U.N. approves resolution to commemorate 75th Nakba anniversary
December 17th, 20220 UNITED NATION – The U.N. General Assembly has approved a resolution to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Nakba, a term used to describe the forced displacement of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in the lead-up to the establishment of the state of Israel in 1948. Ninety countries voted in favor of the measure, with 30...
Sendwave app: Send money to loved ones in Lebanon without charging them fees!
December 17th, 20220 By Eric Schloeffel Sending money to Lebanon traditionally includes fees on both sides: You pay a fee to send and your loved one pays a 2 percent fee to receive. But the app from Boston-based company Sendwave has disrupted the U.S.-Lebanon transfer market by eliminating fees for recipients in Lebanon while also offering...
Israeli troops kill Palestinian girl during West Bank firefight
December 16th, 20220 WEST BANK – Israeli forces shot and killed a 16-year-old Palestinian girl during a firefight with militants during a raid in the city of Jenin on Sunday, authorities said, as a wave of violence in the occupied West Bank continued. An Israeli military statement said soldiers hit the girl unintentionally as they returned fire at armed...
The next generation of resistance fighters: An interview with a Palestinian activist
December 12th, 20220 A commander of Palestinian Islamic Jihad and another Palestinian resistance fighter were killed early Thursday morning in clashes between Palestinians and Israeli occupation forces near Jenin. The clashes happened after the IOF raided the city overnight to conduct arrests. According to the Spokesperson’s Unit of the IOF, three...
Hosting its first ever World Cup — MENA countries show up, in the stands, on the pitch
December 10th, 20220 By Marc Serber, football analyst The first-ever FIFA World Cup held in the MENA (Middle East/North African) region has brought a real opportunity to showcase football pedigree on the field and introduce the world to its fan culture in the stands and outside of Qatar’s eight stadiums. While the host nation bowed out in...
On “hate” and love at the World Cup: Palestine is more than an Arab cause
December 10th, 20220 We were mistaken to think that Palestine represents the central issue for all Arabs. Such language suggests that Palestine is an external subject, to be compared to other collective struggles that consume most Arabs, everywhere. The ongoing celebration of Palestine and the Palestinian flag at the Qatar World Cup 2022 by millions of...
Why the decision of the FBI to investigate Abu Akleh’s murder is unprecedented
November 26th, 20220 The recent decision by the United States Department of Justice to open an investigation into the killing, last May, of Palestinian American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh is not a game-changer, but important and worthy of reflection, nonetheless. Based on the long trajectory of U.S. military and political support of Israel, and...
Israeli occupying forces kill a Palestinian teen, injure dozens in the West Bank
November 25th, 20220 NABLUS, WEST BANK – Israeli forces shot and killed a Palestinian teenager Tuesday night during an Israeli incursion near Nablus in the occupied West Bank. Ahmad Amjad Shehada was shot during a confrontation while Israeli occupation forces secured an Israeli settler incursion at the site of Yosuf’s Tomb. Amjad was only...
Who is Michael Boulos? Trump’s new Lebanese son-in-law
November 21st, 20220 - This story was originally published in Business Insider Donald Trump's daughter Tiffany, 29, wed billionaire Michael Boulos before 250 guests at the former president's Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida on November 12. Boulos, 25, joins the family after he and Tiffany began dating in 2018. They were engaged in January 2021 with Tiffany...
FBI to investigate Shireen Abu Akleh’s murder; Israel says it won’t cooperate
November 18th, 20220 The U.S. Department of Justice has decided to investigate the killing of renowned Palestinian American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, with Israel saying it does not plan to cooperate. The investigation by the FBI comes after months of pressure from rights groups, Democrats and Abu Akleh’s family on the Biden administration to push...
Analysis: Power vacuum adds to risks for crisis-hit Lebanon
November 10th, 20220 Lebanon faces an indefinite government crisis that further complicates the path out of its financial meltdown, adding to risks of instability as hardship deepens and state institutions teeter on the brink of collapse. Lebanon has had neither a head of state nor a fully empowered cabinet since Michel Aoun's term as president ended on...
Demonstrators in Washington, D.C. call on Egypt to #FreeAlaa
November 9th, 20220 By Laura Albast WASHINGTON, D.C. — Some 40 community members gathered at Dupont Circle in Washington, D.C. on Monday night. Holding candles and signs, they called for the Egyptian military regime to release Alaa Abd El-Fattah, a British-Egyptian writer and political prisoner. Abd El-Fattah entered the public eye during the 2011...
From ally to enemy: Australia hammers final nail in U.S. “Deal of the Century”
October 31st, 20220 U.S. President Donald Trump’s so-called "Deal of the Century" was meant to represent a finality of sorts, an event reminiscent of Francis Fukuyama’s premature declaration of the ‘End of History’ and the uncontested supremacy of western capitalism. In effect, it was a declaration that ‘we’ – the U.S., Israel and a few allies...
Israel, Lebanon finalize maritime demarcation deal without mutual recognition; Hezbollah mobilization to end
October 28th, 20220 BEIRUT — Lebanese and Israeli leaders finalized a U.S.-brokered maritime demarcation deal on Thursday, bringing a measure of accommodation between the enemy states as they eye offshore energy exploration. Leaders from Lebanon, Israel and the U.S. have all hailed the deal as "historic" but the possibility of a wider diplomatic...
Difficult months ahead: Why Israel is afraid of the Lions’ Den
October 24th, 20220 This headline in the Israeli newspaper the Jerusalem Post only tells part of the story: “The Lions’ Den, Other Palestinian Groups are Endless Headache for Israel, PA.” It is true that both the Israeli government and the Palestinian Authority are equally worried about the prospect of a widespread armed revolt in the occupied West......
Looped in “line by line”, Hezbollah shows pragmatic side in Lebanon-Israel deal
October 24th, 20220 Before Lebanon's government approved a U.S.-brokered deal settling a decades-long maritime boundary dispute with Israel, the powerful Hezbollah had scrutinized the final draft line by line and given a crucial nod of acceptance. Branded a "terrorist group" by Washington and a sworn enemy of Israel, the Iran-backed Hezbollah was certainly...
Australia reverses decision to recognize West Jerusalem as Israel’s capital
October 21st, 20220 SYDNEY — On Tuesday, Australia reversed a decision of the previous government to recognize West Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, saying the status of the city should be resolved through peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian people. Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong said Australia "will always be a steadfast friend...
A team of doctors is bringing joint replacement surgeries to besieged Palestinians, here’s how you can help
October 1st, 20220 The Palestine Children’s Relief Fund (PCRF) and Fajr Scientific will host a charity fundraising dinner on Oct. 8 for resources to bring joint replacement surgeries to Palestinians living under a brutal occupation. The situation for Palestinians, like those living under a crippling economic blockade in Gaza, has made the routine...
Death toll rises in Iranian protests over young woman’s killing
September 29th, 20220 TEHRAN — Protests continued in several cities across Iran on Thursday against the death of a young woman in police custody, state and social media reported, as a human rights group said at least 83 people had been killed in nearly two weeks of demonstrations. Mahsa Amini, 22, from the Iranian Kurdish town of Saqez, was arrested......
Lebanese dance troupe crowned winners of “America’s Got Talent”
September 16th, 20220 A Lebanese dance troupe has won the top prize on the popular American television show America’s Got Talent, becoming the first Arab participants to do so. Mayyas, an all-female dance act, won the $1 million prize, and the chance to headline a Las Vegas show, after they received the most votes from the public, beating the other 10...
Factbox: Just how bad is Lebanon’s economic crisis?
September 16th, 20220 Savers held up two banks in Lebanon on Wednesday to demand access to their own deposits frozen in the country's paralyzed financial system, underlining desperation among citizens unable to access savings since an economic crisis began in 2019. There were similar incidents in Beirut in August and in eastern Lebanon in January. The......
“Avenging Sabra and Shatila”: On Israeli massacres and Palestinian resistance
September 14th, 20220 September 16 marks the 40th anniversary of the Sabra and Shatila massacre, the killing of around 3,000 Palestinians at the hands of Lebanon’s Phalangist militias operating under the command of the Israeli army. Four decades have passed, yet no measure of justice has been received by the survivors of the massacre. Many of them have...
Depositors hold up two Lebanese banks to grab their own money
September 14th, 20220 Two seemingly armed and desperate Lebanese depositors held up banks on Wednesday to force access to their own money, which has been blocked during a national financial meltdown. One woman with a gun, that she later said was a toy, and some associates briefly held hostages at a branch of BLOM Bank in the capital Beirut, before leaving......
