This is the first two of a series of posts by Rosahill about her second trip to Gaza to witness conditions there. Promoted by carol.

Rachel – a film documentary directed by Simone Bitton, shown at the Tribeca Film Festival

 This is a somber movie indeed, and timely as the United    Nations attempts an  investigation of the Israeli attack on  Gaza.  Rachel re-examines the death of Rachel Corrie,  crushed by an Israeli army bulldozer in Gaza in 2003.  The    director, Simone Bitton, describes it as “the examination of    an examination”,  with much of the film focusing on re-  visualizing what happened, interviewing  witnesses, and on  the Israeli investigation of Rachel’s death.  The counterpoint  is Rachel’s fellow International Solidarity Movement activists  reading  excerpts from her diary.

 I hate to say "There you go again," but AIPAC (the American Israel Public Affairs Committee) concluded its annual conference in Washington DC with 508 meetings with Congressional representatives.  Their message?  Their representatives should sign a letter to President Obama demanding he allow Israel to set the pace of negotiations with Palestinians, substituting vague offers of economic development and institution building for substantive negotiations to end Israel's occupation of the West Bank and siege of Gaza.  Here is a quote from the letter, sponsored by Representative Steny Hoyer, " "the best way to achieve future success between Israelis and Palestinians will be by adhering to basic principles that have undergirded our policy..."  These include "acceptance that the parties themselves must negotiate the details of any agreement" as well as demanding that the Palestinians first "build the institutions necessary for a viable state" before gaining independence. 

Here is a link to an article in the UK Guardian for more information: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/may/06/us-israel-palestinians-middle-east.