Arab Talk With Jess & Jamal

Jess and Jamal discuss recent racist and Islamophobic comments by two of Fox News’ most prominent opinion hosts — Jeanine Pirro and Tucker Carlson. Jeanine Pirro — an outspoken supporter of President Donald Trump who has become a fundraiser in Pennsylvania and elsewhere for Republicans — questioned whether a hijab worn by Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar signaled her support of Sharia law. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yCHdow7wvSw Tucker Carlson in a recording released by Media Matters describes Iraqis as “semiliterate primitive monkeys.” In a separate instance, he criticizes Iraqis for having a “culture where people just don’t use toilet paper or forks.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=umRRGXS2LG4

Jess & Jamal discuss with Dr. Hatem Bazian the vicious attacks on Representative Ilhan Omar. Dr. Bazian also talks about a recent New Yorker article, which exposes Psy-Group (established by "former" Israeli Mossad agents) targeting BDS activists on college campuses. http://tinyurl.com/y3k5pv2b

Jess and Jamal discuss recent UNHRC‘s report which provided evidence suggesting that Israel committed crimes against humanity in responding to 2018 protests in Gaza, as snipers targeted people clearly identifiable as children, health workers and journalists. They also discuss Michael Cohen’s Congressional testimony that labeled President Trump a "racist," a "con man," and a "cheat."

Jess & Jamal along with guest Dr. Rabab Abdulhadi discuss Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who recently embraced racist & extremist Meir Kahane followers. Under the Netanyahu-backed agreement, the right-wing Jewish Home party will merge with the ultranationalist Jewish Power party, a move that is expected to boost both parties' chances of securing seats in the Knesset after Israeli elections on 9 April. They also discuss the terror plot by Christopher Paul Hasson, 49, a US Coast Guard officer suspected of drawing up a hit list of top Democrats and TV journalists.

Jess & Jamal interview Dr. Rabab Abdulhadi about the recent attacks targeting Rep. Ilhan Omar (Democrat - Minnesota). Dr. Abdulhadi discusses the conflation of criticism of Israel with antisemitism. Jess & Jamal also interview Maad Abu Ghazaleh, a Palestinian American who established an animal shelter near the town of Nablus. His organization Daily Hugz provides education and therapy to children traumatized due to the Israeli Occupation.

Jess and Jamal interview Dr. Rabab Abdulhadi about the passage of Senate Bill (S.1) that would empower states to punish companies and individuals who boycott Israel to protest its occupation of Palestinian Territories and Apartheid practices. Dr. Abdulhadi discusses her victory over the Lawfare Project and her lawsuit against San Francisco State University.

Jess & Jamal discuss the passing of Senate Bill (S.1) which enacts penalties on entities that engage in boycotts of Israel — one of many measures in the US intended to push back on the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement. They also discuss Rep. Rashida Tlaib’s (D-Mich.) response to the condescension and criticism by one of her Democratic colleagues regarding her planned trip to the occupied Palestinian Territories by politely suggesting Rep. Eliot Engel (D-NY)—as well as any other House members— consider joining her or taking similar trips to broaden their understanding of Palestinians' lived experiences instead of aligning, year after year, with the right-wing perspective of AIPAC lobbyists.

Jess & Jamal discuss the plight of 800,000 federal government employees who lost their income due to the government shutdown, as Congress refuses to fund Trump’s Wall with Mexico. They also discuss Michelle Alexander’s article in the New York Times, entitled “Time to Break the Silence on Palestine”.

Jess & Jamal discuss the racist attacks by Anabelle Lima-Taub, a commissioner in Hallandale Beach, Florida targeting freshman Democratic Rep. Rashida Tlaib, accusing her of being a terrorist. Lima-Taub was born in Israel. They also discuss the investigation conducted by the Canadian Revenue Agency on the Jewish National Fund (JNF) of Canada for using donations to fund Israeli army projects and illegal colonial settlements. Their activities are in violation of Canadian law which prohibits charitable funds from supporting a foreign army.

Jess & Jamal outline their predictions for the year from Donald Trump’s Border Wall to Bashar al-Assad and Syria. They also talk about the US elections in 2020. Will Donald Trump get re-elected for four more years or will he get impeached?

Jess and Jamal discuss the State of Texas, McCarthyite loyalty oath requiring contractors not to boycott Israel. Pursuant to Section 2270.001 of Texas Government Code, contractors are barred from "refusing to deal with, terminating business activities with, or otherwise taking any action that is intended to penalize, inflict economic harm on, or limit commercial relations specifically with Israel." The law is a violation of the First Amendment and is being challenged by Bahia Amawi, a Texas speech pathologist, who lost her job due to this law.

Jess has just returned from Qatar providing a comprehensive update on the political situation there. He discusses the tense relations between Qatar and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Jamal reports on the recent deterioration of security in the West Bank.

Jamal interviews journalist and host Blanche Shaheen who recently returned from Palestine. They discuss Palestinian cuisine and the plight of the Palestinian Christian community living under the Israeli Occupation. Check out Blanche’s videos on her YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7ghcBe7PIrF6nh7xndiIzg

Jess & Jamal discuss the recent revelation that an Israeli submarine sank a Lebanese boat full of refugees in 1982. Was it a mistake or a war crime? They also talk about Airbnb's decision to remove listings in Israeli Colonial Settlements in the West Bank and the recent developments in the Khashoggi murder case.

Jess and Jamal discuss the sudden resignation of Israel’s defense minister, Avigdor Lieberman, over the cabinet's decision to accept a ceasefire ending two days of fighting with Palestinians in Gaza. They also interview Australian filmmaker Anne Tsoulis about her award-winning documentary, Under the Rubble: A Story From Gaza.

Jess & Jamal reflect on the results of the Midterm Elections. Was it a Blue Wave as analysts predicted, or a Pink Wave? They also discuss the ongoing mass shootings in the US, gun control and the attack on the media by the Trump Administration.

Jess & Jamal along with Dr. Rabab Abdulhadi discuss the recent deadly attack by a white supremacist on a Synagogue in Pittsburg and the case of the Florida pipe-bomb suspect. Dr. Abdulhadi talks about her recent victory against the Lawfare Project, a group that describes itself as “the legal arm of the pro-Israel community.”

Jess & Jamal discuss the bizarre mystery surrounding the disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi and US-Saudi relations. Turkish officials have been leaking information to members of the press that Mr. Khashoggi was killed before his fingers were removed and his body dismembered inside the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul.

Jamal Dajani discusses with Dr. Rabab Abdulhadi the disappearance of Saudi dissident and journalist Jamal Khashoggi and the silence of the Trump Administration. They also discuss the content of the new documents revealing that the Jewish Community Federation of San Francisco (JCF) has been consistently funding far-right and anti-Muslim hate groups across the country as far back as 2003. With a 2017 budget of over $240 million, and assets totaling over $1 billion, the JCF funded these hate groups and agitators to the tune of more than 300 million dollars over the course of the years investigated. Read more about the JCF's funding at https://medium.com/@stephanieskora/the-jewish-federation-of-san-francisco-funds-far-right-and-anti-muslim-groups-and-i-can-prove-it-dc030484266c?fbclid=IwAR2tBuJYxUPeHXdmyZP0hFjDv408R7UCERWl-jfIbpw5OtAD_9OjDXljSII

Jess and Jamal discuss with Dr. Rabab Abdulhadi the recent exposé about Canary Mission. A shadowy online entity which publishes negative, often defamatory, portraits of activists, students and academics who are supportive of Palestinians, back the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions movement for Palestinian rights, or are critical of Israeli state policy in relationship to the Occupation of Palestine. Canary Mission has received $100,000 in funds from the Helen Diller Family Foundation, a “supporting foundation” of the Jewish Community Federation of San Francisco.