Attacking Islamic State vs protecting civilians in Syria?

With the start of US-led air strikes on Islamic State targets in Syria this week, and Parliament due to vote today on British military action in neighbouring Iraq, attention is once again focused on the conflict which has cost so many lives since 2011. When G8 leaders met in Fermanagh last year, they committed themselves to helping to bring…Continue reading Attacking Islamic State vs protecting civilians in Syria?

Israeli Settlement Goods and the Palestinian Communities they Affect

  The Israeli settlement programme in the Jordan Valley has been in place since the very early days of the occupation, with, according to Human Rights Watch (HRW) 2010 figures, between 6000-9400 Jewish settlers now living in the area. Most of these settlements can be considered as economic in terms of the motivation of those…Continue reading Israeli Settlement Goods and the Palestinian Communities they Affect

Fenced Out: Life Cut off from Land in the Palestinian West Bank “Seam Zone”

In 2002, Israel began work on what was ostensibly a barrier to prevent suicide bombers moving from the West Bank into Israel. Its concrete slabs snake through East Jerusalem and Bethlehem, its dull grey covered in parts by graffiti and the art of Banksy. Alas, no matter how clever the slogan or ingenious the drawing the…Continue reading Fenced Out: Life Cut off from Land in the Palestinian West Bank “Seam Zone”