Tag: palestinians

Israeli Road Sign Controversy Runs Deep

JERUSALEM – What’s a name, what’s in a road name? History, ideology, nationalism. In deciphering what lies beneath the protracted Arab-Israeli conflict, sometimes small historical footprints encapsulate the conflict and at the same time highlight the enormous difficulties in trying to resolve it. Take the surreptitious graffiti war that has broken out on the streets … Continue reading “Israeli Road Sign Controversy Runs Deep”

Israel and EU Clash Over Settlements

RAMALLAH – The Israeli Foreign Ministry’s concern over an "unusually harsh statement" by the European Commission over Israel’s settlement policy indicates a growing unease between Israel and the EU. The European Commission (EC), the executive arm of the EU, said that Israel’s settlement policy in the West Bank was strangling the Palestinian economy and forcing … Continue reading “Israel and EU Clash Over Settlements”

Israeli Court Rebukes Military

Not every day, and not even every decade, does the Supreme Court rebuke the military advocate general. The last time this happened was 20 years ago, when the advocate general refused to issue a proper indictment against an officer who ordered his men to break the arms and legs of a bound Palestinian. The officer … Continue reading “Israeli Court Rebukes Military”

Hamas-Fatah Violence May Derail Reconciliation

RAMALLAH – Egyptian mediators have set July 7 as deadline for final Palestinian reconciliation talks in Cairo. The Egyptians say time is running out, and if there is no progress in July, they will no longer be prepared to arbitrate. Continued political detention and abuse of Palestinian prisoners by Hamas in Gaza and by the … Continue reading “Hamas-Fatah Violence May Derail Reconciliation”

Israel Cracks Down on Minority Rights

RAMALLAH – Three bills recently making the rounds in the Israeli parliament have caused outrage among Israel’s Arab minority. "They reveal an obscene and dangerous targeting of the individual and collective rights of Palestinian citizens," the independent BADIL Resource Center for Palestinian Residency and Refugee Rights in Israel said in a press release. One bill … Continue reading “Israel Cracks Down on Minority Rights”

Bloody New Battles Suit Israel

RAMALLAH – The inevitable has happened. Simmering tensions between rival Palestinian factions Hamas and Fatah have left six Palestinians dead, in the bloodiest confrontation between the two groups since Hamas ousted Fatah from Gaza in June 2007. A bloody gun battle broke out Sunday morning in the northern West Bank town of Qalqilia between a … Continue reading “Bloody New Battles Suit Israel”

Israel Threatens to Outlaw Palestinian Memory

JERUSALEM – Israel is set to approve a radical new bill that threatens to legalize discrimination against its sizable Arab minority for the first time. The bill, approved this week by the ministerial committee for legislation, would make it illegal to relate to the creation of the state of Israel on May 15, 1948, as … Continue reading “Israel Threatens to Outlaw Palestinian Memory”