Palestine

This is the trailer for Julian Schnabel's film "Miral" starring Slumdog alum Freida Pinto. The film is about a young woman who lives in an orphanage setup in Jerusalem by Hind Husseini in the wake of the 1948 partition of Palestine. Besides my infatuation with Ms. Pinto, this film definitely deserves attention due to its political relevancy. It premieres at the Venice Film Festival in September. 

Via First Showing

When I hear of news like Noam Chomsky's recent kerfuffle with Israeli border security — an all-too-predictable episode of state-level hypersensitivity manifesting in the form of draconian policy — I'm reminded of a book written by Marc Ellis about post-Holocaust Jewish liberation theology. A bit of a jump, I know, but bear with me.

There is little question that international NGO workers have been playing an important role for many Palestinians living in Gaza and the West Bank. According to a recent Care International report, approximately 80% of the 1.5 million refugees living in these areas are dependent upon humanitarian organisations for livelihood facilities, such as health care, education and access to clean drinking water.

In light of the encouraging reports that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu may be moderating his position toward peace, I wanted to bring attention to this revealing New York Times article published on the eve of the one-year anniversary of Israel’s Operation Cast Lead in Gaza. Not out of some desire to counter good news with bad. But rather, the juxtaposition of these two stories could easily be described as a lesson in the futility of intransigence.

This week, I've been pondering over the reported breakthrough in the Israeli-Palestinian negotiations. There have been many moments in this sixty year-old conflict that seemed like they would climax in a denouement, but something would always fall apart in the last minute. The latest developments are unlikely to bring a speedy end to this territorial dispute, but they are worth mentioning for other reasons.

Seemingly right on cue, the Israeli government last week approved the creation of 900 new settlement homes in Gilo, beyond the Green Line in East Jerusalem. After demanding a construction freeze for this very neighborhood, the U.S. administration appears to have been caught unawares.

Hi everyone, I'm excited to be joining the talented team here at The Mantle. Lots of interesting stuff in the news these days, let's jump right in.

Word comes in from East Jerusalem that a group of Jewish settlers, wielding an Israeli court order, evicted a Palestinian family from their home, igniting a clash between human rights protesters and the settlers over the true rights to the property in question.

"The sum of my experience is that reaching a two-state solution, Palestine and Israel living side by side in security and peace, is still possible, despite the dangers that we face and whose severity has increased recently." (Excerpt from the speech delivered by the Palestinian Authority's President Mahmoud Abbas, announcing his decision not to seek re-election next year--Ramallah, November 5, 2009).

The conflict between Israel and Palestine is not easy to grasp. That it seems like it has been going on forever has also diminished the “appeal” of engaging the conflict, or at least the novelty of doing so. In only fits and starts it seems the American media covers the conflict—when fighting breaks out in Gaza or dignitaries meet for yet another round of fruitless negotiations and peace talks, for example. Sustained coverage is lacking, no doubt. Perhaps the American public is just worn out on the subject.