Middle East

Egyptian Constitution: Army Strengthened, Religious Parties Banned, Freedom of Belief, Speech Enshrined

Over half the articles of the proposed constitution for Egypt were approved by the “Committee of 50” on Saturday. The rest will be taken up on Sunday. The voting was on a majority vote basis, but in any case only rare articles attracted more than one or two “no” votes. This constitution replaces both the […]

Israel/ Palestine

Israel to Ethnically Cleanse 70,000 Palestinians in Massive Negev Land Grab

Juan Cole

Determined to derail the US press for peace negotiations with the Palestinians, the far-right Likud government of Israel is moving ahead with among the biggest projects of ethnic cleansing in the sad history of the Palestinian people, who have been made homeless and stateless by relentless Zionist colonization of their land. World Bulletin reports: “World […]

Lebanon

Syrian Civil War Spreads to Lebanon: Beirut Shaken by Iran Embassy Blast, kills 23, wounds 150

Juan Cole

Al-Hayat [Life] reports on the targeting by two suicide bombers of the Iranian embassy in south Beirut on Tuesday, which killed 23, including the Iranian cultural attache and embassy guards, and wounded 150. It was the first attack on the Iranian embassy in Beirut since the outbreak of the civil war in neighboring Syria. Since […]

Egypt

Egypt: Youth Remember Martyrs, Reject both Army and Muslim Brotherhood

Juan Cole

A couple of thousand demonstrators came into Tahrir Square on Monday evening to commemorate the massacre of protestors at Muhammad Mahmoud St. off Tahrir Square in downtown Cairo on November 19, 2011. The commemoration continued Tuesday morning. One of their signs said “Revolutionaries only: No entry for Muslim Brothers, the Military, or remnants of the […]

Drones

The Coming Drone Wars: Iran Unveils its own Drone, with a 1200-mile Range

Juan Cole

It was foreseeable that when the United States began deploying drones wherever it likes, its rivals would also develop that capability. In fact, you wonder if sending the drones around doesn’t create an opportunity for others to capture them and reverse-engineer them. Iran captured a US Predator drone last winter and claimed to have gotten […]

Israel/ Palestine

Israel forces Gaza Children to Wade through Sewage as Creepy, Evil Blockade Continues

Juan Cole

The health minister in the Gaza Strip has warned that the territory is on the verge of a major health catastrophe. Children are risking cholera and worse because they have to walk through raw sewage to get to school. The sewage has flooded the streets in Gaza City because the sewage treatment plant has no […]

Libya

State of Emergency in Libyan Capital as More Militia Clashes Break Out

Juan Cole

Libyan Prime Minister Ali Zeidan declared a 48-hour state of emergency in the capital of Tripoli on Saturday as fresh fighting broke out at Tajoura to the east of the capital. On Friday, unarmed civilian protesters had been attacked with heavy military weapons by Misrata militiamen, leaving 43 dead and some 500 wounded. At Tajoura, […]

Bush

US tries to Censor British Report on Secret Bush-Blair Push for Iraq War (Lazare)

Juan Cole

Sarah Lazare writes at Commondreams.org If the U.S. gets its way, the world will never know the details of top-level discussions between George W. Bush and Tony Blair that paved the way for the invasion of Iraq in 2003. An exclusive report released Thursday by The Independent reveals that the White House and U.S. State […]

Libya

43 Dead, 500 Wounded in Tripoli attack by militia on peaceful Protesters

Juan Cole

Update: There was further fighting at Tajoura just east of Tripoli on Friday night into Saturday, with the death toll rising to 41 with 500 injured. The fighting seems to be in part over local people in Tripoli not wanting continued HQs in the capital of the various regional or city-based militias from outside the […]