[This is a monthly roundup of news articles and other materials circulating on Resistance, Subversion and Social Mobilization in the Arab world and reflects a wide variety of opinions. It does not reflect the views of the DARS Page Editors or of Jadaliyya. You may send your own recommendations for inclusion in each monthly roundup to DARS@jadaliyya.com.]
News & Commentaries
Israeli Army Kills Seventeen Palestinians in Gaza Protests, by Al Jazeera
On Friday 30 March, seventeen Palestinians were killed and 1,400 others were wounded after Israeli forces fired live ammunition at protesters and used tear gas to push them back from a heavily fortified fence. The demonstration commemorated Land Day, which took place on 30 March 1976, when six unarmed Palestinian citizens of Israel were killed by Israeli forces during protests against the Israeli government's decision to expropriate massive tracts of Palestinian-owned land. Organisers of Friday's march, dubbed "the Great Return March", said the main message of the demonstration was to call for the right of return for Palestinian refugees.
Israel: Gaza Killings Unlawful, Calculated. Officials Green-Light Shooting of Unarmed Demonstrators, by Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch released a report stating that “senior Israeli officials who unlawfully called for use of live ammunition against Palestinian demonstrations who posed no imminent threat to life bear responsibility for the killings of fourteen demonstrators in Gaza and the injuring of hundreds on 30 March 2018.” Following these killings, H.R.W. calls the International Criminal Court prosecutor to open “a formal investigation into serious international crimes in Palestine.”
In the Occupation, Slapping a Soldier Is Worse than Killing a Palestinian, by Jonathan Ofir
Jonathan Ofir looks at two recent court cases in the Israeli military court system, the first regarding the request for an open trial for young activist Ahed Tamimi and the second regarding the prison sentence of Elor Azarya an IDF soldier who shot and killed a Palestinian in 2016. The court denied Tamimi’s request for an open trial and once again, shortened Azarya’s prison sentence to just 9 months. Ofir compares the two cases and looks at the different moral implications in each one.
Three Reasons Why Israel Backed Down, and Ahed Tamimi Will Walk Free, by Fadi Quran
Fadi Quran analyzes the three main reasons why, according to him, the Israeli military was “forced to back down,” and give Ahed Tamimi the minimum possible sentence.
Where Streets Have No Name: Israel Leaves Palestinians in Postal “Dark Age,” Jonathan Cook
In the Palestinian town of Umm al-Fahm, the houses have no numbers and its three-hundred and one streets have no names. While the municipality put forth an official submission for street names five years ago, Israel’s Interior Ministry is refusing to follow through with any changes precisely because of the suggested street names. The list include streets named after Palestinian icons who are deemed "enemies" of the state of Israel. Jonathan Cook draws attention to how the struggle over street signs is part of the resistance against the process of linguistic cleansing and erasure of Palestinian history.
Palestine Marathon Puts Spotlight on Right of Movement, by Anne Paq
Thousands have attended the sixth edition of the Palestine Marathon, with people participating from all over the West Bank and Jerusalem, as well as abroad. The forty-two kilometres race requires participants to complete two loops of the same route to avoid Israeli military checkpoints or settlements. The marathon is a way to promote tourism in Palestine, but is also symbolizes solidarity and raises awareness about the Israeli occupation and the territorial fragmentation of the West Bank.
How Palestinian Women Led Successful Non-Violent Resistance, by Mersiha Gadzo
According to a study of 323 major political conflicts from 1900-2006, non-violent movements are less likely to cause physical harm and typically lead to more peaceful and democratic societies. Two Palestinian women, Naila Ayyash and Iltizam Morrar describe how they led successful non-violent protests against the Israeli occupation during the First and Second Intifadas by empowering other Palestinian women to participate in civilian resistance.
Seeds of Resistance: The Woman Fighting Occupation with Agriculture, by Joshua Leifer
In this interview, Vivien Sansour talks about her project, the Palestine Heirloom Seed Library, which is set up to preserve Palestinian agricultural heritage. She sees her project as part of resisting the occupation’s impact on Palestinian agricultural practices, and the global movement to preserve and enable local varieties of farming and biodiversity. “I speak about the occupation within a global context because it does not exist in isolation from global trends,” Vivien Sansour says. “Farmers who can produce their own food and make their own seeds represent a threat to any hegemonic power that wants to control a population. If we are autonomous, we really have a lot more space to revel, to create our own systems, to be more subversive,” she adds.
Inspirational, Courageous and Never Losing Hope…The Story of Maimouna al-Aammar from Eastern Ghouta – Damascus, by Liberated T
This is a profile on Syrian activist and social worker, Maimouna al-Aammar. It is written by the members of the advocacy group Liberated T (تمتحررة) which aims to change gender stereotypes by highlighting the work and influential contribution of Syrian women. Once such woman is al-Aammar, who has spent years helping children all over Syria. She is currently working in the Child Protection Network offices in Eastern Ghouta and Daraa.
“We Are Here to Resist:” Tunisia’s LGBT Community Demand Change, by Alessandra Bajec
Tunisian activists have launched a series of bold cultural projects to push public debate on lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex (LGBTQI) issues. The campaigning work for the decriminalisation of homosexuality in the country has been ongoing since the start of Tunisia's Jasmine Revolution, and has now materialised in the Mawjoudin Queer Film Festival and Radio Shams. While the these initiatives still face opposition by the Tunisian government, religious figures and conservative political groups, they have been raising awareness and acceptance of the LGBTQI community in Tunisia.
Protests Over Morocco’s “Death Mines” Rage on Despite Intimidation, by Farid El Mohammadi
The people of Jerada have been left jobless since the Morocco Coal Mine, formerly the economic lifeblood of the city, closed some twenty years ago. Their demands include an economic alternative to the illegal mines, lower water and electricity bills, and the prosecution of the “coal barons” who they say exploit their misery. Their demonstrations make up a part of the social movements from Al Hoceima in the Rif to Zagora since the deaths of two miners trapped in the shaft of an abandoned coal mine last December.
Why Bahraini Rights Activists Need International Support, by Tod Hodenfield
In the context a sustained campaign of state repression and the sentencing of activist Nabeel Rajab to five years in prison, this article encourages international support for Bahraini freedom and democracy rights activists in order to place greater diplomatic pressure on the monarchy. International solidarity has previously made a difference, when a brutal crackdown on demonstrations in 2011 led to an inquiry by the Bahrain Independent Commission.
Young Egyptians Start Campaign to Battle Sexual Abuse, by Amira Sayed Ahmed
Egyptian students at the American University in Cairo have turned their graduation thesis project into a campaign to fight against the sexual abuse of children, which is still a topic that is considered taboo in Egypt. Their campaign "Lahza,” Arabic for “moment", aims to offer support for the children who have been abused, raise children's awareness on what constitutes abuse, and to train parents and teachers on how to detect this abuse early and how to help abused children.
The “Enforced Disappearance” of Egypt’s Secular Youth, by Al-Monitor
This article looks at a number of enforced disappearance cases involving secular activists in Egypt. Apart from supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood, the Egyptian National Security Agency targets journalists and human rights activists. After being abducted, secular activists are sometimes being kept in secret places between court hearings, or even tortured and executed.
نقاشات حول المقاطعة
أعد محررو مدى مصر مجموعة من المقالات تبحث في مسألة العلاقات العربية الإسرائيلية. تبحث هذه المقالات في وجهات النظر المختلفة فيما يتعلق بـ BDS التي تسعى إلى سحب الاستثمارات من إسرائيل ، ومن جهة أخرى ، المحاولات الرسمية من الدول العربية "لتطبيع" العلاقة مع إسرائيل.
عدد قياسي من النساء بالانتخابات اللبنانية
يشاركن عدد قياسي من المرشحات في الانتخابات البرلمانية المقبلة في لبنان. هذه أول انتخابات برلمانية منذ تسع سنوات. تأجلت الانتخابات في السنوات السابقة بسبب عدم الاستقرار الإقليمي ولكن الآن مع قوانين الانتخابات الجديدة يشارك عدد قياسي من المرشحين ، بما في ذلك الصحفيات والناشطات.
آلاف المغاربة يتحدون حظر التظاهر في مدينة جرادة المغربية
تم تجديد الاحتجاجات في مدينة جرادة ، المغرب. بدأت الاحتجاجات في ديسمبر من العام الماضي بعد وفاة شابين يعملان في بئر غير مشروعة لاستخراج الفحم. مع عدم وجود حل للنضالات الاقتصادية في المدينة مثل ارتفاع معدلات البطالة ، خرج السكان إلى الشوارع في احتجاجات سلمية. اعتبرت الحكومة الاحتجاجات غيرقانونية و تتدخلت قوات الأمن مما أدى إلى اعتقال 14 متظاهرًا.
مسيرة نسوية بتونس تطالب بالمساواة في الميراث
طالبن النساء التونسيات بمساواه في قوانين الميراث في مسيرة أمام البرلمان. قد فاتح الرئيس هذه القضية في العام الماضي ، وفي الوقت الذي تم فيه إلغاء بعض قوانين الزواج التي تحظر على النساء المسلمات الزواج من أجانب غير مسلمون ، ما زالت النشطات يناضلن من أجل العمل فيما يتعلق بالمساواة في الميراث.
“خمسة عشرعاماً على النفس الأخير لراشيل كوري: "كن إنساناً
مرت 15 سنة منذ وفاة الناشطة الأمريكية راشيل كوري. كانت كوري عضوًا في حركة التضامن الدولية وأمضت سنوات في الدفاع عن القضية الفلسطينية . تتحدث هذه المقالة عن حياتها وموتها وتأثيرها الدائم في فلسطين وأيضا في الخارج.
Art & Culture
47Soul’s Balfron Promise: A Critical Look at the Politics of Movement, by Peter Holslin
47Soul is made up of four Palestinian musicians, who lived in London’s iconic Balfron Tower for over a year since 2015, as part of an artist-residency program. While they are aware of their role in the gentrification process, they produced their album Balfron Promise, which combines dabke rhythms, whirling synth riffs and thoughtful lyrics, sung in both Arabic and English. The members of 47Soul also discuss the difficulties they have encountered in performing across the world, due to tour and concerts thwarted by visa requirements and travel restrictions.
Palestinian Film Festival Seeks to Challenge Israel’s Cultural Erasure, by Rami Younis
The third annual Haifa Independent Film Festival will show Palestinian films alongside movies from across the Arab world. This year, the organizers voted to not include a film by Jerusalem Director Muayad Alayan, who had cast two Israeli actors, Ishai Golan and Sivane Kretchner, in the movie. This decision was made according to the violation of one of the BDS movement's principles, and in order to adhere to a clear Palestinian identity for the festival.
Art Meets Activism in Ai Weiwei Show in Qatar, by Sara Khairat
Chinese artist and activist Ai Weiwei is showing in the Middle East for the first time, with an exhibition titled 'Laundromat' on the global refugee crisis at the Fire Station art gallery in Qatar's capital, Doha. The director of the gallery, Khalifa al-Obaidli, hopes that exhibitions such as these will inspire young artists to make art that focuses on social and political issues.
ريمبنا: رحيلفنانةفلسطينية "جابتأغانيهاالأرض"
توفيت المطربة الناشطة ريم البنا يوم السبت 24 مارس بعد معركة طويلة مع سرطان الثدي. تقدم هذه المقالة مقدمة قصيرة عن حياتها وتأثيرها على الشعب الفلسطيني.
Events & Conferences
London Kurdish Film Festival, 13-22 April 2018, London, UK.
The Latin East: New Perspectives on Latin America – Middle East Ties (organized by NACLA, MERIP and Jadaliyya), 27-28 April 2018, New York University, US.
Contested Identities and Conflicting Alliances in the Arab World, 28 April 2018, Graduate Conference, University of Cambridge, UK.
Social Movements and Protest: Race, Ethnicity, and Radicalism, 4-5 May 2018, San Diego State University, San Diego, US.
The Reception of Images: Realities and Fictions in North/South Relations, 8-9 May 2018, University of Oran 2 Mohamed Ben Ahmed, Oran, Algeria
Orientalism, Neo-Orientalism and Post-Orientalism in African, Middle East, Latin American, Asian/Chinese Studies, 17-18 May 2018, Center for Global Studies, Shanghai University, China.
Serbest Kurdish Studies Conference, 1-2 June 2018, Buffett Institute for Global Studies, Northwestern University, US.
International Palestine Summit 2018: Israeli Settlement and the West Bank Barrier in Palestine, 21-22 June 2018, Turkish Asian Center for Strategic Studies, Istanbul, Turkey.
Re-Imagining Cultural Histories of the Middle East and North Africa, 28 June 2018, University of Westminster, UK.
Political Violence in Syria: Historical and Contemporary Perspectives, 14-15 September 2018, Ultrecht University, Netherlands. (Call for Papers Deadline: 15 April 2018)
Cinema-Going in The Arab World: Exhibition, Distribution, and Audiences, 14-15 September 2018, Netherlands-Flemish Institute, Cairo, Egypt. (Call for Papers Deadline: 30 April 2018).
The Biannual Conference of the Middle East Studies Forum: Trump and the Middle East, 29-31 October 2018, Deakin University Burwood, Victoria, Australia.