Category: News

Many questions arise at the failure of the press to cover the the killing of an unarmed autistic man.

By James North | Mondoweiss | June 2, 2020

Halbfinger’s refusal to say the name of Eyad Al-Halaq even extended to his Twitter feed; not a word.

At a time when headlines are dominated by the protests over the murder of an unarmed black man in the United States, the New York Times is ignoring a similar police killing in Israel. Palestine’s counterpart to George Floyd is Eyad Al-Halaq, the 32-year-old autistic man who Israeli police shot dead on May 30 inside occupied East Jerusalem’s Old City — 3 days ago. His killing is big news in Israel/Palestine, and worldwide. Some of the reports cite the slogan that echoes the nationwide upheaval in America: “Palestinian Lives Matter.”

But the New York Times has not published a single word about him.

Continue reading “Israeli police killing of Eyad Al-Halaq is ignored by the ‘New York Times’”

 

Palestinian activists are drawing parallels between Israel’s slaying of Palestinians and the rampant killings of unarmed black men in the U.S at the hands of the police.

By Yumna Patel | Mondoweiss | May 31, 2020

‘The latest execution-style killing brings, to at least 21, the number of Palestinians killed by Israeli occupation forces in such senseless acts of violence since January,’
— Hanan Ashrawi, Palestinian leader and legislator

Palestinians are reeling after Israeli police shot dead an unarmed autistic Palestinian man inside the occupied East Jerusalem’s Old City, where Israeli authorities have a history of using racial profiling and excessive force against Palestinians, specifically young men.

Eyad al-Halaq, 32, was on his way to a school for children and adults with disabilities where he was a student when Israeli police ordered him to stop for a search when they spotted a “suspicious object that looked like a pistol.”

Al-Halaq, who according to statements from his family has the “mental age of a six-year-old child,” was reportedly spooked by the police and began rushing away from them.

Continue reading “Killing of unarmed, autistic Palestinian in Jerusalem sparks outrage”

The largest Palestinian boycott coalition released a statement to announce its resolute solidarity with #BlackLivesMatter protesters.

By The New Arab staff | The New Arab | June 1, 2020

‘To our Black brothers and sisters, your resilience in the face of brutal dehumanisation is a source of inspiration to our own struggle against Israel’s regime of occupation, settler-colonialism and apartheid.’
— Palestinian BDS National Committee

The Palestinian BDS National Committee [BNC] has come out to support the anti-police brutality protests in the United States, confirming its unwavering support for black organisations and the Black Lives Matter movement.

BNC, the largest coalition in Palestinian society that leads the global Boycott, Divest and Sanctions [BDS] movement, extended its “solidarity with our Black brothers and sisters across the US who are calling for justice in the wake of the latest wave of insufferable police murders of Black Americans”, a statement released by the organisation on Sunday evening said.

“The genocidal destruction of native American nations, the pillage of their wealth and resources, and the savage enslavement of millions of Africans constitute the most profound pillars of what became the US.

Continue reading “‘We can’t breathe until we’re free’: Palestinians stand in solidarity with #BlackLivesMatter US protests”

On June 1, join people around the world for a social media day of action to honor Palestinian health care workers.

By Michael Merryman-Lotze | Mondoweiss | May 26, 2020

Between March and August of 2018, more than 400 Palestinian medical personnel were injured by Israeli attacks at those protests while 61 medical vehicles and two health clinics were damaged, according to Medical Aid for Palestine.

On June 1, 2018, 21-year-old Razan al-Najjar was shot and killed by an Israeli sniper while working as a volunteer paramedic with the Great March of Return in Gaza, providing care and assistance to people injured during protests. Razan was wearing a white medical vest and, according to witnesses, had her arms raised above her head when she was killed. Nobody has been held accountable for her killing.

Razan was one of three medical personnel killed by Israeli soldiers while aiding protesters during the first year of the Great March of Return. Between March and August of 2018, more than 400 Palestinian medical personnel were injured by Israeli attacks at those protests while 61 medical vehicles and two health clinics were damaged, according to Medical Aid for Palestine. Nobody has been held accountable for these attacks, either.

Continue reading “Honor Razan al-Najjar and other Palestinian health care heroes”

Prayers and resources that can be shared with church members and personal, pilgrim stories from Diocese of Jerusalem leaders that highlight stories from  the Holy Land.

By American Friends of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem | May 29, 2020

‘Jerusalem Sunday and the season of Pentecost offer the perfect opportunity to move beyond the headlines and to help Episcopalians across the Church learn more about the lives and ministries of Christians in the Holy Land.’
— Bishop Greg Rickel, AFEDJ Chair and Bishop of the Diocese of Olympia

Each year, on June 22, the Anglican Cycle of Prayer calls for prayers for the Diocese of Jerusalem.

This year American Friends of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem (AFEDJ) is naming the third Sunday of Pentecost, June 21 – the Sunday closest to the appointed day – as “Jerusalem Sunday” to encourage Episcopalians to remember the Holy Land Christians and the transformative humanitarian ministries they freely offer their neighbors across Palestine, Israel, Jordan, and Lebanon.

As Christians enter the season of Pentecost, we mark and remember the first Christians who were present when the gift of the Holy Spirit moved among the followers of Jesus.

Continue reading “June 21 is Jerusalem Sunday – remember our brothers and sisters in the Holy Land”

The fight against antisemitism must begin by campaigning against racism and nationalism.

By Sivan Tal | Mondoweiss | May 28, 2020

Because Zionism is seen as the ‘new Judaism,’ opposition to it is labeled the ‘new antisemitism’ – and a new expression was born…

The Likud election campaign for the 23rd Knesset claimed that the Blue and White party aims to form a government supported by the Joint List, and this led Benny Gantz to declare that he “will set up a government with a Jewish majority” that will not depend on Arab parties. Yair Lapid continued in a similar vein, arguing that “we are just a few mandates away from forming a coalition of a Jewish majority.” The term “a Jewish majority” is used by those centrist politicians to refer to a coalition consisting solely of Jewish parties. Later, after being criticized by the entire political spectrum, they both regretted the use of the term “Jewish majority.” Lapid refined the claim by stating “We need a majority of Zionist parties that believe in a Jewish and democratic state,” meaning that “we are by no means racists, we are simply Zionists who believe the state must be Jewish (and of course – democratic).”

Continue reading “On the racial basis of Zionism”

Samelys Lopez hopes to bring her brand of working-class politics to Washington and that includes supporting Palestinian rights and the right to boycott Israel.

By Alex Kane | +972Magazine | May 26, 2020

‘I stand against colonization and human rights abuses in every continent and will fight for liberation from occupation for all people,’
— Samelys López,  New York 15th District congressional candidate 

As one of 12 Democratic candidates running to represent New York’s 15th congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives this June, Samelys Lopez has to distinguish herself. One way the community organizer from the South Bronx is doing so is by speaking out on Palestine.

Unlike her main opponents — New York City Councilman Ritchie Torres, who has pitched himself as a progressive for Israel, and Ruben Diaz Sr., whose Israel support stems from his evangelical background — Lopez is staunchly committed to Palestinian human rights. Her pro-Palestinian stance has won her the endorsement of Jewish Voice for Peace Action, the political and advocacy arm of Jewish Voice for Peace.

Continue reading “Meet the South Bronx congressional candidate speaking out on Palestinian rights”

Palestinians have relied on mutual solidarity and support to overcome a long history of injustices and grief.

By Rana Nashashibi |  Truthout | May 10, 2020

With the spread of COVID-19, collective solidarity is on display across the occupied Palestinian territory.

As a Palestinian woman from Jerusalem and a mental health professional, I am both treating and experiencing the extensive impact and far-reaching ramifications of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Across the world, communities are dealing with the unbearable pain of death and serious illness, compounded by not being able to comfort or even mourn the victims. On a global scale, people are facing what for many are unprecedented restrictions on freedoms, insecurity and anxiety about the future.

In these testing times, I feel compelled to share our special, decades-long Palestinian caregivers’ experience with dispossession, displacement, denial of basic rights, uncertainty and visceral grief while still maintaining a sense of joy, beauty and finding collective responses that give us realistic hope.

Continue reading “What can the pandemic-stricken world learn from Palestinians’ resilience?”

Health protocols and regulations have largely not been enforced for the last month, but some restrictions will remain.

By Yumna Patel |  Mondoweiss | May 26, 2020

The announcement to reopen the country comes after a turbulent Eid weekend, filled with protests and violent interactions with Palestinian security forces in several cities across the West Bank.

The Palestinian Authority officially declared an end to the coronavirus lockdown in the occupied West Bank on Monday, nearly three months after the first state of emergency was declared.

During a press conference in Ramallah, Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Shtayyeh announced that the 3 million Palestinian residents of the West Bank could expect a return to normal life, albeit with some restrictions, once the current Eid holidays are over.

Banks, government ministries, courts, shops, and public transportation networks are set to reopen on Wednesday morning, while mosques and churches will be opened beginning at dawn prayers on Tuesday morning.

Continue reading “Palestinian Authority ends West Bank COVID-19 lockdown”