A history of Zionism in Britain has much useful information but this particular history, published by CounterPunch, seems to have come from the school of Zionist conspiracies. Evan Jones does not distinguish between how ‘Zionist’ is used today – one who believes Jews alone are destined to rule a greater Israel – and how it was used pre-Israel: one with an aspiration for a Jewish homeland. He also sees Zionists at work in the UK without any evidence, defined purpose or names (or footnotes). Read with discrimination.

This last week of the summer holiday, August 24-August 30, 2015, is a chance for us to post a few of the reports and analyses which are not driven by the news timetable. But first issues where action is required: 1. March and rally on Israel’s date with Welsh football: Stick to fair play: Wales […]

A documentary on what American children learn at Jewish Day Schools reveals a shocking end to the tradition of critical thought from which Jewish intellectuals were created. In its place is indoctrination in love for ‘mother’ Israel and such a one-sided account of Israel that many of the ‘cogs’ in this production line are profoundly shocked when they discover that Israel is a super-power which has tried to get rid of all traces of the Palestinians who lived in the ‘land without people’.

This is an old story – EU plans to outlaw settlement products – and a new story: France and the PA are putting on the pressure for the EU to implement its resolutions against importing settlement products. What’s the hold-up? Contact your MEP!

These photos show Palestinian women and a young girl launching an attack on an armed, masked soldier who is pinning a boy with a broken arm to a rock in the process of arresting him for throwing stones. It is such an everyday story of life in a Palestinian village it would not normally be in the news. But the pictures have ‘gone viral’ because the soldier has to flee from the furious females.

The 67th World Health Assembly requested WHO to report on the health conditions in the oPt. The result is a unique portrait of occupied Palestine told through the eyes of health-care – precarious, poverty-stricken and horribly damaged by Israel’s blockade.

A snobbish discrimination against Sephardi and Mizrahi Jews by the Ashkenazi elite has, from the beginning, been a driving force in Israeli politics. While the Mizrahim in particular might have made common cause with Palestinians most chose instead to prove a pure Jewishness. Fascinating two-part article by Ran Greenstein.

A group of women – Women Wage Peace, set up after the carnage of Operation Protective Edge – began a fast near the PM’s home on the anniversary of the Operation and maintained it in shifts for the 50 days. They were not the usual suspects – which may explain the lack of media coverage – and one participant raises the perennial questions of how to build a political movement.

Israel and Palestine, including Gaza, seem to be frozen in stasis, doomed, if they move, to begin another round of political and military conflict. Many outside agencies have tried to mediate. Kerry blamed Israel obduracy, others blame Hamas. Here the ICG addresses the main actors with proposals on what each can do to move out of the conflict zone. Giving Hamas more control over its income and recognition of Palestine as a state by all EU cpountries would help .

Having decided to lead the world (viz. the USA) in a crusade against Iran, PM Netanyahu has had to cast his decision in the most hyperbolic terms – good v. evil, for Israel or for another holocaust of Jews? Only Israelis are listening.

Why is the American/Israeli Right like ISIL? Because neither grouping accepts national boundaries. In their march towards a consensus comfort zone, Israelis lobby the American Right who in turn campaign in Israeli settlements. Mike Huckabee leads the way.

The table and text here from the Water Research Institute are not directly about Israel and Palestine. The WRI ranks countries by degrees of water scarcity. The oPt are in the first rank, Israel comes in at no.8. Most of the top 20 are in the Middle East. Lack of water does not create the current conflicts say the authors but it does exacerbate them and this is going to get worse as water shortages get more severe.

As we have seen time and time again the primary target for jihadists is other Muslims. But many EU countries with a Roman Catholic heritage will only give asylum to Christians, saying either that Muslims would not fit into their country or that it is the Christians of the Middle East who are being persecuted and they are the only ones who need asylum.

A petition has been created on the government’s petition website calling for Prime Minister Netanyahu to be arrested for war crimes when he arrives in the UK next month, September. Send to friends to get the 100,000 signatures which will mean parliament will have to debate it.

President Abbas sits in his palace moving his knights around – and ejecting them from his web of intrigue. His most recent move was to close down the Palestinian Peace Coalition – the Palestinian side of the Geneva Initiative – to skewer its head, Yasser Abed Rabbo, former secretary-general of the PLO.

This week, August 17-August 23, 2015 the stand-out item is a peculiarly British matter: the election of a new leader of the Labour Party and more particularly whether the favourite candidate, Jeremy Corbyn, is antisemitic – as a strong supporter of Palestinians rights he is critical of Israel’s policy – or whether, in his conviviality, […]

Netanyahu’s belief that he is leading a world-wide crusade to make Iran an impotent pariah state has crumbled. Not only have the USA and EU turned in the opposite direction, his belief that he could recruit the Gulf states – no friends of Iran – is baseless. They will do no public deal with Israel unless and until there is a negotiated settlement with Palestine.

Shelling a vehicle killing the five Syrian civilians inside was, said defence minister Ya’alon, a response to Iran’s attempt to “open a new terrorist front against Israel on the Golan Heights”. The charge that this was a tactic by Israel to convince the US that the Iran deal has increased the terrorist threat from Iran was made by Arab media reports JPost.

Jeremy Corbyn has been most strongly attacked for his positions on foreign policy – he is a long-established supporter of Palestinian rights and of talking with one’s enemies. What have been treated as his fringe causes usually, over time, become mainstream and the only answer to violent conflict. Antisemitism accompanies him – fight back !

We don’t know if Tony Blair greeted Hamas officials in Doha as ‘my friends’ – he could have if the spirit moved him – but the political officers of Israel, the PA, the UK and Israel know he has greeted them. Israel does not want another war – too costly in terms of money and reputation. Palestinians fear he will sell their birthright – a unified Palestinian state – by treating Gaza as a separate entity.