vjp-global

http://972mag.com/israels-covert-war-against-palestinian-media/118717/ Palestinian journalists are increasingly threatened, arrested and interrogated just for doing their jobs. And for the most part, Israeli journalists remain silent. Posted by Judith Ferster, AIME member

http://972mag.com/partly-free-the-real-state-of-israeli-press-freedom-is-much-worse/118928/ Freedom House has downgraded its ranking of Israel's media from 'free' to 'partly free,' citing closer ties to the government and a spike in paid media content. But it has one flagrant omission: Israel's poor treatment of Palestinian journalists... Posted by Judith Ferster, AIME member

http://www.truth-out.org/opinion/item/35811-on-passover-israel-and-demographic-threats … This, along with its massive settlement expansion has brought Israel's demographic problem home to roost. The real decision before them is not between a one-state or two-state solution, but between two one-state solutions: an apartheid Jewish state or one state of all its citizens, regardless of religion or ethnicity.   As I watch this tragic process unfold this Passover, I find myself returning to the universal lesson this festival imparts on the corrupt abuse of state power. Although the Exodus story is considered sacred in Jewish tradition, it would be a mistake to assume that the contemporary state of Israel must be seen as equivalent to the biblical Israelites… Posted by Judith Ferster, AIME member

5-1-16 Start Up Your Market – Sam Bahour This Week in Palestine   http://thisweekinpalestine.com/start-up-your-market/   …During the last few years, the start-up scene in Palestine has been booming…   A few years ago, after a five-state speaking tour in the US where I was presenting the political economy of Palestine, I proposed to those who wanted a new tool of non-violent resistance to the occupation to engage in our economy to create jobs. For every job we create in Palestine, I argue, we keep a Palestinian in Palestine, and that's a political act of extreme strategic importance… Our aim is simple: find Palestinian firms that are ready to enter the US market and try to match them with a US partner. Likewise, if a US firm wants to do business in Palestine, we will attempt to introduce them to a Palestinian partner. ..   Posted by Judith Ferster, AIME member

4-28-2016 Word on the Street: The President's Decision [and David Price's House resolution]- Jeremy Ben-Ami JStreet http://jstreet.org/blog/post/word-on-the-street-the-presidents-decision_1   …A resolution introduced in the House by Reps. John Yarmuth and David Price last week is intended to put Congress on record supporting American action. H.Res.686 urges the US Government to "[help] provide a political horizon for ending the conflict by articulating a non-binding vision of what a comprehensive final status agreement might entail that could help foster and guide revived negotiations between the parties."…   Posted by Judith Ferster, AIME member

http://www.progressive.org/news/2016/04/188678/hillary-and-bernie-part-ways-israel   The foreign policy divide between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders could not have been more obvious than in last week's debate in Brooklyn when the moderator brought forward the issue of Israel and Palestine. The answers they gave not only revealed differing emphases among two politicians who both strongly identify as being "pro-Israel," it revealed a striking contrast regarding the role the United States should play as a mediator in international conflicts and attitudes towards international humanitarian law. ..   Posted by Judith Ferster, AIME member

http://www.maannews.com/Content.aspx?id=771162   Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on a visit to Paris on Friday said he fully supported recent French efforts to end the Israeli military occupation, reiterating that settlement expansion was the main obstacle for peace...   Posted by Judith Ferster, AIME member