Permission To Narrate

– Edward Said

The late Palestinian scholar, Edward Said, remarked that Palestinians had been denied permission to narrate their history and speak of the day-to-day experiences of life in the margins. Here, we reclaim that permission to narrate our own stories.

Roger Waters: Pink Floyd star on why his fellow musicians are terrified to speak out against Israel

American musicians who support boycotting Israel over the issue of Palestinian rights are terrified to speak out for fear their careers will be destroyed, according to Roger Waters. The Pink Floyd star – a prominent supporter of the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) campaign against Israel since its inception 10 years ago – said the experience of seeing himself constantly labelled a Nazi and anti-Semite had scared people into silence.

Hillary Clinton, With Little Notice, Vows to Embrace an Extremist Agenda on Israel

Former President Bill Clinton on Monday met in secret (no press allowed) with roughly 100 leaders of South Florida’s Jewish community, and, as the Times of Israel reports, “He vowed that, if elected, Hillary Clinton would make it one of her top priorities to strengthen the U.S.-Israel alliance.” He also “stressed the close bond that he and his wife have with the State of Israel.”

Jerusalem’s ancient Damascus Gate is at the heart of a modern wave of violence

JERUSALEM —For centuries, the Damascus Gate has stood as the portal to the Old City of Jerusalem, opening onto a packed bazaar of souvenir shops, teahouses and falafel joints — and the holiest places for Jews, Christians and Muslims.The tourists and pilgrims still come, but for locals, the Damascus Gate is now a hot zone to be avoided, with squads of Israeli soldiers waiting in nearby buses and Palestinian teens frequently stopped, searched and sometimes led away.

Palestinian artist uses cacti to embody Palestinian suffering

Ahmed Mohamed Yassin, 21, a Palestinian university student uses a rather unusual tool to carve his paintings.Yassin uses cacti or prickly pears to embody Palestinian suffering and aspirations. To Yassin, cacti have symbolic meanings because they signify patience and resilience. “They are available at no cost and have the ability to absorb and preserve colours,” he explained.

Inside Look: 2016 Presidential Candidates

By Palestine Center Interns

The United States presidential election of 2016 has caused a lot of commotion with regards to foreign policy initiatives. This is especially true for Middle East policy, a subject on which Republicans and Democrats have outlined their strategy vis-a-vis the seemingly chaotic region. We present here the presidential candidates by party and their views on Palestine and the broader Middle East.

Understanding the Current Palestinian Revolt: Its Context and Consequences for Palestinian Society

Since the fall of 2015 the world has witnessed a deadly spate of attacks on Palestinians by Israeli soldiers, police, and settlers, with over 160 Palestinians killed. The violence began with tensions at Al Aqsa mosque and spread quickly beyond East Jerusalem to the West Bank, Gaza, and Israel as soldiers employed shoot-to-kill tactics, claiming that their assailants, many of them youth at checkpoints, were threatening them with knife attacks. With the eruption of this violence coinciding with the 15-year anniversary of the second intifada, journalists, analysts, and scholars debated whether the Palestinian revolt could be called a “third intifada.” 

Harvard Law loses 250K after ‘Palestine Exception’ event

The law firm of Milbank, Tweed, Hadely & McCloy reportedly pulled $250,000 from Harvard Law after a panel discussion called “The Palestine Exception to Free Speech: A Movement Under Attack.” The October 20 lunchtime lecture featured Palestine Legal staff attorney Radhika Sainath, Omar Shakir, a Bertha Fellow at the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR), and Northeastern undergraduate Kendall Bousquet and was sponsored by the law school’s Justice for Palestine student group.

Obama to sign AIPAC-promoted trade bill that legitimizes Israeli occupation and fights BDS

Yesterday the Senate passed the Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act of 2015 by a 75-20 veto proof margin. The large trade policy bill includes anti- BDS trade legislation promoted by AIPAC and introduces new U.S. policy language by including all “Israeli-controlled territories” as part of Israel.

Why Israel is Fighting the Indigenous Palestinians

A 15-year-old girl lies severely wounded, bleeding from multiple bullet wounds on the sidewalk. A man walks up and cold-bloodedly shoots her in the head, a final and fatal shot ending a young life on a Jerusalem sidewalk.  Another “terrorist” shot by a “hero.” Or is it yet another extra judicial execution of the type we have become so used to?