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Israel/Middle East (News & Politics)/Questions
| Subject | Date Asked | Expert |
| Governments | 2/10/2012 | David |
| Q: I am working on a "foldable" in school for social studies. In it, we have to include four types of ... A: India: is a parliamentary democracy headed by President Pratibha Patil. It became a democracy when ... | ||
| Arabs | 2/6/2012 | David |
| Q: David I realise this is politicly incorrect, but are Arabs a warlike race? Their history seems to be ... A: To be quite honest, I was never really a big fan of political correctness. Whether Arabs are a ... | ||
| Prisoner release | 10/20/2011 | Jerrold Cohen |
| Q: I would like to see a list of the crimes for which all 477 recently released Palestinian prisoners ... A: It is the same question I have asked of several sources in the Israeli government and I haven't ... | ||
| Middle Eastern Vase | 6/10/2011 | David |
| Q: I have a vase that is from the Middle East. I would like to find out its historical significance as ... A: I'm sorry to say that I'm not an archaeologist so I can't help you. However, I did do some research ... | ||
| tunisia revolution | 5/4/2011 | Pierre-Alexandre De Bavay M.A. |
| Q: can you please state a quote of how you feel about the tunisia revolution? Thank you A: Well your question is quite original. I guess my quote on the recent events in Tunisia would be: ... | ||
| International Law and Israel's right to exist | 4/29/2011 | Don Radlauer |
| Q: I have a few question? Would you kindly lay out in more detail your understanding of Israel's right ... A: The whole concept of a state's "right to exist" is actually something of a red herring - that is to ... | ||
| Democracy in Iraq | 3/29/2011 | Pierre-Alexandre De Bavay M.A. |
| Q: I'm confused what to take of Iraq. Today, I hear people say that "it is now a free ... A: Your question is quite broad so I will try to give a general comment on the current state of Iraq. ... | ||
| current libyan strikes | 3/20/2011 | Don Radlauer |
| Q: how is it that the US can easily take military action against libya for attacking its own people but ... A: That's a very good question! I'm not privy to how any of the relevant decision-makers analyzed the ... | ||
| Israel/Palestine/British | 3/17/2011 | Pierre-Alexandre De Bavay M.A. |
| Q: I am an American, but I was wondering if you can tell me what the stance of the British is on the ... A: Britain has no never been as involved as the US on the issue recently. Their role in early 20th ... | ||
| Israel/USA | 2/21/2011 | Jerrold Cohen |
| Q: Jerrold, I hope this isn't a "loaded" question. Can I ask you underlying all politics, what is the ... A: I don't think this is a hard question to answer but I don't think there is one main basic reason for ... | ||
| Situation in Tunisia | 2/17/2011 | Pierre-Alexandre De Bavay M.A. |
| Q: I'm not sure what to take of the situation in Tunisia. No one in Tunisia seems to be happy with ... A: This question is a bit outside of my expertise, but I will try to give you a hint. Obviously the ... | ||
| Some questions | 12/8/2010 | Abdulhamid Dogan |
| Q: Dogan, 1. Some people say that it is wrong for a Hindu (accdng to his/her religion) to engage in ... A: It seems you are making some points rather than asking questions. Only question you are asking is ... | ||
| Palestine | 11/8/2010 | Jerrold Cohen |
| Q: In some recent articles of yours, you refer to "Palestinian land." Can you tell me what that means ... A: Israel is naming a square and two streets after Arabs whom it respects. It is currently ready to ... | ||
| Palestine | 11/6/2010 | Jerrold Cohen |
| Q: In some recent articles of yours, you refer to "Palestinian land." Can you tell me what that means ... A: After reading about many cases I have come to the conclusion that the Israelis want to get rid of ... | ||
| Palestine | 11/6/2010 | Jerrold Cohen |
| Q: In some recent articles of yours, you refer to "Palestinian land." Can you tell me what that means ... A: If you look at the distribution of land between the Israelis and Palestinians, it shifts. Typically, ... | ||
| refugees | 11/6/2010 | Jerrold Cohen |
| Q: My quesion is about the Palestinian (Arab) refugees, when they were persuaded to leave their homes ... A: You sound like me about ten years ago. I did what you still have to do. I did my research. I still ... | ||
| refugees | 11/4/2010 | Don Radlauer |
| Q: My quesion is about the Palestinian (Arab) refugees, when they were persuaded to leave their homes ... A: I'm afraid that I have not read Ilan Pappe, much less attempted to verify his assertions against ... | ||
| refugees | 11/4/2010 | David |
| Q: My quesion is about the Palestinian (Arab) refugees, when they were persuaded to leave their homes ... A: I honestly haven't read Isan Pappe's book so I can't comment on that. I really have no patience for ... | ||
| refugees | 11/4/2010 | Jerrold Cohen |
| Q: My quesion is about the Palestinian (Arab) refugees, when they were persuaded to leave their homes ... A: I appreciate the fact that you share the "opinions" of the majority of people in the world ... | ||
| refugees | 11/2/2010 | Don Radlauer |
| Q: My quesion is about the Palestinian (Arab) refugees, when they were persuaded to leave their homes ... A: The Palestinian refugees left the territory of Israel for the various Arab states surrounding ... | ||
| refugees | 11/2/2010 | Jerrold Cohen |
| Q: My quesion is about the Palestinian (Arab) refugees, when they were persuaded to leave their homes ... A: Your statement, "persuaded to leave their homes", deserves some expansion. Specifically, the ... | ||
| refugees | 11/2/2010 | David |
| Q: My quesion is about the Palestinian (Arab) refugees, when they were persuaded to leave their homes ... A: If you were to ask this question to political pundits, UN employees, or any "activist" on the Middle ... | ||
| Why are we still in recession? | 9/19/2010 | Pierre-Alexandre De Bavay M.A. |
| Q: We are finishing up the war (though not succeeding) in Iraq and still in Afghanistan. If war is ... A: The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are very expensive to the US. If it is business then the deal is ... | ||
| Middle east | 9/15/2010 | Don Radlauer |
| Q: What are the prospects for democracy in the Middle east? What conditions are needed for democracy to ... A: Your question is one that would need a book (or two) to answer properly; keep in mind that "the ... | ||
| Middle east | 9/15/2010 | David |
| Q: What are the prospects for democracy in the Middle east? What conditions are needed for democracy to ... A: As far as the prospects for democracy in the Middle East, I'm afraid I can't answer that because I ... | ||
| Middle East | 9/15/2010 | Pierre-Alexandre De Bavay M.A. |
| Q: What are the prospects for democracy in the Middle east? What conditions are needed for democracy to ... A: Middle East remains a very fragile region in terms of political stability. Countries like Syria or ... | ||
| Demonstrations | 9/15/2010 | David |
| Q: Why do many people in Moslem countries seem to have such a hatred for the west and America in ... A: I think you just answered your own question. Your thoughts are actually the same or similar to the ... | ||
| Israel's ploitical improtance to USA | 9/10/2010 | Pierre-Alexandre De Bavay M.A. |
| Q: One thing I have always wondered when listening to American politicians discussing Israel, is why ... A: Well your question is quite broad though very interesting. I guess that the interest of the US in ... | ||
| Upcoming conversations | 8/27/2010 | Jerrold Cohen |
| Q: What should we expect from the upcoming Palestine-Israel conversations in the US and how do they ... A: Daniella, thank you for the question. I have carefully watched all negotiations in the past for ... | ||
| Turkey's current policy | 8/26/2010 | Abdulhamid Dogan |
| Q: I have a difficulty in understanding the abrupt deterioration in Turkish Israeli relations. ... A: This question requires a long answer but I'll try my best in a few short paragraphs. Israel's ... | ||
| cutting funding | 8/13/2010 | David |
| Q: Please refer me to the right section if this is not your area of expertise, thank you. Despite all ... A: That depends on what country you're talking about. The Arab countries and many of the Muslim ... | ||
| cutting funding | 8/13/2010 | Jerrold Cohen |
| Q: Please refer me to the right section if this is not your area of expertise, thank you. Despite all ... A: As I said above, I think other countries would be relieved. Spain was just ready a few months ago to ... | ||
| cutting funding | 8/11/2010 | Jerrold Cohen |
| Q: Please refer me to the right section if this is not your area of expertise, thank you. Despite all ... A: Tony, thanks for the question. Currently, American pro-Israel organizations like AIPAC and the ... | ||
| Muslim and Arabs | 8/5/2010 | Jerrold Cohen |
| Q: TheWithin the past two years what changes has the United States made to their poliies ... A: From what I have seen, US treatment of Muslim and Arabic members of society have been dealt with ... | ||
| Mr. Cohen's competence | 7/14/2010 | Jerrold Cohen |
| Q: Because Mr. Cohen can't take a breath without saying Israel violates international law, where did ... A: I never got a law degree. I did get a California psychology license, and in California I practiced ... | ||
| 2 State Solution | 6/23/2010 | Jerrold Cohen |
| Q: Why is the land that Syria (I think) snapped up that was an initial part of the land granted for the ... A: Essentially, the Palestinians try to make Israel live up to its promises, and Israel does not. ... | ||
| Palestian offer | 6/9/2010 | Jerrold Cohen |
| Q: Referring to Barak's offer of statehood to the Palestians in the 1990s - where about 95% of what the ... A: I think that I first heard a discussion of Arafat's reasoning over KPFK's Middle East in Focus ... | ||
| israel issue | 6/9/2010 | Don Radlauer |
| Q: Please don't get me wrong. However, I'd like to ask thisDo you think the creation of Israel was a ... A: No, I don't think the creation of Israel was a blunder; I think that the Jews have every right to a ... | ||
| israel issue | 6/9/2010 | David |
| Q: Do you think the creation of Israel was a blunder and it shouldn't have been created just like that? ... A: Jews have been living in Israel for almost 4000 years. The Zionist movement culminating in the ... | ||
| israel issue | 6/9/2010 | Pierre-Alexandre De Bavay M.A. |
| Q: Do you think the creation of Israel was a blunder and it shouldn't have been created just like that? ... A: I guess it all depends if you regard the creation of Israel as a legal, political or cultural issue ... | ||
Answers by Expert:
Jerrold Cohen
Top Expert on this page
Expertise
I can answer all kinds of questions about Israeli soldier, policeman, and settler abuse(s) of the occupied Palestinian people, including terrorism against civilians and their property, and other violations of international law. In fact I have a book written and published on the subject. My expertise is very high for incidents that have occurred during the past seven years. I can discuss demolitions of Palestinian civilians' homes for strictly administrative reasons, controlled completely by the Israelis, destruction of Palestinian crops, separation of Palestinians from their farms by the "security" wall, and all kinds of confrontation incidents in which Palestinians are harmed, kidnapped, or killed, or tortured. I might be helpful in other questions about Israel in areas such as politics, or specific issues of concern to most Israelis. For example, it is clear to me that at this time, most Israelis fear nuclear buildup in Iran, and there is often talk among Israelis about using a preemptive strike against Iranian nuclear facilities. I can discuss to some extent Israeli medical advances, possibly fashions. Mainly, my area of attention is and has been the Israeli occupation of the Palestinians.
Experience
Since the year 2000, mainly since 2002, I have spent my time studying Israel online. From 2000 to 2002 my attention was first sporadic, and then intensive, but after 2002 I gave Israel my full time seven days a week. I collected data from news web sites mainly on the occupation, and by 2005 settled on four popular Israeli online daily newspapers and four or five popular Palestinian online daily newspapers. Since the Palestinians often had trouble with at least one of their websites, I kept a fifth website in reserve. My aim was to give Palestinians and Israelis equal space on my computer. Currently, I have approximately 500 MB of text data alone, consisting of news articles culled mainly during the past five years.
In 2004 I wrote my novel about the Israeli occupation, Awakened, which was published in 2005. To increase my expertise about the subject, I published an e-mail newsletter from mid-2005 to the end of 2007, The Occupation News, when illness forced me to stop for a few months. The newsletter was well received by a readership of several hundred, many of whom were activists who considered my newsletter an important resource. When I recovered from my illness I wrote my second book, Israeli Terrorism and Other Violations of International Law, which has been recently published, and which is gaining popularity very quickly. This book summarizes abuses reported in both the Palestinian and Israeli news, mainly between 2002 and 2009. It includes a chapter on Israel's recent invasion of Gaza, Operation Cast Lead.
In addition, I keep myself on mailing lists ranging from a right-wing Israeli newspaper to activist organizations intent on breaking the Israeli siege of Gaza.
Organizations
Women in Black, Los Angeles
Publications
You will find reader comments I make online at news websites such as those of The Jerusalem Post, Ha'aretz, Yedioth Ahronoth, and Israel National News, practically on a daily basis, since I don't seem to be able to keep my mouth shut when I read news articles that stir my feelings. My comments are often too blunt for these newspapers to publish, since I tell what I see and I feel, without sparing feelings. Other than that, you can buy my current book on Israeli terrorism online or e-mail me for a copy of my novel, Awakened.
Education/Credentials
BA Physics, Brooklyn College, 1951.
MS Physics, University of Connecticut, 1952.
MA Education, University of Southern California, 1972.
PhD Education, University of Southern California, 1975.
BA Traditional Oriental Medicine, South Baylo University, 1989.
MTOM (Master's Degree in Traditional Oriental Medicine), South Baylo University, 1991.
Awards and Honors
Scoutmaster of the Year Award, Orange County, California, 1965.
Graduation from USC 1975 Summa Cum Laude.
Past/Present Clients
The list of recipients of my newsletter has always been, and will always be, a private matter between me and the recipients. Terms of receipt of the newsletter included a promise never to reveal the recipient's name to any person or organization. I was there to give news, not exploit people working for world peace.
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