I hope this will be my last comment here and you will forgive me for inundating you with comments on this post. I thought I should add this as a separate comment so that it does not get lost.
I read through your document and it is impressive and has so many sources. Thank you very much. It would be useful for people trying to talk about Israel's attack on Palestine too.
Just two points, which I do hope will not cause offense:
1. Caitlin Johnstone, Max Blumenthal and Jeremy Corbyn have all denied Assad regime's continual atrocities against Syrians. Assad's crimes in Syria are well documented. Max Blumenthal in fact made fun of ordinary civilians in Syria trying to prepare against Assad's attacks. And Assad continues to bomb Idlib at present. It is an ongoing atrocity.
I think our fight against violence and hate will only be weakened by platforming people who deny atrocities when it is conducted by regimes they like (and see as opposing US empire). These people had been marginalised but are now regaining clout thanks to their stand on Palestine. They should not get that. There are enough people who stand for humanity everywhere. A good read on Syria and anti-imperialism that does not care about imperialist policies from Russia, China or Iran: https://libcom.org/article/anti-imperialism-idiots-leila-al-shami.
2. I had written a piece on the human shield discourse. I read through your document, and I did not see this specific point elaborated up on. Of course, I may have missed it. In any case, if you would like to read my piece and find it useful, here it is:
I don't DM people without their permission and hence, I am sharing it here publicly. I hope you will not see this as self-promotion. If so, feel free to ignore this. (Applies to any reader of this comment.). My piece ties into your larger theme for the document: about media critique (except I focus on this specific propaganda).
Hi Aparna.. Wow, thank you very much for your comments and suggestions. Definitely important. I agree with the point to be careful about offering legitimacy to disingenuous analysts and activists who are simply exploiting the tragedy in Palestine for ulterior reasons. I will also do some research and will be making changes in the document accordingly. Thanks for sharing your own article on the human shields accusations - really comprehensive and helpful. I want to add it to this document too, and will do that in the coming days. While I am aware of the lies of the Israeli regime regarding "human shields", I had only come across some video explainers from Abby Martin on that, but no other easily shareable resource.
Glad it helps. In the comments, to someone asking, I have added link to an investigation by Amnesty International from 2014 that says they found no evidence of human shields. You could add that too if you please. However, as I say in the article, I do think focus on that is wrong and imagining a new legal system that protects civilians under all conditions is important. (We can all hope.) I can share the link later. I don’t have it handy at present. Sorry about that.
This is excellent. I have been trying to write something on Palestine, Kashmir and Indian Muslims (part of an ongoing project to get people to look at power dynamics centered on India but with broader applicability) but it is still woefully skeletal and mostly in my mind. Yours is one I can share with hope that it would be read, reflected up on, and shared broadly.
Hi, Dr. Kumbhar,
I hope this will be my last comment here and you will forgive me for inundating you with comments on this post. I thought I should add this as a separate comment so that it does not get lost.
I read through your document and it is impressive and has so many sources. Thank you very much. It would be useful for people trying to talk about Israel's attack on Palestine too.
Just two points, which I do hope will not cause offense:
1. Caitlin Johnstone, Max Blumenthal and Jeremy Corbyn have all denied Assad regime's continual atrocities against Syrians. Assad's crimes in Syria are well documented. Max Blumenthal in fact made fun of ordinary civilians in Syria trying to prepare against Assad's attacks. And Assad continues to bomb Idlib at present. It is an ongoing atrocity.
I think our fight against violence and hate will only be weakened by platforming people who deny atrocities when it is conducted by regimes they like (and see as opposing US empire). These people had been marginalised but are now regaining clout thanks to their stand on Palestine. They should not get that. There are enough people who stand for humanity everywhere. A good read on Syria and anti-imperialism that does not care about imperialist policies from Russia, China or Iran: https://libcom.org/article/anti-imperialism-idiots-leila-al-shami.
2. I had written a piece on the human shield discourse. I read through your document, and I did not see this specific point elaborated up on. Of course, I may have missed it. In any case, if you would like to read my piece and find it useful, here it is:
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/12/23/2205294/-The-Discourse-of-Human-Shields-and-the-Tolerance-for-Mass-Civilian-Deaths?
I don't DM people without their permission and hence, I am sharing it here publicly. I hope you will not see this as self-promotion. If so, feel free to ignore this. (Applies to any reader of this comment.). My piece ties into your larger theme for the document: about media critique (except I focus on this specific propaganda).
Hi Aparna.. Wow, thank you very much for your comments and suggestions. Definitely important. I agree with the point to be careful about offering legitimacy to disingenuous analysts and activists who are simply exploiting the tragedy in Palestine for ulterior reasons. I will also do some research and will be making changes in the document accordingly. Thanks for sharing your own article on the human shields accusations - really comprehensive and helpful. I want to add it to this document too, and will do that in the coming days. While I am aware of the lies of the Israeli regime regarding "human shields", I had only come across some video explainers from Abby Martin on that, but no other easily shareable resource.
Here is the link to amnesty investigation: https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2014/07/israelgaza-conflict-questions-and-answers/
Glad it helps. In the comments, to someone asking, I have added link to an investigation by Amnesty International from 2014 that says they found no evidence of human shields. You could add that too if you please. However, as I say in the article, I do think focus on that is wrong and imagining a new legal system that protects civilians under all conditions is important. (We can all hope.) I can share the link later. I don’t have it handy at present. Sorry about that.
This is excellent. I have been trying to write something on Palestine, Kashmir and Indian Muslims (part of an ongoing project to get people to look at power dynamics centered on India but with broader applicability) but it is still woefully skeletal and mostly in my mind. Yours is one I can share with hope that it would be read, reflected up on, and shared broadly.
Thank you.