Jerrold Kessel and Pierre Klochendler

Jerrold Kessel and Pierre Klochendler write for Inter Press Service.

Raze Illegal Buildings — Unless They Are Jewish

SILWAN, East Jerusalem — Backed by armed security men, the municipal inspectors race their jeeps through the narrow alleyways and up a hillside crowded with buildings. Some of the homes are well-faced with stone; the naked concrete of others gives off something of a temporary air. One block of flats stands out for its unusual … Continue reading “Raze Illegal Buildings — Unless They Are Jewish”

Helpless in Gaza

JERUSALEM – Scores of Palestinian women and their children carefully sift through the desert sands. They are looking for hard nuggets. No gold rush here in the Gaza Strip – all they are putting into their sacks are pebbles and pieces of hard rock. Even Israelis were moved when their main commercial channel, Channel 2, … Continue reading “Helpless in Gaza”

Israel Declares War on Peace NGOs

JERUSALEM – One year after the devastating attack on Hamas in Gaza a new wave of reports castigating Israel for war crimes has emerged. Now, Israel is fighting back with a report on the reports, picking on international NGOs such as Amnesty, Christian Aid, Oxfam, Trocaire, Finn Church Aid, Diakonia and Cordaid. The immediate target … Continue reading “Israel Declares War on Peace NGOs”

Israel Cool to New US Pressure

JERUSALEM – In the past, whenever there was even a semblance of pressure from Washington on Israel, nerves in Jerusalem went all a-jangle. Nine months ago, true to form, tensions rose appreciably when then-new U.S. President Barack Obama and then-new Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu clashed at the White House. Not so now. The hint that … Continue reading “Israel Cool to New US Pressure”

West Bank Route May Open, but Not to Peace

ROUTE 443, Occupied West Bank – Just beyond the main Israeli checkpoint, 10 kilometers short of Jerusalem, a white Nissan station wagon is abruptly edging to the side of the road. It comes to a halt on the shoulder. Four Orthodox Jews clamber out and gather around the mound at the side of the road. … Continue reading “West Bank Route May Open, but Not to Peace”

‘Israeli Settlements Killing Two-State Solution’

JERUSALEM — In the absence of any progress towards peace between Israelis and Palestinians, leaders of the Palestinian Authority (PA) are adopting a reasonable approach as a way of building up international pressure on Israel to get it back to the negotiating table. Ghassan Khatib, an influential former PA cabinet minister and co-editor of the … Continue reading “‘Israeli Settlements Killing Two-State Solution’”

Israel Declares War on Peace NGOs

JERUSALEM – One year after the devastating attack on Hamas in Gaza a new wave of reports castigating Israel for war crimes has emerged. Now, Israel is fighting back with a report on the reports, picking on international NGOs such as Amnesty, Christian Aid, Oxfam, Trocaire , Finn Church Aid, Diakonia, and Cordaid. The immediate … Continue reading “Israel Declares War on Peace NGOs”

Occupation Threatens Secularism in Israel

JERUSALEM – After Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank torched a mosque and desecrated copies of the Koran in the Palestinian village of Yasuf last Friday morning, they ran into a wall of condemnation. The attackers were consensually branded as extremists, even by the usually uncompromising settlers and their representatives in Prime Minister Benjamin … Continue reading “Occupation Threatens Secularism in Israel”

Europe Steps In to Pressure Israel

JERUSALEM – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Palestinian counterpart Salam Fayyad have both been scrambling earnestly to win the backing of European leaders in advance of what could be a major EU policy shift that aims at creating new impetus for Palestinian-Israeli peace prospects. The incipient European initiative, inspired by Sweden, which currently … Continue reading “Europe Steps In to Pressure Israel”

West Is East, When Israel Decides

JERUSALEM — Along a wall not about to come down — a hotel no longer a hotel, but an outpost. The three-story, 36-room Cliff Hotel used to be a favorite for Western pilgrims in search of the "authentic Holy Land flavor" because of its extensive gardens; it was a favorite also among Jerusalem Palestinians for … Continue reading “West Is East, When Israel Decides”