At a talk I delivered in Northern England in March 2018, I proposed that the best response to falsified accusations of antisemitism, which are often lobbed against pro-Palestinian communities and intellectuals everywhere, is to draw even closer to the Palestinian narrative.

In fact, my proposal was not meant to be a sentimental response in any way.

“Reclaiming the Palestinian narrative” has been the main theme in most of my public speeches and writings in recent years. All of my books and much of my academic studies and research have largely focused on positioning the Palestinian people - their rights, history, culture, and political aspirations - at the very core of any genuine understanding of the Palestinian struggle against Israeli colonialism and apartheid. 

Wednesday, January 15, 2020, 6:00 – 8:00 PM
In collaboration with OSU Chadwick Arboretum & Learning Gardens, Sustainability at Ohio State, and Great Lakes Brewing Company, we invite you to join us for the first Green Drinks of 2020. We are kicking off the Earth Day Columbus campaign by celebrating volunteerism with many great local nonprofit organizations: 2020 will be a very important year for the environment as Earth Day turns 50. Together we can make a difference in the new year!  Beer, non-alcoholic beverages and light snacks will be provided. Donations of $5 - $10 at the door for working professionals are highly encouraged. All proceeds go towards buying tree seedlings for Earth Day. 1 tree= $1.  Location: Nationwide& Ohio Farm Bureau 4-H Center, 2201 Fred Taylor Drive, Columbus 43210.  Free Parking.  Facebook. 

If one seriously seeks to understand how delusional policymakers in Washington are it is only necessary to examine the responses by the president and Congress to the assassination of Iranian Major General Qassem Soleimani. The first response came in the form of a Donald Trump largely incoherent nine-minute self-applauding speech explaining what he had done and why. It was followed by a House of Representatives War Powers non-binding resolution that was all theater and did nothing to limit the president’s unilateral ability to go to war with the Islamic Republic.

At long last, Fatou Bensouda, the Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) has uttered the long-anticipated conclusion that “all the statutory criteria under the Rome statute for the opening of an investigation (into alleged war crimes in the Occupied Palestinian Territories) have been met”.

Bensouda’s verdict has been in the making for a long time and should, frankly, have arrived much earlier. The ICC preliminary investigations into Israeli war crimes began back in 2015. Since then, many more such war crimes have been committed, while the international community persisted in its moral inertia.

As Emperor Trump cries havoc and lets loose and wags the dogs of war, up to 200 peace protesters held a Jan. 9 antiwar rally outside Los Angeles’ symbol of Washington, the Federal Building located near UCLA in Westwood. The demonstrators ranged from Vietnam era stalwarts to teenagers who have grown up in an America perpetually fighting endless - and unwinnable - wars. They began gathering before the 5:00 p.m. kick off time at the bus stop at the corner of Wilshire Blvd. and Veteran Ave., where info tables were already setup for the Bernie Sanders-for-president campaign and the #OUTNOW! Movement to drive Trump and Pence out of the White House.

Sanders is noted for his youthful acolytes but two older women “manned” the senator’s table offering leaflets and perhaps petitions. One volunteer told me “Bernie is the most antiwar candidate,” which given his long-standing support of antiwar causes and current stance against Trump’s escalations may be true. But the other Sander-nista added, “Bernie is the only antiwar candidate,” which I don’t think is accurate. (See: www.berniesanders.com.)