Co-operatives and Liberation, not necessarily in that order
While I may be accused of missing the boat due to the lateness of this post, I still think it is relevant to put this view forward. I think activists opposed to Israeli settlements and state racism should see the Boycott law, perhaps more specifically the reactions against it, as a victory – and perhaps […]
Read More Why the Boycott-Law is something goodI was inspired to read Ben-Ami’s book when I saw his debate with Norman Finkelstein on democracy now. Unlike most debates between a intellectual concerned with Palestinian rights and an Israeli interlocutor, this debate did not devolve into bickering about facts and repeated accusations of lying on both sides. Instead, Ben-Ami seemed to accept the […]
Read More Review: “Scars of War, Wounds of Peace” by Shlomo Ben-AmiUri Avnery’s book Israel Without Zionists, written in the early aftermath of the ’67 war, tells the story of Israel’s formation and first period of existence. It comprises personal histories and character profiles of major figures such as Ben-Gurion and Moshe Dayan, along with accounts of how Israel and its neighbors stumbled into war in ’56 and […]
Read More Review: “Israel Without Zionists” by Uri AvneryOne thing I take home from the experience of living and travelling in various parts of Occupied Palestine, including West Jerusalem and many cities in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, is an increased comfort with being partisan, with speaking in explicitly side-taking language about the situation. In the past I consistently and constantly referred to the […]
Read More On Taking Sides, and “Why Nationalism doesn’t feel as Statist as I used to Think”So, I know I’ve been writing about how I’m not going to continually spit the news back at you. But, I feel this is an exception because it’s an example of something that people in Palestine told me about, and I recognized it therefore not as an isolated incident. I think it’s useful for people […]
Read More Shoot to Kill – in the leg?Returning to Toronto from a situation where politics is a matter of survival, not only for individuals on the margin but for a community as such, has made me bored with the everyday political rattle of Toronto. Today apparently council voted to remove a bike lane. This is clearly a bad thing – but I […]
Read More Against North American Politics: The Big Picture, or halas!After spending time in Palestine, I’m much less eager to write on the internet, commenting about news I read on the internet. It feels repetitive, selective, and lacking in the stark honesty which is available when writing about things you see with your own eyes, or about things from the people who experience them. Still, […]
Read More The Boycott Law (writing about things I read on the internet)After being back two days, it still feels strange to be in Toronto. The weather is so un-desert like, and the streets are completely green. Even with the recent disaster in which CCRI destroyed a significant portion of our garden, our yard is infinitely more green than Ramallah or Kalandia camp. But where the real […]
Read More Adjusting to Toronto, Reflecting on PalestineSomehow I made it through Israeli security without being interrogated. It was pretty funny when they had my bag open, and 30 keffiyehs sprawled across the table – they asked: “you have a lot of scarves?”. They also found my book on refuse-nicks, and one on Israeli settler violence. Arriving back in Toronto is a relief, […]
Read More Toad Lane ReturnI’ve spent my seven weeks in occupied Palestine, and now it’s time go home to my everyday reality in Toronto, Canada. Leaving feels strange, feels like I’m waking up – “back to reality”. But that’s wrong, what I’ve seen here is reality – and in the West Bank I think a few degrees more […]
Read More From the departure cafe level at Ben Gurion Airport
Only a Northern Song 