Israeli Bernard Avishai "The occupation is ruining our lives"

Bernard Avishai, Contributing Editor of Harvard Business Review,  splits his time between Jerusalem and Wilmot, New Hampshire. He has taught at MIT and Duke.


He writes:"We know from everyday experience that Israel has the commercial and cultural resources to succeed brilliantly at global competition. At the same time, we know that, like all small countries networked to global realities, Israel cannot solve its diplomatic, economic, and environmental problems alone, that is, without the cooperation of other regional and global powers. Our economy cannot survive political isolation any more than our democracy can. The occupation is ruining our lives."


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Robert Fisk in The Independent (UK): Why does the U.S. turn a blind eye to Israeli Bulldozers?

"Both the United States and Europe now stand idly by while the Israeli government effectively destroys any hope of a Palestinian state; even as you read these words, Israel's bulldozers and demolition orders are destroying the last chance of peace; not only in the symbolic centre of Jerusalem itself but – strategically, far more important – in 60 per cent of the vast, biblical lands of the occupied West Bank, in that largest sector in which Jews now outnumber Muslims two to one."

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General David Petraeus: Israel's policies foment anti-American sentiment and terrorism.

In his  report to the Armed Services Committee General David Petraeus stated: "The enduring hostilities between Israel and some of its neighbors present distinct challenges to our ability to advance our interests in the AOR (Area of Responsibility). The conflict foments anti-American sentiment, due to a perception of US favoritism for Israel. Arab anger over the Palestinian question limits the strength and depth of US partnerships with governments and people in the AOR and weakens the legitimacy of moderate regimes in the Arab world. Meanwhile, Al-Qaeda and other militant groups exploit that anger to mobilize support. The conflict also gives Iran influence in the Arab world through its clients, Lebanese Hisballah and Hamas."

Indian Country Today: Oglala Lakota traveler sees ‘deep parallels’ in Palestine:

A native-American man who is also Jewish travelled to Cairo for the Gaza Freedom March and he visited the Dheisha Refugee Camp near Bethlehem, West Bank.  He discusses the parallels between the Native tribes' and Palestinian experience.  Full article with photos....

Amnesty International: The Day The Bulldozers Came

West Bank farmer Mahmoud al-'Alam won't forget the day Israeli army bulldozers cut off his water supply... and destroyed his livelihood.

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Jeff Halper: Dismantling the Matrix of Control

Almost a decade ago I wrote an article describing Israel’s “matrix of control” over the Occupied Palestinian Territories. It consisted then of three interlocking systems: military administration of much of the West Bank and incessant army and air force intrusions elsewhere; a skein of “facts on the ground,” notably settlements in the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem, but also bypass roads connecting the settlements to Israel proper; and administrative measures like house demolitions and deportations. I argued in 2000 that unless this matrix was dismantled, the occupation would not be ended and a two-state solution could not be achieved.   more ....

My grandmother did not die to provide cover for Israeli soldiers murdering Palestinian grandmothers in Gaza.

On the 15th of January 2009, Sir Gerald Kaufman delivered the following speech to the British House of Commons:

My parents came to Britain as refugees from Poland. Most of their families were subsequently murdered by the Nazis in the holocaust. My grandmother was ill in bed when the Nazis came to her home town of Staszow. A German soldier shot her dead in her bed. 

My grandmother did not die to provide cover for Israeli soldiers murdering Palestinian grandmothers in Gaza. It is time for our government to make clear to the Israeli government that their conduct and policies are unacceptable, and to impose a total arms ban on Israel. It is time for peace, not the solution by conquest which is the Israelis' real goal but which is impossible for them to achieve. They are not simply war criminals; they are fools." 

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