Via Kibush:

Activists describe West Bank violence
by Katherine Cox
The Stanford Daily
18 April 2006

Two young human rights activists spoke last night in California about the Palestinian population of Tel Rumeida, Hebron, a West Bank neighborhood that also contains some of what were considered the most fanatical Israeli settlements.

The following are some Palestinian reactions to the April 17 suicide bombing in Tel Aviv, that killed 9 and injured dozens. It was the largest such attack in two years, and claimed by Islamic Jihad & the al-Aksa Martyr's Brigades. From ISM, April 18:

Some Palestinian reactions to the suicide bombing

Sa’eed Yakin, the coordinator of the Popular Committee in the northwest Jerusalem area:

“The first thing I would like to say is that we are categorically against the killing of civilians on both sides. The second thing is that this suicide bombing came as a result of the Israeli policy, especially that of the last two months. The third point is that murdering innocent people is an egregious crime when it is acted by a formal state like the Israeli government. They have been doing this and other violence in Gaza Strip, Nablus, and all around for over two months, by invasions, inflicting poverty on the people, the one sided racial separation, the wall, demolitions of houses, etc. The last two months more than 16 people were killed in Gaza Strip by the Israeli occupation forces.

Press release from the Israeli Coalition of Women for Peace:

Israeli Women's Action in Tel Aviv to 'Stop the Bombing of Gaza'
April 11

Today at 18:00 the Coalition of Women for Peace will be washing their hands in blood in an action demanding that bombings stop in Gaza. They will walk from Hassan Beck Mosque along Yarkon Street towards the embassies.

The Coalition of Women for Peace has issued this statement, "In Passover we celebrate freedom while in Gaza - the largest prison in the world, Israel is shedding blood. In the past week the Israeli occupation army attacked brutally Palestinian residents of Gaza, killing and wounding dozens."

Israeli historian Dr. Ilan Pappe of Haifa University takes issue with Noam Chomsky's reaction to the Mearsheimer and Walt article on the Israel lobby:

So what do we learn from the Chomsky reaction?: We can find out what Noam has missed in his analyses in the last twenty years - as this was clear before the LRB article: Chomsky never paid too much and enough attention to the impact of AIPAC on American policy. He identified other factors and grounds, but failed to highlight something which was next door. Nor did he ever write anything of significance of the Christian Zionists. Chomsky also claims that a two state solution is still viable and opposes sanctions on Israel. Interesting positions but hardly ones the invalidate the counter positions.

The final results of Israel's Knesset election are as follows: Kadima, the party created by Sharon and now led by Ehud Olmert has 29 seats, a disappointment considering polls had projected up to 43 seats at one point. Labor, led by Moroccan-born Amir Peretz, has 20. The Mizrahi Orthodox party Shas and Likud have 12 each. Yisrael Beiteinu, the party led by Moldovan-born xenophobe Avigdor Lieberman, who once threatened to blow up the Aswan dam, won 11. The transferist National Union-National Religious Party won nine; the Pensioners' Party, led by Jonathan Pollard's control agent Rafi Eitan, won seven; the non-Zionist United Torah Judaism won six; the increasingly moribund Zio-leftist Meretz won five; the Palestinian Israeli Ra'am-Ta'al party, led by Sheik Sarsur of the more moderate southern wing of the Israeli Islamic movement, won three; the Arab-Jewish communist faction Hadash led by Mohammed Barekeh, won three; and the Balad party led by Palestinian nationalist Azmi Bishara won three. The lowest voter turnout in Israeli history was advantageous for the smaller parties as it lowered the amount of votes needed to pass the 2% threshold to enter the Knesset. Likud also suffered as a result of a voter backlash against the neo-liberal policies of current party leader and former finance minister Benyamin Netanyahu. The pro-marijuana Green Leaf party did not make it past the threshold. (Haaretz, March 31)

From the New Jersey Herald News, March 24:

For activist's supporters, the show does go on

NEW YORK -- Rachel Corrie's legacy just might prove that the pen is mightier than the sword.

The Dalai Lama just visited Israel, where no Israeli official would meet with him. According to the following account, a Palestinian NGO also agreed to cancel his visit to the occupied Palestinian territories at China's request. From the Middle East Times, Feb. 20:

Dalai Lama visit to Bethlehem canceled to avoid China clash
BETHLEHEM, West Bank -- The Dalai Lama, Tibet's exiled spiritual leader, had a visit to Bethlehem canceled at the request of the Palestinian Authority, which is unwilling to antagonize China, organizers said on Monday.

The Palestinian press is raising the possibility that Israel may be trying to provoke a response with a recent large spate of "targeted killings." From the International Middle East Media Center, Feb. 10:

Ongoing Israeli Assassinations by Missile said to be 'Baiting' Palestinian militants
While the Israeli government refuses all contact with the future democratically elected Palestinian government, it has returned to its policy of assassination, targeting alleged Palestinian terrorists without trial or formal accusations, killing 13 this week in aerial missile attacks.