Mel Frykberg

Mel Frykberg writes for Inter Press Service.

War Clouds Back Over Gaza

RAMALLAH – After several days of intense violence, during which 19 Palestinians were killed and one Israeli wounded, a fragile calm has returned to Gaza. But political commentators argue that this could well be a precursor to Israel’s next war on the coastal territory. During the last week the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) launched a … Continue reading “War Clouds Back Over Gaza”

Israel Aiming Punitive Measures at Soft Targets

RAMALLAH – As the international community becomes increasingly critical of Israel’s discriminatory treatment of Israeli-Arabs and the brutal occupation in the Palestinian West Bank, the Israeli authorities are venting their anger against soft targets such as Arab-Israeli parliamentarians and Palestinian and Israeli nonviolent peace activists. The majority of Knesset members recently voted in favor of … Continue reading “Israel Aiming Punitive Measures at Soft Targets”

Palestinian Village Under Siege Following Settler Killings

AWARTA, West Bank – Food supplies are running low, ambulances have been detained for hours at checkpoints, and hundreds of young men have been held, interrogated, and beaten up, some requiring hospitalization, in the Palestinian village of Awarta in the northern West Bank. The village has been under continuous curfew for four days. “Please, please … Continue reading “Palestinian Village Under Siege Following Settler Killings”

Palestinian Revolution by Default

RAMALLAH – The Egyptian revolution, and the threat to autocratic Arab regimes all over the region, have forced rapid changes on the Palestinian political scene – with major players Hamas and Fatah scrambling to catch up. "We’ve reached the point of no return. A Palestinian state is in the making," Samir Awad, from Birzeit University … Continue reading “Palestinian Revolution by Default”

It Could Be Too Late for Two States

RAMALLAH – The credibility of the Palestinian Authority (PA) on the Arab street has been further weakened by the release of the "Palestine Papers," but ironically the release of the explosive documents by Al Jazeera could bolster support for the Palestinian cause internationally. The Palestine Papers describe the compromises the Palestinian Authority (PA) was prepared … Continue reading “It Could Be Too Late for Two States”

Gaza’s Children Dare to Dream

GAZA CITY – Despite the lingering trauma of living under siege, regular Israeli military attacks and the consequences of a bloody war several years ago, Gaza’s children still dream of happiness and of normal lives. Islam Mqa’t, 9, from Gaza City’s Al Zarqa neighborhood, together with 150 family members, friends, and neighbors, spent weeks cowering … Continue reading “Gaza’s Children Dare to Dream”

Bereaved Israelis, Palestinians Unite Across Violent Borders

JERUSALEM – With Middle East peace talks at a standstill, a group of activists is taking matters into its own hands. The Parents’ Circle Families Forum, a group comprising Palestinians and Israelis who have lost family members in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, aims to build a bridge between the two fractured communities. “Waiting for our respective … Continue reading “Bereaved Israelis, Palestinians Unite Across Violent Borders”

Israelis Resist Their Own Arabs

RAMALLAH – A number of recent incidents discriminating against Israel’s Palestinian minority has prompted Israeli Knesset members to debate whether Israel is becoming increasingly racist. Ronit Sela from the Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI) has no doubts. “Israel’s democracy is under threat as an increasingly large racist element raises its collective head. A … Continue reading “Israelis Resist Their Own Arabs”

Israel Demolishing Talks

ISSAWEYA, Occupied East Jerusalem – More and more Palestinians are paying the price for deadlocked talks over Israel’s continued settlement-building in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Muhammad Robin Alyyan, 27, from the volatile Issaweya suburb of East Jerusalem, stands next to piles of rubble and twisted metal. This is all that remains of his … Continue reading “Israel Demolishing Talks”

Prisoner Speaks Out From Israeli Jail

RAMALLAH, Palestine – Samer Hamdan*, a 26-year-old Palestinian prisoner, recalls being beaten until he bled. Seeing other prisoners covered in blood and screaming is the norm in the Israeli prison, he says. Hamdan is serving a nine-year sentence in Ketziot prison in the Negev desert for membership of an "illegal organization".  "In the end you … Continue reading “Prisoner Speaks Out From Israeli Jail”