· January, 2008

Stories about Israel from January, 2008

Israel: Gaza's Electricity Consumption

From Jerusalem, Gideon Lichfield writes about how much electricity Gaza consumes.”Assuming 1.4m people live in Gaza (some say 1.5m), and that its peak wintertime electricity consumption — ie, when Israel...

28 January 2008

Syria: Palestinian Rights

From Syria, Golaniya argues for the right of Palestinians to exist as a people, with a nation. She further reacts to the developments in Gaza: “So the siege is strictly...

24 January 2008

Syria: Bloggers React to Gaza Blockade

As Israel continues its blockade on the strip, humanitarian conditions dip lower and lower. And while the Middle East shivers under the exceptional weather conditions, Gazans find themselves without fuel for heat or electricity. Yazan Badran records the reactions of Syria's bloggers on the unfolding tragedy.

23 January 2008

Israel: The Liars of Gaza

Smooth Stone, from Israel, writes: “More Muslim mendacity. If children were indeed starving, why are there no photos of their swollen bellies?”

22 January 2008

Pitch Black Gaza: Jordanian Bloggers React!

As the Israeli onslaught in Gaza continues this week, the death toll continues to climb. With many of the dead being civilians and the European Union labeling the Israeli offensive as 'collective punishment', the situation has not sat well with Jordanian bloggers. Here's what they had to say in the past few days.

22 January 2008

Palestine: Gaza Under Seige

Bloggers around the region are adding their voices to an international outcry as the Gaza Strip falls into darkness. A four-day Israeli blockade on the strip has led to the closure of the territory's only power station because of the lack of fuel.

21 January 2008

Palestine: Dance Prodigy Hopes to Make it Big

Every once in a while, you hear about a story that makes you stop in your tracks. One that is so outside the norm, that is seems as if the central figure has been born in the wrong time or place. Maya Norton writes about Palestinian Ayman Safieh's steps towards making it big in the world of classical ballet.

18 January 2008

Israel: Law for Censorship of Web Comments Passes Initial Knesset Voting

Israeli web culture is known for having an active talkback (web commenting) scene. Every major news site allows users to submit comments for every single one of its stories. Israeli culture at its best and worst thrives through discussions held within these spaces; discussions which are planned to fall under future censorship, according to the Talkback Law, proposed by Knesset member Israel Hasson. The proposal passed initial voting in the Knesset yesterday, January 16th.

17 January 2008

A Muslim Britney Spears?

As if the media circus surrounding her wasn't enough, the latest news is that Britney Spears will be considering converting to Islam in order to marry her Pakistan-born paparazzo boyfriend, Adnan Ghalib. The Middle East and North African bloggers could hardly contain themselves, writes Jillian York.

16 January 2008

Israel: President Bush Visits Israel

American President George W. Bush is arriving in Israel today and for once, English speaking Israelis have little to say. Views fall primarily into two camps: Complaints about the short-term discomfort that high security will cause Jerusalemites in their daily routines, and concern about new rockets launched from Lebanon and ongoing attacks from Gaza hailing Bush's visit.

9 January 2008

What is OneVoice?

OneVoice, an international movement to seek a peaceful solution to the Middle East crisis, explains its mission statement here.

8 January 2008