Arab Talk with Jess & Jamal

Journalist Daoud Kuttab discusses the Pandora Papers, a massive leak of more than 11 million confidential files to the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), which revealed the secret offshore holdings of a host of rulers across the Middle East. Jess & Jamal discuss the whitewashing and sportswashing of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS), three years after the brutal murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. And the world’s “favorite uncle,” the late Israeli PM and President Shimon Peres, was a sexual predator, according to former ambassador and Labor MK Colette Avital.

Sarah Leah Whitson, Executive Director of DAWN, says that President Biden’s Middle East policy is just sugar-coated business as usual. “The president’s actions speak louder than his lofty rhetoric on democracy and human rights, as autocrats cash in,” according to DAWN. Jess & Jamal discuss a motion passed by the British Labor Party calling for sanctions against Israel for practicing Apartheid against Palestinians. And, why was a Capitol rioter who recorded a video of herself saying she was looking for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi “to shoot her in the friggin’ brain” only charged with a misdemeanor in federal court?

Attorney Stanley Cohen explains why a group of lawyers, activists and researchers from various countries submitted a petition to the African Commission on Human and People’s Rights on September 16, demanding that the African Union revoke its recent decision to admit Israel as an observer state. Jess & Jamal discuss a standalone bill introduced by US Democrats to provide Israel with $1 billion for its Iron Dome missile system, after the funding was struck off a government spending bill amid pressure from progressive lawmakers. Also, a US veteran of the War on Iraq publicly calls out George W. Bush for lying to the American people.

The Palestine Museum founder, Faisal Saleh, shares his vision of researching and preserving Palestinian history, culture, and art. To learn more: https://www.palestinemuseum.us/ Virtual online auction: https://pmu.betterworld.org/auctions/ihs-pmus-auction Jess & Jamal examine US foreign aid, as the Biden administration contemplated imposing new conditions on aid to Egypt due to human rights abuses, while US Congress progressives renewed effort to prohibit the delivery of US-made bombs to Israel due to its targeting of civilians in Gaza.

Brazilian Political Cartoonist Carlos Latuff talks about his activism and lifework, which spans from South America to the Middle East and beyond. Learn more about Carlos https://latuffcartoons.wordpress.com/ Jess and Jamal discuss the escape of six Palestinians from high-security Israeli prison. They also reflect on the global impact of 9/11, twenty years on.

Professor Abdelkader Berrahmoun from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies in Monterey, California explains the reasons and historical background that led to the recent diplomatic breakdown between Algeria and Morocco. Jess & Jamal evaluate the withdrawal from Afghanistan, which was described by President Biden as an “extraordinary success.” They also discuss the recent meeting between Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz.

Israeli PM Naftali Bennett said that he will work to convince Biden to abandon his plan to reenter the Iran nuclear deal. Our guest Samuel M. Hickey from the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation argues the opposite in his article, “How Iran’s Research Reactors Prove the Nuclear Deal is Still Working.” Jess & Jamal discuss the recent demonstrations to end the Israeli blockade on Gaza. And did Rep. Rashida Tlaib send the right message to Mahmoud Abbas?

Heather Barr, interim co-director of the Women’s Rights Division at Human Rights Watch, discusses the plight of Afghan women after the Taliban have seized power in Afghanistan. She spoke to us from Pakistan. Jess & Jamal discuss what went wrong in Afghanistan. They also talk about the resurgence of Covid in Israel, as former Israeli PM Netanyahu vacations in the US.

Author Mona Hajjar Halaby talks about her newly published book, “In My Mother’s Footsteps: A Palestinian Refugee Returns Home.” Mona is a Palestinian-American educator specializing in conflict resolution in the classroom, as well as a social historian. Jess & Jamal discuss new Israeli attempts to draw the United States into conflict with Iran. They also talk about the Taliban’s blitz across Afghanistan, as American negotiators are trying to extract assurances from the Taliban that they will not attack the US Embassy in Kabul if they overrun the capital.

Cultural activist Hisham Ben Khamsa provides nuanced analysis from the capital Tunis after President Kais Saied sacked the prime minister and suspended parliament. Tunisia is coping with economic, social and health crises, with the coronavirus pandemic overwhelming its hospitals. Jess & Jamal comment on the Israeli High Court’s decision to postpone ruling on the evictions of Palestinian families living in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of Jerusalem.