The Israeli military violently intercepted the Swedish boat named Marianne in the early hours of June 29 to prevent it from landing in Gaza, using tasers against unarmed passengers. The Marianne was originally part of a flotilla comprised of four boats with 48 passengers, including human rights activists, journalists, artists, and political figures representing 17 countries. Young people in Gaza from the “We Are Not Numbers” project share their thoughts about the flotilla and the Israeli siege.
Michael Oren sought to shore up American Jewish support for Israel, but by insulting Obama, Jewish secularism and the tikkun olam tradition, the former ambassador has angered Jeffrey Goldberg, Ron Kampeas and Leon Wieseltier and hastened the divorce between the two communities
Rela Mazali is one of the founders of the Israeli feminist organization New Profile, Movement for the Demilitarization of Israeli Society. Founded in 1988, the activist organization is committed to educating the Israeli public about the centrality of war culture within Israeli society, to advancing demilitarization, and to supporting Israeli youth who refuse their compulsory service in the Israeli army. In Mazali’s words: “We’ve become an army with a state, instead of a state with an army. We need to reduce the hold of the military, and of militarized thinking, on the moves of our country and the courses of our lives.” Rebecca L. Stein recently spoke to Mazali in Tel Aviv.
An average of two Israeli civilians per week have sustained injuries from Palestinians so far this year, and one was killed. In the same time period, an average of 39 Palestinians have been injured by Israeli forces per week, with 13 killed
Israeli authorities claim that 19-year-old Maysoon Mousa carried out a knife-wielding attack on an Israeli soldier earlier this week, but her family says Israel’s account makes no sense and that Maysoon is being held with false evidence. Emily Mulder talks with the Mousa family as they try to determine what happened and deal with the repercussions of the arrest on the entire family.
It has been more than 50 hours since Israeli navy attacked the “Marianne” in international waters, 100nm from Gaza, during one of its usual acts of State piracy, always behaving as the bullying state of eastern Mediterranean. 18 participants on board were kidnapped and brought by force and against their will to the military Ashdod port. During the operation of seizure of the “Marianne”, which IDF called “uneventful”, Israeli soldiers used violence against participants on board.
More evidence that the US is reassessing the relationship to Israel. The State Dep’t rejects an Israel-led piece of legislation in the US to punish European companies or governments that apply BDS in the occupied territories. The State Dep’t said that it does not oppose boycott of Israeli settlement activity and occupation