Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has been deeply weakened by his complicity with Israel and the Americans over the last years. The result for his people? Nothing. But his comments on Tuesday – probably as a way to defend himself from siding with Israel over his fellow Palestinians, Hamas – were necessarily strong: We will do…
Showing all posts tagged human rights
Possible friends dropping like flies
While Gerry Adams, the former Irish “terrorist”, calls for engagement with Hamas, many Arab bloggers have started a campaign to cease using the word “Israel” and instead refer to the Jewish state as “Israhell“.
Colonial addiction sounds like banana republic to me
How will the next Israeli government view the Obama administration, more likely to pressure the Jewish state over its settlement addiction? Will they go the route of former prime minister Menachem Begin, who more than 25 years ago lashed out at the U.S. ambassador to Israel, Samuel Lewis, telling him Israel was not a banana…
Respecting life would be a good start
Human rights were violated on both sides of the recent conflict between Israel and Hamas. United Nations Humanitarian Affairs Chief John Holmes blasted Hamas Tuesday for its “cynical” use of civilian facilities during recent hostilities in the Gaza Strip. “The reckless and cynical use of civilian installations by Hamas and indiscriminate firing of rockets against…
The occupation matters
Yisrael Beiteinu Chairman MK Avigdor Lieberman, a right-wing fascist likely to increase support in upcoming Israeli elections, lies through his teeth: There is no connection between settlers and the conflict through which we have been living for so many years.
Welcome to your friendly, bigoted state
Just some harmless, racist fun by Israeli soldiers in Gaza: Residents of the Zeitun neighborhood who returned to their homes once the fighting in the region was over discovered that their walls had been marked with slogans such as “Die you all,” Make war not peace,” “Death to Arabs,” “Arabs must die,” and “One down,…
Why we dissent
A Time to Speak Out, a recently released book about the rise of Jewish dissent, in which I have a chapter, is reviewed by Interface magazine, “an open-access, multilingual journal of social movement research by and for activists and academics”: This article explores the strengths and limitations of movement intellectuals’ theorisation of their movement and…
The perilous life of being a journalist
Modern Russia, in all its lawlessness: Alexander Lebedev, the Russian billionaire who co-owns [newspaper] Novaya Gazeta, says the situation is so dreadful that the paper’s staff should now carry guns. Lebedev, the new proprietor of the Evening Standard, also suggested journalists should be taught how to shoot. The authorities are unlikely to grant his request,…
Anti-Semitic remarks stop Palestine conference
The following article, by Josephine Tovey, appears today in the Sydney Morning Herald online: A conference on justice for Palestine due to be held tomorrow at State Parliament has been called off after several high-profile speakers withdrew from the event, citing revelations the convener had made anti-Semitic remarks. Maqsood Alshams, who had organised the conference…
Gaza: where to from here?
My latest column for New Matilda is about the likely future for Gaza and the conflict: Now that the shelling is (mostly) over, it’s clear that Israel has achieved the exact opposite of its objectives in Gaza, writes Antony Loewenstein Palestinians are slowly emerging from the rubble of their lives in Gaza. Credible stories have…