Middle East

Europe’s biggest challenge in resisting US sanctions on Iran is not legal or even geopolitical. It is psychological: European leaders act as if the US still cares about a trans-Atlantic alliance of shared interests, values, and approaches. NEW YORK (Project Syndicate) – Donald Trump’s renunciation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) with Iran […]

Israel/ Palestine

Yes, you can stand for Palestinian rights without being Antisemitic

Jill Richardson

( Otherwords.org) — I was told again and again to stand up when someone’s being mistreated. So I realized I had to stand up for Palestinians. Now that Israel has killed dozens of Palestinian protesters in an obviously gross human rights violation, can we get something straight? You can criticize Israel without being anti-Semitic. I […]

Human Rights Watch

Saudis Arrest 7 Women’s Rights Activists who had Upstaged Crown Prince on Driving

Human Rights Watch

Beirut ( Human Rights Watch) – Saudi authorities since May 15, 2018, detained a total of seven prominent women’s rights defenders, Human Rights Watch said today. The activists have long advocated ending the ban on women driving and abolishing the discriminatory male guardianship system. Among those arrested are Eman al-Nafjan and Lujain al-Hathloul, along with […]

Israel/ Palestine

Palestinian women: a history of female resistance in Gaza and the West Bank

Maria Holt

Outside observers tend to imagine the face of Gaza as resolutely male: the bearded Hamas “militant”, or the young man hurling stones across the border fence. But Palestinian women, both in Gaza and the West Bank, have a significant presence as activists, protesting against an unjust occupation, but also as the backbone of a fragmented […]

China

China picking up Iran Gas Deal Trump forced France’s Total to Give Up… In Yuan, not Dollars

Julien Girault

Beijing (AFP) – The US decision to reimpose sanctions on Iran could scare off European investors but oil-thirsty China may step into the void and ramp up business links with the country. China, which is already Iran’s top trade partner and one of its biggest buyers of crude, has signalled that it intends to keep […]

Displaced and Refugees

100,000 Yemenis displaced by Saudi-led Coastal Offensive, with Millions on edge of Famine

AFP

Aden (AFP) – A Yemen government offensive backed by ground troops and warplanes of the Saudi-led coalition has displaced tens of thousands of people along the country’s western coast, Amnesty International said Thursday. The rights group warned “the worst could be yet to come” after surveying civilians who made the perilous escape from front line […]

Iraq

Why Muqtada al-Sadr’s Shocking Victory in Iraq Elections isn’t that Shocking

Mustafa Habib

Baghdad (Niqash.org) The results of the Iraqi elections were surprising. But in fact, the way Iraqis were feeling about local politics beforehand indicates that nobody should actually have been all that surprised. The morning after the preliminary announcements about who had won and who had lost in the Iraqi elections, it was clear that Iraqis […]

Iran

How Trump’s Violation of nuclear deal will hurt Iran’s dissenters and activists

Omid Shams

(The Conversation) Now the Trump administration has withdrawn from the Iranian nuclear deal, the world is yet again bracing for an all-out confrontation between Washington and Tehran. But while Donald Trump’s decision inevitably has serious implications for the security balance of the Middle East, it will also hit Iranian society hard – and in particular, […]

Israel/ Palestine

Canada’s Trudeau calls for inquiry into Israeli Killings in Gaza

AFP

Ottawa (AFP) – Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Wednesday called for an “independent investigation” after the death of 60 Palestinians killed by the Israeli army during protests on Monday. “Reported use of excessive force and live ammunition is inexcusable,” he said. “It is imperative we establish the facts of what is happening in Gaza.” […]