UC Berkeley launches rare Palestinian-Arab studies programme amid Gaza war: Report
UC Berkeley will launch a new endowed chair and programme in Palestinian and Arab Studies, as the Israeli war on Gaza has fuelled high demand for learning about the history, culture and politics of the people of the region, the LA Times reports.
Ussama Makdisi, a UC Berkeley history professor and leading scholar of modern Arab history for nearly three decades, was named the inaugural chair.
“He said the program represents a groundbreaking effort to build understanding about the Palestinian people, who are often portrayed through the lens of the conflict with Israel, yet have a long, rich ethical and ecumenical history of their own,” the Times reported.
According to the Times, Makdisi said interest in Palestinian studies is the highest it has ever been since he began teaching it as part of Arab studies 27 years ago. Interest is growing not only about Palestinian history but also literature, poetry, politics, sociology and areas “across the board,” he said.
US court urged to review claim that Biden is enabling Israeli genocide in Gaza
Legal, civil and human rights groups are voicing their support for an effort by Palestinians to secure a court review of their claims that Biden is enabling genocide in Gaza, the Center for Constitutional Rights says.
Last month, a three-judge panel of the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit affirmed the decision of a lower court that dismissed the case on jurisdictional grounds even as it said Israel’s assault “plausibly” constituted genocide.
The plaintiffs argue that courts have a constitutional duty to assess the legality of the Biden administration’s actions.
The lawsuit, filed in November, claims Biden, Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin are violating international and federal law for failing to prevent and being complicit in an Israeli genocide. It asks the court to order the administration to stop supporting the assault on Gaza with weapons or other means.
Law scholars said the panel, like the district court, “badly misinterpreted the political question doctrine” by claiming courts cannot review allegations of international law violations where US “foreign policy decisions are strongly implicated”.
Human rights organisations asserted that domestic courts are supposed to be the primary enforcement mechanism of international law and, in the context of the US, are the only meaningful forums.
‘Our policy is clear’: Canada halts more arms sales to Israel
Canada has suspended some 30 permits for arms shipments to Israel, including a US company’s Canadian subsidiary’s deal with the US government – a rare move.
“Our policy is clear: We will not have any form of arms or parts of arms be sent to Gaza. Period,” Foreign Minister Melanie Joly said.
“How they’re being sent and where they’re being sent is irrelevant,” she continued, alluding to ammunition that was meant to have been produced by a Canadian division of US defence contractor General Dynamics for Israel’s army.
Canada drew the ire of Israeli leaders when it initially announced it would halt new arms shipments to Israel as of January 8. Pro-Palestinian protests across Canada – at universities, political events and even the Toronto International Film Festival last week – have continued to put pressure on the government to go further.
Out of how many permits though. 210 apparently. And does this include sales to the US which go on to Israel...
https://www.cbc.ca/lite/story/1.7319112
...
The Palestinian ambassador to Canada, Mona Abuamara, said she's asked Global Affairs Canada how many military exports are reaching Israel, but hasn't received clear answers on what is being exported under months-old permits or through other countries.
"These things are not as clear as they should be, because they happen secretively," she said in a recent interview.
"I take what the Canadian government tells me, I wait for these reports to be confirmed and I hope they are not confirmed," she said of the proposed U.S. sale of Quebec ammunition.
Global Affairs Canada did not answer when asked whether Abuamara has accurately conveyed her discussions with the department.
"As part of a recent proposed arms sale to Israel, the U.S. State Department has approved the purchase of 50,000 high-explosive mortar cartridges with fuses made in Quebec. It pegs the sale at a maximum cost of US$61.1 million, roughly C$83 million, with deliveries estimated to begin in 2026. A notice posted by the U.S. on Aug. 13 lists the "principal contractor" as General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems Inc., based in the town of Repentigny, east of Montreal. The company would not specify what role it has in the sale, nor respond to the claim that this goes against the government's aim to restrict new arms sales to Israel. The firm has instead referred questions to the U.S. military, which acknowledged a request but did not respond by deadline"
Liberal MP Salma Zahid wrote on social media that her own party "must block this transparent attempt to circumvent the arms embargo our government committed to" and have "a real arms embargo" on Israel.
