After a Sports Hall in Iran Was Bombed, Witnesses Describe Chaos and “Continuous Screaming”

 

Several hours after a bomb struck a girls’ elementary school and killed 165, a strike on the town of Lamerd killed teenagers in a gymnasium.

Dozens of teenage girls were attending their regular training sessions of volleyball, basketball, and gymnastics in the main sports hall in Lamerd, a city near the Persian coast, when a missile slammed into the building at 5 p.m. on Saturday. Additional strikes hit two nearby residential areas and a hall adjacent to a school, as the U.S. and Israel pounded targets across Iran on the first day of what President Donald Trump declared as a regime change war. According to local officials cited in Iranian state media, the strikes on Lamerd killed at least 18 civilians and wounded scores more.

“Within seconds of the missile strike, the windows shattered into thousands of fragments. Sports equipment, balls, tables, barriers flew through the air. Black smoke filled the space. The smell of gunpowder made breathing almost impossible. The screaming began immediately, layered with the sound of debris collapsing and concrete falling from the ceiling,” Mohammed Saed Khorshedy, a 29-year-old worker at the gym who witnessed the attack, told Drop Site News.

The facility sits on the outskirts of Lamerd, a quiet city in Fars province, near the surrounding Zagros mountain range, giving the natural landscape an uneven, rugged character. The rectangular building is at a crossroads connecting the city center to Bandar Assaluyeh, an industrial port and energy hub on the Persian Gulf.

The sports hall was poorly maintained, with deteriorating walls surrounded by a low perimeter fence. A high arched metal roof sat atop a reinforced concrete frame and a rubber floor for volleyball and other sports. The missile struck the middle of the roof, destroying a large part of the building. The main court, small spectator stands, changing rooms, and coach’s office were all reduced to rubble.

Hossein Gholami, a 50-year-old elementary school teacher, was returning from work when he heard the blast. His 16-year-old daughter, Zahra, was training in the hall.

“I noticed a strange gathering of people at the corner of the street leading to the sports hall,” Gholami told Drop Site. “The screaming was rising from a distance. A colleague ran toward me, waving his arm, and said in a shaken voice: ‘Zahra, the hall, there has been an explosion.’ I felt as though the ground had split beneath my feet. Everything around me became hazy,” he said. “I ran immediately, and with every step the columns of black smoke rose higher, while the smell of fire and flames entered my nose with force.”  (more...)

After a Sports Hall in Iran Was Bombed, Witnesses Describe Chaos and “Continuous Screaming”

Kamala SECRET Report REVEALED!

 

The Gaza genocide was THE issue.

What 'Jeffrey Epstein' means about Harvard and America’s imperial elite

 

The Jeffrey Epstein scandal exposes not just individual corruption, but a deeply entrenched Harvard-centered elite network shaping American imperial power.

The torrent of disclosures regarding Jeffrey Epstein is difficult to process, much less respond to, because of their content and their scope. Repeated emails from and to Epstein on subjects like Jews’ superiority to “goyim” and the desirability of colonial wars for plunder offend the eye as well as even the battered assumption of human decency.

The presence in the emails of outsized public figures ranging from Noam Chomsky and Stephen K. Bannon to Lawrence Summers and Howard Lutnick shock because of their scope: the sheer number of prominent people who appear to have, temporarily or not, nullified their ideologies or their marriages or their images to spend time in Epstein’s circle. The analyst Thomas Karat has suggested, based on carefully parsing the timing and the discrepancies of the files’ release, that immobilizing the reader from a considered response may in fact be the release’s point. The Scottish constitutionalist and activist Sara Salyers made a version of Karat’s argument when she spoke about “the overwhelming feeling” of “hav[ing] woken up on an alternate, dystopian, universe” where “the scale of the insane evil…is so huge that it’s impossible to see how to begin putting anything right.”

Helpful responses to that question of “how to begin putting anything right” came from the British whistleblower Halima Khan, who said on X that Epstein “was involved in too much to be the work of one person”; that “Epstein is a project and the man we know is just the face and the fall guy”; and, in a subsequent tweet, that “we may not be explicit victims of Epstein but we are all implicit victims of Epstein.” These notions of broader networks of perpetrators and victims strike a chord. They are first of all demonstrably accurate, as shown by the investigative journalist Whitney Webb, who has written definitive books on Epstein’s connections to a network of “transgenerational organized crime interests…and major factions within both American and Israeli intelligence.” They are also deeply suggestive about the real “moral” of the Epstein story which powerful players may want obscured: how institutions that America uses to justify its global prerogatives have been corrupted by Epstein’s Jewish Zionist networks and their allies.

The clearest case of this corruption is also the heart of Epstein’s activity, “connecting” different “worlds” which formed the basis for his “success.” Namely, Harvard University: America’s beacon of education to the world since the 1630s; created by graduates of Oxford and Cambridge; and the seeder of America’s leadership class. Investigating Epstein’s role at Harvard and the players who made it possible shows that Epstein’s story isn’t confined to financial or intelligence networks, which many people reasonably consider intrinsically corrupt. It extends to an educational network which he and his backers have systematically corrupted in the name of power, profit, pleasure, and social control.  (more...)

What 'Jeffrey Epstein' means about Harvard and America’s imperial elite

A Nightmare Unfolded Within This Cult

 

In 2005, young mother Ria Ramkissoon was recruited into the One Mind Ministries, a destructive religious group led by a woman who called herself Queen Antoinette.  As the group's rules become increasingly restrictive, Antoinette targeted Ria's fifteen-month-old son, saying he was possessed by evil spirits.  The results were deadly.

Leah Pisar’s Fundraising Trail Through Ghislaine Maxwell to Epstein

 

In the glittering world of international diplomacy, where handshakes seal fortunes and whispers shape policies, the Pisar family stands as a monument to elite entanglement. Samuel Pisar, a Holocaust survivor turned global power broker, built a legacy that intertwined his kin with corporate raiders, suspected spies, and the sordid underbelly of Jeffrey Epstein’s empire. At the heart of this web is his daughter, Leah Pisar, whose warm, chatty emails to Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s convicted accomplice in sex trafficking, reveal a chilling comfort in soliciting funds from a man whose “philanthropy” masked a network of abuse. These aren’t just polite exchanges; they’re windows into a system where “peace-building” organisations like Seeds of Peace serve as props for influence, often at the expense of the very youth they claim to uplift.

Picture the human stakes: Palestinian and Israeli teens, scarred by conflict, funnelled into programs bankrolled by a predator, while the Pisars navigated halls of power with impunity. This story isn’t about abstract connections; it’s about real people, from trafficked girls to manipulated children, caught in the gears of an unaccountable elite. Yet, to understand the depth of this complicity, we must first dissect Leah Pisar’s rise and her revealing correspondences.

Leah Pisar’s life reads like a masterclass in transatlantic privilege, but her correspondence with Maxwell exposes the moral rot beneath. Born and raised in Paris, she earned a BA in government from Harvard, an MA in political science from Sciences Po Paris, and a PhD in international relations from the University of Paris (Panthéon-Assas). Her Clinton-era roles—director of communications at the National Security Council, positions in the State Department’s Bureau of Public Affairs, and speechwriter for Ambassador Pamela Harriman in Paris—propelled her into the inner circles of U.S. foreign policy. After leaving government in 2001, she delved into academia, authoring Orage sur l’Atlantique on U.S.-France frictions over Iraq, co-editing works on transatlantic ties, and teaching at Sciences Po from 2013 to 2018. (Leah Pisar CV)

As rapporteur for the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) task force “Renewing the Atlantic Partnership,” chaired by Henry Kissinger and Lawrence Summers, and initiated by Leslie H. Gelb, Leah synthesised discussions on strengthening U.S.-Europe bonds, essentially shaping elite consensus on global alliances. But the CFR’s own ties to Epstein cast a shadow over his 15-year membership during which Epstein donated $350,000, landing in the Chairman’s Circle, the top donor tier. Yet after his 2008 guilty plea to sex crimes, CFR leaders admitted they never even discussed handling his funds, per a Washington Post investigation. Leah’s role in this Kissinger-Summers orbit underscores her embeddedness in a network that overlooked Epstein’s predations for financial gain.

Her emails (EFTA00578682) to Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s partner in crime, humanise this complicity with a mix of flattery and opportunism. In December 2002, Leah reached out casually: “Dear Ghislaine: It was great speaking with you the other day”, adding in French, “Salut ma belle. Je viens de t’envoyer toute la propagande sur Seeds of Peace.” (translation: “Hi beautiful. I just sent you all the propaganda about Seeds of Peace“) (EFTA00578686), pitching Maxwell and ultimately Jeffrey Epstein for corporate sponsorship from Victoria’s Secret,  and espcially the L Brand Foundation tied to Epstein’s enabler Les Wexner.  (more...)

Leah Pisar’s Fundraising Trail Through Ghislaine Maxwell to Epstein

“Arms Embargo Now”: Canada called out over Israel arms shipments

 

Nearly 50 people protested in Montreal on January 30, at complexe Desjardins. The demonstration happened during Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand's visit to the city, which organizers and protesters said highlighted trade and economic partnerships, while Canadian weapons components continue reaching Israel. Protesters denounced her complicity and shared concerns about the lack of compliance with international law amid ongoing violence in Palestine. The event, which was organized by the Palestinian Youth Movement Montreal chapter, called for an arms embargo and the passage of Bill C-233, which would close U.S. loopholes used for arms and weapons exports. Protesters are also planning a nationwide actions on February 17 to pressure members of parliament ahead of the parliamentary vote on February 25.

The Threat of Fascism Today: 'Rohatyn as Satan'

 

This week, we feature Lyndon LaRouche's July, 2006 Washington, D.C. webcast detailing the political and economic threat of fascism in our world then, and today. LaRouche identified the hard core fascist banking/financier networks behind Hitler and Mussolini in the 1930s that were never prosecuted and dismantled after World War II. This same "beastman" crowd, typified more recently by Synarchist Felix Rohatyn,  is again attempting to plunge our planet into a new dark age of war and genocide. As he frequently did, LaRouche insisted that only by mobilizing the inherent goodness innate in every human individual at the highest level, could this threat be met and defeated.

Entrepreneurs for Palestine Launch

 

Entrepreneurs for Palestine is a new initiative by Tech for Palestine which aims to mobilize founders and investors who support the Palestinian cause. This is the initiative launch event, which gathered some of the leading names in the pro-Palestine tech, startup, and VC ecosystem.

Entrepreneurs for Palestine

Unions and students seek Columbia University board reforms after Trump deal

 

Activists want a board of trustees that is more transparent and representative of the students and faculty

Students and Columbia University's chapter of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) launched a campaign on Tuesday to reform the institution’s most powerful governing body, the board of trustees.

The decision comes after more than two years of what they say is disenfranchisement over the way Columbia's board of trustees has handled several issues, including permitting the police to target the student body multiple times while they were protesting against Israel’s war on Gaza and capitulating to the Trump administration’s demands over alleged violations of federal anti-discrimination laws.

While the encampments inspired other students at campuses across the country to protest, pro-Palestine students at Columbia paid a heavy price. Hundreds of students were arrested, dozens suspended, and several targeted for deportation. Activists say those actions have had a chilling effect on free speech on campus.

Michael Thaddeus, a mathematics professor and vice-president of Columbia's chapter of AAUP, told Middle East Eye that the idea to reform the board arose last summer, following the maelstrom and Columbia's agreement to a $220m settlement with the Trump administration for alleged violations of federal anti-discrimination laws. 

AAUP had discussions with students, alumni, and community members, and a strategy to reform the board came up repeatedly.

Thaddeus said, “There are many things that we’re deeply, deeply unhappy about. One of them is the decision to call the police in response to the encampments, the occupation of Hamilton Hall and the demonstration in Butler Library in May of 2025.

“We're deeply unhappy with the decision to negotiate with the federal government rather than fighting their demands the way Harvard did. Columbia more or less acquiesced to those demands and made unprecedented concessions to the government on matters of hiring, curriculum, discipline and admissions. That was a deeply misguided decision," he added.  (more...)

Unions and students seek Columbia University board reforms after Trump deal

A warning about civil liberties on Canadian university campuses

 

Increasing repression against pro-Palestine students is happening now—we must stop it

Canadian universities are rapidly becoming sites of repression rather than debate. Across the country, students protesting Israel’s assault on Gaza are facing suspensions, bans, police violence, and sweeping restrictions on speech and assembly—often imposed before any investigation has taken place. What is unfolding on campuses is not a series of isolated incidents, but a coordinated erosion of civil liberties that demands immediate public attention.

These patterns are readily visible in how universities have responded to pro-Palestinian students and organizers. McMaster University suspended a student group, Students for Palestinian Human Rights, for disrupting a board meeting, then banned three students from campus activities prior to their investigation concerning a pro-Palestine protest. At the University of British Columbia, the RCMP and campus security guards destroyed a sukkah erected by pro-Palestinian Jewish students, who sat praying in the rain.

This climate has also resulted in physical violence against students. At York University, one student was violently assaulted by a member of an extremist Zionist vigilante group. At two events involving Toronto Metropolitan University students, security guards used physical violence against protesters. In another, students were assaulted by an Israeli soldier who was hosted by a student group off-campus. This incident was followed by police arrests of five of the assaulted students.

This backlash has unfolded quietly but persistently. A recent article in Briarpatch surveyed protest policies at 17 universities with pro-Palestinian encampments. It found that nearly all campuses “either introduced or reinforced restrictions on the type or location of campus protests.” Many policies were so vague as to make these restrictions completely arbitrary. Other examples include Western University, which tried to implement a “no demo without permission” policy that was repealed. At the University of Toronto, “affixing signs, posters, or flyers (including the use of chalk, marker, paint, and projections) outside designated areas” has been designated as a form of vandalism. Most recently, faculty and students at Carleton University have been vigorously opposing an “Institutional Impartiality Policy” that bans departments and student groups from making public statements on political or social issues.  (more...)

A warning about civil liberties on Canadian university campuses

‘Venezuela didn’t kill my son, the Sackler family did’

 

While Nicolás Maduro awaits trial for "narco-terrorism" charges, a top US drug trafficking family – the Sackler clan – is paying its victims and continuing to live lavishly.

The Grayzone's Kei Pritsker spoke to Dede Yoder, whose son died of a fentanyl overdose after being prescribed Oxycontin, a dangerous opioid deceptively marketed by the Sackers' Purdue Pharma.

 Yoder explains how the Sacklers have philanthropy-washed their way out of real accountability for systematically poisoning America.

J Street is the new AIPAC in the Democratic Party

 

AIPAC is suddenly unwelcome among Democrats, but there's a new sheriff in town to enforce the pro-Israel orthodoxy. J Street aims to make liberals 'love Israel again,' but most Democrats are looking to distance themselves due to the Gaza genocide.

The Israel lobby is exposed these days as it has never been before. Or AIPAC is. AIPAC is a dirty word among Democrats because it refuses to criticize the Netanyahu government. 

California Governor Gavin Newsom and Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner are both refusing AIPAC donations. In New York City, progressive Democratic candidates are primarying two sitting congressmen, Ritchie Torres and Dan Goldman, and making the incumbent’s donations from AIPAC an issue.

And not just Democrats. In announcing her resignation from Congress, the Republican firebrand Marjorie Taylor Greene tweeted that she takes no money from AIPAC– and “condemns Israeli genocide” — in contrast to Donald Trump, who has gotten over $230 million in pro-Israel money, and backs Israeli genocide to the hilt. 

The liberal Zionist organization J Street looks to be the beneficiary of this shift. J Street used to represent a left/liberal fringe of the Democratic establishment. Now it represents the center/right. 

And J Street is lobbying hard for Israel. It doesn’t want the U.S. to cut military aid to Israel. It says it wants young Jews to “fall in love with Israel” all over again. 

This is risky positioning. There is today a “civil war” inside the Democratic Party over Israel, two liberal Zionists acknowledged on a recent J Street podcast.

That civil war is happening for a simple reason. The Democratic base sympathizes with Palestinians more than they do Israelis, by a shocking 60 to 12 percent. Among the young, the numbers are even higher, while the party’s elites sympathize with Israel.  (more...)

J Street is the new AIPAC in the Democratic Party

Palestine Action hunger strike ends after UK scraps Elbit Systems contract

 

Three imprisoned Palestine Action activists survived a months-long hunger that has been described as a ‘landmark moment of pure defiance’

Three imprisoned Palestine Action activists ended a months-long hunger strike on 14 January after the UK government decided not to award a $2.7 billion military training contract to Israeli arms maker Elbit Systems’ British subsidiary.

“Elbit Systems is living on stolen time – we will see it shut down for good, not because of the government, but because of the people," Prisoners for Palestine said, crediting the outcome to sustained prisoner pressure.

The group also described the hunger strike as “a landmark moment of pure defiance, an embarrassment for the British state," adding that the strike “exposed to the world Britain has political prisoners in service of a foreign genocidal regime, and has seen hundreds of people commit to take direct action in the prisoners’ footsteps.”

On 15 January, Heba Muraisi, Kamran Ahmed, and Lewie Chiaramello confirmed they had begun refeeding under medical supervision after learning that Elbit Systems UK was denied the contract. 

The deal would have seen the Israeli arms maker train up to 60,000 British troops each year over a decade. 

Four other imprisoned activists - Teuta Hoxha, Jon Cink, Qesser Zuhrah, and Amu Gib - also resumed refeeding after pausing their strikes.  (more...)

Palestine Action hunger strike ends after UK scraps Elbit Systems contract

Christian schools in Jerusalem suspend classes to protest at Israeli restrictions

 

Israel imposed restrictions on work permits for teachers from West Bank, leading to disruption for thousands of students

Christian schools in Jerusalem have announced escalating protest measures, including a suspension of classes and a mass strike, in rejection of what they consider arbitrary Israeli policies that have disrupted the work of hundreds of teachers.

These steps come after Israel imposed restrictions on work permits for teachers from the West Bank, leading to disruptions in the education sector.

The denial of permits has deprived schools of essential teaching staff, directly impacting thousands of students in Jerusalem.

More than 12,000 students are educated in 15 Christian schools in Jerusalem. These schools employ 820 teachers and staff, including 235 who hold West Bank ID cards issued by the Palestinian Authority. They reach their workplaces with "entry permits to Israel", which are renewed at the beginning of each academic term.

At the start of the new school term, the Israeli Civil Administration refused to renew the permits of some teachers and placed others under review, while issuing third-category permits only for certain days of the week.  (more...)

Christian schools in Jerusalem suspend classes to protest at Israeli restrictions

Boycotts ‘shake the foundations’ of Israeli academia: Report

Academics describe scientific research as ‘a central engine of economic growth’ for Israel, cautioning that weakening universities could jeopardize long-term economic recovery

The Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities warned in its annual report, covered by Haaretz on 4 January, that sustained government cuts to academic research funding, combined with the global backlash of the genocide in Gaza, risk having “far-reaching consequences” for Israel's science sector.

The Academy report notes that the world’s boycott of Israeli academia in response to Tel Aviv's war crimes in Gaza has shaken “the foundations of scientific cooperation” and undermined the ability of young researchers to establish themselves.

The report also states that public investment in research and development at Israeli universities has been steadily shrinking for over a decade, even as most OECD countries have increased spending.

Over the 2014–2023 period, spending on academic research in Israel dropped by roughly four percent, while the OECD spending average rose by nearly 20 percent.

This decline has pushed Israeli researchers, particularly early-career academics, to rely heavily on foreign grants, as the academy notes that around 93 percent of Israel’s R&D spending is directed to the business sector, leaving just about 5.5 percent for academia – one of the lowest ratios in the OECD.

The dependence on foreign funding has collided with a widening international boycott of Israeli academic institutions following the genocide in Gaza.  (more...)

Boycotts ‘shake the foundations’ of Israeli academia: Report

NEO-CONNED: From the Vatican to Venezuela

 

Michael Matt's first Underground of the New Year tackles the U.S. invasion of Venezuela and the over 600 military strikes the Trump Administration ordered against seven countries in 2025 alone. Tell me, is this what you voted for? 

Meanwhile, why did the Trump Administration tell Josh Hawley to pound sand? 

Good news from the USCCB. Unbelievably, they got it right this time! This is huge! 

Plus, the Holy Year is over, so moving forward into the New Year, Pope Leo owns everything that happens. And with the January consistory looming, Vatican watchers are looking to see if Leo is going to be Francis 2.0 when it comes to the Latin Mass. Michael says it might be a bit more subtle than that and we may be looking at the resurrection of Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger's "reform of the reform." What is that? Watch and see!

Finally, for the first time in U.S. history, Catholics outnumber Protestants. Way to go, Gen Z!

Russia offers world-class engineering and technical education

 

Russia is the homeland of great inventions and scientific breakthroughs. It was here that the first satellite was launched, the first humans ventured into space, and the first artificial heart was developed.

If you want to change the world – start your studies in Russia!

At Russian engineering and technical universities, future professionals assemble microchips and build satellites, study living cells, and advance biotechnologies that will, in turn, improve medicine, industry, and other strategically important fields.

Bauman Moscow State Technical University (BMSTU) is one of the country’s leading technical universities and research centers. It has developed a world-renowned engineering tradition. Its alumni include Sergey Korolev, the chief designer of the Soviet space program; aircraft designers Andrey Tupolev and Pavel Sukhoi; test cosmonaut Sergey Korsakov; and hundreds of other pioneers. Today, the famous “Baumanka” features a modern campus, high-tech laboratories, and engineering clusters where students create world-class projects.

Another hub of technological excellence is the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (MIPT), founded by Nobel laureates. The university was created to train a research elite and has been involved in space and nuclear programs from its earliest years. MIPT represents science at the intersection of multiple disciplines: physics, mathematics, bioengineering, and computational technologies.

Russian technical universities welcome students from around the world and offer programs in both Russian and English. Modern laboratories, academic support, and preparatory courses create the conditions for rapid development and active participation in real scientific projects.  (more...)

Russia offers world-class engineering and technical education

Indoctrinating the Innocent: YWAM, Spiritual Warfare, & Psychology of Control

 

John and Jenny dive into the disturbing intersections between militarism, psychology, and religion within Youth With A Mission (YWAM). Drawing parallels to early Pentecostal cults and authoritarian movements, they examine how “spiritual warfare” language and practices condition young minds for obedience and control. Jenny shares her firsthand experience of life inside YWAM—where teenagers are sent on “target missions,” sleep-deprived prayer watches, and told demons lurk in everyday objects—while John connects these patterns to the mind control methods of Branhamism and early revival cults like those of Frank Sanford and John Alexander Dowie. Together they expose how hyper-spiritualized fear, trauma bonding, and dissociation produce lifelong anxiety and religious PTSD, even as participants believe they are serving God.

Stunning Victories and Rising Repression: a look back at the global student movement for Palestine in 2025

In 2025, students around the world came together to challenge their schools' complicity in the Gaza genocide. Despite heavy repression, they won major victories, including divestment and commitments to cut ties with Israeli institutions.

Beginning amid Israel’s scholasticide and genocide of Palestinians—still ongoing—the sustained global student uprising for Palestinian liberation, or the Student Intifada, has energized, nay radicalized, an entire generation of politically engaged youth and taught them what it means to be counted.

Since 2023, students have reckoned with suspensions, evictions, and expulsions; police and rogue violence; arrests and deportations; and general harassment. But students’ tireless, principled organizing secured academic boycotts, divestment, and institutional severances. Every material win—spurred by powerful symbolic actions, backed by painstaking research—propels us closer to something resembling justice for Palestinians. 

If in 2024 students mobilized en masse internationally in solidarity with Palestinians and their cause for liberation—with actions from Mexico City to Prague, Pondicherry to São Paulo, Wroclaw to Tokyo, Sydney to Santa Cruz—then 2025 student organizing took root and bloomed, with all the struggles, achievements, and setbacks that entail.

Seeing global patterns of student action makes more comprehensive what can feel like distant, horrific geopolitics and, simultaneously, local institution-level activism. But looking back on 2025 reveals the points of connection and unity of thought and action that have existed between students, young people, and much of the general public. 

Students everywhere heard history’s urgent call. They answered it resolutely. Here’s how students organized, struggled, and ultimately won in 2025—and what’s next.  (more...)

Stunning Victories and Rising Repression: a look back at the global student movement for Palestine in 2025

Fighting fascism in America during a genocide in Palestine

 

We must insist on drawing connections across time and place — from the Holocaust to Gaza, or ICE detention to Israeli prisons — to disrupt the normalization of authoritarianism at every turn.

“These times make me think of 1933,” my neighbor commented as our sons zoomed down a hill on their bikes. This was a common sentiment in the early months of President Donald Trump’s second term — how to stop a leader with fascist tendencies who had gained power through a democratic process. 

But it wasn’t our usual neighborhood conversation. Rümeysa Öztürk, a graduate student at Tufts University, where I teach, had recently been kidnapped by masked U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents for writing an op-ed in our student newspaper in support of Palestinian rights and student governance. The alarming video of the incident had left us all shaken.

My neighbor explained that his great-grandparents had come to the United States from Europe in the decades before the Holocaust. But other branches of his Jewish family had stayed and were entirely wiped out. This time, he expected, my publicly Palestinian family was more at risk than his. I think I nodded blandly. For many months, my mind had been with Palestinians in Gaza, where a genocide was underway. His concern for my family seemed to me both alarming and abstract.

Another friend had been encouraging me, for the sake of my family’s security, to apply for a new citizenship. We were at the town pool when she quipped, “There are the people who left in 1933, and the people who left in 1939. The former left with their property.” Watching our sons dive off the boards in sync, splashing and circling underwater before reemerging, I thought to myself: The property values in our town are solid, so even if we must leave, we’ll get a good price.

Again, as I tried to respond, I faltered in the strange space between my uncertain fears about what might happen here and my horrified knowledge of outright genocide and ethnic cleansing there. In the last two years, Israel has destroyed or damaged 81 percent of all structures in Gaza, including more than 81,000 homes in Gaza City alone. Despite the so-called “ceasefire,” Israel has denied Palestinians access to materials necessary to make even temporary shelters for winter, and the cold and flooding has meant only more deprivation and death. At least 40,000 Palestinians in the northern West Bank have been made homeless due to Israeli forced displacement in Tulkarem and Jenin.  (more...)

Fighting fascism in America during a genocide in Palestine