[This is a roundup of news articles and other materials circulating on Occupation, Intervention and Law and reflects a wide variety of opinions. It does not reflect the views of the O.I.L. Page Editors or of Jadaliyya. You may send your own recommendations for inclusion in each biweekly roundup to OIL@jadaliyya.com by Monday night of every other week.]
Gaza
Hamas` Chances, Nathan Thrall
Hamas`s ongoing combat is indicative of a strategic decision making process, not maniacal hatred of Israel, writes Thrall in London Review of Books.
Israel`s Use of Law and Warnings in Gaza, Janina Dill
Israeli military arguments that it provides warnings to Gazan citizens of impending air strikes despite no legal obligation to do so ignores that it very much is legally required to warn civilians of attacks and obfuscates that the attacks themselves are hardly legal under international law.
Israeli Operation Not About Security, Noura Erakat
Jadaliyya co-Editor Noura Erakat issues a rebuttal in USA Today of the paper`s editorial in support of Israeli incursion into Gaza, arguing that Operation Protective Edge is more about Israeli control of Palestinian land than legitimate security concerns.
Never Ask Me About Peace Again, Asmaa Al-Ghoul
Al Monitor columnist Al-Ghoul discusses the deaths of much of her family in the Israeli assault on Gaza, and their effect on her view of the Israel-Palestine conflict in general.
Publishing the Names of the Gaza Dead, BBC News
The BBC profiles Michal Rotem, an Israeli woman who translates the names of Palestinians killed in Gaza into Hebrew from the original Arabic.
From Gaza: I Would Rather Die in Dignity Than Agree to Living in an Open-Air Prison, Mohammed Suliman
"You`re simply lying" is the only response to Israeli claims that their military does not target civilians in Gaza, writes Suliman, a Palestinian human rights worker in Gaza.
Gaza, Where No Palestinian is Safe, Ayman Mohyeldin
Mohyeldin profiles Palestinians living under Israeli assault for NBC News.
"Concentrate" and "Exterminate": Israel Parliament Deputy Speaker`s Gaza Genocide Plan, Ali Abunimah
Moshe Feiglin, deputy speaker of the Knesset, has published a plan calling for the implementation of concentration camps for Palestinians in Gaza.
Eight Days in Gaza: A Wartime Diary, Atef Abu Saif
Saif provides a diary for The New York Times of life under Israeli bombardment in Gaza.
Israel Resumes Attacks on Gaza, Ending Self-Declared Ceasefire, Harriet Sherwood
The Guardian reports on the deaths of at least twenty Palestinians in Gaza on account of Israeli shelling following an Israeli-declared ceasefire the same day.
Israel’s War Targets All Palestinians, Not Just Hamas, Abdel Rahman Nassar
Nassar notes that the Israeli war is one against all of the Palestinians and not merely the Hamas movement, and warns that those supporting the Resistance should start labeling it a war on the Resistance itself, so as not to play into any kind of sectarianism
The Logic of Israeli Violence, Greg Shupak
Writing in Jacobin, Shupak discusses the logic of Israeli aggression against Palestinians in Gaza, situating it in the context of the larger Israeli and American projects in the region
US Response to Gaza
Collective Punishment in Gaza, Rashid Khalidi
Khalidi criticizes the United States` practice of putting a "thumb on the scales" in favor of Israel while claiming to be an "honest broker" in the conflict.
"Free Palestine" Demonstrators Gather Outisde White House, Carla Murphy
Colorlines reports on a pro-Palestinian march in Washington, D.C. of an estimated 10,000 people.
New York Times Gives Israelis the Opportunity to Shoot and Explain (Why Not Hamas?), Donald Johnson
Johnson criticizes The New York Times and US media in general for devoting far more print and online space to Israeli retorts to criticism of their attacks in Gaza than Hamas and its supporters.
Netanyahu Warns US Not to Try to Force Israel into a Gaza Ceasefire, Associated Press
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been quoted by sources familiar with his conversations with US Secretary of State John Kerry demanding the United States "trust" him on Hamas` willingness to enter ceasefire agreements.
Tariq Abu Khdeir Goes to Washington--and Finds Surprising Support, Sam Knight
Knight, writing for Mondoweiss, discusses on the recent congressional testimony of Tariq Abu Khdeir, a Palestinian-American teenager brutally beaten by Israeli police during Operation Brother`s Keeper,
US National Security Law
House Report: Benghazi is Just Benghazi, Kevin Drum
The House Intelligence Committee has issued a report arguing there was no deliberate wrongdoing by the Obama administration in the 2012 assault on a diplomatic facility in Benghazi, Libya.
Dodging a Coup in Kabul, for Now, Steve Coll
The New Yorker covers the efforts of US Secretary of State John Kerry to broker a deal for political transition in Afghanistan.
Obama: "We Tortured Some Folks," Josh Gerstein
Politico reports on the admission of US President Barack Obama that the United States "crossed a moral line" in its treatment of prisoners suspected of terrorism.
CIA Director John Brennan Apologizes for Search of Senate Committee`s Computers, Greg Miller
Miller, reporting for The Washington Post, covers recent revelations that CIA employees have improperly searched computers used by Senate investigators conducting a probe of CIA interrogation measures.
Armed Conflict
Iraqi PM Orders Air Force to Help Kurds Fight Islamic State, Isra` Al-Rubai`i
Iraqi Prime Minister has for the first time ordered his air force to assist Kurdish peshmerga fighters battling Islamic State in the northern provinces of Iraq.
Islamic State Claims First Major Victory over Kurds, Al Jazeera America
Al Jazeera America reports on the Islamic State capture of an oilfield, three towns in northern Iraq, and the Mosul Dam, its largest victories yet over Kurdish forces.
Syrian Defector`s Photos Could Trigger War Crimes Charges, Jess Bravin, Michael R. Crittenden
The Wall Street Journal reports on a Syrian defector codenamed Caesar who has smuggled 50,000 photos documenting war crimes taking place in Syria, as well as speculation that the photos could trigger legal proceedings against the Syrian government and other parties to the conflict.
Hundreds Flee as Libya Fighting Continues, Al Jazeera English
Around two hundred Libyans have been allowed to enter Tunisia amidst heavy fighting between militias in Tripoli.
Egypt Should Consider Military Action in Libya, says Senior Statesman, Patrick Kingsley
Amr Moussa, former Egyptian foreign minister and former secretary-general of the Arab League, issued a statement arguing Egypt should consider a military response to militia fighting in Libya.
The Arab Regimes in the Service of Israeli Terrorism, Lamis Andoni
Andoni argues that the conservative Arab regimes have allied with the US to a degree not even seen in the Cold War, forcing the Arab people to take sides between the US-regime alliance and the resistance.
Nasrallah’s Speech Affirms Unity Between Resistance Factions, Warns of Western Plots in the Region, Sami Kleib
Kleib summarizes Nasrallah’s al-Quds Day speech, highlighting the importance for the resistance of winning the battle against Israeli aggression in the Gaza Strip