Israel Creates First ‘Army-Owned’ University

Ehud Barak, Israel’s defense minister, approved last week the upgrading to university status of a college in a settlement located deep inside the West Bank, a move certain to further undermine Palestinian confidence in the peace process. The decision, authorizing the first Israeli university in Palestinian territory, is expected to entitle the college to significant … Continue reading “Israel Creates First ‘Army-Owned’ University”

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”

‘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’”

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”

Settlements ‘Moratorium’ Still Short of Freeze

U.S. special envoy to the Middle East George Mitchell and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton welcomed an announcement by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Wednesday that Israel will impose a 10-month "moratorium" on settlements, but warned that the move falls short of a freeze on settlement building — a condition that has been a mainstay … Continue reading “Settlements ‘Moratorium’ Still Short of Freeze”

A Line in the Sand

Mahmoud Abbas is fed up. Last week he withdrew his candidacy for the coming presidential election in the Palestinian Authority. I understand him. He feels betrayed. And the traitor is Barack Obama. A year ago, when Obama was elected, he aroused high hopes in the Muslim world, among the Palestinian people as well as in … Continue reading “A Line in the Sand”

Demolitions Continue in East Jerusalem

OCCUPIED EAST JERUSALEM – "Make sure your father gets this," the municipal inspector tells a 10-year-old boy at the gate of the concrete house in an alleyway in the al-Bustan quarter of Silwan, a Palestinian neighborhood right under the shadow of the walled Old City. "This" is a court-approved demolition notice, "No. 59." It’s for … Continue reading “Demolitions Continue in East Jerusalem”

Knocking Our Heads Against a Wall in Palestine

In the face of an outraged Arab world, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton backed off on her congratulation of Israel for merely pledging to limit settlement construction in the occupied West Bank. Previously, President Barack Obama, originally appearing to be much more friendly to the Palestinian and Arab causes than George W. Bush, told Israel, … Continue reading “Knocking Our Heads Against a Wall in Palestine”

At Olive Harvest, Rabbis Take on Settlers

AWARTA, West Bank — Away from the media spotlight that focuses on the widening chasm between Israelis and Palestinians, a group of Israeli humanists is quietly working to break down barriers with their Palestinian neighbors. Rabbi Arik Ascherman, director of Israel’s Rabbis for Human Rights (RHR), has been used as a human shield, arrested, and … Continue reading “At Olive Harvest, Rabbis Take on Settlers”

US Pushing Beyond Settlement Freeze

JERUSALEM – "Nobody can usurp the right to determine the fate of the nation on their own – not the Palestine Liberation Organization, nor anyone else. It is the will of the Palestinian people that must determine our future," declares Hamas political leader in Gaza Ismail Haniyeh. Haniyeh was speaking Sunday at the onset of … Continue reading “US Pushing Beyond Settlement Freeze”