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Israel-Palestine
The Back of the Gazan Economy has Been Broken, Bettina MarxInterviewing US academic Sara Roy for Qantara, Marx discusses how the most recent war has destroyed the middle class in Gaza, placing people into further destitution, and causing people to flee outright from the Gaza Strip as the economic and social horizon collapses entirely.
The Guardian View on MPs' Palestine Vote: Israel Should Listen, The Guardian
The Guardian applauds the House of Commons vote urging the British government to recognize Palestinian statehood.
Faith-Based Diplomacy, Nathan Thrall
Writing for Medium, Thrall describes US government officials associated with the Israeli-Palestinian peace process as falling into camps of "Skeptics, Reproachers, and Embracers." All thee groups carry illusions about their role in and the efficacy of the peace process.
Netanyahu Plans Likud Overhaul, Securing Top Spots for His Own Allies, Yuval Karni, Moran Azulay
YNet reports on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu efforts to hold early internal elections within Likud.
British Parliament to Hold Symbolic Vote on Palestine Status, Reuters
Reuters reports on a House of Commons vote symbolically approving of United Kingdom recognition of a Palestinian state.
Feeling Good About Feeling Bad, Nathan Thrall
In the context of a review of Ari Shavit's My Promised Land, Thrall provides a critique of Liberal Zionism to London Review of Books.
The Economics of Palestinian Liberation, Raja Khalidi
Writing in Jacobin, Khalidi discusses the evolution of Palestinian economic thought and practice, tracing its trajectory from building a partial developmental state in exile to adopting neoliberalism under Israeli colonialism.
"If Israel is Losing People Like Me…," Jamie Stern-Weiner
Stern-Weiner writes in New Left Project that the UK House of Commons vote on potentially recognizing the state of Palestine indicates a deepening isolation of Israel
Law
How One Man Refused to Spy on Fellow Muslims for the FBI--and Lost Everything, Arun Kundnani, Emily Keppler, Muki Najaer
The Nation covers the case of Ayyub Abdul-Alim, an American citizen and a Muslim arrested for illegal possession of a firearm and facing sixteen years behind bars following a refusal to assist the FBI in informing on fellow Muslims.
UN Report Finds Mass Surveillance Violates International Treaties and Privacy Rights, Glenn Greenwald
The Intercept reports on a formal report issued by the UN Special Rapporteur for counter-terrorism and human rights condemning mass electronic surveillance as a violation of privacy rights.
New Charges Brought Over 2012 Benghazi Attack, Al Jazeera English
Ahmed Abu Khattalah, alleged key player in the 11 September 2012 assault on a US diplomatic facility in Libya, has been indicted by a US federal grand jury for his role in the attack.
UN Rights Chief Warns Against Anti-African Discrimination Over Ebola, Nick Cumming-Bruce
UN Human Rights Chief Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein has decried a perceived funding shortage for his agency in the face of ever-increasing human rights crises, noting that thirty three Latin American and Caribbean countries account for one-third of the funding.
The Ray Cole Case Exposes the Tyranny Moroccan Gay People Live Under, Abdellah Taia
Taia criticizes in The Guardian's Comment is Free Morocco's handling of a anti-homosexuality case involving an British citizen and a Moroccan, in which the former was largely let off while the latter remains jailed.
Islamic State
US-led Air Strikes Intensify as Syria Conflict Destabilizes Turkey, Humeyra Pamuk, Daren Butler
Reuters reports on escalating US air strikes in Syria targeting Islamic State.
Syrian Kurds seeking unity in face of ISIS threat, RUDAW
Interviewing Ibrahim Biro, the secretary general of the Union Kurdish Party in Syria, RUDAW reveals that Turkey and the rest of the regional and international powers attacking Syria are trying to blackmail the Syrian Kurds into supporting the attack on Syria in exchange for supporting them against ISIS.
Coalition hits ISIS in Kobani, Militants Keep Pushing, Ashley Fantz, Susanna Capelouto
CNN reports on ISIS capturing territory around one of Iraq's largest air bases, US air strikes against ISIS in Syria, and reports that Turkey has agreed to allow the US to use an air base and territory for training fighting ISIS.
Serious Disagreements Remain in US-led Coalition Battling Islamic State, Craig Whitlock, Karen DeYoung
The Washington Post reports on strategic differences between the United States and twenty-one other countries involved in military actions against Islamic State in Syria and Iraq.
1948 Palestinians Joining ISIS, Jamal Sweid
Writing in al-Akhbar Sweid discusses the phenomenon of 1948 Palestinians joining ISIS and whether or not Israel turns the other way when such Palestinians attempt to cross Israeli armistice lines to join the battle.
PFLP Calls for Unified Revolutionary Front of Solidarity with the Struggle of People of Kobane against ISIS, Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine
The PFLP calls for united international solidarity with the people of Kobane as they continue their struggle to repel the ISIS attack on Rojava.
Other Armed Conflict
The Secret Casualties of Iraq's Abandoned Chemical Weapons, C.J. Chivers
The New York Times reports on allegations of Bush Administration suppression of revelations of pre-1991 chemical weapons found in Iraq following the 2003 invasion.
CIA Study of Covert Aid Fueled Skepticism About Helping Syrian Rebels, Mark Mazzetti
Mazzetti reports for The New York Times on an internal C.I.A. study critical of the efficacy of its own gun-running operations to foreign rebels during its history.
Pakistan, US Appear Once Again to be Cooperating on Drone Strikes, Tom Hussain
McClatchy reports on nine drone strikes launched in Northern Pakistan in the first week of October, with little mention from the Pakistani government or news media.
What's at Stake in Iran Nuclear Talks, Bradley Klapper, George Jahn
ABC provides an overview of challenges associated with and possible agreements that could be arrived at during upcoming US-Iran nuclear talks.