Category Archives: Israel and Palestine

Gay pride in Israel and Palestine

Posted on 7 November 2006 by Robert

Is an acceptance of homosexuality compatible with Zionism? If not, then allowing gays into Jerusalem would radically undermine that Zionism, no? Would World Pride in Jerusalem not be a temporary ‘liberation’ of the city?
Continue reading →

Posted in Debate, Israel and Palestine, LBGTQ | 1 Comment

More on Gaarder

Posted on 7 August 2006 by Robert

Nevertheless, Gaarder’s essay is highly problematic. “We do not recognise the state of Israel” is not clarified in the way I attempted in my previous post, which invites the criticism slung at him by Andrew Sullivan and (no doubt) many … Continue reading →

Posted in Debate, Israel and Palestine | 14 Comments

Anti-semitism and apartheid

Posted on 7 August 2006 by Robert

Andrew Sullivan chooses to sneer at Gaardner’s (admittedly divisive) rhetoric. In doing so, he completely fails to address the key question: “Is there apartheid in Israel?” Continue reading →

Posted in Debate, Israel and Palestine | 58 Comments

Suicides and sling-shots

Posted on 19 May 2006 by Robert

I’ve always thought that if modern Palestinians employed actual sling-shots, rather than suicide belts, against the occupation, they would gain far more sympathy. Continue reading →

Posted in Israel and Palestine | 10 Comments

Voter responsibility

Posted on 24 April 2006 by Robert

Democracy is a bizarre thing. We are encouraged (especially immediately after an election) to ascribe the policies of certain sections of the population, to everyone within that population. In actual fact, we know next-to-nothing about the particular individual at the other end of our finger, other than where he lives. Continue reading →

Posted in Israel and Palestine, Politics | 8 Comments

Valentine’s Day in Hebron

Posted on 14 February 2006 by Robert

The killing of a child by a child, outside the Tomb of Abraham. These are my hurried notes from the end of a long day, 14th February 2005, after witnessing some ugly things. Continue reading →

Posted in Israel and Palestine | 1 Comment

Zero Sum

Posted on 31 January 2006 by Robert

The zero-sum attitude to the Israel-Palestine conflict presents a flawed picture of reality. Why should a vote for Hamas give political capital to the Israeli Government. The game being played in Israel and Palestine is essentially “Whoever Wins, We Lose” for humanity. Co-operation may seem idealistic… but everything else is doomed to fail. Continue reading →

Posted in Israel and Palestine | 13 Comments

Letter from Ramallah

Posted on 30 January 2006 by Intifada Kid

Why was Hamas voted into office? Perhaps the Palestinian electorate is very much like the Israeli one. In situations of conflict perhaps people trust their toughest leaders most to make the difficult compromises and display pragmatism. Continue reading →

Posted in Israel and Palestine | 6 Comments

What sort of peace?

Posted on 28 January 2006 by Robert

No matter what Hamas has done in the past, this result conveys a positive human sentiment: We resist! the vote is a protest against Fatah and against the occupation itself, and must be turned into something positive. Continue reading →

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Journalists Harassed in Israel

Posted on 23 January 2006 by Robert

One group of people who get very little attention in the Middle-East are the Arab citizens of Israel. One in five Israelis are Arabs, but as either Muslims or Christians they are effectively second-class citizens in what is, after all, … Continue reading →

Posted in Israel and Palestine | 4 Comments