Jordan's king urges US peace push Nov 18, 2009
The king suggested a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was more urgent than the conflict in Iraq ... His speech was couched in flattering terms, our correspondent says, but it was also designed as a wake-up call to Washington, an implicit criticism of its lack of engagement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict ... He called for support for a Saudi peace plan drawn up in 2002, which offered collective Arab recognition of Israel in return for a viable Palestinian state. (Yahoo News -- Jordan)
Senate candidates discuss health care at forum Nov 18, 2009
Scott Brown, R-Wrentham, and Republican businessman Jack E. Robinson - spoke about their views on issues ranging from health care to job creation to the relations between Israel and the Palestinians ... Though the comments ranged from women's rights to cap-and-trade to the sour economy, the topics of the day seemed polarized around national debate on health care and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict ... Most of the speakers addressed the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, with Brown criticizing... (Arlington Advocate, MA)
* Palestinians to appeal to UN for state Nov 17, 2009
RETALIATION: An Israeli legal expert said that if the UN Security Council endorsed a Palestinian state, Israel would be within its rights to cancel interim peace accords AP, JERUSALEM Tuesday, Nov 17, 2009, Page 6 ... A Palestinian drive to ask the UN Security Council to endorse a state unilaterally, put forward by a top negotiator on Sunday, appeared more an expression of frustration with US and Israeli policies and stalled peace talks than a real effort to go it alone ... A resolution for a... (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- World)
Democracy - it’s not for everyone Nov 17, 2009
But instead of honoring the voice of the people, Israel, with American connivance, simply locked the territory down, turning Gaza into a virtual prison in one of the most notable cases of collective punishment on the face of the globe ... Overthrowing Saddam Hussein in Iraq, many naively believed, would transform the Middle East from the authoritarian rule of sheiks and emirs to a Western democracy that would be friendly to Israel. (Boston Globe)
Palestinians seek EU support for statehood Nov 17, 2009
RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) The Palestinians asked the European Union on Monday to back their plan to have the U.N. Security Council recognize an independent Palestinian state without Israeli consent ... The Palestinians seek a state in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem, territories Israel captured in 1967 ... The plan appears to be largely symbolic, given that the U.S., Israel's chief ally, would likely veto such an initiative at the United Nations. (Florida Today)
Iraqi doctors dismiss claims that Jessica Lynch was raped in hospital Nov 17, 2009
And as the second intifada and Israel's determined military response to it gathered momentum, nothing came of it ... Netanyahu to denounce Prime Minister's drive to sidestep Israel and secure support from UN Security Council ... Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said yesterday he will send a report calling for Israel and the Palestinians to investigate alleged war crimes during last winter's conflict in Gaza to the UN Security Council "as soon as possible.". (Yahoo News -- Jessica Lynch)
Palestinians turn to UN to endorse plan for independence Nov 16, 2009
Voice frustration on lack of progress in talks with Israel ... JERUSALEM - Palestinian officials said yesterday that they are preparing to ask the United Nations to endorse an independent state without Israel s consent because they are losing faith in the peace talks ... The United States, Israel s closest ally, would probably veto any initiative at the United Nations, and Israel controls the areas where the Palestinians want to establish their homeland. (Boston Globe)
Palestinian leaders recommend election delay Nov 14, 2009
Palestinian officials trying to organize a Jan. 24 election recommended Thursday that the vote be postponed, a move that could prolong uncertainty over President Mahmoud Abbas' political future and the prospect for Israeli-Palestinian peace talks ... Since then, his Palestinian backers, along with some Israeli officials and leaders of Western governments, have urged him to reconsider ... The split weakened the Palestinian cause and complicated Abbas' peace talks with Israel. (San Francisco Chronicle)
Abbas unto the abyss Nov 14, 2009
Crippled by a bitter conflict between his secular Fatah party and the radical Islamic movement Hamas, mocked by his political opponents as the cat's paw of the West, repeatedly humiliated by the United States, deserted by the leaders of the European Union - and he has proven entirely ineffective in negotiations with the Israelis ... But at the time Marwan Barghouti was serving five life sentences in an Israeli jail for his participation in terrorism ... " Barghouti is fluent in Hebrew, well... (Sydney Morning Herald -- World)
Naysayers proven right on Middle East Nov 14, 2009
BARACK Obama seems to have failed dismally in his first sustained attempt to show he is serious about making peace between Israel and the Palestinians ... But having been unable to persuade or cajole Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to accept a total freeze on West Bank settlements, friendly Arab states to ''normalise'' relations with Israel or the Palestinians to restart long-stalled peace talks without preconditions, what will he do next ... Possibilities include a further Israeli... (Sydney Morning Herald -- Opinion)
Mideast Radicals Fill Space Left By Peace Impasse Nov 14, 2009
Nasrallah has lashed out at President Barack Obama, accusing him of absolute bias for Israel and disregard for the Arab and Muslim world. He also warned Israel against waging another war on Lebanon, pledging to hit back deep within Israel ... Nasrallah has lashed out at President Barack Obama, accusing him of absolute bias for Israel and disregard for the Arab and Muslim world. (CBS News -- World)
Palestinians urge cancellation of election Nov 13, 2009
World Blog: Tel Aviv, Israel ... The Palestinians hope to establish an independent state in both territories, located on opposite sides of Israel, with east Jerusalem as their capital ... Last week, Abbas said he would not contest the election, citing his frustration with the lack of progress in peace efforts with Israel. (MSNBC -- International)
Palestinian Vote Put Off, Abbas Remains In Office Nov 13, 2009
Abbas raised international concern last week when he declined to run for another term, suggesting he was frustrated over a 10-month stalemate in Israel-Palestinian peacemaking ... Now it appears Abbas may have been signaling his need for more backing from the U.S. against Israel since Hamas' rejection of a vote was likely ... Abbas has insisted that talks with Israel cannot resume until Israel halts all construction in its West Bank settlements. (CBS News -- World)
Cant afford peace at all costs Nov 13, 2009
By MARCY OSTERIsrael Commentator. Published: Friday, November 13, 2009 1:10 AM EST J Street, the self-dubbed pro-Israel, pro-peace Israel lobby, has gotten loads of attention around its first national conference recently ... About 1,500 supporters of the 19-month-old lobbying group gathered to talk about subjects including what pro-Israel means and about settlements as an obstacle to peace. (Cleveland Jewish News, OH)
Iranian threat extends beyond nuclear bounds, says official Nov 13, 2009
Published: Friday, November 13, 2009 1:10 AM EST When Iranian authorities murdered peaceful protestors over the summer, it became clear that the nation poses a danger to its own people as much as it does to Israel and the rest of the world, a member of Canada s parliament said during a conference on the Islamic republic this week ... Vahidi s appointment is likely to further chill relations between Iran and the international community, especially Israel, and demonstrates Iran s blatant disregard... (Cleveland Jewish News, OH)
Palestinian vote delayed, Abbas stays Nov 13, 2009
Abbas raised international concern last week when he declined to run for another term, suggesting he was frustrated over a 10-month stalemate in Israel-Palestinian peacemaking ... Now it appears Abbas may have been signaling his need for more backing from the United States against Israel since Hamas s rejection of a vote was likely ... Abbas has insisted that talks with Israel cannot resume until Israel halts all construction in its West Bank settlements. (Boston Globe)
Abbas's elections call faces new challenge Nov 13, 2009
Israel, which occupies East Jerusalem, has not responded to the CEC's request to prepare for the elections in the territory where most of the population is Palestinian ... On Nov. 5, Abbas announced he would not run in the upcoming elections, citing deadlocks in restoring Palestinian unity and resuming fruitful peace talks with Israel ... Al-Ahmad accused Hamas of "helping Israel and the United States finding justifications to evade the obligations of the peace process." He explained that Israel... (Xinhuanet, China)
The Weight of War Is Showing on Obama Nov 13, 2009
Bomb Irans nuclear facility before they make nukes cause they will and if they bomb Israel you have instant WW#3. Those are the things we need to do. (CBS News)
Palestinians 'should delay polls' Nov 13, 2009
It said the vote scheduled for 24 January could not be held because Hamas had banned elections in Gaza and Israeli co-operation was not confirmed ... He has struggled to make headway towards a peace deal in negotiations with Israel, amid deadlock over Israeli settlements, and announced last Thursday that he would not seek re-election ... Many in the region saw his announcement as a tactic aimed at pressuring Israel and the US, but Mr Abbas's aides say he is serious. (BBC News -- Africa)
Political Grapevine Nov 13, 2009
Iran: How long before Israel attacks. Fort Hood fallout. (Fox News)
Kuwait protest for women's rights Nov 13, 2009
MID-EAST WOMEN'S RIGHTS Women can vote and be elected: Iraq, Lebanon, Israel, Jordan, Egypt, Palestinian territories, Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, Yemen, Morocco, Tunis, Algeria, Iran Women cannot vote or be elected: Kuwait, Saudi Arabia There are no elections: Syria (holds presidential referenda in which women can vote), UAE, Libya. "We cannot be elected or give our vote to any political candidate. We are deprived of this political right," Ms Mullah, from the Kuwaiti Women's Cultural and Social... (Yahoo News -- Kuwait)
In Paris, Benjamin Netanyahu finds growing European doubt on Middle East peace Nov 12, 2009
greets Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Elysee Palace in Paris on Wednesday ... Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was in France on Wednesday, as President Nicolas Sarkozy's government wonders if Israel is interested in peacemaking with the Palestinians ... Paris - Europeans, and the French in particular, strong backers of Washington's efforts to broker a Mideast deal, are starting to register frustration with the White House's handling of Israel-Palestinian relations. (Christian Science Monitor)
Palestinian Hopes Dim 5 Years After Arafat Death Nov 12, 2009
He says he cannot restart peace talks with Israel until the Jewish state stops building settlements in areas where the Palestinians hope to establish their future state ... "But we see Israel taking land and building settlements." ... He said his government had honored its obligations to Israel to crack down on militant groups, and chastised the international community for failing to force the Israelis to honor their past pledges to stop settlement. (CBS News -- World)
The Folly Of A `Drone War' Nov 12, 2009
In fact, Israel -- along with the U.S. the on drones -- will reportedly soon the first of its USVs off the coast of Hamas-controlled Gaza. The U.S. cant be and it seems that, like their airborne cousins, these ships, too, will be weaponized. (CBS News)
Hasan's Ties Spark Government Blame Game Nov 12, 2009
Also found at the apartment: Jordanian and Israeli coins, a psychiatry exam, and a prayer mat ... America would be better served if you ship joe lie-berman to israel ... I'd prefer if he was towed to Israel by boat. (CBS News -- Early Show)
Netanyahu in Paris with peace efforts in peril Nov 12, 2009
PARIS (AP) -- Growing frustration with Jewish settlements and anxiety about the Palestinian Authority's future set the stage for talks Wednesday between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and French President Nicolas Sarkozy ... Sarkozy, however, is likely to press the Israeli leader to relax his stance on Jewish settlements, which have thrown a wrench into the Mideast peace process and prompted fears of renewed extremist violence ... The Palestinians say peace talks can't resume until... (WSVN-TV Miami, FL)
* Preparations for Palestinian polls fail at the first hurdle Nov 12, 2009
His real aims may be to repair badly damaged Palestinian unity and to bolster US support for his position in peace talks with Israel ... The election will split the Palestinian movement X with Hamas shouldering responsibility for the split X and at the same time remove from the scene the man the West counts on as peacemaker with Israel. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- World)
To solve Turkey's culture clash, old elite must yield to free speech Nov 12, 2009
Recently, Turkey cancelled some military exercises with Israel because of the Gaza war and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan himself has embraced Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's suspect election victory in Iran. This has begun to worry some in the West these days who are concerned that Turkey is turning from "West to the East," toward the Muslim world. (Christian Science Monitor)
SCENARIOS - Outlook for Palestinians' muddled politics Nov 12, 2009
Israel has not yet said whether it will allow voting in East Jerusalem ... Before that, Israel arrested many members of the Hamas majority elected in 2006 ... The PLO central council, which approved the creation of the Palestinian Authority in 1993 after interim peace deals with Israel, also has the power to dissolve it, rendering meaningless any talk of elections for its leadership. (The Star Online, Malaysia)
Veterans Day Observances Around The Region Nov 12, 2009
Services start at 8:15 a.m. at the General John Patterson Memorial on East and Allen streets; 8:30 a.m. at the Spanish American War Memorial at Willow Brook Park, 635 S. Main St.; 8:45 a.m. at the Vietnam Memorial at Willow Brook Park; 9:15 a.m. at the Sherrod E. Skinner Memorial on Corbin Avenue and Lincoln Street; 9:45 a.m. at the Israel Putnam Stone Memorial at Walnut Hill Park, 184 West Main St.. Events also will take place at 10 a.m. at the World War I Monument at Walnut Hill Park, 184 W.... (FOX61, CT)
Will Snowe melt under heat from GOP base? Nov 11, 2009
Okaaay see now why the Palestinians and Arabs and Persians can keep it going with Israel for so long. 6 minutes. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution -- Opinion)
Three key challenges for Obama Nov 11, 2009
Last week the foreign policy of President Barack Obama suffered three major body blows -- in Afghanistan, Iraq and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict ... Last week's third debacle was the virtual collapse of the Middle East peace process -- the negotiations between the Israelis and Palestinians to result in two states, living side by side, legally recognized, in peace ... Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has successfully stiffed Mr. Obama on the critical issue of Israeli settlements in... (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, PA)
16 comments Nov 10, 2009
by The scoop on the prime time hypocrisyby Israel s economy thrives despite disadvantages. Why don t Israel s neighbors do as well. (Human Events Online)
New faces elected to school boards Nov 10, 2009
Israel Alguindique 895. Minnetonka School Board. (Minnetonka Lakeshore Weekly News, MN)
The Two Faces of Maj. Hasan Nov 10, 2009
Location: MI Reply # 1 Date: Nov 10, 2009 - 5:48 AM EST Pat is too kind For some reason Pat seems kinder to this "conflicted" Palestinian terrorist than he is to the people of Israel who are trying to survive as a tiny nation in the midst of a sea of Arab Muslims. By Pat's reasoning, he was a victim of diversity in America. (Townhall.com)
Iraqi doctors dismiss claims that Jessica Lynch was raped in hospital Nov 10, 2009
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said yesterday he will send a report calling for Israel and the Palestinians to investigate alleged war crimes during last winter's conflict in Gaza to the UN Security Council "as soon as possible." ... The Israeli navy yesterday seized a ship carrying what defence officials said was five hundred tons of Iranian-supplied weapons bound for Hizbollah guerrillas in Lebanon, including Katyusha rockets that could be used in the event of renewed Israel-Hizbollah... (Yahoo News -- Jessica Lynch)
Funeral in Berlin of freedom Nov 10, 2009
(Not content with England, he ll be ordering Israel to join the 4th Reich next. Had a word with Angie about kicking us out of the EU yet. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Opinion)
Palestinian Negotiator: 'Defining Moment' Is Here Nov 10, 2009
Palestinian Negotiator: 'Defining Moment' In Peace Talks, Israel Might Have To Deal With Hamas ... (AP) JERUSALEM (AP) - The chief Palestinian negotiator on Monday warned Israel that if it does not take peacemaking seriously, it will find itself dealing with the militant Hamas instead of moderates like him ... Negotiator Saeb Erekat and other Palestinian officials have been quoted as recommending dismantling the Palestinian Authority, set up in interim accords with Israel to prepare for creation... (CBS News -- World)
Writing through the rubble Nov 10, 2009
The United States was even more disliked because of its one-sided support for Israel and its long exploitation of the region ... But early withdrawal was never an option, Steele notes, because for its neocon architects, the war was not really about liberating the Iraqi people -- it was about larger geostrategic goals, including "removing an independent anti-Israeli ruler" and securing "access to the country's oil reserves." Steele notes, "The neoconservatives always wanted a prolonged occupation... (Salon)
Netanyahu Calls for More Peace Talks Nov 10, 2009
Israeli Prime Minister Also Pledges More Steps to Improve Economic Conditions in Palestinian Areas ... Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu waves during his address before the 2009 General Assembly of The Jewish Federations of North America, Monday, Nov. 9, 2009, in Washington ... (AP) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday called for an immediate resumption of peace talks with Palestinians and pledged more steps to improve economic conditions in Palestinian areas. (CBS News)
As Netanyahu meets Obama, Israel ex-general offers Hamas talks Nov 10, 2009
Former Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz, now leader of Israel's opposition party, unveiled a new peace plan Sunday and aspirations of replacing Netanyahu ... Shaul Mofaz, Israel's Former Defense Minister, pictured here in this September 10, 2008 file photo ... Jerusalem - Shaul Mofaz, a leading opposition politician in Israel whose former posts include both army chief of staff and defense minister, said Sunday he has a plan for Israeli-Palestinian peace and he's willing to talk to Hamas to... (Christian Science Monitor)
Rep. Cantor says Congress's broad support for Israel could be weakening Nov 10, 2009
Cantor says Congress's broad support for Israel could be weakening - The Hill's Blog Briefing Room ... Cantor says Congress's broad support for Israel could be weakening ... The only Jewish Republican in the House of Representatives said Sunday that Congress's broad support for Israel could be deteriorating. (TheHill.com)
ATTORNEY GENERAL WILL SPEAK TO CONTROVERSIAL MUSLIM CIVIL RIGHTS GROUP... Nov 10, 2009
I bet if he was asked to speak at a group that supports Israel he would say no. or a gun rights group ... He punishes the Israelis and ignores the British, though he sent back the bust of Churchill and denied Brown a press conference ... Holder's answer to Hasan's act of Islamic terrorism is to appease the very hate mongers that encourage attacks on Israel and our Country. (The Drudge Report)
Israeli prime minister calls for peace talks Nov 10, 2009
FIRM STANCE "I want to make this clear: My goal is not to have endless negotiations," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel said ... WASHINGTON - Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel called yesterday for an immediate resumption of peace talks with Palestinians and pledged more steps to improve economic conditions in Palestinian areas ... The White House says Obama reaffirmed his country s strong commitment to Israel s security, and that the two leaders discussed Iran s nuclear... (Boston Globe)
David Denby: “The Messenger” and “The Box.” Nov 10, 2009
The picture was written not by Americans but by two foreign-born men working in Hollywood Alessandro Camon, an Italian, and Oren Moverman, the director, who is a four-year veteran of the Israeli military ... The violent conflict between Israel and Hamas. (New Yorker)
Hilton Als: Richard Foreman puts language onstage. Nov 10, 2009
Collectively, the Servants (Joel Israel, Eric Magnus, and Daniel Allen Nelson) remind you of those self-replicating guys in The Matrix, but without the sunglasses and the stilted speeches ... The violent conflict between Israel and Hamas. (New Yorker)
Lebanon gets new government after months of haggling Nov 10, 2009
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Evangelist PM overdoes the fire and brimstone Nov 9, 2009
While the Goldstone report focuses specifically on the violations committed by Israel and to a far lesser extent by Hamas, the precedent of this endorsement has ramifications to end impunity for all nations. It is obscene and reprehensible that Australia is so bound to American policy on condoning and collaborating in the Israeli impunity to commit human rights abuses against Palestinian families that it lacks the moral integrity to champion international human rights law no matter who is the... (Sydney Morning Herald -- Australia)
Hillel finds home at former fraternity site Nov 9, 2009
It will also feature prayer spaces, lounge and meeting areas, a kosher caf; and a multipurpose room to be used for big Hillel events, like the Hanukkah Ball and the Israel Culture Festival, he said ... The student-run organization offers services to more than 6,000 undergraduate and graduate students at the University and hosts religious, social and community service events, as well as programs on Israel. (The Daily Targum, NJ)
Elizabeth Kolbert: The latest reasoning about our irrational ways. Nov 9, 2009
It emerged largely in response to work done in the nineteen-seventies by the Israeli-American psychologists Amos Tversky and Daniel Kahneman. (Ariely, too, grew up in Israel ... The violent conflict between Israel and Hamas. (New Yorker)
Ariel Levy: Why is feminism still so divisive? Nov 9, 2009
Feminism and Gail Collins s When Everything Changed : The New Yorker. Post, Esther Peterson, Restless (1997), Memories, Cindy McCain, Billie Jean King, Conservatives, Betty Friedan, Miss America Pageant, Republican Party, Susan Brownmiller, NOW (National Organization for Women), Bob McDonnell, Gloria Steinem, Social Movements, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Shriver Report, Identity Politics, Traditional Family, Comprehensive Child Development Act, Walter Mondale, (Pres. (New Yorker)
Tactical terrorism send grim message Nov 9, 2009
That was in Israel 21 years ago, Yitzhak Shamir of the Likud Party versus Shimon Peres of the Labor Party ... In those days, most Palestinians still wanted nothing less than all of the land that Israel "occupied." ... In the decades since, of course, the sort of attacks Israel suffered have been emulated in many other places, most of them in the Middle East. (San Francisco Chronicle -- Politics)
Sasha Frere-Jones: Metallica, at Madison Square Garden. Nov 9, 2009
The violent conflict between Israel and Hamas. 00004000. (New Yorker)
Obama will meet Netanyahu at White House Nov 9, 2009
U.S.-Israeli relations have been strained over Jewish settlement issue ... WASHINGTON - The White House announced Sunday that President Barack Obama will be meeting with Benjamin Netanyahu during the Israeli prime minister's trip to Washington, ending days of uncertainty ... U.S.-Israeli relations have been strained since Netanyahu rejected Obama's demand that the Israeli government stop building or expanding Jewish settlements in the West Bank. (MSNBC -- International)
'Mandela' set to succeed Abbas Nov 8, 2009
A FORMER militia leader serving five consecutive life sentences in an Israeli prison for a bombing in Tel Aviv has emerged as the likely successor to Mahmoud Abbas, the moderate Palestinian leader who plans to stand down ... The prospect of a prison cell campaign would delight many ordinary Palestinians as well a number of left-wing Israeli politicians ... Mr Barghouti, who enjoys widespread support across the Palestinian territories, is seen as a reformer committed to negotiations with Israel... (Sydney Morning Herald -- World)
* Hezbollah alliance agrees to join unity government Nov 8, 2009
In related developments, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon condemned recent violations of the 2006 ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah militants in Lebanon. In a report to the Security Council circulated on Friday, Ban said he was particularly concerned about the firing of rockets from Lebanon into Israel, the discovery of an arms and ammunition depot in southern Lebanon, and explosions and a fire in that area which are still under investigation ... Ban reiterated his call for full... (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- Sports)
* US foreign policy is straight out of the mafia: Noam Chomsky Nov 8, 2009
The gap between the interests of those who control US foreign policy and the public is also borne out, in Chomskys view, by the US unwavering support for Israel and rejectionism of the two-state solution effectively on offer for 30 years. Thats not because of the overweening power of the Israel lobby in the US, but because Israel is a strategic and commercial asset that underpins rather than undermines US domination of the Middle East ... Its the same charge which was made in the... (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- Sports)
Peres calls on Palestinian leader not to quit Nov 8, 2009
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) -- Israel's president on Saturday called on Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas to rescind his decision to stand down, invoking the memory of Yitzhak Rabin at a public commemoration for the assassinated Israeli premier ... In a video message screened at Saturday's rally, President Barack Obama paid tribute to Rabin and pledged to keep trying to get the Israelis and Palestinians back to the negotiating table. (WSVN-TV Miami, FL)
McCain: No, really, we vetted her! Nov 8, 2009
So far away that Obama's small but fervent efforts in the opposite direction -- new diplomacy on Israel, Palestine, Iran, Russia and North Korea; slow but steady withdrawal from Iraq and now a painful reappraisal of the increasingly bloody war in Afghanistan; a pledge to eliminate nuclear weapons; new initiatives to the Muslim world -- could win him this prize ... the disappointment of "Don't Ask Don't Tell" and the thrill of the short-lived Israeli-Palestinian peace accords, signed just eight... (Salon)
Israeli President Calls on Palestinian Leader Not to Quit Nov 8, 2009
TEL AVIV, Israel Israel's president has called on Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas to rescind his decision to stand down, invoking the memory of Yitzhak Rabin at a commemoration for the assassinated Israeli premier. Shimon Peres spoke to a crowd of thousands at the square where Rabin was gunned down by a Jewish extremist who opposed his peace policies on Nov. 4, 1995. (Fox News)
Kuwait protest for women's rights Nov 7, 2009
MID-EAST WOMEN'S RIGHTS Women can vote and be elected: Iraq, Lebanon, Israel, Jordan, Egypt, Palestinian territories, Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, Yemen, Morocco, Tunis, Algeria, Iran Women cannot vote or be elected: Kuwait, Saudi Arabia There are no elections: Syria (holds presidential referenda in which women can vote), UAE, Libya. "We cannot be elected or give our vote to any political candidate. We are deprived of this political right," Ms Mullah, from the Kuwaiti Women's Cultural and Social... (Yahoo News -- Kuwait)
I will not contest presidential election, says Abbas Nov 7, 2009
Mr Abbas's decision further complicates faltering US efforts to restart peace talks between Israel and Palestinians, which suffered a blow this week after the Obama Administration demonstrated it had given up on demands for Israel to freeze settlement construction in the West Bank ... Mr Abbas, 74, said his decision was based on his inability to move Israel forward in negotiations over a final settlement with the Palestinians ... "The problem is Israel and its positions," he said. (Sydney Morning Herald -- World)
Dogs vs. SUVs vs. the earth, debunked Nov 7, 2009
" He was thinking of prewar Czechoslovakia. Israel is a country that can disappear and knows it. America, Germany, France, Britain are not countries that can disappear. They can be defeated but they cannot disappear. For the great powers, and especially for the world superpower, very few wars are wars of necessity. In theory, America could adopt a foreign policy of isolationism and survive. We could fight nowhere, withdraw from everywhere -- South Korea, Germany, Japan, NATO, the United Nations... (Salon)
Sanctions will stop arms race Nov 7, 2009
Strong economic sanctions against Iran could cripple the Middle Eastern country's economy in months, destabilize its totalitarian regime and in doing so prevent nuclear proliferation in the region, said Akiva Tor, Israeli consul general for the Pacific Northwest ... Strong economic sanctions against Iran could cripple the Middle Eastern country's economy in months, destabilize its totalitarian regime and in doing so prevent nuclear proliferation in the region, said Akiva Tor, Israeli consul... (Juneau Empire)
Country profile: Lebanon Nov 7, 2009
One of the most complex and divided countries in the region, Lebanon has been on the fringes, and at times at the heart, of the surrounding the creation of Israel. Since a resurgence of hostilities in 2006, when Israel launched a major military campaign against the the country has struggled to regain the relative stability it enjoyed after the 1975-1990 civil war ... AT-A-GLANCE A country full of promise after civil war between 1975 and 1990, Lebanon was again hit by war in 2006 Politics: A... (BBC News -- Africa)
