West Bank | IMEU

The West Bank is a part of the occupied Palestinian territories that covers 2,270 square miles. It is home to approximately 2.6 million Palestinians. In small areas of the West Bank, the Palestinian Authority (PA), which was created under the terms of the supposedly interim Oslo Accords during the 1990s, exercises some governing responsibilities but exists under the auspices of the Israeli military. In addition, Israel's separation wall cuts thousands of West Bank Palestinians off from their farmlands, and severely restricts their movement, affecting their access to employment, education, and medical care.

Murtaza Hussain, The Intercept

With His Jerusalem Move, Trump Flings Gas Can over a Region Aflame

In a move that would break from decades of U.S. policy and potentially trigger major regional turmoil, President Donald Trump is reportedly set to announce that the United States will recognize the disputed city of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. The White House announced that Trump will deliver his remarks on the subject Wednesday, with the New York Times reporting that the president has already informed Israeli and Arab leaders about his plans.

on December 5, 2017

Zaid Jilani, The Intercept

In an Unprecedented Move, 10 Democratic Senators Demand That Netanyahu Halt Israel Demolition of Pal

In a startling demonstration of support for Palestinian human rights from Capitol Hill, 10 Democratic senators wrote a letter to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday urging him to halt the impending demolition of two Palestinian and Bedouin towns. Israel has been actively planning the demolition of the West Bank Palestinian village of Susiya for months.

on November 29, 2017

Philip Farah, Huffington Post

U.S. Faith Groups Defend Constitutional Right to Boycott in Support of Palestinian Freedom

Recently, the Kansas Commission of Education barred a math teacher from a program for training other teachers because she refused to sign a pledge certifying that she is “not engaged in boycotting Israel.” The teacher happens to be a Mennonite, and she supports a resolution passed by her church denomination opposing the Israeli occupation of Palestinian land. The resolution urges the boycotting of “products associated with acts of violence or policies of military occupation, including items produced in [the Israeli] settlements.”

on November 9, 2017

Omar Barghouti, Nesweek

Balfour Sparked a National Tragedy for the Palestinian People—with BDS, We Are Fighting Back

When Zionist militias forced my grandmother, Rasmiyyah, and her family out of their home in Safad at gunpoint during the 1948 Nakba, the process of settler-colonialism that was propelled by the Balfour Declaration and that culminated in ethnic cleansing became more than just a national tragedy for the indigenous people of Palestine. It became personal.

on November 2, 2017

David M. Halbfinger, New York Times

Balfour Declaration of Support for Jewish Homeland Still Divisive at 100

It was the moment of conception of what would become the State of Israel — or it was the original sin in which Israel was conceived. The Balfour Declaration, the pivotal, 67-word assurance by the British foreign secretary that promised support for “the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people,” turned 100 on Thursday, meeting with tributes in Jerusalem and London, and tear gas in Bethlehem.

on November 2, 2017

Aviva Stahl, Village Voice

“The Siege” Illuminates the Point of View of Palestinian Fighters

Last week marked a momentous cultural occasion: the entrance of a Palestinian theater company onto the New York stage, performing a Palestinian work that hinges on the voices and political perspectives of Palestinian people. After two previously planned but ultimately scrapped local productions of the play, The Siege is finally celebrating its first run in the city.

on October 19, 2017

Q&As

IMEU

Expert Q&A re Latest Palestinian National Unity Efforts

Political analyst Diana Buttu weighs in on the national unity talks between the Fatah party of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and Hamas.

on October 9, 2017

Ishaan Tharoor, The Washington Post

Why a Leading Palestinian Activist Isn’t Fixated on a Palestinian State

"We are not in the time to talk about solutions," said Issa Amro, a leading Palestinian activist who spoke to Today's WorldView while on a visit to Washington this week. "We are in the time to protect ourselves from settlements, from settler violence, from attacks on our cities and villages."

on October 6, 2017

Peter Beaumont, The Guardian

Netanyahu Backs Annexation of 19 West Bank Settlements

Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has backed legislation that would in effect annex settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories that are home to between 125,000 and 150,000 Jewish people. In comments made at a meeting of his Likud party at the large settlement of Ma’ale Adumim, Netanyahu said he would support the “Greater Jerusalem” bill.

on October 3, 2017