He Thought He Wouldn’t Live to See Aleppo Again. This Week, He Returned Home.
As Syrian rebels retake major cities from Bashar al-Assad, many are celebrating a return home.
Jonah Valdez
Jonah Valdez is a reporter for The Intercept covering politics, U.S. foreign policy, Israel and Palestine, human rights issues, and protest movements for social justice.
He previously was a staff writer with the Los Angeles Times where he joined the paper as an inaugural member of the L.A. Times Fellowship. For the Times, Valdez covered stories about environmental justice, gentrification, transportation, labor, pop culture, and the Hollywood industry. Valdez got his start covering local news for the Southern California News Group. His work can also be found in The Guardian, Voice of San Diego, and the San Diego-Union Tribune. He was raised in San Diego and now resides in Los Angeles, where he also writes poetry and is working on his first collection.
He previously was a staff writer with the Los Angeles Times where he joined the paper as an inaugural member of the L.A. Times Fellowship. For the Times, Valdez covered stories about environmental justice, gentrification, transportation, labor, pop culture, and the Hollywood industry. Valdez got his start covering local news for the Southern California News Group. His work can also be found in The Guardian, Voice of San Diego, and the San Diego-Union Tribune. He was raised in San Diego and now resides in Los Angeles, where he also writes poetry and is working on his first collection.
Contacts:
- jonah.valdez@theintercept.com
- @jonahmv.05 on Signal
- @jonahmv on X
Posts:
Israel’s Lebanon Blitz
Israel Agrees to Stop Bombing Lebanon — So It Can Keep Bombing Gaza
Biden said that the truce could be a prelude to a ceasefire in Gaza. Netanyahu’s actions seem to indicate otherwise.
Israel’s War on Gaza
War Crimes Have Never Stopped the U.S. Before
The U.S. has a long tradition of shielding Israel (and itself) from war crime allegations — and threatening The Hague.
Israel’s War on Gaza
San Francisco’s Biggest Hospital System: Don’t Talk About Palestine
Nine health care workers at UCSF report censorship or punishment for speaking out about human rights for Palestinians — or simply wearing a pin.
Israel’s War on Gaza
“A Final, Deadly Exclamation Point”: Biden Backs Down on 30-Day Israel Arms Ultimatum
The Biden administration will continue to arm Israel — even after it failed to meet the U.S. deadline on allowing aid into Gaza.
How California Got Convinced to Lock More People Up
California just voted in harsher penalties despite low crime rates, thanks to TV news, a $16 million campaign, and a slow defense by criminal justice advocates.
Democrats Blow Their Chance to Block Trump’s Resurgence
On climate, immigration, and Israel’s war on Gaza, Harris ran to the right — alienating voters.
Israel’s War on Gaza
“Every Choice Is Loss”: Voters on Their Decision Amid Genocide in Gaza
Progressive Americans opposed to Israel’s U.S.-funded war in Gaza face a difficult choice: whether or not to vote for Harris.
Israel’s War on Gaza
ACLU Leadership Rejects Staff Demands to Condemn U.S. Role in Israel’s Gaza War
More than 650 ACLU staffers signed a petition calling on the organization to decry the ongoing war and divest from Israel.
Israel’s War on Gaza
She Exposed a Prestigious Medical Journal’s Silence on the Holocaust. Now She’s Asking About Gaza.
A historian who exposed the New England Journal of Medicine's silence on Nazi atrocities confronted the journal’s treatment of Gaza during a Harvard symposium.