[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
Leaked Email: Save the Children Trying to "Contain" Damage from Tony Blair, Ali Abunimah
Abunimah details the backlash towards the charity Save the Children for awarding a "Global Legacy Award" to Tony Blair on 19 November, given Blair`s ties to the Egyptian government and role in the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq.
The Guardian View on Israel: The Narrowing of a Nation, The Guardian
A proposed bill to define Israel as the nation-state of the Jewish people--thereby only granting Israeli Jews national rights--amounts to a "downgrading" of Israeli democracy, writes the Editorial Board of The Guardian.
Activists Block Jericho Road to Protest East Jerusalem Land Grab, Annie Robbins
Mondoweiss reports on the successful efforts of Palestinian activists to block the Jerusalem-Jericho road in protest of Israeli efforts to expel Palestinian Bedouin communities from Area C.
Israel Headed to Elections: Lapid Rejects Netanyahu`s Terms for Saving Coalition, Jonathan Lis
Israeli Finance Minister Yair Lapid has indicated he will not accede to demands set out by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to maintain the current governing coalition of Israel, a move making early elections likely.
Law
Why Can`t US Courts Understand IHL?, Kevin Jon Heller
A fundamental misunderstanding of the First Geneva Convention and the First Addition Protocol extending the rules of the Geneva Convention underlies the DC Circuit`s decision in Al Harafi v. Obama, a recent habeas case in which an alleged member of the Taliban was denied petition on the basis that the Taliban had not issued him with "official identification demonstrating that he entitled to protected status."
Saudi Arabia "Intensifies Twitter Crackdown," Al Jazeera English
Human Rights Watch has issued a report accusing Saudi Arabia of using a vaguely written cybercrime law to arrest Saudi citizens for anti-House of Saud tweets.
Ferguson-Palestine
From Feguson to Gaza, Young People are Marginalized Everywhere, Yara al-Wazir
al-Wazir, writing in Al-Arabiya, draws parallels between the experience of Palestinians in Gaza and black Americans in Ferguson, Missouri.
Ferguson and Gaza: Let`s Tell the Truth, David Palumbo-Liu
Palumbo-Liu responds critically to a "Ferguson is Not Gaza," a piece published by Rabbi Menachem Creditor, charging Creditor with failing to charge Israel with any responsibility for civilian deaths in Gaza.
Ferguson and Gaza: How They Are and Are Not Similar, David Palumbo-Liu
Writing for Salon, Palumbo-Liu compares structural discrimination in Gaza and Ferguson and concludes that while the "moral and inspirational value" of solidarity between movements in both locations is valuable, they "demand different strategies and tactics in response."
Guantanamo
Congress Deals Blow to Plan to Shut Guantanamo Prison, Reuters
The final version of an annual defense authorization bill will not include language funding a plan to close the facility, as originally planned.
US Releases Guantanamo Prisoner to Saudi Arabia, Reuters
Muhammad Murdi Issa al-Zahrani, a Saudi man held for twelve years at the US detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba has been released and transferred to Saudi Arabia.
Psychologists Are Rethinking Their Cozy Relationship with Bush Torture Program, Cora Currier
The Intercept reports on an independent investigation launched by the American Psychological Association over charges that it sanctioned interrogation methods amounting to torture used against terror suspects by the US military during the Bush Administration.
Guantanamo Added to White House-Hagel Friction, Josh Gerstein
Gerstein, writing for Politico, reports on a series of White House memos suggesting the White House and departing Defense Secretary clashed over the latter`s alleged reluctance to approve transfers of Guantanamo detainees cleared for release.
US Armed Conflict
Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel to Step Down, Jim Acosta, Barbara Starr, Alexandra Jaffe
CNN covers the White House`s announcement of the resignation of Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel.
On Media Outlets that Continue to Describe Unknown Drone Victims as "Militants," Glenn Greenwald
Language used by a number of media outlets reporting on drone strikes mirrors the policy of the Obama Administration for counting civilian casualties, namely counting "all military-age males in a strike zone as combatants," unless explicit intelligence emerges suggesting otherwise.
41 Men Targeted by 1,147 People Killed: US Drone Strikes - the Facts on the Ground, Spencer Ackerman
The Guardian presents analysis of data on drone strike victims from human rights group Reprieve, suggesting that such strikes uniformly kill more than the terrorists they target, citing that attempts to kill 41 given men have resulted in the deaths of 1,147 people.
ISIL Suffers Heavy Losses in Syria`s Kobane, Al Jazeera English
US-led drones trikes and other fighting have led to 50 ISIL deaths in Kobane, Syria, in the biggest loss endured by ISIL since its initial assault on Kobane.
Conflicting Policies on Syria and Islamic State Erode US Standing in Mideast, Anne Barnard
A perception in Syria and Iraq that the United States` policies on the Syrian Civil War and the Islamic State are contradictory are beginning to damage "America`s standing in the region," writes Barnard for The New York Times.
Afghan Mission for US to Continue under New Authorities, Karen DeYoung, Missy Ryan
The Obama Administration has authorized an extension of US military operations in Afghanistan after the end of 2014.
Other
"Besides Not Having a Job, Everything`s Great," Steven Salaita on His Firing and What Comes Next," Alex Kane
Kane interviews Palestinian-American Professor on the termination of his contract with the University of Illinois-Champaign, the context of the tweets that led to his firing, and his hopes to return to academia.
Egypt Opens Rafah for Second Consecutive Day, Ma`an News
After closing the crossing between Egypt and Palestine for more than a month, Egypt has opened the Rafah crossing for two consecutive days, allowing humanitarian aid and construction materials in Gaza as well as stranded Palestinians in Egypt to return to Gaza.
Iran, World Powers Fail to Reach Nuclear Agreement by Deadline, Jay Solomon, Laurence Norman
The Wall Street Journal reports on the failure of Iran, the United States, and five other world powers to arrive at an agreement on Iran`s nuclear program, extending its deadline for the second time.