The Huffington Post: How To Talk About The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

Too often, the conflict is reduced to a “war of perception“ in which politicians, journalists, and activists present compelling evidence supporting their beliefs while omitting equally compelling evidence to the contrary. Simply put, reports and analyses of the conflict tend to be either staunchly pro-Israel or pro-Palestine. These dichotomized opinions are also reflected in the responses to Sanders’ remarks, when the reality is probably closer to Harriet Sherwood’s statement in The Guardian: “The truth is lost amid the propaganda battle being waged alongside the shells, bombs, guns and rockets. What is certain is that the picture is more complicated than either side claims.” [...]

Discursive balance is crucial to understanding conflicts. Although a presidential debate is the last place one would expect to find a ‘no spin zone,’ we should note Bernie Sanders’ remarks for their substance and for their inherent recognition that there are multiple sides to every story. They are a shining example of how we can stop treating the rhetoric around the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as antithetical, and instead acknowledge the humanity and flaws on both sides.

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The Huffington Post: The ‘Quiet Revolution’ of Pope Francis

Unfortunately, this discrimination goes beyond name calling. To understand the double standard on the LGBT issue, one has to look at the mindset of some leaders within the Catholic Church in relation to the sex abuse scandal. [...]

Still, even though Burke and Tomasi have been proven wrong, how many others within Catholic leadership hold these discriminatory views towards LGBT people and women? Why is the hateful and destructive language by Burke, Tomasi, Rodriguez, and Bambarén allowed to continue virtually unopposed while the voices of Spence, Winters, Hall, and Estridge; voices advocating peace, love, and compassion, are silenced?

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Think Progress: The 4th Largest Economy In The World Just Generated 90 Percent Of The Power It Needs From Renewables

Germany is the fourth-largest economy on the planet. Germany’s $3.7 trillion GDP beats the economic output of any other country in Europe or, for that matter, any U.S. state. Sunday’s spike in renewable output shows that wind and solar can keep pace with the demands of an economic powerhouse. What’s more, the growth of clean energy has tracked the growth of Germany’s economy. [...]

Individuals are driving Germany’s energy revolution. Sunday’s performance highlights the success of the Energiewende, or “energy transition,” Germany’s push to expand clean energy, increase energy efficiency, and democratize power generation. Smart policies have opened the renewable energy market to utilities, businesses and homeowners. As of 2012, individuals owned more than a third of Germany’s renewable energy capacity.

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The Atlantic: How Europe’s ‘Little Losers’ Became Terrorists

Indeed, the French initially reasoned that it would be preferable to spread the jihadis throughout the prisons, so as to prevent them from plotting with one another. (With the advent of the Syrian jihad, and the corresponding arrival of scores of new jihadist inmates, they have been forced to reevaluate this approach. In addition to a few hundred former or would-be fighters, the French prison administration estimates that 2,000 prisoners are “radicalized” Muslims, and another 8,000 or so “liable to be radicalized,” a senior prison official told me several months ago.) Nor was much thought given to the possibility of rehabilitation or “deradicalization.” The urgency was that the men be removed from society and, in any case, most of them were considered to be irrevocable ideologues. [...]

Any serious effort at prevention would necessarily entail an attempt to understand the mechanics not only of recruitment and indoctrination, but also of the appeal of jihad, of the human yearnings and impulses to which it responds. There seems to be little public or political appetite for that, however. “For these enemies who lash out at their compatriots, who tear up this contract that unites us, there can be no legitimate explanation,” French Prime Minister Manuel Valls stated earlier this year, in a speech that outraged social scientists. “Because to explain is in itself to wish to excuse, a bit.” Coming from the mouth of a politician, such a refusal to interrogate the problem resembles nothing so much as a bid to absolve himself of any possible responsibility. Insofar as it absolves society as well, however, it has become a popular strain of thought across Europe, where various nativist populisms are currently resurgent. There can be no doubt that every European jihadist is personally responsible for his actions. And yet, if the past two decades are to be examined for their lessons, it is also certain that to hold them personally responsible before courts of law is not enough.

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Al Jazeera: Will Nazism comparisons trigger soul searching?

Neve Gordon, a political scientist at Ben Gurion University in Beersheva, said the political fallout underscored the significance of Golan's comments. "All camps in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict want to be able to claim exclusive ownership of victimhood," he told Al Jazeera. "Golan's offence was to dare to identify Israelis as the oppressors. That's why [government politicians] are now furiously going after him."

Golan is a war hero, and for that reason he may - just - survive this incident. Though extremely uncommon, such comparisons have been made before by Israeli public figures, though never before by someone of Golan's standing. Shortly after the occupation began in 1967, the late Professor Yeshayahu Leibowitz, a renowned scientist and philosopher, began warning that Israel was in danger of succumbing to what he termed "Judeo-Nazism".

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