‘Palestine Papers’: It could be too late for two states
January 30th, 20110 The 'Palestine Papers' followed by Wikileaks data suggest that the PA has been engaged in extensive cooperation with the Israelis. RAMALLAH (IPS) - The credibility of the Palestinian Authority (PA) on the Arab street has been further weakened by the release of the 'Palestine Papers', but ironically the release of the explosive...Arab revolt: Tunisia issues arrest warrant for ousted Ben Ali
TUNIS — An international arrest warrant was issued for ousted president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali as more protestors against the government engaged in clashes in the capital city with riot police. Ben Ali and his wife Leila Trabelsi along with other members of his formerly all-powerful family have been accused of illegally acquiring...
The crisis candidate: Najib Mikati
January 29th, 20110 Lebanese tycoon Najib Mikati a former prime minister, has a reputation as a moderate who enjoys good ties with neighboring Syria, Lebanon's former power-broker that is steadily regaining its influence. Najib Mikati Fifty-five-year-old Mikati first broke into the local political scene in 1998 and was last elected to parliament...Arab revolt: Tunisian uprising inspires Jordanian protesters
Retired colonel Mohammed al-Btoush is not a natural rebel. For nearly two decades he served loyally in the Jordanian armed forces. He is a fierce patriot and supporter of the Hashemite monarchy. He never expected to be involved in politics. But now he is part of a committee of retired officers that is publicly urging Jordan's rulers...
Al Jazeera releases Wikileaks-style “Palestine Papers”
January 23rd, 20110 Landmark new documents released by Al Jazeera show that the Palestinian Authority (PA), led by chief negotiator Saeb Erekat, offered "The biggest Yerushalayim" ever in conceding key parts of East Jerusalem during U.S.-brokered negotiations. More of the 1,600 documents obtained describing the inner workings of a decade of...
The Arab world must face its demons
January 19th, 20110 Attacks on Christians are a wake-up call for fragmented Arab societies where disenfranchisement breeds bigotry.In the wake of the recent attack on Coptic Christians in Egypt, Nicolas Sarkozy, the French president, warned that Christians face a campaign of "religious cleansing in the Middle East". But, given Western governments'...Zahra replaces Corrigan on Supreme Court, Corrigan replaces Ahmed at DHS
Brian Zahra, a former Arab American Political Action Committee (AAPAC) endorsee and Michigan First District Court of Appeals Judge since 1998, was appointed to the Michigan Supreme Court by new governor Rick Snyder on Monday, Jan. 10. The appointment of the Republican Zahra means that the party will have a 4-3 majority on the court over...Judge Hultgren takes oath one last time
DEARBORN—Nearly a century of public service was highlighted Dec. 15 when William C. Hultgren chose State Rep. Gino H. Polidori to swear him in for a fourth six-year-term as judge of Dearborn’s 19th District Court. The November election saw Hultgren run unopposed for the third consecutive time. Prior to becoming judge, Hultgren served...Darany sworn in as 15th District State Rep.
DEARBORN—Former Dearborn City Councilman George Darany was sworn in as Michigan's new 15th District Representative on Dec. 28 at 19th District Court in Dearborn by Judge Christopher Dingell. The Democrat will be replaced by David W. Bazzy on city council. ...Syria under the microscope
WASHINGTON — In a step that could be perceived as a challenge to Republican members of Congress, U.S. President Barack Obama has appointed Robert Ford as the new US ambassador to Syria after congressional hearings on the matter were frozen in February 2010. Ford, who will be the first US ambassador to Damascus in six years, was...Gaza’s children dare to dream
GAZA CITY (IPS) - Despite the lingering trauma of living under siege, regular Israeli military attacks and the consequences of a bloody war several years ago, Gaza’s children still dream of happiness and of normal lives. Palestinians gather around a destroyed motorcycle after an Israeli air strike in Khan Younis in the southern...
Government collapse throws Lebanon into worst political turmoil since 2008
January 15th, 20110 Another drawn-out crisis and possible civil unrest is feared in Lebanon following the collapse of its government on Wednesday, Jan. 12 when the powerful Hizbullah and its allies withdrew from the country's coalition government. Analysts believe that Hariri will not be renamed prime minister if he refuses to reach a deal that is...
Tunisian President Ben Ali quits amid protests, flees country
January 15th, 20110 TUNIS – President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali has quit today after more than 23 years in the position and has reportedly fled the north African country, with Prime Minister Mohammed Ghannouchi taking over for the time being. The new interim leader called for unity after weeks of protests against the western-backed regime...Western-backed Ben Ali’s regime on last legs
Embattled Tunisian leader: No more deadly force against protestors TUNIS – A TV announcement was made by Tunisian President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali on Thursday, Jan. 13, his third since unrest began, ordering his nation's security forces to stop firing on demonstrators as the country's economic turmoil has continued and protests...
Lebanese government collapses
January 12th, 20110 BEIRUT - Lebanon's unity government has collapsed after the Hizbullah movement and its political allies resigned from the cabinet over arguments stemming from a UN probe into the assassination of Rafiq al-Hariri, the former Lebanese prime minister,on February 14, 2005. There has been growing political......
Aoun says Saudi-Syrian efforts fail, March 8 ministers to meet in Rabiyeh
BEIRUT: Free Patriotic Movement (F.P.M.) leader M.P. Michel Aoun said Tuesday Hizbullah and Speaker Nabih Berri's Amal Movement have been informed of the failure of Syrian-Saudi efforts to break the deadlock over the U.N.-backed tribunal investigating former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri's assassination. Aoun said a delegation of the...Tunisian unrest stirs Arab world
CAIRO (IPS) – As Western countries were busy celebrating Christmas and dealing with air traffic holiday delays because of snow blizzards, the tranquil North African country of Tunisia was going through events that would have been thought unthinkable just three weeks ago – public unrest that saw thousands demonstrate against the...
Egyptian church bombing fuels sectarian rift
January 8th, 20110 An Egyptian Coptic Christian lights candles for victims of the January 1 attack on an Orthodox Coptic church in Alexandria, in Amman Januray 5, 2011.REUTERS/Ali JarekjiCAIRO (IPS) – It was a tragic year for Egypt's minority Coptic Christian community that began with a drive-by shooting at a church in southern Egypt, and ended in...
New study from Ann Arbor toxicologist links Fallujah birth defects to U.S. weapons
January 8th, 20110 A new study has shed light on the massive surge in post-war birth defects in Fallujah, Iraq, showing for the first time that an epidemic of reproductive abnormalities has likely been caused by the presence of metals in the environment, potentially from the residues of munitions used by American armed forces on the city in 2004. A......
Lebanon: hard days ahead
January 8th, 20110 In Lebanon, 2010 saw the fragile political balance teetering on the edge of breakdown while Israeli threats of renewed war continued, writes Omayma Abdel-Latif Contrary to its beginning, which witnessed a number of political and civil initiatives towards national reconciliation, 2010 was largely marked by events that put at risk the...
Breaking the Israel-Palestine deadlock
January 8th, 20110 While intensively engaged in illegal settlement expansion, the government of Israel is also seeking to deal with two problems: a global campaign of what it perceives as “delegitimation” – that is, objections to its crimes and withdrawal of participation in them – and a parallel campaign of legitimation of Palestine. The......
The Arab world’s tipping point
January 8th, 20110 Nothing much happened for the Arab world in 2010, and nothing much will happen in 2011, writes Ezzedine Choukri Fishere*. But business as usual cannot – and will not – go on indefinitely. 2010 will go down in history, as far as the Arab world is concerned, as the most boring year of the decade – the year when nothing happened....
WikiLeaks: Israel plans total war on Lebanon, Gaza
January 8th, 20110 The Israeli military is planning out massive bombings of areas full of innocent civilians. AshkenaziThe Norwegian newspaper Aftenposten has summarized an Israeli military briefing by Israeli Chief of Staff Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi of a U.S. congressional delegation a little over a year ago and concludes that: "The memo on the talks......
