August 2002
Issue No. 348
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The occupation is killing us all
Richard Swift weighs up the claims and counterclaims and lays bare the core of contention in this seemingly endless conflict.
We refuse to be enemies
Palestinians and Israelis who have moved beyond hate.
Gone to soldiers
Generations of young Israelis are spending their adolescence policing the hostile occupation of Palestinian territory. Dan Bar-On measures the psychological cost.
Towards a democratic Palestine
An interview with Palestinian intellectual Mustafa Barghouthi.
Silence & Security
Samah Jabr thinks that Israeli security is intimately linked to that of Palestinians.
You can’t shake hands with a suicide bomber
The suicide bombs have traumatized Israel and frozen opposition to the occupation. Amichai Geva pleads for the political space for the peace movement to gather force.
History and Faith
Ancient claims on the Holy Land.
Dangerous illusions
Modern myths that add fuel to the flames.
I choose not to settle
David Fingrut finds that, despite the handsome perks, life in a West Bank settlement is not for him.
Mean streets
The confrontation between the Palestinians and the ultra-orthodox in the West Bank town of Hebron is about as ugly as it gets. Jessica McCallin from the front line.
The U$ will pay!
George Bush gives a blank cheque.
Action on Israel/Palestine
Action to end the occupation
Room for manoeuvre
Possible paths to peace.
News, views, and & voices
Letter from Lebanon
Letter from Lebanon – how a woman in the Bekaa Valley started producing fine wine, by Reem Haddad.
Southern Exposure
Working on Christ, by Indonesian photographer NG Swanti.
View from the South
By bringing guilty fellow Africans to book we will start to repair our own hurt, argues Ike Oguine.
Currents
Bombed and framed
How the FBI bombed and framed eco-activists
UN purges
Mary Robinson and other UN dissidents purged by US
Welcome to Jo'burg
Johannesburg as a symbol of unsustainability
Worldbeaters
Still mixing it after all these years? Henry Kissinger can run, but he can’t hide.
Big Bad World
The rich and global warming, as seen by cartoonist Polyp.
Mixed Media
Film
Sunshine State by John Sayles
Music
Scattered People
Music
Concert for East Timor by various artists
Book
Life of Pi by Yann Martel
Book
The New Rulers of the World by John Pilger
Book
The World We’re In by Will Hutton
Making Waves
Profile of Sunlight Bassini, excavator of the Aboriginal heritage.
Essay
Argentina may have fallen into an abyss, but Benjamin Blackwell finds the people still alive and kicking.
Country Profile
Grenada
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from
THIS MONTH'S EDITOR
It is impossible to edit a magazine about Israel and Palestine without provoking ire. I know I can expect it. Almost certainly there will be those who feel that any criticism of Israel is either anti-Semitic or gives aid and comfort to anti-Semites. George Orwell once took the Left to task for its overly liberal use of the epithet ‘fascist’. He felt that it was being devalued and should be saved for the real thing. I think the use of ‘anti-Semitism’ by defenders of the current Israeli Government stands in similar peril. Its casual use, or ‘self-hating Jew’ (against Jewish critics) to buttress Israeli raison d’état does, I feel, debase the coinage. There is certainly some anti-Semitism amongst Palestinians, as there is anti-Arab racism amongst Israelis. There is no monopoly in hate. And, what with the Haiders, Le Pens and Islamic Jihads of this world, there is certainly enough real anti-Semitism to fight against. So let’s agree or disagree about the facts. But let’s work to find the best way forward towards peace and security. The debate certainly has enough heat – what it needs is some light. As this magazine goes to press, Israeli public opinion has forced the construction of a protective wall to separate off the West Bank. Most Palestinians, all the Israeli settlers and the right-wing are opposed to this. The Palestinians fear being walled in and the settlers fear being walled out. While in no way a healthy long-term solution, the wall at least indicates that Israel and Palestine are now two separate places.
Richard Swift for the New Internationalist Co-operative rswift@newint.org
Voices from the margins:
Multimedia: video, podcasts, and more.
- Poetry Slam in Zimbabwe
- The House of Hunger poetry slam held in Zimbabwe in 2006, and organised by the Pamberi Trust, showcased young artists performing inspirational work on issues from corporate power to child soldiers. The video features four of the poets.
Published by Pambazuka News.
- Iranian women speak out
- 3 March 2007, London. Women's rights activists marched through the English capital last week to celebrate International Women's Day with a protest against the misogyny of the Islamic regime in Iran and the threat of invasion by the US. Hear the voices of Iranian feminists Azar and Leila Parnian and the sounds of the demonstration as it passed through the heart of the city. Click here to learn more about the campaign.
Produced by Heidi Bachram.
- Raised Voices audio:
- Benny from West Papua on Corporate Power
- Vinayan from India on agriculture
