MetaFilter posts tagged with israel and gaza

"An Uncovered Woman and Beatle-Haired Men Will Never Liberate Our Holy Places."

zarq — Mon, 03 Dec 2012 08:34:56 -0800

From the BBC blog of documentary filmmaker Adam Curtis: "Save Your Kisses For Me: How the Muslim Brotherhood, Hamas and the Israeli Right became co-dependents in an abusive relationship." Includes images / film clips from the BBC news archive. Curtis: Pre vio usly on Meta fil ter)

Tensions Rising

DynamiteToast — Fri, 16 Nov 2012 11:20:16 -0800

Hamas militants have launched a rocket on Jerusalem - the first time the holy city has been targeted in decades - and the first such attack from Gaza. Tensions escalated when Ahmad Jabari, the operational commander of Hamas's armed wing, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, was killed on Wednesday alongside his bodyguard, Mohammed al-Hams, in an initial Israeli strike on a car in Gaza City after Israel cited rocket attacks against its cities. On a brief visit to the Gaza Strip, Egyptian Prime Minister Hesham Qandil has denounced Israel's attacks on the Palestinian territory and said Cairo would try to secure a ceasefire.

A Wanker Whipping Up Fear

gman — Sun, 26 Aug 2012 18:32:34 -0800

In May of 2010, Michael D. Higgins (now President of Ireland) had an exchange on an Irish radio station with Tea Party supporter Michael Graham, about the state of politics in the United States. Here is the entire debate, which focused a fair bit on the situation in Gaza, and gives you a background for what led to the heated exchange above.

"He is no longer his own person."

zarq — Tue, 24 Jul 2012 07:32:52 -0800

The Checkpoint. An essay which looks inside the conflicted mind of an Israeli soldier, stationed at a West Bank checkpoint. By Oded Na'aman, currently a student in the Philosophy PhD program at Harvard University, who served in the Israeli Defense Forces from November 2000 to October 2003. Mr. Na'aman is also a member of Breaking the Silence, a website that gathers and publishes anonymous testimonials from IDF soldiers -- combat veterans -- about their experiences and the realities of life in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza.

Borders. Security. Refugees. Jerusalem.

zarq — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 10:37:51 -0800

The Atlantic is in the middle of a four-part special report on the Israel / Palestinian peace process, called "Is Peace Possible?" which features multimedia presentations on and analyses of what they believe are the four core issues of the conflict: Borders, Security, Refugees, and Jerusalem. (The latter two will be released on Monday, November 7 and 14th, respectively) The report was put together in collaboration with the S. Daniel Abraham Center for Middle East Peace. To Weigh In: The Project's Twitter Feed Additional reading / Associated materials: (The "Video" pages contain links to further reading that give both the Palestinian and Israeli perspectives.) Borders Video (and additional links) / Transcript * How to Connect the West Bank and the Gaza Strip * Difficult Truths on Borders Security * Video (And Additional Links) / Transcript * The Most Contentious Settlements in the West Bank. Also: The Baker Institute's Getting to the Territorial Endgame of an Israeli-Palestinian Peace Settlement and Imagining the Border: Options for Resolving the Israeli-Palestinian Territorial Issue a 2011 Washington Institute for Near East Policy report by David Makovsky The magazine mentions their long history of covering the conflict. Other coverage: Newsweek has excerpts from former secretary of state Condoleeza Rice's new memoir. Atlantic: What Condi Rice's Memoir Gets Wrong (and Right) on Israel-Palestine

If I had known then what I know now, the Goldstone Report would have been a different document.

beisny — Sat, 02 Apr 2011 03:44:47 -0800

Richard Goldstone reconsiders his report on the Gaza war of 2008-2009. The Report Itself

“I had reached the point of no return. You finally get fed up … I finally wanted to speak the truth.”

zarq — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 10:47:40 -0800

Last year, the unofficial Dean of the White House Press Corps, Helen Thomas, spoke about the State of Israel on camera. (Previously) Her replies: "Tell them to get the hell out of Palestine," and that the Jews "can go home" to "Poland, Germany and America and everywhere else," sparked media outrage, prompted her to issue an apology and retire. After months of being out of the the public spotlight, she has now given her first long-form interview, which will appear in the April issue of Playboy Magazine. In it, she explains what she meant, tells us how she would like to be remembered and expands upon her positions regarding Israel, Jewish political influence, Presidents Bush and Obama, and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Raw Footage of Marmara

griphus — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 11:46:05 -0800

Hour-Long Raw Footage of the Israeli Defense Forces' Boarding of the Mavi Marmara. (SLYT) via The Awl

"We Con the World"

orthogonality — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 21:23:52 -0800

The YouTube clip, set to the tune of the 1985 charity single We Are the World, features Israelis dressed as Arabs and activists, waving weapons while singing: "We con the world, we con the people. We'll make them all believe the IDF (Israel Defence Force) is Jack the Ripper."

While the Israeli government has apologized for distributing links to the video, Israeli government spokesmen nevertheless maintain that the video is "fantastic" and "what Israelis feel." And not just any Israelis: the video was produced by and stars, among others, the Jerusalem Post's deputy managing editor Caroline Glick.

You Sank My Humanitarian Aid!

quakerjono — Sun, 30 May 2010 21:57:56 -0800

The Gaza Freedom Flotilla is attempting to bring humanitarian aid into Gaza from the sea. Those who ride on the five ships do so for their own reasons. Others are skeptical. The Flotilla has enjoyed the nominal support of Turkey. In retaliation, Israel has taken a shot at Turkey's wallet. The situation has just gotten a lot more tense as reports are coming in that Israel has landed commandos on the Turkish ship while it was still in international waters and between twoa nd ten are reported dead with 30 wounded.

Gaza's tragically peculiar economy

nevercalm — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 22:41:54 -0800

Gaza's tragically peculiar economy - Last week Palestinians marked the 1,000th day of the "siege" of the Gaza Strip. The continuing economic embargo, with its attendant social and economic effects on the more than 1.5 million Gazans, makes for a depressing story. Equally depressing is the extent to which this situation has somehow become accepted as normal and acceptable by much of the international community. From the article: "Today, what is or is not allowed into Gaza is never entirely clear and can change from month to month. Broomsticks and chamomile have recently been permitted; toys, music, books, and shampoo with conditioner have been prohibited; and the importation of pasta required the direct intervention of US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Almost all of the materials needed for reconstruction after Operation Cast Lead last year have been blocked, although some imports of glass have finally been permitted after months of extended negotiation. As a result of this, there is little productive enterprise within Gaza today. It is only recently that Israel has started to permit limited exports [PDF] of cut flowers and strawberries, for example, after seven months of blockage."

Inside Gaza

smoke — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 22:04:48 -0800

"Every opportunity for peace in the Middle East has been led to slaughter" Lawrence Wright in The New Yorker writes about the Israeli incursion into the Gaza Strip nearly eleven months ago, talking to Palestinians, Israelis and aid workers. Political context combined with incredibly saddening everyday civilian life.

The Bride Who Crawled Through a Tunnel

shetterly — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 13:19:25 -0800

"Gaza Love Story: The Bride Who Crawled Through a Tunnel" "He lived in the Gaza Strip, she in the West Bank. It seemed as though the Israeli blockade would prevent their marriage. Then May risked her life to crawl through a smugglers' tunnel into Gaza and join Mohammed. Now they face an uncertain future together."

"We Should Kill Everyone There"

homunculus — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 13:45:37 -0800

IDF in Gaza: Killing civilians, vandalism, and lax rules of engagement. "During Operation Cast Lead, Israeli forces killed Palestinian civilians under permissive rules of engagement and intentionally destroyed their property, say soldiers who fought in the offensive." Can Israel dismiss its own troops' stories from Gaza? [Via]

Casualty of War

terranova — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 10:31:44 -0800

The Gaza Doctor. Dr. Ezzeldeen Abu al-Aish is a Palestinian doctor, trained in Israel, educated at Harvard and King's College. He worked at Palestinian and Israeli hospitals, and gave commentary on Israeli TV about the medical crises facing Gazans. His life changed just days before withdrawal of Israeli troops from the Gaza strip.

Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) concluded its investigations of the incident, admitted responsibility, and in part, ascribes blame to Hamas. The University of Toronto has offered Abu al-Aish a teaching position. He remains uncertain about his future .

Hampshire Divests from Israel?

lunit — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 08:12:16 -0800

Did Hampshire College Become the First to Divest from Israel? It is being reported that Hampshire has divested from 6 corporations that provide Israel with military equipment and services in the Occupied West Bank and Gaza. Students for Justice in Palestine claim success. But the University claims that the decision had "nothing to do with Israel." This move is being hailed as a landmark victory by the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions campaign which calls on "people of conscience all over the world to impose broad boycotts and implement divestment initiatives against Israel similar to those applied to South Africa in the apartheid era."

Is [Israel + Palestine=Isratine] > [Israel / Palestine]?

Azaadistani — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 23:04:29 -0800

Israel + Palestine = Isratine? Or so it should be, Libyan leader Qaddafi argues, promoting the one-state solution. While he is not the first to raise the one-state solution, it is a bold proposal, particularly so soon after the widely-cond emned Israeli atrocities in Gaza.

Attack on Gaza creates rift with overseas Jews.

markkraft — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 01:44:21 -0800

The End of the Affair. Like many followers of Judaism around the world, Sir Gerald Kaufman, a British MP and friend of Golda Meir, has gone through an internal battle over their views regarding the State of Israel. Kaufman rejected the Sharon government and later made a remarkably prescient 2002 documentary (.ram) on Israel. Though he has been targeted by zionist webistes, and has repeatedly received death threats, hate mail, and has even been harassed during worship, Kaufman remains outspoken about Israel's attack on Gaza: "My grandmother was ill in bed when the Nazis came to her home town of Staszów. A German soldier shot her dead in her bed. Madam Deputy Speaker, My grandmother did not die to provide cover for Israeli soldiers murdering Palestinian grandmothers in Gaza . . . they're not simply war criminals, they're fools."

How To Make A Rocket.

gman — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 06:42:32 -0800

A Gaza journalist shows us how homemade rockets are made. More from Zouheir Alnajjar.

Israel + humanitarian relief + reporters + politicians = Made for Television!

markkraft — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 12:13:10 -0800

Dear Israel: you picked wrong boat to mess with. Israeli patrol boats have rammed into and nearly capsized a relief vesssel sailing in international waters, bearing humanitarian medical aid to Gaza. Accompanying the international doctors and aid workers who comprised the heart of the mssion were several politicians, including former US congresswoman Cynthia McKinney, as well as several international journalists, such as Karl Penhaul of CNN and Othman Abu Battiri of Al Jazeera, who have used mobile video reporting to refute Israel's claims that the damage was somehow caused by those leading the relief mission. Shades of the USS Liberty... or Whale Wars?

Israel vs. Hamas vs. the Internet

huskerdont — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 11:53:48 -0800

The current conflict between Israel & Hamas is all over the news. But the most interesting bits aren't on CNN or the Beeb. Israelis are Twittering rocket attacks. Amateur photographers are taking snapshots of pro-Hamas riots in Jerusalem, Israeli soldiers on the Gaza border and West Bank unrest.

Meanwhile, Israeli newspapers are publishing photos of rocket victims in the city of Ashdod, 40 kilometers away from Gaza and reporting that Gazans are storming the closed border with Egypt. What's next? Israeli reservists are being called up for a likely land invasion, as Israel sets off sonic booms over Lebanon.

Gaza: The Killing Zone

Surfin' Bird — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 09:45:40 -0800

A Dispatches documentary Gaza: The Killing Zone shows the shocking reality of seemingly ordinary Palestinians caught in the crossfire between Hamas and Israeli forces. Feels almost like a sci-fi movie about some fictional totalitarian regime. Hard to believe it's their everyday life. WARNING: contains scenes of graphic violence, which you may find disturbing.

Kidnapped

TrashyRambo — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 21:46:21 -0800

From Our Own Correspondent BBC journalist Alan Johnston gives his account of being kidnapped in Gaza for 114 days. Best in his own voice [mp3]. Previously. And also.

Grossman on the pullout

ori — Mon, 15 Aug 2005 11:32:45 -0800

Vergangenheitsbewältigung, Israeli style? Amidst overwhelming public approval for the Gaza pullout, noted author David Grossman writes about the need for all Israelis to mourn today, in this Ha-Aretz editorial.

Disengaging in game form

blahblahblah — Wed, 10 Aug 2005 21:25:30 -0800

Disengagement: The Game The debate in Israel over the withdrawal from Gaza has found its way into, of all things, dueling cartoony Flash games. The first, the Wild West Bank, by proponents of withdrawal, has you removing settlers from the West Bank before they can establish settlements. The second, the "Disengagement Game" (click the square yellow button beside the picture), has you take the role of Ariel Sharon, whose political nickname is the "Bulldozer," as he uses his namesake (plus a club and a gaggle of pigs) to remove children protesting his policies. According to the creators of each, the first is supposed to be enlightening, the second purely entertaining. [Instructions inside]