/05

Status Update - By Jonathan Schanzer | Foreign Policy
►http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2012/05/21/status_update?page=0,0

With the stroke of a pen, a new bill in Congress could slash the number of Palestinian refugees — and open a world of controversy.

The aim of this proposed legislation, Kirk’s office explains, is not to deprive Palestinians who live in poverty of essential services, but to tackle one of the thorniest issues of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict: the “right of return.” The dominant Palestinian narrative is that all of the refugees of the Israeli-Palestinian wars have a right to go back, and that this right is not negotiable. But here’s the rub: By UNRWA’s own count, the number of Palestinians who describe themselves as refugees has skyrocketed from 750,000 in 1950 to 5 million today. As a result, the refugee issue has been an immovable obstacle in round after round of negotiations between the Israelis and Palestinians.

#réfugiés #droit_au_retour #palestiniens

Bahrain : Prison Island | Tom Malinowski (Foreign Policy)
►http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2012/05/07/prison_island?page=0,0

The riot police waited for them there. Maybe we should have stood fast, on the notion that police chase those who run. But when Bahrain’s finest suppress demonstrations, they often fire birdshot and tear-gas canisters directly into the crowd. And the magic words “I am an American” have an effective range far shorter than that of a riot gun. So we sprinted away with the scattered marchers down one darkened alley, then another. When it was clear the neighborhood was surrounded, we took shelter in a house. The police broke in and pepper-sprayed our eyes; I spoke the magic words, which seemed to calm matters, though we heard screams coming from other parts of the house. (...) Source: Foreign Policy