By Joyce Dalsheim | – Benjamin Netanyahu has hit a snag that could derail his chances of becoming the longest-serving prime minister in the history of Israel. Netanyahu failed to form a governing coalition and dissolved parliament on May 29. That means Israel must hold fresh elections, which are scheduled for Sept. 17. Netanyahu is […]
Archives for May 2019
Why Israeli Gov’t May Fall: Like US, Secularists and Fundamentalists are Polarized
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – We’ll know later today whether prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu will succeed in forming a government. If not, Israel will have snap elections in September. In parliamentary systems, coalitions are often made after the election. In the US, the two big parties have already made their coalitions before the election. The […]
Climate Crisis: ‘We’ve created a civilisation hell bent on destroying itself – I’m terrified’, writes Earth scientist
By James Dyke | – The coffee tasted bad. Acrid and with a sweet, sickly smell. The sort of coffee that results from overfilling the filter machine and then leaving the brew to stew on the hot plate for several hours. The sort of coffee I would drink continually during the day to keep whatever […]
Israeli Army Accused Palestinians of self-arson, Then Video emerged of Israelis setting Fires
Israeli human rights organisation B’Tselem has released a video showing illegal Israeli settlers setting fire to fields in the occupied West Bank, contradicting the Israeli army’s claim that the blaze was started by Palestinians. The Spokesperson’s Unit of the Israeli army was yesterday forced to change its original statement, in which it claimed to have […]
B-52s over Iran? Our Nation’s Past Trauma from “Carpet Bombing”
By James Carroll | – (Tomdispatch.com) – Earlier this month, the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group — the massive aircraft carrier itself with its dozens of warplanes and thousands of sailors and marines, a guided missile cruiser, and four destroyers — suddenly began to make its way from the Mediterranean Sea into the Persian […]
If Trump really only wants ‘No Iranian Nukes,’ then he should just rejoin the Nuclear Deal
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Trump said in Japan that he is not looking for regime change in Iran. Trump said at a news conference with Japanese Prime Minister ABE Shinzo, “We aren’t looking for regime change – I just want to make that clear. We are looking for no nuclear weapons. I really believe […]
Why Young Jews are Detouring from Israel to Palestine
By Lornet Turnbull | – (Yes! Magazine ) – Some are using Birthright trips to draw attention to the Israeli occupation, its policy of oppression, and the call for a two-state solution. Sarah Brammer-Shlay is a rabbinical student in Philadelphia. She’s also an activist, part of a growing movement of young American Jews working to […]
Veiling and Revolutions: From Algeria to Sudan
By Ouissal Harize | – (OpenDemcocracy) – With women leading revolutions in Sudan and Algeria, it is natural to wonder again, will Arab uprisings be finished by women? In his famous essay, ‘Algeria Unveiled’, Frantz Fanon (1959, p. 35) writes: ‘The way people clothe themselves, together with the traditions of dress and finery that custom […]
How the New ‘Aladdin’ stacks up against a Century of Orientalist Hollywood Stereotyping
By Evelyn Alsultany |- Though critically acclaimed and widely beloved, the 1992 animated “Aladdin” feature had some serious issues with stereotyping. In the live-action ‘Aladdin,’ Mena Massoud stars Aladdin, while Will Smith plays the Genie. Daniel Smith/Walt Disney Pictures Disney wanted to avoid repeating these same problems in the live action version of “Aladdin,” which […]