[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
Palestine/Israel
Israel Pushes Plans for 3,500 Settler Homes after Prisoners Freed, Mohammed Abu Ganeyeh
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu okayed plans to build 3,500 homes for settlers in East Jerusalem and parts of the West Bank hours after freeing twenty-six Palestinian prisoners, Reuters reports.
Middle East Peace Talks Go on, under the Radar, Jodi Rudoren, Michael R. Gordon
The New York Times surveys the status of negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, brokered by US Secretary of State John Kerry.
Drone Warfare
UK Use of Drones in Afghanistan Remains under Wraps after Disclosure Campaign is Thwarted, Kunal Dutta, Jonathan Owen
The Independent details the legal battle between anti-drone campaigners in the United Kingdom and the Ministry of Defense over the release of information regarding UK usage of drones.
Pakistan Drone Victims Give Evidence in US, Naureen Khan
The testimony of Nabila and Zubair Rehman, two young victims of US drone strikes in Pakistan, have testified before Congress urging an end to such attacks in a hearing attended by five members of Congress.
Hakimullah Mehsud Killed by Drone, Pakistan Taliban Say, BBC News
The de facto leader of the Pakisani Taliban has been killed in a drone strike in Northern Waziristan, Taliban officials have announced.
In Iraq, Sunni Attacks Spark Shiite Calls to Arms, Sinan Salaheddin
Salaheddin reports on a wave of al-Qaeda attacks in Iraq in the past year, as well as plans of the Prime Minister of Iraq to ask the United States for assistance in fending off such violence.
Human Rights Law
Egypt on High Alert as Mohamed Morsi Trial Threatens to Revive Civil Unrest, Patrick Kingsley
The Guardian reports on Egyptian plans to trial former President Mohamed Morsi and other Muslim Brotherhood officials for the murder of protesters.
Bahrain Charges Opposition Leader with "Insults" over Uprising Museum Raided by Riot Police, Associated Press
Ali Salman, leader of Bahraini Shiite opposition Al Wefaq, has been charged of insulting the government of Bahrain for a museum exhibition displaying abuses against political protesters.
Daughter of Jailed Iranian Human Rights Lawyer Soltani Says He Started Hunger Strike, Associated Press
Maeda Soltani, daughter of Iranian human rights lawyer, says her father Abdolfattah Soltani has stopped eating to protest treatment of himself and other prisoners in the Evin Prison of Tehran.
Other
Terrorist Attacks and Deaths Hit Record High, Report Shows, Daniel Burke
CNN reports the number of terrorist attacks reached 8,500 in 2012 and resulting deaths 15,500, both the highest recorded figures since 1970.
Assad: Foreign Powers Must End Rebel Support, Al Jazeera English
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has indicated an openness to participate in talks on ending conflict in Syria, but only if Western states retract financial support for rebel groups.
US Promises Not to Spy on UN, Al Jazeera English
Following reports the National Security Agency has gained access to United Nations` communication networks, a UN spokesman has announced the US has given assurance it will not spy on the UN.
Iranian Official Faults Kerry and France for Breakdown in Talks, Alan Cowell
The New York Times covers the failure of talks in Geneva to lead to an agreement on Iranian nuclear activity, including Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif`s accusations that representatives of France scuttled a potential agreement.
Commentary
Palestine-Israel
A Lopsided U.S. Visa-Waiver, Yousef Munayyer
Munayyer criticizes a bill introduced in US Congress that would allow Israelis to enter the United States without a visa.
Peace is War: Israeli Settler-Colonialism and the Palestinians, Joseph Massad
Writing on the anniversary of the Balfour Declaration and in the midst of a new round of peace talks between Israeli and Palestinian representatives, Massad argues in Al Jazeera English that Zionists, in seeking to colonize Palestine, actively attempted to redefine war as "a means to peace."
Armed Conflict
"The War on Terror," Starring an American Journalist, David Mizner
Writing for Jacobin, Mizner praises the film Dirty Wars` broader political goals of shedding light on US military activity in the Middle East while criticizing the film for focusing on its star, American journalist Jeremy Scahill, often at the expense of actual victims of said wars.
All Options on the Table?, Real Clear World
Eight political analysts are surveyed on the question of whether President Obama would conceivably order a military strike against Iran in the event it develops or continues to develop a nuclear weapon.
No More Arms to Iraq, Obama, Haifa Zangana
Zangana criticizes the decision of Iraqi PM Nouri al-Maliki to ask the United Starts for help combating terrorism, arguing Iraqis are more afraid of Iraqi government militias than al-Qaeda.
Iraq is Descending Into Bloody Chaos--and It`s the US-Backed Leader Who`s at Fault, Eman Ahmed Khamas
Khamas responds to recent civil unrest in Iraq by faulting the administration of Iraqi Prime Minister Muri Al-Maliki.
Blogs
Surveillance
Bugged Bears, Spy Irons, and the Pope: Global Spying Went Nuts Today, Elias Groll
Foreign Policy`s Passport blog provides a roundup of surveillance revelations NSA and otherwise for the week of 30 October.
An Overview of FISA Reform Options on Capitol Hill, Raffaela Wakeman
Wakeman provides Lawfare with a number of possible endgames in a conceivable Congressional attempt to retool the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, better known by its acronym FISA.
Targeted Killing
How Ridiculous is Pakistan`s New Civilian Drone Victim Estimate?, Jim White
White, writing for EmptyWheel, criticizes Pakistani government trimming of drone victim estimates, arguing the actual civilian deaths from US drone strikes are much higher than Pakistan implies.
Due Process in Targeting, Deborah Pearlstein
Pearlstein, responding to Obama Administration and Supreme Court arguments about the role of due process in targeted killing, discusses the meaning of "due process" in a context of targeted killing.
Palestine-Israel
Blumenthal`s "Goliath" Holds Mirror to Israeli Civil Society, Rod Such
Such reviews Max Blumenthal`s latest book examining Israeli Zionism for The Electronic Intifada.
Reports
Insight: Starvation in Syria: A War Tactic, Reuters
Reuters provides a report from inside Syria on what Syrian security officials are calling the "Starvation Until Submission Campaign," an attempt to use starvation as a political weapon against rebel groups.
Hayden v. Gellman: "Leakers or Whistleblowers?" A Debate at Duke, Benjamin Wittes
Lawfare provides a video of a debate between journalist Barton Gellman and former CIA and NSA director Gen. Michael V. Hayden.
Conferences
13th European Conference on Cyber Warfare and Security; 3-4 July 2014; University of Piraeus, Piraeus, Greece; register here.
Jadaliyya Reports
Constitution by the People: An Interview with Egypt Parallel Constitution Co-Founder Sawsan Gad, Hesham Sellam
Co-Editors Mouin Rabbani and Noura Erakat, and O.I.L. Page Co-Editor Max Ajl, on “What Comes Next?: A Forum on the End of the Two-State Paradigm”, Mouin Rabbani, Noura Erakat, Max Ajl
Eight Years of the BDS Movement: Where Have We Come Since 2005? (al-Majdal, Autumn 2013), BADIL Resource Center for Palestinian Residency and Refugee Rights
Texas A&M in Nazareth? Apartheid & More, Jadaliyya Reports
License to Kill: Why the American Drone War on Yemen Violates International Law, Jadaliyya Reports
Cairo Event--Islamists in Turkey: From the Rule of Law to the Law of Some (10 November, AUC), Jadaliyya Reports
Improving Access to Education for Syrian Refugees in Lebanon, Jadaliyya Reports
Palestinians Torn Over the Syrian Crisis, Nicolas Dot-Pouillard
Infographic: Palestinian Refugee Children in Syria, Visualizing Palestine
Palestine Awareness Week at UCLA (4-7 November, Los Angeles), Jadaliyya Reports