Human Rights

(By Chase Madar via Tomdispatch) We Americans have funny notions about foreign aid. Recent polls show that, on average, we believe 28% of the federal budget is eaten up by it, and that, in a time of austerity, this gigantic bite of the budget should be cut back to 10%. In actual fact, barely 1% […]

Human Rights

In midst of Alleged Peace Talks, Israel Announces Hundreds of new Squatter Homes in Palestinian East Jerusalem

Juan Cole

(via AFP) Israel approves 550 Jerusalem settler homes (via AFP) Israel expedited Wednesday plans for more than 550 new settler homes in east Jerusalem, in a move exacerbating tensions between Israel and the Palestinians as they hold US-backed peace talks. The city council said it had granted private contractors… —– Related video: Israel plans […]

Dissent

NSA’s Zero Day Exploits: Paying $800 mn. to Hackers so they Can Spy on You

contributors

(By Pratap Chatterjee via Tomdispatch) Imagine that you could wander unseen through a city, sneaking into houses and offices of your choosing at any time, day or night. Imagine that, once inside, you could observe everything happening, unnoticed by others — from the combinations used to secure bank safes to the clandestine rendezvous of lovers. […]

Dissent

Boycott of Israeli Universities by American Studies Assn. being Tried in a Kangaroo Court

contributors

(By Alan M. Wald) In Memory of Edward Said (1935-2003) “You cannot continue to victimize someone else just because you yourself were a victim once—there has to be a limit.” –Edward W. Said, “The Myth of ‘The Clash of Civilizations,’” 1998 “A man once jumped from the top floor of a burning house in which […]

censorship

Turkey’s Ruling Party enacts “Orwellian” Web Censorship

Juan Cole

(Via AFP) Turkey lawmakers adopt ‘Orwellian’ Internet curbs (via AFP) Turkish MPs late Wednesday adopted new Internet legislation roundly criticised as a fresh assault by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on freedom of expression, access to information and investigative journalism. The proposals come amid parallel moves… ——— Related Video: Euronews reports, “Turkey approves new […]

Human Rights

“In the Seam”: Israel Strangles Palestinian Town

Juan Cole

(By Sarah Leah Whitson, Human Rights Watch) (Jerusalem) – The Israeli military is severely harming livelihoods in a Palestinian village in the West Bank that it plans to turn into an archaeological tourist site. The military should drop the project and lift excessive restrictions that keep residents from building or farming on their land and […]

Featured

Camel Bones and Jerusalem: Archeology Shows Bible written Late, Full of Errors

Juan Cole

(By Juan Cole) A new paper by Israeli archeologists Lidar Sapir-Hen and Erez Ben-Yosef, [pdf] posted at the University of Tel Aviv web site , is bad news for biblical literalists and far right wing Israeli nationalists who use the Bible for support. The Hebrew Bible’s oldest chapters– Genesis, Exodus, and even Judges purport to […]

censorship

Bush ordered NSA to spy on Germany’s Schroeder over Iraq War Opposition

Juan Cole

(By Juan Cole) The Guardian reports that the George W. Bush administration put German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder’s personal telephone under surveillance in 2002. Schroeder was opposed to the Bush-Cheney aggressive war on Iraq. This surveillance allowed the Bush administration to know where it stood with Germany and NATO. The surveillance continued, on the personal phone […]

Dissent

The Death of God in Iraq: 32% of Iraqis not Sure God Exists, 11% think Not

contributors

(By Mariwan Salihi) Despite its dangers and taboos in the conflict-ridden nation, some Iraqi youth are turning towards atheism. Mariwan Salihi met a few of them. One of the Iraqi capital’s most vocal young activists, who uses the pseudonym Omar Al-Baghdadi for his own security, is often described as “Baghdad’s Converter.” His mission, among others, […]