Our top 10 stories in 2019 focused on BDS, the Democratic Party primary, Trump’s thus far secret Deal Of The Century peace plan, and the ongoing daily oppression of the Palestinian people. Hopefully 2020 will see justice for the Palestinian people. Let’s make it happen.
Norman Finkelstein says that the International Criminal Court crossed a “Rubicon” when it announced a formal investigation of Israeli war crimes in Gaza and its ongoing settlement project, but that the ICC will likely use a technicality, that Palestine has no standing as a state, to throw out the case. The real battle will be in public opinion, and the case may help force the reckoning inside the Democratic Party.
The assault on BDS in the US and the rise of Democratic Party organizations to support Israel are evidence of the progress on the Palestine issue in the U.S. in the last decade. At last the matter is politicized. Some Democratic pols openly support Palestinian rights. This is where the struggle really needs to be, in Washington; and we can thank Benjamin Netanyahu and Bari Weiss for the damage they’ve done to their own cause.
How often can you look at the 24 hours to come, and know for a fact that you can contribute to a better world? Today, you can. We invite you to join us in spreading the word about injustice and oppression in Palestine, in order to build public demand for urgently needed change. With just hours to go, I hope you will help us claim the $100,000 match by investing now in Mondoweiss’s continued growth and effectiveness.
The Palestinian Prisoners’ Society, Prisoners’ Affairs Commission, and Addameer Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association report that in 2019, Israeli occupation forces arrested over 5,500 Palestinians from the occupied Palestinian territory; including 889 children.
MuzzleWatch is a new Mondoweiss column that will focus on attempts to silence the voices, actions, and campaigns working for justice in Israel and Palestine. In the first installment, Rob Lipton looks at how Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib have been targeted by a “vast international operation” that leverages Facebook far-right pages to “inflame Islamophobia for profit.”
My message to you today is a tribute to the strength and persistence of Palestinians and their allies everywhere. Those who protest, those who survive—and yes, even those who die in prison—deserve to have their stories told for the world to mourn and demand change. If you agree that it is our duty to shout these stories from the rooftops, I ask respectfully for your support of Mondoweiss’s journalism. We have one day left to meet the $100,000 challenge.
Mati Shemoelof unpacks how the Israeli government is manipulating the Arab-Jewish narrative to avoid justice for Palestinian refugees.
Jonathan Ofir reflects upon his youth and Zionist indoctrination in Israel. He first thought he was born in Israel, but then realised he was born in Palestine. It is painful to make that declaration but it is a necessary liberation.
Nada Elia reflects on the the complexities of the rise in antisemitism we are currently seeing in the United States. “More than ever before, as hatred sweeps this country, we must be the ones who protect each other,” Elia writes.