[This is a roundup of news articles and other materials circulating on Occupation, Intervention, and Law and reflects a wide variety of opinions. It does not reflect the views of the O.I.L. Page Editors or of Jadaliyya. You may send your own recommendations for inclusion in each biweekly roundup to OIL@jadaliyya.com by Monday night of every other week.]
News
Iran
Amid Signs of Detente with Iran, Netanyahu Warns Against Sanctions Letup, Tom Curry
Curry reports for NBC News on US tensions with Israel in light of the former warming relations with Iran.
Positive First Day for Geneva Talks Amid High Hopes in Iran, Jasmin Ramsey
Ramsey, writing for Lobelog, reports on an Iranian plan to improve relations with the West articulated during the first day of meetings in Geneva with the P5+1 negotiating team, consisting of the US, Britain, France, Russia, China, and Germany.
Good News from Syria: Chemical Weapons Being Dismantled on Schedule, Max Fisher
United Nations inspectors have reported that Syria has complied on schedule with a multilateral agreement to surrender its chemical weapons.
Syria
Egypt `Illegally Detaining Syrian Refugees,` BBC News
Amnesty International has released a report condemning Egyptian authorities for extrajudicial detention and deportation of refugees from Syria.
Syrian Official Says Geneva Peace Talks Nov. 23-24, Ryan Lucas
Syrian Prime Minister Qadri Jamil has noted a tentative date and location for multilateral discussions on a political solution to armed conflict in Syria.
Saudi Arabia Rejects UN Security Council Seat in Protest Move, Robert F. Worth
As part of a political protest against a perceived ineffectiveness of the institution, the Saudi Arabian Foreign Ministry has released a statement rejecting a seat on the UN Security Council.
Libya
Libyan Accused in 1998 Embassy Bombing Pleads Not Guilty, Tina Susman
Abu Anas al Libi, accused of playing a role in Al Qaeda bombings of US embassies in Africa in 1998, has pleaded not guilty to terrorism charges in a court appearance in New York.
Libyan Politician to Fight UK Attempt to Keep Role in his Rendition Secret, Richard Norton-Taylor
The Guardian reports on the legal battle of Abdel Hakim Belhaj, who has accused MI6 and the CIA of secretly transporting him to Gaddafi-era Libya to be tortured.
Gaddafi Spy Chief to Face Trial in Libya, Al Jazeera English
The International Criminal Court has ruled Abdallah al-Senussi, former intelligence chief under Muammar Gaddafi, may be tried in Libya, the first such deferral the ICC has ever issued.
United States
Iraq Study Estimates War-Related Deaths At 461,000, BBC News
Researchers from the University of Washington, Johns Hopkins University, Simon Fraser University and Mustansiriya University have released a study estimating nearly a half million deaths in Iraq due to the US invasion between March 2003 and June 2011.
Documents Reveal NSA`s Extensive Involvement in Targeted Killing Program, Greg Miller, Julie Tate, Barton Gellman
The Washington Post, reporting on documents leaked by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden, reveal NSA involvement in locating Hassan Ghul, an affiliate of Osama bin Laden killed in a drone strike in October 2012.
Secret US Court Says Does Not Rubber Stamp Surveillance Requests, Patricia Zengerie
Reuters reports on statistics reporting that the FISA Court, responsible for reviewing US government electronic surveillance requests, approves 99% of requests it receives, as well as a denial from the presiding judge of the court that the court is a "rubber stamp" for government agencies.
Blogs
United States
US Must Release Data on Civilian Drone Casualties, Says Report, Alice K. Ross
Ben Emmerson, UN spécial rapporteur on counter-terrorism, has released a report examining the use of drones for targeted killing that calls for greater transparency regarding their usage and associated casualties.
Drones, the Media and Malala`s Message, Peter Hart
Hart, writing on the Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR) Blog, criticizes major US media outlets for reporting selectively on the message of Malala Yousafzai, in particular the frequent omission of an instance where Yousafzai expressed concerns to US President Barack Obama regarding US drone strikes in Pakistan.
CIA and the President: The Warm Embrace of Mutual Incrimination, Marcy Wheeler
Wheeler responds to a piece from Andrew Sullivan arguing President Obama has permitted CIA Director John Brennan to prevent the release of the Senate Intelligence Committee Torture Report. Obama has done so, she suggests, to protect himself from politically incriminating revelations regarding torture authorized by his own administration.
Iran
Israel`s Empty Threats Against Iran, Richard Silverstein
Silverstein, writing for his blog, criticizes the Israeli Air Force practice of training for an attack on Iran as an "empty threat" carried out more for media histrionics than for preparation for an actual strike.
Five Questions We Should All Be Asking About the NSA and the US Targeted Killing Program, Daphne Eviatar, Sarah Knuckey, Hina Shamsi
The authors respond on JustSecurity to a recent Washington Post report on the role of the NSA in drone targeted killing practices.
Palestine/Israel
Reclaiming Judaism from Zionism, Ilan Pappe
Pappe, blogging for Electronic Intifada, argues against the idea of an innate compatibility between Judaism and Zionism.
Commentary
Palestine/Israel
For Israeli Soldiers, Social Media Has Become a Showcase of Horrors, Max Blumenthal
Blumenthal writes for Salon on the practice of Israeli soldiers posting racist and grotesque depictions of Palestinian life and Israeli military operations on social media platforms such as Instagram.
Time for the ICC to Act on Palestine, Raji Sourani, Shawan Jabarin
Sourani, Director of the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights, and Jabarin, General Director of Al-Haq, urge the International Criminal Court to intervene and press war crimes charges against Israel for a number of impunities committed in the Occupied Territories.
Netanyahu`s Extrajudicial End-Run to Imprison African Asylum Seekers, Allison Deger
Deger reports for Mondoweiss on Israeli government attempts to convert a prison near the Israeli-Egyptian border into a facility where migrant workers and asylum-seekers from Africa must stay during the night and other select hours.
The Structural Roots of Israeli Apartheid, Noura Erakat
O.I.L. Editor and Jadaliyya contributor Erakat addresses recent rulings by the Israeli High Court of Justice entrenching inequalities between Israel`s Jewish and Palestinian citizens.
The Talks with Iran: 3 Voices Whose Advice We Should Ignore, Stephen M. Walt
Walt advises the US government to ignore the government of Israel, a group of bipartisan US Senators opposed to easing sanctions on Iran, and various lobbying groups, including the Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs and United Against Nuclear Iran.
United States
Unlawfully Detained by the US Government? Don`t Bother Suing, Steve Vladeck
Vladeck writes for The New Republic on the failure of a number of litigation attempts by victims of extraordinary rendition and former Guantanamo detainees.
The Perfect Epitaph for Establishment Journalism, Glenn Greenwald
Greenwald defends his leaking of documents provided by Edward Snowden against critics citing UK and US government allegations that the leaks have hurt national security.
The Deep Roots Beneath 1,000,000 Dead Iraqis, Mark LeVine
Responding to recent reports calculating the death toll of the most recent Iraq war, LeVine writes that such deaths are a product of a "global addiction to oil" and global structures rewarding violence in the name of said addiction.
Reports
Promotion and Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms While Countering Terrorism, Ben Emmerson
The UN Special Rapporteur on counter-terrorism presents a report calling for greater transparency on US targeted killing practices involving drones.
Drone Warfare
Computing Experts from 37 Countries Call for Ban on Killer Robots, Noel Sharkey
International Committee for Robot Arms Control releases a statement calling for a ban on autonomous weapon systems such as armed drones.
Air & Drone Wars Yemen: Analysis, New America Foundation
NAF presents an updated infographic on types and locations of drone strikes and casualties in Yemen.
Conferences
National Students for Justice in Palestine Conference, 2013; 25-27 October 2013; Stanford University, Palo Alto, California; Register here.
On Jadaliyya
Snatch and Render from Libya, Vijay Prashad
A Guide to Administrative Detention, Visualizing Palestine
Collaboration and Creativity: Dina Omar on the Third Annual Students for Justice in Palestine-
National Conference, Emily Koppelman
Maryam Zohny on Palestine, Activism, and Solidarity, Maryam Zohny
The Discourse of Terror: An Interview with Judith Butler, Cihan Aksan and Jon Bailes
Uprooted, Visualizing Palestine