Well worth reading.

What a mortifying moment: Filippo Grandi - the UN high commissioner •for• refugees - smiling and laughing as he calls for the implementation of the EU’s anti-asylum pact. This is truly a new low for the agency which has just lost its way.

PRESS RELEASE

Over 1,500 academics based at more than 270 higher education institutions in North America have signed an Open Letter condemning Israel's scholasticide in Gaza.

Full release: docs.google.com/document/d/e/2…

Join the letter here: forms.gle/m2c1UpLVXMHuJ3…

What a mortifying moment: Filippo Grandi - the UN high commissioner •for• refugees - smiling and laughing as he calls for the implementation of the EU’s anti-asylum pact. This is truly a new low for the agency which has just lost its way.

On the heels of this James Hathaway Jeff Crisp exchange, re-upping my op-ed quoting a Palestinian man in Gaza, & my comment on how to respect the choices he should never have had to face:
No exit in Gaza — left with no other options, residents should have a right to flee | The Hill

Quite right. Those arguing that the closure of borders to Palestinians seeking to flee is justified in order to avoid a diaspora misunderstand refugee law. Each at-risk person is legally entitled to make that decision for herself. Respect that autonomy.

My interpretation of Biden’s ultimatum to Netanyahu:
1. Negotiate an immediate ceasefire and hostage swap by loosening your requirements.
2. Set up immediate, transparent procedures and mechanisms for protecting humanitarian workers in Gaza
3. Open the gates to humanitarian aid

It never ceases to amaze me that anyone is surprised that “voluntary” returns almost never are. Surely we have learned this lesson long ago.

And then there is the age old question, of course. If repatriation is “promoted” by the agency responsible for your well-being, can it truly be “voluntary”?

Proud to announce pub'n of Anthea Vogl's 'Judging Refugees' - brilliant analysis of how we come to understand the refugee’s narrative, and what that tells us about who we believe to be worthy of protection. cambridge.org/core/books/jud…

A brilliant, lucid primer on why the fight for ‘racial’ justice (and diversity) is so easily turned against the descendants of slavery. nytimes.com/2024/03/13/mag…

Absolutely right. Biden was completely in the wrong both ethically and legally to stigmatize asylum seekers in this way. Shame on him.

It’s sad that she felt the need to add the “orderly pathway” reference — an implied and wholly unwarranted slap at those who arrive on their own to claim asylum.

PROTECTION!

Thanks for recommending and reposting, Jeff.