M. Reza Behnam

“You can cut all the flowers, but you cannot keep Spring from coming.” ~ Pablo Neruda For over a year, the masters of war in Israel and the United States, abetted by the corporate media, have buried truth under the rubble of Gaza. The U.S. mainstream media have acted as the hewers of wood and … Continue reading “Israel Unmasked”

During her acceptance speech in August at the Democratic National Convention, Vice President Kamala Harris heaped praise on her mother.  She spoke proudly of a childhood full of promise, forged by a single mother who taught her to dream big. As Harris paid homage to her mother, I thought of how Israel has done everything … Continue reading “On the Frontline of Resistance: The Women of Palestine”

The International Court of Justice released its historic advisory opinion on 19 July 2024 just as I was finishing my essay on Israel’s theft and abuse of the water resources of Palestine. The 80-page opinion, “Legal consequences arising from the policies and practices of Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem,” unequivocally states … Continue reading “The Politics of Water Under Occupation: Israel in Palestine”

Revolutionaries in Iran in the 1970s referred to the United States as the “Great Satan” and to its ally, Israel, as the “little Satan.” The truth of their rallying cry resounds today as Israel executes, unimpeded, its scorched-earth policy in Gaza. The Israeli war on Gaza has been oiled by the military, financial and diplomatic … Continue reading “Business as Usual: The US and Israel in the Middle East”

Long before South Africa filed a case against Israel at the International Court of Justice on 29 December 2023 over its genocidal war on Gaza, its iconic anti-apartheid leader, Nelson Mandela, who came to embody the struggle for justice worldwide; stated, “Palestine was the greatest moral issue of our time.” Three decades have passed since … Continue reading “Palestine: The Greatest Moral Issue of Our Time”

Among the many memories I have of growing up in Tehran are of my elementary school days in Ms. Naji’s class.  On one occasion, she assigned a poem by the celebrated 13th century Iranian poet and mystic, Saadi Shirazi.  Our class was asked to write our reflections on Saadi’s poem from his book, the Gulistan … Continue reading “The Moral Bankruptcy of US Policy in Palestine”

In my public presentations on the subject of Palestine-Israel, I am frequently asked to identify the force most responsible for the catastrophe we are witnessing today in Gaza, the West Bank and Jerusalem.  Audiences are surprised when I say that the source is easily identifiable – it is Zionism. Zionism is the political ideology that … Continue reading “The Catastrophic Roots of Zionism in Palestine”

Journalism has often been called the first rough draft of history. If at all true, then American press coverage of Iran, which began in earnest 70 years ago, has never gotten past the incomplete, uninformed and inaccurate first draft version. Both Iranians and Americans have been victims of a distorted draft; distortions that have basically … Continue reading “Iran Interrupted: Mossadegh, the Shah, Khomeini, and the US Press”

Most mornings as I prepare for my run, I tune in to BBC news. Of late, the newscaster has presented, in sober British-fashion, the number of Palestinians killed the night before by the Israeli army in its near-nightly raids on homes and refugee camps in the occupied Palestinian Territories. When I canvass American news sites … Continue reading “Deconstructing Israel’s Propaganda Machine”

Benjamin Netanyahu and his assortment of Jewish supremacists, homophobes, and far-right religious zealots were sworn in on December 29. His new government has exposed Israel for what it has always been – an undemocratic, illiberal, ethno-religious state constructed on stolen Palestinian land. The coalition of extremists that Prime Minister Netanyahu has assembled to solidify power … Continue reading “Israel Faces a Reckoning”