Elsewhere? please do some googling to find your local action groups!
To cut the sound, just click PAUSE on the video below!
Profound music & images courtesy of Vickie Burns/Tom Waits
We can talk peace & reconciliation, we can condemn violence by the bully and his victims, but we must NEVER be afraid to highlight the bully's actions and tell him he must stop tormenting, violating & killing the innocent civilians of Palestine.
we do apologise for the price increase - sadly last season was very difficult with a much reduced Olive harvest. There were some strong hot winds which blew much of the blossoms from the trees. Also there has been continued racism & acts of violation by some fanatical Israeli settlers AND government forces who will destroy Olive trees as well as Palestinian Civilian Infrastructure including water collection systems (having already stolen the ground water, they also want to steal God's water as it falls from heaven-presumably they think if it goes into the ground instead of PAlestinians collection systems, they will eventually get their hands on it).
Having the irrigation water stolen is a huge problem.
Having the Olive trees burnt, sawn down or bulldozed is a huge problem.
Roadblocks preventing transport or causing huge delays on moving produce is a huge problem.
In short it's a bloody miracle that we get any Olive Oil whatsoever at any price - this in our opinion makes it a very special thing to enjoy,
in the knowledge that we are buying this wonderful product in solidarity with the Palestinian people and that
one day we WILL see FREE production & export of this special Oil.
Palestinian Extra Virgin Olive Oil just £6.50per 500 ml bottle.
Palestinian Extra Virgin Olive Oil just £9.50 per 750 ml bottle.
Please DON'T buy Israeli "Peace Oil" in our opinion it does virtually nothing towards peace and is grossly overpriced, please see link
Famous Nablus soaps: just £2.50a bar (approx 110grams)
Za'atar herb mix: just £2.50for an 80g Jar or £1.50for a 50g Sachet. Hand-made in a women's co-operative in Jenin, wonderful with Palestinian Olive Oil on fresh bread, sprinkled on Tomato salads or rubbed into chicken before roasting (JAR 7 sachet illustrated below).
New: Honey Roasted Palestinian Almonds£4 for 250g Jar or £6.50 for 400g Jar
We usually have a selection of Buddhas and also beautiful hand crafted Palestinian Olive Wood crosses (£4 each) and Nativity Scenes at £6, £15 and £55 (small medium & large).
Small Wall Nativity £15-
A nativity set with a difference - this year the wise men won't get to the stable.
Poignant, ironic and made in Bethlehem: 15cm long x 9 cm wide x 9 cm high.
The large Nativity Scene £45 has a removable Land-grab/Apartheid Wall, which can be removed & replaced with a Palm Tree (if only - we keep praying and we keep Boycotting Israeli Apartheid)
This nativity set complete with separation wall depicts the current situation in Bethlehem. It comes with eleven moveable figures and a palm tree to replace the wall for a more traditional nativity scene. Ideal for churches and campaigners.
Go here for ideas about how to use the nativity in a church or carol service.
The set is 30 cm (l) x 25 cm (w) x 25cm (h). The figures are 8 cm high.
Please join the massive and growing Boycott Divestment & Sanctions (BDS) movement and BOYCOTT ALL ISRAELI GOODS
Olive Groves Christmas Cards Pack of 10 cards and envelopes£5-
Design by Chantal Freeman
Greeting inside: May the peace and simplicity of the child born amidst olive groves greet you this Christmas.
Text inside front: We've come a long way from the a baby born in Bethlehem's olive groves, to our forced spruce miniatures, grown in their million each year only to drop their needles on the carpets of our houses.
Yet there are olive trees in the Holy Land old enough to have seen the star over Bethlehem that first Christmas. They are the 'ancient witnesses', and the story they tell speaks of hope, patience and fruitfulness.
So it is time to get back to the roots of the story. To a tree with a whole lot more meaing. To make the olive tree our Christmas tree this year. To see the wood for the trees
Text on back of card: There are 10 million olive trees in Palestine which have been tended and nurtured for generations. Yet today, in the name of security, these 'ancient witnesses' are routinely destroyed, with families left destitute and with no legal recourse.
A just peace for Palestine means peace and security for Israelis.
Pack of 10 cards and envelopes £5-
Made in Bethlehem. Design by Wilf Whitty
Text inside: May the Peace and simplicity of the child born in a manger greet you this Christmas
Text inside front: Some of the best things ever have been made in Palestine. Still are. Shame is that now these things can't be traded easily, if at all. So we don't get to benefit as we once did. And what a benefit.
Stockists in UK & Around the world:
To buy Oil or Soaps, show Solidarity with Palestine & support Save The Children & others please email Adam or call UK: 07886 215 329, if you are in Sussex.
Otherwise please see the Zaytoun website for UK stockists & possibly soon also in Scandinavia.
other locations, please simply google "Palestinian Olive Oil" for your country
Coming soon, flag poles for cars (also for your home)
Click image above for more Palestine merchandise
Ramallah - BetonyaJerusalem - P O BOX 20777.
Via Israel
USA, Texas - worldwide shipping:
Palestine Online Store, launched in December 2003, is an activist project striving to make Palestine-related materials more widely available. While the focus is on informational resources, other products such as apparel, handcrafts, and solidarity items are also featured.
Informational/educational resources, such as books and documentary films, are extremely powerful in raising awareness about the situation in Occupied Palestine. We are glad to have a wide selection of both films and books, which will continue to increase as we grow, and we encourage you to consider using some of the films to lend out to your friends and neighbors, helping educate them about the Palestinian issue.
We thank you for shopping here - your purchases and support are vital in helping educate more of the Western public about the injustices that continue to be committed against the Palestinian people. Please feel free to contact me anytime if you have any comments, questions, or suggestions.
In solidarity,
Haithem El-Zabri
Founder, director.
Films (most are in the list below) plus lots more, based in US, but will ship worldwide.
Philosophy Football has been a big supporter of Viva Palestina from the start providing T-shirts, material support, publicity and funds for the campaign and the convoys.
The company's co-founder, Hugh Tisdale, is currently with the convoy and reports on the £1000 donation they are making to give the Emergency Appeal is a magnificent start!
Tisdale says - " I've not been able to be on the whole convoy. But to join it in Jordan and see the convoy members wearing the Philosophy Football shirts that we have donated, make our shirts the uniform of the convoy, this is what we wanted to contribute and its amazing to see our shirts having such an impact!
Over here the issue is very clear. The Israeli government is blocking the humanitarian aid we are carrying from getting into Gaza. No ifs, no buts, thats what they are doing. But they will not stop us. I'm really proud that the generosity of our customers has helped to make this convoy possible.
In just seven days I've experienced blizzard of sights, an experience that I could never have imagined. Yet what has struck me most of all is the welcome, the hospitality and the generosity from some of the poorest communities in the region. Now it is our job to complete the final leg of a journey made more expensive and more difficult by the restrictions on access the Israelis have successfully imposed on us via pressure on the Egyptian authorities.
Philosophy Football is glad to donate an additional £1000 to the Emergency Appeal, and we encourage all who want to break the blockade in the next few days to do the same. However small or large our donation this is a real chance to make a difference."
The Philosophy Football Viva Palestina Convoy T-shirt is still available from here
You can also buy their best-selling 'They stole my Land' shirt from here
All donations for the Viva Palestina Emergency Appeal can be made through here http://www.vivapalestina.org/donations.htm and through the Viva Palestina HSBC Bank Account Number: 41508458 Sort Code 40-04-24
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BUY ANDY WARHOL ART
In the wake of renewed interest in Andy Warhol Art, Adam has decided to raise money for Palestinian solidarity work & for the Chagossians, by offering for sale his entire collection of Andy Warhol Prints and Limited Edition Andy Warhol Rugs.
50% of the proceeds will go to the Free Gaza Flotilla, the remaining proceeds (after costs) will go to Save The Children Occupied Palestinian Territories Appeal, the Jewish charity British Shalom Salaam Trust which does invaluable work to bring Arab & Israeli kids together to play and do projects and last but not least to help the Chagossian Islanders, who are British Citizens who were thrown off their Islands in the Indian Ocean by the UK & USA in the late 60s/early 70s, to make way for weapons of mass destruction including a US nuclear base on their Island Diego Garcia. Most of these people ended up living in slums in Mauritius, in terrible conditions, in poverty and misery after we gassed and burnt their pet dogs in front of them, warning them that if they didn't leave, the same fate would be imposed on them.
To make any offers in excess of the base prices,
please telephone Adam on 07886 215 329 or email Adam
Please click image below to go to Warhol Art Sale, Silk Rug & Painting.
Andy Warhol: "200 One Dollar Bills" £26,500,000 S O L D !
Please click image below to go to Warhol Art Sale, Silk Rug & Painting.
Andy Warhol: "Gold Marilyn" - offers in excess of £1,000 please.
Please click image below to go to Warhol Art Sale, Silk Rug & Painting.
Andy Warhol: "Gold Marilyn" - offers in excess of £1,000 please.
overall size: height 178cm x 108cm wide
"pink shoe", by Andy Warhol - offers in excess of £26.50
a staggering 1,000,000 times cheaper than the "200 ONE DOLLAR BILLS" recently sold in New York!
overall size: height 26cm x 34cm wide
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Or check out Present Aid, a part of Christian Aid.
Woodwork training:
"Mu'in was only 19 when Israeli soldiers shot him during a rally.
His injuries left him physically disabled, and feeling depressed and desperate.
Our partners in Bethlehem were able to help him turn his life around and find hope for the future.
With counselling, vocational training and the financial support to set up his own business, Mu'in was able to transform his life.
He now runs his own successful carving workshop and has two employees who help him make wooden carvings to sell.
Mu'in is one of our partner's great success stories. By buying this gift you will be helping more disabled men and women to retrain and discover their full potential."
*******
Here are a few of our favourite books for purchase, please click HERE to see a whole load more really fascinating books on Palestine & the brutal conflict. We also have many og these titles in our free local library in West Sussex UK.
GREAT FILMS to get informed - also some very beautiful insights into the love and humanity on both sides as well as the horror and hate (as inspired by many politicians and some religious leaders).
Obama: "We must isolate HAMAS unless and until they renounce terrorism, recognise Israel's right to exist and abide by past agreements. There is no room at the negotiating table for terrorist organisations" ... UKFPI say: "we must isolate the Obama administration, unless and until they renounce state terrorism, genuinely recognise Palestine's right to exist (and DO something about it) and abide by past agreements. There is no room at the negotiating table for terrorist organisations, especially those of mass state terror against millions of innocent civilians"
The USA government isn't fit to join in the charade of demanding peace - judging their inaction to date and appeasement of right wing Israel, they are the last nation on earth who could offer Palestinians a genuine chance of justice - we demand a new mediator, who isn't obsessed with power and oil. UKFPI
This is a good message and a beautiful heart warming film, but I can't help thinking it was produced by filthy rich Arms Dealers who want the peace activists to get off their backs! I'm sure the central message (fewer conflicts than before-everything is being merged and centralised these days) is true, but the fact is there have NEVER been SO many active trained professional and unprofessional KILLERS on this planet, there have never been so many weapons and there has never been so much money made by the Evil Arms Dealers.
Films to purchase
Films to purchase
*****means we have these films in our free library.
Film Specs
Classification: Documentary
Directed by: Mai Masri
Release date: 1995
Length: 50 minutes
Language: Arabic with English subtitles
Awards
* Award of the Public
Institute du Monde Arabe (Paris)
Hanan Ashrawi: A Woman of Her Time
Mai Masri
In the stormy aftermath of the peace accord signed between Israel and the PLO, Palestinian spokeswoman Hanan Ashrawi emerged as a formidable negotiator and a persuasive voice on the international stage. But beyond the polished rhetoric and the public poise, what drives the 47-year-old mother of two whose high profile and personal integrity have made her enemies as well as friends?
In this very personal portrait, Palestinian director Mai Masri profiles Ashrawi, exploring how she manages to juggle her responsibilities as political activist, writer and mother - against the backdrop of challenges facing the Palestinians in the struggle to build a viable state.
Related Links MIFTAH - The Palestinian Initiative for the Promotion of Global Dialogue and Democracy (headed by Hanan Ashrawi)
Film Specs
Classification: Documentary
Directed by: Mike Dibb
Interviewer: Charles Glass
DVD Release date: 2004 (this edition 2009)
Length: 114 minutes
Language: English
There is a lovely talk in comemoration of Edward, by our great British journalist Robert Fisk. I will look it up on youtube & post it here soon!
V.Short video clip of Edward Said on the Israeli/US Massacre of Iraq http://tinyurl.com/y9qh4e2 highlights what war-mongers they both are!
Edward Said: The Last Interview
Mike Dibb
Professor Edward Said, University Professor of English and Comparative Literature at Columbia University, was one of the most important literary critics of the late 20th century, and for many years the most prominent spokesperson for the Palestinian cause in the United States.
He was the author of ten books, among them Orientalism, a runner-up in criticism for the National Book Critics Circle Award; The World, the Text and the Critic; Blaming the Victims;Culture and Imperialism; Peace and Its Discontents: Essays on Palestine in the Middle East Peace Process; End of the Peace Process: Oslo and After; and, most recently, Power, Politics, and Culture.
Born into a Palestinian family in Jerusalem in 1935, in 1948 Said and his family were dispossessed and settled in Cairo. Educated in the United States, he lived in New York for many years. Long a member of the Palestine National Council, after resigning from the PNC in 1991, Said wrote critically about the post-Oslo peace process and the political failures of Yasser Arafat and the PLO.
Said was diagnosed with incurable leukemia in 1991, and struggled with the disease throughout the decade, while continuing to write and teach. Towards the end of his life, as the disease and chemotherapy treatments sapped his energy, he stopped giving interviews. However, less than a year before his death in September 2003, he made an exception and over the course of three days spoke at length with the filmmakers about his illness, his work, Palestine and politics, his life and education, and his continuing preoccupations.
EDWARD SAID: THE LAST INTERVIEW is the remarkable final testament of this passionately committed intellectual.
Reviews
"Said is blazingly articulate...always accessible and engaging...Said's emotional and imaginative range is as great as his intellect...an intimate portrait of a great mind."—Leonardo Digital Reviews
"Gripping and very affecting. Stripped of soundbites, dramatic re-enactments and other conventional devices, [this] is the kind of portrait of an intellectual which is very rare."—Sight and Sound
"A scintillating conversation that ranges over the controversial writer-activist's childhood, education, writings and, inevitably, his experiences in Palestinian politics. Said... is warm, funny and self-revealing."—George Robinson, The Jewish Week
"A wonderful moment spent with a great mind. [The viewer] will be amazed by the thought, the courage, the energy. This documentary will enable everyone to understand his struggle against illness and the courageous positions one of the greatest thinkers of our time took throughout his entire life."—Al Jadid: A Review & Record of Arab Culture and Arts
Related Items Out of Place: Memories of Edward Said (DVD) Selves and Others: A Portrait of Edward Said (DVD)
Film Specs
Classification: Documentary
Directed by: Simone Bitton
Release date: 1997
Length: 60 minutes
Language: English and Arabic with English Subtitles
Mahmoud Darwich - As the Land is the Language
Simone Bitton
In the powerful documentary "Mahmoud Darwich," Simone Bitton interviews the famed Palestinian poet about his art, life, and relationship with his homeland.
Bitton explores the connection between the poet and the land of which he writes but has not been allowed to visit. His life and the development of his art is retraced, from his experience as a young man living in Jerusalem, to exile in Beirut and Tunis, where he became an active supporter of the Palestinian Liberation Organization, and finally to Paris, where he currently resides and cloisters himself in his work.
It is sometimes difficult for Westerners to imagine the huge popularity poets enjoy in the Arab world. From the Middle East to North Africa, poetry is considered a living art that should be performed on stage by the authors themselves. When the great Arab poet Mahmoud Darwich recites his poems in Cairo, Beirut or Algiers (or even in Paris and London), packed crowds come to mouth the verse with him.
This film traces Darwich's path of exile from Palestine, sets out to understand this popular fervor and share the emotion distilled by Darwich’s words and inimitable rhythm. It not only allows the viewer to appreciate his work in its totality, but also places it in a political, historical and cultural context.
Readings of Darwich's work by the poet himself are set against scenes of the Palestinian countryside and serve to highlight the way in which the land is conjured up and recreated in the verse of this highly creative and troubled artist.
Film Specs
Classification: Documentary
Directed by: Ed Hill
Release date: August 2006; new edition March 2007
Language: English
Length: 80 minutes
Ed Hill is a teacher and well-known local activist in Bristol (UK). In autumn 2005 he visited Palestine on a two week Olive Harvest trip organised by Zaytoun (the UK cooperative that imports Palestinian olive oil) and the International Women’s Peace Service.
As well as visiting Jerusalem and Bethlehem, the group stayed in two small rural towns in the West Bank working with the farmers harvesting their olives. Ed also visited the northern town of Tulkarm to deliver money raised by the Bristol PSC group to an Orphanage.
Using a pocket video camera he has recorded his experiences and his film aims to present a complete understanding of the history, politics, geography, and culture of Palestine. It dramatically explains the construction of the Separation Wall, the checkpoints, the Apartheid system of passes, separate road networks, the continual military oppression and the creeping ethnic-cleansing, together with the spirited culture and resistance of a brave people.
Through interviews with farmers, teachers, activists, and ordinary people, woven together with the story of the trip, Ed presents an understanding of Palestine as a case-study which unlocks an understanding of world politics and the hypocrisy of our politicians and the bias of our daily media. He encourages everyone to visit Palestine and his conclusion is that we can’t rely on anyone else for solutions - everyone has the power to make a difference.
Relevant Links
This Week in Palestine: DVD of the Month
Bristol Computers 4 Palestine
*****
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Region 1
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Region 1
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*****
You gotta buy this one!
So much hope - it proves little people can change the world!
Region 1
5.0 out of 5 stars Stunning Documentary about the real problem of wars, 14 Dec 2004
By A Customer
This DVD is not about the journalist James Nachtwey. It is about what he saw through his lense. It is also about the risk and the strength that it takes to become a war photographer. You will see pictures and hear stories that you dont get on cnn. It is the most stunning documentary I have ever seen. This documentary is different to the many other war documentary as it does not show you battles, shooting tanks and blood all over. It shows what comes after the war: The struggle and suffering of the civilians. Parts of the movie are filmed in black/white. I bow to James Nachwey for this excellent pice of journalist work. Enough said. Buy this DVD.
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Puts "life's little problems" into perspective, 22 Jan 2008
By Square Peg 4 Round Hole (Southern England, UK) - See all my reviews
Although the title of this DVD gives you no illusions as to the content of the documentary, I actually found the most harrowing part to be James Nachtwey's apparent acceptance of the extreme emotional stress that his occupation imposed. Visiting a variety of trouble spots to take pictures of subjects that no-one should ever have to photograph, and doing it with a calmness and sensitivity that beggars belief I frequently found myself wondering how he'd done it since the 70's Vietnam and still stayed sane.
He stated that he had go into a situation uncomfortably close carrying a camera, and that people would accept him as he represented a way to get their message of suffering to the outside world. In every situation he covered he achieved this, although in Indonesia his apparent detatchment made me wince: however, this was the only way he could do it and his hard-hitting images got the plight of these people across. With a less experienced photographer this would have hinted at voyeurism, but Nachtwey's a real pro and I never had this impression.
At the end of the documentary I found myself questioning the apparent magnitude of my own problems and in this respect James Nachtwey has achieved his objective. If you want to see what the "glory of war" is really about, buy this DVD and get the truth.
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5.0 out of 5 stars Student photographers best friend., 25 Jan 2008
By kirsty (Staffordshire, England) - See all my reviews
This is a fantastic birds eye view of what a documentary photographer sees and shoots. You get up close and personal since it is filmed looking down the camera lens. It was extremely interesting to see how he viewed a situation in a slow and relaxed manner.
Remember that these photographs are not obtained digitally but using Black and White 400asa film, over a twenty-five year period.
Obviously this is distressing at times due to the nature of war, poverty and human behaviour but if you want to be a proffessional photographer of any field, I recommend you watch this.
This documentary has inspired me.
Film Specs
Classification: Documentary
Directed by: Rebecca Glotfelty
Release date: 2004
Length: 80 minutes
Language: Arabic, English, Hebrew, and French, with English subtitles
Sucha Normal Thing - A Simple Journey into the Israeli-Occupied West Bank
Rebecca Glotfelty
"We are human beings and we feel," reflects a Palestinian hotel manager. Capturing the voice of individual Palestinians, internationals, and Israeli peace activists, Sucha Normal Thing documents untold stories of ordinary people amidst the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
In an attempt to deconstruct her preconceived visions, American filmmaker Rebecca Glotfelty travels beyond mainstream news headlines into the heart of the Israeli-occupied West Bank to experience first-hand one of the most pressing conflicts of our time.
Filmed in the fall of 2003, Sucha Normal Thing vividly explores visceral moments of life and death under occupation. From the busy cities of Jerusalem, Ramallah, Hebron, and Nablus, to the villages of Sa'aer and Zbuba, Sucha Normal Thing brings forth stories of Palestinians struggling to maintain a normal existence under Israeli occupation as well as Israelis, Palestinians, and internationals working non-violently toward peace.
Sucha Normal Thing captures the uncertainty of a "normal" day for the filmmaker and the Palestinian farmers,children, doctors, teachers and others living and working in the West Bank. Amidst stories of fear, anger, and hopelessness, exist moving stories of humans determined to persevere, to rise above the situation, to remain hopeful despite the uncertainty of daily life. A Palestinian father declares, "I want my children to be free, think free, not to be caged in the occupational culture." Hopeful for a life of freedom from the occupation.
Reviews
"There are lots of good movies about the conflict over Palestine, but this is certainly one of the very best. What I like most about it is that it doesn't rely on the usual cast of American professors and Israeli progressives - most of it is ordinary Palestinians speaking for themselves, in detail, about their own experience. I can't imagine that anyone could watch this movie and not be deeply moved."
- Henry Norr
"This film does an amazing job of showing a side of the story that the media rarely shares with us. The human side, particularly from the Palestinian point of view, is eye opening and heart wrenching. With any war, there are always innocents. It is disgusting how little regard our world leaders have for the people who are simply trying to lead a normal life among constant chaos. Fortunately, this film gives us hope that there are people amidst the horrors of war who are working for the greater good."
- J. T. Black
Film Specs
Classification: Documentary
Directed by: Maryse Gargour
DVD Release date: March 2009
Length: 60 minutes
Language: English, Arabic, and French with English subtitles
Awards
* Memories of the Mediterranean prize, 2008, Mediterranean Center for Audiovisual Communication
* Best Film, 2008,
Arab States Broadcasting Union
* Special Broadcasting prize, 2008, Algerian Television
The Land Speaks Arabic
Maryse Gargour
In this documentary the late 19th century birth of Zionism—and its repercussions for Palestinians—is detailed with original source documents, Zionist leaders' quotations, rare archival footage, testimonies of witnesses and interviews with historians. All help to illustrate that the expulsion of the indigenous Arab population from Palestine was far from an accidental result of the 1948 war. This award-winning film shines a spotlight on the ethnic cleansing of Palestine by the Zionist movement.
About the filmmaker
Maryse Gargour was born in Jaffa. She has been a journalist and a producer at the Office de Radio Diffusion et de la Télévision Française in Beirut. She has worked at UNESCO in Paris, at the International Council for Cinema and Television, and has also been a freelance journalist for international television news services in Paris. Her documentaries include: “Une Palestinienne face à la Palestine”, “Le Pays de Blanche”, "La Terre Parle Arabe" and wrote and produced "Jaffa la Mienne" and "Loin de Falastin".
Reviews
Electronic Intifada film review: A Zionist State where 'The Land Speaks Arabic'
Review by Dr. Mazin Qumsiyeh in Holy Land Studies (PDF file)
Related Links
The Land Speaks Arabic (a talk with Maryse Gargour, on Menassat)
Video newsclip in French and English
Film Specs
Classification: Documentary
Directed by: Denis Mueler
Release date: 2002
Length: 71 minutes
Language: English
Tragedy in the Holy Land - The Second Uprising
Denis Mueler
Few films about the Middle East view history through the lens of the Palestinians, even though they are the people whose history and daily reality lie at the heart of events in the region. Tragedy In the Holy Land: The Second Uprising fills a void in conventional accounts of the Israeli/Palestinian struggle. It gives the viewer access to the voices and background of one of the most misunderstood and misinterpreted conflicts of the last century, covering the origins of the dispute and offering a rare look at the confrontation from a Palestinian point of view, including remarks and insight from Palestinians, Jews and other noted scholars.
This provocative documentary addresses the core issues of land and identity. It probes the evolution of the seemingly incurable conflict in Palestine from a historical perspective that is typically unknown to American audiences.
Using rarely seen archival footage and interviews with various experts and scholars, Tragedy In the Holy Land offers vital information about the roots of the current conflict and the ongoing struggle for survival and dignity.
DVD Bonus Features
Includes 50 minutes of bonus footage featuring in-depth examinations of topics such as land leases, The Balfour Declaration, The Sykes-Picot Agreement, The Peel Commission, the second partition of Palestine, The Six-Day War, The War in Lebanon, The Cold War's affect on Palestine, The Oslo Accords and post 9/11 developments.
Film SpecsClassification: Documentary
Directed by: Mohammed Alatar
Release date: April 2006
2nd Edition: November 2006
Length: 52 minutes
Language: English, Arabic, and Hebrew with English subtitles
Produced by:
Palestinian Agricultural Relief Committees
Palestinians for Peace & Democracy
Awards
"Official Selection"
Al-Jazeera Television Production Festival
The Iron Wall
Mohammed Alatar
In 1923, Vladmir Jabotinsky – father of the Zionist right – wrote:
"Zionist colonization… can proceed and develop only under the protection of a power that is independent of the native population – behind an IRON WALL, which the native population cannot breach."
From that day on, these words became the official and unspoken policy of the Zionist movement and, later, the State of Israel. Colonies, often referred to as "settlements," were used to solidify the Zionist foothold throughout historic Palestine.
Following the 1967 occupation of the West Bank and Gaza, more than 200 settlements and outposts have been built in these territories, in violation of international law. The Iron Wall exposes this phenomenon and follows the timeline, size, and population of the settlements, reveals how their construction has been a cornerstone of Israeli policy, and demonstrates how the Wall secures them as permanent and irreversible facts on the ground.
This documentary warns that a contiguous and viable Palestinian state is becoming no longer possible, and that the chances for a peaceful resolution of the conflict are slipping away.
The Iron Wall features interviews with prominent Israeli and Palestinian peace activists and political analysts, including Jeff Halper, Akiva Eldar, Hind Khoury, and others. Also included are eye-opening interviews with Israeli settlers and soldiers, and Palestinian farmers.
Reviews
"The best description of the barrier, its routing and impact is shown in the film The Iron Wall."
- President Jimmy Carter
"The Iron Wall is a highly recommended film for anyone concerned with the quest for a just and peaceful resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict - a film that takes a clear stand while showing genuine empathy for both sides."
-- Hillel Schenker, Co-Editor for Palestine-Israel Journal.
"This is a powerful film exposing one of the most pressing issues of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. It is imperative that it gets a wide audience, and that efforts are mobilized to subvert a catastrophic outcome."
--Jean-Jacques Joris, former head of the Swiss Representative Office to the Palestinian Authority
Related Links
The
Palestinian Agricultural Relief Committees
Palestinians for Peace & Democracy
Film Specs
Classification: Documentary
Directed by: Andrew Courtney and Emily Perry
Release date: Summer 2004
Length: 43 minutes
Language: English and Arabic with English subtitles
The Israeli Wall in Palestinian Lands
Andrew Courtney and Emily Perry
This film was made during a time in Palestine when the "Wall" that separates Palestinians from each other and from Israelis was one quarter completed. The film offers the viewer a perspective from seven diverse and ordinary Palestinians whose lives are directly affected by the wall.
You will meet a businessman from Abu Dis, a neighborhood of East Jerusalem, a young mother from Dheishe Refugee Camp near Bethlehem, a music student from Ramallah, a community center director from Jerusalem's Old City, a farmer from the northern Qalqilya district, the director of the Stop the Wall campaign and finally, a member of the African-Palestinian community.
Viewers will witness the effects of the Apartheid Wall on the Palestinian people, and come out with the inescapable conclusion that this wall is another tool in Israel's ethnic cleansing efforts against the Palestinian population.
Price on 4th Feb 2010 $25.00 + shipping
*****
Film Specs
Classification: Documentary
Directed by: Jackie Salloum
Release date: 2008
Length: 83 minutes
Language: Arabic, English, and Hebrew; subtitles available in English, Arabic, French
Slingshot Hip Hop
Jackie Salloum
Slingshot Hip Hop braids together the stories of young Palestinians living in Gaza, the West Bank and inside Israel as they discover Hip Hop and employ it as a tool to surmount divisions imposed by occupation and poverty. From internal checkpoints and Separation Walls to gender norms and generational differences, this is the story of young people crossing the borders that separate them.
About the Crew
Director: Jackie Reem Salloum is a New York based artist and filmmaker. Drawing on her Palestinian and Syrian roots, her pop-infused work focuses on challenging the stereotypes of Arabs in the media. She has directed several shorts exploring this issue, including Planet of the Arabs, which received the International Editing Award at the 2005 CinemaTexas Film Festival and was an official selection in that year’s Sundance Film Festival. After receiving her MFA from New York University, Salloum began directing her first feature length documentary Slingshot Hip Hop. Five years in the making it made it’s premiere at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival-Documentary Competition. Salloum’s work is also the basis of a youth education program on Palestine, and she frequently speaks at universities and conferences internationally.
Producer: Rumzi Araj, a Palestinian-American, has worked with Salloum on many of her art and film projects and was an Associate Producer on the short film Planet of the Arabs.
Editor: Waleed Zaiter is an Arab-American multimedia artist born in Beirut,Lebanon. Growing up in the United States, he began his career as a street artist in Boston. He currently resides in NYC where he freelances as an animator.
Related Items
Slingshot Hip Hop soundtrack
DAM - "Dedication" CD
Sabreena Da Witch - "Mix Tape" CD
Mohammed Al Farra - "Here From Gaza" CD
*****
Bethlehem: Hidden from View is a film about the strangling and imprisonment of the little town of Bethlehem and its impact on the local Christian community.
The film was made by Tim Neeves during the June 2008 Amos Trust pilgrimage to the Holy Land. The film was co-produced by Mairi Neeves. The film tells the story of what's happening to Bethlehem and its neighbour Hebron through the eyes of Palestinians and Israelis, many of whom who will be familiar to Amos supporters including Jeff Halper, Naim Ateek, Yehuda Shual and Mitri Raheb.
The film is 17 minutes long and ideal for churches and groups to use as a discussion starter.
"Gives a very powerful testimony - you can hear the gasps when they see the Wall in Bethlehem" - Dr Stephen Leah, Local Methodist Preacher
People and the Land
Tom Hayes
Film Specs
Classification: Documentary
Directed by: Tom Hayes
Release date: 1997
Length: 57 minutes
Language: English
People and the Land takes viewers into the universe of the occupied people of Palestine, unreeling images of a new form of apartheid based on ethnicity. Challenging US foreign policy, this film examines the concrete realities of Israel's conduct in the West Bank and Gaza, the level of US support for that conduct through foreign aid, and the human cost of that aid in Palestine and the US. The result is a powerful and compelling portrayal of the situation that highlights the human rights violations against the Palestinian community.
Related Links
Tom Hayes' story of censorship (PDF)
Read about the amazing story that took place during the filming of this documentary and learn first-hand about censorship in modern day America. A gripping account as told by the films' producer Tom Hayes.
*****
Palestine for Beginners
Linda Bevis and Edward Mast
Film Specs
Classification: Presentation
Presented by: Linda Bevis and Edward Mast
Release date: 2005
Length: 72 minutes
Language: English
Palestine Information Project presents their popular PALESTINE FOR BEGINNERS, a fast-moving guide to the roots of conflict, the key historical and current events, and the characters and motivations behind the ongoing crisis.
Filmed before a live audience and professionally edited, PALESTINE FOR BEGINNERS is a 60 minute presentation with an additional 10 minutes of Q&A, all divided into chapters (see margin on the right) for reference and classroom use.
Linda Bevis and Edward Mast have developed and presented PALESTINE FOR BEGINNERS for several years, updating constantly as the situation changes. Linda Bevis is an attorney who lived for several years in the West Bank working with a human rights organization. She currently teaches World History at the high school level. Edward Mast is a playwright and performer whose play SAHMATAH, co-written with Hanna Eady, has been playing in the Middle East and Europe since 1998. Linda and Edward have done human rights work, together and separately, in Northern Ireland, Central America and the former Soviet Union, and in 2002 they jointly received the annual human rights award of the United Nations Association of Seattle.
Linda and Edward are among the co-founders of Palestine Information Project, a Seattle organization which creates educational materials and presentations about human rights issues in Israel/Palestine and about the US role in the conflict.
Reviews
“I actually fought off tears more than once during the presentation. I am determined to carry this message forward and will do my best to give my heart to the spirit behind this effort."
-- Mark B. Wilson
“The longer I have reflected on your presentation, the more I am convinced that it was the single most useful, concise, interesting and complete discussion of the topic I have encountered in several years of paying close attention to Palestine/Israel issues.”
-- Bruce Bowden
Contents
- Introduction
- Zionism
- 1948
- 1967
- Today
- Occupation
- Equal Rights & Peace
- One State / Two State
- Nonviolence & Resistance
*****
Palestine Is Still The Issue (2002 edition)
John Pilger
Film Specs
Classification: Documentary
Presented by: John Pilger
Directed by: Anthony Stark
Release date: 2002
Length: 53 minutes
Language: English
Awards
The Chris Award
Columbus International Film & Video Festival
Best of Category
Vermont International Film Festival
Certificate of Merit
Chicago International Television Awards
In 1977, the award-winning journalist and film-maker, John Pilger, made a documentary called Palestine Is Still The Issue. He told how almost a million Palestinians had been forced off their land in 1948, and again in 1967. In this in-depth documentary, he has returned to the West Bank of the Jordan and Gaza, and to Israel, to ask why the Palestinians, whose right of return was affirmed by the United Nations more than half a century ago, are still caught in a terrible limbo -- refugees in their own land, controlled by Israel in the longest military occupation in modern times.
"The fate and struggle of the Palestinians," says Pilger, "are not just critical to the overdue recognition of their basic human rights, but are also central to whether the region, and the wider world, are plunged into war. Israel is now one of the biggest military powers in the world. While nothing changes, the dangers become greater. This is a film about a nation of people, traumatized, humiliated and yet resilient. In trying to liberate less than a quarter of historic Palestine, they have had no army, no air force, and no powerful friends -- and have fought back with slingshots and now with the terrorism of the suicide bombers."
In a series of extraordinary interviews with both Palestinians and Israelis, John Pilger weaves together the issue of Palestine. He speaks to the families of suicide bombers and their victims; he sees the humiliation of Palestinians imposed on them at myriad checkpoints and with a permit system not dissimilar to apartheid South Africa's infamous pass laws. He goes into the refugee camps and meets children who, he says, "no longer dream like other children, or if they do, it is about death."
Continually asking for the solution, John Pilger says it is time to bring justice, as well as peace, to Palestine.
DVD Bonus Features
Besides playing the program straight through, you can also play it by chapters. The chapter stops have been chosen to enable immediate access to key portions of the film. Includes bonus features such as background information on the history of the conflict from 1987 until 2002.
Reviews
"[Pilger] allows the viewer to hear candid and powerful statements that it is vital for outsiders to hear. I would advise professors: If you don't have time to show the entire video in your class, at least show your students the first fifteen minutes. The frank comments by both Palestinians and Israelis...will provide the basis for a spirited debate among the students for the remainder of the class period."
Ann Lesch, Villanova University, Middle East Studies Association Bulletin
"Highly recommended for its bold analysis of the Palestine problem...crucial viewing for those interested in challenging their assumptions."
Michael J. Coffta, Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania, Educational Media Reviews Online
Occupation 101 - Voices of the Silenced Majority
Sufyan Omeish & Abdallah Omeish
Film Specs
Classification: Documentary
Directed by: Sufyan Omeish & Abdallah Omeish
Release date: May 2007
Length: 90 minutes
Language: English and Arabic with English, French, or Spanish subtitles
Awards
* The Golden Palm Award (the highest honor given to the best film in all categories)
Beverly Hills Film Festival
* Best Editing Award
Beverly Hills Film Festival
* Artivist Best Feature Film Award, Human Rights category
The Artivist Film Festival
* Best Documentary Feature
DeadCenter Film Festival
* The Audience Award for Best Documentary
The East Lansing Film Festival
* John Michaels Memorial Award for social justice & human rights
The Big Muddy Film Festival
* Best Feature Film Award
River's Edge Film Festival
* Special Recognition: Best Documentary
New Orleans International Human Rights Film Festival
A thought-provoking and powerful documentary film on the current and historical root causes of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Unlike any other film ever produced on the conflict, Occupation 101 presents a comprehensive analysis of the facts and hidden truths surrounding the never-ending controversy and dispels many of its long-perceived myths and misconceptions.
The film also details life under Israeli military rule, the role of the United States in the conflict, and the major obstacles that stand in the way of a lasting and viable peace. The roots of the conflict are explained through first-hand on-the-ground experiences from leading Middle East scholars, peace activists, journalists, religious leaders and humanitarian workers whose voices have too often been suppressed in American media outlets.
The film covers a wide range of topics, which include the first wave of Jewish immigration from Europe in the 1880's, the 1920 tensions, the 1948 war, the 1967 war, the first Intifada of 1987, the Oslo Peace Process, settlement expansion, the role of the U.S. government, the second Intifada (2000), the Apartheid Wall and the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, as well as many heart wrenching testimonials from victims of this tragedy.
Occupation 101 features a leading list of some of the most credible Middle East scholars, historians, peace activists, journalists, and humanitarian workers, including Albert Aghazarian, Rabbi Arik Ascherman, Noam Chomsky, Cindy & Craig Corrie, Richard Falk, Paul Findley, Neta Golan, Jeff Halper, Amira Hass, Rashid Khalidi, Ilan Pappe, Gila Svirsky, Alison Weir, and others.
DVD Bonus Features
- Deleted Scenes: More than 30 minutes, including: Extended history scenes (from the 1900's, 1940's, and 1967), international law, home demolitions, victims of conflict, chain of victimization, Israeli awakening, and much more!
- Approximately one hour of in-depth material, including: Historical footage from Pathe News Archives, testimonies from Bethlehem University, humanitarian actions by the International Solidarity Movement, Jenin Refugee Camp destruction, and more!
Praise & Review
"One of the best documentaries"
--Los Angeles Journal
"A visual revolution is born.. if a picture is worth a thousand words, then Occupation 101 is worth a thousand books."
--InFocus
"Forget what you've seen on CNN; this film delves deeply into seriously painful territory"
--Lansing State Journal
Film Review: "Occupation 101"
--Nadia Elkhatib, Institute for Middle East Understanding
Clip & Official website
Gaza's Reality" (movie clip), on YouTube
Occupation 101 film's official website
Beyond the Mirage - The Face of the Occupation
David Neuneubel
Film Specs
Classification: Documentary
Directed by: David Neuneubel
Release date: 2002
Length: 48 minutes
Language: English
David Neunuebel grew up in an average American home where the Middle East and Palestinian/Israeli conflict were never part of his world. Yet after his first visit to the area he knew something was terribly wrong. What he saw, after many more trips, went counter to every American instinct he’d been taught growing up. This documentary is an attempt to get “beyond the mirage.”
Too often the conflict presented in black and white terms. This, in itself, is a form of injustice. Beyond the Mirage: The Face of the Occupation is an opportunity to hear from people who actually live in the region and goes beyond what we get from the American media.
The film discusses some of the major daily realities Palestinians face: roadblocks, destruction of houses, military brutality. Powerful insights are provided by interviews with Jessica Montel, Director of B'Tselem, Jeff Halper of the Israeli Committee Against Home Demolitions, and Allegra Pacheco, an Israeli attorney who represents Palestinians in Israeli military court and the Israeli Supreme Court.
Having witnessed firsthand and been struck by the humiliating, oppressive way the Israelis treat the Palestinian people, David Neunuebel founded the group Americans for a Just Peace in the Middle East.
Related Links
Americans for a Just Peace in the Middle East
Film Specs
Classification: Documentary
Directed by: Sahera Dirbas
Release date: August 2007
Length: 37 minutes
Language: Arabic, English. and Hebrew with English subtitles and Arabic subtitles
Awards
* Best Short Documentary
- Amal EuroArab Film Festival, Spain, 2009
Stranger in My Home - Jerusalem
by Sahera Dirbas
Stranger in My Home – Jerusalem is the most recent work by filmmaker Sahera Dirbas, who lives in Jerusalem but hails originally from Haifa. It was released to coincide with the 40th anniversary of the Israeli occupation of the West Bank (including East Jerusalem) and Gaza in June 1967.
The film relates the stories of eight Palestinian Jerusalemite families that have been turned refugees in their own city. They recall the events that occurred in the Moghrabi Quarter of Jerusalem during the 1967 war. Each family goes to see its house which was occupied in 1948. The houses are located in the Baqa’a, Talbiyeh, Qatamon and Mosrarah neighbourhoods of what is now West Jerusalem. Some of the families enter their former homes and have a discussion with the Israeli tenants currently occupying their homes.
The documentary film also includes an interview with the Israeli architect David Kroyanker who wrote books about these houses, one of which was turned into a museum.
The film premiered at the Palestinian National Theatre in Jerusalem and at the Cultural Palace in Ramallah. It participated in the third Al-Jazeera International Documentary Film Festival in Qatar in April 2007.
The documentary is an independent production on which all the crew members worked on a voluntary basis.
Checkpoint - The Palestinians After Oslo
Tom Wright and Therese Saliba
Film SpecsClassification: Documentary
Directed by: Tom Wright and Therese Saliba
Release date: 1997
Length: 58 minutes
Language: English and Arabic with English Subtitles
The celebrated signing of the Oslo Peace Agreement in 1993, symbolized by the handshake between Yitzhak Rabin and Yasser Arafat, signaled to people throughout the world a long-awaited resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Recent events, however, have cast a shadow over the original optimism for regional peace and revealed the fundamental shortcomings of the agreement.
Tom Wright and Therese Saliba lived in the West Bank from 1995 to 1996 and chronicled these events as they unfolded. Checkpoint, their new video-documentary, portrays a side of the story little known to American audiences: the devastating effects of the agreement on Palestinian lives. With an engaging style and offbeat humor, the documentary exposes shallow mass-media interpretations of the conflict and reveals the immense imbalance of power between the two sides.
Palestinian and Israeli human rights activists, as well as political figures like Hanan Ashrawi, give their views of the major events of the period: Rabin’s assassination, the Palestinian Authority takeover of West Bank towns, the first Palestinian elections, the suicide bus bombings, Arafat’s abuse of power, Netanyahu’s election, and the September 1996 uprising.
Checkpoint takes its title from the innumerable Israeli roadblocks, which ironically have become a permanent feature in the new era of Palestinian "autonomy." In the post-Oslo era, the checkpoint becomes the symbol of Israeli control and domination. In the face of these obstacles, Israelis and Palestinians seek to grapple with these grave injustices and to set forth an alternative vision for a just peace.
Reviews
"CHECKPOINT provides an important look at the daily realities of Palestinian life... obscured by the very misleading notion that there is a 'peace process' going on."
--Joel Beinin, Standford University
Editor, Middle East Report
Life in Occupied Palestine
Anna Baltzer
Film Specs
Classification: Documentary
Directed by: Anna Baltzer
Release date: 2007
Language: English
Anna's full presentation including photos, facts, commentary, music, and action ideas is available on Life in Occupied Palestine. Anna talks about her eight months working with the International Women's Peace Service in the West Bank, documenting human rights abuses and supporting Palestinian and Israeli nonviolent resistance against the Occupation.
Meet Munira, who has lost her freedom and land to the Wall that encages her home and family. Meet Hessa, whose village is separated from the nearest hospital by a checkpoint that is closed all night long.
Meet Rafat, whose warm smile belies the war zone that his body attests to. Meet Omar, who has chosen the path of nonviolent resistance after six months imprisonment without charge and the losses of his best friend, cousin, and brother.
Meet the people of Palestine and the Israeli and international volunteers supporting their nonviolent movement for freedom.
Related Links
Anna Baltzer's website
Anna's book "Witness in Palestine - A Jewish American Woman in the Occupied Territories"
Film Specs
Classification: Documentary series
Directed by: Adam Shapiro, Perla Issa, Aseel Mansour
Release date: December 2008
Length: 8 hours 7 mins. (split into 6 episodes on 3 DVD's)
Language: Arabic and English, with English subtitles
Disc 1
Part I: "Nakba Dailies" (79 minutes)
Part II: "Daily Nakbas" (89 mins.)
Disc 2
Part III: "Homeland Without ID (papers)" (79 mins.)
Part IV: "Identity Without a Homeland" (78 mins.)
Disc 3
Part V: "Talk About Return" (78 mins.)
Part VI: "Return of the Talk" (84 mins.)
Chronicles of a Refugee
by Adam Shapiro, Perla Issa, Aseel Mansour
Chronicles of a Refugee is a 6-part documentary film series looking at the global Palestinian refugee experience over the last 60 years. Starting with 'al-Nakba' (catastrophe) in 1948 (part I) and continuing through repeated community and individual expulsions (part II) and enduring discrimination by virtue of being Palestinian (part III), the first three episodes are more historical and informative, presenting an almost comprehensive review of 60 years of dispossession.
The last three parts tackle many issues facing Palestinian refugees, and are meant to open up debate on taboo and contentious issues. Part IV deals with identity formation and the impact of being in diaspora. Part V looks at strategies for the Right of Return and who is doing what to achieve realization of this right. Part VI focuses on issues of leadership and representation, from the perspective of what kind of representation have Palestinians had over time and what do they want now.
Filmed in over 15 countries, with more than 250 interviews of Palestinian refugees who have lived in over 25 countries, this is the first documentary film to look at the global Palestinian refugee experience over the last 60 years. The film presents Palestinian refugees who were displaced in 1948 and their descendants, and includes the wide range of age, socio-economic status, education level, etc.
About the Crew
Chronicles of a Refugee is an independently produced film made by Adam Shapiro, Perla Issa and Aseel Mansour, with a musical score by Ramallah Underground and Tarik "Excentrik" Kazaleh. Funding for the project was made possible through individual contributions and the film is in no way associated with any organization, political party, faction or otherwise.
Adam Shapiro is co-founder of the International Solidarity Movement, and has previously made the documentaries 'About Baghdad', 'Darfur Diaries', 'Becoming Nadya' and 'Nowhere to Flee'.
Perla Issa is a Palestinian from Lebanon, who recently produced a short documentary on Nahr Al-Bared. She also worked with Shapiro on the documentary 'Nowhere to Flee' and was part of the team that produced the documentary series, 'Arabs and Terrorism'.
Assel Mansour is an indpependent Palestinian filmmaker from Jordan. His filmography includes 'Little Feet', 'Nightmares of Reality', and 'Alert Guns' (co-directed).
Reviews, in Arabic The Daily Star (Lebanon): Weaving together the diverse narratives of Palestinians in exile As-Safir (Arabic): 'Chronicles of a refugee' does what is the duty of the PLO to have done Al-Akhbar (Arabic): "Chronicles of a refugee" documents the journey of diaspora.
Al Jazeera's Ayman Mohyeldin reports on the Hamas-funded film about a hero of the movement's armed wing.
DVD: The 50 Years War - Israel & The Arabs (2000)
Starring: Will Lyman Director: Dai Richards, David Ash
A REVIEW (with some interesting facts) - Don't buy it !!
Look elsewhere for your information., February 23, 2009
By Corey Yost "Hope" - See all my reviews
If you don't know much about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, you'll think this is a thorough, unbiased piece of work. That's the worst part, in my opinion: they were skillful in making it seem objective to the person who was learning about the whole thing from scratch.
For those who know about what has happened without the filter of made-for-TV specials, it's a culmination of one half-truth after another. The film begins at 1948, when the Zionist Organization of America had been lobbying for the Holy Land since the late 19th century. They say that the Lehi are a "small extremist group" even though 40,000 Jews signed up to be trained to take over the land by force from the British (for every person willing to risk their lives for terrorism, think of how many Jews wouldn't take that step but supported the cause nonetheless). They didn't talk about how almost every Prime Minister of Israel was a member of Lehi, several of them were even present during genocidal massacres of Palestinians before 1948. They try to blame the Palestinian press for the mass exodus of the Palestinians while focusing on just one incident of civilian executions by the IMF. They curiously omit the reason that the Christian Lebanese were at war with the Muslims. They didn't mention how the "settlements" purposefully bulldozed Palestinian homes, how Palestinians were treated as second class citizens. They didn't talk about the fact that only 30% of that area was Jewish when the land was first given to them, but 70% of the population was forced out into neighboring countries, which of course had dire repercussions for their economies. They don't talk about how Israel has no Constitution and is the only country in the world that refuses to declare its borders. They don't talk about Resolution 181 and how Israel did not stay within the borders Britain allotted them from the very start. Again and again they invoke the Holocaust, saying how the survival of their people was at stake -- even though they were so superior in military strength that they defeated five Arab nations in six days without trouble. They don't talk about the leaders of Israel being former Communist Revolutionists and how the Soviet Union betrayed the other Arab states expressly for Israel's gain. They don't talk about the billions -- in reality, trillions -- of dollars that America has given to Israel in weapons, military technology and other aid. The number of Palestinian to Israeli deaths is left out. They completely leave out the USS Liberty incident, where Israel attacked a US ship in neutral waters in an effort to make it look as if Egypt had attacked us so that we would get involved in their war. Don't even get me started on the Oslo talks. And always, ALWAYS the reason the Arabs would not cooperate was because they "didn't accept Israel's right to exist," without further explanation. If that's not a loaded piece of propaganda I don't know what is.
This isn't to say that the Palestinians or other Arab nations are blameless. Not at all. But much of the actions on their part have been in reaction to the Israeli terrorists and later, the Israeli government -- the things they were reacting to were never mentioned. This film focuses on historical movie clips of Jews, interviews mostly Jews and tells the story from a decidedly Jewish perspective. When an Israeli makes a blatantly false statement on camera, there is no follow up or challenge to it.
But I guess we shouldn't be surprised it was not objective since the film was, after all, directed and produced by Jews. Don't buy this unless you'd like to use it as an example of how the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has been disseminated into a very narrow perspective in America.
XXX
gazafriends
May 18, 2009
(less info)
Third episode : In West Bank checkpoints manned by Israeli military : why? In a few slides reasons why are shown. Its not true that there's nothing to do about it and peace is not possible there. There are identified reasons that stand in the way of peace.
Pictures from International Solidarity Movement (ISM), NadPLO, Free Gaza Movement, MachsomWatch
The film in the video : Arson in the Fields of Burin Village by Machsom Watch
Filmed by Yehudith Levin.
Edited by Hadass Shuve
This 4º episode shwos the daily violence and sufferings imposed to Palestinian people by Israel. A continuous harm that we are asking to stop soon.
Vídeo and phots by ISM, International Solidarity Movement, a non violent group of activists defending Palestinian human rights and acting as human shields to protect Palestinian farmers and fishermen at work.
Images by MachsomWatch and Sameh A. Habeeb
It's a myth that Jews & Arabs have always fought each other.
The Jews flourished in the Arab world at a time when they were being persecuted throughout Europe.
It's a myth that Palestine was an empty land when they gave half of it to the Jewish people.
5th July 09 Video Free Gaza News Prisoners
7jul: ALL FREEGAZA21 ARE HOME. WHAT ABOUT PALESTINIANS? Testimonies from Israeli Jail on www.freegaza.org
We are NOT the Story, Its Not Just Our 21 Kidnapped Passengers.
Palestine, the world's largest openair prison- episode 5
The kidnapping of 21 international human rights workers attempting to deliver needed aid to a besieged people is an outrage, but it is hardly an isolated one.
Since its founding in 1948 the State of Israel has regularly kidnapped and tortured Palestinians, throwing them into forgotten prisons where they can languish for years. Today, over 11,000 Palestinian political prisoners without benefit of due process, some never even charged - men, women, and children endure torture and isolation in Israeli jails, outdoor prison camps, and secret black sites. They come from all walks of life: doctors, journalists, parliamentarians, workers, resistance fighters, homemakers, students and others. They are our sisters and brothers.
From the first night, the Free Gaza 21 have been busy trying to get news out of the prison about the illegality of Israel's actions in relation to themselves and the other inmates inside Ramle Prison who have no voice.
Palestine, the world's largest open air prison are 5 episodes videos showing the actual prison like situation of Palestine. Edited by the Free Gaza Movement are available in ENGLISH ITALIAN FRENCH and SPANISH. PLEASE SEE PLAYLISTS TITLED IN THE ORIGINAL LANGUAGE.
We noticed a lot of denials (as always) from Israeli government this year about any criticism. Asking them to investigate their own (suspected) war crimes is like asking the leader of a gang to investigate the bullying the gang members did - it's a Farce. Only the international Criminal Court would be seen to as impartial.
"Israel DID commit War Crimes"
Press TV report on an Israeli Human Rights Group that includes Israeli Service Personell having come out with a report containing tangible evidence that alleges that the Israeli authorities told Israeli civilians to ignore civilian casualties and not worry about the death of Palestinians during the December 2008 to January 2009 Gaza War (Operation Cast Lead) in which over 1400 Palestinians were killed of which one third (1/3) were children.
This report is a follow up to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mm5Aoo... and features more information on the allegations.
Broadcast on Press TV on July 15, 2009 at 2000GMT.
Report alleges IDF abuses 3:39
An activist group alleges misconduct by the Israeli military during the Gaza operation. CNN's Paula Hancocks reports.
Now the activist group Breaking the Silence has published soldiers' testimonies saying crimes were committed, and even encouraged.
Israeli Soldiers Admit to War Crimes in Gaza testimonies UN charges Mark Regev spokesman covenant of God violence Judaism temple Solomon Islam Christianity religion anti Christ Dajjal Palestine Jerusalem holy war Muhammad Jesus Moses Abraham al aqsa Allah Debate Killing innocent people Torah forbids Jew state Israel thepeacemaker786
Bennis: Israeli soldiers come forward saying they had no restrictions rules of engagement
More at http://therealnews.com/c.ph...
111 countries ban the use of cluster bombs, except Israel, Russia, China, India, Pakistan and the US
More at http://therealnews.com/c.ph... 30 years after the Vietnam war, 78 million unexploded US cluster bombs remain scattered across Laos
A female Israeli soldier beats and spits on 3 Palestinian children while her colleague is seen picking up stones and throwing them at the children as they drive away. Ras at-Tira checkpoint, Qalandia District, 15/08/2007.
More at http://therealnews.com/c.ph...
Daniel Levy: AIPAC aggressive positions not supported by most American Jews and Israeli opinion is split
Footage of Fadel Shana, 23, being killed by a tank shell in the Gaza Strip has been released by the news agency, which said that the cameraman was hit despite clear markings that showed him to be a journalist.Footage released by Reuters shows Mr Shana filming a tank positioned a few hundred yards away in the distance, over the Israeli border.
The film shows a tank firing its shell, which explodes causing the picture to go blank as the camera is thrown from Mr Shana's hand.
It then cuts away to a film made by another cameraman positioned nearby, which shows the devastation left by the shell, including two youths who had been passing the scene lying dead in the road.
Mr Shana, who was from Gaza and had covered the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians for the last three years, died instantly. He had been covering events in Gaza for Reuters on a day of intense violence when 16 other Palestinians and three Israeli soldiers were also killed.
Palestinian doctor Ezzeldeen Abu al-Aish was giving Israel's Channel 10 his daily account from inside the war zone in Gaza when three of his daughters were killed in an Israeli attack.
In his report, he called for help as his house was attacked.
Al Jazeera's Roza Ibragimova reports.
This will make you weep - the story alone, of him and the murder of his daughters is surely good enough reason why the Israeli massacre of unarmed civilians throught their sick history must stop. They haven't made themselves as bad as the terrorists, they (the politicians) ARE terrorists themselves - of the worst kind, because they are sane calculating people who should know better than to use extrajudicial slaughter of innocent civilians as a way to win a political battle. I apologise to Israelis for being so critical, but after we saw the murders in Gaza and Lebanaon the whole world is VERy VERY angry - we condemn ALL violence and we are VERY angry at the illegal methods used by Israel and her supporters to kill TOTALLY innocent people. We know people on both sides who are grieving for the loss of innocent loved ones, but none of them (the people we know) advocate the use of violence.
VIOLENCE breeds VIOLENCE we must break the cycle of violence.
Please click photo above to see the story of the beautiful man from Gaza who forgave the IDF for murdering his 3 daughters.
This video describes in pictures and words the shocking details of Israels deliberate ravaging of Palestinian life and society in Gaza. Its purpose is to call attention to the plight of a people under siege, which so far has been chillingly ignored by governments and the world media unwilling to call Israel to account for its criminal execution of the ethnic cleansing of the Palestinians from their own land. The video was created by Sonja Karkar for Australians for Palestine on 9 December 2008 using images captured by various courageous photographers on the ground in Gaza, and the haunting sounds of Sada (Echo), composed and played on the oud by Ahmad Al-Khatib. See, http://www.australiansforpalestine.com
Shorter films & video clipsyou can watch for FREEEE on the internet, just click the image (these columns only) - a great way to get some really useful information.
Excerpts from "I AM NOT SHOOTING AND I AM NOT CRYING", a work in progress featuring speakers from COMBATANTS FOR PEACE.
To see a free 90 minute Quicktime presentation of this event go to WWW.MOTHERSWORLDMARKET.COM and select the FREE MEDIA STREAMS category. No registration required.
BACKGROUND:
Brit Tzedek v'Shalom is a US based Jewish peace organization of over 36,000 individuals whose mission is to educate and mobilize American Jews in support of a negotiated two-state resolutioon to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
In winter 2007, Brit Tzedek v'Shalom organized a 22 city tour of the United States by representatives of Combatants For Peace.
Combatants For Peace is a group of Israelis and Palestinians who were formerly involved in the cycle of violence. The Israelis served as combat soldiers in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and the Palestinians were engaged in acts of violence in the name of Palestinian liberation. After brandishing weapons for so many years, they decided to put down their guns and fight for peace.
On January 25, 2007, Sulaiman Al-hamri and Elik Elhanan, the Palestinian and Israeli coordinators of Combatants For Peace, spoke at Beth Emet Synagogue in Evanston, Illinois.
"I AM NOT SHOOTING AND I AM NOT CRYING" is a record of that event.
WWW.MOTHERSWORLDMARKET.COM
Please also see this video by Combatants for Peace
This is a pan of Gaza Airport taken on 11 December 2008. The airport was built with EU aid and opened by Bill Clinton in 1998. Two years later it was not just put out of action by the Israelis but comprehensively destroyed. It is difficult ro see how it can be brought back into operation to play its part in the economic recovery of Gaza.
Kerry McCarthy (centre), and Professor Ilan Pappe speak at the Nakba Conference on Palestine at the Malcolm X Centre, Bristol
Noam Chomsky: Israel - Servant to US Empire. Q&A at Palestine solidarity meeting Boston MA 21st January 2009 filmed by Paul Hubbard at the Palestine Cultural Center for Peace.
Please watch this and just think - who do you believe in all this?
Do you believe people like Ed Hill, who do this work out of the kindness of their hearts and their profound sense of Justice for the underdog, or do you believe the polished radical Zionists propaganda machine, which is driven by Colonial desire and greed and racial hatred?
AlJazeeraEnglish
December 01, 2009
The founding of the state of Israel was based on firmly-held views of Jewish history but new research questions some of its most fundamental principles. Do new perspectives on Israel's past require a new vision of its future?
I apologise for posting this, because the first few minutes in particular, will probably make your blood boil. Incredibly these beautiful, against the odds are still talking of peace and cooperation with their Israeli neighbours.
Part 2
UNICEF: Mobilizing emergency aid in Gaza - just 2 minutes
ocumenting Ethnic Cleansing
A review by Sam Bahour
The hour-long abridged DVD version of Return to Palestine by Ed Hill is a sombre account of the slow and painful process of ethnic cleansing that Palestinians are dealing with, in full view of the international community. Documenting this horrific reality, Return to Palestine is a genuine effort to witness and disseminate the realities of Israeli occupation, and even more so, to do it in an activist way that aims to get people not only to shake their heads in shame but to act to bring this man-made tsunami called Israeli occupation to an end.
From the informative DVD cover, through each segment of this eye-witness report, and all the way through to the ending, Mr. Hill provokes the viewer to pick one of the many facets of Palestinian non-violent resistance to support. The film opens with a blunt narrative of the terminology that best depicts the 40+ years of Israeli occupation, most notably the concept of “ethnic cleansing.”
continued in next column >
Through the lens of Palestinian olive farmers, the documentary systematically walks the viewer through the oppression that Palestinians are facing daily. The narrator explains that his take on the situation is that of an “embedded activist,” which gives him and his team deeper insight into Palestinian society.
Typically, village life in Palestine is not adequately depicted even when the issue is covered, but this film can take pride in its focus on the authentic rural-life reality that the majority of the population under occupation lives. The footage depicts the beautiful Palestinian landscape in the northern West Bank and around Bethlehem while explaining how this very landscape is being threatened by Israeli settlements, the Apartheid Wall, and Israeli policies.
Two segments show footage that is very difficult to find elsewhere: inside the new Israeli checkpoint terminals where filming is strictly prohibited. The viewer will see hidden camera shots from the infamous Kalandia (Atarot) and Bethlehem pedestrian checkpoints. This cold, barren reality that controls all Palestinian movement is seen from the inside, a view that tourists will rarely see on the ground as they pass the concrete, walled-in “terminals” that are made to look humane to the untrained eye.
The film ends with a rapid review (slightly too rapid for newcomers to the issue) of Palestinian history, from the days of the British Mandate. I guess it’s a timely reminder as we now have former British Prime Minister Tony Blair on the ground learning about the occupation firsthand after his country opened the door for it to be created decades ago.
Staying true to its activist nature, the film closes not only with a list of all the organizing efforts in which the viewer can get involved but also with a bold quote from South African Bishop Desmond Tutu: “If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor. If an elephant has its foot on the tail of a mouse and you say that you are neutral, the mouse will not appreciate your neutrality.”
If you are planning to present the Palestinian issue to foreign audiences, plan to use this film as your visual aid to reveal the true meaning of the occupation: organized state terror.
salem (CNN) -- For Berlanty Azzam, Wednesday's two-hour round trip from Bethlehem to Ramallah was supposed to signal the possibility of a new life chapter for the 21-year-old college student.
Azzam, a senior studying business at Bethlehem University, had a job interview in the West Bank capital, hoping to land a sales position after her graduation in December.
Azzam made it to the interview, but on her way back to Bethlehem she was stopped at an Israeli Army checkpoint. She handed over her identity papers to the soldiers who told her she could not leave.
She said she was held at the checkpoint for five hours with no explanation, and then blindfolded, handcuffed and put into a military vehicle.
"I did not know what they were going to do with me or where they were taking me," Azzam said in a interview.
As it turns out, Azzam was being removed from the Palestinian West Bank and brought to the Gaza Strip. She called the experience "frightening and dehumanizing."
The Israeli military released a statement saying Azzam was "residing illegally" in the West Bank and had overstayed a permit "allowing her to stay in Jerusalem for a few days in August 2005."
Azzam, who grew up in Gaza, left her home four years ago after receiving a travel permit from the Israeli government to visit the West Bank. Azzam said she was "scared of something like this happening" and had not returned home to Gaza for that reason. She acknowledged that the Israeli government had issued a temporary permit but said she stayed on in the West Bank because it was the only way for her to attend school. continued in next column >
Azzam's return to Gaza means there is a strong likelihood she will not be allowed back to the West Bank to finish her studies.
In a stated effort to isolate the radical Islamist group Hamas which controls Gaza, Israel has imposed extremely tight restrictions on Palestinians leaving the densely populated coastal strip. The restrictions have extended to Gaza residents who have been accepted to universities in Europe and the United States in addition to the West Bank.
The issue received notoriety last year when the U.S. State Department exerted pressure on Israel to allow some Fulbright scholarship winners to leave Gaza to attend schools in the United States.
Azzam's case has been taken up by Gisha, an Israeli organization which advocates for Palestinian freedom of movement. The group's executive director, Sari Bashi, told CNN that they were petitioning the Israeli supreme court to allow Azzam to immediately return to her studies in the West Bank.
Bashi said that Azzam's forced return to the Gaza Strip is part of a recent campaign by the Israeli military "to search the West Bank for Palestinians whose ID cards are registered in Gaza and to remove them to Gaza by force." Bashi said the right of Palestinians from Gaza to stay in the West Bank is being litigated in the Israeli courts and that the military's "aggressive" treatment of Azzam constituted "a blatant attempt to avoid judicial review."
Mark Regev, a spokesman for the Israeli government, said he was not aware of any policy to remove Palestinians from the West Bank to Gaza and said that in the past there have been concerns about Hamas using access to the West Bank as a way of placing their activists in universities.
Officials at Bethlehem University said they were worried that Azzam's case could set a precedent for the removal of more of their students who come from Gaza and questioned why it was a problem to allow her to finish her studies.
"She has been here since 2005," said Brother Jack Curran, a vice-president at the Vatican-sponsored university. "Name one security concern that she has been involved in."
"It's really not about political posturing," he said. "It's about a young woman's life and her dream and her goal for her university education."
Azzam said her return to Gaza has been bittersweet. After four years away, she said she was happy to see her family but disappointed she was returning without her degree.
mingoi313
March 28, 2007
(less info)
Short film documenting the lethal effects of the use of cluster munitions worldwide, with commentary, new statistics and analysis from military experts at Human Rights Watch. Footage shows how cluster munitions have endangered civilian populations from the Vietnam era through current conflicts in Iraq and Lebanon. During the last THREE DAYS of the War on Lebanon, Israel fired up to 4,000,000 cluster bomblets according to UN estimates - twice the amount used by the US in the attack on Iraq in 2003.
The story of this film is about a young Palestinian boy shot and killed by an Israeli soldier.
The parents of the child donate his heart to an Israeli girl so that she has the gift of life.
This is a film by Cecilia Parsberg.
There was also produced another film: The Heart of Jenin
Out of that was created the project to re-open the cinema of Jenin: Project Cinema Jenin
This is the first of 5 short episodes showing the actual situation of Palestine. The purpose of those videos is to arise international awareness about the prison like closure of Palestine. Palestine need the internationals action and help to break the inhuman and illegal siege imposed by Israel.
Rachel: An American Conscience by Yahya Barakat From the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs: Yahya Barakat, who teaches at Al-Quds University, told The Washington Report that he began work on the documentary the instant he learned that Corrie had been crushed to death by an Israeli-driven Caterpillar bulldozer. This documentary offers rare footage of Rachel talking to a camera and describing Israeli human rights violations against a Palestinian civilian population. The film opens with grim images of dinosaur-like Caterpillar bulldozers turning urban Rafah into a garbage pile of destroyed buildings. It continues with interviews of Rachel's fellow International Solidarity Movement volunteers, and concludes with comments from her parents. ***** Learn more about Rachel Corrie life and activities http://www.rachelcorrie.org/ There is a play of her life, which has been censored in the 'free world'. http://www.rachelswords.org
Pictures from MachsomWatch, an organization of peace activist Israeli women, that every morning and afternoon, go out to some 30 checkpoints within the West Bank and on the seam-line between Israel and Palestine, to monitor and document IDF and Border Police conduct, and safeguard Palestinian human rights.
The shoot inside the video has been filmed by Daphne Banai and Milat Shamir at the Huwwara checkpoint on 10thSeptember 2007 - Machsom Watch activists observed that a particular checkpoint commander has a habit of beating up Palestinians in the detention cell. After one of the activists insisted on filming the checkpoint commander as he was entering the detention cell, the soldiers turned their violence towards her.
Images by : Dalia Kaveh, Elat Benda, Judith Spitzer, Magdalena Hefetz, Meged Gozani, Merav Amir, Micky Fisher, Mika Ginsburg, Naama Morag, Nava Elyashar, Neta Efroni, Noa Perelson, Noam Dan, Nurit Wagner, Ofra Ben Porat, Raya Zenter, Ruti Tuval, Shula Bar, Tamar Fleishman, Yudit Levine.
