· April, 2009

Stories about Palestine from April, 2009

Israel: Arab and Jew Represent Israel at Eurovision Contest

  30 April 2009

Israeli Arab Mira Awad and Israeli Jew Avinoam Nini will represent Israel in the upcoming Eurovision Song Contest with “There Must Be Another Way,” sung in Hebrew and Arabic. Awad's performance will be the first time an Israeli Arab has represented Israel in the Eurovision contest. Daniel Lubetsky of the...

Palestine: Reading Anna in the Middle East

  27 April 2009

Palestinian-American Sarah, at Reflections of a Cultural Mutt, attends the book signing of Anna Baltzer, the author of Anna in the Middle East and shares her reflections: “It was such a powerful presentation, and so refreshing to hear someone non-Arab speak so passionately about the injustice and oppression of another...

Morocco: Al Quds Al Arabi's 20th Anniversary

  27 April 2009

From Morocco, Cinema and Movies marks the 20th birthday of Arabic language newspaper Al Quds Al Arabi. “In my country, it is sad to hear from time to time that some journalists are given bribes to keep their thoughts hidden.However,there are others just like our modest newspaper, Al qods Al...

Palestine: Blog About Palestine Day on May 15

  26 April 2009

Palestinian blogger Za3tar invites bloggers to the second annual “Blog About Palestine Day” on May 15, which marks the 61st anniversary of the Palestinian Nakba – the beginning of the Palestinian plight and suffering.

MENA: Reflections on Durban II

  22 April 2009

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's speech, and the way European Union representatives reacted to it at the United Nations Conference on Racism in Geneva (Durban II), has stirred debates among bloggers across the Middle East. Eman AbdElRahman sums up reactions in this post.

Israel: Reflections on the Holocaust Memorial Day and Durban II

  21 April 2009

Yesterday was the national holocaust memorial day in Israel. Coincidentally, it was also the opening day of the highly contested UN Durban II conference on racism in Geneva. Gilad Lotan updates us with reactions from Israeli bloggers, who link both occasions.

Israel: What Happens when IDF Soldiers Testimonials are Taken Out of Context

  18 April 2009

On March 19th, Israeli daily Ha'aretz published a report describing the alleged incidents in a closed-door meeting of Israeli soldiers at a military prep program, where they described multiple accounts of immoral orders and actions taken by the Israeli military during the recent Gaza operation ‘Cast Lead'. Their testimony runs counter to the IDF claim that Israeli troops observed a high level of moral behavior during the operation, but falls in line with stories coming from Palestinians, describing multiple Israeli war crimes in Gaza.

Israel: Reflecting on Israeli-Palestinian Relations

  17 April 2009

The mood in the Israeli blogosphere is contemplative. Perhaps it is the conclusion of the Passover holiday that celebrates freedom from oppression or just that Israelis have had quiet time to spend with their families, but a number of posts about relationships between Israelis and Palestinians have recently dotted the blogosphere's landscape.

Israel: Palestinian Photographer's Death Still Unresolved

  16 April 2009

The death of 23-year old Palestinian photographer Fadel Shana at the hands of the Israel Defense Forces remains unresolved one year later, Dion Nissenbaum of Checkpoint Jerusalem reports. The case is currently under investigation by the United Nations.

Syria: Killing the Intifada

  16 April 2009

“On this day Khalil al Wazir fell under a hail of bullets as an Israeli death squad attacked his home in Tunis. The Zionist state mistakenly believed that by killing him they would kill the Palestinian Intifada but, more than twenty years later, the Palestinian people are still resisting,” writes...

Israel: West Bank Mosque Contains Weapons Lab

  15 April 2009

Lirun of East Med Sea Peace reflects on the fact that a mosque based in the West Bank was recently found to harbor a weapons lab: “i think these sorts of things have contributed to the devaluation of muslim holy place sanctity in the eyes of the average israeli.. and...

Palestine: Allowed No Passage

  14 April 2009

The saga of journalist and blogger Laila El-Haddad, who writes at Raising Yousuf and Noor: diary of a Palestinian mother, was covered in detail by Global Voices last week. However, as El-Haddad moved into her 36th hour at the airport and her tweeting and blogging ceased, fans, friends, and readers became concerned. Jillian York picks up from where we left off, and bring us up-to-date with El-Haddad's story, in her own words.

Palestine: Health Issues On Film

  13 April 2009

Eva Bartlett, a Canadian activist in Gaza, reports on a short documentary competition held to mark World Health Day, highlighting health issues Gazans face, and medical care during attacks.

Palestine: A Visit To The West Bank

  12 April 2009

Intern in Israel has made a trip to the West Bank: “I think what shocked me most was how heavy the Israeli military influence was inside of the West Bank and how large some of the Jewish settlements are. The areas where Palestinians actually have “full” control are very small.”

Palestine: Art Amongst The Ruins

  11 April 2009

In Gaza, Sharyn Lock writes about art being shown in a destroyed hospital building: “As part of the World Health Day commemorations, three artists are displaying their work in this same building, art that is a response to the Israeli attacks on hospitals and medical workers.”

Palestine: Dialogue in Gaza

  11 April 2009

Gazan blogger Omar Ghraieb recently attended a workshop concerned with dialogue and reconciliation between the Palestinian political factions.