In 2015, billionaire Sheldon Adelson hosted a summit to battle the nonviolent boycott movement for Palestinian rights (BDS). All participants in the event pledged at least $1 million to cover the costs of “demonizing the demonizers…” Participants, true to the maxim that what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, declined to discuss any financial pledges….
With a 4% approval rate on building permit applications from Palestinians, and application costs in the tens of thousands of dollars, a large number of Palestinians make the risky decision to build without a permit. When Hassan Othman’s “illegal” home was discovered, he saved part of the $80 thousand demolition fee by hiring equipment to do it himself.
Israel has demolished over 48,000 Palestinian structures since 1967
This 16-year-old child did not grow up or die in a vacuum. We need to examine the reportage, the context of her life, and own our own complicity in her death.
Israel partisans are pushing bills that impede Americans’ right to boycott. These are being enacted in state legislatures and introduced in Congress… while politicians are poised to give Israel even more money…
Israeli soldiers punched detainees and hit them with sharp objects while they were handcuffed and blindfolded, and then forced the son to watch his father severely beaten
Palestinian citizens of Israel are constantly reminded of the fragility and conditionality of our (second-class) Israeli citizenship, and the illegitimacy of our Palestinian identity – and that’s amplified as elections approach.
The Palestinian identity of Israeli citizens is conceptualized as a perpetual threat precisely because it resists the constant revisionist efforts of the state. By virtue of existing, Palestinians contest the erasure of their own narratives and histories.
Israeli politicians all seem to share a platform plank of vitriol and threats toward Palestinians. Their campaign ads are full of mocking, insults, and accusations against Palestinians. It’s been like this for years, and it’s worse now than ever. And it’s not good for Israel.
As more and more young American Jews recognize Israel’s unethical policies, Birthright Israel is becoming a moment of truth. Those who speak up and/or walk away are prioritizing the value of justice. These are future leaders in the struggle for justice for Palestinians.
Intellectual honesty is about confronting those things that make us uncomfortable, not ignoring them. Israel arrests Palestinian children; see 7 of the many videos of these actions. The US gives Israel over $10 million per day and Congress is currently considering legislation to give Israel even more. That makes it obligatory for Americans to learn the facts, and act on them.
Pro-Israel and Jewish response to Michelle Alexander’s recent NYT piece, “Time to Break the Silence on Palestine,” was predictably hysterical and demonstrated that “hardline Israeli propagandists are losing their ability to shape political discourse on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.” James Zogby examines what this means…