vjp-global

https://www.jta.org/2017/11/29/news-opinion/united-states/feinstein-sanders-lead-letter-urging-israel-not-to-demolish-palestinian-village Ten senators, among them four Jews, wrote Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urging him not to demolish Palestinian villages that Israel has deemed unauthorized.   "We have long championed a two-state solution as a just resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict," said the letter initiated by Sens. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., and Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., who are both Jewish. "Yet, your government's efforts to forcibly evict entire Palestinian communities and expand settlements throughout the West Bank not only directly imperil a two-state solution, but we believe also endanger Israel's future as a Jewish democracy."… The other Jewish senators to sign the letter are Al Franken of Minnesota and Brian Schatz of Hawaii. Sens. Patrick Leahy of Vermont, Dick Durbin of Illinois, Tom Carper of Delaware, Ma...

http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/hamas-and-fatah-hold-urgent-talks-gaza-deadline-looms-196629787 Fatah and Hamas had traded accusations about lack of commitment to the Palestinian reconciliation agreement. Rival Palestinian factions agreed Wednesday to postpone the handover of control over Gaza from Hamas to Fatah, less than 48 hours before a deadline as part of an Egyptian-brokered reconciliation deal.   The announcement came at the last minute as the landmark Palestinian unity deal faltered dangerously, with Fatah and Hamas accusing each other of not respecting the accord…   Posted by Judith Ferster, AIME member

  http://mondoweiss.net/2017/11/american-visitor-loyalty/   In an apparent escalation of Israel's anti-BDS policy, an American Jew disclosed to Mondoweiss that in order to receive a valid visa they were forced to sign a loyalty oath to the state of Israel.    Just a few weeks ago, the individual, who wishes to remain anonymous for fear of retribution, was summoned to the Interior Ministry's office to finally receive a valid visa after months of waiting and after discreditation of a previously issued one.   But the ministry official forced the interfaith activist and educator, who self-describes an upbringing with a "typical northeast liberal Jewish education," to write and sign a letter declaring allegiance to the state in order to receive a tourist visa. This individual had to then reapply for a work visa, which grants a longer term stay… Posted by Judith Ferster, AIME member

https://972mag.com/linda-sarsour-we-must-all-commit-to-dismantling-anti-semitism/131054/ | A storm of protest failed to overshadow a diverse, progressive panel on anti-Semitism held in New York, featuring Linda Sarsour and Jewish Voice for Peace head Rebecca Vilkomerson … what took place was a nuanced, complex, challenging debate, among a panel whose racial, gender and religious diversity added considerable depth to the discussion. It was exactly the kind of conversation our communities on the Left need to be having, and seem to be increasingly willing to have in public: the event followed the publication earlier this month of JFREJ's excellent primer "Understanding Antisemitism," as well as JVP's book "On Antisemitism: Solidarity and the Struggle for Justice," published in April by Haymarket... Posted by Judith Ferster, AIME member

http://wunc.org/post/beyond-borders-north-carolina-activist-sijal-nasralla-fights-refugee-rights   Sijal Nasralla grew up hearing stories about the bucolic hills his father used to roam as a shepherd in Palestine. He also learned early on about efforts his family members had made to preserve access to land they had lived on for hundreds of years. Sijal Nasralla grew up hearing stories about the bucolic hills his father used to roam as a shepherd in Palestine. He also learned early on about efforts his family members had made to preserve access to land they had lived on for hundreds of years…   Posted by Judith Ferster, AIME member

https://www.haaretz.com/opinion/.premium-1.824139     …Now there is a harsh right-wing government in Israel that wants to beautify the occupation, and if possible, to make it vanish from Israeli minds altogether.   So now it's acceptable to take one solitary combat soldier, such as Issacharoff – who seeks to protest the occupation by relaying his experiences as an occupier – and to depict him as an exception that proves the rule. He is being turned into a scapegoat that "shall bear upon him all their iniquities unto a land not inhabited," as the Book of Leviticus prescribes…Netanyahu and his ministers have a vested interest in making the occupation disappear, and much of Israeli public opinion is only too happy to play along with the big lie. If there is no occupation, one doesn't have to contend with the havoc it is wreaking on the impressionable soldiers who serve it, with the lasting damage it has caused in Israeli society as a whole, or wit...

https://israelpalestinenews.org/israels-religious-fanaticism-infiltrating-america-haaretz/?eType=EmailBlastContent&eId=9a3116c9-80e1-4ba3-98b4-3ab524f630de   Radical separatism, so prevalent in Israel, is infecting the ultra-Orthodox Jewish community in New York City, with Mayor Bill de Blasio's shameful blessing. Many of the 57,000 students in New York's Hasidic yeshivas will graduate from high school speaking little English and with no math skills or knowledge of history or science. The result will be that they will depend heavily on various forms of public assistance. The author of the article, Rabbi Eric H. Yoffie (former president of the Union for Reform Judaism), writes that this extremist practice is contrary to Jewish teachings…     Posted by Judith Ferster, AIME member

https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2017/11/trump-abbas-palestine-plo-israel-icc/546599/   ...The Trump team is still formulating its peace plan—some reports suggest the White House won't unveil the details until March 2018—so Abbas is seemingly being asked to halt a popular campaign for nothing in return. It may also be that Abbas is feeling the squeeze from all sides—he was recently summoned to Riyadh for a meeting with the Saudis, who have been playing regional kingmaker of late—and that last week's announcement was part of a concerted effort to corner Abbas. If so, he is unlikely to play ball. He'll double down on his international crusade, meaning Washington may have just emboldened the Palestine 194 campaign."   Posted by Judith Ferster, AIME member

https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2017/11/israel-e1-settlments-west-bank-jerusalem.html#ixzz4zADGlAMU   …The Israeli action had also produced strong reactions from the United Nations. " Bedouin communities in the hills to the east of Jerusalem and in the central West Bank are at risk of forcible transfer due to a 'relocation' plan advanced by the Israeli authorities...Israel's right-wing government is setting the stage for announcing one of the most crucial and destructive settlement enterprises that will make the possibilities of a two-state solution virtually impossible. A contiguous state is a critical element that will ensure the sustainability of an independent Palestinian state. The removal of the Bedouin communities is a dangerous sign that the settlement's announcement could be imminent. Posted by Judith Ferster, AIME member

https://israelpalestinenews.org/israeli-demolition-entire-palestinian-villages-continues-no-end-sight-includes-videos/?eType=EmailBlastContent&eId=9a3116c9-80e1-4ba3-98b4-3ab524f630de   Stories keep pouring in of Israel demolishing Palestinian villages; many of the buildings destroyed were donated by EU organizations; schools have been razed; residents are often required to pay tens of thousands of dollars for the destruction of their own homes; nearly 160,000 Bedouins live in "unrecognized" villages built before 1948 that Israel has designated "illegal" and threatens with demolition. Below are three reports, followed by videos and documentaries about previous demolitions...     Posted by Judith Ferster, AIME member

https://972mag.com/fifty-faces-of-the-occupation/130859/ A new exhibit by B'Tselem [ at the Jaffa Art Salon] marks 50 years of occupation with portraits of 50 Palestinians born in the occupied territories, who have never known a day of freedom in their lives… . More than 40 photographers, men and women, took portraits of 50 Palestinians, residents of the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip… Posted by Judith Ferster, AIME member

https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-1.824008   The state has said it is attempting to legalize the expropriation of some 45 dunams that are part of the West Bank settlement of Ofra and were initially seized by mistake….Hundreds of dunams in the area where Ofra now stands were originally expropriated in 1966 by Jordan…The state's brief appears to be the first application of a legal opinion Mendelblit wrote in late 2016, in which he supported using Article 5 of the Government Property Order. The opinion stated that land like that in Ofra, which the state transferred to a third party out of a mistaken belief that it was state land, would be reregistered in the names of the Palestinian owners' names, who would receive financial compensation for its use but not regain acces to their land. The land would thus be de facto expropriated yet belong to its Palestinian owners de jure.   Posted by Judith Ferster, AIME member

imemc.org/article/in-light-of-forced-displacement-policy-in-area-c-israeli-forces-issue-military-orders-to-evacuate-pope-mountain-bedouin-community-east-of-occupied-jerusalem/   The Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) condemns the Israeli Government's decision to evacuate Palestinian Bedouin population from the Pope Mountain Community in al-Ezzariya village, east of occupied Jerusalem, for the interest of settlement projects in the area.   Posted by Judith Ferster, AIME member

http://imemc.org/article/update-closure-of-washington-plo-office-offical-says-erekat-video/   Saeb Erekat , secretary general of the Palestine Liberation Organization's (PLO) Executive Committee, said on Saturday that "the US State Department notified us with an official letter that they cannot certify the continuance opening of the PLO office in Washington D.C. due to the fact that we are pursuing and encouraging the ICC (International Criminal Court)."   Posted by Judith Ferster, AIME member

https://972mag.com/yes-the-right-of-return-is-feasible-heres-how-it-can-be-done/130560/ Seventy years after the violent displacement of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians, it is time to undo the injustice and to allow whoever desires to return as equal citizens to do so, while respecting the rights and identities of all who live in Israel-Palestine… Palestinian geographer Salman Abu-Sita discovered that 85 percent of Israeli territory where refugees aspire to resettle is sparsely populated. Most of the 400 or so villages destroyed during and after the Nakba have been turned into national parks or converted into agricultural land, including villages whose former residents are today internally displaced refugees with Israeli citizenship. A survey conducted by the Smith Institute, shows that a quarter of the Jewish residents of the Galilee would welcome the return of refugees on the condition that they do not return to areas populated by Jews… Posted by Judith Fers...

http://mondoweiss.net/2017/11/boycott-pricetag-official/ A high official in the Israeli government says that the groups supporting BDS, or Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions against Israel, are doing a "great job," and Israel has to come up with more aggressive ways to counter them. "If you want to promote boycotts against Israel, be my guest, it's your right. But there will be a price tag," Ron Brummer said last week.   The new battlefield for BDS is in Europe, where companies are under growing pressure to divest from the West Bank, Brummer said. The best response is to put through anti-BDS legislation in American states (as state legislatures and governors have done in Texas, California , Maryland, New York, and other states), so that if a company boycotts the West Bank, it loses 10's of millions in U.S. contracts…     Posted by Judith Ferster, AIME member

https://972mag.com/some-israelis-think-human-rights-are-incompatible-with-judaism-theyre-wrong/130737/   We must reject the false choice between giving up on our traditions and accepting narrow, tribal, and racist interpretations of Judaism. …Sadly, in the current Israeli political climate, humanistic values are identified solely as universalistic and left wing; in the past, these values had more of a foothold across the political spectrum. Many understood that humanistic values were closely connected to Judaism as a religion and a culture, largely due to the history of the Jewish people as a persecuted minority… Posted by Judith Ferster, AIME member  

https://972mag.com/the-danger-of-ignoring-arab-opinion-100-years-since-balfour/130658/ Following the Balfour Declaration, two academics set out to understand what the people of Palestine wanted for their own future. What comes across from their report is the recognition that local, in this case largely Arab, opinions mattered. The British and French were undeterred… With that, Wilson commissioned the first survey of Arab opinion. In June of 1919, an American commission, led by the president of Oberlin College, Dr. Henry King, and a businessman and diplomat named Charles Crane, arrived in the Mediterranean coastal city of Jaffa to begin the first-ever Arab public opinion survey. The Commission traveled throughout what was then known as Greater Syria, including modern-day Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, and Palestine. They visited three dozen towns, met with representatives of 442 organizations and received nearly 2,000 petitions. At each stop they tried to ascertain what the loc...

https://www.maannews.com/Content.aspx?id=779483 …Many of the Bedouins were forcibly transferred to the village sites during the 17-year period when Palestinians inside Israel were governed under Israeli military law, which ended shortly before Israel's military takeover of Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, in 1967.   Now more than 60 years later, the villages have yet to be recognized by Israel and live under constant threats of demolition and forcible removal.   Right[s] groups say that the demolition of unrecognized Bedouin villages is a central Israeli policy aimed at removing the indigenous Palestinian population from the Negev and transferring them to government-zoned townships to make room for the expansion of Jewish Israeli communities.     Posted by Judith Ferster, AIME member

https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-1.823122     Major Reform Jewish leaders threatened with mace, accosted while attempting to bring Torah scrolls to Jerusalem holy site. Kotel rabbi: They tried to create a provocation… "While I was holding the Torah scroll, an ultra-Orthodox man came at me from behind and tried to grab it out of my hand," Hoffman told Haaretz. "I shouted for help, and some of my colleagues came and were able to pull him off me."   Hoffman said she witnessed a security guard threaten to spray Jacobs with mace if he proceeded ahead with his Torah scroll. "He held the bottle 10 centimeters from Rick's nose," she recounted. ..   Posted by Judith Ferster, AIME member

http://www.maannews.com/Content.aspx?id=779481   Israeli authorities on Tuesday reportedly notified Palestinian farmers that they intend to expropriate plots of land near the village of Shofeh, southeast of Tulkarem in the northern occupied West Bank, in order to expand the nearby illegal Israeli settlement of Avnei Hefetz…Meanwhile, Israeli rights group B'Tselem reported that in 2016 Palestinians experienced the highest number of Israeli demolitions since the group began recording the incidents. At the same time, Peace now reported that Israel's illegal settlement construction in the West Bank increased by 34 percent in 2016, with Israeli authorities initiating construction on 1,814 new settler housing units.   Posted by Judith Ferster, AIME member

https://www.haaretz.com/us-news/.premium-1.823014   Passed version of the Taylor Force Act includes three major exemptions for programs that would continue to receive U.S. funding, even if the Palestinian Authority doesn't change policies on paying salaries to terrorists. ..The version of the bill passed on Wednesday included three major exemptions for programs that would continue to receive U.S. funding even if the Palestinian Authority doesn't change its policies. One exemption is for hospitals in East Jerusalem; another is for water projects in the West Bank (an issue that the Trump administration has tried to promote in recent months as part of its' renewal of the Israeli-Palestinian peace process); and the third for vaccinations of children. ..   Posted by Judith Ferster, AIME member

https://electronicintifada.net/content/life-worth-living/22246   …According to Gaza's police department, where such numbers are registered, there were 17 suicides in Gaza in 2016 and 80 attempts. It's not a lot compared to Gaza's two million-strong population, but it marked a significant increase from 2015, when there were just five recorded suicides and 35 attempts.   Psychologists don't have to reach far for an explanation.   "People are trapped in all areas of life," said Muhammad Abu al-Sabah, a psychologist with the Gaza Community Mental Health Programme and neuroscientist who also runs a private clinic. Abu Al-Sabah was referring to the blockade on Gaza imposed by Israel and Egypt…     Posted by Judith Ferster, AIME member

https://972mag.com/palestinian-rights-make-a-rare-appearance-in-congress/130697/ A first-of-its-kind bill introduced this week focusing on the rights of Palestinian children could pave the way for greater transparency and accountability in America's dealings with Israel. Members of Congress on Tuesday introduced a bill  requiring the U.S. Secretary of State to certify that funds bound for Israel "do not support military detention, interrogation, abuse, or ill-treatment of Palestinian children." The proposed legislation, put forward by Minnesota Representative Betty McCollum, had ten co-sponsors when it was announced... Posted by Judith Ferster, AIME member

https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/1.822554   Purpose of visit was to meet convicted Palestinian leader Marwan Barghouti in prison, two ministers say… The official noted that the information about the delegation was received from the Foreign Ministry, in the wake of a letter that one of the leaders of the delegation sent to the Israeli embassy in France. The mayor of Gennevilliers, Patrice Leclerc, informed the embassy that the delegation consists of 20 members - French parliamentarians, EU parliamentarians and French mayors belonging to the "Barghouti network…   Posted by Judith Ferster, AIME member

http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/wadi-fuqin-harvests-its-olives-amid-ongoing-israeli-threat-palestinian-livelihood-1915849060 …While the Applied Research Institute-Jerusalem (ARIJ) has reported that Wadi Fuqin currently lies on 3,262 dunams (806 acres) of land, Abu Nader told MEE that before the creation of Israel, land belonging to Wadi Fuqin residents extended over 12,000 dunams (2,965 acres).   Meanwhile, according to the United Nations , some 326,400 dunams (80,655 acres) of arable land are currently off limits to Palestinians in the occupied Palestinian territory, deeply impacting agricultural production and the broader Palestinian economy.   Continuous settlement expansion on the hilltops surrounding Wadi Fuqin has led to some 20 wells providing water to the village to dry up, Qaisi said, adding that the settlements were also dumping rubble produced by construction into the valley where Palestinian crops are cultivated, partially burying a number of olive trees in th...

https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2017/11/israel-issawi-frej-ayman-odeh-knesset-defense-committee.html#ixzz4yF9Wd7Tz   …"Arab loyalty to Israel should not be doubted simply because they think differently from the Israeli right and do not want to forget their past," said Frej. "Israeli society must absorb and integrate the Arabs instead of pushing them out."   As a member of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, Frej plans to concentrate on issues that are not necessarily the major focus of the other members. "It is important for me that the IDF [Israel Defense Forces] maintain the highest level of ethical behavior and civil rights in the West Bank and everywhere else," he explained. Posted by Judith Ferster, AIME member

https://www.haaretz.com/opinion/editorial/1.822434 New eviction orders for Palestinians in Jordan Valley 'only' affect 'unauthorized buildings,' but what are the shepherds in the designated area supposed to do? …It's no coincidence that near Ein al-Hilweh are two expanding unauthorized Jewish settlement outposts whose residents periodically threaten the shepherds and try to scare them away from grazing lands in the area. This trend can and must be stopped, because it's illegal, unjustified and dangerous.   Posted by Judith Ferster, AIME member

https://www.haaretz.com/opinion/.premium-1.822178 Princeton's Center for Jewish Life was wrong to cancel an Israeli minister's visit. They apologized. When Israel works so hard against BDS, Michael Oren's call for Israeli officials to boycott them in retaliation makes no sense. He hasn't apologized Posted by Judith Ferster, AIME member

http://forward.com/fast-forward/387260/after-ignoring-nypd-7-jvp-activists-were-arrested-in-adls-lobby/?attribution=home-top-story-10-headline S even activists from the organization Jewish Voice for Peace were arrested Wednesday evening after refusing to leave the lobby of the Anti-Defamation League's headquarters in New York. The activists, who ranged in age from 24 to 72, were singing and chanting in the lobby.   JVP had coordinated multiple protests against the ADL across the country. The group was protesting the ADL's facilitation of training and educational exchange between U.S. law enforcement and the Israeli military… Posted by Judith Ferster, AIME member

http://www.middleeasteye.net/in-depth/features/women-jubbet-al-dhib-707502287 … In addition to repairing wells and bringing a grocery store and a tailor to the village, the women's council was instrumental in getting NGOs to fund and install solar panels in Jubbet al-Dhib in 2016, providing an invaluable source of electricity for the village.   The Israeli army seized the solar panels in July because they lacked Israeli-issued construction permits. However, the women's council hired a lawyer and took their case to the Israeli justice system. As a result, in early October, the solar panels were  restituted  to the community. .. Posted by Judith Ferster, AIME member

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/netanyahu-israel-wont-return-dead-militants-as-free-gift/2017/11/06/e35a3804-c2e3-11e7-9922-4151f5ca6168_story.html?utm_term=.ca27f5929b1a Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged 200 million shekels ($57 million) Monday to build safe bypass roads for Jewish West Bank settlers, in a move that looks to satisfy a key constituent but anger Palestinians who consider it a further encroachment upon their hoped for future state…   Posted by Judith Ferster, AIME member

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2017/nov/06/enemies-and-neighbours-arabs-and-jews-in-palestine-and-israel-1917-2017   Review of Enemies and Neighbours: Ian Black brings a fresh perspective to one of the most closely studied conflicts on Earth, unpacking its complexities with clarity and candour… Unlike previous histories of the conflict, this pays less attention to the diplomatic affairs of the world powers that played a role in the region and in Arab-Israeli relations. For some readers, this will feel like a drawback, but its relentless focus on Israelis and Palestinians, to the near exclusion of other players, is one of its strengths.   The greatest myth of the conflict is that both sides are the proxies of much greater powers. But in recent decades, most of the Arab nations have quietly accommodated Israel's presence, engaging in not-so-secret alliances against joint enemies. The world powers have focused on other, more pressing, events in the region – Iraq...

https://972mag.com/a-room-of-our-own-building-a-new-anti-racist-space-in-jerusalem/130569/ .. Imbala is a new project we are currently working on, which seeks 7to create this space. A place for all the different communities of the city: a feminist, anti-racist, queer, multilingual space. Imbala will serve as a library, cafe, gallery, and open space to serve all the communities that make it up. It will also serve as a space for exhibits, parties, lectures, and anything else we want. A place for us to learn, act, and change our city... Posted by Judith Ferster, AIME member  

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/florida-jewish-journal/opinion/fl-jjps-wujciak-1108-20171106-story.html   … Fortunately, Dickinson dropped its "loyalty" requirement, but the dangers to free speech remain. These bills are part of a campaign to suppress Palestine human rights activism in the U.S. Whatever your views on Israel and Palestine, these bills should be of concern because they threaten the rights of everyone in the U.S. to take collective action to address injustice. Moreover, we should be alarmed that a foreign government, Israel in this case, is lobbying U.S. politicians to restrict our rights. Do we really want to return to the McCarthy-ism of the 50's, with loyalty oaths, witch hunts, and blacklists? Recall that members of the Jewish community suffered disproportionately from these evils…   Posted by Judith Ferster, AIME member

http://mondoweiss.net/2017/11/horrors-israeli-militarization/   On Monday October 30, an historical protest took place in front of the Knesset, the Israeli Parliament. Approximately 100 people gathered to protest the sale of arms and military training by Israel to Myanmar , where these weapons and tactics are being used in the ethnic cleansing of the Rohingya people in the west of the country. The protest was organized by activists from the extreme right and radical left in Israel, and attended by Members of Knesset Tamar Zandberg and Mossi Raz from the left wing party Meretz, as well as Yehuda Glik from the right side of the Likud party and Moshe Faygleen a former (and future?) member of the Likud party, again from the furthest right side of that party…   Posted by Judith Ferster, AIME member

https://www.haaretz.com/us-news/.premium-1.821373 APN (Americans for Peace Nowiiiiii) urge Jewish Federations of North America to close loophole that permits donations towards projects that take place over the Green Line…   Posted by Judith Ferster, AIME member

https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-1.821400     Tzipi Hotovely blasts the 'liberal dictatorship preventing American students from hearing an official representative of Israeli government,' will still speak at Princeton Chabad. A planned talk by Israel's Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely at the Hillel Center for Jewish Life at Princeton University was abruptly cancelled Monday, following a petition by progressive activists on campus…   Posted by Judith Ferster, AIME member

https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/michael-f-brown/media-still-excluding-palestinian-voices-reports-bds   …American mainstream media continue to misrepresent the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement for Palestinian rights in reporting on government efforts intended to curtail the campaign….The Palestinian-led BDS movement for equal rights and freedom is no more "discriminatory" than efforts in the last millennium to end institutionalized white supremacy…The latest example is from Maryland… Posted by Judith Ferster, AIME member

https://imeu.org/video/what-does-bds-mean-for-palestine   Leading BDS activist Omar Barghouti sits down with AJ+'s Ahmed Shihab-Eldin to break down the current state of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement.    Posted by Judith Ferster, AIME member

http://www.newsweek.com/balfour-sparked-national-tragedy-palestinian-people-now-we-are-fighting-back-699470 …What is largely missing in the debate, beyond the entirely justified demands for a British apology and for reparations, is the imperative to act now to end the ongoing Palestinian Nakba by ending the complicity of not just the U.K., but crucially the United States and other Western powers in maintaining a system of injustice that has prevailed for a hundred years. By arming Israel, shielding it from United Nations sanctions, and treating it as a state above international law, they are entrenching the patent inhumanity inherent in Balfour's legacy.   Some may object to characterizing the British-supported Zionist project in Palestine as a case of settler-colonialism, but even influential right-wing Zionist leaders were quite honest about it. In 1923, for instance, Ze'ev Jabotinsky wrote : "Every native population in the world resists colonists as lo...

http://imemc.org/article/al-shakaba-roundtable-after-balfour-100-years-of-history-and-the-roads-not-taken/ A worldwide wave of analysis and activism is marking the 100th anniversary of the Balfour Declaration on November 2, 2017. The Declaration gave an imperial imprimatur to the Zionist movement's resolution at its first conference in Basel in 1897 to "establish a home for the Jewish people in Palestine secured under public law" and launched never-ending war and violence and the dispossession, dispersal, and occupation of the Palestinian people.   Could history have taken a different trajectory? Were there points during the past century at which the Palestinians could have influenced the course of events in a different direction? We turned to the historians and analysts in Al-Shabaka's policy network and asked them to identify and reflect on a turning point at which things might have gone differently had the Palestinian people decided on another c...

https://israelpalestinenews.org/forget-slippery-slope-israel-already-apartheid-state/ The time has come to call the duck a duck. It's time to agree with a long list of Israeli political leaders, academics and public figures on both the political left and right, including three former  prime ministers , a  winner  of the Israel prize, two former heads of the Israeli internal security service Shin Bet, and one of the country's principal newspapers, all of whom have warned that the Jewish state is becoming, or already is, an apartheid state. .. within the Israeli discourse, the assertion seems to have become routine, while it remains radioactive in the West, where energetic pro-Israel activists scrutinize the media, the academy and the polity, ready to declare anti-Semitism or incitement at any use of the word… Posted by Judith Ferster, AIME member

https://israelpalestinenews.org/gazas-young-photographers-record-moments-happiness/   …Young photographers, contemplating their immediate surroundings, showed that life in Gaza is much more than crises, fences, isolation and the enormous suffering they cause. It is a quiet moment where a little fisherman, who almost seems like a part of the seascape, is looking under the sea surface, probably wondering what the future will be like for him and his generation, in a place where the young face 66% unemployment rate. It is children holding candles in the darkness, not metaphorical, but very real, as people have to organize their lives around four hours of electricity per day. It is also immense joy and laughter when an improvised family band explores music making potential of aluminum cooking pots….   Posted by Judith Ferster, AIME member

http://forward.com/opinion/386480/its-time-to-admit-that-arthur-balfour-was-a-white-supremacist-and-an-anti-s/   …Today as much as in 1917, the battle between ethno-nationalism and equality, between particularism and universalism, has risen to the foreground, from Donald Trump's rise in America to Theresa May's Brexited Britain. Rather than resolving this tension, Balfour's support for Zionism merely exported it to Palestine.   Resisting the legacy of his racism will be the key to peace in Palestine/Israel and beyond...   Posted by Judith Ferster, AIME member