O.I.L. Media Roundup (28 December)

[Mahmoud Abbas speaks before the United Nations. Image by Peter Fedynsky.] [Mahmoud Abbas speaks before the United Nations. Image by Peter Fedynsky.]

O.I.L. Media Roundup (28 December)

By : O.I.L Editors

 [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.]

Palestine/Israel

Why I Want Obama to Veto Abbas` UN Resolution on Palestine, Ali Abunimah
Abunimah, writing for his blog on Electronic Intifada, critiques a UN resolution setting a deadline on a Palestinian-Israeli peace agreement.

"Clock is Ticking" Till Next Round of Gaza Escalation, and War, Mondoweiss Contributor "Kate"
Mondoweiss provides a media compendium of recently escalating violence between the Israeli Defence Forces and Palestinians in Gaza and Israel.

NY Times Says a Palestinian Majority Would "Endanger Israel`s Democratic Ideals," Philip Weiss
Weiss critiques a New York Times op-ed on Palestinian statehood for ignoring leftwing commentators who argue for a one-state solution and for claiming a Palestinian majority would put the "democratic ideals" of Israel in jeopardy.

EU Court Takes Hamas Off Terrorist Organizations List, BBC News
The European Union General Court has annulled a December 2001 Council of the European Union decision to treat Hamas as a terrorist organization and freeze the funds of leaders in its political wing.

Palestinians Say They Will Seek UN Vote on Resolution to End Israeli Occupation, Associated Press
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has announced plans to push for a UN Security Council vote on a resolution setting a deadline on a Israeli-Palestinian peace deal and Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.

The Misery of the Palestinian Diaspora, Nimer Sultany
Sultany discusses the obstacles which the Palestinian diaspora faces in its attempt to take part in rebuilding the national movement, as well as the way internal Palestinian politics rifts continue to affect Palestinian community and political organizing in Europe and elsewhere.


Torture

"Did the Torture Work?" is the Wrong Question, Waleed Shahid
Shahid, writing for ColorLines, questions why the debate over the United States` post-9/11 interrogation program centers over the efficacy of torture rather than its morality.

CIA Torture Report: What Now?, Asraa Mustufa
Mustufa interviews several Muslim American activists and researchers on the Senate Intelligence Committee`s executive summary of their investigation into CIA use of torture during the Bush Administration.

The Guantánamo Wound that will Stay Open, Vijay Prashad
Despite promises to close the facility, an Obama Administration Guantánamo Task Force has concluded that at least fifty-nine detainees will likely never leave the prison, writes Prashad in al-Araby.

Former Guantanamo Detainee Named Global Terrorist, Carol Rosenberg
The Miami Herald reports the State Departmen has designated Ibrahim al-Rubaysh, a former Guantanamo detainee released in 2006, a "Specially Designated Global Terrorist" for associating with Al-Qaida in Yemen.

Guantanamo Lawyer: "The Torture Pervades Everything," Cora Currier
The Senate Intelligence Committee`s report on CIA use of torture hurts the government`s argument in Guantanamo detainee trials that their evidence against detainees does not rely on statements obtained through torture, writes Currier.

Civil Rights Group Calls for Prosecution of Torture Architects, Murtaza Hussain
Writing for The Intercept, Hussain interviews investigators with Reprieve and other human rights advocacy groups on the implications of revelations in the Senate Intelligence Committee`s report on CIA use of torture on their work, including the dim prospects of the Obama Administration pursuing criminal charges against those responsible for torture.

Seven Key Points from the CIA Torture Report, Jeremy Ashkenas, Hannah Fairfield, Josh Keller, Paul Volpe
The New York Times surveys key details about the CIA`s torture practices revealed in a Senate Intelligence Committee report.
 

ISIS

Several Islamic State Leaders Have Been Killed in Iraq, US Says, Julian E. Barnes
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Martin E. Dempsey has stated US airstrikes have killed three military leaders of Islamic State in Iraq.

The Race to Save Peter Kassig, Shiv Malik, Ali Younes, Spencer Ackerman, Mustafa Khalili
The Guardian details the effort of the US government to secure the release of American aid worker Peter Kassig, killed by ISIS on 16 November.

Do Attacks on ISIS in Syria Justify the "Unwilling or Unable" Test?, Kevin Jon Heller
Heller analyzes the notion of the right of self-defense under Article 51 of the UN Charter applying to situations where states are "unwilling or unable" to prevent non-state actors from mounting armed attacks within their borders as it applies to US air strikes against ISIS in Syria.

Imperialists for Human Rights, Bécquer Seguín
Discourse centered around "human rights" has largely been co-opted by Western powers to justify violent imperial interventions abroad, writes Seguín in Jacobin

Mount Sinjar: Islamic State Siege Broken, Say Kurds, BBC News
Kurdish militias claim to have broken an Islamic State siege of Mount Sinjar in Northern Iraq.

The Islamic State is Failing at Being a State, Liz Sly
Sly writes that the US is providing humanitarian aid to Syrians in areas under the control of ISIS.

Over 120,000 pro-Assad Fighters Killed in Syria Conflict: Monitoring Group, Reuters
According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, over 120,000 of those killed in the Syrian conflict so war are soldiers in the Syrian Arab Army, with a noticeable increase in recent months due to violent battles with ISIS.

‘Islamic State’ Versus al-Nusra: Will Baghdadi Ask for al-Talli’s Head?, Radwan Mortada
Writing in Al-Akhbar, Mortada discusses both the informal truce between Al-Nusra Front and ISIS for purposes of forging a common front against the Syrian army and Hezbollah, as well as the ongoing frictions which, he speculates, could soon erupt into renewed conflict. 
 

Pakistan

Scores of Children Among 141 Dead at Pakistan School, ABC News
ABC News reports on an a Taliban attack on a school in northwestern Pakistan.

Pakistani Military Chief Signs Death Warrants for Six "Hard-Core Terrorists," Tim Craig, Annie Gowen
Pakistani military leaders have hastened the pending executions of several detainees accused of terrorism, warrants which cannot be appealed.

How the Pakistani Taliban Became a Deadly Force, Carlotta Gall, Declan Walsh, Douglas Schorzman
The New York Times  provides a overview of the Pakistani Taliban and its history.

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[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.]

Palestine-Israel / United States

The Shortest Distance Between Palestine and Ferguson, Jaime Omar Yassin
Yassin draws a parallel between police brutality in Ferguson, Missouri and Israeli military operations in the Gaza Strip.  

Palestinians Express "Solidarity with the People of Ferguson" in Mike Brown Statement, Rana Baker
Electronic Intifada publishes a statement of released by Palestinian groups and individuals in solidarity with Ferguson, Missouri teenager Mike Brown and those protesting his death.

Globetrotting Warriors, Treated Inconsistently, Ahmed Tharwat
Tharwat, writing for the Star Tribune, criticizes the lack of US government oversight of Americans traveling to Israel to participate in IDF operations, as compared with relatively frequent FBI investigations of Americans traveling to fight in Syria or Somalia. 

German Magazine Reports Israel Spied on Kerry Last Year, Reuters
German magazine Der Spiegel has reported that Israel and one other unidentified intelligence agencies listened in on US Secretary of State John Kerry`s phone conversations during Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations.

Gaza Crisis: Israel Outflanks the White House on Strategy, Adam Entous
The Wall Street Journal covers the recent Obama Administration decision to tighten control of arms transfers to Israel, in response to revelations that the Israeli military had been transferred ammunition from the Pentagon without White House or State Department approval.

University of Illinois Faced Growing Boycott Over Firing of Palestinian American Professor, Ali Abunimah
Abunimah provides an overview to the backlash against the University of Illinois` decision to fire newly-hired professor Steven Salaita, a decision allegedly taken by the university because of his vocal criticism of Israel on Twitter and elsewhere.

Hillary Clinton`s Foreign Policy is Already Terrifying, Matt Taylor
Taylor finds a defense of Israeli aggression in Gaza made by Hillary Clinton in a recent interview with Jeffrey Goldberg a troubling preview of Clinton`s foreign policy should she run for president in 2016.

Return of the Blacklist?, David Palumbo-Liu
The firing of Steven Salaita is an attempt to silence criticism of Israel and attack on academic freedom, writes Palumbo-Liu in Salon.

Israel`s Most Important Source of Capital: California, Darwin Bond-Graham 
Writing in Counterpunch Bond-Graham summarizes the economic links which tie together investments in Israel and investors in California, as well as the high-technology nexus between the two.


Law and the "War on Terror"

American Muslims Sue for Being Watchlisted Without Due Process, Julianne Hing
Colorlines reports on a lawsuit filed by five American Muslims alleging they were added to a federal watch lists of terror suspects without due process.

Judge Demands Answers on Guantanamo Force-Feeding, Michael Doyle
US District Judge Gladys Kessler has issued a five-page order of questions regarding the force-feeding of Guantanamo detainee Mohammed Abu Wa`el Dhiab, ordering Guantanamo commander Col. John Bogdan and other authorities to justify the safety of the force-feedings, among other questions.

Alleged 9/11 Plotters Don Palestinian Attire in Courtroom Gaza Protest, Carol Rosenberg
The Miami Herald reports on a silent protest waged by the defendants in the 9/11 trial, as well as allegations from the defense that FBI agents have secretly questioned their staff.

Al Qaeda Begs for American Hostage Swap, John Santucci, James Gordon Meek, Ali Weinberg
ABC News covers a public plea from al Qa’ida urging the family of American hostage Warren Weinstein to "pressure [the US] government" for his release.

Libyan Assembly Asks for UN Help as Militias Clash, Associated Press
The Libyan parliament has asked the United Nations for an "international intervention" to help the country curb militia violence 
 

Palestine-Israel

The Anti-Zionism of Fools, Richard Seymour
An essay from Jacobin argues that while Zionists charge legitimate critiques of Israel with anti-Semitism, the left much challenge all anti-Semitism.

How Israel`s Shriveling Peace Camp Failed the Public, Avner Inbar
The Israeli peace movement failed to offer a clear narrative on Israeli aggression during Operation Brother`s Keeper and Protective Edge, writes Inbar in The Nation.

Palestinians Accuse Israel of Violating Gaza Truce, Nidal Al-Mughrabi
Reuters reports on a Palestinian-Israeli ceasefire passed 14 August 2014 and on Palestinian Interior Ministry in Gaza allegations that Israel soon violated the ceasefire.

How to Respond to Thoughtful People Who Can`t Help Saying "But Hamas," Donna Nevel
Nevel, writing for Mondoweiss, urges the Jewish community to situate criticism of Hamas in the "necessary context and historical perspective" regarding the Nakba, the 1967 occupation, and the more recent siege of Gaza. 

Regional Powers Enter the Fray as Palestinians Make Their Own Demands During Negotiations, Youssef Fares
Writing for Al-Akhbar Youssef Fares discusses the roles of regional actors in the negotiating process between the Palestinian resistance and Israel.


International Law

UN Nuclear Chief to Visit Iran before Investigation Deadline, Frederik Dahl
IAEA chief Yukiya Amano plans to visit Iran prior to the 25 August deadline for Iran to cooperate with an IAEA investigation of the "possible military dimensions" of Iran`s nuclear program.

Egypt Should be a Pariah State for its Bloody Crackdown on DissentThe Washington Post Editorial Board
The Washington Post criticizes the Egyptian government for its massacre of demonstrators on 14 August, 2013, recently called the "world`s largest killings of demonstrators in a single day in recent history" by Human Rights Watch.

Attacks on Schools -- What About International Law?, Kristin Hausler, Robert McCorquodale
Hausler and McCorquodale critique the notion that Israeli air strikes on Palestinian schools are legitimate under international law, as Israel has claimed, given Hamas practices of storing weapons in schools.
 

Iraq

Iraq`s Maliki Finally Steps Aside, Paving Way for New Government, Raheem Salman, Michael Georgy
Nouri al-Maliki has stepped down as Prime Minister of Iraq amidst political pressure over his government`s handling of the Islamic State in northern Iraq.

US Team Lands on Iraqi Mountain where Yazidis are Trapped, Arshad Mohammed, Jeff Mason
US military and humanitarian personnel landed on Mount Sinjar in Iraq to assess the possibility of evacuating thousands of members of the Yazidi religious minority are under siege from Islamic State.

Islamists Sought to Turn Lebanon into Iraq, Samia Nakhoul, Laila Bassam
Reuters reports on fears in the Lebanese Army of Islamic State incursion into Lebanon.

The Alternatives to More War in Iraq, Tom Hayden
The idea of a "Long War" in the Middle East is an "actual doctrine promoting eighty years of unending war" that the Left must refute, rather than just argue the American public has "no appetite" for another war, writes Hayden.

Obama: No Iraq Rescue, Further Airdrops Unlikely, Robert Burns, Ken Dilanian
President Obama has promised to expand US humanitarian relief in Iraq but ruled out the possibility of armed combat. 

Another War in Iraq Won`t Fix the Disaster of the Last, Seumas Milne
Further military intervention in Iraq will largely bolster the groups like Islamic State it seeks to target, writes Milne for The Guardian.