The Israeli Supreme Court handed another ruling, on May 7th, blasting the Israeli government's position on illegal West Bank "outposts, built on land privately owned by Palestinians. Peace Now's lawyer, Michael Sfard.
As the Master of Ceremonies at Jerusalem's Mount Herzl announced the end of Yom HaZikaron, Israel's solemn Memorial Day, and ushered in Yom Ha'Atzma'ut, Independence Day, millions of Israelis, having just ended a day of remembrance and mourning for the fallen, are sweeping the streets to celebrate their country's 64th birthday.
Letty Cottin Pogrebin is a board member and past president of Americans for Peace Now. (originally
published in Peter Beinart's ZION SQUARE blog on The Daily Beast, February 14, 2012).
In Three Guineas, Virginia Woolf wrote, "As a woman my country is the whole world." I used to believe this; I thought divisions of nation, race, class, and faith could be trumped by a universalist vision of gender equality, justice, and peace.
Then came the UN's Decade for Women. In 1975, its first international conference famously produced the "Zionism is racism" resolution. Five years later, when the second conference saw virulent anti-Israel and anti-Semitic rhetoric, threats, and violence, I asked myself, why am I working to liberate women if they're going to turn around and attack Jews?
In Three Guineas, Virginia Woolf wrote, "As a woman my country is the whole world." I used to believe this; I thought divisions of nation, race, class, and faith could be trumped by a universalist vision of gender equality, justice, and peace.
Then came the UN's Decade for Women. In 1975, its first international conference famously produced the "Zionism is racism" resolution. Five years later, when the second conference saw virulent anti-Israel and anti-Semitic rhetoric, threats, and violence, I asked myself, why am I working to liberate women if they're going to turn around and attack Jews?
Dear Friend of Israel,
Christians of the West have long been the unnamed third party to the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians. Most obviously, the ancient Church assumption that Jewish exile from the Jewish homeland was a proof of claims for Jesus still casts its shadow. Similarly, European colonialism, with its Christsanctioned underpinning, spawned what Edward Said called "Orientalism," a permanent factor in Palestinian dispossession from lands on which they resided for centuries. In effect, Jews and Arabs confront one another in a corner, the walls of which neither created.
With the drumbeat of war against Iran growing louder in Washington, and as thousands of hardline activists prepare to
flood Capitol Hill on Tuesday, the voice of the Israeli public on this issue is all but lost. A new poll by Maryland University and the leading Israeli
Dahaf polling firm shows that Israelis, realizing the dire consequences of a military strike on Iran, are not as
gung-ho as one might expect.
B'tselem (March 2012)
Examination of Israel's declarations policy from the aspect of the local land laws, the most important being the
Ottoman Land Code of 1858. The analysis shows that Israel's application of its declarations policy has been
unlawful, and concludes that a significant percentage of land that Israel has declared as state land is privately
owned Palestinian property. Read More >
Aix Group (2012)
Reviews the range of economic frontiers which will emerge from the implementation of the Arab Peace Initiative.
Four working groups tackled different issues from a regional perspective: trade, labor, and investment;
institutions; cooperation in infrastructure; and regional aspects concerning the Palestinian refugees. Read More >
Oren Kessler / Foreign Policy (February 27, 2012)
Provides a tour and background of the most contested Israeli settlements in the West Bank: Hebron/Kiryat Arba,
Ariel, Maale Adumim, Har Homa, and Gilo. Read More >
Yesterday the Israeli government sent yet another signal that it when it comes to settlements,
rule of law is optional. It also gave another sign that this Israeli government prefers settlements to peace.
Daniel Seidemann / Foreign Policy (February 23, 2012)
Expert analysis of recent polling that purports to show plurality support among East Jerusalem Palestinians for
becoming Israeli citizens. Provides detailed explanation of the challenges involved in this polling and the reasons
behind its likely inaccuracy. Read More >