home

While Ilan Pappe’s book “The Biggest Prison on Earth: A History of the Occupied Territories”, did not win any awards, Pappe won the Lifetime Achievement Award for his many books and positions as a Jewish historian who aims to present the truth regarding Israel’s history, colonial policies and daily acts of ethnic cleansing against the Palestinian people, under the guise of a democratic state. Pappe believes that the main obstacle to co-existence in Palestine is the state’s “ideology that strips Palestinians of their humanity”.

The bill would have to pass through the House and Senate to become law, an unlikely feat, its supporters say, with Congress being the mainstay of pro-Israel groups. But its backers believe it paves the way for more vocal criticism of Israel on the Hill.

The statement was backed by the Presbyterian Church USA, United Church of Christ, Alliance of Baptists, American Friends Service Committee and dozens of other faith organisations.

“We are alarmed by legislation recently passed in a number of states penalising participation in the nonviolent, grassroots Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement for Palestinian rights,’ the groups said, ‘and by similar legislation that is proposed in the US Congress.”

“As faith leaders, we have long used the nonviolent instruments of boycott and divestment in our work for justice and peace.”

The birthday may not impact Americans as much as the 50th anniversary of the occupation, which caused a lot of navel-gazing last June in the U.S., but the Balfour Declaration was endorsed by the Wilson administration and there are events planned here too.

Among the companies cited are HP, Hot, the Israel Aerospace Industries, Matrix Systems, Motorola, Ahava, Arison Investments, Ashdar, Clal Industries, Café Café, Cellcom, Danya Cebus, Electra, Nesher, Partner, Paz, Rami Levy, Remax, Housing & Construction (Shikun Binui), Shufersal, Sonol and Trima.

Gaza’s daily power needs are estimated at nearly 600 megawatts. Israel, Egypt and the enclave’s only electrical generating plant currently supply 165 megawatts, with the electricity supply from Israel being cut after the Palestinian Authority refused to pay for Gaza’s electricity needs. The Strip has also suffered as a result of Israel’s siege which has limited the entry of diesel for its only electricity plant.

Too often, Saleh feels, Palestinian history is on display for people other than Palestinians themselves, something which can be remedied by nurturing the connection of diasporic Palestinians to their homeland. He hopes the PalestineMuseum.US will become a space where Palestinians can be proud of their history. “We want every Palestinian to feel that they belong,” he continued.

It has become increasingly difficult for Palestinians to establish a family and live in East Jerusalem. According to the “temporary order” implemented in 2003, Palestinians from the West Bank who marry an Israeli citizen (including those from East Jerusalem), cannot obtain Israeli citizenship or residency. They can only receive “temporary permits” under extremely rigid criteria that must be renewed every year. Family unification permits were completely canceled for Jerusalemite-Gazan couples in 2008.

The United Arab Emirates has been using Israeli security companies for years to build their own security state. They have been assisting Mossad with deporting Fatah and Hamas exiles back to face Israeli courts. The Saudis appear to have resurrected Prince Bandar’s plan of intimate ties with Tel Aviv, only to counter Iran. The Egyptian state, under military rule once more, is as close to Israel as it has ever been and is far more brutal than Israel in preventing aid entering Gaza. Only Qatar, Iran and Turkey seem at all interested in freeing the Palestinian people.