#Palestine-Israel / Legal analysis of Israel's proposed Citizenship Amendment, a legal disenfranchisement of Arab citizens' children born in Gaza​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ (by Yael Ronen, a professor of international law)

The proposed amendment to Israel's Citizenship Law, as announced by the Ministry of Interior on March 3, 2025, represents a significant deviation from #Israel's established “jus sanguinis” citizenship framework by denying citizenship to children of Israeli citizens born in "enemy states" or Gaza.

This legislative initiative, which fails to acknowledge its disproportionate impact on Arab Israeli citizens despite legal requirements to do so, contravenes Israel's obligations under international conventions, including the Convention on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

The amendment's purported justification—that children born in these territories inherently possess "identification and loyalty" to those entities—lacks empirical foundation and conflicts with established legal principles regarding citizenship acquisition, thereby constituting what critics characterize as a demographically motivated policy that further marginalizes an already vulnerable population segment within Israeli society.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Hebrew regthink.org/child-citizenship…

@palestine
@israel
#IsraelOccupation
#Nakba

#Palestine / 12-year-old Taqwa Ghazawi from the At-Thur (الطور) neighborhood in occupied East Jerusalem was arrested on Thursday for drawing a Palestinian flag

She was detained immediately after finishing school and brought before court, which extended her detention until today. Israeli forces also arrested a child named Mohammed Da'as and a young man named Marwan Mustafa from the Issawiya village in northeast Jerusalem after raiding and searching their family homes.

According to the Association for Civil Rights, Jerusalem police's policy of not allowing the display of the Palestinian flag within city limits is illegal and contradicts rulings on freedom of expression restrictions.

As of early March, over 9,500 Palestinian prisoners are held in Israeli detention facilities, including more than 350 children, 21 women, and 3,405 administrative detainees. Before the Israeli offensive that began on October 7, 2023, there were 5,250 Palestinian prisoners, including 40 women, 170 children, and approximately 1,320 administrative detainees. The number of Palestinian detainees has nearly doubled as part of Israel's widespread suppression policy in the occupied West Bank and #Gaza Strip.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Hebrew zoha.org.il/135919/

See also skwawkbox.org/2025/03/08/israe…

@palestine
@israel
#IsraelOccupation
#eastjerusalem

Quoting Nesrine Malik: Israel is engaged in "a forever war of permanent vengeance"

The occupation forces continue killing Palestinians despite a supposed ceasefire, with over 100 Palestinians killed in #Gaza since January. Israel is deliberately blocking humanitarian aid as collective punishment, causing starvation and the freezing deaths of babies in torn tents.

In the West Bank, almost 1,000 Palestinians have been killed since October 7 through deliberate settler violence and military attacks. Nearly half of all Palestinian children killed in the West Bank over the past 20 years were killed just in the last year, including documented shootings of children as young as two years old.

The occupation forces are systematically destroying infrastructure, forcibly displacing 40,000 Palestinians, targeting medical facilities, and expanding illegal settlements.

[…] The playbook and justifications are eerily similar to those used in Gaza. Targeting militants becomes the explanation for a whole range of ruinous activities, including but not limited to: destroying infrastructure, driving people out of their homes with no right of return (40,000 so far, in less than two months, according to Unrwa, the UN aid agency), targeting medical facilities and personnel, flattening entire neighbourhoods and that most lethal policy, loosening military rules of engagement to allow soldiers more leeway and mandate to open fire. According to Unrwa, “the use of airstrikes, armoured bulldozers, controlled detonations, and advanced weaponry by the Israeli forces has become commonplace” in the West Bank, and is “a spillover of the war in Gaza”. The result is an assault in the West Bank that is as historic as it was and is in Gaza.

theguardian.com/commentisfree/…

@palestine
@israel
#GazaGenocide
#israelWarCrimes
#IsraelOccupation
#SettlerViolence

#Eurovision / Israel still allowed to maintain access to platforms of cultural diplomacy despite an ongoing genocide

Israel's strategic deployment of cultural representation in the face of allegations of genocide is relentless. While facing #ICJ investigation and scholarly condemnation of a genocide that has resulted in over 46,000 Palestinians deliberately and systematically murdered by the #IDF (using U.S.-supplied weaponry,) Israel's Eurovision participation—featuring a survivor of the October 7 attack—is attempting, once again, to instrumentalize personal victimhood in service of state legitimation.

It’s difficult to ignore the fact that this centering of Israeli suffering within international cultural forums occurs simultaneously with the systematic marginalization of Palestinian perspectives and experiences. The disproportionate media attention given to Israel's Eurovision candidacy, relative to, say, coverage of ongoing genocide in Gaza and the occupied West Bank, not to mention a brutal occupation, reflects broader patterns of narrative control that obscure accountability for actions against an occupied population.

As one Israeli commentator wrote, “the song written for her [Yuval Raphae] by Keren Peles lacks even a trace of originality and freshness, resembling something more on the level of a young talent night at an unpopular brasserie - and conveys an oppressive sense of extra effort to be appealing.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​[…] And if that doesn't help either, one can always say that the problem isn't the lyrics, the melody, the French, the clip, the Keren, or the Peles: in the end, everyone is antisemitic.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Hebrew ynet.co.il/entertainment/artic…

@palestine
@israel
#GazaGenocide
#IsraelOccupation
#eurovision2025
#yuvalabraham
#antisemitism
#hasbara

* Edit: name Yuval Raphael

#Documentary / "To See if I'm Smiling" (Palestine/Israel, 2007)

A rare and candid female perspective on the Israeli occupation of Palestine.
Offers a universal exploration of war’s impact on individuals, emphasizing the intersection of gender, power, and morality.

Directed by Tamar Yarom, who also served in the IDF in the Occupied West Bank, the film reflects on the director’s own experiences in military service.

Hebrew with English subtitles.

kolektiva.media/w/sDdJUBqFwfGi…

@israel
@palestine
#IsraelWarCrimes
#IsraelOccupation
#Film

oatmeal

2025-02-24 10:47:02

To See if I'm Smiling (2007)

A rare and candid female perspective on the Israeli occupation of Palestine.
Offers a universal exploration of war’s impact on individuals, emphasizing the intersection of gender, power, and morality.

Directed by Tamar Yarom, who also served in the IDF in the Occupied West Bank, the film reflects on the director’s own experiences in military service.

Hebrew with English subtitles.

Production Details

Title: To See if I’m Smiling
Director: Tamar Yarom
Production: Tamar Yarom Production
Release: 2007, licensed by First Hand Films

Peertube LiveChat Plugin

^{kolektiva.media}

Quoting Joe Sacco: “There is a fair chance that no one will be held accountable for what Israel - and the United States and much of Western Europe - have done to Gaza”

“Civilising has always been the West's default burden and mass murder the shiniest tool in its box. The Americans had their 'manifest destiny', the French had their Algeria, the British had their Kenya, the Australians had their Tasmania and the Germans... And now together they have Gaza."
english.hathalyoum.net/article…

Acclaimed comic creators Art Spiegelman ("Maus") and Joe Sacco ("Palestine") have collaborated on a three-page comic strip published in the Guardian and in the New York Review of Books nybooks.com/articles/2025/02/2…, titled "Never Again." The comic depicts the two artists, represented by their signature characters, visiting a devastated Gaza and discussing the ongoing war. They grapple with the phrase "Never Again," the cycle of violence, and the Israeli response to October 7th.

A notable panel portrays #Netanyahu as a green, inhuman figure emerging from a pile of eyeballs, with the artists commenting on his strategy of "extermination" rather than mere revenge.

The comic explores themes of #genocide, anti-Semitism, the justification for Israel's existence, and the trauma inflicted on both sides. The artists conclude by holding flags stating "Never Again... For Anyone!" and advocating for a just solution.

Hebrew haaretz.co.il/gallery/literatu…

@israel
@palestine
#IsraelOccupation
#IsraelWarCrimes
#GazaGenocide
#GraphicalJournalism
#GraphicNovels

#Palestine / Israeli Knesset approves bills to criminalize cooperation with ICC and ban entry of individuals supporting international prosecution of soldiers

The Israeli Knesset has advanced two controversial pieces of legislation. The first, approved in a preliminary reading, would impose a five-year prison sentence on anyone, including citizens, public bodies, and organizations, who "provides services" or "makes resources available" to the #ICC in The Hague. The burden of proof would be on the accused to demonstrate they were unaware their actions aided the ICC. Legal experts warn this could even apply to sharing social media posts of potential war crimes.

[…] Dr. Tamar Megiddo, an expert in international law, warns that "the definitions of this dangerous bill are so broad that even someone who shares a photo or video on social media of a soldier documenting himself committing what appears to be a war crime is exposed to imprisonment." She added that if the proposal is approved, any journalist who publishes an investigative report that could testify to a crime committed by #IDF forces would also be exposed to imprisonment.

The second bill, approved in its second and third readings, bans entry and residency in Israel for non-citizens who have denied the October 7th massacre or the #Holocaust, or who have supported the prosecution of Israeli security forces in international courts. This expands a 2017 law that banned entry to those calling for a boycott of Israel.

Hebrew haaretz.co.il/news/politics/20…](haaretz.co.il/news/politics/20… or archive.is/zCqOx

Hebrew haaretz.co.il/news/law/2025-02…](haaretz.co.il/news/law/2025-02… or archive.is/qCc7J

@israel
@palestine
#IsraelOccupation
#IsraelWarCrimes
#BDS
#GazaGenocide

#Palestine / UN Chief Condemns Israeli Forces' raids on UNRWA schools in East Jerusalem

UN Secretary-General António Guterres condemned raids by Israeli security forces and Jerusalem Municipality personnel on #UNRWA schools in occupied East Jerusalem. UNRWA officials reported that Israeli authorities attempted to enter three schools in Silwan, Wadi Joz, and Sur Baher, but school administrators prevented them. One school in Wadi Joz was temporarily closed, and students were sent home. There were also raids in Kalandia Training Centre.
UNRWA stated that tear gas and sound bombs were used.

Hebrew zoha.org.il/135541/

UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini stated, "Children + young people in East Jerusalem [are] denied of their right to education in UNRWA schools." He added, "This is a violation of the basic right to education as well as of United Nations privileges & immunities." UNRWA affirmed its commitment to continue its mission despite the "policy of attack and persecution of the occupation."

xcancel.com/UNLazzarini/status…

@israel
@palestine
#IsraelOccupation
#IsraelWarCrimes
#OccupiedEastJerusalem

Quoting Uzi Baram: Ben-Gurion, Father of the Nakba? This weighed on him greatly

Baram acknowledges the historical reality of the #Nakba, but he also attempts to reclaim Ben-Gurion's legacy from those who would use it to justify current policies of displacement. He argues that Ben-Gurion, while not without responsibility for the events of 1948, viewed the Nakba as a problem for #Israel, both politically and morally. He cites historical examples of Ben-Gurion's attempts to mitigate the consequences of the displacement, such as his consideration of returning Palestinian refugees.

[…] Ben-Gurion held a consultation with the political leadership (Golda Meir) and with the agency leadership (Moshe Sharett) and said: "We did not expel Arabs from the Land of Israel. First of all, it is necessary to tell the facts how they fled. To the extent that it was known to me, most of the fleeing did so before the establishment of the state. Only the Arabs of Ramle and Lod left their place or were pressured to leave." In this context, Tom Segev writes in his book "A State at Any Cost" that Ben-Gurion was careful to say in the case of the Arabs of Lod-Ramle that "explicit instructions were given not to expel the residents and it turned out that they were forced."

Uzi Baram is a former Israeli politician who served in the Knesset from 1977 to 2001 and as Minister of Tourism and Minister of Internal Affairs in the 1990s.

Hebrew haaretz.co.il/opinions/2025-02… or archive.is/PcFhN

Interesting defense of Ben-Gurion's legacy. However, critics would undoubtedly argue that the act of fleeing, as occurred after the Deir Yassin massacre, is functionally equivalent to the expulsion of people at gunpoint. The practical consequences and the established status quo have consistently favored Israel, to the disadvantage of the Palestinians.

@israel
@palestine
@histodons
#IsraelOccupation
#IsraelWarCrimes #DeirYassinMassacre #Zionism

#US / Harvard Divinity School administrators resign citing university's tolerance of anti-muslim bias and attacks on pro-Palestinian voices

Two administrators at Harvard Divinity School's Religion and Public Life program have resigned, citing the university's failure to address a hostile environment towards Muslims and those critical of Israel.

Hussein Rashid, the assistant dean, explicitly accused Harvard of tolerating racist and defamatory statements against the program, particularly from Jewish groups like Hillel and #Chabad.

[…] He cited as an example an Instagram post by Harvard Chabad, led by Rabbi Hirschy Zarchi, that said: “There are numerous Harvard academic centers that essentially function as Hamas or Palestinian embassies,” citing the Religion in Public Life center “in its entirety,” and concluding, “it’s stunning that there’s no call for some of these centers to be shut down or rebuilt in its entirety.”

religionnews.com/2025/02/06/ad…

@israel
@palestine
@academicchatter
#IsraelOccupation
#IsraelWarCrimes
#Islamophobia
#AcademicFreedom

Quoting Michael Sefarad (lawyer specializing in human rights and the laws of war) on how Israel is losing its justification for existence:

[…] "Our state is a racist state, supportive of ethnic cleansing, devours its critics, hates the non-Jews among its citizens, and is devoid of compassion for its people who were kidnapped for no fault of their own. It is a bank that swindles its clients and then also incites against them. What justification is there for its existence?"

Michael Sefarad argues that #Israel is becoming a racist and inhumane state, thus losing its justification for existence. He contends that a democratic state's purpose is to serve its citizens and protect their rights, but Israel is failing to do so. Sefarad criticizes the Israeli government for prioritizing political survival and extremist ideologies over the safety of its citizens, citing the handling of hostages and the suppression of dissent. He points to examples such as the cancellation of a lecture by an author critical of the war, proposed legislation to ban the term "West Bank," and a police raid on a bookstore in East Jerusalem. Furthermore, he asserts that the Israeli regime discriminates against its Arab citizens, creating a system where national identity determines one's opportunities.

Hebrew haaretz.co.il/opinions/2025-02… or archive.is/CQGD7

See also:

Israel: what went wrong?

Professor Omer Bartov explores the transformation of #Zionism from a movement of #Jewish emancipation and liberation into a state ideology of ethno-nationalism, exclusion and violent domination of #Palestinians. He traces the process whereby Israel—whose establishment received widespread international support in the aftermath of the #Holocaust—now stands accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

bisa.bbk.ac.uk/event/israel-wh…

@israel
@palestine
#IsraelOccupation
#IsraelWarCrimes
#GazaGenocide

#Palestine / Israeli Government's economic policies, not ideology, drove occupied West Bank settlement expansion

A study published in Political Geography in January 2022 challenges the common understanding of Israeli settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank as primarily driven by religious ideology. Instead, it argues that Israeli government economic policies since the 1980s, particularly those of the Ministry of Housing, are the main cause. The research focuses on large, urban settlements near the Green Line, which house approximately 85% of the settler population.

The study finds that the Ministry of Housing significantly increased public spending in the West Bank, with a 300% rise in the 1980s, making it the region with the largest housing construction in the country. This investment was intended to address housing affordability issues for the general Israeli public and to support the struggling private construction industry. The government offered substantial subsidies, including lower housing prices, loans, and grants, making settlements an attractive option for Israelis, regardless of their ideological stance. The Ministry also invested heavily in infrastructure, such as roads, utilities, and public institutions, further facilitating settlement growth. This made it possible for settlers to rely on employment centers within sovereign Israel.

The investment created a collaboration with the private construction sector. The increase of public investment in housing, roads and infrastructures in urban settlements such as Ariel, Ma'ale Adumim, Karnei Shomron, Beitar Illit and Giv'at Ze'ev, located in the area of Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, was a major factor in accelerating the migration processes to the settlements.

These policies attracted diverse groups, including secular Israelis, Mizrahim

[Note: the settler movement leadership, as well as some of its most notorious members, like mass murderer terrorist Baruch Goldstein, are distinctively of Eastern European heritage; Most Jews living in Israel today are of North African and Near Eastern descent, so distinguishing them is an oxymoron, or a vestige of Jewish orientalism; OM]

sciencedirect.com/science/arti…

The location of "quality-of-life" settlements generally reflects readily apparent pragmatic considerations that affect the quality of life of their residents, namely: proximity to the Green Line and transportation routes into Israel; relative distance from built-up Palestinian areas and proximity to built-up areas within Israel. The location of these settlements, which allows convenient access to employment and social and cultural life in Israel, along with the economic benefits described above, ensures that the quality of life enjoyed by the residents of these settlements is significantly higher than what they could achieve for the same price in Israel.

Hebrew peacenow.org.il/quality-of-lif…

@israel
@palestine
#IsraelOccupation
#SettlerColonialism

Quoting Gideon Levy on how Trump's approval could push Israel towards full-blown genocide in Gaza

[...] And what if U.S. President Donald Trump suggested setting up death camps for the inhabitants of the Gaza Strip? What would happen then? Israel would respond exactly as it did to his transfer ideas, with ecstasy on the right and indifference in the centrist camp.

Gideon Levy argues that Trump is enabling Israel's most destructive impulses regarding Gaza. Levy uses a hypothetical scenario of Trump suggesting "death camps" to illustrate how Israeli politicians might react, suggesting widespread support or indifference. He suggests that Trump's approval of continued attacks and setting "impossible terms" for Hamas is pushing Israel down a dangerous path. Levy warns that the resumption of the "war" could lead to genocide, especially with the potential halting of humanitarian aid. He expresses concern that Israeli society is largely supportive of, or indifferent to, these actions, and that Trump is acting as an "ethical oracle" that could destroy Israel's morality.

haaretz.com/opinion/2025-02-12… or archive.ph/itIhA

@israel
@palestine
#IsraelOccupation
#IsraelWarCrimes
#GazaGenocide
#OatmealQuotes

#D9Bulldozers / Israeli military's use of weaponized bulldozers: from "No Other Land" to Rachel Corrie

[...] In the same breath, Trump promised to end the war in Gaza and return all the hostages, and also released 132 Caterpillar D-9 bulldozers – lethal weapons that Israel had requested. The Biden administration refused to supply these bulldozers because they were not informed of their exact intended use. The Trump administration waived the army's explanations, which mainly claimed that military bulldozers are needed for the 'war on terror': to clear areas dangerous to soldiers and to assist in dismantling booby-trapped buildings and explosive devices.

The Israeli military has a long-standing relationship with weaponized bulldozers, used since 1948 to displace Palestinians. The D-9 bulldozer, often used in the demolition of Palestinian homes, was notably involved in the death of activist Rachel Corrie in 2003. The film "No Other Land" documents the ongoing destruction of Palestinian communities in Masafer Yatta, showcasing the use of bulldozers in what is described as a systematic expulsion program. Despite promises of a thorough investigation into Corrie's death, the Israeli military was cleared of responsibility, with the court ruling it a "regrettable accident".

Hebrew zoha.org.il/135407/

@israel
@palestine
#IsraelOccupation
#IsraelWarCrimes
#RachelCorrie
#NoOtherLand
#MasaferYatta
#D9Bulldozers

#Germany #GenocideWhitewash / Free University surrenders to Israel’s pressure to cancels event featuring UN Special rapporteur on Palestine

The Free University of Berlin canceled an in-person event featuring UN Special Rapporteur on Palestine Francesca Albanese, citing "polarisation and the unpredictable security situation". The university's president, Gunter Ziegler, suggested the event be held online instead. Albanese recently described Israeli practices in the West Bank as "criminal" and warned of "genocidal intent".

middleeastmonitor.com/20250213…

#Ynet is reporting that the mayor of #Berlin, Kai Wegner, a staunch supporter of #Israel, called for the cancellation of the lecture, as did Ron Prosor, the Israeli ambassador to Germany. "If Albanese speaks at your place," Prosor wrote to Ziegler, "it will be a disgrace to your institution, to the academic community and to the city of Berlin. Instead of confronting hate, you are giving it a platform."

Albanese said this recently:

[…] Whoever speaks about human rights, but remains silent about Palestine, is talking about privileges, not principles.

kolektiva.social/@oatmeal/1139…

@israel
@palestine
#IsraelOccupation
#IsraelWarCrimes
#FreePalestine
#GazaGenocide

German university cancels event featuring UN Special Rapporteur on Palestine

The Free University of Berlin in Germany has cancelled an event that was scheduled to feature UN Special Rapporteur on Palestine Francesca Albanese, German media reported yesterday. The university’s president,...

^{Middle East Monitor}

oatmeal

2025-02-11 16:31:46

[cont’d] Quoting Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur for human rights in the occupied Palestinian Territories:

[…] Whoever speaks about human rights, but remains silent about Palestine, is talking about privileges, not principles.

As Ehrlich argues, ethnic cleansing is not a fringe concept in #Zionism, but a core idea, fundamental to the State of Israel's existence. This is not simply a policy of the extreme messianic right. It manifests as "Low Intensity Ethnic Cleansing," using administrative measures to compel mass migration, or as outright genocide, all while the world watches.

[…] “Palestinians have always been an unwanted burden in the Israeli mindset," she states. "Not only as a people, but also as a legal obstacle." Their existence, history, and rights form a blockade to the realization of Greater Israel as an exclusive state for Jewish Israelis. According to her, the parallel with the extermination of indigenous peoples in North America and Australia is unavoidable: a combination of physical violence and legal exclusion.

Dutch rightsforum.org/francesca-alba…

@israel
@palestine
#IsraelOccupation
#IsraelWarCrimes
#EthnicCleansing
#SettlerColonialism
#GreaterIsrael
#GazaGenocide

Francesca Albanese vertelt Nederland de waarheid over Palestina - The Rights Forum

^{Titus Verster (The Rights Forum)}

#US / On AIPAC’s evolution from a bipartisan lobby to a GOP-aligned force, its role in shaping U.S. foreign policy through financial leverage and political pressure, as seen in its unconditional support for Israel’s genocide in Gaza

MJ Rosenberg is a former #AIPAC staffer (1980s) turned vocal critic of the pro-Israel lobby group. He worked for over a decade as a congressional aide before joining AIPAC, where he helped craft the organization’s messaging, including speeches and newsletters. After leaving AIPAC, he held roles at the Israel Policy Forum (advocating for a two-state solution) and Media Matters. He is known for his insider critiques of AIPAC’s tactics, such as its efforts to suppress criticism of Israel, influence U.S. aid policies, and shift toward Republican-aligned strategies post-1980s. He advised Jimmy Carter and Barack Obama on Middle East policy.

AIPAC’s core strategy focused on securing unconditional U.S. military and economic aid to Israel, using congressional allies (primarily Democrats in the 1980s) to block punitive measures, even when U.S. presidents like Reagan criticized Israeli actions (e.g., 1982 Beirut bombing).

AIPAC maintained a "war room" to monitor critics, including journalists and activists. It infiltrated Arab-American and left-leaning Jewish groups, allegedly leading to job losses for those advocating peace.

AIPAC aligned more with Republicans starting in the 1980s under Reagan. Steve Rosen, a key figure, pushed to expand influence beyond Congress into the State Department and Pentagon, appointing pro-Israel officials to critical roles.

By 2024, AIPAC spent over $100 million on U.S. elections, backing candidates across the spectrum (including election deniers) to ensure unwavering support for Israel’s policies, exemplified by Biden’s alignment with Netanyahu.

zeteo.com/p/ex-aipac-staffer-i…

@palestine
@israel
#GazaGenocide
#IsraelOccupation

* Edit typos

[cont’d] Quoting Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur for human rights in the occupied Palestinian Territories:

[…] Whoever speaks about human rights, but remains silent about Palestine, is talking about privileges, not principles.

As Ehrlich argues, ethnic cleansing is not a fringe concept in #Zionism, but a core idea, fundamental to the State of Israel's existence. This is not simply a policy of the extreme messianic right. It manifests as "Low Intensity Ethnic Cleansing," using administrative measures to compel mass migration, or as outright genocide, all while the world watches.

[…] “Palestinians have always been an unwanted burden in the Israeli mindset," she states. "Not only as a people, but also as a legal obstacle." Their existence, history, and rights form a blockade to the realization of Greater Israel as an exclusive state for Jewish Israelis. According to her, the parallel with the extermination of indigenous peoples in North America and Australia is unavoidable: a combination of physical violence and legal exclusion.

Dutch rightsforum.org/francesca-alba…

@israel
@palestine
#IsraelOccupation
#IsraelWarCrimes
#EthnicCleansing
#SettlerColonialism
#GreaterIsrael
#GazaGenocide

#Palestine / Israeli police confiscated hundreds of books and arrested the owner of a bookstore in occupied East Jerusalem on suspicion of 'incitement and support for terrorism'

Police raided the Educational Bookshop in East Jerusalem, confiscating books and arresting the owner, Mahmoud Muna, and his brother, on suspicion of "incitement and support for terrorism". The police reportedly used Google Translate to identify materials, even citing a children's coloring book with the title "From the River to the Sea" as evidence.

Dozens of Israeli writers and cultural figures signed a petition condemning the raid and arrests, calling for the release of the Muna brothers. The petition stated that the bookstore is a cultural center for meetings between Palestinians and Israelis and expressed concern that the raid was a police provocation designed to erase the Palestinian cultural narrative.

[…] From our history, we know that 'Where they burn books, they will eventually burn people,' wrote Heinrich Heine, and where they confiscate books and ban their sellers – the path to violating the rights of expression and freedom, the right to property, and the right to life is very short. The Educational Bookshop chain, and its flagship store, are a cultural center for Palestinian and Israeli encounters, and we fear that the raid on the store, the confiscation of books from it, and the arrest of its owners under the pretext of 'disturbing public order' came as a police provocation, designed to erase the Palestinian cultural narrative and harass those involved in it.

Hebrew zoha.org.il/135318/

@bookstodon
@palestine
@israel
#IsraelOccupation
#IsraelApartheid
#FromTheRiverToTheSea

#US / Israeli Postdoc sues UC Berkeley Student Union, Alleging anti-Semitic discrimination

Karin Yaniv, an Israeli postdoctoral researcher at UC Berkeley, has filed a federal lawsuit against her graduate student union, alleging that the union has created a hostile work environment for Israeli Jews.

Yaniv claims the union's actions, which she characterizes as anti-Semitic, violate Title VII of the Civil Rights Act and the California state law. The complaint details numerous instances of alleged discrimination, including the union making anti-Israel statements, supporting anti-Israel protests and the #BDS movement, and marginalizing Jewish union members. Yaniv seeks a court order to stop the alleged discrimination, require anti-discrimination training, and award damages. The lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.

Yaniv is represented by the Fairness Center. #Ynet published this story today with a typical hyperbolic "culture of anti-Semitism" in the headline, forgetting to explain to their readers that the so-called "Fairness Center" is a right-wing litigation center that primarily pursues anti-union litigation. It offers free legal aid to those allegedly harmed by public employee union officials. Nothing to do with anti-Semitism, it seems, rather union-busting.

fairnesscenter.org/cases/yaniv…

PDF fairnesscenter.org/wp-content/…

Hebrew ynet.co.il/judaism/article/hk6…

@academicchatter
@israel
@palestine
#IsraelOccupation
#IsraelWarCrimes
#UCBerkeley
#Antisemitism
#academicchatter

Quoting Basel (al-)Adra (co-director of "No Other Land"):

[…] "I reject the discourse of 'the conflict' and 'both sides' and all this talk, because they are not true, and I will not say them to be accepted. There is one side responsible for the control, the oppression, the killing, the theft of lands, the occupation, and the apartheid."

Basel (al-)Adra, co-director of "No Other Land," provides a first-hand account of escalating violence in Masafer Yatta. He describes a climate of fear and displacement, with six villages in the area becoming depopulated since October 7th due to ongoing violence.

[…] The reality today is that some of the settlers have effectively become soldiers. They wear military uniforms and carry weapons, and roam throughout the area. There are many areas that Palestinian residents cannot reach at all. People cannot cultivate their lands – and we are already in January. Until today, many have not plowed their lands. Today, you need coordination to reach the lands – something that was never required before. There are families that were unable to harvest their olives, simply because they were not allowed to, under the pretext of security reasons. In the past, people here faced difficulties and even violence, but at least they could reach the fields, take out the livestock, or harvest olives. Today, it is completely forbidden. Most of the attacks today occur inside the villages themselves – outside the residents' homes or right on their doorsteps. For example, the car of activist Ali Awad from the village of Tuba was set on fire at the entrance to his house. Everyone knew that this car was vital for the people of Tuba, as it was used to transport residents on roads that are difficult to pass. The settlers came specifically to burn it, because they knew exactly what it meant for the community.

Hebrew haaretz.co.il/magazine/2025-02… or
archive.is/hg3aZ

@israel
@palestine
#IsraelOccupation
#IsraelWarCrimes
#MasaferYatta
#SettlerViolence
#NoOtherLand