Canadian Somali journalist Hodan Nalayeh killed in terror attack
July 22nd, 20190 KISMAYO, SOMALIA - A prominent Canadian Somali journalist who was among 27 people killed in a terrorist attack in Somalia’s southern port city of Kismayo Saturday is being celebrated for her efforts to change the narrative about her country. Hodan Nalayeh dedicated her life to telling stories about Somalia that focused on more than...
Netanyahu and Nasrallah exchange threats amid rising tensions in the region
July 22nd, 20190 BEIRUT — Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah spoke during the annual commemoration of the 2006 victory of Lebanon's second war with Israel, addressing his support for Iran and saying he sees it as a partner that not only threatens Israel, but also views itself as a proud part of an “axis of resistance” against the U.S. and its...
Iran: From strategic patience to mutual action
July 20th, 20190 TEHRAN - After a pressure campaign from the U.S. and its allies on the Iranian economy, followed by a few threat exchanges, Iran has seized an oil tanker it claimed was carrying 1 million liters of "smuggled fuel," state news agency Press TV said on Thursday. The IRGC said it had initially responded to distress calls from a ship on...
Netanyahu could deny Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib entrance into Israel
July 20th, 20190 TEL AVIV - Since condemning freedom of expression with regard to the BDS (Boycott, Disinvestment and Sanctions) movement has been prevalent in the U.S., and with President Trump's recent unapologetic racist remarks about Democratic congresswomen of color (a remark that included U.S. Reps. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) and Rashida Tlaib (D-Detroit)),...
Hezbollah leader says U.S. seeking to talk
July 13th, 20190 BEIRUT - The leader of Hezbollah said on Friday that Washington was seeking to open channels of communication despite ramping up sanctions against the Iran-backed movement’s officials. “Trump’s administration is seeking to open channels of communication to Hezbollah in Lebanon through mediators. ... These are the American...
Iran, U.S., U.K. and Israel, a nuclear game of Russian roulette
July 13th, 20190 The U.S. and Iran have had a rocky relationship for a while now, but now that Iran has "violated" a key element in the 2015 international agreement that mandated the country to limit its development of nuclear weapons, an empty shot in a game of Russian roulette between the states has begun. The Iranian state news service, Fars,...
Iraq’s great rivers are dying as government struggles to fix failing infrastructure
July 4th, 20190 BAGHDAD — Iraq is in a fragile state and its great rivers including the iconic Euphrates and Tigris are dying, scientists say, as the country works to rebuild itself after thirty years of near constant war. Iraq is now in the process of running out of water, which is sourced from the two mighty, historical rivers. Both run the...
Jared Kushner’s ‘deal of the century’ fails in Bahrain
July 3rd, 20190 MANAMA - The so called "deal of the century" proposed by President Trump's senior adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner, which sought to deal with the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, was met with minimal interest from the attending crowd. With the Palestinians absent from the conference table, in addition to the refusal of many Arab...
National Palestinian organization denounces Trump’s Middle East peace plan
June 30th, 20190 WESTLAND — The American Federation of Ramallah, Palestine (AFRP) recently issued a statement saying that it stands united with the Palestinian National Authority in rejecting the pointless "Palestinian Investment Conference" directed by Jared Kushner, President Trump's son-in-law and Middle East envoy: This conference, which excludes...
Lebanon opposes U.S. plan for Mideast, not attending Bahrain conference
June 30th, 20190 BEIRUT — The Lebanese government and parliament both oppose a U.S. plan for settling the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri said on Wednesday, the National News Agency reported. The first phase of President Trump’s plan to revive the peace process is being discussed at an economic workshop in Bahrain and...
Trump hits Iran with new sanctions in retaliation to downing of drone
June 24th, 20190 WASHINGTON — President Trump announced on Monday that he was imposing new sanctions on Iran, further squeezing the Iranian economy in retaliation for what the United States says are recent "aggressive" acts by Tehran, but the response to the penalties targeting Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei were "is that all you got?" This...
Palestinians reject Kushner ‘economy first’ approach to Middle East peace plan
June 22nd, 20190 GAZA - Palestinian officials on Saturday dismissed proposals unveiled by President Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner for big money projects to form the first economic portion of the Trump administration’s long-awaited Middle East peace plan. Senior Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) official Hanan Ashrawi said Kushner’s...
Lebanese consul general explains mission’s services to the community
June 22nd, 20190 SOUTHFIELD – The Lebanese Consulate in Detroit is an active and contributing member in the community, with Suzan Mouzi-Yassine as its consul general and the head of the mission. In an interview with The Arab American News, Mouzi-Yassine explained the various services the Consulate offers to the large Lebanese American community in...
‘World Refugee Day’: Palestinians keep their right of return alive through hope, resistance
June 22nd, 20190 The United Nations’ World Refugee Day, observed annually on June 20, should not merely represent a reminder of “the courage, strength and determination of women, men and children who are forced to flee their homeland under threat of persecution, conflict and violence.” It should also be an opportunity for the international...
Mohamed Morsi died in court, in a soundproof cage under guards’ watch
June 18th, 20190 CAIRO - Egypt's former civilian president, Mohamed Morsi, ousted by the military in 2013 after one year in office, collapsed in a courtroom and died on Monday, June 17. A leader in the now-banned Islamist movement Muslim Brotherhood, Morsi had just spoken from a cage at a hearing on charges of espionage. State TV said the cause of......
Netanyahu thanks Indian prime minister for vote against Palestinian group
June 14th, 20190 TEL AVIV — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has thanked Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for voting in favor of a decision introduced by the Jewish state that objected to granting consultative status to a Palestinian group at the U.N.'s Economic and Social Council. In its first pro-Israel move, India voted on Tuesday...
Egypt, Jordan and Morocco to attend U.S. sponsored “Bahrain workshop” despite Palestinians’ objection
June 14th, 20190 WASHINGTON — Egypt, Jordan and Morocco have told the Trump administration they will attend a U.S.-led conference in Bahrain this month on proposals for boosting the Palestinian economy as part of a coming U.S. peace plan, U.S. officials said on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Palestinians urged Egypt and Jordan on Wednesday to reconsider their...
Israel strikes Hamas in Gaza, calling attack a “response” to rocket fire
June 13th, 20190 SDEROT, Israel — Israeli aircraft attacked a Hamas target in the Gaza Strip on Thursday after a Palestinian rocket strike, the Israeli military said, in the first serious cross border conflict since last month's border-fight surge. A second rocket launched in the evening hit a house in the Israeli border town of Sderot but caused no...
Freedom of expression in America has a different meaning when it comes to Israel
June 10th, 20190 When then-graduating PhD candidate Steven Thrasher made a speech at the NYU graduation commencement last month, endorsing the BDS movement, some parties felt the need to disassociate from Thrasher’s views and go out of their way to express their “outrage” and “shock” at his remarks. Thrasher, who earned his doctoral degree......
Facing the facts: Israel cannot escape ICC jurisdiction
June 8th, 20190 The chief military advocate general of the Israeli army, Sharon Afek, and the U.S. Department of Defense general counsel, Paul Ney, shared a platform at the “International Conference on the Law of Armed Conflict”, which took place in Herzliya, Israel between May 28-30. Their panel witnessed some of the most misconstrued...
Militant kills two police, two soldiers in Lebanon’s Tripoli
June 4th, 20190 BEIRUT - A militant attacked a security patrol in Lebanon’s northern city of Tripoli on Monday night, killing two police officers and two soldiers before blowing himself up, officials said. Interior Minister Raya al-Hassan described it as a “lone wolf attack”, though authorities canceled Eid al-Fitr celebrations in the coastal......
Israel dissolves Knesset after Netanyahu fails to form government, heads for new election
May 31st, 20190 TEL AVIV — Israeli lawmakers voted to dissolve the Knesset on Thursday, paving the way for a new election after Benjamin Netanyahu failed to form a government before a midnight deadline. Netanyahu preferred a new ballot, set for Sept. 17, to the alternative, under which President Reuven Rivlin could have asked another politician to...
Life for Relief continues charity mission in spirit of Ramadan
May 24th, 20190 SOUTHFIELD — The holy month of Ramadan is a time for fasting, reflection and giving to charity. Several charitable organizations in Metro Detroit are among the biggest givers. The international charity Life for Relief & Development is one of the most prominent, working from its main office in Southfield to deliver aid to needy......
