Israel doubles down on its critics

Be it ICC arrest warrants or media criticism, Israel is pushing back hard.

Faced with an arrest warrant from the ICC, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu – and much of the Israeli media – reflexively dismissed the move as anti-Semitic.

While the walls appear to be closing in on Netanyahu, he is a survivor. He knows how to muddy the waters. His government is also going after one of the few Israeli news outlets critical of the war on Gaza – Haaretz.

Contributors:
Omer Bartov – Professor of Holocaust and Genocide Studies, Brown University
Diana Buttu – Human Rights Lawyer & Analyst
Dana Mills – Writer, +972 Magazine & Local Call
Ori Goldberg – Academic & Political Commentator

Following a deadly crackdown on political dissent in Pakistan, citizens experienced a new type of internet shutdown. Ryan Kohls reports on the Chinese-built internet “firewall”, that gives authorities greater control over what they can restrict – right down to specific features of applications.

Three months after a student uprising ousted Bangladesh’s authoritarian prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, many news organisations that once toed the line under her administration have begun speaking truth to power. However, as for any transition, challenges remain.

The Listening Post’s Meenakshi Ravi reports on Bangladesh’s newly opened media space and the prospect of lasting change.

Featuring: 
Kamal Ahmed – Head, Media Reform Commission
Faisal Mahmud – Editor, Bangla Outlook
Zyma Islam – Journalist, The Daily Star