Hello and welcome to Background Briefing, available 24-7 at Background Briefing.org. I'm Ian Masters,

and today we'll look into a number of stories and issues in the

news. We'll begin with the possibility of a ceasefire in Gaza with the U.S. negotiator, Steve Whitkoff,

meeting with Israelis and Gadris, while Netanyahu says he's reviewing the latest proposal from

Hamas. Meanwhile, international indignation grows over the deliberate starvation of Palestinians

who are being shot down at the few aid centers as they desperately struggle to get food.

Joining us from Amman Jordan is Omar Shakir, who serves as the Israel and Palestine Director

at Human Rights Watch, where he investigates human rights abuses

in Israel, the West Bank and Gaza, and has authored several major reports, including a 2021 report

comprehensively documenting how Israeli authorities are committing the crimes against humanity

of apartheid and persecution against millions of Palestinians. As a result of his advocacy, the Israeli government deported Omar in November of 2019,

and he has an article at Human Rights Watch,

Desperate Pleas from Starving Palestinians shouldn't be ignored.

Then we'll speak with Jared Abbott, a political scientist, professor and director of the

Center for Working Class Politics with nearly two decades of experience in progressive politics

and the labor movement.

His research focuses on class politics, participatory democracy, and the left in the United

States and Latin America.

And he's the co-author of a new report.

We will discuss

working class social and economic attitudes from the Center for Working Class Politics

and his latest article that Jacobin is what Mendami's win can and can't teach us.

...