GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — The Israeli offensive on Gaza has caused “huge losses” for the already-struggling food industry in the coastal enclave, a national industry association said . . . [last week]. A delegation of the Palestinian Food Industries Union that visited factories that sustained damage in the month-long military assault estimated that around $150 […]
The US intervened again in Iraq in Part to Save the Yazidis: Who are They?
By Petr Kubalek via RFE/RL Islamic militants this week encircled thousands of members of the Yazidi minority in northern Iraq, prompting the Obama administration to carry out humanitarian air drops to the refugees who fled their homes to Mount Sinjar. Here are answers to six questions about the Yazidi people, religion, and history. Who Are […]
Gaza and the Struggle for Palestine: Historical Background (Pt. 1, a)
By William R. Polk Like many observers I am both sick at heart and emotionally drained from watching and reading about the horrible events in Gaza. Is there more to be said about them? Yes, I think there is if we hope to achieve a degree of security and peace. So, at the risk of […]
West Bank Continues Uprising, Israeli Army Injures 40 at Hebron Demo for Gaza
HEBRON (Ma’an) — At least 40 Palestinians were injured in central Hebron on Friday afternoon as Israeli forces dispersed hundreds taking part in rallies condemning the ongoing Israeli assault on Gaza as well as the Israeli occupation. Sources at the Red Crescent said that 25 Palestinians had been shot with live fire and 15 with […]
“Move a little Inland:” Press Lord Cranky Billionaire Rupert Murdoch on what to do about Global Warming
By Climate State “According to Murdoch we just have to move a bit inland and the worst is a temperature rise of 3 degree and a modest sea level rise of six inches. However, according to the IPCC (representing the best science the world has to offer) we are on track to a 7 degrees […]
Iraq: Tribes and other Sunnis begin Splitting from so-Called “Islamic State”
By Shalaw Mohammed | Kirkuk | via Niqash.org The Sunni Muslim extremist group that has taken over parts of Iraq recently is dependent on support from locals in the areas it wants to control. Recently one group of locals tried to leave – they wanted open roads, prisoner releases and a truce with their neighbours. […]
New Wave of Christian Refugees as “Islamic State” Takes Iraq’s Largest Christian Town
By Middle East Eye “Christians have fled from the largest Christian city in Iraq as the militants of the Islamic State took control. They were given a choice of death, fleeing, conversion or taxation, after IS over powered the much vaunted Kurdish peshmerga.” Middle East Eye: “Christians flee Qaraqoush in Iraq as Islamic State takes […]
Iraq: Yazidis Trapped By Extremists: ‘We Will Run Out Of Food, Water In Two Days’
By Khales Joumah | Mosul | via Niqash.org Over the weekend, the Sunni Muslim extremist group, Islamic State, entered the Sinjar area in northern Iraq. Their arrival saw the population, mostly members of the ethno-religious Yazidi group, flee. NIQASH spoke with three refugee families, one trapped in the mountains, another that made it to relative […]
The Capital of the Caliphate: VICE on the so-called “Islamic State” in Syria & Iraq
By VICE: “The Islamic State, a hardline Sunni jihadist group that formerly had ties to al Qaeda, has conquered large swathes of Iraq and Syria. Previously known as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), the group has announced their intention to reestablish the caliphate and declared their leader, the shadowy Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, […]