Search Results for: torture

, , , , , ,
‘Does Israel Have A Right To Exist’ Is A Trick Question.

The question “Does Israel have the right to exist?” is intellectually dishonest and intended, almost always, to silence critics and criticism of Israeli policies. Anyone who does not answer with a resounding Yes is guaranteed the label “anti-Semite.”
This was Tamika Mallory’s recent predicament – but she went in full speed and declared that “all people have the right to exist.”
The proper question is, “Is the way in which Israel exists right?”

Read the rest of this entry

, , , , , , , , ,
Ha’aretz: Why Some Jews Don’t Study Torah on Christmas Eve

Why do many Hasidic Jews abstain from studying the Torah at Christmas? The mythology is that back in the day, Christians liked to persecute Jews during the holiday But according to an authority on the subject, the practice was originally based on a superstition that on Christmas, Jesus had to spend the day “wander[ing] in all pits of excrement or latrines throughout the world” – and studying Torah gave him respite from this torture. 

Read the rest of this entry

, , , , , , , ,
A history lesson on the legitimacy of resistance

Before the birth of modern Israel, Zionist groups – newly arrived in Palestine – engaged in armed struggle against the British military, whom they labelled as “occupiers.” But now that the tables have turned (and the UN has enshrined the right of armed struggle as a vehicle of indigenous liberation) the Israeli occupation refuses to recognize the Palestinian resistance as legitimate. 

Israeli military lives lost, while tragic, are sacrifices made willingly by the occupier who is fully aware that the resistance is ongoing.

Palestinians’ struggle for self-determination is a difficult, costly march; yet history teaches there is simply no other choice. Silence is surrender. To be silent is to betray all those who have come before and all those yet to follow.

Read the rest of this entry

, , , , , ,
Truth is stranger than fiction: 3 days in the West Bank

Elderly women, families, children, and of course young men in the occupied Palestinian territories are regularly treated with brutality by Israeli forces. International laws are in place to protect vulnerable populations, but Israel ignores such laws – and gets away with it. Simple, common decency ought to elicit restraint on the part of the occupier, but does not.

These very brief stories are snapshots of Israeli cruelty between December 15 and 17, 3 days out of the 50+ years of violent occupation which the United States endorses and supports to the tune of over $10 million a day.

Read the rest of this entry

, , , , , , , , ,
Israel propaganda trips target ‘Pacific Progressive Leaders’ – no one will say who’s going

An $85 million Israel advocacy organization is taking local American officials identified as “progressive” on propaganda trips to Israel. While no one will divulge the rosters, we have a few names of California participants in these extravagant, influence peddling affairs… and ideas about what to do about them

Read the rest of this entry

, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Marc Lamont Hill’s “anti-Semitism” is a distraction

Marc Lamont Hill, in Nazareth 2014. screenshot from Vimeo video. As is often the case with proponents of justice for Palestinians, Marc Lamont Hill was watched closely by Israel partisans as he spoke before the UN last week. They took a phrase – one phrase – from the speech and threw the rest aside, hoping…

Read the rest of this entry

, , , ,

CNN has fired commentator Marc Lamont Hill for a speech that he gave at the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People at the UN on Wednesday. Pro-Israel groups and individuals immediately criticized Hill, and CNN quickly fired him. See the speech…

Read the rest of this entry

, , , ,
Israeli forces detain 8-year-old Palestinian child near Hebron

According to Defense for Children International, Israel is the only country that automatically prosecutes children in military courts that lack basic fair trial guarantees; 3 out of 4 experience physical violence. The majority of Palestinian child prisoners are charged with throwing stones, an offense that can lead to a sentence of 10 to 20 years…

Read the rest of this entry