Alex Kane

Researchers at Human Rights Watch Resign Over Blocked Report on Palestinian Refugee Return The departures have roiled the prominent watchdog group over a decision one staffer called “unprincipled and cowardly.” Alex Kane

SCOOP: Two Human Rights Watch employees from the organization’s Israel & Palestine team are stepping down from their positions after leadership blocked a report that deems Israel’s denial of Palestinian refugees’ right of return a “crime against humanity.” jewishcurrents.org/researchers-...

Human Rights Watch researchers resign after report on Palestinian right of return blocked The organization claims the report, which finds Israel’s denial of the right of return is a crime against humanity, is ‘paused pending further analysis and research’ Two Human Rights Watch (HRW) employees who make up the organization’s entire Israel and Palestine team are stepping down from their positions after leadership blocked a report that deems Israel’s denial of Palestinian refugees the right of return a “crime against humanity”. In separate resignation letters obtained by Jewish Currents and the Guardian, Omar Shakir, who has headed the team for nearly the last decade, and Milena Ansari, the team’s assistant researcher, said leadership’s decision to pull the report broke from HRW’s customary approval processes and was evidence that the organization was putting fear of political backlash over a commitment to international law. Continue reading...

Human Rights Watch researchers resign after report on Palestinian right of return blocked

Researchers at Human Rights Watch Resign Over Blocked Report on… The departures have roiled the prominent watchdog group over a decision one staffer called “unprincipled and cowardly.”

SCOOP: Two Human Rights Watch employees who make up the Israel and Palestine team are resigning from their positions after leadership blocked a report that deems Israel’s denial of Palestinian refugees’ right of return a “crime against humanity.” jewishcurrents.org/researchers-...

Can a Liberal Zionist Recreate Mamdani’s Coalition? Brad Lander’s primary challenge to Rep. Dan Goldman will test whether the progressive alliance that came together in 2025 can win again.

As he speaks out on Gaza and wins the backing of Mamdani, @bradlander.bsky.social looks to consolidate the left as he challenges @danielsgoldman.dg4ny.co. My latest in @jewishcurrents.bsky.social jewishcurrents.org/can-a-libera...

Careers Find out about career opportunities at Jewish Currents.

🚨BIG JOURNALISM JOB ALERT🚨

@jewishcurrents.bsky.social is looking for a new editor-in-chief (now that the LEGENDARY Arielle Angel is stepping back to be an editor-at-large):

Trump’s New Travel Ban Targets Palestinians Immigration law expert Samah Sisay says the new restrictions are about politics, not security.

The new travel ban issued by President Trump halts people with Palestinian Authority-issued passports from entering the United States. Immigration law expert Samah Sisay (of
@ccrjustice.org) says the new restrictions are about politics, not security.

Trump’s New Travel Ban Targets Palestinians Immigration law expert Samah Sisay says the new restrictions are about politics, not security.

I spoke to Samah Sisay of @ccrjustice.org about Trump's new travel ban, which targets Palestinians. "The administration figured out that this is a space that they can utilize to punish Palestinians and exclude them from the fabric of the US system." jewishcurrents.org/trumps-new-t...

The ADL Tried to Appease MAGA. The FBI Cut Ties with Them Anyway. The Jewish defense group—whose partnership with federal law enforcement goes back decades—has never been more isolated.

“My entire portfolio was focused on white supremacists and violent extremists. After October 7th, it was exclusively pro-Palestine.”

Read @maricohen.bsky.social and @alexbkane.bsky.social's report on the state of the ADL as it faces isolation from the FBI:
jewishcurrents.org/the-adl-trie...

The ADL Tried to Appease MAGA. The FBI Cut Ties with Them Anyway. The Jewish defense group—whose partnership with federal law enforcement goes back decades—has never been more isolated.

Losing its long-cultivated partnership with the FBI is a major blow to the Anti-Defamation League. But the group has few left allies to support it against MAGA after recent attempts to align with Trumpworld.
@maricohen.bsky.social & @alexbkane.bsky.social report:
jewishcurrents.org/the-adl-trie...

The Media Goes MAGA Mehdi Hasan and Karen Attiah on how pro-Trump oligarchs are taking control of both mainstream and social media.

Pro-Trump oligarchs are reshaping mainstream news in the right’s image. @alexbkane.bsky.social talks to @mehdirhasan.bsky.social and @karenattiah.bsky.social about what Jimmy Kimmel’s temporary removal from air signifies, and the role of independent media. Listen: jewishcurrents.org/the-media-go...

The Consequences of New US Sanctions on Palestinian Human Rights… Attorney Shayana Kadidal discusses how Trump’s sanctions could curtail American support for ICC prosecutions of Israel.

The Trump administration sanctioned three Palestinian rights groups over their push to hold Israel accountable at the ICC. The sanctions "make almost any form of interaction by an American with these organizations a crime," says attorney Shayana Kadidal. jewishcurrents.org/the-conseque...

An Israeli Group Aiding Gaza Becomes a New Favorite of US Pro-Israel… IsraAID has begun providing humanitarian aid to Palestinians, but some aid workers remain wary.

NEW from me in @jewishcurrents.bsky.social. A prominent Jewish group donated $1 million to IsraAID to address the crisis in Gaza. Why did they choose IsraAID--and what does it reflect about how IsraAID approaches humanitarian work? Here's my report: jewishcurrents.org/an-israeli-g...

New York City 2025 Poll: Mamdani Leads Cuomo, Sliwa, Adams in Mayoral Election, Leads Cuomo in Hypothetical Head-to-Head - Emerson Polling A new Emerson College Polling/PIX11/The Hill survey of New York City voters finds Democratic nominee…Full Release & Results

New Emerson poll of New York City voters finds Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani with 43% support, while 28% support former Governor and independent candidate Andrew Cuomo. Head to head: Mamdani 47 v Cuomo 40. emersoncollegepolling.com/nyc-2025-may...

How the Department of Health and Human Services Took the Lead in… The agency has threatened crucial medical research funding to extract concessions from universities on student protests and DEI.

Under Trump, the Dept. of Health and Human Services has a new role, writes @alexbkane.bsky.social for @jewishcurrents.bsky.social: investigating universities, cutting billions of dollars in funding to schools, and "decimating decades of research" to crack down on support for Palestinian rights.

Mount Sinai Hospital Fired Social Worker Over “Gaza Must Live”… Hospital employees say the termination is an example of the anti-Palestinian climate at the institution.

NEWS: A social worker at Manhattan’s Mount Sinai Hospital put up a postcard at her desk with the words “Gaza Must Live.” Someone lodged a complaint that it made them uncomfortable. She was asked to remove it. She said no. On July 31st, Mt. Sinai fired her. jewishcurrents.org/mount-sinai-...

How the Department of Health and Human Services Took the Lead in… The agency has threatened crucial medical research funding to extract concessions from universities on student protests and DEI.

Under Trump, the Dept. of Health and Human Services has a new role: investigating universities and cutting billions of dollars in funding to schools. In doing so, HHS has become the leader of a campaign to crack down on criticism of Israel within the medical field. jewishcurrents.org/how-the-depa...

How the Department of Health and Human Services Took the Lead in… The agency has threatened crucial medical research funding to extract concessions from universities on student protests and DEI.

As Trump's task force on antisemitism tore through universities, I noticed something unusual: the central role of HHS. In my latest for @jewishcurrents.bsky.social, I report on how HHS has threatened funding to extract concessions on student protests and DEI. jewishcurrents.org/how-the-depa...

Left Electoralism After Mamdani: A Roundtable A strategy discussion on the opportunities and risks created by the DSA candidate’s primary win in New York City.

If Zohran Mamdani is mayor, he will have to navigate the contradictions of leading the richest city in the world as a democratic socialist. I spoke to three political observers about the opportunities and risks created by Mamdani's primary win in New York City. jewishcurrents.org/left-elector...

New York Holocaust Museum Removed Trump Images From Hate Speech… Critics say the deletion—due to a board member’s intervention—exemplifies how museum leadership has increasingly catered to the right.

SCOOP: Last year, a Museum of Jewish Heritage hate speech exhibit went up featuring a video with stills of Trump. Then a museum board member saw it. The next day, the images were gone. Critics say the deletion shows how the museum has catered to the right jewishcurrents.org/new-york-hol...

A Harvard Commencement Speaker Mentioned Gaza. The School Refused to Publish Her Speech. Divinity School insiders said Harvard’s practices are at odds with the public perception that the university is fighting Trump.

SCOOP: Harvard Divinity School refused to publish its commencement speech after a speaker addressed the genocide in Gaza. Harvard has been lauded for standing up to Trump -- while quietly capitulating behind the scenes, students and staff told me theintercept.com/2025/06/20/h...

Trump’s Illegal Cuts to University Funding, Explained The administration is using Title VI to justify the suspension of federal grants, while completely leapfrogging the legal process.

NEW from me: As part of the Trump admin's assault on Palestine activism, it is leapfrogging the legal process outlined by Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, even as it points to Title VI as justification for funding cuts. Experts say it's illegal. jewishcurrents.org/trump-cuts-u...

Unpacking the Rift Between Trump and Netanyahu The president has sought to separate US interests from Israeli interests abroad, even as he represses Israel critics at home.

Trump has recently distanced himself from Netanyahu on Middle East policy, even as he pursues an Israel-friendly repression strategy at home. @alexbkane.bsky.social reports on Trump's contradictory Israel policy and the influence of conservative "restraint": jewishcurrents.org/unpacking-th...

Unpacking the Rift Between Trump and Netanyahu The president has sought to separate US interests from Israeli interests abroad, even as he represses Israel critics at home.

confused about trump's apparent distance from netanyahu even as the president ruthlessly cracks down on israel critics at home? @alexbkane.bsky.social's report unpacks the contradictions of trump's israel policy and the rise of the "restraint" movement jewishcurrents.org/unpacking-th...

I don't know, but I have filed a FOIL with NYPD to obtain the list of attendees. Takes a while to actually get, though.

Training for NYPD Officers Categorized the Keffiyeh and Watermelon as… Experts say the training reinforced a police culture that treats Palestinians and their supporters with suspicion and brutality.

🚨🚨🚨SCOOP: NYPD officers attended a training telling them that Palestinian symbols like the watermelon and the keffiyeh, as well as phrases such as “settler colonialism” and “all eyes on Rafah," were antisemitic. jewishcurrents.org/training-nyp...

Training for NYPD Officers Categorized the Keffiyeh and Watermelon as… Experts say the training reinforced a police culture that treats Palestinians and their supporters with suspicion and brutality.

The keffiyeh. The watermelon. The phrases “settler colonialism” and “all eyes on Rafah.” All examples of antisemitism, according to pro-Israel groups’ new training for the NYPD. @alexbkane.bsky.social reports jewishcurrents.org/training-nyp...

NIH bans all future grants to universities with DEI programs or Israel boycotts NIH prohibited the awarding of new grants to institutions that have DEI programs or boycott Israeli companies

The National Institute of Health is now prohibiting the awarding of new grants to any institutions that boycott Israeli companies. This is very familiar from state anti-BDS laws. Now it's a federal policy. www.statnews.com/2025/04/21/t...

Trump’s NSC Director for Israel and Iran Previously Worked for Israeli Ministry of Defense Merav Ceren’s appointment as Director for Israel and Iran at the NSC has not previously been reported, but her work with Israel’s MoD is well known among GOP circles.

SCOOP: Trump’s NSC Director for Israel and Iran Previously Worked for the Israeli Ministry of Defense

From me and @esaagar.bsky.social

www.dropsitenews.com/p/trumps-nsc...