HolyLandJustice.org

Sun, Mar 18, 2018Sat, Mar 17, 2018

Will Israeli policies change if Netanyahu leaves office?

kids-with-israeli-flags-jerusalem-e1462905834686 — Students waving Israeli flags in Jerusalem. (photo: Kristoffer Trolle / Flickr /Providence Magazine)

Regardless of Netanyahu’s political future, Israeli policies towards Palestinians will remain unchanged.

By Ramzy Baroud | Counterpunch | Mar 15, 2018

“There are places where the character of the State of Israel as a Jewish state must be maintained, and this sometimes comes at the expense of equality. Israel is a Jewish state. It isn’t a state of all its nations. There is place to maintain a Jewish majority even at the price of violation of rights.”
— Ayelet Shaked, Israeli Minister of Justice

If scandal-plagued Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, exits his country’s political scene today, who is likely to replace him? And what does this mean as far as Israel’s Occupation of Palestine is concerned?

Netanyahu, who is currently being charged with multiple cases of corruption, misuse of government funds and public office, has, for years, epitomized the image of Israel internationally.

In Israel, Netanyahu has masterfully kept his rightwing Likud Party at the center of power. Even if as part of larger coalitions — as is often the case in the formation of most of Israeli governments — the Likud, under Netanyahu, has shaped Israeli politics and foreign policy for many years.

As Israel’s Jewish population continues to move to the right, the country’s political ideology has been repeatedly redefined in the last two decades.

Continue reading “Will Israeli policies change if Netanyahu leaves office?”

Sun, Mar 18, 2018Sat, Mar 17, 2018

Americans have a constitutional right to boycott Israel

0d25ae94c46f4a12af6bcdb25e997cee_18 — Growing numbers of Americans and the civil society institutions to which they belong are supporting economic action against Israel. (photo: Mike Groll / AP)

Growing numbers of Americans and the civil society institutions to which they belong are supporting economic action against Israel as a moral and nonviolent way of showing their disapproval of Israel’s oppression.

By Josh Ruebner | Al Jazeera | Mar 15, 2018

It should be a no-brainer that Americans can boycott whomever or whatever they choose without risking governmental punishment. After all, the Supreme Court ruled that states have no “right to prohibit peaceful political activity” such as a boycott, which is an “expression on public issues” that “has always rested on the highest rung of the hierarchy of First Amendment values.”

The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) concluded its annual policy conference last week with a lobbying day on Capitol Hill. High on its legislative agenda was advocating for bills that would penalise Americans for engaging in their First Amendment-protected right to boycott for Palestinian rights.

AIPAC conference attendees pressed their elected officials to support the Israel Anti-Boycott Act, sponsored by Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD). The original, draconian version of this bill, unveiled at last year’s AIPAC conference, proposed to jail individuals for 20 years if they advanced an international organization’s call for a boycott of Israel, or even of products from its illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank.

Continue reading “Americans have a constitutional right to boycott Israel”

Sat, Mar 17, 2018Sat, Mar 17, 2018

What Gaza really needs is for Israel to recognize the humanity of its occupants

gettyimages-918607246-1520956876 — A boy scavenging bicycle parts in Gaza. (photo: Getty Images)

Israel and its supporters must separate the civilians from Hamas militants and stop the collective punishment.

By Mohammed Shehada | Forward | Mar 13, 2018

Whether you call it a crisis or call it a passing distress, names are irrelevant when you try to describe the impossibility of life in Gaza that no man could endure yet no man can escape.

On March 13, Jared Kushner and Jason D. Greenblatt held a White House summit on the humanitarian crisis in Gaza with leaders from Israel, several Arab nations and Western countries — but there were no leaders from either the Palestinian Authority or Gaza in attendance.

“We all know that none of this will be easy,” Greenblatt reminded those gathered at the summit. “Everything we do must be done in a way that ensures we do not put the security of Israelis and Egyptians at risk — and that we do not inadvertently empower Hamas, which bears responsibility for Gaza’s suffering. But the situation today in Gaza is unacceptable, and spiraling downwards.”

Any plan for Gaza would be better than the status quo. But if the summit is to accomplish anything, it must acknowledge three hard truths: Life in Gaza is unbearable. Unbearable suffering is fueling Hamas’s continued reign of terror. And the only way to free Gazans from their unbearable suffering is to acknowledge Israel’s role in it.

Continue reading “What Gaza really needs is for Israel to recognize the humanity of its occupants”

Fri, Mar 16, 2018Wed, Mar 14, 2018

Why Benjamin is walking from Sweden to Palestine

29177_benjaminladraa_1520859926216 — Benjamin Ladraa is walking from Sweden across Europe all the way to Palestine to raise awareness of the Israeli occupation of Palestine. (photo: Benjamin Ladraa)

Benjamin’s journey takes him to communities across Europe large and small, taking the first step towards justice.

By Benjamin Ladraa | TRT World | Mar 13, 2018

I went through the Swedish school system and came out knowing close to nothing about Palestine. I decided then that the most effective thing I could do to propel the change that was so urgently needed was to reach as many people as possible, and share the stories from Palestine with them.

The year 2017 was an auspicious one which marked the centenary of the Balfour declaration, the 70^th anniversary of the Nakba, 50^th anniversary of the total occupation of Palestine and the 10^th anniversary of the siege on Gaza.

Each one of these events represents a tragedy that is difficult to describe in words and are all a part of the gradual destruction of the Palestinian people.

Having pursued a musical career for most of my life, Palestine and Israel was not really a topic I knew much about. After meeting some Palestinians through my part-time job at the Red Cross and hearing their stories I became curious and started reading about the occupation and eventually I decided to visit.

What I witnessed left me shocked to the core.

Continue reading “Why Benjamin is walking from Sweden to Palestine”

Fri, Mar 16, 2018Fri, Mar 9, 2018

Rachel Corrie: 15 Years Later (Tomorrow)

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A fundraising event to raise $15,000 to sustain work in Rachel Corrie’s name.


	Date:	Saturday, Mar 17, 2018
	Time:	12:30 – 3:00 pm
	Location:	Plymouth Church 1217 Sixth Ave Seattle, WA 98101
	Information:	Event information here →
	Tickets:	Free admission RSVP required here →

Event Details

Join the Rachel Corrie Foundation for Peace and Justice (RCF) in Seattle on Saturday, March 17, 2018, to remember Rachel Corrie and celebrate fifteen years of Palestinian solidarity and community organizing! In honor of 15 years of dedicated work around the globe, the Rachel Corrie Foundation wishes to raise $15,000 to support the programs that carry on Rachel’s vision, spirit, and creative energy!

This fundraising event will feature guest speakers Huwaida Arraf, Palestinian-American human rights activist, lawyer, and cofounder of the International Solidarity Movement (ISM), and Cindy and Craig Corrie, founders of the Rachel Corrie Foundation and parents of Rachel Corrie. Attendees will have the opportunity to hear first-hand accounts of Rachel Corrie and the work of the International Solidarity Movement, what the last 15 years have yielded in terms of struggle and victory for the Palestinian people, the challenges of holding the Israeli and US governments accountable, and the impact of grassroots organizing. Continue reading “Rachel Corrie: 15 Years Later (Tomorrow)”

Fri, Mar 16, 2018Wed, Mar 14, 2018

South Africa must stand up to Israeli apartheid

wall2 — The separation wall in the West Bank. (photo: Reuters)

A generation after South Africans won their freedom, Palestinians remain in bondage.

By Ali Abunimah | Mail & Guardian | Mar 14, 2018

Inspired by South Africa’s freedom struggle, BDS aims to mobilize people all over the world to do what governments won’t — apply pressure on Israel until it respects all the rights of the Palestinian people.

A year ago, the UN published a landmark report on Israel’s oppression of the Palestinian people. It found “beyond a reasonable doubt that Israel is guilty of policies and practices that constitute the crimes of apartheid.”

This was no rash conclusion, but one the authors reached after meticulous analysis of the evidence and law — especially the 1973 International Convention on the Suppression and Punishment of the Crime of Apartheid.

Palestinians hailed the report as a milestone in their struggle to see Israel held accountable for its brutal, decades long denial of their rights. But Israel’s powerful patrons had other plans. Immediately, the US government, Israel’s biggest arms supplier, began to threaten the United Nations.

Continue reading “South Africa must stand up to Israeli apartheid”

Thu, Mar 15, 2018Wed, Mar 14, 2018

Knesset bars Israeli lawmaker from overseas trip sponsored by JVP

1-5906060-768595857 — Israeli Lawmaker Youseff Jabareen (right) in the Knesset, 2016. (photo: Olivier Fitoussi / Haaretz)

Yousef Jabareen of the Arab Joint List requested to fly abroad for a series of lectures funded by Jewish Voice for Peace, but was refused.

By Jonathan Lis | Haaretz | Mar 14, 2018

“The committee’s decision constitutes a harsh blow to my freedom of political activity as an elected official. Without funding from the group extending the invitation, I will of course not be able to travel, due to the large travel expense and the round of lectures that is planned. This is activity that is a fundamental and integral part of my role as an opposition Knesset member.”
— Yousef Jabareen, Israeli Knesset member

For the first time, the Knesset Ethics Committee has decided to bar an MK [Member of the Knesset] from traveling abroad on a trip subsidized by an organization that supports a boycott of Israel.

Knesset member Yousef Jabareen of the predominantly Arab Joint List party was informed on Tuesday by committee chairman Yitzhak Vaknin (Shas) that the committee had decided to refuse his request to fly abroad for a series of lectures in April to be funded by Jewish Voice for Peace. The group appears on a Strategic Affairs Ministry list of groups supporting BDS, the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement against Israel.

Continue reading “Knesset bars Israeli lawmaker from overseas trip sponsored by JVP”

Thu, Mar 15, 2018Mon, Mar 12, 2018

Film: 1948, Creation and Catastrophe (Tomorrow)

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Pushing for Change: Mideast Focus Ministry Film Series V

Through riveting and moving personal recollections of Palestinians and Israelis, “1948” reveals the shocking events of the most pivotal year in the most controversial conflict in the world. Seen through the eyes of those who lived it, we see people pushing for change after suffering years of injustice and Holocaust.


	Date:	Friday, Mar 16, 2018
	Time:	7:00 – 9:00 pm
	Reception for the director:	6:15 – 7:00 pm
	Location:	Bloedel Hall St. Mark’s Cathedral 1245 10th Ave E Seattle, WA 98102
	Information:	Event website
	Admission:	Free
	Alternate showing:	Sat, Mar 17, 2018 6:30 – 8:30 pm Edmonds United Methodist Church 828 Caspers St Edmonds, WA 98020

Event Details

Our concern is to help balance the limited and confusing media coverage of the Holy Land. We use compelling films as an entry point for reflection and discussion. As Christians, we respond to Christ’s call to seek justice and love the oppressed. As Americans, we ask: Can we reconcile this calling with our government’s massive financial support of Israeli military operations? We hope the time will come when Jews, Muslims and Christians will again come together in harmony in the Holy Land.

In this series, we see how people pushed to bring about a safe country for the Jewish people, and how today others are still push- ing for safety and change. Do our efforts for change lead to peace and justice . . . or not?

More information here →

Thu, Mar 15, 2018Wed, Mar 14, 2018

How Stephen Hawking supported the Palestinian cause

Scientists Move Hands Of Nuclear "Doomsday Clock" Forward — Stephen Hawking. (photo: Getty Images / CNBC)

The late renowned scientist will be remembered not only for his work, but his support for Palestine.

By Al Jazeera | Mar 14, 2018

“I accepted the invitation to the Presidential Conference with the intention that this would not only allow me to express my opinion on the prospects for a peace settlement but also because it would allow me to lecture on the West Bank. However, I have received a number of emails from Palestinian academics. They are unanimous that I should respect the boycott. In view of this, I must withdraw from the conference. Had I attended, I would have stated my opinion that the policy of the present Israeli government is likely to lead to disaster.”
— Stephen Hawking, May 3, 2013

Stephen Hawking, the world-renowned scientist who passed away on Wednesday at the age of 76, was known not only for his groundbreaking work but also for his support for Palestine.

Hawking, who had motor-neuron disease, made headlines in May 2013 when he decided to boycott a high-profile conference in Israel where he was scheduled to speak. The physicist was working at the Cambridge University in the UK at the time.

The Presidential Conference, an academic event held in Jerusalem, was being hosted by the late Israeli President Shimon Peres. In a letter Hawking sent to the organizers on May 3, he said the “policy of the present Israeli government is likely to lead to disaster.”

Continue reading “How Stephen Hawking supported the Palestinian cause”

Wed, Mar 14, 2018Wed, Mar 14, 2018

New program sends Palestinian students to Ivy League schools

19e436d4dc1241598187f826d40b47ad_18 — Nora Marzouqa, 17, chose to attend Harvard University for its research opportunities in medicine. (photo: Taawon)

The initiative, called Bridge Palestine, is the first of its kind in the country, providing after-school classes designed to train high-potential students to compete for education abroad.

By Zena Tahhan | Al Jazeera | Mar 14, 2018

“We teach them how to write good essays, how to succeed in interviews, how to be good citizens, the basic skills of dialogue, how to be rationally and not emotionally driven, what types of questions they should ask, how to have an open mind and be open to diversity.”
— Tafeeda Jarbawi, director-general of Taawon

Nora Marzouqa, a 17-year-old Palestinian from Bethlehem, has wanted to study at Harvard University for as long as she can remember. But the aspiring doctor and skilled debater grew up believing her dream was out of reach.

“I’ve seen my family members try to study abroad but they couldn’t for financial reasons, and also because we have to do the Tawjihi [Palestinian matriculation exam] and most universities abroad don’t recognize these test scores,” she tells Al Jazeera.

“It just seemed impossible for me — I didn’t know what the process was or how to go about doing it.”

Continue reading “New program sends Palestinian students to Ivy League schools”