The following are extracts from a recent report on house demolitions in East Jerusalem authored by Dr. Meir Margalit and published by the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions. The chapters explore the underlying motivation behind house demolitions and set forth musings as to the significance of home demolition for a family; what East Jerusalemites undergo from the time they are served the demolition order until the bulldozer arrives: the scars left on the souls of young children, and the effects of house demolition on the fabric of life in Jerusalem.

The right of return is one of the most fundamental rights granted to displaced persons all over the world and one which is anchored in several bodies of international law. It has historically been shown that the success of peace and security agreements in post-conflict

The book under review deals with Hamas, the Islamic resistance movement in Palestine. It deals with a history of the rise of Hamas in the occupied territories, its ideology, its aims and its relationship with other Palestinian movements especially its relationship with the PLO, Fatah and the Palestine Authority (PA). It also includes a discussion on the events up till 30th June 2006 in which the famous election victory of Hamas occurred.

A Review of Absent Justice, directed by Mo’taz Jankhout, produced by E’tilat Al Kheir. A Vision Art Production. Certificate: PG. A programme of Seven Parts that records the Israeli ‘Operation Defensive Shield’. Merali reviews this seven part documentary, available on DVD, describing its content and the questions it raises for activists. The review focuses on the events in Jenin and contextualises them with contemporaneous narratives that universalize the event as a seminal moment in the struggle for Palestinian liberation. She examines the way that the documentary itself is a form of struggle, evidencing the defiance of civilians who have survived, both in their refusal to sit and die and in their acts of witness against their oppressors.

This article traces the historical developments of the Palestinian Ikhwan which led towards the establishment of Hamas in 1987. The article then continues to discuss the various roles played by Hamas in Palestinian society. The author also gives the message of Hamas by contextualising it against the backdrop of events occurring within the society. The article ends with looking at the aftermath of the January 2006 Hamas election victory as well as the recent trouble (Feb 2007) between Hamas and Fatah.

This paper deals with the current problem between the Fatah deputy leader and President of the PA Mahmoud Abbas with Hamas. It exposes the real reason for the escalation of tension between the two factions. The author points out through evidences gathered from the media that Hamas had accepted Israel’s right to exist for a long time even before their landslide victory in the legislative elections. Abbas’s pressure on Hamas and its leaders are unjustified; instead Hamas has the right and mandate from the people to reject Abbas’s request.

This paper describes and compares Hamas with other revolutionary movements in the past. Of note are the movements which led the French and American Revolutions. The writer outlines the similarities between these movements with Hamas through analogy and rigorous references to their content. He questions the attitude of accepting these movements by Western political theorists but their inability to use similar criteria in their understanding of Hamas. The author ends the article by pointing out that criticism raised by Islam against Western values is nothing new as even evangelical groups are doing the same. The Hamas victory in the January 2006 legislative elections should be used by the movement to deliver good governance for the success of their social agenda.

It is the inability to understand that gives rise to major obstacles towards resolving conflict. Understanding comes only after we have all the knowledge necessary for a correct conceptualization of a given situation. According to Kant in his first Critique knowledge is concepts arranged together.