Creating new perspectives since 2009
Items by Ramona Wadi
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The Nakba, the ICC and international complicity
As Palestinians commemorate the 67th anniversary of the Nakba and the atrocities upon which Israel’s settler-colonial state was established, the International Criminal Court is urging Israel to “cooperate” in preliminary investigations regarding war crimes committed against Palestinians last summer. Palestine’s belated accession to the ICC was met with intense displeasure…
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Does solidarity activism prioritise symbolism over resistance?
The military court at Israel’s Ofer Prison in Betunia has reinstated the prison sentences of five political detainees released as part of the Gilad Shalit prisoner exchange in 2011. The five detainees are Mahdi Assi from Nablus, Khaled Makhamreh and Nayef Shawamreh from Hebron, Wa’el Abu Jalboush from Jenin, and…
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New Israeli government entrenches colonial violence and exploitation
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition government, announced close to the deadline on Wednesday night, has resulted in Naftali Bennett and Ayelet Shaked being entrusted with the ministerial posts crucial to expanding Israel’s colonial framework. Intense discussions between Likud and the Jewish Home Party have resulted in Bennett serving as…
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‘Human shields’ rhetoric still not exhausted by Israeli officials
Departing from an allegation presented as fact, Israeli General Benny Gantz reverted to accusations of Hamas using civilians as human shields. The context for this perpetual narrative this time was Gantz’s visit to Nahal Oz, where a four-year-old settler child was killed allegedly by a mortar shell fired from Gaza.…
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Israel’s rhetoric and deliberate deprivation of Palestinians prepare for another military offensive
Reports in the Times of Israel have not yet exhausted their Iran-Hamas rhetoric. Coinciding with affirmations that Hamas military commander Mohammed Deif survived an Israeli assassination attempt during Operation Protective Edge last summer, Israel’s media has focused on the cross-border tunnel network, as well as Iran’s military and financial assistance…
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Latin America Summit on Israel highlights duplicitous stance in the region
Besides providing a safe haven for thousands of Cuban dissidents, as well as counter revolutionaries who attempted to overthrow the Cuban Revolution and Fidel Castro, Miami is currently hosting the Latin America Summit on Israel organised by the Israel Allies Foundation. The press release publicising the conference is a regurgitation…
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Ya’alon tries to absolve Israel of its role in regional violence
Israeli Defence Minister Moshe Ya’alon has availed himself of yet another opportunity to embellish the already distorted history that has alienated the international community from reality in occupied Palestine. At a ceremony commemorating Israel’s Memorial Day, Ya’alon’s rhetoric combined loss, peace and security, framed against a backdrop of Operation Protective…
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Venezuela hosts 1st Latin American Congress on Palestinian Right of Return
Last Friday, Venezuela hosted the first Latin American Congress of the Global Campaign to Return to Palestine. The initiative brought together Palestinian solidarity activists from various countries across Latin America, including Chile, Cuba, Ecuador and Argentina. According to Palestinian ambassador Linda Sobeh Ali, the event strengthened Venezuela’s stance as the…
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Human trafficking and the scramble for political influence
Part of the political rhetoric regurgitated repeatedly since 2011 has been the expectation that the surge of African migrants heading towards Europe would decrease in the aftermath of the Arab Spring. Four years later, the human trafficking industry is still producing tragic tales, the most recent being the drowning of…
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Egypt’s adaptation of the ‘War on Terror’
Egypt’s penal code has been updated to reflect Zionist terror and impositions. Following collaboration with Israel in destroying the tunnel network, the alleged “War on Terror” has now been extended by Egyptian President Abdel Fatah Al-Sisi to Gaza. Individuals found guilty of tunnel construction or usage as regards the border…
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FIFA’s collaboration with colonialism
Two corrupt entities – FIFA and Israel, have teamed up to ensure another request from Palestine to an international organisation is ridiculed and rejected. As the Palestine FA stated its intention to submit a draft resolution to the FIFA congress in May calling for Israel’s suspension from the international body,…
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Iranian support forHamas highlights legitimacy of armed resistance against colonisation
Citing the Telegraph, Israeli media is once again fuelling speculation about the network of tunnels created by Hamas in Gaza – this time within the context of Iranian aid to the resistance movement. “Intelligence sources” have alleged that Iran has sent “tens of millions of dollars to help rebuild the…
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Palestine, the ICC and international complicity
‘As Palestine formally becomes a State Party to the Rome Statute today, the world is also a step closer to ending a long era of impunity and injustice’ is Palestinian Foreign Affairs Minister Riyad al-Maliki’s triumphant statement. However, he fails to reflect the reality behind the ceremonial accession that was…
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Israel’s nuclear arsenal highlights Western paranoia over Iran
The Israeli media has publicised a declassified Pentagon document detailing Israel’s covert nuclear programme. The report, dated 1987 and titled “Critical Technological Assessment in Israel and NATO Nations”, describes Israel’s nuclear infrastructure development and research throughout the 1970s and 1980s. According to Israel National News, the state had refrained from…
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Manipulating security narratives and the two-state paradigm
The US obsession with manipulating security narratives for political purposes has recently been manifested in Obama’s Executive Order dated 9 March, 2015 in which he declared Venezuela to be “an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States”. Alleged threats by socialist governments…
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Palestinian subjugation at an international level
A recent interview with Palestine’s Permanent Observer to the United Nations Riyad Mansour once again exhibited the Palestinian Authority’s trend of compromising Palestinian independence at the international level. The brief interview on NBC News’ Meet the Press highlighted the contradictions which the PA embarks upon relentlessly, notably in its efforts…
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Endorsing Netanyahu’s narrative at the Arab League
Israeli media has reported extensively about comments by Arab League Chief Nabil Al-Arabi with regard to Netanyahu’s refuting the existence of a Palestinian state. According to a quote obtained by AFP and disseminated widely in news reports, Al-Arabi stated that: “I believe, personally, that he made that statement about… no…
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Ensuing contradictions about Yasser Arafat’s death and the rupture of memory
In November 2013, Swiss scientists determined the presence of polonium in the exhumed remains of PLO leader Yasser Arafat, prompting Palestinian factions to react in unison and condemn Arafat’s death as a crime perpetrated by Israel. The results validated Al-Jazeera’s earlier investigations which revealed high levels of polonium in Arafat’s…
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The EU’s reliance on selective remembrance
The EU representative in Jerusalem has issued a mild condemnation of Israel’s destruction of two shelters intended to alleviate hardships for displaced Bedouin. The shelters were located in Area C in the vicinities of the Apartheid Wall. “We condemn the demolition of two shelters funded by the European Union in…
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Two-state compromise relevant only in terms of facilitating Israel’s colonisation process
Over the weekend, seemingly contradictory statements have emerged from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Likud Party with regard to the two-state compromise – including the contradiction between allegedly not wanting to rule over Palestinians and enforcing the concept of a demilitarised hypothetical Palestinian state. These statements departed from…
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Avaaz – imperialism’s willing collaborator
PA President Mahmoud Abbas’ endeavours to obtain symbolic recognition of Palestinian statehood from European countries had, as intended, eclipsed the necessity of developing awareness of the importance of Palestine’s anti-colonial struggle. With each assertion garnered, mainstream media hype created an additional illusion out of futile gestures. Meanwhile, seemingly on the…
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UNESCO report on education in Gaza avoids question of responsibility
A UNESCO report issued in late January looked specifically at Gaza’s educational system. Already rendered precarious with schools operating double shifts due to a shortage of premises, it was damaged further by Israel during Operation Protective Edge last summer. Israel’s direct attacks on educational premises by drones, anti-tank missiles and…
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UNICEF recommendations enforce Israel’s colonial policies
UNICEF’s latest bulletin has confirmed the systematic violation of children’s rights while they are in Israeli detention. The findings of “Children in Israeli Military Detention” support evidence collected in 2014 by Defence for Children International Palestine (DCIP). Accountability Programme Director Ayed Abu Eqtaish said that, “Despite an ongoing dialogue with…
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Manipulating EU rules on funding for Israel’s benefit
Stop The Wall has published a detailed summary of the funds that Europe’s research programme Horizon 2020 will be granting to Israel for 205 projects approved by the EU. Among the companies benefiting from EU funding is Elbit Systems, the drone manufacturing company which has played a major role in…