U.S. hints at intervention in Syria, Russia rules out involvement
The U.S. government is contemplating significant intervention in the Syria conflict and has discussed employing Patriot Air and Missile Defense Systems in Turkey and directly providing arms to opposition fighters.Officials told the New York Times that the U.S. might bring its military resources for either intimidation purposes or direct...Elected a president, got a dictator
CAIRO (IPS) — Brandishing flags and carrying banners denouncing “the new pharaoh”, thousands of protesters thronged to Cairo’s Tahrir Square on Tuesday to voice their opposition to President Mohamed Morsi’s attempt to expand his powers.By dusk, the iconic square had filled with demonstrators. But the protest marches from...Israel-Palestine: What is the U.S. national interest?
Israeli elections are coming up in January so it is Palestinian hunting season again. Israeli cynics call it a time “for mowing the grass.” Out comes the well-worn playbook by Israel’s militaristic government that has worked to silence Israeli politicians and citizens who want a two-state solution. This is an opportunity to...Proposed NATO Patriot missiles on Syria border spark regional tensions
ISTANBUL — Russia said on Thursday that it opposes deployment of NATO Patriot missiles on Turkey's border with Syria, a sign of deepening tensions across the region over the 20-month-old Syrian crisis."This would not foster stability in the region," Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said of Turkey's request for...Egypt’s constitution faces uncertain future as more groups withdraw
CAIRO - Egypt’s constitution, to be drafted and ready to roll out by next month continues to face an uphill battle as more and more groups have withdrawn from its discussion, accusing the ultra-conservative Islamists of taking over the process.On Tuesday, the Egyptian Journalists Syndicate announced it was removing itself from the...Anonymous leaks personal information of 5,000 Israeli officials, hacks social media accounts in support of Gaza
Internet hacktivist group Anonymous has declared cyberwar on Israel, posting personal data of five thousand Israeli officials online.The group used their Anonpaste.me site to address a message to the Israeli government before linking to the page with names, ID numbers and personal emails of 5,000 officials. The Facebook page of...
Mistrust runs deep in Gaza after Israel breaches ceasefire agreement
November 23rd, 20120 One person was killed and 19 injured in Gaza by the Israeli army on Friday, breaking a two-day old ceasefire between the Jewish state and the Strip and sparking critical responses by Palestinian officials.A 21-year-old man, identified as Anwar Qadih by an Al-Akhbar correspondent, was shot in the head by Israeli gunfire as he and a group...Report: Abdullah in Intensive Care Unit
Recent reports say that Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz has been taken to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of a Riyadh hospital following surgery.A Saudi activist on Wednesday announced on microblogging service, Twitter, that the country’s princes have been visiting the National Guard’s King Abdulaziz Medical City in Riyadh along...
In Gaza, another 8 days of killing
November 23rd, 20120 GAZA CITY — Fouad Hijazi was watching the 7 p.m. news with his wife and eight children when a missile fired by an Israeli F-16 hit their house in Jabalyia refugee camp, Gaza’s most densely populated area.Fouad, 46, was killed. So were his sons Mohammed, 3, and Suhaib, 2. Fouad’s wife Amna is in Shifa hospital, and her two daughters...
Top 10 myths about Israel’s attack on Gaza
November 23rd, 20120 These misconceptions are spread by the American media.1 Israeli hawks represent themselves as engaged in a ‘peace process’ with the Palestinians in which Hamas refuses to join. In fact, Israel has refused to cease colonizing and stealing Palestinian land long enough to engage in fruitful negotiations with them. Tel Aviv...
Morsi grants himself far-reaching powers
November 23rd, 20120 CAIRO — Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi issued a new constitutional declaration on Thursday in which he assumed sweeping powers that will not be subject to appeal.Morsi has become a "new pharaoh" by assuming sweeping powers that place him above judicial oversight, opposition figure and Nobel laureate Mohamed ElBaradei...Syrian conflict ‘approaching decisive stage’?
The newly unified Syrian opposition is insisting that it should be the sole conduit for channeling logistical and financial assistance to the in-country rebels. The credibility of the Syrian National Coalition for Opposition and Revolutionary Forces will hinge on it securing "the buy-in of as many Syrian stakeholders as possible, as well...Israel may cancel Oslo if Palestinian UN bid succeeds
Israel may cancel the Oslo Accords if the November 29 Palestinian bid for non-member statehood at the United Nations succeeds, Israeli daily Ha'aretz reported Wednesday.The foreign ministry reportedly sent a cable Sunday to Israeli diplomats instructing them to "do all possible to halt the Palestinian initiative because of its...Demonstrators call for ‘regime change’ in rare protests against Jordan’s king
AMMAN - Overnight demonstrations over fuel price hikes in Jordan may have spiraled into a nation-wide revolt against the country's regime Wednesday, according to various activist sources.Rioting broke out in several cities and various key routes were reported to have been blocked by protesters, after Jordanian prime minister Abdullah...Israel ranked world’s most militarized nation
WASHINGTON (IPS) — Israel tops the list of the world’s most militarized nations, according to the latest Global Militarization Index released Tuesday by the Bonn International Centre for Conversion (BICC).At number 34, Israel’s main regional rival, Iran, is far behind. Indeed, every other Near Eastern country, with the exceptions......
Gaza trembles, Arab world simmers as Israel prepares for ground assault
November 17th, 20120 An Israeli ground operation against the beleaguered Gaza Strip seemed imminent on Thursday as forces moved toward the border area according to the Associated Press. Trucks were seen moving tanks and armored personnel carriers according to the report which buses carrying soldiers also arrived. On the social media site Twitter, several...
Who started it? Bloodbath in Gaza
November 17th, 20120 A New York Times article, published November 14th, reports on the death of Hamas military commander Ahmed Jabari, killed by one of Israel’s recent airstrikes. "Gaza truce broken as Israeli raid kills six Hamas gunmen," published in the Guardian and written by Rory McCarthy, in which an Israeli official is quoted bragging about a......
Islamophobic candidates are big losers in 2012 election
Several candidates for Congressional elections known for making anti-Islam statements were defeated during this week's election, much to the delight of American Muslims and tolerant U.S. residents in general who have grown tired of the unwelcoming climate. "These encouraging results clearly show that mainstream Americans reject...U.S. voters punish Republicans for “reckless obstruction”
WASHINGTON - Despite a bitterly and closely fought presidential campaign fueled by record financial backing, analysts sifting through Tuesday’s national election results here are forecasting a period of introspection for the opposition Republican Party that could ease the gridlock that has gummed up Washington politics in recent...What will Obama’s second term hold for foreign policy?
After a campaign and election in which, at least as much as in most other election years, foreign policy took a back seat to domestic concerns, we — and the newly re-elected president — should take stock of the foreign policy significance of the electoral decision the American people just made. Possibly the most significant...Our endorsements: Fate of five Wayne County proposals to be decided
The Arab American News has taken a position on five Wayne County ballot proposals only residents of the county will have the opportunity to vote on in the Nov. 6 general election. The proposals could amend sections of the Wayne County Home Rule Charter. One of the proposals is an attempt to get Wayne County Executive Robert Ficano......
Ballot proposals crucial, could amend state constitution and change laws
There are six major statewide ballot proposals you will have the opportunity to vote on during the Nov. 6 general election that will impact everything from determining the legitimacy of Michigan’s controversial emergency financial law and the future of collective bargaining in Michigan to whether an additional bridge connecting the...Obama ends term on disappointing note over Mideast
CAIRO — Three years after he promised a rapt Cairo audience a shift in his country's unpopular Middle East policy, U.S. President Barack Obama goes to the polls leaving disappointment in a region swept by the Arab Spring.Obama's critics say he has not honored his pledges, such as settling the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, or improving......
Is the detritus of the Iraq war harming the babies of Fallujah?
November 5th, 20120 Anecdotal tales of inexplicable sickness and deformities have abounded in Iraq for years. In their broad brushstrokes, they seem plausible. The first Gulf War had littered much of Iraq with depleted uranium from the armor-piercing bullets the U.S. used to destroy Saddam Hussein's retreating columns in1991. (The Monitor's Scott Peterson...Blame game sets off amid obvious divorce between Washington, Syrian SNC
The head of the main opposition Syrian National Council on Thursday blamed the international community's failure to react to the country's conflict for fueling Islamic extremist sentiment.The comments came a day after U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the opposition should "strongly resist the efforts by the extremists to......
