U.S. trying to “legalize” permanent occupation of Iraq
In recent weeks the Bush administration has intensified its longstanding effort to make the U.S. occupation of Iraq permanent. First choice is to coerce the U.S.-backed Iraqi government to sign an ostensibly "bilateral" agreement what the White House would like to call a "status of forces agreement" (SOFA). The administration is...Sarkozy’s straight talk is promising
President Nicolas Sarkozy's state visit to Israel on 22-24 June was striking for the candor with which he addressed his hosts. He spoke as an intimate friend certainly Israel's best friend in Europe but he did not mince his words, both on his arrival at Ben Gurion airport and a day later in the Knesset. "The time to make peace...Beyond the dominant paradigm
On June 6, two different events were reported in the press that, on the surface appeared entirely unrelated. but were in fact deeply intertwined. The first was the trial of 9/11 planners and Osama bin Laden's operations chief, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four others in what the New York Times called "the centerpiece of the Bush...The fittest survive in Lebanon
BEIRUT -- My fellow Lebanese, come pick up your Medals of Immunity, since nothing seems to shake you anymore. There was a bomb, you say? We still don't have a president? Another leader just got assassinated? There are clashes in parts of Beirut? Gunshots were heard? So then, what's the safest route to go to the bar tonight?...The American war machine heads for Iran
It is as if the invasion of Iraq either never happened or was a stunning success. The drumbeat for harsher measures against Iran is taking a strikingly familiar path to the buildup to the Iraq invasion six years ago, according to a new organization in Washington, DC. Last week, an advertisement appeared in Capitol Hill...Israel and the Samson defense
At a gathering last May 26, Jimmy Carter said Israel possesses 150 nuclear weapons. Carter's revelation is the first credible public acknowledgment by a former U.S. president that Israel possesses a nuclear arsenal. Israel has never admitted having nuclear weapons, nor has any U.S. official ever deviated from that Israeli line. But...Obama, Israel and AIPAC
After months of a tough and bitter race, a merciless struggle, Barack Obama has defeated his formidable opponent, Hillary Clinton. He has wrought a miracle: for the first time in history a black person has become a credible candidate for the presidency of the most powerful country in the world. And what was the first thing he did...Deadly fallout from Obama’s groveling before Israel lobby
Like a Muslim undertaking the Hajj, the once in a lifetime trip to Mecca, or a Catholic chancing to see the Pope speak from his Vatican window, presidential candidates seemingly long to trudge to the annual AIPAC conference to pay fealty to Israel and its lobby. This year we were fortunate enough to witness John McCain, Barack...Away from politics: Arab women sing
On the 60th anniversary of al Nakba, it has become clear more than ever before that there are two worlds, two concepts and two future prospects for the Middle East, especially as far as the Arab-Israeli conflict is concerned. The international media was busy highlighting the 60th anniversary of the birth of Israel to the total...Won’t get fooled again (yes we will)
I don't get the love affair a lot of people seem to have with Senator Barack Obama. People attach an aura to him as if he's sent by God to right the wrongs of Satan's son, Dubya. To a certain extent, it's understandable; the sorry state of affairs that's been this decade's status quo makes the 1990s look like "Happy Days," with...Arabs are the enemies of one another
"We are the enemies of one another, I'm sad to say. We all hate one another, we deceive one another, we gloat at the misfortune of one another, and we conspire against one another. Our intelligence agencies conspire against one another, instead of defending us against the enemy. We are the enemies of one another, and an Arab's enemy...Six days of war, 41 years of hell
Regardless of which side one supports in the Arab-Israel conflict, the 41 years since the Six Day War has been a disastrous period of time that has gone well beyond a chalk mark in the win/loss column. Of course, there's still a propaganda war over it, although there is no reason for disagreement. Israeli Defense Minister Moshe...How the senator won the war of words in Iraq (again and again and again )
The Iraq war was a disaster for Iraq, a disaster for the United States, a disaster for the Middle East, a disaster for the world community, but most of all, it was a disaster for the experts. They were wrong about its difficulty. (It was to be either "a cakewalk" or "a walk in the park" take your pick). They were wrong about how...J Street: A much-needed pro-peace lobby is born
WASHINGTON Last month's launch of J Street marks the culmination of a two-decades old evolution within the pro-Israel community in the U.S. J Street, which defines itself as "the political arm of the pro-Israel and pro-peace movement," states that it was founded "to promote meaningful American leadership to end the Arab-Israeli and...When it comes to Israel, Europe is hypocritical, submissive and obsequious
RAMALLAH In comparison to the madman in the White House, Europe may look less bellicose, less confrontational and less unreasonable in its overall approach to contentious international issues. However, when the issue is the Palestinian plight, the U..S and Europe look very much like tweedledee and tweedledum. In......
Coexistence, not apartheid
For the last 60 years, all those who have sought a genuinely peaceful and fair solution for Israel and Palestine have faced the same obstacle Israel's sense of invincibility and military arrogance, abetted by the U.S. and other Western governments' unwavering support. Despite recent setbacks on the military front, the Israeli...McCain’s “agents of inconvenience”
WASHINGTON (IPS) As John McCain launched his presidential bid in 2007, he faced a considerable challenge to mobilize support among social conservatives within the Republican Party. While the Arizona senator voted correctly on moral issues of concern to the Christian Right, such as abortion and gay marriage, perhaps McCain did...Obstacles to an Israeli-Syrian deal
One would need to be an incurable optimist to expect real progress from the indirect talks that Syria and Israel have begun in Ankara under Turkish mediation. The obstacles to peace between the two long-time adversaries are so formidable as to rule out any realistic possibility of a deal in the near or medium-term future....The fight for freedom at Fordson
When word got out last week that Fordson High School Principal Imad Fadlallah was accused of slapping a student, parents and students got angry. Fadlallah has raised the morale, the standards of behavior and the academic performance at Fordson over the past few years and no one believed he would have hit a student. Sure enough, it......
Sixty years of denial
"Don't ask for what you never had," is the underlying message made by supporters of Israel when they claim Palestine was never a state to begin with. The contention is, of course, easily refutable. Following the disintegration of the Ottoman Empire in the early 20th Century, colonial powers plotted to divide the spoils. When...The U.S. war on journalists
Sami al-Haj is a free man today, after having been imprisoned by the U.S. military for more than six years. His crime: journalism. Targeting journalists, the Bush administration has engaged in direct assault, intimidation, imprisonment and information blackouts to limit the ability of journalists to do their jobs. The principal......
Let’s hope Bush does no more damage
In the troubled, conflict-ridden Middle East, President George W Bush has done everything wrong. But his mandate still has half a year to run and, unless restrained, he can do a lot more damage to the region and to America before he retires to his ranch at Crawford, Texas, and to the obscurity he amply deserves. At the heart...Memorial Day a time to reflect on troops
It is time for our annual day of reflection, commemorating U.S. men and women who have died in military service to their country. This holiday began first to honor Union soldiers who died during the American Civil War. After World War I, it was expanded to include those who died in any war or military action. Arab Americans have......