Creating new perspectives since 2009
Items by Jessica Purkiss
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Have you heard of Achrat Mohamed?
Most people have heard of Cecil the Lion. Shot by Walter Palmer, an American recreational big-game hunter, the lion’s death sparked an international outcry. But have they heard the name Houmed Moussa? Or Achrat Mohamad? Probably not. They are two of the 12 people who have died trying to reach…
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Strong condemnations from Israeli government fall short in Duma fire
In the early hours of Friday morning, two Palestinian houses were set alight in the West Bank village of Duma in a suspected arson attack by Jewish extremists. Eighteen-month-old Ali Saad Dawabsheh was killed in the blaze, while his father and mother, Saad and Reham Dawabsheh, and another son, Ahmad,…
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Houses, hotel and shops approved on land of Islamic cemetery
Israeli officials have approved the construction of a massive complex which will include 200 houses, shops and a 480 room hotel in Jerusalem. The problem is this; the land that the complex will be built upon is already part of an Islamic cemetery. Although the land cited for the build…
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UN drugs deal with Iran is sending people to the gallows
Jannat Mir was in the 9th grade when he left Afghanistan for Iran. Like many who journey across the border, he was probably looking for more opportunity in the comparatively more stable neighbouring country. But instead, on the 18th April 2014, 15- year- old Jannat was hanged in Dastgerd prison…
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One incident, two narratives
It was early Friday morning on the 3rd July and senior Israeli military officer Colonel Israel Shomer was driving in the West Bank city of al-Ram, next to Qalandia checkpoint when his vehicle was hit by a stone thrown by Palestinian youths and the windscreen was shattered. Shomer exited the…
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Sanctions are not the key to Iran deal; most cases show that they are brutal and futile
The seven nations involved in the Iran nuclear talks are desperately trying to meet a deadline for an agreement which would curtail Iran’s nuclear capability, however, Washington’s refusal to budge on Tehran’s demands for relief on economic sanctions is stalling the process. The interlocking matrix of sanctions holding Iran hostage…
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Italian cyber security firm helping ‘repressive governments’ spy on their citizens
Italian cyber security firm Hacking Team, which sells intrusion and surveillance tools to governments and law enforcement agencies, effectively helping them to “spy” on certain targets, has itself become the victim of a hacking attack. Anonymous hackers attacked the company over the weekend, releasing what is alleged to be more…
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Unequal Justice
Just over a year ago, 16 year old Palestinian boy Mohammed Abu Khdeir went missing. Police brought in Mohammed’s family for questioning, planting a rumour that he had been murdered by the family in an honour killing. However, it was three Israel settlers that had taken Mohammed from the front…
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The myth that bombs make peace
In the wake of the Tunisia attack, British Prime Minister David Cameron and Defence Secretary Michael Fallon have called for MPs to consider sending British warplanes to target Isis in Syria. Cameron is not expected to call a vote in parliament on the issue quite yet. He wants to be…
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The curious position of Israel towards the armed groups on its border
Last month, the Syrian town of Hadar fell to opposition rebels; it was the last of the Druze towns along the Golan Heights ceasefire line still in government hands. Fears have grown for the safety of Hadar’s residents, predominantly pro-regime, as the fighters who besieged the town reportedly include militants…
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The child soldiers of Yemen’s conflict
The Old City of Sana’a, inhabited for more than 2,500 years, is one of the oldest cities in the world. On Friday, airstrikes reduced its historic houses to rubble. The airstrikes are part of a Saudi-led bombing campaign aimed at curtailing the power of the Houthi’s, a rebel movement who…
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The enchanting sound of Le Trio Joubran reaches London as band play to a packed audience
Le Trio Joubran, a Palestinian band comprising of three brothers from Nazareth, played to a packed audience at the Barbican, London on Sunday night. They sang alongside renowned Algerian singer Souad Massi whose music mixes Arabic sounds with rock and folk influences alongside Portuguese Fado and African soul. They did…
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Gaza economy on the ‘verge of collapse’ as the international community fails to deliver on aid promises
Today in Brussels, the World Bank will present its devastating report on the economic situation in Gaza before the bi-annual meeting of the ad hoc liaison committee, a forum of donors which coordinates international donor support for the Palestinians. The report comes almost a year since the beginning of the…
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EU plan will not stop desperate people trying to reach safety
The European Union is seeking UN approval to use military action to target smuggling networks which are operating out of Libya. The proposal is in response to the increasing number of deaths in the Mediterranean; crossing the Mediterranean from Libya has become the most popular route for migrants and refugees…
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Israeli right-wing coalition can give hope to the creation of a Palestinian state
As his election campaign drew to an end, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed that a Palestinian state would not be established on his watch and promised increased settlement construction. He was re-elected. Netanyahu then formed the new coalition government. The agreement on a new coalition government – made possible…
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US drone strikes have traumatised a generation of Yemenis and will push them towards militancy
A year ago today, Hussein Ahmed Saleh Abu Bakr, a labourer, was travelling to work in Al-Bayda, central Yemen, with 11 colleagues including family members when a drone struck the car. When the attack was over, Hussein emerged from where he had taken cover to look for the other passengers…
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HRW report highlights mistreatment of children in Israeli settlement farms
Human Rights Watch (HRW) has published a report entitled: “Ripe for Abuse: Palestinian Child Labour in Israeli Agricultural Settlements in the West Bank”. The 74-page report is based upon interviews with 38 children and 12 adults in Palestinian communities in the Jordan Valley. Of these children, 33 had dropped out…
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Why losing Yarmouk is not necessarily bad for Assad
For the past week, fighting has intensified around Yarmouk, a Palestinian refugee camp in the suburbs of Damascus. A squad from ISIS stormed into the southern side of the camp from the area of Hajar Al-Aswad which directly borders the camp, clashing with the Palestinian brigade Aknaf Beit Al-Maqdis. A…
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Residents of Yarmouk still caught in the crossfire
For the past week, fighting has intensified around Yarmouk, a Palestinian refugee camp in the suburbs of Damascus. The Islamic militant group ISIS launched an attack on the camp on Wednesday; the capture of Yarmouk would represent the group’s deepest foray into Damascus and establish fighters just five kilometres away…
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Why we should vote for Palestine in the UK general elections
On 7 May, the British public will cast their votes in the UK general elections. Groups such as the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) are trying to ensure Palestine is a key issue in the elections and are encouraging voters to vote for candidates who support the freedom and self-determination of…
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Kurds mark 27 years since chemical attack amid fresh allegations of chlorine gas
Twenty-seven years ago on Monday, an estimated 5,000 Kurds perished in one of the world’s worst chemical attacks. In 1988, the Kurdish town of Halabja in Iraq, close to the border of Iran, was near the front lines during the final throes of the fighting in the protracted eight-year war…
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Is what Israel does really apartheid?
Israeli Apartheid Week (IAW) is drawing to an end. This is an international series of events that seeks to raise awareness about Israel’s apartheid policies towards the Palestinians and to build support for the growing Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign. Defining Israel as a state which practices apartheid often…
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Censored voices of Israeli soldiers become uncensored in documentary 50 years later
Voices censored by the Israeli army for nearly 50 years can finally be heard in powerful documentary that recently premiered in the Sundance Film Festival. After an initial introduction “Censored Voices” leads into grainy footage showing the triumphant return of Israeli soldiers from the 1967 war. The streets are lined…
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The settler organisations appropriating Palestinian land and property in East Jerusalem
When Israeli settlers turned up at Rafat Sub Laban’s family home last week it was not entirely unexpected. The settlers had arrived with a lawyer to demand the family vacate the property immediately. The Sub Labans have been embroiled in a legal battle to hold onto their house for decades.…