Middle East

Israel’s Occupation Policies may Contribute to deaths of Many Elderly Palestinians, But Palestinian Youth are Poised to Flourish

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – The age bias of the novel coronavirus has geopolitical implications. Although it is not true that it leaves children and youth alone, it is true that their symptomatic infection rate and mortality is tiny compared to that of the elderly. In Europe, WHO reports that up to half of coronavirus […]

Epidemics

Iran fails to contain COVID-19 as internal political clashes prevent a timely and unified response

Global Voices

By Ezzatullah Mehrdad | – ( Globalvoices.org) – Since the outbreak of COVID-19 started in Iran in February 2020, internal political clashes have prevented the authorities from adequately responding to the pandemic. As a result, Iran has become one of the worst affected countries: as of April 24, more than 88,000 Iranians have been infected […]

Israel/ Palestine

Israel Finally Formed a Government: One Dedicated to Apartheid and Illegally Annexing Palestine

Kamel Hawwash

( Middle East Monitor ) – When it comes to Israel, the international community has once again been exposed for the double standards and hypocrisy it reserves to support the rogue state. Many so-called western democracies have fallen over each other to offer congratulations to an Apartheid state for forming a government that will entrench […]

Donald Trump

Trump failed to vanquish Coronavirus with Hot Air, now wants to “shoot down” tiny Iranian Skiffs

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – The diarist and attorney James Boswell recorded that the writer Samuel Johnson remarked on the evening of April 7, 1775 that “Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel.” He wasn’t condemning a healthy love of country but the manipulation of public opinion for narrow sectional purposes. Johnson might observe […]

Donald Trump

Palestinians aren’t Surprised at Trump’s Malign Incompetence on Coronavirus: He already Ruined their Lives

Nooran Alhamdan

Washington, D.C. (Special to Informed Comment) – If you’re an American liberal wondering how Trump can cut funding to the World Health Organization during a global pandemic, just ask Palestinians how the majority of Americans (and the world) responded when Trump cut aid to refugees under the guise of “corruption” to force political capitulation. That’s […]

Arab World

With Oil Cratering and Saudis facing Mountain of Debt, what Future for Arab World with Coronavirus?

Middle East Monitor

( Middle East Monitor ) – Oil prices have hit zero. Yes, oil was “sold” this week with producers only asking buyers to pay for transporting it to its final destination. This is the worst collapse in oil markets in history; it is unprecedented for oil to lose 94 per cent of its value in […]

Arab Spring

The Arab Spring was not a Failure: Interview with Noah Feldman

Joseph Richard Preville

Joseph Richard Preville interviews Noah Feldman: Detroit (Special to Informed Comment) – The Arab spring was a momentous era of revolutionary people power in the history of the Middle East and North Africa, beginning in Tunisia in 2010. Noah Feldman offers an interpretation of the meaning of the Arab spring and its aftermath in the […]

Epidemics

In Palestine, Covid-19 Meets the Israeli Occupation

Yara Hawari

(Al-Shabaka.org) – The first measures taken against COVID-19 in the West Bank occurred in early March after the confirmation of seven cases in Bethlehem that were linked to a Greek tourist group. The Palestinian Authority (PA) declared a state of emergency and imposed a lockdown on the city, banning all entry and exit as well […]

Corruption

Protesters slam ‘Crime Minister” Netanyahu’s Assault on Democracy in Israel, Praise Palestinian-Israeli Medics fighting Coronavirus

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Some two thousand demonstrators gathered in formation in Rabin Square on Sunday in Tel Aviv for a “black flag” protest against the “destruction of democracy” by indicted prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu. They carefully kept six feet apart and wore surgical masks imprinted with the slogan “Crime Minister.” So reports Omar […]