Arab Talk With Jess & Jamal

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.

Jess & Jamal discuss with Dr. Rabab Abdulhadi the confirmation hearing of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the US Supreme Court and the testimony of Dr. Christine Blasey Ford who testified that she was sexually assaulted by him. Dr. Abdulhadi discusses institutional bullying and how women are fighting back.

Jamal Dajani interviews Big Harp George (Bisharat) about his latest album: Uptown Cool. They discuss his latest release, his inspiration to pursue music after a successful academic career, the difference between the big chromatic harmonica and the smaller diatonic one. Big Harp George’s latest release Uptown Cool has been winning rave reviews. For more information visit BigHarpGeorge.com

Jess & Jamal discuss the demise of the Oslo agreement signed between Israel and the PLO at the White House twenty-five years ago to bring about an independent Palestinian state on the territories occupied by Israel in 1967. Today, most Palestinians believe that the Oslo agreement is dead and diminishes Palestinian rights. Jess & Jamal also discus Trump’s “Deal of the Century.”

Jess & Jamal discuss Israel’s secretly arming and funding at least 12 “rebel” groups in southern Syria. The Israeli military transfers, which ended in July of this year, included assault rifles, machine guns, mortar launchers and transport vehicles. Israeli security agencies delivered the weapons through three gates connecting the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights to Syria.

Jess and Jamal discuss how the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia may behead a Saudi woman activist for her work on human rights and justice in the Kingdom. They further discuss the implications for the Middle East and the role of US foreign policy in the region. Trump's political problems were discussed in light of the development of felony charges against Paul Manafort and Michael Cohen.

Jess and Jamal discuss the recent detainment of journalist Peter Beinart by the Israeli Shin Bet upon his arrival at Ben Gurion Airport as well as other Jewish Americans who have detained recently trying to enter Israel. Jamal, reporting from Jerusalem, reports on what is happening on the ground now in Palestine and they both discuss the implications of Trump Administration policies for peace in the Middle East.

Jess Ghannam interviews Attorney Behnam Gharagozli, who is representing Professor Rabab Abdulhadi of San Francisco State University. Professor Abdulhadi has been attacked legally by the Lawfare Project in an attempt to silence her and her academic work on Palestine. The judge in this case, Judge Orrick, has essentially dismissed the case against Professor Abdulhadi, but there is one more hearing this Wednesday, August 8th at 2pm. The outcome will have profound implications for academic freedom in the United States. Attorney Gharaghozli is co-council with Attorney Mark Kleinman on this important legal case.