Feature Archives

Friday, May 30, 2008 :Professor Norman Finkelstein, an American Jewish scholar known for his trenchant criticism of Israeli policy, was detained and interrogated by Israels security forces for 24 hours at Tel Avivs Ben Gurion airport on May 23, denied entry into Israel and deported back to Amsterdam where he had been lecturing. He has also been banned from entering Israel for 10 years, for so-called “security reasons.” The Israeli newspaper Ha’aretz has published an editorial criticizing the Israeli government’s decision to ban American academic Norman Finkelstein from entering the country.

Monday, May 12, 2008: In Lebanon, armed clashes over the past week have left at least 81 dead. Fighting erupted last week during a general strike called by the General Federation of Labor Unions to protest the high cost of living. On May 8th, Hezbollah leader Nasrallah held a press conference in Beirut and condemned a decision by the Lebanese cabinet to outlaw Hezbollah's telecommunication network and dismiss the head of Airport security for his alleged ties to the party. Nasrallah said their private communication network was critical to their success during the July 2006 war with Israel. Hezbollah-led opposition forces quickly overpowered pro-government militias and took over large parts of the capital city of Beirut before handing over control to the Lebanese army.

In the past week, Israel has mounted a massive offensive against the Gaza Strip. The attacks have claiming the lives of over 112 Palestinians, including many civilians. The clashes reached a peak on March 1st, when Israel sent in a regiment of ground troops killing 77 Palestinians in two days. According to Gaza health ministry statistics, 22 children were killed and more than 350 people were wounded. On March 3rd, Students for Justice in Palestine staged a die-in in Berkeley to protest Israel's actions.

From February 4th through the 8th, Students for Justice in Palestine held a series of protests and teach-in as part of Israeli Apartheid Week at UC Berkeley. On February 6th there was a rally on Sproul Plaza with Barbara Lubin from Middle East Children's Alliance and other community leaders.

Emergency protests across the US against the strangulation of Gaza were called for Friday January 25th. A San Francisco protest took place on at the Israeli Consulate from 4-5 PM.

On January 23rd, masked militants destroyed around two-thirds of the wall separating the Gaza Strip from Egypt. Tens of thousands of Palestinians flooded across the border to buy food and supplies. On January 25, Egyptian border guards formed human chains along the border, but were unable to stop hundreds of Palestinians from rushing into Egypt after a bulldozer wrecked another section of fence.

On November 27th, a "Middle East peace conference" was held in Annapolis,Maryland. Leaders of Fatah who rule only over parts of the West Bank attended but Hamas, which now rules over Gaza, did not. During the talks there was no mention of freezing Israeli settlement expansion, of halting construction of the separation/apartheid wall, of the question of Jerusalem, the Palestinian refugees and borders.

George Cadman of Free Radio Santa Cruz 101.1 FM interviewed Dr. Paul Larudee, co-founder of the Free Gaza Movement, on December 4th about plans to set sail from Cyprus to Gaza in May of 2008. The Free Gaza Movement's mission is to break the siege of Gaza. They want to raise international awareness about the prison-like closure of the Gaza Strip and pressure the international community to review its sanctions policy and end its support for continued Israeli occupation.