Not illegal enough

The Jerusalem Post, February 19, 2010 Like many Israeli students her age, Criselle, 16, is planning to travel with her class to Poland. Her journey isn’t without obstacle, however. Criselle, the daughter of Filipino workers, might be unable to re-enter Israel when she returns because she is without legal status. Criselle is part of the …

Democracy starts in the Occupied Territories

Maan News Agency, February 20, 2010 The Huffington Post, February 21, 2010 Zeek, February 23, 2010 Not long after I’d stood on a sidewalk in East Jerusalem and felt a swell of hope at the Sheikh Jarrah protest, the Im Tirtzu storm hit. In late January, Im Tirtzu, an extreme right-wing nationalist group that describes …

Pulled into history

The National, February 20, 2010 If the layout of Nazareth’s old city seems to defy human logic, that’s because it does – when men laid the first roads here during Roman times, they traced donkey paths. The Fauzi Azar Inn is tucked deep in this labyrinth of slivered streets, and although the resulting jumble is …

Poems after Auschwitz

The Jerusalem Post, February 12, 2010 In 2003, Newsweek ran an article titled “Poetry is Dead. Does Anybody Really Care?” Its author, Bruce Wexler, writes “It’s difficult to imagine a world without movies, plays, novels, and music but a world without poems doesn’t have to be imagined.” Why? According to Wexler, the “art form is …

One of the most dangerous bills ever presented

The Huffington Post, February 4, 2010 Yesterday, the Israeli Knesset debated the “Infiltration Prevention Law” which Israeli human rights groups are calling “one of the most dangerous bills ever presented in the Knesset.” The bill, if passed, will allow for the immediate deportation of anyone who enters Israel illegally, including African refugees fleeing genocide who …

Despite police threats, East Jerusalem protests continue

The Huffington Post, February 2, 2010 Maan News Agency, February 2, 2010 Despite police plans to end the demonstration with force, more than 300 Palestinians, internationals, and Israeli activists gathered in Sheikh Jarrah on Friday afternoon to protest the evictions of Palestinian families from their homes. Armed with only drums and handwritten signs that read …