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This was an orientation lecture in my course on Religion and Politics in 2020. It does have a few of those classroom comments ("don't forget to turn in your papers" sort of things), but otherwise it has quite a bit of information about sometimes confusing topics. 

Don't forget to check out my recent podcasts on Leo XIII and my own candidacy for pope.  I did not get the nod but you can see that I raised the right issues (and maybe even influenced the outcome).  

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Are you interested in why the new pope took the name of an old pope?  Is he sending us a message?  

Leo XIII was a modernizing pope whose most famous encyclical (1891) was called Rerum Novarum (New Things).  This is a class lecture that I delivered on that encyclical.  I discussed key passages and why it was so important. 

ps.  Don't miss my last podcast on why I am running for pope.  It is not what you might think.  Perhaps it should have been named "Things I would like to see in a Pope." 

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Back in 2013, when Pope Benedict stepped down, I was concerned for the future of the Church and threw my hat into the ring.  I am not sure how many votes I got but the vigorous insistence of the Vatican that they had never heard of me convinced me that my impact was real.  There were even rumors that my candidacy had been received better than some had expected.  At that point I thought my religious career was over but when I heard that President Trump had declared himself a candidate I reconsidered and decided to enter the race.  (Trump: "I would like to be Pope.  That would be my number one choice."  He also endorsed Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York). 

Here is my statement of my reasoning and also a report on my 2013 declaration. 

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This is a duplicate n interview with Adel Bsesio regarding the Bsesio family deeds and documents, now an archive.  

This family had extensive holdings in southern Palestine that were confiscated by the Israelis in 1948.  They are now housed in an archive avilable at the Columbia University library.  

This is a fascinating story. 

Sorry I posted this twice. 

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My former student, Amine Zreikh, contacted me about an archive of deeds from pre-1948 Palestine, and the effort to create a site where those could be stored.  I conducted three interviews on this project.  One with Zreikh and two are with Adel Bsesio, the custodian  of those documents.  He tells how he created the site and how researchers and other interested people can have access to them.  

This is interview ONE of THREE.  

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This is interview three on this remarkable project.  The frist interview was with Amine Zreikh who made me familiar with this historical cache of documents -- deeds, maps, contracts, etc.  Adel Bsesio is the posessor of his family archive.  It is now in an archive in Columbia University, universally accessible to anyone who wants to use it for research or educational purposes. 

This interview focuses upon the archive itself, and the rich store of materials that it holds. 

This was made as a zoom interview with images and illustrations of the archive and how to use it.  Unfortunately neither my podcast site nor the Columbia University archive are able to post the video part. 

If you have a compelling wish to see the zoom interview, send me an email and I will forward it to you.  Please identify yourself in the email so I will know you are not a bot. 

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Just after being released from the hospital, where he nearly died, the Pope issues a pastoral letter to the American Bishops.  He urged them to focus upon Christian principles, and to support immigrants as they face the actions of the Trump administration (which they did not identify by name).  He said that a policy not rooted in proper values will start badly and end badly. 

This is a short letter, just 2 and 1/2 pages long.  I offer some explanatory comments along the way. 

I hope you find this of interest.  As the pope says, the issue of immigrants and refugees is a historic point in history. 

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There is a new book on the bombing of the Marine Barracks in Beirut in 1983.  241 people were killed as they slept.  It was the greatest single-day death toll for the Marines since Iwo Jima.  The decision to put these Marines in Lebanon in the middle of a civil war was veery controversial.  The Joint Chiefs and the National Security Council were on opposite sides.  

 Jane and I attended a talk on this incident by the author of the book.  I was able to ask a question which was really me quoting myself as I discussed this incident with the Naval reserve unit in Detroit just after the bombing.  I asked the author to assess my words to them.  If you are interested in Lebanon or  this incident, or U.S. involvement in this conflict you might find this podcast of interest. 

Sorry I was not able to attach the music. 

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This is an IDF assessment of what happened on October 7, 2023, what went wrong, and why.  It is a military report, not a political assessment, but it is very interesting. 

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My colleagues and I held a Faculty Forum when the Ukraine War started.  It was done soon after Russia grabbed some  provinces and the Crimean peninsula in 2014.  This is my contribution.  I listened to it when the current war started and found it still worth the time. 

With the current confrontation, and the Trump shift towards Russia, it may be of interest to see some of the long-term issues. 

This was reposted once before, about a year or so ago, but people found it useful.  Perhaps you will also. 

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President Trump has proposed annexing Gaza, clearing it of Palestinians, and turning it into a resort area. 

He seems to be deadly serious. 

This is a discussion of what would be involved in such a development. 

Note:  There was a slight disconnect with the sound.  After the introductory music, you may have to turn up your volume.  

Also a Glitch:  When I was discussing a public opinion poll 15 or 20 minutes into the podcast, I said 46 to 31 when I meant to say 46 to 43. 

Just as I think the Gaza war brought down the Biden to Harris handoff (see my earlier podcast), I think pursuing this bizarre scheme could smash the Trump presidency.  Wouldn't that be interesting, two presidencies brought down by the same  Israeli-Palestinian War. 

I hope you find this of interest. 

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After struggling for three months to try to figure out why Kamala lost to Trump, I finally figured it out.  Is this explanation too simple, or is it exactly on target?  If you are willing to devote 20 some minutes of you life, you can judge for yourself.  

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The Mara-Lago Classified Documents Case seemed to me to be the strongest of all the cases against Trump.  Those were highly sensitive documents.  Some were so sensitive that even their classifications were classified.  As a private citizen Trump had no right to any of those.  Moreover, he had tried to hide them, had urged others to deny they were there, and and had lied to the FBI when they came to collect them. 

In late January, 2025, the new Trump administration dropped all further actions on this case.   Eileen Cannon, the incompetent and highly partisan judge who was in charge of that case had ruled that the Justice Department was wrong in pursuing charges.    Special investigator Jack Smith had appealed against this ruling, knowing that Cannon had made kooky rulings before and had been overruled by higher judges.  Most observers though the higher courts would support Smith and reinstate the case.  By dropping all further actions, the case is now ended. 

This was the original posting I did on this case, discussing the Smith document charging Trump and his co-defendants and the logic of those charges. 

We still do not know what Trump planned to do with those documents,, which would have been of exceptional value to foreign intelligence agencies. 

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When Jimmy Carter published this book in 2006 he was subjected to a barrage of vilification.  As we look back on this book today, we might well ask ourselves, "What was the problem?"  In fact, as we looked at the book when it was published, we might ask the same question.  The problem, it seems to me,  was that Carter was challenging the pro-Israeli narrative which presented Israel as innocent, committed to peace, sharing values and interests with the U. S., and fully embracing religious freedom.  

This podcast outlines the main arguments that Carter made in his book, and why the response from Israeli support groups was so intense. 

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Jane and I were on our way from Mobile (where her family had originated) to Andersonville,  the terrible Confederate prison camp where both of us had lost relatives.  She realized that we would be very close to Plains.  Not only that, Jimmy would be teaching Sunday School that day.  We went to that service and watched a Baptist Deacon teach a lesson on the diseased woman that Jesus cured.  There were a couple of hundred people in the audience but our teacher used a traditional discussion format and managed to connect with each of us. 

When Jimmy was sent home from the hospital a year or so ago, and turned over to the care of hospice nurses, I wrote this tribute. 

Over the years Jane and I have read or listened to most of Jimmy's books.  The one that stands out is his childhood memoir, An Hour Before Daylight.  Do yourself a favor and get an audio version of that book.  It is unique.

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I have visited Syria several times, running or participating in academic programs.  These are my reflections.  

I noticed a couple of glitches along the way, but nothing that will not be obvious to you.  (If the Israelis withdrew from the Golan, they would be replaced by Syrians, not Israelis.  Sorry for that).  

Twice I discussed maps.  One was of Syria, the other of what is commonly called Greater Syria, including all of the areas controlled by the Ottomans before WWI. 

If you are not good at conceptualizing such things, you might go online to find the maps I discuss. 

Update:  A Syrian friend reminded me that I  first visited her country in 1991 rather than 1993.  Thanks to her for that helpful reminder. 

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Back in 2009 Jonathan Goldstein wrote an entertaining book entitled "Ladies and Gentlemen, The Bible!"  For those looking for orthodox teaching, it might veer a bit off base.  But for those looking for 15 minutes of entertainment, maybe you will like this.  

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This is a different type of podcast.  It is not me explaining someting to you.  It is my former student, now an immigration attorney, explaining something to me. 

Shahad Atiya has practiced law for several years.  She knows the ins and outs and how the system actually works.  Temporary Protected Status is an exceptionally important policy, relevant to people whose home country has had a sudden disaster:  maybe a war, maybe civil unrest, maybe an earthquake or hurricane that leaves the capital destroyed. Under those circumstances, if you are in the U.S. on a visa, maybe visiting or as a student, and something goes wrong back home so that returning could put you at risk, you (that is, everyone from your country) can be granted a waiver to remain here until things are stable.  This is called Temporary Protected Status. 

There are currently 17 countries that have TPS.  Shehad explains the law and policies around TPS and what the future may hold. 

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Well, I'm feeling good about StocktonAfterClass.  We just passed 60,000 downloads.  That is not many compared with media Superstars but to me it is an impressive number.  And you are from over 130 different countries.  

I am not told anything about any of you except where you live but in the past when I have had zoom sessions, I have found those who checked in to be very interesting people.  

Would you like to join us?  There is no agenda.  Whatever you want to talk about is good with me.  Maybe you want to discuss one of the previous podcasts, or maybe you just want to chat about the weather.  Whatever. 

I am guessing we would go on for an hour or so, but the last time I tried this there were some very intersting people (and talkative) and we went on longer than that.  

If you are interested you have to let me know so I can sign you in.  Please send me an email to 

rstock@Umich.edu 

And if the time comes and I have not started the meeting, please be patient.  I am a bit of a klutz where zoom stuff is concerned. 

And if you wanted to join in but are not allowed by the time the session starts, please send me an email.  I probably did something wrong. 

See you on Sunday, December 8  at 2:00.  

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In late November, 2024, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his Defense minister Gallant.  Also for one of the remaining Hamas  leaders the Israelis had not assassinated. 

This is different from the Genocide Accusation before the International Court of Justice. 

Note:  The U.S. is not a signatory of this court so we are not obligated to obey its order.  But almost all of the NATO countries ARE signatories. 

Also Note:  The Mayor of Dearborn, Michigan, where I live, has announced that if Netanyahu comes to our fair city, he will be arrested.  

That would be interesting. 

Note that this is the first time that  calculated starvation has been listed as a war crime. 

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I can hardly read this address without getting emotional.  Lincoln believed God was stretching out America's affliction because we as a nation had allowed grievous injustice in our land. Our punishment was a protracted Civil War that took 700,000 lives.  

Or to borrow from the great British song, The Streets of London

How can you tell me you're lonely
And that for you, the sun don't shine
Let me take you by the hand 
And lead you through the streets of London
I'll show you something
That'll change your mind. 


This is a reposting.  Because we may need to think of these things. 

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Bernie was a legendary professor.  He was the senior political scientist when I was hired and was beloved by his students.  Bernie was famous for his anecdotes into how the political system actually worked.  And for his jokes, one of which got him in trouble.  He had been the Comptroller of the City of Detroit under the famous Jerry Cavanaugh during the Detroit Riot of 1967.  He won the Distinguished Teaching Award in the 1980s.  He was an early victim of the pandemic. 

I could tell you more, but why not just spent 13 or so minutes listening to the full podcast. 

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This is posted October 31, 2024, just before the Presidential Election.  This is the most intense and polarizing election in my memory.  It is also the closest election since 1960 when Nixon and Kennedy went down to the wire.  I have never revealed my vote preference before, but this is not a time for caution.  

Note  This is not an endorsement but a discussion. 

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For those of you who have never had the privilege of having a Palestinian friend, this memoir will give you one.  Terry grew up in Ramalla, a famous city about 9 miles north of Jerusalem.  Hers was a life filled with parents, grandparents, sisters, and friends.  Terry was a tomboy.  How could she leave for church on Sunday morning in her sparkling dress and arrive at church, two blocks away, covered with dust?  Did it have something to do with soccet or maybe playing marbles or climbing trees?  Hers was a wonderful life for ten years until 1967 when the Israeli army arrived and everything changed.  She still remembers the seven days of bombardment with distress.  Some of her personal stories will touch you.  

By the time Terry was 14 her parents decided she was entirely too outspoken and would sooner or later end up in trouble.  They sent her to live with relatives in Livonia, Michigan. 

Terry discusses her adjustment to American society, her early steps getting into civic volunteerism, her role in resisting anti-Arab and anti-Muslim stereotyping, and finally her role as an advisor to top political leaders in the Detroit area. 

She finishes up with a discussion of how she climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro at the age of 65 to make a film on women's empowerment.  

The book is called "Keeping the Dream Alive.  My Quest for Peace and Justice."  The price is very modest, if you would like to own the book.  

Hint:  You might want to turn up the volume.  I was close to the microphone but Terry was in a chair, not so close.  

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Several students and friends asked me to discuss Hezbollah.  I did not feel I was the best person to do this, but agreed to share what insights I had.  I hope you find this podcast useful.  

I have a Hezbollah flag in my attic.  A student gave it to me in 2000 when Hezbollah, under the leadership of Hasan Nasrallah,  beat the IDF after  a deadly 18 year-long fist fight.   It was the first time that an Arab army had beaten the IDF.  

I cannot tell what is going to come next.  Israel is pounding Lebanon, including Beirut.  1400 people have been killed in the last month.  As I type this note, news reports say that Israel has flattened an apartment complex in downtown Beirut.  They have also hit a UN Peacekeeping group.  This at the same time they are asking the UN to step in with more peacekeeper forces to stabilize the area south of the Litani River.  It is hard to see their logic.  And a few days ago they blew up a Red Cross/Red Crescent medics tent and killed ten medical personnel.  Six were cousins of one of my favorite former students.  And they are threatening to turn Lebanon into another Gaza.  That sounds very ominous. 

Moreover, they are preparing something deadly for Iran.  When Israel killed Nasrallah, Iran responded with a barrage of missiles.  Most were intercepted or landed without serious damage.  Now Israel is preparing to respond for the response.  Their Defense Minister says their strike will be "powerful, precise, and above all--  surprising.  They will not understand what happened and how it happened."  

To be honest, I am very nervous.  

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This is a global study done by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL).  The headlines have changed but I think the patterns are still valid.  And there are some interesting issues, some raised and some not raised. 

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With J. D. Vance chosen by the Republicans as their Vice Presidential nominee, his memoir, Hilbilly Elegy has been thrust back into the political limelight.  I read this when it came out in 2016 but decided to re-read it in 2024.  These are my thoughts in two phases, one phase from 2016, one phase from 2024. I hope you find this of interest. 

ps.  Sorry I forgot the music. 

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Today is September 19,2024.  Israel has blown up pagers and walki-talkis in Lebanon and is bombing inside of Lebanon.  Hezbollah is firing across the border.  It appears that bad things are afoot.  Alas, I do not have a podcast on the 2006 Lebanon War.  Israelis (and neutral observers) generally see that Israel lost both of those wars, or at least left with serious wounds and its goals not achieved.  

It appears that both sides are prepared for an extensively damaging conflict if this escalates. 

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Somehow I seems appropriate to repost this podcast.  That was a day that changed American History (and maybe world history). 

It is based on notes I made at the time, so it is very accurate about how we felt at the time.  

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This is what can happen when you get out of the neighborhood 

In fact, I did once encounter a situation where some security issues were at risk.  A friend in intelligence told me how many nuclear weapons the Israelis had.  This was probably 30 years ago.  He said I could never repeat what he told me because he could be imprisoned for revealing such secret information.   I was not at risk but he was.  I kept quiet. 

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Some of the people involved in the Uncommitted movement, especially Arab-Americans, feel betrayed by the Democrats and are planning to abandon them.  Many will vote for Jill Stein.  Others are trying to engage the Democrats to see what leverage they can use to extract concessions.  These are not easy choices.  This is a discussion of some of the issues and arguments in this debate. 

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Just yesterday the Israelis bombed a mosque with a school.  It was filled with refugees who had hoped that Israel would not bomb such a place. They may have killed 90 people, although they say the numbers are fabricated and anyway that was a terrorist command and control center, and anyway why were all those people there, and anyway we had warned them. 

Killing people during war, even innocent people, is not in itself genocide.  It takes more.  This is a discussion of the South African document last fall, accusing Israel of Genocide.  

There is a second podcast on how the High Court of Justice responded to this accusation.  

And there is also a separate podcast on why Netanyahu and others (including the Palestinian leader they just assassinated) should be arrested for war crimes.   

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Clarification:  Under international law the Golan Province is Syrian territory.  It was conquered in 1967.  The Israelis consider it a part of Israel itself.  They claimed it, and then Donald Trump recognized it.  They even created a settlement called Trump Heights to show their appreciation.  The population of that province (apart from Jewish settlers) are Druze.  Majdal Shams, where a rocket from Lebanon hit a playing field and killed 14 Druze children,  is in the Golan Province 

 There are Druze in Syria, Lebanon, and Israel.  Hezbollah is trying to improve their relations with the Lebanese Druze.  They insist that they did not fire that rocket.  It does not make sense that they would although it appeared to come from a Hezbollah location.  Some observers think it was a rocket that went off course. 

Glitch?  Did I say "the fraternity brothers of the University of North Carolina?"  That was what I meant to say (quoting Netanyahu).

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This was written three days after Trump was lightly wounded in an assassination attempt in Pennsylvania.    It is based on patterns of violence rather than hard knowledge.  I hope it helps. 

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John Mearsheimer of the University of Chicago is one of the very top strategic analysts in this country.  He is of the Realist School.  He thinks we should look at the reality of power, and that each country should look after its own interests.  

Earlier in this month, he delivered a talk in Australia on the Gaza War.  He came up with data I had never heard and insights I had never considered.  This is a faithful summary of his key points.  It will change the way you think about this conflict. 

And the talk itself is easily accessible on the internet.  Just search for his name, then find the Australian talk.   you will be glad you did. 

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This is the second of two podcasts on my visit to Palestine in early June, 2024.  If you have not listened to the first podcast, please do so before listening to this  one. 

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In early June, 2024, I visited Palestine.   It was a visit that changed my way of thinking.  As someone who had taught a course on the Israeli-Palestine Conflict for 40 years this surprised me.  This is Part I of a two-part podcast.  The second part is not this long and has a different focus. 

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On May 20, the War Crimes Prosecutor Karim Khan asked the International Criminal Court for warrants to arrest the leaders of Hamas and Israel, and three others. 

This was a stunning development. 

This podcast is a discussion of what is included in that document. 

Later in the week, South Africa asked the High Court of Justice for additional Provisional Rulings ordering Israel to stop its attack on Rafah, to allow supplies to get through, and to allow teams in to investigate the issue of genocide. 

It was a busy week. 

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Two years ago we learned that the Supreme Court would reverse Roe v Wade. 

I worked through the leaked draft and tried to extract the logic of the decision.  

It was painful to see such tortured analysis. 

Some of those Trump justices had actually said that Roe was "settled law" during their hearings.  That is a phrase that means, everyone agrees and it is not subject to reversal. 

Now, in May of 2024, Trump is running on the fact that his justices were the ones that tipped the balance on the Court.  And Biden is running as champion of women's rights, promising to pass a national law once again making this a decision of a woman and her doctor. 

In case you missed this podcast the first time around (or want to refresh your memory) here it is once again. 

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Back in February of 1990 Nelson Mandela was freed from 27 years in prison.  When he walked out of prison that Sunday morning, the whole world was watching.  At least everyone in our house was watching.  Mandela quickly became the world's greatest statesman.  This is my assessment of his life and contribution.  And of the two times Jane and I crossed paths with him.  

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I prepared this podcast last year (2023) but did not get around to posting it until now (2024).  It focuses upon the time a few years ago when  I was asked to speak to the graduating class.  The students were there and their parents.  Plus the Chancellor and Deans and other luminaries.    It was a really nice event.  

I did make one mistake.  When I came to the campus in 1973 the state of Michigan funded over 80% of our budget.  Today it is well under the 25% I mentioned, maybe closer to 15%.   An event such as this was not a time to ask for money, but I thought I would plant the seed. 

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This summarizes the main findings of a book on this topic.  The Ottomans had experts in Zionism who monitored writings and developments very carefully.

This podcast has surprising  findings.

Note:  This was recorded during covid times as a class lecture (when we were not allowed to go live).  

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Evangeline was a standard assignment in the 8th grade when I was a kid.  It was long and had big words but we read it because it made us better people.  This is the story of this poem, and of my experience with it.   

It is also the story of Longfellow, the most popular poet of his age, and of his poems.  The Village Smith, Paul Revere's Ride, Haiwatha, and the powerful Christmas poem/song, "I heard the Bells on Christmas Day." 

Longfellow had a painful life, but he kept writing those wonderful poems. 

Have you ever read a single poem by Longfellow?  This is your chance to encounter his creativity. 

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In January, 2024 Hamas published a paper called "Our Narrative . . .  Operation Al -Aqsa Flood."  It is an 18 page document discussing their perspective on the events of October 7.  I had not read any Hamas explanations, beyond short statements quoted by people not friendly to their side, so I immediately printed this out and read it.  More than once. 

As I read this document, I realized I was not the only person who had never heard the Hamas perspective on those events.  I knew immediately that it was something I should turn into a podcast.  So here it is.  

I did make a mistake in the podcast.  The Israeli representative to the UN tore up a document in 2021, which I reported as 2001.  Then he got elected as Vice President of the organization in 2022, which I reported as 2002.  

  There is a word Nakba which many of you will recognize but some may not.  The word means Catastrophe.  It is the Palestinian term for the events of 1948 when Palestine ceased to exist and the Palestinian people lost most of their land and mostly ended up in exile.  

March 3 update:  Regarding whether there were sexual assaults during the attack of October 7,  there was a New York Times story with the rather inflammatory headline about the "weaponization of rape."  Then there was an expose of that story  alleging that one of the authors had a bad history involving racist references to Palestinians.  Then the NYT began an investigation of who had leaked such information (and more specifics) to the media.  Arab-Americans claimed they were being singled out in this investigation.  The NYT "guild" has filed a grievance against the Times leadership. 

Second update:  the UN issued a report saying there had been incidents of rape.  

 I have not read either of these stories.  

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This is a summary of the main points in the ICJ ruling.

Below is a summary of other International Humanitarian Laws.  These definine various crimes that occur within the context of war.  They are distinct from genocide but could be a part of genocide.  They would be heard by the International Criminal Court rather than by the High Court of Justice.  The three most commonly discussed offenses are Ethnic Cleansing, Crimes Against Humanity, and War Crimes.

Ethnic Cleansing

"rendering an area ethnically homogeneous by using force or intimidation to remove from a given area persons of another ethnic or religious group."

 Crimes Against Humanity

Unlike other human rights violations, war crimes do not engage State responsibility but individual criminal responsibility. This means that individuals can be tried and found personally responsible for these crimes.

Prohibited acts include:

• Murder
• Extermination
• Enslavement
   Deportation or forcible transfer of population
• Imprisonment
• Torture
• Sexual violence
• Persecution against an identifiable group
• Enforced disappearance of persons
• The crime of apartheid
• Other inhumane acts of a similar character intentionally causing great suffering, or serious injury to body or to mental or physical health

 War Crimes: Elements of the Crime 

War crimes are those violations of international humanitarian law (treaty or customary law) that incur individual criminal responsibility under international law. As a result, and in contrast to the crimes of genocide and crimes against humanity, war crimes must always take place in the context of an armed conflict, either international or non-international.

Some examples of prohibited acts include: murder; mutilation, cruel treatment and torture; taking of hostages; intentionally directing attacks against the civilian population; intentionally directing attacks against buildings dedicated to religion, education, art, science or charitable purposes, historical monuments or hospitals; pillaging; rape, sexual slavery, forced pregnancy or any other form of sexual violence; conscripting or enlisting children under the age of 15 years into armed forces or groups or using them to participate actively in hostilities.

War crimes contain two main elements:  A contextual element: “the conduct took place in the context of and was associated with an international/non-international armed conflict”; and A mental element: intent and knowledge both with regards to the individual act and the contextual element.

In contrast to genocide and crimes against humanity, war crimes can be committed against a diversity of victims, either combatants or non-combatants, depending on the type of crime. In international armed conflicts, victims include wounded and sick members of armed forces in the field and at sea, prisoners of war and civilian persons. In the case of non-international armed conflicts, protection is afforded to persons taking no active part in the hostilities, including members of armed forces who have laid down their arms and those placed ‘hors de combat’ by sickness, wounds, detention, or any other cause. In both types of conflicts protection is also afforded to medical and religious personnel, humanitarian workers and civil defence staff.

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In December, 2023 South Africa filed a document before the High Court of Justice in the Hague accusing Israel of committing genocide against the Palestinians of Gaza.  This was for its actions against Gaza in the wake of the blood-chilling Hamas attack on Israeli military positions, towns, and a music festival on October 7.  Those attacks killed nearly 1200 people. 

There are three recent developments worth noting.  First, Mexico and Chile are preparing to charge Israel in the International Criminal Court with War Crimes.  This has a much lower standard of evidence for conviction than genocide.  Also various parties have raised the issue of "complicity in genocide."  What does this mean from a legal perspective?  I am not entirely sure but the U. S. and Britain may well be charged by a group of South African attorneys.  Finally, the President of Israel, Herzog, has just been accused of war crimes in the international criminal court.  This was just announced a few hours ago and there are no details about who filed the complaint, but he is now in Switzerland and could possibly be detained or arrested.  You will probably know more by the time you read this.  

For those interested, I have a talk delivered to a class  during a unit focusing mostly on the Armenian and Rwanda genocides.   I also have two earlier podcasts on the Attacks of October 7.  One was posted three days after the attacks, one three weeks later.  

Note:  There is a section in the document that discusses Israeli policy on the West Bank.  It discusses these policies as "apartheid."   Note that I have a podcast on this topic. 

This is a complex podcast.   If you find it painful, then you are not alone. 

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The Israeli election of November, 2022 brought into the Knesset some of the most extreme individuals in that country's history.  To bring himself back into office,  Netanyahu brought them into his cabinet.  (Smotrich and Bin Gvir get the most attention, but there are others).   These were people who had been brought up in the shadow  of Rabbi Meir Kahane.  Kahane had been banned from office and Netanyahu's new allies had also seen their party banned.  But they had reconstituted themselves into a new configuration and evaded the ban.  

With the horrendous attacks of October 7 and the brutal Gaza war that followed,   suddenly the thinking of those religio-nationalists has moved closer to the center of the political system.  (Note:  1200 Israelis and Israeli-linked workers were  killed on October 7.   22,000 Palestinians are dead as of early January, 2024,  70% being women and children). 

This is a reposting of an earlier podcast outlining the ideology of Rabbi Kahane.  Kahane was born in Brooklyn but moved to Israel and was elected to the Knesset.  He was later assassinated.  At the time, his views were considered shockingly extreme.  He was widely renounced by American Jews and by Israelis.   (Note that someone of his thinking had conducted the Ibrahimi Mosque Massacre in Hebron in February, 1994.  29 Muslims had been killed on the first day of Ramadan, plus ten more sot by Israeli soldiers in the aftermath).  And someone of this mind-set also assassinated Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin).  

I heard Kahane speak twice in the Detroit area in the early 1980s.  I also read two of his books, Time to Go Home [a call for Americans Jews to escape to Israel before the American holocaust] and They Must Go!  [ A call to expel all Palestinians so that Israel can become a Jews-only state].  Those books were chilling  I also read quite a few essays by him, and one biography.    As far as I can tell, those who today embrace his name and his ideas are not fundamentally different from what I heard in the 1980s.   

Kahane believed that anything is justified to bring the new age and to save the Jews.  I thought of the accusations by radical Iraqi Jews that the 1952 bombings of synagogues were done by Zionist commandos in an effort to panic them into fleeing to Israel.  I have no way to know if those accusations are correct but such a thing would surely be justified by Kahane.  He was filled with hatred of Arabs, Americans and secular Jews.  He believed in his cause and would do anything to achieve it.  He had a definite support base in the American Jewish community, although certainly not nearly as big as the vast proportion who were hostile to him.  I don’t want to be inflammatory but I wrote in my notes back in the 1980s that I felt I was in a Munich beer hall in 1924 listening to Hitler polish up a speech.  I have never heard anyone quite like him. 

Note that in the Knesset, there are religious parties connected to the rabbis.  Two are United Torah Judaism (Ashkenazi) and Shas (Sephardic).  These are NOT Kahanist. 

If you are interested in how  a similar logic works out in American culture you might listen to my podcast on the Replacement Wars. 

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To destroy "in whole or in part" the ability of a people to function.  

I delivered this talk in 2020  for a unit on Armenia.  It was well before the fall of 2023 and the horrible Gaza War.  As I am writing (December 2023) 20,000 Palestinians have been killed.  The Israelis say the number of Hamas combatants killed is around 1700+  Gaza is no longer functioning.  There have been several scholarly essays and discussions of whether this meets the standard for genocide.   Here is my  original introduction: 

On April 24, 2021 President Biden used the word “genocide” to describe what happened to the Armenians of Turkey. The use of this word had been a matter of debate since the 1970s.  In 1915 the Ottoman government, fearing that the Armenians in eastern Turkey would align with the Russians, decided to evacuate the whole Armenian population of Eastern Turkey by marching them across the desert to the Arab provinces of Lebanon and Syria.  They also massacred large numbers of Armenians.  Many young women were forced to marry Turks, and there were many forced conversions.  

No one is certain how many people were lost.  Most scholars say  a million or 1.5 million.   

The Biden announcement had a softening provision, but two provocations.  Biden referred to events during Ottoman times, the previous, discredited regime.   This seems to spare the Turkish Republic of direct responsibility.  But a State Department press release referred to the capital of Turkey as Constantinople, a Christian name not used since 1453.  The State Department also used the highest estimate of fatalities, a million and a half.  

One controversy over the the word genocide has to do with the official definition.  It requires intent.  The Turks insist that while there were massive losses among the Armenians, there was no “intent” to exterminate the Armenians as a people or to commit mass murder.  They also say the word draws a comparison with the Holocaust.  The Armenian deaths were a by-product of war, they insist, a war in which Turks and others also died.  

Two points about the Armenian genocide.  First, after the war, the Turks put several officials on trial for war crimes.  (The word genocide did not exist at the time).  Many observers wonder why the current leaders do not say, “we disagree with the word genocide but agree that some of those leaders committed crimes against some of our people, as we showed by putting them on trial and finding them guilty.” But those trials  were carried out by the old regime, not seen as legitimate today.  Second, the national hero of Turkey, Mustapha Kemal Ataturk, was fighting the British at the time and was not involved in these events.    

My lecture was  recorded on my computer, not with a fancy microphone,  and shared with students.  

I wish I could provide you with the written definitions of genocide made available to students.   please listen carefully as I read definitions or as I discuss the model to predict future genocides. 

Three points.  First, the statement that 90% of the Kosovo Albanians were displaced was an inflammatory over-statement   by some world leaders.  Second, Leo Kuper in his  book Genocide uses the term “genocidal massacre” to describe targeted killings short of a full genocide.  An example might be killing a whole village or perhaps widespread massacres to intimidate a targeted population. Third, regarding  “war crimes,” there is a concept of “disproportionate response.”   It consists of “extensive destruction not justified by military necessity.” .  

Welcome to class. 

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In December, 2023  House Republicans summoned the Presidents of Harvard, MIT and University of Pennsylvania to a hearing about Anti-Semitism on their campuses.  They were asked if calling for Genocide against Jews would be an offense.  Knowing that Republicans consider the word “intifada” (“shaking off”) and the phrase “from the river to the sea” to be genocidal, not to mention that Israel should be a state for all its people rather than a “Jewish” state, there was no way to win with that question.  Nor can you expel students for saying stupid things.  Plus that hearing was really about trolling for votes and donations.  And the Presidents fell into the trap.  The President of Pennsylvania was told that a billionaire donor was cancelling a $100 million donation.  She had to resign.  

This  was a class lecture in November, 2020. It is not an easy topic.  It focuses upon how difficult it is to engage in serious discussion of the conflict and of how there are organized efforts to disrupt or silence debate.  

One issue is that there are groups trying to define the word anti-Semitism in a way to weaponize it forpolitical use.  That will require a different podcast. However, if you are interested, see an article by Nathan Thrall in the NY Times, March 28, 2019, “How the Battle over Israel and anti-Semitism is Fracturing American Politics.” 

I wrote three articles in Middle East Policy on the Presbyterian debates on whether to sell their shares in five companies that cooperated with the Israeli occupation.  Those can be found in the University of Michigan virtual archive called Deep Blue.   

I mentioned a Task Force that wrote a policy on faculty being required to write letters that raised moral issues.  Here is that policy:  Point I.   Faculty Obligation to Support Students: Faculty should endeavor to support their students in the pursuit of their aspirations.  This includes writing letters of recommendation whenever possible.  Point II.   The Case of a Faculty Member Declining to Write a Letter of Support.  Given the right to acts of conscience as a part of academic freedom, faculty members are not obligated to write letters of recommendation for participation in programs if they judge that doing so would compromise their moral principles.  Point III.  Working with the Student:  In the event that a faculty member declines to write a letter covered by this policy, the faculty member should consider meeting with the student to discuss the reasons for that decision.  Such a discussion can be beneficial and educational for those students who may not understand the issues involved.  Point IV.   Due Process in the Event of a Formal Complaint: If there is a complaint  under this policy  against a faculty member, that matter should be referred to the department grievance committee.  In such an event, there should be an initial assumption that the faculty member behaved appropriately.  There should be strict adherence to due process for the faculty member, including a right to appeal an adverse finding.  In the event of an adverse finding, the matter should be referred to the appropriate  promotion and tenure or other review committee for consideration during their assessment of the individual’s performance of duties.   There should be no sanction beyond whatever comment the committee chooses to include in their review letter. Point V.  Letters for Undeserving Students: This policy affirms the established right of faculty to refuse a letter for an individual  student who is academically or otherwise undeserving. 

Note:  I was Faculty Ombudsman for 17 years.  Free expression is important to me.