We’ve been inundated with interesting articles in the last seven days.

The issue of universal jurisdiction won’t go away and the Board of Deputies, the Jewish Chronicle and others are getting exceedingly agitated that the government won’t simply do their bidding and abolish it. Cries of ‘betrayal’ are in the air…

The Russell Tribunal on Palestine met in Madrid, 1-3 March The focus of these hearings was on EU complicity with Israel. We carried a report of its proceedings and an article by Michael Mansfield QC a participant in it.

The European Parliament, to many people’s surprise, stood firm and endorsed the Goldstone report despite enormous lobbying pressure from the European Jewish Congress. (Ha’aretz was among those who anticipated a few days earlier that the motion would be rejected. In its resolution, the EP called on the EU’s foreign policy chief, Catherine Ashton, and the bloc’s member states to “publicly demand the implementation of [the report's] recommendations and accountability for all violations of international law, including alleged war crimes.”

Maariv’s crusade against the New Israel Fund continues with a renewed attack by Ben Caspit. As ever, robust criticism of Israel is supposedly welcome so long as it does not ‘undermine the foundations of the existence of the only Jewish state’. Curiously half the groups funded by NIF are alleged, on no basis whatsoever, to be doing just that.

The protests at Sheikh Jarrar continue to gather strength and Sarah Beninga’s speech “There’s a New Left in Town”delivered on behalf of all the activists, has been widely praised. You’ll find a link to it in the posting “Sheikh Jarrah and the new Israeli left?” as well as other interesting and relevant material in “Sheikh Jarrah campaign in the Israeli press”.

The UN Human Rights Council’s 13th Session has dropped Special Rapporteur Richard Falk’s report from the agenda of its current meeting, as the Palestinian Authority bends to US and Israeli pressure. In a separate posting Nadia Hijab, writes on Richard Goldstone and Richard Falk as two Jewish experts on, and passionate defenders of, international law who have become “pummeling bags for Israel and the Palestinian Authority”.

The US’s Joe Biden got egg in his face as his attempts to broker (or force) new indirect negotiations (“Proximity talks, settlements, condemnations and exceptions”) were immediately met with Israel’s announcement of 1,600 new housing units to be built in East Jerusalem!

Ben White writes interestingly of “the fading of the green line” as Palestinians find themselves increasingly faced with land expropriation in Israel proper as well as in the occupied territories.

In addition:

* There is a moving Zochrot (Remembrance) video showing some of the varied, contradictory and often surprising views on the right of return held by Israelis today;

* Abe Hayeem on the marketing of settlement property in Britain in “Israel’s unfair ‘law of return’”;

*news of British journalist Paul Martin’s release by Hamas following lobbying in Gaza on his behalf by members of the British-Palestine All Party Parliamentary Group;

* an interview with Muna Al-Almi on women in Gaza, to coincide with international women’s day;

* Amira Hass on the coming intifada as Palestinian frustration threatens to boil over – and the need “to prevent its descent into a so-called armed struggle, which inevitably will expropriate the street and the struggle from the public” ;

* Ali Fathollah-Nejad on how Norman Finkelstein, scholar and thorn in the side of the Zionist establishment and apologists like Alan Dershowitz, has been effectively banned from speaking anywhere in Germany;

* Dave Osler reflects on his own inglorious student activity to get the local Jewish Society banned from campus in the early 80s;

* there is comment on a 6,000-word report from the 2009 Global Forum for Combating Antisemitism on how to combat boycott, divestment and sanctions strategies (completely misrepresent them, for starters, seems to be the watchword); and

* Leon Rosselson’s new CD “The Last Chance” weaves eight finely-crafted human stories around the Israel/Palestine conflict – all profits to Medical Aid for Palestinians.

And don’t forget the Jewish Chronicle with its offer of free Ahava cleaner for every reader – fresh from the occupied West Bank.

Extrat: “I do not regard myself as being an “advocate” for any particular solution to the conflict. I would happily support a two-state solution if I thought it was possible. I do not have a view about which technical arrangement is needed for Palestinians and Israelis to live happy, secure lives. If that can be achieved in a two-state solution, then I am all in favour. My support for one state follows from the fact that I have yet to see anyone making a convincing case for two states, given the current realities…

There is growing hysteria in “the Jewish community: about the government’s failure to modify the law on universal jurisdiction to enable potential war criminals to visit the UK – if they are Israeli [...]

Fascinating 7 minute video from Zochrot showing some of the the varied, contradictory and often surprising views on the right of return held by Israelis today. ‘Zochrot ["Remembering"] is a group of Israeli citizens working to raise awareness of the Nakba, the Palestinian catastrophe of 1948.’ Note: It’s an anti-Zionist group – which JfJfP is not – but we’re posting the video here because its content illustrates some of the problems and mutual misunderstandings that need to be overcome for any peace settlement that does justice to Israelis and Palestinians to be reached. Comments are open on this post, with the same provisos as last time.

Jewish student groups: the 1985 banning campaign
Posted on Sunday 7 March, 2010
A MOMENT from my past has just caught up with me. Last week I received an email from Dave Rich of the Community Security Trust, the Jewish-led charity that monitors anti-semitism in Britain.
Rich informed me that the CST is currently researching the campaign [...]

“The real question, however, is not just inaction but positive action undertaken by Europe that supports the illegality. This can be exemplified by the export of weapons and components; the trade in produce from settlements in the occupied territories and above all the multibillion EU Israel Association agreement that confers benefits on Israel…”

British politicians who raised Paul Martin’s detention with Hamas welcome his freedom [...]

The yearly drive to encourage British Jews to emigrate to Israel culminated last weekend in the Israel Property Exhibition in a north London synagogue… The “community aliyah programme” shown in the pamphlet calls on UK Jews to “start a new life in a vibrant Israeli city” but of these, only three – Haifa, Modiin and Yad Binyamin – are within Israel proper. The other five are Jerusalem (evidently including the illegally annexed eastern part); Ariel, “located in the centre of Israel” (sic); Maaleh Adumim; Efrat (the capital of Gush Etzion); and the Gush Etzion bloc as a whole, which spreads south of Jerusalem into the heart of the West Bank.
[...]

Moishe House London (MoHoLo), in Willesden Green, is part of Moishe House, a worldwide network of houses that are centres for grassroots Jewish community. “From our own home, we aim to bring exciting, creative, post-denominational Jewish community to London.” They are about to move from their second location to a third place, with more room to organise and hold their activities.

From the Gaza Gateway blog, an interview with Muna Al-Almi, manager of FATEN, an organisation providing small loans and business advice to women. The Gaza Gateway blog “provides up-to-date information and commentary on the situation at the Gaza Strip border crossings” and provides stark, graphic – literally – evidence of the huge gap between what is needed in Gaza and what Israel allows through. It’s the work of Gisha – Legal Centre for Freedom of Movement – a joint Israeli-Palestinian not for profit organisation, that conducts detailed research, assembles news and provides advocacy for Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip denied freedom of movement according to Israeli and international law.