Diana Buttu on the Palestine Papers

In this segment of Palestine Studies TV, Diana Buttu, a former member of the Palestine Liberation Organization’s Negotiations Support Unit, spoke about the recent leak of thousands of internal Palestinian documents concerning the ongoing negotiations with Israel. They were published and covered extensively by Al Jazeera and The Guardian.

Slavoj Žižek on Riz Khan

Slavoj Žižek, the renowned writer, discussed his views on the state of modern capitalism in this recent Riz Khan episode on Al Jazeera English. We’d never hear such views on an American broadcaster, so it was a bit strange and refreshing to hear his critique.

Addendum: Politics dressed like entertainment

After seeing my essay on the Stewart-Colbert rally posted up on Al-Jazeera’s website, I realized I should have done more to specify what I think should be done about the problem I identify.

In a sense, I was guilty of what Jon Stewart is when he launches his criticisms of uncivil punditry and the scream culture of cable news — the lack of a clear remedy.

Wikileaks: U.S. Actively Ignored Iraqi Torture

This Al Jazeera English report summarizes some of the conclusions that can be made from the latest Wikileaks document dump. They show extensive torture by the Iraqi government and American complicity. Most telling is the gap between the government’s public statements about Iraqi torture not happening and what they actually knew.

Whither, American journalism: CNN vs. Al-Jazeera

Yesterday, WikiLeaks leaked a video exposing a US government cover-up of the killing of 2 Reuters cameramen in Iraq in 2007. Juan Cole writes that an attack, also captured in the video, on people trying to help the wounded may constitute a war crime.

Ziobot Loses Israel Apartheid Week Debate on Al-Jazeera, English

Al-Jazeera, English featured a nice little discussion on Israeli apartheid week. I love that we finally have a channel where the debate is two-to-one against the pro-Israel position. In US mainstream media, it is usually two-to-one or more frequently two-on-none in the favor of the hasbara. more

‘The Invention of the Jewish People,’ author Shlomo Sand Interviewed on Riz Khan

Israeli academic Shlomo Sand discusses his book, The Invention of the Jewish People, which was a bestseller in Israel. I have not read it yet, but it’s on my reading list.

He says his work undermines some major tenets of Zionism, namely about Israelis descending from the ancient Israelites and the Jewish diaspora being the product of forced exile from Rome.

Glenn Greenwald Pounds the New Republic

Following on Kalash’s post about the media’s hypocritical love affair with Iran’s imprisonment of Roxana Saberi, you have to read Glenn Greenwald’s devastating rebuke to this myopic, selective advocacy of press freedom. He makes the same point as Kalash about the American government’s detention of journalists, who have been held for years with no trial [...]

Stephen Hawking on Palestine

Ever wonder how Apartheid sounds through a synthesizer? [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1jjLRXmIck]

A Website to Spread Al Jazeera English.

Finally, there is a website that helps viewers generate pressure on American cable and satellite TV providers who have not included Al Jazeera English in their offerings. Some fear consumer backlash or say there is not enough demand. It should at least be available to American viewers to decide, rather than letting the corporations that [...]