Mrs. Asfour, a respected Palestinian woman in her late fifties had a problem the other day getting to her home in the Jerusalem district of Dahiat Al Barid. Coming from Jordan, where she had visited her daughter and the new born granddaughter, she had no idea that in the week she was absent her house would no longer be accessible. Having a number of suitcases with her, she had to figure out how to get them to her house, as the Israelis had put up cement blocks in order to stop Palestinians from circumventing the checkpoint. Continue Reading »

The new Israeli government wants to create international precedent by its demands that Palestinians unilaterally end what it calls violence and terrorism as a condition for the renewal of the Israeli –Palestinian negotiations. The Israeli government’s request seems oblivious to its own violence and that of its citizens as well as the fact that people under military rule have an internationally- sanctioned right to resist occupation. Peoples around the world have acted to rid themselves of foreign military rule, and have never been known to stop their resistance as a condition to begin talks. Continue Reading »

The new Jordan River Bridge that has been built with Japanese money is impressive in its structure. Towering so high the new bride along with a short stretch of a four-lane highway is scheduled to be completed by March 15th. The contractors seem on time but it is unlikely that any Japanese or Jordanian official will be cutting the ribbon of the new structure any time soon. The bridge built at a level much higher than the existing landscape looks like overkill. The trickle of water that flows underneath clearly give the impression that the major purpose of the bridge is not simply to cross what is left of the waters of the Jordan River but to indicate the Japanese support for the need for heavy usage of people and goods between Palestine in the West of the Jordan River and the Kingdom of Jordan to the East. Continue Reading »

The establishment of what seems like a stable government in Israel should once again place the focus of attention on the best means possible to expedite genuine and lasting peace between Israel and Palestinians.  This government will commit a big mistake if it attempts, as previous governments have in solving its problems using force. That will only lead to more immediate bloodshed and more long-term hatred. What would make life easier for the new rulers in Israel and everyone else is if they can identify nonnegotiable issues and ones that are open for negotiations. Attempts to use the people as hostages to force Palestinian leaders to weaken their positions will not work. What is needed is new thinking.  Here are some pointers that Mr. Sharon and his government need to consider.  Continue Reading »

The title of this article seems to be the talk of town in Palestinian circles this week. After the abandonment of the Americans and the Israelis (and even Clinton) of the Clinton proposals and the elections of right wing Israeli leader Ariel Sharon, many in Palestine are starting to ask out loud what is the Palestinian strategy? To be sure there are many answers, but the new questioning among Palestinians is simply whether any of the set answers to this question are convincing. More precisely is there an effective Palestinian strategy that can produce results. Continue Reading »