(Istanbul: Special to Informed Comment; Feature) – On October 22, Devlet Bahçeli, the leader of the far-right Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) and an ally of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, made an unexpected statement suggesting that Abdullah Öcalan, the imprisoned leader of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), could be allowed to speak in the Parliament if […]
Archives for October 2024
Israel’s Extremists Plan for the Day after the Genocide: “Gaza is Ours, Forever.”
( Middle East Monitor ) – Under the slogan ‘Gaza is Ours, Forever’, a large number of Israeli extremists and right-wing politicians met in the settlement of Be’eri, near the Gaza border region, on 20-21 October. The group represented the who’s who in the Israeli right, far right and ultranationalists. They included Israeli Ministers, Itamar […]
Palestine’s Economy teeters on the Brink after a Year of War and unrelenting Destruction
By Dalia Alazzeh, University of the West of Scotland and Shahzad Uddin, University of Essex | – (The Conversation) – The Palestinian economy has been devastated beyond recognition. Israel’s intense military operations in Gaza have led to unprecedented destruction, wiping out much of the enclave’s essential infrastructure, private property and agricultural resources. Meanwhile, the occupied […]
Echoes and Parallels from 1939 – Trump’s Nazi Rally at Madison Square Garden
Oakland, Ca. (Special to Informed Comment; Feature) – On February 20, 1939, the German-American Bund held a rally at Madison Square Garden (MSG) called a “Mass Demonstration for True Americanism.” It was fueled by the pall of the Great Depression, which was still fresh in the American consciousness; and boosted by lingering economic struggles in […]
Israel’s ban on UNRWA continues a Pattern of politicizing Palestinian refugee Aid – and puts Millions of Lives at Risk
By Nicholas R. Micinski, University of Maine and Kelsey Norman, Rice University | – (The Conversation) – The Israeli parliament’s vote on Oct. 28, 2024, to ban the United Nations agency that provides relief for Palestinian refugees is likely to affect millions of people – it also fits a pattern. Aid for refugees, particularly Palestinian […]
Pennsylvania’s Undecideds: The 2024 Election Will Likely Turn on the Democrats’ Ground Game
( Tomdispatch.com ) – If you’re like many of my friends, I know what you’re thinking: OMG, how is it even possible that half the country is going to vote for that guy? And there’s a slightly less common corollary to that: I mean, really, who are these people who say that they’re undecided? Who […]
More Genocide: Israel Bans UNRWA, Guaranteeing Further Spike in Maternal and Infant Deaths in Gaza
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – The Israeli parliament on Monday passed legislation declaring the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, authorized by the UN General Assembly in 1949, to be a terrorist organization. It is an extraordinary and dangerous step for a UN member state. The legislation has the effect of preventing the Israeli government […]
Could Israel’s “General’s Plan” to Drive Palestinians from North Gaza bring back the Settlers?
By Leonie Fleischmann, City St George’s, University of London | – (The Conversation) – Western political leaders were quick to argue that the killing of Hamas leader, Yahya Sinwar, on October 17 presented a window of opportunity. Perhaps the decapitation of the militant group’s senior command would be a chance for renewed ceasefire talks and […]
What’s at Stake in our Political Storm?
( Tomdispatch.com ) – Images of homes that collapsed under mudslides or falling trees, waterlogged farms, and debris-filled roads drove home (yes, home!) to me recently the impact of Hurricane Helene on rural areas in the southeastern United States. That hurricane and the no-less-devastating Hurricane Milton that followed it only exacerbated already existing underlying problems […]