Showing posts with label Israel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Israel. Show all posts
Friday, July 24, 2009
If any one still reads this...
I"m in Jerusalem now, but I haven't posted because I don't want any written records of what I see and do out here. Sorry about that.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Abusing peace...
Some calm has finally prevailed over Gaza but there is much doubt over whether it can last. Even though rocket launchers have dismantled from the border, Israeli tanks still sit on the Israeli side waiting for the call to go. Even Ehud Olmert said the calm was to be short lived. On top of this settlers in the West Bank set fires to Palestinian olive trees which will anger the Palestinians. The Israelis have also ruled out a truce in the West Bank which is sure to agitate Palestinians further. This is strange since there haven't been many attacks from the West Bank and the West Bank is controlled by Mahmoud Abbas who is very committed to keeping peace and stability in the Fatah-controlled West Bank (Where is all the talk now of supporting Abu Mazen?). So if the Israelis keep raiding the West Bank, will Hamas launch counter strikes or does this go to show that the powerful can once again bully the week while using the peace process to impose its own agenda with the facade of an agreement? Does this also mean that starving millions people becomes a legitimate tactic for those who oppose US and Israeli plans? I just wonder when everyone will wake up and realize what is really going on.
I'm also hoping this goes to show that boycotting Hamas is not going to work and that the only way to actually achieve peace is through engaging it. Hamas has shown itself as willing to amend its position on the two state solution as long as it is accepted by the Palestinian people while Israel refuses to budge from its positions on settlements and refugees. Hopefully if everyone is living in peace for awhile it will give them time to come to their senses and make a just and lasting peace agreement.
I'm also hoping this goes to show that boycotting Hamas is not going to work and that the only way to actually achieve peace is through engaging it. Hamas has shown itself as willing to amend its position on the two state solution as long as it is accepted by the Palestinian people while Israel refuses to budge from its positions on settlements and refugees. Hopefully if everyone is living in peace for awhile it will give them time to come to their senses and make a just and lasting peace agreement.
Monday, April 7, 2008
Full Circle: Israel and the Nazi comparisons
Go to any demonstration that criticizes Israel and you will often see signs that connect Israel with the Nazis. It use to just be a hippie thing but now Professor Richard Falk has brought that discussion into the mainstream. Richard Falk is the UN’s investigator into Israel’s conduct in the occupied territories and like anyone in the UN who is free to speak their mind such as John Dugard, he is naturally very critical of Israel’s conduct. It is important to note that Falk did not say that Israel and the Nazis were the same, Falk claimed that Israel and the Nazis both employed collective punishment often. His comments were aimed specifically at the American public and the BBC quoted him as saying, “if this kind of situation existed...in...China...or...Darfur, I think there would be no reluctance to make that comparison.” Falk claimed that the reluctance stemmed the historic sensitivity to the persecution of the Jewish people and the fact that the double standard in international law and morality actually works to Israel’s favor. An incensed Israel wants Falk’s mandate expanded to look into human rights violations by the Palestinians in order to deflect criticism from its own conduct. Otherwise, “the only democracy in the Middle East” will consider barring Falk’s entry.
Thanks to the BBC.
Thanks to the BBC.
Monday, March 31, 2008
Land Day
Another article I wrote:
"Tel Aviv-Yafo-Over 1,000 Arabs marched through the port city of Yaffa to protest Israel’s plans to move 500 Palestinian families out of Yaffa and to commemorate the killing of of six people in 1976 over the confiscation of Palestinian land. The Palestinian families have been issued notices to prove that they own the land that they reside in or to leave it. Given the sensitivity of a large Arab demography in a Jewish state, proving one’s prior residence is a long and hard legal battle that can take time. Palestinians claim that they are being evicted to pave the way for Jewish immigration from other countries.
Across Israel were other rallies commemorating Land Day. Land Day takes place on March 30th which was the date in 1976 when six unarmed protesters were shot demonstrating against a decision by the Israeli government to confiscate land in the Galilee region which is home to many Palestinians who stayed in Israeli following the war in 1948. Although the Israeli government claimed the land confiscations were for security reasons, they were used to build a military training camp and Jewish settlements. Protests and general strikes were held the 30th of March and during the protests, six demonstrators were shot and 100 people were wounded as the Israeli Occupation Forces and police fired into the crowd.
Land Day is attended by both Israelis and Palestinians who wish to see and end to the land confiscations. Banners in both Arabic and Hebrew denounced the Israeli policy of land confiscations. Although Arab citizens of Israel are supposed to be guaranteed equal rights under Israel’s basic laws, widespread discrimination is common particularly in areas such as housing and education."
This one was accepted for the newsletter.
"Tel Aviv-Yafo-Over 1,000 Arabs marched through the port city of Yaffa to protest Israel’s plans to move 500 Palestinian families out of Yaffa and to commemorate the killing of of six people in 1976 over the confiscation of Palestinian land. The Palestinian families have been issued notices to prove that they own the land that they reside in or to leave it. Given the sensitivity of a large Arab demography in a Jewish state, proving one’s prior residence is a long and hard legal battle that can take time. Palestinians claim that they are being evicted to pave the way for Jewish immigration from other countries.
Across Israel were other rallies commemorating Land Day. Land Day takes place on March 30th which was the date in 1976 when six unarmed protesters were shot demonstrating against a decision by the Israeli government to confiscate land in the Galilee region which is home to many Palestinians who stayed in Israeli following the war in 1948. Although the Israeli government claimed the land confiscations were for security reasons, they were used to build a military training camp and Jewish settlements. Protests and general strikes were held the 30th of March and during the protests, six demonstrators were shot and 100 people were wounded as the Israeli Occupation Forces and police fired into the crowd.
Land Day is attended by both Israelis and Palestinians who wish to see and end to the land confiscations. Banners in both Arabic and Hebrew denounced the Israeli policy of land confiscations. Although Arab citizens of Israel are supposed to be guaranteed equal rights under Israel’s basic laws, widespread discrimination is common particularly in areas such as housing and education."
This one was accepted for the newsletter.
"Road Blocks"
This is an article I wrote for a school newsletter but who knows if it fits the format.
"East Jerusalem-I was with some friends of mine when we were going through a checkpoint outside the neighborhood of his friends’ house. It was a wooden shack with two soldiers standing guard. I didn’t really want to go into the neighborhood because I knew that we would have to deal with the checkpoint on the way out. As the soldiers were looking through my passport, one of them came back and explained to me with my friend translating that he couldn’t find my Israeli visa. I showed it to him and we then argued back and forth about whether the visa was still valid (it turned out that the soldier couldn’t read well). After pointing out all the dates on my visa several times and even showing my e-ticket to prove that I wasn’t going to over stay my visa. Later, my friends explained that for Palestinians incidents at the checkpoints get much worse than that.
Israel has today pledged to remove 50 of these ”road blocks” in order to advance the peace process while also pledging to upgrade checkpoints to reduce the wait time without compromising security. However, these 50 are only a fraction of the 500+ checkpoints in the occupied West Bank and the number of checkpoints have only increased from Annapolis until now. The World Bank has found that checkpoints are the main factor that is stifling the economy in the West Bank and the Palestinians claim they are collective punishment.
Although Palestinian officials welcomed the move, both Palestinians and Israelis are deeply skeptical of a peace deal being concluded before Bush leaves office. Condoleezza Rice is in the Middle East to try to invigorate the peace process and may use this opportunity to claim that progress is being made. In the meantime, Israel is using this opportunity to pressure the Palestinian government to take “greater security responsibility” in the West Bank by allowing 600 Jordanian-trained security officers to be deployed to the West Bank city of Jenin. However, there does not seem to be great expectations for an improvement in security for the Israelis or substantial concessions for the Palestinians."
On another note I was accepted the Arabic program at AUB so I am officially awesome.
"East Jerusalem-I was with some friends of mine when we were going through a checkpoint outside the neighborhood of his friends’ house. It was a wooden shack with two soldiers standing guard. I didn’t really want to go into the neighborhood because I knew that we would have to deal with the checkpoint on the way out. As the soldiers were looking through my passport, one of them came back and explained to me with my friend translating that he couldn’t find my Israeli visa. I showed it to him and we then argued back and forth about whether the visa was still valid (it turned out that the soldier couldn’t read well). After pointing out all the dates on my visa several times and even showing my e-ticket to prove that I wasn’t going to over stay my visa. Later, my friends explained that for Palestinians incidents at the checkpoints get much worse than that.
Israel has today pledged to remove 50 of these ”road blocks” in order to advance the peace process while also pledging to upgrade checkpoints to reduce the wait time without compromising security. However, these 50 are only a fraction of the 500+ checkpoints in the occupied West Bank and the number of checkpoints have only increased from Annapolis until now. The World Bank has found that checkpoints are the main factor that is stifling the economy in the West Bank and the Palestinians claim they are collective punishment.
Although Palestinian officials welcomed the move, both Palestinians and Israelis are deeply skeptical of a peace deal being concluded before Bush leaves office. Condoleezza Rice is in the Middle East to try to invigorate the peace process and may use this opportunity to claim that progress is being made. In the meantime, Israel is using this opportunity to pressure the Palestinian government to take “greater security responsibility” in the West Bank by allowing 600 Jordanian-trained security officers to be deployed to the West Bank city of Jenin. However, there does not seem to be great expectations for an improvement in security for the Israelis or substantial concessions for the Palestinians."
On another note I was accepted the Arabic program at AUB so I am officially awesome.
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
It really never ends...
Truly there is never a shortage of crazy news stories. Now Israelis can sue the PA for suicide bombers. Since state governments cannot be the target of lawsuits, this means that Israel does not recognize Palestine (yet they expect Palestine to recognize Israel but how can something that’s not a state recognize another state..argh...it hurts the mind). What is even funnier is when you remember Annapolis (does anyone?) about how everyone pledged to support Abbas’ government in the West Bank. How does this help him? Maybe it wouldn’t seem so truly insane if the Palestinians could sue the Israeli military for the death of innocent civilians. I’m sure there is someone out there who would say I’m anti-semitic for holding Israel to a double standard.
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