Author Archives: Alex Kane

About Alex Kane

Alex Kane is an assistant editor for Mondoweiss and the World editor for AlterNet. Follow him on Twitter @alexbkane.

Northeastern University criticized for sanctioning Students for Justice in Palestine

Boston’s Northeastern University has come under criticism for imposing sanctions on the school’s Students for Justice in Palestine group.

Posted in Activism, Israel/Palestine, US Politics | 18 Comments

Palestinian activist Abir Kopty: Oslo should go, the peace process serves Israeli interests

Palestinian activist and blogger Abir Kopty is currently on a national tour in the U.S. organized by the American Friends Service Committee. Mondoweiss’ Alex Kane recently caught up with Kopty before her New York City event last Saturday. Kopty told Mondoweiss that she came to the U.S. to “speak directly to the American people about resistance” in Palestine. She also had harsh words for the Oslo Accords and American efforts to jumpstart the moribund peace process.

Posted in Activism, Israel/Palestine, Occupation | Tagged | 102 Comments

What Bradley Manning showed the world about Israel/Palestine

The trial of military whistleblower Bradley Manning has refocused attention on the revelations about U.S. foreign policy his actions produced. Manning’s actions exposed many important details about Israel/Palestine, including Benjamin Netanyahu’s vision for a Palestinian state and how the U.S. protects Israel from international attempts to hold them accountable for human rights violations.

Posted in Israel/Palestine, US Policy in the Middle East, US Politics | Comments Off

Flipping the political map: Yehouda Shenhav upends liberal understandings of Israel/Palestine in ‘Beyond the Two-State Solution’

Yehouda Shenhav’s book, Beyond the Two-State Solution: A Political Essay, is a true paradigm shifter. At the heart of the book is Shenhav’s convincing argument that traditional thinking on the conflict–first and foremost perpetrated by the Israeli liberal left–has been stuck in the 1967 paradigm, which has lead to never-ending and doomed efforts to establish a two-state solution. The Iraqi-Jewish sociologist also offers a truly novel vision for a solution to the Israel/Palestine conflict.

Posted in American Jewish Community, Israel/Palestine, Israeli Government, Nakba, Occupation, One state/Two states, Settlers/Colonists, US Politics | 5 Comments

New York parade lauding Israel brings out liberal Zionists and the far-right

An estimated 35,000 people came out to Manhattan Sunday to show their support for Israel during the annual parade on Fifth Ave. While many who attended were clearly Orthodox, the range of participants was diverse, and included liberal Zionists like members of the New Israel Fund. It was also the perfect place for local officials to look for votes in the city with the largest Jewish population outside Israel.

Posted in American Jewish Community, Israel/Palestine, US Politics | Tagged | 54 Comments

An American teenager is shot execution style by foreign forces– how long can Obama ignore quest for justice for Furkan Dogan?

The father of Furkan Dogan isn’t giving up. Ahmet Dogan is still searching for accountability and a U.S. investigation into the death of his son, who was shot on board the Mavi Marmara. Now, a petition drive has been launched by a coalition of American groups to back up Ahmet Dogan’s quest.

Posted in Activism, Flotilla, Israel/Palestine, US Policy in the Middle East | 22 Comments

Informant’s text messages shed new light on NYPD spy program targeting Muslims

Text messages from a former police informant who targeted Muslims have opened a new window into the the New York Police Department’s (NYPD) surveillance program. The messages, sent by former informant Shamiur Rahman, suggest that the police may not have told a federal judge the full story about the police’s expansive spy program targeting Muslims in the Northeast. In one message, Rahman wrote: “Hey bro. I think im going to bring up jihad with these guys tonight.”

Posted in US Politics | 2 Comments

Israel cracks down on American travel to West Bank by requiring tourists to obtain military permit

Israeli authorities have found another way to impede free access to the occupied territories for American travelers. Haaretz’s Amira Hass reported over the weekend that tourists from the U.S. have had to sign a declaration requiring them to obtain a military permit for travel to the occupied West Bank. It’s another example of Israeli restrictions on American travel to occupied Palestine, and it exposes a galling aspect of the “special relationship”: all the military aid and diplomatic support to Israel doesn’t shield Americans from being routinely discriminated against based on their political affiliations or ethnic background.

Posted in Israel/Palestine, US Policy in the Middle East, US Politics | Tagged | Comments Off

New York City Council official urges Brooklyn College to hire ‘professor from Israel’

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New York City Councilman Lew Fidler is still outraged over the Brooklyn College panel that took place in February on the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement. In a letter sent in late April, the Assistant Majority Leader at the council suggests the hiring of a “professor from Israel” at Brooklyn College to correct what he calls bias in the school’s Political Science Department.

Posted in Activism, American Jewish Community, BDS, Israel/Palestine, US Politics | 35 Comments

Barbara Boxer’s visa bill for Israel comes under concerted attack

In the wake of the horrific Nour Joudah case, in which an American teacher was refused entry to Palestine to resume her job this year, activists are ramping up their campaign to thwart the United States-Israel Strategic Partnership Act. The legislation would “codify into law U.S. acceptance of Israel’s discrimination and allow it to continue to deny visas to U.S. citizens,” according to a letter sent by a coalition of Palestine solidarity groups.

Posted in Activism, Israel Lobby, Israel/Palestine, US Policy in the Middle East, US Politics | Tagged | Comments Off

Coalition says investigations into campus Palestine activism chill student speech rights

A coalition of civil rights and advocacy groups have charged that prolonged federal investigations of Palestine solidarity activism on campuses are chilling students’ constitutional rights. The letters, sent to the DOE civil rights division in San Francisco and the DOE’s assistant secretary for civil rights, are a response to the spate of Title VI civil rights complaints that have been filed by Jewish students who advocate for Israel.

Posted in Activism, Israel Lobby, US Politics | Comments Off

New York students rally for divestment outside pension fund headquarters

Students from New York City colleges rallied Monday outside the headquarters of a national pension fund to pressure the company to divest from corporations profiting from the Israeli occupation.

Posted in Activism, BDS, Israel/Palestine | 1 Comment

B’Tselem report delivers blow to narrative that November attack on Gaza was ‘surgical’

The Israeli narrative about the attack on Gaza in November 2012 was that they used “precise” and “surgical” air strikes to ensure limited harm to civilians. But a new report by the Israeli human rights group B’Tselem calls that narrative into question. The group found that more than half of all Palestinian casualties during Operation Pillar of Defense, the army name for the assault, were civilians.

Posted in Gaza, Israel/Palestine | 11 Comments

Ethnocracy on display: Cabinet ministers approve Israeli plan to forcibly displace Bedouin citizens

Israeli cabinet ministers recently approved a plan that will forcibly displace Bedouin citizens of the state against their will. At the heart of the plan is the destruction of at least 25 unrecognized Bedouin villages in the Negev and the forcible relocation of residents into seven government-created areas and 10 recognized Bedouin villages. The Bedouins themselves, who have inhabited the Negev area in southern Israel long before the establishment of the state, are rejecting the plan.

Posted in Israel/Palestine, Israeli Government | Tagged | 11 Comments

New York mayoral candidates debate police spying on Muslims and Brooklyn College BDS panel

Seven candidates for New York City mayor gathered on Sunday at a one-of-a-kind forum devoted to Muslim community issues. The debate focused on a range of issues, from police surveillance of Muslims to school holidays to the Brooklyn College BDS panel. While most candidates spoke out against police surveillance of Muslims, only two said the program was unconstitutional. And the front-runners in the race–Christine Quinn and Bill de Blasio–did not denounce the expansive surveillance program. Above, from the left, is Public Advocate Bill de Blasio; Comptroller John Liu; City Council Speaker Christine Quinn; and Rev. Erick Salgado.

Posted in Israel/Palestine, US Politics, War on Terror | Tagged | Comments Off

Legal fight continues against NYPD spying on Muslims: an interview with civil rights lawyer Jethro Eisenstein

Jethro Eisenstein has battled the New York Police Department’s civil rights violations for 42 years. Now, the civil rights lawyer is taking the fight to the NYPD’s expansive program of spying on the Muslim community. Mondoweiss’ Alex Kane sat down with Eisenstein to discuss the lawsuit against the NYPD surveillance program, the police department’s history of spying on dissidents, the Boston bombings and proposals on the table to rein in the excesses of the NYPD.

Posted in US Politics, War on Terror | 9 Comments

6 facts you should know about the Guantanamo Bay hunger strike

The situation at Guantanamo continues to deteriorate. Here’s 6 facts you should know about Guantanamo Bay and the ongoing act of protest most of the prisoners are participating in.

Posted in Middle East, US Politics, War on Terror | 5 Comments

Treatment of Boston suspect exposes ‘Muslim exception’ to Constitution

Islamophobia has reared its ugly head post-Boston bombings. This time, though, the major purveyors of it aren’t right-wing bigots. Instead, it’s the U.S. government and a general tolerance for the violation of Muslims’ civil rights. The treatment of Dzokhar Tsarnaev, the main suspect in the Boston bombings, is a case study in how there’s a “Muslim exception” to the U.S. Constitution. This “Muslim exception” is rooted in Islamophobia.

Posted in US Politics, War on Terror | Tagged | 24 Comments

Gideon Levy: It’s time for a ‘one person, one vote’ movement to end Israeli oppression

Israeli columnist Gideon Levy calls for a “one person, one vote” movement to end Israeli control over Palestinian lives.

Posted in Activism, Israel/Palestine, Occupation | 138 Comments

Watch live: Middle East Policy Council hosts talk on expanding the debate on Israel/Palestine

Founder and co-editor of Mondoweiss Phil Weiss is participating in a Middle East Policy Council (MEPC) discussion this morning on expanding the debate on Israel/Palestine.

Posted in Israel/Palestine | 8 Comments

Israeli attorney general affirms policy of e-mail searches of foreign travelers

The Israeli attorney general has announced that security officials can demand to search foreigners’ e-mail accounts when they try to enter the country.

Posted in Israel/Palestine | 58 Comments

Columbia faculty and students press retirement fund to divest from Israeli army-linked corporations

Columbia University faculty are joining the campaign to pressure the retirement TIAA-CREF to divest from a number of companies that profit from contracts with the Israel Defense Forces. Staff members and students from Columbia University and Barnard College gathered yesterday to launch the call for divestment.

Posted in Israel/Palestine | 12 Comments

Boston Marathon bombings unleash a new wave of Islamophobia

It’s happening again: another collective freakout steeped in Islamophobia. The Boston Marathon bombings have unleashed a new wave of anti-Muslim sentiment. It’s easy to find on the right-wing. But it’s also being perpetuated by mainstream institutions and figures.

Posted in Media, US Politics | 84 Comments

Nour Joudah returns to U.S., but continues to fight Israel’s arbitrary denial of entry

The Quaker-affiliated Friends School in Ramallah is like an oasis, complete with a spacious courtyard and a tennis court. It’s easy to forget about the Israeli occupation while visiting there. But the case of Nour Joudah, a Palestinian-American English teacher at the school who was denied entry to the West Bank this year, shatters the feeling that the Friends School is worlds away from a conflict situation. Even if Israel is not patrolling the streets of Ramallah, the state’s actions still have a profound impact on the city and its residents, as Joudah being denied entry shows. Above, Joudah poses with students from her class.

Posted in Israel Lobby, Israel/Palestine, Israeli Government, US Politics | 7 Comments

Investigation of Brooklyn College BDS event rejects charges of anti-Semitism

An investigation by the City University of New York has rejected claims that student organizers who ejected four Jewish students at a BDS event in February were anti-Semitic. The inquiry was launched after the students who were ejected took their story to the media. News outlets added fuel to the fire by implying that anti-Semitism was behind the ejection. But the report, while criticizing aspects of how the school and student organizers handled the event, strongly states that there was no anti-Semitism at hand.

Posted in Activism, BDS, Israel/Palestine, US Politics | 34 Comments