Creating new perspectives since 2009
Items by Jessica Purkiss
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Israel pushing an Intifada?
On 12th July, three Israeli boys were kidnapped resulting in collective punishment throughout the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Israeli soldiers led a manhunt to find the boys, ransacking thousands of homes- the boys’ bodies were found two and a half weeks later. Naftali Frenkel, Gilad Shaar and Eyal Yifrach had...
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The Palestinians of Lebanon; a life of curtailed rights and limited opportunities
This November marked 60 years since the 1954 United Nations convention which first promised to tackle the issue of statelessness was adopted. Today however the problem is far from resolved and being stateless – not considered a national of any state-effects at least 10 million people worldwide. To mark...
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A series on Statelessness: Palestinians in East Jerusalem fighting complete erasure
This November marked 60 years since the 1954 United Nations convention which first promised to tackle the issue of statelessness was adopted. Today however the problem is far from resolved and being stateless – not considered a national of any state-effects at least 10 million people worldwide. To mark...
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Hard winter in store for Gazans after summer of destruction
Gazans are facing a hard winter without adequate shelter after a summer of destruction. Gaza emerged from the recent assault over July and August in tatters: over 2,000 Gazans had lost their lives, 100,000 people had their homes destroyed and the public infrastructure was in pieces. As temperatures drop,...
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UNRWA's Gunness fights against accusations that the UN agency assists Hamas
The above clip taken from a Fox News broadcast aired last week shows the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) spokesperson Christopher Gunness and anti-Palestinian activist David Bedein debating US funding to the UN agency. Bedein claims that two incidents during Israel’s summer offensive on Gaza in which weapons were...
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Hamas accuses PA of targeting members
Hamas’ West Bank Spokesperson Saed Abu Bahaa has accused the Palestinian Authority (PA) of “targeting” its members during rallies called for by the group’s leadership to defend the Al-Aqsa mosque compound against Israeli efforts to assert control over it. Bahaa said the PA were attempting to “silence” and marginalize...
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Archaeology as a tool of the occupation
It costs four dollars to visit the archaeological site of Susiya in the southernmost part of the West Bank. For your four dollars you can view an ancient Jewish city, supposedly once home to 3,000 people which peaked in the years 400 to 800 CE, the late Talmudic, mid-Byzantine,...
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Aid conference hollow if countries rebuilding Gaza are funding the forces destroying it
At a conference in Cairo on Sunday Norwegian Foreign Minister Boerge Brende announced that international donors have pledged $5.4bn (£3.4bn) towards the reconstruction of Gaza, exceeding the $4bn (£2.5bn) the Palestinian Authority had requested. European Union Foreign Policy Chief Catherine Ashton said donations from member states would reach $568m (£353m)....
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Forget its Charter, Hamas has given de facto recognition to the State of Israel
The Palestinian unity government held its first meeting in the Gaza Strip on Thursday after “great efforts” were made to obtain the necessary permits from Israel for ministers from the West Bank to cross into the coastal territory. Ever since moves were made to bring about Palestinian reconciliation, Israeli Prime...
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The Bedouins long history of demolitions and displacement
The Bedouin Jahalin Tribe had a historic existence roaming the expansive lands in the Naqab Desert which ended abruptly when the State of Israel was declared. Most joined the thousands of Palestinians fleeing, and the group was splintered and scattered. Many of the Jahalin continued to herd their livestock between...
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A summer of protests in East Jerusalem leave the youth behind bars
On Wednesday, Muslim worshippers took their dawn prayers in the streets as the third holiest site in Islam was placed under siege by soldiers. Stray rubber coated steel bullets showered on those who refused to stop worshiping hit three students in their school classrooms. An eleven year old boy...
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The curtailing of NGO freedom in Israel
It wasn’t a shock when Ayman Nasser, the coordinator of the legal unit of the prisoner rights group Addameer was arrested by Israeli forces in the early hours of Thursday. This was his third arrest, the second that has occurred during his time with the organisation. For those working...
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Indictment in case of US citizen beaten by Israeli soldiers an anomaly
Last Wednesday Israeli Police filed an indictment against an officer who was filmed beating Tariq Abu Khdeir, a 15 year old Palestinian-American teenager from Florida. He was beaten and arrested during a demonstration to protest the brutal murder of his cousin Mohammed Abu Khdeir. On 2nd July 16 year...
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Palestinian leaders help Israel evade ICC, again
In 2009, Palestinian leaders attempted to bring Israel’s actions during “Operation Cast Lead” to the International Criminal Court (ICC). Although the bid was refused by the then prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo on the grounds that only states could do so and Palestine was not recognized as a state, the move...
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Silence over Galloway attack
Neil Masterson, the suspect in the attack on British Member of Parliament, George Galloway, is to appear at Hammersmith Magistrates Court on Monday. Galloway, the Respect Party representative for Bradford West, was posing for pictures with supporters when he was attacked by Masterson on Friday. The incident left the...
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Justifying terror with counter terrorism
Under the banner of “terrorism” and “counter terrorism” democratic countries have justified interventions, invasions, the waging of wars in distant places- and the loss of civilian lives. There is no international consensus on a set definition of “terrorism” despite the terms relentless use in political discourse- following 9/11 this...
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Israel in the docks at the ICC- a not so distant possibility?
Israel’s military offensive on Gaza has devastated the small coastal enclave. During the lull of hostilities, part of a recently extended ceasefire, the damage is being assessed and calls for justice are growing stronger. Last week, Palestinian foreign minister Riad Malki visited The Hague, the seat of the International Criminal...
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No safe place for the children of the occupation
The Gaza offensive, dubbed “Operation Protective Edge,” has been described by International children’s rights group Save the Children as a “war against children”- the United Nations said a total of 456 children have been killed since its start. Gaza’s streets are slowly filling as a lull in hostilities, part...
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Israel’s restrictions hinders UK’s development work in OPT
In a report on the UK’s development work in the occupied territories (OPTs), the international development committee (IDC) argues that Israel’s policies – which include restrictions on building, access to water, and trade, are not fully justified by Israel’s security concerns, and may in fact make the security situation...
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Time to ask the question: why does Hamas fire rockets?
Israel’s month long military offensive- dubbed “Operation Protective Edge,” has claimed the lives of over 1,865 Palestinians, largely civilians. The civilian death toll has bought Israel worldwide condemnation from politicians, the media and the general public. Prime Minister David Cameron’s called the loss of life in Gaza awful, but said,...
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Gaza offensive putting pressure on Israel's allies
As civilian casualties mount in the Gaza strip, Britain’s foreign secretary Philip Hammond warned that long-time ally Israel is “undermining” support from the West. “Israelis have to understand that while they are defending their security in seeking to root out these rocket launchers and deal with the attack tunnels, they...
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Israeli weapons add to brutality of Gaza attack
As Israel’s military operation passes the two-week mark, Palestinian hospitals in the Gaza Strip are struggling to deal with the continuous flow of the wounded and the dead. The weapons Israel is employing are adding to the brutality of the ongoing attack, which has already claimed the lives of...
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Beaten Palestinian American teen returns home
The Palestinian American teenager whose savage beating by Israeli soldiers was caught on camera returned home to the United States on Wednesday. Fifteen year old Tariq Abu Khdeir had reportedly attended a protest for his cousin, Muhammed Abu Khdeir, when he was seized by Israeli soldiers, beaten and detained. Mohammed,...
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Farming in the shadow of Israel's separation wall bears bitter fruits
Muhammad Amira’s small garden in the West Bank village of Ni’lin is crammed with lemon trees, tomatoes and lettuces; his balcony is home to creeping vines bearing bunches of tiny grapes. These patches of land remind the father of four of his farming days. After losing all his land...