O.I.L. Media Roundup (13 June)

[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]

Egypt-Palestine

How Israel and Mubarak Stole Billions of Gas Dollars from the Egyptian People, Ali Abunimah
Abunimah writes of an Al Jazeera documentary, Egypt's Lost Power, which tells the story of Eastern Mediterranean Gas, a company with the sole right to sell Egyptian gas to Israel, and its arrangement to sell gas to Israel at rates that lost Egypt $11 billion in potential revenue.

Egypt Willing to Re-Open Rafah Crossing Permanently, Ma'an News Agency
An Egyptian government official hinted Egypt is willing to re-open the Rafah crossing, the primary connection between Gaza and the rest of the world.

Armed Conflict & National Security

At Least Eighteen Pakistanis Killed by Assailants Who Stormed Karachi Airport, Tim Craig
Craig reports on an assault of the international airport in Karachi that killed eighteen, an attack the Taliban has claimed responsibility for.

A Problematic Study of Drone Strikes in Pakistan, Kevin Jon Heller
Heller points out a number of flaws in the survey questions of a study recently published in Political Science Quarterly"challenging the conventional wisdom that there is deep opposition among Pakistanis to drone strikes."

Senior US, Iran, EU Officials to Meet on Monday-Tuesday in Geneva, Parisa Hafezi, Michelle Moghtader
Officials from the United States, European Union and Iran will begin two days of talks regarding the nuclear program of the latter on 9 June.

Israel is Tending to Wounded Syrian Rebels, Colum Lynch
For at least a year Israel has been treating wounded Syrian rebels who are transported over the armistice line from Syria into Israel.

Law

Pentagon OKs War Crimes Trial for Iraqi at Guantanamo, Carol Rosenberg
The Pentagon approved the case of And al Hadi al Iraqi, a Guantanamo detainee since 2007 and alleged al Qaeda operative, for war crimes.

Relatives of Victims of Drone Strikes Drop Appeal, Charlie Savage
The families of three US citizens killed in drone strikes do not intend to appeal a lawsuit against a number of Obama Administration officials seeking damages, recently dismissed by a federal judge.

The Bergdahl Exchange, Ed Payne, Catherine E. Shoichet
CNN reports on the recent prisoner swap between the US and the Taliban and an ensuring controversy over the legality thereof.

Israel-Palestine

Mahmoud Abbas: Winning on Points, Bernard Avishai
A unity government between Fatah and Hamas may ultimately strengthen President Mahmous Abbas' political standing inside Palestine, writes Avishai for The New Yorker.

The Diary, Teju Cole
Novelist Teju Cole chronicles his travel to Ramallah to attend the Palestinian Festival of Literature and his observations of Palestinian society under Israeli occupation, also posting a number of photographs from his trip on Twitter.

The Banality of Religion: "Prayer Summit" at the Vatican Fails to Inspire, Marc Ellis
Writing for Mondoweiss, Ellis characterizes the "prayer summit" between Pope Francis and Israeli and Palestinian Presidents Shimon Peres and Mahmoud Abbas, respectively, as a "Theater of the (Religious) Absurd."

"Israel is Bitterly Dividing American Jewish Community" - AP, Philip Weiss
Weiss writes unfavorably of an Associated Press article by reporter Rachel Zoll detailing divisions over Israel in the American Jewish community while not mentioning any non-Zionists by name.

Israeli Politics

Is the Left's Best Candidate for President Coming from the Right?, Dimi Reider
Writing for 972, Reider considers the Israeli leftist options for President following the withdrawal of Labor candidate Benjamin Ben-Elizer.

Israel Woos its Christian in Bid to Split Palestinians, Phillippe Agret
Agret reports for AFP that Israel is making a bid for the goodwill for Christian Arabs living in Israel, calling on them to enlist in the Israeli Defence Forces and passing a law delineating a legal distinction between Christian and Muslim Arabs.

New Israeli Settlement Expansion Condemned, Dalia Hatuqa
Al Jazeera reports the Israeli Housing Minister has announced plans to expand settlements in the West Bank by 1,500 units, calling the decision a "proper Zionist response" to the creation of a Palestinian government including members of Hamas.

Netanyahu Urges World Not to Recognize Palestinian Unity Government, Jeffrey Heller
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has made a statement calling on the international community to hesitate to recognize a Palestinian government in which Hamas is involved.

On Jadaliyya

Press Release: Sentencing Activists for Fifteen Years in Absentia Confirms Our Concerns, Jadaliyya Report

Tunisia: The Collective Making of a Constitution, Mohamed Afif Jaidi

Representing Hamas (Part 1), Jose Vericat

O.I.L. Monthly Edition (May 2014), O.I.L. Editors

Quick Thoughts: Khalil Shaheen on Palestinian Reconciliation and the New Palestinian Authority Government, Khalil Shaheen

South Sudan: A Civil War by Any Other Name, Jadaliyya Reports

Egyptian Investment Law Axing Proxy Litigation Harmful to Citizen Rights, Menna Omar

Angela Davis and Jadaliyya Co-Editor Noura Erakat on Mass Incarceration in the United States and Palestine (Video), Jadaliyya Reports

Curbing Violence in Nigeria (II): The Boko Haram Insurgency, Jadaliyya Reports

Press Release: NLG Fact-Finding Delegation Calls for End of U.S.-Backed Administrative Detention of Palestinians by Israel, Jadaliyya Reports

Press Release: New date of 21 October Set for Trial of Rasmea Odeh, Jadaliyya Reports