Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – In a historic ruling, a tribunal in the Netherlands has ruled that Royal Dutch Shell must reduce its and its customers’ carbon dioxide emissions by 45 percent by 2030 from its 2019 base, according to Le Soir. Shell had already committed to a 20 percent reduction by that date, but […]
A Year Later: Are Palestinians like George Floyd?
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – May 26 was the one-year anniversary of the murder of George Floyd by Minnesota police, and President Biden had the victim’s family to the White House, where they lobbied the president on police reform. George Floyd could not have imagined how he would become an international symbol of the victimization […]
Israeli-Palestinian conflict: A primer on the long-standing dispute over Gaza (Video: U-Michigan Interviews Juan Cole)
“Since May 10, more than 200 Palestinians and a dozen Israelis have died in fighting in Israel and the occupied territories. Juan Cole, the Richard P. Mitchell Collegiate Professor of History, studies the ongoing political change in the Middle East and is author of the blog Informed Comment. He discusses the history behind the current […]
In Victory for American Freedom, Judge Mark Cohen Calls “Unconstitutional” Georgia’s Ban on Boycotting Israel for Brutalizing Palestinians
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Ross Williams at the Georgia Reporter writes that federal judge Mark Cohen on Monday characterized as unconstitutional a Georgia state law that prohibited contractors for the Georgia state government from boycotting Israel. Cohen is United States District Judge of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia. This […]
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 […]
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 […]
Israeli invasion of al-Aqsa Mosque Compound Shows Conflict remains Hot despite Ceasefire, Angers Muslims Worldwide
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Only half a day after a ceasefire went into effect between the Palestinians in Gaza and the government of Binyamin Netanyahu in Israel, the peace was disturbed in Jerusalem at the flashpoint al-Aqsa Mosque compound. Rabi’ Sawaid reports for Arab 48 that confrontations broke out Friday afternoon between worshipers at […]
Israel’s Pyrrhic Victory: It Razed some buildings, but Reinforced Palestinian National Identity
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Israel and Hamas agreed on an unconditional ceasefire to begin at 2 am on Friday morning, which both sides put into effect, according to the Washington Post. Palestinians throughout the Occupied territories celebrated what they saw as a victory, according to Al Jazeera. One man in Gaza told the network […]
The Issue isn’t Self-Defense, it is Occupation and Statelessness: Juan Cole interviewed by Steve Clemons, “The Bottom Line”
“While unquestioning support for Israel is still the name of the game in Washington, DC, a growing number of Democrats are demanding political rights for Palestinians. University of Michigan Professor Juan Cole is the founder of Informed Comment, a blog on US foreign policy in the Middle East. He tells host Steve Clemons that people […]