War widens: Israeli aggression spreads across Gaza, Lebanon and Syria
April 4th, 20250 The Weekly Arab Report by The Arab American News staff From the expansion of aggression on Gaza, to blatant violations of the ceasefire agreement in Lebanon, to the breach of Syrian territory by land and air, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu continued last week to stoke the flames of war in the Middle East. This comes as a...
A region in crisis from Gaza to Istanbul: War, resistance and power struggles
March 28th, 20250 The Arab American News weekly Arab world report: The Middle East remains in the eye of the storm, with many of its nations burdened by decades-old political, security, economic and social crises. These issues continue to erupt in connection with regional conflicts. Against this backdrop, Iran’s announcement of its willingness to...
Federal judge transfers case of Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil out of Louisiana to New Jersey court in positive legal turn
March 21st, 20250 On Wednesday, in a positive development in the case of the Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil, one of the leading figures in the protest movement on U.S. college campuses against the Israeli war on Gaza, a federal judge ordered the case to be transferred to a court in New Jersey from Louisiana, the hardline state chosen by the Trump...
Judge blocks deportation of pro-Palestinian Georgetown University scholar Badar Khan Suri
March 21st, 20251 On Thursday a federal judge ordered immigration officials not to deport a Georgetown scholar who was detained by the Trump administration and accused of spreading anti-Israeli propaganda in the latest battle over speech on U.S. college campuses. U.S. District Judge Patricia Tolliver Giles in Alexandria, Virginia, ordered that Indian...
Trump-backed escalation: Gaza massacre resumes, U.S. bombs Yemen, Israeli strikes hit Lebanon and Syria amid regional turmoil
March 21st, 20250 With a green light from President Trump and no deterrent in sight — except for Yemen’s steadfast support front — Israel’s killing machine has resumed its genocide in Gaza during the holy month of Ramadan, as desired by Benjamin Netanyahu, who is desperately trying to preserve his shaky ruling coalition committed to pursuing...
U.S., Israel to hold high-level talks on Iran at White House next week
March 21st, 20250 WASHINGTON — The United States and Israel will hold high-level talks on Iran's nuclear program at the White House early next week, a person familiar with the matter said on Thursday. The planned meeting follows President Trump's letter to Iran's leadership earlier this month in which he warned Tehran it had the choice of either...
Trump nominates Lebanese American Michel Issa to be the U.S. ambassador to Lebanon
March 15th, 20250 WASHINGTON, D.C. – Michel Issa, a prominent Lebanese American businessman and financial investor, was nominated by President Trump on Friday, March 7, to serve as the next U.S. ambassador to Lebanon, replacing Lisa A. Johnson, who has held the position since early 2023. Johnson, a seasoned career diplomat with the rank of...
CAIR reports increase of hate against Arab and Muslim Americans, amid war on Gaza and anti-Israel occupation protests
March 15th, 20250 WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) reported a 7.4 percent increase in discrimination and attacks against Muslim and Arab Americans in 2024 compared to the previous year, detailing crackdowns on university students protesting in support of Palestine. The annual report, titled "Unconstitutional...
Federal court rejects deportation of Palestinian student arrested under Trump’s order for protesting against Israel
March 15th, 20250 Mahmoud Khalil: A Columbia University student becomes a symbol of free speech in America WASHINGTON, D.C. – The arrest of a Palestinian student from Columbia University and the federal authorities' attempt to deport him despite being a lawful permanent resident and a Green Card holder, have sparked the largest wave of protests...
U.S. court orders deportation of Lebanese businessman accused of funding Hezbollah
March 14th, 20250 The U.S. federal court has ordered the deportation of Lebanese businessman Mohammed Ibrahim Bazzi following his conviction for conspiring with Talal Chahine, founder of the La Shish restaurant chain, to illegally transfer millions of dollars. Bazzi, 60, was sentenced to time served — approximately two years since his arrest in Romania...
Trump reverses plan to displace Gaza residents; Israeli aggression on the strip resumes amid “second phase” talks
March 14th, 20250 The past week was filled with contrasting developments, some carrying serious dangers while others offered cautious optimism, shaped by the region’s ongoing conflicts and shifting diplomatic efforts. Gaza: the struggle of the second phase of the ceasefire As Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing government pushes...
Iran’s president tells Trump: “Do whatever the hell you want.”
March 14th, 20250 Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has rejected negotiations with the U.S. under threats, telling President Trump to "do whatever the hell you want," according to Iranian state media. He also criticized U.S. foreign policy, referencing the recent Oval Office clash between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. "You...
Facing Trump’s threats, Columbia investigates students critical of Israel
March 7th, 20250 NEW YORK — Columbia University senior Maryam Alwan was visiting family in Jordan over winter break when she received an email from the school accusing her of discriminatory harassment. Her supposed top offense: writing an op-ed in the student newspaper calling for divestment from Israel. The probe is part of a flurry of recent...
Michigan Jewish delegation visits Damascus, receives warm reception and tours synagogues
March 7th, 20250 Michigan Rabbi affirms that the new Syrian government seeks to embrace all sects in Syria Rabbi Asher Lopatin, director of community relations at the Jewish Federation of Greater Ann Arbor, described his trip to Damascus, Syria, as part of a delegation of five American Jews as welcoming and acceptance by the Syrian people. The...
Israeli aggression escalates in Palestine, Syria and Lebanon amid regional tensions
March 7th, 20250 Israeli aggression continues to escalate in Palestine, Syria and Lebanon, following a clear strategy that Israeli leadership has openly admitted aims to redraw the regional map of the Middle East. This aggressive policy is bolstered by strong U.S. support, further reinforced by President Trump’s threats against the residents of Gaza,......
Israel has shown “unprecedented disregard for human rights” in Gaza, U.N. human rights chief says
February 28th, 20250 On Wednesday, the U.N. Human Rights chief accused Israel of showing an unprecedented disregard for human rights in its military actions in Gaza and said Hamas had violated international law. "Nothing justifies the appalling manner in which Israel has conducted its military operations in Gaza, which consistently breached international...
Restoring Palestine to Its rightful owners: A conversation with Mads Gilbert
February 28th, 20250 We have long argued that the Israeli war and genocide in Gaza must catalyze a change in the overall political discourse on Israel and Palestine, particularly regarding the need to free Palestine from the confines of victimhood. This shift is necessary to create space where the Palestinian people are seen as central to their own......
Hezbollah stages show of strength at Nasrallah’s funeral, Palestinians strike in Haifa against Israeli aggression in West Bank
February 28th, 20250 Israel openly declares its continued occupation of south Lebanon and Syria with "American blessing" As Israel admitted to a "total failure" in preventing Hamas' October 7, 2023 attack on southern Israeli settlements, and as its more than 14-month-long war on Gaza and South Lebanon has failed to achieve its objectives — rather...
Gaza has changed the discourse on popular resistance, but are we truly listening?
February 21st, 20250 Palestinians and Israelis agree that the Gaza resistance was the main reason behind Israel’s forced decision to accept a ceasefire and begin its gradual withdrawal from the Gaza Strip. The oddity is that Palestinians — dying, resisting, but remaining steadfast in Gaza — usually stand at the polar opposite of everything the Israeli...
Gaza preparing for second phase of ceasefire, Lebanon awaiting historic funeral for Nasrallah
February 21st, 20250 As the first phase of the “Gaza Agreement” continues to be implemented, Thursday witnessed Hamas handing over the bodies of four Israeli hostages. Meanwhile, Israel’s delays in initiating talks for the second phase appear to have ended. Several Arab countries are preparing to counter President Trump’s reconstruction plan, which...
Tens of thousands of Palestinians flee West Bank refugee camps
February 21st, 20250 Tens of thousands of Palestinians living in refugee camps in the occupied West Bank have left their homes as a weeks-long Israeli offensive has demolished houses and torn up vital infrastructure in the heavily built up townships, Palestinian authorities said. Israeli forces began their operation in the refugee camp in the northern......
The great march of hope: Gaza’s defiance against erasure
February 14th, 20250 The return of one million Palestinians from southern Gaza to the north on January 27 felt as if history was choreographing one of its most earth-shattering events in recent memory. Hundreds of thousands of people marched along a single street, the coastal Rashid Street, at the furthest western stretch of Gaza. Though these displaced...
Arab Americans reject Trump’s plan to relocate Palestinians in Gaza: A call for ethnic cleansing
February 14th, 20250 President Trump’s remarks about taking control of Gaza and resettling its population in neighboring Arab countries under the pretext of achieving lasting peace in the Palestinian occupied territories have sparked widespread condemnation and rejection both inside and outside the United States. Many human rights organizations, civil......
Mediators succeed in preventing Gaza truce from collapsing, Trump pushes “transfer” plan and threatens Jordan and Egypt
February 14th, 20250 Washington Awaits Arab countries' plan for Gaza President Trump has openly escalated pressure on Egypt and Jordan to accept Palestinians he intends to expel from Gaza, as part of his vision to transform the war-ravaged strip into the "Riviera of the Middle East." His aggressive stance was evident during his meeting with King Abdullah II...
Jewish leaders and public figures condemn Trump’s plan for Gaza in full-page NYT Ad: “Jews say no to ethnic cleansing”
February 14th, 20250 NEW YORK — On Thursday, February 13, more than 350 rabbis across denominations alongside well-known figures including Ben Cohen & Jerry Greenfield, Gabor Maté, Wally Shawn, Boots Riley and Debra Winger have placed an unequivocal statement in the New York Times against Donald Trump’s plans for Gaza. The ad delivers a clear and......
