Middle East

By Wafa Aludaini and Ramzy Baroud | ( Middle East Monitor ) – The inevitable has finally happened, and the coronavirus pandemic is now ravaging the besieged Gaza Strip. On August 24, a total lockdown was imposed by the Gaza authorities following the discovery of several COVID-19 cases outside designated quarantine areas. Since then, over […]

Israel/ Palestine

Thousands of Palestinian homes face demolition as Israel refuses building permits

Middle East Monitor

By Belal Yasin | – ( Middle East Monitor ) – In the early 1990s, Wael Al-Tahan submitted an application to the Israeli authorities for a permit to build a house on his land at Jabal Mukaber in occupied Jerusalem. The application was refused with no reason given. After many such attempts, Al-Tahan had no […]

Israel/ Palestine

Palestinians denounce “Abraham” agreement as “normalization of Apartheid”

Mohammed Samaana

Belfast (Special to Informed Comment) – The normalization deal between UAE, Bahrain and Israel came as a culmination of years of talks. Regardless of the timing of the announcements ahead of the American presidential election to shore up the fundamentalist Christians support to a morally bankrupt president, the implications for the Palestinians could be huge. […]

Crime

Wagging the Dog: As Trump and Iran square off on Venezuela Oil Shipments, will US Go full Pirate of the Gulf?

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Trita Parsi writing at Responsible Statecraft wonders if the Trump administration is planning to widen its piracy against Iranian vessels on the high seas as part of an October surprise. Trump had four Iranian oil tankers seized in August, alleging that they were heading for Venezuela. The problem? There is […]

Arab World

The Pandemic and Oil

Conn M. Hallinan

Foreign Policy in Focus) – With oil prices down and wealthy countries bungling COVID-19, the pandemic has exposed the weaknesses that wealth papers over. During the reign of the Emperor Justinian I (527-565 AD), a mysterious plague spread out of the Nile Valley to Constantinople and finished off the Roman Empire. Appearing first in China […]

Democratic Party

How do Democrats and Republicans Differ on Palestine and Israel?

Ramzy Baroud

( Middle East Monitor ) -The polarized nature of American politics often makes it difficult to address fundamental differences between the country’s two main political rivals, Republicans and Democrats. As each side is intent on discrediting the other at every opportunity, unbiased information regarding the two parties’ actual stances on internal and external issues can […]

Bahrain

Abraham Accords: The War Pact Among Jim Crow States of the Middle East

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – The Middle Eastern parties to the “Abraham Accords,” Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, and Israel, did not make peace by signing them. The small Arab Gulf principalities have long had behind-the-scenes relations with Israel and Israeli firms. They weren’t at war with the Israelis. As members of the Arab League, […]

Israel/ Palestine

The ‘Desaparecidos’ of Palestine: Israel Escalates War on the Dead

Ramzy Baroud

( Middle East Monitor) – On September 2, the Israeli government approved a proposal that allows the military to indefinitely withhold the bodies of Palestinians who have been killed by the Israeli army. The proposal was made by the country’s Defense Minister, Benny Gantz. Gantz is the main political rival of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. […]

Displaced and Refugees

Yemen: Aid Obstruction Puts Millions of Children and Adults at Risk

Human Rights Watch

(Human Rights Watch) – The Houthi armed group and other authorities are severely restricting the delivery of desperately needed aid in Yemen, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. The situation is exacerbating the country’s dire humanitarian situation and weakening its response to the Covid-19 pandemic. Human Rights Watch: “Aid Restriction in Yemen […]