05/14/2008 This month marks the 60th anniversary of Israel's existence, but the organization Jewish Voice for Peace says it will not celebrate the establishment of a Jewish state until Palestinians are granted their fundamental human rights.

05/11/2008 I strained and strained to enjoy In Spitting Distance. I felt sympathy with every ounce of my mind for Taher Najib's tale of a Palestinian Israeli who tries to fly from Paris to his contested homeland on 11 September 2002.

04/29/2008 It is impossible to promote a lasting Israeli-Palestinian peace without engaging Hamas, says a women-for-peace group referring to former U.S. President Carter's talks with the governing political party in Palestine, which is considered a terrorist organization by the U.S. government.

03/28/2008 The power of the "Israel lobby" in the US is hard to measure exactly. But its hawkish positions do conflict with the views, and interests, of most American Jews. So why isn't there a more dovish lobby to counter it? One is, finally, about to be unveiled, says Gershom Gorenberg.
From Prospect magazine

03/21/2008 Israel’s 60th birthday celebrations look increasingly unpalatable, says Mike Marqusee.

03/19/2008 The first Arab-language production of My Name Is Rachel Corrie, the play based on the writings of the young American killed by an Israeli bulldozer in the Palestinian territories, opened on Sunday -- the fifth anniversary of her death.
From: Al Jazeera

03/07/2008 For the first time since the assassination of Al-Ali, 50 of his original illustrations are being exhibited at the Political Cartoon Gallery in London.

03/04/2008 A large-scale military attack on the densely populated Gaza Strip will worsen already unacceptable levels of civilian casualties, a leading international charity warned.

02/17/2008 It's Oral History Day, Saturday 1 March, which brings together scholars, filmmakers and oral history specialists to reflect on the 1948 Nakba.

02/15/2008 Senior Israeli defense officials have drafted a plan to replace the existing closure regime in the West Bank with a system that would maintain Israeli security while facilitating Palestinians' movement and allowing the territory's economy to grow.

02/14/2008 The Lebanese government will reconstruct the Nahr El-Bared Palestinian refugee camp in northern Lebanon, which was destroyed in a battle last year between the army and militant Islamists. So far, 1,500 families have returned to the camp.

02/04/2008 An Israeli investigative committee has ruled Israel's use of cluster bombs during the July 2006 war in Lebanon -- fought against the armed wing of the Lebanese political party Hezbollah -- as a violation of international law with regards to protecting civilians.

01/30/2008 The "U.N. Security Council (UNSC) is set to lose its credibility once again as it prepares to impose a third set of sanctions on Iran while failing to pass any strictures on Israel for its continued heavy-handed repression of Palestinians in Gaza," says a research organization focused on the Middle East.

01/23/2008 Despite President Bush's optimism at the end of his Middle East peace tour, analyst Jamal Dajani paints a very different picture, citing recent bouts of violence between Israelis and Palestinians, as well as political complexities within their respective governments.

12/17/2007 Palestine will require "significant aid" over the next couple of years in order to avert a dangerous plunge in poverty levels, says a new report issued by an international development bank.

11/29/2007 With tensions running high between Israel and Syria, a peace park agreement in the Golan Heights area could be essential to regional stability and should be put on the table at the current Middle East peace talks, write Saleem Ali and Michael Cohen.

11/28/2007 "By their very presence [at the Middle East Peace Conference to be held in Annapolis, MD], the Arab states are signaling they are willing to normalize ties with Israel without receiving any concessions on borders, East Jerusalem or refugees," says Jalal Ghazi.
From: New America Media

11/22/2007 A warning of an increasing public health risk in Gaza has been given by an international development group as water and sanitation services begin to buckle under the strain of Israel's restrictions on fuel, vital maintenance goods and spare parts.

11/15/2007 War on Want, as part of the Enough! coalition, is organising a mass lobby of Parliament on 28 November in support of the Palestinian people.

11/06/2007 This year a delegation of interfaith peace advocates joined Palestinians to celebrate their annual olive harvest and meet with locals working for peace and justice.

10/28/2007 Recent violence between Hamas and Fatah has compromised the safety of hundreds of civilians, who have no protection from indiscriminate attacks and detentions, said an international human rights group.

10/25/2007 Ibstisam Mara'ana was destined to be married off in a deal along with her brother because she was "too old and dark, and too ugly," but she refused. Then she made this documentary exposing the process of "badal" marriages, agreements aimed to secure a husband for daughters believed to be "less marriageable."

10/23/2007 Israel is arbitrarily refusing passage to medical evacuees who need to leave the Gaza Strip for urgent medical care, reports a leading human rights watchdog. At least three patients that were denied exit permits have died since June.
From: Human Rights Watch

10/16/2007 Efforts at opening up a dialogue between Israeli and Palestinian Americans have been welcomed by plenty of Israelis, but Palestinians should settle differences and participate more, comments columnist Jalal Ghazi.
From: New America Media

10/11/2007 Israel has ordered the confiscation of 110 hectares of land belonging to five Palestinian villages located between East Jerusalem and the West Bank even though leaders from both camps are currently collaborating on a document to be presented at a November peace conference.

09/28/2007 UNITED NATIONS, Sep 27 (OneWorld) - UN officials and human rights activists warned Israel Thursday against its plans to close its borders with the West Bank over the next several days.

09/27/2007 Until Israel gives further word the West Bank border passings will be open only for humanitarian emergencies due to the "significant terror threat" during the Jewish holiday Sukkot, which lasts a week.

09/26/2007 Campaigners hope leaders will heed the call of 1 million Palestinians and Israelis making a loud demand for peace.

09/21/2007 Israel is hovering on the verge of implementing additional sanctions on the Hamas-governed Gaza Strip, including a cut in fuel supplies and further restrictions on the flow of goods and people. Such a move would violate the laws of war, a human rights watch dog reports.
From: Human Rights Watch

09/13/2007 Half the children in Sderot, an Israeli town bordering the Gaza Strip, are clinically traumatized due to the Qassam rocket attacks that frequently hit in the mornings. Artist and blogger Gilad Lotan explains.

09/11/2007 Cognizant that the next political storm may arrive any day, Gazans take advantage of the calm to spend a day at the beach.
From: New America Media

09/07/2007 An exhaustive report says that indiscriminate and irresponsible airstrikes by Israel -- not Hezbollah shielding -- caused the bulk of civilian casualties in last year's war in Lebanon.
From: Human Rights Watch

08/26/2007 The Israeli ban on deliveries of paper to Gaza is not only threatening to create a shortage of textbooks in the Strip but also shining a spotlight on what constitutes legitimate humanitarian aid.

08/14/2007 BADDAWI CAMP, Northern Lebanon, Aug 13 (IPS) - Palestinians displaced by the fighting at the northern Lebanese refugee camp Nahr al-Bared have accused the Lebanese Army of torturing and abusing civilians.

08/09/2007 A human rights group is demanding Egypt investigate the alleged murders of three Sudanese migrants who were attempting to cross the Egypt-Israel border. This incident, purportedly perpetrated by Egyptian border guards, has not been acknowledged by the Egyptian government.
From: Human Rights Watch

08/08/2007 The United States' efforts to undermine Hamas and Hizbollah are part of a divisive, unprincipled and dangerous middle-east strategy, argues Amal Saad-Ghorayeb.

08/07/2007 The U.S. arms deal with Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Israel represents the abandonment of President Bush's democratic reform agenda in the region, says foreign policy analyst Matt Duss.

08/03/2007 "Remember and never forget" was the virtue Israel was founded on, but as the Israeli government puts Sudanese refugees in detention camps, many Israeli bloggers are wondering if their country has already forgotten the apathy its founding fathers faced when fleeing the Nazi regime.

08/02/2007 In an effort to give Palestinian workers more bargaining power and counterbalance highly politicized mainstream unions, 13 trade unions and workers committees have established a new independent labor coalition.

08/01/2007 Although the UN's refugee office has recently amplified its efforts, a U.S.-based group is insisting that other UN agencies have yet to respond adequately to the Iraqi refugee crisis and must do so promptly.

07/31/2007 In response to the story of a young Egyptian girl who was raped and gave birth to a child, bloggers from the Middle East and United States share their opinions on rape and veiling, civil rights in Palestine, and more.

07/24/2007 Libya's release of five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor - jailed in 1999 for allegedly infecting 393 children with HIV - has been welcomed by the International Trade Union Confederation.

07/18/2007 James Petras attempts to answer the question: Why is the U.S. public, which opinion polls show as over 60 percent in favor of withdrawing troops from Iraq, so politically impotent?

07/16/2007 Dire humanitarian consequences will follow if Gaza's commercial routes are not re-opened, warn an Israeli human rights group and an international development charity.

07/05/2007 Mordechai Vanunu cannot possibly still be a security threat to Israel’s nuclear programme, says Jo Glanville. So why has he been returned to jail?

06/26/2007 Just days before the Hamas takeover of Gaza, a dozen teens from Gaza City connected with U.S. high school students. Now, in the days following Gaza's bloody street battles, one teen wishes she would have told her new American friends, "Please don’t give up on us."

06/25/2007 The aid blockade of Gaza has left 1.3 million people on the brink of a humanitarian crisis, an international development agency warned today.
* OneWorld Guide to Palestine

06/22/2007 Two controlled, imagined communities symbolise the global disorder and social polarisation that marks the era of war on terror, writes Paul Rogers.
From openDemocracy

06/20/2007 Protests have been held in Paris, London and Arab countries to mark BBC correspondent Alan Johnston’s 100th day as a hostage in Gaza.
+ Deepening humanitarian crisis

06/15/2007 A gloomy atmosphere looms over the blogosphere in violence-plagued Lebanon this week. Find out what ordinary Lebanese are saying about expectations of war and the fear of terrorism.

06/14/2007 As violence continues in Palestine, research shows that Palestinian households are also hit on the financial front: they owe more than $870m, with over half of all households reporting that their debts have increased since the aid boycott on Palestine began a year ago.

06/13/2007 More than 5,000 people representing over 300 organizations gathered on the West Lawn of the U.S. Capital Sunday to call for the U.S. government to bring about lasting and just peace and help end the 40-year occupation and conflict in Israel.

06/12/2007 The third PhotoVoice Magnum Photographers' Lecture will feature Magnum correspondent Micha Bar-Am and two members of The Families Forum - a network of over 400 Israeli and Palestinian bereaved families dedicated to pursuing peace and dialogue as an end to the Arab-Israeli Conflict.

06/12/2007 A Pride Walk, planned to take place in Jerusalem this month, is being blocked by Israeli legislators who believe it would "hurt the general public sensitivity." Read what Israeli bloggers have to say about their right to walk down the city's streets.

06/07/2007 As the crisis at the Nahr al-Bared refugee camp near Tripoli enters its third week, several thousand children and family members remain trapped inside the camp, caught in the middle of a continuing conflict between the Lebanese army and the armed faction Fatah al-Islam.

06/06/2007

06/05/2007 Israel's "blatant violation of international law" in the West Bank is criticised in a new report published to coincide with the 40th anniversary today of Israel's occupation of Palestinian territory.
+ Checklist for solution to Middle East conflict
+ A political impasse

05/30/2007 An Internet censorship proposal, meant to “protect kids from the dangers of pornography, violence, and gambling sites,” has many Israelis worried about the possibility of government dictating what can and can’t be viewed online.

05/25/2007 As the Israeli army attempts to imprison an entire nation, it is the youngest who suffer most. Half of all Palestinians killed in the past six years are children. John Pilger reports.
From: New Statesman

05/22/2007 The mood inside Lebanon is confused and unsure about the truth, reports Moussa Bashir, aggregating Lebanese blogs during a violent army siege of a Palestinian refugee camp believed to be home to a militant group.

05/22/2007 The dignity of Palestinians, along with their hopes of a political settlement, is being crushed by conflict, economic degradation, and the world's neglect, warn Mient Jan Faber and Mary Kaldor.
From openDemocracy

05/22/2007 Emergency aid workers were fired on as they struggled to evacuate injured and dead Palestinians from Nahr al-Bared refugee camp in north Lebanon amidst continued fighting between the Lebanese Army and militants from Fatah al-Islam.

04/16/2007 Suspension of Western aid and Israel's refusal to transfer money owed to the Palestinian Authority has led to grave humanitarian consequences for Palestinians, says a survey commissioned by an international development agency.

04/13/2007 Israel, Jordan, and the Palestinian Authority have united in their fight against the Mediterranean fruit fly, one of the world's most destructive agricultural pests.

04/12/2007 It’s time for the authorities in Gaza to take control of the increasingly perilous position, or risk alienating international support, says Bassem Eid.

03/30/2007 Workers is Gaza are challenging the official Palestinian labor unions -- which are widely considered ineffective and politically motivated -- by forming their own labor committees. And their bosses are listening.

02/22/2007 Conditions in the Occupied Palestinian Territories are close to meltdown, an international charity said today as the U.S., EU, Russia and the UN met to discuss Middle East peace hopes.
+ OneWorld Guide to Palestine

02/13/2007 Human rights advocates are active in villages throughout the West Bank and Gaza, and aid donors should support this "exciting" development with money, networking and technical assistance, says a new report.
From The Advocacy Project

02/13/2007 Highly motivated and energetic human rights advocates are helping communities meet local needs across the Palestinian territories, says a new report urging more international funding to support their grassroots work.

02/04/2007 The West's Palestine aid embargo has been counter-productive, says Iain Guest on his return to the United States from the embattled territories. Aid flows must be re-started, Israel should lift its siege, and women's groups should be supported in their peace- and democracy-building work, he says.

02/02/2007 By withholding economic aid from Palestinian government institutions and trying to pressure Palestinians into rejecting Hamas, the US and its allies have contributed to a humanitarian disaster, weakened their Palestinian friends and strengthened Hamas' legitimacy, argues Iain Guest.

12/20/2006 Despite a death and inuries in an explosion in the Lebanese village of Marjayoun on Tuesday, mine clearance specialists say the incidence of cluster bomb casualties has fallen significantly in recent weeks.

12/12/2006 The recent assassination of a cabinet member has only added to Lebanon's social turmoil and political paralysis. But peace and stability are possible, explains a new Mercy Corps brief.

11/30/2006 Mercy Corps is assisting impoverished families caught in the latest crisis in Gaza by providing short-term jobs in the community to 2,600 residents.

11/15/2006 They are caught in no-man's land--literally. Palestinians who have lived in Iraq for years now face only threats and death there, and the Syrian border has been closed to them.

11/15/2006 People from Israel, the United States, and other countries have been supporting Palestinian farmers as they reap their harvest once again under the threats and fear imposed by occupation. Discover their stories.

11/15/2006 from autoblog green:
The future of green energy in Israel looks decidedly solar.

11/14/2006 The coordinator of a youth program for a joint Palestinian-Israeli human rights organization has been detained by Israeli forces for over 18 months without being charged, tried, or allowed to defend himself. His detention could be extended by another six months on Sunday.

11/08/2006 Despite the current political and economic crisis, there are steps that the Palestinian leadership can and should take to address abuses as a priority issue within its security agenda, says a report released Tuesday.
From: Human Rights Watch

10/24/2006 NEW YORK, Oct 24 (OneWorld) - A majority of people around the world reject the use of torture even if it is supposed to extract information that could save lives from terrorism, pollsters say. The finding suggests there is little support at home and abroad for President George W. Bush's defense of the abuse of terror suspects.

09/22/2006 Unlike many of the countries where international humanitarian agencies work, Lebanon is not a failed state. The international community, however, has continued to adopt a "one size fits all" approach to the Lebanese crisis.

09/20/2006 A delegation of Israeli, Palestinian and international women leaders have achieved historic agreement on principles for Middle East peace and are urging international support at the United Nations Wednesday.
From: United Nations Development Fund for Women

09/15/2006 Following the launch of a new report on Hezbollah's actions during the recent conflict, Amnesty International is calling for a comprehensive, independent, and impartial inquiry into violations of international humanitarian law by both sides.

09/11/2006 The images most Americans have of the recent war in Lebanon are of shattered cities, dead civilians, and terrified people, says Mideast analyst Conn Hallinan. What they're not seeing are the faces of the peace movement, which is very much alive.

09/08/2006 UNICEF and a foreign government are helping the children of Lebanon get back to school. Other programs are reaching out to kids in East Timor and Nigeria, while Palestinian kids face teacherless classrooms. Plus, how green is your campus?

09/07/2006 The United States must engage in a diplomatic full court press to solve the interlinked crises of Afghanistan, Iraq, Israel-Palestine, and Lebanon with the United Nations as a partner and facilitator, says Citizens for Global Solutions.

09/06/2006 The cash crunch imposed on the Palestinian territories has taken a new toll: education. Teachers, who haven't been paid in months, went out on strike this week as the new school year was set to begin.

09/03/2006 A video diary of the Palestinian olive harvest - repeatedly interrupted by attacks from illegal settlers - and a talk on Breaking the Silence, a group of former Israeli soldiers who question the role of the Israeli army in enforcing the occupation of Palestine: London, 12 September.

09/01/2006 Oxfam is calling on world leaders to restart the flow of international aid to Palestine in order to address the deteriorating humanitarian situation there. Israel-imposed measures have left many people without an income as government employees have not been paid in months.

08/30/2006 UN officials, scientific experts, and Mediterranean environment ministers have agreed on an international action plan to clean up last month's oil spill that has become Lebanon's worst-ever environmental disaster.

08/29/2006 Donors must focus on assisting displaced people, clearing mines, and supporting the efforts of a weak Lebanese national government, says Refugees International ahead of an international donors conference Thursday.

08/25/2006 A new report by Amnesty International claims that Israel's destruction of Lebanese civilian infrastructure was an integral part of its military strategy--not "collateral damage." They are calling for an urgent inquiry into the violations.

08/25/2006 President Jacques Chirac announced that France will send 2,000 soldiers to southern Lebanon and hopes to retain command of the U.N. peacekeeping force.

08/24/2006 "I have never seen destruction like this," said UNICEF water and sanitation specialist Branislav Jekic. "Wherever we go, we ask people what they need most and the answer is always the same: water."

08/24/2006 Jewish activists opposing Israeli military aggression in Lebanon and Palestine staged "die-in" protests at New York's Penn Station as well as in Philadelphia, Los Angeles, and San Francisco Tuesday morning.

08/24/2006 While the mainstream media may have moved on to Lebanon, Palestine's bloggers keep bringing their people's news to the outside world: Israeli water cannons on peaceful demonstrators, a nurse watches a friend's son die, Hollywood celebs weigh in and get schooled...

08/24/2006 Two weeks after the onset of a cessation of hostilities the landscape of South Lebanon remains littered with the aftermath of the war. In response, a group of Lebanese citizens picked up brooms, shovels, gloves, and masks in their determination to "sweep up" the destruction left behind during 34 days of war.

08/24/2006 As a result of a rapid assessment mission over the past 10 days, Rick Steiner, an environmental scientist, has concluded that the Lebanon Oil Spill has caused extensive injury to the near shore environment of Lebanon. Steiner has recommended a full underwater survey of the Lebanese coast with towed Remote Observing Vehicles to assess the extent of sea bed oiling.

08/24/2006 President Bush says it is unacceptable to return to the status quo that preceded the recent war between Israel and Lebanon and that the "root causes" of that conflict need to be addressed. Helena Cobban agrees, but having studied the dynamics in the area for some 30 years longer than the president, she'd describe what was wrong before July 12 and the "root causes" quite differently.

08/22/2006 The balance of power is not based on political friendships but strategic alliances. Has Israel's latest performance stimulated a rethink in Washington? Daniel Nelson considers the question.