Arab Talk with Jess & Jamal

Jess and Jamal discuss the State of Texas, McCarthyite loyalty oath requiring contractors not to boycott Israel. Pursuant to Section 2270.001 of Texas Government Code, contractors are barred from "refusing to deal with, terminating business activities with, or otherwise taking any action that is intended to penalize, inflict economic harm on, or limit commercial relations specifically with Israel." The law is a violation of the First Amendment and is being challenged by Bahia Amawi, a Texas speech pathologist, who lost her job due to this law.

Jess has just returned from Qatar providing a comprehensive update on the political situation there. He discusses the tense relations between Qatar and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Jamal reports on the recent deterioration of security in the West Bank.

Jamal interviews journalist and host Blanche Shaheen who recently returned from Palestine. They discuss Palestinian cuisine and the plight of the Palestinian Christian community living under the Israeli Occupation. Check out Blanche’s videos on her YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7ghcBe7PIrF6nh7xndiIzg

Jess & Jamal discuss the recent revelation that an Israeli submarine sank a Lebanese boat full of refugees in 1982. Was it a mistake or a war crime? They also talk about Airbnb's decision to remove listings in Israeli Colonial Settlements in the West Bank and the recent developments in the Khashoggi murder case.

Jess and Jamal discuss the sudden resignation of Israel’s defense minister, Avigdor Lieberman, over the cabinet's decision to accept a ceasefire ending two days of fighting with Palestinians in Gaza. They also interview Australian filmmaker Anne Tsoulis about her award-winning documentary, Under the Rubble: A Story From Gaza.

Jess & Jamal reflect on the results of the Midterm Elections. Was it a Blue Wave as analysts predicted, or a Pink Wave? They also discuss the ongoing mass shootings in the US, gun control and the attack on the media by the Trump Administration.

Jess & Jamal along with Dr. Rabab Abdulhadi discuss the recent deadly attack by a white supremacist on a Synagogue in Pittsburg and the case of the Florida pipe-bomb suspect. Dr. Abdulhadi talks about her recent victory against the Lawfare Project, a group that describes itself as “the legal arm of the pro-Israel community.”

Jess & Jamal discuss the bizarre mystery surrounding the disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi and US-Saudi relations. Turkish officials have been leaking information to members of the press that Mr. Khashoggi was killed before his fingers were removed and his body dismembered inside the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul.

Jamal Dajani discusses with Dr. Rabab Abdulhadi the disappearance of Saudi dissident and journalist Jamal Khashoggi and the silence of the Trump Administration. They also discuss the content of the new documents revealing that the Jewish Community Federation of San Francisco (JCF) has been consistently funding far-right and anti-Muslim hate groups across the country as far back as 2003. With a 2017 budget of over $240 million, and assets totaling over $1 billion, the JCF funded these hate groups and agitators to the tune of more than 300 million dollars over the course of the years investigated. Read more about the JCF's funding at https://medium.com/@stephanieskora/the-jewish-federation-of-san-francisco-funds-far-right-and-anti-muslim-groups-and-i-can-prove-it-dc030484266c?fbclid=IwAR2tBuJYxUPeHXdmyZP0hFjDv408R7UCERWl-jfIbpw5OtAD_9OjDXljSII

Jess and Jamal discuss with Dr. Rabab Abdulhadi the recent exposé about Canary Mission. A shadowy online entity which publishes negative, often defamatory, portraits of activists, students and academics who are supportive of Palestinians, back the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions movement for Palestinian rights, or are critical of Israeli state policy in relationship to the Occupation of Palestine. Canary Mission has received $100,000 in funds from the Helen Diller Family Foundation, a “supporting foundation” of the Jewish Community Federation of San Francisco.