On June 21, Israeli soldiers killed Mahmoud Badran, 15, by “mistake” in the occupied territories and also shot taxi driver Ehad Othman in the head. Othman miraculously but upon his return home, discovered that not only had his taxi been confiscated, but his work permit and entry permit into Israel had been revoked, according to +972.
In a historic move, delegates at the Green Party of Canada’s national convention in Ottawa this past weekend adopted a policy resolution supporting the international Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement. The resolution places Canada’s Greens in frank opposition to the Canadian House of Commons, which voted overwhelmingly in February to condemn BDS, on the grounds that it “promotes the demonization and delegitimization of the State of Israel.”
Two recent decisions in the Israeli High Court of Justice represent different policy trends regarding the Israeli annexation of East Jerusalem: using the annexed territory to Israel’s own benefit; and keeping a clear separation between the two city populations and treating its Palestinian inhabitants –residing in their hometown for many generations – as second-class citizens. These rulings and others have proven to East Jerusalem Palestinians that their Israeli IDs are no shield against the systematic discrimination of the Israeli judiciary.
Black Lives Matter is not going to use careful and precise language about Israel, nor should it. Black Lives Matter sees the ugly reality of the occupation so it has taken on the conflict directly, and will not be bullied by the Israel lobby. When that fight gets out in the open, Israel’s actions will be in the spotlight.
The Movement for Black Lives has been receiving both widespread praise and criticism over the content of their new platform, particularly in response to their use of the word “genocide” to describe the Israeli government’s treatment of Palestinians. Some of the movement’s critics, including some of the largest Jewish communal organizations in the United States, have even condemned The Movement for Black Lives’ language “in the strongest possible terms.” Their harsh responses are indicative of skewed priorities regarding the struggle for social justice, both in the U.S. and in Israel.
On Monday, the Dream Defenders along with 50 other organizations, representing hundreds of Black people across the country launched “A Vision for Black Lives”, an agenda that clearly defines policies, organizing tactics and resources to advance Black liberation. The platform included a call for the US government to divest from military expenditures and US aid to the State of Israel and instead, invest this war-making money towards building infrastructure to support Black and Brown communities in the US. Since the launch, some Zionist organizations have condemned the platform and have announced that they will cut all ties with the Movement for Black Live, going so far as to label some in the BLM movement anti-semitic. Their response has made it all the more clear why we stand in solidarity with Palestine and with Black and Brown people around the world fighting for justice.
The New York Times thinks it’s being balanced in a big article on the Middle East conflict on campus, but its chief concern is whether activists are anti-Semitic or not. The possibility that students who support Israeli brutalization of Palestinians might also be guilty of bias never crosses reporter Linda K. Wertheimer’s mind.
A number of the prominent leaders who fought hard for LGBTQ rights in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) have stood as the biggest obstacles in the struggle for Palestinian witness in the denomination, writes longtime Presbyterian activist Noushin Framke. These PEP’s throw their bodies in the way of holding any event that might be critical of Israel.
250 Palestinian worshippers, all above the age of 50, traveled to Jerusalem via the Erez crossing between the besieged enclave and Israel to attend prayers, before immediately returning to the Gaza Strip. The number of Palestinians permitted to worship at Al-Aqsa was reduced by Israel in recent weeks
The Jewish state was not created so that 18 year olds at Berkeley feel good, Jeffrey Goldberg says, but he, Yitzhak Herzog and former UCLA chancellor Marc Yudof are all worried that a radical shift on Israel in those young people will undermine US support for Israel.