Current coal phaseout pledges ‘absolutely not enough’, warn experts


New figures show slow coal phaseout progress to date, with pledges not enough to limit warming to 1.5C

Niels de Hoog and Ashley Kirk
Thu 23 Dec 2021 07.00 GMT

The majority of coal-fired power is not being phased out quickly enough to meet climate goals and avoid catastrophic global heating, despite new pledges made at Cop26.

While coal is on its way out, some of the largest coal-dependent economies might be delaying for too long, according to a new report by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air.

“Current pledges and targets absolutely are not enough to ensure that coal power is phased out fast enough to avoid the worst of global warming,” said lead author of the report, Lauri Myllyvirta.

Coal is the dirtiest fossil fuel and the International Energy Agency has made clear that if it is not rapidly retired the world has no hope of staying within 1.5C of global heating.

While major coal-dependent nations pledged for the first time at the UN climate summit in Glasgow to phase down coal-fired power generation, there is still a long way to go, says Flora Champenois, a research analyst at Global Energy Monitor.

“The price of renewables has dropped dramatically in the last decade, so the case is now clearer than ever that uneconomical, dirty energy needs to go. At the same time, we’ve seen that it’s slow and difficult to change the status quo, no matter how compelling the economics of coal power are.”


Global coal-fired power capacity

Currently, the world’s total capacity for coal-based power is 2,068 gigawatts (GW).

(Each represents 10 GW.)


After pledges made in the run-up to and at the Glasgow summit, 351 GW of capacity is expected to be retired in line with Paris agreement goals.


A further 1,628 GW, some 79% of total capacity, is expected to be retired, but not quickly enough to be consistent with a 1.5C pathway.

The coal giants

China, India and the US together account for the vast majority of coal-based power currently in operation — about 75% of global capacity.


Only a small proportion of their coal power fleet — about 6% — is expected to be retired in line with Paris goals.

In the rest of the world, 28 countries are set to retire their entire coal fleet in accordance with Paris goals, including Russia, Ukraine and Vietnam.


The other 94% will not be retired fast enough under current plans, despite being covered by phase-out pledges or net-zero commitments.

On top of this, experts are concerned about new coal capacity that’s set to come down the pipeline in the coming years.

No new coal?

While the world's appetite for coal has significantly decreased since the Paris agreement was adopted in 2015, there are still new coal-fired power plants being built.

About 185 GW of capacity is currently under construction.


There’s also another 309 GW in various of the planning stages.


About 88 GW of this planned capacity will likely not be realised thanks to recent ‘no new coal’ and ‘no new coal financing’ pledges.

Major public financiers like China, Japan, South Korea, and the G20 and OECD nations have all pledged to end overseas coal financing.


A further 165 GW is not directly affected by those pledges, but is called into question by carbon targets.

To meet their own emissions goals, governments would likely need to cancel these projects.


Under current commitments, that still leaves at least 241GW of new capacity to be added.


This leaves the world in a situation where, despite positive noises about the transition away from coal, the vast majority of coal power is yet to be assigned a firm phase-out date.

Most of this untouched coal is in upper-middle and high-income countries. The International Energy Agency has said that in high-income countries, coal needs to be phased out by 2030, with no new coal-fired power stations built from now on.

No planned phase-out

Phase-out not in line with Paris agreement goals

Phase-out in line with Paris agreement goals


Called into question by carbon targets

Likely not realised due to pledges


The data reveals how much responsibility higher income countries have when it comes to phasing out coal across the world.

Leo Roberts, research manager at E3G, said that in addition to shutting down their own coal fleets: “Rich countries need to make the finance available to support the transition away from coal in the global south.

He added that investors and taxpayers should be concerned about the profitability of new coal plants. If those projects went ahead, they could lose $150bn (£113bn) on stranded assets, according to a report by Carbon Tracker.

Despite falling behind on the schedule set out by the International Energy Agency, there are signs that key players are making headway in the transition. In India, “clean energy targets announced by the prime minister, Narendra Modi, mean that coal-fired power generation could peak well before 2030”, said Myllyvirta.

And while the United States is not on track for a 2030 phase out, according to Global Energy Monitor, a shifting tide of economic factors and political will might bring the country in line. Roberts pointed to how the increasing uncompetitiveness of coal is already driving coal power plants retirements nationwide.

Out of the three biggest coal-dependent economies, China’s status is surrounded by the most uncertainties. Though the country has pledged to stop building new coal plants abroad, it is still planning to increase domestic capacity. “Before China, with by far the world’s largest fleet of coal power plants, announces firm phase-out plans, we won’t be on track,” said Myllyvirta.

But despite uncertainty over China, experts say there is reason for optimism. The pace at which countries are abandoning coal has accelerated in recent years, and many new projects have already been cancelled.

“The pace at which the [global] outlook has changed”, according to Myllyvirta, “from only a handful of small countries having a phase-out commitment as recently as 2015, to having a quarter of the world’s coal fleet assigned a firm phase-out date. It’s extremely encouraging and shows this can be done.”

Methodology

Based on analysis of the impact of climate pledges published by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air on 12 November. The analysis includes data from the Global Coal Plant Tracker (GCPT) by Global Energy Monitor, which provides information on coal-fired power units generating 30 megawatts and above.

Operating capacity is used as an indicator for how the world is doing on phasing out coal. Utilisation rates play a role in realised emissions, but experts say that capacity needs to be reduced to meet climate goals.

Country income classification is based on data from the World Bank. Guadeloupe was not included in the World Bank dataset and therefore excluded from this part of the analysis.

New developments since the report was published are not reflected in this article. For example, Germany has since committed to phasing out by 2030 in a coalition deal.

FOR CHARTS AND GRAPHS SEE

 Current coal phaseout pledges ‘absolutely not enough’, warn experts | Coal | The Guardian

Bacteria may have played big role in the formation of massive silver, gold deposits
Valentina Ruiz Leotaud | December 27, 2021 

Silver in agate. (Reference image by James St. John, Flickr).

Bacteria may have played a major role in the formation of some of the world’s largest silver or gold deposits, according to new research.


The inference was drawn by scientists at Penn State University and the University of Saskatchewan after they found silver in coprolites, or fossilized feces, collected from the Ravens Throat River Lagerstätte in the Mackenzie Mountains located in Canada’s Northwest Territories.

In a paper published in the Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences, the team explained that a lagerstätte is a deposit of exceptionally preserved fossils that sometimes includes fossilized soft tissues, or in this case fossilized worm dung.

The fossils that they found date back to the Cambrian geologic period, more than 500 million years ago. Today the site sits in a cold, mountainous area, but in the Cambrian period, it was located near the equator and submerged under the ocean.

The worm feces found there remained almost intact because they had been preserved in burrows the creatures dug up deep under the ocean.

After analyzing the coprolites under a scanning electron microscope the researchers found carbon, pyrite and aluminum silicates, which are commonly deposited in the type of rocks they were looking at. However, they were surprised when they also noticed the presence of elemental silver.

After the discovery, they examined the surrounding rock for elevated amounts of silver and found some, but not enough to account for the silver found in the coprolites.

“If you look at silver deposits, usually you find other elements associated with silver, like lead and zinc,” Julien Kimmig, lead author of the study, said in a media statement. “We didn’t see elevated amounts of these elements at our site, so there were different mechanisms at work behind the creation of this deposit compared to ore deposits.

The Mackenzie Mountains have some rich ore deposits, and there are several mines in the region, but none has a composition of elevated silver without elevated levels of another metallic element.”

The role of bacteria

To make sense of their findings, Kimmig and co-author Brian Pratt began looking at studies of how bacteria can extract gold and silver from mine drainage as well as from natural habitats. They found that silver formation has also been linked to bacteria, fungi and algae. Thus, the researchers soon realized that microbial activity likely played a large part in the accumulation of silver in the coprolites.

“We likely had the poop first, then we had some bacteria or algae growing on the poop, and some of those were likely leaching silver out of the water column,” Kimmig said. “To form the biggest piece of silver we found, which measures 300 micrometres, the microbial colony must have been a relatively decent size.”

For comparison, the width of a human hair is roughly 17 to 180 micrometres. This means that 300 micrometres of silver seen under a microscope stands out, especially given the low amounts of silver in the surrounding rock.

The researchers think the silver either came from the water column or, more likely, brine from the bottom of the ocean.

According to Kimmig, some modern organisms — like certain bacteria, fish and oysters — can live with a degree of elevated silver levels in the environment, but it’s still extremely toxic, and the metabolic systems dealing with this are poorly understood.

Some modern microorganisms are useful in extracting noble elements like silver and gold, and scientists have observed similar behaviour in the geologic past with bacteria and iron deposits, but they had yet to observe these processes through the geologic past in relation to silver.

“Seeing in the Cambrian period that microorganisms were somehow able to accumulate silver suggests that it’s a much older trait than what we might have thought beforehand when we just looked at modern microorganisms that do it,” the paleontologist said.

“It might also indicate that while fluid flow plays a big role in the formation of ore deposits, some ore deposits might have had bacterial help, and these microorganisms could have played a major part in creating some of our bigger silver or gold deposits in the geologic past.”

Alberta Opposition wants answers on how UCP government handled pandemic

Alberta NDP Leader Rachel Notley announces proposed new legislation to protect Alberta's mountains and watershed from coal mining at a news conference in Calgary, Alta., Monday, March 15, 2021.

 THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

Dean Bennett
The Canadian Press
Published Dec. 28, 2021

The Opposition in Alberta hopes to build on a buoyant 2021 during which the New Democrats outpaced Premier Jason Kenney's United Conservatives in popularity polls and fundraising.

NDP Leader Rachel Notley says the goal for 2022 is to provide ideas on how to build the economy while continuing to demand answers, data and accountability from the government on how it handled the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The hole Jason Kenney has dug is deep and we need to get out of it,” Notley said in a year-end interview with The Canadian Press.

“We need to get our province moving forward on economic diversification, energy transformation, ensuring we're keeping our young people here (and) restoring our post-secondary institutions.”

Notley's NDP spent much of 2021 demanding information and answers from Kenney's government about its delayed response to COVID-19's fourth wave that pushed ICU capacity and health care to the breaking point in September.

Kenney had removed all but a handful of health restrictions as of July 1, announced the pandemic was over and said no contingency plan was needed in case the Delta variant took hold.

“The single biggest mistake and the breach of trust and betrayal of Albertans happened behind closed doors and Albertans didn't even see it happen,” said Notley. She noted that case numbers were rising at an alarming rate in August while both Kenney and then-health minister Tyler Shandro were on vacation. They said they were in touch with staff daily.

“They did not act to make any kind of serious efforts to protect Albertans from the fourth wave until the middle of September, long after they should have,” said Notley. “In so doing, they brought about the worst fourth wave in the country ... damage to our health-care system as well as ... losses to Alberta families that were entirely preventable.

“It was a profound failure.”

The NDP was among critics who led and rode waves of outrage that prompted Kenney's government to reverse course on multiple files: coal mining on the eastern slopes of the Rockies, a proposed Grades K-6 education curriculum, and planned wage cuts for nurses.

Notley said the goal is to have all her party's candidates for the 2023 election in place by next fall as well as contingencies in case Kenney calls one earlier. The interest is encouraging, she said.

“It's fair to say that we will end up with more contested nominations in this election than probably the last 20 years combined - and not just contested between two people, but three and four people.”

Early in 2022, Ariana Mancini will carry the NDP standard in the Fort McMurray-Lac La Biche byelection. Kenney must call it by mid-February to replace former UCP legislature member Laila Goodridge, who successfully ran for the Conservatives in September's federal vote.

Brian Jean, who lost to Kenney for the UCP leadership, won the party's nomination on a promise to push Kenney out as party leader. Jean says the premier's top-down leadership and failure on key files have left the party ripe for a return to an NDP government.

Kenney had promised to sign Jean's nomination papers if he won the nomination, and Jean is stumping the province encouraging others to help him dump Kenney.

Notley said Fort McMurray-Lac La Biche is a microcosm of Alberta politics: the NDP focused on helping the constituency; the UCP focused on internal gamesmanship.


“The UCP is chronically drawn to their own internal drama. They are an organization that was built for politics, not for governance, and as a result they're failing at leading the province.”

Notley, who was premier from 2015 until 2019, aims to be ready if she returns to the premier's chair. The party has begun consultations and offered proposals on building the economy through diversification and job growth. There are already policy positions on hydrogen and geothermal development, infrastructure and high-tech.

Political scientist Duane Bratt said the NDP doesn't need to change its game plan. He said Notley's strength is positioning former cabinet ministers as effective critics and letting them share the spotlight while scoring hits on government climbdowns and controversies.

“One of the things that is quite striking is Notley is not the only spokesperson of this party. Their bench strength is stronger now than when they were in government,” said Bratt with Mount Royal University in Calgary.

“They (just) need to stay out of the way and look like a credible government in waiting.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 28, 2021.

Canada tops two million COVID-19 cases; concerns raised about lack of Alberta data over holidays

'It's a sad state of affairs when we have to get COVID data from the black market'


Michael Rodriguez
Publishing date:Dec 27, 2021 •

The drive-thru COVID testing clinic at the Richmond Road Diagnostic and Treatment Centre in Calgary was busy on Monday, Dec. 20, 2021.

 PHOTO BY DARREN MAKOWICHUK/POSTMEDIA

Canada has officially logged more than two million reported cases of COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic as health-care workers brace for a possible post-holiday spike driven by the fast-spreading Omicron variant.

The government of Canada’s health website says the total case count was 2,000,976 as of Boxing Day. The website wasn’t updated over the holiday period.

As high as the official figures are, health-care analysts have said the real number of infections is likely far higher. Several provinces have asked people to get tested only if they have symptoms as hospitals and centres have reached their testing limits. Alberta has suggested most people should be using rapid antigen tests instead of booking an appointment for a PCR test to conserve supply for high-risk individuals.

While Ontario, Quebec and Manitoba each reported thousands of new cases on Monday, Alberta hasn’t released COVID-19 data since Dec. 23, which has some doctors and politicians crying foul.

“There are rumours floating of more than 6,000 COVID cases over the past four days,” Alberta Opposition Leader Rachel Notley tweeted on Monday.

“We need to know that these figures are right and then we need a plan to get through this. Time for real leadership today. We can’t afford to wait any longer.”

The talk is stemming from a Twitter account called BedHuntersAB , which has posted case numbers via data it received from what it only refers to as a “verified source” every day since Dec. 23. The account has reported 6,718 cases of the virus over the four days. On Monday, it stated 324 people are hospitalized with the virus, of whom 54 are in ICU.

“It’s a sad state of affairs when we have to get COVID data from the black market,” tweeted emergency physician Dr. Chuck Wurster on Sunday.

“It’s even worse that these figures are certainly a huge underestimation of actual cases, as our government has told Albertans to use unobtainable rapid tests instead of PCR swabs.”

Some are saying that those “whisper numbers” will likely be in line with the official ones set to be revealed on Tuesday by Alberta’s chief medical officer of health Dr. Deena Hinshaw.

“I trust the numbers that they’re getting,” said Calgary-based emergency physician Dr. Joe Vipond.

“Reality-wise, if you have symptoms of COVID, you probably have COVID now.”

Vipond said the numbers are a mixed bag. He said it’s good news that hospitalizations and ICU patients aren’t going up, but the case counts are “a disaster.”

The latest available official data from the province, released Dec. 23, showed 8,359 active cases of COVID-19 in Alberta. Of those, 318 were hospitalized, 64 of whom were in intensive care. Of almost 12,000 tests completed on Dec. 22, 1,625 were positive, for a positivity rate of 13.6 per cent.

The uptick in cases noted across the country has renewed concern over beleaguered health-care systems’ ability to handle an influx of sick patients.

Linda Silas, head of the Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions, said the “big bump” is usually seen two weeks after exposure to the virus, and expressed worries that holiday gatherings could lead to hospitals becoming overwhelmed with new cases.

“We are all bracing for that with fear, and with our fingers and toes crossed,” she said in an interview Monday.

Two live updates from Alberta health and government officials are scheduled for this week, on Tuesday and Thursday, but new case data won’t be posted online until Dec. 29. Regular reporting will resume on Jan. 4.

— With files from The Canadian Press

There's no place for a Palestinian consulate in Jerusalem, Bennett says

"Jerusalem is the capital of one state, the State of Israel – period," the prime minister stressed.

By TOVAH LAZAROFF
Published: DECEMBER 28, 2021

A man places a Palestinian flag on a fence surrounding the U.S. consulate during a rally in support of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' bid for statehood recognition in the United Nations, in Arab East Jerusalem September 21, 2011

(photo credit: REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun)

Israel is opposed to the re-opening of the United States' consulate for Palestinians in Jerusalem, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett told the Knesset on Monday night.

"The government under my leadership has repeatedly clarified its position that there is no place for a Palestinian consulate in Jerusalem," Bennett said.

"Jerusalem is the capital of one state, the State of Israel – period," he emphasized.

At issue is a Biden administration promise that it would reopen America's former Jerusalem Consulate-General that had serviced the Palestinian Authority and was considered to be a de-facto embassy for the Palestinians

.

PRIME MINISTER Naftali Bennett holds a press conference about the Omicron variant last week in Jerusalem. (credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM)

Former US President Donald Trump closed the consulate in 2019. Close to a year into his presidency, however, President Joe Biden has yet to make good on the reopening pledge, which would require Israel's consent.

Israel has opposed the move, which it believes gives the PA a foothold in Jerusalem and authenticates its claim that east Jerusalem is the future capital of a Palestinian state.

On Monday, MK Nir Barkat, Jerusalem's previous mayor, issued a scathing speech against Bennett in the Knesset on the issue of a Palestinian consulate in the capital.

"I want to announce here, from the Knesset podium, that Jerusalem is still in danger," Barkat said.

He charged that Israel, under Bennett's leadership, had promised the Biden administration it could re-open the US Consulate-General in Jerusalem, but then reneged on that pledge.

"In a recent conversation with a number of Congressional members, I was explicitly told that Tom Nides, the incoming ambassador of the United States, had told them, and I quote: Israel gave its consent to the opening of the Palestinian consulate, and then retracted it," Barkat said.

Israel asked the Biden administration to wait to re-open the consulate until after the budget was approved in November so as not to destabilize the government, Barkat said.

On that basis the Biden administration publicly announced, including in the media, that it would open the consulate, he said, adding that it "instructed Ambassador Nides to prepare for it" and that funding for it was included in a congressional budget.

Barkat then claimed that he personally worked with Congress and non-governmental groups to thwart the opening of the Consulate-General.

There were "36 senators who submitted a bill" against it and 200 congressional members who sent a special letter to Biden to ask that he shelve plans for the consulate, the former mayor said.

"How did you dare to make the Americans think they could divide Jerusalem?" he challenged Bennett, charging that it was a mistake that created "a serious diplomatic crisis with the US."

Now that the Biden administration believes the government could approve a Palestinian consulate in Jerusalem, it will continue to pressure Israel to make that concession, Barkat said.

The Biden administration "will continue to test the strength of our commitment here in Jerusalem and make tempting suggestions," he said.

Bennett dismissed the allegations with respect to Jerusalem as a campaign ploy, to strengthen Barkat's credentials for Likud leadership and replace former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Bennett said he wished both men luck and that normally, "I would have no special opinion on the internal struggles within the Likud."

Barkat, he said, had clearly been advised by a political consultant to go to Washington and generate attention on a large issue such as the consulate.

The prime minister said that the aspiring Likud leader had chosen to turn the Jerusalem consulate into a campaign that is "simply not good for Israel" to do so.

"We do not want to harm Israel," Bennett said, but that otherwise he was determined "to take the issue off the table," a move that was best done quietly.

Israeli forces raze two-story house south of Hebron

Israel demolishes Palestinian houses and structures almost on a daily basis as a means to achieve “demographic control” of the occupied territories.

HEBRON, Tuesday, December 28, 2021 (WAFA) - Israeli forces today razed a Palestinian house in Sendas locality, south of the West Bank city of Hebron, according to eyewitness.

They told WAFA correspondent that a sizable military unit escorted a bulldozer into the area, where the heavy machinery demolished a 150-square-meter two-story house belonging to Mohammad al-Atrash.

The demolished house is located adjacent to the settler-only bypass Road No. 60.

Israel demolishes Palestinian houses and structures almost on a daily basis as a means to achieve “demographic control” of the occupied territories.

Israel denies planning permits for Palestinians to build on their own land or to extend existing houses to accommodate natural growth, particularly in Jerusalem and Area C, which constitutes 60 percent of the occupied West Bank and falls under full Israeli military rule, forcing residents to build without obtaining rarely-granted permits to provide shelters for their families.

In contrast, Israel argues that building within existing colonial settlements is necessary to accommodate the “natural growth” of settlers. Therefore, it much more easily gives the over 700,000 settlers there building permits and provides them with roads, electricity, water and sewage systems that remain inaccessible to many neighboring Palestinians.

K.F.

Six Palestinians injured in Israeli raid in West Bank

3 Palestinians detained during raid

 December 28, 2021

File photo

Six Palestinians were injured and three others arrested in an Israeli raid in the occupied West Bank on Tuesday, according to local residents.

Clashes erupted when Israeli forces raided Tubas city in the northern West Bank to detain three Palestinians, the residents said.

Israeli forces used tear gas canisters, rubber-coated bullets and live ammunition to disperse angry Palestinians.

One of the injuries was in critical condition, medical sources at the government-run Turkish Hospital in Tubas city.

The Israeli army frequently carries out wide-ranging arrest campaigns across the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem on the pretext of searching for “wanted” Palestinians.

Writing by Ahmed Asmar in Ankara

Afghan women protest against Taliban killings of ex-soldiers

By AFP
Published December 28, 2021

Afghan women hold placards during a protest in Kabul to demand an end

 to the extrajudicial killings by the Taliban - 

Copyright AFP Mohd RASFAN

A crowd of women marched through the Afghan capital on Tuesday, accusing Taliban authorities of covertly killing soldiers who served the former US-backed regime.

Around 30 women gathered near a mosque in the centre of Kabul and marched a few hundred metres chanting “justice, justice” before they were stopped by Taliban forces, an AFP correspondent saw.

The Taliban also tried to prevent journalists from covering the march, organised against the “mysterious murders of young people, particularly the country’s former soldiers”, according to social media invitations.

Taliban fighters briefly detained a group of reporters and confiscated equipment from some photographers, deleting images from their cameras before returning them.

Since the hardliners returned to power in August they have effectively banned unsanctioned protests and frequently intervene to block demonstrations against their austere brand of Islam.

The protest comes weeks after separate reports by the United Nations, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch said there were credible allegations of more than 100 extrajudicial killings by the Taliban since their takeover.

“I want to tell the world, tell the Taliban to stop killing. We want freedom, we want justice, we want human rights,” said protester Nayera Koahistani.

In a statement read aloud by protester Laila Basam, the demonstrators called on the Taliban “to stop its criminal machine”.

The statement said former soldiers and government employees of the old regime are “under direct threat”, violating a general amnesty announced by the Taliban in August.

The protesters also aired objections to the ratcheting restrictions women are facing under Taliban rule.

The government issued new guidelines at the weekend banning women from travelling long distances unless escorted by a close male relative.

“Women’s rights are human rights. We must defend our rights,” said Koahistani.

Video footage posted online on Tuesday showed another women’s protest held elsewhere in the capital that also called for women to be allowed education and work opportunities.

Read more: https://www.digitaljournal.com/world/afghan-women-protest-against-taliban-killings-of-ex-soldiers/article#ixzz7GOyU3l2G

© JURIST

Afghanistan dispatches: Taliban shoots and kills young civilian prompting protests in Panjshir province

JURIST Staff

DECEMBER 27, 2021 

Law students and lawyers in Afghanistan are filing reports with JURIST on the situation there after the Taliban takeover. Here, a Staff Correspondent for JURIST in Kabul reports on the shooting death of a young civilian by Taliban forces and the protests, marked by anti-Taliban chants, that followed. For privacy and security reasons, we are withholding his name. The text has only been lightly edited to respect the author’s voice.

Residents of the Panjshir province in Afghanistan took to the streets Sunday after a young civilian was shot to death by Taliban forces. A number of women participated in the protests as they continued on to Monday. The protestors and the family of the deceased young man have urged the Taliban to find the perpetrators and bring them to justice.

The young man’s mother stated in a video that her son was a civilian with no ties to the former government’s military. Another video posted on social media showed a group of women protesting alongside the men, one of whom was giving a speech to a gathering of the other women. In her speech, the woman said that although the Taliban announced a general amnesty, no one in Panjshir or any other province was safe from Taliban.

There have been several reports in the last five months of the Taliban arresting and killing young men. Additionally, several reports regarding illegal searches, arrests and other killings by the Taliban have surfaced from UN agencies, Human Rights Watch, and the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission. The Taliban is yet to provide a convincing response to the allegations in these reports.

As to this specific killing in Panjshir province, the Taliban stated that an investigation has been launched, but I am skeptical that these words will lead us anywhere. The Taliban has made a lot of similar commitments in the past but they are yet to take any action against their own.

 

UN rights expert calls for investigation of civilian killings in Myanmar

Amala Govindarajan | School of Law Christ U., IN

DECEMBER 27, 2021 

The UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths issued a statement Sunday calling Myanmar authorities to investigate a reported attack against civilians in the state of Kayah on Friday.

Griffiths confirmed that the reports of the killings of at least 35 civilians, including at least one child, were credible. The victims were allegedly forced from their vehicles, killed, and then burned. Two humanitarian workers from Save the Children were also caught up in the incident while returning from a nearby community and remain missing.

Myanmar is presently under the control of the military junta, which overthrew the democratically elected government of former leader Aung San Suu Kyi by a coup d’état in February 2021. Human Rights Watch claims that the military and police authorities in Myanmar have killed over 1,300 people and detained 10,000 more since the coup.

Griffiths condemned the incident and all other attacks on civilians in the country, “which are prohibited under international humanitarian law.” He asked the authorities in Myanmar to immediately commence a thorough and transparent investigation into the incident and take all measures to protect civilians.

Myanmar state media reported that the Myanmar army had shot and killed an unspecified number of “terrorists with weapons” who were in vehicles and had not stopped for the military. State media did not mention anything about civilian deaths.

Both the UN and Save the Children have expressed their commitment to continue providing help in the country.

 

Environmentalists warn over oil and gas ‘consultation’

by Agency Reporter | Dec 28, 2021 | Briefing

THE UK GOVERNMENT has announced a new consultation on its ‘Climate Compatibility Checkpoint’ which will assess the impact of future offshore oil and gas developments on the climate crisis.

Friends of the Earth warns the new mechanism is unfit for purpose, because it will fail to stop new climate-wrecking projects being approved.

Under the plans launched on 20 December 2021, only new licensing rounds for offshore oil and gas will be assessed using the checkpoint. However, projects that have so far been licensed but not yet approved for development will not be considered. This goes against the checkpoint’s aim of ensuring the UK complies with global efforts to curb climate breakdown.

In October, Friends of the Earth revealed that 30 licensed offshore projects were expected to receive a decision on development consent before 2025. Collectively, these developments are projected to emit around a billion tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent if given the green light. However, as part of the new process outlined by the government today, they do not qualify for assessment. This is in spite of the overwhelming scientific evidence that no new oil and gas developments can be approved if global heating is to be limited to 1.5 degrees.

Reacting to the announcement, Danny Gross, climate campaigner at Friends of the Earth, said: “The idea that a new oil or gas project can ever be ‘climate compatible’ is pure fantasy. Scientists have told us repeatedly that approving new developments is inconsistent with limiting global heating to 1.5. Yet our leaders continue to say one thing and do another, with puffed-up announcements that offer little on close inspection.

“If this new checkpoint leaves the door open to future oil and gas licenses, the UK will fall catastrophically behind on climate and importantly, phasing out fossil fuels. Considering the government holds the COP presidency until late next year, the coming months are ripe with opportunity for the UK to set a good example. This approach is half-baked and undermines the UK’s climate credibility.”

By introducing the new checkpoint, the UK remains ineligible to join a new coalition called the Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance (BOGA) as a full member. Launched at last month’s climate talks, the coalition includes Ireland and Wales as members. To join as a full member, the UK would be required to make a commitment to end all new licensing rounds, as well as phase out oil and gas production in line with the Paris Agreement.

The government is also consulting on whether to include a test to assess the ‘end-use’ emissions caused by potential new sites. ‘End-use’ refers to the emissions created when the oil and gas is burned. It is vital that the government includes this test as part of the checkpoint.

The consultation on the Climate Compatibility Checkpoint is scheduled to last until 28 February 2022.

* Read and respond to the Consultation here.

* Source: Friends of the Earth

 

International community must hold Israel to account for occupation

by Agency Reporter | Dec 27, 2021 | Briefing

THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY must hold Israel to account for its 54-year occupation of Palestine, a UN human rights expert said on 23 December 2021, five years after the UN Security Council passed a resolution calling for an end to all settlement activities in Palestinian territories.

“On the fifth anniversary of the adoption of Resolution 2334 by the United Nations Security Council, the international community has to take its own words and its own laws seriously,” said Michael Lynk, the UN Special Rapporteur for the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967.

“Without decisive international intervention to impose accountability upon an unaccountable occupation, there is no hope that the Palestinian right to self-determination and an end to the conflict will be realized anytime in the foreseeable future”, Lynk said.

Resolution 2334, adopted by the Security Council on 23 December 2016, stated that Israeli settlements constitute “a flagrant violation under international law” and said that all settlement activities in the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem, must “immediately and completely cease.”

The resolution said the expansion of settlements threatens the viability of a two-State solution and international law must govern the occupation and the relations between Israel and the Palestinians. It also called on States to distinguish between the territory of the State of Israel and the territories Israel has occupied since 1967.

“If this resolution had been actually enforced by the international community, and obeyed by Israel, we would most likely be on the verge of a just and lasting peace”, the Special Rapporteur said. “Instead, Israel is in defiance of the resolution, its occupation is more entrenched than ever, the violence it employs against the Palestinians to sustain the occupation is rising, and the international community has no strategy to end the world’s longest military occupation.”

The Special Rapporteur noted that “in the 20 reports delivered to the Security Council since the Resolution was adopted, the Secretary-General or his representative have stated on each occasion that Israel has not complied with any of the directions of the Security Council,” Lynk said. “Is it not clear by now that the Israeli political leadership has no interest, and no incentive, to end the occupation?”

“One statistic above all illustrates the remarkable unwillingness of the international community to enforce its own directions respecting the Israeli occupation”, the UN expert said. “In 2016, when Resolution 2334 was adopted, there were an estimated 400,000 Israeli settlers in the West Bank and 218,000 in East Jerusalem. Five years later, there are 475,000 settlers in the West Bank and 230,000 in East Jerusalem, an increase of 12 per cent. This dynamic reality on the ground is racing far ahead of the international community’s tepid criticism of Israel’s unlawful conduct.”

The Special Rapporteur called upon the international community to develop a rights-based approach to Middle East peace-making, and to employ the plentiful tools of accountability measures to bring Israel back into compliance with international law.

“Only an approach based on accountability, equality and full rights for all can create the possibility of a prosperous and shared future for Palestinians and Israelis alike.”

* Source: Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights

At the same time, the Federation Council declares that the Russian Federation has no intentions to conduct a military operation against Ukraine

28 December 2021


Konstantin Kosachev, Russian diplomat
Kommersant

Deputy Speaker of the Federation Council Konstantin Kosachev said that Russia does not intend to initiate a military operation against Ukraine, but has the right to promptly use its armed forces to protect Russian citizens abroad in the event of an attack on them as Interfax reported.

"No, and again no, Russia is not hatching plans of its own free will to carry out a military operation against Ukraine," Kosachev said.

In his opinion, there is no point in conducting "some kind of proactive military operation against Ukraine."

“Russia has never attacked anyone first. I think that this will not happen in the future,” the senator said.

Related: Level of threat increased: Ukraine’s Foreign Minister about risk of full-scale Russian invasion

At the same time, he noted, Russia sees how the situation around Donbas is escalating, "how Ukraine is being pushed to try to solve the problems of the South-East by military means."

According to him, one of the grounds on which the Russian Armed Forces can be operatively used abroad is the "protection of Russian citizens" outside its territory in the event of an armed attack on them.

On December 25, more than 10,000 Russian troops were returning to their permanent bases after month-long drills near Ukraine.

At the same time, Bloomberg reported that Russia keeps on amassing the military forces next to the Ukrainian border. According to this data, in November, the Russian command brought tanks, artillery and anti-aircraft defense units to the regions adjacent to the border with Ukraine.

A Resurgent MbS Hits Back at Biden With Oil Prices


by Sami Hamdi | Dec 28, 2021

With soaring oil prices, rapprochement with European capitals, and the regional diplomatic tide turning in his favor, an emboldened MbS is increasingly confident he can force Biden to acknowledge him.

Gasoline prices displayed at a station in Huntingdon Valley, PA, Nov. 17, 2021. (AP Photo Matt Rourke)

When it became clear that Trump would not win a second term, there was deep consternation in Riyadh. His successor Joe Biden had been vocal in his criticism of Saudi Crown Prince Mohamed Bin Salman (MbS) and had vowed to take a tougher stance on his human rights abuses. There were also promises that a CIA report on the murder of Jamal Khashoggi would be released.

Such was the discomfort in Riyadh that MbS decided to swiftly end the blockade on Qatar that had been imposed in 2017 and drag his bewildered allies in Abu Dhabi, Cairo, and Manama into a reconciliation process with Doha. Qatar’s Emir Tamim was welcomed in Saudi Arabia’s Al-Ula with pomp and exuberance as MbS sought to temper Qatar’s relentless media coverage of his transgressions which could further exacerbate tensions with Biden.

Joe Biden had been vocal in his criticism of MbS and had vowed to take a tougher stance on his human rights abuses.

Saudi officials also put out exaggerated statements of praise for the US President as Riyadh braced for a difficult period in bilateral relations. But Biden went on to humiliate MbS regardless by releasing a damning CIA report that concluded the Crown Prince had ordered Khashoggi’s capture and murder. He then announced that he would only communicate with King Salman as the head of state, and not the Crown Prince, even though the latter is the de facto ruler.

Biden’s disdain for MbS was so pronounced that even US policy on Yemen has centered on pressuring Riyadh instead of the Houthis who toppled the internationally recognized government in their seventh armed attempt at seizing the country by force.

Biden announced an end to US support for Saudi Arabia’s military campaign. Worse for Riyadh was the withdrawal of US anti-missile installations that was then compounded by a US reluctance to deliver what the Saudis insisted were much-needed Patriot missile defense systems to counter the Houthis’ relentless targeting of key facilities within Saudi territory.

Biden has also steamrolled Riyadh in his pursuit of a new nuclear deal with Iran. Despite protestations that a deal would entrench Iran’s proxy militias in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, and Yemen, the Biden administration has insisted that allies must fall in line. Not even Tel Aviv has been able to dissuade Biden from his course. Riyadh has therefore found itself begrudgingly forced to engage in talks with Tehran knowing full well that the Iranians will cede nothing.

The deterioration in relations between Washington and Riyadh was so evident that an article entitled: “Saudi-US Relations: Divorce or Reconciliation?” was published in the kingdom’s largest domestic newspaper on September 12. The column argued that Washington was misguided in believing that it could deprioritize its relations with the kingdom and rely instead on smaller Gulf states to facilitate US interests.

Biden’s behavior has infuriated and frustrated Riyadh even as European capitals are believed to have privately expressed interest in the Crown Prince’s reforms and his Public Investment Fund. However, they have been hesitant to proceed due to reputational issues and decided to wait until the public scrutiny eases.

The view in Riyadh is that the longer Biden continues to express scorn and disrespect, the longer it will take for a constructive environment that is conducive for European capitals to move publicly.

Yet, MbS has been unable to push back against Biden due to the absence of any leverage. Instead, Riyadh has had to settle for an awkward policy of appeasement, carefully ensuring that it is not seen to be hampering Biden’s aims in the region.

Washington still needs Riyadh, and the latter remains indispensable however much Biden might wish otherwise.

That has all changed recently with the dramatic surge in oil prices. As COVID restrictions have eased globally, oil demand has soared. For the US, this means gas prices at the pump have increased around 40% since Joe Biden’s inauguration. Suddenly, his administration begins to reckon with a jarring reality: Washington still needs Riyadh, and the latter remains indispensable however much Biden might wish otherwise.

The shift in the Biden administration’s attitudes became more evident when Biden sent his National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan to Riyadh in September. In October, Biden’s Climate Adviser John Kerry publicly praised MbS’s hosting of a Climate Change summit after personally meeting with the Crown Prince.

Yet, these visits appeared to do little to abate the disgruntlement and anger in Riyadh at Biden’s cold shoulder. An emboldened MbS refused to boost production in order to bring down oil prices. Biden’s frustration with MbS’s stubbornness was clear when he remarked at the G20 summit in Rome that: “The idea that Russia and Saudi Arabia and other major producers are not going to pump more oil so people can have gasoline to get to and from work, for example, is not right.”

Biden is aware of what MbS wants in exchange for concessions on oil production. In late October, Biden stated frankly in a townhall meeting that “there are a lot of Middle Eastern folks who want to talk to me… I’m not sure I’m going to talk to them.” Yet, in the same statement, Biden also acknowledged that negotiations were ongoing on the issues of oil prices and production output, thereby implicitly confirming the US President’s active attempts to convince the Crown Prince to raise production.

Biden appears adamant not to communicate directly with MbS as he is wary of alienating his voter base and his party.

Biden appears adamant that he does not want to communicate directly with MbS as he is wary of alienating many in his voter base and his own party. Indeed, the Democrats feel strongly about US relations with human rights abusers and are keen not to draw any comparisons between their party and the former Trump administration.

Biden’s decision not to sanction MbS after the release of the CIA report that indicted the Crown Prince in the murder of Khashoggi was evidence of Biden’s attempt to tread the fine line between maintaining a working relationship with US allies while upholding the image of the US as a defender of human rights.

Such is Biden’s insistence on not being seen to publicly associate with MbS that in late November, he announced that the US would release some of its domestic oil reserves into the market. In other words, Biden would rather tap into US reserves than yield to MbS’ demand for a direct conversation. However, the impact of these reserves on oil prices has been negligible and emphasizes just how important MbS remains to the oil markets and, for the time being, to the US economy.

From MbS’s perspective, Biden is clearly buckling as he continues to send high-level delegations to Riyadh that are pleading for Saudi assistance on oil prices and output. More importantly, Biden’s own Western allies are less inclined to follow his lead on isolating MbS.

The UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson sent his Foreign Secretary Liz Truss to Riyadh to convey UK sentiments that they were prepared to engage with the Crown Prince on bilateral issues relating to investments and security.

French President Emmanuel Macron became the first Western Head of State since the Khashoggi murder to visit MbS personally in Riyadh on a state visit as he sought to capitalize on regional discontent with Washington to advance French interests.

A beleaguered Turkish President Erdogan is chasing reconciliation and exerting strenuous efforts to woo a cold Riyadh into a rapprochement that might help enhance market sentiment towards Turkey. Ties with Oman are improving rapidly while Qatar appears very receptive to expanding ties.

Lebanon’s minister for media George Kardahi, who criticized Saudi Arabia’s conduct in the war in Yemen, has been forced to resign and MbS has succeeded in rallying Gulf states to his side on the issue.

MbS’ stubbornness is not solely due to a desire to spite Biden for his open antagonism.

Yet, MbS’ stubbornness is not solely due to a desire to spite Biden for his open antagonism. There is also a sense in Riyadh that the kingdom has been forced far too many times over the last decade to sacrifice its economic and oil interests for the sake of an insincere ally in Washington. US attempts to advance its shale oil industry in the past, and its propensity to take advantage of OPEC production cuts by pumping more of its own oil to incrementally acquire more market share have incensed OPEC states.

Moreover, there are legitimate economic arguments for Saudi Arabia to resist the pressure from Biden. Riyadh is seeking to rapidly diversify its economy by introducing a number of mega projects that require significant financing. With the stuttering in foreign direct investment caused predominantly by reputational damage and exacerbated by Biden himself, the rise in oil price provides much-needed relief to the kingdom’s treasury and restores to some extent a financial buffer that has been battered over the past decade by low oil prices.

With the windfall from the surge in oil prices, there is the potential to cushion the more painful aspects of diversification that are already causing concern among ordinary Saudis, and to soften the blow from the emergency measures taken in 2020 that included large amounts of borrowing and tax hikes to counter the crash in oil price.

Still, this does not mean MbS is averse to increasing production to ease Biden’s economic woes. However, the Crown Prince’s condition is clear. MbS wants Biden to publicly acknowledge and recognize him and speak to him personally for the world to see. If the history of US pragmatism suggests anything, it is that this could well happen soon regardless of how Biden might feel about it. The US President may soon conclude that elections are inevitably won over the economy, and never over foreign policy.



ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Sami Hamdi  is the Editor-in-Chief of the International Interest, an experienced foreign policy adviser, and seasoned consultant who has advised governments and global companies on the geopolitical dynamics in the Middle East. @SALHACHIMI

Saudi Arabia Hires Greg Norman to “Sports Wash” its Human Rights Record

Opinion
by CJ Werleman | Nov 17, 2021


For years the Saudi government has tried without luck to lure an international golf star to whitewash its human rights violations. It has now landed Greg Norman, also known as the Great White Shark.

Greg Norman, of Australia, at the PNC Championship golf tournament on Dec. 20, 2020, in Orlando, Fla. Norman is heading up a Saudi-backed company that plans 10 new tournaments on the Asian Tour to attract top players. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack, File)

When Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud handed his then 30-year-old son Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MbS) the day-to-day rule of the country in 2015, the young ruler hired global polling firms to survey Americans and Europeans about their perceptions of Saudi Arabia, according to the authors of Blood and Oil: Mohammed bin Salman’s Ruthless Quest for Global Power.

Unsurprisingly, the country’s human rights abuses of political opponents, women, and religious and sexual minorities ranked at the top of the list, a track record Amnesty International describes as “heinous.”

To change these perceptions, or rather to divert global attention away from its appalling human rights record and toward the country’s burgeoning non-oil related industries, particularly tourism and technology, MbS implemented a raft of national rebranding initiatives, including the hosting of major sporting events, in particular, professional golf’s Asian Tour.


For years, the Saudi government has failed in its quest to sign a global name to act as front man for its international golfing tournaments.

For years, the Saudi government has tried to lure marquee professional golfers to whitewash its abuse and mistreatment of critics, political prisoners, religious and sexual minorities, and women. But for years, the Saudi government has failed in its quest to sign a global name to act as front man for its international golfing tournaments.

[Controversial Saudi-led Takeover of Newcastle United Finally Completed]

[The Magpie Prince: Why Does MbS Want to Buy Newcastle United?]

“There’s a morality to it,” said golfing superstar Rory McIlroy, a four-time major championship winner, in reference to the kingdom’s human rights violations regarding his decision to reject a $2.5 million offer to play in the Saudi International two years ago. Tiger Woods also snubbed a record $3.3 million to play in the country a year later, citing the grisly murder and dismemberment of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in 2018.

Now, Saudi perseverance has finally paid off with LIV Golf Investments, a subsidiary of Saudi government-run Private Investment Fund (PIF), naming former world number one golf champion Greg Norman, aka the Great White Shark, as its new CEO and front man for the recently announced ten-tournament series on the Asian Tour, starting next year.

Norman described the $200 million in prize money over the next ten years as “only the beginning,” amid credible rumors he will also become the commissioner of a new Saudi-funded breakaway golf league.

When Golf Digest asked Norman if he had “any concerns as to where the money is coming from, and specifically the Saudi Arabian connection,” he said that while PIF is the majority investor, “they’re very autonomous…and passionate about the game of golf.”

This, of course, is total nonsense.

MbS is not only the chairman of PIF, but he is also the de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia, making PIF the total opposite of “autonomous.”

MbS is not only the chairman of PIF, but he is also the de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia, making PIF the total opposite of “autonomous.” It operates at the direction and whims of MbS, the man who ordered the killing of Khashoggi, along with the perpetual jailing and torturing of those who critique him.

None of this perturbs Norman, however, who dismissed human rights concerns in the kingdom by absurdly pointing out that he has been “going to Saudi Arabia for three years” and made his decision only after he “knew what was happening in the country.”

In other words, Norman claims to know more about human rights abuses in Saudi Arabia than Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and the Human Rights Measurement Initiative (HRMI), which earlier this year ranked the country as “one of the world’s worst abusers of human rights” because of its poor record on torture, execution, extrajudicial killing, disappearance, arbitrary arrest, and the death penalty.

“The data collected by [HRMI] perfectly illustrates the deteriorating human rights situation in Saudi Arabia,” said Julia Legner, head of advocacy at London-based NGO Al-Qst, in a recent interview.

“Ever since Mohammed bin Salman became crown prince in 2017, he has centralized state power and tightened his grip on the most fundamental rights, with the largest crackdown on freedom of expression in the country’s history [and] wide-scale prosecution of human rights defenders.”

Norman claims that he has visited Saudi Arabia several times during the past three years to play golf and design golf courses, and as he observes, “You walk into a restaurant and there are women. They’re not wearing burqas – they’re out playing golf.”

Norman’s statements are extremely insensitive to the many Saudi citizens who have fought tirelessly for justice and equality under the country’s repressive rule, which is why Amnesty International’s UK chief executive, Sacha Deshmukh, did not hold back in condemning Norman’s selfish decision and reckless comments.

“Golfers tempted to play in these tournaments ought to take the time to consider the dynamics of sportswashing.”

“Whether or not this is the harbinger of a future Saudi-backed Golf Super League, it’s yet another example of Saudi Arabia spraying its money around in an attempt to sportswash its appalling human rights record,” said Deshmukh. “Golfers tempted to play in these tournaments ought to take the time to consider the dynamics of sportswashing and how they might break its spell by speaking out about human rights abuses in Saudi Arabia.”

But Norman does not care. Moreover, his callous indifference towards the marginalized and downtrodden does not surprise long time followers of the Australian golfer. Former Australian Rugby Union player Peter Fitzsimmons described the Great White Shark as not only the “world’s number one narcissist” but also his own “biggest fan,” pointing out how the golfer recently encouraged his fans to post a 1,000 word essay on his website, describing their love for him.

After all, this is a man who spends his days boasting about his yachts, private jets, and access to US Presidents, including Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Donald Trump, while posting semi-naked pictures of himself on Instagram.

Norman’s glorification of self is why he is incapable of understanding or sympathizing with the suffering and misery of others, explaining his willingness to whitewash and misrepresent the crimes of one of the world’s worst human rights violators in return for money his already overflowing bank accounts do not need. In other words, greed over principles is unquestionably what Norman stands for.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

CJ Werleman is a journalist, published author, political commentator, analyst on conflict and terrorism, and activist who has dedicated his career to exposing discrimination and injustices against Muslim communities around the world. @cjwerleman

Don’t Call Me An Anti-Semite
Opinion


by CJ Werleman | Dec 16, 2021

Columnist CJ Werleman discusses the difficulties pro-Palestinian journalists and activists face when they are falsely labeled “anti-Semitic,” and explains why he intends to fight back.

Activists react outside a meeting of the Labour National Executive Committee in London, September 4, 2018. (Credit Stefan Rousseau/PA via AP)

Having devoted the past 12 years of my career to exposing and countering Islamophobia, an effort that has included the publication of hundreds of articles and podcast episodes, it’s reasonable to conclude that I have a sharp eye for how racist bigotry looks, sounds, and feels.

More than that, I was once a bigot, having expressed a crude form of online racism toward Muslims for four years after witnessing a twin suicide bombing carried out by an al-Qaida affiliate in Indonesia in 2005. I have written and spoken about the period in which I lost my moral bearings too many times to count.

My journalism serves to warn others from taking a similar mistaken path, and along the way, I have exposed human rights violations against persecuted Muslim communities in China, Myanmar, Kashmir, India, Syria, Yemen, Afghanistan, Israel, and Palestine.

My work has made me a target of governments that persecute Muslim minorities, along with special interest groups that do their bidding.

My work has made me a target of governments that persecute Muslim minorities, along with special interest groups that do their bidding. China’s foreign secretary has accused me of peddling “groundless anti-China propaganda.” A powerful businessman in the United Arab Emirates encouraged me to “commit suicide.” The Indian government is investigating me under a draconian anti-terror law, and in February 2016, when covering a Netanyahu speech in Tel Aviv, I was removed and told by Israel’s Shin Bet (Israel’s FBI) that I had been banned from reentering the country.

I’m old enough to accept that this comes with the territory, and I view these threats and responses as evidence that my punches are landing where metaphorical upper cuts and left hooks are most needed.

That said, there is one line of attack I’m unwilling to accept as part-and-parcel of the job, and it’s one that’s routinely thrown at those who dare to criticize the state of Israel: being falsely labeled an anti-Semite, a charge that was hurled at me most recently by the right-wing, US-based publication Twitchy on November 24.

“Look, we get that journalist and ‘activist against Islamophobia’ CJ Werleman hates Jews and Israel, but we figured that even dedicated anti-Semites still understood that the Taliban is bad,” reads the Twitchy article. This was in response to a tweet I posted that day that was meant to be a back-handed compliment directed at the Taliban for promising to protect the rights of Hindus, Sikhs, and Shia Muslims.

[EU-Funded Report on Palestinian Textbooks Refutes Israeli Claims of Antisemitism]

[Israel Holds No Space for Palestinian Rights Organizations]

In no way, could my tweet or anything I have ever said or written previously be accurately construed as hatred of the Jewish people, and I make this solemn and unambiguous declaration:

I, CJ Werleman, have never uttered or written a single word or sentence that could be accurately misconstrued as anti-Semitism or hatred towards Judaism or the Jewish people!

I have strongly condemned Israel’s violations of international and human rights law,

I have, however, strongly condemned Israel’s violations of international and human rights law, and what I see as the racist, ethnonationalist movement of Zionism.

This reality has not stopped pro-Israel groups from cynically and menacingly trying to make Zionism indistinguishable from the Jewish people, despite Zionism being rejected by some orthodox rabbis and an increasing number of Jewish Americans.

Pro-Israel groups have weaponized charges of anti-Semitism to delegitimize and silence pro-Palestinian activists and human rights defenders. This is highly effective because it harms reputations and causes emotional distress to the intended targets, including me.

I can live with being falsely and absurdly smeared a “terrorist sympathizer” or “Hamas defender” by pro-Israel publications, including Australia’s national broadsheet newspaper The Australian, but I will not tolerate being labeled an anti-Semite when most of my emotional, professional, and spiritual energy is spent combatting racism and bigotry in all its forms.

So, for the first time, I have sought legal counsel to explore my avenues for striking back. What I discovered is just how much pro-Israel groups and publications hold the upper hand in defaming their targets with bogus charges of anti-Semitism.

Given the baselessness of Twitchy’s accusation against me, and the sheer size of its parent company, the Nasdaq-listed Salem Media Group, my potential libel case could be “actionable and warrant damages,” according to Australian lawyer Moustafa Awad.



But the path to exacting said “damages” from the company is no easy journey, particularly for a journalist like me who lives paycheck to paycheck. A case like this would likely run up legal costs in excess of $200,000 – resources I do not possess.

The second challenge is the U.S. legal system, which grants extraordinary protection to publications under the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and tends to support the premise that mere criticism of Israel renders an individual an anti-Semite by default.

Critics of Saudi Arabia are not labeled “Islamophobic,” so why should those who question Israeli governance be smeared as anti-Semitic?

Criticism of the U.S. government is not conflated with anti-Christianity, and critics of Saudi Arabia are not labeled “Islamophobic,” so why should those who question Israeli governance be smeared as anti-Semitic?

Awad said I have “no chance of vindicating these types of [defamation] allegations” in the United States, but he suggested I might have a stronger case in Australia, where a recent libel settlement untangled criticism of Israel from anti-Semitism.

“The core of your case will be allegations that you are an “anti-Semite” and “Jew hater,” Awad said. “The current stance in Australia is that those allegations are actionable and warrant damages.”

Earlier this year, former Australian parliamentarian Melissa Parke successfully settled her libel case against Australia-Israel & Jewish Affairs Council Executive Director Colin Rubenstein.

Ms. Parke, who not only worked with the United Nations as a lawyer from 1999 until her move into politics but also oversaw humanitarian efforts in Gaza and Beirut, was slandered by Rubenstein as an “anti-Semite” after she condemned the Israeli military for abusing a pregnant Palestinian woman at a checkpoint.

As part of the settlement, Rubenstein stated that he had not intended to attack Parke personally and that he regretted that his comments caused her distress. The Rupert Murdoch-owned Herald Sun, meanwhile, issued a formal apology to Parke last year over the same matter.

“Her settlement was a great win for the pro-Palestinian camp against pro-Israel groups,” Awad said.

Yet, this outcome represents an all-too-rare victory in the effort to protect political leaders, journalists, and activists against scurrilous and damaging accusations of anti-Semitism from pro-Israel groups and publications.

Ultimately, while anti-Semitism is a real and pernicious form of racism, Parke’s settlement demonstrates that condemnation of Israel’s human rights violations against the Palestinians does not make one an anti-Semite.

In response to similar libelous statements by Twitchy about me, I am pursuing all my legal options. Enough is enough!