The humanitarian situation in Gaza has grown beyond intolerable. If you have any doubts, just read this devastatingly important article by Sara Roy, senior research scholar at Harvard’s Center for Middle Eastern Studies:
Today, 96 percent of Gaza’s population of 1.4 million is dependent on humanitarian aid for basic needs. According to the World Food Programme, [...]
Archive for the ‘Human Rights’ Category
Rescue the Spirit of Humanity
Posted in Gaza, Global Activism, Global Health, Human Rights, International Aid, Israel, Palestine on July 1, 2009 | 1 Comment »
I Can’t Dance Any More
Posted in Gaza, Human Rights, Israel, Movies, Nonviolence, Palestine, Politics on June 26, 2009 | 3 Comments »
I know there are those who wonder why, with all of the various injustices going on in the world, do I seem to dwell on Israel’s treatment of Palestinians? It’s a fair and important question. For me it boils down to this: I’ve come to believe that too many of us in the Jewish community [...]
People You Should Know About: Ezra Nawi
Posted in Human Rights, Israel, Nonviolence, Palestine, Peace, People You Should Know About on June 10, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
If you’re looking for the definition of an Israeli hero, here’s my nomination: human rights activist Ezra Nawi. Well-known in the Israeli-Palestinian peace movement, Nawi is a true original. This is how he was described by journalist Neve Gordon in a recent Guardian article:
Nawi is not a typical rights activist. A [...]
On Clowns and Illegal Hothouses
Posted in Current Events, Human Rights, Iran, Israel, Politics on April 24, 2009 | 3 Comments »
I know I promised to pontificate on this week’s UN World Conference on Racism in Geneva, but I don’t know that I have anything to add that hasn’t already been said about this particular circus. (And I mean this literally – see above.) For what it’s worth, I found Cecilie Surasky’s dispatches for Muzzlewatch to be [...]
The Plight of Roxana Saberi
Posted in Current Events, Human Rights, Iran, Politics on April 20, 2009 | 1 Comment »
Several people have asked me, now that Iranian-American Roxana Saberi has been sentenced to eight years in Iranian prison, if I have reconsidered my opinions about Iran and the importance of American-Iranian diplomacy. If anything, this current crisis has only deepened my convictions on both counts.
As I’ve written here before, I certainly don’t harbor any [...]
Is BDS anti-Semitism?
Posted in Anti-Semitism, Global Activism, Human Rights, Israel, Nonviolence, Palestine, Politics, Zionism on April 1, 2009 | 16 Comments »
For many Jews, no three letters seem to conjure up rage and fury as effectively as “BDS.” Still, I have a strong suspicion that we’ll be hearing them bandied about increasingly in the coming months.
Since the Gaza war, the movement for global Boycott/ Divestment/ Sanctions against Israel seems to have gained new momentum. Among its [...]
American Gulag
Posted in Human Rights, Immigration, Politics, Refugees on March 26, 2009 | 3 Comments »
You need to read this new Amnesty International report on immigrant detention in our country. Even those who have some knowledge about this national shame will be jolted by AI’s findings:
- Tens of thousands of people languish in U.S. immigration detention facilities every year — including a number of U.S. citizens — without receiving a [...]
Gaza: Soldiers Are Speaking Out
Posted in Gaza, Human Rights, Israel, Palestine, Religion, War on March 20, 2009 | 7 Comments »
Once permission has been given to the destroyer to do harm, it does not discriminate between the guilty and the innocent. (Mechilta, Bo)
Today the NY Times reported on an issue that has gripped the Israeli press and public for some time now:
In the two months since Israel ended its military assault on Gaza…testimony is emerging from within [...]
Outrage in Gaza: No More Apologies
Posted in Gaza, Human Rights, Israel, Palestine, Politics/Middle East, War on December 28, 2008 | 129 Comments »
(picture by Hatem Omar/Maan Images)
The news today out of Israel and Gaza makes me just sick to my stomach.
I know, I can already hear the responses: every nation has a responsibility to ensure the safety of its citizens. If the Qassams stopped, Israel wouldn’t be forced to take military action. Hamas also bears responsibility for [...]
Beneath the Blindfold
Posted in Human Rights, Torture on December 15, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
Last night, JRC was honored to host an important program in recognition of Human Rights Week. We were joined by Dr. Mary Fabri, Senior Director of the Marjorie Kovler Center for the Treatment of Survivors of Torture, along with documentary filmakers Ines Sommer and Kathy Berger, who presented the first public showing of the trailer [...]
