Arvind Dilawar is an independent journalist. His articles, interviews, and essays have appeared in the New York Times, Time magazine, the Daily Beast, and elsewhere.
Since October 7, the US Department of Education has opened at least 40 investigations into K-12 schools for “discrimination based on shared ancestry,” including alleged antisemitism — many of which appear aimed at stifling criticism of Israel.
Since the 1960s, Israel has planted millions of trees across the Naqab desert and the West Bank. The afforestation effort greenwashes ethnic cleansing — and literally covers up the evidence.
Today an international group of activists is setting sail for Gaza, hoping to deliver badly needed aid to Palestinians there. The effort follows a similar voyage to breach Israel’s blockade 14 years ago — which the IDF met with deadly force.
Israel’s brutal assault on Gaza has created a disastrous famine in the enclave. But it’s not the first time Israel has tried to starve Palestinians in Gaza — Israeli government documents suggest it was explicit policy from 2007 to 2010.
Israel has long used forestation projects to push Palestinians off their lands. That has included the ongoing displacement of Bedouin people in the Naqab desert by a large tree-planting project, funded in large part by charitable donations from the US.
Pro-Palestine activists have been working to disrupt arms manufacturers and other companies enabling Israel’s assault on Gaza. Plenty of those suppliers are also raking in profits selling to US law enforcement and private consumers.
James Baldwin went from espousing radical politics as a teenager to disavowing socialist politics as doctrinaire. But by the end of his life, inspired by the radicalism of the Black Panthers, Baldwin was again ready to proclaim himself a socialist.
Allen Ginsberg died on this day in 1997. While known for his Beat poetry, he was also indelibly shaped by leftist politics.
Hunter S. Thompson was born this day in 1937. While often claimed by the libertarian right, his politics had more in common with the radical left.