Deadly ‘day of rage’ in Libya
February 19th, 20110 Reports of more than a dozen deaths as protesters heed calls for mass protests against government, despite a crackdown Libyan protesters seeking to oust longtime leader Moammar Gadhafi have defied a crackdown and taken to the streets on what activists have dubbed a "day of rage." There are reports that more than a dozen demonstrators...Bahrain crushes protest camp, locks down capital
MANAMA — Troops and tanks locked down the capital of this tiny Gulf kingdom after riot police swinging clubs and firing tear gas smashed into demonstrators, many of them sleeping, in a pre-dawn assault Thursday that uprooted their protest camp demanding political change. Medical officials said four people were...
In Yemen, protest goes out with the candles
February 19th, 20110 SANAA (IPS) — Many are baffled that Yemen's anti-government protests have so far failed to deliver revolutionary regime change. But a complex context here demands a different kind of political dialogue with power. Anti-government protesters hurl rocks at government backers during clashes in Sanaa February 17, 2011. Hundreds of...
Lebanon warns Israeli invasion ‘no walk in park’
February 18th, 20110 Lebanon's Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah addresses his supporters through a giant screen during a rally marking the third anniversary of the assassination of military commander Imad Moughniyeh and commemorating the annual Hizbullah Martyrs' Leader Day in Beirut's suburbs February 16, 2011. Nasrallah warned Israel on...
U.S. pushing Palestinians to drop UN resolution on settlement construction
February 17th, 20110 The United States is putting heavy pressure on the Palestinian Authority and Arab states to withdraw a draft resolution condemning Israeli settlements. The resolution is due to come up for a vote at the United Nations Security Council on Friday. A part of the controversial Israeli barrier divides the West Bank village of al...Future of Tunisia hopeful but uncertain
Tunisian students from El Kef shout slogans in Tunis February 9, 2011, during a demonstration against two civilians who were shot and killed last week in El Kef. The placard reads: "symbol of the nationalism." REUTERS/Louafi LarbiPARIS (IPS) — Freedom of expression, freedom of assembly and freedom of the press are the big gains of...Jordan feels the pressure of unrest
BEIRUT (IPS) — The wave of political protests that has struck parts of the Middle East and North Africa over the past few weeks has also affected the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. The protest movement here, initiated in the wake of the Tunisian Jasmine revolution, underscores the population's demand for political reform. A...Arab women lead the charge
CAIRO (IPS) — Asmaa Mahfouz, a 26-year-old Egyptian woman who two weeks ago had only one name, now boasts at least three. These include "A woman worth 100 men," "The girl who crushed Mubarak," and "The leader of the Egyptian revolution." Mahfouz, who began online political activism in 2008, is now credited for launching a video call...
Mubarak Gone! The People Won.
February 12th, 20110 Mubarak ousted by his people! CAIRO — He survived 10 attempts on his life, and at 82 his health was a subject of speculation. But in the end, it was his people who brought down Egypt's modern-day pharaoh. Mubarak two days before he was forced out. ReutersPulling off a second surprise in as many days, President Hosni Mubarak on...
Egypt: A plot against the people’s revolution
February 11th, 20110 After decades of setbacks and defeats, the Arab masses are invigorated by the popular uprising in Egypt. Witnessing history in the making, their optimism is at its peak. While the Arab people have celebrated the youth revolution in Egypt, policy makers in Washington have been at first caught off guard and since then have looked at the...Palestinian streets quiet as PA suppresses protests
RAMALLAH (IPS) — The Palestinian Authority (PA) is using brute force and intimidation tactics — similar to those deployed in Cairo — to suppress pro-Egyptian and Tunisian protests in the West Bank. However, despite PA President Mahmoud Abbas and his ruling Fatah party being all too keenly aware of their own tenuous grip on power,...Palestinian streets quiet as PA suppresses protests
RAMALLAH (IPS) — The Palestinian Authority (PA) is using brute force and intimidation tactics — similar to those deployed in Cairo — to suppress pro-Egyptian and Tunisian protests in the West Bank. However, despite PA President Mahmoud Abbas and his ruling Fatah party being all too keenly aware of their own tenuous grip on power,...Egyptians respond to defiant Mubarak
Anti-government protesters in Cairo's Tahrir Square wave shoes in dismay as President Hosni Mubarak speaks to the nation February 10, 2011. Protesters also chanted, "down, down with Hosni Mubarak," and "leave, leave," in rage at the speech in which the president did not step down but handed over powers to his vice president....
Egypt’s leaders struggle to regain control as pressure mounts in Tahrir Square
February 4th, 20110 Demonstrators throw rocks to repel an attack launched by pro-Mubarak supporters near Tahrir Square in Cairo February 3, 2011. Anti-government protesters and supporters of Mubarak clashed on Thursday near a central Cairo square in a re-run of overnight violence that killed ten and wounded more than 800 people. REUTERS/Goran...
Yemenis stage ‘day of rage’ against Saleh rule
February 4th, 20110 Tens of thousands of anti-Saleh protesters mass at Sanaa University after partisans take over Al-Tahrir square SANAA— Tens of thousands of protesters massed on Thursday at Sanaa University for a "day of rage" against Ali Abdullah Saleh's rule, while a similar number of loyalists flooded a central square in support of the......
Secular and devout, rich and poor — They marched together with one goal
February 4th, 20110 It was a victory parade – without the victory. They came in their hundreds of thousands, joyful, singing, praying, a great packed mass of Egypt, suburb by suburb, village by village, waiting patiently to pass through the "people's security" checkpoints, draped in the Egyptian flag of red, white and black, its governess eagle a bright...Arab revolt: Thousands of Yemenis call on their president to step down
Protesters march during an anti-government demonstration in Radfan, a district in the southern Yemeni province of Lahej January 27, 2011. Thousands of Yemenis took to the streets of Sanaa on Thursday to demand a change of government, inspired by the unrest that has ousted Tunisia's leader and spread to Egypt this week.......
Arab revolt: Public noose tightens around Mubarak
January 30th, 20110 An anti-government protester defaces a picture of Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak in Alexandria, 230 km (140 miles) north of Cairo, January 25, 2011. Thousands of Egyptians demanded an end to President Hosni Mubarak's 30-year rule and clashed with police on Tuesday, in unprecedented protests inspired by the revolt that brought down...
Turning the tide in Lebanon: Hariri’s out, Mikati to form new government
January 30th, 20110 Berri hints that the Syria-Saudi deal is still alive; initiative not dependent on one person Prime Minister-designate Najib MikatiBEIRUT - Prime Minister-designate Najib Mikati promised to form a new government to maintain national unity, offering to cooperate with all parties to confront major challenges facing the country,...
‘Palestine Papers’: It could be too late for two states
January 30th, 20110 The 'Palestine Papers' followed by Wikileaks data suggest that the PA has been engaged in extensive cooperation with the Israelis. RAMALLAH (IPS) - The credibility of the Palestinian Authority (PA) on the Arab street has been further weakened by the release of the 'Palestine Papers', but ironically the release of the explosive...Arab revolt: Tunisia issues arrest warrant for ousted Ben Ali
TUNIS — An international arrest warrant was issued for ousted president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali as more protestors against the government engaged in clashes in the capital city with riot police. Ben Ali and his wife Leila Trabelsi along with other members of his formerly all-powerful family have been accused of illegally acquiring......
The crisis candidate: Najib Mikati
January 29th, 20110 Lebanese tycoon Najib Mikati a former prime minister, has a reputation as a moderate who enjoys good ties with neighboring Syria, Lebanon's former power-broker that is steadily regaining its influence. Najib Mikati Fifty-five-year-old Mikati first broke into the local political scene in 1998 and was last elected to parliament...Arab revolt: Tunisian uprising inspires Jordanian protesters
Retired colonel Mohammed al-Btoush is not a natural rebel. For nearly two decades he served loyally in the Jordanian armed forces. He is a fierce patriot and supporter of the Hashemite monarchy. He never expected to be involved in politics. But now he is part of a committee of retired officers that is publicly urging Jordan's rulers......
Al Jazeera releases Wikileaks-style “Palestine Papers”
January 23rd, 20110 Landmark new documents released by Al Jazeera show that the Palestinian Authority (PA), led by chief negotiator Saeb Erekat, offered "The biggest Yerushalayim" ever in conceding key parts of East Jerusalem during U.S.-brokered negotiations. More of the 1,600 documents obtained describing the inner workings of a decade of...
The Arab world must face its demons
January 19th, 20110 Attacks on Christians are a wake-up call for fragmented Arab societies where disenfranchisement breeds bigotry.In the wake of the recent attack on Coptic Christians in Egypt, Nicolas Sarkozy, the French president, warned that Christians face a campaign of "religious cleansing in the Middle East". But, given Western governments'......