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Uprising’s guest expert Courtney Morris, assistant professor of African American and Women’s Studies at Penn State University, analyzes today’s news headlines:

A Palestinian man ran his car into a number of pedestrians in East Jerusalem yesterday, in the second such incident of its kind in 2 weeks. The incident reflects growing tensions in the region. Palestinian anger has soared at Israel’s attempt to change access to the holy site of the Al Aqsa mosque. Hamas has taken responsibility for the incident, citing “continued Zionist crimes,” against the mosque and sparking fears of another Palestinian intifada. Meanwhile Amnesty International released a report this morning calling Israel’s war on Gaza this summer, rife with “war crimes.” The group used harsh language, saying Israel had expressed, “callous indifference” in its attacks on civilians. The report documented 8 instances where Israel attacked civilians in their homes killing more than 100 people, 62 of whom were children. Click here for a Guardian newspaper article and here for a Reuters article about the story.

France is urging the US to become more deeply involved in the war against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS). In an op-ed in the Washington Post yesterday entitled “After Kobane, Saving Aleppo,” French foreign minister Laurent Fabius urged the US to intervene in the Syrian city of Aleppo where moderate Syrian rebels are being encircled by ISIS forces and troops loyal to President Bashar al Assad. Meanwhile, Human Rights Watch has released a report yesterday which found disturbing evidence of 150 Kurdish boys from Kobane being tortured and abused by ISIS forces. Some of the boys were as young as 14. They were forced to pray, beaten, and made to watch videos of beheadings. Click here for an Al Jazeera article, and here for a Telegraph article about the story.

And finally, in a story that is receiving little attention, a Russian man who joined the Taliban in their fight against the US is being tried in a US federal court today. The case is the first of its kind involving a detainee from Afghanistan being tried in a US court. The man, named Irek Hamidullin, stands accused of a dozen charges related to terrorism, including attempting to destroy a US aircraft. He had been held in Bagram air base in Afghanistan before being flown to Virginia. Mr. Hamidullin may face life in prison. Click here for an AP article about the story.