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This Year for Rosh Hashanah, I'm Divorcing Netanyahu's Israel. Settlements Included

Look back to last Rosh Hashanah, and tell me that this is the same world, the same Israel, the same America. Tell me that in the age of the Trump and Bibi show, the sewers have not opened full

Maybe you know someone like me.
I love this place. I love the continually astounding souls of ordinary people in Israel, of every background and shade, whose human decency has survived terrible challenge. I love the look and the scent of this place, the rudeness, the pain even, of its physical beauty. I have no regrets about moving here, living here, falling in love here, raising my family here, serving the country, speaking an ancient language – my language, the one I hated in Hebrew school, the one which has been here for thousands of years – understanding and speaking it with hardship and also savored wonder.
But something has changed.
Look back to last Rosh Hashanah, and tell me that this is the same world, the same Israel, the same America. Tell me that in the age of the Trump and Bibi show, the sewers have not opened full.
Most years, I come up with a whole slew of resolutions. This year I have just one. This year, for Rosh Hashanah, I'm divorcing Netanyahu's Israel.

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Writers and artists declare solidarity with persecuted Palestinian poet Dareen Tatour

Since the night of October 11, 2015, when Israeli soldiers burst in and arrested Dareen Tatour from her home after she posted a poem on social media prosecutors later claimed encouraged violence, the Palestinian poet has been enmeshed in the absurdity of Israel’s selectively guaranteed right to free speech.

Tatour was indicted on two counts, supporting a terror organization and incitement–the latter is an increasingly common charge against Palestinians in Israeli courts in the social media age. After an initial three months in jail, Tatour was moved to home arrest for the duration of her trial where she remains to date.

The case has drawn international attention from writers and artists, in particular. The poet’s fellow creatives are outraged by Israel’s severe threats to free speech yet are inspired by Tatour’s conviction. When offered a plea deal on the condition she admits her poetry incited violence, Tatour refused outright.

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‘I will make half of you disabled and let the other half push wheelchairs’ — Israeli commander to Palestinians

How Israel is disabling Palestinian teenagers
BETHLEHEM, occupied West Bank 21 Sept by Jaclynn Ashly — In the Dheisheh refugeecamp, it is common to see Palestinian teenagers with deep scars dotting the length of their legs, while posters and murals of Palestinians killed by Israeli forces adorn the concrete walls – testaments to a disturbing reality of routine Israeli violence in the camp. International law prohibits the use of live ammunition on civilians, except as a last resort during an imminent threat of life. However, Israeli soldiers freely fire live bullets at Palestinians during confrontations or military raids. Both Palestinian and Israeli rights groups have noted that Israel’s excessive use of force on Palestinians has caused scores of permanent and temporary disabilities in the occupied Palestinian territory … The Bethlehem-based Palestinian NGO Badil reported a significant increase in Palestinian injuries in the refugee camps last year, the majority of which were caused by live ammunition.

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DAILY VIDEO UP TO DATE NEWS

Video of the Week New Clashes Erupt Between Israeli Security Forces, Muslim Worshippers

Temple Mount temporarily closed to Jewish visitors after clashes with police




The Temple Mount was temporarily closed to Jewish visitors on Wednesday at the order of Jerusalem District Commander Yoram Halevy after Jews broke visitation rules at the holy site, police said. The Jewish visitors were expelled from the compound for bringing sacred books to the Mount and trying to pray there. After one of the individuals was cautioned, another took out a holy book, and the group was expelled. Meanwhile, renewed clashes erupted between protesters and Israeli security forces near the Lion's Gate in the Old City, where police used stun grenades against the demonstrators. A regular dynamic has developed involving clashes between Palestinians and Israel Police over the past several days near the Lion's Gate. Dozens of Palestinians are present at the site on a regular basis, urging devotion to the Al-Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount and condemning Israel. During Muslim prayer times, particularly the midday and nighttime prayers, hundreds and sometimes even thousands have been gathering there.

There have been outbreaks of violence during these periods, including stone-throwing or physical confrontations with the police. In most of these incidents, the police have been using stun grenades and sponge-tipped bullets to disperse the crowds. In a number of cases, journalists in the area have also suffered violence at the hands of the police. On Tuesday, Hassan Shaalan, a reporter for the Ynet news website, was struck by a policeman even after he identified himself as a member of the press. A group of Jerusalem-based journalists released a statement of condemnation over the incident and called on the police to permit reporters to do their jobs. The Jerusalem Police responded: "This involved an incident that took place in the course of violent disturbances of the peace that occurred in Jerusalem while the police were acting to remove the demonstrators from the street after some of them refused to vacate. The forces working on the scene are under constant threat to their lives. http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/1.802141

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