Portside

The long-standing bipartisan support for Israel even as it continues to flout international law and undermine the possibility for peace has long been an anomaly in U.S. politics. That’s why those of us who have long advocated change in U.S. policy towards Israel see the growing backlash against the speech as a hopeful sign.

The political calculation by House Speaker John Boehner and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu that they would reap dividends from a speech to a joint session of Congress is getting an unprecedented rebuff from both representatives and senators.

Jamal Zahalka, Chairman of the Balad party (and Knesset member) says that unification of Israel's Arab parties is nothing short of historic - both in Israel and the Arab world: `There has never been unity between the communists, nationalists and Islamists.' In an interview, Zahalka talks about his party's appeal to Jewish voters, why the Joint List won't join an Israeli government and what compromises he is willing to make to end the occupation.

Reader Comments- Sports, NFL, Tax Subsidy; Unions Today; Domestic Worker Organizing; Students Against Sweatshops; Greece, Germany & the EU; TPP; Israel, Iran, Iraq; Keystone XL; Cuba; Ukraine; Selma; American Sniper; Resource: Where Do We Go from Here? Mass Incarceration and the Struggle for Civil Rights; After the Greek Elections New York forum- Feb 6 - new location Hold the Date- Fighting Corruption in America and Abroad - Fordham Law School - New York - Mar 6

The summer of 2014, when Israel bombarded the Gaza Strip killing well over 2,000 people, was marked with a heavy sense of helplessness for Palestinians around the world. Palestinian American writer and filmmaker Hadeel Assali remembers the summer of 2014 and the making of her short film, Shuja'iyah: Land of the Brave, to shed light on the humanity and nuance of of Palestinian people and stories.

A revelatory look at how a unique border-crossing set of partnerships among Israel’s high-tech companies (many involved in developing border wall technology in their own land), an Arizona tech park, and Mexican low-wage factories is intent on creating a “virtual wall” to shut down and militarize the U.S.-Mexican border.

Reader Comments - Boehner, Netanyahu, Israel and Iran; Labor in the 21st Century; Public School Poverty; Billie Holiday; Pete Seeger; The New Europe - SYRIZA and Podemos; 'American Sniper'; Social Security; Agent Orange; Ukraine; Martin Luther - Militant Radical for Our Times; more... Resource: Energy Democracy in Greece; Announcements (New York)- Sri Lanka Killing Fields documentary; Anniversary of Malcolm X Assassination

Reader Comments- Jobs and Higher Wages; Boehner, Netanyahu, Israel, Iran; Martin Luter King - radical anti-capitalist; Charlie Hebdo - racism, nationalism, free speech; Broken Criminal Justice system; Social Security, Disability; Erosion of Collective Bargaining = Income Inequality; Podemos; Solidarity Forever; Selma; Guantanamo protest; Roe v. Wade Anniversary; Announcements- Forums- Ending the Embargo of Cuba; After The Greek Elections; March Delegation to Venezuela

Reader Comments - NAACP Bombing; Ferguson Grand Jury; Charlie Hebdo and the Religious Right; Ukraine, Russia and Nazi Revival; TPP Power Grab; 2014 Worker Victories; NYPD Insubordination = Drop in Crime; Thomas Piketty; Selma,Martin Luther King, LBJ and Reality; Gap Between Productivity and Pay; BDS, Palestine and Israel; Cheap Gas; Announcements - Cuba Five Book Signing; New Resource - Greece, Golden Dawn and Fascism

Koch Industries' Mysterious Swiss Bank. Black and White in the War on Drugs. The Courage of Stuart Scott. Why Are There No Women in The Hobbit? Jerusalem's Most Contested Neighborhood.