Two boats sailed today from the Gaza Strip in an attempt to break Israel’s siege. All of the passengers were Palestinians who were injured by Israel in recent protests. The boats were promptly intercepted by the Israeli navy.
Tom Friedman of the Times says that Palestinians in Gaza are responsible for their own suffering because they have not marched to demand a two-state solution that preserves the Jewish state. He’s been giving Palestinians that advice for 7 years and ignoring their suffering under blockade.
Itzhak Perlman, the beloved violinist, honored Netanyahu last year but says he would extend no honor to Trump. It’s time for Perlman to be inspired by Natalie Portman, who stood up Netanyahu, and come out for boycott of Israel.
Israel’s Supreme Court has unanimously rejected two petitions brought by human rights groups demanding Israel’s army to stop using snipers and live ammunition against unarmed Palestinian protests in the Gaza Strip.
Sabah al-Salibi collected dozens of small stones with her daughters, Susan, 22, and Rawand, 24. She said she wanted to pass them to the demonstrators whose eyes were blurry from teargas “to save them time by finding suitable stones” to throw at Israeli snipers hidden behind earthen berms at the Gaza – Israel fence. “Although these stones are small and few, but are stronger than their bullets and gas canisters,” al-Salibi said.
The generational break among Jews that is happening in the US has moved to Britain. About 50 mostly young people called ‘Jews against the killing in Gaza’ have slammed British Jewish leadership for blindness to Israeli human rights violations. The next step is recognizing that Zionism is a morally defunct ideology.
A Dutch song focusing on Israel’s human rights violations parodies “Toy,” the song by Israeli Netta Barzilai that won the 2018 Eurovision contest. The parody says that Israel is in it for the money; and the Israeli ambassador to the Netherlands has said that it crosses a line, in anti-semitic stereotype.
Last week, Egyptian President Abd al-Fatah al-Sisi announced the opening of the Rafah border crossing with Gaza for the entire month of Ramadan, which he said was “in order to ensure the easing of the burdens on the brothers in the Gaza Strip.” Mondoweiss spoke to several Palestinians — students going abroad to study or in search of jobs, people traveling to reunite with families, and injured protesters seeking treatment in Jordan — as they waited for their chance to leave Gaza. The journey out of Gaza is far from simple, as only a select number of Palestinians with permission are allowed to leave.
A new documentary film, “Israelism,” nearing completion and scheduled for release over the next year, chronicles the changing attitudes among young American Jews toward Israel, in which they at last engage their liberal values with an intolerant country.
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