The Institute for Middle East Understanding : All site additions (global feed)

Palestinian activists sue Israel for the return of 6,000 books (Vita Bekker, The National)

Mon, 20 May 2013 00:13:09 PST

In 2011 a revelation by an Israeli researcher that about 6,000 books that had belonged to the Palestinian cultural elite living in West Jerusalem before the 1948 war are languishing in the basement of the National Library of Israel in Jerusalem and marked "abandoned property" caused controversy. Now, Palestinian activists are making a legal bid to get the books back. Palestinian history experts like Mahmoud Yazbak of Israel's Haifa University say their return could significantly shed light on the pre-war Palestinian intellectual awakening that had been centred in Jerusalem.

London protest outside UEFA congress to call for cancelation of Israel tournament (Adri Nieuwhof, The Electronic Intifada)

Mon, 20 May 2013 00:06:42 PST

On Friday, 24 May, protestors from several European countries will assemble outside UEFA's annual congress to call for the cancelation of Israel as location for the European Under-21 football championship. The European football's governing body awarded Israel the prestigious tournament despite the country’s systematic violation of Palestinians' rights. Geoffrey Lee, coordinator of the Red Card Israeli Racism campaign, stated that UEFA should follow the example of Stephen Hawking, who pulled out of an international conference in Israel because of its treatment of Palestinians. UEFA should "refuse to be part of one of Israel’s window-dressing exercises," he said.

Kibbutz residents attack Bedouin village in the Negev (Ma'an News Agency)

Mon, 20 May 2013 00:03:59 PST

Israelis from a Negev kibbutz attacked a Bedouin village on Sunday, setting fire to a tent, a Ma'an reporter said. Residents from the Kibbutz of Retamim attacked the adjacent Bedouin village of Bir Hadaj and set fire to a tent belonging to Eid Abu Habbak, head of the local village council, Salman Ibin Hamid, told Ma'an. On May 6, an Israeli government committee approved a draft bill setting a framework to implement the evacuation of "unrecognized" villages in the Negev, most of which existed before the state of Israel.

Barbara Boxer's visa bill for Israel comes under concerted attack (Alex Kane, Mondoweiss)

Sun, 19 May 2013 00:58:11 PST

A bill pushed by the American-Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) that critics say would codify Israeli discrimination against American travelers is still on the table. But Palestine solidarity activists and their allies are ramping up their campaign to thwart it. The bill in question is a reciprocal visa waiver program with Israel. But the legislative language would effectively give Israel the go-ahead to continue its practice of pointing to security concerns when it denies Palestinian- or Arab-Americans entry to the country. The U.S. Campaign to End the Occupation and a host of other groups are now making a concerted effort to make sure the proposal doesn't become the law of the land.

Settlers attack West Bank farmer twice a week (Jillian Kestler-D'Amours, The Electronic Intifada )

Sun, 19 May 2013 00:56:08 PST

Makhlouf's home sits on the outskirts of the West Bank village of Asira al-Qibliya, only 500 meters from the illegal Israeli settlement outpost of Shalhevet Farm, an offshoot of the equally illegal settlement of Yitzhar. Makhlouf said that his house was attacked by Israeli settlers at least two times per week and has been vandalized more than 100 times. The windows on Makhlouf's two-story home all have bars on the outside to prevent them from shattering when settlers throw stones.

Israeli forces close road linking villages to Ramallah (Ma'an News Agency)

Sun, 19 May 2013 00:53:54 PST

Israeli forces on Saturday blocked a road between Ramallah and Deir Jarir with cement blocks, witnesses said. The road connects Deir Jarir and neighboring villages to Ramallah and Jericho. Locals said they will be forced to take a long and bumpy detour to Ramallah via Qalandia. The mayor of Deir Jarir, Imad Ulwei, condemned the road's closure as collective punishment in response to peaceful protests.

Palestinian vehicle burned by settler Molotov (Ma'an News Agency)

Sun, 19 May 2013 00:49:02 PST

Settlers from Beit El on Saturday evening threw a Molotov cocktail toward Palestinian vehicles on the Ramallah-Nablus road and near al-Jalazun refugee camp north of Ramallah. The settlers threw Molotovs toward more than one Palestinian car, and even toward passers-by. A Palestinian car completely burned due to a Molotov cocktail. No injuries were recorded. The driver of the car was able to escape without incident.

On the American Association of University Professors' Opposition to Academic Boycotts (David Lloyd, Jadaliyya)

Sat, 18 May 2013 02:49:52 PST

10 May 2013, the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) issued a "Statement on Academic Boycotts" which states, not for the first time, its "opposition to academic boycotts as a matter of principle." The statement was issued in response to two recent victories for the movement for an academic and cultural boycott of Israel: physicist Stephen Hawking's recent announcement that he would not attend a major conference in Israel, and the Association for Asian American Studies' (AAAS) adoption of a resolution at their national conference in April to endorse the academic boycott.

Palestinian refugees are not at your service (Moe Ali Nayel, The Electronic Intifada )

Sat, 18 May 2013 02:37:18 PST

This has been the Palestinian refugees' dilemma since 1948: watching groups of people from across the globe stroll through the misery of their camps and and then leave. Making their personal plight and stories available to writers and advocates is for them a way to induce change and action and to advance their moral cause around the world.

3 injured as settlers attack Nablus villages (Ma'an News Agency)

Sat, 18 May 2013 02:32:05 PST

Three Palestinians were injured in clashes in Urif village south of Nablus, a local official said. Settler monitoring official Ghassan Daghlas told Ma'an that three people were injured with both live and rubber-coated steel bullets. They were taken to a nearby hospital. Dozens of settlers set fire to lands in the villages of Urif, Einabus, and Asira al-Qibliya south of Nablus.

Arab Idol contestant wins over fans as the 'voice of Gaza' (Al Arabiya)

Fri, 17 May 2013 16:56:22 PST

With his glinting smile and powerful vocals captivating audiences and panel of judges, an Arab Idol contestant has become the first Palestinian to advance into a late stage of the pan-Arab talent competition. Mohammed Assaf, from Gaza, has become a national icon among Palestinians.

Coalition says investigations into campus Palestine activism chill student speech rights (Alex Kane, Mondoweiss)

Fri, 17 May 2013 03:48:15 PST

Prolonged federal investigations of Palestine solidarity activism on campuses are chilling students" constitutional rights to organize and speak out, a coalition of civil rights groups has charged in letters to the U.S. Department of Education (DOE). The civil rights and advocacy groups are asking the federal government to take a number of steps to remedy what they say is the problem of investigations that are having a chilling effect on students' speech. The civil rights groups' statements request that the DOE take a number of steps to remedy the problems they bring up. Among the recommendations are that the DOE issue a letter stating that student political speech is protected under the First Amendment and that "advocacy for Palestinian human rights and criticism of Israeli government policies are not anti-Semitic.

"Journalist not found": Newseum has expunged Palestinians murdered by Israel from its website (Ali Abunimah, The Electronic Intifada)

Fri, 17 May 2013 03:42:33 PST

After caving in to intense Israel lobby pressure, Washington’s Newseum has removed the names of two Palestinian journalists extrajudicially executed by Israeli occupation forces in the Gaza Strip last November from its memorials for journalists killed while doing their jobs. The personal pages for Hussam Salama and Mahmoud al-Kumi on the Newseum website now return "Journalist not found" and their pictures and details have been taken down. The Newseum has refused to answer my questions about its decision-making process regarding the two men.

Israeli forces 'interrogate Jerusalem children' (Ma'an News Agency)

Fri, 17 May 2013 03:40:13 PST

Israeli forces interrogated two Palestinian children in Jerusalem on Thursday, their father said. Iyad al-Awar told Ma'an that Israeli forces raided his home and tried to detain his children, 6-year-old Qassam and 5-year-old Nasrallah. Al-Awar prevented the arrest but troops handed him a warrant ordering him to bring his children to the Russian Compound in Jerusalem.

Israeli troops detain Palestinian at flying checkpoint (Ma'an News Agency)

Fri, 17 May 2013 03:35:59 PST

Israeli forces detained a 25-year-old Palestinian at a flying checkpoint in Tubas on Thursday, the Palestinian Prisoners Society said. Saji Daragmeh was detained at a flying checkpoint on the road between Tubas and Nablus in the northern West Bank, the PPS said in a statement.

Protests an "offensive" against settler attacks, West Bank villagers say (Andrew Beale, The Electronic Intifada)

Thu, 16 May 2013 17:00:25 PST

Demonstrator and Deir Jarir resident Ibrahim Bakar said the demonstrations are a form of peaceful resistance against the expansion of the nearby Ofra settlement and its decade-old satellite, Amona. Bakar said the unarmed demonstrations are an "offensive" move, a show of strength and solidarity to stop the settler attacks. Eid Khalil, the vice-president of Deir Jarir’s local council, said the residents decided to start holding weekly protests when they realized the settlers were determined to expand.

'Omar' and 'Condom Lead' will fly Palestine flag at Cannes (Debra Kamin, Variety)

Thu, 16 May 2013 14:08:52 PST

Ahmed and Mohamed Abu Nasser were born in 1988 in Gaza, where there are no movie theaters. But the twins, who work under the names Tarzan and Arab, were determined to make movies, so they would run home from school to their computer, where they would watch six, seven films in a single run, and then dream up imaginary plots and titles and make posters for the pretend projects.

Clashes in West Bank as Palestinians mark Nakba Day (Ma'an News Agency)

Thu, 16 May 2013 05:00:25 PST

Clashes broke out across the West Bank on Wednesday as Palestinians marked the 65th year since the Nakba in 1948, witnesses and Israel's army said. In east Jerusalem, police clashed with demonstrators outside the Old City's Damascus Gate, police spokeswoman Luba Samri told AFP, saying three policemen were injured and eight Palestinians arrested. Some 1,000 people turned out in the northern West Bank town of Nablus, and another 300 in southern Hebron.

Nakba survivor: 'If you wanted to live, you left' (Ma'an News Agency)

Thu, 16 May 2013 05:00:05 PST

Ghatheyya Mifleh al-Khawalda was 15 years old when she fled her home during the Nakba of 1948. Now 80, Ghatheyya was once a carefree teenager who used to live with her mother and sister in the village of al-Qastina, northeast of Gaza. Her life changed dramatically in 1948, when Jewish militias arrived in the area where she lived.

New York students rally for divestment outside pension fund headquarters (Alex Kane, Mondoweiss)

Wed, 15 May 2013 00:17:24 PST

Students from New York City colleges rallied Monday outside the headquarters of a national pension fund to pressure the company to divest from corporations profiting from the Israeli occupation. Pension fund TIAA-CREF has cash invested in companies like Caterpillar and Northrop Grumman, both of which do extensive business with the Israeli military. The students from Hunter College, Columbia, Brooklyn College, Rutgers and more delivered a letter to TIAA-CREF spelling out their demands.