Arab Talk With Jess & Jamal

Jewish Israeli activist and co-founder of Boycott from Within Ronnie Barkan explains the motives driving Israel's new fascist government and its association with followers of the late American-born Meir Kahane and Jewish extremist groups who assert that a temple must be built in al-Aqsa's place.

Dr. Sai Englert explains why democracy has never existed in Israel and what the current uproar really involves. He recently published an article in The Middle East Eye “Israeli crisis: This is not about democracy, it's about liberal Zionist supremacy.” https://www.middleeasteye.net/opinion/israel-crisis-not-about-democracy-liberal-zionist-supremacy

Dr. Hatem Bazian, author of the book "Palestine….it is something colonial," discusses his recent article “Can Ramadan be a Decolonization Moment?” He also talks about the conditions in Jerusalem, under an Israeli government determined to erase its Muslim history and character.

James North, Editor at Mondoweiss, discusses his recent article, “Awful ‘NYTimes’ article glorifies an Israeli Mossad agent who helped murder an innocent man. Why?” He also highlights the Times' current shameful tactics to deliver “feel-good” articles on Israel at all costs. https://mondoweiss.net/2023/03/awful-nytimes-article-glorifies-an-israeli-mossad-agent-who-helped-murder-an-innocent-man-why/

Faisal Saleh, founder of the Palestine Museum US, discusses the recent successful exhibits featuring Palestinian artists at the prestigious Academy of Fine Arts of Rome and the groundbreaking Collateral Event at the 59th La Biennale di Venezia. In 2023, Palestine will be in Venice again in an architectural event hosted by the European Cultural Centre in an exhibit - From Palestine: Our Past, Our Future.

Orly Noy, Chair of the executive board of the Israeli human rights organization B’Tselem, discusses the recent pogroms committed by Colonial Settlers in the Palestinian town of Huwara, the incitement that ensued by members of the Knesset, and collaboration by the Israeli Defense Forces.

Legal scholar Diana Buttu discusses Israel's "revocation" law that would strip "disloyal" Israeli Palestinians of their citizenship. She also talks about the Palestinian Authority's failure to hold Israel accountable by dropping a resolution to call a vote in the UN Security Council regarding the illegality of Israel's settlement expansion; agreeing instead to a “political-security” meeting.

Dr. James Cavallaro discusses how the State Department withdrew the Biden administration’s nomination of him to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights due to tweets he had posted about Israel’s human rights violations and Apartheid practices towards Palestinians. Cavallaro is co-founder and Executive Director of the University Network for Human Rights. He teaches courses on human rights law and practice at Wesleyan University, Yale Law School, and UCLA Law School.

Dr. Anis Germany discusses the humanitarian crisis in Syria due to international sanctions, as the death toll from the 7.8 and 7.5-magnitude earthquakes that hit southeastern Turkey and northern Syria last week rises above 36,000 — and it is expected to continue to go up as rescuers find more bodies in the destruction.

Dr. Lara Sheehi, Professor of Clinical Psychology at George Washington University’s Columbian College, describes the hateful attacks and bogus charges of antisemitism lobbed against her, by organized pro-Israel groups. Although charges of any discriminatory practices towards students were dismissed following a thorough intra-university review, in an exceptional decision, GWU agreed to undertake an outside investigation. Jess & Jamal examine Israel's fifth consecutive week of demonstrations in what the media describes as rallies for democracy.

Jess & Jamal discuss why recent attacks on Palestinians have increased and why 2023 will witness violence spiking under Israel's new far right government. An Israeli group is raising tax-exempt funds in the US and funneling it to Israeli terrorists. Will there be an investigation by the US Department of Justice?

Former Executive Director of Human Rights Watch Kenneth Roth discusses the reasons why Dean Elmendorf rescinded his fellowship offer at Harvard’s Carr Center for Human Rights Policy. After a major public and academic outcry, Elmendorf reversed his shameful decision, but many questions remain unanswered. Jess & Jamal revisit previous cases when academic institutions succumbed to the Israeli lobby and its surrogates by penalizing professors who criticized Israel's Apartheid and other human rights violations against Palestinians.

Dr. Rabab Abdulhadi, recently awarded the Jere L. Bacharach Service Award of the Middle East Studies Association (MESA), discusses recent escalation of attacks against free speech in academia. Jess and Jamal decipher two recent polls one conducted in Israel, the other in the US, dealing with racism and antisemitism.

Richard Silverstein, editor of Tikun Olam blog, discusses Israel's new fascist government and Meir Kahane's disciple Itamar Ben-Gvir. Jess & Jamal examine why Harvard’s Kennedy School denied Kenneth Roth, the longtime director of Human Rights Watch, a planned fellowship over the organization’s work on Israel.

Recently crowned Miss Earth Water 2022, Miss Palestine Nadeen Ayoub discusses environmental awareness, protection, and sustainability. She also strives to shed light on Palestinian culture, artists, and designers globally. Jess & Jamal look back at the most impactful stories of 2022 and provide some predictions for the upcoming year.

Dr. Guy Shalev discusses Israel's systemic racism within its health care system. One fifth of physicians and nurses in Israel are Palestinians, yet there is longstanding discrimination and racism in Israel's medical system towards Palestinians on both professional and patient levels. Jess and Jamal talk football (soccer) and Morocco's stunning win to become the first Arab & African team to qualify for the semifinal of the FIFA World Cup after defeating both Spain & Portugal.

Investigative journalist David Sheen discusses the triumphant return of the followers of the late, racist rabbi Meir Kahane to Israeli government, as they plan to ensure a Jewish majority with "emigration, transfer of the enemy (Palestinians), an exchange of populations and any other way that will help the enemy leave the country." Jess & Jamal examine the shock of Israeli journalists who were shunned at the World Cup in Qatar.

Dr. Nurit Peled-Elhanan talks about anti-Palestinian ideoplogy in Israeli school books: "Israeli education also propagates the idea of Israel as democracy-- the only democracy in the Middle East-- while reinforcing its existance as an Ethnocracy." Jess & Jamal expose the hypocrisy by some Western media outlets criticizing Qatar's human rights record as it hosts the FIFA World Cup 2022.

UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese discusses her report on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied in 1967. "Realizing the inalienable right of the Palestinian people to self-determination requires dismantling once and for all the Israeli settler-colonial occupation and its apartheid practices.” Jess & Jamal look into Benjamin Netanyahu's return to power for a record sixth time, in partnership with Itamar Ben-Gvir, a follower of Meir Kahane, and an admirer of terrorist Baruch Goldstein.

Human Rights Lawyer Diana Buttu discusses the recent death of seven-year-old Rayyan Suleiman, who died while being chased by Israeli soldiers in the occupied village of Tekoa, prompting the US State Dept. to call for an investigation. Jess & Jamal examine The Hill's firing of Katie Halper for describing Israel's policies as tantamount to apartheid. The cancelling of Ms. Halper is part of a trend by media outlets to muzzle critics of Israel.