Category: US Middle East Policy
Interview: Israel/Palestine civilian deaths, US Policy and ICJ finds West Bank occupation illegal
KPFA Pacifica Network July 19,2024 Recent developments in Israel/Palestine, including mounting civilian casualties, U.S. policy and the International Court of Justice decision finding the Israeli occupation of the West Bank illegal (25 mins. starting at 1:05:00)
Interview: As Israel Refuses to End Genocide in Gaza, Threat of War With Hezbollah Looms
Truthout July 2, 2024: By Daniel Falcone, with Stephen Zunes and Lawrence Davidson. Also summarized by HeadTopics.com. For the past eight months, Hezbollah has attacked the northern portion of Israel in an attempt to pull the Israeli army out from…
Don’t Believe the Rampant Disinformation over Israel’s Escalation in Lebanon
Truthout August 2, 2024: The US is misrepresenting the strike on Majdal Shams and even the geography and political status of where it took place. Israel has been trading strikes with Hezbollah, the Lebanese political party and armed group, ever…
Will Kamala Break With Joe on Israel?
The Progressive, July 26, 2024: While her Senate record was hawkish, Harris has signaled she’d make justice for Palestinians a higher priority than Biden… [source]
A Move to Out-Maneuver the US Veto to admit the State of Palestine as a UN member
UNITED NATIONS, Jun 21, 2024 (IPS) Inter Press Service, by Thalif Deen, quoting Dr. Stephen Zunes: “It has been U.S. policy since 1990 to withdraw funding from any United Nations agency which grants Palestine member status…’” [source]
Gaza War Webinar: Escalating Famine and Genocide. Arab Organization for Human Rights-UK
Dr. Zunes speaks for the first seven minutes on U.S. policy then briefly again at the 1:11:30 mark [source]
Interviews: Middle East,
KPFA Oct. 2023-July 2024
Twelve more interviews on KPFA Evening News aired Sundays on KPFA-FM and Pacifica Radio Network affiliated stations October 7, 2023 through July 2024
Parallels Between Today’s Student Activism and Anti-Apartheid Protests
In this Recent 8-min. video Dr. Zunes contrasts response to today’s growing student protests urging divestment from Israel with the successful student protests in the 1980s demanding boycotts and divestment from South Africa, which helped end apartheid there.
Is Joe Biden’s Gaza Policy Leading to a Repeat of 1968?
The Progressive June 5, 2024Zunes warns how Biden’s Gaza policy and the repression against student protests is creating a political environment similar to 1968, in which alienating young and minority voters could dampen voter.
Biden Continues to Provide Israel Billions for War Crimes
Truthout May 26, 2024: Biden’s administration is violating US law by continuing to send military aid to Israel despite Gaza war crimes [and] growing popular opposition…
Biden’s Response to Israel’s ICC Prosecution Is an Attack on International Law
Truthout May 22, 2024: This marks the first time in US history a sitting president has openly sided with suspected war criminals…
Letter: Panetta opposes halting weapons to Israel
Santa Cruz Sentinel Letter to the Editor May 20, 2024: Once again, our Congressperson Jimmy Panetta is out of step with his constituents….
The Chilling Effect of Equating Criticism of Israel to Antisemitism
The Progressive May 17, 2024: Broadening the federal definition of antisemitism is a disingenuous attempt to quash dissent…
The New Assault on Academic Freedom: Professors across the country are being targeted by the right in order to score political points.
The Progressive May 15, 2024: During the wave of campus protests opposing the U.S.-backed war on Gaza and calling for divestment from Israel, students weren’t the only ones facing arrest…
Interview: The United States, Israel, and regional issues
KPFA-FM “Talkies” May 17, 2024 (begins at 16-mins.) Covers a number of issues regarding the United States, Israel, and Middle East regional issues. Criticizes the “extreme position” of Democratic Party politicians…
Interview: Suppression of Gaza War campus protests, outside agitators charge
“Flashpoints” on KPFA-FM and affiliated stations (20-minute interview begins at the 13:15 mark): Dr. Zunes contrasts blatant censorship and violent police suppression of Gaza War campus protests with anti-apartheid protests of the 1980s.
Interview: The Dangerous Dynamic Between Israel and Iran
KPFA-FM, Berkeley, “Letters and Politics” April 17, 2024 (Dr. Zunes’ 20-min. segment begins at the 40-minute mark): On costs of the confrontation between Israel and Iran.
The Crackdown on Campus Protests is a Bipartisan Strategy to Repress Pro-Palestine Speech
The Progressive, May 1, 2024: Unlike apartheid-era South Africa, many universities aren’t even recognizing Israel’s human rights abuses. A wave of sit-ins and encampments have swept college and university campuses… led—as in past anti-war campus protests in 1968—by Columbia University.…
Don’t Buy the Right-wing Disinformation Campaign on “From the River to the Sea”
Truthout May 5, 2024: This phrase was never about killing Jews. It emerged in the 1960s as a call for equal rights within a democratic state. The wave of pro-Palestinian protests sweeping American campuses was triggered by Columbia University President…