Seamus Heaney dreamed of an end to Partition in Ireland. And he protested Israel’s attack on Gaza and supported PalFest, Palestinian festival for literature
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Monthly Archives: August 2013
Critics of Obama’s narrow action cite Martin Dempsey’s caution — ‘act of war’
US justified Israeli attacks on Hamas in Gaza in ways that we say that Syrian gov’t is acting illegally against insurgents
Gaza gets it from both sides (Egypt shoots fishermen, Israel shoots farmer)
Blockaded Gaza Egypt forces shoot Palestinian fishermen GAZA CITY (Ma‘an) 30 Aug — Egyptian naval forces on Friday shot two Palestinian fishermen near the Egypt-Gaza border and detained five others, Palestinian sources in Gaza said. Egyptian forces opened fire at Palestinian fishing boats, injuring 19-year-old Ibrahim Abdullah al-Najjar and 21-year-old Wael al-Bardawil. They were taken […]
Cartoon mocks Obama’s struggle with ‘foreign policy impotence’
Fireagra, by Mark Fiore, a Viagra parody, is getting a lot of attention
Obama lost his English poodle, but it looks like he’ll get a French one
“Planning a limited narrow act” against Syria, Obama has lost his English poodle, but he might get a French one
Israel’s dancing soldiers
Here’s some image buffing we don’t see every day. “Israeli soldiers are still finding time to party” with Palestinians is sweeping the press today. Allegedly the video was recorded on Monday at a Palestinian wedding in Hebron, the same day three Palestinians were gunned down in Qalandia refugee camp. The “Gangnam Style” video aired on […]
Stopping Sara from falling in love with Sammy in Qalandia
Jewish organization opposed to relationships between Jewish girls and men in villages — i.e., Palestinians
The burgeoning left-right antiwar coalition on Syria (and what it means for Iran)
Putting the brakes on Syrian military action. Even Mike Rogers, Republican of Michigan, is dubious
Operation Stage Whisper
From the Qnion: Scratch that; my bad, says Jay Carney, laying out the surgical strikes on Syria that will target no civilians except civilians near military targets
Witness accounts on the killing of three Palestinians that stopped peace negotiations
Allison Deger interviews witnesses to the deaths of three Palestinians killed earlier this week during an Israeli incursion into Qalandia refugee camp. The deaths have catalyzed a Palestinian Authority boycott of peace negotiations, a row between the UN and Israel, and a face-off between Ramallah protesters and Palestinian security forces outside of the government’s compound. Above, the home of Jihad Aslan, one of three Palestinians killed in Qalandia refugee camp.
New revelations of NYPD spying injected into mayoral race
The latest Associated Press expose on the NYPD’s surveillance dragnet has prompted leading mayoral candidates in New York City to speak out more. Both Bill de Blasio and Christine Quinn raised critical questions yesterday in response to the latest revelations. But their responses fall far short of John Liu’s.
A note from Roger Waters to Abe Foxman
Roger Waters responds to an ADL open letter which said, “Water’s views on Israel are colored by offensive and dangerous undercurrents of anti-Jewish sentiment.”
Has the Prawer Plan begun?
Arrests in the Negev and the demolition of al-Arakib may indicate the Israeli government has begun the Prawer Plan before its official implementation date.
Global edition of ‘NYT’ runs op-ed against ‘Arab women giving birth’ in Israel
Shmuel Rosner says Arab children make him feel alienated and that he’s not living in the Jewish state anymore. In the International Herald Tribune!
Glad tidings from NY: Power gets wise counsel from her hero Wiesel
Glad tidings from New York: Samantha Power meets with her hero Elie Wiesel
Rising swell of voices warns against Syrian attack, citing Iraq and Iran concerns
Do the neoconservatives want a confrontation with Iran over Syria so as to utterly dispel the liberal hopes of detente? And doesn’t the push for war remind you of Iraq push?
Introducing the ‘Facts on the Ground Peace Index’
The Institute for Middle East Understanding has compiled a “Facts on the Ground Peace Index” to track Israeli actions on the ground since new talks were announced late last month.
AP and Time magazine annex the West Bank to Israel
Time Magazine and the Associated Press refer to the West Bank as “Israel’s West Bank.” Annexation fait accompli
Expose of pro-settler student tour prompts fundraising appeal: ‘$25,000 helps student leaders fight BDS’
The pro-Israel group BlueStar PR sees a potential fundraising opportunity in an article published by Mondoweiss last week that exposed the pro-settler nature of the tour the group leads for students. On August 28 BlueStar PR founder Jonathan Carey sent out a fundraising email in response to the piece, and asked for donations of up to $50,000 to support future tours.
US-based holistic health center to hold ‘juice fast retreat’ in Israeli settlement
Tree of Life is a progressive center located in Patagonia, Arizona run by Dr. Gabriel Cousens, a holistic medicine practitioner with a wide following. Tree of Life has an Israeli branch which offers a 9 day de-tox juice fast retreat that Dr. Cousens regularly attends. The retreat is held in Almog Village, which is located in the occupied territories, and thus an illegal Israeli settlement.
50th anniversary nostalgia of the March on Washington helps disguise our lack of progress
Sometimes it is easier to look backward as we remain running in place. The main issues of our day haven’t changed much nor have our responses. Nostalgia helps disguise our lack of progress. As the missiles are ready to strike, we should call an end to commemorations and change the world we live in. Or has the world changed us?
al-Araqib activist: ‘Prison is better for me than being deported’
Negev activist: Prison better than displacement BEERSHEBA (Ma‘an) 27 Aug — A prominent activist in the Negev village of al-Araqib said Tuesday that he would rather stay in prison than be displaced from his village. Sayah al-Touri was arrested on Monday with three other activists from the Bedouin village, which has been repeatedly demolished by […]
Federal complaints targeting Palestine solidarity activism on campus are dismissed
Three separate probes into allegations that campus activism for Palestine created an anti-Semitic environment have been closed by the federal government. Civil rights complaints have been filed over the years by student activists and pro-Israel groups, who claimed pro-Palestine events created a hostile, anti-Semitic environment for Jewish students on campus. But the federal government has now closed the investigations, saying that those activities are “expression on matters of public concern.”
‘Disappearing Palestine’ ads come to Vancouver public transit
The realities of Palestinian land loss are on display in Vancouver, as a new series of transit ads has been posted at the Vancouver City Centre SkyTrain station and on 15 TransLink buses, on August 27, 2013. The ads, created by the Palestine Awareness Coalition, made up of seven Vancouver-area peace and justice groups, depict the “disappearance” of Palestine due to Israeli occupation over the past 66 years.
The NYPD’s bigoted logic: Mosques are fronts for terrorism
The New York Police Department’s dragnet surveillance program labeled mosques as terrorist organizations to justify infiltrating religious institutions. The police made the designations in order to send intelligence agents into mosques to record sermons and spy on imams. The latest revelations published by the Associated Press also reveal that NYPD attempted to infiltrate a prominent non-religious Arab organization. Above is David Cohen, NYPD Deputy Commissioner for Intelligence and former CIA agent; Mayor Michael Bloomberg; and NYPD chief Ray Kelly.