Here’s a book review I wrote a while ago published here exclusively: The Imperial Messenger: Thomas Friedman at Work Belen Fernandez Verso, $22.95 Michael Ignatieff: The Lesser Evil? Derrick O’Keefe Verso, $22.95 Antony Loewenstein Back in May 2003, two months after the start of the American-led war in Iraq, New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman…
Showing all posts tagged Palestine
One state solution in Palestine is coming…one day
This is today’s Israel, as explained by Noam Sheizaf in +972: For some reason, people find it hard to accept that the current situation is desirable for Israelis. It certainly isn’t optimal, but considering the alternatives, it is probably the best. It’s enough to come on a week’s visit to Israel to understand the appeal…
Nothing to see here: world continues funding Israeli occupation
Amira Hass in Haaretz on the international community’s continual insistence to fund the Palestinians to remain occupied: Israel’s position in its periodic report to the donor-coordination group for the Palestinian Authority reminds one of the boy who kills his parents and then demands an orphan’s pension. Israel describes the failings of the Palestinian economy as…
Assessing the “only democracy in the Middle East”
A true democracy is a nation that respects the rights of all its citizens (or at least strives to). Israel is not that country. More evidence for the prosecution by Dimi Reider in the New York Review of Books: This should be a year in which Israeli democracy is much on display. Prime Minister Benjamin…
What part of “Kill the Arabs” don’t you understand?
Gideon Levy in Haaretz on the selective outrage by Zionists towards intolerance: The voice on the other end of the phone was clearly very upset. Its owner had rung late at night to talk about the “pogrom,” as he called it, at Jerusalem’s Malha shopping mall a few days before. As the former head of…
Leading American Zionist calls for “Zionist BDS”
Something is stirring in the American, Jewish, liberal, Zionist heartland. Peter Beinart, former supporter of the Iraq war and tough Zionist, has become a very vocal and very public critic of occupying Israel. His “dream” is still to maintain so-called democratic Israel, an inherently undemocratic outcome for the countless Palestinians inside Israel, but this is…
South Africa understands oppression in Palestine
Via the Electronic Intifada: In a first ever musical collaboration between South Africa and Palestine, South African band, The Mavrix and Palestinian Oud player, Mohammed Omar, have released a music video called “The New Black.” The song is taken from The Mavrix’s upcoming album,… Pura Vida, set for release in June. The release of the song…
The American South in Palestine 2012; attack dogs against the occupied
Popular Struggle Coordination Committee writes: Soon after the demonstration began, clashes between Israeli Border Police officers who shot tear-gas projectiles and rubber-coated bullets and local youth who threw stones at the forces developed. Roughly 15 minutes later – in a scene that seemed as if it was taking place in the American South of the…
What one-state solution in Palestine could look like
Advocating the one-state solution for Israel and Palestine is becoming far more accepted as the most just outcome. One person, one vote for all citizens, regarding of race, religion or background. Like a normal democracy, in other words. Australian academic John Docker sent me details of the following statement – Docker has a history of…
We are all Israeli says alternative Australian prime minister
Words fail. A nation that occupies millions of Palestinians has values like us? Well, I guess Australia is fond of backing American-led occupations in Iraq and Afghanistan so perhaps it’s true. The man has form. The Australian Jewish News reports: Federal Opposition Leader Tony Abbott gave a strong endorsement of Israel’s right to defend itself…