Patriarch Alexy II, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, gave Russian President Vladimir Putin an icon May 17, as a token of appreciation for his contribution to the unification of the Moscow-based Church and the Russian Orthodox Church Outside… Read moreRussian Orthodox reunification: more fodder for West Bank conflict?
Gunmen climbed down from rooftop positions in Gaza late May 19, as Hamas and Fatah leaders agreed to end a week of factional bloodshed in in response to new Israeli airstrikes on the Strip. May 19 marked a fifth day… Read moreGaza: Israeli airstrikes bring Palestinian truce
Lebanese security forces fought militants linked to al-Qaeda in the northern city of Tripoli and at the adjacent Palestinian refugee camp of Nahr al-Bared early May 20, leaving at least 10 dead, including four police. Witnesses said gunmen from the… Read moreLebanon: army clashes with al-Qaeda?
An Israeli airstrike targeting a minivan supposedly carrying a Hamas fighter in northern Gaza City killed three people and wounded 12 on May 18. Israeli tanks also fired five shells near a housing project in the northern Gaza town of… Read moreGaza: towards re-occupation?
From the Zochrot (Remembering), a group of Israeli citizens working to raise awareness of the Nakba, the Palestinian catastrophe of 1948: International Nakba Day, May 15, 2007 The Nakba is the story of the Palestinian tragedy: the destruction of communities,… Read moreStatement on the Nakba and Right of Return
Israeli troops fired shots amid clashes between Hamas and Fatah forces at the Karni crossing on the Gaza-Israel border [May 15]. [BBC, May 15] At least seven Presidential Guard personnel are thought to have been killed during the Hamas attack…. Read moreIsrael intervenes in Gaza factional fray
Via the Alternative Information Center, May 6: Joint report of B’Tselem with HaMoked—Center for the Defence of the Individual, Summary Utterly Forbidden: The Torture And Ill-Treatment Of Palestinian Detainees In recent years, Israel has openly admitted that ISA (formerly the… Read moreIsrael: rights groups document Shin Bet torture
From AlJazeera, May 7: Two Palestinian were killed and four wounded during clashes between rival factions in Lebanon’s main refugee camp of Ein el-Helweh. Palestinian security sources said the two dead men belonged to the Fatah movement of Mahmud Abbas,… Read morePalestinian factions clash in Lebanon: Fatah versus al-Qaeda?
A thoroughly uncritical May 6 AP account of the controversial Dead Sea “recovery” program portrays the new progress on the project as a straightforward victory for diplomacy in the interests of ecology. Some excerpts: GHOR HADITHA, Jordan — Jordan, Israel… Read moreDead Sea “recovery” project back on track —despite ecologist dissent
Combatants of Hamas’ military wing, Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, have ended their five-month truce with Israel, firing 61 mortars and 30 rockets into Israel [April 24]. The group described the attack as in response to Israel having failed to respect… Read moreHamas militants end truce
Tucked away on the April 21 letters page of the UK Guardian, 130 British doctors are calling to boycott the Israeli Medical Association. Dr. Derek Summerfield, who wrote a scathing report on Israeli war crimes in the Oct 16, 2004… Read moreBritish doctors call for boycott of Israeli Medical Association
Marijuana is not kosher for Passover, Israel’s pot-friendly Green Leaf Party says, advising Jews who observe the holiday’s special dietary laws to take a break from smoking the weed. The Party, which has made several unsuccessful attempts to win election… Read moreIsraeli pot-heads: cannabis kosher —but not for Passover
