PRAGOTI

The costs of the Tel Aviv-New Delhi-Washington axis are too much to bear, at least for India. India cannot afford to mimic Israel’s failed neighborhood policy, nor can it follow the U. S. example that seeks to solve its problems by aerial bombardment. South Asia requires a regional solution to what is without doubt a regional problem, one with its roots in the Afghan jihad of the 1980s as much as the unresolved Kashmir question

Vijay Prashad writes about the deepening covert defense ties between India and Israel,under the guise of fighting terrorism and strengthening India's security system.The author points out that there is a need to seek a regional solution to the security concerns of India, instead of importing the military option projected by Israel as a counter-terrorist measure,which has failed in its own soil.

 "The class character of Israeli society," first published in 1969, represents a pioneering Marxist analysis on the nature of the working class in Israel. Its authors, members of the now-defunct Israeli Socialist Organization, capture the uniqueness of Israeli society—"financed by imperialism without being exploited by it." Although there have been many changes inside Israel and internationally, this article remains an important starting point for any discussion of the dynamics of Israeli society. Along with this article Pragoti presents a review by Ulli Diemer of "Israel: A Colonial-Settler State" written by Maxime Rodinson in 1967.

On 8th December 1987, an Israeli army vehicle ran over a group of Palestinian protestors at the Jabalya Refugee camp in the Gaza Strip killing four and injuring seven. This incident was the proverbial last straw on the camel's back and led to mass outpourings of anger on the streets of Palestine the very next day. Today, 9th December, 2008 is the 21st anniversary of the Intifada or mass rebellion of the Palestinians against Israeli occupation and oppression.

GAZA CITY, Gaza -- Half of Gaza's bakeries have closed down and the other half have resorted to animal feed to produce bread as Israel's complete blockade of the coastal territory enters its 19th day.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon alarmed at the escalating humanitarian crisis called incumbent Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert last week and demanded that he lift the blockade.