Arab World

Oakland, Ca. (Special to Informed Comment; Feature) – A California District Court hearing on was held on Wednesday, December 17, over an injunction sought by plaintiffs represented by the Arab-American Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) against a new law, California AB 715, which is supposedly intended to protect Jewish students from anti-Semitism. But it no more does […]

Biodiversity

“I don’t see Palestine as an isolated story”

Global Voices

An Interview with Vivien Sansour, Founder of the Palestine Heirloom Seed Library By Thin Ink This is an excerpt of a longer interview on Thin Ink, a weekly publication on food, climate, and where they meet. Read the full interview here. ( Global Voices ) – Vivien Sansour is the founder of the Palestine Heirloom […]

Displaced and Refugees

1/4 of Syrian Expat Refugees Have Returned, but many to Destroyed Homes, Land Disputes

The Conversation

By Sandra Joireman, University of Richmond (The Conversation) – Close to 1.5 million Syrian refugees have voluntarily returned to their home country over the past year. That extraordinary figure represents nearly one-quarter of all Syrians who fled fighting during the 13-year civil war to live abroad. It is also a strikingly fast pace for a […]

Israel

Israel’s Airstrikes on Lebanese Reconstruction Equipment, Factories are War Crimes

Human Rights Watch

Human Rights Watch – (Beirut) – The Israeli military’s repeated attacks on reconstruction-related equipment and other civilian facilities in southern Lebanon throughout 2025 violate the laws of war and are apparent war crimes, Human Rights Watch said today. Residents and local municipal authorities told Human Rights Watch that the attacks have hampered reconstruction efforts and […]

Academic Freedom

Trump Administration Concedes U.S. Researchers may Talk with Francesca Albanese, Special Rapporteur on Palestine, Despite Sanctions

Middle East Studies Association

Middle East Studies Association of North America | – ( MESA Press Release ) – WASHINGTON—In response to a letter sent by the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University, the Treasury Department last week confirmed that a scholarly organization—the Middle East Studies Association (MESA)—may hold an event with U.N. Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese even […]

al-Qaeda

Syrian-Australian Muslim halts Indian-Australian ISIL Attack on Jewish Australians

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – The gruesome and terrifying attack on a Hanukkah gathering at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia, left 15 people dead, including a rabbi, a ten-year-old girl and a Holocaust survivor. Some 24 are in hospital. The perpetrators were apparently Australian Muslims of Indian origins, Sajid Akram and his son Naveed Akram, […]

Iran

One Year After Assad’s Fall: Iran’s Strategic Collapse In Syria

Radio Free Europe Radio Liberty

By Iliya Jazaeri and Kian Sharifi ( RFE/ RL ) – One year after Assad’s fall, Iran grapples with the collapse of its key regional ally. Tehran lost up to 50 billion dollars invested over a decade, its Mediterranean access, and supply routes to Hezbollah. Iran seeks to rebuild influence, but is there a way back?” […]

Hayat Tahrir

Review of ‘Transformed by the People: Hayat Tahrir al-Sham’s Road to Power in Syria’

Middle East Monitor

By Usman Butt X: TheUsmanButt ( Middle East Monitor ) – Ahmed Al-Sharaa has been in power in Syria for nearly 1-year. The lightening rebel offensive that brought down five decades of the dictatorial rule of the Assad family, was a shock to many. In Al-Sharaa, Syrian’s were greeted with a new kind of […]

censorship

Syria: One Year since Assad’s Fall

Human Rights Watch

Human Rights Watch – (Beirut) – Syrian transitional authorities have taken positive steps on justice, transparency, and rights but failed to prevent continued violence and atrocities, Human Rights Watch said today on the anniversary of the former government’s fall. As Syrian authorities move the country forward, they should, with international support, credibly address outstanding concerns around […]