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A voice of moral clarity in the middle of an increasingly toxic space: Patrick Gaspard of American Progress on the student protests and encampments and what university administrators and USG should be doing. ⬇️

Protecting academic freedom and free speech is all of our responsibility.

@PatrickGaspard explains that we have to meet the moment:

The right to protest and the right to safety are both weight bearing pillars of our democracy. The student movement against the human rights catastrophe in Gaza forces us to do the work to protect both. Pls read and share my recommendations on the response americanprogress.org/article/princi…

The U.S. and Saudi Arabia have been 'near' a normalization deal for a year now.

I wrote about serious concerns with a potential deal last September. Tethering the U.S. to MBS without meaningful advances on human rights or Palestine would be a grave error. americanprogress.org/article/assess…

Columbia still has its official website up lionizing the protesters of 1968 who occupied university buildings to protest the Vietnam War until the NYPD, in Columbia's own words, 'stormed' campus, creating a 'fallout that dogged Columbia for years.' news.columbia.edu/content/new-pe…

They're doing to 'intifada' what they did to 'madrasa' twenty years ago...

Chef Jose Andres: “Our convoys have been held up at IDF checkpoints for hours on end, despite coordination with the Israeli government groups who run point on humanitarian aid.
Those delays create crowds desperate to receive food, add to the food panic and push our missions into

🧵 We strongly oppose HR 6090, the Antisemitism Awareness Act. This misguided bill would codify the IHRA Working Definition of Antisemitism and its examples. The IHRA definition is used as a cudgel against free speech and to quash legitimate criticism of the Israeli government

There is a lot to unpack re the supposedly remediated units of Israeli security forces after State determined there was credible information they committed gross violations of human rights + the one unit left that is apparently in the process of remediation 🧵

NEW: State Department confirms 5 Israeli units were responsible for gross violations of human rights, per the Leahy law.

4 of the 5 units have 'effectively remediated these violations.'

Israel 'submitted additional info' regarding the remaining unit. No decision yet.

This is quite a take. Has Fareed missed every student movement of his lifetime?

Maybe college kids are protesting because they’re opposed to the slaughter of innocents. And because they’re in the actual community of rights.

NEW: It's now been a week since Blinken said to expect 'determinations' about possible Leahy restrictions on Israel 'in the days ahead.'

US officials tell me the rollout has been delayed:
al-monitor.com/originals/2024…

NEW: USAID has privately assessed that Israel is not complying with President Biden’s requirement that countries receiving US arms facilitate rather than restrict humanitarian aid.

That should render Israel ineligible to receive US arms under Biden’s policy (NSM-20) and possibly US law.

🚨 JUST IN: Internal UN investigation on Israeli claims 12 UNRWA staff took part in Oct 7 attack: UN Office of Internal Oversight - has concluded one UNRWA employee whose contract was terminated after allegations has been cleared and case closed due to no evidence provided by

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Report of a USAID memo on Gaza titled: 'Famine Inevitable, Changes Could Reduce but Not Stop Widespread Civilian Deaths.'

Document reportedly assesses Israel not complying with the humanitarian assistance requirements of National Security Memorandum-20.

Absolute outrage at the police treatment of this professor and of other peaceful protesters. They deserve support, not abuse and arrest!

Get these cops off campuses!