Israel's minority advocates: how the Israel lobby recruits students of color
Whenever the old methods prove insufficient – all-expense paid birthright trips, talks by visiting Israeli ambassadors and IDF soldiers, cultural and social events that whitewash the Israeli occupation – these groups have turned to a new strategy: employing people of color as pro-Israel advocates.
In recent years, organizations like AIPAC have begun recruiting African-American students to serve as the face of Israel activism on campuses. The hope is that using black bodies and voices will somehow negate claims of Israeli racism and policies that parallel South African apartheid.
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Protests in Beirut: quick background and some videos
On Saturday 22 August 2015 thousands of people rallied in Beirut to protest political and economic corruption and the dismal state of public utility services in Lebanon. The lack of reliable basic services in the country, including water, electricity, and garbage pickup, has a long history that was exacerbated by the civil war, the subsequent political settlements, and periodic Israeli military strikes. The failure to provide reliable and affordable public services to the entire country has been a feature of every post-independencen government formed.
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Forced sex changes must stop now
Iran’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) communities are routinely forced to undergo sex changes and to agree to dangerous medical “cures,” according to new research compiled by campaign group Justice for Iran (JFI) and 6Rang, the Iranian Lesbian and Transgender Network.
Speaking at a conference in London, Shadi Amin, the founder of 6Rang and author of the book Gender X, which outlines the discrimination LGBT people face in Iran, said the practice of forcing people to undergo sex changes, sterilization procedures and embark on unethical and potentially harmful clinical treatments must stop immediately.
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