2019-01-10: News Headlines

STAFF (2019-01-10). Living in a Country Where Credibility Is Ancient History. truthdig.com In one of the Bible stories about the death of Jesus, local collaborators with the Roman Empire haul him before Pontius Pilate, the imperial governor of Palestine. Although the situation is dire for one of them, the two engage in a bit of epistemological banter. Jesus allows that his work is about telling the truth and Pilate responds with his show-stopping query: "What is truth?" | Pilate's retort is probably not the first example in history of a powerful ruler challenging the very possibility that some things might be…

Stephen Zunes (2019-01-10). Rescinding a Human Rights Award to Angela Davis Was Cowardly and Unfair. progressive.org One would think that opposing Israel control of Palestinian territories seized in the 1967 war, which the international community recognizes as a foreign belligerent occupation, would not be particularly controversial.

Ramzy Baroud (2019-01-10). When Bolsonaro and Netanyahu Are 'Brothers': Why Brazil Should Shun the Israeli Model. commondreams.org Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu with newly-elected Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro. (Photo: Leo Correa/Haaretz) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/screen_shot_2019-01-10_at_8.19.02_am.png

teleSUR (2019-01-10). US Senators Vote Down Anti-BDS Bill. telesurenglish.net The United States Senate has struck down a bill aimed at blocking any boycott of Israel spearheaded by the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement Tuesday, a bill which lawmakers and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) have heavily criticized. | RELATED: | Bernie Sanders Slams 'Absurd' Anti-BDS Bill Amid Gov't Shutdown | Legislation reaf…

Ramzy Baroud (2019-01-10). When Bolsonaro and Netanyahu Are 'Brothers'. zcomm.org Why Brazil Should Shun the Israeli Model…

teleSUR (2019-01-10). Israel Opens Apartheid Road Cutting Palestinians From Jerusalem. telesurenglish.net After a delay of more than a decade, Israel opened Route 4370 in the Jerusalem area Thursday, dividing Palestinians and Jewish settlers. The "Apartheid Road" has a wall eight meters (approximately 26 feet) high and the road itself is 3.5 kilometers (approximately 2.1 miles) long. | RELATED: | Israel Approves Expansion of Ilegal Settlement as Netanyahu Makes Last-minute Election Push | The road is being called the "apartheid road" for segregating Pales…

SAMIR (2019-01-10). The BDS movement salutes Angela Davis. bdsmovement.net The BDS movement salutes Angela Davis : PACBI StatementThe Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI), a founding member of the BDS movement for Palestinian rights, salutJanuary 10, 2019 | By: | | Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI)

RT (2019-01-10). Resignations rock US civil rights institute after it strips Angela Davis of award over pro-BDS views. rt.com Three members quit the board of the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute after its controversial decision to first award, then to rescind an award for iconic activist Angela Davis, following objections to her anti-Israel statements.

RT (2019-01-10). We shall overcomb? Ted Cruz says rabbi thinks his beard 'might bring peace to Middle East'. rt.com Senator Ted Cruz says an unidentified rabbi in Israel thinks his beard could "put the fear of the Lord in Israel's enemies and promote Middle East peace." The internet reacted accordingly.

RT (2019-01-10). Syna-gone?: DC's oldest Jewish house of worship moved one block via remote-control (VIDEO). rt.com Spectators and residents lined the streets and balconies of Washington DC Wednesday to watch the city's oldest synagogue be moved one block down the street by a massive, remote-controlled trolley.

Middle East Monitor (2019-01-10). Source of Pro-Israel Keyboard Warriors on Social Media Finally Exposed. theantimedia.com (MEMO) — A number of prominent Jewish-American leaders are funding covert, anonymous campaigns targeting pro-Palestinian student activists, The Forward has found. The Jewish daily newspaper, which has been publishing valuable information concerning the source of funding for these hyper-aggressive and shadowy groups — which spearhead coordinated hate campaigns against critics of the Zionist state — has uncovered the identities …

Shared by Cherise (2019-01-10). Life in the United States of Trump: Confronting "Alternative Facts" truthout.org In one of the Bible stories about the death of Jesus, local collaborators with the Roman Empire haul him before Pontius Pilate, the imperial governor of Palestine. Although the situation is dire for one of them, the two engage in a bit of epistemological banter. Jesus allows that his work is about telling the truth and Pilate responds with his show-stopping query: "What is truth?" | Pilate's retort is probably not the first example in history of a powerful ruler challenging the very possibility that some things might…

Shared by Jocelyn Dombroski (2019-01-10). Egyptian President's Regrettable "60 Minutes" therealnews.com Egyptian President Abdel Fatah al-Sissi was hoping to demonstrate that he was a reliable ally of United States and Israel in the Middle East and worthy of international recognition, but the 60 minutes interview took another turn says Professor Seif Da'na

Jake Johnson, staff writer (2019-01-10). 'You Still Have Time to Contact Your Senators': Pressure to Block Anti-Boycott Bill Mounts as McConnell Aims for Thursday Vote. commondreams.org "Two federal judges have already found state laws that attempt to punish companies or individuals for boycotting Israel unconstitutional… Of course they are unconstitutional. They are also racist, aimed at keeping brown Palestinians down." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/mcconnell_israel_0.jpg

Jake Johnson, staff writer (2019-01-10). For Second Time During Shutdown, Four Democrats Vote With GOP to Punish Boycotts of Israel. commondreams.org "The recent spate of bills that seek to penalize Israel boycotts is a bipartisan problem." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/menendez_democrats_0.jpg

ACLU (2019-01-09). Marco Rubio and His Colleagues Need a Refresher on the First Amendment. aclu.org Rubio took to Twitter to spread a number of downright false statements about the First Amendment and the Combating BDS Act. | This week, amid a partial government shutdown, senators tried to sneak through a bill that would encourage states to suppress constitutionally protected political boycotts of Israel. | Ultimately, the Combating BDS Act failed to make it to the Senate floor, largely because enough people exercised their First Amendment right to protest the bill and educate senators t…

WSWS (2019-01-09). Election campaign confirms further shift to the right by Israeli political establishment. wsws.org The campaign is dominated by the right-wing and militaristic agenda shared by all Israeli parties, allies and opponents of Likud alike.

Fight Back (2019-01-08). Freedom now for PFLP leader Ahmad Sa'adat. fightbacknews.org It's time to step up the struggle to free Ahmad Sa'adat, a noted Palestinian political prisoner and General Secretary of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). Sa'adat, who has been imprisoned for nearly 20 years, first by the corrupt and occupation-complicit Palestinian Authority, and now by the Israelis, has come to symbolize the resistance of the Palestinian people. He is a brilliant Marxist and advocate for socialism, who stands for liberation of every inch of Palestine. Sa'adat's courage in the face of the Israel's brutality shines as an example to everyone who yearns for a just world.

Democracy Now! (2019-01-08). Rashida Tlaib: The Senate's Anti-BDS Bill Is an Unconstitutional Attack on Free Speech. democracynow.org A new Senate bill would allow state and local governments to boycott any U.S. companies which are engaged in a boycott against Israel. We speak with Congressmember Rashida Tlaib, who has come out out against the bill, tweeting, "They forgot what country they represent. This is the U.S. where boycotting is a right & part of our historical fight for freedom & equality. Maybe a refresher on our U.S. Constitution is in order, then get back to opening up our government instead of taking our rights away."

Democracy Now! (2019-01-07). Headlines for January 7, 2019. democracynow.org Trump Threatens to Call Nat'l Emergency as Shutdown Shows No Sign of Abatement, Bolton Says Syria Troop Withdrawal Contingent on Defeating ISIS, Netanyahu Calls for U.S. to Recognize Israeli Sovereignty Over Golan Heights, Yemen: U.S. Airstrike Kills Plotter of 2000 USS Cole Attack, Pentagon Chief of Staff Resigns in Wake of Mattis Departure, France: Yellow Vests Protesters Take to Streets as Impasse with Gov't Persists, Intercept: Senate Set to Vote on Anti-Israeli Boycott Bill, 49 Migrants Stranded at Sea as European Countries Refuse to Host Them, Scientists Identify Recording of Noise Targeting U.S. Diplomats…

Shared by Hezvo Mpunga (2019-01-05). Durham NC Becomes First City to Ban Training By Israeli Police and Then be Forced to Reconsider It. therealnews.com Jazmynne Williams of Jewish Voices for Peace discusses the organizing efforts underway to ensure the ban remains

Ryan Grim (2019-01-05). U.S. Senate's First Bill, in the Midst of the Shutdown, Is a Bipartisan Defense of the Israeli Government From Boycotts. theintercept.com Attacks on the free speech rights of Americans in the name of defending Israel seem to have no end in sight.

LEILI (2018-12-08). German Court Confirms BDS Advocacy is Protected Freedom of Expression and Assembly. bdsmovement.net German Court Confirms BDS Advocacy is Protected Freedom of Expression and Assembly: In the NewsA German court confirms that advocating for BDS and Palestinian rights constitutes freedom of expression and assembly, rights that are protected by the German constitution and are essential for democracy. The court ruled that the German city of Oldenburg unlawfully violated these fundamental rights when it revoked a perm…

PEDRO (2018-12-06). Palestinians and Brazilians Call For Joint Struggle Against Israel-Bolsonaro Alliance. bdsmovement.net Palestinians and Brazilians Call For Joint Struggle Against Israel-Bolsonaro Alliance: BNC StatementWhile Brazil's new president wants to follow in the footsteps of Donald Trump moving the Brazilian embassy to Jerusalem, and Rio de Janeiro's new governor wants to buy Israeli weaponized drones, Palestinian and Rio de Janeiro's favelas' social movements call for a joint and global struggle agains…

LEILI (2018-11-26). Palestinian Civil Society Urges World Governments to Impose a Military Embargo on Saudi Regime Over Khashoggi Murder and War Crimes in Yemen, On Israel for War Crimes and Apartheid Against Palestinians. bdsmovement.net Palestinian Civil Society Urges World Governments to Impose a Military Embargo on Saudi Regime Over Khashoggi Murder and War Crimes in Yemen, On Israel for War Crimes and Apartheid Against Palestinians: Update"We appeal to progressives and social movements everywhere to pressure their governments to impose strict military embargoes on all states that are perpetrating crimes against hu…

Phyllis Bennis (2018-11-14). The Crisis in Gaza and a Potential Ceasefire. zcomm.org Discussing the recent Israeli special forces operation inside the Gaza Strip that killed 7 Palestinians and one Israeli soldier, as well as Israeli air strikes and a potential ceasefire…