a criminal investigation, according to a report in Haaretz. The decision to not open an investigation comes despite the fact that Israel repeatedly changed its story on who they were targeting in the strike.

Posted in Gaza, Israel/Palestine, Israeli Government, Occupation | Tagged | 15 Comments

‘It is time to guard our house!’: Nazareth Illit mayor promises to prevent a Palestinian school in order to ‘stop the demographic deterioration’ of the city

Posted on April 12, 2013 by Adam Horowitz

A statement published by Nazareth Illit mayor Shimon Gapso.

Posted in Israel/Palestine, Israeli Government | 18 Comments

Palestinian cartoonist Mohammad Saba’aneh sentenced to 5 months in prison

Posted on April 12, 2013 by Annie Robbins

Mohammad Saba’aneh, the acclaimed Palestinian Cartoonist who was detained February 16th at the Allenby Bridge checkpoint, was sentenced by the Israeli Salem Military Court on April 4th to 5 months in an Israeli prison for “contact with a hostile organization”.

Posted in Activism, Israel/Palestine, Israeli Government, Occupation | Tagged | 25 Comments

Former Palestinian hunger striker Thaer Halahleh re-arrested by Israeli military forces

Posted on April 10, 2013 by Annie Robbins

This morning, Israeli forces abducted 33 year old former Palestinian Hunger Striker Thaer Halahleh for the 8th time. He is being held without charge. Thus far Halahleh has never been charged with a crime, he is being imprisoned by Israel … Continue reading →

Posted in Israel/Palestine, Israeli Government, Occupation | 3 Comments

Samer Issawi’s ‘hunger speech’ to Israelis

Posted on April 9, 2013 by Samer Issawi

The following was posted on the Youth Against Settlements website: Hunger Speech by Samer Issawi Israelis: I am Samer Issawi on hunger strike for eight consecutive months, laying in one of your hospitals called Kaplan. On my body is a … Continue reading →

Posted in Activism, Israel/Palestine, Israeli Government, Occupation | 13 Comments

Kerry suggests that Palestinians change Arab Peace Initiative to suit Israelis

Posted on April 8, 2013 by Ira Glunts

Various news sources report that the Obama administration has notified the Palestinian Authority that the new U.S. approach to peace negotiations will be based on the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative, but with some notable changes. In a move to assuage Israel, the U.S. is looking to move away from the 1967 lines as a starting point for negotiations and wants to include “stronger security guarantees” which is usually a euphemism for less Palestinian sovereignty

Posted in Israel/Palestine, Israeli Government, Occupation, US Policy in the Middle East, US Politics | Tagged | 49 Comments

Products from the colonies: Labeling or prohibition?

Posted on April 5, 2013 by Christophe Perrin

The Netherlands are about to ask Dutch commercial distributors to implement labelling measures for the identification of products from Israeli colonies. England and Denmark have already taken similar measures. These measures to label products from the colonies have stirred up a debate. For some, they are a step in the right direction. They tend to show that European institutions and governments, considering the Israeli colonies to be illegal and an obstacle to peace, have finally taken the decision to act by implementing the law, others see simply labelling products a diversion, the consequences of which would be disastrous for the Palestinians. In order to form an opinion, it is certainly necessary to listen to the primary interested party: the Palestinians. It is they who are confronted with the colonial businesses, the production and marketing of whose products represents major harm.

Posted in Activism, BDS, Israel/Palestine, Israeli Government, Occupation | 17 Comments

Just another Shin Bet interrogation

Posted on April 4, 2013 by Awad Abdel Fattah

Balad’s Secretary General Awad Abdel Fattah recounts a heated exchange he had with a Shin Bet agent as he attempted to return to Israel/Palestine from Amman, Jordan.

Posted in Israel/Palestine, Israeli Government, On the ground reports | 24 Comments

Israeli military kills two Palestinian teenagers near Tulkarm in the West Bank

Posted on April 4, 2013 by Annie Robbins

Late last night the Israeli military killed two more Palestinian teenagers, Amer Nassar 17, and Naji Balbisi 18. Today, they were buried in their home town of Anabta, near Tulkarm in the West Bank.

Posted in Israel/Palestine, Israeli Government, Occupation | 20 Comments

Palestinian prisoner’s death sparks West Bank demonstrations, but protests likely to end without leadership

Posted on April 4, 2013 by Allison Deger and Alex Kane

The death of Maysara Abu Hamdiyeh, a prisoner who succumbed to cancer, has sparked demonstrations and clashes in occupied Palestine. Palestinians launched a two-day general strike, closing shops in East Jerusalem with light clashes breaking out by the Qalandia checkpoint. But while Hamdiyeh’s death has sparked new unrest within Israeli jails and on the streets, it remains unlikely the protests will grow into anything larger. Above, shops closed in East Jerusalem as part of a general strike in response to Hamdiyeh’s death.

Posted in Activism, Israel/Palestine, Israeli Government, Occupation, On the ground reports | Tagged | 5 Comments

Reports of Turkish-Israeli rapprochement may be premature

Posted on April 3, 2013 by Richard Lightbown

Suggestions of a rapprochement between Turkey and Israel following Benjamin Netanyahu’s apology “for any error that may have led to loss of life” during Israel’s raid on the Gaza Freedom Flotilla now appear to have been somewhat premature. Although Foreign Minister, Ahmet Davutoglu said on 25 March that Turkey’s main demands had been met,more recent reports tell of growing Turkish dissatisfaction with the deal.

Posted in Israel/Palestine, Israeli Government, Middle East, Turkey, US Policy in the Middle East, US Politics | 13 Comments

‘Do you know any Arabs in London?’ Israeli airport authorities grill British photojournalist before kicking him out

Posted on March 31, 2013 by Mark Kerrison
ben-gurion-airport

Mark Kerrison was detained at Ben Gurion airport and then deported earlier this month for reasons that were never explained, though border officials seemed very concerned that he might talk to Palestinians. Here he relates his ordeal, including one comfort he had in jail: “My eyes were most drawn, though, to some words in small, inconspicuous lettering immediately above my head: ‘I don’t pretend to know night-time from day, but if I were your God I’d have something to say.’”

Posted in Activism, Israel/Palestine, Israeli Government, Nakba, Occupation, On the ground reports | Tagged | 280 Comments