Arab Talk with Jess & Jamal

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

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.”