Podcasts about boycott divestment

This week, on the sidelines of the Democratic National Convention, AJC hosted a program on Israel and the path to peace. Ambassador Thomas R. Nides, former U.S. Ambassador to Israel, Halie Soifer, CEO of the Jewish Democratic Council of America, and Illinois Congressman Brad Schneider (D-IL) joined us for the conversation. AJC's chief policy officer, Jason Isaacson, who is also the head of AJC's recently launched Center for a New Middle East, was moderating the program. AJC hosted a similar program on the sidelines of the Republican National Convention last month in Milwaukee. *The views and opinions expressed by guests do not necessarily reflect the views or position of AJC. AJC is a nonpartisan, 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. AJC does not endorse or oppose political parties or candidates. Episode Lineup:  (0:40) Jason Isaacson, Halie Soifer, Brad Schneider, Tom Nides Show Notes: Watch: Israel and the Path to Peace - AJC at the Democratic National Convention Listen – People of the Pod: Is Centrism the Antidote to Political Polarization and Extremism? A Conversation with Yair Zivan Follow People of the Pod on your favorite podcast app, and learn more at AJC.org/PeopleofthePod You can reach us at: peopleofthepod@ajc.org If you've appreciated this episode, please be sure to tell your friends, and rate and review us on Apple Podcasts. Transcript of Panel with Jason Isaacson, Halie Soifer, Brad Schneider, Tom Nides: Manya Brachear Pashman: This week, on the sidelines of the Democratic National Convention, AJC hosted a program on Israel and the path to peace. Joining us for the conversation was Ambassador Tom Nides, former US ambassador to Israel, Halie Soifer, CEO of the Jewish Democratic Council of America, and Illinois Congressman Brad Schneider. Moderating the program was AJC's chief policy officer Jason Isaacson, who is also the head of AJC's recently launched Center for a New Middle East.  Just a reminder, AJC is a 501(c)3 nonpartisan organization, and AJC neither supports nor opposes candidates for elective office. Jason Isaacson:   I really wanted to begin by citing some passages from the Democratic platform and some passages from the Republican platform relating to the Middle East. I'll just mention very briefly that the Republican platform's Middle East language is short and to the point. It says, We will stand with Israel and seek peace in the Middle East. We will rebuild our alliance network in the region to ensure a future of stability, peace, stability and prosperity.  And it also promises, very quickly, to restore peace in Europe and the Middle East. The Democratic platform is much more extensive. It's an 80 page document, a long section on the Middle East. But it says that the administration opposes settlement expansion and West Bank West Bank annexation. Also opposes the Boycott Divestment and Sanctions Movement against Israel. But it's very clear that the administration believes a strong, secure and democratic Israel is vital to the interests of the United States.  It's also quite specific about the necessity of defeating Hamas. I want to start my questioning with Halie Soifer. The question that's been on the minds of political reporters and many of us in the community, Haley, as you very well know, over the last 10 months of the war in Gaza, and has taken on new meaning in light of the change at the top of the Democratic ticket.  How can a Democratic candidate for president in the current highly charged environment maintain the support of the party's pro Israel mainstream while also keeping or winning back the loyalty of the increasingly active pro Palestinian segment of its constituency. What have we heard from Vice President Harris, for whom you worked in the Senate, that suggests that she can balance these competing policy claims? Halie Soifer:   Well, thank you, Jason, thanks to everyone. I was told to project. And for those of you who are at the Global Forum, you know I know how to project, so I will try my best. But thanks for having me.  I did have the honor of working for then-Senator Harris, starting her first month in the Senate for two years as her national security advisor. And what I can tell you is, not only does she share the views of President Biden, we know that based on the past three and a half years, and their records standing with Israel in the lead up to and of course, in the aftermath of the horrific attacks of October 7.  Giving an unprecedented amount of military assistance to Israel, standing with Israel, not only in the aftermath of these attacks, but demanding the release of all of the hostages, and continuing to stand with Israel as it faces this threat from Iran, pre positioning military assets in the region, not once, but twice in the lead up to The attacks of April 13. But also, I can tell you from personal experience, her views on Israel didn't start from day one in the White House. I saw it from day one when she was in the Senate. She came to this role with over a decade of experience working on these issues. I traveled to Israel with her in November of 2017.  This is an issue that she feels deeply in terms of the importance of the US Israel relationship, Israel security, its right to self defense, and she is a staunch supporter of Israel. Have no doubt. I'm glad you started with the Democratic platform as well, because this also elaborates on what is the strongly pro Israel views of our party.  And make no mistake, it's not a coincidence that we have three pages detailing our support of Israel in our platform. It's pages 82-85 for those who would like to look it up. And it is no mistake that the Republican platform is empty platitudes. Two, two bullet points that barely say anything. Because this is an issue of which our party is deeply committed.  And it extends beyond Israel. It includes Israel's security in the Middle East and our platform, which has never been stronger. I testified before the platform committee. I was very happy to say this very strong pro Israel platform of 2020 not only should it not be diluted, it should be strengthened.  Because, of course, we have seen the horror of October 7, we should reflect the fact that we stand with Israel in this moment. We call for the release of the hostages, and of course, we unequivocally condemn Hamas.  All of that is reflected in this platform and more, including recognition of the horrific sexual violence that was perpetrated on that day, which the vice president herself has given voice to. So in terms of questioning how she can navigate this issue, she already has and she continues to stand with Israel.  I have no doubt that when she's elected in 78 days, with the strong support of the Jewish community, that she will continue to do so as President. Jason Isaacson:   Thank you, Haile. Brad, I'm going to turn to you. The Republican Party platform had no specific references to Iran, but the Democratic platform went on at length about the need both to halt the regime's progress toward nuclear weapons capability and to confront Iran's and its proxies, destabilizing activities across the region. The Democrats document also pointed to instances of the Trump administration's failure to respond to certain Iranian provocations. Unfortunately, the Democratic platform didn't mention the fact that Trump administration was responsible for taking out IRGC Quds Force Chief, General Soleimani.  Now talk about how you imagine a Harris administration confronting the Iranian threats differently from the Biden administration. We have seen over the last three years, Iran has continued to develop its nuclear weapons capability, although it's not yet passed that threshold apparently. Its proxies are on the march across the region. We haven't really been successful in confronting Iran. Do you see a Harris administration taking a different approach?  Brad Schneider   Great question. And before I start, let me just welcome everybody to Chicago, to our great city, and those from Chicago, can you raise your hand? And I'm also going to take the personal indulgence to say it's good to be home with Chicago AJC. Jason Isaacson:   Thank you, Brad. I should have said that. Brad Schneider   Look, Iran is the greatest threat to Israel, to the region, but also to the United States. Our interests here in the region, but also here at home, and so we need to stand up to Iran and understand Iran is a threat on many different aspects. It's not just their nuclear program. It is their support of the proxies, Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, and more. It is their efforts to expand their reach, their influence across the region, and they do so not by building up states, but by tearing them down, creating instability across the region.  Their chant is not just Death to Israel, but Death to America. I have no doubt that the Harris-Walz administration will stay focused and understands the importance of first, ensuring that Iran never, ever gets a nuclear weapon. That has to be our number one priority. Because imagine where we would have been on April 13 if Iran had a nuclear weapon. Or this past couple of weeks, if Iran had a nuclear weapon.  The second thing I think you will see is the continuation of the policy. Reflecting on April 13, Iran launched 350 drones, rockets and missiles at Israel. It was Israel, the United States, and a arrangement or alliance of other nations that defeated that attack. That sent a very clear message that we will stand up to Iran, not leaving Israel to stand alone, or the United States and Israel standing without the support of allies, but allies throughout the region.  And just as important, if you look at who those allies are and what they believe in, they are countries, Arab countries, that are looking to the future. They're looking for a different dynamic in the Middle East. You mentioned that the Trump administration took out Soleimani. The Trump administration also laid the groundwork and helped establish the Abraham Accords. That is, I believe, the framework for the future that provides security and peace, not just to Israel, but to the other nations in the region.  And so what I believe the administration, that the Harris-Walz administration will focus on is isolating Iran, ensuring Iran can never have a nuclear weapon. Thwarting Iran's effort to expand its reach through proxies and failed states, but at the same time building up and working towards a path towards peace, security and prosperity for Israel and the region. I think that reflection of forward thinking, it's not just about Israel. It's about everything.  If you were watching last night, if you were there last night [Monday night], if you've been watching this campaign as it's unfolded. Now it'll be one month tomorrow. As it unfolds, what you're seeing is a view towards a different path that gives promise and hope to a better future that is absolutely dependent on the United States. United States leadership and US leadership on a global stage will empower and help us to ensure that Iran doesn't get that foothold on the global stage and doesn't have the ability to continue with threats to Israel in the region.  Jason Isaacson:   Well, let me stay on Iran for a second with you. Do you see a Harris administration try to return to the JCPOA? Brad Schneider  No. Jason Isaacson:   Or has that been totally discredited?  Brad Schneider   One thing you'll see is the Harris administration. I had a long conversation with Ilan Goldberg yesterday, the recognition that we are where we are now, we all would wish we were in a different place. 10 years ago, we were focused on getting to a place to move Iran back from the threshold of a nuclear weapon, and without relitigating the JCPOA, we moved Iran further away, a year away.  Now a year away is not eliminating Iran's capacity or capability to develop a nuclear weapon, but it is buying time. And what we should have done, I will relitigate this. We should have used that time to strengthen our position, our allies' position to improve our prospects of moving Iran further back. Instead, what happened was the Trump administration pulled out of the JCPOA and Iran marched forward, and where they are today is far closer to a nuclear weapon than they were 10 years ago. Where they are today are talking about days away from having enough nuclear enriched uranium, highly enriched uranium, to build not one, but multiple nuclear weapons. And they just announced that they're working on developing the triggering mechanism, the ability to convert that enriched uranium into a nuclear weapon. So the stakes are higher. The risks are higher. Iran is closer. We've got to start where we are today, and I think the new administration coming in will start at that point and look for ways to push back, to create space, and to use that space to buy time, to use that time to get us to a place where we have more security. But we can only go there if the administration is clear. Congress is clear. It's not a partisan issue. This has to be Democrats and Republicans saying we will never allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon, and all options are available to us to ensure that Iran does not achieve their goal. Jason Isaacson:   Brad, thank you. Ambassador Nides. We were talking earlier this morning about the Abraham Accords, and of course, Congressman Schneider just talked about that as well.  How do you see a Harris administration, building on the Abraham Accords, success, building on what the Biden administration has tried to do in normalizing relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel. Will that be a priority for the Harris administration? What would be the obstacles that it will face as it tries to move forward in that direction. Thomas Nides: Well, first of all, thank you for having me. And let me give a little bit of shout out to Ted Deutch. Who is– Ted, you can't leave. I see you walking back there. Because when they decided to recruit Ted Deutsch to leave the Congress to come do this, that was your biggest, happiest day. So thank you very much for your leadership.  Let me just say there were not many things I agreed about with the Trump administration, to be clear. And when my when I was being confirmed as ambassador, one of the very nice members on the Republican side asked me, Sir, it seems to be that the Biden administration won't even talk about the Abraham Accords, and they don't even call them the Abraham Accords, I remember seeing the Senate because I'm a bit of a smart aleck, and I said, Can I explain to you something? I love the Abraham Accords, okay? I love the Abraham Accords.  The Abraham Accords was, in my view, then and is today, a foundational event. And as much as I believe that the Trump administration has done all sorts of other things, the Abraham Accords, in my view, has strengthened the State of Israel. So I congratulate them for doing it and supporting it as we have. So we should all applaud that. And as we think about the future. Because listen, what has happened here. Even after October 7, the Bahrainians, the Moroccans and the Emiratis, they didn't abandon Israel. Quite the opposite. They've stuck with, most all of them kept their ambassadors in Israel. Most of them continue to have long involved conversations with the Prime Minister about the strength of Israel. And in fact, several months ago, when the Iranians were attacking Israel, those same countries were indirectly helping with the United States and with Israel to protect the State of Israel, not directly, but indirectly. A lot of information sharing.  So the foundation for the Abraham Accords should be the foundation for what comes next. And what comes next. Number one, we got to get a hostage deal. For any of you – I'm leaving here to go with the hostage families. I was in Israel a couple weeks and spoke at hostage square. For all of us, for any of us, we should sit and pray to get these hostages out. And for those of you who know some of the families, it breaks my heart. We've got to get a hostage deal. The time is now, okay?  And this President and this Vice President are committed to get these hostages free, so once we can get that deal done, and that means putting pressure on Netanyahu and putting pressure on Hamas. Make no mistake, this idea that this is all about Bibi. Listen, I've got my issues with Bibi on occasions, but it's not only convincing Bibi to do what needs to be done, it also is pressuring Hamas, through the proxies, to get them to do a deal.  Once there is a hostage deal, everything starts coming into place. And what does that mean? Ultimately, would have to have a plan to rebuild Gaza. Because this fight wasn't with the Palestinian people. This fight was with Hamas, and we've got to help rebuild Gaza with a new PA, with a new group of international parties, including the Saudis and Emiratis. That's a $15 or $20 billion operation to build, rebuild Gaza. Yes, we need a new PA leadership, a new what PA leadership looks like in the future. Needs to be talked about and then, and then we need to have a conversation about normalization with Saudi Arabia.  Make no mistake, it is the single most important thing that we can do, including keeping in control of Iran, is getting a normalization with Saudi Arabia. Because it's not just Saudi Arabia, it's the rest of the Muslim world, and it's in our grasp. We can get this done. Now obviously it's a little dreamy. And how do you get the 67 votes? We'll let the geniuses on the Hill, including the congressman, figure that out.  But I do believe there is an opportunity, because Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are completely committed to this. I will say one little note. Two years ago, when Joe Biden came for his 10th visit to Israel, I remember meeting him at the airport, and if you recall, it was the same it was middle of covid. It was the same time and where he decided to go to Saudi Arabia. And you remember Joe Biden during the campaign, said some fairly aggressive things about the Saudis during the Khashoggi thing and MBS.  But he was convinced by a lot of people, mostly his national security adviser and his vice president to go to Saudi Arabia. Why? Because it was good for the security of the State of Israel. He fundamentally believed that the Saudi normalization could be and should be the keys for the security of the State of Israel. So we've got to get these hostages out. We get a plan, and we need moving on a side, normalization as quickly as humanly possible. Manya Brachear Pashman: If you missed last week's episode, be sure to tune in for my conversation with Yair Zivan, foreign policy advisor to Israel's opposition leader, Yair Lapid, about his new book of essays “The Center Must Hold.” In that book, authors argue for a return to centrist politics as an antidote to the extremism around the globe today.

Hear from two Jewish student leaders at Binghamton University, Seth Schlank and Eytan Saenger, on their experiences amidst rising antisemitism on college campuses in the aftermath of the October 7 massacre in Israel by Hamas. They discuss the strong sense of community among Jewish students on campus, the value of a supportive university administration, and the power of Jewish student-led movements to counter antisemitism. The students also touch on the Binghamton community's show of solidarity with hostage Omer Neutra, a friend of many, who deferred acceptance to Binghamton before spending a gap year in Israel and enlisting in the IDF. *The views and opinions expressed by guests do not necessarily reflect the views or position of AJC.  Episode Lineup:  (0:40) Seth Shlank, Eytan Saenger Show Notes: Listen – People of the Pod on the Israel-Hamas War: Matisyahu's Message to His Fellow Jews and to the Israel Haters Trying to Cancel Him Unheard, Until Now: How Israeli Women Are Powering Israel's Resilience 152 Days Later: What the Mother of Hostage Edan Alexander Wants the World to Know What It's Like to Be Jewish at Harvard Among Antisemites and Hamas Supporters Follow People of the Pod on your favorite podcast app, and learn more at AJC.org/PeopleofthePod You can reach us at: peopleofthepod@ajc.org If you've appreciated this episode, please be sure to tell your friends, and rate and review us on Apple Podcasts. Transcript of Interview with Seth Shlank and Eytan Saenger: Manya Brachear Pashman:   According to a recent survey by Hillel, a majority of Jewish college students (56%) say their lives have been directly touched by antisemitism on campus since October 7. Likewise, AJC's State of Antisemitism in America 2023 Report found that 20% of current and recent students reported feeling or being excluded from a group or event because they're Jewish. That figure was only 12% in 2022. That's one of the reasons AJC and HIllel expanded a partnership this week to improve that climate on college campuses and make sure university administrators know how to support their Jewish students.  We wanted to know what a supportive campus environment looks like. Here to give a student perspective are Eytan Saenger and Seth Schlak, two Jewish student leaders at Binghamton University, the flagship State University of New York.  Seth, Eytan: welcome to People of the Pod. Seth Schlank:   Thank you.  Eytan Saenger:   Thanks for having us. Manya Brachear Pashman:   I'm hoping you can share with our listeners what it's been like to be Jewish on campus there in Binghamton. Can you kind of give us a picture of Jewish life on campus both before and after the October 7 attacks on Israel by Hamas? Eytan Saenger:   So the Jewish community at Binghamton is known to be one which is very strong. There's roughly over 4000 Jewish students overall. Many students are active in Jewish life. On Friday night, you can find over 500 students having dinner at Chabad, you can find hundreds of students involved in prayers, either on a daily basis or over Shabbat or different holidays and things like that. Events that you see on campus with the Jewish community are packed and bustling all the time. You walk to class, you see people with kippot, Israeli flags. Really, you know that you're a part of a college that is a place that is welcome for Jewish students. And certainly on October 7, was something that was needed for us as a community to know that we have people to turn to and, obviously, we're in the middle, we were in the midst of celebrating a holiday, which is supposed to be a joyous holiday, celebrating the beginning anew of the reading of the Torah, we were supposed to be dancing, singing, having food, having a good time. But instead that very quickly turned into a realization of the facts and things going on in Israel.  Acknowledging that there was the most Jews killed in a single day since the Holocaust, which of course dampened the mood of, especially for people like myself, who had just spent a year in Israel, the previous year. And felt such a deep connection to the people of Israel, to the land, to the whole fabric of the society there, and have family there, and things like that, where it's like, really, there was a worry of everything that was going on and trouble and processing everything that was happening.  Manya Brachear Pashman:  What was the response on campus in the aftermath?  Eytan Saenger:   We saw the whole community come together. Within the first 24 hours after the holiday ended, we held a vigil in main campus with over 700 students gathered from the community, people from outside the community as well, who were there to stand united, together. Our Rabbi actually where Seth and I, where we go to a lot of the prayers on Shabbat and the community we're part of, the OU-JLIC community, he actually went back to reserves to fight in Israel within 24 hours and was fighting there and was actually away from Binghamton, away from the students in the community, away from his wife, away from his family for almost eight weeks, in the immediate aftermath. And so that definitely had an impact on us and was something on our minds continuing throughout everything that was going on.  Manya Brachear Pashman:  I'm going to interrupt you here and note for listeners that You're talking about Rabbi Ben Menora of the Orthodox Union's Jewish Learning Initiative on Campus, a father of 5, and a commander in an IDF infantry reserve unit. Go on please. Eytan Saenger:   But we were able to look towards the fellow people in our community, who you felt the responsibility for knowing that we were all going through a tough time together and knowing that we all had some connection one way or another to things that were going on. And so people were there for each other, people continue to be there for each other and people are still doing things to be there for each other as the war continues to progress.  And I'm sure we'll go more into this later on, but also the fact that we had an administration who from day one showed up for the community, was at the vigil on day one was at Chabad, the first few weeks, and really went out of their way to show that we know what just happened, we acknowledge the severity of it. And we are here for the Jewish community, even when, and this has been explicitly said by the president himself, even when we know that other administrations at other universities are not there for you at the same time, but we know it's our responsibility to be there for you. Seth Schlank:   Yeah, I would say in all aspects of a community, whether you're walking down the Spine, the main part of campus, you see all these Jewish students, whether it's an organization who's tabeling for event that has a connection to Israel, or it's the administration showing up at Hillel for dinner, to spend some time and just talk with you about how you're doing, and how you how the administration is doing their part in making this tragedy and calamity in Israel. Um, for us being so far away, having a very large support system and be able to have someone who we know has our back is amazing. Manya Brachear Pashman:   As we've learned, no university is immune from antisemitism. I understand the Boycott Divestment and Sanctions movement has tried to make inroads there in Binghamton this year; some students have encountered antisemitism online or at protests and hostage posters have been ripped down. So it's by no means peachy keen. Eytan Saenger:   So definitely, as Seth and I have both said, we are very proud of the strong Jewish community we have here. At the same time, of course, there are still things which are on the minds of students when going about their lives on campus. In terms of whether it's a rally held, chanting slogans, which obviously do not make use for students feel any more welcome on campus. Whether it's an event that was being hosted with a pro-Israel speaker that was met with signs around a room, saying that you guys are complicit in genocide or things like that, which definitely make students think twice, sometimes about, Okay, do I want to be going to this event? Am I in a class with a professor who may judge me a certain way, because I share my stance or things like that? And so that's definitely, unfortunately, not something that we can say does not exist here at Binghamton.  There have been circumstances of protests, of specific incidents that have occurred, where different students feel different ways about those incidents about those protests and things like that. And some are, let's say more nervous when they walk around and things like that. But I think what we both agree on here is the fact that the overall nature of the campus climate and with the administration support has been one comparatively more welcoming towards Jewish students. I personally do not feel scared to walk around campus with my kippa on, I'm not hiding my Judaism when I'm walking around campus. Which doesn't doesn't overshadow the fact that there are incidents which cannot be ignored and cannot be understated, but it's definitely something that is presently being thought about. Manya Brachear Pashman:   Eytan, you mentioned that you spent time in Israel between high school and college. Is that common among the Jewish community at Binghamton?   Eytan Saenger:   Yeah, so, both Seth and I have spent gap years in Israel, there's a really significant population of Jewish students here who have spent gap years. Also because Binghamton gives credit for spending a gap year in Israel, which is a really helpful tool to a lot of students, who, let's say, are really interested in taking a gap year, but are worried about it delaying their college process more.  My program alone, last year, I was at Orayta, which is a yeshiva in the Old City of Jerusalem. And there's eight students at Binghamton who were on my program alone last year, and there are plenty of others from different programs across the country, who are at Binghamton as freshmen and then, of course, later on as well. And so that connection to Israel, of course, is stronger for those who spent a full year there.  Manya Brachear Pashman:   So I do want to highlight that there is a personal connection between Binghamton and the horrors that unfolded on October 7. Seth, you are friends with the family of Omer Neutra, one of the eight remaining American hostages being held by Hamas in Gaza. He was accepted to Binghamton with plans to attend but joined the Israel Defense Forces during his Gap Year. Seth, what else can you tell us about Omer? Seth Schlank:   I've always looked up to Omer, as someone who really understood and knew what it meant to lead. I was a member of his USY chapter when he was the president, when he was on board there. And he moved up a level. And he came on the board of the division, the Long Island division. Then he eventually became the president of the entire [USY] New York region.  And I think that for me, it was really always natural to see him at the forefront in the room, but also being able to have a conversation with everyone in the room and being able to make everyone there, laugh, smile, and really be proud of themselves and be proud of their Judaism.  Omer also valued Israel of course, I mean, that was probably one of his, still is, one of his main connections, one of his driving forces. Both his parents are Israelis, he's the grandson of Holocaust survivors. He was always smiling. He really enjoyed, you know, friends, family, basketball, big sports guy overall.  And we know that he had a connection to Binghamton, and we know that he was accepted here and we want to make sure that this was a place where we can acknowledge that and acknowledge that it's not 5000 miles away. This is something that has happened right in our own campus and someone that we know that we can bring to the forefront. Manya Brachear Pashman:   And that brings me to the event in the university's basketball arena last month, it was organized by the Zionist Organization there at Binghamton and Omer Neutra's family. Can you tell us a little bit about how many people participated and who participated? Seth Schlank:   Yeah sure. So before the event, we had a gathering in the parking lot of the event center where the game was being played. We had about, say 150-200 people at the game itself. So we all gather in the parking lot. We heard from Shira Kohler, who is a family friend of Omer. And whose brother [Ira] is a lone soldier in Tzanchanim, he fought in Be'eri in the first days of the war. Ira's fighting for Omer and all the hostages. Ira's time in Gaza is very personal.  And Hannah Slavsky, another one of Omer's friends from Plainview, who grew up with us. As well as Bailey Kahn, whose brother was on the volleyball team, where Omer was a captain.  And they all spoke about different parts of Omer and about who he was. And then we finally heard from Omer's father Ronan made the trip out to Binghamton and was able to kind of bring us all together and share a bit about his son and was able to thank us for our tireless work.  Obviously we want to thank him but we were definitely doing this really, all for all Omer. Every single part of this event was something that we wanted to make sure that like Omer was present at. So from there we went down to the basketball game.  Throughout the game, we held up signs,with pictures of Omer from his time in high school, where he was wearing his Binghamton gear. And showcasing him and his connection to this university, really made it a special event. We had the tagline, the hashtag Bing Stands with Omer.  And really, that was the whole main part of the event was that we are here with him with his father, with his family, and we're here for you, Omer.  Manya Brachear Pashman:   The pictures I saw of the fans at the basketball game were so incredibly moving. The spectators holding up pictures of Omer as if they were watching the game with him, it was really quite sweet to see. Were most of the students who participated in the event Jewish?  Seth Schlank:   I think while we had a lot of Jewish students, there were definitely a couple non-Jewish friends who were able to join. A lot of students grew up in that New York area here. So a lot of them felt connected, Jewish students felt connected. Or they went to this camp, worked at Ramah Nyack, went to Solomon Schechter, and was part of USY.  So a lot of people here know him through one facet of life or another. And so a lot of students that necessarily had that connection, and also kids who had never known him, as well as other Jewish students and non-Jewish students who joined us. Manya Brachear Pashman:   How has the university's connection to Omer affected the climate there on campus?  Eytan Saenger:   So, as I mentioned, from the first 24 hours of October 7, the community here was immediately getting together and putting together different rallies, different vigils, different events, and things like that. But there's something a lot more special, about an event where you have a personal connection too, right?  often at the rallies at the marches and things like that. You hear the phrase, right? These hostages are our brothers, sisters, friends, and things like that.  And right when our peers and they're walking on campus and they see us, they see us holding signs like that as well. But for us, it's really not hyperbole to say that we have friends there we have family there, because there are people on this campus who are family friends with the Neutras, who know Omar personally, and really when they're saying they want to bring their friends home, they are talking about someone who is their friend, who is someone they've spent time with and they're talking about someone who they've played sports with and want to continue playing sports with.  So it's really not an exaggeration, or just something that we're merely saying but really a reality of the situation here that there are people like Omer, who are still held hostage, who have personal connections to people across the country. The reason this issue and the reason this conflict is making such an impact and is something that people are investing so much time and advocating for is because of that reality of who is still held hostage and the connection that they have.  And that has certainly shifted and shaped the way that we have come together here at Binghamton and the way we have advocated. And in fact, after we had hosted the basketball game event for Omer, which had received coverage locally, Congressman Mark Molinero, who represents Binghamton actually went to the House floor and made a speech about Omer about his situation, and about the fact that he chose to come to Binghamton University. Based on the advocacy of the community here. And based on the things that we've been doing, to really put his name at the forefront of our efforts and in the forefront of why we care about what's going on. Manya Brachear Pashman:   I'm curious, and this question is for you, Seth, since you played such a key role in organizing that event in the basketball arena. And you spoke about Omer being such a leader. And I'm curious if these events of the last several months and missing Omer have propelled you into kind of an unexpected leadership role that you never saw yourself in? Seth Schlank:   So I think as a leader, I definitely would say, in the roles I've held since high school, whether it's been the chapter president of my USY, or the president of the Jewish student union chapter in Plainview, or now in my role on the JLIC executive board here in Binghamton. It's been something that I've always wanted to do and something I've always saw myself as someone who wants to approach people across the room and want to make sure that everyone feels like they could go up and speak. I think since October 7th, all the leaders that I've been able to look up to in addition to Omer, being able to see that each one of them has brought me to where I am today. Brought me to a place where I feel comfortable being a leader, want to grow myself as a leader even more. And someone who really I think has been a part of that is Omer. Manya Brachear Pashman:   Well, I'm sure his family so appreciated what the community there in Binghamton did. The pictures I saw of the event in that arena, were just incredibly moving. And I'm sure that when he sees them, he will be incredibly moved as well, when he comes home. So thank you so much, gentlemen, for joining us. Eytan Saenger:   Thanks for having us.  Seth Schlank:  Yes, thank you really for having us. It's been a pleasure to share our story and Omer's story. Manya Brachear Pashman: If you missed last week's episode, be sure to listen to my conversation with Grammy-nominated reggae singer, rapper, and beatboxer Matisyahu. We discussed what makes him Jewish and proud, the impact of October 7 on his musical and spiritual journey and how at almost every show on his current national tour, he has faced anti-Israel protests. The prospect of such protests led three venues to cancel his shows.

Join leading Palestine solidarity activists for a discussion of the role of BDS in solidarity with Palestine. Israel's attack on the 2.3 million Palestinians in the occupied and besieged Gaza Strip has been described by genocide scholars, international law experts and UN officials as “a textbook case of genocide.” Israel's bombardment of Gaza has killed thousands, including over 3,500 children, and destroyed entire neighborhoods, leaving over one million Palestinians displaced. In parallel, Palestinians are being dehumanized and Palestine solidarity is being targeted internationally. It is crucial for all people of conscience to find practical ways to struggle against the root causes of the violence: oppression and injustice. Launched in 2005, the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement is backed by Palestinian grassroots movements, unions, and political parties. BDS calls for an end to international state, corporate and institutional complicity in Israel's regime of oppression so that Palestinians can enjoy their rights. The BDS movement is inspired by the South African anti-apartheid struggle and the US Civil Rights movement, rooted in a century-old heritage of Palestinian popular resistance to settler colonialism and apartheid. BDS has taken the forms of worker strikes, mass demonstrations, public diplomacy, art, and education. As we protest ongoing Israeli war crimes, we must also act to end our own government's complicity in Israeli apartheid. BDS provides the means to exert meaningful material pressure on state and private actors complicit in Israel's violence. Read the Palestinian Civil Society Call for BDS: https://bdsmovement.net/call Speakers: Omar Barghouti is a Palestinian human rights defender and co-founder of the Palestinian-led Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement for Palestinian rights. He is a co-recipient of the 2017 Gandhi Peace Award. He holds a B.Sc. and an M.Sc. in Electrical Engineering from Columbia University, NY, and is pursuing a PhD in Philosophy (ethics) at the University of Amsterdam. He is the author of, BDS: The Global Struggle for Palestinian Rights (Haymarket: 2011). Stefanie Fox, MPH (she/her) is the Executive Director of Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP), a grassroots membership organization that organizes and mobilizes hundreds of thousands of Jews and allies into solidarity with the Palestinian freedom struggle and a vision of Judaism beyond Zionism. Stefanie joined JVP in 2009 as the organization's first National Organizer (when the organization had six chapters and a few hundred members) and played multiple roles as part of the team that grew the organization into the largest progressive Jewish anti-Zionist organization in the world. Olivia Katbi is an organizer with the BDS Movement and is based in Portland, Oregon. She served as the North America coordinator for the Palestinian-led BDS Movement from 2019 to 2022, where she led and supported BDS campaigning across the US and Canada, helping to win several major BDS campaigns, including campaigns targeting G4S, General Mills, and Ben & Jerry's. She also organizes with the Portland chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America, where she served as co-chair from 2017-2021. Moderated by Jason Farbman This event is sponsored by Jewish Voice for Peace and Haymarket Books and is part of Until Liberation: A Series for Palestine by Haymarket Books, cosponsored by Palestinian American Organizations Network, Mondoweiss, Spectre, Dissenters, Tempest, Palestine Deep Dive, The New Arab, and more. Watch the live event recording: https://youtube.com/live/ArBdHIyPj5A Buy books from Haymarket: www.haymarketbooks.org Follow us on Soundcloud: soundcloud.com/haymarketbooks

0:08 — Michael Arria is the U.S. correspondent for Mondoweiss, which covers developments in Israel/Palestine and related US foreign policy 0:33 — Joe Eskenazi, managing editor and columnist at Mission Local  0:43 — Sunaina Maira is a Professor of Asian American Studies at UC Davis. She is also a founding organizer of the US Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (USACBI). Her latest book is “Boycott!: The Academy and Justice for Palestine.” The post Is there a shift in US Politics around Palestine & Israel? Plus, Boycott Divestment Sanctions and Palestine Solidarity Organizing appeared first on KPFA.

Radicals in Conversation in-haus is a podcast series collaboration between Pluto Press and Bookhaus, an independent bookshop in Bristol. RIC in-haus is recorded on location at Bookhaus. The bookshop's ‘in-haus' events programme features authors of some of the most exciting radical nonfiction being published today. Episode 8 was recorded on 17th May, the same week as Palestinians commemorated the 75th anniversary of the Nakba. Hil Aked came to Bookhaus to talk about their new book Friends of Israel: The Backlash Against Palestine Solidarity. Hil Aked is a writer, investigative researcher and activist with a background in political sociology whose work has appeared in the Guardian, Independent, Sky News and Al Jazeera. They are a contributor to What is Islamophobia?: Racism, Social Movements and the State.  Hil is in conversation with Narzanin Massoumi, senior lecturer in the department of Sociology, Philosophy and Anthropology at the University of Exeter, and co-editor of What is Islamophobia? They discuss the activities of Israel's advocates in Britain, showing how they contribute to maintaining Israeli apartheid, as they seek to repress a rising tide of solidarity with Palestinians expressed through the Boycott Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement. They also consider the parallels with apartheid South Africa, and assess the recent protests in Israel around Judicial reform. bookhausbristol.com/shop

Is there such a thing as “the Israel lobby,” and how powerful is it really? Hilary Frances Aked's book Friends of Israel: The Backlash Against Palestine Solidarity (Verso, 2023) provides a forensically researched account of the activities of Israel's advocates in Britain, showing how they contribute to maintaining Israeli apartheid. The book traces the history and changing fortunes of key actors within the British Zionist movement in the context of the Israeli government's contemporary efforts to repress a rising tide of solidarity with Palestinians expressed through the Boycott Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement. Offering a nuanced and politically relevant account of pro-Israel actors' strategies, tactics, and varying levels of success in key arenas of society, it draws parallels with the similar anti-boycott campaign waged by supporters of the erstwhile apartheid regime in South Africa. Roberto Mazza is currently a Visiting Lecturer at Northwestern University. He is the host of the Jerusalem Unplugged Podcast and to discuss and propose a book for interview can be reached at robbymazza@gmail.com. Twitter and IG: @robbyref Website: www.robertomazza.org Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

Is there such a thing as “the Israel lobby,” and how powerful is it really? Hilary Frances Aked's book Friends of Israel: The Backlash Against Palestine Solidarity (Verso, 2023) provides a forensically researched account of the activities of Israel's advocates in Britain, showing how they contribute to maintaining Israeli apartheid. The book traces the history and changing fortunes of key actors within the British Zionist movement in the context of the Israeli government's contemporary efforts to repress a rising tide of solidarity with Palestinians expressed through the Boycott Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement. Offering a nuanced and politically relevant account of pro-Israel actors' strategies, tactics, and varying levels of success in key arenas of society, it draws parallels with the similar anti-boycott campaign waged by supporters of the erstwhile apartheid regime in South Africa. Roberto Mazza is currently a Visiting Lecturer at Northwestern University. He is the host of the Jerusalem Unplugged Podcast and to discuss and propose a book for interview can be reached at robbymazza@gmail.com. Twitter and IG: @robbyref Website: www.robertomazza.org Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/political-science

Is there such a thing as “the Israel lobby,” and how powerful is it really? Hilary Frances Aked's book Friends of Israel: The Backlash Against Palestine Solidarity (Verso, 2023) provides a forensically researched account of the activities of Israel's advocates in Britain, showing how they contribute to maintaining Israeli apartheid. The book traces the history and changing fortunes of key actors within the British Zionist movement in the context of the Israeli government's contemporary efforts to repress a rising tide of solidarity with Palestinians expressed through the Boycott Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement. Offering a nuanced and politically relevant account of pro-Israel actors' strategies, tactics, and varying levels of success in key arenas of society, it draws parallels with the similar anti-boycott campaign waged by supporters of the erstwhile apartheid regime in South Africa. Roberto Mazza is currently a Visiting Lecturer at Northwestern University. He is the host of the Jerusalem Unplugged Podcast and to discuss and propose a book for interview can be reached at robbymazza@gmail.com. Twitter and IG: @robbyref Website: www.robertomazza.org Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/jewish-studies

Is there such a thing as “the Israel lobby,” and how powerful is it really? Hilary Frances Aked's book Friends of Israel: The Backlash Against Palestine Solidarity (Verso, 2023) provides a forensically researched account of the activities of Israel's advocates in Britain, showing how they contribute to maintaining Israeli apartheid. The book traces the history and changing fortunes of key actors within the British Zionist movement in the context of the Israeli government's contemporary efforts to repress a rising tide of solidarity with Palestinians expressed through the Boycott Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement. Offering a nuanced and politically relevant account of pro-Israel actors' strategies, tactics, and varying levels of success in key arenas of society, it draws parallels with the similar anti-boycott campaign waged by supporters of the erstwhile apartheid regime in South Africa. Roberto Mazza is currently a Visiting Lecturer at Northwestern University. He is the host of the Jerusalem Unplugged Podcast and to discuss and propose a book for interview can be reached at robbymazza@gmail.com. Twitter and IG: @robbyref Website: www.robertomazza.org Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/middle-eastern-studies

Is there such a thing as “the Israel lobby,” and how powerful is it really? Hilary Frances Aked's book Friends of Israel: The Backlash Against Palestine Solidarity (Verso, 2023) provides a forensically researched account of the activities of Israel's advocates in Britain, showing how they contribute to maintaining Israeli apartheid. The book traces the history and changing fortunes of key actors within the British Zionist movement in the context of the Israeli government's contemporary efforts to repress a rising tide of solidarity with Palestinians expressed through the Boycott Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement. Offering a nuanced and politically relevant account of pro-Israel actors' strategies, tactics, and varying levels of success in key arenas of society, it draws parallels with the similar anti-boycott campaign waged by supporters of the erstwhile apartheid regime in South Africa. Roberto Mazza is currently a Visiting Lecturer at Northwestern University. He is the host of the Jerusalem Unplugged Podcast and to discuss and propose a book for interview can be reached at robbymazza@gmail.com. Twitter and IG: @robbyref Website: www.robertomazza.org Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/israel-studies

Is there such a thing as “the Israel lobby,” and how powerful is it really? Hilary Frances Aked's book Friends of Israel: The Backlash Against Palestine Solidarity (Verso, 2023) provides a forensically researched account of the activities of Israel's advocates in Britain, showing how they contribute to maintaining Israeli apartheid. The book traces the history and changing fortunes of key actors within the British Zionist movement in the context of the Israeli government's contemporary efforts to repress a rising tide of solidarity with Palestinians expressed through the Boycott Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement. Offering a nuanced and politically relevant account of pro-Israel actors' strategies, tactics, and varying levels of success in key arenas of society, it draws parallels with the similar anti-boycott campaign waged by supporters of the erstwhile apartheid regime in South Africa. Roberto Mazza is currently a Visiting Lecturer at Northwestern University. He is the host of the Jerusalem Unplugged Podcast and to discuss and propose a book for interview can be reached at robbymazza@gmail.com. Twitter and IG: @robbyref Website: www.robertomazza.org Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/politics-and-polemics

Is there such a thing as “the Israel lobby,” and how powerful is it really? Hilary Frances Aked's book Friends of Israel: The Backlash Against Palestine Solidarity (Verso, 2023) provides a forensically researched account of the activities of Israel's advocates in Britain, showing how they contribute to maintaining Israeli apartheid. The book traces the history and changing fortunes of key actors within the British Zionist movement in the context of the Israeli government's contemporary efforts to repress a rising tide of solidarity with Palestinians expressed through the Boycott Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement. Offering a nuanced and politically relevant account of pro-Israel actors' strategies, tactics, and varying levels of success in key arenas of society, it draws parallels with the similar anti-boycott campaign waged by supporters of the erstwhile apartheid regime in South Africa. Roberto Mazza is currently a Visiting Lecturer at Northwestern University. He is the host of the Jerusalem Unplugged Podcast and to discuss and propose a book for interview can be reached at robbymazza@gmail.com. Twitter and IG: @robbyref Website: www.robertomazza.org Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Is there such a thing as “the Israel lobby,” and how powerful is it really? Hilary Frances Aked's book Friends of Israel: The Backlash Against Palestine Solidarity (Verso, 2023) provides a forensically researched account of the activities of Israel's advocates in Britain, showing how they contribute to maintaining Israeli apartheid. The book traces the history and changing fortunes of key actors within the British Zionist movement in the context of the Israeli government's contemporary efforts to repress a rising tide of solidarity with Palestinians expressed through the Boycott Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement. Offering a nuanced and politically relevant account of pro-Israel actors' strategies, tactics, and varying levels of success in key arenas of society, it draws parallels with the similar anti-boycott campaign waged by supporters of the erstwhile apartheid regime in South Africa. Roberto Mazza is currently a Visiting Lecturer at Northwestern University. He is the host of the Jerusalem Unplugged Podcast and to discuss and propose a book for interview can be reached at robbymazza@gmail.com. Twitter and IG: @robbyref Website: www.robertomazza.org Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/british-studies

Is there such a thing as “the Israel lobby,” and how powerful is it really? Hilary Frances Aked's book Friends of Israel: The Backlash Against Palestine Solidarity (Verso, 2023) provides a forensically researched account of the activities of Israel's advocates in Britain, showing how they contribute to maintaining Israeli apartheid. The book traces the history and changing fortunes of key actors within the British Zionist movement in the context of the Israeli government's contemporary efforts to repress a rising tide of solidarity with Palestinians expressed through the Boycott Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement. Offering a nuanced and politically relevant account of pro-Israel actors' strategies, tactics, and varying levels of success in key arenas of society, it draws parallels with the similar anti-boycott campaign waged by supporters of the erstwhile apartheid regime in South Africa. Roberto Mazza is currently a Visiting Lecturer at Northwestern University. He is the host of the Jerusalem Unplugged Podcast and to discuss and propose a book for interview can be reached at robbymazza@gmail.com. Twitter and IG: @robbyref Website: www.robertomazza.org Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this edition of Free City Radio we feature a conversation with Sami, a Palestinian team member and student coordinator at BDS NL, the Boycott Divestment and Sanctions movement in the Netherlands. Sami started his activism in university in the UK and is now leveraging his experience to support and empower student groups across the Netherlands, involved in the Palestine justice movement. This interview is a window into the logistics and details of organizing around the BDS movements in the Netherlands and more broadly within the EU context. Specifically this interview outlines the importance of projects like the #DontBuyIntoOccupation report that focuses on investigating and highlighting "the financial relationships between business enterprises involved in the illegal Israeli settlement enterprise in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT) and European Financial Institutions (FIs)." https://dontbuyintooccupation.org This interview was recorded at the OCCii space in Amsterdam, thank you to Sarah Teixeira St Cyr for helping to coordinate this interview. This program includes an excerpt of a track from the Amsterdam based artist Zea, more info: https://zeamusic.bandcamp.com Free City Radio is hosted and produced by Stefan @spirodon Christoff and airs on @radiockut 90.3FM at 11am on Wednesdays and @cjlo1690 AM in Tiohti:áke/Montréal on Tuesdays at 1pm on @ckuwradio 95.9FM in Winnipeg at 8am on Tuesdays, on @cfrc 101.9FM in Kingston, Ontario at 11:30am on Wednesdays and broadcasting on @cfuv 101.9 FM in Victoria, BC on Wednesdays at 9am. Also Free City Radio is a podcast through both Spotify and Apple Podcasts, please encourage a friend to tune-in !

For this episode of "The F-Word," we hear from world renown Palestinian activist Issa Amro, awarded by the United Nations for his non-violent resistance to the Israeli government, which he says is an openly fascist regime. He spoke recently at Plymouth Congregational United Church of Christ in Northeast DC and was introduced by the Israeli American author and activist Miko Peled. With more than 50 Palestinians, including 11 children, killed by Israeli soldiers this year, and violent attacks on communities by Jewish settlers rubber-stamped by the Netanyahu far-right government, activists say that it is urgent to organize the type of international Boycott Divestment and Sanctions movement that was mounted against the apartheid government of South Africa.  The show is made possible only by our volunteer energy, our resolve to keep the people's voices on the air, and by support from our listeners. In this new era of fake corporate news, we have to be and support our own media! Please click here or click on the Support-Donate tab on this website to subscribe for as little as $3 a month. We are so grateful for this small but growing amount of monthly crowdsource funding on Patreon. PATREON NOW HAS A ONE-TIME, ANNUAL DONATION FUNCTION! You can also give a one-time or recurring donation on PayPal. Thank you!

Bude, Heinzwww.deutschlandfunkkultur.de, FazitDirekter Link zur Audiodatei

International entertainers of every color and creed are besieged by pressure to boycott Israel with an antisemitic smear tactic that spans the globe. Behind it all is the Boycott Divestment and Sanctions, otherwise ... The post Artists Under Fire: Lana Melman appeared first on Author Hour.

We hear about the collective Boycott Sydney Festival campaign to end the troubling partnership between the Sydney Festival and the Israeli state. A Palestinian led campaign, as part of the Boycott Divestment and Sanctions movement for Palestinian freedom has been calling for the festival to be boycotted because the Festival refuses to drop its relationship with the Israeli Embassy. We hear from Palestinian activist, author and academic Dr Randa Abdel-Fattah. The campaign is calling for everyone to get behind the many artists who withdrew from the Festival in solidarity, who have independent shows and exhibition on. Check out a catalogue of the artists on the Boycott Sydney Festival Instagram. Also see: BDS Australia,  Do Better on Palestine, Palestinian Justice Movement Sydney.

More than 20 acts have boycotted this year's Sydney Festival because of the board's decision to accept a $20,000 donation from the Israeli embassy to stage a dance performance. Liberal MP Dave Sharma says the acts boycotting the Sydney Festival have found themselves in “odd company” after Hamas released a statement in support of the boycott. More than 30 acts have distanced themselves from Sydney Festival in response to an organised boycott campaign, protesting the festival's decision to accept $20,000 in funding from Israel's Australian embassy to support Sydney Dance Company's production of Decadance, by Israeli choreographer Ohad Naharin. Limelight Magazine Sky News ABC News This is just my opinion. J Fallon Apple Music J Fallon Spotify --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/jason-fallon/message

Richard Becker, author of "Palestine, Israel and the U.S. Empire" joins us to discuss the ongoing campaign against the Boycott Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, which saw a local newspaper in Arkansas threatened with a withdrawal of advertising from a local company due to a state law that asks businesses to pledge not to support any boycotts of Israel. We talk about the pervasiveness of such laws, with 30 states having laws similar to the one Arkansas passed in 2017, and whether we are starting to see some resistance to knee-jerk support for Israel. Katherine Rahill, Senior Scientist for the Office of the Chief Scientist of NASA's Human Research Program (HRP) at Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX, joins us to talk about the news of NASA's DART mission attempting to manually alter the course of an asteroid by smashing a spacecraft into it at high speeds to test a defense mechanism against wayward asteroids that may threaten Earth. We also discuss the prospects of the mission's success and whether we will see a planetary defense system in the future.Mohamed Elmaazi, journalist and contributor to numerous outlets including Jacobin, The Canary, The Grayzone, and The Real News, talks to us about the dangerous implications of a new Nationality and Borders bill currently moving through the British House of Commons, which would allow the government to remove a person's citizenship without having to give them notice so long as it is deemed in the public interest or the interests of national security. We discuss the impact this bill could have not only on naturalized immigrants, but citizens born in the UK as well. Esther Iverem, multidisciplinary author and independent journalist, host of "On The Ground: Voices of Resistance From the Nation's Capital" on Pacifica Radio, and founding member of DC Poets Against the War, joins hosts Michelle Witte and Bob Schlehuber to talk about a jury awarding $26 million in the Charlottesville "Unite the Right" rally civil case, the latest developments in Ethiopia, and two examples of how American society and our judicial system are not designed to rehabilitate people.

Josh Gomez, research fellow with the Partnership for Civil Justice Fund, talks to us about a recent victory for the Boycott Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) against the Israeli military occupation of Palestine in a court case in Georgia, where journalist Abby Martin was scheduled to speak in 2019 and as one of the conditions of the speaking arrangement, she was required to sign a pledge that she was not involved in BDS, how the court ruled that this was a violation of the First Amendment, and what this means for free speech advocates and the BDS movement going forward. Helena Olea, associate director of programs with Alianza Americas, talks to us about the political situation in Mexico ahead of upcoming midterm elections, how Andres Manuel López Obrador’s (AMLO) political plans have fared during his tenure, how he has redirected focus towards anti-corruption and poverty reduction, and what Mexico’s relationship with the United States could be under the Biden administration. We also talk about recent articles in the US media that seem to suggest that AMLO has been displaying an authoritarian bent, with very little coverage of the election itself. Jamal Muhammad, host of the Luv Lounge radio show and the Old School Lunch Bag Mix on Square 1 radio, joins us to talk about a recent op-ed in the New York Times about how the COVID-19 pandemic has caused a collective trauma in U.S. society, and how it eventually goes off the rails by making analyses that do not necessarily apply to working people in the U.S. and missing the mark with its prescriptions. We also talk about recent protests in Washington, DC, over the need of basic resources for working communities and the proliferation of liquor vendors there. Nav Bhatia, superfan for the Toronto Raptors basketball team and founder of the Superfan Foundation, uniting people through the love of the sport, talks to us about his experience of being the only fan to ever be inducted into the NBA Hall of Fame, and how his foundation has found a way to use sports to build bridges across communities.

Bill Fletcher Jr., longtime trade unionist, writer and a past president of TransAfrica Forum, talks to us about the parallels between the apartheid state in South Africa and the conditions that Palestinians live in both in Israel and the occupied territories, how support for apartheid in the U.S. was disguised as a fight against communism in the region, and how attitudes began to change and how people mobilized against apartheid. We also talk about what the Boycott Divestment and Sanctions movement can learn from the struggles against the fight against apartheid in South Africa and and how these can be applied to fight for justice for the Palestinians.Jason Dzubow, immigration attorney specializing in political asylum and appeals, and writer for The Asylumist, talks us about the complicated process of seeking asylum in the United States, whether the Biden administration will roll back the Trump administration’s clampdown on asylum seekers and what changes to policies would be possible in the future. We also talk about whether there is an urgency to tackle this issue among political circles, and the best strategies to lobby for the rights of asylum seekers. Christina Tobin, founder of Free and Equal, joins hosts Michelle Witte and Bob Schlehuber in a conversation about elections, electoral fairness and new alternatives beyond the two-party system and how blockchain technology can help ensure a more democratic process that could bypass elite gatekeeping. We also talk about the rise in the number of new political options in the country with the Democratic Socialists of America and the Party of Socialism and Liberation recently increasing their numbers, and whether mainstream media has fairly treated the emergence of these new political alternatives.The Misfits also talk about the Department of Justice releasing part of the memo that cleared Trump of Russiagate accusations, and Florida becoming the first state to regulate how companies like Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter moderate speech online.

Acknowledgement of Country// News Headlines// We hear excerpts of speeches from the rally to support harm reduction in the Inner West, held in Nicholson Mall, Footscray on Saturday May 22nd. The same week saw opponents of a safe injecting facility, including the ALP Mayor of Maribyrnong Michael Clarke and right wing politicians, mobilise on Wednesday night, which was also counter-protested. The rally in support of harm reduction was co-chaired by Phoebe McDonald (speaking first) and Liz Walsh from the Victorian Socialists. Earlier this week, Rosie caught up with Fernanda Rodriguez, a member of the Colombian community living in Melbourne. Fernanda is an engineer and a member of Solidarity for Colombia, a group that has been raising funds to support First Line, a Colombian activist organisation. Fernanda joined Rosie to discuss the ongoing protests and strikes in Colombia. Women on the Line presenter Scheherazade Bloul interviewed Jeanine Hourani this week about the Boycott Divestment Sanctions movement, Israeli arms manufacturing, complicity and solidarity. Jeanine Hourani is a Palestinian activist, campaigner, and storyteller. She is currently the director of Road to Refuge, an organisation that aims to change the narrative around refugees and people seeking asylum by transferring the power of narrative back to those most directly impacted. Catch the full episode of Women on the Line this coming Monday May 31st from 8:30-9AM on 3CR, or listen back at 3cr.org.au/womenontheline. Professor Libby Porter at the Centre for Urban Research, RMIT University, and a member of Save Public Housing Collective, joins us to provide a public housing-focused analysis of the Victorian budget 2021-22. Read the full Save Public Housing Collective budget analysis by Professor Porter and Dr David Kelly here. We hear a speech by Samah Sabawi, Palestinian playwright, author and poet, at the Narrm/Melbourne Nakba Rally held on Saturday May 22nd at 1PM outside the State Library of Victoria, which continued to amplify calls to end the Gaza siege, save Sheikh Jarrah and call for the end of Israeli colonisation beyond just a ceasefire. Find out more about local actions and events in support of Palestine at Free Palestine Melbourne, Australia Palestine Advocacy Network, and BDS Australia. Songs//Sardine Baby - Maurial Spearim

Die einen sehen in "B.D.S." einen legitimen und gewaltfreien Widerstand gegen die israelische Siedlungspolitik. Für viele aber ist "B.D.S" nichts Anderes als - mehr oder weniger versteckt - öffentlich zur Schau getragener Judenhass.

On this episode of Going Underground, we speak to Dr. Hanan Ashrawi, Iconic Palestinian Leader, Scholar and Activist. She discusses the exclusion of millions of Palestinians living under Israeli occupation from Israel’s Coronavirus vaccine program, the criminalisation of and pressure against the Boycott Divestment & Sanctions (BDS movement), inaction by the international community on Israel’s expanding settlements and entrenching illegal occupation, what the Biden administration will mean for Palestine, the Abraham Accords and why they will ultimately cause instability.

I want to speak to you today from the heart about something that is very important to me, I care a lot about it, yet I have never before in 23 years spoken about it from the bimah: BDS, the movement to boycott, divest and sanction Israel, the movement to single out Israel, from among all the nations in the world, not China, which imprisons its Muslim minorities, not Turkey, which stifles its dissenters, not any of the number of countries where being gay is a capital offense, but BDS focuses only on the Jewish state for special boycott, divestment, and sanctions. BDS does not say boo, does not raise a peep, about all these countries that violate basic human rights, but it saves 100% of its anger, 100% of its energy, only for the Jewish state. Why is that? Is there some agenda here? Follow this link to view the sermon and watch the live streaming version on our website https://www.templeemanuel.com/rabbi/rabbi-wes-gardenswartz/bds-boycott-divestment-and-sanction-of-only-one-state-the-jewish-state-hateful-ideas-have-hateful-consequences/

Since the overthrow of long-time dictator Muammar Al Qadafi in 2011, with the support of NATO, Libya was thrown into chaos with no foreseen end. For the past few years a power struggle has emerged between the internationally recognized government led by Prime Minister Fayez al-Serraj and the self-proclaimed Libyan National Army led by General Khalifa Haftar who receives military support from regional powers, and the US and Russia The latest episode in this power struggle started in April with the advancement of General Haftar towards the Capital, Tripoli. The confrontations have so far claimed hundreds of lives. Also earlier this month an air strike by the Haftar forces on the Tajoura immigration detention centre in eastern Tripoli claimed the lives of at least 40 refugees and migrants, and injured more than 80. Amnesty International said that around 600 people were trapped in the detention center with no way to escape, AND called for the attack to be independently investigated as a war crime. Khalil Bendib speaks with Ali Ahmida, Professor of Political Science at the University of New England in Maine. He asks him about the regional and international players who are fueling the conflict as well as latest on the battle for Tripoli . Next we speak with attorney Zoha Khalil from Palestine Legal about the resolution proposed by congresswoman Ilhan Omar of Minnesota which aims to protect the use of boycott as a constitutionally protected free speech and as a tool for social change. It comes around the same time, the congressional Democrats are advancing an non-binding resolution to condemn the Boycott Divestment and Sanctions or the BDS movement against Israel. Although the resolution does not reference Israel or BDS specifically it is understood to be in response to national and state legislations attempting to criminalize those engaging in boycott activities against Israel.

If you're based in London, you may have seen adverts on the London Underground for the Palestine Expo, which is taking place on 6th and 7th July at the London Olympia. On this week's podcast, Salim speaks to Shamiul from FOA (Friends of Al Aqsa), who are the organisation behind the event. They talk about people can expect from the expo itself as well as where the idea came from and struggles they've faced along the way. They also discuss the BDS movement which has been in the headlines both in the UK and USA recently. ---- You can get 20% off tickets at the Palestine Expo using checkout code 'FOAMVIBE'. Get your tickets here: www.palestineexpo.com --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/themuslimvibe/message

Two soldiers injured in car-ramming attack An IDF soldier and a border police officer were seriously wounded in the West Bank, Monday morning, in a car-ramming terror attack just outside of Ramallah. #CARRAMMING #WESTBANK __________________ 2. US Embassy & Consulate to merge into one body The United States is now enacting more diplomatic re-structuring in the Middle East and merging the PA consulate general in Jerusalem with the new American Embassy.  #USEMBASSY #CONSULATE ____________________ US Embassy & Consulate to merge into one body Dr. Mordechai Kedar, Middle East expert at the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies and Bar Ilan University. joins us in the studio to speak about the merger between the new United States Embassy and the PA Consulate in Jerusalem #USEMBASSY #CONSULATE ___________________ Airstrikes reported near Quneitra overnight The Syrian Sana news agency reported that IDF forces struck targets in the Druze town of Hader, Sunday night, in the Southern Syrian province of Quneitra just 3 km from the border in the Golan. #QUNEITRA #AIRSTRIKES ___________________ Erdan lobbies to halt support of Pro-BDS NGO's Minister of Public Security and Strategic Affairs, Gilad Erdan, is now urging governments in ten countries to cease funding for NGO's advocating for the Boycott Divestment and Sanctions Movement.  #BDS #GILADERDAN ___________________ Strasbourg synagogue memorial stone vandalized The wave of Anti-Semitism in France, a memorial stone marking the site of Strasbourg's old synagogue which was destroyed by the Nazis was vandalized. #STRASBOURG #VANDALISM                                    ___________________ MK Yuli Edelstein rules out passing ‘French Law' Knesset speaker Yuli Edelstein ruled out the passing of the so-called French Law, which stipulates that sitting Prime Ministers are exempt from being under investigation. #YULIEDELSTEIN #FRENCHLAW  ___________________ 8. Int'l Women's Day is fast approaching Knesset Member Rachel Azaria together with other Israeli organizations launched A new feminist campaign Sunday as International Women's Day approaches. #WOMENSDAY #CAMPAIGN ___________________ Jewish Agency announces loans for surrogacy The Jewish Agency of Israel has now announced it will authorize loans to its employees who opt to pursue surrogacy overseas, an unprecedented stride toward LGBT equality. #LGBT #SURROGACY                                  ___________________ ‘Via' ride-sharing service expands to Tel Aviv New York-based ridesharing company Via Transportation has just announced the launching of a brand new collaborative service with the Dan bus company  #VIA #DANBUS  ___________________ Hebrew word of the Day: Learn a New Hebrew word every day. Today's word is ' SIMCHA ' which means JOY / CELEBRATION. #LEARNHEBREW   #HEBREWWORDOFDAY   #ILTVHEBREWWORDOFDAY  ___________________ The Weather Forecast Tonight should have scattered showers and a cool low of about fifty-one or eleven degrees Celsius. Then Tomorrow you can expect more of the same, and with a high of sixty-three or seventeen degrees Celsius. #ISRAELWEATHER   #ISRAELFORECAST See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

https://onthegroundshow.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/OTG-MAY25-2018-DIST-SMALL.mp3 On this show, as U.S. activists respond to the recent massacre in Gaza by ramping up the Boycott Divestment Sanctions Movement, they are opposing a bill advancing in Congress that would strip Americans of the right to boycott the apartheid state of Israel. We speak to Benjamin Douglas, an organizer with the DC Metro chapter Jewish Voice for Peace. And media critic Janine Jackson on new threats to reporters and journalism in the United States. Plus headlines on North Korea, Iran, Venezuela, NFL and more. On The Ground: Voices of Resistance from the Nation's Capital (www.onthegroundshow.org) is a weekly show that brings alternative news from DC. We cover social justice activism and activists, those who are in the DC area and those who come to DC from across the nation or from across the globe to speak truth to power. Esther Iverem, creator, executive producer and host, is an award-winning journalist, poet, visual artist and activist. Her most recent book is Olokun of the Galaxy, a book of poetry and visual art about honoring Earth's oceans and ecosystem and those who perished or descended from the Atlantic Slave Trade. (Seeing Black Press).

08: Anti-imperialism, Internationalism, and Palestine with Sumaya Awad In this week’s episode, we speak with Sumaya Awad, a Palestinian activist who has been active in Students for Justice and Palestine and co-founded a project to counter the Canary Mission, an odious blacklist of campus Palestine solidarity activists. Sumaya talked to us about the incredible bravery currently taking place at the Gaza-Israel border, where thousands are enduring violent and often sadistic Israeli repression in a nonviolent protest to assert their right to return to their historic homes. She put the current protests in the historic context of the first and second intifadas, and the endless “peace process” that has been cynically used to defuse Palestinian resistance without ever touching the fundamental questions that the marches to the border have put back on the agenda. And we discussed the importance of the international Boycott Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) solidarity movement, and her work in helping to start Against Canary Mission to defend BDS activists. In opening discussion, Jen, Danny and Eric discuss the meaning of anti-imperialism, an important concept in the socialist tradition that some have distorted to mean supporting any regime (no matter how repressive or reactionary) that opposes the U.S. government. We talk about what it means for leftists to recognize that “the main enemy is at home”—especially when their home is the world’s biggest imperial power—while also being internationalists who instinctively support struggles for justice by people anywhere in the world regardless of whether their governments are allied or opposed to Washington. Here are some links if you want to pursue any of these topics further: You can read Sumaya’s writings in Socialist Worker about the Great Return March in Gaza [https://socialistworker.org/2018/04/04/israel-responds-to-land-protests-with-a-massacre] and her solidarity visit to Standing Rock [https://socialistworker.org/2016/12/05/how-the-standing-rock-protectors-won], and visit Against Canary Mission [http://againstcanarymission.org/] to learn more about this important effort to defend the free speech rights of Palestine solidarity activists. For further reading about the state of Israel and the Palestinian struggle, there are many useful pieces in the International Socialist Review, including Phil Gasper’s Israel: Colonial Settler State [http://www.isreview.org/issues/15/israel_colonial.shtml] in the International Socialist Review, Naseer Aruri’s 2001 interview about Israel’s cynical abuse of the peace process [http://www.isreview.org/issues/15/Aruri_interview.shtml], and Sherry Wolf’s piece on the rise of the BDS movement [https://isreview.org/issue/93/whats-behind-rise-bds]. In addition, Haymarket Books is having a 70% sale [https://www.haymarketbooks.org/blogs/71-70-off-haymarket-books-on-palestine] this month on all of its books about Palestine. For further reading about our discussion of anti-imperialism, check out Anti-Imperialism and the Syrian Revolution [https://socialistworker.org/2016/08/25/anti-imperialism-and-the-syrian-revolution] by Ashley Smith and the solidarity statement with the protests in Iran that Jen referred to from the Alliance of Middle Eastern Socialists [https://www.allianceofmesocialists.org/solidarity-popular-protests-iran-statement-alliance-middle-eastern-socialists/]. Music and audio from this episode The Boy Sister Alma, “Lizard Eyes” (Dead Sea Captains Remix)

In this episode: The movement for Boycott, Divestment & Sanctions (BDS) against Israel is a mainstay on college campuses - for some due to the Jewish state's policies and for others due to its very existence. How did it get this way, and who are the players on both sides? Watch the video version of the show here: https://youtu.be/3cK1lG7ld-0 Learn more about the organizations and influencers discussed in the show at InfluenceWatch.org

Palestine Remembered discuss the Boycott Divestment and Sanctions Movement being nominated for the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize, a BDS win in the United States as well as the Extra-Judicial murder of Palestinians in Jenin and last up Yousef gives us details about his latest exciting project.

In this episode William Jamal Richardson joins the show to talk about Nkrumah-Toureism and the relationship between settler colonialism, slavery, and capitalism in American society. William talks about how his parents involvement in the All African People's Revolution Party” shaped some of his politics growing up. He also gives a brief overview of who Kwame Nkrumah and Sekou Toure were and how their different personal backgrounds, perspectives and philosophies complimented each other. He also discusses how the Pan-Africanist movement informed their politics and was enriched by their contributions. William speaks about how Nkrumah-Toureism informs his own socialist thought and digs into some of Kwame Nkrumah’s contributions to socialist theory and how, where, and why they necessarily expand upon, and diverse from, preceding Marxist theory.   We ask William to discuss nationalism with regard to African nations or in relation to indigenous sovereignty, and how it can function  completely differently than the exploitative and exclusionary nationalisms that we see from Europe and the US.   We also talk about Palestine and how US Leftists are better at showing solidarity to movements against settler colonialism outside the imperial core, than we are those that occur within the US. As William digs into that discussion, he gets to the heart of why white leftists cannot just build socialism in the US without relinquishing control of stolen land and changing settler relations. He also states that the Boycott Divestment and Sanctions campaign in South Africa had a limited role in South Africa's anti-Apartheid movement and cautions against the fetishization of Palestine's BDS movement if Palestinians are to achieve meaningful liberation.   Finally, William talks about his work with Decolonized Tech and Rebel Researchers and roles that academics and people within tech spaces can do to further revolutionary causes or reduce harm.   William put together a great collection of Nkrumah readings for our listeners to go along with this podcast, please take advantage of the free knowledge that he curated for you all: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1BjB0oTqobBHF-wn2dFBrfuDWdlSyCldh

Guest Paul Anderson and Andrew Parker talk Boycott Divestment & Sanctions against Israel, Israel HistorySupport the show (http://www.parkerdk.com/victory-hour)

Canadian Jewish groups are speaking out against a resolution the Green Party passed this weekend. The party voted in support of a Boycott Divestment and Sanctions movement against Israel. Steve McDonald, Deputy Director, Communications and Public AffairsThe Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA)

“Laissez faire” capitalists love to argue that the market itself is magic. You don't need government or regulation to rein in bad companies -- consumers will do it. The principle involved is called “reputation”. It's amazing how vigorously, then, some governments will get involved to defend bad companies from shame. Several years ago, activists in North America, Europe and Israel, began campaigning for a boycott of companies based in occupied territory. Among those is the Israeli Ahava Corporation. In the US, women organized by CodePink started showing up at Ahava stores dressed in bikinis daubed in mud. It's not pretty to be predatory, the women of the Stolen Beauty campaign said: while Ahava's packages say their skin creams come from the Dead Sea, Israel, the mud actually comes from a site inside occupied territory; it's manufactured into cosmetics in an illegal settlement deep within the occupied West Bank. While Ahava's using Palestinian resources without permission or compensation, Palestinians themselves are denied access to the Dead Sea's shores -- although one-third of the western shore of the Dead Sea lies in the occupied West Bank. For years, the European Union's been considering what to do about this and as you can imagine, they've come under withering attack. This fall, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanayhu went all out and accused the Europeans of singling out Israel. He invoked the Holocaust and threatened to shun a series of high level meetings. The rhetorical onslaught worked to the extent that instead of a boycott, the Europeans opted for labelling. Under this plan, products made in occupied territory will bear labels that include the term “Israeli settlement,” while Palestinian products will be labelled “product from the West Bank (Palestinian product),” “product from Gaza,” or “product from Palestine.” The labeling will be mandatory for fruit and vegetables, wine, honey, olive oil, eggs, poultry, organic products, and cosmetics, and voluntary for industrial products and processed foods. It's tepid, but it's better than anything the US government's has done so far. The Boycott Divestment and Sanctions campaign continues. Truth in labelling's at least a start. Now if only we could get the “laissez faire” label removed from laissez faire capitalism. There's nothing laissez faire about it. You can see my interview with reporter Antony Loewenstein on his latest book Disaster Capitalism, Making A Killing Out Of Catastrophe this week on the Laura Flanders Show on LinkTV, FreeSpeech TV and in English and Spanish on TeleSUR , and find all our archives at TheLFShow.org.

Samah Sabawi is a Palestinian Australian Canadian writer and human rights advocate. She discusses the ongoing oppression Palestinian people face, including between widely publicised bombing raids. She also reads her poem 'Red Shirt, Blue Jeans'. Check out her website http://talesofacitybythesea.com/ which also has links to her social media pages. She recommends people look into the following resources: http://www.bdsmovement.net/ https://electronicintifada.net/ http://www.palestinechronicle.com/ You can find out more about the upcoming Boycott Divestment & Sanctions Conference Samah will be speaking at here: http://vpm.org.my/events/events-calendar/eventdetail/24/18/boycott-divestment-sanction-conference This interview was played on the 7th of September 2015 episode of RTR92.1FM Indymedia. You can listen to this episode at this link (just select 7th September episode on the little calendar on the left): rtrfm.com.au/shows/indymedia/

Inspired by the campaign to end South African apartheid, Palestinians are leading an international campaign to put economic and political pressure on Israel by boycotting Israeli products, divesting from Israeli companies and pushing for international sanctions on Israel. On this edition, Palestinian activist Omar Barghouti explains his people’s resistance, and the Boycott Divestment and Sanctions campaign.

Inspired by the campaign to end South African apartheid, Palestinians are leading an international campaign to put economic and political pressure on Israel by boycotting Israeli products, divesting from Israeli companies and pushing for international sanctions on Israel. On this edition, Palestinian activist Omar Barghouti explains his people’s resistance, and the Boycott Divestment and Sanctions campaign.