Dimi's Scrapbook

Book review: My Life as a Traitor

2008-03-12T07:40:00.000-07:00

Review appeared in abridged form at the Post weekend edition as "Political memoir of no presumption" on March 6, 2008 A blindfolded 20-year-old girl is pushed into an interrogation room in Teheran's notorious Evin prison

National student federation head quits amid misconduct accusations

2008-03-12T07:08:00.000-07:00

Printed in the Jerusalem Post, February 28 2008National Student Federation chairman Itay Shonshine, who ran a 36-day student strike in universities and colleges last spring, announced his resignation on Sunday. In a three-page letter to his colleagues, he said a leader "has to know when to move on," and cited harm to his studies as the primary reason for the move. But federation activists said a

Lebanese speak to the 'Post' about their divisions

2008-03-12T06:14:00.000-07:00

Printed in the Jerusalem Post on February 15, 2008. First time vox-pops from Lebanon appeared at the Post in quite a while...On a day on which two large gatherings [Imad Mugniyeh's funeral and the Rafiq Hariri memorial - DR] highlighted the divisions in Lebanese society, many Beirut residents stayed at home, voicing their disillusionment and frustration with Lebanon's ongoing crisis. "I went to

Left wingers rally for Gaza and Sderot

2008-03-12T05:55:00.001-07:00

Printed in the Jerusalem Post, January 26, 2008More than 1,000 people took part in a demonstration organized by a coalition of left-wing groups at the Erez border crossing on Saturday, in solidarity with Gazans and Sderot residents, under the slogan: "Stop the siege on Gaza: A demonstration for Gaza and for Sderot."A convoy of about 100 cars and 25 buses brought protesters to the crossing with

"The Great News Blockade"

2007-10-03T12:35:00.000-07:00

A short piece I did for the wonderful Index on Censorship. Original here. Russian version here and also here. Funny thing is it was supposed to have been an exposé, and the censorship got eased up just as the article went to "print" - after I spent two days pestering the censor and the spokespeople of the IDF for their comments. Hope you enjoy. The Israeli government yesterday lifted some

An interview with Johann Hari

2007-09-28T05:31:00.000-07:00

Johann Hari is perhaps unique in British journalism in that he is as vehemently despised both on the traditional Right and the traditional Left. The assignment on City's "Radicalism" course was to interview a radical journalist. With a biweekly column in a national newspaper, appearances in lucrative outlets abroad and an impressive list of prominent interviewees - Tony Blair, Hugo Chavez and

Our very own Nazis

2007-09-18T00:23:00.000-07:00

This is the first installment for what will hopefully become a weekly analysis column on the Lebanese website Libnanews. The French version is here (you might need to scroll down a bit).Israel will probably never escape its consciously cultivated image as a social and political experiment, a semi-voluntary ant farm. This is ironic, as the country was ostensibly established to provide a

An interview with Avrum Burg

2007-09-05T06:07:00.000-07:00

[This was done in June for the Jewish Chronicle, but they backed out. For your pleasure. ]The common wisdom is that history never remains at a standstill. Nations change, as do the ideological frameworks that support them. A number of weeks ago, one of Israel’s most respected politicians gave an interview to the Haaretz newspaper, which sent shock waves throughout the Jewish world and beyond

Da nomadi a senzatetto

2007-06-27T13:21:00.000-07:00

[from the archive - a piece I did for Peace Reporter (Italian)] Centinaia di beduini, uomini, donne e bambini sono stati lasciati senza un tetto sulla testa nella gelida notte di lunedì 25 giugno del deserto del Negev, dopo che l'Amministrazione Territoriale Israeliana ha demolito le loro case per creare una nuova comunità ebraica. I beduini sfollati vivevano in due villaggi non riconosciuti