Middle East

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – Mahmoud Abbas, president of Palestine, renounced the Oslo Peace accords Wednesday, on the grounds that Israel itself has long since reneged on every key provision in that agreement. Abbas said, “Thus, we declare that as long as Israel refuses to commit to the agreements signed with […]

Bashar al-Assad

Most Russians Oppose Sending Troops To Syria: Poll

contributors

By Tom Balmforth | ( RFE/RL MOSCOW — More than two-thirds of Russians oppose sending troops to Syria to prop up President Bashar al-Assad’s government, while a majority approve of Moscow’s use of diplomatic and political channels to help its embattled ally in the Middle East, according to a respected independent pollster. At a time […]

Israel/ Palestine

UK: Israel has Attacked Gaza 696 Times Since Most Recent Ceasefire

contributors

By IMEMC News. | – – The Gaza Strip was attacked at least 696 times on different occasions since the August 2014 ceasefire, said Tobias Ellwood, the UK Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, according to the Middle East Monitor. During a parliamentary session, Labour MP Alex Cunningham asked “how […]

Barack Obama

Why Obama and Putin are Both Wrong on Syria

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – President Obama seemed awfully defensive in his speech at the United Nations on Monday. The reason is not far to seek. Russia’s Vladimir Putin has surprised Washington by volunteering to get militarily involved in Syria and by arguing that only by enlisting the Baath regime of […]

Saudi Arabia

US-Backed Bombing Campaign Strikes Yemeni Wedding Party, Killing Dozens

contributors

By Lauren McCauley, staff writer | (Commondreams.org) | – – Many women and children among the dead in ‘mistake’ attack Monday’s accidental attack on a Yemeni wedding party drew references to the United States’ December 2013 drone bombing of another wedding party in Yemen, which resulted in the death of the 15 people. (Photo: AFP) […]

Islam

Jerusalem: Abbas warns Int’l leaders of ‘danger’ over Israeli-Palestinian clashes at Aqsa Mosque

contributors

Ma’an News Agency | – – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — President Mahmoud Abbas on Sunday warned international leaders at the UN General Assembly of the potential danger of ongoing events at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem. Abbas told Palestine TV that he had told world leaders in a series of meetings at the […]

Bashar al-Assad

Syria: Is Bashar al-Assad winning the Diplomatic War? Rebels Fret

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, widely regarded as a war criminal with tens of thousands of deaths on his hands, is nevertheless on a roll. Russia and Iran, the backers of al-Assad, are not eager to see him go. Russia is now putting in more troops and […]

Bashar al-Assad

To Stem the Flow of Refugees, Stop the Syrian Regime’s Barrel Bombs

contributors

By Kenneth Roth, Executive Director | ( Human Rights Watch) – – Syrian asylum-seekers are the largest component of the latest refugee surge to Europe. Germany has been extraordinarily generous in providing a refuge. But with four million refugees having fled Syria’s daily atrocities and more waiting in the wings, we must ask how to […]

Iran

Israel’s Real Fear: w/out a Demonized Iran, West will see Tel Aviv as Irrelevant

contributors

By Farhang Jahanpour | (Inter Press Service) | – – OXFORD (IPS) – Relations between Iran and Israel go back almost to the foundation of the State of Israel in 1948. Iran was the second Muslim-majority country to recognize Israel as a sovereign state, following Turkey, and the two countries had very close diplomatic and […]