Middle East

( Jordan Times) – In an interview with The Washington Post, Israel’s Breaking the Silence, an ex-soldiers rights organisation, has highlighted Israel’s comprehensive surveillance of Palestinians living under occupation. Breaking the Silence, which collects testimonies of abuses reported by soldiers, points out that Israel’s employment of advanced techniques amount to “massive escalation in Israel’s pursuit […]

Banking

The Collapse of Turkey’s Currency fuels Power Struggle

Middle East Monitor

By Bakr Sidqi | – ( Middle East Monitor ) – On what was called “Black Tuesday” in the media this week, the value of the Turkish lira against foreign currencies declined sharply, bringing the exchange rate to 13.5 Turkish liras to the US dollar. While experts on the matter in Turkey and elsewhere are […]

Belgium

Belgium has decided to Label Squatter-Settler goods from Occupied Palestine as Not from Israel — Will it start a Wave?

Ramona Wadi

( Middle East Monitor ) – Labelling Israeli settlement products “strengthens extremists, does not help promote peace in the region, and shows Belgium as not contributing to regional stability,” according to Israel’s Deputy Foreign Minister Idan Roll. He lashed out at Belgium’s announcement that it would start applying more restrictive measures on goods produced by […]

Iran

Having Left the Iran Nuclear Deal, can the US revive it with the seventh round in Vienna?

Middle East Monitor

By Hani Habeeb | – ( Middle East Monitor) – While the American Special Representative to Iran, Robert Malley, surprised observers of the nuclear file by saying that the point of no return for this file is approaching, Israel is escalating its tone, especially in the context of its dispute with the US over this […]

censorship

Apple Sues Israeli gov’t-backed NSO Spyware Company: “Notorious Hackers – Amoral 21st C. Mercenaries”

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Apple is suing the NSO group, which produced the spyware that Israel uses to keep under surveillance the 5 million Palestinians it holds in thrall to its Occupation. The NSO group is believed to be close to the Israeli state. They have sold their hacking tools to repressive governments around […]

Iran

‘It’s My Decision’: Iran’s New Population Law Blasted For Restricting Access To Contraceptives, Abortions

Golnaz Esfandiari

By Golnaz Esfandiari and Elahe Ravanshad | – ( RFL/RE ) – Authorities have approved new legislation that imposes further restrictions on abortions, bans the free distribution of contraceptives by the public health-care system, and provides added state benefits to families with more children. The new law is an attempt by authorities to boost flagging […]

Israel/ Palestine

Palestinians have no Freedom or Independence under Israeli Occupation

Middle East Monitor

By Adnan Hmidan | – On 15 November, the Palestinian Authority (PA) closed its official departments, closed schools and universities as is usual every year, to celebrate the Independence of the State of Palestine, which sparked criticism. This miserable independence, in which the Head of State—and I mean Mahmoud Abbas, in particular—does not move one […]

Climate Crisis

The Climate Emergency Comes for Iran, as Thousands of Angry Farmers Protest in Dry Riverbed at Isfahan

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – On Friday, Kayhan London reports that thousands of farmers and other activists gathered in the dry riverbed of the historic Zayandeh Rud river at the major west-central city of Isfahan to protest the lack of water in the province. The crowd alleged that the Iranian administration of President Ibrahim Raisi […]

censorship

Turkish Online Censorship Ramps up, Targeting Sites Critical of the Government or the President

Global Voices

By Arzu Geybullayeva | – ( Globalvoices.org) – Written in 1953, the dystopian novel Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury is about a future where books are burned in an oppressive society. A new report titled Fahrenheit 5651: The Scorching Effect of Censorship, uses the well-known book to explain how a series of amendments made to […]