Articles About Gaza

In this article Mike Rosenberg critiques widespread use of lies by America Israel supporters to defend Israel's attack on the Gaza Flotilla.

In this article, Rabbi Brant Rosen, co-founder of Taanit Tzedek - Jewish Fast for Gaza responds to a series of personal attacks by Alan Dershowitz on Jews and rabbis who are critical of Israeli policy. One of the attacks was on 38 rabbis who wrote a public letter in support of Judge Goldstone. Rabbi Rosen explores why Dershowitz is engaging in these desparate ad hominem attacks and how it reflects a sea change in the Jewish community in relation to Israel.

The second phone conference of our new program, Resisting the Siege: Conversations with Gazans, will be held on our next fast day, Thursday April 15 at 12:00 noon EST. Our guests on the call will be young people in Gaza who have participated in The Popular Achievement program in Gaza, sponsored by the American Friends Service Committee. The program that focuses on 14-17 year olds, aims at sustaining the values of youth civic engagement and empowerment of youth to invent/generate creative spaces for democratic participation in order to achieve positive social transformation and
sustainable development.

Participant Dialing Instructions:
Toll Free Number: 1-800-868-1837
Direct Dial Number: 1-404-920-6440
Conference Code: 775326#

Meet Young Gazans:

Sarah Salipi:
"I'm 18 years old and I'm studying English Literature at Al-Azhar university in Gaza. I live with my family in Jabalya camp. I'm working as a volunteer in a social and cultural center. I also worked as a volunteer in summer camps for children. I'm interested in social work, folk dancing (dabka), watching movies and listen to music and reading novels".

Roba Salipi:
"I’m a 17 old girl at my last year at high school. I live in jablia camp with the best family ever. I’m a member of folk dancing group and a member of social association as well. I participated in popular achievement program twice which gave me a great experience. I like meeting new people, doing voluntary work, writing and reading novels".

Amal Sabawi, the director of the program, will also join us on the call. It will be a unique opportunity to hear about a remarkable program and to hear directly from young people in Gaza how they grapple with the difficulties of growing up in a community under siege.

Participant Dialing Instructions:
Toll Free Number: 1-800-868-1837
Direct Dial Number: 1-404-920-6440
Conference Code: 775326#

For more information about the Public Achievers program, visit their website or watch this video.

Amy Goodman of Democracy Now interview Craig and Cindy Corrie.

Moshe Halberthal, prominent Israeli liberal Orthodox scholar, attacks the Goldstone Report. You will find responses to this article on our website by several of his students who wrote a long public letter expressing their disappointment with his position and arguments. There is also two responses by Magnes Zionist and David Schulman, two Israeli academics who are colleagues of Halberthal, on the website.

Rabbi Lynn Gottlieb, one of the rabbinic members of Jewish Fast for Gaza, explains why she participated in the Gaza Freedom March. Her article puts the issues of Gaza within the context of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and presents a non-violent alternative as the only way to resolve that conflict. Her article is courageous, inspiring and challenging. I am sure it will provoke discussion and dialogue on some very important and often unexamined issues.

The Israeli newspaper, Ha'Aretz, just printed an editorial calling for the lifting of the siege on Gaza. This is the first such public position by a major Israeli newspaper.

Sami Abdel Shafi, a resident of Gaza and guest on the Ta'Anit Tzedek Jewish Fast for Gaza conference call describes the desperate conditions in Gaza.

"The US and the EU should come to Gaza; then they could draw their own conclusions on an Israeli policy they have backed and funded without ever witnessing its consequences on ordinary civilians' lives. Surely then they could not fail to see that changing their policy is a moral imperative."

This isn't quite a verbatim of the conference call with Judge Goldstone... but it comes close. Rachel also adds some of her own reflections after the transcription of her notes.

A fairly comprehensive article about the call with Judge Goldstone organized by Taanit Tzedek.

Given his involvement in investigations into human rights violations in many different countries, Judge Richard Goldstone, explains why he accepted the position as chair of the Fact Finding Mission to Gaza. How could he as a human rights advocate investigate violations by all other countries but not Israel?
After reading this article you may want to listen to the recording of Judge Goldstone's conference call with rabbis on our website.

In a Chicago Tribune op-ed, Rabbi Brant Rosen suggests that the Jewish community use Yom Kippur as a time for a collective moral accounting over Israel's actions in Gaza.

Richard Silverstein unpacks some recent articles in the main stream press touting economic improvements in the West Bank. It seems that the most misleading aspects of those articles is in their titles, with lots of critical points inside the articles themselves.

Report on the work of the UN Human Rights Council's investigation into the recent conflict in Gaza. Israel is not cooperating with the investigation which is being led by Richard Goldstone, a Jew, and a respected South African war crimes prosecutor. The article was written after the group went to Gaza to see the destruction first hand and listen to testimony.

An excellent article about Fred Abrahams, senior researcher for Human Rights Watch, who will be participating in a Taanit Tzedek conference call on September 30, 2009. Abrahams describes his work as human rights researcher in different parts of the world and especially in Gaza and Israel during the Gaza War. He points out that in every situation human rights researchers are accused of bias by both sides.

In all of these conflicts we are constantly accused - by both sides - of being one-sided"
"But no one has yet stepped forward and said we've got the facts wrong. They might criticize our methods, but all of our critics use polemics, not facts. If you want to criticize us for the reporting, the details, please do it. If there are any factual corrections, please let us know.

Excellent article by Columbia University's Rashid Khalidi, who lists and explores "a few essential points that seem to be missing from the conversation (about Gaza)."

Harvard's Sara Roy:

"How can keeping food and medicine from the people of Gaza protect the people of Israel? How can the impoverishment and suffering of Gaza’s children – more than 50 per cent of the population – benefit anyone? International law as well as human decency demands their protection. If Gaza falls, the West Bank will be next."

David Schulman, Israeli peace activist, responds to Moshe Halberthal's critique of the Goldstone Report.