Israel's insistence on establishing settlements on Palestinian occupied territory, despite the fact that this violates international law and legitimacy, is a very important issue and a problem everyone should be informed of and try to find a solution to. This is especially true since the problem is escalating - Zionist settlement ideology considers the land as one of the main pillars for its political project. Therefore, Jewish people are brought in from their countries of origin to take the place of Palestinians on Palestinian land, and Israel has made all possible effort to control the land and clear it of its original inhabitants.

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In a House of Lords debate on the plight of Palestinian citizens of Israel ("Arab Israelis") called by the Lord Bishop of Exeter, peers from across the political spectrum drew attention to what has been described as a "fifth column" of Israeli society. The Bishop initiated the debate, explaining that "Israeli-Arab discrimination needs now to be seen as a justice issue in its own right and very much framed within a discourse of civil rights." Opening the debate, the Bishop referred to a number of examples of continued discrimination against Palestinians and described the changing laws in Israel as a "steady drip" of government regulations which are specifically against the interests of the Palestinian minority of Israel, despite the fact that Palestinians should, theoretically at least, enjoy full equality in Israeli law.

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Olive production

It is olive harvest season once again in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs) and something unusual is taking place, something unique to this region. Unlike most harvests around the world which are collected either by local farmers or migrant workers, in the case of Palestine people are literally flying in from all over the globe, albeit in very small numbers, in order to participate in the olive picking season. This is not due to a cultural tradition or as a communal celebration or festival, but to a sense of solidarity. These are international solidarity campaignersⁱ who fly to the Holy Land to stand side-by-side with Palestinian farmers in order to be witnesses and, frequently, protectors for the farmers as they attempt to harvest their meagre crops while being brutalised by Israeli soldiers and illegal Jewish settlers who try to stop them.

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1. Introduction: A call for the normalisation of relations.

A mere eleven minutes after Israel declared its independence in 1948, US President Harry Truman recognised the newly created state.  That instantaneous public support has never really wavered and ever since then the two countries have shared a "special relationship", one that is unlike any other. America has stood by Israel through thick and thin; right or wrong; supporting it on all fronts: financially, politically, diplomatically and militarily. However, many observers have for a long time now believed that this has become a toxic association, whereby America's entrenched and unwavering support for Israel is actually doing the United States more harm than good. In 2003 the European Commission conducted a poll across Europe in which 59% of those interviewed said they felt that Israel, America's staunchest ally, was in fact the greatest threat to world peace.

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The sole benefit of the Israeli blockade of the Gaza strip has light-heartedly been said to be its containment of the H1N1 Swine Flu virus. Restrictions on movement in and out of this densely populated area as well as ever widening limitations on the import of much needed goods have meant that the virus has been kept at bay until now. Nevertheless, there has been growing fear that the emergence of just one case could trigger an epidemic when it inevitably finds its way in.

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By
Senussi Bsaikri
Researcher, Middle East Monitor, London




Background

The beginning of the 21st century witnessed the emergence of what has come to be known as the ‘Iranian Nuclear Crisis’. It followed the unearthing of Tehran’s nuclear aspirations when, in August 2002, an exiled Iranian opposition group named the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) revealed classified details about Iran’s nuclear program, including information about uranium enrichment and production of the chemical compound Arak heavy-water.

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The Condition of Palestinian Women and Children in Israeli Jails

By
Silvia Nicolaou-Garcia
Researcher, Middle East Monitor, MEMO, London

Overview

• The treatment of Palestinian detainees in Israeli prisons does not comply with international human rights or with international humanitarian law standards. This report examines how these international law violations are accentuated in the cases of detained women and children.
  
  
• Due to the fact that women and children are vulnerable subjects, they are often at risk of violence, abuse and denial of their rights at every stage of the criminal justice process.¹ The risks faced by Palestinian children in detention are having a damaging impact on their development and violate established principles of juvenile justice. In the same way, there is a complete disregard of gender sensitive health care and hygiene standards for Palestinian female detainees, sometimes resulting in pregnant women being shackled on their way to hospitals to give birth.²
  
  
• This report distinguishes between two types of violations: those occurring during the trial proceedings, including denial of fair trial and administrative detention, and those occurring during detention and in prisons, sometimes amounting to torture.
  
  
• Before addressing these substantive issues, the report reconsiders Israel’s obligations under international law, since an understanding of the latter has a bearing on the categorisation of the former.

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