Middle East

By Stasa Salacanin | – At the beginning of November, warring parties from Yemen’s south reached a power-sharing deal which aimed not only to defuse tensions among Arab alliances in South Yemen but was also seen to as a step closer towards ending the war in the country. The tensions between the Saudi-backed Hadi government […]

Donald Trump

Patronizing Jews and Persecuting Palestinians: The Trump Executive Order

H. Scott Prosterman

Oakland, Ca. (Informed Comment) – President Donald Trump’s executive order declaring Judaism to be a nationality is both a gross act of anti-Semitism, and an attack on free speech. The alleged intent is to combat rising anti-Semitism on college campuses, by requiring the schools to treat the Boycott Divest Sanction (BDS) movement and other advocacy […]

Government surveillance

How the Emirates Weaponized ex-NSA Spying Expertise against Democracy Activists

Middle East Monitor

US officials and former NSA employees build UAE secret surveillance unit

Israel/ Palestine

War Crime: Israel’s Forceful Removal of Thousands of Negev Bedouin

Middle East Monitor

By Megan Giovannetti | – Israeli rights group Adalah, which seeks legal justice for Palestinian citizens of Israel, issued an in-depth report on 10 December breaking down the illegality of Israel’s recent advancement in the forceful removal of thousands of Bedouin in the Negev (referred to as ‘Naqab’ by Bedouin) desert. The report, issued on […]

Featured

Israel’s Racism Cripples its Democracy as it Heads for 3rd Election under Indicted Caretaker PM Netanyahu

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – The Israeli parliament has voted to dissolve itself and go to new elections, as the attempts by prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu and his rival Benny Gantz to form a government failed. The Jewish-majority parties in Israel refused to allow the Joint List, largely representing Israelis of Palestinian heritage, into the […]

Iraq

No to Sexism and Ageism! Iraqi Youth Protesters are Changing the Culture

Mustafa Habib

Mustafa Habib | Baghdad | – ( Niqash.org ) – Iraq’s ongoing anti-government protests are turning out to be about more than just political demands. They’re also changing the country’s culture around sexism, ageism and other long-held prejudices. Despite a lack of coordination between all the different groups of Iraqi protesters taking part in anti-government […]

Islamophobia

Muslims aren’t the Only Ones Endangered by Israeli Groups Churning Far-Right Hatred

Middle East Monitor

By Nasim Ahmed | @Nasimbythedocks | – Last week, a Guardian investigation traced a network of Facebook accounts fuelling far-right Islamophobic pages around the world to Israel. Journalists at the UK daily uncovered a plot to take over some of Facebook’s largest far-right pages in an attempt to foment hatred towards Islam and Muslims while […]

Featured

In Wag the Dog Move, Indicted Israeli PM Netanyahu Moves to Annex 25% of Palestinian West Bank

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Interim Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu committed again on Sunday that his government will steal the entire Jordan Valley from the Palestinians. He had floated this plan two months ago but now seems to be determined to move ahead. It makes up 25% of the Palestinian West Bank. Israel is […]

African-Americans

How Turkish Muslims at Atlantic Records Marketed Motown, Jazz, Black Music to America

Shalom Goldman

(Special to Informed Comment) – To those outside of the music business the title, “The House that Ahmet Built” might sound like the name of a Turkish folktale for children. But for those in the know, the ‘house’ was Atlantic Records and ‘Ahmet’ was Ahmet Ertegun, the great record company’s co-founder. In 1947 along with […]