Arab Talk With Jess & Jamal

Former Executive Director of Human Rights Watch Kenneth Roth discusses the reasons why Dean Elmendorf rescinded his fellowship offer at Harvard’s Carr Center for Human Rights Policy. After a major public and academic outcry, Elmendorf reversed his shameful decision, but many questions remain unanswered. Jess & Jamal revisit previous cases when academic institutions succumbed to the Israeli lobby and its surrogates by penalizing professors who criticized Israel's Apartheid and other human rights violations against Palestinians.

Dr. Rabab Abdulhadi, recently awarded the Jere L. Bacharach Service Award of the Middle East Studies Association (MESA), discusses recent escalation of attacks against free speech in academia. Jess and Jamal decipher two recent polls one conducted in Israel, the other in the US, dealing with racism and antisemitism.

Richard Silverstein, editor of Tikun Olam blog, discusses Israel's new fascist government and Meir Kahane's disciple Itamar Ben-Gvir. Jess & Jamal examine why Harvard’s Kennedy School denied Kenneth Roth, the longtime director of Human Rights Watch, a planned fellowship over the organization’s work on Israel.

Recently crowned Miss Earth Water 2022, Miss Palestine Nadeen Ayoub discusses environmental awareness, protection, and sustainability. She also strives to shed light on Palestinian culture, artists, and designers globally. Jess & Jamal look back at the most impactful stories of 2022 and provide some predictions for the upcoming year.

Dr. Guy Shalev discusses Israel's systemic racism within its health care system. One fifth of physicians and nurses in Israel are Palestinians, yet there is longstanding discrimination and racism in Israel's medical system towards Palestinians on both professional and patient levels. Jess and Jamal talk football (soccer) and Morocco's stunning win to become the first Arab & African team to qualify for the semifinal of the FIFA World Cup after defeating both Spain & Portugal.

Investigative journalist David Sheen discusses the triumphant return of the followers of the late, racist rabbi Meir Kahane to Israeli government, as they plan to ensure a Jewish majority with "emigration, transfer of the enemy (Palestinians), an exchange of populations and any other way that will help the enemy leave the country." Jess & Jamal examine the shock of Israeli journalists who were shunned at the World Cup in Qatar.

Dr. Nurit Peled-Elhanan talks about anti-Palestinian ideoplogy in Israeli school books: "Israeli education also propagates the idea of Israel as democracy-- the only democracy in the Middle East-- while reinforcing its existance as an Ethnocracy." Jess & Jamal expose the hypocrisy by some Western media outlets criticizing Qatar's human rights record as it hosts the FIFA World Cup 2022.

UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese discusses her report on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied in 1967. "Realizing the inalienable right of the Palestinian people to self-determination requires dismantling once and for all the Israeli settler-colonial occupation and its apartheid practices.” Jess & Jamal look into Benjamin Netanyahu's return to power for a record sixth time, in partnership with Itamar Ben-Gvir, a follower of Meir Kahane, and an admirer of terrorist Baruch Goldstein.

Human Rights Lawyer Diana Buttu discusses the recent death of seven-year-old Rayyan Suleiman, who died while being chased by Israeli soldiers in the occupied village of Tekoa, prompting the US State Dept. to call for an investigation. Jess & Jamal examine The Hill's firing of Katie Halper for describing Israel's policies as tantamount to apartheid. The cancelling of Ms. Halper is part of a trend by media outlets to muzzle critics of Israel.

Aseel AlBajeh, Legal Researcher and Advocacy Officer at Al-Haq Human Rights Organization discusses Israel's systematic targeting of Palestinian civil society and the shutting down of the offices of six Palestinian human rights groups. A joint probe by Forensic Architecture and Al-Haq has recently uncovered evidence that an Israeli sniper repeatedly shot at Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh. Jess & Jamal explain why Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid speaks from both sides of his mouth, one for an international audience at the UN and another targeting Israeli voters.

Dr. Rania Masri and Dr. Anis Germany discuss Lebanon's economic nightmare, how the country ended up in such a state, and what remedies can be implemented to transition into a better future. Jess & Jamal explain Israel's recent backtracking on some of its racist and draconian measures in order to be added to the United States’ Visa Waiver Program (VWP). The VWP allows citizens of select countries to stay in the United States for up to 90 days without having to obtain a visa.

Ariel Koren, former marketing manager at Google for Education, discusses her recent resignation from the tech giant after facing retaliation from management and harassment from fellow Googlers for criticizing Project Nimbus, a $1.2 billion agreement between Google, Amazon and the Israeli military. To learn more: https://www.notechforapartheid.com/ Jess & Jamal examine Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's recent spending frenzy on Vision 2030, a $7 trillion+ development plan for Saudi Arabia.

Renowned British rapper and activist Lowkey (Kareem Dennis) discusses his passion for rap music and his pursuit of social justice. He also talks about how the Israel lobbying network in the UK tries relentlessly to censor him due to his criticism of Israeli Apartheid and its oppression of the Palestinian people. Jess and Jamal discuss the recent admission by the Israeli occupation military that there is 'a possibility' its soldiers killed Shireen Abu Akleh. They also discuss Israel's new draconian measures that foreign visitors to the West Bank must declare their "love interest" before entering.

Ramzy Baroud discusses his recent book, "Our Vision For Liberation," co-edited with Illan Pappe. Contributors to this unique collection of essays draw on their own remarkable personal experiences and successes; they address what now, what next, is to be done, in a manner that reflects not only Palestinian aspirations, but their view of what is possible. Jess & Jamal discuss France's and Algeria's 'renewed partnership' 60 years after independence.

Jess & Jamal discuss the recent Israeli raids on the offices of seven Palestinian civil society advocacy groups in the occupied West Bank and the motives behind them.

Egyptian-American actor & lawyer Amr El-Bayoumi explains how Hollywood continues to market hateful Arab & Muslim stereotypes and narratives through distorted and toxic roles in its films. Jess & Jamal discuss how OPEC & Saudi Arabia are profiteering from Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and why did billionaire Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal, quietly invested more than $500 million in three major Russian energy companies between February and March?

Dr. Robert Ross, Professor of Literary Arts & Social Justice Studies, at Park Point University discusses the recent dismissal of a bogus lawsuit brought against him by a colleague and Israel's lobby group Lawfare Project for teaching about Palestine and supporting BDS. Jess & Jamal take a look at the Israeli onslaught on Gaza which killed 16 Palestinian children.

Adam Shapiro, Palestine-Israel Advocacy Director at Dawn, discusses how a group of US-based lobbyists representing the Israeli spyware company NSO have been violating the Foreign Agent Registration Act (FARA) by not registering the company as being under the control of the Israeli government. Jess & Jamal unpack the newly uncovered transcripts from the trial of the infamous 1956 Kafr Qasem massacre perpetrated by Israeli Border Police and the coverup thereafter.

Giovanni Fassina, Program Director of the European Legal Support Center, describes how the blanket accusation of “antisemitism” became the go-to trigger to censor legitimate discussion on issues related to Palestine on the German public, state-owned international broadcaster Deutsche Welle (DW). Jess & Jamal discuss the complaint against US lobbyists accused of failing to disclose spyware developer NSO Group's ties to the Israeli government, and the trial of a former Twitter employee accused of spying on users on behalf of Saudi Arabia.

Dr. Rashid Khalidi discusses the US State Department's and the Israel Land Authority's plans to build a new permanent US embassy and diplomatic compound in Jerusalem on private Palestinian property confiscated by Israel after 1948. Jess and Jamal discuss President Biden's failed trip to the Middle East, as he did not secure oil commitments at the Arab summit, or hold Israel accountable for its violations of human rights.