The Israeli government “fully supports and assists” the recent spike in settler violence against Palestinians. Because “Continuous, systemic violence meted out by settlers is part of Israel’s official policy, driving massive takeover of Palestinian” lands, B’Tselem says in a groundbreaking report. But the Washington Post’s recent article on settler violence suggests that the Israeli government is taking it on vigorously.
One year after Chicago Episcopalians knocked down a resolution condemning Israeli apartheid by a sizeable margin, its convention approved a similar resolution by 72 to 28 percent. The turnaround is a measure of the dramatic rise in American awareness of the Israeli system, and reflects the judgments of two leading human rights organizations earlier this year.
In 1656, Amsterdam’s Portuguese Jewish community excommunicated Benedict (Baruch) Spinoza for heresy. Today, the same community banned world-renowned Spinoza scholar trying to make a film about the philosopher.
Zeina Hutchison reflects on the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People: “Today and always I remember, I reflect, I cry, I rejoice and I am humbled by the strength, heart, determination, beauty and achievements of my people; the Palestinian people.”
In 1947, Latin American countries led by Guatemala played a crucial role in passing UN Resolution 181, setting in motion the goal of partition in historic Palestine. However, Cuba’s anti-colonial history offers an alternative which can still be revived today.
Israeli settler violence in the West Bank isn’t an isolated incident. Rather, nearly every week settlers from nearby agricultural outposts terrorize the Palestinians of Masafer Yatta as they take over their land. “Settler violence is only part of Israeli colonist goals,” Ali Awad, a Palestinian activist, tells Mondoweiss. “These people are used as tools — justified by racist laws — for committing ethnic cleansing against the Palestinians.”
Rabbi Wendi Geffen of a Reform congregation outside Chicago gave a sermon after the last Gaza conflict saying anti-Zionist Jews must not be allowed inside the Jewish “tent” because the “vast majority” of Jews support Israel. And she said the assertion by some Jews that Zionism contradicts progressive values is a threat to the Jewish people more dangerous than external threats. Her views are important because they reflect official Jewish statements that conflate Zionism and Judaism.
After Oberlin instructors organized a winter trip to Israel to help progressives understand Israeli democracy– without any mention of Palestine– Students for a Free Palestine circulated a petition on the Ohio campus against the trip that has gotten 600 signatures. The organizers have revised the trip to include Palestine and dropped its price from a whopping $4500 to $2500.
Ghada Hania shares a story about life in Gaza, where electricity can disappear without a moment’s notice.
The COVID-19 pandemic devastated the Palestinian handicraft industry by cutting off tourism. In the face of this hardship some artisans have managed to stay afloat due in part to one relentless Ramallah-based marketplace: Handmade Palestine.