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Archives: Middle East

“Investigate Israel’s Extrajudicial Killings:” Sen Leahy, 10 other Congressmen

Ma'an News Agency | - - BETHLEHEM -- US Senator Patrick Leahy along with 10 other Democratic congressmen have called on the US to investigate the possibility of "gross violations of human…

Under Israeli Siege, Gaza running out of Clean Water

AJ+ | - - "According to the United Nations, 90 percent of the water in Gaza is undrinkable, and the population relies heavily on a coastal aquifer that could become unusable in…

After Palmyra, the last days of the phony Caliphate?

TeleSur The loss of the historic city amounts to one of the biggest setbacks for the extremist group since it declared a caliphate in 2014. Syrian government forces backed by Russian airstrikes…

Fall of Palmyra: Syrian regime races to take ISIL’s ‘Berlin’ and forestall ‘Partition’

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - That massive Russian air strikes and a determined infantry and armor assault by the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) on the ancient city of…

Israeli Squatters issue death threats against Videographer who filmed execution of Palestinian

By Celine Hagbard | IMEMC | -- A Palestinian videographer and human rights worker whose video of the murder of a 21-year old Palestinian by an Israeli soldier has received widespread attention…

What would effective Counter-Terrorism look like after Brussels?

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - The various nostrums proposed to counter Daesh (ISIL, ISIS) terrorism in Europe and North America by Donald Trump and Ted Cruz (armed patrols…

Will Western powers Respond to HRW’s demand for arms embargo on Saudi Arabia?

By Thalif Deen | (Inter Press Service) | - - UNITED NATIONS (IPS) - As hundreds of civilians continue to be killed in the ongoing conflict in Yemen, one of the leading…

UN: Israel Soldier’s execution of wounded Palestinian on ground gruesome, unjust

Ma'an News Agency | - - BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) -- A UN official on Friday condemned in the strongest terms the brutal "extrajudicial execution" of a wounded Palestinian by an Israeli soldier that…

Mosul: Are Civilian Deaths in Coalition Airstrikes Reinforcing ISIL’s Hold?

Special Correspondent | Niqash.org | - - An increase in air strikes on Mosul is causing more civilian casualties. Ordinary people live in fear, the Islamic State uses deaths for propaganda and…

UN to Vote on Database of All Businesses dealing with illegal Israeli Squatter Settlements

TeleSur | - - The U.N. resolution, which angered EU countries, says certain companies and enterprises are helping the expansion of illegal Israeli settlements. The United Nations Human Rights Council will vote…

In wake of Brussels attacks, Europe demands negotiated Settlement of Syrian Civil War, Now

By EurActiv with AFP The EU’s foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini met with Syria’s regime and opposition... (23 March) to underscore the urgency of a political solution in the country, especially in…

Dear Trump & Cruz: Muslim Turkey arrested Brussels Terrorist & Gave him to European Authorities

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - The paroxysms of hatred and bigotry spewed by the two GOP frontrunners in the 2016 presidential campaign probably do not need any pretext,…

Remember: Refugees are fleeing ISIL; they aren’t ISIL

Kamal al-Ayash | (Niqash.org) | - - Getting from Turkey to Europe was a cakewalk compared to escaping the [so-called] Islamic State-run city of Fallujah, says one Iraqi. Fleeing families must cross…

Israeli decision to ban Palestinian products ‘racist’: Palestine PM

Ma'an News Agency | - - RAMALLAH (Ma’an) -- Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah on Sunday slammed the recent Israeli decision to ban Palestinian food products from entering Jerusalem as “racist.” “Israel…

Will the Int’l Criminal Court charge Israeli PM Netanyahu with war crimes?

TeleSur \ - - The cases, brought to the court by several legal and activist groups, include wide-ranging charges of war crimes against Israel[i officials]. A Palestinian delegation presented documents to the…

Is Saudi Arabia’s ‘Islamic’ Coalition against Terrorism a Paper Tiger?

By Frud Bezhan | ( RFE/RL ) | - - Saudi Arabia made a splash when it announced the formation of a 34-country "Islamic" alliance against terrorism in December -- and followed…

How Bush-Cheneyism made Mideast in its Image: Wars, WOT, With us or Against Us

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - Thirteen years after the illegal US invasion of Iraq, it is worth considering its full impact on this country and on the region.…

The New Interventionists: It isn’t just the Yanquis any more

Mark Leonard | ( Project Syndicate ) | - - In the 1990s, after genocides in Rwanda and the Balkans, Western countries developed a doctrine of so-called humanitarian intervention. “The Responsibility to…

How Israel has trapped its Bedouins between a dump and red tape

By Jonah Mandel | ( Your Middle East ) | - - The almost unbearable stench of the dump fades for a moment when Musa Tarabin puts freshly ground coffee into a…

Syria: Russia Targets Daesh in Palmyra despite Drawdown

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - Despite the Russian announcement of a determination to withdraw the bulk of its air force from Syria, Moscow has underlined that some planes…