Archive
History, Justice, and the Unfinished Struggle: Investigating Israel’s Crimes and the Palestinian Dispossession
By Akashma News
Introduction: The Line Between Truth and Accusation
In the modern age of journalism, reporting on Israeli policies in the occupied Palestinian territories often comes with a dangerous label: anti-Semitism. The accusation is frequently used to silence critics, whether they are journalists, human rights organizations, or even Jewish scholars who question Israeli state actions. But is exposing war crimes, settler violence, and military oppression truly an act of prejudice against Jewish people, or is it a necessary pursuit of truth and accountability?
Beyond this, a more fundamental question remains: Has history provided justice to the Palestinian people, who have faced decades of displacement, occupation, and systemic oppression? The answers lie in a century-long pattern of colonial ambition, international complicity, and an unwavering Palestinian resistance against historical injustice.
The Settler Question: Criticism or Hate Speech?
The Israeli government and pro-Zionist organizations often frame criticism of Israel as anti-Semitic. In 2016, the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) adopted a controversial definition of anti-Semitism that includes “claiming that the existence of a State of Israel is a racist endeavor.” This definition has since been weaponized to silence activists, scholars, and even Jewish critics who oppose Israel’s apartheid policies.
However, major human rights organizations, including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and B’Tselem (an Israeli NGO), have all independently concluded that Israel is committing crimes of apartheid. These reports document how Israel’s government enforces segregation, land seizures, and military oppression against Palestinians. If leading global watchdogs can make these claims without being anti-Semitic, why is the same standard not applied to journalists and activists?
Settler Violence and State Backing
One of the most egregious aspects of Israeli policy is the state-backed expansion of illegal settlements. The Fourth Geneva Convention explicitly prohibits an occupying power from transferring its population into occupied territory, making all Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem illegal under international law.
Yet, as of 2024, over 700,000 Israeli settlers live in these illegal enclaves. Reports from the United Nations, Al-Haq, and Breaking the Silence (a group of former Israeli soldiers) document systematic violence against Palestinians by settlers, often with the protection—or direct assistance—of the Israeli military.
This violence includes:
Forcible land seizures and home demolitions.
Arson attacks, such as the 2015 firebombing in Duma that killed an 18-month-old Palestinian baby and his parents.
Live fire against Palestinian civilians, frequently ignored or excused by Israeli courts.
Labeling these documented crimes as “anti-Semitic propaganda” serves only to shield perpetrators from accountability. As investigative journalists, our duty is to report the truth, not cater to political narratives that suppress it.
Historical Dispossession: The “Jewish Dream” and Palestinian Reality
From Balfour to the Nakba: How Palestine Was Stolen
The roots of Palestinian dispossession date back to 1917, when British Foreign Secretary Arthur Balfour issued the Balfour Declaration, promising British support for a Jewish homeland in Palestine. This declaration was made without consulting the 95% majority Palestinian population, who suddenly found their fate being decided by a foreign power and a Zionist movement led by figures like Lord Rothschild and Chaim Weizmann.
When the British Mandate took control of Palestine in 1920, Zionist paramilitary groups—the Haganah, Irgun, and Lehi (Stern Gang)—began violently seizing Palestinian land. These groups conducted terrorist operations, including bombings and assassinations, against both Palestinians and the British.
By 1947, despite Jews owning only 6% of the land, the United Nations partition plan allocated 55% of Palestine to the Jewish population, fueling Palestinian resistance. The response from Zionist militias was ruthless:
The Nakba (1948): Ethnic Cleansing and Massacres
During the war following the unilateral declaration of Israel’s statehood in May 1948, Zionist militias executed a calculated campaign of ethnic cleansing. Israeli historian Ilan Pappé, in his book The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine, documents how 750,000 Palestinians were forcibly expelled, and over 500 villages were destroyed in a deliberate effort to erase Palestinian presence.
Massacres such as Deir Yassin (April 9, 1948), where over 100 Palestinian men, women, and children were slaughtered, served as psychological warfare to drive out more Palestinians. Survivors recall scenes of rape, executions, and mutilations—horrors reminiscent of other colonial genocides.
By the time the war ended, Israel controlled 78% of historic Palestine, far beyond the UN’s partition allotment. The remaining 22%—the West Bank and Gaza Strip—came under Jordanian and Egyptian control, only to be occupied by Israel in 1967.
The 1967 War and Ongoing Occupation
Following Israel’s victory in the Six-Day War (1967), it occupied the remaining Palestinian territories. Since then, Israel has implemented a military regime over millions of Palestinians, depriving them of basic human rights. The occupation continues to this day, with:
2.2 million Gazans living under a near-total blockade, described by the UN as an “open-air prison.”
Over 500 military checkpoints in the West Bank restricting Palestinian movement.
Apartheid laws that grant Israeli settlers full rights while denying them to native Palestinians.
Has History Delivered Justice?
Despite numerous UN resolutions condemning Israeli actions, little has changed. The U.S. veto power at the UN Security Council ensures Israel remains shielded from international law.
Meanwhile, Palestinians remain stateless, refugees in their own homeland or scattered across the world. No reparations, no right of return, and no accountability have been offered to the victims of Zionist colonization.
Even attempts to hold Israel legally accountable have been crushed. In 2021, the International Criminal Court (ICC) opened an investigation into Israeli war crimes, but faced severe pushback from Western governments. In contrast, these same nations demand justice for Ukraine against Russia, exposing the double standard in international law.
The Fight for Justice Continues
Despite Israel’s military and political power, the Palestinian resistance—both armed and non-violent—continues. Movements such as:
Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS), which pressures companies and institutions to cut ties with Israeli apartheid.
Legal challenges at the ICC and UN bodies.
Grassroots resistance in occupied territories, where Palestinians fight back against home demolitions, settler violence, and military oppression.
Conclusion: A Call for Unbiased Journalism
To expose Israel’s crimes is not to be anti-Semitic—it is to uphold the principles of journalism and human rights. The real issue is not religious identity, but settler colonialism, military occupation, and ethnic cleansing.
History has failed Palestine, but the future remains unwritten. Journalists, historians, and activists must continue to document, expose, and challenge the forces that seek to erase the Palestinian people. The world ignored the Nakba in 1948. Will it ignore the ongoing Nakba today?
About the Author: Marivel Guzman
Marivel Guzman is an investigative journalist and photographer with a fervent dedication to uncovering the truth and advocating for social justice. She earned her Bachelor of Arts from California State University, Sacramento, where she honed her skills in journalism and developed a passion for storytelling.
Throughout her career, Guzman has contributed to various reputable publications, including Lariat News, Orange Coast Report, and The State Hornet. Her work delves into complex socio-political issues, aiming to shed light on underreported stories and marginalized communities. She is also the founder of Akashma Online News, a platform she has used since 2007 to research, analyze, and document pressing global issues.
In addition to her journalistic endeavors, Guzman has served as a proof editor for the Baluchistan Red Crescent quarterly magazine and volunteers as a photographer for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), capturing the resilience and struggles of displaced populations.
Guzman’s commitment to social activism extends beyond traditional journalism. She maintains a political blog where she explores pressing global issues and engages readers in thoughtful discourse. Her poetry, reflecting themes of solitude, resilience, and hope, has been featured in Akashma Online News, offering readers a glimpse into her introspective and creative perspective.
Her dedication to investigative reporting is further enriched by her extensive worldwide travels, which have provided her with profound cultural insights and a global perspective on issues of human rights, colonialism, and justice. These experiences deeply inform her writing, allowing her to engage with diverse narratives and historical contexts.
Currently based in Orange County, California, Guzman continues to leverage her investigative skills and passion for storytelling to inform, inspire, and provoke thought among her audience. Her unwavering dedication to truth and justice remains at the core of her work, as she strives to amplify the voices of those who are often unheard.
Celebrities For Palestine standing tall for a just cause – Vanessa Redgrave
‘My politics have become rights-based. That’s my duty. I’m pledged to put children before anybody’s politics’ … Vanessa Redgrave. Photograph: David Levene
It takes courage to speak about Israel’s crimes, but it takes integrity to speak for Palestine, Vanessa Redgrave the 1977 Oscar winner has been political activist for most of her life, during her Oscar acceptance speech in 1978, she took the opportunity to denounce the Zionist lobby, calling them “Zionist hoodlums”.
Redgrave is a well known actress that regardless of the Jewish lobby in Hollywood has managed to work in hundreds of films, just in United States she is being nominated more times for her acting roles more than any other actress in the US.
‘Howards End‘ (1993), The Bostonians (1985), Julia (1977) won her the Oscar, Redgrave has been nominated throughout her career 53 times, won 50 awards in diverse categories.
Hollywood is a big stage for worldwide actors and at the same time it is a place where you get blacklisted if you speak against Israel, for Vanessa Redgrave did not work she continued to work after that controversial speech at the Oscars.
This is a reminder to all celebrities that trade their integrity for stardom, a reminder to all celebrities that speak the truth about Palestine and then they retract themselves, Vanessa Redgrave should be your example of integrity, she has stand for her believes without fearing repercussions in here career.
Ms Redgrave is a hero that uses the stage for her roles as an actress and as the platform to speak for the voiceless.
Julia, The Palestinian and the Oscar controversy
In 1977, Redgrave funded and narrated a documentary film The Palestinian about Palestinians and the activities of the Palestinian Liberation Organization.
Vanessa Redgrave is a English actress of stage, screen and television, as well as a political activist.
“when Vanessa Redgrave took the stage at the Oscars in 1978 and nearly detonated her career by denouncing the Israeli government for its treatment of Palestine” from the Hollywood Reporter
This is part of her acceptance speech at the 1978 Oscars:
“My dear colleagues, I thank you very much for this tribute to my work. I think that Jane Fonda and I have done the best work of our lives, and I think this is in part due to our director, Fred Zinnemann.”
“And I also think it’s in part because we believed and we believe in what we were expressing–two out of millions who gave their lives and were prepared to sacrifice everything in the fight against fascist and racist Nazi Germany,” Redgrave continued.
She later added, “And I salute you, and I pay tribute to you, and I think you should be very proud that in the last few weeks you’ve stood firm, and you have refused to be intimidated by the threats of a small bunch of Zionist hoodlums whose behavior is an insult to the stature of Jews all over the world and their great and heroic record of struggle against fascism and oppression.”
Vanessa Redgrave talks about those who support Palestine and the right of self determination. NYC Ethical Culture Jan. 13, 2008.
Redgrave’s support of the Palestinian Arabs has reduced her opportunities in Hollywood and even back home in England, where such support was and is more common. Redgrave almost certainly would have been made a Dame by now but for her outspoken views.
She was once married to director Tony Richardson who once said about her, “Vanessa Redgrave is controversial, her enemies hate her, and her friends dislike her.” Others admire her belief of justice for the oppressed, which has led her to such places as Sarajevo and Tibet.
The Palestinian, a 1977 documentary, where Vanessa Redgrave funded and lends her voice premier was sabotaged by “Zionist hoodlums” The cinema in which this film was to be shown (The Doheny Plaza theatre, Los Angeles) was bombed (15th June, 1978: 04.26am) prior to its screening that day. Causing some $1000 damage, the film was shown at the same cinema the following night.
“Put Gaza’s children before politics, says Vanessa Redgrave” reads the the Guarding headlines on August 1, when Israel was mercilessly killing Palestinian in Gaza.
“I believe in political solutions not in military solutions, like Uri Avnery in Tel Aviv. I fear for the lives of the Israelis who are rallying for peace every Saturday in Tel Aviv. Who go, like Uri Avnery, to the Palestinian villages to stop shootings and demolitions of homes.
Humanitarian agencies have to talk to governments that other governments categorise as “the bad guys”. Until governments agree to talk to the “bad guys” we can never have justice nor peace nor a future for our children anywhere.
Vanessa Redgrave
London, August 1, 2014
Is Rupert Murdoch Ignorant?
Posted by Marivel Guzman
Original Post by by Raja Mujtaba
Article by Alan Hart
Its proclaimed objective is to “fight anti-Semitism”. In reality its main purpose under the leadership of Abe Foxman is to smear, harass, silence and preferably destroy those of all faiths and none who are critical of Zionism in action – critical of Israel’s policies in general and its contempt for international law in particular; and critical of the awesome power of the Zionist lobby, in America especially.
“In a recent speech at an ADL (Anti-Defamation League) dinner, Rupert Murdoch, arguably the most influential mainstream media chief on Planet Earth, made some extraordinary statements which must be challenged. But first it’s necessary for us all to be clear about what ADL’s role is.”
Murdoch and his empire They are very much aware of the situation in the world, at this stage ..there is no business as usual. His own empire is suffering the Social Networks taking their viewers and readers away from their outlets.
Even Abraham Foxman with all his ADL(Anti-difamation League) power is suffering the downs of the People waking up to the truth, learning the real agenda of his ADL as a front to kill any attacks on the Zionist Agenda..The ADL and the Jewis Lobby worked tirelessly to kill dissent..But now..we are seeing that their stage is falling down..
Their positions on issues are going to change with the Times, because that’s what they do good..these characters like the lizards will change the color of their skin..
Their ancestors did it in the past they change religion as convenience.
Now these lizards will change even their Views and responses to the times that are changing..
Murdoch is not stupid but he goes where the money will be generated, he is the money man.
Remember myspace.com when Tom the friend of millions make its debut on the wires, and the world got caught by surprise..Well you must wonder is myspace.com wasn’t just another theather mounted for your entertainment and once the show was mature they tear it down and Murdoch came and took his share, your presence, your friends, your pictures, your views. Murdoch is not stupid he is one of the most cleaver men of our time.
The power to the people is pushing aside the “legends” of the Media, characters made famous for their unrestricted use of Power to divert, their impunity to bend the truth with catastrophic consequences. People like Murdoch involved by power given to him by not other than you, your indifference to play a role in your own affairs.
His power is vested on nothing more than propaganda and lies.
Take your power back and Murdoch and his empire of Adds and Money will dissipate with the silver screen, and the Flash News, that the only flash is the light in the face of the actor of the scenery of the theater they mount everyday. Wake Up to reality and take back your rights, exercise your power to decide for your Present and Your Future.
Akashma Online News 