Politics

NOVANEWS A Freedom Charter or A Second Nakba? By Kenneth O'Keefe July 21, 2010 Imagine this, imagine that Nelson Mandela and the African National Congress negotiated a deal with the South African Apartheid regime and settled for a “two-state solution.”  Imagine Mandela negotiating with the Apartheid regime a land deal in which less than 15% of current day South Africa went to the black South Africans, the remaining 85% to the inherently racist Apartheid government and its people. With that in mind, I ask, is there any real difference between that scenario and the idea of a “two-state solution” today?  I am happy to know that ever-increasing numbers of people inside and outside of Palestine see what I see, the so-called two-state solution is in truth the two-state disaster, the second N...

NOVANEWS May you have good grief: Tisha B’ Av on the Only Democracy?   by Jesse  Bacon I just got done observing Tisha B’ Av, the 9th of Av a relatively new Jewish holiday commemorating the destruction of the Temples. Having attended liberal Tisha B’ Av observances for several years, I must have noticed the part about how the messiah will be born on Tisha B’Av, or to take it out of religious person, there will be redepmtion grown from the seeds of cataclysm. Until this year, I was fortunate that TIAA-CREF, the focus of Jewish Voice for Peace’s first divestment campaign chose Tisha B’ Av to hold their annual meeting. For the first time, I got to act out hope and grief, activism and religious observance simultaneously as I helped organize a delegation of members of TIAA-CREF’s retirement fu...

NOVANEWS McChrystal is Gone But the Mockery Stays On July 6, 2010  by Dr. Ashraf Ezzat I am neither bitter nor cynical but I do wish there was less immaturity in the White House political thinking General Petraeus was last week appointed to lead foreign forces in Afghanistan. He replaces General Stanley McChrystal who was dismissed for insulting remarks about the US administration to a magazine. One of the good things that came out of McChrystal`s dismissal is that the Afghanistan war – or rather the forgotten war -began to grab everybodys attention once again. And the change of command comes when the insurgents are at their strongest since the Taliban-Islamist regime was ousted in late 2001 But as John Kampfner, writing in the Guardian, put it  ‘How can a war that has taken the lives of...

NOVANEWS Investigating intelligence takes real intelligence How to show dedication to Israel the “liberal” way Comparing Murdoch to the tobacco business US food store begins BDS against Israel Why didn’t these people slam the Iraq war before it happened? Can we please have a grown-up conversation about Afghanistan? Investigating intelligence takes real intelligence Posted: 20 Jul 2010 This week’s Washington Post story on the outsourcing of intelligence continues to reverberate. One of the co-writers of the series, Bill Arkin, is interviewed on Democracy Now! A shadowy world of massive privatised madness since 9/11. More than half a trillion dollars is being spent annually on services that even many elements within government don’t know about. But key questions are emergin...

NOVANEWS Dear All, I don't promise not to send more today, but just wanted to give you some pleasure as a start for a new day, first off with Amira Hass’s report on Yonatan Shapira. I searched some of the more prominent newspapers in English (e.g., Guardian, NY Times, etc.) and found one additional item of interest but not about Yonatan Shapira being called in by the Shabak.  Brave man, and, additionally, intelligent.  Nice combination.  I would imagine we'll have many more such reports in the ensuing period, especially after the law against urging to practice bds is passed. While searching the world's press in English, I did come onto one other item of interest--Palestinian children having a day at the sea.  I recall so well when, 5 years ago a 3-year old Palestinian girl was to have a ki...

NOVANEWS 60 years ago, first Defense Sec’y said ‘Zionist pressure’ endangered US security, all the way to Afghanistan Neocon front orgs Qualitative Military Edge — another name for US-backed Israeli brutality Hillary Clinton says we need more intermarriage Nargila ban distracts attention from ethnic cleansing For ‘Birthright’ tourists, hill above Gaza is fun like the Grand Canyon Demonizing Mississippi Obama aide dodges Syrian ambassador on Israeli nukes and Medea Benjamin on ’special relationship’ Today in Palestine: bulldozed homes, and loyalty oaths Gideon Levy warns that Israeli ‘regime’ is likely ‘doomed’ 60 years ago, first Defense Sec’y said ‘Zionist pressure’ endangered US security, all the way to Afghanistan Posted: 19 Jul 2010 08:36 AM PDT I've kept dropping hin...

NOVANEWS July 19, 2010 Some Jews and Israelis seem to be rather jolly lately. We recently encountered a glimpse of a Jewish family celebrating their survival of the Holocaust by exploring some different disco manoeuvres with the landscape of Auschwitz in the background. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5GIuv2PRjEU I honestly think that nothing is categorically wrong about it. At the end of the day, Jews found many ways to deal with their past. Dancing is no doubt preferable to killing in the name of Jewish suffering. IDF soldiers are also finding the time to dance when they are not murdering in the name of ‘Israeli security’. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UIrVofeRh0g In fact, one possible interpretation is that the IDF’s dance routine was a form of protest against their army and terrorist...

NOVANEWS When Christian and Jewish fundies get together to make sweet love The Holocaust survival dance Jewish colonist rabbi says why the land should bloom only with Jews Castro on Washington’s ambitions Murdoch would like to hang with Muslims in space How do you smoothly sell occupation and a blockade? Of course life must go on in Gaza Remote-control killing in Palestine How many people are still locked up at Gitmo? The hype against Saddam was false, part 8642 When Christian and Jewish fundies get together to make sweet love Posted: 13 Jul 2010 New neo-con group The Emergency Committee for Israel have some charming friends on-board. Aside from king-maker William Kristol – a Jew with a lot of time to make war against the Muslim world – there’s Gary Bauer, a f...

NOVANEWS “They want us to be loyal to the occupation” Kurds and pro-war Americans clean up Americans love the image of Israel Has Washington just experienced an Iranian spy in its midst? Israel should not wonder why few people love her Britain’s hands are blooded with torture More journalists must take risks, says Wikileaks head Sri Lanka and Israel continue to cross paths Israel, the uneven society Israel’s Better Place continues its human rights-free push into Australia “They want us to be loyal to the occupation”Posted: 15 Jul 2010 Jewish American journalist Max Blumenthal interviews one of the Palestinian politicians targeted by the Israeli occupation forces, a world away from the “only democracy in the Middle East”: On 9 July, as Israeli Border Police of...

NOVANEWS What do they eat inside the Gaza Strip? What are we doing to arrest Israel’s slide into authoritarianism? Twitter won’t really help America be more liked Smoking ladies cause divorce, Hamas laughably claims International NGO views Zionist occupation in the right way How is the Iraqi nation gaining intelligence? Hardline Zionists want one Jewish state, so read on Why Americans love to hate Europeans Can we please hear Muslims when writing about Muslims? What do they eat inside the Gaza Strip?  18 Jul 2010 Information about a forthcoming book on cooking and food inside Gaza. What are we doing to arrest Israel’s slide into authoritarianism? Posted: 18 Jul 2010 There really isn’t anybody like Gideon Levy in Haaretz. His latest piece is stunning, and although i...