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Chicago (Special to Informed Comment; Feature) – The UN General Assembly has just (September 12) endorsed the New York Declaration on the two-state solution between Israel and Palestine. A day earlier, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu vowed that a “Palestinian state will not be established.” Israel managed to secure 10 votes, including those of the United […]

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France and the UN ride to Save the 2-State Solution, but Netanyahu Buried it in Gaza’s Mass Graves

H. Scott Prosterman

Oakland, Ca. (Special to Informed Comment; Feature) – French President Macron is taking the lead in a doomed bid to keep a two-state solution alive. On September 12, the UN General Assembly passed the “New York Declaration” by a vote of 142 for, 10 against, with 12 abstentions. Sponsored by France and Saudi Arabia, it […]

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Israel’s Netanyahu starves 1 in 5 Gaza Children

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) reports that 19 of every 100 Palestinian children in Gaza are malnourished. That is up from 15 in July. Even more worrying, UNICEF found an increase in cases of acute malnutrition. In July 8.5% of children examined manifested symptoms of the condition. In August, […]

Archaeology

Scientists Prove Justinian’s Plague, which Continued through the Rise of Islam, was Caused by Y. Pestis

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – The first recorded world-historical pandemic took place in the Roman Empire and Sasanian Iran, as well as neighboring areas such as Arabia, 541- 750 CE. It began during the reign of Justinian (r.527 – 565) and continued during the rise of Islam and the fall of the Sasanian Empire in […]

China

Iran Seeks China’s help to Install 7 gigs of new Solar Capacity in “4th Industrial Revolution”

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – With the prospect of new Iranian nuclear power plants looking dim after Israeli and American bombing of its civilian nuclear enrichment sites, and with a need to export its fossil gas rather than consuming it domestically, the Tehran leadership is at last turning to renewables for electricity generation. President Masoud […]

European Union

European Parliament asks for Recognition of Palestinian State, Upholds halt to Aid to Israel

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – On Thursday, the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France, passed a resolution asking European Union member states to recognize a Palestinian state. It isn’t the first time that the European Parliament has given support to Palestine recognition, but this resolution is the first directly to call on member states to undertake […]

Asia

While Trump Fiddles, China declares Eurasia Open for Business at At Shanghai Cooperation Org. Summit

Neil Thompson

Beijing raised its profile at the annual Shanghai Cooperation Council summit of non-Western countries just by providing a forum. London (Special to Informed Comment; Feature) – China hosted the annual summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Council (SCO) last week at its port of Tianjin, drawing a crowd of world leaders from 20 non-Western countries. The […]

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Top 4 Reasons Netanyahu Bombed Negotiators’ Offices in Qatar

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – The government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu bombed the building being used by civilian Hamas negotiators in Doha, Qatar, on Tuesday, in the midst of ongoing indirect negotiations with them. Five low-level Hamas members were killed, along with a Qatari security guard, but the top negotiators survived. Earlier this […]

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How the Heartbreaking Story of 5-Year-Old Hind Rajab begot an Effective Human Rights Foundation

Dan Steinbock

As The Voice of Hind Rajab is winning over Hollywood, the real-life story is fostering complicity allegations against the Israeli military and Western complicity. New York (Special to Informed Comment, Feature) – Recently, The Voice of Hind Rajab won the Silver Lion Grand Jury Prize in Venice after a 23-minute standing ovation. The docudrama is […]