Archives for 2009

Incoming Vice President Joe Biden was in Kirkuk, Iraq, Tuesday afternoon. According to al-Hayat writing in Arabic, he is on a fact-finding mission and will report back on the current situation to President-Elect Barack Obama, with a view toward setting Iraq strategy when the new administration convenes after next Tuesday. Al-Zaman is reporting that he […]

One of the little noticed side effects of Israel’s war on Gaza has been a substantial souring of relations with Turkey. The Israelis had had a relatively close diplomatic, military and trade relationship with secular, Kemalist Turkey. The rise of the Justice and Development Party from 2002, however, has created new complications, since that party […]

So outgoing Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert was speaking in Ashkelon on Monday, and he said the most amazing thing. The USG Open Source Center translated the relevant passage from his speech, in which he claimed he had the ability to control US foreign policy and summarily over-rule the Secretary of State: ‘”Olmert Says Israel […]

Sarah Shields writes in a guest op-ed for IC: I accuse you, the US Congress, of having voted for US House Resolution 34 by an overwhelming margin, 390-5. In the name of protecting Israel’s security, this Resolution instead protects Israel’s “right” to hold a whole population accountable for the violations of a few. By condoning […]

British Gaza “Gaza: Soon after the British Empire occupied the city from the Ottoman Turks,” (circa 1918) “Grand Omari Mosque, 1928″ Egyptian Gaza “UN soldiers keeping the peace during the Israeli withdrawal from Egypt,” 1957 “A refugee camp for Palestinians at Gaza, in Egypt’s Gaza strip,” 1963 Israeli Gaza “Israeli tank moving into the Gaza […]

British Gaza “Gaza: Soon after the British Empire occupied the city from the Ottoman Turks,” (circa 1918) “Grand Omari Mosque, 1928″ Egyptian Gaza “UN soldiers keeping the peace during the Israeli withdrawal from Egypt,” 1957 “A refugee camp for Palestinians at Gaza, in Egypt’s Gaza strip,” 1963 Israeli Gaza “Israeli tank moving into the Gaza […]

Israeli war planes bombed densely populated Gaza 12 times Sunday night through Monday morning, even as Israeli reservists were sent into the territory and troops engaged in firefights with local forces. Israel postponed the dispatching of its chief negotiator to Cairo, something originally planned for Monday.Cont’d Hamas fighters hope to use urban guerrilla tactics to […]

I want to follow up today on my postings over the weekend on how organizing to defend progressive congressional representatives and punish reactionary ones is far superior to street protests as political action on the Israeli-Palestinian issue.Cont’dPeople wrote to defend street protests or minded that I said I was annoyed. I stand by what I […]

Update: We’re way behind, progressive blogosphere. Today is the last day to make a push. You can vote again if it has been 24 hours. Let’s at least try to pull closer. Thanks to all the thousands who at least have so far prevented a rout! Vote early and vote often in the 2008 Weblog […]