Trump’s “Board of Peace” and the reinvention of American power in Gaza and beyond
January 30th, 20260 The history of American power is, in many ways, the history of reinventing rules, or designing new ones, to fit U.S. strategic interests. This may sound harsh, but it is a necessary realization, particularly in light of President Trump’s latest political invention: the so-called Board of Peace. Some have hastily concluded that...
Trump’s Board of Peace is dividing countries in Europe and the Middle East
January 23rd, 20260 Divisions emerged Wednesday over U.S. President Trump’s Board of Peace as its ambitions have grown beyond Gaza, with some Western European countries declining to join, others remaining noncommittal and a group of Muslim countries agreeing to sign on. The developments underscored European concerns over the expanded and divisive scope...
People in Gaza dig through garbage for things to burn to keep warm, a far cry from Trump’s vision
January 23rd, 20260 Desperate Palestinians at a garbage dump in a Gaza neighborhood dug with their bare hands for plastic items to burn to fend off the cold and damp winter in the enclave, battered by two years of the Israeli war on the Strip. The scene in the Muwasi area of the city of Khan Younis contrasted starkly with the vision of the territory...
Israeli strikes kill two, wound 19 in Southern Lebanon, as ceasefire violations mount
January 23rd, 20260 On Wednesday, at least two people were killed and 19 others wounded, including journalists, in Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon, marking a new violation of a ceasefire agreement in effect since November 2024. Lebanon’s state news agency NNA said an Israeli drone strike hit a car on the Zahrani-Msayleh road in the Zahrani district...
A war without headlines: Israel’s shock-and-awe campaign in the West Bank
January 16th, 20260 A shock and awe. The phrase is apt in describing what Israel has done in the occupied West Bank almost immediately following the events of October 7, 2023, and the start of the Israeli genocide in Gaza. Naomi Klein defines “shock and awe” not merely as a military tactic, but as a political and economic strategy that exploits moments...
U.S. tells U.N. Security Council all options on table, Iran warns it will respond to any aggression
January 16th, 20260 The United States stands by the “brave people of Iran” and President Trump "has made it clear all options are on the table to stop the slaughter," U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz told the U.N. Security Council on Thursday. Trump has repeatedly threatened to intervene in support of protesters in Iran, where...
When laughter becomes a crime: Amer Zahr speaks about his detention by the Israeli police after comedy show in Nazareth
January 9th, 20260 DETROIT / NAZARETH — Amer Zahr did not expect to be questioned about laughter. It never crossed his mind that a joke — one he had delivered on the same stages for years — would be treated that night as if it were a document requiring interpretation, or a position warranting investigation. He arrived in Nazareth carrying what he...
U.S. media coverage of Gaza continues to be disconnected from realities
January 8th, 20260 After more than two years of Israel’s assault on Gaza, one might think that there would be appreciable improvement in the way the Israeli/Palestinian issue is understood and presented. But U.S. press treatment of last week’s meeting between President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made it clear we still have a...
The three narratives: Gaza as the last moral frontier against Israel’s policy of annihilation
December 25th, 20250 Three dominant narratives contend for the future of Gaza and occupied Palestine, yet only one is being translated into consequential action: the Israeli narrative of domination and genocide. This singular, violent vision is the only one backed by the brute force of policy and fact. The first narrative belongs to the Trump...
If Gaza resistance ends: What history tells us about the Palestinian fate
December 12th, 20250 President Trump’s “Board of Peace” is reportedly set to be announced before the year’s end. This news coincides with increasing reports that the U.S. administration is serious about pushing forward the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire. However, many critical questions remain unanswered. How can a governing council be...
Netanyahu’s pardon bid: How the war on Gaza, an ICC warrant and U.S. politics are reshaping accountability
December 5th, 20250 On November 30, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu officially submitted a request for a presidential pardon to Isaac Herzog, the president of Israel. This dramatic move seeks to end his long running corruption trial, a case that has hung over Israeli politics for years and has often reflected the deep fractures within the country....
UNSC 2803: The U.S.-Israeli scheme to partition Gaza and break the Palestinian will
December 5th, 20250 United Nations Security Council Resolution 2803 is destined to fail. That failure will come at a price: more Palestinian deaths, extensive destruction and the expansion of Israeli violence to the West Bank and elsewhere in the Middle East. Why UNSC Resolution 2803 is doomed to fail The resolution, passed on November 14, was a...
Detroit Lebanese Consulate celebrates Lebanon’s 82nd Independence Day in Dearborn, honors leaders
November 30th, 20250 DEARBORN — After years of postponement due to financial difficulties and the devastating toll of Israel’s ongoing aggression against Lebanon, the Consulate General of Lebanon in Detroit revived its annual Independence Day celebration this past Tuesday at the Bint Jebail Cultural Center in Dearborn. The event drew an unexpectedly...
Pope Leo XIV to visit Turkey and Lebanon on first foreign trip, focused on peace and unity
November 30th, 20250 Pope Leo XIV’s first foreign trip, to Turkey and Lebanon, will be packed with opportunities to advance relations with two of the Catholic Church’s top priorities: Orthodox Christians and Muslims. It will also give history’s first American pope the spotlight to speak in broader terms about peace in the Middle East in languages...The waning loyalist: How America is turning away while its weapons continue to devour Gaza
There are moments in history when a powerful illusion finally breaks. For decades the illusion of unwavering American devotion to Israel felt unshakeable. It governed policy, shaped public opinion and crafted a political world in which any criticism of Israel was treated as a dangerous trespass. Yet today that illusion trembles. Bit by......
Lebanese Consulate in Detroit invites community to celebrate Independence Day
November 22nd, 20250 DEARBORN – In cooperation with Lebanese community organizations across Michigan, the Consulate General of Lebanon in Detroit will host an official celebration marking the 82nd anniversary of Lebanon’s Independence Day on Tuesday, November 25, at the Bint Jebail Cultural Center in Dearborn. Community event returns after years of...
Osama Siblani: Lebanese Americans are rising in U.S. politics, Lebanon must recognize its power
November 22nd, 20251 In an extensive political appearance on Lebanon’s Al Jadeed TV channel, as part of the program Al-Hadath, journalist and anchor Samar Abu Khalil hosted Osama Siblani, publisher of The Arab American News and president of the Arab American Political Action Committee (AAPAC), in an episode that aired Sunday, November 16. The discussion......
Netanyahu manipulates Gaza ceasefire, escalates in Lebanon and roams in Syria
November 22nd, 20250 Over the past week, significant developments unfolded on multiple fronts across the Middle East. As Tel Aviv escalated its attacks on Lebanon amid growing threats of launching a full-scale war in response to Hezbollah’s refusal to lay down its arms, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu toured the occupied Syrian south, accompanied...
The new kill zone: Gaza’s borders after the “ceasefire”
November 20th, 20250 The so-called Gaza ceasefire was not a genuine cessation of hostility, but a strategic, cynical shift in the Israeli genocide and ongoing campaign of destruction. Starting on October 10, the first day of the announced ceasefire, Israel transitioned tactics: moving from indiscriminate aerial bombardment to the calculated, engineered...
U of M student government passes Gaza Divestment Resolution despite fierce opposition
November 20th, 20250 ANN ARBOR — The University of Michigan’s Central Student Government (CSG) narrowly passed a major divestment resolution Tuesday evening, calling on the Board of Regents to investigate and end financial investments linked to Israeli human rights abuses, including those tied to the ongoing military campaign in Gaza. The measure, known...
Palestinian deaths in Israeli custody have surged. A prison guard describes rampant abuse
November 20th, 20250 The number of Palestinians dying in Israeli custody surged to nearly 100 people since the start of the war on Gaza, according to a report published Monday by a human rights group that says systematic violence and denial of medical care at prisons and detention centers contributed to many of the deaths it examined. The picture that......
The majority without power: Lebanon’s Shi’as and the politics of exclusion
November 14th, 20250 Lebanon prides itself on being a democracy, but for countless citizens, that ideal exists only on paper. No community feels this disconnect more deeply than the Shi'a. Though they are widely believed to be the country’s largest sect — perhaps even its true majority — they remain excluded from genuine political power and access to...
Michigan Medical delegation brings relief to dozens of Lebanese patients with joint replacement surgeries
November 14th, 20250 BAALBEK, NABATIEH – A two-week humanitarian medical mission led by Lebanese American physicians from Michigan delivered life-changing care to dozens of patients in Baalbek and Nabatieh, performing 50 free orthopedic surgeries and providing consultations to scores of others. The mission logistics, sponsored by the Arab American......
Iraqi PM al-Sudani’s coalition comes first in parliamentary election
November 13th, 20250 A coalition led by Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani has emerged as winner in Iraq’s parliamentary election, according to electoral authorities. The Independent High Electoral Commission said on Wednesday that al-Sudani’s Reconstruction and Change coalition received 1.3 million votes in Tuesday’s election, about...
Polishing genocide: Israel’s desperate war to erase history
November 13th, 20250 Israel’s allies worldwide are desperately scrambling to help Tel Aviv re-establish a convincing narrative — not only about the Gaza genocide, but the entire legacy of Israeli colonialism in Palestine and the Middle East. The perfect little story, built on myths and outright fabrications — that of a small nation fighting for......
