Breaking ranks with the loopiness of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his ilk, Bassem Naeem, health and information minister in the Hamas-led Palestinian administration in Gaza, explicitly acknowledges the historical fact of the Holocaust—while calling out Israel’s manipulation thereof. From The Guardian’s… Read moreHamas condemns Holocaust —Israel threatens a new one
Lebanon’s polarized politicians appealed to Qatar May 17 to come up with a proposal on the question of Hezbollah’s weapons during Arab-brokered talks in Doha. 65 people were killed in nearly a week of fighting, in which Hezbollah and its… Read moreLebanon: “civil war by any standard”
Israeli troops attacked a peaceful march commemorating the 60th year of the Nakba in the West Bank city of Tulkarm May 10, injuring ten, including a journalist who was hit with a bullet in his hand. Participants, including international activists,… Read morePalestinians get repression at Nakba commemoration
Clashes continues for a second day in Beirut and the Bekaa Valley May 8, pitting Hezbollah against the Sunni and pro-government Future Movement. Hezbollah leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah charged the government with crossing a “red line” by challenging the independence… Read moreLebanon: Hezbollah warns of “war”
On May 6, 480 Palestinian Authority police entered the city of Jenin to crack down on criminal gangs and Islamic Jihad cells, under the rubric of the Israeli-approved and fashionably euphemistic “Operation Smile and Hope.” Clashes with presumed Islamic militants… Read moreWest Bank: Israel re-occupies Jenin
Did anyone catch this one? Can you imagine the media frenzy if it’d been a Palestinian? From Haaretz, May 2: US envoy cuts short Hebron trip after clash with settlers The American bodyguards of a Bush administration envoy who was… Read moreIsraeli settlers attack US envoy’s convoy
On the eve of Holocaust Remembrance Day and a week before Israel marks its 60th Independence Day, a group of over 100 prominent British Jews issued a letter proclaiming, “We’re not celebrating Israel’s anniversary,” citing the dispossession of 750,000 Palestinians…. Read moreBritish Jews: “We’re not celebrating Israel’s anniversary”
Israel has announced an investigation into the killing of Reuters cameraman Fadel Shana by the IDF in the Gaza Strip following demands by the news agency and rights groups. Shana was killed while filming a central Gaza combat zone, and… Read moreIsrael to probe slaying of Gaza journalist
From AP, April 20: Armenian and Greek Christians scuffle at tomb of Jesus on Orthodox Palm Sunday JERUSALEM – Dozens of Greek and Armenian priests and worshippers exchanged blows at one of Christianity’s holiest shrines on Orthodox Palm Sunday, and… Read moreMonastic slugfest rocks Holy Sepulchre —again!
The Israeli government March 9 approved construction of a 330-unit housing project in Givat Zeev, a West Bank settlement already home to about 10,000 settlers. The project began in 1999 but was suspended when the second Intifada broke out the… Read moreIsrael approves new settlement bloc —”slap in face” to peace process
International Criminal Court chief prosecutor Fatou Bensouda called for an end to the violence along the border of the Gaza Strip, and raised the possibility of ICC prosecutions against Israel and Hamas. In her statement, Bensouda cautioned about the "deteriorating situation" that has engulfed the region. Bensouda reminded both parties that her office is in the midst of a preliminary investigation into allegations of war crimes, which has been ongoing since 2015 when Palestine was admitted as a member of the court. While Israel is not a member of the court, Israeli citizens who commit war-crimes or crimes against humanity on the territory of a member could fall under the jurisdiction of the ICC. (Photo: Maan News Agency)
