Daily Archives: April 20, 2020

2020-04-20: News Headlines

RT (2020-04-20). Israeli PM Netanyahu and rival Gantz agree to form 'unity' government to avoid another elections. rt.com Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reached an agreement with rival Benny Gantz to form a "unity government," that would finally break a year of political deadlock, Israeli media has reported. | In a statement, Netanyahu's right-wing Likud party and Gantz's centrist-liberal Blue and White party said they had agreed a unity deal following elections in September and March which saw neither side winning a large enough majority to form a government. | DETAILS TO FOLLOW…

Miko Peled (2020-04-20). From Settler Violence to Attacks on Haredi Jews, Coronavirus is Laying Israeli Attitudes Bare. mintpressnews.com The spread of coronavirus among Palestinians is dangerous to Israeli Jews, yet authorities and their various agencies continue to destroy clinics, demolish homes, and raid towns and neighborhoods rather than offer the help needed to ward off the virus.

Peoples Dispatch (2020-04-20). Israelis condemn Netanyahu's anti-democratic COVID-19 measures. peoplesdispatch.org Scores of Israeli citizens gathered at Rabin Square in Tel Aviv on April 19, Sunday, to participate in a 'Black Flag' protest against prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu's measures in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Protesters claim these measures are anti-democratic and violate privacy. Protesters also opposed Netanyahu's continuing as prime minister. Negotiations between Netanyahu's Likud party and the main opposition — Benny Gantz's Blue and White Alliance — reached a stalemate after no final decision could be reached regarding a potential power-sharing deal between the two. | Protesters on Sunday w…

G.N. Nithya (2020-04-20). The Occupation and the Pandemic: The Coronavirus and the Conditions of Palestinian Workers. globalresearch.ca "Colonialism is not a thinking machine, | nor a body endowed with reasoning faculties. | It is violence in its natural state…" | — Frantz Fanon, The Wretched of the Earth (1963) | This past month Israeli soldiers dumped a Palestinian worker at a …

en.mehrnews (2020-04-20). 'IRGC-phobia project' proof of US, Israel's wrath. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Apr. 20 (MNA) — In a statement on Monday, the Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran named 'IRGC-phobia' project and other unfair attacks and censure against the Iranian body a sign of US and Zionist regime's anger against it.

Stephen Cooper (2020-04-20). Covid-19 Exposes the Death Penalty's Selfishness. counterpunch.org Capital punishment has always been perverse, but during our country's struggle with the coronavirus, its selfishness sticks out like a sneeze, its sickly aerosols joining racism, classism, and festering immorality — all the hallmarks that have long-infected its practice. The strongest evidence of this abhorrent selfishness to surface recently — of this compulsion to exact retributive

Staff (2020-04-20). The US's Failed Response to the Pandemic Is Rooted in Anti-Blackness. truthout.org With the speed of lightning, the coronavirus crisis is waking all of the U.S. up to a reality most Black people have known for decades — our country fails the most marginalized. Our systems were ill-prepared to help everyday people sans pandemic. Now in the midst of one, the sun is shining down on their cavernous cracks created by deep-seated anti-Blackness. The reality is we are a country built on a racist house of cards, and the pandemic is showing us how racism — specifically anti-Black…

Victor Grossman (2020-04-20). Vigilance of all German anti-fascists required as coronavirus recedes. peoplesworld.org BERLIN — With the daily number of new COVID-19 figures slowly receding, Germany is limping back to some kind of "normalcy." Auto and bike shops, book dealers, barbers and most shops less than 800 square meters can now re-open (with customers 5 feet apart). Bigger shops and department stores are squabbling: "Why not us?" So …

Joel Wendland-Liu (2020-04-20). Trump's anti-Chinese racist campaign strategy mobilizes right-wing extremists. peoplesworld.org In a direct attack on China and a clear indictment of international cooperation to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, U.S. President Donald Trump unilaterally ordered withholding funds from the World Health Organization. In a White House statement, Trump accused the international body of "preferential treatment" for China and "mismanaging" the pandemic. Aside from the glaring hypocrisy …

en.mehrnews (2020-04-20). Zarif's Damascus's trip shows Iran's resolute on tackling regional issues: Palestinian official. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Apr. 20 (MNA) — A member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) says the Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif's visit to Damascus, amid the recent developments, shows the Islamic Republic's determination on addressing the regional challenges.

teleSUR (2020-04-20). Guatemala: Discrimination Against Domestic Workers Rises. telesurenglish.net Guatemalan domestic personnel are more vulnerable to the COVID-19 economic and social impact than other workers due to their livelihood and labor conditions. | RELATED: | According to the Union of Domestic, Maquila and Related Workers' (Sitradom) president, Floridalma Contreras, domestic workforces are predominately women who are under no legal employment ways. From the 550 members of the union, the majority are illiterat…

IMEMC & Agencies (2020-04-19). Israeli Troops Shoot, Wound Palestinian Teen in Tulkarem. imemc.org Israeli troops reportedly shot and wounded a Palestinian teen, on Sunday, in northern Tulkarem city, in the occupied West Bank. Local Palestinian media sources reported that Israeli soldiers, stationed near the Israeli Apartheid Wall, west of the Shweika neighborhood of northern Tulkarem city, opened fire with live ammunition and tear-gas …

Ali Salam (2020-04-19). Settlers Assault Palestinian Farmers and Activist. imemc.org Israeli settlers attacked, on Saturday, several Palestinian villages in the Masafer Yatta area, in the southern occupied West Bank, physically assaulting residents, according to a local activist. Activist, Fouad Amour, told Palestinian WAFA News Agency that illegal Israeli settlers attacked farmers in Khirbet al-Khrouba as they harvested their crops. Israeli …

RT (2020-04-19). Anti-Netanyahu demonstrators in Israel stage unique protest, keeping social distance (PHOTOS, VIDEOS). rt.com Israeli demonstrators turned out in droves to protest the government of Benjamin Netanyahu. Mindful of the need for social distancing, they stood two meters apart from each other in a visually spectacular gathering. | Tel Aviv's Rabin Square is often a staging ground for rallies. Tens of thousands flocked to the plaza to protest police restrictions on music festivals last year, while the year before saw gay rights activists turn up to shout down a controversial surrogacy law. | | Protesters assemble in Tel Aviv's Rabin Square, April 19, 2020 © AFP / Jack Guez | Sunday, however, saw a gathering unlike an…

Fight Back (2020-04-19). Interview with Charlotte Kates on COVID-19 threat in Israeli jails, fight to free Palestinian political prisoners. fightbacknews.org Fight Back! interviewed Charlotte Kates, International Coordinator of the Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network, on the fight to free Palestinian political prisoners in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. We ask that all of our readers to support this important effort. | Fight Back!: How has the pandemic impacted Palestinian political prisoners? | Charlotte Kates: One of the major concerns has been the fact that Palestinian prisoners are essentially cut off from the outside world. Israel claims that its ban on family visits and legal visits are attempts to prevent the spread of COVID-19, but they are…

IMEMC & Agencies (2020-04-19). Erekat: Majority of International Leaders Oppose Netanyahu's Colonial Plans. imemc.org Top Palestinian negotiator, Dr. Saeb Erekat said on Sunday that the majority of international leaders oppose Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu's colonial plans by, insisting that a two-state solution is the way out of the current Palestinian-Israeli conflict. During phone calls with several world leaders, that Erekat initiated, leaders unanimously …

Ali Salam (2020-04-19). Israeli Settlers Assault Shepherds, Injure One. imemc.org A Palestinian shepherd was injured on Friday when illegal Israeli settlers attacked herders grazing sheep near the village of Tuwaneh, near Hebron in the southern occupied West Bank a local official reported. Palestinian official, Fouad al-Amour, told Palestinian WAFA News Agency that settlers, under the cover of Israeli soldiers, assaulted …

teleSUR (2020-04-19). Israel's Anti-Netanyahu Protesters Demonstrate Despite Pandemic. telesurenglish.net Under strict COVID-19 restrictions, thousands of people in Tel Aviv, Israel, demonstrated Sunday against the possible extension of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's term under the current alliance negotiations between him and former rival Benny Gantz. | RELATED: | Wearing face masks, waving black flags as a symbol of threats against democracy, the protesters who observed the social distancing rule to fight coronavirus, called on Gantz's Blue…

Ali Salam (2020-04-19). Israeli Soldiers Shoot, Injure Three Palestinians in Kufur Qaddoum. imemc.org At least three Palestinians were injured, on Saturday, by Israeli forces as troops invaded the northern West Bank village of Kufur Qaddoum, local sources reported. Morad Eshteiwi, coordinator of the popular resistance in Kufur Qaddoum, told Palestinian WAFA News Agency that the Israeli army stormed the village, provoking resistance from …

Staff (2020-04-19). Corporate News Coverage of the Pandemic Is Rife With Islamophobia. truthout.org It is no secret that Asian Americans have felt the brunt of the backlash against coronavirus in the U.S. The racism and hateful attacks, amounting to

IMEMC & Agencies (2020-04-18). Hamas Offers Israel a Mediated Prisoner Swap Deal. imemc.org Political Leader of the ruling Islamist Hamas party in Gaza, Ismail Haniyya, told the Alaraby Arabic TV channel, on Friday, that his party has four Israeli soldiers in captivity, and that the party is ready to indirectly negotiate over a possible prisoner swap deal with Israel. The leader of Hamas …

IMEMC & Agencies (2020-04-18). Israel Imposes Fines on Palestinian Protesters in East Jerusalem. imemc.org Israeli authorities in the internationally-recognized occupied East Jerusalem, where Israel has wrestled control for five decades now, reportedly imposed on Friday many fines on Palestinian residents of the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood. The local Palestinian Wadi Hilweh Information Center (Silwanic) reported that the fines were imposed on local Palestinians, who participate …

Zero Hedge (2020-04-18). Watch: Failed Israeli Drone Strike On Top Hezbollah Official Caught In Rare Video. iranian.com Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) have once again ramped up operations along the southern Lebanese border at a moment Hezbollah leadership has declared it is "fully prepared for war with Israel". The latest escalation came Wednesday when an Israeli drone targeted a car full of Hezbollah operatives just inside Syria near the border with Lebanon. The Shia resistance organization said all …

Aaron Maté (2020-04-18). Labour report reveals how Jeremy Corbyn was sabotaged from within. thegrayzone.com Labour Party officials undermined Jeremy Corbyn's leadership by trying to lose races and exploiting an anti-Semitism smear campaign, an internal…

RT (2020-04-18). 'Fire Fauci, let us work': No social distancing as Alex Jones joins hundreds in rally against Covid-19 lockdown measures in Texas. rt.com Texans flocked to the state's Capitol in Austin to protest Covid-19 lockdown measures, refusing to practice social distancing and cheering for Dr. Anthony Fauci to be fired by President Donald Trump. | In attendance at Saturday's 'You Can't Close America' Rally were InfoWars founder Alex Jones and host Owen Shroyer, who led the crowd of some 200 people in chants against the mainstream media and officials like Fauci. | Shroyer, who referred to the doctor as "fascist Fauci," asked the crowd: "Do you think Anthony Fauci should be fired?", before leading them in chants of "Fire Fauci." | Lots of protest speakers s…

IMEMC & Agencies (2020-04-17). Palestinian President: "No Peace Deal with Israel, unless Prisoners Released" imemc.org On the occasion of Palestinian Prisoners' Day, on Friday, the President of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, asserted that Palestinians will not sign a final peace deal with Israel, unless Israel clears all it's prisons of Palestinian prisoners, which he called heroes and fighters for freedom. In a statement he …

IMEMC & Agencies (2020-04-17). US to Provide $5 Million in Aid to Palestine. imemc.org United States of America reportedly announced it would grant Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza a sum of five million US Dollars, or 3.6 million New Israeli Shekels (NIS) to help deal with the Covid-19 paramedic. In a tweet he posted on Thursday, the US Ambassador to Israel, David …

Fight Back (2020-04-17). Racism and COVID-19 in Tallahassee. fightbacknews.org Tallahassee, FL – Faulkner warned us that the past is not dead; it is not even past. In 1948 Laurie Dozier Sr., with a group of white male friends, started Tallahassee Memorial Hospital (TMH). No Blacks were allowed even though Blacks paid a utilities tax that funded the hospital. Some Blacks who were denied admission died as a consequence. | Now we have COVID-19. Blacks will die disproportionately from this too. TMH requires those tested at the Northwood drive-through testing facility to have a doctor's prescription. TMH knows that poor people who are disproportionately Black often have neither a doctor nor…

Anne M. Peterson (2020-04-17). Women's sports a likely coronavirus casualty. peoplesworld.org (AP)—Linked to the rising call for gender equity worldwide, women's sports were enjoying unprecedented attention and support before the coronavirus pandemic. The World Cup in France put a spotlight on women's soccer, culminating with the United States lifting the trophy to chants of "Equal Pay!" — a nod to the team's gender discrimination lawsuit against …

Staff (2020-04-17). "Gangster in the White House": Noam Chomsky on COVID-19, WHO, China, Gaza and Global Capitalism. democracynow.org We continue our conversation with world-renowned political dissident, linguist and author Noam Chomsky. He responds to President Trump's cuts to U.S. support for the World Health Organization and the surge in deaths in the United States to another record high, and discusses conditions in Gaza, the rise of authoritarianism around the world, and the progressive response. "This is typical behavior of autocrats and dictators. When you make colossal errors which are killing thousands of people, find somebody else to blame," say Chomsky. "In the United States, it's unfortunately the case, for well over a century, centu…

Steven Salaita (2020-04-17). Sanders and Palestine: a Post Mortem. counterpunch.org Let me start with a story about the Democratic primary. Now, I'm no operative, so this story has nothing to do with voting choices or electability. It's about how Palestine disappears in US electoral discourses, even when people who identify as Palestinian purport to make it visible.

IMEMC & Agencies (2020-04-17). Arab League's Secretary General Urges Donor Countries to Fill in UNRWA's Deficit. imemc.org Secretary General of the Arab States' League, Mr. Ahmad Abuelgheit, urged on Thursday, all donor countries that contribute to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), to promptly fill in current deficit of UNRWA's budget. Abuelgheit's appeal came during a meeting at the latter's Cairo-based office, …

Alan Macleod (2020-04-17). BJP Capitalizes on Coronavirus Fears to Take India's Fascist Creep to the Next Level. mintpressnews.com Last week, 22-year-old Dilshad "Mehboob" Ali was dragged into a field on the outskirts of Delhi and beaten with sticks and shoes by an enraged crowd demanding to be told, "who else is behind this conspiracy?" His attackers believed he was part of a "corona Jihad: " an evil plot by India's Muslim minority to spread the disease and kill as many Hindus as possible. Ali was dragged to a temple and told to convert to Hinduism before they would allow him to go to the hospital. Images of the incident went viral, illustrative of a nationwide assault on the country's nearly 200 million Muslims. | Ali is part of the Tabligh…

splcenter (2020-04-17). 25 years later, Oklahoma City bombing still inspires antigovernment extremists. splcenter.org At 9: 02 a.m. on April 19, 1995, a bomb exploded in front of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, killing 168 people, including 19 children.

news.un (2020-04-17). COVID-19: Rights experts highlight LGBTI discrimination, antisemitism. news.un.org New guidance from the UN human rights office, issued on Friday, sets out key actions to protect lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and intersex (LGBTI) people against discrimination during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ben Norton (2020-04-16). Bolivian coup leader freaks out on The Grayzone for 'fascist' label in complaint to OAS 'human rights' arm. thegrayzone.com The director of far-right Bolivian coup leader Camacho's presidential campaign threw a slander-laced tantrum against The Grayzone in a letter…

Hannah Gais (2020-04-16). Hate Groups and Racist Pundits Spew COVID-19 Misinformation on Social Media Despite Companies' Pledges to Combat It. splcenter.org Hate groups and racist pundits have pushed misinformation about the COVID-19 pandemic on mainstream social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube throughout the crisis, despite companies pledging to fight fake news about the virus.

splcenter (2020-04-16). La Iniciativa para la Liberación de Inmigrantes en el Sureste:Guía informativa de libertad condicional COVID-19 para patrocinadores. splcenter.org

splcenter (2020-04-15). CROWN Act movement seeks to protect Black people from racial discrimination based on hairstyles. splcenter.org Jordan Winder did not apply to the high school of his choice, because the dreadlocks he's been growing nearly half his life are not allowed there.

splcenter (2020-04-14). Police: Proud Boys Used for Surveillance as Part of Violent Plot. splcenter.org It sounds like something out of fiction: A Texas lawyer allegedly uses a violent group he was once a prominent member of to do surveillance as part of a plot to kill or injure an antagonist.

splcenter (2020-04-13). Congressman John Lewis shares message of support for SPLC's work. splcenter.org Congressman John Lewis has been a tireless champion for equal rights and justice for more than six decades.

splcenter (2020-04-12). 2019 Year in Hate and Extremism Report Release. splcenter.org

splcenter (2020-04-11). SPLC condemns attack on Alabama synagogue. splcenter.org The Southern Poverty Law Center condemns the antisemitic attacks that took place during Passover at the Etz Chayim Synagogue in Huntsville, Alabama.

splcenter (2020-04-10). Get-out-the-vote effort goes digital for COVID-19 pandemic. splcenter.org Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Alexis Carr was able to knock on doors in Montgomery, Alabama, register people to vote, instruct them on voting rights and encourage them to cast their ballots on Election Day.

Staff (2020-04-09). "Exposing U.S. Racism in a Stark New Way": COVID-19 Kills Disproportionate Number of Black Americans. democracynow.org We speak with family physician and epidemiologist Dr. Camara Phyllis Jones about how the coronavirus is taking a devastating toll on black Americans, who are disproportionately dying from the virus across the country as a result of entrenched racial inequality. Black Americans are more likely to have chronic health problems and less likely to have insurance. They also make up significant numbers of frontline workers that are still going to work amid the pandemic. Jones is the former president of the American Public Health Association. Her recent piece for Newsweek magazine is headlined "Coronavirus Disease Discri…

splcenter (2020-04-08). Nativist Hate Groups Want to Keep People in ICE Detention Despite COVID-19 Threat. splcenter.org Anti-immigrant think tanks are pushing for the U.S. to detain immigrants and asylum seekers throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, even as prisoners stage hunger strikes and other protests in response to what they describe as deteriorating health conditions in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facilities.

splcenter (2020-04-08). Why is Alliance Defending Freedom a Hate Group? splcenter.org The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) first listed Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) as an anti-LGBTQ hate group in 2016.

Hatewatch Staff (2020-04-07). Facebook's Strategy for Taking Down Hate Groups is Spotty and Ineffective. splcenter.org Facebook continues to provide a safe haven for hate groups and extremists despite the company's attempts to "stop the most egregious and dangerous groups from using its tools." Hatewatch staff previously reported several extremist groups and pages currently active on the platform directly to Facebook in 2018.

splcenter (2020-04-03). Cárcel con Cualquier Otro Nombre: Informe Sobre los Centros de Detención del Sur de Florida. splcenter.org

splcenter (2020-04-03). Detained immigrants across Deep South feel like 'sitting ducks' as ICE ignores their safety amid global pandemic. splcenter.org COVID-19 began to infect the nation at rapid speed in March, reaching every corner of the country and taking the lives of more than 6,000 people by April 3. The United Nations has dubbed the coronavirus the "most challenging" crisis the globe has witnessed since World War II.

2020-04-20: Social Media Postees

Please be social by posting these 'POSTEES' on social media! (Copy the text of the postee below, then paste it on social media and the story images will also appear.)

Israelis condemn Netanyahu's anti-democratic COVID-19 measures
Peoples Dispatch | peoplesdispatch.org | 2020-04-20
Scores of Israeli citizens gathered at Rabin Square in Tel Aviv on April 19, Sunday, to participate in a 'Black Flag' protest against prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu's measures in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Protesters claim these measures are anti-democratic and violate privacy. Protesters also opposed Netanyahu's continuing as prime minister. Negotiations between Netanyahu's Likud party and the main opposition

'IRGC-phobia project' proof of US, Israel's wrath
en.mehrnews.com | 2020-04-20
TEHRAN, Apr. 20 (MNA)

Israeli PM Netanyahu and rival Gantz agree to form 'unity' government to avoid another elections
rt.com | 2020-04-20
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reached an agreement with rival Benny Gantz to form a "unity government," that would finally break a year of political deadlock, Israeli media has reported. | In a statement, Netanyahu's right-wing Likud party and Gantz's centrist-liberal Blue and White party said they had agreed a unity deal following elections in September and March which saw neither side winning a large enough majority to form a government. | DETAILS TO FOLLOW…
rt.com/news/486359-netanyahu-gantz-form-coalition-government/

From Settler Violence to Attacks on Haredi Jews, Coronavirus is Laying Israeli Attitudes Bare
Miko Peled | mintpressnews.com | 2020-04-20
The spread of coronavirus among Palestinians is dangerous to Israeli Jews, yet authorities and their various agencies continue to destroy clinics, demolish homes, and raid towns and neighborhoods rather than offer the help needed to ward off the virus.
mintpressnews.com/settler-violence-attacks-haredi-jews-coronavirus-laying-israeli-attitudes-bare/266761/

Covid-19 Exposes the Death Penalty's Selfishness
Stephen Cooper | counterpunch.org | 2020-04-20
Capital punishment has always been perverse, but during our country's struggle with the coronavirus, its selfishness sticks out like a sneeze, its sickly aerosols joining racism, classism, and festering immorality

Covid-19 Exposes the Death Penalty's Selfishness
Stephen Cooper | counterpunch.org | 2020-04-20
Capital punishment has always been perverse, but during our country's struggle with the coronavirus, its selfishness sticks out like a sneeze, its sickly aerosols joining racism, classism, and festering immorality

A Patriot's Day Message
Chelli Stanley | counterpunch.org | 2020-04-20
For so long the world's governments and media lied on Palestine. That is one of the biggest understatements of the century. They held a mask in front of Palestine and projected images on it, so that Palestine was not seen at all. All that was seen were the lies of the ones trying to steal…
counterpunch.org/2020/04/20/a-patriots-day-message/

The US's Failed Response to the Pandemic Is Rooted in Anti-Blackness
Staff | truthout.org | 2020-04-20
With the speed of lightning, the coronavirus crisis is waking all of the U.S. up to a reality most Black people have known for decades

Guatemala: Discrimination Against Domestic Workers Rises
telesurenglish.net | 2020-04-20
Guatemalan domestic personnel are more vulnerable to the COVID-19 economic and social impact than other workers due to their livelihood and labor conditions. | RELATED: | Guatemala: Social Organizations Dennounces Massive Layoffs | According to the Union of Domestic, Maquila and Related Workers' (Sitradom) president, Floridalma Contreras, domestic workforces are predominately women who are under no legal employment ways. From the 550 members of the union, the majority are illiterat…
telesurenglish.net/news/Guatemala-Discrimination-Against-Domestic-Workers-Rises-20200420-0005.html

Vigilance of all German anti-fascists required as coronavirus recedes
Victor Grossman | peoplesworld.org | 2020-04-20
BERLIN

The Occupation and the Pandemic: The Coronavirus and the Conditions of Palestinian Workers
G.N. Nithya | globalresearch.ca | 2020-04-20
"Colonialism is not a thinking machine, | nor a body endowed with reasoning faculties. | It is violence in its natural state…" |

Shakespeare on Trump
Entering 6th Week of Quarantine | indybay.org | 2020-04-20
As we enter the 6th week of quarantine due to Nazi Trump's inexcusable delay in preparing for a pandemic which was known to be a threat in November 2019 , the benchmark of literature in the English language, Shakespeare's writings, teach us that Trump is not an aberration.
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/04/20/18832516.php

Zarif's Damascus's trip shows Iran's resolute on tackling regional issues: Palestinian official
en.mehrnews.com | 2020-04-20
TEHRAN, Apr. 20 (MNA)

Trump's anti-Chinese racist campaign strategy mobilizes right-wing extremists
Joel Wendland-Liu | peoplesworld.org | 2020-04-20
In a direct attack on China and a clear indictment of international cooperation to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, U.S. President Donald Trump unilaterally ordered withholding funds from the World Health Organization. In a White House statement, Trump accused the international body of "preferential treatment" for China and "mismanaging" the pandemic. Aside from the glaring hypocrisy …
peoplesworld.org/article/trumps-anti-chinese-racist-campaign-strategy-mobilizes-right-wing-extremists/

Israeli Troops Shoot, Wound Palestinian Teen in Tulkarem
IMEMC & Agencies | imemc.org | 2020-04-19
Israeli troops reportedly shot and wounded a Palestinian teen, on Sunday, in northern Tulkarem city, in the occupied West Bank. Local Palestinian media sources reported that Israeli soldiers, stationed near the Israeli Apartheid Wall, west of the Shweika neighborhood of northern Tulkarem city, opened fire with live ammunition and tear-gas …
imemc.org/article/israeli-troops-shoot-wound-palestinian-teen-in-tulkarem/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=israeli-troops-shoot-wound-palestinian-teen-in-tulkarem

Erekat: Majority of International Leaders Oppose Netanyahu's Colonial Plans
IMEMC & Agencies | imemc.org | 2020-04-19
Top Palestinian negotiator, Dr. Saeb Erekat said on Sunday that the majority of international leaders oppose Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu's colonial plans by, insisting that a two-state solution is the way out of the current Palestinian-Israeli conflict. During phone calls with several world leaders, that Erekat initiated, leaders unanimously …
imemc.org/article/erekat-majority-of-international-leaders-oppose-netanyahus-colonial-plans/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=erekat-majority-of-international-leaders-oppose-netanyahus-colonial-plans

Iran Will Allow Low-Risk Businesses to Resume Work
telesurenglish.net | 2020-04-19
Iran's capital Tehran was allowed to resume low-risk businesses on Saturday, a week after kindred deregulations were adopted in other parts of the country amid the COVID-19 epidemic. | RELATED: | COVID-19 Mideast Updates: Iran, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Israel | The move came as per the smart distancing plan, whereby Iran loosened quarantine regulations and allowed the re-opening of businesses with lower risk indices. | According to Iran's Ministry of Health and Medical Education, high-r…
telesurenglish.net/news/Iran-Will-Allow-Low-Risk-Businesses-to-Resume-Work-20200419-0004.html

Israeli Settlers Assault Shepherds, Injure One
Ali Salam | imemc.org | 2020-04-19
A Palestinian shepherd was injured on Friday when illegal Israeli settlers attacked herders grazing sheep near the village of Tuwaneh, near Hebron in the southern occupied West Bank a local official reported. Palestinian official, Fouad al-Amour, told Palestinian WAFA News Agency that settlers, under the cover of Israeli soldiers, assaulted …
imemc.org/article/israeli-settlers-assault-shepherds-injure-one/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=israeli-settlers-assault-shepherds-injure-one

Settlers Assault Palestinian Farmers and Activist
Ali Salam | imemc.org | 2020-04-19
Israeli settlers attacked, on Saturday, several Palestinian villages in the Masafer Yatta area, in the southern occupied West Bank, physically assaulting residents, according to a local activist. Activist, Fouad Amour, told Palestinian WAFA News Agency that illegal Israeli settlers attacked farmers in Khirbet al-Khrouba as they harvested their crops. Israeli …
imemc.org/article/settlers-assault-palestinian-farmers-and-activist/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=settlers-assault-palestinian-farmers-and-activist

Israeli Soldiers Shoot, Injure Three Palestinians in Kufur Qaddoum
Ali Salam | imemc.org | 2020-04-19
At least three Palestinians were injured, on Saturday, by Israeli forces as troops invaded the northern West Bank village of Kufur Qaddoum, local sources reported. Morad Eshteiwi, coordinator of the popular resistance in Kufur Qaddoum, told Palestinian WAFA News Agency that the Israeli army stormed the village, provoking resistance from …
imemc.org/article/israeli-soldiers-shoot-injure-three-palestinians-in-kufur-qaddoum/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=israeli-soldiers-shoot-injure-three-palestinians-in-kufur-qaddoum

Israel's Anti-Netanyahu Protesters Demonstrate Despite Pandemic
telesurenglish.net | 2020-04-19
Under strict COVID-19 restrictions, thousands of people in Tel Aviv, Israel, demonstrated Sunday against the possible extension of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's term under the current alliance negotiations between him and former rival Benny Gantz. | RELATED: | A Palestinian Guide to Surviving a Quarantine | Wearing face masks, waving black flags as a symbol of threats against democracy, the protesters who observed the social distancing rule to fight coronavirus, called on Gantz's Blue…
telesurenglish.net/news/Israels-Anti-Netanyahu-Protesters-Demonstrate-Despite-Pandemic-20200419-0008.html

Interview with Charlotte Kates on COVID-19 threat in Israeli jails, fight to free Palestinian political prisoners
Fight Back | fightbacknews.org | 2020-04-19
Fight Back! interviewed Charlotte Kates, International Coordinator of the Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network, on the fight to free Palestinian political prisoners in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. We ask that all of our readers to support this important effort. | Fight Back!: How has the pandemic impacted Palestinian political prisoners? | Charlotte Kates: One of the major concerns has been the fact that Palestinian prisoners are essentially cut off from the outside world. Israel claims that its ban on family visits and legal visits are attempts to prevent the spread of COVID-19, but they are…
fightbacknews.org/2020/4/19/interview-charlotte-kates-covid-19-threat-israeli-jails-fight-free-palestinian-political-p

Anti-Netanyahu demonstrators in Israel stage unique protest, keeping social distance (PHOTOS, VIDEOS)
rt.com | 2020-04-19
Israeli demonstrators turned out in droves to protest the government of Benjamin Netanyahu. Mindful of the need for social distancing, they stood two meters apart from each other in a visually spectacular gathering. | Tel Aviv's Rabin Square is often a staging ground for rallies. Tens of thousands flocked to the plaza to protest police restrictions on music festivals last year, while the year before saw gay rights activists turn up to shout down a controversial surrogacy law. | | Protesters assemble in Tel Aviv's Rabin Square, April 19, 2020 © AFP / Jack Guez | Sunday, however, saw a gathering unlike an…
rt.com/news/486269-israel-protest-social-distance/

Corporate News Coverage of the Pandemic Is Rife With Islamophobia
Staff | truthout.org | 2020-04-19
It is no secret that Asian Americans have felt the brunt of the backlash against coronavirus in the U.S. The racism and hateful attacks, amounting to at least 100 per day, have been well recorded by the media. But there is another group that has also been marginalized during this time

Trump's Anti-Chinese Racist Campaign Strategy Mobilizes Right-Wing Extremists
Joel Wendland-Liu | commondreams.org | 2020-04-19
In a direct attack on China and a clear indictment of international cooperation to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, U.S. President Donald Trump unilaterally ordered withholding funds from the World Health Organization. In a White House statement, Trump accused the international body of "preferential treatment" for China and "mismanaging" the pandemic.
commondreams.org/views/2020/04/19/trumps-anti-chinese-racist-campaign-strategy-mobilizes-right-wing-extremists?cd-origin=rss

Israel Imposes Fines on Palestinian Protesters in East Jerusalem
IMEMC & Agencies | imemc.org | 2020-04-18
Israeli authorities in the internationally-recognized occupied East Jerusalem, where Israel has wrestled control for five decades now, reportedly imposed on Friday many fines on Palestinian residents of the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood. The local Palestinian Wadi Hilweh Information Center (Silwanic) reported that the fines were imposed on local Palestinians, who participate …
imemc.org/article/israel-imposes-fines-on-palestinian-protesters-in-east-jerusalem/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=israel-imposes-fines-on-palestinian-protesters-in-east-jerusalem

Hamas Offers Israel a Mediated Prisoner Swap Deal
IMEMC & Agencies | imemc.org | 2020-04-18
Political Leader of the ruling Islamist Hamas party in Gaza, Ismail Haniyya, told the Alaraby Arabic TV channel, on Friday, that his party has four Israeli soldiers in captivity, and that the party is ready to indirectly negotiate over a possible prisoner swap deal with Israel. The leader of Hamas …
imemc.org/article/hamas-offers-israel-a-mediated-prisoner-swap-deal/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=hamas-offers-israel-a-mediated-prisoner-swap-deal

Watch: Failed Israeli Drone Strike On Top Hezbollah Official Caught In Rare Video
Zero Hedge | iranian.com | 2020-04-18
Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) have once again ramped up operations along the southern Lebanese border at a moment Hezbollah leadership has declared it is "fully prepared for war with Israel". The latest escalation came Wednesday when an Israeli drone targeted a car full of Hezbollah operatives just inside Syria near the border with Lebanon. The Shia resistance organization said all …
iranian.com/2020/04/18/watch-failed-israeli-drone-strike-on-top-hezbollah-official-caught-in-rare-video/

Labour report reveals how Jeremy Corbyn was sabotaged from within
Aaron Maté | thegrayzone.com | 2020-04-18
Labour Party officials undermined Jeremy Corbyn's leadership by trying to lose races and exploiting an anti-Semitism smear campaign, an internal…
thegrayzone.com/2020/04/18/labour-report-reveals-how-jeremy-corbyn-was-sabotaged-from-within/

Evo Morales: Police Put Cochabamba Population's Health at Risk
telesurenglish.net | 2020-04-18
Bolivia's former President Evo Morales Saturday denounced that the police entered the Cochabamba Department without taking due sanitary precautions and challenging the local population, which expelled several officers from the Shinahota Municipality on Thursday. | RELATED: | Bolivia Indigenous Denounce Añez for Discrimination | "The Police have…
telesurenglish.net/news/Evo-Morales-Police-Put-Cochabamba-Populations-Health-at-Risk-20200418-0005.html

'Fire Fauci, let us work': No social distancing as Alex Jones joins hundreds in rally against Covid-19 lockdown measures in Texas
rt.com | 2020-04-18
Texans flocked to the state's Capitol in Austin to protest Covid-19 lockdown measures, refusing to practice social distancing and cheering for Dr. Anthony Fauci to be fired by President Donald Trump. | In attendance at Saturday's 'You Can't Close America' Rally were InfoWars founder Alex Jones and host Owen Shroyer, who led the crowd of some 200 people in chants against the mainstream media and officials like Fauci. | Shroyer, who referred to the doctor as "fascist Fauci," asked the crowd: "Do you think Anthony Fauci should be fired?", before leading them in chants of "Fire Fauci." | Lots of protest speakers s…
rt.com/usa/486227-alex-jones-coronavirus-austin-protest/

Palestinian President: "No Peace Deal with Israel, unless Prisoners Released"
IMEMC & Agencies | imemc.org | 2020-04-17
On the occasion of Palestinian Prisoners' Day, on Friday, the President of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, asserted that Palestinians will not sign a final peace deal with Israel, unless Israel clears all it's prisons of Palestinian prisoners, which he called heroes and fighters for freedom. In a statement he …
imemc.org/article/palestinian-president-no-peace-deal-with-israel-unless-prisoners-released/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=palestinian-president-no-peace-deal-with-israel-unless-prisoners-released

US to Provide $5 Million in Aid to Palestine
IMEMC & Agencies | imemc.org | 2020-04-17
United States of America reportedly announced it would grant Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza a sum of five million US Dollars, or 3.6 million New Israeli Shekels (NIS) to help deal with the Covid-19 paramedic. In a tweet he posted on Thursday, the US Ambassador to Israel, David …
imemc.org/article/us-to-provide-5-million-in-aid-to-palestine/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=us-to-provide-5-million-in-aid-to-palestine

Racism and COVID-19 in Tallahassee
Fight Back | fightbacknews.org | 2020-04-17
Tallahassee, FL – Faulkner warned us that the past is not dead; it is not even past. In 1948 Laurie Dozier Sr., with a group of white male friends, started Tallahassee Memorial Hospital (TMH). No Blacks were allowed even though Blacks paid a utilities tax that funded the hospital. Some Blacks who were denied admission died as a consequence. | Now we have COVID-19. Blacks will die disproportionately from this too. TMH requires those tested at the Northwood drive-through testing facility to have a doctor's prescription. TMH knows that poor people who are disproportionately Black often have neither a doctor nor…
fightbacknews.org/2020/4/16/racism-and-covid-19-tallahassee

"Gangster in the White House": Noam Chomsky on COVID-19, WHO, China, Gaza and Global Capitalism
Staff | democracynow.org | 2020-04-17
We continue our conversation with world-renowned political dissident, linguist and author Noam Chomsky. He responds to President Trump's cuts to U.S. support for the World Health Organization and the surge in deaths in the United States to another record high, and discusses conditions in Gaza, the rise of authoritarianism around the world, and the progressive response. "This is typical behavior of autocrats and dictators. When you make colossal errors which are killing thousands of people, find somebody else to blame," say Chomsky. "In the United States, it's unfortunately the case, for well over a century, centu…
www.democracynow.org/2020/4/17/noam_chom…

BJP Capitalizes on Coronavirus Fears to Take India's Fascist Creep to the Next Level
Alan Macleod | mintpressnews.com | 2020-04-17
Last week, 22-year-old Dilshad "Mehboob" Ali was dragged into a field on the outskirts of Delhi and beaten with sticks and shoes by an enraged crowd demanding to be told, "who else is behind this conspiracy?" His attackers believed he was part of a "corona Jihad: " an evil plot by India's Muslim minority to spread the disease and kill as many Hindus as possible. Ali was dragged to a temple and told to convert to Hinduism before they would allow him to go to the hospital. Images of the incident went viral, illustrative of a nationwide assault on the country's nearly 200 million Muslims. | Ali is part of the Tabligh…
mintpressnews.com/coronavirus-takes-india-fascist-creep-next-level-bjp-alleges/266750/

Sanders and Palestine: a Post Mortem
Steven Salaita | counterpunch.org | 2020-04-17
Let me start with a story about the Democratic primary. Now, I'm no operative, so this story has nothing to do with voting choices or electability. It's about how Palestine disappears in US electoral discourses, even when people who identify as Palestinian purport to make it visible.
counterpunch.org/2020/04/17/sanders-and-palestine-a-post-mortem/

Arab League's Secretary General Urges Donor Countries to Fill in UNRWA's Deficit
IMEMC & Agencies | imemc.org | 2020-04-17
Secretary General of the Arab States' League, Mr. Ahmad Abuelgheit, urged on Thursday, all donor countries that contribute to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), to promptly fill in current deficit of UNRWA's budget. Abuelgheit's appeal came during a meeting at the latter's Cairo-based office, …
imemc.org/article/arab-leagues-secretary-general-urges-donor-countries-to-fill-in-unrwas-deficit/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=arab-leagues-secretary-general-urges-donor-countries-to-fill-in-unrwas-deficit

Women's sports a likely coronavirus casualty
Anne M. Peterson | peoplesworld.org | 2020-04-17
(AP)–Linked to the rising call for gender equity worldwide, women's sports were enjoying unprecedented attention and support before the coronavirus pandemic. The World Cup in France put a spotlight on women's soccer, culminating with the United States lifting the trophy to chants of "Equal Pay!"

25 years later, Oklahoma City bombing still inspires antigovernment extremists
splcenter.org | 2020-04-17
At 9: 02 a.m. on April 19, 1995, a bomb exploded in front of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, killing 168 people, including 19 children.
splcenter.org/news/2020/04/17/25-years-later-oklahoma-city-bombing-still-inspires-antigovernment-extremists

COVID-19: Rights experts highlight LGBTI discrimination, antisemitism
news.un.org | 2020-04-17
New guidance from the UN human rights office, issued on Friday, sets out key actions to protect lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and intersex (LGBTI) people against discrimination during the COVID-19 pandemic.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2020/04/1062042

Bolivian coup leader freaks out on The Grayzone for 'fascist' label in complaint to OAS 'human rights' arm
Ben Norton | thegrayzone.com | 2020-04-16
The director of far-right Bolivian coup leader Camacho's presidential campaign threw a slander-laced tantrum against The Grayzone in a letter…
thegrayzone.com/2020/04/16/bolivia-coup-the-grayzone-cidh-camacho-maclean/

Hate Groups and Racist Pundits Spew COVID-19 Misinformation on Social Media Despite Companies' Pledges to Combat It
Hannah Gais | splcenter.org | 2020-04-16
Hate groups and racist pundits have pushed misinformation about the COVID-19 pandemic on mainstream social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube throughout the crisis, despite companies pledging to fight fake news about the virus.
splcenter.org/hatewatch/2020/04/17/hate-groups-and-racist-pundits-spew-covid-19-misinformation-social-media-despite-companies

La Iniciativa para la Liberación de Inmigrantes en el Sureste:Guía informativa de libertad condicional COVID-19 para patrocinadores
splcenter.org | 2020-04-16
splcenter.org/20200417/la-iniciativa-para-la-liberacion-de-inmigrantes-en-el-suresteguia-informativa-de-libertad

CROWN Act movement seeks to protect Black people from racial discrimination based on hairstyles
splcenter.org | 2020-04-15
Jordan Winder did not apply to the high school of his choice, because the dreadlocks he's been growing nearly half his life are not allowed there.
splcenter.org/news/2020/04/15/crown-act-movement-seeks-protect-black-people-racial-discrimination-based-hairstyles

United States: The virus is colour blind, humans are not
Susan Price | greenleft.org.au | 2020-04-14
Anti-racism Healthcare Malik MiahIssue 1261 United States COVID-19April 14, 2020The coronavirus is colour blind. It strikes whites, Blacks, Latinos, indigenous people, Asians and rich, poor. So, why the hig…
greenleft.org.au/content/united-states-virus-colour-blind-humans-are-not

Police: Proud Boys Used for Surveillance as Part of Violent Plot
splcenter.org | 2020-04-14
It sounds like something out of fiction: A Texas lawyer allegedly uses a violent group he was once a prominent member of to do surveillance as part of a plot to kill or injure an antagonist.
splcenter.org/hatewatch/2020/04/15/police-proud-boys-used-surveillance-part-violent-plot

Congressman John Lewis shares message of support for SPLC's work
splcenter.org | 2020-04-13
Congressman John Lewis has been a tireless champion for equal rights and justice for more than six decades.
splcenter.org/news/2020/04/14/congressman-john-lewis-shares-message-support-splcs-work

2019 Year in Hate and Extremism Report Release
splcenter.org | 2020-04-12
splcenter.org/news/2020/03/18/2019-year-hate-and-extremism-report-release

SPLC condemns attack on Alabama synagogue
splcenter.org | 2020-04-11
The Southern Poverty Law Center condemns the antisemitic attacks that took place during Passover at the Etz Chayim Synagogue in Huntsville, Alabama.
splcenter.org/news/2020/04/10/splc-condemns-attack-alabama-synagogue