Facing the facts: Israel cannot escape ICC jurisdiction
June 8th, 20190 The chief military advocate general of the Israeli army, Sharon Afek, and the U.S. Department of Defense general counsel, Paul Ney, shared a platform at the “International Conference on the Law of Armed Conflict”, which took place in Herzliya, Israel between May 28-30. Their panel witnessed some of the most misconstrued...
Militant kills two police, two soldiers in Lebanon’s Tripoli
June 4th, 20190 BEIRUT - A militant attacked a security patrol in Lebanon’s northern city of Tripoli on Monday night, killing two police officers and two soldiers before blowing himself up, officials said. Interior Minister Raya al-Hassan described it as a “lone wolf attack”, though authorities canceled Eid al-Fitr celebrations in the coastal...
Israel dissolves Knesset after Netanyahu fails to form government, heads for new election
May 31st, 20190 TEL AVIV — Israeli lawmakers voted to dissolve the Knesset on Thursday, paving the way for a new election after Benjamin Netanyahu failed to form a government before a midnight deadline. Netanyahu preferred a new ballot, set for Sept. 17, to the alternative, under which President Reuven Rivlin could have asked another politician to...
Life for Relief continues charity mission in spirit of Ramadan
May 24th, 20190 SOUTHFIELD — The holy month of Ramadan is a time for fasting, reflection and giving to charity. Several charitable organizations in Metro Detroit are among the biggest givers. The international charity Life for Relief & Development is one of the most prominent, working from its main office in Southfield to deliver aid to needy...
The two narratives of Palestine: The people are united, the factions are not
May 20th, 20190 The International Conference on Palestine held in Istanbul between April 27-29 brought together many speakers and hundreds of academics, journalists, activists and students from Turkey and all over the world. The conference was a rare opportunity aimed at articulating a discourse of international solidarity that is both inclusive and...
Israel’s common denominator: Why Israel will continue to bomb Gaza
May 20th, 20190 On May 4, Israel launched a series of deadly airstrikes on the besieged Gaza Strip, prompting a response from various resistance groups. At least 25 Palestinians were killed and nearly 200 people wounded in the Israeli attacks. Four Israelis were also killed by Palestinian rockets. The clashes were instigated by Israel, when the...
Lebanon mourns former Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir
May 17th, 20190 BEIRUT — Political leaders and thousands of Lebanese gathered on Thursday for the funeral of the former Maronite patriarch, Cardinal Nasrallah Sfeir. Ten black-clad priests with purple scarves bore his wooden coffin, marked with a cross, out of a chapel and along a purple carpet through crowds of mourners as incense wafted...
Palestinian foreign minister: U.S. crafting surrender plan, not peace deal
May 10th, 20190 UNITED NATIONS — The United States seems to be crafting a plan for a Palestinian surrender to Israel instead of a peace deal, Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki told a meeting at the United Nations attended by U.S. Middle East peace negotiator Jason Greenblatt. Greenblatt and senior White House adviser Jared Kushner have...
U.S. soldier convicted of killing Iraqi soldier, pardoned by Trump
May 8th, 20190 Oklahoma – President Trump pardoned former U.S. Army Lieutenant Michael Behenna on Monday after he served five years in prison for killing an Iraqi soldier in 2008. Behenna was convicted of unpremeditated murder and sentenced to 25 years in prison for the killing of Ali Mansour Mohamed. Mansour had been suspected for his involvement...
Israel, Gaza reach ceasefire agreement after weekend of rocket attacks, airstrikes
May 6th, 20190 GAZA — An Egyptian-mediated ceasefire agreement was reached with Israel on Monday to end a weekend of violence in the Gaza Strip and Israel, a report from Reuters said. “The ceasefire understanding will begin Monday 04:30 (01:30 GMT)” a Palestinian official familiar with the agreement said to the news agency. The fighting was...
Gaza laments deadly start to Ramadan, amid funerals and destruction
May 6th, 20190 GAZA - After two sleepless days and nights of Israeli shelling and Palestinian rocket fire, Gazans on Monday faced a first day of Ramadan overshadowed by funerals and the grim task of pulling bodies from collapsed buildings. As dawn brought a ceasefire of uncertain duration, few Palestinians in the impoverished coastal enclave were...
France and the EU, recognizing yet supporting apartheid reality in Palestine
May 3rd, 20190 A recent statement made by the outgoing French ambassador to the U.S. regarding the nature of Israeli apartheid accentuates a larger ailment that has afflicted the European Union foreign policy. The EU is simply gutless when it comes to confronting Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestine. Ambassador Gerard Araud was, of course,...
Local self-proclaimed cleric Mohammad Hajj Hassan embroiled in scandal, condemned by High Islamic Council
May 3rd, 20190 DEARBORN — The Dearborn-based Shia cleric Mohammad Hajj Hassan, who is the so called leader of the Free Shia Movement, has been the center of controversy following the release of pictures on social media that show him naked and allegedly indulging in adulterous sexual activity. The pictures were circulated widely over Facebook,...
Dr. Mohamad Hakim of Beaumont Dearborn dies at 59, shocks community
May 3rd, 20190 DEARBORN - One of Dearborn's beloved surgeons, Dr. Mohamad Hakim, M.D., P.C., passed away on April 24 following a massive heart attack. Hakim, 59, was a physician/surgeon who was recently elected as the chief of staff at Beaumont Hospital of Dearborn. Hakim practiced medicine for 27 years after graduating from Wayne State...
Notre Dame of Gaza: Our mosques and churches are also burning
April 26th, 20190 As the 300-foot spire of the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris tragically came tumbling down on live television, my thoughts ventured to Nuseirat Refugee Camp, my childhood home in the Gaza Strip. Then, also on television, I watched as a small bulldozer hopelessly clawed through the rubble of my neighborhood mosque. I grew up around that......
From Peddling to Prophecy: Arab American journalism history told in a photo exhibition
April 26th, 20190 DETROIT – On Friday, April 12, the Lebanese Consulate in Detroit hosted an exhibition featuring journalists' works entitled "From Peddling to Prophecy.” It was organized by U.N. journalist Samar Nader in collaboration with the two universities in Lebanon — The Holy Spirit and the Lady of Luiza. The exhibition was held at the...
Police arrest Florida man for threatening calls to Tlaib, others
April 24th, 20190 Washington — Police have arrested a Florida man and charged him with making threats by phone last week to freshman U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib of Detroit, and two other Democratic lawmakers in Congress. Police say John J. Kless of Tamarac, Florida, called Tlaib and left threatening and profane voicemail messages. Sen. Cory Booker......
Netanyahu: Israel to name new town on Golan after Trump
April 23rd, 20190 OCCUPIED GOLAN HEIGHTS - Israel said on Tuesday it would name a new community on the occupied Golan Heights after President Trump as an expression of gratitude for his recognition of its claim of sovereignty over the strategic plateau. Israel captured the Golan from Syria in a 1967 war and annexed it, against international law. The...
War versus peace: Israel has decided and so should we
April 19th, 20190 So, what have we learned from the Israeli legislative elections on April 9? A whole lot. To start with, don’t let such references as the “tight race” between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and his main rival, Benny Gantz, fool you. Yes, Israelis are divided on some issues that are particular to...
Americans have the right to hear from the leader of BDS movement
April 19th, 20190 I awakened early Wednesday to listen to a voicemail message from Omar Barghouti, a leading member of the Palestinian movement to Boycott, Divest, and Sanction (BDS) Israel. In the message, Omar told me that he was at Ben Gurion Airport and despite holding a valid U.S. visa and a boarding pass for his flight to Washington, D.C., the...
Christianity growing in Syrian town once taken over by ISIS
April 19th, 20190 KOBANI, SYRIA — A community of Syrians who converted to Christianity is growing here, according a report from Reuters. Kobani, a town besieged by ISIS militants for months, has seen a wave of new converts to Christianity after many say the experience of war and the onslaught of a group claiming to fight for Islam pushed them toward......
U.S. official: Washington will not remove Sudan from terror list while military rules
April 18th, 20190 WASHINGTON - The United States will not remove Sudan from the state sponsor of terrorism list until the country’s leadership and policies change and the military no longer holds power, a U.S. official said on Tuesday. “We will be willing to look at removing Sudan from the list of state sponsors of terrorism if there is...
Runaway Saudi sisters fear death, plead for world’s help
April 18th, 20190 TBILISI - Two Saudi sisters took to Twitter on Wednesday to plead for international protection and a safe haven, saying their lives would be at risk if they went back to Saudi Arabia. The women, in their 20s, said they had arrived in the former Soviet republic of Georgia and needed help from the international community to find a new......
Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement co-founder denied entry by U.S. government
April 12th, 20190 Palestinian activist Omar Barghouti, co-founder of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israeli financial interests, has been denied entry to the United States after airline staff informed him he wouldn't be flying. Barghouti was at Ben Gurion International Airport on Wednesday when he was told by U.S....
Trump congratulates Netanyahu: “U.S. with you and Israel all the way!”
April 12th, 20190 WASHINGTON, DC — President Trump phoned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday to congratulate him on his re-election, and Netanyahu said he thanked his ally for “tremendous support for Israel.” Netanyahu tweeted that Trump had called him from Air Force One. The president was on a flight to Texas. Netanyahu......
