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

IOA content is now updated mostly on Facebook.
More on the current status of the IOA HERE.

Ilan Pappe silenced in Munich

12 November 2009

Left-wing groups enraged by Germany municipality’s decision not to allow anti-Zionist Israeli historian to speak at governmental institution. Pappe writes to Munich mayor his policy reminiscent of Nazi Germany.

Palestinians say dozens of trees cut down by settlers

12 November 2009

Burin resident discovers 97 of his olive trees destroyed overnight. ‘When I saw the massacre which took place on my land, I cried.’

IOA Editor: Twenty first century Jewish cossacks continue to carry out pogroms against Palestinian farmers. (For the urban version, see Ellen Cantarow’s “Heroism in a Vanishing Landscape.”) This is nothing short of a state-sponsored ethnic-cleansing campaign designed to rid “Judea and Samaria” of its Palestinian inhabitants so as to make room for the ever-expanding Jewish State.

Birzeit hosts leaders to discuss feasibility of Fayyad plan

11 November 2009

Dr Mustafa Barghouthi, secretary-general of the Palestinian National Initiative, described the plan as essentially “national duty” in its aims to realize Palestinian freedoms, the right of return and the right to Jerusalem. “All of these ideas are acceptable to Palestinians,” he said, and said he thought the plan should see popular support.

Brazil to buy $350 million worth of drones from Israel

11 November 2009

The deal was signed during President Peres’ official visit to Brazil, but negotiations began months ago… The drones… are the latest model developed by IAI, which has been sold to other countries as well. This will be the model’s first use by a police force.

IOA Editor: Deal closed by the Nobel Peace Prize winner, and Merchant of Death. Soon enough, Earth will be covered by hovering, missile-equipped Israeli drones – silently monitoring the populace and “surgically” eliminating misbehaving elements, sponsored by the Federal/State/Local government on duty. Our very own taxes at work. Operating for profit. Lots of it.

Washington disappointed: Netanyahu didn’t present concrete steps

11 November 2009

The White House expressed disappointment in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s recent visit to Washington, with officials saying that they had hoped that the prime minister would present a concrete plan to scale back Israeli construction in West Bank settlements, the Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday.

‘Israel has different laws for Arab and Jewish youth’

11 November 2009

The judge accepted the defense attorney’s claim that the youth must be “protected against justice” and said that sentencing the Nazareth citizen to prison would be contradictory to the principles of justice of the country.

Ellen Cantarow: Heroism in a Vanishing Landscape

10 November 2009

“Disputed” is a word often used about East Jerusalem and homes in Sheikh Jarrah. Would the international community have considered the homes of American blacks attacked by the Ku Klux Kla as “disputed”?

Israeli expats protest Lieberman visit to Holland

10 November 2009

The protest by gate48 is directed against CIDI’s hospitality and the “uncritical” manner in which [Lieberman] will be received by the Dutch government, board member Erella Grassiani says.

Obama reaffirms ‘strong commitment’ to Israel’s security

10 November 2009

Obama – Netanyahu meet: “The president reaffirmed our strong commitment to Israel’s security, and discussed security cooperation on a range of issues,” said a statement issued by the White House after the closed-door session that lasted an hour and a half concluded.

Most advanced, expensive fighter jet headed to Israel

10 November 2009

Assuming Lockheed maintains its original production timetable the first fighters will be delivered in 2014. Two years later, Israel will have its first operational squadron of F-35s, consisting of 25 fighter aircraft representing the cutting edge of U.S. technology, capable of any mission. Iran too?

Israeli Defense industries irked over snub of local technology by IDF’s F-35 order

10 November 2009

The air force has already ruled in favor of the aircraft, even though it is uncertain that the Americans will include specialized electronic warfare suites: “the deterrent effect that comes with Israel having the most advanced aircraft is very important. This is the effect that was created when we received the Mirage [in the 1960s] and the F-15 [in the 1970s].” In the air force they insist that at a time when the Turkish air force and other Muslim countries intend to procure the F-35, “it is inconceivable that Israel will stay behind.”

Jordan: World must stop Israel settlement building

9 November 2009

Jordanian King Abdullah II on Monday advised Israel to stop “playing with fire” regarding the future of Jerusalem. “Jerusalem is a red line and Israel must internalize the importance the city holds for Arabs and Christian Muslims, and stop playing with fire,” said Abdullah.

Queen Rania of Jordan: Another Divisive Wall

9 November 2009

It has been five years since the International Court of Justice ruled that Israel should cease construction, dismantle the wall, and pay reparations to affected Palestinians. But the “Separation Barrier” is now 400 km, double its length at the time of the court ruling.

Portuguese water company’s immoral collaboration with Israel

9 November 2009

The Portugese company EPAL collaborates with Israeli water companies violating international law in the occupied West Bank.

Kucinich Withdraws as Palm Beach County Democratic Keynoter Amid Uproar over His Israel Stance

9 November 2009

“People feel he’s anti-Israel. I don’t read it that way, but the leadership of AIPAC (the American Israel Public Affairs Committee) and other elements of the Jewish community do and I don’t want to get into an argument with them,” said Siegel, who is Jewish.

Akiva Eldar: The Israeli perversion

9 November 2009

The option has been and remains one of the following: two states for two peoples along the 1967 borders; or one state, in which two peoples continue to make each other miserable. Israel is galloping toward this latter disaster with eyes wide shut.

Yitzhak Laor: Israel’s apartheid is worse than South Africa’s

8 November 2009

[The US] has no intention of being a “balanced mediator”… Netanyahu and Ehud Barak, allies of the final takeover of the West Bank, know very well that U.S. policy has not changed… The prevailing attitude of all U.S. administrations [is] essentially that any possible settlement must match the positions of the stronger party. This is how the Americans abandoned the refugee issue, and this is why they abandoned the opposition to settlements.

Netanyahu heads to US under threat of Palestinian statehood declaration

8 November 2009

The reports indicated that Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad has reached a secret understanding with the Obama administration over U.S. recognition of an independent Palestinian state. Such recognition would likely transform any Israeli presence across the Green Line, even in Jerusalem, into an illegal incursion to which the Palestinians would be entitled to engage in measures of self-defense.

IOA Editor: Highly unlikely, given US moves to crush the Goldstone Report, its actions on recent ME ‘peace efforts’ and in the past 42 years, but important to watch. The mere concept of a Palestinian State presents an existential risk to Israel – strictly in a philosophical sense: An independent, viable Palestinian state, however theoretical, could mean the end of Israel as we know it – a state with no official borders, equipped with an insatiable appetite for land, resources and regional domination – by creating the first meaningful boundary to its colonial program and greatly weakening a US ally, potentially crucial for global control. All the more why US support is unlikely, no mater how business-like Prime Minister Salam Fayyad’s plan appears. Undoubtedly, Israel will do all it can to defend itself from the threat of peace.

Israel to coordinate with US, UK and France to ensure Goldstone veto

8 November 2009

Israel will coordinate with the U.S., U.K. and France to ensure the Security Council vetos Arab countries’ resolutions on the Goldstone report, Israeli officials told Haaretz.

IOA Editor: International business as usual, Occupation as usual.

Noam Chomsky: ‘US foreign policy is straight out of the mafia’

7 November 2009

Chomsky on the US’s unwavering support for Israel and “rejectionism” of the two-state solution, effectively on offer for 30 years: That’s not because of the overweening power of the Israel lobby in the US, but because Israel is a strategic and commercial asset which underpins rather than undermines US domination of the Middle East… America’s one-sided role in the Middle East isn’t harming their interests, whatever risks it might bring for anyone else.

IOA Editor: Noam Chomsky has just concluded a speaking tour in the UK and Ireland. For coverage of his tour, see:

   Israel’s worst enemies are those who support its policies
   Hundreds flock to hear Noam Chomsky in Dublin
   Discussion with Workers Solidarity Movement

Pete Seeger’s role in ending Israeli house demolitions

7 November 2009

[E]very time ["Turn, Turn, Turn"] is played, the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions receives a few dollars, which accumulate to a “several thousand dollars every year,” according to the committee’s co-founder and coordinator. ICAHD is a non-profit organization that uses non-violent means to oppose Israeli demolition of homes in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Seeger has been donating some of the song’s royalties to ICAHD for ten years.

Ilana Hammerman: Lost in the desert

6 November 2009

Since 1967, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians have been tried in Israeli military courts. As of the end of September 2009, 7,155 Palestinians were incarcerated in the various detention facilities by the Israeli security forces… The majority of the Palestinian detainees and prisoners are incarcerated within Israel, in contravention of international law, which prohibits transferring residents of an occupied territory outside its boundaries. Because of the closure imposed on the territories, many of the prisoners are deprived of visits by family members. Tens of thousands of Palestinians have been placed in administrative detention since 1967. At the end of September 2009, 355 of the Palestinians in the custody of the security forces were being held in administrative detention.

SUSSEX UNIVERSITY STUDENTS VOTE TO BOYCOTT ISRAELI GOODS

6 November 2009

Tom Wills, USSU President, said “Israel has broken more UN resolutions than any other state. No other Western-backed democracy has committed such egregious violations of international law, but the international community has failed to hold Israel to account.

Gideon Levy: Some enchanted evening [or: "Life as it Could Be"]

6 November 2009

This seventh-grader… is half Israeli and half Egyptian, Jewish and Muslim, speaks Hebrew with her mother and Arabic with her father, lives in Ramat Hasharon and spends vacations in Sinai and Cairo, with her father and grandmother.

IOA Editor: Perhaps the most encouraging story, if it weren’t so singular, romantic, completely out of the norm and, for those who know the Sinai coast, completely out of this world.

Noam Chomsky: War, Peace and Obama’s Nobel

5 November 2009

Obama has made clear that the United States intends to retain a long-term major presence in the [ME] region. That much is signaled by the huge city-within-a city called “the Baghdad Embassy,” unlike any embassy in the world.

Congressmen Denouncing UN Inquiry Receive Handsome Donations from Pro-Israel Lobby

5 November 2009

The [US] House dismissed the Goldstone report as “irredeemably biased and unworthy of further consideration or legitimacy.” It also called on the Obama administration to “strongly and unequivocally oppose” discussion of the report’s findings in any international setting. The resolution passed 344-46. The members of the House who voted in favor of the resolution have received $51,260 more on average from pro-Israel organizations ($81,020 versus $29,770) since 1989 than those who opposed it, the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics has found.

Jimmy Carter: Goldstone and Gaza

5 November 2009

The Goldstone… conclusion was that the civilian areas were targeted and the devastation was deliberate… the criticism of Israel in the Goldstone report is justified… it is imperative that the United States and the international community take steps to assure that the rebuilding of Gaza be commenced, and without delay. The cries of homeless and freezing people demand relief.

RIGHTS: Palestinian Women Suffer as Israel Violates CEDAW

5 November 2009

“The Israeli occupation impacts on the lives of Palestinian women at every juncture. From sexual harassment and assault, discriminatory treatment of Palestinian female prisoners to being forced to give birth at Israeli checkpoints,” Dima Nashashibi from WCLAC told IPS.

Egypt calls for UN resolution if Israel rejects freeze

5 November 2009

Egypt: “Negotiations can start only if settlements are frozen — and this continues to be our demand — or if we receive unequivocal guarantees that a Palestinian state will be erected on 1967 borders, including (Arab east) Jerusalem,” Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit said.

IOA Editor: It is time to move to the ‘next level,’ now that both Mr. Obama and Madam Mouthpiece have spoken: nothing said by either suggests that any meaningful US action is forthcoming. It is time for the Palestinians and the Arab League to consider their next moves on discussions with Israel and the US. Sitting and hoping that the Obama Administration will suddenly ‘discover’ that time is of the essence, is both unrealistic and unwise.

At the same time, every day that passes allows Israel to continue its colonial program – specifically designed to prevent a viable, independent Palestinian state from becoming a reality. If anything can be learned from the past 42 years, it is that Occupation is a normal state of affairs for the ‘only democracy in the Middle East,’ and that there is no reason to assume any of this will change, unless it is stopped by outside intervention. What ‘intervention’ and how to bring it about are, indeed, the key questions.

Daniel Machover: No Safe Haven for Suspected War Criminals

5 November 2009

Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni asserted in January 2009, “We have proven to Hamas that we have changed the equation. Israel is not a country upon which you fire missiles and it does not respond. It is a country that when you fire on its citizens it responds by going wild – and this is a good thing.”

Gideon Levy: The doomsday weapon

5 November 2009

“The top brass are not asking if there will be another military confrontation with Hamas, but when,” according to the cliche about the next war. But of course the only important question is not asked: “Why?” rather than whether or when. This is the question that reverberates.

Nadia Hijab: The battle over Palestinian representation

4 November 2009

The Obama administration is so focused on bringing the state actors — Palestinian, Arab, Israeli — back to the negotiating table that it has missed the signs of a resurgent activism among Palestinians around the world which is beginning to shape a new national movement.

Bilin: Palestinians who see nonviolence as their weapon

4 November 2009

The Israeli army has targeted [Mohammed Khatib]. He was arrested, severely beaten and threatened with death during a series of midnight raids on the village this summer. He was freed on condition that he report to an Israeli police station each Friday at the hour of the weekly protest… Relative calm prevails in the Palestinian territories, but Khatib says it cannot last long under the diplomatic impasse… He believes Israel is trying to crush nonviolent activists because it would rather take on an armed insurgency.

IOA Editor: Israel’s favorite Palestinian Occupation-resister is one ‘throwing a bomb’ – and the more violent, the better. It is much more difficult to defend shooting non-violent Bilin demonstrators, though, Israel manages to get away with murdering demonstrators just fine.

B’Tselem: Military’s investigations into Operation Cast Lead focus on individual soldiers, not unlawful policies

4 November 2009

According to the Israeli Judge Advocate General’s Office, since Operation Cast Lead in the Gaza, the Military Police Investigation Unit (MPIU) has opened 23 investigations into incidents that took place during the operation.

Azmi Bishara: Elections under siege

4 November 2009

Abbas’s acceptance of the Egyptian-mediated reconciliation deal with Hamas is only because that deal presents new ways for him to destroy his opponents, writes Azmi Bishara

Palestinian workers: We’re being treated like cattle

4 November 2009

The 4,500 Palestinian workers who travel through the Eyal checkpoint, near West Bank city of Qalqilya, on their way to work in Israel, are finding it hard to enjoy the long-awaited winter. The checkpoint provides cover for those waiting to cross it, but its little shed can shelter about 100 people at the most, leaving the rest exposed to rain and cold winds.