All in Palestine in America
In spite of many United States Churches proposing to divest from the Israeli occupation of Palestine, many US Christian charities are donating millions to fund illegal settlement expansion.
American Airlines’ Philadelphia-Tel Aviv route will see its final flight on January 5, 2016, following the private airline’s announcement to bring the route’s six years of operation to an end. According to the Israeli Airport Authority, American’s Philadelphia-Tel Aviv route has seen 95,000 passengers this year , a 2.7 percent increase from the same time last year.
U.S. activists and government officials are on high alert as the threat of demolition looms over Susiya, a Palestinian village located in the south Hebron hills. In May, the Israeli High Court denied a Palestinian request for an injunction to stop Israel’s plans to destroy their homes, even though a legal appeal is due to be heard on Aug. 3.
“I am from there, I am from here, but I am neither there nor here. I have two names, which meet and part… I have two languages. I forget which of them I dream in.” Mahmoud Darwish wrote these lines in a tribute to Edward Said. Perhaps Edward Said would forget which language he dreamt in because it does not matter. All humans have dreams, and all in exile dream of home.
On June 22nd New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman spent ten days of the Patriots’ offseason on a trip to Israel with fifteen others, sponsored by Combined Jewish Philanthropies of Greater Boston (CJP).
Rep. Betty McCollum (D-MN) called on the State Department to investigate the killings of two Palestinian teens by Israeli forces that took place last year. Israeli border police shot and killed Nadeem Nawarah (17) and Mohammad Abu Daher (16) with live ammunition during a Nakba Day protest on May 15, 2014.
Last week, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign did not approve the resignation of Chancellor Phyllis Wise, but shortly after her decision was rejected she announced that she has tendered her resignation for a second time and has declined an administrative position offered to her.
On Thursday, August 6, a federal judge dismissed Univeristy of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign’s (UIUC) efforts to strike down Professor Steven Salaita’s lawsuit regarding his firing from a tenured position over statements he made on Twitter during Israel’s military campaign in Gaza last summer. The University maintains the decision over Salaita’s position is due to his comments “uncivil” nature and further argue there was no official contract between the professor and UIUC.
Last week, the House Committee on Government Oversight and Reform’s Subcommittee on National Security held a hearing “The Impact of the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) Movement.” The committee is one of the most influential in the House making this hearing a good way to gauge how it will respond to issues when they are brought to the general body.
The United States needs a publication that has a Palestinian voice with a dedication to Palestinian interests; A news outlet that dedicates itself to holding the U.S. accountable for its role in the brutal occupation of Palestine; and highlight the beautiful Palestinian-American culture that has flourished throughout the United States.
Adam Sandler, 48, is a well known American actor, comedian, and screenwriter. Sandler identifies as Jewish and a lover of the State of Israel.
The United States strongly condemns the murder of 18-month-old Palestinian Ali Saad Dawabsha and the critical injuries his family sustained.
Rasmea Odeh’s defense team filed a new brief in response to Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Tukel’s brief which wants to deny Rasmea’s appeal for a new trial.
Earlier this month, The Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI), a member of the BDS National Committee, launched a petition urging the members of Bon Jovi to “reconsider their concert in apartheid Israel, until Israel complies with international law and respects the rights of the indigenous Palestinian people.” The change.org petition has garnered more than 2,400 of the 2,500 signatures needed.
Sheldon Adelson, a Pro-Israel billionaire donor from Las Vegas, flew a group of NBA players to Israel in another attempt to hinder Boycott Divestment and Sanctions efforts.
Palestine in America’s (PiA) first edition of its annual print magazine is available for pre-order. Magazines will begin being shipped in August.
Ten years ago, the Palestinian civil society—comprised of Palestinian refugees, Palestinian citizens of Israel, and Palestinians living under occupation—issued a formal call for Boycotts, Divestments and Sanctions against Israel. 171 Palestinian civic organizations, ranging from teachers unions to refugee organizations, endorsed the international call for BDS.
Bernie Sanders is often perceived as the most liberal choice out of the 2016 presidential candidates. But when it comes to Israel and Palestine, he takes a stance identical to the rest of the pack. All major 2016 candidates appear to support the apartheid state of Israel that continues to illegally occupy Palestine.
In the eighth episode of Zahra Haider’s Memoirs of a Stolen Land, “Connections as a Global Issue,” Omar Offendum talks about his art and activism and how it relate to Palestine. Offendum discusses the Palestinian conflict on how it has become a metaphor for other struggles around the world.
