Middle East

Israeli Ambassador Michael Oren not only called the head of CBS news in an attempt to quash a report on the displacement of Palestinian Christians by the Israeli Occupation of the West Bank and East Jerusalem, but he briefed Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu of the far right wing Likud Party on his attempt. Here are […]

Egypt

Will the Egyptian Military Allow the New President to take Office?

Juan Cole

Al-Hayat reported that Egypt’s military council is making odd demands on the eve of the presidential election scheduled for May 23-24. The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) says it wants the new constitution to be drafted before the president assumes office. Presumably this demand derives from the old constitution’s provisions that give the […]

Israel/ Palestine

Danish Ambassador Asks Israel for Explanation of Assault on Peace Activist (Video)

Juan Cole

A group of European peace activists bicycling near Jericho in the Palestinian West Bank were stopped by Israeli occupation forces, and Lt Col Shalom Eisner, deputy commander of the Jordan Valley territorial brigade, abruptly slammed his rifle into the face of Danish activist Andreas Ias. A video of the event has emerged which makes it […]

Syria

Tens of Thousands of Syrians Protest Peacefully after Ceasefire, 6 Killed

Juan Cole

On the first day since the Baathist regime of Bashar al-Assad maintained that it had accepted a ceasefire with its opposition, tens of thousands of Syrians came out into the streets to protest. The regime did not, as promised, pull tanks from the streets, so that the crowds were thinner than they might have been. […]

Bahrain

Bahrain Crisis between Hunger Strike and Grand Prix Boycott

Juan Cole

The crisis in Bahrain continues to boil along, despite the harsh crackdown of the Sunni monarchy on the protest movement (made up largely of the Shiite majority, but also supported by some Sunni parties). The crackdown has left about 83 dead in the past year, and hundreds have been imprisoned. Abd al-Hadi al-Khwajah, a protester […]

Syria

Syrian Civil War Kills 160, Spills over onto Lebanon, Turkey; Will US Intervene?

Juan Cole

Fighting on Monday in Homs and other Syrian cities left some 160 dead on Monday, and, ominously, Syrian troops fired into Lebanon and Turkey, killing 3 persons. The Syrian crisis has escalated into a civil war, and now it is threatening to involve Syria’s neighbors. The Syrian military attacked the town of Rastan near Homs […]

Iraq

US Pentagon Trained Iranian terrorists in Nevada: Hersh

Juan Cole

For those who missed this this weekend. The intrepid Seymour Hersh reports at the New Yorker that the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) of the US military gave members of the Mojahedin-e Khalq (MEK or People’s Holy Jihadis) training in signals intelligence at a facility in Nevada during the Bush era. The MEK was then […]

Egypt

Videos on the Muslim Brotherhood and the Quest for Power in Egypt

Juan Cole

Aljazeera English on the Muslim Brotherhood’s Khairat al-Shater and his plans to run for the presidency of Egypt: The USG Open Source Center paraphrased this piece from the Muslim Brotherhood web site Cairo Egyptwindow in Arabic for Weds. April 4: “Article by Muhammad al-Suruji entitled: “10 important questions on al-Shatir’s nomination” dated 4 April. The […]

Israel/ Palestine

The Paradox of Israeli Politics: Sternfeld

Juan Cole

Lior Sternfeld writes in a guest editorial for Informed Comment Israel’s center-right Kadima Party has just elected an Iranian-Israeli, Shaul Mofaz, as its leader, in an attempt to position itself to defeat the hard right Likud Party’s Binyamin Netanyahu in the next elections. Mofaz is promising to take up the plight of Israel’s middle class, […]