It’s been a whirlwind of a week in Palestine following the release of the Trump ‘Deal of the Century.’ Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s overeagerness to move forward with annexation has hit a few bumps in the road; the Palestinians are on the brink of a potential trade war with Israel; Israel has begun normalizing relations with more regional powers; tensions with Gaza spiked again; and Netanyahu quietly pushes for a population transfer of Palestinian citizens of Israel in the north.
Mondoweiss is hiring an Individual Giving Manager. Inspired to build relationships with donors, the Individual Giving Manager will help increase Mondoweiss’s capacity to inform the public about human rights in Palestine. Applications will be considered on a rolling basis starting February 21; please apply as soon as possible.
The Peace and Justice Commission of the Assembly of Catholic Ordinaries of the Holy Land has written a brief but incredibly important book for all who are concerned about Christian Palestinians and justice in Palestine and Israel, especially in the light of President Trump’s peace initiative.
President Donald Trump’s “Deal of the Century,” much like his presidency, is a morbid joke. Sadly, however, the punchline running centerstage in this theater of the absurd is set to come at the expense of the Palestinians.
“Palestinians … have a perfect track record of missing opportunities,” Jared Kushner lectured them on CNN in pushing the annexation plan. “If they screw this up I think they will have a very hard time looking the international community in the face, saying they’re victims, saying they have rights.”
Mondoweiss breaks down the most contentious aspects of Donald Trump’s ‘Deal of the Century’, and highlights the parts of the proposal that offer up more problems than solutions.
The DNC’s list of nominees to the platform committee ahead of the 2020 convention is stacked with pro-Israel advocates, including rightwingers with AIPAC connections. The DNC is planning to battle against the progressive wing on Israel, opposing BDS and with all its guns a-blazin. If you wonder why Buttigieg and Warren seem to have tempered their criticisms of Israel, this is why.
James Zogby writes, “Welcome to the world ushered in by the “Deal of the Century.” It is a world not unlike the one that confronted Arabs in Balfour’s World War I era -– the injustices it will bring forth and the struggle for justice it will give birth to will continue.”
Bret Stephens’s opinion of the Trump “peace plan” for Palestine is titled “Every Time Palestinians Say ‘No,’ They Lose”, and is premised on racist invention, beginning with its history lesson on why Palestinians “lose when they say ‘no’.”
As Trump announces further travel bans, we must recognize the hierarchy of vulnerability: who gets into which fortress, who is left banging on the doors, who is trapped in an increasingly impoverished ghetto. Having papers is both an opportunity and a marker in a surveilled world.