Middle East

Political Stalemate in Lebanon Exacerbates Hezbollah-Israel Tensions – Imad Salamey pt 2/2

Political Stalemate in Lebanon Exacerbates Hezbollah-Israel Tensions – Imad Salamey pt 2/2

ByTalia Baroncelli

Dr. Imad Salamey is an Associate Professor of Political Science and International Affairs at the Lebanese American University in Beirut, and author of several books, including The Communitarian Nation-State Paradox in Lebanon and The Government and Politics of Lebanon. In part 2, Salamey points to issues arising from Lebanon’s sectarian political system, such as the current political stalemate between the three power-sharing groups and how the status quo favors members of the political elite.

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

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

ByTalia Baroncelli

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.

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

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

ByTalia Baroncelli

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

ByTalia Baroncelli

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.

Venture Capital Fuels U.S. Military Support for Israel, Egypt, and Saudis – Shana Marshall
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Venture Capital Fuels U.S. Military Support for Israel, Egypt, and Saudis – Shana Marshall

ByTalia Baroncelli

Dr. Shana Marshall is the Associate Director of the Institute for Middle East Studies at George Washington University in D.C. She highlights a crucial element of financing the military and defense technology sector by venture capitalist and private equity firms with dubious financial and political interests. She explains how the business models of these firms shape the sort of weaponry produced in the U.S., such as an increase in drones and AI-powered systems and the “attritable” form of warfare that is waged as a result. Furthermore, she argues that U.S. policy in the Middle East and American support for authoritarian regimes has had dire consequences for the people in the region.

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

ByTalia Baroncelli

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.

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

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

ByTalia Baroncelli

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.

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

ByTalia Baroncelli

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.

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