Shireen Abu Aqla and the national flower of Palestine, the Faqqua Iris Written in honor of Shireen Abu Aqla and Nakba Day I thought I would take some time to share my recent reflections on two continuing conflicts that trouble the world (or should). These are the ongoing aggressions in Ukraine and Palestine. The brutal,... Continue Reading →
Surprise!: After his Brutal Assault on Gaza, Netanyahu Tries to Stick Americans with the Bill
Yes, it’s true. On his way out the door, Israel’s PM is asking American taxpayers to shell out a billion dollars to “replenish” the vaunted “Iron-Dome” missile defense system. In addition to some $4 billion of annual US aid (mostly military) he now wants another billion for more ammunition. Palestine... Still Waiting for Justice When... Continue Reading →
How “Iron-Dome” has Transformed Prospects for Middle East Peace: An Analysis of Israel’s Missile Defense System and What it Means for Peace (written around 2014)
Sky Watcher What follows is extensive analysis of the vaunted “Iron-Dome” defense system. I have been thinking about what I call “Iron-Dumb” for some time, and I was happy when Obama made the point in Jerusalem that, “we’ve invested in the Iron-Dome system to save countless lives.” Of course, he also noted that, “no... Continue Reading →
Wait and See the Carnage on the PBS Newshour
By Peter Miller, Guest Contributor With permission of (Nick_ Raille_07 / Shutterstock.com) This was sent to the PBS Newshour on May 16th, after Biden failed to demand a ceasefire in the latest round in Gaza: I was very disappointed in the discussion by David Brooks and Jonathon Capehart concerning the latest carnage in Gaza, the West... Continue Reading →
Gaza, May 20, 2021: An Update and Some Simple Truths
By Gilbert Schramm The brutal, ongoing violence in Gaza has brought on the usual handwringing and nonsense. Yet strangely, in some ways, there seems to be a bit of a breakthrough. It is long overdue. In some quarters, the admissions now made by pundits, policy wonks and reporters would have been unthinkable a few years... Continue Reading →
Gaza in Ruins…Again
In the last week there has been a major escalation of violence in occupied Palestine. Some 350 Palestinians were seriously injured in protests last night. A local doctor reported injuries consistent with an intentional effort by Israeli “security forces” to maximize harm. Israel also apparently launched about 130 airstrikes against Gaza, leaving over 20 people... Continue Reading →
Some Essential Readings on the Palestinian/ Israeli Conflict: A resource and suggested reading list (Part 1)
The Dispossessed, Bisque ceramic In the last month, Gaza has been under almost daily air attacks launched from Israel. It used to be about rockets—now it started with balloons. Hardly an existential threat. The almost meaningless Netanyahu “Peace Deal” with the UAE hardly changes things, yet Netanyahu has claimed it as an excuse to finally,... Continue Reading →
Palestine and the 2020 election: Strategy for Advocates of Palestinian Human Rights
(Artwork: BDS: Justice through Solidarity) As the 2020 election approaches, advocates of Palestinian rights have a seemingly difficult decision. On closer examination however, I think our course should be pretty clear. On one hand there is Trump, whose Middle East policy in general, and with Palestine in particular, has been an atrocious “outsourcing” of US... Continue Reading →
Some Thoughts on Empathy and Imagination and a Poem for Palestine (Testing Day)
(Artwork: A Child's Nightmares in Gaza) We are in a time when we are charged with the task of resisting racism and injustice of all kinds. Before we can do that effectively, we need to better understand what it feels like to be over-policed, discriminated against, subjected to humiliation, and deprived of basic rights and... Continue Reading →
Essential Readings from the Literature of the Muslim World: A Personal List
I recently posted these short book and author recommendations on Facebook. My reasoning was pretty simple: though we are now obsessed with the coronavirus and the re-emerging recognition of how pervasive racial injustice and inequality still is in America, it is only a few short years ago that we were obsessed with a quite different... Continue Reading →
Mind-Cast 