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Middle East

Featured
Pope Leo XIV Demands Gaza Ceasefire, as Israeli Tank Crew Shells Church, Kills 3 Women

Pope Leo XIV Demands Gaza Ceasefire, as Israeli Tank Crew Shells Church, Kills 3 Women

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – The Israeli newspaper Arab 48 reports that an Israeli tank crew fired on the Holy Family Catholic Church in Gaza, killing three women and wounding several several others, in the old quarter of Gaza City. The shelling did substantial damage to the church building, as well. The Baptist Hospital received […]

Authoritarianism
Tunisia’s Slow Unraveling: From Arab Spring Beacon to Police State

Tunisia’s Slow Unraveling: From Arab Spring Beacon to Police State

Middle East Monitor

by Dr Mustafa Fetouri ( Middle East Monitor ) – Just over a decade ago, Tunisia was the brightest light of the Arab Spring—the rare case where mass protest led to a peaceful transition and hopes for real democracy. Mohamed Bouazizi’s self-immolation in 2010 triggered a revolution that toppled Ben Ali’s regime and inspired uprisings […]

Featured
Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) Begins Disarmament after 47 Years of Conflict with Türkiye

Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) Begins Disarmament after 47 Years of Conflict with Türkiye

Volkan Isbasaran

Istanbul (Special to Informed Comment; Feature) – After nearly five decades of armed conflict with the Turkish state, the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) has begun a symbolic disarmament process as part of ongoing peace efforts. On July 11, a ceremony was held in the Jasana Cave, located in northern Iraq’s Sulaymaniyah Governorate. Thirty PKK members, […]

Israel/ Palestine
A “Humanitarian City” of Ruins: The Final Displacement of Gaza

A “Humanitarian City” of Ruins: The Final Displacement of Gaza

Middle East Monitor

By Dr Oroub El-Abed In the summer of 2025, as much of the world busies itself with debates over ceasefires and hostage deals, Israel has unveiled a chilling plan: the creation of a “humanitarian city” on the ashes of Rafah. In the language of bureaucracy and security, Israeli officials describe it as a controlled enclave […]

Featured
The Most American King: Interview  on Jordan with Aaron Magid

The Most American King: Interview on Jordan with Aaron Magid

Marc Martorell Junyent

Interview with Aaron Magid, author of “The Most American King: Abdullah of Jordan” – “King Abdullah is likely more beloved in Washington than inside Jordan” Magid, Aaron. “The Most American King: Abdullah of Jordan”. Universal Publishers: Irvine and Boca Raton, 2025. Munich, Germany (Special to Informed Comment; Feature) — Aaron Magid is a former Amman-based journalist […]

Syria
Women, Key Players in Syria’s Revolution, are being Marginalized

Women, Key Players in Syria’s Revolution, are being Marginalized

The Conversation

By Kinda Alsamara, The University of Queensland; Eleanor Gordon, Monash University, and Elliot Dolan-Evans, Monash University (The Conversation) – The end of the oppressive Assad regime in Syria in late 2024 has been broadly welcomed on the global stage – underscored by the fact the United States and European Union have now lifted sanctions against […]

Featured
Gaza: It’s not “Complicated”

Gaza: It’s not “Complicated”

Alan Richards

Santa Cruz, Ca. (Special to Informed Comment; Feature) – HISTORY is always complicated. ELEMENTARY ETHICS is not. “Do not do to others what is hateful to yourself,” as Confucius and Rabbi Hillel put it. Every kindergarten kid understands this. Maybe it’s because I’m a parent. Maybe it’s because I’m a grandparent. Maybe it’s because I know […]

Human Rights Watch
US: Lift Sanctions on Leading Palestinian Human Rights Organization

US: Lift Sanctions on Leading Palestinian Human Rights Organization

Human Rights Watch

Sanctioning Addameer Has Grave Implications for Rights Work in Israel/Palestine and Beyond

Featured
Israeli Minister: ‘Gaza must be in Ruins for Decades,’ as Airstrike Kills Children seeking Water

Israeli Minister: ‘Gaza must be in Ruins for Decades,’ as Airstrike Kills Children seeking Water

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – In an interview with Israel’s Channel 14, Minister of Energy Eli Cohen said that “Gaza must remain in ruins for decades to come” and that Israel will not help rebuild its civilian infrastructure. The Israeli army has damaged or destroyed some 90% of the Gaza Strip’s housing stock, as well […]

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