November talks must be inclusive
WASHINGTON (IPS) ? To succeed, next month's Israeli-Palestinian conference here should establish and endorse the contours of a permanent peace accord and secure the participation of Arab states that do not currently recognise Israel, including Syria, according to a letter sent Wednesday to President George W. Bush from a bipartisan group...The evil that men do
Once again, the Bush administration is flimflamming the hapless Democratic majority in Congress into rushing an important piece of legislation into law without serious thought or debate about the implications. Although Congress passed a temporary extension of the FISA law in August that carries it through to February, the...Excuses keep on coming
The evolution of excuses for blundering into and maintaining the Iraq War is becoming comical. The first excuse was weapons of mass destruction. Do you remember the constant talk about weapons of mass destruction, "the worst weapons in the hands of the worst dictator"? Do you remember how President Bush said the sole reason for the...Army needs to leave Iraq, not recruit more Arab Americans
The article "Army wants more Arab Americans to serve their country", with Brigadier General Anthony A. (Tony) Cucolo III, Chief of Public Affairs for the U.S. Army, in last week's issue, was not convincing enough as to why more Arab Americans should serve their country by enlisting in the army to serve in Iraq. I don't question the...The unstated message from Petraeus and Crocker
After weeks of leaks and media preparation, after staging the event and using very vague and manipulative language hiding the facts rather than elucidating them, the reports of Gen. David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker came down to this: the United States is in Iraq to stay as long as the oil reserves in Iraq are expected to last —...
My unsung Palestinian hero
September 21st, 20070 Sherri Muzher and her late father Ead Michael Muzher.Is this really happening? I sat frozen as the Orthodox priest swung the censers during the Trisagion Service. The smell of incense filled the air and I looked passed the priest to see my father lying peacefully in the open casket. The second-half of the casket was adorned with...Convenient racism: The ‘us’ and ‘them’ factor
Racism is, among many things, convenient. It provides simplified, definite and ready-to-serve answers to complex and compounded questions. Racists, in turn, come from all walks of life; their motivation and the root causes behind their contemptible views of others may differ, but the outcome of these views is predictably the same —...The common heritage between Bush and Stalin
The cover title of the Economist August 11-17, 2007 was "Is America Turning Left?" and the answer was "Probably — but not in the way many foreigners (and some Americans) hope." The lead article discussed the negative impact of President Bush's foreign policy on the Republican Party and on the direction American people will take even...Who are the fanatics?
President Jimmy Carter was demonized for pointing out in his book, "Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid," that there are actually two sides to the Israeli-Palestinian issue. Distinguished American scholars, such as John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt have suffered the same fate for documenting the excessive influence the Israel lobby has on...Is a citizen-led boycott of Israel morally justified?
That question is raised by an expanding academic, cultural and economic boycott of Israel. The movement joins churches, unions, professional societies and other groups based in the United States, Canada, Europe and South Africa. It has elicited dramatic reactions from Israel's supporters. U.S. labor leaders have condemned British unions,...Anti-discrimination work must go on
Six years after the horrific attacks of September 11, 2001, it is important to assess the condition of the Arab American community. Although the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) has repeatedly condemned the attacks on record, we note that the entire community is still feeling the implications of our government's policies...Let Arabs tell the truth
Case Number One: Architect and political analyst Raed Jarrar lives in America. A year ago, he was in New York's Kennedy Airport getting ready to board a plane back to his home in Oakland, California, when a federal Transportation Security Administration official told him he would not be allowed on the airliner unless he removed his...Muslims and anti-Semitism
The responsibility of the Muslims and the Jews in the West is tremendous: living together, both citizens of the same countries, they should raise their voices in the name of justice and mutual respect. In France, for example, one finds a unique situation; namely, the largest Jewish and Muslim communities in Europe living together. In...No American president can stand up to Israel
"No American President can stand up to Israel." These words came from feisty Admiral Thomas Moorer, Chief of Naval Operations (1967-1970) and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (1970-1974). Moorer was, perhaps, the last independent-minded American military leader. Admiral Moorer knew what he was talking about. On June 8, 1967,...We all know the emperor has no clothes
After serving for a few years as ambassador of the United States to Lebanon, Mr. Jeffrey Feltman has finally recognized one of the many common denominators among Arab people. But he doesn't actually know what to do with the information. Based on his new-found knowledge, he has leveled accusations against some important Arab......
Make friends with Muslims, not with their rulers
The West has to learn how to cultivate relations with Islam. The affluent world must take into account the demographic, economic and political realities of Islamic societies. To deal with growing violence the industrialized countries must partner with Muslim people, not only with their rulers. There are 1.3 billion followers of the...What are we going to do about racism?
Over a month ago, I was driving down Ford Road to meet up with a group of friends for a Sunday brunch in Garden City. As I was making my way through Westland, an ice cream stand had a sign that read, “If you can read this, thank a teacher. If you can read this in English, thank a soldier.” I'm not sure how long it was up, but it was...Learn from the fall of Rome, U.S. warned
The U.S. government is on a "burning platform" of unsustainable policies and practices with fiscal deficits, chronic healthcare underfunding, immigration and overseas military commitments threatening a crisis if action is not taken soon, the country's top government inspector has warned. David Walker, comptroller general of the U.S.,...Current peace process not what it seems
As opposed to the forecast, energetic diplomatic activity — which in the distant past was called the "peace process" — began during the July-August vacation, of all times. Summit meetings, a prisoner release, economic gestures, optimistic declarations and diplomatic plans are all making us feel that something serious is really happening.......
A South African in Palestine
The first vice-president of the South African Municipal Workers' Union (SAMWU) received first-class Israeli treatment as he attempted to fly from South Africa to Israel-Palestine. Mr. Xolile Nxu went through a process all too familiar to many Palestinians. He was “detained, interrogated and strip searched by Israeli security” in the...Ten reasons to talk to Hamas
1. Diplomacy is not mainly about talking to people you agree with, but to people you disagree with. 2. They won a free and fair parliamentary election in 2006. Fateh's Mahmoud Abbas won a free and fair presidential election in 2005. Outsiders have no credibility when they seek to include one of these parties while excluding and indeed......
