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Month: May 2009

Israel’s Newfound Concern for UNIFIL
By Belen Fernandez A recent article in the online edition of the Jerusalem Post states that "Israel is becoming increasingly anxious about the fate of UNIFIL if Hezbollah increases its power in upcoming parliamentary elections […]

‘Mucking out’ British Politics
By Stuart Littlewood – London UK politicians are currently reeling from a public lashing for fiddling their expenses big-time. Such is their arrogance that many, when confronted with their crimes, don’t see that they have […]

US Insists on Settlement Freeze
Barack Obama has repeated his call for Israel to stop settlement construction after holding talks with Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president. Declaring that Washington was a "stalwart ally" of Israel, the US president nonetheless said […]

Grim Housing, Water Situation in Gaza
Reports published recently by the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), Israeli NGO B’Tselem and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) paint a grim picture of life in Gaza more than four months […]

Amnesty Slams Israel over Gaza
Human Rights group Amnesty International has condemned Israel for the ongoing humanitarian crisis in the blockaded Gaza Strip. In its annual report, the London-based group says Israel’s massive offensive on Gaza has brought the situation […]

Netanyahu’s New Quest: The Game is On
By Ramzy Baroud "We’ve accomplished quite a few things, and I think the most important one is to cement the principle that the path to peace is through negotiations and not through violence." These were […]

Justice Must Prevail: An American Doctor’s Account
By Bryan Saario Following up upon a Christmas donation to Palestine Children’s Relief Fund in 2006, I offered my services as a retired oral and maxillofacial surgeon for one of their future cleft palate missions […]

A Two-State Scam?
By Mohannad El-Khairy – Dubai So, here we are. One of the most right-wing governments has taken over Olmert’s Apartheid duties in Israel; Benjamin Netanyahu at the helm of what can only be deemed as […]

The Facts We Cannot Refute
By Joharah Baker – Jerusalem Sometimes, reading commentaries on articles is more interesting than reading the articles themselves. It gives an extremely lucid perspective on what goes on in the average person’s mind – at […]


Jail for Jewish Israel Deniers
The Israeli Knesset passed on Wednesday, May 27, a preliminary reading of a bill criminalizing citizens who refuse the Jewish nature of Israel, drawing immediate rebuke from opposition lawmakers. The bill, initiated by Knesset’s Education […]

US Jails Men in Hamas Aid Case
A US court has sentenced the former heads of a Muslim charity to 65 years in prison for allegedly providing aid to the Palestinian group Hamas. Shukri Abu-Baker, the charity’s ex-chief executive, and Ghassan Elashi, […]

Abbas in US to Press for Settlement Freeze
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas arrived in Washington early Wednesday for his first official meeting with President Barack Obama as Jordan summoned the Israeli envoy in Amman to protest a reported Israeli proposal to set up […]

UNRWA Strike Could Hit Vulnerable Refugees
A pay dispute between employees and the management of the UN agency for Palestine refugees (UNRWA) in Jordan could affect vulnerable refugees, especially in the many UNWRA-run schools and clinics. Thousands of UNRWA employees went […]

‘Comrades, Your Enemy is Yourselves!’
By Mats Svensson It feels like a very long time ago. Between a then and a now walls have been built. Not just one but many. The walls have also become higher, uglier, thicker and […]

Israel’s ‘Existential Threats’
By Dina Jadallah The last few days have witnessed an inflection point in the history of Israel. It has effectively shed its democratic veneer and blatantly embraced its racist, fascist and colonialist ideology. I am […]

One Nation under God
By Aijaz Zaka Syed – Dubai George W Bush and his overzealous friends might have signed off but their shenanigans during their eight years in power continue to emerge, fascinating the world. Last week, Robert […]

Obama Should Lay the Parameters Down
By George S. Hishmeh The inconclusive meeting between US President Barack Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier this month, has confused rather than assuaged their audiences in the US and overseas. The interpretations […]

Combatants for Peace End Cycle of Violence
By Rima Merhi Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) were on a routine errand throwing hand grenades at three o’clock in the morning in one of the most populated areas in Gaza. Their faces were camouflaged in […]

Bolivians Do Exist
By Belén Fern

In Gaza, Infant Dies as Health Held for Ransom
An infant has become the most recent casualty of the nearly two-year-old Israeli policy of collective punishment and its blockade of the Gaza Strip. On Monday, the 12-month-old infant, named Muhammad Rami Ibrahim Nofal, died […]

Netanyahu and Washington Agree Iran is Bigger Threat
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is willing to tear down settlement outposts in the occupied West Bank in return for U.S. backing on its stance on arch-foe Iran, local media reported on Tuesday. Netanyahu told […]

Egypt Loosens Claws on Gaza-bound Aid
After months of blocking emergency aid to Gaza, Egypt loosens its grip and allows a humanitarian convoy to cross into the bomb-scarred Palestinian territory. The European aid-laden convoy called ‘Hope’ which includes 40 wagons of […]

Israel Forces Arabs to Pledge Allegiance
Israel targets its Arab citizens with a newly-introduced legislation that would force them into pledging an oath of allegiance to the Tel Aviv government. The ultranationalist party led by Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman has unveiled […]

Hariri ‘Rejects any Hezbollah Deal’
Saad al-Hariri, the leader of Lebanon’s Future movement, has said he will refuse to join a Hezbollah-led coalition government should the Shia party and its allies win the country’s forthcoming elections. Speaking to Al Jazeera […]

Obama and Bibi: Political Divergence, Strategic Symbiosis
By Yacov Ben Efrat From the meeting between US President Barack Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on May 18, 2009, no wide-ranging agreement was to be expected. To judge from the public news […]

Biden; A Wolf in a Sheep Clothing
By Dr. Elias Akleh The surprise quick visit of the American Vice President Joe Biden to Lebanon last Friday May 22 marked the 14th visit by an American official during the last six months. The […]

Assorted Interpretations of May 25
By Belén Fern

Israel Forces Gaza into Mud Homes
By Motasem Dalloul – Gaza City It was a long journey for Jihad al-Sha’er to resettle in his new home, which he built from affordable and cheap materials after living homeless for four months after […]

Israel Wants Nakba Banned
The Israeli government’s decision to push through parliament a law banning its Arab citizens from marking Nakba, the day Israel was set up on the rubble of Palestine drew immediate rebuke from Labor ministers, Arabs […]