Media Review Network – Page 1271 – Providing Context and Substance

Israeli army imposes another curfew on west bank village

by MRN
January 1, 2013July 25, 2013

ISRAELI ARMY IMPOSES ANOTHER CURFEW ON WEST BANK VILLAGE,
INVADES HOUSE OF INTERNATIONAL PEACE TEAM

HARIS, SALFIT – Several Israeli military jeeps entered Haris, a village in the Salfit district of the West Bank, again tonight and declared an all-night curfew, allegedly in response to stone-throwing on Highway 5, which is used by Israelis. This was at least the second time in the past month that curfew had been declared in this village; on February 24th the army also placed a roadblock in front of Haris’s main entrance, which it did not remove for five days. Tonight was also the first time that soldiers entered the home of the international peace team based here.

Villagers returning to Haris tonight, including an International Women’s Peace Service team member, were questioned as they entered and asked to show identification. A few metres on from the entrance of the village, soldiers from two jeeps surrounded the IWPS team member with guns pointed, demanding to know where she was going, and to open her bag.

Engaging hamas will history repeat itself?

by MRN
January 1, 2013July 25, 2013

Engaging Hamas: Will History Repeat Itself?

By Ramzy Baroud

The political outcomes of the Gaza war are yet to be entirely decided with any degree of certainty. However, the obvious political repositioning which was reported as soon as Israel declared its unilateral ceasefire promised that Israel’s deadly bombs would shape a new political reality in the region. In the aftermath, Hamas can confidently claim that its once indisputably ‘radical’ political position is no longer viewed as too extreme. “Hamas” is no longer menacing a word, even amongst Western public, and tireless Israeli attempts to correlate Hamas and Islamic Jihadists’ agendas no longer suffice.

The Israel war against Gaza has indeed proven that Hamas cannot be obliterated by bombs and decimated by missiles. This is the same conclusion that the US and other countries reached in regards to the PLO in the mid 1970’s. Of course, that realisation didn’t prevent Israel from trying on many occasions to destroy the PLO, in Jordan (throughout the late 1960’s), getting involved in the Lebanese civil war (1976), and then occupying south Lebanon (1978), and then the entire country (1982). Even upon the departure of PLO factions from Lebanon, Israel followed its leadership to Tunisia and other countries, assassinating the least accommodating members, thus setting the stage for political ‘dialogue’ with the ‘more acceptable peace partners’.

Iran prosecutor asks interpol to arrest Isaraeli war criminal

by MRN
January 1, 2013July 25, 2013

IRAN PROSECUTOR ASKS INTERPOL TO ARREST ISRAELI WAR CRIMINAL!

shamseddin

Interpol begins studying Iran’s request for the arrest of 15 senior Israeli officials over war crimes committed during the Gaza offensive. At a news briefing on Sunday, Tehran’s Public Prosecutor, Saeed Mortazavi, said that Iran had referred the case to the International Criminal Police Organization (ICPO or Interpol), drawing on the organization’s charter and Israel’s violation of the Geneva Conventions.
Source“Governments of 180 countries have received the information necessary for identifying the suspects,” he said.

In a Monday statement, Iran’s judiciary said that it has asked Interpol to issue an international Red Notice security alert for the 15 Israeli officials who were involved in the 23-day Israeli offensive on Gaza.

Sustaining global solidarity after Gaza

by MRN
January 1, 2013July 25, 2013

Sustaining global solidarity after Gaza

By Jamal Juma

The Israeli invasion of Gaza, which has now claimed more than 1,400 lives, generated serious popular backlash the world over. The overwhelmingly weak official positions and statements, especially in the Arab world, stood in stark contrast to the outpouring of rage that was witnessed in the streets of capitals, cities, and towns across the globe. However, this recent wave of protests has a particular quality that differentiates it from past mobilizations: the initial flare-up of energy is being channeled into effective grassroots political action, primarily in the form of an ongoing campaign of boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS).

The tangible victories and rise of BDS activism immediately following Gaza are a direct result of the many years of often little-acknowledged organizing, building and mobilizing that was undertaken following the 2005 call from Palestinian civil society. It is important to look at these last four years in order to make sure that we continue to build on these victories. We have moved beyond questioning the efficacy of BDS and must now work to incorporate the growing numbers of people who, while outraged at the36in Gaza, are not yet connected to the BDS movement. We also must expand the actors and struggles involved in BDS by linking the Palestinian cause to other similar fights for social, economic and political justice.