By Balkees Jarrah | – Associate Director, International Justice Program | – ( Human Rights Watch ) – Israeli forces have launched relentless airstrikes in the Gaza Strip, while Hamas and Palestinian armed groups in Gaza have fired rockets at Israeli population centers. At least 227 people, including 64 children have been killed in Gaza, […]
Archives for May 2021
Suit seeks to limit anti-Muslim speech on Facebook but roots of Islamophobia run far deeper
By Caleb Elfenbein | – A civil rights group is suing Facebook and its top executives in federal court over the company’s failure to crack down on hate speech against Muslims. Muslim Advocates, a Washington, D.C.-based organization focused on discrimination against American Muslims, alleges in the suit that Facebook has violated a series of local […]
Irish Parties and People demand Expulsion of Israeli ambassador, Fines for importing Settler-made Goods
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – The recent Israeli assault on the Palestinians in Jerusalem and the West Bank, and the bombardment of Gaza, has stirred passions in the Irish Republic, where public opinion has swung around to be strongly in favor of Palestinian rights and critical of the Apartheid, Occupation government of Israel. Rallies have […]
On How there is no Restaurant Worker Shortage, only a Shortage of Safe Jobs with Adequate Pay
From the earliest days of the Pandemic relief initiatives business lobbies and conservative pundits have griped about the $600 Federal Unemployment Insurance supplement. They complained that combined state and federal programs would give many employed workers more income than they received in their current jobs. Workers would have an incentive to stay home to sit […]
Let Lebanon be Lebanon: Paris should Stop Threatening Beirut with EU Sanctions
John Hickman “Governing Lebanon is surely more daunting than governing France.”[1] That pearl of wisdom in an essay defending consociational democracy by University of Pennsylvania political scientist Brendan O’Leary has never been more accurate. A delicate balance of domestic interests with institutional vetoes at the best of times, Lebanese politics has been stalemated for months […]
Changing the Way the Military Handles Sexual Assault: Or How Not to Leave the Fox Guarding the Henhouse
By Andrea Mazzarino | – (Tomdispatch.com ) – Given the more than 60 Democratic and Republican votes lined up, the Senate is poised to move forward with a new bill that would change the way the military handles sexual assault and other felony crimes by service members. Sponsored by Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and Joni Ernst […]
Eman Askar’s TikTok deep-history ‘Song for Palestine’ goes Viral with 10 mn Views in 48 Hours
“A song telling the story of Palestine has gone viral on social media. TikToker Eman Askar – @emmasworld.101 – rhymes off of historical facts with her lyrics.” TRT World: TikToker sings for Palestine
As Boteach comes for Dua Lipa, has Tactic of Smearing People as anti-Semites for Backing Palestinian Human Rights jumped the Shark?
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Orthodox Rabbi Shmuely Boteach has come after the brilliant, Grammy-award-winning Kosovar-British pop star Dua Lipa with an ad in the New York Times accusing her of anti-Semitism for supporting Palestinian rights. She vigorously denied the charge and denounced the ad. She should also sue for libel. Boteach is a huge […]
Why Coal Must be Phased out by 2030 to Save the Planet
By Edgar Meza | – ( Clean Energy Wire ) – Germany’s recently revamped Climate Action Law calls for the energy sector to reduce CO2 emissions from 175 to 108 metric tonnes by 2030. To reach that target, the energy sector must accelerate the phase-out of coal, according to a new study by Berlin-based energy […]