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My Travels in the West Bank - Some Relevant Weblinks


United Nations Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs: If you ever doubted the importance or efficacy of the UN, its crucial role in the Palestinian Territories is worth noting. Several generations of Palestinian children have been educated in UNRWA schools, and OCHA is the source that Palestinians turn to for up to date information on Israeli checkpoints and road closures. OCHA Maps

B'Tselem: An important Israeli human rights group. For years they have bravely reported on conditions in the territories. The top issues listed on their website are many of the same top issues that Palestinians I met were talking about.

Zochrot: An impressive and uncompromising Israeli group. Among other things, they have an active campaign to recognize and document destroyed Palestinian villages within Israel.

Physicians for Human Rights-Israel: Another group of inspiring Israelis. They work to improve access to health care for residents of Israel, including undocumented immigrants and Palestinians in the Occupied Territories. For example, they have publicized the plight of Gazans who had medical needs which could not be met in the Gaza hospitals, but were denied exit permits by Israel to get to hospitals in the West Bank.

Machsom Watch: These Israeli women are my heros. They are best known for going to checkpoints every single day to bear witness to how Palestinians are treated by the Israeli military. Their work also includes keeping tabs on Israeli Military actions in the West Bank and checking on the veracity of Israeli official announcements about actions in the West Bank. Their reports are available on the website.

The Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions: Get the facts about house demolitions from these folks.

Combatants for Peace: Israelis and Palestinians who were involved in military actions and have laid down weapons and work together for peace.

Al Mubadara- Palestinian National Initiative : Not only in the US do third parties struggle to be heard. Al Mubadara is the alternative to Hamas and Fateh; they are uncompromising in their demands for Palestinian civil rights and have insightful analyses about how peaceful means are the best way for Palestinians to achieve these objectives. They are articulate and well educated, and the darling of internationals, but have little visibility among Palestinians who feel obliged to vote for one of the two better known parties (sound familiar?)

Palestinian Agricultural Relief Commitees: An NGO that has organized Palestinian farmers into co-operatives, helped them to meet international standards, including organic standards, and many other important agriculture projects. A good source of information on ag-related topics, such as Israeli preemption of water resources in the West Bank. PARC is only one of many NGOs in the West Bank and Gaza. Given the weakness of the Palestinian government, and Israel's lack of interest in providing services to Palestinians in the occupied territories, NGOs have proliferated, often recieving funds that foreign governments were giving to the PA before Hamas made electoral gains 2 years ago. For example, PARC plays the role that a functioning Agriculture Department would.

Palestinian Medical Relief Society and the Palestine Red Crescent Society are NGOs that provides medical services to a significant percentage of Palestinians. One of the biggest challenges: the basic lack of freedom of movement for Palestinians also affects patients and health care providers.

Palestinians for Peace and Democracy: A group started by Mohammed Alatar, a Palestinian American filmmaker (The Iron Wall; Jerusalem, The East Side Story).

Shawqi's blog Mostly in Arabic, but there are a few pieces that are translated into english. Shawqi Al'Aissa is a human rights lawyer at the Ensan center in Bethleham. They consider their beat the southern portion of the West Bank (this includes Hebron). You think you have a tough job...

Jewish Voice for Peace A national group with chapters in several U.S. cities. A group of secular American Jews working to end the occupation. This is the group that sponsored the Health and Human Rights Delegation, which I was a part of. If you wish to support such work, please consider making a contribution to JVP.

Americans for Peace Now: American branch of Israeli Peace group Shalom Achshav. Probably the largest and oldest American Jewish Peace group. National, but Washington DC-based. Particularly important is their Settlements Watch program.

Tikkun: More religious than the above groups, and broader in focus. They have published, distributed, and promoted a copy of the Geneva Accords, and Rabbi Learner's analysis of what drives the conflict I think is a useful one. They publish voices in their magazine that otherwise would likely not be published.

Foundation for Middle East Peace: A Washington DC-based think tank. They have some useful publications, including maps.


Introduction Why you should be angry about the occupation Photos Some stories from my travels Outside Links Post a comment