Middle East

By Danny Sjursen | ( Tomdispatch.com | – – The other day, I found myself flipping through old photos from my time in Iraq. One in particular from October 2006 stood out. I see my 23-year-old self, along with my platoon. We’re still at Camp Buerhing in Kuwait, posing in front of our squadron logo […]

Israel/ Palestine

As Civil War heats up in S. Syria, Palestinian Refugees displaced Again

contributors

Ma’an News Agency | – – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), the UN agency responsible for providing services to some five million Palestinian refugees, released a statement on Wednesday expressing concern over the escalation of violence in the city of Deraa in southern Syria. “Fighting among parties to the […]

Israel/ Palestine

Cornel West: Israel Anti-BDS Law Would Ban Einstein from Entry

contributors

TeleSur | – – The African-American intellectual is one of the BDS movement’s most prominent figures and therefore could be denied entry into Israel under the new law. The new Israeli law banning foreigners who call for a boycott against the country over its treatment of Palestinians and the occupation of their land suggests that […]

Donald Trump

What Syrian Refugees think of Trump’s Refugee Ban

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – Reuters Arabic reports that a wave of anger swept the Syrian refugee camps of southern Lebanon Monday and Tuesday when they learned that Trump intends to ban Syrians and five other nationalities from coming to the US for at least 3 months and all refugee entries […]

Israel/ Palestine

Israel Bans Entry to Anyone Calling for Country’s Boycott

contributors

TeleSur | – – BDS [Boycott, Divestment & Sanctions] has grown into an effective international movement as many companies and celebrities join efforts to hold Israel accountable for illegal actions against Palestinians. Israel’s parliament passed a law Monday barring foreigners who publicly support boycotts on Israel and its illegal Jewish settlements in occupied Palestinian lands […]

Archaeology

Syrian Musicians Celebrate Palmyra’s Liberation

contributors

TeleSur | – – The city and its ruins, designated a UNESCO world heritage site in 1980, have traded hands several times during Syria’s six-year civil war. The 15-year-old’s voice floated over the ancient Roman theater, heavily damaged then abandoned by Islamic State group members Thursday as Syrian army forces drew near, eventually liberating the […]

Donald Trump

All the President’s Generals: Do they Want War with Iran?

contributors

By William D. Hartung | ( Tomdispatch.com) | – – In the splurge of “news,” media-bashing, and Bannonism that’s been Donald Trump’s domestic version of a shock-and-awe campaign, it’s easy to forget just how much of what the new president and his administration have done so far is simply an intensification of trends long underway. […]

Copts

Sectarian Tensions Flare in Egypt as Christians flee ISIL in Sinai

contributors

By Brian Whitaker | (Al-Bab.com) | – – Several hundred Egyptian Christians have fled their homes in North Sinai over the last few days following a series of murders attributed to supporters of the so-called Islamic State. Since the end of January at least seven people have been attacked and killed in the provincial capital, […]

Bernie Sanders

From Bernie Sanders to Harel: Why is Acknowledging Israeli Apartheid a Shock?

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – On Monday, Bernie Sanders gave a historic speech at J Street, the liberal pro-Israel lobby that still believes in a two state solution. The lying roll of soiled toilet paper that is Breitbart (Trump’s party organ) reported with horror that Sanders had addressed an “anti-Israel” group. […]