Arab Talk with Jess & Jamal

Jess & Jamal along with guest Dr. Rabab Abdulhadi discuss Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who recently embraced racist & extremist Meir Kahane followers. Under the Netanyahu-backed agreement, the right-wing Jewish Home party will merge with the ultranationalist Jewish Power party, a move that is expected to boost both parties' chances of securing seats in the Knesset after Israeli elections on 9 April. They also discuss the terror plot by Christopher Paul Hasson, 49, a US Coast Guard officer suspected of drawing up a hit list of top Democrats and TV journalists.

Jess & Jamal interview Dr. Rabab Abdulhadi about the recent attacks targeting Rep. Ilhan Omar (Democrat - Minnesota). Dr. Abdulhadi discusses the conflation of criticism of Israel with antisemitism. Jess & Jamal also interview Maad Abu Ghazaleh, a Palestinian American who established an animal shelter near the town of Nablus. His organization Daily Hugz provides education and therapy to children traumatized due to the Israeli Occupation.

Jess and Jamal interview Dr. Rabab Abdulhadi about the passage of Senate Bill (S.1) that would empower states to punish companies and individuals who boycott Israel to protest its occupation of Palestinian Territories and Apartheid practices. Dr. Abdulhadi discusses her victory over the Lawfare Project and her lawsuit against San Francisco State University.

Jess & Jamal discuss the passing of Senate Bill (S.1) which enacts penalties on entities that engage in boycotts of Israel — one of many measures in the US intended to push back on the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement. They also discuss Rep. Rashida Tlaib’s (D-Mich.) response to the condescension and criticism by one of her Democratic colleagues regarding her planned trip to the occupied Palestinian Territories by politely suggesting Rep. Eliot Engel (D-NY)—as well as any other House members— consider joining her or taking similar trips to broaden their understanding of Palestinians' lived experiences instead of aligning, year after year, with the right-wing perspective of AIPAC lobbyists.

Jess & Jamal discuss the plight of 800,000 federal government employees who lost their income due to the government shutdown, as Congress refuses to fund Trump’s Wall with Mexico. They also discuss Michelle Alexander’s article in the New York Times, entitled “Time to Break the Silence on Palestine”.

Jess & Jamal discuss the racist attacks by Anabelle Lima-Taub, a commissioner in Hallandale Beach, Florida targeting freshman Democratic Rep. Rashida Tlaib, accusing her of being a terrorist. Lima-Taub was born in Israel. They also discuss the investigation conducted by the Canadian Revenue Agency on the Jewish National Fund (JNF) of Canada for using donations to fund Israeli army projects and illegal colonial settlements. Their activities are in violation of Canadian law which prohibits charitable funds from supporting a foreign army.

Jess & Jamal outline their predictions for the year from Donald Trump’s Border Wall to Bashar al-Assad and Syria. They also talk about the US elections in 2020. Will Donald Trump get re-elected for four more years or will he get impeached?

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