Beyond Genocide in Gaza: Settler Violence in the West Bank – Omer Bartov

Beyond Genocide in Gaza: Settler Violence in the West Bank – Omer Bartov

Byiizuu

As Israel continues its campaign of destruction in Gaza, the situation in the West Bank has deteriorated, with the Israeli Defense Forces as well as settlers killing over 500 Palestinians in the West Bank since October 7. Holocaust and genocide studies scholar Dr. Omer Bartov unpacks Israel’s genocidal strategy in the Gaza Strip, and describes the surge of settler violence towards Palestinians. Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir has not only armed the settlers but has been incorporating them into Israeli forces operating in the West Bank. 

Defunding UNRWA to Starve Gaza – Sari Hanafi part 2/2 

Defunding UNRWA to Starve Gaza – Sari Hanafi part 2/2 

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Israel’s accusations against a total of 19 UNRWA staff members alleging their involvement in the October 7 attacks prompted 16 countries to pause or suspend $450 million in funding to the agency. A UN investigation resulted in one of the 19 cases being closed and four suspended due to a lack of evidence. Of the 12 staff members initially accused by Israel, 10 of them were fired by UNRWA, while the other two were killed. Israeli claims that 10% of UNRWA employees have ties to Hamas have yet to be substantiated. As Sari Hanafi explains, UNRWA provides critical infrastructure, housing, and education to Palestinians in Jordan, Lebanon, the West Bank, and Gaza. 

Selective Outrage: Why the Slaughter of Palestinians is Ignored by Western Governments – Sari Hanafi part 1/2

Selective Outrage: Why the Slaughter of Palestinians is Ignored by Western Governments – Sari Hanafi part 1/2

Byiizuu

Following Israel’s killing of 7 WCK aid workers, Western politicians appeared to reconsider their unwavering support of Netanyahu’s government, if only for a brief moment. Iran’s attack on military targets in Israel, in response to Israel’s strike on an Iranian diplomatic compound in Damascus, has since been cited by the U.S. and Germany as a justification for continued military support for Israel. Sari Hanafi, Professor of Sociology at the American University of Beirut, discusses Germany’s past genocidal war crimes as well as the ICJ case brought by Nicaragua examining Germany’s complicity in genocide in Gaza. 

Genocide in Gaza Supported by Venture Capital’s AI Military Tech – William Hartung
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Genocide in Gaza Supported by Venture Capital’s AI Military Tech – William Hartung

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The Israeli attack on a civilian aid convoy, which killed seven World Central Kitchen workers, has pushed U.S. officials to entertain policy alternatives to unconditional aid to Israel. Bill Hartung, national security and U.S. foreign policy analyst at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, discusses the Biden administration’s weapons sales to Israel, many of which have not been reported to U.S. Congress. Hartung addresses the role of venture capital firms in shaping the U.S. defense industry, firms which advocate the development of dual-use technology or artificial intelligence as optimized tools to wage warfare.

How Israel’s Bloodshed in Gaza Follows a Pattern of Demographic Engineering – Walid Habbas part 2/2

How Israel’s Bloodshed in Gaza Follows a Pattern of Demographic Engineering – Walid Habbas part 2/2

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In part 2, Walid Habbas provides a detailed account of Israel’s military operations in Gaza and its actions to separate Gaza into isolated areas with no public governance and little to no access to humanitarian aid. Not only is Netanyahu’s government holding up the flow of vital aid into the Gaza Strip, it is weaponizing the provision of limited aid in order to accelerate the breakdown of civilian structures and the mass starvation of Palestinians. A scholar on the unequal relations between Israel and the occupied Palestinian Territories, Walid Habbas also discusses the political landscape of Palestinian ruling parties and their conflicting positions regarding the path to Palestinian liberation.

How Israel Maintains Its Colonial Occupation – Walid Habbas pt 1/2
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How Israel Maintains Its Colonial Occupation – Walid Habbas pt 1/2

Byiizuu

Israel has expanded its role as an occupying power in the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Gaza Strip by building illegal settlements, establishing practices of indirect colonial management founded on military proclamations, and imposing checkpoints and blockades to control the livelihood of Palestinians since 1967 in particular. Walid Habbas, researcher at the Palestinian Forum for Israeli Studies (MADAR), zooms out from the current atrocities and applies a bird’s eye view to flesh out the dynamics of Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian Territories. Besides military deployments enforcing the occupation, Walid delves into Israel’s control of Palestinian industry and the various forms of economic dependency that emerge from it.

Arab-Americans in Michigan Denounce Biden’s Bankrolling of Destruction in Gaza – Shireen Al-Adeimi

Arab-Americans in Michigan Denounce Biden’s Bankrolling of Destruction in Gaza – Shireen Al-Adeimi

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Dr. Shireen Al-Adeimi is a Professor of Language and Literacy at Michigan State University and a Non-Resident Fellow at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft. Michigan is key to Biden’s presidential run, where Muslim and Arab-Americans in the state have withheld support from Biden due to his full backing of Israel’s genocidal project in Gaza.

Israel’s “Dahiya Doctrine” of Death – Imad Salamey pt 1/2

Israel’s “Dahiya Doctrine” of Death – Imad Salamey pt 1/2

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Dr. Imad Salamey is an Associate Professor of Political Science and International Affairs at the Lebanese American University in Beirut, and author of The Communitarian Nation-State Paradox in Lebanon. Part 1 describes the nature of the cross-border attacks between Hezbollah and Israel, including a strike on Hamas’ deputy leader al-Arouri. He also addresses Israel’s “Dahiya doctrine,” a military strategy of targeting civilian infrastructure with the aim of forcing civilians to jettison their political leadership or kick out combatant groups residing in the area. It was first deployed by Israel during its 1982 invasion of Lebanon to evict the PLO and is now being unleashed in Gaza under the pretext of rooting out Hamas.

Biden: Sheepish Deference to Netanyahu and Unlawful Strikes on Yemen – Trita Parsi

Biden: Sheepish Deference to Netanyahu and Unlawful Strikes on Yemen – Trita Parsi

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Dr. Trita Parsi, Executive Vice President at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, says the U.S. and U.K. bombing of Yemen is illegal. He highlights the U.S. and U.K.’s spin doctoring of the Houthi’s stated objective of attacking commercial ships in the Red Sea until a ceasefire in Gaza is reached. He criticizes Biden’s disdain for obtaining Congressional authorization to launch offensive strikes in Yemen, Iraq, and Syria.

South Africa’s Case Lays Out Genocidal Intent – Francis Boyle

South Africa’s Case Lays Out Genocidal Intent – Francis Boyle

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Francis Boyle is an international lawyer and Professor of International Law at the University of Illinois College of Law. On behalf of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Boyle successfully initiated proceedings in 1993 against the former Yugoslavia at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for its violations of the 1948 Genocide Convention. Boyle discusses South Africa’s recent request for an interim measure from the ICJ to halt Israel’s alleged violations under the 1948 Genocide Convention. He explains the merits of the case, the likelihood of the ICJ ruling in favor of South Africa, and the legal implications for both Israel and the United States.

The UN and Israel’s Occupation of the Palestinian Territories – Ardi Imseis

The UN and Israel’s Occupation of the Palestinian Territories – Ardi Imseis

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Dr. Ardi Imseis is an Assistant Professor of International Law at Queen’s University, as well as a legal practitioner, having spent 12 years working for the United Nations in the occupied Palestinian territories. Imseis argues that the UN has not been the standard-bearer of the international rule of law but, since 1947, has enforced “rule by law” in the way it has created and then “abused and selectively applied” international law with regards to the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination. He discusses UN General Assembly Resolution 77/247, which calls on the ICJ to issue an advisory opinion on the legal status of Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territories.

Brutal Occupation Underpins Class Inequality for Israelis and Palestinians – MK Ofer Cassif

Brutal Occupation Underpins Class Inequality for Israelis and Palestinians – MK Ofer Cassif

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Israeli Member of Knesset Dr. Ofer Cassif is a member of the Hadash Party, which supports Jewish-Arab cooperation and workers’ rights. MK Cassif highlights how the occupation generates class inequalities and a regime of elite oppressors vs. the oppressed, which is not exclusively based along ethnic or religious lines. He outlines Prime Minister Netanyahu’s disregard for the well-being of both Israelis and Palestinians, as well as a history of propping up Hamas.

Colleague of Imprisoned Boris Kagarlitsky on Russian Anti-War Opposition – Anna Ochkina

Colleague of Imprisoned Boris Kagarlitsky on Russian Anti-War Opposition – Anna Ochkina

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Anna Ochkina is a Russian sociologist and colleague of Marxist sociologist and dissident Boris Kagarlitsky, who has been held in prison by Russian authorities since July 25. She says the authorities don’t actually believe he is a terrorist threat, but it is fear among the elite of his anti-war activism that led to his arrest.

Growing Up Privileged in Apartheid, Colonial Israel – Shir Hever on Reality Asserts Itself (pt 1/4)
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Growing Up Privileged in Apartheid, Colonial Israel – Shir Hever on Reality Asserts Itself (pt 1/4)

ByPaul Jay

This interview was originally published on July 9, 2014. Mr. Hever says he became politically active after the Second Intifada was repressed with extreme violence by the Israeli military and police.

Radical Transformation is Needed for an Israeli-Palestinian Peace – Nadim Houry

Radical Transformation is Needed for an Israeli-Palestinian Peace – Nadim Houry

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Nadim Houry, Executive Director of the Arab Reform Initiative, discusses the role of Arab countries in the Middle East in demanding a ceasefire in Gaza and negotiating the release of hostages taken by Hamas. Normalization between Bahrain and the UAE with Israel, in addition to negotiations between Saudi Arabia and Israel, has been disrupted as the Israeli bombardment of Palestinian civilians in Gaza continues. Houry also addresses previous attempts to advance peace, such as the Saudi-led Arab Peace Initiative of 2002, and argues that a regional rather than bilateral approach with Israel is necessary, one which requires a non-negotiable end to settlement expansion in the West Bank and brings Iran and other regional actors into the fray.

Strategically and Morally Bankrupt: U.S. Policy in the Middle East – Col. Lawrence Wilkerson
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Strategically and Morally Bankrupt: U.S. Policy in the Middle East – Col. Lawrence Wilkerson

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Retired U.S. Colonel Larry Wilkerson discusses the Biden administration’s unconditional support for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s bombardment of Gaza and large-scale indiscriminate attacks on Palestinian civilians. He points to state-sanctioned torture and other unlawful acts committed by the U.S. after 9/11 and asserts that the Israeli government is responding to Hamas’ attacks in a similar fashion by wholly disregarding international legal norms. In doing so, Israel is putting its own population at risk, as well as collectively punishing the Palestinians.

A Brutal Occupation Begets a Brutal War Between Israel and Hamas – Trita Parsi

A Brutal Occupation Begets a Brutal War Between Israel and Hamas – Trita Parsi

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Trita Parsi, Executive Vice President at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, analyzes Iran’s role in supporting Hamas’ brutal coordinated attack on civilians in Israel. Parsi unpacks Palestinian grievances, as well as Israel’s indiscriminate bombardment and illegal blockade of Gaza. With host Talia Baroncelli.

Putin’s War Driven by Domestic Politics – Boris Kagarlitsky
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Putin’s War Driven by Domestic Politics – Boris Kagarlitsky

ByPaul Jay

NATO expansion and the defense of Donbas are not the primary motivations for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, says Kagarlitsky. Stoking nationalism to shore up support for Putin’s government is. Two corrupt oligarchies fight a war that only fossil fuel firms and Western arms manufacturers can win.

9/11 Lies and the National Security State – Thomas Drake
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9/11 Lies and the National Security State – Thomas Drake

ByPaul Jay

Twenty years later, Thomas Drake still says the NSA knew about the 9/11 plotters prior to the attack, and likely reported the intel through a back channel to VP Cheney. Nothing was done to prevent the attack, says Drake a former senior executive at the NSA. Why? To prepare public opinion in favor of invading Iraq. Drake joins Paul Jay on theAnalysis.news.

This interview was originally recorded on September 9, 2021.

A Strategy of War Crimes, Killing Civilians to Win a War – Daniel Ellsberg on RAI Pt 10/13
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A Strategy of War Crimes, Killing Civilians to Win a War – Daniel Ellsberg on RAI Pt 10/13

ByPaul Jay

General Curtis LeMay, who directed the firebombing and nuclear attacks on Japan said, “War is killing people, when you kill enough of them, the other guy quits” – quotes Daniel Ellsberg on Reality Asserts Itself with Paul Jay. This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced November 21, 2018, with Paul Jay.

The General’s Son: From Privileged Zionist to Activist for Palestinian Rights – RAI (pt 2/3)
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The General’s Son: From Privileged Zionist to Activist for Palestinian Rights – RAI (pt 2/3)

ByPaul Jay

This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced on December 12, 2016. On Reality Asserts Itself, Miko Peled tells Paul Jay that he fulfilled a childhood dream and became a member of the IDF Special Forces; then, he came to realize that everything he’d believed in was a lie.

The General’s Son: From Privileged Zionist to Activist for Palestinian Rights – RAI (pt 1/3)
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The General’s Son: From Privileged Zionist to Activist for Palestinian Rights – RAI (pt 1/3)

ByPaul Jay

This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced on December 12, 2016. On Reality Asserts Itself, Miko Peled tells Paul Jay that his father, a famous Israeli General, was ostracized for saying it was necessary to negotiate with the PLO and respect Palestinian self-determination; but he never gave up his belief that the expulsion of 1948 and the creation of a Jewish state was justified.

International Law and The Responsibility to Protect – Vijay Prashad Pt 4/4
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International Law and The Responsibility to Protect – Vijay Prashad Pt 4/4

ByPaul Jay

In the final segment of Paul Jay’s interview with Vijay Prashad on Reality Asserts Itself, the subject is the undermining of international law and military interventions in the name of human rights. This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced August 11, 2013, with Paul Jay.

Bradley Manning, the Nuremberg Charter and Refusing to Collaborate with War Crimes – Prashad Pt 3/4
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Bradley Manning, the Nuremberg Charter and Refusing to Collaborate with War Crimes – Prashad Pt 3/4

ByPaul Jay

In this segment of Reality Asserts Itself, Paul Jay and Vijay Prashad discuss the Chelsea Manning case in light of the 68th anniversary of signing the Nuremberg Charter which states it is illegal to follow orders to commit a war crime. This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced August 9, 2013, with Paul Jay.