Israel’s War Against Palestine: Documenting the Military Occupation of Palestinian and Arab Lands

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Gaza’s writing on the wall

29 December 2009

[W]hen it comes to the Israeli occupied and blockaded Gaza Strip, local government not only tolerates graffiti, but actually provides workshops on how artists can improve their technique.

Why Netanyahu really wants Livni in his cabinet

29 December 2009

Akiva Eldar: Netanyahu is not trying to enlarge his government because a new war is threatening Israel’s citizens. Rather, he is scared the peace process will threaten the wholeness of his government.

Why Aren’t the NYT and WaPost Covering the International Gaza Freedom March?

29 December 2009

Would you email the editors at the New York Times and the Washington Post and ask them why they are not covering these incredibly important events?

Egypt denies US rights activists entry to Gaza

29 December 2009

Egyptian security forces on Tuesday prevented dozens of American activists from reaching the U.S. embassy in Cairo, where they hoped to ask the ambassador to help them reach the Gaza Strip.

Munjed Ahmad: Israel’s offensive, blockade strangling Gaza, its people

28 December 2009

The siege prohibits the export of Palestinian goods and severely limits the import of humanitarian supplies, such as food, medicine and reconstruction materials. The United Nations reports that Israel allows into Gaza less than 25% of the goods it did before the siege began in June 2007.

Immigration to Israel hits 16,244, highest jump in 10 years

28 December 2009

For the first time in 10 years the number of immigrants to Israel has risen this year.

Despite promise, Israel eyes building on Palestinian land

28 December 2009

Construction of the facility began in 2007, on private Palestinian land from the nearby village of Ein Yabrud, in contravention of the government’s approved master plan for the area. [...] “the state is trying to legitimize the land theft … by seizing land retroactively, for the sake of a settlement that was not long ago classified as ‘the largest illegal outpost in the West Bank.

North Texans head to Middle East in hopes of joining Gaza Freedom March

28 December 2009

Anna Tinsley: “I’ll be with people from all over the world who want to show humanity and show Palestinians that we haven’t forgotten them.”

Cairo blocks Gaza aid convoy

28 December 2009

Egypt has… barred more than 1,000 international campaigners from visiting the territory… Some 150 aid trucks organised by the Viva Palestina campaign led by George Galloway, a British member of parliament, are stuck in the Jordanian port of Aqaba, because the Egyptian authorities have refused to grant them permission to enter the country through the nearby Red Sea port of Nuweiba.

Dozens in downtown Syracuse protest Israeli actions in Gaza

28 December 2009

Magda Bayoumi, of Syracuse, said Israeli forces block shipments of food and medicine, and keep people from going to hospitals. Children have died as a result.

Jonathan Cook: Gaza offensive – Israeli war crimes are in little doubt

28 December 2009

According to a current prosecutor at the International Criminal Court in The Hague… the significance of the Goldstone report… lies in its conclusion that Israel’s leaders “planned and predetermined the grave violations [of international law] and human rights abuses” long before the attack on Gaza.

Haaretz: War on protest

27 December 2009

The war the police and the Israel Defense Forces are openly waging against protests by left-wing and human rights activists has heated up in recent weeks. As a result, concern is growing over Israel’s image as a free and democratic country.

Zeev Sternhell: Not all refusal is the same

27 December 2009

[G]reat efforts have been made to create an artificial symmetry between the systematic rebellion in the settlements and the refusal to serve in the territories that was prevalent at the beginning of the decade.

Failing Gaza: A Report One Year after Operation Cast Lead

27 December 2009

Failing Gaza: No rebuilding, no recovery, no more excuses
A Report One Year after Operation Cast Lead – December 2009

Gideon Levy: Was Israel’s Gaza offensive worth it?

27 December 2009

It is shameful to be Israeli today, much more than it was a year ago. In the final tally of the war, which was not a war but a brutal assault, Israel’s international status was dealt a severe blow, in addition to Israeli indifference and public blindness to what happened in Gaza.

Gaza Aid Convoy members prepare for Hunger Strike

26 December 2009

Diplomatic negotiations are also taking place between the Turkish and Egyptian governments over the convoy’s entry to Egypt. IHH, Turkey’s main humanitarian aid agency, has 63 vehicles travelling on the convoy.

One year on, Gaza war violations still unpunished: HRW

26 December 2009

The New York-based rights group also criticised the Israeli blockade which “created massive humanitarian need and prevented the reconstruction of schools and homes” in the Hamas-run Palestinian territory.

B’Tselem: IDF may have executed unarmed Palestinian militants

26 December 2009

[I]n two of the three cases the troops behaved as if they were preparing for an execution, not an arrest. Relatives and eyewitnesses told B’Tselem that the two were unarmed and did not attempt to flee, and that the soldiers weren’t trying to stop them, but rather shot them from close range once their identity was revealed.

Egypt refuses entry to Viva Palestina aid convoy

25 December 2009

The Egyptian government has denied entry to the Viva Palestina aid convoy carrying medical and humanitarian aid to Gaza.

Poll shows Israelis ready to pay ‘any price’ for Shalit

23 December 2009

However, 35 percent of Israelis maintained that terrorists responsible for the deaths of Israelis should not be released. Some 58 percent also support the release of Arab Israelis in exchange for Gilad Shalit.

Neve Gordon: Breaking Palestine’s peaceful protest

23 December 2009

Palestinians have a long history of nonviolent resistance but Israel has continuously deployed methods to destroy it… Israel’s response to [the] first strike was immediate and severe: it issued military orders categorising all forms of resistance as insurgency.

Daphna Golan: Everyone can drum

23 December 2009

During the first and last days of Hanukkah, the Jerusalem police arrested drummers and clowns who believe in nonviolence, coexistence and equality between Jews and Arabs in Jerusalem.

Israel’s doctors must allay torture fears

23 December 2009

One of the disturbing features of the persistent use of torture by many countries in conflict situations around the world is the role some doctors play in condoning it…. [Dr Ruchama Marton, head of Physicians for Human Rights-Israel] was thinking about what some regard as the very unsatisfactory situation in Israel.

Amira Hass: Danger, popular struggle

23 December 2009

There is an internal document that has not been leaked, or perhaps has not even been written, but all the forces are acting according to its inspiration: the Shin Bet, Israel Defense Forces, Border Police, police, and civil and military judges. They have found the true enemy who refuses to whither away: The popular struggle against the occupation.

Egypt’s barrier along Gaza border called ‘wall of shame’

21 December 2009

Construction on the 100-foot-deep steel wall began a few weeks ago, but the Egyptian government didn’t publicly acknowledge the project until the weekend. Officials defended the effort against accusations that it was an affront to Palestinians by the government of President Hosni Mubarak, which opposes Hamas, the militant group ruling Gaza.

Gazans rally against Egypt wall

21 December 2009

Hundreds of Palestinians have rallied in the Gaza Strip near the Egyptian border to protest against Egypt’s construction of a steel wall aimed at blocking smuggling tunnels to Gaza.

Mohammad Alsaafin: Letter from Gaza

21 December 2009

I am a Palestinian refugee, from the village of Fallujah which lies between Gaza, Hebron and Asqalan. I’ve never been allowed to visit Fallujah… I lived the next four years under constant fear of arrest by the Israeli military, because that would have resulted in almost certain deportation to Gaza, and isolation from my family.

Akiva Eldar: Talk about 1967 borders, not settlement blocs

21 December 2009

These days, it’s tough to find a used car with a bumper sticker that reads “Peace is better than a Greater Israel.” Nowadays, everyone seems to favor the latest formula: two states for two peoples.

Islamic Movement head banned from entering Jerusalem

21 December 2009

The IDF Spokespersons’ Unit said Golan issued the order against Sheikh Ra’ad Salah “on the grounds of ensuring the security of the State of Israel and maintaining public peace and order.”

Jerusalem mayor cuts health funds for Arab children

20 December 2009

Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat on Thursday rejected municipal recommendations and cut funding for a toddler health-care center in East Jerusalem, while approving aid to a similar center in a Jewish neighborhood.

Gideon Levy: Are we like Sudan?

19 December 2009

Livni is now unable to travel to Britain and a number of other countries, as if she were the president of Sudan. It is not (only) the world, it is (also) us. The arrest threat was issued by the most enlightened of nations. They did so when they became aware that Israel was not investigating itself. Is this not enough to rock Israeli society, to cause it to shine a light on itself instead of reprimanding half the globe?

Jimmy Carter: Gaza must be rebuilt now

19 December 2009

We can wait no longer to restart the peace process. The human suffering demands urgent relief… US objections have impeded Egyptian efforts to resolve differences between Hamas and Fatah that could lead to 2010 elections.

Abbas: Israel wants to expel Palestinians from Jerusalem

18 December 2009

“There is no Palestine without Jerusalem no one will accept this. Without Jerusalem there will be no peace,” [Abbas] said.

Police shoot US student’s laptop upon entry to Israel

18 December 2009

Israeli Border Police officers determined her laptop computer was a security threat and shot it three times. Lily Sussman, 21, wrote on her blog that the police officers subjected her to two hours of questioning and searches, before firing three bullets into her Apple Macbook. “They had pressed every sock and scarf with a security device, ripped open soap and had me strip extra layers. They asked me tons of questions.”

CIA working with Palestinian security agents

18 December 2009

US agency co-operating with Palestinian counterparts who allegedly torture Hamas supporters in West Bank.

Arab filmmaker wins film award, Israel airline security nabs it

18 December 2009

After answering questions from Israeli security employees regarding her work and the film festivals in which she had taken part, [documentary film director Sahera Dirbas] was asked to enter a separate room for continued questioning, where a female security guard demanded she remove all her clothing.