Pierre Klochendler

Israeli Settlers Continue ‘Price-Tag’ Rampage

JERUSALEM — “On Saturday, we as a nation atoned for our sins. I as a Jew feel ashamed of myself. I’m asking for forgiveness,” declared Ron Hulday, mayor of this mixed city, immediately at the closing of the Day of Atonement. As Jews fasted and prayed to amend for their past behavior, vandals, presumably Jewish, … Continue reading “Israeli Settlers Continue ‘Price-Tag’ Rampage”

Israel Builds Settlements and Wants Talks

JERUSALEM — Days after his halfhearted conciliatory U.N. appearance, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had already approved the construction of 1,100 flats in occupied East Jerusalem. Yet on Sunday, he threw his support behind the new Mideast Quartet’s peace plan with the Palestinians. “Israel is welcoming the Quartet’s call for direct negotiations without preconditions between … Continue reading “Israel Builds Settlements and Wants Talks”

Israelis and Palestinians Marching in Step for Peace

OCCUPIED EAST JERUSALEM — For the first time in over 20 years, thousands of Israeli and Palestinian peace activists marched peacefully together on Friday to support the Palestinian drive for statehood expected to be endorsed at the UN General Assembly in September. “Only a declaration of Palestinian statehood can prevent bloodshed,” said Hillel Ben-Sasson, a … Continue reading “Israelis and Palestinians Marching in Step for Peace”

Israel Prepares to Confront Historic Shifts

JERUSALEM—Back in August 2000, just weeks after the failed Camp David peace summit and weeks before the outbreak of the second Palestinian Intifada uprising, Marwan Barghouti, leader of the Fatah armed forces, laid out his alternative strategy for ending the Israeli occupation. Haranguing a crowd of frustrated Palestinians, he declared: “We shall march with our … Continue reading “Israel Prepares to Confront Historic Shifts”

Israelis Discover a New Love for Mubarak

JERUSALEM – Around the world, peoples revel in anticipation of the fall of a regime that has denied its citizens their basic rights. But most Israelis are haunted by nightmare scenarios of ‘the day after’, as if their country’s stability was anchored in the continuity of the rule of Hosni Mubarak – not in peace. … Continue reading “Israelis Discover a New Love for Mubarak”

Oasis of Peace Blossoms in Israel, To An Extent

NEVE SHALOM-WAHT ES-SALAAM, Central Israel – "Once upon a time," the educator tells Jewish and Arab five-year-old children, "a plant laid dormant, holding its life on the darkness around it, beholding the night. Butterflies, flowers and leaves, their caress, were laid to rest. Dewdrop beads, tears in an ocean of hopelessness, enchanted the plant that … Continue reading “Oasis of Peace Blossoms in Israel, To An Extent”

Latin America Deepens Israel Isolation

JERUSALEM – Guyana became Thursday the seventh Latin American state to recognize an independent Palestinian state. Although the official recognitions are largely nominal, they have irked the state of Israel as they expose its growing diplomatic isolation in the face of the current peace deadlock. It was the announcement in support of Palestinian statehood by … Continue reading “Latin America Deepens Israel Isolation”