israel

Micha Kurz was an Israeli soldier during the second intifada, and when he left the military he co-founded Breaking the Silence, an organization that collects stories from members of the service (which is compulsory in Israel for young men and women) who served in the occupied territories. Breaking the Silence allows soldiers to confidentially speak out about the things they did and saw while in the military. Kurz is now with Grassroots Jerusalem, where he helps bring together grassroots social justice activists from across Israel.

Sometimes revolution ignites when individuals ask themselves one simple question: "Why?" These two Israeli teens, Maya Wind and Netta Mishly, asked themselves "Why terrorism?" "Why hostility?" "Why crisis?". When they discovered the answers, they decided not to perform their mandatory military service. These adolescents are known as the Shministim and are currently on a U.S. tour with the group Jewish Voices for Peace and CodePink and sharing with us why they chose the bold path of defiance through nonviolent activism for justice and peace in Israel and Palestine.

Diana Buttu, Palestinian-Candian lawyer, gives us the lowdown on President Obama's meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Netanyahu.

International pressure is mounting on Israel to end the occupation. More than 1,000 filmmakers, actors, and writers recently called for a protest of the Toronto Film Festival?s spotlight on Tel-Aviv. Neve Gordon, in a recent editorial, explains why it is time to boycott Israel. He says that The Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctionscampaign is the only way to save Israel from itself. To find out more about what you can do visit endtheoccupation.org.