Fake Jewish identity of Christian maker of Islamophobic film
September 14th, 2012
The maker of a deliberately insulting film about Prophet
Mohammed has been revealed as an Egyptian Coptic Christian living in the USA. He claimed
to be an Israeli Jew with 100 Jewish backers. The backers have been revealed to
be fundamentalist American Christians. Even the cast and crew of the 14 minute
video were deceived. Islamists from Gaza, Jerusalem and refugee
camps have joined the region-wide demonstrations UPDATE Coptic Christians
denounce film but fear Pres. Morsi may not protect them.
L’Shana Tova, Happy New Year
September 14th, 2012
JfJfP wishes all signatories, supporters and readers a
happy new year. Rosh Hashanah (new year) starts at sundown 16th September. Four
rabbis tell Ha'aretz what this means for them - listen to each other, hope and
act, search for meaning, ask for redemption. Rabbi Michael Lerner on Occupy
Rosh Hashanah - because 'the Torah is the story of a liberation struggle
against oppression'. And we bring greetings from Rene Cassin and Rabbis for Human
Rights.
The line-up who will decide whether to invite Israel to join the EU market
September 13th, 2012
At the beginning of next week, the European Parliament's International
Trade committee, INTA, must decide on the EU-Israel agreement on Conformity
Assessment and Acceptance of Industrial Products (ACAA) which would give free
access to the European single market if accepted. We post here the names of the
committee members and the details of how to contact its UK members.
With one exception, they are all right-wing with no particular interest in
human rights or international law.
Should academics be exempt from boycott policies?
September 13th, 2012
Cultural boycott has always been a controversial issue
amongst those debating how best to support Palestinian rights or to end Israel's
occupation of Palestinian territory. Here Steve Caplan argues against a boycott
of Israeli academics - largely on the merits of Israel's history. Ben White
counters that academics should be held to the same level of account as
commercial or military bodies which benefit from Israeli colonialism. JfJfP
does not support a policy of cultural boycott.
Occupation X neoliberalism = Israel’s hate-full society
September 13th, 2012
Mitchell Plitnick thinks we're all missing something if we
think the Occupation alone is responsible for the racism, violence and
inequality of Israeli society. Also playing a major part are neo liberal
policies - which have brought huge wealth to an elite and growing poverty to
the rest wherever they have been applied from the USA
and UK to Israel.
Adelson’s wealth used to destroy Israel’s independent newspapers
September 12th, 2012
Richard Silverstein sees the hands of billionaire Sheldon
Adelson and 'the permanent far-right majority which is designed to turn Israel into a
state that chooses nationalism and religious identity over democracy' in the
demise of Maariv newspaper and the relentless pressure on left-wing academics
at Ben-Gurion university. +972 is an invaluable independent voice from which we
take many posts. Their appeal is 2nd.
A conversation on ‘no normalisation’ that we need to have
September 12th, 2012
At first 'normalisation' meant those processes which
assumed the oppressive power relations between Israelis and Palestinians were
normal, and those who 'collaborated' in them were supporting normalisation. In
the last year, more hard-line Palestinians have argued that any relations
between Palestinians and Israeli Jews, whatever their politics, wrongly assumes
that working together can be 'normal' in the unequal state of Israel and
should cease. Posted here an anguished article from +972 and some excerpts from
previous postings in which others warn that this veers over the edge into
racism and apartheid or rests on a delusion that Jews should leave the land as
they have somewhere else to go.
The Paris Protocol: why Palestinian protesters want to ditch it
September 12th, 2012
The Paris Protocol, an annex of the Oslo Accords which
deals with economic relations between Israel
and the oPt, has quickly replaced PM Fayyad as the focus of the West Bank protest. While the malfunctioning Palestinian
economy remains the target of protesters' anger, the cause is now seen as the
governance of economic relations with Israel as dictated by the Paris
Protocol. 4 articles.
TUC votes to act to help end Gaza siege
September 11th, 2012
Following 2010's comprehensive vote on Palestine,
the Trade Union Congress, meeting in Brighton this week, focussed on Gaza. Delegates from the
53 unions voted to note the appalling conditions in Gaza
and to send a delegation to Gaza,
with the PSC, 'to determine how the TUC may most effectively contribute to the
end of the blockade'. There was no opposition.
The Jewish-Americans who want to silence critical speech
September 11th, 2012
Why would American Jews not celebrate the significant
intellectual achievement of fellow-Jew Judith Butler winning the prestigious Adorno award?
Of course many do - but not that 'dangerous strand' which, says Yitzhak Laor,
launches into a McCarthyite witch hunt of any who are critical of Israeli
government policies - at whatever cost to critical thought and free speech.
UPDATE: German's Jewish Voice for a Just Peace issues a public statement of
congratulations to Prof. Butler and upholds the tradition of Jewish critica. thought
and ethics
Mass strike and protests spread across West Bank
September 10th, 2012
Rising prices, no money to pay salaries to PA staff, a
strike by public transport workers, no glimmer of change or a better life: an
upsurge of angry protest in the West Bank is at the moment directed against PM
Fayyad, the person most associated with subservience to Israeli and western
neo-liberal economic policies. Commentators hope this is the 'Arab spring',
Palestinian style.
Palestinian who renounced violence for theatre begins death fast until PA frees him
September 10th, 2012
Zakaria Zubeidi, child of a refugee camp, was a member of
Al Aqsa Brigade. He decided to renounce violence and co-founded the Freedom
Theatre in Jenin with Juliano Mer-Khamis. Mer-Khamis was assassinated in 2011.
Last May the PA arrested Zubeidi. He has been held without charge or trial
since then. In protest, he began a 'death fast' on September 9th, refusing all
fluid as well as food. See Action Alert for what you can do.
Israel Land agency boasts of driving Bedouin from Negev homes
September 10th, 2012
The Israel Land Administration ordered the demolition of an
'unprecedented' number of Bedouin homes last week (including El Araqib for the
41st time). It will band together with the Ministry of the Interior and police
to speed up demolitions and evacuations of Bedouin villages in the coming
weeks. AIC keeps count.
Unlike Israel, Egypt understands that security means granting Hamas status as a partner.
September 10th, 2012
Israel's
strategy of isolating Gaza
in order to undermine Hamas has not worked. Rival terrorist groups have sprung
up threatening the security of Egypt
as well as Israel.
While the leaders of Hamas and Egypt's
Muslim Brotherhood have recognised the need for anti-terrorist co-operation, Israel's
leaders have yet to recognise the new situation. In Ha'aretz, Zvi Bar'el lays
out the need to free Gaza
from the siege.
Change the story: let’s have equal rights to live and move freely in Israel and the oPt
September 10th, 2012
In ths provocative essay published in the Jewish Chronicle,
Dimi Reider takes up the argument of Yehouda Shenhav that if it is accepted
that Jews as well as Palestinians have equal rights to live and move freely in Gaza, Israel
and the West Bank the stagnation of thought
and politics coud be broken. Crucially, equal rights must end Jewish privilege
and brutality, and break the Masada delusion
of fortress safety
.
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