Creating new perspectives since 2009
Items by Ramona Wadi
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In the name of security and profits: Israeli-EU arms dependence
Israel seems to have acquired a permanent battleground with its defiant occupation of Palestinian territory and savage assaults upon Gaza. In Israeli terminology, as well as that of its allies, the definition is “security”. As defined by the Homeland Security Conference just a few days prior to the Gaza...
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UN resolution puts pressure on Israel to allow nuclear inspection
Israel’s ambiguity with regard to nuclear weapons is well known, as is its refusal to sign-up to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. This tactic has shifted attention away from Israel for decades, as government officials keep dictating the necessity of “security” for a state built upon ethnic cleansing and illegal...
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Palestinian delegation visits Venezuela
Following the UN vote which recognised Palestine as a non-member observer state last month, a delegation from Ramallah has visited Venezuela with the aim of consolidating existing agreements, as well as establishing new accords in other areas, such as health, education, sport, culture and tourism. The visit was confirmed...
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Official discourse blanks out discussion of human rights violations in occupied West Bank
International rhetoric continues to focus on Israel’s new settlement construction in the occupied West Bank in retaliation for the UN vote granting Palestinians non-member observer status. European criticism has been constant, albeit far removed from any form of punitive measures. Nevertheless, Israeli foreign minister Avigdor Lieberman has deemed an...
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The manipulation of justice in the Occupied Palestinian Territories
‘Eyes on Israel’s Military Court’ is Addamer’s latest report about the manipulation of justice in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. The report contains recollections by volunteers who visited Israeli jails between 2009 and 2011 and portrays the vivid difference between Israel’s assumed stance as a state built upon the foundations...
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The politics of resistance versus security coordination
In the aftermath of “Operation Pillar of Defence”, the Israelis have diverted their attention to the occupied West Bank. Mass arrests have been carried out by the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) for alleged “recent violent and terrorist activity”. Palestinian detainees protesting against administrative detention have embarked upon a hunger...
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Political discrimination in "democratic Israel"
Haneen Zoabi’s disqualification from standing as a candidate in Israel’s general election in January has failed to stir controversy within the Western world, keen as it is to ensure the portrayal of Israel as “the only democracy in the Middle East”. Yet the decision to disqualify the elected Knesset...
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Human rights report highlights Israel's ongoing disregard for international law
The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) has issued its weekly report detailing Israel’s continuous efforts in Gaza and the Occupied Palestinian Territories to undermine and disregard international law. The report details Israeli human rights violations committed from December 20 to December 26 and emphasises the apparent permanence of...
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Netanyahu's politics of necessity
With elections looming in Israel, Benyamin Netanyahu finds himself cornered to defend Likud and its objectives, after Naftali Bennett’s Jewish Home party emerged as a potential threat pulling right-wing voters away from the incumbent prime minister. Bennett, a millionaire and former chief of staff under Netanyahu’s government until 2008,...
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Preliminary progress on reconciliation challenged by political strategy
Egypt’s attempt at brokering reconciliation between Fatah and Hamas has produced initial diplomatic progress. Yesterday’s talks in Cairo – organised by President Mohammed Morsi, were an initiative towards constructing Palestinian unity within factions embracing divergent strategic tactics. Unity, however, remains embroiled in a battle between different political organisations which...
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Western acceptance of discriminatory Israeli practices based on citizenship and nationality
Ben Gurion’s requirement of achieving Jewish supremacy in the ‘State of Israel’ has been a continuous and discriminative historical process. Demography has been consistently approached from an obsessive preservationist viewpoint to the detriment of Palestinians. Netanyahu’s re-election and the rise of the religious right in Israel will continue to...
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Israel's boycott of the UN human rights scrutiny session
In another attempt to degrade the universal definition of justice, Israel failed to attend the UN Human Rights Council meeting last Tuesday, boycotting the session and suspending its participation indefinitely. Expecting criticism on various aspects of its illegal occupation and ensuing violations against Palestinians, Israel feigned ‘concern’ of a...
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Settler terror in the West Bank escalates out of control
In adhering to a systematic oppression of violence against Palestinians in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, it would seem that Israel has allowed impunity to transcend any concept of international human rights law. Violence orchestrated by Jewish settlers, a common occurrence discussed in the PLO’s publication entitled ‘Settler Violence and...
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How Israeli soldiers are protected from criminal investigations
Human rights organisation Yesh Din’s request for law enforcement statistics regarding complaints about IDF soldiers paints a bleak picture for Palestinians under occupation. Supplied by the IDF spokesperson on January 23, 2013 and analysed by Yesh Din, the report discerns a trend of impunity which continues to fortify the...
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Perspectives on UN proposal for independent inquiry into Ahmed Jaradat's death
The UN’s Special Rapporteur for human rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, Richard Falk, has called for an inquiry into the death of Ahmed Jaradat while he was in Israeli custody. Jaradat was arrested for “throwing stones at Israeli cars” and interrogated by Shin Bet, Israel’s internal security agency....
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AIPAC and the alleged 'Iranian threat' to stability in the Middle East
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has renewed his commitment towards military aggression against Iran. In the light of recent talks about Iran’s uranium program, Netanyahu addressed the American Israeli Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) through video conference from Jerusalem, stressing the importance of not ruling out military aggression against Iran....
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Hugo Chavez and the Palestinian resistance
Well known for his anti-imperialist stance and support for oppressed people, Hugo Chavez’s death has provoked a worldwide lament. In Palestine, activists participating in demonstrations against Israeli administrative detention wore Che Guevara t-shirts and carried Venezuelan flags – emblems of a continuous struggle for freedom which has been transformed...
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Miliband endorses illegality to oppose legitimate resistance
Labour leader Ed Miliband has promised to protect Jewish traditions if he is elected Prime Minister. According to Britain’s Jewish Chronicle, Miliband has also declared himself to be a Zionist, a description which his office later declared was taken out of context. During his speech at a Jewish community...
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Netanyahu's settlement compromise leads to talks with illusory objective
As the peace talks continue, within improbable absolutes such as a nine month timeframe in which a “final status deal” is expected to be reached, Maariv newspaper reported Netanyahu’s compromise with the Jewish Home Party in order to preserve the coalition. In return for keeping the government’s legitimacy Netanyahu,...
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Argentina's president slams use of veto against Palestinians
As Argentina assumes the UN Security Council presidency this month, President Cristina Fernandez condemned the misuse of veto by the five permanent members and reserved harshest criticism for the US, whose use of veto has shielded Israel from accountability throughout the decades of its illegal occupation of Palestine. Veto,...
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UN Secretary General seeks to appease Israel
The latest meeting between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki Moon on August 16 elicited very weak criticism of Israel’s continued occupation of Palestine. The Israeli Embassy of New Zealand has published the statements of both leaders, indicating a general consensus of allowing Israel...
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The illusion of peace negotiations
The continuation of peace talks between Israel and Palestine are being portrayed as a failure by both sides. Despite the apparently shared sentiment by Israeli and Palestinian alike, any assumption of equality within the shared viewpoint is erroneous and should be dispelled. We need to clarify attempts to justify...
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Supporting 'peace', legitimising Zionism
An interview with Angela Merkel in Jewish Voice From Germany serves as an illuminating albeit expected insight into diplomatic efforts to elevate Israel into further immunity. Through a discussion of Israeli security, Zionist legitimacy, peace through ‘a viable two-state solution’ and Jewish self-determination, Merkel effectively eliminated all traces of...
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Insights into imperialism: Obama's UNGA speech
Obama’s speech at the United Nations General Assembly was replete with imperialist references based upon the mainstream interpretation of history. Commencing with a glorification of the UN within a context which supports US foreign policy, Obama asserted that ‘as a result of this work and cooperation with allies and...