[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.]
Palestine-Israel
Israel`s Bloated War Machine, Uri Blau
The heavy expansion of the defense ministry in Israel under the premiership of PM Benjamin Netanyahu is related to his frequent manufacturing of security crises, writes Blau.
In Closely Watched Case, US Supreme Court May Decide Fate of Jerusalem, Ali Abunimah
Abunimah summarizes the arguments regarding Zivotofsky v. Kerry, a case due to appear before the US Supreme Court over the question of whether a US passport can read that Israel is the birth country of a US citizen born in Jerusalem.
Judge Reuses to Dismiss "Baseless" Charges Against Palestinian-American, Ali Abunimah
Judge Gershwin Drain ruled against a defense motion to dismiss charges against Rasmea Odeh for allegedly lying on an immigration application while declining to rule on whether a clinical psychologist and expert on torture may testify in the trial on Odeh`s torture and PTSD at the hands of Israeli prisons.
Gaza Reconstruction Plan "Risk Putting UN in Charge of Israeli Blockade," Peter Beaumont
Beaumont reports on criticism that the strict monitoring of building materials in the UN-sponsored plan for the reconstruction of Gaza effectively responsibility for enforcing an Israeli blockade of Gaza to the UN.
The Greater Gaza Plan, Jonathan Cook
Writing for Mondoweiss, Cook discusses Israel media reports claiming that Egypt has offered to annex to Gaza several thousand square kilometers of land in Sinai, to be a demilitarized Palestinian state assigned to refugees.
White House Rebukes Israel over Settlement Construction, Peter Sullivan
The White House has issued another strong criticism of Israeli plans to build more than 2,500 homes in East Jerusalem, amid statements by Obama indicating a wish on the part of the US to "change the status quo" on Gaza.
UN Nuclear Assembly Rejects Arab Bid to Pressure Israel, Frederick Dahl
The International Atomic Energy Agency has rejected a bid by Arab States calling on Israel to join a global nuclear weapons nonproliferation pact, reports Reuters.
Islamic State
Islamic State Tanks Destroyed in Eastern Syria, US Military Says, Haroon Siddique
US Central Command has disclosed details on ten air strikes carried out in Iraq and Syria 25 September 2014, noting that four Islamic State tanks were destroyed as well as ISIS bases and oilfields.
The Fake Terror Threat Used to Justify Bombing Syria, Glenn Greenwald and Murtaza Hussain
Greenwald and Hussain allege American media has produced many sensationalist reports on government allegations of an al-Qaeda cell called "The Khorosan Group" planning on attacking US domestic flights while asking few hard questions about the group, including whether there is any evidence for the group`s very existence.
Civilian Casualty Standard Eased in Iraq, Syria, Ken Dilanian
The "near-certainty" standard for avoiding civilian casualties in air strikes announced by US President Obama in May 2013, is being relaxed in Syria and Iraq.
Use of Force Against Islamic State is Justified, Obama Tells UN, Kathleen Hennessey, Christi Parsons
Arguing that Islamic State only understands "the language of force," US President Obama presented a justification for his country`s air strikes in Syria and Iraq at the United Nations.
Why There`s No Such Thing As Islamic State, David Sharlatmadari
Sharlatmadari argues for a more careful scrutiny with regards to use of language when referring to conflict, noting that usage such as referring to Islamic State as a "state," or "crushing terror," can often distort ground realities.
Law
Once Again, Anti-Islam Ads Go Up on New York Subways, Jamilah King
King reports for ColorLines on a series of ads equating Hamas, Al-Qaeda, and ISIS with Islam as a whole recently appearing on New York City subways.
Gitmo Hunger Strikes are a Cry for Help. Why is the US Fighting Back with Secret Torture, Cori Crider
Crider, attorney for Abu Wael Dhiab, a Syrian Guantanamo detainee suing the government for having been force-fed while on hunger strike and never charged with a crime, pleads his client`s case in The Guardian.
Security Agreement with Afghanisan Raises Key Questions about How and When War Ends, Daphne Eviator
Beyond the issue of troop withdrawal, the recent bilateral security agreement signed by the United States and Afghanistan answers few questions about the future of the US` involvement in Afghanistan, writes Eviator in Just Security.
The Case Against Qatar, Elizabeth Dickinson
Foreign Policy looks into Qatar`s history of funding Islamist-leaning rebels in Syria and extremist Salafists.
Other
Iran`s President: No Major Progress at Nuke Talks, George Jahn and Edith Lederer
Iran President Hassan Rouhani has bemoaned the lack of progress made at the most recent round of talks between the United States, Iran, and five other world powers in New York, while anonymous US diplomats hint that the United States might be considering a softer approach to sanctions.
Almost Thirty Libyan Soldiers Killed in Benghazi Attacks, Ayman Al-Warfalli
A double suicide bombing and clashes between Islamist and government militias in Libya killed thirty Libyan soldiers and wounded seventy on Thursday 2 October, reports Reuters
A War for Power, David Mizner
Writing in Jacobin, Mizner says that the permanent “War on Terror” keeps on producing terror, showing that confronting Iran and U.S. hegemony more broadly explain U.S. foreign policy far better than the notion that the U.S. seeks to end terror and is simply bad at it.
George Clooney, South Sudan, and How the World`s Newest Nation Imploded, Alex Perry
Perry surveys the history of American actor George Clooney and other celebrities` involvement in humanitarian campaigns to bring attention in the west to armed conflict in South Sudan and the country`s political unrest following its independence in late 2011.