Stories about Israel from January, 2009
Palestine: “They used our clothes as a toilet”
Bloggers in Gaza are gathering information about what happened during the recent Israeli attacks. In this update, we hear from families whose homes were looted and left covered with faeces by Israeli soldiers, learn what the effects of DIME weapons are, and are told the story of a father whose baby daughter was shot, his wife breastfeeding the girl as she bled to death.
MENA: Reflections on Obama's Al Arabiya Interview
It came as a surprise to many people that US President Barack Obama gave his first formal interview as president to an Arab television channel. Some were optimistic with Obama's replies, while others were disappointed. Yet, almost everybody was more concerned about the decision to have the interview conducted for Al Arabiya.
Israel: Where is Mahmoud al-Zahar?
Senior Hamas official Mahmood el-Zahar is no where to be seen. Gilad Lotan tunes into to the whispers making rounds on the blogs about his possible whereabouts.
Arab World: “We Stopped Saying Israel…”
A message on Twitter calling upon Arabs to stop saying Israel has snowballed into a movement across the Arab world, in this latest twist of the ongoing online war following the Israeli bombing of Gaza. Anas Qtiesh reports from the front lines.
Middle East, Balkans: Comparing the Conflicts
Marko Attila Hoare and Jasmin Ademovic discuss at Greater Surbiton whether “Israel today [is] like Serbia in the 1990s.”
Russia: LJ and “the Western Powers”
IZO writes that “the importance of the Russian LiveJournal blogosphere is leading the Western Powers to suck up to the leading bloggers and infiltrate the discussion sites.”
Trinidad & Tobago, U.K., Israel, Palestine: Objectivity?
In response to the BBC's decision not to broadcast an appeal for funds for Gaza, Notes from Port of Spain says: “Someone, somewhere, has been leaning heavily on this famously objective broadcaster, and it has caved in.”
Middle East: Boycott as a Political Weapon
Many people across the Middle East have decided to boycott Israeli and American products in response to the Israeli war on Gaza. Tarek Amr reviews what bloggers have to say about this.
Palestine: Coexisting?
Palestinians who choose to co-exist with Israelis “fare no better than any other Palestinian,” observes Ummkahlil, a Palestinian blogger, who lives in the US.
Israel: A Plea to Obama
An Israeli human rights activist makes an impassioned plea to the new American president in a video: “Obama, take away the pain in my stomach.”
Israel: A Russian Photojournalist's Notes
Dmitry Kostyukov (LJ user kostyukov), a Russian photojournalist, is currently on assignment in Israel. In August 2008, he was covering the war in South Ossetia, and in his posts from Israel, he does draw some parallels between the two conflicts, and also provides insight into the work of a war photographer.
Palestine: “In Gaza, only the dead have seen the end of this war”
The people of Gaza are discovering the extent of the destruction inflicted during three weeks of Israeli attacks, and are slowly starting to rebuild their lives. Some bloggers are wondering about the less visible psychological and emotional damage. One asks, "What will be the reward for getting up and going on, one more time?"
Global: Morocco Closes Caracas Embassy
Morocco announced this week that it would close its embassy in Venezuela due to Venezuela's recognition of the Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), the territory also known as the "Western Sahara," over which Morocco asserts its sovereignty.
French Caribbean, Palestine, Israel: Economic Boycott?
French West Indians and Caribbeans have expressed their solidarity with the population in Gaza in many ways since the bombings began. Is an economic boycott one of them? Bloggers discuss the possibilities.
Lessons From Gaza
A Bengali In TO summarizes some lessons from the recent Gaza conflict and says: “The Muslim world has a surplus of martyrs and a deficit of scholars.”
Iran: A song for Gaza
Several Iranian bloggers wrote about Michael Heart's “we will not go down tonight“, a song for Gaza.
Palestine: Not faring better
Palestinians who choose to co-exist with Israelis “fare no better than any other Palestinian,” observes Ummkahlil, a Palestinian blogger, who lives in the US.
Israel: Back to Books and Bible Lessons
Imshin from Israel notes that life is going back to its normal routine. He writes: “It’s nice to be back with books and things. Last night I finally made it to the third lesson of a series of Bible lessons I had been planning to go to. I was far...
Russia, UK: Rallies for Israel, Gaza
LJ user mgor (a London-based native of Dnipropetrovsk, Ukraine) posts photos from a London rally in support of Gaza. LJ user drugoi (Roustem Adagamov, one of the most popular Russian bloggers) posts photos from a Moscow rally in support of Israel. (Text in Russian.)
Palestine: Assessing the Aftermath in Gaza
On Sunday evening the Israel Defense Forces began a troop withdrawal from Gaza, following three straight weeks of attacks. Israel's unilateral ceasefire was announced earlier in the day, and met with an offer for a one-week ceasefire from Hamas. Ayesha Saldanha shares blog reactions from Gaza.
The Balkans: Gaza and Srebrenica
Jasmin's Heart recalls Srebrenica as she is thinking about the situation in Gaza.
