To be Israeli

Al Jazeera English, October 20, 2010 “I’m very afraid. I don’t know what to do,” says G, a Filipina worker, as she runs her fingers through her five-year-old son’s hair. Her husband was deported from Israel a year ago. Now she and her two children—aged five and one—face imminent expulsion to the Philippines. G—who is …

Israel declares war on its own people

Al Jazeera English, October 14, 2010 You could easily miss the thin, gravel road that leads to Al Arakib, a Bedouin village in the north Negev. It’s a bit ironic, given the enormity of the struggle there and its deep implications for the Jewish state. Israeli forces have razed the village five times since late …

An education in inequality

Al Jazeera English, October 13, 2010 Expressing his support for the controversial loyalty oath bill—legislation that will require non-Jews to pledge allegiance to Israel “as a Jewish and democratic state” —Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu remarked, “Zionism established an exemplary national state, a state that balances between the national needs of our people and the individual …

“And then the night came down”

Al Jazeera English, October 6, 2010 It’s been 10 years since the October 2000 events that saw 13 unarmed Palestinians killed by Israeli police. Friday afternoon more than 6000 Palestinian citizens of Israel gathered in the Galilee village of Kfar Kana. Waving Palestinian flags—and gripping pictures of their martyred sons—they marched through the town to …

Nobel peace prize winner detained in Israel

The Huffington Post, September 28, 2010 Maan News Agency, September 28, 2010 This morning, Nobel Peace Laureate Mairead Maguire was denied entry to Israel and was detained at Ben Gurion Airport. Maguire, an Irish peace activist and a co-founder of the Nobel Women’s Initiative, was traveling to Israel to lead a delegation through Israel and …