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If music be the food of love
7 August, 2008 — peoplesgeography.com… play on, as Shakespeare has said. I’m also reminded of that other wonderful quote that architecture is frozen music (Goethe), which is probably more apt for this image.
Addendum: NOTICE OF BLOG BREAK - RETURNING 11/2008.
In the meantime, feel free to check out my regularly-updated article picks from around the web, as bookmarked at Del.icio.us (streamed on the sidebar on the right of this page) as well as the Archives page. Also check out some of the fine blogs in the Blogroll.
ARCHIVES ::: WEB PICKS ::: POSTS BY CATEGORY
Shooting Back: Israeli occupation filmed by 100 Palestinian cameras
4 August, 2008 — peoplesgeography.comThe Guardian’s Peter Beaumont recently filed this report on a B’Tselem initiative to equip 100 Palestinians with small video cameras to film Israeli settler and IDF abuses (thanks Homey). The story also made it to MSNBC (watch here: 2 mins 40).
Peter Beaumont speaks to Palestinians filming abuse from settlers and Israeli armed forces as part of a remarkable project called Shooting Back (5:45)
Meanwhile, more Palestinian youngsters are being shot, two more fatally, in Ni’lin: Ahmed Moussa, aged 10 and Ahmad Amirah, aged 18, as IOF abuses continue in other areas.
Joe Klein launches a truth rocket, but …
1 August, 2008 — peoplesgeography… doesn’t himself quite escape the gravitational pull of the Israel-first mentality. At least, so far.
First, credit where its due: Time’s political columnist Joe Klein joins a growing number of journalists (Chris Hedges, Jim Lobe, Justin Raimondo, Eric Alterman) and academics (Walt and Mearsheimer, James Petras) who are speaking up and out about the belligerent and unrepresentative group of neoconservatives in the US who happen to be mostly Jewish, a signal that this elephant in the room has finally moved into the mainstream discourse after the alternative press has long been ahead of the game.
Klein has done well to speak up for the majority of Jewish Americans for whom the neocons and the Likud Lobby (ADL, AIPAC etc) definitely does not speak nor represent. As a friend noted, he starts out like a rocket in a recent Atlantic interview (Joe Klein on Neoconservatives and Iran), standing by remarks that have got the Anti-Defamation League of B’nai B’rith (ADL) in such a tizzy. Read the rest of this entry »
Bring Sami Al-Arian Home
1 August, 2008 — peoplesgeographyProfessor Sami Al-Arian: political prisoner in a US prison since 2003. Despite being acquitted, Al-Arian remains in prison in Bush’s America, a ‘test case’ for the Patriot Act and a ghastly miscarriage of justice (H/T Detain This)
“Are you Islamabad?”: A lighthearted look at stereotypes
29 July, 2008 — peoplesgeography.comVox pops from Arab- and Iranian-Americans, from comedian Dean Obeidallah, Negin Farsad and friends (3.38).
Militant Zionism and the Invasion of Iraq: Ron Andreas
28 July, 2008 — peoplesgeography.comAn important reminder of the goals of destabilisation of the Middle East and the instrumentalisation of war for militant zionism, with thanks to Ron Andreas (submitted by the author).
Unlike the Western oil majors, the militant Zionist proponents of greater Israel view stability and peace in the Middle East as inimical to their goals. Chaos and strife create the “revolutionary atmosphere” (as Ben Gurion one of the key founders of the state of Israel put it) in which more land and water resources can be taken under their control. This fact explains the motive behind the ceaseless provocations and destabilization that the Israeli military and secret services perpetrate.
The “iron wall†policy established by Ze’ev Jabotinsky prior to the founding of the Jewish state requires the expulsion of Christian and Muslim Arabs from Palestine. Such a goal requires war or other violent means. Read the rest of this entry »
Dr H. in the Holy Land VII: Hebron and the Christian Peacemaker Teams
27 July, 2008 — peoplesgeography.com
Hebron is a town that lies to the south of Bethlehem in the West Bank. In Arabic it is known as Al Khalil. We went by bus and the drive from Bethlehem south was beautiful, a lot of arable land and the green vegetation was lush making a change from the arid scenery that marks the horizon elsewhere. Scattered amongst the hills there were settlements.
Hebron, Old City. Credit: Pharoah Berger
Hebron is full of hustle and bustle and in fact I was surprised to see it so lively. The last stop on the bus was Bab-iz-Zawieh. After getting off the bus we went to meet our guide for the day. Headed towards the old city, there were rows upon rows of closed metal doors – here it is common that the shops in the old cities have often green or blue iron doors that come across the whole shop front. As we walked towards the old city and the further in we went, more and more shops were bolted and closed, I wondered how long they had been closed for – months, years? From the market area of where the bus has dropped us off it felt like we were walking into another world of destitution. People were delighted to see foreigners and always shouted out “Ahlan wa sahlan” or “welcome”. We were met by a man who despite his grey hair, walking stick and slightly stooped posture was as fit as a hare. He beamed at us clearly glad to see us and said follow me in an English accent. Read the rest of this entry »
Dr H. in the Holy Land VI: Bethlehem Arab Society for Rehabilitation
27 July, 2008 — peoplesgeography.comThe hospital I am volunteering in gives me hope for this country, it is a symbol of a community working hard despite the daily hardships that they encounter in a land where the word “mam-noa” meaning “forbidden” is often said. Although a very small establishment, it is functional and serves the population here, people all over the West Bank come for their treatment. It is recognized primarily for its rehabilitation service, and people that I have met in Jerusalem speak highly of BASR having come here following strokes.
In addition, it has a brilliant ward for the rehabilitation of children. The children have neurological deficits as the result of cerebral palsy, road traffic accidents, congenital and unfortunately also trauma. The focus is on short term rehabilitation with physiotherapy, speech therapy and occupational therapy.
Most of the doctors have been trained abroad and they chose to come back to their country – a statement of their loyalty to the plight of their people. Of course without a doubt had they stayed abroad their life would be easier and more comfortable. Read the rest of this entry »
Dr H. In The Holy Land V: Qalandia Check-Point
27 July, 2008 — peoplesgeography.comQalandia check point is the main check point into Jerusalem from Ramallah. It is worse than I remember it to be. A humiliating example of every day life for the Palestinians living in the Occupied Territories, in fact I think that animals are often treated better than these people. I had met a guy in Ramallah, who was traveling back to Jerusalem and for this I was grateful. This meant that I did not have to go through the check point alone.
The road leading from Ramallah to Qalandia has the grey cement wall on your right hand side, decorated with graffiti: “CTRL+ALT+DEL, illegal wall, this wall must fall” and pictures of sorts. The ground is littered with rubbish and alongside lie large huge stone boulders – which I suspect were used previously to create land blocks (something that the Israelis often do when they want to close a road). Read the rest of this entry »
Dr H in the Holy Land IV: Land
27 July, 2008 — peoplesgeography.comThe battle here is about land… and it has always been. Last night Nicholas took us to his land or his family’s land, it’s called Al Makhror, and now lies on the other side of the checkpoint.
It’s beautiful, hilly and full of trees, the sun was setting in between the valley and the sky was blue. When you look to the left and up you can see the ugly slabs of grey concrete wall on the horizon, and when you look further up you can just about see the tree tops peering above the wall. In fact this wall separates Palestinian land on one side from Palestinian land on the other side.
“I want to come and live here”, Nicholas said.
“How? It’s just hills…. And nothing more?”
“It’s beautiful and it’s my land.”
Yes I agreed with him, it certainly was picturesque, you could feel the breeze at the back of your neck, see the olives trees across the landscape, a goatherd in the distance with his animals, and the sun setting in the middle of two mountains, creating a beautiful orange sky. It was quiet, in the distance to the left you could see Route 60 – the road that only Israelis could drive on. Read the rest of this entry »
Dr H in the Holy Land III: Bethlehem
27 July, 2008 — peoplesgeography.com
I feel suffocated here… Last week when I came, I kept hearing people talk about being in a “prison”, “animals in a cage”, time and time again. A week later I feel that I am beginning to understand what they mean.
Bethlehem is now being enclosed by the wall also known as a security fence. I can assure you that it certainly is no “fence” as you and I know the term. This fence is 8 metres high in some areas, and is made of solid concrete slabs lined next to each other. Every 200m there is a watch tower, which towers even higher than the 8 m, and has a circular room at the top with glass panels in all directions, where you can often see IOF (Israeli Occupation Force) soldiers sitting and watching. In other areas, the wall is reinforced with barbed wire – for extra security.
Israel states that this wall is a temporary measure, but there certainly seems nothing temporary about it. The wall is mainly built on Palestinian territory and does not follow the 1967 Green Line, which is meant to be the pre-occupation border. The perimeter of the Green Line is 320km in length, but the wall is projected to be more than 750km by the time it is completed. This is a result of the snaking in and out of the wall so that it can accommodate the illegal Israeli settlements on Palestinian territory, therefore increasing the total perimeter. Read the rest of this entry »
Dr H in the Holy Land II: Week One
27 July, 2008 — peoplesgeography.comLast Sunday, after my horrific arrival, I decided to go to church – the Nativity Church - and I went for Sunday mass. Nicholas, one of the security guards, took me there after finishing his night shift. He is Catholic and we went to the Church of St Catherine. They have 2 masses on a Sunday: an earlier one at 9 am and a later one at about 11 am. Despite 
this, I still expected the church to be filled; but I was surprised to see so many empty pews in what I presume is one of the holiest churches in the world. What perhaps stupidly surprised me even more was the fact that the mass was in Arabic! For some reason, I had always had this connection that in a mosque the spoken language was Arabic and in a church the spoken language should be generally English – naïve now I know.
Nonetheless it was interesting to try and make out some of the words in my pigeon Arabic. All hymns were in Arabic but the rhythm of the Lords’ Prayer was the same and I could still just about decipher what they were saying. It was mainly filled with Palestinian Christians who were dressed like westerners and tourists. Read the rest of this entry »
Dr H in the Holy Land I: The Trauma of Entry
27 July, 2008 — peoplesgeography.comI am very pleased that Reclaiming Space will be joined by Dr H., a physician working in Palestine. Dr H will be writing regularly with direct dispatches and we are fortunate to be learning of the situation on the ground through her original pieces. The good doctor prefers to be known simply as Dr H., or Doctora as she is often referred to. Here is our first installment.
- Ann
I am here in the Holy Land!! But getting through security was a traumatic experience at the airport… all my worries came true with the exception of being denied entry. I had coaching before I came to prepare me for what to expect…last time I was here I guess I was lucky and managed to whirl through security with few questions.
So I guess this email is mainly directed to people who are coming here soon so that they can be prepared for what to expect…. Read the rest of this entry »
US Occupation Dollars For Israeli Houses
24 July, 2008 — peoplesgeography.comOverall, US government aid to the hafrada Israeli regime comes to almost $3 Billion a year. This Council for the National Interest (CNI) poster draws attention to unwitting US taxpayer largesse for an occupying apartheid power that helps fund illegal settlements. It is available for sending as a postcard.
Israel, Palestine, and the US Congress: CNI Event
24 July, 2008 — peoplesgeography.comThree video clips from the Council for the National interest (CNI) Public Forum event: Israel, Palestine, and the US: Realities and Opportunities at the Cannon House Office Building on Capitol Hill, Washington, DC.
Part Two features US Ambassador Edward Peck and Uri Avnery, leading Israeli peace activist and former Knesset Member. Part Three features Professor John Mearsheimer, University of Chicago, and author of The Israel Lobby.
Israel, Palestine, and the US: Realities and Opportunities
Part One (9.54)
Read the rest of this entry »
For a fairer, non-partisan policy on I-P: world to political representatives
22 July, 2008 — peoplesgeography
The University of Maryland’s Program on International Policy Attitudes recently released a new survey regarding public opinion on the Israel-Palestinian conflict:
A new WorldPublicOpinion.org poll of 18 countries finds that in 14 of them people mostly say their government should not take sides in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Just three countries favor taking the Palestinian side (Egypt, Iran, and Turkey) and one is divided (India). No country favors taking Israel’s side, including the United States, where 71 percent favor taking neither side.
International Poll: Most Publics–including Americans–Oppose Taking Sides in Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
Country-by-Country Summaries (PDF)
Questionnaire/methodology (PDF)
Press Release (PDF)
Full PDF Version
Murdered for sport: Israel’s collective psychosis versus hasbara PR
22 July, 2008 — peoplesgeography.comKhaled Amayreh takes aim at the Israeli apartheid state’s collective psychosis in chilling but required reading, contrasting its PR campaign against the “evil other” with its own deplorable record on human rights and the killing of children. “Seeking to cope with Hezbullah’s success in getting Israel to release all Lebanese prisoners …“, he writes, “Israeli leaders, media and shapers of public opinion have been indulging in sanctimonious self-glorification while denouncing the other side as ‘hateful, uncivilized and representing an inferior culture.’” See extended excerpt below.
Haaretz has recently reported that the Israeli state has launched an international media campaign against Hezbollah, using unproven allegations against recently released Lebanese prisoner Samir Kuntar: “The Prime Minister’s Office’s public relations unit is handling the information, which includes an Internet film for YouTube about Samir Kuntar, portraying him as a murderer who crushed a four-year-old girl’s skull. Israeli envoys abroad and the Foreign Ministry are telling international and Arab media that Kuntar is “no freedom fighter but an abominable murderer.” The campaign, which emphasizes Israel’s moral values compared with its enemies, is also intended to prevent the possibility of international recognition and legitimization of Hezbollah.“ Read the rest of this entry »
Ni’lin نعلين‎: A West Bank Town’s Fight to Survive - Neve Gordon
20 July, 2008 — peoplesgeography.com
In this guest article about the struggle to protect Ni’lin, Neve Gordon serves an important reminder of the contrast in media coverage between a recent lone crazed act and the systemic violence and the daily dispossession and murder wrought by the Israeli military occupation in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
What is especially important and newsworthy here in the West Bank border town of Ni’lin is that “scores of Jewish Israeli and international activists are standing beside the Palestinians residents as they try to stop military bulldozers from destroying Ni’lin’s land.” This solidarity in resistance defies stereotypes and would challenge media outlets to break out of their narrative mould, Gordon argues.
Neve Gordon is the author most recently of Israel’s Occupation (2008) and is currently a visiting scholar at the University of Michigan. Article submitted by the author, and also appears in The Nation. (Click here for a more extended bio.). See also appended video clips.
A West Bank Town’s Struggle to Survive
‘Jerusalem bulldozer ‘terrorist’ kills 3 in rampage, read the headline of a CNN article describing the recent attack of a Palestinian construction worker that left three Israelis dead and scores wounded. A Google news search indicates that the brutal assault was mentioned in 3,525 news articles. USA Today, the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, BBC, Fox News and Al Jazeera as well as all the other major media outlets covered the incident. Lesser-known media sources, such as the Khaleej Times in the United Arab Emirates, the Edmonton Sun in Canada and B92 in Serbia, also featured the event. Indeed, one could safely assume that almost all news outlets around the globe provided some type of coverage of the attack. Read the rest of this entry »
Work, interrupted: the fragmentation of our attention
13 July, 2008 — peoplesgeographyA culture of attention deficiency and distraction? An interesting recent discussion on Late Night Live (Radio National, Australia) about how many digital technologies are contributing not only to greater distraction in our work-day, but are possibly re-wiring the way we think and operate in a more split-focus, multi-tasking, cyber-centric world and influencing our cognitive functions and conceptions of time. Cyber-centric? Now, I don’t know what that could mean … excuse me while I glance at my email, scan my RSS feeds, check text messages, recharge my mp3 player, all while I write up a chapter, listen to a podcast in the background and read some of the dozen browser tabs I have open. See also What the Internet is doing to our brains by Nicholas Carr for an interesting and provocative discussion.
The Untold Story of Iraq
8 July, 2008 — peoplesgeographyTwo excellent recent videos discussing Iraq and US foreign policy. The first is a panel featuring Jeremy Scahill, Laila Al-Arian, Chris Hedges and Seymour Hersh and showcases an important and wide-ranging discussion on how to withdraw responsibly and what is not on the US Congressional debating agenda. In the second video Chris Hedges talks about his latest book, co-authored with Laila Al-Arian, Collateral Damage: America’s War Against Iraqi Civilians.
Seymour Hersh, Jeremy Scahill, Chris Hedges and Laila Al-Arian in Conversation - 96 min - Jun 3, 2008
Exit Stage Right Forever Under Construction Guerrilla Radio harmonicminor.com Hyper-pessimistic activism ideas for change Ideas from free minds In the Middle of the East Information Clearing House Informed Comment Irregular Bones Israel’s 60th Birthday Jahane Rumi Just World News Justice for Lebanon karmalised Lair of the Blue Bear Left in East Dakota Les Politiques Loopy’s Manifold v3.0 Margin Release mask of anarchy