O.I.L. Media Roundup (21 March)

[This is a monthly archive of pieces written by Jadaliyya contributors and editors on the Occupations, Interventions,and Law (O.I.L.) Page. It also includes material published on other platforms that editors deemed pertinent to post as they provide diverse depictions of O.I.L.-related topics. The pieces reflect the level of critical analysis and diversity that Jadaliyya strives for, but the views are solely the ones of their authors. If you are interested in contributing to Jadaliyya, send us your post with your bio and a release form to post@jadaliyya.com [click "Submissions" on the main page for more information]

Iraq

Baghdad Motorbike Blast, Other Attacks Kill Fifty-Two in Iraq, Kareem Raheem
Reuters covers a motorcycle blast in Baghdad on 26 February being blamed on Sunni Muslim Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, an al-Qaeda affiliated group.

PM Maliki says Saudi Arabia and Qatar "Destabilise" Iraq, BBC News
Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki has accused the governments of Saudi Arabia and Qatar of financially supporting terrorist groups responsible for recent civil unrest in Iraq.

Could John Howard be Citizen-Arrested for His Role in the Iraq War?, Antony Loewenstein
Writing for The Guardian, Loewenstein discusses the legal implications of a campaign to organize a citizens arrest of former Australian Prime Minister John Howard for his involvement in championing a US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003.

Syria

A Syrian Woman's Kitchen in Shatila, Nawara Mahfoud
The New Yorker profiles Oum Ali, a Syrian woman living in the Palestinian refugee camp of Shatila.

Rising from the Syrian Ashes, Vijay Prashad
Writing for The Hindu, Prashad discusses the visit of United Nations Relief and Works Agency chief Filippo Grandi to Yarmouk.

Armed Conflict and National Security

NATO to Plan for All Options in Afghanistan, Including "Zero Option," Reuters
Defense ministers of NATo have agreed to plan for the possibility of removing all of its troops from Afghanistan by the end of the year.

UN Nuclear Agency Opted Against Sensitive Iran Report, Frederik Dahl, Louis Charbonneau
Reuters reports the International Atomic Energy Agency had planned a report last year on Iran revealing suspected nuclear weapons research, but held off in light of cooling relations between Iran and the United States.

The Next Battleground in the War on Whistleblowers, Peter Van Buren
Van Buren discusses the case of Robert MacLean, a former US Air Marshal dismissed for allegedly leaking classified government documents in the context of a "War on Whistleblowers" being waged by the Obama administration.

Bin Laden Son-in-Law's Trial to Hear Testimony Beamed from Britain, Tina Susman
The Los Angeles Times provides an overview of the terrorism trial of Sulaiman abu Ghaith, an alleged al Qaeda propagandist and the son-in-law of Osama bin Laden.

Oversight Board Hearing: Why International Law Won't Matter Much for NSA Spying, Julian Ku
Hofstra University law professor and Opinio Juris contributor Ku reports on his participation in discussion held at a hearing of the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board, noting his impression that the members of the Oversight Board feel international law could or should limit U.S. surveillance overseas.

Israeli Civil Society

Knesset Passes Bill Distinguishing between Muslim and Christian Arabs, Jonathan Lis
The Israeli legislature has passed a law aiming to distinguish between Muslim and Christian Israeli Arab citizens, in a move the Israeli leftist political party Meretz has criticized as an attempt to "divide and conquer" Israeli Arab population.

Israeli Teen Activists Say No to Army Draft, Al Jazeera English
A group of Israeli teenagers have published an open letter declaring their refusal to serve in the Israeli Defence Forces, stating their opposition to Israeli occupation of Palestine as their reason for refusing.

Israeli Soldiers Kill Jordanian Judge at Border Crossing, Imad Abu Sunbul
Agence France-Presse reports on the response in Jordan an Palestine to Israeli troops fatally shooting a Jordanian judge.

Activism

Northeastern University SJP Chapter Suspended as Members are Subjected to Police Interrogation, Max Blumenthal
Blumenthal reports for Mondoweiss on the decision of Northeastern University to suspend its chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine.

Academic Activism: Israelis, Palestinians, and the Ethics of Boycott, Los Angeles Review of Books
A forum of eight scholars weigh on the relationship between the academy and the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions campaign.

Structural Violence on Trial: BDS and the Movement to Resist Erasure, Noura Erakat
Jadaliyya Co-Editor Erakat argues for the necessity of BDS, examining the issue through the lens of the legal and political marginalization of Palestinians in East Jerusalem.

Boycott, Divestment, Debate, Matt Duss, Lisa Goldman, Noura Erakat, Hussein Ibish, Brent Sasley
The American Prospect presents a forum of four different takes on the relationship between progressive politics and BDS activism.

Israel's War on American Universities, Chris Hedges
Hedges argues in Truthout that the banning of Students for Justice in Palestine at Northeastern University is indicative of a larger effort by the Israeli government and its supporters in the United States to effectively blacklist pro-Palestinian student groups

Palestine-Israel

Gaza Ceasefire Claims Crumble Amid Clashes, Al Jazeera English
Al Jazeera reports on recent violence in Gaza, beginning with an Israeli air strike that killed three in Rafah.

Erdogan to Obama: Netanyahu to Blame for Stalled Reconciliation, Barak Ravid
In a meeting with US President Barack Obama, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan stated his opinion that Israeli Prime Minister was solely responsible for the year-long delayed reconciliation between Israel and Turkey following the death of nine people in an Israeli raid on the MV Mavi Marmara en route to Gaza.

"New Directions" Conference Discusses Future of Palestinian Studies, Sarah Irving
Irving reports for Electronic Intifada on a conference on future directions in Palestinian studies held at Brown University, the "biggest gathering of scholars on Palestine in decades."

Cut Off Arms to Israel, Amnesty International Says, Citing Twenty Two Civilians Killed at Protests Last Year, Phil Weiss, Annie Robbins
Human rights organization Amnesty International has released a report advocating the international community rescind all military aid to Israel in light of the many civilians killed by Israeli military forces at peaceful protests in the last three years.

At AIPAC, Netanyahu Launches "Desperate" Attack on BDS Movement, Ali Abunimah
Abunimah covers an anti-Boycotts, Divestments, Sanctions speech recently given by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the annual conference of Israeli lobbying group AIPAC.

Conferences

Law and Boundaries; 19-20 May 2014; Sciences Po Paris; Call for Abstracts here.

On Jadaliyya

Press Release: UN Claims UAE Government Has Duty to Release UAE94, Jadaliyya Reports

Conference--The Past and the Future of the Legal Left: Celebrating Duncan Kennedy's Scholarship (London, 22 May), Jadaliyya Reports

A Wedding That Became a Funeral: US Drone Attack on Marriage Procession in Yemen, Jadaliyya Reports

Open Letter from NYC Iranians to Mayor de Blasio: When You Stand by AIPAC, You Do Not Stand by Us, Jadaliyya Reports

In Memoriam: Janet Abu-Lughod, Ahmad H. Sa'di

أحوالالطبّالنفسيفيخصوصيةغزّةالمحاصرة, Ibtisam Azem

أصواتمنأجلغزة: ملفخاص, Arabic Editors

What Role for Law in the Palestinian Struggle for Liberation?, Noura Erakat

شبحقطاعغزّةالمقيم, Mahmoud Omar