Post 9/11 America implemented a draconian system of torture, imprisonment and illegality that continues today under Barack Obama. The story of Al Jazeera cameraman… Sami al-Hajj is shocking, a man who disappeared into a legal and moral black hole for years and now speaks exclusively to Democracy Now! in Qatar. This is what the “war on…
Showing all posts tagged human rights
What the poppy trade has done to Afghanistan
During my time in Afghanistan last year I spent time with opium addicts on the outskirts of Kabul. It was a brief insight into the massive drug problems facing the country. This new book, Poppy – Trails of Afghan Heroin, looks fascinating:
Only Arab-Jewish parties worth voting for at upcoming Israeli election
Interesting piece by Noam Sheizaf about the reality of Israel’s political racism (via +972): A couple of weeks ago, the Knesset’s Central Elections Committee forbade media outlets from referring to Hadash, Balad and Ra’am-Ta’al as “Arab parties” in their polling results, and called on outlets to refer to each party individually. Nobody would think to…
Jews For Palestinian Right of Return
I signed the following statement, alongside many inspiring Jews worldwide, because the Palestinian right of return and ongoing displacement of Palestinians is a key, unresolved issue in the Middle East. To learn more see this website: “For Palestinians, the right to return home and the right to live in dignity and equality in their own…
Compassion for Israelis in 2013?
Powerful piece by seminal Israeli historian Ilan Pappe in Electronic Intifada: I have just spent the last few days of 2012 in the city of… Haifa. Accidentally, I met a few of my acquaintances who in the past deemed me at best as deluded and at worst as a traitor. They seemed more embarrassed today —…
Tasteless tourism should be avoided in Sri Lanka
Following the recent ethical tourism campaign for Sri Lanka launched by Britain’s Sri Lanka Campaign, this story shouldn’t surprise anybody; Colombo is proud of committing war crimes against Tamils and would like to make some money from it (via the UK Telegraph): A campaign group for human rights has criticised “tasteless” holiday accommodation built on…
Can divesting in fossil fuel companies help the climate crisis?
The US campaign 350.org aims to lead a public movement against climate change by putting financial and painful pressure on fossil fuel companies that cause climate change. It’s an interesting idea, debated below on Democracy Now!, as similar tactics were used against apartheid South Africa and today’s apartheid Israel:
Israel sails blissfully towards self-made disaster so how many Jews want to jump off?
An article in Haaretz is titled, “Will 2013 be the Year American Jews Secede from Israel? The answer is surely no but there’s no doubt that a growing bulk of US Jews, especially young ones, ain’t too fond of the direction Israel is going, namely towards a proudly racist and fascist state. Here’s an extract…
How an Orthodox Israeli Jewish billionaire loves to exploit Africa
This is a remarkable story, sad, tragic and outrageous, and proves that money doesn’t bring morality (via Bloomberg): Dan Gertler’s bearded face lights up as he looks out the helicopter window. Below, an installation twice the size of Monaco rises from a clearing in the central African forest, where it transforms ore mined from the…