Author Amira Hass, a Jewish Israeli, pressed the Israeli government for an explanation for the sharp increase in refusals to allow Palestinians access to their land that was cut off by the Separation Wall. The response appears to be little more than a runaround; official reasons given for denial of permits have often been dismissive: the plot of land in question is “too small to cultivate” or the request was “fraudulent.”
The first Senate bill of 2019 would finalize a $38 billion aid package to Israel ($23,000 per Jewish Israeli family of four), combat BDS, and rebut Trump’s attempt to withdraw troops from Syria (Israel opposes the US withdrawal)…
Why would 2019 be any different from 2018? Israeli demolition of Palestinian homes goes on unabated, as though it were a completely legal occurrence. In fact, 2018 saw a 21% increase over 2017.
The new congresswoman from Michigan wore a thobe, a traditional Palestinian dress with elaborate embroidery, to her swearing-in, and her supporters posted photos of themselves in their own.
Mizrahi academics and activists demand Israel’s High Court strike down the Jewish Nation-State Law, saying it erases their cultural legacy and perpetuates injustices against both them and Palestinian citizens of Israel. As of 2005, 61% of Israeli Jews were of full or partial Mizrahi ancestry.
Israel’s Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan has announced plans to “worsen” conditions for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails, including rationing water supplies and reducing the number of family visits.
Lobelog reports how pro-Israel neocons at the Weekly Standard, Project for a New American Century, & Wall Street Journal promoted disastrous U.S. military interventions…
Razan Al-Najjar’s death by sniper last June was briefly newsworthy; she was briefly demonized by Israel, then the world forgot about her.
But the NYT chose to investigate, examining 1,000 photos and videos, interviewing experts and over 30 eyewitnesses, and piecing the event together using Israeli 3-D software.
The conclusion: the shooting should never have taken place – no one was endangering Israeli soldiers or the border, and medics were in plain view – and Israel has done little to decrease the frequency of these incidents.
Her death is at best reckless, at worst a war crime.
Giraldi: The U.S. press, in its war against Trump, is pushing an illegal and unconstitutional invasion of Syria whose stated primary objective is to remove a terrorist organization which is already mostly gone – and a less frequently acknowledged goal of regime change for the legitimate government in Damascus and the expulsion of that government’s principal allies… there is no way to “win” and no exit strategy. That anyone would regard Boot and Nuland as objective authorities on the Middle East given their ultimate and prevailing loyalty to Israel has to be wondered at…
Palestinians will be pushing the envelope in January as they apply for full membership in the United Nations. The body has shown sympathy and support for the Palestinian plight, but the US has, through its Security Council veto, thwarted every effort to do anything constructive for the people.
