No Mercy even in a Pandemic
Juan Cole | zcomm.org | 2020-03-28
Israeli Occupation Authorities Demolish Makeshift Field Hospital in Palestinian Hamlet…
zcomm.org/znetarticle/no-mercy-even-in-a-pandemic/
[Commentary] A systems approach to preventing and responding to COVID-19
Declan Terence Bradley, Mariam Abdulmonem Mansouri, Frank Kee, Leandro Martin Totaro Garcia | thelancet.com | 2020-03-28
A novel zoonotic coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2 has resulted in a pandemic of respiratory infection [1,2]. COVID-19 has provoked restrictive infection control measures, social and economic disruption, and expressions of racism [3]. Systems thinking can help policymakers understand and influence the spread of infection and its multifaceted consequences across the community since society is itself a complex adaptive system [4]. It can provide a framework to look beyond the chain of infection and better understand the multiple implications of decisions and (in)actions in face of such a complex situation involving many inte…
thelancet.com/journals/eclinm/article/PIIS2589-5370(20)30069-9/fulltext?rss=yes
COVID-19 cases in Israel near 3,500
yenisafak.com | 2020-03-28
The number of COVID-19 cases in Israel has reached 3,460 after 425 more people are diagnosed with COVID-19, according to the statement by the country's health ministry.50 of the patients are in critical condition and 89 have recovered, the statement added.Until now, COVID-19 claimed the lives of 12 in the country.As part of measures, all schools have been closed in the country, all meetings in public, open or closed areas with more than 10 people have also been banned.All trading firms except supermarkets, pharmacies, gas stations and banks have also been closed beginning with March 15.Tel Aviv also banned the en…
yenisafak.com/en/world/covid-19-cases-in-israel-near-3500-3515269
Coronavirus cases rise in five Arab states
yenisafak.com | 2020-03-28
Health authorities in five Arab countries reported fresh coronavirus cases on Saturday.In a statement, Morocco's Health Ministry said 13 coronavirus cases were recorded, taking the total infections in the country to 358.The ministry put the death toll from the disease at 23 and 11 recoveries.In Palestine, six new coronavirus infections were reported, taking the total cases to 97, according to a spokesman for the Palestinian government.In Oman, the Health Ministry said 21 new infections were registered, bringing the total coronavirus cases in the Gulf state to 152.According to the ministry, a total of 23 patients…
yenisafak.com/en/world/coronavirus-cases-rise-in-five-arab-states-3515264
COVID-19 continues to spread in Arab countries
yenisafak.com | 2020-03-28
Morocco's online bulletin that announces new COVID-19 cases said the total number of the cases in the country increased to 358, with 13 new patients.According to the website, the death toll in the country is now 23.It also said 11 people were discharged from hospitals after recovering from the virus.In Palestine, government spokesman Ibrahim Melhem reported six more confirmed cases of the virus in the country, bringing the total to 97.Meanwhile, the Kuwaiti Health Ministry said the total number of confirmed cases rose to 235, with 10 new cases confirmed.It also said that the number of discharged people from hospi…
yenisafak.com/en/world/covid-19-continues-to-spread-in-arab-countries-3515278
BJP and Israel: Hindu Nationalism is Ravaging India's Democracy
Ramzy Baroud | counterpunch.org | 2020-03-27
It was only a matter of time before the anti-Muslim sentiment in India turned violent. A country that has historically prided itself on its diversity and tolerance, and for being 'the largest democracy in the world' has, in recent years, exhibited the exact opposite qualities
Palestinian Building Equipment, Tents Seized by Israeli Forces in Jordan Valley
Ali Salam | imemc.org | 2020-03-27
Israeli forces demolished a residential structure and seized tents, on Thursday, in the Jordan Valley village of Ibziq, north of the occupied West Bank city of Tubas, according to a local official. Abdul Majeed Khdeirat, head of Ibziq village council, told Palestinian WAFA News Agency that Israeli soldiers stormed the …
imemc.org/article/palestinian-building-equipment-tents-seized-by-israeli-forces-in-jordan-valley/
B'Tselem: "During the Coronavirus crisis, Israel confiscates tents designated for clinic in the Northern West Bank"
BIICFHRIOT | imemc.org | 2020-03-27
The Israeli Information Center for Human Rights In The Occupied Territories (B'Tselem): Communities Facing Expulsion: On Thursday, 26 March 2020, at around 7:…
imemc.org/article/btselem-during-the-coronavirus-crisis-israel-confiscates-tents-designated-for-clinic-in-the-northern-west-bank/
From Electoral Politics to Coronavirus Response: In Israel, Apartheid Mentality Reigns
Miko Peled | mintpressnews.com | 2020-03-27
Israel's longstanding political crisis didn't end due to some altruistic desire to pull together in a time of crisis, it ended because Israelis were faced with a choice, work with Arabs or throw it all away, writes Miko Peled.
mintpressnews.com/electoral-politics-coronavirus-response-israel-apartheid-mentality/266093/
PA's Ministry of Foreign Affairs Seeks Protection of Palestinian Population
Rami Almeghari | imemc.org | 2020-03-27
The Palestinian Authority's (PA) Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on Friday, called on the international community to provide protection for the Palestinian people, amidst growing concerns over the widely-spread Coronavirus worldwide, including the occupied Palestinian territories and Israel. The call came in response to a recent series of attacks, carried out …
imemc.org/article/pas-ministry-of-foreign-affairs-seeks-protection-of-palestinian-population/
Palestinian Shed and Water Well Destroyed by Israeli Forces in West Bank
Ali Salam | imemc.org | 2020-03-27
Israeli forces, on Thursday, demolished a farming shed and a water well in Deir Ballut town, west of Salfit city, according to a local official. Governor of Salfit, Abdallah Kmeil told Palestinian WAFA News Agency that Israeli forces escorted a bulldozer into Wadi Sarida area, where the heavy machinery tore …
imemc.org/article/palestinian-shed-and-water-well-destroyed-by-israeli-forces-in-west-bank/
VIDEO: Israeli Soldiers Spit on Palestinian-owned Property in Hebron
Rami Almeghari | imemc.org | 2020-03-27
Israeli soldiers, on Friday morning, in the occupied West Bank city of Hebron, reportedly spat on Palestinian-owned vehicles and property in a Hebron suburb, according to a local official. In video footage, shown on social media, Israeli soldiers were seen spitting on Palestinian vehicles, which were parked in an industrial …
imemc.org/article/israeli-soldiers-spit-on-palestinian-owned-property-in-hebron/
Three Palestinian Homes Demolished by Israeli Forces near Jericho
Ali Salam | imemc.org | 2020-03-27
Israeli forces, on Thursday, demolished three Palestinian-owned homes in the village of al-Diyouk, west of the occupied West Bank city of Jericho, under the pretext they were built without permits, local sources said. The sources told Palestinian WAFA News Agency that Israeli soldiers and police accompanied bulldozers as they invaded …
imemc.org/article/three-palestinian-homes-demolished-by-israeli-forces-near-jericho/
We won't go back to normal, because normal was the problem
Vijay Prashad | mronline.org | 2020-03-27
It is hard to remember that just a few weeks ago, the planet was in motion. There were protests in Delhi (India) and Quito (Ecuador), eruptions against the old order that ranged from anger at the economic policies of austerity and neoliberalism to frustration with the cultural policies of misogyny and racism. Ingeniously, in Santiago …
mronline.org/2020/03/27/we-wont-go-back-to-normal-because-normal-was-the-problem/
The Gaza Strip Has Been Under Siege for Years. Covid-19 Could Be Catastrophic
Neve Gordon | commondreams.org | 2020-03-27
The fact that most Palestinians are living literally from hand to mouth suggests that the coronavirus's impact in Gaza will be exponentially harsher than in many other countries. (Photo: JACK GUEZ/AFP via Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
commondreams.org/views/2020/03/27/gaza-strip-has-been-under-siege-years-covid-19-could-be-catastrophic?cd-origin=rss
Incarcerated Anti-Fascists Report Targeted Beatings by Guards
Staff | truthout.org | 2020-03-27
The Bureau of Prisons (BOP) is targeting Eric King, an unapologetically vocal anti-fascist, yogi and poet who has been incarcerated since September 2014, for his political beliefs. King was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison after being charged with attempting to set fire to a government official's empty office building in support of the Ferguson, Missouri, upr…
truthout.org/articles/incarcerated-anti-fascists-report-targeted-beatings-by-guards/
Shock in Israel as Benny Gantz Is Elected Speaker of Parliament
telesurenglish.net | 2020-03-26
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's chief rival, Benny Gantz, was elected Thursday speaker of the Knesset (parliament) in a surprise move that suggests a unity government paving the way for Netanyahu to remain in power. | RELATED: | Amid COVID-19, India Buys $116M Worth Of Weapons to Israel | The shift plunged Gantz's Blue and White Party into disarray just a year after its creation as a coalition of centrist opponents to the 70-year-old right-winger who is Israel's lon…
telesurenglish.net/news/Shock-in-Israel-as-Benny-Gantz-Is-Elected-Speaker-of-Parliament-20200326-0017.html
Israel Releases Post Packages for Palestinian Territories
Rami Almeghari | imemc.org | 2020-03-26
Israeli authorities released on Thursday a large shipment of postal packages sent to the occupied Palestinian territories, from abroad. A statement, released by the Palestinian Authority's (PA) Ministry of Telecommunication and Information Technology, said that the released shipment includes posts, delivered directly by three new countries to the Palestinian Authority's …
imemc.org/article/israel-releases-post-packages-for-palestinian-territories/
Settlers Invade Al-Aqsa under Police Protection
Ali Salam | imemc.org | 2020-03-26
Several illegal Israeli settlers, on Wednesday morning, invaded the sacred al-Aqsa Mosque, under police guard, despite the closure due to the coronavirus outbreak, according to Days of Palestine. Local sources said that dozens of extremist settlers, escorted by police officers, forced their way into al-Aqsa Mosque and performed Talmudic rituals …
imemc.org/article/settlers-invade-al-aqsa-under-police-protection/
Olive Trees, Grapevines Damaged by Israeli Settlers near Bethlehem
Ali Salam | imemc.org | 2020-03-26
Israeli settlers, on Wednesday, damaged 50 olive trees and grapevines in al-Khader town, south of Bethlehem city, in the southern occupied West Bank, according to a local source. Hisham Mohammad Sbeih, the landowner, told Palestinian WAFA News Agency that upon entering his grove, near the Gush Etzion colonial settlement bloc, …
imemc.org/article/olive-trees-grapevines-damaged-by-israeli-settlers-near-bethlehem/
The Supreme Court Just Made It Easier to Get Away With Discrimination
Elie Mystal | thenation.com | 2020-03-26
The Supreme Court Just Made It Easier to Get Away With Discrimination…
thenation.com/article/society/scotus-comcast-discrimination/
How a network of Ukrainian ultra-nationalists penetrated Canada's Conservative Party to lobby for military conflict
Moss Robeson | thegrayzone.com | 2020-03-26
Once an underground network of fascist ideologues shunned by the Ukrainian Canadian community for "criminal ideas," Canada's ultra-nationalist Bandera lobby…
thegrayzone.com/2020/03/26/canadian-conservative-party-bandera-canada/
PCHR Calls upon Palestinian Government to Find Mechanisms to Protect and Support the Poor and Low-Income Families in light of the State of Emergency in the Gaza Strip
PCHR | imemc.org | 2020-03-26
The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) follows up on the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip in light of the state of emergency announced to limit the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19). PCHR warns of catastrophic deterioration in the living conditions of the Gaza Strip population if the state of …
imemc.org/article/pchr-calls-upon-palestinian-government-to-find-mechanisms-to-protect-and-support-the-poor-and-low-income-families-in-light-of-the-state-of-emergency-in-the-gaza-strip/
White Supremacists See Coronavirus as an Opportunity
Cassie Miller | splcenter.org | 2020-03-26
Far-right extremists believe the intense uncertainty surrounding the outbreak of COVID-19 will aid their ability to recruit new members into their movement.
splcenter.org/hatewatch/2020/03/26/white-supremacists-see-coronavirus-opportunity
Bolivia: TSE Gives Possible Date for Presidential Elections
telesurenglish.net | 2020-03-26
Bolivia's Supreme Electoral Tribunal announced a possible date for the next presidential elections. The elections were supposed to be held on May 3, but were postponed due to the threat of Covid-19. | RELATED: | Bolivian Regime Rejects Cuba's Offer to Help Fight Coronavirus | On its official Twitter profile, the Supreme Electoral Tribunal published a statement announcing the date of the elections between Sunday, June 7 and Sunday, September 6, 2020. | According to t…
telesurenglish.net/news/bolivia-tse-gives-possible-date-for-presidential-elections-20200326-0010.html
Malaysian socialist calls out dangerous myth of COVID-19 'mitigation'
Susan Price | greenleft.org.au | 2020-03-26
Asia & the Pacific Healthcare Jeyakumar DevarajIssue 1258 Malaysia COVID-19March 26, 2020I received a video on March 22 featuring an Israeli minister making an argument supporting "mitigation" as a strat…
greenleft.org.au/content/malaysian-socialist-calls-out-dangerous-myth-covid-19-mitigation
MN shows solidarity with Palestine during COVID-19 pandemic
Fight Back | fightbacknews.org | 2020-03-25
Minneapolis, MN – The MN Anti-War Committee (AWC) wanted to be a part of Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network's global week of action for Palestinian Land Day but they couldn't do it as a protest the way they had originally planned. Instead on March 24 the MN AWC reorganized their protest as a call-in day, and then did a five-person social distancing bannering protest. | In 1976, Land Day marked a turning point as the first mass mobilization by Palestinians within Israel against colonialism and land theft. Israeli police shot and killed six Palestinian citizens of Israel for protesting the Israeli go…
www.fightbacknews.org/2020/3/25/mn-shows…
BJP and Israel: Hindu Nationalism is Ravaging India's Democracy
Ramzy Baroud | dissidentvoice.org | 2020-03-25
It was only a matter of time before the anti-Muslim sentiment in India turned violent. A country that has historically prided itself on its diversity and tolerance, and for being 'the largest democracy in the world' has, in recent years, exhibited the exact opposite qualities
SPLC and allies seek federal court injunction in system-wide suit to protect people detained by ICE from contracting COVID-19
splcenter.org | 2020-03-25
The SPLC and its allies asked a federal court today to issue a preliminary injunction requiring that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) take immediate steps to protect people in its custody, particularly those who have medical conditions making them more susceptible to serious illness and death from COVID-19.
splcenter.org/news/2020/03/25/splc-and-allies-seek-federal-court-injunction-system-wide-suit-protect-people-detained-ice
Once a High-Profile Neo-Nazi, Azzmador Has Pulled a Disappearing Act
splcenter.org | 2020-03-25
At "Unite the Right" in Charlottesville, Virginia, Azzmador appeared to be everywhere.
splcenter.org/hatewatch/2020/03/26/once-high-profile-neo-nazi-azzmador-has-pulled-disappearing-act
Moving forward requires confronting slavery's 'racist legacy': UN chief
news.un.org | 2020-03-25
In his message for the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade, observed on Wednesday, the UN Secretary-General called for the dismantling of racist structures and institutions so that the world can move forward.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2020/03/1060202
The Not-So-Shocking Report on Israeli Weapons Exports
Ramzy Baroud | dissidentvoice.org | 2020-03-24
The Middle East region, battered by wars and adjoining humanitarian crises that have left millions of people stateless, hungry and diseased, is in urgent need for peace, security and reconstruction. Thanks to the US, Russian, French, Israeli and other weapons manufacturers, however, it is now the dumping ground for military hardware, an ominous sign for …
dissidentvoice.org/2020/03/the-not-so-shocking-report-on-israeli-weapons-exports/
King David's Ancient Road: How Israeli Archaeologists Are Aiding the Theft of Silwan
Miko Peled | mintpressnews.com | 2020-03-24
Claiming "science" as their reason and in total disregard for the wellbeing of the population, tunnels are dug under Palestinian homes in Silwan, destroying foundations and forcing residents to flee.
mintpressnews.com/how-israel-archeologists-aiding-theft-silwan/266005/
Arbitrary & excessive: Marijuana trafficking sentences in Alabama
Kathryn Casteel and Will Tucker | splcenter.org | 2020-03-24
Alabama resident Lee Carroll Brooker garnered national attention in 2016 when the U.S. Supreme Court declined to review the marijuana trafficking case that put Brooker, in his 70s at the time, in prison for life.
splcenter.org/news/2020/03/26/arbitrary-excessive-marijuana-trafficking-sentences-alabama
Hate Group Leaders, Antigovernment Extremists Push Anti-China Coronavirus Rhetoric
Hatewatch Staff | splcenter.org | 2020-03-23
A litany of conservative groups and figures, including members of hate and antigovernment extremist groups, have signed a March 17 letter to President Trump asking him to investigate China for its alleged role in spreading the novel coronavirus and hiding its origins.
splcenter.org/hatewatch/2020/03/24/hate-group-leaders-antigovernment-extremists-push-anti-china-coronavirus-rhetoric
COVID-19 Updates: SPLC continues fight against injustice
splcenter.org | 2020-03-20
We are only beginning to feel the impacts of the coronavirus, but we know that the communities we serve
Expert: US sanctions on Iran, Venezuela during pandemic could be genocidal
Aaron Maté | thegrayzone.com | 2020-03-20
Intensified US sanctions on Iran, Venezuela during the COVID-19 pandemic could amount to genocide, a former UN expert warns. Iran…
thegrayzone.com/2020/03/20/expert-us-sanctions-on-iran-venezuela-during-pandemic-could-be-genocidal/
The Fight to Vote: Overcoming voter suppression in the South
splcenter.org | 2020-03-20
Voter suppression is alive and well across the South.
splcenter.org/news/2020/03/24/fight-vote-overcoming-voter-suppression-south
SPLC responds to Trump's Racist and Xenophobic Attacks on Asians
splcenter.org | 2020-03-20
President Trump continued to use racist and xenophobic language today during a news conference about the spread of the coronavirus in the U.S. by calling it the "Chinese virus."
splcenter.org/news/2020/03/20/splc-responds-trumps-racist-and-xenophobic-attacks-asians
Grassroots effort sponsored by SPLC protects voting rights for hundreds across South Florida
splcenter.org | 2020-03-20
Clutching a clipboard full of voter registration forms under his arm, Marq Mitchell knocked on the front door of a small, beige, stucco house in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
splcenter.org/news/2020/03/20/grassroots-effort-sponsored-splc-protects-voting-rights-hundreds-across-south-florida
As White House Contemplates Coronavirus Asylum Ban, Hate Groups Urge Trump to Seize the Moment
Michael Edison Hayden and Hannah Gais | splcenter.org | 2020-03-20
The Trump administration took steps to block asylum seekers from entering the U.S.-Mexico border amid the COVID-19 pandemic. This nativist policy course has been pushed by anti-immigrant pundits and hate groups from the time the crisis started to unfold.
splcenter.org/hatewatch/2020/03/23/white-house-contemplates-coronavirus-asylum-ban-hate-groups-urge-trump-seize-moment
How the ACLU Organized to end Racial Profiling on Greyhound Buses
Andrea Flores | aclu.org | 2020-03-20
Two years ago, the ACLU set a clear goal: push Greyhound to refuse Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers access to their buses to conduct warrantless searches. As part of the Trump administration's immigration crackdown, CBP officers were targeting bus passengers around the country, boarding their buses to racially profile, harass, and too often, detain people who they suspected of being undocumented. Of course, you can't tell someone's immigration status by how they look or sound
Fight To Vote: Florida man's voting rights restored by Amendment 4
splcenter.org | 2020-03-20
Abdul Yaw Akachi was talking to his neighbors one sunny day in Florida when a voting rights advocate walked up to him.
splcenter.org/news/2020/03/24/fight-vote-florida-mans-voting-rights-restored-amendment-4
Trump Continues Calling the Coronavirus "Chinese" Despite Reports of Anti-Asian Hate Crimes
Staff | democracynow.org | 2020-03-19
"I would like to begin by announcing some important developments in our war against the Chinese virus. I will be invoking the Defense Production Act just in case we need it." That was the opening line of President Trump's news conference Wednesday afternoon. Later in the news conference, Trump was questioned by ABC News reporter Cecilia Vega on continuously referring to the coronavirus as the "Chinese virus." A member of the administration also reportedly referred to the coronavirus as the "kung-flu." Meanwhile, racist incidents and threats of hate crimes against Asian Americans have emerged across the United Sta…
www.democracynow.org/2020/3/19/trump_ant…
California Anti-Immigrant Activist Robin Hvidston Seeking State Assembly Seat
Hatewatch Staff | splcenter.org | 2020-03-19
Robin Hvidston, a longtime anti-immigrant activist, is running as a Republican for a California Assembly seat in District 41.
splcenter.org/hatewatch/2020/03/19/california-anti-immigrant-activist-robin-hvidston-seeking-state-assembly-seat
Who are we, America?
Eric K. Ward | splcenter.org | 2020-03-19
Just as the authoritarian-tinged tenure of Donald Trump underscores the question, the coronavirus and near shut-down of public life in response highlight this defining time in our democracy.
splcenter.org/news/2020/03/22/who-are-we-america
West Virginia Tourist Hub Rejects VDARE's 'Negative' Message‚Äã
splcenter.org | 2020-03-19
A vacation hub known for its placid spas and lush hiking trails, Berkeley Springs, West Virginia has hardly been defined by Trump-era political strife in recent years.
splcenter.org/hatewatch/2020/03/19/west-virginia-tourist-hub-rejects-vdares-negative-message
2019 Year in Hate and Extremism Report Release
splcenter.org | 2020-03-18
splcenter.org/news/2020/03/18/2019-year-hate-and-extremism-report-release
SPLC's Three Strikes Project helps nonviolent offenders move from prison to parole
splcenter.org | 2020-03-17
Drugs were a way of life in the economically struggling "Brickyard" neighborhood of Clarksdale, Mississippi, where Nicky Patterson grew up.
splcenter.org/news/2020/03/17/splcs-three-strikes-project-helps-nonviolent-offenders-move-prison-parole
SPLC offices, Civil Rights Memorial Center close
splcenter.org | 2020-03-14
Our work continues with fervor and is needed more now than ever.
splcenter.org/news/2020/03/20/splc-offices-civil-rights-memorial-center-close