Looped in “line by line”, Hezbollah shows pragmatic side in Lebanon-Israel deal
October 24th, 20220 Before Lebanon's government approved a U.S.-brokered deal settling a decades-long maritime boundary dispute with Israel, the powerful Hezbollah had scrutinized the final draft line by line and given a crucial nod of acceptance. Branded a "terrorist group" by Washington and a sworn enemy of Israel, the Iran-backed Hezbollah was certainly...
Australia reverses decision to recognize West Jerusalem as Israel’s capital
October 21st, 20220 SYDNEY — On Tuesday, Australia reversed a decision of the previous government to recognize West Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, saying the status of the city should be resolved through peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian people. Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong said Australia "will always be a steadfast friend...
A team of doctors is bringing joint replacement surgeries to besieged Palestinians, here’s how you can help
October 1st, 20220 The Palestine Children’s Relief Fund (PCRF) and Fajr Scientific will host a charity fundraising dinner on Oct. 8 for resources to bring joint replacement surgeries to Palestinians living under a brutal occupation. The situation for Palestinians, like those living under a crippling economic blockade in Gaza, has made the routine...
Death toll rises in Iranian protests over young woman’s killing
September 29th, 20220 TEHRAN — Protests continued in several cities across Iran on Thursday against the death of a young woman in police custody, state and social media reported, as a human rights group said at least 83 people had been killed in nearly two weeks of demonstrations. Mahsa Amini, 22, from the Iranian Kurdish town of Saqez, was arrested...
Lebanese dance troupe crowned winners of “America’s Got Talent”
September 16th, 20220 A Lebanese dance troupe has won the top prize on the popular American television show America’s Got Talent, becoming the first Arab participants to do so. Mayyas, an all-female dance act, won the $1 million prize, and the chance to headline a Las Vegas show, after they received the most votes from the public, beating the other 10...
Factbox: Just how bad is Lebanon’s economic crisis?
September 16th, 20220 Savers held up two banks in Lebanon on Wednesday to demand access to their own deposits frozen in the country's paralyzed financial system, underlining desperation among citizens unable to access savings since an economic crisis began in 2019. There were similar incidents in Beirut in August and in eastern Lebanon in January. The...
“Avenging Sabra and Shatila”: On Israeli massacres and Palestinian resistance
September 14th, 20220 September 16 marks the 40th anniversary of the Sabra and Shatila massacre, the killing of around 3,000 Palestinians at the hands of Lebanon’s Phalangist militias operating under the command of the Israeli army. Four decades have passed, yet no measure of justice has been received by the survivors of the massacre. Many of them have...
Depositors hold up two Lebanese banks to grab their own money
September 14th, 20220 Two seemingly armed and desperate Lebanese depositors held up banks on Wednesday to force access to their own money, which has been blocked during a national financial meltdown. One woman with a gun, that she later said was a toy, and some associates briefly held hostages at a branch of BLOM Bank in the capital Beirut, before leaving...
Lebanon-Israel maritime talks to conclude in “days”, official says
September 13th, 20220 Maritime border talks between Lebanon and Israel that could help allocate oil and gas resources are close to concluding after around two years of negotiations, a top Lebanese security official told Reuters on Tuesday. "We're talking about weeks — actually, days — to finish the delineation issue," the head of Lebanon's General...
Chances of accountability remain slim, as Biden administration welcomes Israeli report on Shireen Abu Akleh’s killing
September 9th, 20220 This week, the U.S. State Department officials said they "welcome" a report by Israel’s occupation forces that there was a "high possibility" renowned Palestinian American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh was "accidentally" killed by Israeli gunfire last May. Though the Biden administration has made gestures towards accountability over...
Investigating the victim: On Abbas’ “holocaust” and the depravity of Israeli Hasbara
September 4th, 20220 “There was no Massacre in Jenin” was the title of a Haaretz editorial on April 19, 2002, one week after Israel ended its deadly onslaught on the besieged Palestinian refugee camp in the northern West Bank. The unwarranted conclusion by Haaretz, other Israeli media and, ultimately, numerous Western outlets was not the outcome of a...
U.S. will never allow Iran to acquire a nuclear weapon, Biden tells Israel’s Lapid
September 3rd, 20220 WASHINGTON, D.C. - President Biden told Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid on Wednesday the U.S. will never allow Iran to acquire a nuclear weapon, the White House said, as Tehran seeks stronger guarantees from Washington for the revival of a nuclear deal with world powers. Israel opposes a return to the 2015 deal, which imposed curbs on...
Qamaria Coffee opens fifth cafe location on the border of Dearborn, Dearborn Heights
September 1st, 20220 DEARBORN — Yemeni coffee is taking over the cafe scene in Metro Detroit by storm, and a major contributor to that world is Qamaria Coffee. The premium Yemeni coffee bean sourcing, roasting operation and cafe franchise is opening its fifth location at the border of Dearborn and Dearborn Heights. Started by two Yemeni entrepreneurs...
Deadly clashes rage in Baghdad in Shi’a power struggle
August 30th, 20220 BAGHDAD — Iraq is seeing a fresh wave of violence in a power struggle between the powerful Shi'a cleric Moqtada al-Sadr and Shi'a parties and paramilitary groups. On Thursday, clashes among rivals in the Iraqi city of Basra killed at least four people, as violence from a worsening political crisis hit the south of the country. Heavy...
Fake neutrality: How Western media language misrepresents Palestinians, shields Israel
August 27th, 20220 While U.S. and Western mainstream and corporate media remain biased in favor of Israel, they often behave as if they are a third, neutral party. This is simply not the case. Take the New York Times' coverage of the latest Israeli war on Gaza as an example. Its article on August 6, “Israel-Gaza Fighting Flares for a Second Day” is......
Lebanese chess champion withdraws from international competition
August 23rd, 20220 LEBANON — Nadia Fawaz, a Lebanese chess champion, was matched with an Israeli player, Elia Grozman, in the fourth round of the 28th Abu Dhabi International Chess Festival. Lebanese outlet The961 has reported that Fawaz, however, decided she did not want to play with an Israeli and has withdrawn from the international chess...
Israel’s premature “victory” celebration: The defining war in Gaza is yet to be fought
August 20th, 20220 For years, Palestinians, as well as Israelis, have labored to redraw the battle lines. The three-day Israeli war on Gaza, starting on August 5, clearly manifested this reality. Throughout its military operation, Israel has repeatedly underscored the point that the war was targeting the Islamic Jihad Movement only, not Hamas or anyone......
Israel army, Palestinian fighters set for truce from Sunday night
August 7th, 20220 Israel and Palestinian soldiers agreed to a Cairo-mediated truce to take effect late on Sunday, sources said, raising hopes of an end to the most serious flare-up on the Gaza frontier in more than a year. Israeli forces pounded Palestinian targets through the weekend, triggering longer-range rocket attacks against its cities and...
Iran stands with Russia in the war against Ukraine, but clashes with Turkey’s plans in Syria at summit
July 22nd, 20220 Russian President Vladimir Putin ended his first major summit outside Russia since the invasion of Ukraine with an endorsement from Iran for its response to NATO, a clash with Turkey over Syria and signs of progress over the lifting of the Russian blockade of Ukrainian grain. The White House said the Tehran summit held between Putin,...
Nasrallah: “no one” will extract gas from maritime zone if Lebanon is unable to do so
July 15th, 20220 Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah had strong words on Wednesday about a maritime oil dispute between Lebanon and Israel. Nasrallah warned that "no one" would be allowed to operate in maritime oil and gas fields if Lebanon was barred from its "rights" in extracting from areas off of its own coast. "If Lebanon is prevented...
Analysis: Political and banking deadlock may plunge Lebanon deeper into crisis
July 2nd, 20220 BEIRUT – Lebanon’s untamed financial crisis is gathering new menace as it heads into a fourth year, with political paralysis dampening hope of reforms that could unlock foreign support and stave off social turmoil, according to analysts, lawmakers and former officials. The emergency gripping the small country squeezed between Syria......
Biden says he won’t directly ask Saudi Arabia to produce more oil
July 1st, 20220 President Biden said on Thursday he would not directly press Saudi Arabia to increase oil output to curb soaring crude prices when he sees the Saudi king and crown prince during a visit later this month. Biden also said at a news conference in Spain that Americans will have to stomach high gas prices for "as long as it takes" to beat...
Maker of Pillsbury products divests from Israel, after multi-year boycott campaign
June 3rd, 20220 After two years of calls by human rights campaigners, General Mills, the company that produces the popular Pillsbury brand of products, has divested its Israeli business. The calls came from a diverse set of organizations and interests, including the Quaker organization American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), which promotes "a......
Long marginalized, the “Right of Return” is once more a Palestinian priority
May 30th, 20220 The Nakba is back on the Palestinian agenda. For nearly three decades, Palestinians were told that the Nakba — or Catastrophe — is a thing of the past. That real peace requires compromises and sacrifices, therefore, the original sin that has led to the destruction of their historic homeland should be entirely removed from any...
Iraq makes it illegal to attempt normalizing ties with Israel
May 28th, 20220 BAGHDAD – Iraq's parliament approved a law on Thursday that will ban normalizing relations with Israel, at a time when several Arab countries have established formal ties. The Iraqi parliament has been unable to convene on any other issue, including electing a new president and forming its own government, prolonging a political......
