The Oceanic Circle: Talk on the occasion of Mahatma Gandhi’s 155th birthday

NB: This is the text of the talk I delivered on October 2 at the Gandhi Peace Foundation, New Delhi. DS The bane of our life is our exclusive provincialism, whereas my province must be co-extensive with the Indian boundary so that ultimately it extends to the boundary of the earth. Else it perishes – Mahatma Gandhi,… Read More The Oceanic Circle: Talk on the occasion of Mahatma Gandhi’s 155th birthday

Historical Origins of the War in Palestine: Lecture by Madhavan K. Palat

Historical Origins of the War in Palestine GAZA casualties, live statistics United Nations Documentation on the Origins and Evolution of the Palestine Problem United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide The war in Palestine has three players: Israel; the USA, with its European satellites fully backing Israel; and Palestinians, isolated, a people… Read More Historical Origins of the War in Palestine: Lecture by Madhavan K. Palat

Israelis Must Ask Themselves if They’re Willing to Live in a Country That Lives on Blood

Gideon Levy Israel is turning, with alarming speed, into a country that lives on blood. The daily crimes of the occupation are already less relevant. Over the past year, a new reality of mass killing and crimes of an entirely different scale has emerged. We are in a genocidal reality; the blood of tens of… Read More Israelis Must Ask Themselves if They’re Willing to Live in a Country That Lives on Blood

With Gaza in ruins and Lebanon under siege, what defence remains for Israel’s actions?

‘Existential threat’ is a thin excuse: the out-of-control force that is pushing the Middle East to the brink is Israel itself Nesrine Malik Acommon defence of Israel’s belligerence, both within the Palestinian territories and in the wider region, is the claim that it must act in this way because it is surrounded by countries that are trying… Read More With Gaza in ruins and Lebanon under siege, what defence remains for Israel’s actions?

Daniel Berrigan, Defiant Priest Who Preached Pacifism Dies at 94 (2016) / Catonsville 9 Statement written by Dan Berrigan, S.J.

First posted May 01, 2016 NB: The Berrigan brothers represent the best in the tradition of non-violent resistance to war and bellicose nationalism. Here is what they said in a public statement issued at the height of the Vietnam war, in 1968:  “We confront the Catholic Church, other Christian bodies and the synagogues of America with their… Read More Daniel Berrigan, Defiant Priest Who Preached Pacifism Dies at 94 (2016) / Catonsville 9 Statement written by Dan Berrigan, S.J.

At least 22 killed in Israeli strike on Gaza school compound

GAZA casualties, live statistics At least 22 people, mostly women and children, have been killed in an Israeli strike on a school compound Saturday, Palestinian officials said, with Israel saying it targeted Hamas fighters sheltering there. A spokesman for the Gaza Civil Defense, Mahmoud Basal, said the missile hit the Al-Zaytoun School, near Gaza City, where thousands were… Read More At least 22 killed in Israeli strike on Gaza school compound

The US and all nations must respect the UN resolution against Israeli occupation

Kenneth Roth The United Nations general assembly’s resolution on Wednesday advanced a dramatic legal shift, begun by the international court of justice (ICJ) in July, in how we understand Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory. The US government’s response suggests a refusal to recognize the new legal reality in which Israel now finds itself. The general assembly resolution, which largely… Read More The US and all nations must respect the UN resolution against Israeli occupation

Aristides de Sousa Mendes: Portuguese diplomat saved thousands from Holocaust and was punished by his government (2020)

Eighty years ago, a middle-aged, mid-ranking diplomat sank into deep depression and watched his hair turn grey in days, as he saw the streets of Bordeaux filling with Jewish refugees fleeing the Nazis… Among those who escaped occupied France thanks to his visas were Salvador Dalí, filmmaker King Vidor, members of the Rothschild family and… Read More Aristides de Sousa Mendes: Portuguese diplomat saved thousands from Holocaust and was punished by his government (2020)

From the Arsenal of Democracy to an Arsenal of Genocide / Six UNRWA workers among 18 killed in Israeli strike on Gaza school

During the presidential debate, Kamala Harris was asked to explain what she would do about Israel’s war on Gaza, and she said, “Let’s understand how we got here. On October 7, Hamas, a terrorist organization, slaughtered 1,200 Israelis.” This is false. As anyone with a basic working knowledge of the conflict knows, this war is… Read More From the Arsenal of Democracy to an Arsenal of Genocide / Six UNRWA workers among 18 killed in Israeli strike on Gaza school