Ahmad Abuznaid on Israeli Human Rights Crackdown, Sohale Mortazavi on Cryptocurrency

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This week on CounterSpin: Media watchers may know that Katie Halper was fired from her job at Hill TV because she did a thing you can’t do in elite US news media, which is make a statement critical of the state of Israel. Halper described Israel as an apartheid state—a designation supported by the Israeli human rights group B’tselem, as well as Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International.

Classroom memorial for Rayyan Suleiman (Middle East Eye, 10/3/22; photo: Shatha Hammad).

Her firing, along with others who’ve crossed the same policed line, is a loss for curious US viewers who want to hear a range of not just views on Israel and Palestine, but news: That would include stories like that of Rayyan Suleiman, a 7-year-old boy who died September 29 from a heart attack after Israeli occupation forces chased him home from school, because, they said, some of the group of kids he was with threw stones at them.

Dialogue around Palestine and Israel is among the most formulaic that elite media maintain, but growing numbers of people have concerns, not just about uncritical US support for Israel, but also about the shutdown of critics and the conflation of debate with the real problem of antisemitism. CounterSpin talked about these questions in August with Ahmad Abuznaid,  executive director at the US Campaign for Palestinian Rights. We hear that conversation again this week.

      CounterSpin221014Abuznaid.mp3

Also on the show: Apparently cryptocurrency is going through a rough patch. Who would’ve guessed the thing that presented itself as a way for the little guy to go big in wheelin’ and dealin’ was not exactly as presented? CounterSpin spoke back in February with Chicago-based writer Sohale Mortazavi whose article, “Cryptocurrency Is a Giant Ponzi Scheme,” appeared at JacobinMag.com. We revisit that this week as well.

      CounterSpin221014Mortazavi.mp3

Plus Janine Jackson takes a quick look at press coverage of the Nord Stream sabotage.

      CounterSpin221014Banter.mp3