‘Shameless Racism’: 13 Countries Change Long-Standing Position on Palestine at UN — Palestine Chronicle (12/5)

For the first time, 13 countries changed their longstanding positions and voted against a pro-Palestine measure at the United Nations on Tuesday. Germany, the Czech Republic, Austria, Bulgaria, Denmark, Estonia, Greece, Lithuania, Netherlands, Romania, Slovakia, Brazil, and Colombia voted against the annual resolution regarding the “Division for Palestinian Rights of the Secretariat”, according to the Times of Israel. They had previously abstained on the vote. The resolution, which includes a call to halt to illegal Israeli settlements being constructed in the occupied West Bank, still passed with a large majority voting in favor. The Palestinian representative told the council: “If you protect Israel, it will destroy you all.” He also said Israel’s character as a Jewish state is “shameless racism”.

Investigation Uncovers Israel-Based Group Behind Bigoted Facebook Smear Campaign Aimed at US Muslim Congresswomen — Common Dreams (12/5)

The challenges of parenting in Palestine — Mondoweiss (12/4)

Three-year-old Ramzy Qasyieh follows his mother around their property in the Makhrour valley near the West Bank city of Bethlehem. Together they sift through their possessions, sprawled about in the open air, to show little Ramzy that his toys and clothes are just fine. In late August, Israeli forces demolished the Qasyieh family home and adjoining restaurant. “We told him it was an airplane crash,” his mother Michelle said to me. “But he is smart. He’s already asking questions like, ‘Where are the pieces of the plane?’” The questions of a three-year-old can be challenging to answer for any parent. But parenting in Palestine comes with its own set of obstacles that extend far beyond answering tough questions. The Qasyiehs live in Area C of the West Bank, where Israeli authorities rarely approve any form of Palestinian construction forcing many to build or re-build under constant threat of home and business demolition. 

Impressive gathering for Palestine convention in Chicago — Patch (12/3)

UN says Israeli occupation cost the Palestinian economy $48 billion — Mondoweiss (12/3)

American Muslims to Democrats: 'Palestine is a foreign policy priority' — Middle East Eye (12/2)

Activists and academics gathered in Chicago over the weekend for the 12th annual American Muslims for Palestine (AMP) convention, calling on American Muslims and the Democratic Party to prioritise Palestine as a foreign policy issue. Those present at the convention overwhelmingly expressed the view that if a Democrat is elected president in 2020, the momentum built in the last few years over issues impacting Palestinian self-determination needed to be carried into the White House. The conference, organised by AMP, a national, grassroots organisation focused on educating the public on political and cultural issues related to Palestine, featured speakers like academic and television personality Marc Lamont Hill, activist Linda Sarsour, lawyer Zahra Billoo, and Palestinian-American congresswoman Rashida Tlaib. Over 3,500 people from across the US registered for the three-day convention, organisers said.