company:jadaliyya

Jadaliyya Co-Editor Noura Erakat Discusses the History and Rage Behind the Deadly Protests in Gaza with Vice.
▻http://www.jadaliyya.com/Details/36405

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Reports of violent encounters with Israeli forces are not exactly rare in the deeply contested Palestinian territory. But this time feels different.

Last Friday, Israeli soldiers opened fire on a gathering of thousands near the border between Gaza and Israel, ultimately killing 18 Palestinians andreportedly wounding some 700 more. The demonstration was organized to mark “Land Day,” an annual commemoration of Palestinian civil resistance, and video evidence has since emerged indicating that at least some of the protestors gunned down from a distance on Friday were either carrying no weapons or actively fleeing—or both.

The incident has drawn pointed criticism from NGOs like Human Rights Watch—which called them “unlawful” and “calculated”—and American politicians like Bernie Sanders, who tweeted, “The killing of Palestinian demonstrators by Israeli forces in Gaza is tragic. It is the right of all people to protest for a better future without a violent response.”

The Israeli government has tried to assert it was acting in self defense, claiming protestors had links to Hamas and that activists were throwing molotov cocktails and stones, among other projectiles. The Foreign Affairs Director of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud Party, Eli Hazan, went so far as to assert that “all 30,000” of the protestors were “legitimate targets.” Still, even before last Friday’s protests, an officer in the Israeli military tweeted what critics suggested was a damning video in anticipation of Land Day featuring images of Israeli soldiers loading and firing sniper rifles along with Arabic captions warning Palestinians to stay away from the border.

Don’t be fooled by the comforting rhetoric coming from Saudi Arabia’s crown prince
▻https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/made-by-history/wp/2017/11/08/dont-be-fooled-by-the-comforting-rhetoric-coming-from-saudi-arabias-

The younger generation of Al Saud rulers — represented by the recently appointed crown prince — have created the illusion of a “new” Saudi Arabia, one defined by youth, moderation and liberalization. But far from embodying a break with “traditional” Saudi rule, the new generation has simply doubled down on the tried and tested approaches to modern Saudi statecraft.

Like its predecessors, the current regime uses great repressive force to maintain its rule. It relies on the very same programs of reform and modernization to shore up international support while exacerbating sectarian tensions and violently crushing all forms of political opposition, including the very forces of moderation it purports to support.

The timing of these announcements speaks to the regime’s desperate need for a victory to cover up its many domestic and regional failures, to increase confidence in the regime’s commitment to reform and to provide fodder for its all-out war against domestic opposition and regional rivals. This is not to say that change in Saudi Arabia is not possible, nor to discount the efforts of thousands of Saudis who have risked so much to improve their living situations. But in the hands of relentless dictators in such an authoritarian context, “change” is elusive at best.

As the United States Prepares to Strike Syria: Jadaliyya Co-Editor Bassam Haddad on Democracy Now
▻http://www.jadaliyya.com/pages/index/13894/as-the-united-states-prepares-to-strike-syria_jada

The British have, you know, made their say, and the Americans, the U.S. government, and France is pushing forward. What I think we should do first, before we actually begin to talk about any of this, is to recognize that this is not—no longer about the Syrian regime and whatever atrocities it may have committed and whatever atrocities the rebels may have committed. This is about invading a sovereign country before even the evidence is out, before even the U.N. inspectors are out. There are decisions to already invade, to attack, to launch a strike on Syria, by a country that we should actually check the record of. The United States is not qualified to do what it claims it wants to do, as a result of its own record in violating international law for a very long time and supporting dictators and rogue regimes and the apartheid state of Israel in opposition to all manners of international law. The United States violated international law by attacking and invading a country on false premise, which is Iraq in 2003. And most importantly, the United States, in Iraq, has actually used nerve agent, mustard gas and/or white phosphorus in Fallujah and beyond, left depleted uranium all over the country in Iraq, ruined and destroyed the lives of generations as a result, and now claims that it needs to do this to protect Syrian civilians, which is exactly the opposite of what will happen in any invasion or any strike on Syria, which is not possible to happen in the surgical manner that is being discussed right now.

“Up Front” Interview with Jadaliyya Co-Editor Bassam Haddad on Current Developments in Syria
This interview was conducted with Jadaliyya Co-Editor Bassam Haddad by Brian Edwards-Tiekert of KPFA’s “Up Front.” The interview discusses the staying power of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Syria, and why the regime’s days may be numbered; the ineffective cease-fire plan of Kofi Annan; what a post-regime Syria might look like; and the increase in violence between uprising forces and the regime.

Click below to listen. The interview runs from 9:00 to 18:00 minutes

►http://www.jadaliyya.com/pages/index/5930/up-front-interview-with-jadaliyya-co-editor-bassam

On Syria and Its Neighbors: Jadaliyya Co-Editor Bassam Haddad Featured in CNN Panel Column
►http://www.jadaliyya.com/pages/index/5575/on-syria-and-its-neighbors_jadaliyya-co-editor-bas

The Syrian situation is complex like any other uprising, but the situation has added complexity because it is at the juncture of several conflicts in the region. Those struggles involve local, regional, and international power plays that make the situation a lot more charged.

For instance, we have Syria at the center of the Arab-Israeli conflict. Syria is part of an axis, so to speak, with Iran, Syria and Hezbollah, confronting imperialism in various forms from inside and outside the region, particularly in relation to U.S. domination and Israel’s occupations and belligerence.

There is also resistance to the conservative Arab camp that includes Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and other conservative countries that are usually allies with the United States.

Also, Syria is, in many ways, the guarantor of stability in Lebanon. Syria’s presence in Lebanon has guaranteed some stability despite many violations of Lebanon’s sovereignty by Syria.

For all these reasons, Syria’s position in the region is pivotal. This is not simply another uprising against a dictator. It is also being transformed by other players into an effort to redraw the political map of the region and curtail further protests elsewhere.

“Arab League and U.S. Not Fit to Intervene in Syria”: Interview with Jadaliyya Co-Editor Bassam Haddad
►http://www.jadaliyya.com/pages/index/3340/arab-league-and-u.s.-not-fit-to-intervene-in-syria

In this interview, Jadaliyya Co-Editor Bassam Haddad asserts that condemning the regime’s violence and opposing international intervention of any sort are not mutually exclusive, and that the best course of action is to leave the opposition to its own devices, as the regime seems to be heading in the direction of political and military suicide. Furthermore, the internal opposition seems to be growing in strength, a reality that is likely to produce fissures and serious splits within the regime and its armed forces about the best course of action. In this context, international intervention would only complicate matters, cause more mayhem, and produce inconclusive outcomes.

►http://vimeo.com/32893162

Jadaliyya Co-Editor Bassam Haddad on Rami Makhlouf in the New York Times
►http://www.jadaliyya.com/pages/index/1920/jadaliyya-co-editor-bassam-haddad-on-rami-makhlouf

Syria’s most powerful businessman, a confidant and cousin of President Bashar al-Assad, announced on Thursday that he was quitting business and moving to charity work, Syrian television said. The move, if true, would suggest that Mr. Assad was so concerned about the continuing protests that he would sacrifice a relative to public anger.